The Disrespectful Economist

The Friday issue of the Economist has been withheld in Thailand due to the slanderous nature of one of its articles. The naughty article in question recounts the somewhat embarrassing situation of a writer who slandered the monarchy.

This writer in his book had a brief passage where he was critical of an unnamed royal figure. This most heinous of crimes has landed him a three year jail sentence after he visited Thailand for tourism. The funny part of this story is that his book sold a total of 7 copies and he was not even aware that the material he was writing constituted a criminal offence......... what a fool, right?

Let us hope that the monarch is magnanimous and pardons him like he pardoned the last offender, a swiss man that was sentenced to jail for 10 years because he had been defacing the monarchs image. 

Long Live King Bhumibol Adulyadj the Merciful

Update (21/02/09) - The guilty man has been pardoned. Good news.

Finally!!!

Stem cell research has finally been given the stamp of approval by the U.S. government. The FDA has given the go-ahead for clinical trials involving the therapeutic implantation of stem cells derived from embryos. Clinical trials will involve 8-10 candidates who have recently suffered nerve damage in their spinal cord. The research hopes to demonstrate that the stem cells will be responsible for nerve reparation and return the injured individual to a healthy state. While the trial is fairly risky, as the nervous system is one of the most complex, the potential benefits that will be derived from this trial are countless.

Stem cell research has been restricted since 2001 when the Bush administration imposed severe restrictions on the regulations governing its research, and limited its funding. However with the inauguration of Obama, Science will return to its rightful place of importance. Although Obama had no official direct influence on the FDAs decision, it has been speculated by many that the timing of the approval is not a coincidence.

The potential benefits that could be garnered by further exploration of stem cell research are limitless and could precipitate the advancement of the entire medical field. Various diseases including; cancer, blindness, heart disease and many others could be potentially prevented by successful stem cell research.

Results have so far been inconclusive, however the very fact that this area of study is now receiving government support is exciting. It is possible that stem cell research will not yield results but I love the fact that it is being explored, because if we are limited by fear and trepidation then we will never reach new heights.

Hope

Hope is what gives meaning to so many lives. The hope that the future will bring welcome changes. The hope that we have not reached the peak of what we are capable of and we will work harder for the betterment of our fellow man. The hope that our actions will have significance and meaning. The hope that tomorrow will be just that much brighter than today.

People say that hope is last to die, but I disagree, hope never dies. 

I hope that his actions will benefit the world

Thoughts on Information

It has been a while. The mixture of vacation and an initial lack of Internet access have kept me from posting for far too long. Now that I have returned to operating my normal routine I am able to put my thoughts to digital paper once again.

It has been a busy time on the international scene as -

Wow, it's snowing for real. I just looked out the window and there are these giant snowflakes cascading down upon the frigid pavement. Isn't it supposed to be getting warmer? I mean we've passed Christmas so surely the pendulum has reached its peak and should be swinging in the opposite direction. Damn breaking off in the middle of that sentence to talk about snow makes me look bad in so many ways.

- Israel took military action against Gaza stating their intention of ending further rocket attacks against their territories. Further information regarding some of the facts surrounding those attacks may be viewed at http://sundrycharms.blogspot.com/. While all the information provided is accurate it may be slightly coloured by the personal views of the author (no offense Jo as I know that this is intended) and further reading is recommended.

That being said, a very important aspect of Jo's blog is that it captures stories that are not front page. A recent article regarding gay rights, or lack of, in Africa was mentioned. It is important that people be aware of a breadth of issues and don't limit their focus to any single one. The media should not be used as a venue for the most shocking or immediate news but rather should provide the reader with the diverse ongoings of the world.

The power the media has to influence our opinions is substantial, it is for this reason that I dislike biased articles as it may mislead the reader providing them with facts in a discriminatory manner. On a primary level international journalism should inform the reader of the facts of the situation. On a secondary level it may provide informed reasoning behind the actions taken sourcing from the areas of political theory, history and deduction. However it is my belief that unless the publication is personal it should be generally devoid of emotion regarding its style and tone. Now how to do this while providing an interesting piece of work. Hmmm. Dunno if it is always possible.

I just wanted to state that I am not criticizing current journalistic standards as some publications follow this unbiased approach quite well. However I do believe coverage has become an issue at times, as novel events seem to takeover the headlines and appropriate the entirety of the news time.