Some interviews should just never take place.
Take the recent exchange between the beyond-out there Kathryn Jean Lopez, she who makes Michele Bachmann look rational, and George Mason University professor and author of Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think Bryan Caplan on Lopez’s National Review Online.
I consider myself a pretty solid reader, and I had to print …
Tennessee’s Carter Middle School is taking curriculum-changing steps to address the needs of its students—and we’re not talking reading, writing, and arithmetic. Nope, this school has identified a disconcerting lack of empathy in its students and is intentionally tackling this in the classroom.
‘We knew that our kids were missing something,’ said assistant principal Katye Clemmons. ‘When we would talk to them, it didn’t matter if they were high or low-achieving students, or came from a broken home or a great home, there was just something missing.’
The missing piece became evident when Clemmons, Principal Michael Derrick, guidance counselor Tracy Cagle, school counselor Lori Miller, and teachers Jessica Smith, Chris Smith and Nathan Hone attended a Positive Behavior Conference in Nashville last spring.
‘When they started talking about Why Try, we just looked at each other and thought, ‘This is it!’ Why Try gives you a language, it has pictures that goes with it, it’s very kid-friendly, and every kid in the spectrum can relate to it in some way.’
Apathy is an increasing problem in a generation of kids that get instant gratification (or dire consequences, which is an interesting gamut when you think about it) on the computer screen or through possession of the latest cell phone. If you have been provided with the finer things—because this is, after all, the rat race that American children and their parents …
One of Britain’s leading abortion providers has come under fire this week for offering free terminations to its staff. Marie Stopes International offers employees, their partners and children free access to terminations as part of its employee benefits package, which also includes discounted gym membership, free annual health checks and a range of leisure deals and offers.
The company’s policy on staff access to terminations has this week caused outrage among anti-abortion groups in the UK, which have branded the benefit as ‘macabre.’ According to the Marie Stopes’ website:
‘Team members, their partners and dependents will be able to access Marie Stopes International’s core services… without charge.’
Under ‘core services,’ the company lists services such as sterilisation, testing for HIV and other sexual transmitted infections, ultrasounds, family planning and abortion.
Marie Stopes International operates on a not-for-profit basis, but is given an estimated £30 million a year from the NHS to carry out abortions – though the NHS offers free abortions (subject to strict law which states that women must obtain the consent of two doctors before being allowed the procedure), Marie Stopes carries these out on behalf of the NHS in some cases. The organisation also offers private abortions for women who prefer to pay privately to terminate as quickly as possible.
Josephine Quintavalle, of the UK’s Pro-Life Alliance, has said that:
Halal meat for Muslims has been a common part of everyday life in the UK for some time, but now a Muslim businesswoman has gone a step further by launching a range of halal make-up, which is free from alcohol and animal products, in the UK, the BBC reported on Friday.
The cosmetics – a full range, including lipstick, eyeliner and blusher – are made in strict accordance with Islamic law, using plant extracts and minerals instead of animal products and alcohol. Samina Akhter set up the Samina Pure make-up line from her home in Birmingham after questioning what she was putting on her skin and feeling uneasy praying whilst wearing make-up. Akhter has said that:
‘I didn’t feel comfortable praying with make-up on not knowing what was in there. When I researched [what was in my] make-up, I found there were a lot of animal products included. I was shocked to find that some products contained alcohol and even pig placenta. Many Muslim women like me have been frustrated by wanting to look good and follow their faith. I’ve had women say ‘Thank you. Now I can use products and pray without having to my make-up off.’
Akhter started importing the make-up from Australia around six months ago. The products are certified by the independent Halal Certification Authority Australia, and Samina Pure is the first company in the UK to sell Halal-certified make-up. The company now has over 500 customers in the UK and business continues to grow.
However in light of this week’s reports on the success of Samina Pure, there has been advice given and concerns raised by some Muslim leaders who claim other businesses may be cashing in on the halal cosmetic products market, and that Muslim women need to be careful in their choices of products. There is clearly a difference of opinion amongst Muslim scholars as to whether make-up from a regular high-street or supermarket brand is allowed to be used by Muslim women. Sheikh Haitham Al-Haddad states that there are two schools of thought:
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