Suchergebnisse

In his book The Moral Case against Religious Belief (1997), the author argued that some important virtues cease to be virtues at all when set in a religious context, and that, consequently, a religious life is, in many respects, not a good life to lead. In this sequel he takes up the theme again because 'the intervening decade has brought home to us the terrible results of religious conviction'.He writes in the Introduction: 'Most religious people are conventionally devout. Religion does not play a huge part in their everyday lives and their moral life is not continuously under its gaze. I regard this as a thoroughly good thing. ... My suspicion is that the more intense the religious devotion the more the morality is in danger.'.

Donnchadh Ó Floinn, of Shandon St, Cork, contributed poems in Irish to Walter Cox's Irish Magazine in its first years of production. The magazine itself was a vehicle for Catholic Nationalism with little interest in the language. Enthusiasts for the Irish language, however, found its politics congenial. Ó Floinn wanted to see Irish in print in the Irish character, and in a small way Cox delivered this with help from Theophilus O'Flanagan and a printer in Dublin. What was printed is of limited interest in itself, but the survival of a poem by Ó Floinn, submitted but not published, allows an unexpected insight. Although this material is now obscure, the Irish Magazine provided the first mass-audience printing of Irish, albeit in very small amount, and its impact is reflected in the way that Fr Michael Kinsella and Edward O'Reilly kept cuttings of the Irish verses printed by Cox.

6 Month embargo ; [First paragraph] We are concerned that some of the European Union's processes for setting safety regulations for chemicals are being influenced by media and pseudoscience scaremongering. Pseudoscience has no place in such decisions, which should be based purely on well-defined and transparent evidence. ; Peer-reviewed ; Post-print

During 1996, the Management Committee of the Society considered where emphasis should be placed in the future in terms of its study group activities. This strategic review highlighted the important role that the Society and its members will be asked to play following a major earthquake in New Zealand. However the effective response of Society members, many of whom have gained valuable "real" post-earthquake experience from the Society's reconnaissance visits, would be severely limited by the current absence of an effective co-ordination framework. The Post-earthquake Response of Structural Engineers Study Group has made a significant contribution in this area, culminating in its recent draft building safety evaluation procedures for territorial authorities. However a wide range of additional procedures and frameworks have also been identified as being required, many of which are outside the customary scope of study group activities. This paper outlines the formation of a Working Party on Integrated Planning for Earthquake Preparedness by the Society, and backgrounds the critical issues associated with the post-earthquake co-ordination of scarce technical resources. Proposals for participation by the Society in a concerted approach to addressing these problems are presented. The body of this paper has been circulated to a wide range of involved agencies, including all territorial authorities in New Zealand and central government representatives.