Struck off MMR doctor handed award for 'lifetime achievement in quackery'
Andrew Wakefield, discredited over autism-MMR vaccine link claims, is named Good Thinking Society's Golden Duck winner
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
BBC NEWS -Taliban in Pakistan and religious extremists in Southern Thailand bomb schools. Why fear education?
Top video - heartbreaking report from Pakistan and sadly similar thinking in faraway Thailand. The groups are very different but both sets of extremists target schools, teachers and students. Why?
Friday, February 22, 2013
Sunni Muslim terrorists murder Shia Muslims in Pakistan - can TOK help us understand this behaviour?
What inspires some people to commit mass murder in the name of religion?
India has witnessed the tragic loss of life this week in terrorist attacks.
In Pakistan, Sunni Muslims are the majority and Shia Muslims are the minority. The Shia community are regular targets of attacks by those who consider their brand of faith 'wrong'.
They are labeled 'heretics', 'apostates', 'infidels'. The paradox is that many prominent figures in Pakistan's history were Shia Muslims but now they are targeted as the 'enemy' by fanatics who want everyone to be exactly the same - that is agree with them.
If religion is about love, what feeds this hatred of others who belong to a different sect or branch of the same religious system? Europe saw similar atrocities during the 'religious wars' between Catholics and Protestants: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_wars_of_religion
It can be argued that with the rise of nationalism as a secular 'religion', politics and identity became the 'reason' for wars. Note that Catholics and Protestants fought together as British or Germans in World War One, where the flag and uniform determined who was your friend or foe. In a sense nationalism replaced religion as 'faith' but certainly as way of defining one's identity, the sense of who is one of us and who is 'the other', the enemy.
After World War 2, Postmodernism reflected a more humanist secular approach to life in the West. Modern liberal thinking shows a distrust of absolutist ideologies whether they claim to come from God or from politics, Hitlerism, Stalinism, Maoism. IB students are encouraged to reflect on how Hitler and other fanatics often find a minority to create a scapegoat and channel the hatred of the majority in their society. For Hitler it was the Jews, for Stalin and Mao it was 'enemies of the state'.
There is another way to think and live:
In contrast consider this quote attributed to Gandhi ( but I am still searching for a source):
"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members."
INDIA -Poor Little Rich Country - By Patrick French | Foreign Policy
Poor Little Rich Country - By Patrick French | Foreign Policy
Interesting and perhaps provocative article from author Patrick French. If you sign up with your Google Account you get a free login membership. This is a good website for students interested in international affairs.
Interesting and perhaps provocative article from author Patrick French. If you sign up with your Google Account you get a free login membership. This is a good website for students interested in international affairs.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Bangladesh - Bridging the Gap - corruption issues cancel funding
Sadly, I have just heard on the BBC News that the World Bank has cancelled funding for the bridge. They cited concerns about fraud and corruption in the bidding for contracts and a weak response from the Bangladesh government to these concerns.
Teardrop -- Massive Attack (high quality)
Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Gentle impulsion
Shakes me, makes me lighter
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
Nine night of matter
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my...
Water is my eye
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Of a confession
Fearless on my breath
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
You're stumbling down
You're stumbling down
_____________________
Note on the images here: Hubble Space Telescope pictures. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a space shuttle in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Gentle impulsion
Shakes me, makes me lighter
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
Nine night of matter
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my...
Water is my eye
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Of a confession
Fearless on my breath
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
You're stumbling down
You're stumbling down
_____________________
Note on the images here: Hubble Space Telescope pictures. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a space shuttle in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble
Monday, February 4, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
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A special welcome to our incoming IB Grade X1 class, who are already working with teachers on our Pre- IB Introductory Course. ALL STU...
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Each Grade 11 Student will post 100-150 words as Personal Reflection inspired by their visit to the Art Exhibition. Our Central Knowledge ...
