Why weddings matter

Last week at this time my family and friends were preparing for the wedding of my son to his fiance and former girlfriend. This event has been long anticipated, and even though they were living together we all knew that the marriage was a big deal.
By coincidence on the morning of the marriage, Margaret Wente (one of my "go-to" columnists) in the Globe and Mail published "Why weddings matter more than ever". I tried reading it to my family at the breakfast table and the emotions were very strong in the context of the day.
After the wedding I read comments about this column in the paper and online. I felt that many people missed one of Ms. Wente's most important points, so I wrote my own letter to the editor. Now that the kids are off on a honeymoon, the relatives have returned safely home, and the dust is settling in my house, I thought I would share with you what I wrote to the Globe and Mail:

Margaret Wente’s column (Why weddings matter… May 1^st) was published on the same day my son was married, so it had a special impact in my household that morning.

 Ms. Wente mentioned that wedding rates are in decline and that “No government, no matter how well-heeled or well-intentioned, can offer an effective substitute for the devotion and parental investment of two nurturing adults.” 

I absolutely agree and I believe that our governments in the last 60 years have usurped the position and responsibility of family, church and community. Who needs these institutions when strangers are coerced by government through a myriad of welfare programs, into providing for all our needs from cradle to grave?

It is no coincidence that rates of marriage have declined, and that rates of divorce and single parent families have increased in that span of 60 years.

My son’s wedding was wonderful!

The Globe editor did not publish this letter, frustrating yes, but that is one reason I blog.

  

 

Reactions to political words

A recent survey of Americans by the Pew Research Center shows that Libertarians have some work to do in defining what they represent.
The chart shows that among those surveyed the reaction to the word Libertarian is not screamingly positive, on the contrary. Yet the terms "States' rights", "Civil liberties" and "Civil rights" have distinctly positive reactions. All of these might be supported to a large degree in the libertarian idea. The disconnect between these terms and the term libertarian seems larger than is warranted, so maybe those ideas are not part of the libertarian sales pitch. They should be.
The article points out that Republicans take a dim view of libertarians, (so much for the term "right-wing" when applied to libertarians) while Democrats are evenly divided and Independents have a much more favourable view (44% positive/32% negative). The term "right-wing" which I just mentioned, would to me, more closely fit "fascist-authoritarian-socialists" who are Republicans, by and large (of course they would disagree).
Libertarians are in desperate need of better marketing strategies or they will be stuck with this negative view.

Ion Propulsion - The Next Generation

For all you "trekkies" or "trekkers" here is more evidence that Star Trek has changed the world.  A space probe called Dawn is travelling beyond the orbit of Mars and heading into the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Dawn is supposed to achieve "standard orbit" (a Star Trek term - see picture) around the asteroid Vesta, staying and exploring a while then heading off to the asteroid Ceres later. These are two of the largest asteroids in this solar system. Why study asteroids? Well, the standard NASA answer is to gets some insights into how they formed and help scientists understand the formation of the solar system. Of course asteroids may be cholk-full of raw materials, so science may not be the only reason for such a trip.
This is not the first time asteroids or comets have been visited. On July 4th, 2005, NASA's Deep Impact probe intentionally collided with the comet Temple 1. In January 2006, NASA's Stardust probe returned samples of the Comet Wild and is on route to visit Temple 1 in 2011. In September 2008 the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe flew by the asteroid Steins.
But the Dawn visit is unique because it orbits two asteroids and if it had used conventional fuel it would have been too heavy to launch with current vehicles. Instead of conventional fuel Dawn uses Ion propulsion, a concept made popular during the original Star Trek series.  This clip helps explain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjR36EAR_B4

  

Vote small, think big - can't agree more!

Pat Condell is one of my favourites. He is British and speaks from the European perspective and his message is mostly anti-religious. That gets a bit tiresome sometimes, but he does such a good job of it, and his delivery is so smooth, that just to watch him is a pleasure. Maybe it's just because of his accent, he sounds so smart - I think he is.
Thursday, May 6th is the British election, an important one not just for the Brits but all of Europe and even us to some extent. In a recent post he spoke about the importance of this election. Condell is no libertarian, but his message is one that should be heard because it can be applied in Canada or the US. Have a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krybvOx-8Dk