A woman walks past an electronic memorial to Stephen Hawking at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ont., on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.J.P. MOCZULSKI
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An extraordinary life
Wow, what a life (Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking Dies At 76 (online, March 14). Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS about 55 years ago. Doctors gave him two years to live. Some may say it was lucky for him after being diagnosed to live this long, but it was lucky for us. I’m guessing that Prof. Hawking is among the stars, double checking his theories.
Dan Petryk, Calgary
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My sadness at the news of Stephen Hawking’s death was tempered when I discovered he has a guest spot in the BBC’s new radio program celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy. Apparently, he was a great fan of Douglas Adams: fittingly, he is playing Mark II of the Guide. To be able to hear that remarkable voice in the manic context of the Hitchhiker’s Guide seems like a wonderful epilogue to an extraordinary life.
Nigel Brachi, Edmonton
#Rexit
Re The Curtain Falls On Rex Tillerson (March 14): As secretary of state, Rex Tillerson certainly had an uneasy relationship with Donald Trump. In a private conversation, he allegedly called the President a moron. A dictionary defines a moron as a very stupid person. The President appears to fall into that category when considering his extraordinary management style, exemplified in using Twitter to fire Mr. Tillerson.
In 1920, H.L. Mencken, writing in The Baltimore Evening Sun, cynically mused about democracy and the presidency: “As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
That “great and glorious day’’ appears to have arrived.
Reid Robinson, Regina
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Brexit, Rexit, who’s nex’it?
Ab Dukacz, Mississauga
Rights (plural) to speak
Re Why We Invited Jordan Peterson To Discuss Compelled Speech (March 13): Jordan Peterson’s views are informed by research and his interpretation of data. As a clinical psychologist, he has the right to be provocative and assertive in expressing his opinion, regardless of whose feathers he may ruffle. I say this as a defender of free speech. The people who protested also have the right to free speech, but they do not have the right to shut down people with whom they may disagree. It is those who attempt to do so who threaten society, not those who espouse provocative opinions.
Arron Eisen, Toronto
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A couple of years ago, I attended a public lecture by a prominent climate-change denier. This speaker’s invitation caused outrage in some quarters at the University of Calgary because it was perceived to legitimize a viewpoint contrary to the scientific consensus.
The tense lecture hall was standing room only. Even though the speaker’s argumentation revealed itself to be vacuous and manipulative of the data, his forcefulness provoked a strong, emotive reaction. Some normally articulate attendees spluttered poorly framed questions that the speaker batted out of the park.
Many left frustrated and angry. Was any useful purpose served? Yes. In the numerous post-talk debates that ensued, and in having to confront a position and style of argumentation many found offensive, all came away educated. To the decriers of the event: I am pretty sure the number of climate-change deniers shrank.
David Pattison, Calgary
Starving in Venezuela
Re An Ugly New Low For The Venezuelan President (March 12): Nicolas Maduro should be indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, specifically extermination. Extermination includes “intentional infliction of conditions of life [including] the deprivation of access to food and medicine calculated to bring about the destruction of part of a population.”
Venezuelans are starving. President Maduro knows this. He intentionally prohibits private production and marketing of food. He intentionally prohibits freedom of speech and the press so citizens can’t protest his policies. He intentionally manipulates the government so that the opposition has no voice. He intentionally appoints corrupt cronies who profit from monopolistic state imports and distribution of food. He intentionally manipulates such food supplies as do exist, giving them only to his supporters.
Mr. Maduro calculatedly deprives a large part of the Venezuelan population of food. He should be seen as a criminal of the highest order.
Rhoda Howard Hassmann, Canada Research Chair in International Human Rights 2003-2016
‘Undead’ isn’t an option
Re Does Naloxone Really Save Lives? (March 10): I disagree with Margaret Wente. The decision to dispense naloxone is more the purview of ethicists than economists.
In my wiseacre phase, during the early days of the AIDS crisis, I ran into a “street minister” handing out condoms to women engaged in the sex trade. I challenged him, suggesting that perhaps his proper role was to save souls, rather than encourage sinning. He countered that his choice was to keep these women alive for now, and worry at a later date about saving their souls. I never forgot his response.
It is the same with naloxone. As workers in the field, parents or partners, friends or lovers, siblings or just plain folks, we have a choice. My hope is that we all choose to carry naloxone, learn how to use it, use it when necessary, and advocate that a person overdosing on drugs receive naloxone as often as needed – be it two, 10 or 20 times. We cannot always make people enroll in treatment. More important, we cannot make them “undead.”
Walter Cavalieri, Canadian Harm Reduction Network
March 13, 1927
Tuesday’s Moment In Time heralded the introduction of Canada’s Old Age Pension, but did not recognize the considerable efforts of A.A. Heaps (my grandfather) and J.S. Woodsworth, co-founders of the CCF party. Both were relentless in ensuring the introduction of Old Age Pension in Canada in 1927 by keeping the issue at the forefront of Parliament and the Liberal government of the time.
It is important to our identity, our history and our legacy as Canadians that we note the human beings behind legislation which has enriched people’s lives in this country.
Adrian Heaps, Toronto
I wonder ...
Re Vanilla Valuation (Folio, March 13): A kilo of vanilla “is now $700, up from $40 in 2011…” I wonder if the Madagascar workers in the photographs have received a similar increase in wages …
Barbara Riley, Ottawa