All posts tagged: shouldnt

Laws shouldn’t be used to shield religious sensitivities

Laws shouldn’t be used to shield religious sensitivities

A man who tore out pages from a Quran and set them alight was convicted this week after pleading guilty to a single charge of racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment or alarm. Martin Frost’s protest was a low key, mundane and somewhat lamentable affair. The 47-year-old was filmed holding a flag of Israel before tearing out pages of the text and setting fire to it. He was apparently demonstrating solidarity with Salwan Momika, an Iraqi Christian refugee who was shot dead last week after burning Qurans in Sweden during public demonstrations in 2023. The ‘victim’ of Frost’s protest was Fahad Iqbal. In his victim impact statement, Iqbal said: “I was quite shocked, disgusted and offended. I’m a Muslim. I still can’t believe someone would do this. When he began to burn the Quran, my heart was about to break out. This is the most emotion I have ever felt.” Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Frost had publicised the event online beforehand, and that it was streamed on social media. The “trigger” for his actions …

A trainer says this is the one full-body mobility move you shouldn’t skip in a warm-up

A trainer says this is the one full-body mobility move you shouldn’t skip in a warm-up

A mobility warm-up before exercise is a necessity. Why? Because it prepares your muscles and joints for movement, enhances your range of motion and reduces your risk of injury. While there are many moves you can incorporate into a mobility warm-up, there’s one I always recommend as a certified personal trainer: the world’s greatest stretch. I like to do a fast-paced version with an added plank walk-out to gently raise my heart rate before I exercise. Repeat this dynamic stretch five times on each side and see how it can boost your mobility, pronto. The world’s greatest stretch Reps: 5 each side Stand upright with feet hip-width apart. Bend over and place your hands on the ground, then walk them forward until you’re in a high plank position. Step your left foot forward, placing it just outside your left hand. You’ll be in a deep lunge with your back leg extended straight behind you. Rotate your torso as you lift your right arm up, feeling a stretch through your upper body. Return your hand to …

Shopping Shouldn’t Be Instantaneous – The Atlantic

Shopping Shouldn’t Be Instantaneous – The Atlantic

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration. Listen to more stories on the Noa app. This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here. In 1931, an Atlantic contributor named Frances Taylor begged stores to take her money. Her long rant about a shopping expedition gone awry describes a failed attempt to buy pajamas (the ones she found had no pockets—a disaster—nor did they come in her size); a lamp with a yellow or blue shade (the only one available is “pink and broken,” she is told); and most of the other items on her list. “Busy women have money to spend; make it easier for them to buy and they will spend it,” she wrote. Taylor offered some suggestions, both realistic and less so, for how the department stores of the time could offer more convenience to customers. But most fascinating is her description of the problem: “I don’t like to shop, but I do …

We Shouldn’t Expect MPs To Be “Saints”, Says Standards Chair

We Shouldn’t Expect MPs To Be “Saints”, Says Standards Chair

3 min read08 December People who stand to be MPs should not be expected to be “saints”, the recently-elected Standards Committee chair has said, adding that punishments for minor parliamentary rules breaches are too “severe”. In an interview with The House magazine, Alberto Costa said MPs are “held to a higher standard”, which is “generally right”. However, he said MPs should not be held to such a high standard “that you are requiring saints to stand forward for election”. The Conservative MP for South Leicestershire said: “I am not and never have been a saint. I am a fallible human being like anyone else. To err is human.” MPs must abide by a strict Code of Conduct throughout their time in Parliament. This means ensuring rules around lobbying, receiving payment for parliamentary advice and declaring interests are not broken, as well as generally upholding the reputation of Parliament. Breaching the rules could see an MP investigated by one of several different parliamentary bodies, with the Standards Committee deciding appropriate sanctions in more …

Why you shouldn’t lie to your children about Father Christmas, according to philosophers

Why you shouldn’t lie to your children about Father Christmas, according to philosophers

For many children, the winter holidays centre on a lie. They’re told that every Christmas Eve, a jolly, elderly man visits all the children in the world. He pops down the chimney, leaves gifts (at least for well-behaved children) and then disappears unseen. Meanwhile, parents everywhere raise their children to be honest and fret if they start telling lies. For new parents, the myth of Santa Claus then poses a dilemma. Should you practice what you preach and tell your children the truth? Or is there something special about Santa that makes this lie OK? In a recent publication, I reviewed philosophers’ views on the ethics of deception and applied them to parental lies. Three themes recurred. First, lying undermines autonomy. Of course, young children don’t have the capacity to make important decisions for themselves, but still, telling children lies to make them behave is manipulative. It stops them from deciding for the right reasons. This includes telling a child that they won’t get Christmas presents unless they are good. No one’s 20s and 30s …

Why dandruff shouldn’t get a brush-off

Why dandruff shouldn’t get a brush-off

Dandruff flakes on your hair or shoulders don’t look good. The itchy scalp that comes with it is no fun, either. In fact, although dandruff shows up on your hair, the condition actually starts with your scalp. Dandruff is a type of dermatitis (Der-muh-TY-tis), or skin inflammation. One study estimated that half of us will at some point develop this condition. And one key time it may emerge is puberty. Everyone’s scalp hosts a mix of microbes. This is known as its microbiome (MY-kroh-BY-ohm). Sometimes the normal proportion of some types to others gets messed up. This is known as a dysbiosis (Dis-by-OH-sis). In people with dandruff, certain types of yeast and bacteria are far more common, compared to people with healthy scalps. Amy McMichael and others discussed some of the culprits in a July 2024 report in the Archives of Dermatological Research. She’s a dermatologist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Both are in Winston-Salem, N.C. People often make the mistake of thinking an itchy, …

Mom Says She Shouldn’t Force Her Daughter To Say Thank You To An Older Man Who Complimented Her Appearance

Mom Says She Shouldn’t Force Her Daughter To Say Thank You To An Older Man Who Complimented Her Appearance

In an effort to teach kids to be polite, especially little girls, parents sometimes make them sit in discomfort and engage with people they don’t want to interact with. Liz Kindred, a mom and content creator, doesn’t want her daughter to have that experience. She detailed an incident in which she refused to force her daughter to accept a compliment from a stranger. Many online praised her for respecting her child’s autonomy. The mom said she shouldn’t have to force her 6-year-old daughter to say ‘thank you’ to an older man who complimented her appearance. “I was in line this morning with my six-year-old and a grown man turned around and said to my six-year-old, ‘My goodness, you sure are pretty,’” Kindred recalled. “My six-year-old is gorgeous, yes, but she is also very in tune and perceptive and she’s an introvert so she grabbed my leg really tight.” The man didn’t take the little girl’s obvious hesitation as a sign to turn around and mind his business, but instead doubled down on the compliment, saying, …

We Shouldn’t Let AI Steal Art and Entertainment

We Shouldn’t Let AI Steal Art and Entertainment

It’s no secret that new forms of AI threaten the integrity of the arts and entertainment industry. Actors might be deep faked. Artists’ original work can be scraped by word prompts, and writers could be “replaced” by large language models that only seem to be getting more adept at copycatting human language. One of the reasons it’s tempting for Hollywood producers to use AI seems to go beyond simply cutting costs. It makes sense massive companies want to capitalize on a tool that will get them unpaid labor. But in a way, entertainment, including books and movies, have become apportioned to popular demand. Which means they tend to be more formulaic and geared towards marketability instead of genuine quality. I wrote about this issue here regarding the new Coldplay single. I sincerely doubt AI could copy the song “Warning Sign” from the band’s iconic 2002 album A Rush of Blood to the Head. That whole album is too raw, interesting, and in depth to fake with a computer code. The new single, however, takes a …

Bishops shouldn’t have a role in the Isle of Man’s parliament

Bishops shouldn’t have a role in the Isle of Man’s parliament

Currently, the bishop of Sodor and Man sits by right on the Legislative Council – the upper chamber of the Isle of Man’s parliament, Tynwald. Muriel Garland explains why she supports the Constitution Bill, which would remove bishop’s vote. This opinion piece is adapted from a speech that Muriel hoped to present to the Legislative Council (LegCo) last month, before LegCo decided not to have an evidence session. Why do I believe Tynwald should abolish the bishop’s vote? Because I believe the Isle of Man should be a secular democracy, with a government that represents all people, of all religions and none, equally. A secular democracy promotes freedom of religion, and freedom from religion, in the public sphere. Secularism defends the civil liberties of everybody whatever their beliefs. Secularism separates religious institutions such as churches from state institutions like parliament. Each has a different role. Parliament is there to make laws and manage the country’s affairs. Religions are there to minister to the spiritual needs of their followers and to promote their beliefs. The separation …

Despite Elon’s foolishness, auto industry shouldn’t give up on Tesla’s NACS

Despite Elon’s foolishness, auto industry shouldn’t give up on Tesla’s NACS

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is causing chaos in the EV industry by firing Tesla’s entire charging team, which may lead some automakers to reconsider their plans to adopt the NACS plug. But NACS is just a better standard, and the industry should move forward on it, even if Tesla waffles with its commitment. Last week, Tesla abruptly fired its entire Supercharging team, leading to an immediate pullback in Supercharger installation plans. The explanation we’ve heard for these firings is that CEO Elon Musk was unhappy with EV Charging lead Rebecca Tinucci for not firing enough people, and retaliated by suddenly firing her and her entire team. The firing was so ill-considered that the company has even had to send out an email blast to suppliers and contractors, seemingly confused about which companies it’s even working with on site development. The abrupt firing has caused a lot of chaos and reconsideration in the EV industry, with some automakers reportedly having meetings about whether to proceed with the planned NACS transition or pull back on their plans. Currently, EVs …