A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the NY Times there was a lot of very interesting stories- a lot, of course, about the economy, but also a lot that really caught my eye by being out of the ordinary.

Monday: Today the story that really caught my eye was on the front page and it was about an assault against British soldiers and two pizzamen by suspected Irish Republican Army dissidents. This really got my attention because I feel like people are always so focused on the violence taking place in the Middle East that they forget that violence occurs elsewhere, too. I know I sometimes forget about the terrible violence that occurred between the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland, and the Irish fighting against British rule in their country, and often think of the country as a happy and peaceful place. And while there has been a lot more peace in the past several years, this attack is a reminder that peace is never perfect. I think it is important for people to not only focus on problems that occur in some places in the world, such as the Middle East, but also remember that there are other places in the world that need help and attention. And I really hope the violence does not escalate any further.

Tuesday: Today I read a very interesting story that links having an older father with having a lower IQ. This article said that when children were tested at 8 months old, 4 years old, and 7 years old, the children of older fathers scored lower on IQ tests and other cognitive tests, highlighting some of the risks of postponing fatherhood. In contrast, children with older mothers scored higher on such tests. Researchers say that while the differences between the children of older fathers and younger fathers were slight, they were common. This really surprised me, since I never would have really thought that the age of a parents could affect the intelligence level of their child. I always thought older parents might have a harder time conceiving a child, but I definitely never would have thought it would make a difference like this. According to the article, the decrease in IQ scores could be due to a steady mutation of men's sperm over the years. Still, I would have guessed, if anything, that having a young father might lower a child's IQ score, if only because younger parents may not be as mature and responsible about educating their child early on. It seems, however, that nature might win out over nurture in this case.

Wednesday: Today I read a front-page story about a debate in Europe over the castration of sex offenders. Apparently, sex offenders in the Chezch Republic have been surgically castrated, removing some of the tissue that produces testosterone, which has helped stop their sexual urges that have caused them to commit crimes. The debate involves whether this punishment is too cruel, some people believing it should not even be offered to prisoners as an option for them. While I believe that no sex offender should be forced to be surgically castrasted, although this would make children and other possible victims safer, I do believe that the option should be available. One sex offender was extremely glad he had the procedure done, and I think that other sex offenders would make the decision to do the same on their own, especially if it would help them to go back into society sooner. Still, I definitely think this should be the choice of the prisoner and nothing that could be a forced punishment.

Thursday: Today I read about the FBI raid of the office of Vivek Kundra, the 34-year-old named by Obama last week to oversee the government's computer systems. While the article said that Kundra was not the target of the raids, a few other employees of the office were arrested and an investigation is in the works involving bribery, fraud, money-laundering, and conflict-of-interest violations. It seems to me that Obama has had a lot of problems with his nominees for various positions and I wonder if this last appointed official will be next. While it does not seem like Kundra is not part of the corruption, I hope that the FBI and the White House do a full investigation in order to be completely sure. Having another corrupt politician in Washington is not something our country needs.