| Latest Commentary: | Volume VI, Number 116 |
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Supreme Court to Take on Voter ID, Lethal Injections and Evidence Rules -- The new term of the US Supreme Court opens soon, and the Supremes have said there are a few lower court rulings that need their attention. They want to review an appeals court ruling that upheld Indiana’s voter ID law. They will revisit the death penalty yet again in an appeal from two convicted murderers in Kentucky who claim lethal injection is an unconstitutional way to execute a prisoner. And they will look at a case where a man was stopped for driving on a suspended license and then got nailed for possession of crack cocaine. It’ll be a busy session.
Japan’s Parliament Selects Yasuo Fukuda as New Prime Minister -- Yasuo Fukuda won the job of Prime Minister of Japan after a rather strange couple of weeks. First, the ruling Liberal Democrats lost badly in the balloting for the upper house of the parliament, losing control of the chamber. Then, Prime Miniter Shinzo Abe resigned and checked himself into a hospital for stress-related disease. Things got more complicated when the lower house selected Mr. Fukuda while the upper house backed opposition bigwig Taro Aso. A conference committee couldn’t agree, so the lower house’s decision prevails. It wasn’t the most glorious ride to power, and Mr. Fukuda has a very full in-tray. Canadian, US Dollars at Parity -- For the first time in 31 years, the US and Canadian dollars have the same value. For Canadian day-trippers, the US is a bargain-hunters paradise. For Canadian exporters, life just got that much harder. And for book-lovers in Canada, that higher price printed on books is even more annoying. With the US and Canada as economically intertwined as they are, and with currency parity, it’s time to consider a monetary union. MacArthur Foundation Makes 2007’s “Genius” Awards -- The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced this year’s recipients of what the media have dubbed the “Genius Awards.” Formally, these are the MacArthur Fellowships, $500,000 over 5 years, no-strings attached. “The MacArthur Foundation supports highly creative individuals and institutions with the ability and the promise to make a difference in shaping and improving our future,” said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton. They are an astonishing group, proof that genius is spread rather widely around the world. © Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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