President Medvedev Discovered in Vologda why Men are Not Lace-makers

President Dmitri Medvedev visited the Vologda Kremlin, which houses a famous collection of lacework. During his examination of the exhibition, the president was astonished at fine craftsmanship of the master lace-makers. “I now understand why these crafts are not common amongst men. They have less patience [than women do]“, Mr Medvedev said after visiting the exhibition. However, Ludmila Korotaeva, the General Director of the Vologda Kremlin, who conducted the tour of the exhibition, said that recently a man competed in a lace-making competition, and he could fabricate lace as well as any woman.

The Vologda Kremlin has a collection of over 3,000 items crafted by Vologda master lace-makers. Amongst the collection is gold lace from the 17^th and 18^th centuries, which are the oldest items on exhibition. One of the halls of the museum showcases Vologda bobbin lacework. Such items are often more than 3 metres (@10 feet) in length. In the shops, such a masterpiece will cost about 30,000 roubles (851 USD. 660 euros. 592 UK pounds).

The Vologda Whitestone Kremlin, which has been named a federal architectural monument, includes buildings that represent the religious and civil architecture of the 16^th through the 19^th centuries. The oldest structure in the Vologda Kremlin is the Cathedral of St Sophia, built in the 16^th century on the orders of Tsar Ivan Grozny. It is modelled on the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin. A bell-tower next to the cathedral rises to a height of over 78 metres (256 feet). The Vologda Kremlin has an area of more than 10,000 square metres (2.5 acres), and it contains natural-science, historical, and art museums, as well as other exhibition halls, which contain more than 400,000 pieces of art, including ancient icons, manuscripts, early printed books, and articles crafted by Vologda silversmiths.

11 February 2009

RIA-Novosti

http://www.rian.ru/society/20090211/161804828.html

Gallup Poll Results Reveal Estonia as the Most Atheistic Country in the World

According to the results of a recent poll conducted by the Gallup organisation, as reported in the Estonian media on Wednesday, Estonia has the largest percentage in the world of secularist citizens, as only 14 percent of Estonians responded positively to the question, “Does religion occupy an important place in your life”. Estonia was followed by Sweden (17 percent), Denmark (18 percent), Norway (20 percent), Czech Republic and Azerbaijan (21 percent), Hong Kong (22 percent), Japan and France (25 percent), and Mongolia and Belarus (27 percent). Among EU countries, the most religious were Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania, and Greece. The most religious country in the world is Egypt (100 percent), followed by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (99 percent). In Indonesia, the Congo, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Morocco and the UAE, religious believers account for 98 percent of the population. The USA was in the middle of the list (65 percent). The study was conducted in 143 countries around the world.

11 February 2009

Nikolai Adashkevich

RIA-Novosti

http://www.rian.ru/religion/20090211/161823979.html

Italian Euthanasia: Murder or an Act of Mercy?

Beppino Englaro, the father of Eluana Englaro, with photos of his daughter at his home

On Monday, 38-year-old Eluana Englaro died at a private clinic in the Italian city of Udine. She spent 17 years in a coma, and, a few days ago, doctors agreed to disconnect her from an artificial feeding apparatus. Eluana’s father insisted on this, and he worked since 1999 to secure his daughter’s right to die in order to spare her from suffering.

Euthanasia is prohibited in Italy, but, a patient has the right to refuse treatment. The matter concerning Eluana was heard before the Constitutional Court, which sided with the Englaro family. Her doctors were allowed to stop the artificial nourishment and hydration of Eluana. However, the ruling coalition in the Italian government said that, in a civilised country, people should not die of hunger. Last Friday, Prime Minister Berlusconi issued an emergency decree that required her doctors to resume the artificial feeding of Ms Englaro. In spite of this, Italian President Napolitano did not approve this ruling, because it was contrary to a court decision. Then, the parliament urgently began the procedure for adopting a law to circumvent the court. Italy was on the brink of constitutional crisis. Eluana Englaro has now departed from life, without waiting for the end of this affair. Opponents of the decision to terminate Eluana’s feeding accused doctors of murder, as they say the woman died from starvation, for all practical purposes.

“It was a difficult decision, but, it was fair, for after years of observation, we can say that her vegetative state was irreversible”, said Vincenzo Caprino, the President of the National Association of Anaesthesiology and Reanimatology, in explaining the court’s verdict. “If Eluana has expressed a desire to die, then, after such a long period, one should observe the right of parents to comply with their daughter’s wishes”. A similar opinion was voiced by pharmacologist Silvio Garattini, a member of the National Committee on Bioethics. “So, this ends a story that was far too long. I think it was correct to end it”.

As noted in the first comments of local observers, the matter of Eluana is not yet complete, since, as is likely, certain parties will insist upon the opening of an investigation. At the same time when the death of Ms Englaro became known, the Italian Senate was debating a law on euthanasia. After reports of her death reached the supporters of the government of Silvio Berlusconi, they faced the opposition members, who favour euthanasia, and chanted in unison, “Murderers, murderers!” Gaetano Cualarello, a right-centre deputy, said, “Eluana did not simply die. They killed her. You cannot put it any other way”. José Cardinal Saraiva Martins, a member of the Pontifical Council, openly stated that it was “emphatic act of murder”, adding, “They murdered an innocent person who couldn’t resist”. Not only does the Italian government continue to voice a negative attitude towards euthanasia, but, the Vatican does so as well, whose views are very influential in this Catholic country.

The Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia also opposes the legalisation of euthanasia. According to Fr Georgy Ryabykh, the Secretary of the Department for External Church Relations of the MP, “The Church does not allow euthanasia, thus, it expresses a greater respect for human freedom than do human rights activists who seek legislative approval of this action. They attempt to force people to commit suicide, whilst today, in this regard, it is still a matter principle of voluntary choice”, he said in an interview with Interfax.

“Coma is a sentence not only to the patient, but, also, to his relatives”, in the opinion of human rights activist, Lev Ponomaryov, who is the leader of the movement Za Prava Cheloveka (For Human Rights). In his view, “Each case of euthanasia applied for should be under rigorous public scrutiny from health professionals and those who are the moral authority for the patients. We need to take into account each individual case, the position of the relatives, and the views of the patient himself”.

Many Italians share this point of view. According to opinion polls, the people of Italy are divided equally on this matter. 47 percent say that Englaro had the right to die, 47 percent opposed disconnecting her from life support systems, and 6 percent said that they could not answer the question.

10 February 2009

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=101589&cid=22&p=10.02.2009

Euthanasia: Evil or Good?

Beppino Englaro, the father of Eluana Englaro, holds a photo of his daughter in happier days

Euthanasia… is it evil or good? The case of 38-year-old Eluana Englaro forces us to reflect on this, yet again. For 17 years after her injury in an auto accident, this Italian woman laid in a coma. Today, finally, she was allowed to leave this world. There was no perceived chance of recovery, and, a few days ago, doctors agreed to disconnect her from artificial life support. Her father spent ten years to allow this to happen. Before the accident, his daughter more than once said that she did not wish to suffer or live as a vegetable. Euthanasia is illegal in Italy, but, the father of Eluana Englaro took his case to the courts. As a terminally-ill patient, she was gradually reduced to a minimum amount of nutrition and hydration that supported her life. Italians are divided into two camps. Some call what happened murder; others call it an act of mercy.

We can say that the issue of euthanasia is one of the major ethical issues of contemporary society. This question was sharpened by advances in medicine. Patients who previously had no chance of survival, thanks to medication, artificial nutrition, and artificial ventilation of the lungs are able to survive for years. To exist, yes… but, not to live. Officially, euthanasia is permitted in Holland, Belgium, and in one American state, Oregon. Many terminally-ill patients, knowing that they face years of helplessness and pain, say that they prefer to leave life. This leaves the rest of us perplexed. On the one hand, if we asked people if, in the event of an incurable and painful disease, they would like to prolong their suffering, for sure, the majority would answer “no”. On the other hand, referring to euthanasia, we encroach on a very dicey area of human relations with the universe. Most religions consider suicide as murder, a terrible sin. How can we correlate murder with mercy? That is unclear.

In Russia, euthanasia is banned. Discussions about its introduction occur regularly, but, thus far, most people are still against this idea. Moreover, this opposition is not based so much on moral and ethical scruples, but, for practical reasons. “Euthanasia can become corrupted, it can turn from a humane act to a crime committed intentionally”, said Sergei Kolesnikov, an academician from the Russian Academy of Sciences. “A family could choose to end the life of an elderly person in order to take possession of his apartment or the money that he had. I think that would be very dangerous to introduce such a practise. Moreover, you cannot delegate to a physician the responsibility for the termination of life. By definition, he is supposed to save lives”.

Amongst physicians, most clearly express there is no set opinion regarding euthanasia. Some say, according to statistics, even in the most horrible disease, there are a percentage of people who are able to recover. However, others say that this percentage is small, and it is inhumane to prolong the suffering of the majority. Debates over the possible legalisation of euthanasia are being held in almost all developed countries. These disputes can last forever, and any decision that is reached shall leave some people dissatisfied, because the issue of euthanasia is one of those where there is no single correct solution.

10 February 2009

Yekaterina Antropova

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=101585&cid=22&p=10.02.2009