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As the Serbian parliamentary elections on January 21 draw close, so too does Martti Ahtisaari’s announcement of his proposal for solving Kosovo’s status problem. There is a growing feeling in Serbia that independence (or “supervised independence”) is the only option being considered in the West, adding further to feelings of mistrust and resentment. This is a dangerous situation as radicalism is already a powerful force in this country and further losses for Serbia will almost certainly stoke this fire further and impair any chance of reform and integration in the near future.

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Last week’s interview with the Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr on ABC Radio’s Religion Report left quite an impression on me. Richard Rohr, of the Order of Friars Minor, is a famous figure in American Catholicism and is the founder of a spiritual retreat in New Mexico, USA. In his discussion with Stephen Crittenden he echoed much of my own criticisms of the Catholic Church, particularly the distinction between dogmatic religiosity and true spirituality, and the politicisation of the Church. These are not unfamiliar concepts in agnostic circles, but coming from an insider are given additional weight. Allow me to share some of the more poignant quotes from this discussion. Read the rest of this entry »

A combination of factors came together recently and made me come to a great revelation. Firstly, a friend of mine in full-time employment was coming home regularly bursting at the seams with fascinating bits of science trivia. At the same time, I was just beginning to come to grips with the reality of my looming 48 hours in a plane (thankfully not all at once) and the Sagittarius in me was starting to panic. Thirdly, my current clinical placement involves 2 hours of driving every day and I’d gotten somewhat sick of the scenery. When my know-it-all friend revealed the source of his recent wisdom, all the pieces elegantly fell into place.

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My feelings toward the Palm TX have been almost completely positive since I bought one earlier this year. Early this week I encountered an utterly infuriating problem - the device emits an unmistakable “hiss” through the headphone jack! Read on to learn what to do about it.

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This is the second in a series of articles on Personal Digital Assistants, directed at senior medical students and junior doctors. In PDAs in Medicine: Do I need one? I discussed some of the many ways in which a PDA can help the junior clinician. The aim of this piece is to unravel some of the jargon and simplify the process of finding the right device for you.

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Each one of us has a select few sites that we visit regularly - some more, some less. I’ve decided to start off a new series of articles, Top 5, with my most-frequented web sites.

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The issue of premarital sex is a complex one, and ties closely with one’s spiritual beliefs and ideals. All of the world’s major religions consider the act of physical love a serious matter, and many bluntly forbid it outside the context or marriage. A couple’s decision to have premarital sex depends on whether they hold any prerequisites such as love, their willingness to gamble on the validity of this love, and the potential consequences should the love later prove misplaced.

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This article will be the first in a series on PDAs, and their use to medical students and junior doctors. I will cover some basics, try to dispel some myths and share some of what I’ve learnt in my search for a PDA. Future articles will focus on specific uses and software that I believe may be of use to medical students.

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On April 4, 2006, representatives of six south-east European countries began discussions in Bucharest on the forming of a new free trade zone. The presidents of Serbia-Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Macedonia, Albania and Moldova initiated a process that would see the establishment of an economic bloc spanning the six nations by 2007. The territory includes all of the former Yugoslavia minus Slovenia, with the addition of Albania and Moldova. The proposal would extinguish customs charges and allow “free movement of work labour and products” (B92).

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