Articles written by John Rowlands

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About me - John Rowlands

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I've been a compulsive writer since I was a kid. In adult life, I've been regularly submitting articles to the UK-based magazine "Astronomy Now". Astronomy is a life-long passion, but I don't spend very nights under the skies these days, thanks to

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Politics, News & Issues > US Politics (Other) Does America's geographic isolation make it less tolerant of other cultures?: 2 of 17
Whilst few Americans would think their country is isolated, the US does exist far away from any ideologically-separate neighbours. Canada is a western power to the north; few problems there. Mexico is a 'third world' neighbour to the south, and there is plenty of intolerance towards it.But there are no major clashes of ideolo... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism Is Buddhism a religion or a way of life: 4 of 23
Like most good questions, the answer is: BOTH! Buddhism is without question a means of spiritual expression and practice, and so is both worship and mode of living. It is perhaps a bit more practical than some other religions, not better than any other, but makes the link between belief system and way of living more obvious, ... More..
Jobs & Careers > Self-Employment How to stop working for other people and enjoy your life: 4 of 18
Well, I'm somone who's done just this, after 18 years of serving an employer I hated for just as long! Firstly, what are the circumstances of your leaving 'normal' paid employment? If, like me, you have the option of a voluntary severance, then you may well be able to negotiate your way to a considerable 'loss of office' fina... More..
Travel > Travel Planning & Advice Backyard travels: Preparing for a local, weekend hike on a budget: 2 of 5
First, decide BEFORE going into the shops what you absolutely must have. These fall into the basic human survival needs of food and water. If you go into those shops without a clear picture of what you need, you'll be coming out with $300 backpacks, $200 shoes, and a plethora of other things that only add weight, not convenie... More..
Politics, News & Issues > International Politics (Other) Should the US continue to be the leader in world politics?: 23 of 57
Oh dear, oh dear. What is there that the US can do about being a leader? And what is it a leader of, exactly? Incarcerating people for years without charge or evidence? Scuppering the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty? Or just a gung-ho invader of countries that could develop naturally, thanks very much.The US has no influence... More..
Education > High School Humanities Is Hitler over-emphasized and the Holocaust under-emphasized in schools?: 9 of 19
Another US-centric question. Whilst I have every genuine sympathy with the victims and families of victims of the holocaust, we really do need to also keep our eye on the present. For those of us in Europe, the severe problems of civil war and tyranny in many African states are a cause of immense concern. True, they may not i... More..
Health & Fitness > Surgery Are local anaesthetics more risky than we are told: 1 of 1
I recently entered the process of having a vasectomy. Over many months, I was repeatedly told by several different medical practitioners that local anaesthesia would be by far the best option, and that this would not be a painful operation.Well, I just had this operation, and it was a living nightmare. Much joking in the thea... More..
Sciences > Physics Quantum physics: Is time travel theoretically feasible?: 21 of 36
Time travel is unlikely to ever be a possibility for macro-sized objects, like humans. But, there are several exceptions to this. The most famous is the 'twin paradox', whereby one twin goes off in a very fast rocket at nearly the speed of light. He then returns to Earth after what his watch says is a few weeks later. But on ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Terrorism Is Al Qaeda growing stronger despite global anti-terrorism efforts?: 19 of 30
Of course! With every foreign policy disaster that the US/Britain/the rest implements in Islamic countries, the more ammunition we give Islamic extremists to frown at us. The very, very sad fact is that the US is unwilling - for political and economic reasons, to put even remotely as much effort into dealing with the Palestin... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Energy Issues Do tankless water heaters help save energy?: 2 of 3
As is so often the case, it depends!If you use the 'normal' energy supplies of oil, gas, electricity, then I guess you can't argue too much with the 'yes vote'.But that assumes that there's no alternative.In fact, there is.If you decide to shift to micro-scale (turbine in the garden) windpower, which is gaining popularity ver... More..