Does Alternative Medicine Work?

A recent medical editorial, entitled "The end of homeopathy", argued that doctors should recognise the absence of real curative powers in homeopathic medicine.

Around 42% of doctors in England will consider referring patients to a homeopath and in Scotland homeopathy has proved very popular, 86% of doctors are said to be in favour of it.

With many people today willing to try, and more doctors willing to prescribe, alternative medicine has gained ground on mainstream treatments.

Have you, or would you be willing to try alternative treatments?

In This World Nothing Is Certain But Death and Taxes

Most, if not all, of the developed nations have tax systems and credits that have become so convoluted that tax regulations run to thousands of pages and the administration costs soar as each individual case is calculated.

Most experienced economist would previously have argued that to introduce a single flat rate of income tax would result in financial disaster.

Estonia had an economy that was in meltdown, with inflation running at 1,000 per cent a year and one in three workers unemployed. However through adopting a flat rate tax its economy has flourished into one that is now listed in the top ten of competitive economies and is enjoying considerable foreign investment.

The idea that the rich should pay tax at a higher tax than everyone else is almost 100 years old. It is often argued with modern taxation systems that the rich are able to find loop holes that allow them to pay little, if any tax at all.

Estonia tax everyone at the same rate 22 per cent.

Would you support a more transparent form of taxation?

Do you think any of the G8 countries will be brave enough to make such a radical change?

Physician Assisted Suicide

Doctors in many countries are able to accompany their patients every step of the way, up until the last where laws stops them helping their patients take the final step, even if that is the patients fervent wish.

A number of medical organisation have recently withdraw their opposition to any legalisation that would allow assisted dying but they say it is a matter for society and their neutrality in the debate must not be seen as support for assisted dying.

In the Netherlands, one in 40 deaths is from voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide, both legal practices.

In Oregon, where voluntary euthanasia is prohibited, assisted suicide is responsible for one in 700 deaths.

Where do you stand on this difficult issue?

Divorce

In the United Kingdom the House of Lords have ruled that two ex-wives are entitled to a share of their wealthy husbands assets.

Previously, divorce settlements for stay-at-home mothers were aimed at providing maintenance based purely on living expenses, the new ruling allows the stay-at-home partner to claim compensation.

Do you think that the elements that are now to be used in determining the financial settlement for a divorce are fair?

Should short marriages be treated any differently to long marriages?

Should marriages that didn't produce children be treated differently to those that did? Do your sympathies lie with the wage earner or the home maker?

Are Diamonds Rare?

In the 1870s at the Kimberley mine in South Africa a 128-carat, canary-yellow diamond called simply The Tiffany, was discovered. The diamond-encrusted mines at Kimberly became known as kimberlites and their discovery began a huge mining operation that continues to this day.

What the kimberlites offered was once-rare gem to millions upon millions of ordinary consumers and soon after thousands of prospectors were thrown into fierce competition causing diamond prices plummeted from 500 dollars to ten cents a carat.

With diamonds increasingly in abundance, Cecil Rhodes founded the De Beers Mining Company as a group of diamond producers. His first aim was to control production to prevent too many diamonds hitting the market and therefore keep prices high.

By controlling the supply and demand since that time De Beers has perhaps become the most successful cartel of the 20th century. In the 1920s De Beers ran a successful marketing campaign that transform the public imagination about the diamond and has to this day managed to link diamonds as a symbol of human love and devotion. In 1994, the Department of Justice charged De Beers in a price fixing scheme. Although the company denies the allegations the company failed to turn up in court and so the matter remains unresolved.

To the question that is sometimes asked "Are diamonds rare or are their prices hideously inflated?" De Beers officials are usually unresponsive on these points but instead they claim that the company has "democratised" diamonds by offering them to millions of ordinary consumers.

Critics argue that diamonds are at best semi-precious stones and that were it not for De Beers, and considering the amount of diamonds in current circulation and the amount that are stock piled by De Beers, consumer quality gems commonly used for engagement rings should be cheap and in abundance.

Do you think that diamonds are rare and would you consider them as an investment?

What's Your View Of The Modern Man?

For many societies around the world the man is still seen as the main bread winner while the female role is to raise the family and concentrate on the home.

For the developed nations that traditional role has slowly been challenged and house-husbands are not uncommon and finding females who have the more financial rewarding career in a partnership is now not that unusual.

Do you believe that in any relationship tradition should prevail and it should be the male who provides for the family and the female who makes the home?

Do you believe that the roles should be reversed or that responsibilities should be shared without any pre-conditioned view as to who should do what in a relationship?