European Links (15.08.25)
Euthanasia, c-sections, doppler effect and urban river swimming.
Assisted dying in France & Britain
Legal support for euthanasia is a moral imperative, but it is rare on the global level. Around the world, there are only small pockets where it’s permitted. Western Europe is an outlier in this respect, but there are still some big countries missing out.
That being said, the glaring gap, which is Britain and France, is about to close.
In the UK the assisted dying bill has passed the House of Commons in June and is now heading to the House of Lords.
Also, French National Assembly voted in May in favor of legalizing assisted dying. It’s not done yet, the law still has to pass the senate, but it’s on a good track to follow Spain (2021) and Austria (2022), making Western Europe an euthanasia superpower.
The moral progress has not stalled yet!
Internet of Trains
Internet on trains: Why does it suck? Tunnels. Trees lining the tracks blocking the signal. At high speeds (TGV can do 350km/h) doppler effect kicks in.
Banning C-sections in Turkey
Yup. This is going to make women want to have more kids. On the meta level, it’s weirdly similar to Erdogan’s erstwhile approach to the monetary policy:
Turkey has banned caesarean (C-section) births without medical justification in private clinics, part of a wider campaign by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to promote "natural births" and revive what he calls "traditional family values" in response to the country's rapidly declining birthrate.
Swimming in the Seine
Urban river swimming is one of my hobbyhorses. I used to assume that because of the leaking sewer system, swimming in Seine would be insane. But Paris now apparently can be added to the list of cities where it can be done. If you’ve tried and lived, do leave a note.
Gibraltar
Crossing over to Gibraltar has always been fun, with the rapid switch from the relaxed Andalusian atmosphere to the feel of a small British township. Also, crossing the runway on foot increased the weirdness. And now it’s going to get easier with Gibraltar “effectively joining the EU’s Schengen passport-free area”!
Lost German Conscripts
German and EU privacy rules meant it could not keep in contact with close to a million people who might help boost the country’s reserve forces as it seeks a stronger role in European defence and security. [...] “We have lost their contacts,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times. “It’s crazy.”
— Financial Times h/t Tyler Cowen
New Romanian President beats Terence Tao
Results of the mathematic olympiad:
