By Ronald W. Pies, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Spanking, or, as it’s formally known, “corporal punishment,” has been much in the news of late.

Out on the presidential campaign trail there was Senator Ted Cruz’s revelation that

If my daughter Catherine, the five-year-old, says something she knows to be false, she gets a spanking.

And recently, in Canada, following a call by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to prohibit spanking, the Liberal government has promised to abolish a parent’s right to physically discipline children. Along similar legal lines, in June 2015, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that the state was justified in denying foster parenting privileges to a couple who practised corporal punishment and supported spanking or paddling children. The couple in the case had argued, unsuccessfully, that physical discipline was an integral aspect of their Christian faith.

On Sunday, January 24, 2016, Nader Abdullah of the Syrian Canadian Council spoke to 37 of us on the history behind the Syrian Refugee Crisis and the challenges facing Syrian refugees in Canada. A lively discussion followed.  Read more about our own effort to sponsor a refugee family.

Our Executive Director Ian Bushfield was on the Left at the Valley podcast yesterday speaking about some of our work. You can hear about how we plan to challenge the distribution of Gideon Bibles in Abbotsford public schools. You can listen to the podcast here.

The Fraser Valley Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists meets every Sunday at Legal Grounds Coffee in Abbotsford. Check them out on Meetup.

The BC Humanist Association submitted a brief today to the Parliamentary committee studying physician-assisted dying. Its brief argues that a physician-assisted death should be available to all who freely choose it and that so-called "conscientious objection" clauses pose a threat to universal access.

The expert panel established by the federal government last summer has delivered its final report on its consultations on physician-assisted dying, citing the BC Humanist Association's response.

After months of inaction, the previous Conservative government established the External Panel on Options for a Legislative Response to Carter v Canada in July 2015. The report does not make specific recommendations but discusses the different responses the panel received.

The BC Humanist Association was in the news last week, challenging the tax exemptions religious groups are entitled to by many municipalities. Spencer Anderson's great front page story for the Nanaimo Daily News showed that city alone awarded over $170K in property tax exemptions to church properties such as parking lots. Let's hope this is the start of a dialogue about whether it's time to stop subsidizing megachurches.

Also last week, the Supreme Court of Canada decided to partially grant the federal government's request for a further delay before assisted dying becomes decriminalized. While this means four more months of suffering for Canadians who have made that decision, the justices did rule that they could apply to a judge to hasten their death in the meantime. We will continue to make the case for compassion and choice and will be writing to the MPs and Senators who are studying this issue.

Yesterday, January 17, 2016, John Ince spoke to 36 of us on happiness and how to maximize it. We're hoping to have the recording online later this week. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes so you can listen to the speakers at our meetings.

Basic income for all could lift millions out of poverty – and change how we think about inequality

By Ralph Callebert, Virginia Tech

The idea of a basic income for every person has been popping up regularly in recent years.

Economists, think tanks, activists and politicians from different stripes have toyed with the idea of governments giving every citizen or resident a minimum income off which to live. This cash transfer could either replace or supplement existing welfare payments.

Pilot projects and feasibility studies have been run or are under way in the Netherlands, India, Canada, Finland, France and elsewhere.

John Ince, who intrigued and edified us with his excellent talk on The Political Implications of Sex on Dec 6, 2015, returns for a talk on Happiness and how to maximize it.

Science has identified the ingredients of happiness.

But most of us don't know them. We can help you learn them and grow happier!

JOYSHIFT is a new concept in personal development, and yet is based in the ancient wisdom of our genes! It is a happiness practice that applies the latest discoveries of psychology to bring into our lives the key essentials of happiness: what we call the “primal nutrients”.

Have you heard of the paleo diet or the primal form of exercise called Crossfit? Both are hugely popular today. Joyshift is the first personal development system to apply this primal perspective to our emotional life.

Primal nutrients of happiness include: lots of physical movement, spending quality time in small bonded groups, and rich contact with nature. There are several more.

But most of us lack many of the good things our genes really enjoy. So we fail to maximize our happiness!

This talk will describe the primal nutrients and how you can live a life filled with them.

Recorded at the Sunday, January 17, 2016 meeting of the BC Humanist Association in Vancouver. Subscribe on iTunes.

The Supreme Court of Canada agreed today to a four month extension before Canada's assisted dying law is struck down. Those in suffering today will be able to apply to a judge for permission to hasten their death in the meantime. The decision follows a request by the Liberal government for a six-month delay.

The ruling also allows Quebec's assisted dying law, which came into force in December, to go ahead.

Today's front-page story of the Nanaimo Daily News asks whether it's time to end the millions of dollars in property tax breaks that are given away each year to religious organizations.

Journalist Spencer Anderson reports that the City of Nanaimo alone approved $170 736 in tax relief for church properties last year. These permissive exemptions are in addition to property tax exemptions for houses of worship required by BC law.

Yesterday, January 10, 2016, 36 of us were energized and engaged by David Simpson's talk on how he came to be a Christian Atheist. David still worships Jesus as a heroic figure even though he's lost his belief in all the alleged miracles and the supposed reality of God. His talks stirred up considerable controversy but was generally appreciated as very interesting and thought provoking.