How We Happened to Sell Off Our Electricity | James Meek, LRB
Notes from the Library
Wed, 26 Sep 2012
Wolf has always been a creature of public fantasy, a reflection of our desire for attractive victimhood, for outspoken reductionism, for easy answers with a "relatable" narrative.
(source)
Tue, 25 Sep 2012
A proposed shift in drug policy: From prevention to harm reduction | Brain Study
However, the real strength of Professor Nutt’s argument is in his rationale for sensible drug policy based on scientific results rather than political scare-mongering and media sensationalism.
This comment isn't fair. Drug policy ought to be based on scientific results concerning harm only after a decision has been taken to make drugs policy a matter of harm reduction, harm reduction in the terms that science can measure i.e. a matter of physiological health. Society might decide that it doesn't want drugs to be part of people's lives as a matter of principle, in which case, scientific results are completely irrelevant. I agree with Ms Smith and Prof Nutt, but don't think the opposition should be disposed of so condescendingly.
NSA Whistle-Blower Tells All - Op-Docs: The Program | YouTube
Some comments on reddit I agreed with: 1, 2, 3, 4
Of course the EU are doing it too.
Thu, 30 Aug 2012
Random! Postmodern Bio Blurbs | 3:AM
… there’s a lot to be said for this approach, not the least of which is avoiding bio-blurbs like this: “X lives in New York with her three cats. She makes cookies out of the weirdest things (and they taste REAL GOOD!). Her favourite word is ‘red’ and when it snows she wears sandals.” The only reasonable response to such postmodern narcissism is, firstly, to remind the author that we don’t actually give a damn about his or her personal idiosyncrasies, and, secondly, to ask them to grow up.
I think this applies to Twitter, Facebook and the personal blogosphere too.
