NYT headline today: US Panel advises that prostate test may do more harm than good.. Here’s why, briefly: around 70% of elevated readings from the test are false positives – they do not indicate cancer. Men who get a positive … Continue reading
Asheville’s Occupy Wall Street, day one. The story, with images and statements from protesters, is here on Image Asheville
Why is it so easy to get fat and yet being fat predisposes one to heart disease, cancer, and adult onset diabetes? It seems like a maladaption to the presence of plenty of food. First of all, it’s not nearly … Continue reading
I’m terrified of white picket fences. Someone I knew in high school started saving cash from a weekend job to use as deposit on a house. That seemed like a joke, but a few years later I met him and … Continue reading
Introduction With a rare exception or two I haven’t written here for several years. Various things have intervened – moving to a new country, starting a new business, and preceding all that some formal study. What I’d like to do … Continue reading
This is a very thoughtful, if jokey, consideration of non-violence from someone who understands violence a lot better than pacifism. Here, she’s exactly right: Pacifism as a concept kind of pisses me off. Still, non-violence intrigues me, not least because … Continue reading
Water rates have recently been introduced here. That means the local council now sends us a bill, quarterly, for the cost of supplying water to our house. Actually the bill is for the cost plus the profit earned by some … Continue reading
Dear Brother Obama…
If society is in tune with human proclivities it works better, because people enjoy what they do. You only have to look at small boys playing “hunting”, or notice the difference between the incentives necessary to get people to sit … Continue reading
Much of this has a European focus, and I apologise for that, especially because colonialism and its devastating effect on the world are consequently not given proper attention. The focus of the article is narrow and designed as a contrast … Continue reading
This article is the first in a series. I’m leading up to something and it takes quite a long time to get there, but it’s generally about my idea that people are far less self-interested than it appears. NB: In … Continue reading
Vasco Pyjama has been on fire since coming back to Australia. Here she outlines the basis of the divide between the developing world and the west: Two years ago, I travelled through Mindanao, the war-torn southernmost island of the Philippines. … Continue reading
Following a post by Robin Warner, a rant on decaf. You see, I have a guiding principle which steers me away from decaf. It’s based on the idea that fun is temporary – nothing lasts forever and you can have … Continue reading
Consortium News reports that the US Republican Party’s propaganda organ the Washington Times has been financed by the Rev. Sun Moon at a cost of $3 billion over the years.
Positive and negative freedom Suppose a person is on their way to an appointment, and they reach an intersection where they can go left or right. There are several possible reasons why they might choose to go one way or … Continue reading
Bristling Badger has some musings on the popular support for Chavez in comparison to Bush. He mentions in passing The mayor of Venezuela’s capital Caracas says he plans to expropriate two exclusive golf courses and use the land for homes … Continue reading