http://slate.msn.com/id/2111540/ Nice Jerry Orbach encomium. 23:20
Archives
This month: 15 entries.
http://slate.com/id/2111432/ When adjusted for improvements in medical care, Iraq is about as dangerous as Vietnam. 11:30
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/25/international/asia/25china.html Chinese property developer builds replica of 17th Century French chateau in suburban Beijing, names it after himself, and declares, “it cost me $50 million … but that’s because we made so many improvements compared with the original.” 20:12
http://www.viceland.com/issues/v10n9/htdocs/i_wanna.php#Anchor-
What-49575 Countries in which a small minority holds much of
the wealth. (In Indonesia, the Chinese (3% of the population) hold
70% of the wealth—though the credibility of these figures
is somewhat undermined by the peculiar claim that Bill Gates has 40% of
America’s wealth…) The preceding Q&A with Amy Chua is
worthwhile too. 16:43
http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_
id=312 Conservative group explains how to legally celebrate Christmas (in the USA). I
don’t really understand the point of trying to avoid
Christianity
at Christmas when Christmas happens to be a national public
holiday, and only Christian holy-days are so recognised.
(That is, Christianity is clearly given special treatment.)
Both Singapore
and Malaysia,
for example, have national public holidays that observe
Christian, Hindu, and Muslim holy-days, as well as Chinese New Year. 11:17
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/03.11/01-mockus.html Intriguing (if condescending) social engineering experiments in Bogotá: mimes mock jaywalkers; citizens respond to the behaviour of others by flashing “thumbs-up” and “thumbs-down” cards at them… 14:50
http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/January-February-2005/
feature_labi_janfeb05.html “But can a community govern itself by
Jesus’s
teaching of mercy alone? It is sinful for the Amish to
withhold
forgivenessso sinful that anyone who refers to a
past
misdeed after the Amish penalty for it has ended can
be punished
in the same manner as the original sinner.
‘That’s a big thing in
the Amish community,’ Mary said.
‘You have to forgive and forgive.’”
12:08
http://slate.com/id/2111195/ Backgrounder on the UN’s oil-for-food scandal. 12:42
http://www.dowethics.com/r/about/corp/bbc.htm BBC gets suckered by pranksters pretending to be Dow representatives who claim that Dow is offering $12 billion in compensation; this is Dow’s response. “Dow shareholders will see NO losses, because Dow’s policy towards Bhopal HAS NOT CHANGED. Much as we at Dow may care, as human beings, about the victims of the Bhopal catastrophe, we must reiterate that Dow’s sole and unique responsibility is to its shareholders, and Dow CANNOT do anything that goes against its bottom line unless forced to by law.” (No! No! No! Not sure where I got this, or why I believed it—in fact this response is another Yes Men prank.) 08:25
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/12/magazine/12WWLN.html Michael Ignatieff: “the promotion of democracy by the United States has proved to be a dependably good idea.” 12:19
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041210.html The first few (amazingly small) capitals of the United States. 19:32
http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041206/full/041206-6.html Left-handers exist because they’re better at fighting? 08:14
http://slate.com/id/2110566/ “How To Govern From the Clink.” (Two Indian MPs are currently in jail.) 03:50
http://www.gohomeproductions.co.uk/candy/go_home_productions_
karma_in_the_life.mp3 Wow! Radiohead mixed with the Beatles. (more) 07:57