From Martin Amis’s book Koba the Dread: …[T]orture, among its other applications, was part of Stalin’s war against the truth. He tortured, not to force you to reveal a fact, but to force you to collude in a fiction. And … Continue reading →
I am getting really, really, really sick of this sort of excuse/explanation: “The problem [of plagiarism] is as old as journalism,” says Stephen Ward, director of the Center for Media Ethics at the University of Wisconsin. “It’s a systemic issue, … Continue reading →
A positive article—at least, sort of halfway positive—about something Mitt Romney once did, appearing in the NY Times. [NOTE: By the way, you can talk about today’s bad-news polls in this thread, if you like. It’s possible to criticize the … Continue reading →
It’s a real paradox, one I’d not heard of before, and it shows once again how little we really know about disease and weight and health. Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes, which is more common in the overweight, also occurs … Continue reading →
This article about US Marine and Iraq war veteran and ballet dancer Roman Baca, who has choreographed ballets based on themes connected with the war, its veterans, and their families, reminds me of the fact that although there have been … Continue reading →
Bridget Johnson notes that Obama has a new catch-phrase that he’s used five times in recent speeches, “trickle-down fairy dust.” Here’s a typical example: We know better than this. They have been trying to sell us this trickle-down, tax cut … Continue reading →
There’s that word again, fair: Chris Rock would like the presidential race to be more “like a real fight.” “I wish we didn’t have to stoop to this level. I wish they made it like a real fight. I mean, … Continue reading →
These consequences may have been unintended, but they certainly should not have been unforeseen: When the United Nations wanted to help slow climate change, it established what seemed a sensible system. Greenhouse gases were rated based on their power to … Continue reading →
…here.
Continue reading →Commenter “Baltimoran” makes the following interesting observation in connection with my discussion of the effects of lies in political ads: I suppose the campaign ads we’ve seen the last few months are worse than what we’ve all gotten used to … Continue reading →
Here’s a message from the spambot who calls himself “Josh Dear,” and is contemplating some explicit although repetitive and required fun with Mary: I merely wished to thank you once extra for the superb website you’ve gotten designed here. It … Continue reading →
…blue. If you’re a lobster, that is. But there’s strength in numbers, and the numbers are growing.
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