December 2011
38 posts
@ Risk →
A Glitch in the Matrix →
I'm Thankful We Have Such a Cohesive International... →
Custer ≠ Sitting Bull →
It’s Mark Twain’s birthday — go the whole hog →
“All right then, I’ll go to hell” are possibly the seven most morally sound words in the history of literature.
Belonging to a Club that Would Have You as a... →
The poverty trap. →
Quick, while the paywall’s down!
Fading the Vig: A Gambler’s Guide to Life: $5... →
A few days ago the philosopher Slavoj Zizek showed up at Zuccotti Park and addressed the protesters. In his thick Slovenian accent he spoke about the grave importance of the protest, beyond just being some vague symbol of populist anger. He said, “I don’t want you to remember these days as ‘oh, we were young and it was beautiful.’ Remember that our basic message is: ‘We are allowed to think about...
A Simple Explanation for a Strange Paradox: Why... →
I am more than a little perplexed why this is a “paradox” rather than the most trivially obvious way of modelling the world, particularly this far into the 21st century. But, after all, modern mainstream economists wouldn’t have much marketability if they couldn’t argue that the trivially true is false.
The boundaries of evangelical identity →
This is what Karl Giberson is referring to when he says “Creationists Drive Young People out of the Church.” If one is forced to choose between faith and reality, then it makes sense to choose reality because it makes sense to make sense. That’s one reason — albeit a secondary one — why it’s cruelly wrong to force people to make that choice by insisting that Christianity can exist only as a...
The exceptional majority of evangelicals →
From where Dalrymple is sitting, that might be what it feels like. For those who have never disagreed with those core political beliefs — and never been questioned, judged illegitimate, or evicted from the community due to that political disagreement — it might really seem possible to believe that this community has not become hyper-politicized. But it looks quite different for those of us who...
A Though Experiment: What Would a Perfect... →
Protesters occupy home facing foreclosure →
Michele Bachmann calls for guaranteed employment... →
Demonocracy →
Chuck Colson and the evangelical idea of avoiding... →
Albert Speer →
Style Sections →
"Shit pensions for all!" →
People write me about student debt →
“Pitting us against each other is clever. It’s something that has always been done, throughout the ages, by those in power. Throw a few bones to the rabble. Let them fight each other for scraps. Sell them a convenient fairy tale about how they have every chance to become the next Bill Gates in the meantime – even though an entire economic system’s existence depends on a bunch of them being...
An end to the Winterval myth? →
I don’t reckon this will ever die, but it’s nice to note small, minor victories.
“I don’t see any reason why I or my company should... →
World building 101 →
“As for those Thai workers I mentioned before, who have been motivated by the law...”
– More on the effects of the Norwegian sex purchase ban « Feminist Ire
Cutting their own throats →
The Performance of Masculinity →
Student debt story: Dear Sallie Mae, I can’t... →
“Some people kill themselves after defaulting on student loans. Driving these folks to suicide is an essential component of the system, because, once again, it keeps the rest of us in line. I know the consequences are going to be devastating – it’s part of the reason why I’m so pissed off.”
“Because there are so many different schemes, it is difficult to generalise but...”
– Myth of public-pension Sir Humphreys | Business
The Monster Engine: What children’s drawings would... →
The 70% Solution: Taxing the Rich Department →
In order to make a fairer society we must do a number of things, eventually. But first of all, as an absolute moral imperative, we must tax the rich, and tax them heavily.
Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps? New... →
Wanted: more immigrants to boost British economy -... →
British Austerity: The Past Weighs Like a... →
New Statesman - Why Unison is wrong to seek the... →
Professor Felix Salmon Teaches the Poliical... →
“For our political class and the private-sector that owns it, the War on Terror —...”
– Congress endorsing military detention, a new AUMF - Salon.com
How inequality fuelled the crash – and is halting... →
This point needs to be made continually and hammered home every day.