Monthly Archives: August 2010

On experts

On the Left right now they’re passing around a paper which suggests that immigration boosts median income. Since the modern American elite Left is pro-immigration they naturally take a shine to such papers, and my own impression from talking to … Continue reading

Posted in culture, history | Tagged | 8 Comments

Judge them by their actions

Recently on bloggingheads.tv Michael Brendan Dougherty, a professing Catholic, suggested that anti-Catholic movements in 19th century America had a point. In this Dougherty seems to be aligning with Ross Douthat’s implication, that American reaction drove American Catholicism to counter-reaction, and … Continue reading

Posted in culture, politics | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Wanting to Believe

Religion or, to put it more loosely, “spirituality”, will always be with us. The only question is the form that it will take. This entertaining piece from the Daily Telegraph about crop circles is, in its own way, a reminder … Continue reading

Posted in culture | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Dalai Lama, Again

Via PTI: Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said today that China should learn religious harmony and non-violence from India. Describing himself “as the Son of India,” Dalai Lama, who was in Amritsar for a night halt on his way … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Bracing vs. insipid

Kingmaker: Why Sarah Palin’s Endorsements Really Are That Big A Deal vs. Romney’s Problem in a Nutshell. I estimate that Mitt Romney’s IQ is around two standard deviations above Sarah Palin’s. That’s democracy.

Posted in politics | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Apocalypse Now (Please)

I’ve long suspected that amongst those who believe that the apocalypse is just round the corner, a certain vanity may well be at work – the belief that their time is somehow special. Now there’s this from Scientific American Some … Continue reading

Posted in culture | Tagged | 11 Comments

Science in Action

Via the Daily Mail: It’s the latest must-have accessory for the world’s biggest stars and it costs just £20. Robert De Niro, David Beckham, Gerard Butler, Demi Moore and Kate Middleton have all taken to wearing ‘mystical’ black silicone wrist … Continue reading

Posted in culture | Tagged | 4 Comments

Monotheism & Religious Tolerance

In the course of Razib/Mr. Hume’s fine post on the history of the emirate of Cordoba, he had this to say: We know as an empirical fact that the partisans of the Abrahamic faiths are not very tolerant of dissent … Continue reading

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There is no prophecy

Posted in data, politics | Tagged | 4 Comments

Che!

The cult of Che Guevara (all those posters and tee-shirts, not to speak of the recent movie hagiography) is a persistent—and rather annoying—reminder of the way that the crimes of communism still rank oddly low in the popular imagination. But … Continue reading

Posted in culture | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments