Monthly Archives: January 2011

Evolution and the culture wars

Posted on January 31, 2011 by David Hume

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: the Right has a similar elite vs. populist chasm as the Left when it comes to some non-economic issues. In this case it is evolution, where many elite conservatives have presumed … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | 40 Comments

“The Worse the Better”

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cross-posted over at the Corner: In a long and interesting post over at the London Spectator Alex Massie thinks aloud over where the Egyptian revolution might be going. Agree or disagree, it’s all worth reading, but this caught my eye: … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Monkey Business

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

The self-righteousness oozing out of Bill Maher on the clip from his show linked to here by the Washington Monthly’s Steve Benen was neither a new phenomenon nor pleasant to watch. On the other hand, the comments from Republican congressman … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

They don’t have oil and nuclear weapons

Posted on January 28, 2011 by David Hume

A friend of mine asked what I thought about the protests in North Africa. I’m busy with some scientific issues and problems now, so I haven’t devoted much attention to them. All things equal I support a democratic government over … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , | 15 Comments

The Contradictions of Multiculturalism

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via Andrew Sullivan, an intriguing (and very lengthy) discussion in Eurozine on multiculturalism, much of it from contributors coming (I’d guess) from a leftish point of view, something which makes it all the more interesting. This (from Kenan Malik) caught … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments

Here Come The Bolsheviks

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

Count me unsurprised by this: Tunisia’s underground Islamic movement has emerged at the forefront of nationwide protests against its leadership and appears set to emerge as the strongest political force in elections. Al-Nadha is lead by the London-based exile Rachid … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sherry Rehman

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Guardian, another story that only should only increase fears for the future of Pakistan: All Sherry Rehman wants is to go out – for a coffee, a stroll, lunch, anything. But that’s not possible. Death threats flood her … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Jews did not invent modernity

Posted on January 19, 2011 by David Hume

Glenn Beck’s Jewish Problem: It’s become clear to me that the Fox commentator Glenn Beck has something of a Jewish problem. Actually, he has something of a modernity problem, and people with modernity problems tend to have problems with Jews, … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged | 22 Comments

Europe, the big five

Posted on January 15, 2011 by David Hume

The New York Times Magazine has a Europe-themed edition. I thought it would be interesting to look at the five big Western European nations in Google Data Explorer.

Posted in data | Tagged | 3 Comments

After the revolution

Posted on January 14, 2011 by David Hume

Here’s an interesting point in relation to Tunisia: …The protesters came together after circulating calls to rally over social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Many were unemployed college graduates, and they angrily demanded more jobs and denounced what they called … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged | 5 Comments