Random Thoughts

While most of the proposals put forth to address climate change so far have called on governments to play a more active role in society, perhaps one of the best things they could do is promote free trade and then get out of the way.  According to research conducted by an economists at Oregon State University, wealthier countries with competitive crop production and few trade barriers would fare the best if climate change, weather events or other factors cause yields of grain and oilseed crops to become more volatile. By these criteria, the United States is poised to do well, but France…

In today's political hotbed of ideological divisions there seems to be no end to the catch phrases that are used to convey some sentiment regarding the evils of government.  A popular bumper-sticker notes "I love my country, but I fear my government". What does that even mean?  What is a country without a government?  It certainly can't be so trivial as to pronounce a love for the square of dirt someone is standing on, so what is this statement supposed to represent?   I'm sure that proponents of such a statement would suggest that it refers to the founding ideals of this…

Call it contrarian stubborness, but I believe there remains that print journalism a critical aspect of American society. That said, what's journalism? Matt Bowden, in the October issue of The Atlantic, proposes that we are in a "post-journalistic age," created by the broadcast drive for ratings and the corporate drive for a bat bottom line, both of which are, of course, money. "In this post-journalistic world, the model for all national debate becomes the trial, where adversaries face off, representing opposing points of view," Bowden said. One of the basic lessons rookie reporters are taught…

Many politicians see government welfare as the best way to address the problem of poverty in society. President Barack Obama, for example, recently promised to halve poverty within ten years, and his Republican opponent, John McCain, similarly vowed to make poverty eradication a top priority of his Administration. Others, however, say that even in the current economic situation, in developed countries, this kind of rhetoric about cutting "poverty" is misleadingly outmoded—because it implicitly suggests that government income transfers are the best vehicle for achieving substantial reductions…

Heart disease is commonly considered a modern condition, but that may change thanks to research conducted by a collaborative team composed of imaging experts, Egyptologists and preservationists who have discovered evidence of the disease, which causes heart attacks and strokes, in ancient Egyptian mummies. Their results, presented at  the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009, indicate that  atherosclerosis is not only a disease of modern man, but was present and not unusual in humans living 3000 years ago. Using six-slice computed X-ray tomography (CT) scans, they…

No fact in the long history of the world is so startling as the wide and repeated extermination of its inhabitants. - Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle Read the feed:

A story in the local newspaper related how a pit bull was turned into the animal shelter after having been found abandoned in a ditch with all of its teeth filed down to the exposed roots, emaciated by starvation (weighing less than 40 pounds), and having just given birth to 9 puppies that morning.  The mother also had a few pressure sores from where bones rubbed against skin.  All the puppies still had the umbilical cords attached and were wet. This level of human cruelty and stupidity is beyond understanding and one wonders what could be done to bring such behaviors under control…

I wish to report here the moves of a game of chess I played on the Internet Chess Club a moment ago, against a similarly rated opponent. This was a 5' game -all your moves have to be done in five minutes, or you lose on time. Under such circumstances, games are ridden with mistakes of all kinds, oversights, strategical blunders, howlers. But sometimes, a game which can be shown with pride appears magically out of sudden inspiration. Here is such an instance. Tonno - datigoneptraskam, ICC 2009 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 We are in a well-known variation of the Panov attack of…

The Berlusconi government is about to force a devastating law through the Italian bicameral system. And I am appalled by the absurdity of the situation and by the straight face these clowns who govern my country have put up. The facts. Silvio Berlusconi is facing a trial for bribery of a lawyer, the Englishman Mills, who took 600,000 euros to produce a false testimony in favour of the Italian premier. Mills was convicted of the crime, but Berlusconi was not tried, because of a law machined just in time, to suit him: the "Lodo Alfano", named after the Minister of Justice, which gave immunity…

I recently read, in one of the posts, the following statement. "Evolution is not fair, economics is not fair." http://www.science20.com/news_articles/chemical_engineer_solves_capitalism_problem I'm sure we've all heard the platitude that "life is not fair", which set me to thinking about what these statements even mean. Fairness certainly doesn't mean that we are all the same or that we all have the same opportunities.  It doesn't even mean that we all have the same results from our endeavors.  Instead fairness is a concept that indicates that one will have an equal, untampered with…