I interrupt this series of, ah… long winded posts to bring you this debunking of the Great Greenland Ice Sheet Scare, from Cliff Ollier, School of Earth and Geographical Sciences of the University of Western Australia, which came to me … Continue reading
A quotation. I dipped into W L Warren’s book about King John earlier, and came across this: Men insist perhaps most firmly on the value of custom when instability and change threaten them most closely; and they are apt to … Continue reading
Part 1 – Magna Carta Parliament assembles in the Painted Chamber of the royal palace of Westminster. The King, the Lords and the Commons all assemble together to hear the King’s speech, in which he will lay out the “causes … Continue reading
Magna Carta is a misunderstood document. It wasn’t some sort of ringing declaration of rights. It was much more practical than that, rooted in the politics and events of the time, so it needs to be placed in context. Let’s … Continue reading
What not to do. UPDATE: I meant to point out it’s a good anecdote about people who know some cryptography (terminology), but miss the absolute basics of security.
Via Christopher Hitchens, some details about Hirsi Ali’s private security appeal. … security for Ayaan Hirsi Ali might have to be paid for partly by private subscription. Here are the details for all who may wish to contribute to this … Continue reading
Via Worstall, a Guardian leader: Capitalism’s great advantage is supposed to be that it ensures the economy can learn from failure. Nope. That’s the free market, not capitalism. With a free market, lots of people try lots of different things … Continue reading
John Brignall at NumberWatch writes in defence of that much maligned atom, carbon. He prefaces his piece with a quote from the great H.L. Mencken: The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous … Continue reading
Just thinking… My favourite headline of all time comes from an American newspaper in 1980 – I read it in Rolling Stone’s review of the year… Right to Lifers demand mandatory death penalty
These smooth skinned amphibians.