The American asks: Who are smarter, liberals or conservatives? This is the kind of question that could spark fierce and endless debates between political opponents, but what if we could know, scientifically, that one side has the edge in brainpower? Should that change how we…
There's some massive FAIL going on over at Kiwiblog. Farrar's got this new green-bashing post up where he breathlessly mocks Al Gore for saying sea levels could rise by 67 metres because of climate change. "67 metres in ten years!" wails Farrar. "I think politicians…
I think Granny Herald must have shares in Infratil, based on her rubbish editorial today: Particular fervour is reserved for private-sector participation in this sector, perhaps because water is one of life's necessities. Rarely is it conceded that, in reality, it occupies the same utility…
Strange mea culpa from Don Brash on the foreshore and seabed in today's Dom. He doesn't go as far as to apologise for National's cynical and deliberate attempt to ignite racial conflict in the leadup to the 2005 election, but he does admit that National…
Talk about bereft of ideas, the currency is yo-yoing, the housing bubble is re-inflating, wages are falling, jobs are still being lost in large numbers, the oil price is back above $80 but what's the Finance Minister Bill English spending his time on? Some good…
Remember John Key's Nanny State rant?: I've had nine years of being told what lightbulb I can screw into the house, what shower I can take, what food I can eat, what things I can do, what thoughts I am allowed to have. Ahh, those…
'Lord Ashcroft of Belize' facing eviction as country turns on him. This is the heading in an article in today's Observer. It's worth a read. Some excerpts: So extensive are his interests, and so arcane some of his methods, that many Belizeans believe Ashcroft owns…
Matt McCarten writes a fine opinion piece in today's Herald. He hits four main points: 1. The neo-liberal dismantling of NZ's egalitarian society ideal in the 80's and 90's. 2. The new subservience of the State to corporate interests. 3. Dramatic increases in productivity over…
One of the many problems facing people who want to grow popular awareness of matters ecological is that for the large part, it's bloody depressing if you start to get the reality of it. So I imagine director Cameron Russell sold the pitch for this…
Estimated number of US troops now in Afghanistan: 68,000. Number of troops US General Stanley McChrystal is currently asking for in addition to that: 40,000. Number of troops during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan at its height that resulted in defeat: 108,000.
I read a fun piece by Charlie Brooker in The Guardian recently: There's too much stuff. We live in a stuff-a-lanche. I'm fairly certain I recently passed a rather pathetic tipping point, and now own more unread books and unwatched DVDs than my remaining lifespan…
We're trying a daily "Open mike". This is a place for anyone to post comments on topics that might be of interest, and for any discussion following up on the comments. Over to you...