In his book, Bad Science, Ben Goldacre, who used to have a Guardian column of that name, does three things. He: targets the shoddy thinking (at best) used to promote ‘alternative medicine’; targets the even bigger health risk posed by … Read More »
Facebook a few days ago: Tried to do what? … compete with the MacDonalds quarter pounder by selling a third-pounder at a lower price. They failed because most people thought a quarter pound was bigger. And what’s “just … not … Read More »
Life is not an easy matter. We cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless we have before us a great idea to raise us above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness. … Read More »
1970s advert The evolution of the electric kettle is instructive. Invented in the eighteen nineties, its initial forms had drawbacks. Like taking an age to do the biz, heating water by making it live – quite serious, that – and … Read More »
Caitlin Johnstone not only has a flair for articulating counterintuitive truths simply and vividly – where counterintuitive = contrary to mainstream power-serving fairy tales. She also has a way of voicing nuances of thought and mood that echo my own. … Read More »
I had an email from a friend this morning; on the face of it apropos of nothing. What does getting sentimental about the deplorables achieve? Nothing good, I replied. Why do you ask? one of your posts seemed to me … Read More »
Since I’m more at home calling out the lies on China, Russia and Syria – else laying bare those mechanisms which ensure we have no independent media, hence no true democracy – you might ask why I’m bothering with this … Read More »
This from the Sunday Times today, June 6. Fundraiser block after cash pours in for feminist charged with hate crime A fundraising appeal to pay the legal bills of a feminist charged with a hate crime over alleged homophobic and … Read More »
Yesterday Craig Murray – whistle blower, Scots nationalist, former rector of Dundee University, former UK Ambassador and much besides – was sentenced to eight months for contempt of court in his blog coverage of the collapsed trial of former SNP … Read More »
… in fact only a small proportion are but, as I argued six years ago in one of my increasingly rare non political posts – and little knowing how much extra weight this truth would be called on to shoulder … Read More »