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“If taken to their logical conclusion, these policies mean that affluent neighbourhoods can have all the amenities they want, the best living environment, the best services, without having to share their council tax payments with the poorer people down the road. Less fortunate areas will fester for lack of cash. Then, when they do, this can be portrayed as their own choice and their own failure. “So you couldn’t pay for it?” the voices will say: “Then why didn’t you just volunteer like we suggested?” —

David Cameron’s ‘big society’ may seem a big joke – but don’t be fooled | Ally Fogg

Ah good, someone else has noticed that “The Big Society” is not about volunteering.

Feb 27, 2011

“A wake-up call’s mother is unfolding. At the other end is a bell, which is telling us we have built a house at the foot of a volcano. The volcano is spewing lava, which says move your house. The road will be long and rocky, but it will trigger a shift before it kicks. We can capture some of it. IF the Middle East was a collection of gas stations, Saudi Arabia would be a station. Iran, Kuwait , Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates would all be stations. Guys, here’s the deal. Don’t hassle the Jews. You are insulated from history. History is back. Fasten your seat belts. Don’t expect a joy ride because the lid is blowing off. The west turned a blind eye, but the report was prophetic, with key evidence. Societies are frozen in time. No one should have any illusions. Root for the return to history, but not in the middle.” —

Yesterday’s Tom Friedman column edited down to nothing but mixed metaphors and cliches. (via nicksummers)

This is magical.

(via langer)

Feb 24, 201192 notes

#friedman #cliches #metaphors

Feb 23, 2011

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Feb 22, 2011

For example, “Shall we change to a more complicated voting system which will likely be marginally more representative at best or shall we leave things the way they are?”

The question we should be asking is: “Should we change our voting system to a more proportionally representive one?”.

Feb 20, 2011

For My People.

Feb 20, 2011

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Feb 17, 2011

“Doing a network run through and asking the director, Jamie, to move my mark a little bit so I could be next to a piece of furniture or a table so I wouldn’t fall over. That is an expert move by a seasoned professional. I’m sorry, an amateur stays on his mark and then falls over during the run through.” —

Charlie Sheen Offers Advice to Lindsay Lohan at The Insider

Charlie Sheen, consummate professional.

Feb 17, 2011

Feb 15, 2011

On the importance of framing debates in politics, and how political worldviews map to models of families.

Feb 11, 2011

Two slide show infographics depicting how the bail outs have affected British citizens. It claims they cost us £30k each, 94% of our country’s GDP.

Feb 11, 2011

“Banks being “forced to lend” also means banks making a healthy profit in the course of doing their job, which is to lend money to businesses. Is it really a “deal” that high bonuses are deemed acceptable for banks basically pursuing their incentives for profitable lending.” —Faisal Islam on Economics - Reasons why Project Merlin might be a charade

Feb 10, 2011

Play

Feb 10, 20112 notes

Merlin Mann’s been doing a new series of podcasts on productivity and doing things. If you care about that sort of thing, I highly recommend it.

Feb 9, 2011

Feb 8, 2011

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Feb 8, 2011

“These measures will drain not only wealth but also jobs from the UK. The new legislation will create a powerful incentive to shift business out of this country and into nations with lower corporate tax rates. Any UK business which doesn’t outsource its staff or funnel its earnings through a tax haven will find itself with an extra competitive disadvantage. The new rules also threaten to degrade the tax base everywhere, as companies with headquarters in other countries will demand similar measures from their own governments.” —

A Corporate Coup d’Etat

George Monbiot picks apart the government’s planned tax changes for corporations. It’s not pretty.

Feb 8, 2011

Some analysis of the trends that have to led to the various protest movements that are occuring world wide. Food for thought.

Feb 6, 2011

“There is a strong ethical dimension to the best comedy. Not only does it avoid reinforcing prejudices, it actively challenges them. Put simply, in comedy, as in life, we ought to think before we speak.” —

I’m a huge fan of Top Gear. But this time I’ve had enough - Steve Coogan

Mr Alan Partridge takes top gear to task over their stereotypical comments about mexicans.

Feb 6, 2011

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February 2011

27 posts