Monday, December 20, 2010

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Evolutionary Psychiatry: Magnesium and the Brain

Evolutionary Psychiatry: Magnesium and the Brain: "Time to go back to Eby and Eby. I have an inexplicable fondness for this paper. The information is decent if a touch unorganized, and the..."

Evolutionary Psychiatry: Pleasure, Pain, Wheat, and Psychopharm

Evolutionary Psychiatry: Pleasure, Pain, Wheat, and Psychopharm: "There is something of an addiction theme out in the blogosphere today.  Mark Sisson is talking kicking the junkfood habit, and Dr. BG i..."

Evolutionary Psychiatry: That Tapeworm Ate Your Depression

Evolutionary Psychiatry: That Tapeworm Ate Your Depression: "I'm a little embarrassed that Mark Sisson got to this one before I did.  But I'm sure he has several minions to scan the literature for..."

Monday, December 13, 2010

US diplomat Richard Holbrooke dies - Americas - Al Jazeera English

US diplomat Richard Holbrooke dies - Americas - Al Jazeera English

A real career diplomat, who used his skills effectively, especially in Bosnia. It is, I think, our loss.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Journo to Red China: Have You *Studied* Confucius? [Epic Fail]

An article demonstrating that, when it comes to the brand new spontaneously-arising Confucius Peace Prize, Red China is very confuscshed.

Ya rly. Srsly.

It was an event for the benefit of foreign media. But if the organisers had hoped the Confucius Peace Prize would convince the world China is right, it failed. And, in the opinion of this correspondent, it was an epic public relations fail.

During the question and answer period in the increasingly stuffy conference room of a central Beijing hotel, the Confucius Peace Prize Awards Committee couldn't even bring themselves to say Liu Xiaobo's name, instead circuitously referring to him as "he of the three-character name you mentioned".

When Liu Xiaobo conjures up Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort, the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you know some Chinese are experiencing a crisis.

The press conference went from bad to worse, as question after question was asked.

"Jimmy Carter was one of your nominees for the first Confucius Peace Prize. Carter signed a letter asking for the release of Liu. Does this make you a supporter of a supporter of Liu?"

Or, "Doesn't it bother you and speak volumes if Lien Chan, the winner, hasn't shown up? Do you just have a hard time accepting the truth?"

Or this one, by a Hong Kong journalist, "Have you studied Confucius? Because you appear to have gotten the concepts wrong..."



[Pardon my abbreviated blogging of late. Things are ch-ch-ch-changing. Hopefully, for the better.]

Wednesday, December 08, 2010