Ben Goldacre September 15, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Camden, Miscellany , add a commentMy favourite Guardian columnist, Dr Ben Goldacre, has released a book, so tonight a couple of hundred fans packed into the downstairs bar at the Penderel’s Oak on High Holburn to hear him.
If you don’t know his work, look it up. He does a fantastic job of debunking the sillier myths of medical pseudoscience, particularly taking aim at institutions and explaining how evidence in medicine really works. Various ‘professional bodies’ in alternative medicine and quackery take regular beatings, a nice balance to the normal ‘wellbeing’ tripe which even the Guardian is inclined to peddle.
His basic theme is that most people can understand science if its explained properly, and it is the responsibility of professionals and the media to do that. He is particularly harsh on journalists who do science and health reporting without really understanding what they’re talking about.
Despite the overcrowding, and the lousy sound system, he’s worth hearing if only because his is a rare voice in the midst of the gullible silliness which passes for so much health news. For an added treat, he publishes his del.icio.us feed, so you can follow his wanderings around the web, with frequent gems.
Faith in the Justice System September 10, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentMy faith in the justice system is restored. The BBC is reporting that the jury in the Maidstone County Court has found the Greenpeace protestors at Kingsnorth not guilty. The treatment of people who protested at the Climate Camp in August was disgraceful in a free country, with unnecessary searches, confiscation of personal property apparently including a board game (did they need something to entertain themselves?) and misuse of powers which are supposed to protect us against terrorism but more often seem to be used to repress anyone who doesn’t agree with the government’s line.
Hopefully the government and police will take heed and stop treating peaceful protesters like terrorists and criminals.
Britblog September 1, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentIf you’ve a little time on your hands, click on over to Redemption Blues, who is hosting the Britblog roundup this week. And particularly, take a look at her comments on right-wing women’s attitudes to abortion, a propos the appointment of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate. Quoting Andrea Dworkin, she talks about right-wing women seeing abortion (and presumably contraception) as robbing them of power in dealing with men. If that’s where Palin is coming from, and her view of male-female relationships is that bleak, its a sorry state of affairs.
It looks like McCain chose Palin to appeal to Democrats who wanted Clinton as their candidate. Its a very long way indeed from Clinton to Palin - I wonder if many would be such sore losers?
Where did the corn go? August 20, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , 2 commentsIt’s August. There should be corn on the cob. Proper corn on the cob, with leaves.
Waitrose only has cobs on little plastic trays wrapped up in plastic bags.
It’s worse than Sainsbury’s wine by the glass. We’re doomed, doomed.
Apartment security August 3, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentWalk up York Way past Kings Cross, the new Guardian offices and Arts Centre of Kings Place, until you’re in the heart of the developments yet to appear. Turn right, through a small park which might be a bit dodgy at night, past new flats too expensive to have attracted many inhabitants, to the sixties-style council estate behind. So far, so inner London. It scrapes through the high heels after an evening in the pub test*.
Go through three massive, intercom controlled steel doors to get to the flat. CCTV everywhere. There must be a reason. This doesn’t feel good.
It’s a nice enough flat, needing some work but a good size. The vendor refuses to leave the fluffy wee kitten, but will sell the appliances. The garden is through a glass door in the kitchen, with a flimsy wooden fence and a gate even I could get over, though perhaps not in high heels after a night in the pub. A fit burglar would take minutes to break in.
If I had come in the back way, I’d have liked the place. Now I’m just wondering who would design a security system with such an obvious flaw.
*I refuse to live anywhere I don’t feel safe walking home in high heeled shoes, carrying my laptop bag and a few drinks to the wind. Fortunately, I’m not easily scared.
The Dark Knight July 27, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentThere’s something deeply appealing about the dark edginess of Batman, and particularly Gotham, the city of which the Joker once said “Decent people shouldn’t live here. They’d be happier somewhere else”. It’s rarely daylight in Gotham, and Batman is the dark hero it deserves. Cameron Bale’s arrest last week seems almost in character.
The late, and much lamented, Heath Ledger stands out with a superb turn as an insane, devious Joker who’s only objective is mayhem. Its hard to believe this got a 12A rating, given the violent menace Ledger creates as he explains how he got his smile-shaped scars while holding a knife to a victim’s face. The Dark Knight seems far more in need of censorship than the sensitively portrayed tragedy of Brokeback Mountain, rated 15, given current fears about knife crime.
Ledger is certainly the highlight of the film, which is otherwise exciting, aesthetically pleasing in a black, mechanistic sort of way and in serious need of being a good 30 minutes shorter.
Cameron Bale’s Batman is overshadowed by the Joker and, to a lesser extent, Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent, the idealistic district attorney who competes with Batman for the heart of Maggie Glynhaal’s Rachel Dawes and ends up driven over the edge by her death.
And where on earth is Michael Caine’s accent supposed to be from? It sounds like Bruce Wayne’s faithful English butler, Alfred, is an American trying to sound Cockney. Very odd indeed.
Go for Heath Ledger and the cityscape and forgive Michael Caine.
Sainsbury’s Wine by the Glass July 26, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , 1 comment so farIt’s amazing what you discover when trying to find the right brand of catfood. Out of my small friend’s favourite Gourmet at 9pm, I ventured to the big Sainsbury’s on Camden Rd. It’s not my usual haunt, and in fact I haven’t been in such a big supermarket for years.
I’m deeply disappointed that my phonecamera was out of battery, because this really needs a picture. Two plastic glasses, filled with a red liquid purported to be wine, sealed with tin-foil and wrapped in cardboard. Ideal for a picnic or if you’re meeting a friend. I certainly hope I don’t have any friends like that.
I like screw tops, can see the point in wine on tap in pubs, but this is a clear sign that the collapse of civilisation is upon us. Revolting.
Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely July 21, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentIt says a lot about economics, that there have to be studies to show that people do not always, perhaps even often, behave in an economically rational manner. It also says a lot about the lack of realism in modern politics that the ideas put forward in this book are considered revolutionary.
Through a series of studies, mostly on MIT or Harvard undergraduates, no doubt an excellent representative sample for the general public, the author looks at how people make decisions and conduct themselves in economic situation. It is useful that he establishes clear evidence for some pretty obvious things - that its one thing to say you’ll use condoms in a survey, quite another in the heat of the moment, that if the doctor gives an expensive medicine, we’re more inclined to get better than if he just gives some advice (yes, the placebo effect works - otherwise, how would homeopathy ever have any credibility), that if you expect to do well in a test, you may do better than if you expect to fail.
Although the conclusions reached may not be very surprising, it may be revolutionary to bring them to the attention of policymakers and politicians, with evidence to back them up and separate the common sense from the common nonsense.
It does point to simple but potentially effective policy interventions. For instance, if employees had to opt out of company pension schemes rather than opt in, its likely that more would stay in them. As someone who managed to miss out on three years of a fixed salary pension scheme once, through a combination of laziness, mistrust of pension plans and always thinking I’d leave the job soon, I’d have gained from that one.
Given that advertisers and marketers have known a lot of this for a long time, it is also useful for spotting sales techniques and not automatically falling into their traps. For instance, when faced with two different options, and a third option similar to, but less good than, one of them, people are inclined to go for the more attractive of the two which are similar, neglecting the one which does not have an obvious comparator. Knowing that, one can consciously ignore the less attractive, and concentrate on the two different options.
A lot of what we do is not particularly rational. Understanding that gives us a chance to think our way through the mass of ingrained habits and skillful marketing which contribute so much to our choices and actually make some good decisions.
Barrel wine and the war on moisturiser June 21, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentI remember now why I gave up flying. When the automaton at the airport took my conditioner because it was 150ml, not 100ml, I’m sure the free world was saved from an atrocity. It’s the first time I’ve had to do the shoe thing, which just shows how long its been. Of course, its deeply uncool now to winge about these nasty little nuisances. The terrorists won long ago, aided and abetted by NuLabor.
Greece, the sea and some sunshine are worth putting up with bureaucratic silliness, and I spent the afternoon wandering around the waterfront of Thessaloniki. Looking for dinner at about 8.30, I turned a corner and found the local Goths, though they seem to be the only life around the place. The bars and restaurants of Ladhadikha, the district behind the port, have emptied for the summer and sensible Thessalonikans have headed for the beach.
Still, I managed to find a pleasant wee taverna called Negroponte, with a drinkable barrel wine and basic menu, recommended by the Rough Guide but with local and tourist clientele. No menu, so I thought I was in for one of those kitchen adventures you occasionally get in places which don’t have a lot of tourists, where they take you out the back and show you boiling pots of stuff which smell fantastic, taste wonderful and could be stewed cat for all I know. But the waiter explained the dishes perfectly, and I found myself with a very good salad and rather boring meatballs. Eating in this part of the world is less about cuisine, and much more about being outside, taking it slowly and watching the world go by, and the bill only came to €14.
Tomorrow, museums and ruins, and trying to work out which beach to go to for the second half of the week.
Buddhism Without Beliefs, By Stephen Batchelor May 28, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentBuddhism, at least as I have seen it from Tibetan teachers, is non-theistic, with a strong emphasis on questioning, study and personal examination of the ideas presented. Every time I’ve heard the Dalai Lama teach he has talked about the need to examine the teachings critically and decide for yourself whether they are true or not. Some ancient texts have clearly been superceded by modern science, and it would be fairly unreasonable to continue to believe that the world sits atop Mt Meru, in the face of pictures of the Earth from space, or to continue to believe in ancient Indian theories of the origin of the universe, to cite two examples he gave.
What then to make of karma and reincarnation, two basic tenets which seem to underpin a large part of Buddhist philosophy, but which are very problematic, at least for this unknowledgeable student?
Karma always strikes me as wishful thinking. If life’s not going well, its all because of stuff that I did long ago in a time that I can’t remember, let alone take responsibility for. If someone does something bad, at least they’ll get their comeuppance down the line, even if they get away with it now. This idea that the universe is essentially fair sounds nice, but how on earth would it work? I listen to the teachings on the idea that things do not exist in and of them selves, but are dependent on causes. The person writing this article only exists because of her body and mind, temporary things, and she becomes even more sceptical about karma and reincarnation. The Indian philosophers seem to tie themselves in knots trying to reconcile reincarnation with the logical conclusions of their own observations.
It’s timely to re-read Buddhism without Beliefs by the English scholar and former monk Stephen Batchelor. His suggests that an agnostic position on karma and rebirth is probably the honest one, though he takes a very ‘middle way’ approach in saying that ‘we neither have to adopt the literal versions of rebirth presented by religious tradition nor fall into the extreme of regarding death as annihilation’. I’m agnostic about rebirth in the same way as I’m agnostic about Richard Dawkin’s teapots, convinced but not willing to be quite as strident as he out of respect for those who do believe.
Batchelor then goes on to show how, without these articles of faith, Buddhism still stands up as a good basis for living. He talks about it as something to do, not something to believe in. Understanding things as they are, being honest about that even if its not comfortable and trying to be more compassionate of others. Sounds sensible to me
