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On January 6th, Justin McDaniel presented his new book, The Lovelorn Ghost and Magical Monk (Columbia University Press, 2011) to the Princess of Thailand (Her Majesty Maha Chakri Sirinthon). Afterwards there was a formal book launch and talk in Bangkok, Thailand in partnership with Chulalongkorn University's Institute of Thai Studies and Columbia University Press.
Glenn Greenwald gives Boardman Lecture *Audio Now Available* | Department of Religious Studies
Mark Ames: The One Percent’s Plan for the Rest of Us – Livestock to be Milked for “Rent” « naked capitalism
Yves here. Mark Ames’ post discusses the institutionalization of a regressive policy, that of trying to eke more corporate growth out of extracting more and more out of workers rather than sharing the benefits of productivity gains with them. As we’ve discussed, Henry Ford, who was hardly a chartable sort, voluntarily doubled the wages of his workers, both to improve retention but also to enable them to be able to afford to buy his products. As Thomas Palley has discussed, and the chart below underscores, the US changed in the early 1980s from a model where rising worker wages were seen as the driver to growth and hence a focus of policy, to one where rising consumer debt levels and asset appreciation were used to substitute for stagnant incomes.Attorney General Holder defends execution without charges - Salon.com
In a speech at Northwestern University yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder provided the most detailed explanation yet for why the Obama administration believes it has the authority to secretly target U.S. citizens for execution by the CIA without even charging them with a crime, notifying them of the accusations, or affording them an opportunity to respond, instead condemning them to death without a shred of transparency or judicial oversight. The administration continues to conceal the legal memorandum it obtained to justify these killings, and, as The New York Times ‘ Charlie Savage noted , Holder’s “speech contained no footnotes or specific legal citations, and it fell far short of the level of detail contained in the Office of Legal Counsel memo.” But the crux of Holder’s argument as set forth in yesterday’s speech is this:
THE HUMAN MACHINE MERGER: ARE WE HEADED FOR THE MATRIX? | KurzweilAI
Most viewers of The Matrix consider the more fanciful elements–intelligent computers, downloading information into the human brain, virtual reality indistinguishable from real life–to be fun as science fiction, but quite remote from real life. Most viewers would be wrong. As renowned computer scientist and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil explains, these elements are very feasible and are quite likely to be a reality within our lifetimes. To be published in Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix ( Ben Bella Books , April 2003). Published on KurzweilAI.net March 3, 2003. The Matrix is set in a world one hundred years in the future, a world offering a seemingly miraculous array of technological marvels—sentient (if malevolent) programs, the ability to directly download capabilities into the human brain, and the creation of virtual realities indistinguishable from the real world.It starts with an apparent mystery. At the end of 2006, food prices across the world started to rise, suddenly and stratospherically. Within a year, the price of wheat had shot up by 80 per cent, maize by 90 per cent, rice by 320 per cent. In a global jolt of hunger, 200 million people – mostly children – couldn't afford to get food any more, and sank into malnutrition or starvation. There were riots in more than 30 countries, and at least one government was violently overthrown.
Johann Hari: How Goldman gambled on starvation - Johann Hari - Commentators - The Independent
I have long held that the greatest tragedy, among countless misfortunes that recur in the long and agonizing human story, is not when evil triumphs over good, or when oppression overcomes freedom, or even the wretched loss of ten billion potential might-have-beens. No, the most devastating defect in our character -- a trait that held us down ever since the caves -- is the very same twist in our natures that makes us such fine storytellers. I am talking about our incredible penchant for -- and creativity at -- self delusion and rationalization.
The Cato Hypocrisy