This was the show we went and saw the other night:

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

The House of Commons is talking badgers.

The Tories want to shoot the buggers to save the cows. The problem is that the UK has an appalling record in epizootic matters : mad cow anyone?

Civilised countries manage to keep bovine TB to a very low level. There's something special about British farmers and/or government that seems to make that impossible.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Page 4: Nobel Laureate Explores How Art Impacts the Brain - ABC News

Kandel, at least, says he is convinced that neurobiology can enrich our understanding of artistic creativity. He even points out a number of fascinating findings made by his colleagues.

Neuroscientists have been able to prove that sudden inspirations and insights are accompanied by characteristic, high-frequency brain waves in the right temporal lobe. There is additional evidence that indicates that the right frontal brain lobe plays a key role in the creative process, while the left frontal brain lobe actually impedes such activity.

This is supported by case studies of patients who have suffered trauma to the left sides of the brains. A 51-year-old housewife, for example, suddenly began to paint landscapes that she recalled from her childhood. A 56-year-old businessman dedicated himself so enthusiastically to painting that he won numerous awards.

i love stories like this...

It's a fine line between homage, parody, and consumer opportunism. Jess Walter

Attention Migeru, JakeS and anyone else interested in the systemic nature of the financial crisis. There's a really interesting piece on the FT alphaville blog:

http://ftalphaville.ft.com/2012/10/25/1223861/misunderstanding-financial-crises-a-qa-with-gary-gorto n/

Definitely worth reading.

From Thurs. Democracy Now!

DNC Chair, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Unaware of U.S. "Kill List"

The topic of the Obama administration's "kill list" recently led to some surprising answers from top Democrats and Obama campaign surrogates. After the second presidential debate earlier this month, Luke Rudkowski of the media group We Are Change asked Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, about Obama's widely reported "kill list" of Americans and foreigners who can be assassinated without charge or trial. In response, Schultz dismissed the question by claiming that she hadn't even heard of the "kill list."

    Luke Rudkowski: "If President Romney becomes president, he's going to inherit President Barack Obama's secret 'kill list'? This is going to be debated. How do you think Romney will handle this 'kill list,' and are you comfortable with him having a 'kill list'?

    Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "I have no idea what you're talking about."

    Luke Rudkowski: "Obama has a secret 'kill list' which he has used to assassinate different people all over the world."

    Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "I'm happy to answer any serious questions you have."

    Luke Rudkowski: "Why is that not serious?"

    Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "Because I have no idea what you're talking about."

    Luke Rudkowski: "Of course you don't."

The existence of the U.S. 'kill list' has been publicly known for nearly two years and was the subject of a 6,000-word exposé in the New York Times in May.

It's that "Schultz DNA".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wp4O7v5320

I would not have guessed that it skews like this. Brosnan the killer? Craig the drunk? Wow.

Exceptionally, I was going to take my car to work today (because the weather's suddenly turned seasonal). I generally park it at work anyway, and haven't used it in 10 days or so.

So I'm wondering round the neighbourhood wondering where I parked it. Because it wasn't where I thought I'd left it : in a single space hard up against a walled-off building site. I have another look at the parking space, and notice for the first time that it's reserved for the disabled... So yeah I ring the car pound (or whatever the hell it's called in English) and sure enough, it's been there for a week, and it'll cost me a couple of hundred euros to get it back.

Thought it was "free parking", but it was "go to jail. go directly to jail. Do not pass go..."

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}