Plumpy’nut
it made me happy to read this, in between all the regular grimness. And even though there may be some evil corporate agenda behind it, or the peanuts are picked by slave labour, or whatever (damn this constant scrutinizing of news stories), I don’t want to think about it. The wonders of Plumpy’nut: Saving lives with peanut butter (The Economist)
it’s stupid that criminals are punished by incarceration only!
this is hilarious: every foucauldian discussion should be preceded by a slide whistle. This great excerpt we had to read in criminal law (well, except when he went all Christian at the end of it): The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment (1953) by C.S. Lewis. (Yes, him.) My contention is that this doctrine, merciful though it appears, really means that each … Read More
other people try to put socks on their cast too
while I’m reading about the shift from quantitative mental labour to qualitative in the characterization of intangible property, an elderly man may be having a heart attack. “Lady, somebody get a doctor!” which may not seem too unusual, given I’m in a hospital. but I’m in the orthopedics wing, where crutches & wheelchairs & ankle casts are the norm… I’m … Read More
babies for sale, on eBay?
A short article today about baby trafficking in China (BBC). not sure how convinced I am of how “strict” the one-child policy is now. I heard you simply have to pay a fine for each additional child. (not that it makes it better, now those who can afford it can have multiple children. but what can you do?) Population and … Read More
never did like the smurfs, but…
(picture from wizbang) …the 25-second clip starts typically with the lovable blue Smurfs dancing hand-in-hand while singing the Smurf song. But chaos descends as wave after wave of fiery explosions level them. It ends with Baby Smurf sobbing inconsolably with the final frame reading: ‘Don’t let war affect the lives of children.’ — electric new paper unicef’s FAQ on the … Read More
all we ate was dried potatoes
M is currently accompanying Wolfowitz on a trip throughout China, doing ‘communications support’ (as she likes to ‘guillmet’ it), which involves visiting a lot of villages… and apparently eating 20 course meals with questionable meat (hey, it’s called southern chinese food). Sounds like an amazing experience — This is her description of one of the resettlement projects supported by the … Read More
one million roses!
Connecting an oscillating fan to his PS2 joystick to play katamari damacy, what dedication! (via natebot) I could just see myself spending days hypnotised, and with serious carpal tunnel. My eyes are glazing… “Oh, We know why! We get the point of rolling up a million.”
props to the disabled
so I’ve decided to play for the badminton team again. Two weeks into it, and I’m playing a tournament in Sherbrooke. We’re into our 2nd match of doubles, 2nd game: 5-1, we have a good lead, we’re on a roll, I run forward, and someone smashes the back of my heel with a metal bat. what? hmmm, apparently the sudden … Read More
second to da shan
sittin’ at concordia by Norman Bethune’s statue. he’s the 2nd most famous canadian in china. … there’s a black pigeon nuzzling his neck.
cab one
Had to take a taxi home, first time in a car since I’ve been back. “Pouvez-vous porter la ceinture, SVP?” oh shit, I forgot seatbelts existed.