http://www.sardanapale.com Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:45:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Greek tragedy Mark Steyn has a characteristically eloquent article in the Washington Times about the "Greek tragedy", as he calls unsustainable entitlements. Highlights: "We hard-hearted, small-government guys are often damned as selfish types who care nothing for the general welfare. But, as the Greek protests make plain, nothing makes an ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2010/03/01/tragedie-grecque/ Eminent injustice Great article in City Magazine on abuse of "eminent domain" – as Americans call the compulsory purchase of property commandeered for the "public good". You may have heard of the Supreme Court ruling in the Kelo v New London case a couple of years ago. It said it ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2010/02/28/eminent-domain-and-jethro-tull/ The Red Baroness The EU will soon be represented by Catherine Ashton, a Briton who was active in Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the late 1970s and treasurer of that vocal pacifist group between 1980 and 1982. Questions over her past have been voiced by some Eurosceptics, including a MEP, and some ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/12/05/la-baronne-rouge-qui-represente-leurope/ The hand of frog The inglorious qualification of the French soccer team to next year's World Cup finals at the expense of Ireland (the last-gasp goal was scored thanks to a handball) has triggered an avalanche of anguished reactions in France itself. Many have taken the form of historical quotations. Jacques ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/11/22/nous-somme-tous-des-irlandais/ It was 20 years ago today Excellent leader in The Economist on 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It stressee that political freedom and economic liberty are intimately linked, and that progress in both should not be taken for granted. A key excerpt: "At present capitalism is too often judged ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/11/09/it-was-20-years-today/ Low-energy light bulbs don't make sense Whichever side of the Atlantic you live on, the government is forcing you to ditch ordinary incandescent light bulbs and switch to "compact fluorescent lamps". The rationale is that incandescents are wasteful - most of the energy they consume is turned into heat rather, not light ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/10/19/ampoules-a-basse-energie-la-fausse-bonne-idee/ Iran and the evil British Iran and Britain, a documentary broadcast this week by the BBC, neatly explores the paranoid style in Iranian politics. A conspiracy-driven view of the world has been certainly nurtured by the ayatollahs - tyrannies always need hidden enemies to provide an excuse for repression and a cover ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/10/11/conspirationnisme-persan/ Darwin on screen Charles Darwin is one of my great heroes. I regard the author of The Origin of Species as a model of scientific probity, moral courage and intellectual clarity. And I regard evolution by natural selection as the single most important idea in the history of human thought. My fascination ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/10/04/darwin-au-cinema/ On division of power A few weeks ago I mentioned the crash of an Air France plane at Habsheim in 1988. The newly delivered Airbus A320 was to overfly an airfield in eastern France during a show, but went down into the forest. Three passengers died. Following this post a pilot friend ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/09/25/la-france-et-son-etat-monolithe/ Survival of the unfittest A year on from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, everyone is giving their two cents' worth on the crisis. I might as well too. (At a time when expertise needs as much deflating as financial assets, perhaps I should value my own opinion ... http://www.sardanapale.com/2009/09/18/la-cigale-la-fourmi-et-la-banque-centrale/