Monthly Archives: August 2011

Can’t Explain

Posted on August 31, 2011 by the archivist

Last night’s Tall Story grew out of me trying to explain the problem with the smoking ban in some new way. Essentially, if you discriminate in favour of one social group (in this case, short people) you’re bound to discriminate … Continue reading →

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Tall Story

Posted on August 30, 2011 by the archivist

Once upon a time there was a country called Bananaland or something which had lots of pubs. And everyone enjoyed going to the pubs. Fat people went to them, and thin people. Tall people and short people. Brown people and … Continue reading →

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Two Antismokers I’ve Known

Posted on August 29, 2011 by the archivist

I suppose I’ve been lucky in my life (or maybe unlucky) to have known a couple of active antismokers. By that I don’t mean hand-wavers and coughers, but people who were professionally active in the antismoking cause: movers and shakers. … Continue reading →

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The Dawn of the Cosmic Ray Era?

Posted on August 28, 2011 by the archivist

In other news this past week, the results of the CLOUD experiment at CERN have been released. New, convincing evidence indicates global warming is caused by cosmic rays and the sun — not humans The science is now all-but-settled on … Continue reading →

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Arrogant Conceited Doctors

Posted on August 27, 2011 by the archivist

Oh Gawwwwd! The Lancet could not be clearer on the obesity problem: Action is needed – and needed now. The world-renowned medical journal has devoted a large chunk of this week’s issue to the problem. A series of articles published … Continue reading →

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Magical Thinking

Posted on August 26, 2011 by the archivist

One of the things that bothers me about current scaremongering is that it always seems to be a very small influence that is supposed to cause a very large effect. So trace amounts of tobacco smoke in the atmosphere are … Continue reading →

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Insiders and Outsiders

Posted on August 25, 2011 by the archivist

It puzzles me sometimes why there are no moves towards finding a compromise solution to the smoking problem, by allowing separate smoking rooms in pubs, or separate smoking pubs. But I think the answer to this is that the antismokers … Continue reading →

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More Bits and Pieces

Posted on August 24, 2011 by the archivist

DP and David Walker both emailed me today asking me to publicize a new e-petition asking to relax the smoking ban. I’ve put in a link to it in the margin (having at last figured out how to put stuff … Continue reading →

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Libya Conflict: Frontline of Fiction

Posted on August 23, 2011 by the archivist

An extraordinary development this morning. It appears that Gaddafi’s son Saif has not been captured by the rebels after all. He showed up at a Tripoli hotel and spoke to journalists. He said that NATO had been conducting electronic warfare … Continue reading →

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Gaddafi Falls?

Posted on August 22, 2011 by the archivist

Libyan rebels seem to have captured Tripoli in a single day. This footage appeared on Al Jazeera tonight of rebels in Green Square in the centre of Tripoli. Gaddafi’s son Saif is reported to have been captured. Gaddafi is still … Continue reading →

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