The Netherlands, whose liberal drug policies attract the ire of the prohibitionists, has less than half the lifetime incidence of cannabis use of the US, and one eighth the rate of cocaine use. As the authors put it: “countries with more stringent policies towards illegal drug use did not have lower levels of such drug use than countries with more liberal policies.”

Russell Brown speaks a lot of sense on a WHO report on drug use that’s upsetting the NZ media.

Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all. Now this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do. But in a pluralistic democracy, we have no choice. Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other of common aims based on a common reality. It involves the compromise, the art of what’s possible. At some fundamental level, religion does not allow for compromise. It’s the art of the impossible. If God has spoken, then followers are expected to live up to God’s edicts, regardless of the consequences. To base one’s life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime, but to base our policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing.

Barack Obama (via azspot) (via faucet)

Rebloggged everywhere, but it’s worth it.

Paradise Lost

ADAM: Paradise has arbitrary dietary restrictions?

DEVIL: They’re really more like guidelines.

GOD: Incorrect.

(via thebronzemedal)

I’m 23 years old and I have yet to make it as an international arms dealer, despite majoring in international relations in college. I sometimes give my weapons pitch on street corners or at open mic nights, hoping to be scouted. I’ve sent out demo tapes to all of the major government agencies, including the Defense department, State Department, and CIA. I was very surprised when only the FBI responded, even though I hadn’t sent them a copy. At the moment I have a job at a coffee shop to pay the bills. I worry that maybe I’ll never make it, that I’ll be stuck serving coffee for the rest of my life. However every time I feel down, I think of Efraim Diveroli. I tell myself, if he can make it, so can I.

Talking Points Memo | Some Guys Get All the Breaks

Hilarious comment from a commenter at TPM in regards to the 22 year old arms dealer revealed by a recent Pentagon investigation into military contracts. Seriously.

The Shock Doctrine: Short Film

Film by Alfonso Cuaron to accompany Naomi Klein’s really interesting book The Shock Doctrine which I finished earlier this year and recommend, even though I did come to call it the Yellow Book of Doom, because of its often depressing subject matter.

Also, while I’m talking about this, someone in the comments to the post I found this in, mentioned the review Joseph Stiglitz did of the book in the NY Times which is also worth a look.

During World War II Picasso suffered some harassment from the Gestapo in Nazi-occupied Paris. An inquisitive German officer, coming into his apartment, noticed a photograph of Guernica lying on a table. “Did you do that?” he asked Picasso. “No, you did,” said Picasso.
“Other than that, picking a running mate is — no disrespect intended — like picking a pet. How much time are you planning to spend with the little fellow? How much exercise will he be getting on an average day? On one extreme, you have the William Wheeler model (“There’s the living room. Go find a corner and sleep in it.”) On the other end, there’s the Cheney version in which the pet takes over the checkbook, diversifies the family investment portfolio and starts strafing at the neighbor’s cat.”
somethingchanged:

The Times homepage is on crack today.
I, uh, yeah. The guinea pig story is still there now.

somethingchanged:

The Times homepage is on crack today.

I, uh, yeah. The guinea pig story is still there now.

The Colbert Report Official Site | Comedy Central

Stephen Colbert + Cookie Monster + Robert Downey Jr references + Scott McLellan jokes = brilliance.

somethingchanged:

nickmcglynn:blakeley: Great Moments In Graphic Design

somethingchanged:

nickmcglynn:blakeley: Great Moments In Graphic Design

nostrich:

Well, fear not. I am here to save the day. I am pleased to announce Tumblr Themes. It may not be better than the other options just yet (there are only about 40 themes listed right now, but I’m adding as many as I can find), but it will be.

Reblogged by everyone, but this is so cool. And useful!

As someone who lives in a country that already has data caps on broadband, I really hoped that this trend would be moving in the opposite direction. *sigh*