locus communis
October 2009
22 posts
We are an inert but well meaning conglomerate of sideways lobbyists proposing that widespread initiatives be passed in favour of the type of nature, and control over nature; that we are in need of most, the flaky white stuff. Boxes upon truckloads upon stadia, full of magic crystalline goodness.
Play
An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All →
wired.com
In 19th-century England, he explains, Jenner’s smallpox vaccine was known to be effective. But despite the Compulsory Vaccination Act of 1853, many people still refused to take it, and thousands died unnecessarily. “That was the birth of the anti-vaccine movement,” he says, adding that then — as now — those at the forefront “were great at mass marketing. It was a print-oriented society. They were great pamphleteers. And by the 1890s, they had driven immunization rates down to the 20 percent range.”
Immediately, smallpox took off again in England and Wales, killing 1,455 in 1893. Ireland and Scotland, by contrast, “didn’t have any anti-vaccine movement and had very high immunization rates and very little incidence of smallpox disease and death,” he says, taking a breath. “You’d like to think we would learn.”
“As Shiba owners know, obedience is not an indicator of overall intelligence. As Shiba owners also know, their dogs also can put any 2 year old human child to shame when it comes to single-minded escape maneuvers. Shibas can learn and execute commands with blinding speed; they just don’t give a shit unless you’re waving a poached salmon wildly in their sight… if they’re hungry … if there isn’t something more interesting around … if the wind happens to be blowing westerly and its Tuesday…”
—The Misanthropic Shiba: Shiba Inus, Shiba Inu Puppies, Training Shiba Inus - Part 2 (via fuckyeahshibainu)
The Cost of Curtailing Global Warming
The Cost of Curtailing Global Warming (miniscule, actually)
The NYT told readers that the investments needed to curtail global warming would cost the world $10 trillion over the years from 2010 to 2030. It would have been helpful to also note that global GDP will be around $1500 trillion over this period, so that the estimated cost of these measures would be equal to approximately 0.7 percent of GDP. This means that they would impose approximately one sixth as much of a burden on the world economy as the defense department budget does on the u.S. economy.
0.7 percent of GDP is a lot of output. Is it a lot of output to sacrifice to the continuation of having a GDP at all 100 years from now? Probably not.
