http://www.smokewriting.co.uk Tue, 06 May 2008 14:55:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Estimates as to the exact date when the Onionization of American life began vary. However, there is no doubt that the process is by now very far advanced indeed:"Last week, this station was 3.51 dollars. Now it's practically 3.60. So it's gone up nine cents in one week," Twyman ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/05/06/new-report-85-of-daily-life-now-beyond-satire/ In writing this post, I definitely allowed the urge to make a quick'n'dirty jibe override the better angels of my nature. In fact, I did so to the extent that I ended up by placing myself in the same camp as yer standard critics of the precautionary principle (PP). ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/05/01/precaution-democracy/ Risk-taking and innovation. They're right there at the centre of everything that makes our way of life so goddamn unbeatable. They foster the efficient allocation of resources, spur technological development that improves our everyday lives, and generally result in lots more toys for us to play with. The toys ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/28/the-successful-exploitation-of-new-ideas/ The quote of the year so far:It does take resolve to prevail in an epic clash of civilizations, granted, but it also takes resolve to nail your dick to a tree. Telling yourself that you're nailing it to the Tree of Liberty with the Hammer of Freedom is a logical ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/23/parish-notices/ It seems that Peter Foster, writing for the Canadian version of the WSJ, thinks that "sustainability" is on the way out. It appears that sometimes a "sustainable" initiative can lead to "unsustainable" results, as in the case of biofuels. This will naturally have epoch-ending results for what Foster sees ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/16/free-exchange/ To the National Museum of Wales' Artes Mundi show. This year's iteration received a jaded near-total dismissal from Adrian Searle earlier this month. OK, some of the pieces are undoubtedly the kind of art that is instantly neutralised by the nu-language/unlanguage of its accompanying catalogue entry. Sure, occasionally you ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/15/believing-in-the-world/ Looks like there may be some interest in Brown's bold nuclear future after all.Britain's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said on Monday it had received proposals from over 30 parties interested in land surrounding 18 nuclear sites -- all potential locations for new power stations.There's a big conditional rising up within ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/15/nuke-enthusiasm/ When we last looked at the situation surrounding the South Wales Gas Pipeline, it appeared that not only had National Grid's wayward approach to public consultation and risk assessment succeeded in scuppering their plans to build a major piece of industrial infrastructure, but their equally wobbly implementation of international engineering ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/14/national-grid-more-damning-evidence/ Excellent news regarding the Serious Fraud Office's decision to stop asking questions about BAE's dealings with Saudi Arabia. The High Court has ruled that the decision was unlawful:In an often scathing judgement, Lord Justice Moses and Justice Sullivan rejected the SFO's argument that it was powerless to resist the ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/10/perverting-the-course-of-justice-with-blair-bandar/ The USA has officially been highly resistant to the use of the precautionary principle, unlike the European Union, in regulating technologies like GM. The differences in approach have had serious consequences – they led to the WTO identifying precaution with protectionism, for example, and mean that the US gets ... http://www.smokewriting.co.uk/2008/04/10/dick-cheney-and-the-precautionary-principle/