March 30, 2009
March 21, 2009
March 20, 2009
March 07, 2009
March 06, 2009
How to Stop the Drug Wars
The Economist: How to Stop the Drug Wars
"Legalisation would not only drive away the gangsters; it would transform drugs from a law-and-order problem into a public-health problem, which is how they ought to be treated. Governments would tax and regulate the drug trade, and use the funds raised (and the billions saved on law-enforcement) to educate the public about the risks of drug-taking and to treat addiction. The sale of drugs to minors should remain banned. Different drugs would command different levels of taxation and regulation. This system would be fiddly and imperfect, requiring constant monitoring and hard-to-measure trade-offs. Post-tax prices should be set at a level that would strike a balance between damping down use on the one hand, and discouraging a black market and the desperate acts of theft and prostitution to which addicts now resort to feed their habits."
"Legalisation would not only drive away the gangsters; it would transform drugs from a law-and-order problem into a public-health problem, which is how they ought to be treated. Governments would tax and regulate the drug trade, and use the funds raised (and the billions saved on law-enforcement) to educate the public about the risks of drug-taking and to treat addiction. The sale of drugs to minors should remain banned. Different drugs would command different levels of taxation and regulation. This system would be fiddly and imperfect, requiring constant monitoring and hard-to-measure trade-offs. Post-tax prices should be set at a level that would strike a balance between damping down use on the one hand, and discouraging a black market and the desperate acts of theft and prostitution to which addicts now resort to feed their habits."
March 05, 2009
Trailer for 'Public Enemies'
Trailer: Public Enemies - This is a trailer for Michael Mann's John Dillinger movie, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Looks great.
March 01, 2009
"Are Angels & Demons Active in the World?"
From a NY Times blog post discussing Louisiana Governor Jindal's attendance at an excorcism while he was in college, we get the graphic below.
According to this Pew Survey, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that angels and demons are active, more than any other religious group.
According to this Pew Survey, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that angels and demons are active, more than any other religious group.