Blog Title: calltoreason.org

Counterproductive socialist demands by JERIT

By way of Jed Yoong’s blog, I’ve learned of the Bicycle Campaign by Jerit, short for the Malay name of the group, Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas. The campaign which starts today involves cyclists setting out from both Kedah and Johor towards Kuala Lumpur. They plan to stop at every town and city along the way to read more..

Recent Interesting Science Articles (November ‘08)

Three science articles for this month, one on an exciting new development in the ongoing quest for a real cure for AIDS, one on nuclear energy, and the last one on a theoretical attempt to create a scenario right out of Jurassic Park. In the AIDS-related news, The Wall Street Journal reports the case of a read more..

Segregation and the net generation

In a recent review of a book published in The Economist, I noted something that I had suspected all along. In Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World, author Don Tapscott argues that not only are the children now growing up in a world of networked computers more intelligent and well-informed read more..

Top Gear reviews Proton

I spotted this from a thread in LYN. Check out these reviews of Proton cars by UK-based Top Gear. They seem to really, really hate the brand. We don’t know what Malaysian motorists did to upset the gods, but it must have been something pretty serious, judging by the punishment they seem to be getting. Still, read more..

Explaining Libertarianism using the Nolan Chart

I thought I’d post a Nolan Chart today to demonstrate what being a libertarian means. This particular version is from The Proceedings of the Friesian School by Kelley L. Ross, one of my favorite sites on philosophy. Other versions exist, for example, the one used on Wikipedia to illustrate its article on the subject. You’d read more..

Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis

I found this Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis on mint.edu which I think is absolutely essential reading for anyone who is still bewildered over what’s happening. If you don’t have the time or can’t muster the attention to read lengthy analysis pieces and papers on the events leading up to where we are now, read more..

Financial crisis revving up, not down

With the news of Citigroup getting guarantees worth US$300 billion in addition to a direct bailout from the TARP funds, there goes hopes that the financial crisis is coming to an end. Remember that not so long ago, before its share price got heavily hit by the mess, CItigroup was the biggest bank in the read more..

Driiiifting…

I’ve still playing GRID in between bouts of killing vast numbers of nearly naked natives in Medieval 2. I’m just about done with it though. I’ve been able to win every event consistently except for the drifting ones, and although I can understand how drifting works in the game, I can’t muster the patience to read more..

Should atheists organize?

Should they? The Wall Street Journal has a report on the attempts of various atheist organizations in the U.S. to make atheism more acceptable to the general public. Atheists are in many ways the least represented and most reviled minority in the U.S. with opinion polls consistently rating atheists as the least trustworthy group, below read more..

China should buy Malaysia, jokes The Economist

The Economist, one of the most influential and respected news outlets in the world, is well known for its concise and informative writing style. Regular readers however will note that there’s often an element of dry wit as well, and at times even a touch of whimsy. One recent article presents an excellent example of this read more..