The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous. E.O. Wilson Am so in love with this quote. Yes, yes, the dangers of mystifying class relations by harkening back to our hominid ancestry. Blah blah 'it's not the anthropocene, it's the capitolocene' blah blah.... Continue Reading →
Cortisol, long-term stress (versus “one and done”) and brain architecture
On Saturday, at a wedding, talking - as you do - about cortisol levels in people in long-term stressful situations and brain architecture. Pushback from a none-too-bright ideologue (no, seriously) who tried to evade questions about their position/experience (always a sign, that), and had some, ah, odd, ideas about how fear and negative stimuli work... Continue Reading →
“COP This!” – Climate activist publication from December 2000 abt COP-6 at The Hague
Just a nice bit of history, from a generation ago.... Can't say we didn't know...
Metaphors for thinking about power: the tug of war
You can come up with all the elaborate diagrams and schema you like for thinking and talking about power. They'll definitely be read by reviewers one and two (it is always reviewer two, innit?). And once it's published in some paywalled journal it will be read by, ooh, a dozen or so other people. World-changing.... Continue Reading →
Post-mortems that are deadening…
We're now at the stage where "movement" "intellectuals" are willing to say in public what anyone with two brain cells (#NotAllMovementIntellectuals) has known for years - that the GretaXR 'wave' of climate concern is well and truly dead. And since we're talking about the Last Great British Wail, let's quote Lou Read - "Stick a... Continue Reading →
Saying the quiet part out loud: when lobbyists gloat about having captured the state…
You're not supposed to say the quiet part out loud. It makes it harder for everyone to pretend that the policy-making is not sock-puppetry for the rich (1). The latest example of this is a Canadian having to quit (2) because he boasted to an audience that 'We've been given opportunities to write entire briefing... Continue Reading →
Climate, Rishi’s D-day, the Borg and Brexit (no, really)
First things first. If in five years' time anyone thinks that what is aerating everyone today will be remembered as significant, I will eat my hat (1). I think part of our (my) fascination with what is unfolding is only in part a "they cannot be that incompetent, can they?" reaction (2): it is more... Continue Reading →
Climate, Batman and the slap deficit model…
The standard operating assumption of most climate "activists" and pearl-clutchers (1) is that someone In Authority (usually scientists, sometimes "world leaders" or even celebrities) just needs to Tell The Truth and everyone (aka "civil society" or, if you're willing to wear your condescension as a green badge of courage, "the sheeple") will wake up and... Continue Reading →
More piss “We”ak stuff about Saving “Our”selves, from smart people who don’t seem to be able to know better
You don't get to be Chief Scientific Advisor to HMG (His Majesty's Government) if you are a complete dolt. You may be a bit obedient, and/or a bit blinkered (aren't we all?) but you aren't actually actively thick. Part of not being thick, you'd hope, is looking at your worldview, and the (in)actions of people... Continue Reading →
Little blue corvée – on Sunak and the Notional Service plan
The latest astonishing(ish) brainfart to come from the Conservative Party is the re-introduction of National Service. My late father was born in July 1939, and so was in the last or second to last batch to have to do this. He always said it was a complete waste of everyone's time, and the regular army... Continue Reading →
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