Monthly Archives: February 2011

The Most Absurd Human Rights Violations (73): You Can’t Say Asshole in Germany

Posted on February 8, 2011 by

(source) Helmut Manz, who serves as deputy spokesman for the Left Party in North Rhine-Westphalia, was attending a demonstration outside a hall where Thilo Sarrazin, former Bundesbank Board member, was scheduled to speak. (Sarrazin is the author of the controversial … Continue reading →

Posted in human rights violations, law, most absurd human rights violations | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Racism (17): Racism is Ghostbusting

Posted on February 7, 2011 by

There’s a huge assumption underlying talk by racist and anti-racists alike, namely that there are different races. That may be an uncontroversial assumption at first sight, but once you start to think about it things get muddled. Are there races? … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, discrimination and hate, equality, philosophy, racism | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Statistical Jokes (21): Sleep Agony Chart

Posted on February 6, 2011 by

(source) More statistical jokes here.

Posted in comedy, statistical jokes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Human Rights Maps (118): World Giving Index, a Map of Charity

Posted on February 5, 2011 by

(source, this is the version of 2010, click image to enlarge) The World Giving Index offers a view of charitable behavior worldwide reflecting the fact that being charitable is about more than simply giving money. (In case you’re wondering about … Continue reading →

Posted in data, economics, human rights maps, poverty, statistics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Why Do Countries Become/Remain Democracies? Or Don’t? (16): Climate and Geography

Posted on February 4, 2011 by

(source) There are some contingent reasons why countries’ governments develop or fail to develop a strong system of centralized control over resources. And those that fail to do so tend to be more democratic. The detailed argument is here, but … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, why do countries become/remain democracies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Political Graffiti (129): Protests in Egypt

Posted on February 4, 2011 by

(source) More political graffiti here. Related Articles Graffiti As Protest (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)

Posted in activism, political graffiti | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics (34): The Narcissism of Small Differences

Posted on February 3, 2011 by

What I want to criticize in this installment of our series on lies and statistics, is the ordinal ranking of relatively similar entities in a way that creates the illusion of substantial disparity. You often see it combined with color schemes: … Continue reading →

Posted in data, lies and statistics, statistics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Human Rights Nonsense (24): Privacy Group Demands Public Disclosure of Private Data

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

(source) The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) – a nonprofit group focused on civil rights and privacy interests – has brought a FOIA case to demand the public release of thousands of body-scan images of air travelers. I realize that … Continue reading →

Posted in freedom, human rights nonsense, privacy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Human Rights Ads (57): Child Labor

Posted on February 1, 2011 by

(source) More on child labor here. A counter-intuitive take is here. More human rights ads are here. Related Articles Child Labor, A Collection of Images (2) (filipspagnoli.wordpress.com) European Parliament Supports Forced Child Labor (humantrafficking.change.org) Child workers in Yemen given back … Continue reading →

Posted in education, human rights ads, poverty, work | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment