Author: Eric Scheie

While the above is a nice slogan, popularized by Milton Friedman and others, it is hardly applied consistently. Try, for example, to “choose” certain drugs: Psychedelic mushrooms can do more than make you see the world in kaleidoscope. Research suggests they may have permanent, positive effects on the human brain. […] This dampening of one…

Whether she intended to or not, Joan Rivers steals the show at the Drudge Report. Yow!

If humans are in fact “Hard-Wired To Drink,” then what’s the point of the endless attempts to identify and label people “alcoholics” and then subject them to various treatments and cures? I’m asking because to some it matters a great deal (to the control freaks, at least) whether people are born with certain traits or desires…

As best as I can tell, the Obama administration is doing nothing about this shit: BAGHDAD (AP) — The leader of the extremist group that seized much of northern Iraq and Syria called on Muslims worldwide on Tuesday to join the battle and help build an Islamic state in the newly conquered territory. The 19-minute…

Too busy, but this helps.  

Another day, another horrifying SWAT Team atrocity. The difference is that this one made me worry that by focusing on the drug war aspects, I might be losing sight of the bigger, and more ominous picture. Here’s what happened. In a 3:00 a.m. SWAT Team raid, police broke down the door of a house to…

I have no idea whether this is true, or whether it is some kind of hoax: …Facebook data scientists tweaked the algorithm that determines which posts appear on users’ news feeds—specifically, researchers skewed the number of positive or negative terms seen by randomly selected users. Facebook then analyzed the future postings of those users over…

While it shouldn’t surprise anyone, unless something is done to stop the data miners (like massive lawsuits), your credit card purchases are soon likely to be examined by your health care providers and insurance companies. You may soon get a call from your doctor if you’ve let your gym membership lapse, made a habit of…

No, seriously: 43 People Whose Eyebrows Are So Bad They’re Actually Works Of Art Most of the eyebrows pictures really are that bad, which is saying something. I kind of liked this pair of eyebrows, though, which stand out because they really say something. Hell, if you have a good argument, put it in writing where…

The world of course cannot be explained, but I think Burroughs came dangerously close when he divided the world into Johnsons (who mind their own business) and Shits (who do just the opposite): ‘The Johnson Family’ was a turn-of-the-century expression to designate good bums and thieves.  It was elaborated into a code of conduct.  A…

According to whoever wrote this piece for CBS Detroit, it’s a given that water is a “human right”: DETROIT (WWJ) – It’s a basic human right: water. But could the United Nations soon help the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department provide the service to struggling customers? Water department spokeswoman Curtrise Garner says it’s a possibility — but…

Earlier I pondered a remarkable idea from Arne Duncan and the Department of Education — that mentally retarded people should be attending college. Yes, the government is spending millions on this, and naturally, the mentally retarded are being dumped not into Harvard, Yale, or the nice colleges attended by the children of those who come up with these…

Yes, the same irresponsible lending practices which led to the real estate crash are coming back. With help from the federal government, of course: The Obama administration is engaged in a broad push to make more home loans available to people with weaker credit, an effort that officials say will help power the economic recovery…

KC Johnson has a fascinating post about the idea that drunken sex constitutes “rape.” Excerpt: Broadening what constitutes sexual assault by redefining consent has been a principal goal of “activists”—who have worked with sympathetic faculty and (increasingly) the OCR. The McLeod case at Duke is a particular obvious example of how the new standards might…

Goofy ideas always seem to start in California, and this one is no exception. Drivers in Berkeley, California may soon get a stern warning about the impact of carbon emissions on the environment every time they fill up at the gas pump. As the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday, officials in the famously progressive city…

Did you know that the name “Willendorf Venus” is now controversial? The nickname, urging a comparison to the classical image of “Venus,” is now controversial. According to Christopher Witcombe, “the ironic identification of these figurines as ‘Venus’ pleasantly satisfied certain assumptions at the time about the primitive, about women, and about taste.” Heaven forbid that…

This morning my dogs saved a life. This life:   That’s a photo I took just now of my large Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) that I raised from a baby to its present size of about ten inches. I was in the bathroom early this morning when Runty (who was downstairs) let out with a huge…

I’ve long been a fan of William S. Burroughs, and it was nice to read a recent Reason piece about his view of the nanny state: In July of 1957, an unknown writer named William Burroughs visited a friend in Copenhagen. After three weeks in the area, including a brief excursion to Sweden, he wrote…

Some whiny little bitch from hell has decided that because she is offended by a vintage Rolling Stones song, Trader Joe’s should not be allowed to play it. That’s because songs like “Under My Thumb” are like, well, like that nutcase who shot people in Isla Vista. Why should I have to hear about a…