Atheism and the Stock Market

Not many people combine these 2 subjects.

Nassim Taleb is a controversial but influential and entertaining intellectual whose views on probability and 'decision-making under uncertainty' are outlined in his best-selling book 'The Black Swan: the Impact of the Highly Improbable'.

In this short clip he derides those skeptics who criticise religion on rational grounds while putting their faith in the stockmarket.

A full version of the lecture which was presented as part of a Long Now Foundation series is available here - but you might want to hunker down for it, it's an hour and half long.

Controversy at the Royal Society

On a more serious note (and in case you missed it) there has been controversy this week at the Royal Society, the oldest scientific society in existence, after an article in the Guardian claims that the Education Director Professor Michael Reis had called for Creationism to be taught in schools. Michael Reis claims he was misrepresented in a subsequent letter to the editor but apparently he has since resigned from his post anyway. Now, Richard Dawkins enters the debate.

On a related theme, Humanists are currently suing the UK's government's exam agency over its decision to prevent a board giving humanism equal status to faiths in a religious education GCSE.

A 'Secret' Eco-Village

The only reason I've posted this is because part of me wants to live here (and have a beard).

For five happy years they enjoyed simple lives in their straw and mud huts.

Generating their own power and growing their own food, they strived for self-sufficiency and thrived in homes that looked more suited to the hobbits from The Lord of the Rings.

Then a survey plane chanced upon the 'lost tribe'... and they were plunged into a decade-long battle with officialdom.

Read all about it.

Debt

This Week at Climate Camp

This week at Climate Camp- Kingsnorth, Kent, UK 3-11 August, 2008

- "political policing of the worst kind"

- Police clash with protesters who refuse to be searched.

- Plane Stupid Protest at Gatwick.

- Food vans are being stopped by the Police.

- Mass Action at Kingsnorth on Saturday

- Protest at RBS HQ

- Protesters target a biofuel depot in Essex.

- Objections to Police in Riot Gear.

- Arthur Scargill Shows up.

- The Medway harbour master has refused permission for a River procession on Saturday.

- Coverage on You Tube

Great Spot from Ollie - Where the Hell is Matt?

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Stoke Croft Documentaries

The community in Stokes Croft, Bristol, has mobilised in the last 12 months, faced with the prospect of redevelopment which threatens it's unique character and atmosphere.

Having lived here in Bristol on and off for 13 years now, I can testify myself to the magical qualities of the area which spring not only from it's rich social history but also the diversity of it's population, and find myself agreeing with the People's Republic of Stokes Croft, who write:

It is precisely because Stokes Croft has been neglected, that people of all backgrounds and circumstance have learned to co-exist in an enclave of tolerance that few from outside this magical area can begin to understand...

PRSC is at the forefront of the movement in the area, and in the first of these 2 video, the founder Chris Chalkley, talks about how it all began and the street art, which has increasinly become a feature of Stoke's Croft.




In the second film below, produced by the Bristol-based video magazine, Five on One, you can see how the community is responding to the threat of closure of some of the Stokes Croft's most iconic venues.



Five on One, have a whole set on films on their You Tube page, including some nice footage from inside the Jamaica Street Art Studios and an extremely feature on Bristol Parkour.