2003 | Jason E. Shao

Weblogs ARE a tool in Politics

Dec

11

2003

Dave Winer writes in his weblog about how political campaigns are not taking advantage of weblogging because they tend to only present points from one point of view – that of the campaign. He advocates inclusiveness and linking to all points of view. I think Dave is confusing politicking with running a political discussion site.

Social Values Survey

Dec

8

2003

A Fire and Ice Survey is interesting. Based on answers to questions, it will help place you on the political scale in terms of your core values. It has also been used to explain some differences between American and Canadian viewpoints. How’d everyone end up?

Does Islam Need a Pope?

Dec

6

2003

An Edward Fraser Article proposes that what Islam really needs is an institution like the pope or Catholic church to allow it to adapt to changing times, and serve as a force to bring disparate elements back together. It’s an interesting way for protestants to look at the Catholic church, especially in a day and ...

British IRS has Sense of Humor

Dec

3

2003

p. “(extlink)Adam Smith Institute Blog”:http://www.adamsmithblog.org republished a “(extlink)letter reprinted in the Guardian”:http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,1050281,00.html from the British Tax Collection Agency in response to an irate letter from someone owing taxes. It’s quite funny, and certainly more humorous than an American response from the IRS.

Is Fair Trade Coffee Good?

Dec

3

2003

p. “(extlink)Fair Trade Coffee”:http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/ has become a buzzword recently, with the aim of providing a higher portion of proceeds back to coffee farmers, who have been hurt by low coffee prices, due to oversupply on the market. If we increase the price paid for generic coffee, however, won’t that simply encourage more farmers to grow ...