How to enjoy shark fin soup with a clear conscience

I was offered some shark fin soup last week at a Chinese New Year celebration. I found the soup rather bland but unlike some of the guests at my table, I did not see any reason to be upset at my host for putting it on the menu. Since Gordon Ramsay released his documentary on the shark fin trade last year, everyone and their mothers have been clamouring for the ban of the soup so I’ve decided to sift through this murky ethical dilemma and to play the devil’s advocate against this new army of shark huggers.

Cuban American hardliners don’t know how to fight communism

Another Florida primary election, another opportunity for Republicans to pander to anti-Castro sentiment among bitter Cuban Americans. Mitt Romney and Newt Gringrich are chasing the votes of Miami hardliners who are still angry about losing their assets to the Castro regime 50 years ago. These people generally favour of a continued trade embargo, in spite of its well-documented failure, in the illusory hope of exacting some sense of revenge. Only Ron Paul has had to courage to state the obvious and to call for renewing diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Quotes from The Rational Optimist

I wanted to share with you my favorite excerpts from the excellent new book by Matt Ridley, which debunks a number of toxic memes popular in the press these days. Many people call me cynical or pessimistic, but this book made me feel like an chirpy cheerleader in a crowd of academic doomsayers. See how he applies his rational thinking on the hot topics of precautionary principles, consumer society, innovation, trust, organic farming, the rise and fall of empires, the Malthusian crisis, pessimistic thinking, and many more…

Speedy Road to Nowhere (by T.A.)

Back when I didn’t need the legroom, Daddy always flew me First Class. This spoiled childhood spent in the first three rows left irremediable marks: to this day, even though I now mostly turn right into No Class at boarding, I fly with great anticipation. The ritual habitual between check-in and lift-off, the shiny steel carcasses of the giant birds, the forced smiles of the polyester uniforms: they all put my mind at peace. Vicodin and vodka at the airport bar never hurt either.

The Education of a Libertarian, by Christine L.

As some of you may know, I’ve stolen the title from Peter Thiel. While Peter Thiel despairs in politics as he doesn’t believe democracy is compatiable with freedom while looking for escape in the utopian cyberspace. I am afraid he might be looking at the wrong (but no harm) place for cure – we don’t have “freedom” (extra-care needed in discussing this word as it can be philosphical/controversial) not mainly as a result of democracy-induced government intervention, the real culprit lies in human nature. We live in a real world, a world that faces constant threats of invasion and conquer, a world that high-decentralized, small-community-type, loosely-associated egalitarian societies will eventually pay hefty prices – being conquered by more efficient and less egalitarin societies (see Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, Steel).

Friday nights in Singapore

Expat “talent” fills the glass towers of Singapore. Ambitious foreigners that moved in from the other side of the planet to reap the rewards of a low-tax, no-trouble economy. Economic hit men on the run who only look back to make sure they’ve put enough distance between their past and their present. The past is where they store bothersome thoughts such as death, solitude or the bitter parents and fiancés they left back home.

2011 Horrorscope

CAPRICORN [December 22–January 19] Has your social agenda felt uninspiring in the past few months? It may be because you have been unconsciously shunning those who happen to have more personality than you do. As the New Year begins, make a list of the people you like to criticize. The traits that offset you off about them may be exactly the ones you need to develop within you. For a change, wouldn’t you love to inspire fear in a crowd?

AQUARIUS [January 20–February 18] This is the year for you to find out whether ignorance

Lessons from the Dodo on solitude

In his story of the Dodo’s Tale, Richard Dawkins talks about how a species (and indirectly a gene pool) can go from prospering to extinction if kept in a closed ecosystem (e.g. in an island). The Dodo is the story of a bird that became the dominant one in its food chain on a small Pacific island when it flew from the ocean from a nearby continent. As this bird found plenty of food on the ground, and no predators to fly away from, it wasn’t making any use of its wings any longer. In fact, after a few generations, wings were completely out-of-fashion, and instead of wings, the Dodos invested most of their bodily resources making more eggs, and thus breeding more short-winged egg-producing Dodos. By the time the first humans arrived on this tiny island, none of the Dodos could fly anymore.

Fairtrade Promotes Consumerism by Alleviating Guilt

I once met a charming young American lady in Vietnam. Her family was originally Vietnamese and had emigrated to California before she was born; and they had prospered there, building a booming business in office furniture. Before joining Law School, she decided to take a break and to visit her parents’ homeland. She took the opportunity to donate her time as an English schoolteacher as she felt giving back was the only fair thing to do, because she had received so much in her childhood, and that the kids in Vietnam had received nothing. She felt it was her duty because while she had received a good education and tons of opportunities, most of the kids she taught would never even be able to purchase a plane ticket. She genuinely felt sorry and indebted to them.

On what makes memes popular

An idea/meme tends to be more popular/viral if it is useful. However, many memes are -or have become- useless but are nevertheless still widespread and thriving. How can some ideas be both irrelevant and popular? Firstly, the timing of an idea is crucial: an idea can capture mindshare when the time is right, much in the same way a company captures marketshare when people are ready for a new product or service; and once an idea captured this mindshare, it will be hard to dislodge it with new competing ideas. Secondly, an idea/meme can also appeal to our lazy brains by offering a simple explanation for a complex world.