The exchange only took a moment, but it was one of those moments that bothers you all day: "Wouldn't shooting cell-phone users in research libraries be counterproductive?" you might well ask. "Wouldn't that actually make the library more noisy?" A fair point. Yes, it would. But not for long... -Scott McLemee The decline of Western civilization proceeds apace. One shudders to imagine life in decades hence. A case in point: People now use cell phones in research libraries. The cell phone, then, is a little like a fart, and a lot like a knife According to Vaclav Havel, post-communism entails carrying the burden of decision-making; choice is now a fact of life PSYCHOLOGY: The burden of freedom Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Mark Satin: Radical Middle Articles for April 2006 Just Give Them the Money!: How to End Poverty While Reaching Out to Left and Right"
• Where are the politicians? [Zadie Smith's On Beauty: First Great Radical Middle Political Novel has been largely ignored by critics on the far left and far right, and no wonder - It's our first great radical middle political novel ; It is one of the most infamous incidents of the war in Iraq: On March 31, 2004 Murk in blackwater; Libya and Justice for All Privacy case notes released ; The Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism makes strange bedfellows; If they weren't such fecking terrorists, then maybe they could have a spot, aye? I first met the man now called Kevin Fulton in London, on platform 13 at Victoria Station. We almost missed each other in the crowd; he didn't look at all like a terrorist. He might have been an Irish grammar-school teacher, not an IRA bomber or a British spy in hiding ] • · Millions of taxpayers would be spared the drudgery of completing and lodging annual tax returns under a plan being examined by the taxation watchdog Tax chief looks at scrapping returns ; ATTRACTING attention at the traffic lights might be a driving force behind buying the latest Porsche, but luxury car-lovers are about to draw some unwanted attention from the Australian Taxation Office. ATO to target luxury cars; A FORMER tax office worker accused of receiving cash, overseas trips and sex in exchange for secret information about the illicit tobacco industry Tax man in court • · · COMMUTERS who use public transport should be able to claim tickets as tax deductions in the same way that people who drive private cars receive tax breaks NSW calls for ticket tax breaks ; The oldest cliche is that truth is the first casualty of war. I disagree. The first real casualty of war ; It is fundamental to the rule of law that like cases be treated alike. Yet, with hundreds of judges in tens of countries applying the law established in the Refugee Convention, there is considerable divergence in the way this universal law is applied International judicial commission on refugees; At the height of the morning commute on March 11, 2004, ten bombs exploded in and around four train stations in Madrid Europe’s Two Culture Wars • · · · Moneymaking opportunities have grown rapidly in fields such as education, law, business and agriculture, records show Professors For Hire ; Three scandals have unnerved even the Prime Minister . THINGS are not always as they seem in the overheated atmosphere of British politics Black Wednesday clouds hover over Blair ; Cole Inquiry and AWB: Corporate culture and criminal responsibility • · · · · The balancing act the Federal Government is performing between liberties and the need for security in response to the terrorist threat has prompted some commentators to renew calls for a bill of rights which would supposedly protect us from intrusive laws All bets are off when a bill of rights comes in ; IF PEOPLE acted in a purely rational manner when it came to their finances, IBISWorld chairman Phil Ruthven would probably be right. Ruthven reckons there will be a decline in home ownership in Australia when people realise "what a terrible investment it is". Renting v buying: some home truths ; Anti-money laundering resources • · · · · · Czech absinthes start to show some promise Dangerous to know ; Florida Corporate Contributors William March and Doug Stanley of the Tampa Tribune used state campaign finance data to illustrate how Florida’s law limiting contributions to $500 can be avoided by corporate entities: “Form a laundry list of companies, then have each give the limit of $500 to the candidate of your choice Campaign Bundles Skirt Law ; It is economically and morally wrong for the world's poor immigrants to be locked out of work in the richest countries. The case for globalized laborDear Radical Middle Online Newsletter Reader, Here are our feature articles for April 2006. Hope you enjoy. . . . Everyone is appalled that we still have tens of millions of poor &struggling people in this country; no one seems to have a viable solution (that wouldn't bust the bank). Enter Charles Murray with a Plan intended to "extend a hand across the political divide between libertarians and social democrats." It would give up to $10,000 a year to each of us, provide for our health care & retirement, and save money in the not-so-long run. Quick, where are the activists?