Six of the Best 237

The Worcester Libertarian heard Paddy Ashdown speak about his life at Malvern Theatres last October. He has just posted an account of the evening.

America's 'War on Drugs' has created a massive racial caste system, argues Michelle Alexander on AlterNet.

"Research has shown that ‘fear of crime’ affects urban walkability, but now a new project has shown that the reverse may also be true: that improving the walkability of a street can reduce the number of crimes in an area." Sustainable Cities Collective on the Rotterdam experience.

The Week offers five reasons why child beauty pageants are a bad idea.

Siba the Hat gives some tips on long-distance trail walking.

"My shelves are empty. The half-dozen Billy Bookcases I bought from Ikea are now little more than scrap. I have burned my books. A bonfire of ideas and ideals." Terence Eden blogs about his decision to go over to eBooks.