Ray Lakeman’s sons died after taking ecstasy. In an interview with Decca Aitkenhead he says that had the drugs been legal and regulated, it might have saved them
Paul Butler reviews a book on the renewal of urban life in the United States: "The United States is nearly the safest that it has been in 50 years. You would not realise this if you watch local news programs — which still lead with sensational violent offences conducted by young black men — or believe President Trump, who has made the false claim that the murder rate is the highest it has been in 47 years."
The adolescent egalitarianism of Ayn Rand enjoys an undeserved popularity. Skye C. Cleary argues that ignoring her won't do anything to challenge this.
"He treated me not as a freak, but as a person dealing with great difficulties." An Open Culture article looks at the friendship between Helen Keller and Mark Twain.
James Gent celebrates the 45th birthday of David Bowie's album Aladdin Sane by looking at the other artists who influenced it.
The idea that Rand promotes - that if you are rich you are deserving of it, and if you're poor its your own fault - is sadly mainstream thinking in the US.
ReplyDeleteIts part of why people voted for Trump - he's rich, therefore he must be virtuous, no matter what everything else says.
I even see this thinking in 'liberal' Seattle, where the homeless are often treated as if it is all their fault, they're all drug addicts who chose to be homeless. Its more important to protect Bezos's fortune than to help the homeless.