American Madness

Intelligent Criticism in the Service of a Better Nation

Global Warming Gestapo

Speech codes are rare in the industrialized, Western democracies, but curiously there is a strong taboo against suggesting anything in opposition to the view that man-made carbon emissions drive global warming. Intimidation, isolation, ad homonym attacks, and now lawsuits are all used to stifle opposing views.
A recent article by Alex Beam titled “MIT’s inconvenient scientist,” [...]

Bush/Yale bashing viral from Lakehead U

Interesting viral marketing attempt by Lakewood Lakehead University in Northern Ontario. It got picked up by the BBC, but its influence on the University’s reputation is questionable.

The text reads, “Graduating from an Ivy League university doesn’t necessarily mean you’re smart. If you agree click here.”
Probably not the best positioning. Afterall, it’s not like just any [...]

Iran debuts anti-Jewish expo. Does anyone care?

There is nothing like the madness of a good old anti-Semitic theocratic dictatorship to remind us that America is only slightly nuts. Sanity is often something measured by degrees and something one can only judge by observing the actions of those more crazed than oneself.
Courtesy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a ripe lunatic to be sure, [...]

Please pass the mic to Ganji

It is time for the reasonable voices in this world to rise up and be heard. It’s time for people like Akbar Ganji to take center stage. I encourage you to read the Washington Post profile of him.
Ganji has spent the last 6 years in prison, often in soletary confinement. While in prison, he engaged [...]

Stop storing my data and get to know me

There is a story out there that has been told again and again by the big Internet companies. It goes something like this, “We track your searches, scan your emails, and store every click you make on our site, to deliver you the best user experience possible.”
I’ve rarely seen any improvements in my user experience [...]

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