What, Why & How do we Know ?
The idea that experience and evaluation are practically simultaneous reinforced in this David Brooks NYT piece.
“Our brain is computing value at every fraction of a second.”
[Posted on MD by Platt back on 7th April and again by Steve Peterson a couple of days ago.]
Two absolutely useless referees in charge of the Euro semi-final second-leg games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both constantly awarding petty fouls for all physical contact (outside the penalty area) both red-carding players for “technical” last-man fouls, with little or no malice or even intent by the offenders and no judgement required (or considered) by the official.
The difference; Man U / Ronaldo played so well, won their game so emphatically, that that game had few really tough game changing decisions for that ref to make. It didn’t matter whether he had the balls and the nous to handle it, his incompetence just spoiled the entertainment value of what was already a very entertaining game anyway – not least to watch the body language of Wenger and Rice – priceless pathos for the neutral not wishing to gloat.
The Chelsea / Barca game ? Like many, before Man U had so clearly deserved their place, and Barca had won so emphatically in their last domestic game, we were savouring the idea of a Man U / Barca final in preference to an all English affair. Chelsea would never have beaten Barca the way ManU demolished The Arse, they were never clinical enough, but Chelsea were clearly robbed by the (Norwegian) ref’s incompetence and lack of balls, and total lack too of any gumption from the assistant refs / linos. Even on a good day it’s hard to like the likes of Drogba, Ballack, Cole, Cech and Essien, so no need to condemn their reactions to the injustice – they’ll get what’s coming to them – but Chelsea didn’t deserve that, and neither did football fans throughout Europe.
[Post Note : Ironic after the furore in this round, that Man U simply failed to turn up for the final in Rome, leaving Barca / Iniesta to walk all over them …. oh well, funny old game – coincidentally reading Peace’s “Damn United” excellent riff on Cloughie at the moment – June.]
They are not mutually exclusive. Understanding risk.
Alternative National (UK) Treasures from The Independent on Sunday 3rd May.
So here in your cut-out- and-keep guide to the rough diamonds of Britain, we’ve selected the top 10 figures who will never be “institutions”, but who deserve two cheers for that very reason. The decent people of Britain might always love Cliff Richard, but wouldn’t you rather have a pint with Keith Richards?
Came across this because I was following up the Tim Ireland and Craig Murray sagas since their blogs were shut down / book publications blocked. (The dead – now live again – links in the side-bar “I Believe in the BBC” and “The Church of the Interactive Network” are bloggerheads inventions. And the reason I checked those again was because the BBC News plug-in / widget is stuck on news headlines from over a week ago – failing to update. No response to support requests, I’m guessing the component no longer updates since the BBC’s recent web makeover – I guess the expectation is that people simply plug RSS feed readers into their own pages ? More maintenance required.)
Seriously though, must follow up those libel censorship cases.
Interesting piece from Mary Hrovat at Thinking Meat.
[Pushed for time right now – must follow-up later.]
Andy Hamilton expressed it well this week on the BBC News Quiz. The media hysteria (inc BBC News) over the swine flu “pandemic” is the best case for media censorship there ever was.
If you can’t learn from mistakes ? Just joining up some dots between simple mistakes and the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Thanks to Arlo and Ron (on MOQ-Discuss) for this Swiftian Monty Python quote that prompted the thought.
“We must never forget that, if there was not one thing that was on top of another thing, our society would be nothing more than a meaningless body of men gathered together for no good purpose.”
President,
Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things
And talking of other things … where did I see this Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) quote the other day ?
What does a fish remind you of ?
Other fish.
What do the other fish remind you of ?
Other fish.
Which reminds me “Fed Squid” to close that circle of life. Thanks Arlo.
How on earth can a journalist call this a U-Turn – just pulling a stock phrase off the bullshit headline generator- its a minor pragmatic course correction to achieve the intended end.
Post by John Hobbins (link via Sam)
… the only reliable advice I have to give is on how to make stories more plausible, more moving, more true …
– in other words, how to lie better.
Don’t know why, but I looked back at this from Richard Russo …. and picked out the above quote.