Tag Archives: Government

making states from scratch

I’m closing in on the end of the Laws of Plato—the current volume in my ongoing reading of the Great Books of the Western World. The Athenian Stranger has been holding forth to his two traveling companions, Cleinias and Megillus, … Continue reading

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Creating a Transparent Democracy by Shamar Rinpoche: power to the people

Creating A Transparent Democracy: A New Model by Shamar Rinpoché My rating: 4 of 5 stars My path to this book began at Christmas 2014, when I received a copy of Buddhism Today magazine in my stocking. I didn’t get … Continue reading

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what scares me

In my post on what I unlearned from 9/ll there was a further point I wanted to address, but I didn’t get to it. It concerned the issue of terrorism. Since 9/11 the words terrorism and terrorist have shown up … Continue reading

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When Money Dies by Adam Fergusson

When Money Dies by Adam Fergusson My rating: 3 of 5 stars I got this book in October 2010 based on a recommendation from either BullionVault.com or another website devoted to providing a dissenting view to mainstream economics. It was … Continue reading

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what I unlearned from 9/11

On Tuesday 11 September 2001 I was still an employee of the Insurance Corporation of B.C. At that time my daily routine included a reading period before work over my morning cup of coffee in the living room. Kimmie spent … Continue reading

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will you join the Party when it’s time?

The study of history makes a man wise and judicious. So says Ludwig von Mises on page 30 of Human Action. If he’s right, that would make a powerful reason for anyone to study history—and I think he is right. … Continue reading

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Preliminary Draft of a World Constitution by Robert M. Hutchins et al.

Preliminary Draft of a World Constitution by Robert M. Hutchins My rating: 3 of 5 stars This “preliminary draft,” a bold effort by a number of eminent thinkers writing at the beginning of the Cold War, is still valuable as … Continue reading

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sick it is, then

I’m pleased to announce that Technology Review magazine has published my letter to the editor. In edited form, under the title “Leaking Secrets”, it appears thus on page 7 of their August 2011 issue: I found your editorial and review … Continue reading

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