Urtica Ferox

On the Quality of Misery Many people believe they have choices in life. They also believe that the choices they make will have an effect on their happiness. So, in a given situation, where you are presented with Door A or Door B, both of which lead to some future state, the theory is that one door will be better , in terms of leading to a future state that makes you happier. Of course some of you will be thinking more in terms of money, or power, or sex, but in the end you are assuming that these things will make you happier, so let's stick with this common currency.  The theory is wrong. Both doors will lead to misery. What distinguishes them is the quality of the misery you will experience. This is the only choice in life: what kind of misery do you prefer? Kate Flinders

Are You "Eating Ethically"?   There is a staggering amount of misinformation circulating about the benefits of giving up meat to save the planet. This is simply another instance of anything that fits the far-left environmentalist agenda being accepted and promoted vigorously, with no thought of checking basic facts. But does animal agriculture produce anything like the same quantity of greenhouse gases as transport? And what would really happen if we all turned vegan? Read more .

Germany Should be Ashamed Hundreds of people who have gathered in Munich to attend a conference held by the European Institute of Climate and Energy have been forced to meet at a secret location after German authorities allowed their conference to be disrupted, and then cancelled, as the result of the activities of a group called Offenes Antikapitalistisches Klimatreffen München , a climate activist group.  Read more .

The Corpse of Multiculturalism from Kate Flinders In October 2010 Chancellor Angela Merkel was  quoted as saying  that Germany’s attempt to build a multicultural society “and to live side-by-side and then enjoy each other … has failed, utterly failed.” In 2015, at her a party convention,  she said,  " "Multiculturalism leads to parallel societies and therefore remains a ‘life lie,’ ” or a sham. Then in October 2019, while speaking at a meeting of young members of her Christian Democratic Union in Potsdam,  she said , " “This (multicultural) approach has failed, utterly failed.” So this observation about the failure of multiculturalism was not simply an ill-advised throw-away line, blurted out in the heat of the moment. It is a well-considered view, expressed over almost ten years, from someone who has been at the heart of Germany's immigration policies. So what now? What should be done in countries where multiculturalism is failing, given that this...

Just When You Thought Greta Thunberg Ruled the World, a Voice of Reason Joe Nalven, a former associate director of the Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias at San Diego State University, writing in the Times of San Diego , takes a careful, measured look at the climate change debate, and argues for the unpopular idea that both sides need to continue to be heard if we are to take effective action. Read more.

A New Connection: Rising CO 2 Levels Cause a Rise in Lunacy James Delingpoole, writing for the Spectator , describes how he broke the story of Climategate 10 years ago, but bemoans the fact that as the evidence gets thinner, the anti-scientific, lunatic hysteria only gets greater. Read more .

Self-loathing as a cultural norm I am allowed to criticise my own culture but I'm not allowed to criticise other cultures. In fact, if I'm from a Western country I have an obligation to criticise my own culture, to feel disgust at my own culture, to refuse to have babies, to wish there were far fewer of us, perhaps even none. Where did this bizarre cultural self-loathing among people in many western countries come from? Read more from Quillette.