Chattering ourselves to death

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Truthdig -  Addicted to Nonsense
Celebrity worship has banished the real from public discourse. And the adulation of celebrity is pervasive. The frenzy around political messiahs, or the devotion of millions of viewers to Oprah, is all part of the yearning to see ourselves in those we worship. We seek to be like them. We seek to make them like us. If Jesus and “The Purpose Driven Life” won’t make us a celebrity, then Tony Robbins or positive psychologists or reality television will. We are waiting for our cue to walk onstage and be admired and envied, to become known and celebrated. Nothing else in life counts.

Trust me, I'm an RSA Fellow

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Capital gains
David Halpern argues that social capital – the foundation for an economy of regard – is a better measure of national wealth than conventional economic indicators

Ask yourself this question: do you think most people can be trusted? Don’t dwell on it for too long – just offer a general sense. Would you say ‘yes’, or would you say ‘no, you can’t be too careful’? The chances are that, if you are from a professional background, relatively politically engaged and with a university degree – a typical RSA Fellow – you would answer ‘yes’. If so, you would be among a minority of Britons today.

This wasn’t always the case. In the late 1950s, about 60 percent of Britons said they thought most other people could be trusted. The figure had fallen to 43 percent by the early 1980s and to 29 percent by the mid- to late 1990s. This question helps measure what sociologists and political scientists call ‘social capital’. It gives a sense of the extent to which individuals and communities trust each other, reciprocate helpfully and are connected to other people.

Not just bankers then?

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Side deals push head teacher's pay to £400,000
A Comprehensive head teacher has been paid more than £400,000 in a single year after clinching a series of lucrative deals including a contract to work as “project manager” on a development at his own school. Sir Alan Davies, knighted in 2000 after turning round academic results at Copland community school in Wembley, northwest London, was suspended earlier this year. He is undergoing disciplinary proceedings for gross misconduct. He and senior colleagues are also alleged by auditors to have made “nepotistic” appointments, including three relatives of Davies. The scandal at Copland highlights the growth of a culture of bonuses and “consultancy” contracts to boost the pay of state school head teachers.

Fighting England's Libel Laws

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England’s libel laws don’t just gag me, they blindfold you - Simon Singh
Keep Libel Laws Out of Science has started a campaign for libel reform, which will have an effect far beyond the world of science if it is successful.  A statement already has 20,000 signatories, including the astronomer royal, the poet laureate, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais and Dara O’Briain. To add your name, visit www.senseaboutscience.org/freedebate.

The problem of libel is partly about what we as journalists, bloggers and academics can write, but it is also crucially about what you are allowed to read. You deserve the same access to information as the rest of Europe and America.
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