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Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Browser daily newsletter [7 Jan 2012]

7 January 2012

 Best of the Moment

Will We Be All Right In The End?

David Runciman | LRB | 5 January 2012

Democracy is being tested severely in Europe. It's not looking that healthy in America. "The fear is that the political system we’ve relied on in the past might not be up to the task at hand, but it’s the only one we’ve got" Comments

The Future Of Prediction

Leon Neyfakh | Boston Globe | 1 January 2012

No point asking "experts" – their predictions are notoriously unreliable. But new technologies, able to analyse vast amounts of data, may yet produce an accurate forecasting machine. Question is, would we actually want to use it? Comments

Schadenfreude Capitalism

Harold James | Project Syndicate | 4 January 2012

"Today’s global economy is a riot of slipping economic models. And tomorrow the cacophony will be even louder." American, European capitalism seems flawed. Asian approach no better. So, is there a correct way to organise an economy? Comments

Should We Erase Painful Memories?

Alison Winter | Salon | 31 December 2011

Interesting topic, thoughtfully handled. If neuroscience let us perform "memory dampening", would it be ethical? People worry because our experiences seem central to personal identity. But so too did consciousness. Until anaesthesia Comments

Following In Henry VIII's Footsteps

Stephen Cooper | History Today | 5 January 2012

In 1533 the British parliament ruled that legal cases involving religion could no longer be appealed to the Vatican for final resolution. A useful precedent, if Britain decides to reject the supremacy of European Union law Comments

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body

William Broad | NYT | 5 January 2012

"Yoga can lower blood pressure, make chemicals that act as antidepressants, even improve your sex life. But the yoga community long remained silent about its potential to inflict blinding pain." For many, it can do serious damage Comments

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