We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
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A really great way for the police to make people uneasy

· Sui generis

Truth in advertising?

November 4th, 2017 | 11 comments - (Comments are closed)

A parable for our times?

· Sui generis

September 21st, 2017 | 18 comments - (Comments are closed)

I wish I were reading a happier version of this story

· How very odd! · Science & Technology · Sui generis · Transport

Has anyone else been guiltily transfixed by the mystery of Danish inventor Peter Madsen, his now-sunken submarine, and the missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall? I truly do not wish to make light of the fact that a woman is missing, presumed dead, but I was undeniably fascinated by the whole idea of a crowd-sourced, privately built submarine. In any other circumstances I would have been delighted to learn that such a thing existed.

Here are some news reports on the story:

Danish submarine owner arrested over missing journalist

Submarine in missing journalist case sunk on purpose, Danish police say

Kim Wall and Danish submarine: What we know and what we don’t

Police in Two Countries Searching for Woman Missing Since Sub Sank

When commenting, please bear in mind that a criminal investigation is ongoing – and that all should be entitled to the presumption of innocence.

August 16th, 2017 | 13 comments - (Comments are closed)

True to her principles

· French affairs · Philosophical · Sui generis

I was moved by this story in the Times:

French philosopher Anne Dufourmantelle drowns saving children off St Tropez

A leading French philosopher who argued that taking risks is essential to life has drowned while trying to rescue two children off Saint-Tropez.

The government and the intellectual world paid tribute to Anne Dufourmantelle, 53, who was famous for decrying the caution imposed by a risk-averse society.

Ms Dufourmantelle was in the water about 50 yards from two children, one of them the ten-year-old son of a female friend, off Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle when a strong wind worsened and lifeguards raised the red flag to indicate that swimmers ought to return to shore.

The children were saved by lifeguards but Ms Dufourmantelle was overcome while swimming against a strong swell driven by an east wind, the local newspaper, Var Matin, said. She suffered a cardiac arrest and the rescuers were unable to revive her. Françoise Nyssen, the culture minister, praised “the great philosopher who helped us to live and understand the world of today”. RaphaĂ«l Enthoven, the philosopher and former companion of Carla Bruni Sarkozy, tweeted his sorrow and shock over the death of the woman “who spoke so well of dreams”.

Ms Dufourmantelle, whose partner was the writer Frédéric Boyer, devoted much of her career to the relationship between fatality and freedom.

In 2015 she told LibĂ©ration newspaper, for which she wrote a monthly column, that “zero risk” was a fantasy. “When there really is a danger that must be faced in order to survive . . . there is a strong incentive for action, dedication, and surpassing oneself,” she said. In 2011 Ms Dufourmantelle published Eloge du risque (In Praise of Risk), in which she said that “risking your life is one of the most beautiful expressions in our language”.

July 27th, 2017 | 38 comments - (Comments are closed)

I am a little late. I have been busy

· Sui generis

yir_shanghai1Shanghai, China. January 2016

Malaga, Spain. January 2016.

Jaffa, Israel. January 2016.

Evora, Portugal. February 2016

→ Continue reading: I am a little late. I have been busy

January 8th, 2017 | 23 comments - (Comments are closed)

Left wingers strongly and loudly endorse Milo’s new book…

· Sui generis

An assortment of presumably minor left-statist American figures have been howling about Milo Yiannopulis getting his book published, presumably deciding that they should not just give Milo more publicity, but given that they are of the ilk Milo targets, they should endorse his book by loudly reacting with horror to it. To be honest I have no idea who the hell Judd Apatow or Sarah Silverman actually are, and I cannot be bothered to even stick their names in DuckDuckGo to find out, but the fact they are annoyed by Milo means I doubt I would care to invite them around for a G&T.

January 1st, 2017 | 19 comments - (Comments are closed)

It has been an interesting year

· Sui generis

2016 has been a momentous year, the most earthshaking event being Brexit in my opinion. Trump is ‘interesting’ but ultimately the underpinning structure of the USA today will be more or less the same when Trump leaves office. Like all presidents, he is a transitory political figure. He may (or may not) prove to be a significant player in the on-going culture wars, but we will just have to wait and see.

Brexit on the other hand, like it or loath it, fundamentally changes the ground rules in the UK, and it may take some time before we understand what that shockwave has actually shaken loose. It presents dangers and opportunities for friends of liberty in almost equal measure.

Yes it really has been an interesting year and I suspect the impending one will be filled with ‘interesting times’.

So allow me to wish readers of Samizdata a prosperous and hopefully freer new year in 2017. Let us not be unduly careful out there 😀

December 31st, 2016 | 32 comments - (Comments are closed)

Merry Christmas from Samizdata

· Sui generis

Merry Christmas. Strange to think that utterance might be seen as politically loaded these days, with some demanding the anodyne Happy Holidays instead, because Christmas is exclusionary.

I may not be a believer myself, but I am well aware that today is not some random day off work with no particular meaning, a context-free occasion when people inexplicably eat too much and have nightmarish encounters with family members who can be safely avoided for the rest of the year.

No, bollocks to that, it is a Christian holiday called… Christmas.

So as a staunch believer in the merits of appropriating whatever bits of someone else’s culture I wish to, have a Merry Christmas!

December 25th, 2016 | 69 comments - (Comments are closed)

Best official portrait in history. Ever.

· Sui generis

This is the best official portrait in history. Ever.

NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin. Pure distilled essence of dude.

December 14th, 2016 | 25 comments - (Comments are closed)

The wicked and the wilfully blind reveal themselves

· Sui generis

Nothing however beats the BBC’s coverage. They are reporting Castro’s death more favourably than Thatcher’s. No ‘controversial’. No mention of the thousands summarily executed after the revolution. No mention that he demanded the USSR nuke the USA. No mention of the decades of impoverishment and human rights abuse. No mention of his secret police rounding up homosexuals and putting them in concentration camps. Castro gets a free pass on democratic norms – “his critics accused him of being a dictator”. Does the BBC think that is only an allegation? Particular congratulations to the BBC News Channel, who interviewed “Cuba expert” Richard Gott, without mentioning he was a KGB agent of influence. Slow clap.

– Guido Fawkes

November 26th, 2016 | 32 comments - (Comments are closed)

This may be a comedic piece but…

· Sui generis

… this rant is one of the best bits of political and social analysis I have seen in years. To quote from Wikipedia:

Jonathan Pie is a satirical news reporter character created and played by British actor and comedian Tom Walker. He is known for his outtake-like rants of a conflicted reporter speaking his mind about the state of UK politics

But seriously, this is awesome. This time he is talking (mostly) about US politics and society.

November 16th, 2016 | 43 comments - (Comments are closed)

A moment of profound self-discovery! I am an LGBT activist!

· Sui generis

Liberty, Guns, Beer & Totty.

totty-with-guns

The desired end-state

Finally it all makes perfect sense.

September 27th, 2016 | 16 comments - (Comments are closed)
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