Unaware of own biases

NOBODY likes to admit an uncomfortable truth about himself, especially when charged issues such as race, sex, age and even supersized waistlines come into play. That makes the task of the behavioural scientist a difficult one. Not only may participants in a study be lying to those running a test, but they may also, fundamentally, be lying to themselves.

Find out more in this article, here.

QOTD

"Remember that if a bear attacks your campsite you do not have to be faster than the bear. You only have to be faster than the slowest camper."

- Barry Silverthorne

Oil Price Swings

This 60 Minutes reports (here) tries to explain why oil prices changed so quickly, both up and down, during the last year or two.
They clearly point the finger at the speculators and investors buying oil on paper and betting that they could sell it for more later on.

The good side of oil costing so much is that prices at the pump went over USD 4 and forced people into buying less gas guzzling vehicles, even maybe to understand that an all oil strategy is not sustainable for very long.
It even forced the big 3 from Detroit to start producing hybrids and electrical cars!

BBC Why We Fight

The "Why We Fight" from the BBC (more info here and here) is really a One To Watch.

It shows very well the disconnect between what we are told as citizens and what is really going on behind the scenes when a nation goes to war.

One should always be critical and try to hear the opposite opinion on a subject before making one's own, but this documentary is a good starting point for those who want to learn more on the subject or even only realize that things are not always what they seem to be.