Moderation Is Different From Censorship
Scott Alexander in Astral Codex Ten: This is a point I keep seeing people miss in the debate about social media. Moderation is the normal business activity of ensuring that your
Are Trees Talking Underground? For Scientists, It’s in Dispute.
From Ted Lasso to TED Talks, the theory of the “wood-wide web” is everywhere, and some scientists argue that it is overblown and unproven. However, because the wood-wide net has
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How Killing Sparrows Led to Great Famines in China (VIDEO)
In 1958, Mao Zedong ordered all the sparrows to be killed because they ate too much grain… Read more here. Honorary contributors to DesPardes: Adil Khan, Ajaz Ahmed, Anwar Abbas,
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Why Aesthetic Value Should Take Priority Over Moral Value
Aesthetic value is a catch-all term that encompasses the beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, the dramatic, the comic, the cute, the kitsch, the uncanny, and many other related concepts. It
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Rana Begum’s Public Artwork: Interplay of light, form, nature, architecture
The ambitious, site-specific installations No.1187 Mesh and No. 1193 Mesh by Rana Begum (born 1977 in Sylhet, Bangladesh), commissioned by the Moody Center for the Arts, push the material and
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ماو زے تنگ لانگ مارچ | Mao Tse Tung Long March
( یاسر رضا کی تحریر ) سولہ اکتوبر 1934 کو ماؤ زے تنگ اور ان کے ساتھیوں نے ایک تاریخی قدم اٹھایا۔ ایک ایسا کام جس سے دنیا کی انسانی
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Disinfo | ڈس انفو
ارشاد سلیم، کراچی جامعہ این ای ڈی کراچی کا ماحول آج اتنا سوگوار تھا کہ جیسے کوئی عظیم سانحہ رونما ہوا ہو ۔ ناصرف لڑکے بلکہ لڑکیاں بھی پارٹی نمبر
DesPardes Report: Oct 2022 As the World Turns…
Iran to hold public trials for 2,000 detained in protests… Netanyahu Aims Comeback… Developing… UPDATE: ‘Those in power’ should stand with nation, says Khan…‘For 6 mos. I’ve been witnessing revolution’…‘Establishment
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Math behind the image (or the face behind the mask)
GHULAM MUSTAFA: At the time of this writing, there are about 6 billion smart phones on this planet. Each equipped with a high resolution camera. Let’s assume that each smart
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Elections in US & Brazil; COP27 & G20
Ahead of midterm elections in the US that are expected to tip the balance of power in Congress, this is an analysis from both sides of the Atlantic. The gridlock
Birds and Us
Excerpts from Jesse Russell’s book review at The Hedgehog Review: In his recent work Birds and Us, British ornithologist Tim Birkhead provides a genealogical retrospective of human relationships with birds.
The Roots of War
Chris Blattman in the Boston Review: The globe is a patchwork of rival territories. Controlling them brings wealth and status. Different groups covet their neighbors’ resources and prey on the