We're here to write aren't we?

I haven't been on a forum in years. First off, how do I change the pass? myATS looked like the portal - but looks are often deceiving.

A little bit about me - I was a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London and I enjoy a good back and forth. Oil multinationals are fun to watch. Tax havens - check. Dubious leaders who promise to solve everyone problems are suspicious to me - though I appreciate their spirit!

I like Kipling, Orwell, Chomsky, Bourdieu, Fitzgerald, Shakespeare, Buddhist texts, Machiaveli, Cicero, Soc-Plat-stotle, and suprisingly some Descartes. I can't handle Kant, maybe I'm not old enough. A little Touqeville is nice - mostly from watching Yale Open Courses Political Philosphy Classes. Huge fan of Christopher Buckley - Boomsday and Thank You For Smoking. Actual Innocence is a great one, just be prepared to be paranoid and stop sleeping for awhile when you read about corrupt prosecution in America and the explicit details of the crimes themselves.

I read the Guardian, WSJ, NY Times, Le Monde (though no French) and their Africa version. I wish I could read the Financial Times. The London Times I haven't visited in awhile. Almost forgot, the Independent.

I still occasionally get myself into academic journals on a research position (so watch out lol!) - I actually know what peer reviewed means! And it's not as iron clad as you think since not everyone actually takes their peer reviewing seriously - though after teaching and grading papers all day and wanting to have a life, I can imagine people skimming and maybe missing some details - well I don't have to imagine, just look at the reports.

I like to work through a piece methodically. I believe the West has many faults, but the Common Law system, a belief that forgiveness is possible (at least that's what Christianity was supposed to be about), and scientific rigor make us not redundant losers who will be displaced by a massive group of people led by elites who work 16 hours a day to wear Louis Vuitton while they and their are children dying from mass pollution with every breath they take. Oh yeah, trying to keep it vegetarian, really trying for vegan, but that's a whole new way of life - starving children, mate, starving children and lack of grain! But I don't want to go down that road too soon.

My job is sales and I didn't make it into the academic circles so this seems like a good place to vent and to meet like minds from what I have read so far. Cheers for making it through the text!

a reply to: gettingwhatyouwant

Hello and Welcome to ATS! Hope you enjoy the Ride!

a reply to: gettingwhatyouwant

Hi mate. I'm a Canadian physicist who likes to push the boundaries! Nice to meet you, your story is an interesting one. Welcome here!

Life is a theatre in which we are both the actor and the writer. So let us write a good one!