Commentary on the Titanic’s voyage to the bottom of the sea, the Falkland Islands, disrupted Sony, Greenspan’s muse, the Bo scandal, legalisation by degrees, and the Charter’s good.

Amazing graphic of the Titanic’s sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

 

National Post -- Follow the Titanic to the bottom of the ocean
How did the Titanic sink?

A reminder of why we don’t fight any more for territory. Thanks to Stephanie of Victoria.

Spectator -- The Falklands and all that
International human rights campaigner and occasional actor Sean Penn, whose well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize continues to be delayed for mysterious reasons, was the first famous foreigner to lend his support to the cause.

Related.

Telegraph -- Argentina poised to seize Repsol assets, endangering shale dream
Argentina was poised on Thursday night to launch the forced takeover of assets from the Spanish energy group Repsol, risking a diplomatic showdown with Spain and scaring investors needed to unlock the country's vast shale gas reserves.

How Sony lost its way. Thanks to Jeremy of Tokyo.

New York Times -- How the Tech Parade Passed Sony By
THE lights dimmed. The crowd hushed. The teleprompters flickered.

Quote worth quoting as the same applies to countries.

“Sony’s gravest mistake was that it failed to ride some of the biggest waves of technological innovation in recent decades: digitalization, a shift toward software and the importance of the Internet.”

Mike Wallace interviews in 1959 author Ayn Rand who helped shaped the thinking of Alan Greenspan and American free market practitioners. (ed’s note – near the end of interview the echoes of totalitarianism can be heard loud and clear).

youtube -- Mike Wallace Interviews Ayn Rand (1959)
In this engaging 1959 interview, her first on television, Ayn Rand capsulizes her philosophy for CBS's Mike Wallace.

The dead Brit and Chinese politics. Thanks to Ken of Tokyo/Hong Kong.

New Zealand Herald -- Briton in China murder riddle
A British businessman found dead in a Chinese hotel was murdered on the orders of a fallen Communist Party chief, according to new reports.

The profits and politics of marijuana.

New York Times – Smokeless in Seattle
It was January of 1998 when a friend and I drove to a basement in South Seattle to set up a pot garden.

Stretching the words of liberty.

Toronto Star -- At 30, the Charter of Rights has reshaped our society, for the better
Think of it as a shield against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.