Town and city centres 'becoming elderly no-go zones' - Telegraph

A research paper by experts at Leeds University highlights how simple problems such as a shortage of seating in streets are deterring older people...

The Telegraph

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Now monetize the ideas. Seats and lavatories to be charged to National Health Service on a per user basis, then paying the elderly to use them.

The more the elderly get out and about, the better for communities and businesses, not to speak of the health benefits.

Let's induct both Bhagwati and Sen into this campaign.

A FB friend shares

"Nada en este mundo sucede por casualidad." (Veronika Decides to Die)

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Tell that to statisticians.

Everything is by chance. Except that there are well-defined distributions.

Paolo got popular by chance. He happened to hit upon ideas that appeal to a distribution with small standard deviation.

If only anybody knew what that distribution is and what the s.d. is/are.

A FB friend asks, "Why is the support of upper castes for the BJP secular, but that of Muslims for any party communal? " http://m.timesofindia.com/home/stoi/deep-focus/What-Johnny-wont-see-Upper-caste-votebank/articleshow/34269634.cms

Because many Muslims are from lower Hindu castes and BJP or the upper Hindu castes (no matter what the party) have never seen them as equals or even as heterogeneous and competitive, conflicted as themselves.

Secular is a bad phrase in the Indian context. Most people who think of themselves as secular also consider themselves deeply attached to the religious practices of their particular castes.

Muslims from formerly upper caste backgrounds also consider themselves non-communal, even secular. Same muddled thinking.

I don't mind muddled thinking. Principle are signs of weak minds. I also consider a common human weakness to think of "Us v. Them", one requirement of which is stereotyping "them" and considering "them" to be all the same, a united enemy, incapable of human weaknesses and conflicts. All that serves to call upon "us" to be united, creating a stereotype of "us", requiring ideological purity of "all of us".

Stupid, in plain terms. And hence powerful.