Middlesbrough 2-0 Liverpool

People were saying last week that the title race was over and this just about seals it. Obviously, it's not official until it's mathematically beyond us, but I really don't see United slipping up at this stage - while we've slipped to 3rd, behind Chelsea again (if only on goal difference for present).

The annoying thing is that - despite giving a first Premiership start to El Zhar and playing Skrtel in an unaccustomed right-back role - we looked the better team for most of the game. Obviously, this doesn't give you any divine right to win: we've won a few we haven't really deserved to this season (including Boro's visit to Anfield). Football games aren't necessarily won by the better team, they're won by the team that scores the most. With that in mind, another injury to Torres has left us decidedly light up front - with Kuyt, Babel and Ngog to choose from - and raises questions once more about the wisdom of parting with Keane's services (or, at least, not buying a replacement)...

Intelligent Women

My friend (well, acquaintance really, to be honest) Gail has become quite a celebrity since winning that quiz thing. The trouble is, she's just a particularly prominent example of an intelligent, well-educated woman and, apparently, we don't know what to do with them. If only we had more air-brained WAGs and bimbos eh?

Point of information: The Times report mentions that Gail "is studying for a doctorate in philosophy from Oxford". In fact, it's a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or, here, D.Phil) in Classics.

Singer Review

I've mentioned Amazon Vine a couple of times (like here). I was pleasantly surprised to be offered the chance to review Peter Singer's new book, The Life You Can Save (currently at a 45% discount on Amazon!), this month - and you can read my effort here.

Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool

For a long time we looked second-best in this match, but since Ramos' appointment Real Madrid have become a force to be reckoned with much more and a trip to the Bernabeu with them in form is no easy matter.

In some respects, this was a classic European away performance: weather the storm and then hit them with a sucker punch. Though Madrid had plenty of possession in their own half, we were content to let them pass it around and snuff out the danger when it came - actually restricting them to few real chances of note.

Admittedly, we didn't offer much attacking threat of our own - with Gerrard only fit enough for a token run out in the last few minutes and Torres being subbed just after the hour, obviously feeling the effects of an early knock. Nonetheless, we did have a few moments of note: Alonso came close to scoring from our own half just before half-time, but it was Benayoun's 82nd minute header that gave us a possible priceless goal. (Although, as few pundits seem to have noticed, the fact that it's an away goal is irrelevant: that will only come into play if Madrid score at least one at Anfield).

A very satisfactory result, although I hope the injury to Torres doesn't prove serious...

Sex and Art

A while ago I commented on findings that men are less able to recognize cute babies than women, saying "I am... curious as to how this finding was reached, as opposed - for example - to the idea that the babies aren't actually cute or that the standards/criteria of cuteness employed by men and women differ".

Maybe I was on to something, because now it seems that men and women judge whether art is beautiful in different ways as well!

In unrelated news about sex and art, teenagers who listen to sexually explicit/degrading music seem more likely to be having sex. I guess this could be another excuse to wheel out the Plato and censorship debate, although we'd really need to establish causation rather than mere correlation.

University Challenge Final

Corpus Christi face Manchester in the final of University Challenge tonight. This Guardian article focuses on my friend and Corpus captain, Gail Trimble.

Bribing the Electorate

Thom Brooks suggested, almost a year ago, that promising tax cuts was tantamount to bribery. I'm unaware of any academic literature that makes claims like this (suggestions welcome), but it's certainly the sort of claim that features in popular rhetoric, as this recent example, concerning economic policy rather than taxation, shows.

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City

Another home draw that, I guess, has to go down as disappointing - not so much because of the opposition (City may be under-achieving and struggling away from home but, especially after their January spree, they are a good team) but the performance. Without both Gerrard and Alonso, our midfield looked somewhat bereft of creativity, and it was a surprise to see Mascherano, rather than Lucas, substituted.

We had enough to dominate chances for most of the game, only to fall victim to a strike from ex-Red Craig Bellamy (which took a wicked deflection off Arbeloa). Thankfully we've shown a lot of 'bounce-back-ability' this season, and an equaliser came when Kuyt pounced on a Torres mis-kick (at least Kuyt's willing to get into the box, hence him scoring so many of these important goals), but sadly there wasn't to be a late winner, like in Manchester.

The commentators seemed to think that this wrapped up the title for Manchester United. While I agree that they're obviously overwhelming favourites, and they have been for a while, it's a bit too early to chuck in the towel altogether. In any case, I think we can take some comfort from the thought that we've put in the most sustained challenge - that's something I'd have settled for at the start of the season (and it would have been beyond my wildest expectations, if I'd have known about the problems faced by Torres and Keane).

Music as Torture

It seems that music, from AC/DC and Nine Inch Nails to Britney Spears and the BeeGees is being used as a means of torture. Says one interrogator: "These people haven't heard heavy metal. They can't take it. If you play it for 24 hours, your brain and body functions start to slide, your train of thought slows down and your will is broken." (via Eloise)

Also, performances of Wagner are still unofficially banned in Israel, raising questions about the place of moral judgements in art.

Irish Jokes

The other day I came across this old one again:
Irelands worst air disaster occurred early this morning when a small two-seater Cessna plane crashed into a cemetery. Irish search and rescue workers have recovered 1826 bodies so far and expect that number to climb as digging goes on into the night.

Today I hear real life reports of something almost as amusing.

You don't even need the Englishman and Scotsman...

Sex and Sin

Apparently, men and women differ in which of the seven sins they are most susceptible to. No surprise seeing men more prone to lust; although I am surprised that anger features higher in the list for women (3rd) than men (4th) - though that doesn't, of course, suggest women are more prone to anger if they are less sinful overall.

In related news, the OUP popular philosophy books on the seven sins are in their current sale.

UPDATE: Rob accuses me of peddling Catholic propaganda, on which point I notice a Vatican football tournament will use a blue card to 'sin bin' players.

Philosophers make the BBC

My friends/colleagues Rebecca Roache and Barbro Bjorkman are mentioned in this BBC article, about the ethics of keeping a child with an adopted family after the parents have been charged then acquitted of misdemeanours. It's good to see the BBC covering the work of philosophers as well as scientists, although this doesn't seem to be reporting about a published paper.

Advising on Graduate Study

A couple of my 3rd years are keen to do graduate degrees (only Masters level, at first...) - perhaps I should have them read these warnings, discussed over at Pea Soup.

Is Having Too Many Children Selfish?

Good to see the question raised; although I despair at the level of public debate if the best response is "I have three children. I feel it is my duty to attempt to repopulate the World with intelligent individuals in an attempt to offset Mr Porritt's stupidity. Idiocy-offsetting, kind of like carbon offsetting, just a little more immediate."

Another Graduate Conference

I've not been aware of political philosophy graduate conferences in York before, but it seems that they're joining Manchester, Warwick and Essex - conference 29-30 May, advert/cfa here.

They Talk About Me on the Interwebz

Thanks to an anonymous tip-off here for pointing me to this discussion on Philosophy, Etc. Basically, someone there proposes lottery voting, although with the slight twist that they suggest you could draw more than one vote. A couple of people in the discussion point to my work (here and here) and now I've weighed in with my own comment.

There's no Telling what Exeter will do...

Riots in Turl Street or a giant naked statue... [UPDATE: photo of the statue here]

I'm not sure who Corpus are supposed to share a rivalry with. Oriel and Christ Church I believe already hate each other, does that leave us Merton or are they embroiled in feuds with Magdalen?

What's A Rejection?

I don't have as much experience of being rejected by journals as being rejected by potential employers (who often never have the decency to tell you), but even in my limited experience it can be hard to tell exactly how to take some editors' responses. Most recently, I had a rejection with a suggestion that they journal would reconsider with major revisions, and had very little idea how this should be interpreted.

Different journals have different decision options, but here's how I rank them:
1) Accept 'as is'
2) Conditional acceptance
3) Revise and resubmit
4) Willing to reconsider with revisions
5) Reject

Matters are complicated, however, because the revisions involved in 2-4 may very greatly in extent. Sometimes a revise and resubmit may turn out to be less problematic than a conditional acceptance. Moreover, what some journals call 'revise and resubmit' may in practice be a 2 or 4. (Indeed, I was once given what was officially a R&R that was in fact an acceptance - the editor told me he'd accept the piece whatever, but wanted to give me the opportunity to respond to the reviewers.)

Here's a helpful guide to interpreting editorial decisions, via Pea Soup.

Valentine's Links

Apparently St Valentine is the patron saint of those who have found love; those still looking should direct their attention to St Raphael (here).

There are questions as to whether the recession will increase or decrease romance (here). But even anarchists are getting in on Valentines (here) and this photographer makes his own cards for his wife (here).

Ants and Democracy

This term I've been attending a seminar on Aristotle's Politics and Contemporary Political Theory, which has reminded me of his claim that humans are political in a way different from merely gregarious animals such as bees (the difference seems to lie in our capacity for speech/reason and so justice).

Nonetheless, it seems that perhaps we can learn from animals after all. A good article in The Economist here, drawing on the work of Christian List - although I think it gets Condorcet slightly wrong (the jury theorem does not depend on each supplying different perspectives, although that idea does go back to at least Aristotle, and in fact it depends on voters being independent, rather than exchanging information).