Hello, I haven’t done much reading this week. Two things that I did read are below..

1) Not all chemicals are toxic. This is something that has been bugging me lately, people saying that something is chemical free. Can’t be. It can be free of toxic chemicals, it can be free of man-man chemicals but it cannot be chemical free. ‘Cause that state doesn’t exist in nature. Words are important and we should not play fast and loose with their meanings!

Describing toxic and harmful chemicals as just plain “chemicals” comes from a good place. It is true that not all chemicals are good for us, and even those that are (like water or fluoride) can be harmful if we are exposed to too much or in the wrong way. However, all matter is made of chemicals, so it’s important to be more explicit.

2) Just because you’re middle class, you’re not immune from the law. Some comment on why Chris Huhne and Vicky Price deserve to go to prison, like everyone else.

Those who believe they are above the law, who are convinced they can manipulate the system and get away with it, are a tangible danger to others. And when they happen to be in positions of great power – whether in politics or in the media or in an investment bank – that danger is amplified. This arrogance, this hubris, this sense of invincibility conferred by position is precisely the link between the Huhne case, the financial crisis, the Savile scandal and the phone-hacking affair.