Monday, April 22, 2013

@0:45, 4/21/13

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http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/destructive-creativity-2/

"The lesson we should have taken from this crisis was that plain ordinary macro is actually a very powerful, very useful tool, one that you ignore at your peril."


1
Magazine

Can Just Anyone Claim to Be a TV Meteorologist?

Forecasting fraud; a gumbo conundrum.
Ethics (Personal); Vegetarianism; Weather; Ethicist, The (Times Column); 

I agree.
 
2
World

The Latest Threat to Pompeii’s Treasures: Italy’s Red Tape

Conservationists warn the city is dangerously exposed to the elements, and is poorly served by red tape, lack of strategic planning and limited personnel of the site’s troubled management.
Restoration and Renovation; Historic Buildings and Sites; European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ); Archaeology; 

Just bad analysis.  
There is nothing new about the exploitation of this ruin.
Archaeology is a read it once record.  Doing the read destroys the record.
  
3
Opinion

Sunday Dialogue: Gas Drilling and Our Energy Future

Readers discuss whether natural gas from shale is a promising resource or misguided risk.
Hydraulic Fracturing; Natural Gas; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Environment; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; 

We must not ignore "the elephant in the room".
Fossil fuel is fossil carbon.  
Every bit of fossil carbon emitted matters to global warming.
The price of fossil methane is very low.
We do not need more now.
It can wait in the ground for a better price or, better, a place in the global carbon budget.

4
 
Opinion

How to Put America Back Together Again

We need to redouble our efforts to make our country stronger and healthier. A good place to start is with a carbon tax.
Carbon Dioxide; Federal Taxes (US); Federal Budget (US); United States Economy; Global Warming; 

The wrong goal.  
A carbon tax is a regressive revenue.
The Social Security system does not require adjustment down.
The Social Security system is an insurance system. Benefits depend on the cost of living. Payments paid for benefits for the then retired.

5
Opinion

The Loss of Generic OxyContin

The F.D.A. may have moved to help reduce some forms of drug abuse of the painkiller, but the action may have hurt the opportunity for generic competition.
Pain-Relieving Drugs; OxyContin (Drug); Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Recalls and Bans of Products; 

Obama care will soon pay for prescription drugs.  
I see no reason to make OxyContin more available.
Cheap narcotics are heroin.
6
Opinion

The First Race to the Top

From the beginning, teachers were under examination as much as their students.
Tests and Examinations; Cheating; Education (K-12); Teachers and School Employees; 

It is really hard to race to the top when the top is undefined.

7
Business Day

Telling the Difference Among 50 'Senior' Financial Credentials

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recommended ways to sort out the various credentials used by financial advisers who claim to have expertise in helping older people.
Consumer Protection; Elderly; Financial Planners; Frauds and Swindling; 

None of these.
If they need a special credential they are not the person you want.
You, I suspect, are not ready for fixed income.  You are ready to pay as little in taxes as necessary.  
I have a stockbroker / adviser.  He works on commission and understands my situation.   

8
Business Day

U.S. Accuses Company of Adding Mobile Fees

The Federal Trade Commission announced its first mobile cramming case, accusing a company of taking advantage of consumers by tacking unwarranted charges onto their phone bills.
Cellular Telephones; Frauds and Swindling; Wireless Communications; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; 

There are always a certain number of thieves.
We have dealt with them in the past by regulation.
The GOP opposes all regulation.

9
Opinion

Two Cheers for Web U!

Take away the dorm rooms, the classroom banter, the brown-nosing, the keg parties and the tuition, and is it still college?
Colleges and Universities; E-Learning; Computers and the Internet; Teachers and School Employees; 

I had a thermodynamics professor who insisted that if we gave the text the same level of attention that we gave the sports pages the course would be trivial.  I have never paid much attention to the sports.  For most it would be very true.  
This does not read like these courses should receive college credit.
 
10
U.S.

Fate of the Immigration Bill May Hinge on Farm Districts

Proponents of an immigration overhaul are counting on representatives of farm-heavy districts, many of whom are Republicans, to form a key bloc of support in the House.
Agriculture and Farming; Foreign Workers; Immigration and Emigration; Law and Legislation; 

I have doubts.
This article reads as hopeful as opposed to knowledgeable.
Someone had better ask the congressmen.

11
Sunday Review

Is It Time for Off-the-Shelf Birth-Control Pills?

Oral contraceptives are arguably safer than many over-the-counter medicines.
Birth Control and Family Planning; Drugs (Pharmaceuticals); Women and Girls; 

YES.
Let us have the pill as needed.
 
12
Your Money

If It’s Underground, Maybe Its Price Is, Too

A market consensus has emerged: After a long price climb, the immediate prospects for many commodities have grown appreciably bleaker.
Commodities; Gold; Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline; Metals and Minerals; Futures and Options Trading; United States Economy; International Trade and World Market; 

I don't know and don't want to guess.
A great many clever people are trying to find a way to the future.
 
13
Job Market

Turning Toward the Sun

The chief executive of SolarCity says the company started on July 4, 2006, “to symbolize our commitment to becoming independent of fossil fuels.”
Solar Energy; Executives and Management (Theory); Careers and Professions; 

I do not like the grid dependent solar power model.
We need cheaper easier storage.
The economics are looking better.
 
14
Business Day

On Whether the Rich Pay Too Little in Taxes

A majority of Americans believe that high-income people do not pay enough in taxes, but that majority has been shrinking over the last couple of decades, according to new data from Gallup.
Federal Taxes (US); Income; Polls and Public Opinion; 

This is not a matter of opinion.
 
15
U.S.

Legal Questions Riddle Boston Marathon Case

The issues include a debate over withholding the Miranda warning, the type of charge and the trial location.
Boston Marathon Bombings (2013); Capital Punishment; Civil Rights and Liberties; Legal Profession; 

There appears to be no emergency.  
Let the criminal law grind through its procedures.  
There should be no grandstanding by the prosecution.

16
Fashion & Style

Brain Research, as Only Vegas Can

Larry Ruvo knows how to present a flashy Vegas gala, in this case to raise money for the brain research center he founded.
Philanthropy; Brain; Alzheimer's Disease; 

They can play all they want as long as work gets done.
 
17
Fashion & Style

Hello, Dear ‘Friend’?

Saying hi to ‘friends’; being grilled by the in-laws about money; the etiquette behind watching a wedding online; and what to do with all of those framed photos from relatives.
Friendship; Social Networking (Internet); Customs, Etiquette and Manners; 

I would like to meet with you.  Please say when and where.
Sooner is better.   As soon as you can is best.
 
18
Opinion

The Right to Remain Silent

The Supreme Court should extend the right to silence to questioning that happens before a suspect is arrested and given Miranda warnings.
Self-Incrimination; Fifth Amendment (US Constitution); Interrogations; False Arrests, Convictions and Imprisonments; 

The prosecution has the full power of the state to gather evidence.
The right to remain silent should extend to this situation.
 
19
Technology

The Screen on a Laptop Wants to Be a Tablet

The ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T from Samsung has the Microsoft Surface Pro’s speed, but comes up short in other ways.
Laptop Computers; Windows (Operating System); Tablet Computers; 

This is a bad product still.  The manufacturers will get it right though they have not done so as yet.

A sad review.
20
U.S.

Bombing Suspects’ Immigration Story Adds Layer to Debate on Overhaul

As a debate over major immigration reform begins in Congress, some opponents are pointing to the Boston attack as cause for concern about expanding visa programs and offering illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
Boston Marathon Bombings (2013); Immigration and Emigration; Visas; United States Politics and Government; Citizenship and Naturalization; Illegal Immigrants; 

We must tell these fear mongers to exit the debate. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

23:00


1
Job Market

Turning Toward the Sun

2
U.S.

Legal Questions Riddle Boston Marathon Case

3
Fashion & Style

Brain Research, as Only Vegas Can

4
Fashion & Style

Hello, Dear ‘Friend’?

 
Sooner is better.  As soon as you can is best.
 
5
Opinion

The Right to Remain Silent

 
yes
 
7
Business Day

Wall St. Redux: Arcane Names Hiding Big Risk

Investments that were vulnerable in the last financial crisis and believed to be gone for good have largely escaped new rules that were made to prevent another crisis.
Banking and Financial Institutions; Mortgages; Mortgage-Backed Securities; Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010); United States Economy;

The faithful do not learn.
 
8
Sunday Review

Hispanics, the New Italians

We already know a great deal about how Latinos are faring with the challenge of assimilation: they are meeting it.
Immigration and Emigration; Hispanic-Americans; Law and Legislation; Research; 

Yes. 
 
9
Business Day

Before Housing Bubbles, There Was Land Fever

American real estate manias are as old as the nation itself, but until recently they were localized — and focused on land, not homes.
Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Mortgages; Land Use Policies; United States Economy; 

For people who want to sell it is always a good time for others to buy.
An essentially trivial article.
 
10
Technology

Big Data, Trying to Build Better Workers

In the emerging field of work-force science, companies are using data analysis to help find and nurture successful employees.
Hiring and Promotion; Labor and Jobs; Data-Mining and Database Marketing; Computers and the Internet; 

The attempt is not to build but rather to mine better workers.
This is the same effort as "teacher evaluation".
The process is extractive.

11
Job Market

Need Motivation? Declare a Deadline

If you’re a procrastinator, consider setting deadlines for yourself that have tough consequences if you miss them.
Psychology and Psychologists; Workplace Environment; Labor and Jobs; 

It works some, just not enough to do the impossible.
Think the Corregidor death march.

12
Business Day

On Whether the Rich Pay Too Little in Taxes

A majority of Americans believe that high-income people do not pay enough in taxes, but that majority has been shrinking over the last couple of decades, according to new data from Gallup.
Federal Taxes (US); Income; Polls and Public Opinion; 

Taxes are not a matter for democracy.
Everyone thinks taxes are too high.
 
13
Business Day

Daring to Knock on the Boardroom Door

A mutual fund manager is posing a challenge to the richly paid directors of Occidental Petroleum.
Shareholder Rights and Activism; Boards of Directors; 

The story belongs in the middle pages of the WSJ.
 
14
Health

Specialists See Tools to Treat Pain in Video Games

Specialists and video game developers are piloting an approach to measure pain with motion sensor technology to evaluate techniques to treat it.
Pain; Computer and Video Games; Software; Physical Therapy; Doctors; Health Insurance and Managed Care; 

It does not look like a big market.
I will study up the methods at need.
 
15
Health

Beet Greens and Rice Gratin

This Mediterranean-style dish is delicious hot or cold.
Medicine and Health; Recipes; Diet and Nutrition; Rice; Beets; 

I would not travel for it.  I would eat it happily.
 
16
Health

Stir-Fried Brown Rice With Kale or Frizzy Mustard Greens and Tofu

This recipe showcases some unusual greens, but plain kale makes a fine substitute.
Medicine and Health; Recipes; Diet and Nutrition; Kale (Vegetable); Rice;

Something to eat.
 
17
Magazine

Raiding Grandma’s Medicine Cabinet

As antibiotic resistance spreads, scientists are looking to the past.
Antibiotics; Medicine and Health; 

Feedlots are a bad idea.  
Bacteriophages show real promise. 

18
Real Estate

In Search of a Trophy, at Any Cost

With demand for larger and more opulent apartments on the rise developers and marketers in New York are designing ever more spectacular penthouses and town houses in new condo developments.
Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Real Estate Brokers; Advertising and Marketing; 

I can do that.  I have no enthusiasm for it.
 
19
Opinion

‘The War on Drugs Is a Failure’

The Gregory Brothers’ musical mash-up features Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and former Congressman Ron Paul, who argue for the reform of United States drug laws.
Drug Abuse and Traffic; Marijuana;

We know it is. 
These politicians believe in authoritarian government.
They propose that the solution to the failure is more punishment.

20
World

New Zealand: Gay Marriage Bill Passes

Parliament on Wednesday voted 77 to 44 to legalize same-sex marriage, making New Zealand the 13th nation in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to allow gay couples to marry.
Legislatures and Parliaments; Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships;

More rational than some.
The Supreme Court will be out with decisions.


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