Category: Politics • Propaganda • economy
From
Media Matters:
It is difficult to understand how so many errors could be crammed into
one simple chart, merely by accident. It is even harder to
understand how the artist could end up with a straight line, after
incorporating numerous errors, unless it was an done with the intention
of being misleading.
First, (problem #1) the Y-axis does not start at zero. That is a
fairly
common error. Sometimes it is done innocently, and a notice is
posted. For example, "Y-axis does not start at zero, to better
show the change," or something like that. OK. That's minor.
The Fed does the same thing.
Notice, though, that the title says "Job loss by quarter." But
(#2) the X-axis does not show quarters. The X-axis also is not
linear (#3). December 2007 to September 2008 is 9 months (3
quarters), while March 2009 to June 2010 is 15 months (5
quarters).
The biggest problem, though, (#4) is that the numbers on the line do
not indicate job losses per quarter, or per
any
period-of-time.
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:46 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Chatter • Politics
Sharron Angle
has said some pretty obtuse things before, but for the most part, I've
resisted the temptation to comment. But
this one is a gem:
The 16-page flier, available at
TPMM, accuses gay people (aka "sodomites", "perverts") of
everything from child molestation, to serial murder, to debasing
rodeos, to contaminating the water supply by exuding HIV. Blood libel,
or urine libel, as the case may be.
I don't care about the water supply, or that other stuff. BUT DON"T
MESS WITH OUR RODEOS.
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 6:48 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Humor
Clearly, this man is a candidate for the
Darwin Award. K. Wayne
McLeod has been charged -- posthumously -- with running a Ponzi scheme
that victimized an estimated 260 law enforcement agents.
He deliberately solicited hundreds of people, all of whom have guns,
all of whom know how to use their guns, and all of whom have access to
information resources that can be used to locate other people. He
then did something that was guaranteed to piss every single one of them
off.
The outcome is not particularly surprising.
SEC:
Slain CEO Was Running Ponzi Scheme
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today charged the estate of
Florida investment firm executive K. Wayne McLeod with running a Ponzi
scheme that victimized an estimated 260 law enforcement agents.
McLeod reportedly raised at least $34 million since 1988 by luring
active and retired government employees to invest in the "FEBG Bond
Fund" with false promises of annual returns between eight and 10
percent. McLeod operated the fund through the Federal Employee Benefits
Group, Inc.
According to the SEC's complaint, McLeod wrote to investors, "With all
of the Ponzi Scams going on around the world I wanted to insure you
that this account is 100% secured by US Gov't Securities and the
principal is never touched until liquidated."
The SEC alleges that the "FEBG Bond Fund" did not exist...
McLeod was found shot to death in his car in Jacksonville, Fla. Tuesday
morning, four days after he sent an e-mail that notified his clients
that he was closing the fund.
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:33 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Personal
(From
five years ago!)
There is a restaurant called Pelagos. The name means "from
the sea," in Greek. It is underground, but has a patio open
to the sky. A staircase leads from the sidewalk to the
subterranean patio. The is a metal fence along the sidewalk.
On the patio, there are tables with umbrellas.
Large windows provide a view of the patio, from inside the
restaurant. Looking out, a person might be fascinated by the
geometrical shapes formed by the window frames, the the tables, the
steps, and the fence; that person might also be happy to glimpse a bit
of sky.
Except now it starts to rain. Unhappy patrons rush in from
the patio. But some people had read the weather report, and
stayed inside for their dinner.
Inconspicuous, along one wall of Pelagos, sit three men, of three
generations. As is always true in this Universe, the three
men sit arranged in a triangle.
All speak English as their native language. But the oldest
learned Japanese; the middle, German; the youngest, Russian and Latin.
As it happens, the Latin form of
Pelagos is
Pelagius.
The oldest of the men enjoyed hunting and fishing, but no longer can do
these things; he reads about history and the human mind, appreciates
fine wine, listens to jazz. Raised in poverty, he used his
intellect to complete an advanced education; then went on to build
security for his family, and a good reputation for himself.
This stands in stark contrast to the earlier generations of
this particular lineage. The oldest moved up in society by
trying to improve himself, never by trying to take advantage of others.
The middle-generation man never particularly enjoyed hunting or
fishing; indeed, is not terribly fond of any sort of killing.
At times, he has been known to read about history, and the
human brain. He raises horses and builds computers.
Although proficient at photography, he never cared so much
about music or other forms of art. He drinks beer, but never
more than 16 fluid ounces (about 500 milliliters). sometimes he
pretends to like wine, but generally does not pretend much.
One of the reasons that he does not drink much alcohol is
that he hopes, someday, to live up to the reputation that his father
established for the family. If you ask him, he'll say he does
not care about his reputation. That is not really true, but
the reason he cares about his reputation, is that he wants a better
life for subsequent generations.
It annoys him that the restaurant brings a 12-ounce bottle of beer,
with a 10-ounce glass to put it in, but that is a minor point.
It annoys him more, that some people don't think for
themselves.
The youngest, like his father, is proficient at photography; unlike his
father, he prefers digital -- like most young people these
days. One summer, he rode a bicycle in China, after which his
father posted the pictures on the Internet. The youngest uses
computers, can upgrade them, but mostly sees them as tools to be used
for specific purposes; unlike his father, he is not terribly fond of
the hardware side of things. At a very young age, he wanted
to be an ichthyologist, or maybe a limnologist; later, he got
interested in history and political science. In his honors
calculus class, he wrote a term paper about public-key cryptography.
Folk music is one thing he cares about, although he has
chosen to not develop his innate musical talent. He'll be off
to college soon. After thoughtful consideration of his many
interests, he now thinks he will study virology and immunology.
The older and middle of the men have devoted a great deal of effort to
alleviating the suffering of individuals. The youngest has
grander plans, as a young person should. He would like to
prevent the suffering of many; not limit himself to saving people one
at a time.
They sit and enjoy their dinner. They talk about things.
It is an ordinary time. Perhaps none of the three
will, individually, make a lasting impression on the course of human
events. However, geometry has a lesson for us: the triangle,
expanded to three dimensions, can form an icosahedron.
Perhaps the lineage of the three men will, over time, manage
to build something just as elegant.
But instead of looking forward, we now look back. As we sift
through history, we see that there have been many who would have
changed the course of events for the better. Sometimes, the
geometry of the Universe permits this; sometimes, it impedes it.
History has a lesson for us. As the Roman empire was
crumbling, and the Dark Ages began, there was a great struggle among
theologians. They cast aside Plato, and with him, his beloved
tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, and dodecahedron. Worst of
all, even the supremely elegant icosahedron was tossed back into the
sea.
They thought the cross would solve everything. Alas, they
could only think in two dimensions.
One of them dared to dissent. He carried the peculiar name
Pelagius.
He promoted the idea that humans are basically good, and that
it
is through their free choice of actions that they keep themselves good.
In contrast, the
predominant view at the time was that of St. Augustine, who believed
that humans were fundamentally tainted by the original sin, and any
good they had, came from the grace of god.
The geometry of the Universe was not kind to Pelagius, although
ultimately he managed to avoid the worst of fates. From
Wikipedia:
When Alaric
sacked Rome in 410,
Pelagius
fled to Carthage,
where he came into further conflict with Augustine. His follower
Coelestius was condemned by a church council there. Pelagius then fled
to Jerusalem,
but Augustine's followers were soon on his trail; Orosius
went to Jerusalem to warn St Jerome
against him. Pelagius succeeded in clearing himself at a diocesan synod
in Jerusalem
and a provincial one in Diospolis (Lydda
),
though Augustine said that his being cleared at those councils must
have been the result of Pelagius lying about his teachings.
Augustine's version of Pelagius's teachings about sin
and atonement
were condemned as heresy at the local Council of
Carthage in 417.
Those are the people who told us to put away childish things.
Those are the people who cast aside the icosahedron as a mere
trinket. But it so doing, they brought us the Dark
Ages.
The
online Catholic Encyclopedia contains the following
commentary
about
Pelagius:
Meanwhile the Pelagian ideas had infected a wide
area, especially around Carthage, so that Augustine and other bishops
were compelled to take a resolute stand against them in sermons and
private conversations.
Imagine that, being
infected with the notion that
humans are
fundamentally good. Is it some kind of virus?
Outside Pelagos, it rained. Those who had not familiarized
themselves with local meteorology got soaked. The three
generations of men, well-acquainted with the Sciences, stayed dry.
One of them wants to study viruses. Perhaps there
is hope.
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:05 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Chatter
This one is useful for very few persons. The story is this: I wanted to get one of those mats that goes under a treadmill, to protect the floor. So I went to Sears, where I got the treadmill, because I had seen an ad for the mat. Thirty dollars is what they wanted. Seemed overpriced. But that is what they want. Being a tad compulsive, I measured the treadmill's footprint before I left. The mat would have to be 40 inches wide and 72 inches long.
At the store, the mats -- all with the same brand name as the treadmill -- were all 36 inches wide. Would not do. So I get one off the shelf, get on my hands and knees, and compare it the the footprint of the floor model. It was just plain not going to work. I was just starting to fume a bit about a wasted trip. Then the lady walks up and asks, "are you OK?" Not "can I help you?" She probably thought I had tried out the treadmill and fallen off, or something like that. Ordinarily, a customer is not found on his hands and knees in the store.
I told her I was checking out the mat, and that it was not going to work. I was perfectly even-tempered, no hint of frustration. She said "No, it won't. Let me show you what will."
She walks me over the the hardware section and shows me these "anti-fatigue" mats, the kind that comes in big jigsaw-type sections that fit together into whatever footprint you want. They are on sale for ten dollars, for a pack of six pieces, which happens to be exactly the number of pieces needed for the footprint I want.
So the tip is this: no matter how frustrated you are, don't cuss at the salespeople until you give them a chance to solve the problem. Sometimes, they actually know what you need, where it is, and sometimes it is even cheaper than what you thought you were going to have to spend.
I have to say, I lost some respect for the NordicTrack brand, and gained a little for Sears. The Nordic Track website lists two mats, both 36x72, and both have negative user reviews. One comment states that the mat is too small for most the the equipment they sell. Overcharging people, for something that isn't going to work, is not a good business plan.
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:07 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Humor • Science in the Media
XKCD usually is pretty good; this one, however, is a brillant commentary on science journalism. People forget that once an event has happened, the probability of that event is exactly 1, and the probability of all other outcomes is exactly zero. (Click image for full-size view.)
(Source page.)
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 2:03 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Neuroscience • Psychiatry
Repetitive
transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment for
major depression. It was approved (
PDF)
by the FDA in 2008. However, it has remained somewhat of a niche
treatment. Some providers remain
unimpressed
by studies of efficacy. One problem is that most of the studies
have been sponsored by the industry. Often, the studies have used
single-blind methodology.
So now there is a published study, sponsored by the NIH, that used a
good double-blind method. It used a sham procedure that mimics
the sensation of active treatment, while blocking the magnetic
field. It was a multicenter study that included 190
patients. The conclusion: "Daily left prefrontal rTMS as
monotherapy produced statistically
significant and clinically meaningful antidepressant therapeutic
effects greater than sham." Sounds good, right?
Daily
Left Prefrontal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy for Major
Depressive Disorder
A Sham-Controlled Randomized Trial
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(5):507-516.
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:46 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Social Commentary
I just noticed this: the average workweek in the USA has declined to
34.1 hours (
see
the BLS report: Employment Situation Summary). Last
year, the average television viewing time increased to
151
hours per month, or 5.03 hours per day in a 30-day month, which
comes out to 35.23 hours per week.
We now spend more
time watching TV than we spend working.
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 4:46 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Medicine • Public Health
National Geographic
reports:
A new strain of hypervirulent, deadly Cryptococcus gattii
fungus has been discovered in the United States, a new study says.
The outbreak has already killed six people in Oregon, and it will
likely creep into northern California and possibly farther, experts
say...
Cryptococcus infections in humans are hardly new. And so
far, the
public health impact of the outbreak has been very low
(understanding, of course, that the
personal impact has been
dreadful for a few).
Cryptococcus is a genus of fungus, though, and it is rare for
people to get serious fungal infections unless they are already ill
with something else, or have compromised immunity due to age or some
other factor. The peculiar thing about
Cryptococcus gattii
is that it is causing serious infections in persons who were perfectly
healthy.
This poses two problems for the clinician. For one, most
clinicians in North America are unfamiliar with it, as it has not
caused outbreaks here before. That is, it has not been known to
cause outbreaks here before. Two, most clinicians would not
suspect a fungal infection as the cause of symptoms in an otherwise
healthy person. It can be difficult to diagnose a condition, when
the physician is thinking that the true cause is highly unlikely.
Even so, it appears that the diagnosis is not difficult to establish,
once the appropriate tests are done:
Clinical
presentation, diagnosis and management of Cryptococcus gattii cases:
Lessons learned from British Columbia
Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2009 Spring; 20(1): 23-28.
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:17 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
