Larry Summers Redefines Balanced Budgets as Stimulus and Big Deficits as Austerity
Alan Reynolds
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, in June 4 testimony before the Senate Budget Committee, offers a scatter diagram which allegedly shows “that countries that pursued harsher austerity policies in recent years also had lower real GDP growth.” He acknowledges, but does not adequately explain, that the causality may well be backwards: Bond markets would not allow countries in severe economic distress (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain) to continue financing deficits at the peak levels of 2010.
Summers defines “austerity” as the three-year change (regardless of the level) from 2010 to 201...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - June 10, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Alan Reynolds Source Type: blogs
Deep Capture Conference! – Tomorrow (Saturday)
On April 13, 2013 the Project on Law and Mind Sciences and the National Lawyers Guild are co-hosting a conference titled “Deep Capture: Psychology, Public Relations, Democracy, and Law” at Harvard Law School. Details here.
Here is the information about our speakers:
Noam Chomsky is the Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT. He has not only made groundbreaking discoveries and insights in the field of linguistics, but has also become one of the most articulate and passionate critics of American foreign policy in the 20th and 21st centuries. He has written and lectured widel...
Source: The Situationist - April 12, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: The Situationist Staff Tags: Deep Capture Events Source Type: blogs
Social Engineering 101: A New Definition and 9 Quick Tips
I know the official definitions of Social Engineering. According to Wikipedia, there are two:"Social engineering (political science), influencing society on a large scale.""Social engineering (security), obtaining confidential information by manipulating and/or deceiving people."This always felt off to me, so I'd like to add my own definition:"Social engineering (social skills), influencing perception and increasing social status by changing your self image and consciously using body language and manipulative techniques to your advantage."If you do not agree with this definition, let me know in the comments. I'll prob...
Source: Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life - March 20, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: DLM Writers Source Type: blogs
Small Americana Flannel Flag Quilt
A friend is getting married this spring. No registry anywhere. This friend and her fiancé live in South Carolina so I thought a small quilt featuring Americana might make a nice token gift. The quilt is made using an 8.5 in X 10.5 in flannel flag. Flannel flags were used as tobacco premiums. [see my earlier post] The practice of inserting advertising in tobacco products and packaging began about 1870 and continued throughout the late 19th Century into the first decades of the 20th Century. The above premium features an American flag in the center with 48 stars. As Arizona became t...
Source: Suture for a Living - February 22, 2013 Category: Plastic Surgeons Tags: small quilt friends Americana Source Type: blogs
Excise tax on Medical equipment costing jobs
The 2.3% excise tax on medical equipment kicked in and has already been blamed for hundreds of layoffs.
Looking back at some larger claims we have paid over the years, this tax could be fairly significant. Seeing $100,000 in equipment charges is not at all uncommon for back surgeries and other procedures. This would appear to be another great reason to go out of country to have these procedures done. $2,300 would cover airfare and accommodations.
"The medical device excise tax applies to manufacturers and importers and generally does not apply to individual consumers."
Those attacking our healthcare system will cheer th...
Source: InsureBlog - February 2, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
"Human Rights" Court Overturns Costa Rica's Ban on IVF
This is depressing. Costa Rica, the only country to have an outright ban on IVF because IVF creates and destroys human life on an industrial scale, has been told by a "human rights" court that they have to abandon their prohibition. You would think that the numbers recently reported by the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority would bolster Costa Rica's case. In the UK, nearly 2 million IVF embryos have been created and then simply been discarded "unused." These shocking numbers prompted Lord Alton to say:It happens on a day-by-day basis with casual indifference. This sheer destruction of ...
Source: Mary Meets Dolly - January 8, 2013 Category: Geneticists and Genetics Commentators Tags: IVF Source Type: blogs
What was medical school like? Years III and IV
After completing years I and II, you have a small break. At our school, this break was only a few weeks....and it wasn't really a 'break' at all.After completion of year II, it was required that we take (and pass) the USMLE Step I. This first part (of a three part series) tests your basic science skills. Basically, the things we learned in years I and II are being tested. Our school was pretty good about teaching to the test (somewhat), and boasted a high first time pass rate. But you see, that 'break' was spent cramming for this licensing exam.This exam was very difficult. You know, one of those exams that you can't even ...
Source: EM Physician - Backstage Pass - April 3, 2008 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Taylor Source Type: blogs
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We report a comparative genetic characterization of two population isolates with parallel demographic histories: the Central Valley of Costa Rica (CVCR) and Antioquia (in northwest Colombia). The analysis of mtDNA, Y-chromosome and autosomal polymorphisms shows that Antioquia and the CVCR are genetically very similar, indicating that closely related parental populations founded these two isolates. In both populations, the male ancestry is predominantly European, whereas the female ancestry is mostly Amerind. In agreement with their isolation, the Amerindian mtDNA diversity of Antioquia and the CVCR is typical of ethnically...
Source: Genetic Chaos - October 17, 2006 Category: Geneticists and Genetics Commentators Authors: Havelock Source Type: blogs
