"I have always felt a certain horror of political economists since I heard one of them say that he feared the famine of 1848 in Ireland would not kill more than a million people, and that would scarcely be enough to do much good."--Benjamin Jowett, the great Master of Balliol College, Oxford
At least nine randomized controlled studies have shown that mammography screening reduces breast cancer mortality by 30 to 40 percent. The innovation of 3D digital mammography improves detection rates over traditional mammography. The Canadian National Breast Screening Study recently published in the British Medical Journal found that annual mammography was no better than annual exams by a nurse and led to unnecessary biopsy. (This was a 25 year study.) The 32% of cancers diagnosed during the study was strangely low (the U.S. rate is 60%) and has been attributed to the study's use of generations old, i.e. ancient, technology. But a 25 year study is going to have some consistency and update problems.
There are 2200 U.S. military amputees who have returned from the Middle East.
Mat Drudge, the despised owner of the despised Drudge Report, was ridiculed after he announced he had paid his ACA "tax penalty" for not signing up for the ACA medical insurance. The tax, his critics laughed, does not start until 2015 so he must be stupid or insincere. But all small businesses pay taxes forward, every quarter, so those 2015 taxes must be filled each of the four preceding quarters. I.E. now. The H&R Block Tax Institute in an interview with The Wire said that Drudge is likely overpaying his tax debt now and that the overpayment will be deducted once the health insurance penalty is assessed early next year. However, H&R Block also said there is no formal payment calculation yet in place by the IRS for the Individual Shared Responsibility Provision. More, when individuals make estimated tax payments, they cannot specify which government program their payments are going to. Do all these political pundits and experts not know these basic things? Maybe they are just grateful for the attention.
Obama's Saturday radio address centered upon unequal pay between men and women in the United States, this despite the fact that unequal pay is illegal and any discrepancies have been shown over and over to be a function of personal choices, usually family or obstetrical, that interfere with seniority or career development. Why would he present any discrepancy as discriminatory or malicious?
Who was...Georgi Markov?
Genetic diversity, that is "error," is sometimes good for the individual, sometimes bad. Diversity in genetics is only an opportunity.
There has been a rise of start-up companies seeking financing and the available money has not increased much. Therefore the pre-money valuation of these companies has dropped, usually about 30% below its estimated value.
Most of the stars visible with the naked eye are within 250 light years of earth.
Not one single prediction sheet escaped the 64 team bracket in the Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge. These predictions were made by an estimated 9 million, some whimsically, some with great expertise. Not one of the millions of predictions were correct after two days. It should be remembered when anyone tries to predict human behavior and results.
Golden Oldie:
In an interview recently, Bill Gates said, "All people have equal value." Now what could Gates mean by that?
The West African country of Guinea said on Sunday that 59 people have died during an outbreak of Ebola. The AP reports this is the first time an outbreak of the virus has been detected among humans in the country. An episode has appeared in Canada. The Canadians have said there is no risk to the general public. After all we have seen by governments from the Affordable Care Act to the Malaysian flight, are you reassured?
Catholic school students score significantly higher than public school students on national standardized tests in math and reading. It is interesting that explanations of these discrepancies tend to dismiss them.
A "Plutocracy" is the government by the rich. It comes from "Pluto," god of the underworld, who was surrounded by the minerals--and wealth--of the world.
So there are large petroleum pools on Saturn's moon, Titan. Does that mean there are dinosaurs too?
There is a new catch-phrase making the rounds in Washington, "school-to-prison pipeline." This apparently refers to the imbalance of school discipline that has shown on studies to punish black males disproportionately higher, an imbalance that has shown up in pre-school. Males are also disciplined more than females but that has not qualified as "sexist" yet. (For completeness sake, whites are disciplined more than Asians.) Where this is going I have no clue but the giant-brained Eric Holder said he would "aggressively disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline," I suppose by cracking down on racist nursery schools.
"Russia's actions are a problem. They don't pose the number one national security threat to the United States. I continue to be much more concerned when it comes to our security with the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in Manhattan." The President of the United States said that. He thinks that is a position.
Ibragim Todashev, a 27 year old connected to the Boston murderers, was killed by the FBI in an interview. An interview!
“Why do the members of the Politburo not go to meetings on Thursdays?” ran one Bulgarian joke in the late 1970s. “Because they listen to Georgi Markov on Radio Free Europe.”
Markov was dissident writer and radio journalist living in London whose weekly broadcast, In Absentia: Reports About Bulgaria, had gained a dedicated following in his native land. He was assassinated in broad daylight, shot in the thigh with a miniature poisonous pellet by an agent of the Bulgarian State Security Service. At the time, it was assumed that the murder weapon had been a modified umbrella gun, and the case became known worldwide as “the Bulgarian Umbrella.”
130 Russian journalists have been murdered in Russia since Putin has come to power. A tightly controlled state gives its rulers great freedom.
AAAAaaaaannnnnddddd..... a quote:
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