Well Said...

"Not to engage in the pursuit of ideas is to live like ants instead of like men."

~ Mortimer J Adler

Dr Mortimer Jerome Adler (1902-2001)

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Map of Truth and Deception

A map of truth and deception captured inforgraphically...

[click image to enlarge]

Sources:

Meyer, P (2012, November 9), TedWeekends: Understanding Deception Idea Visualization, The Huffington Post.

Meyer, P (2012, November 9), How to Spot a Liar, The Huffington Post.

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Well Said...

"I have desired to do good, but I have not desired to make noise, because I have felt that noise did no good and that good made no noise."

~ Louis Claude de Saint-Martin

Louis Claude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803)

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What is Prejudice?

prejudice
n
1.
a. An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts.
b. A preconceived preference or idea.
2. The act or state of holding unreasonable preconceived judgments or convictions.
3. Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.
4. Detriment or injury caused to a person by the preconceived, unfavorable conviction of another or others.

Source: The Free Dictionary

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What is Bigotry?

bigotry
n
Obtuse or narrow-minded intolerance, especially of other races or religions.

Source: The Free Dictionary

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Frequentists versus Bayesians

Republished with kind permission of XKCD

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Jean-Paul Sartre: No Exit

Perhaps a lesson for our times...?



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Windows 8 Pro is Awesome

As soon as Windows 8 Pro (Microsoft) was released, I upgraded my personal computer. The upgrade experience took a bit longer than I expected (about 3 hours). However, the upgrade performed as advertised. A screen shot of my new desktop appears below.

I have been using Windows 8 Pro now for over a week, and I can report that the upgrade was well worth the minor upgrade cost ($39.95 via direct download). You will find many excellent reviews of Windows 8 Pro available on the Internet, so I will not repeat those efforts. I will only add that my upgrade experience went well and I am delighted with this newest release of Windows.

PS: I run Windows Phone 7.5 on my mobile device, which interfaces perfectly with Windows 8 Pro...

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Voting is the Best Revenge...

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Romney's Guiding Principles Tough Sell

According to Prof Robert B Reich (2012, November 3):

Romneyism has an internal coherence. It is different from conservatism, because it does not intend to conserve or protect any particular institutions or values. It is also distinct from Republicanism, in that it is not rooted in traditional small-town American values, nationalism, or states’ rights.

Prof Reich goes on to detail the ten guiding principles of "Romneyism" as:

1. Corporations are the basic units of society. Corporations are people, and the overriding purpose of an economy is to maximize corporate profits. When profits are maximized, the economy grows fastest. This growth benefits everyone in the form greater output, better products and services, and higher share prices.

2. Workers are a means to the goal of maximizing corporate profits. If workers do not contribute to that goal, they should be fired. If they cannot then find other work that helps maximize profits in another company, their wages must be too high, and they must therefore accept steadily lower wages until they find a job.

3. All factors of production – capital, physical plant and equipment, workers – are fungible and should be treated the same. Any that fail to deliver high competitive returns should be replaced or discarded. This keeps an economy efficient. Fairness is and should be irrelevant.

4. Pollution, unsafe products, unsafe working conditions, financial fraud, and other negative side effects of the pursuit of profits are the price society pays for profit-driven growth. They should not be used as excuses to constrain the pursuit of profits through regulation.

5. Individual worth depends on net worth — how much money one has made, and the value of the assets that money has been invested in. Any person with enough intelligence and ambition can make a fortune. Failure to do so is sign of moral and intellectual inferiority.

6. People who fail in the economy should not be coddled. They should not receive food stamps, Medicaid, or any other form of social subsidy. Coddling leads to a weaker society and a weaker economy.

7. Taxes are inherently bad because they constrain profit-making. It is the right and responsibility of individuals and corporations to exploit every tax loophole they (and their tax attorneys) can find in order to pay the lowest taxes possible.

8. Politics is a game whose only purpose is to win. Any means used to win the game is legitimate even if it involves lying and cheating, as long as it gains more supporters than it loses.

9. Democracy is dangerous because it is forever vulnerable to the votes of a majority intent on capturing the wealth of the successful minority, on whom the economy depends. The rich must therefore do whatever is necessary to prevent the majority from exercising its will, including spending large sums of money on lobbyists and political campaigns. The most virtuous among the rich will go a step further and run for president.

10. The three most important aspects of life are family, religion, and money. Patriotism is a matter of guarding our economy from unfair traders and undocumented immigrants, rather than joining together for the common good. We owe nothing to one another as citizens of the same society.

Mr Romney's principles, regardless of coherence, are a tough sell for many Americans...

Source: Reich, Robert B (2012, November 3), Romneyism, Robert Reich.

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Well Said...

"The political economist is to the general public what the attorney is to the private individual."

~ Robert T Ely

Prof Richard Theodore Ely (1854–1943)

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US Employment to Population Ratio Improves

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the US employment to population ratio* for October 2012 stood at 59.0%, up from 58.7% a year ago in 2011, 58.6% two years ago in 2010, and 58.8% the previous month of September. The US employment to population ratio has been trending downwards since 2000.

Many economists believe that reporting the number employed as a percentage of the civilian population provides a more accurate description of the current state of employment than conjecturing the number of "unemployed" in a population. The US employment to population ratio reached an historical peak of 64.4% on an annual basis in 2000.

*The BLS defines employment and population (civilian noninstitutional) as follows:

Employment consists of all persons who, during the reference week (the calendar week including the twelfth day of the month), (a) did any work at all (at least 1 hour) as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in an enterprise operated by a member of the family, or (b) were not working but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent because of vacation, illness, bad weather, childcare problems, maternity or paternity leave, labor-management dispute, job training, or other family or personal reasons, whether or not they were paid for the time off or were seeking other jobs.... The civilian noninstitutional population consists of persons 16 years of age and older residing in the 50 States and the District of Columbia who are not inmates of institutions (for example, penal and mental facilities and homes for the aged) and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Well Said...

"Those who would give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

~ Benjamin Franklin

Dr Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

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Well Said...

"Conscience never deceives us and is the true guide of humanity. She is to the soul what instinct is to the body; whoever follows her pursues the direct path of nature and need not fear being misled."

~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

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Hurricane Sandy in Central Pennsylvania

I just downloaded this regional map and forecast cone overlay for Hurricane Sandy moments ago (as of 10:00 pm Eastern) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website. The forecast is for maximum winds of 45-60 mph, and wind gusts of 60-70 mph.

Looks like we in Central Pennsylvania are in for a long night...

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Service