Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday
DNA Deception. "A Texas Tribune review of nine years' worth of e-mails and internal documents on the Department of State Health Services’ newborn blood screening program reveals the transfer of hundreds of infant blood spots to an Armed Forces lab to build a national and, someday, international mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) registry." Who the hell signed off on this?
Obama Bullshit bingo. Great idea for staying awake during Obama speeches.
Federal spending as a share of GDP chart. "Obama’s budget shows that interest payments will start rising rapidly next year and hit 3 percent of GDP by 2015. And that’s an optimistic projection."
The coming collapse of the commercial real estate market.
The story behind five banned toys and games (Popular Mechanics). I like lawn darts.
One cool thing for foodies in Austin has been the rise of some awesome food carts. Here's a website dedicated to them. G'Raj Mahal has become one of my favorite places in Austin, especially since it is right next to Clive, which is also very cool.
I didn't think they had a depp run in them this year because the talent mix on the team is just weird, but what the hell has happened to my Horns?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Best Investment
Saturday
8.8 quake hits Chile. That's hundreds of times more pwerful than the quake that hit Haiti. We'll see a slew of articles over the next few weeks comapring the two, but we're about to see the difference between countries with infrastructure.
I think this initiative by the Obama administration is wrongheaded. First, it's a complete sop to organized labor which is apparenty not content with destroying California and Michigan. Second, I'll let Alex Tabarrok explain the objections. Short version: "long term consequences of creating a dual labor market in which insiders with government or government-connected jobs are highly paid and secure while outsiders face high unemployment rates, low wages and part-time work without a career path."
The Exile goes under. This is too bad. I discovered The Exile when I started reading The War Nerd column. If you ever get a chance just sit down on some weekend and read all of his columns. They are awesome. The War Nerd, Gary Brecher, writes about various conflicts all over the world and he has spent most of his life just studying war.
This article had me at "an iceberg about the size of Luxembourg".
Cool photos of lions, but the dedication of the photographer in getting the pictures is pretty crazy.
Boozy ape sent to rehab. I would add more, but the headline pretty much tells you all you need to know since it is about a boozy ape (he also smokes) who gets sent to rehab.
Mark Cuban pwns Al Franken.
Obama Facebook updates. This is pretty funny.
This, however, is not funny. From the NYT, Infections Unfazed by Antibiotics.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday
Great article on the size of international remittances. It's estimated at $338 billion which is staggering, especially when you consider all foreign aid equals about $100 billion (per the article). Money quote: "Pritchett recently calculated that sending 3,000 Bangladeshis to work to the United States for a year would provide more capital for Bangladesh than a year’s worth of loans from the celebrated Grameen Bank – the microfinance lender whose founder, Mohammed Yunus, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. “If I get 3,000 Bangladeshi workers into the US,” Pritchett asked facetiously in a recent lecture, “do I get a Nobel?”
Two very good posts from Mark Cuban on understanding salary caps and risk management in sports. The second one is really interesting, don't let the risk management thing deter you.
Just read this.
Fareed Zakaria on why Iran can be deterred.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday
His-panic. Article from American Conservative on the myth of high Latino and immigrant crime rates. I'm withholding judgment until my brother, a self-appointed expert on crime statistics, gives me his take. His initial thought was that it was sloppy.
The Chemist's War. Wow. Today's must read. Story about how the US government actually poisoned alcohol during Prohibition.
Daryl Morey is a badass and one of the reasons I'm quickly becoming a Rockets fan. Kevin Martin is a heart throb among all the people enamored with PERs, Hilton Armstrong is a nice, athletic big, Jared Jeffries is an elite defender (and has the best first name possible), the draft picks are huge, and I think Jordan Hill may be the most underrated part of this deal. Yes, giving up Landry sucks, but the Rockets clearly come out on top in this trade.
America's best health care economist discussing cost controls. I think he actually takes it pretty easy on Rove here. The "buying insurance across state lines" idea has never made a ton of sense to me. I'm with Reinhardt on it, it's probably not a bad idea, but you're really not going to get much savings out of it. Part of the fantasy of health care reformers, both conservative and liberal, is that there is some way of tinkering with the regulation that will somehow radically reduce the cost. There isn't.
"Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll." Here.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday
Yes we can!
I can't tell if this is real, but if it is real then I'm really concerned for my country.
Roger Ebert profile in in Esquire. He's battling cancer right now and has lost the ability to speak.
Do spies and assassins really wear fake beards? They sure do.
The World's 18 Strangest Airports.
The importance of vacations. “The practical lesson for an individual is that you derive most of your happiness from anticipating the holiday trip,” he said.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
I Love Kevin Durant
"Let's leave out the historical possibilities this time around. (You know, like the fact that he's already at 5,000 career points, that no forward has ever averaged 30 points a game three times and he might do it 10 or 12, that he might have a 37 PPG or a 55-45-95 shooting percentage season lurking in him, etc.) Just look at this particular season. How is Durant not our No. 2 choice for MVP?
The young Zombies have quietly climbed to 30-21 and third in the league in defensive field goal percentage. Durant goes into every game knowing two things: (1) There's a decent chance nobody else on my team will make more than five baskets tonight; and (2) If I suck, we almost definitely will lose. They're 17-8 in their past 25 games; he has scored at least 25 in every game, racked up 29-plus points in all but three and averaged 32.4 PPG (first in NBA in that span), 7.8 RPG, 52.3 FG percent, 88.6 FT percent (third) and 51.9 3FG percent (first, minimum 50 attempts). His plus/minus in those 25 games is plus-194, second only to LeBron. His team is improbably headed for 48-50 wins in a loaded Western Conference, with a top four that's 21, 21, 23 and 20 years old, without anyone averaging even 6.4 rebounds or 1.1 blocks a game. And Durant has scored nearly as many points as his best two teammates combined. I could go on and on. Other than LeBron/Cleveland, Durant means more to that team than anyone else means to any other 2010 team. You can't tell me differently.
UNSTOPPABLE
Players who scored 25-plus points in at least 25 consecutive games over the past 30 years.
Player | Streak | Dates |
---|---|---|
Kevin Durant, Thunder | 25 | Dec. 2009-Feb. 2010 |
Allen Iverson, Sixers | 27 | Jan.-March 2001 |
Michael Jordan, Bulls | 40 | March 1988-Dec. 1988 |
Michael Jordan, Bulls | 40 | Dec. 1986-March 1987 |
Thursday
Awesome kid gets detention for being hilarious.
Cavs get Jamison. I think this is a way better pick up for the Cavs then Stoudemire would have been. Jamison is probably a better rebounder, he's a crafty scorer, good teammate, and he fits in with Shaq on the frontline much better.
The $555,000 student loan burden. Finding it hard to muster too much sympathy for this doctor who made a number of terrible decisions and then basically said "maybe some of it was my fault."
Holy Rasputin! Marine cheats death, many times.
Why Google failed in China. Some interesting facts about Chinese Internet users and how they differ from Internet users in other countries.
Canadians choose bacon over sex. At least, 43% of them did.
The use of food by police during interrogation.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday links
Torture Lawyers on Trial (from The Nation). I don't consider them to be a particularly credible news source, but I think the legal ramifications of whether a government lawyer can be disciplined or prosecuted (not to mention whether they can be prosecuted in a foreign court) for developing a legal strategy are pretty important.
The Fable of Market Meritocracy. It seems to offend some people that the market rewards people they believe lack "merit". I would think those people would be cheered by the fact that you can be an idiot in the overall sense and still get rich.
The 5 Most Notorious Recalls of All Time.
The case against banning the word "retard." I don't understand the idea that we should not use certain words because people have taken the original meaning and turned into a term of derision. That seems backwards. I mean I get that using the N-word or dropping random F-bombs is frowned upon, but those are intended to offend.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday (but really Friday's)
A simple health care fix fizzles out. The current health care system we have really does not concern itself much with results. That's primarily because the reimbursement system for providers really doesn't have anything to do with results. The system rewards volume and high cost interventions (often ones that are not too effective).
In honor of the Winter Olympics, a slideshow of the 10 hottest female athletes participating.
Are snobby bicyclists their own worst enemy? Let me go ahead and answer that. Yes. It will be interesting if more "normals" start biking. Then biking won't be hipster enough anymore and they'll have to find something else that makes them special.
How do you judge a camel beauty contest? Yeah, it really is about camel beauty contests. "We are looking for camels with big heads, firm ears, broad cheeks and big whiskers. There is no single important thing - the neck and body should be long, the hump and the back should be big, and we also look at the colour and posture of the camel."
The best shooters in the NBA. If I were teaching someone to shoot...let me start again. If someone was dumb enough to ask me to teach them how to shoot, I would tell them to watch Ray Allen. He has one of the most beautiful jump shots you will ever see. Steve Nash's isn't as pretty, but as you see in the link, his numbers make it pretty clear he's the best shooter.
Crazy, crazy article from the NYT on the "My Way" killings in the Philippines. From the story:
The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.”
Awesome pictures of sled dogs.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday Morning
"The unpalatable reality that few, self interested industry participants are prepared to admit is that much of what passes for financial innovation is specifically designed to conceal risk, obfuscate investors and reduce transparency. The process is entirely deliberate. Efficiency and transparency is not consistent with the high profit margins on Wall Street and the City. Financial products need to be opaque and priced inefficiently to produce excessive profits." That's Satyajit Das from his recent blog post on the current proposal to regulative derivatives. He's considered an expert on CDS'.
This is pretty interesting. Graph of how many second mortgages are held by large financial institutions and why that complicates any plan to modify first mortgages. I was not aware that the Big Four held such a high percentage.
Fire department's charging for services. Pretty outrageous if you ask me. I think this does raise a lot of questions about spending priorities and crowding out of certain priorities.
Looks like over 100 million people watched the Super Bowl. Crazy. The NFL is so much more popular than any other sport in the US. I wonder how fans will react if the anticipated breakdown between the owners and the NFLPA comes to pass. I mean people did not really care when the NHL pulled this, and they cared about it a bit when baseball did it, but neither of those sports are anywhere close to the NFL in popularity or ratings.
Nurse to Stand Trial for Reporting Doctor. The sheriff in this story should be fired.
Glad everyone got so riled up about that Tebow ad. By the way, I don't get offended like some people do by the Super Bowl ads and their supposed misogyny, but I am pretty sick and tired "be a man" type ads. They are annoying, usually unfunny, insulting to both sexes, and tired. If they were funny I could live with the other stuff.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Super Bowl Sunday
NYT article on gender imbalances on college campuses and the impact on dating. My BS detector went off a bit reading this. Favorite quote is from a Ms. Jayne Dallas who is a senior and offers the following: "Out of that 40 percent, there are maybe 20 percent that we would consider, and out of those 20, 10 have girlfriends, so all the girls are fighting over that other 10 percent”. Nice math skills.
Ryanair and the shafting of your customers as a reputational strategy.
America's dismal record ending wars.
I'm taking the Colts.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday Stuff- Lots!
Interesting NYT article on Haitian emigres.
This is really, really disturbing. Really.
Yikes. 25 foot crocodile that has eaten over 200 people.
Innocence Project clears 250th person wrongfully convicted.
Cool pictures of Pluto.
Antidepressants no more effective than placebos.
If Colleges (or Air Tavel) Worked Like Health Care.
Guy's wife cries at every movie. He records it and puts it on youtube. Then he started his own site.
Why single women eat salad.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tuesday Night
Pretty good article on the NFL labor negotiations. Money quote: "If we can't get this resolved, we will collectively be the dumbest people on the planet."
Keith Hennessey on Obama's budget.
The World's 25 Dirtiest Cities. Africa is well represented.
Rasmussen poll from the Texas Governor's race.
Tuesday
Fall out from credit card industry "reform". Click on the links in the story too, they're interesting.
How to fall 35,000 feet- and survive.
North Korea vs. South Korea from satellite. Any questions?
Good grief. Who is waging the war on science again?