Want to talk politics with your neighbour? Better ask permission
Source: Liberty, privacy and some bottles of beer | The Economist
So, if someone in Seattle with a job that pays $100/hour spent 5 hours a month writing a political blog, would they have to file as a “grass-roots lobbyist”?
Less than half the surgeries, drugs and tests that doctors recommend have been proved effective.
Source: Weekend Special: Reckless Medicine | Care And Cost
“Reckless Medicine” by Jeanne Lenzer & Shannon Brownlee
originally published on 2010-11-20 in Discover Magazine, November 2010 issue
Alternate link:
http://attentiallebufale.it/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Discover-Reckless-Medicine.pdf
Next time your doctor talks to you about surgery, make sure you do your own research too so you can provide actual informed consent. The poor doc’s life is hard enough learning HOW to do all the things demanded of them without being omniscient statistical gods about whether or not any of it is actually right for you. It would be convenient if they could, but they are just people too. Give them a break and do your part to keep yourself healthy.
Here’s the amusing story of how one South American nation invaded its neighbor, then blamed a Google Maps error after the fact.
Source: Nicaragua Mistakenly Invades Costa Rica, Blames Google Maps [UPDATED] | GOOD
Lesson: Just because the numbers came in a CSV format from an officious source doesn’t mean they’re any good.
For years, poor performance by students in America relative to those in other countries has been explained away as a consequence of our nationwide diversity. But what if you looked more closely, breaking down our results by state and searching not for an average, but for excellence?
Source: Your Child Left Behind – The Atlantic
Perhaps this is why we have 9.8% unemployment and 1.28 million discouraged unemployed? Do we have minimum wages that are higher than what these people can produce?
Also, even if the USA sucks at math, how does it compare in say art or music? Do we have better singers, more talented fashionistas, or more original artists?
There is a public interest in understanding how the world works and what is done in our name. There is a public interest in the confidential conduct of foreign policy. The two public interests conflict.
Source: US embassy cables: A banquet of secrets | Timothy Garton Ash | Opinion | The Guardian