Reading

Created
Wed, 20/09/2023 - 00:30
PA institutes automatic voter registration Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) announced this morning that “eligible voters getting a new driver’s license or ID card in Pennsylvania will now be automatically registered to vote,” reports NBC News. Shapiro’s office issued a statement: “Pennsylvania is the birthplace of our democracy, and as Governor, I’m committed to ensuring free and fair elections that allow every eligible voter to make their voice heard,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Automatic voter registration is a commonsense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars. Residents of our Commonwealth already provide proof of identity, residency, age, and citizenship at the DMV – all the information required to register to vote — so it makes good sense to streamline that process with voter registration.
Created
Wed, 20/09/2023 - 00:17
This effort to create foundations for the probability approach in econometrics finally results in an inconsistent set of claims in its defence. First, there are vast amounts of experience which warrant a frequency interpretation. This is supported by repetitive discussions of experimental design, but the inability to experiment inspires an epistemological interpretation. Then Haavelmo mentions […]
Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 23:37

In a fit of madness or just plain desperation, you’ve enrolled in a get-rich-quick scheme. All you have to do is sell some products, sign up some friends, make some phone calls. Follow that simple formula and you’ll soon be pulling in tens of thousands of dollars a month — or so you’ve been promised anyway. And if you sell enough products, you’ll be invited into the Golden Circle, which offers yet more perks like free concert tickets and trips to Las Vegas. Still, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that there’s a catch. If you don’t sell a pile of products or sign up a ton of friends to do the same, the odds are that you’ll... Read more

Source: Welcome to the New Green Colonialism appeared first on TomDispatch.com.

Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 23:00
Is Kavanaugh standing back and standing by? The GOP loves a twofer, or even a threefer. Political maneuvering some might call strategic might less flatteringly be called sneaky or outright dishonest. Diabolical is not out of the running. Donald Trump withholds final payments to subcontractors, for example, just enough that court costs make it a losing proposition for a subcontractor to take him to court to recover what he owes. Or Trump plays delay, delay, delay when he finds himself in court holding a losing hand. Gerrymandering cases are another example. GOP legislatures draw district maps patently illegal under the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Democrats and aligned groups take them to court, win, and judges orders new maps. Then GOP legislators draw a second set of unacceptably gerrymandered maps, and the exasperated court appoints a special master to draw them instead. It happened in North Carolina. Or the GOP-led legislature might simply defy the courts until there is no time left before the next election to implement new maps. Something like what happened in Ohio. Or in the case of Alabama, that maneuver is where dark money meets hidden agenda.
Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 22:00

We had a lovely stay at Josh and Brandon’s cozy mountain cottage. Our hosts included many thoughtful touches that made the place really feel like a home away from home. We just had a few things we’d like to note for future travelers considering booking this place.

The bed frame could be sturdier. The kitchen counter could be sturdier. The patio furniture could be sturdier. The bathroom sink could be sturdier. The refrigerator is surprisingly sturdy—no complaints there!

We really appreciated the linen closet stocked full of towels. Thank god. We needed every single towel. And one of the bath mats.

We loved how many mirrors there were throughout the home, but we could’ve used a few in the kitchen—especially above that sturdy fridge.

We couldn’t figure out which remote works the TV, but we ended up using both remotes for something else.

The carpeting in the living room was so soft and luxurious. The rug in the bedroom was a little itchy, but only if you touched it with your naked butt. The basement stairs had some splinters, but again, it’s only an issue if you touch them with your naked butt.

Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 21:07
Offentliga institutioner reglerar redan i dag bankernas penningskapande i allmänhetens intresse, om än på ett mycket fragmentariskt sätt. Det tydligaste exemplet är kanske de strikta skyldigheter som bankerna har för att säkerställa att de pengar de skapar inte används för finansiering av terrorism och penningtvätt.Tidigare, efter andra världskriget, styrdes många banker att låna ut till […]
Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 19:22
That was my suggested headline for my latest opinion piece, which ran in Australian online magazine Crikey under the sub-editors (blander IMO) choice of “We don’t need a nuclear renaissance. We need a solid plan on renewables” The idea of the piece was to respond to Exhibit A in the case for nuclear power, the […]
Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 17:57
This Is Your Hospital System On Covid and Privatization (Ontario Edition)

As regular readers know, I live in Ontario and because I have cancer (no worries, my odds of dying are about 2%) I’ve been in and out of the hospital system a lot from about 2018 to now.

That means I’ve gotten to see what happened to hospital care, albeit mostly in two hospitals; but two important, well funded research and teaching hospitals.

And it has been bad. Getting imaging tests which I would have had within a month to two before Covid took almost a year. A surgeon I know told me how he was fighting to get people urgent care. I’m lucky, I have a slow growing type of cancer, if I’d had something fast, odds are I’d be dead.

Diagnosing early is important for all sorts of diseases, not just cancer, and so is getting people quick care.

Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 17:29

Like pretty much all the posts on this blog this one represents another unfinished thought. I am prompted to write this because I re-read my previous post, Showies. In it I began with my usual nostalgic claptrap before wending my way into my experience of the Silver City Show. I …

Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 17:25
. The universalist ideas of the Enlightenment are still relevant, despite the numerous criticisms that have been levelled against them. The Enlightenment was characterized by a spirit of exploration that led to new discoveries in both science and culture. Rather than promoting a narrow worldview, it encouraged people to question assumptions and religious beliefs. It […]
Created
Tue, 19/09/2023 - 14:41
This is a quick test of whether Word successfully exports its own inline equations to the Web, after I was informed that inline MathType equations weren’t exported. One thing which never ceases to bemuse me is the intellectual insularity of mainstream economics. Every intellectual specialization is, by necessity, insular. Specialization necessarily requires that, to have … Continue reading "The Impossibility of Microfoundations for Macroeconomics"