Citizens should not be able to cheat their neighbors by not buying insurance, particularly when they can afford it, and expect others to pay for their care when they need it.” An “individual mandate,” he added, should be applied “when the larger health-care system has been fundamentally changed.” […] “Finally, we should insist that everyone… Continue reading Newt Gingrich Used To Love Individual Health Insurance Mandates
Osama: Poster boy for defense waste
The point here is not to suggest that bin Laden shouldn’t have been aggressively pursued, or to imply that the Navy SEALs who ultimately neutralized him aren’t heroes. But it is to say that the numbers next to the photo make the al-Qaida leader the new poster boy for defense budget waste. Simply put, if… Continue reading Osama: Poster boy for defense waste
80% Improvement In Solar Cell Efficiency
An anonymous reader writes “Chemistry researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory say they’ve improved the efficiency of typical solar cells by a whopping 80% by creating a 3-D nanocone-based solar cell platform. The technology tackles the problem of poor transport of charges generated by solar photons. These charges — ‘negative electrons and positive holes’ —… Continue reading 80% Improvement In Solar Cell Efficiency
Autism epidemic challenged by UK research
…more and more research hints that some if not all of the increase in autism may be due to changes in how, and how often, the disorder is diagnosed. Kids who used to be classified as mentally retarded or just plain eccentric, for instance, might now get an autism-spectrum label instead. “That simply means more… Continue reading Autism epidemic challenged by UK research
Wild Pig Explosion May Spread Disease to Humans
An explosion of feral pigs in the U.S. could be exposing people to dangerous parasites, a new study says. From National Geographic Wild Pig Explosion would be an excellent band name.
Krugman: It’s hard to see that too much democracy was the problem.
Whenever I read pieces like David Brooks’s column this morning — pieces that attribute our budget deficits to the public’s irresponsibility and lack of realism — I find myself wondering how so much recent history went down the memory hole. … Remember, we had a budget surplus in 2000. Where did it go? The two… Continue reading Krugman: It’s hard to see that too much democracy was the problem.
The Conservative Recovery Continues
this is the recovery conservatives say they want. The balance of economic activity is shifting away from the public sector and toward the private sector. So why is it that we have people running around the country—not just ignorant grassroots folks or talk show entrepreneurs, but billionaire political organizers like David Koch—screaming about incipient socialism?… Continue reading The Conservative Recovery Continues
Robots and Utopia
if robots are able to drastically eliminate the need to pay human beings to provide physical goods and services, then there’ll be plenty of people with plenty of time and their hands to create cultural goods for free. We’re talking about a future in which there’s neither a shortage of goods nor a shortage of… Continue reading Robots and Utopia
Future of the Federal Reserve Panel Videos Now Online.
The videos from the panels at the Roosevelt Institute’s Future of the Federal Reserve Event are now online. There’s a video for introductory remarks by Joe Stiglitz and then videos for the full-length panels as well as videos broken down by speakers. From Future of the Federal Reserve Panel Videos Now Online. | Rortybomb Worth… Continue reading Future of the Federal Reserve Panel Videos Now Online.
Who’s the Dog Hero of the Raid on Bin Laden?
“Dogs are very good at detecting people inside of a building,” Major Roberts said. Another use may have been to catch anyone escaping the compound in the first moments of the raid. A shepherd or a Malinois runs twice as fast as a human. Tech Sgt. Kelly A. Mylott, the kennel master at Langley Air… Continue reading Who’s the Dog Hero of the Raid on Bin Laden?