February 2009

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The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

-John F. Kennedy

May 10, 2007

Sprachgefühl

I get that little daily email from Merriam-Webster OnLine - you know, the Word of the Day. Occasionally there is a really nice new word for me. Today was not that day, but this past weekend was the word sprachgefühl

Pronunciation: 'shprä[k]-g&-"f[UE]l
Function: noun
Etymology: German, from Sprache language + Gefühl feeling
1 : the character of a language
2 : an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate

Wow, that’s a great word. I don’t want to lose it - let's keep it here for easy reference. I know it will come in handy.

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Pesticides and Academic Achievement

I’m not sure what to make of this study that hit the airwaves today suggesting that there is a direct relationship between the date on which a baby is conceived and the child’s future academic achievement.

[Paul Winchester, M.D., Indiana University School of Medicine professor of clinical pediatrics] and colleagues linked the scores of the students in grades 3 through 10 who took the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) examination with the month in which each student had been conceived. The researchers found that ISTEP scores for math and language were distinctly seasonal with the lowest scores received by children who had been conceived in June through August.

Okay, an achievement gap and a correlation. The next question, obviously, is about causation.

"The fetal brain begins developing soon after conception. The pesticides we use to control pests in fields and our homes and the nitrates we use to fertilize crops and even our lawns are at their highest level in the summer," said Dr. Winchester, who also directs Newborn Intensive Care Services at St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis.

Wait. Let’s start with some skepticism. This is being reported in a very factual manner in headlines and on radio, but Dr. Winchester states very clearly that his group’s findings “do not represent absolute proof that pesticides and nitrates contribute to lower ISTEP scores”. So let’s not jump to conclusions. Dr. .Winchester does feel that the hypothesis is strongly supported and therefore a lot more research should be done, and I can understand that, but is there more reason to believe there is a direct causal relationship between pesticides and this achievement gap? I’d really like to see it. I mean, I don’t particularly want to raise my kids in an area with heavy pesticide use, but neither do I want to see weak conclusions thrown around too readily in our legislative, litigious society. This guy’s Gaia language later in the interview just doesn’t sound as objective as I would like from a scientist.

So, does this achievement gap exist outside of Indiana? Anywhere in the southern hemisphere? I don’t hear that being asked anywhere else, so I’ll ask it here.

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May 9, 2007

One Day at a Time

Nancy Pelosi might be on to something with this idea of funding the war a couple of months at a time.

In fact, I propose we move to this kind of funding plan for other government policies whose “success” is in doubt or ill-defined. We can pony up a couple months of funding, attach some strings, and put it all under the microscope this summer with a budget axe at the ready. Not just the Iraq war. The War on Drugs, too. Health and Human Services. Campaign money, salaries and amenities for elected officials. Anything you consider pork.

Finally, a Democratic proposal I can really get behind. I’m even willing to suggest that federal education money comes up near the top of the list. It's friggin genius.

But why stop at two months? How about one month at a time, like most of my household expenses? Or even more frequently? We can go daily, like my junk food budget. Hey, I’ve studied Riemann sums. I’ve learned about compound interest. You let the time intervals shrink and the whole thing goes a lot smoother. And isn't that what we want in Iraq? Smoother! Again, it's friggin genius.

I’m on board, Ms. Speaker.

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May 8, 2007

What Limited Government?

Allow me to link BK Marcus on a point worth repeating... libertarians just might not be justified in their fond memories of that "small government conservative" Ronald Reagan. Was he better than the guys who have followed him? Sure. And is that really the point? I'm not sure. Markus links a Jeffrey Tucker article at Mises.Org that makes some points you really should remember when the 2008 GOP candidates embrace Reagan's legacy in their ads and debates.

Saul Friedman quotes Reagan himself, speaking at Oxford in 1992:

Let me tell you of another dream I have…a dream I have long had…Just as the world’s democracies banded together to advance the cause of freedom in the face of totalitarianism, might we not now unite to impose civilized standards of behavior on those who flout every measure of human decency? Are we not nearing a point in world history where civilized nations can in unison stand up to the most immoral and deadly excesses against humanity, such as those now defacing Somalia and Bosnia?

And later in that speech,

As long as military power remains a necessary fact of modern existence, then we should use it as a humanitarian tool…

What exactly did Reagan stand for, again?

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May 7, 2007

Dissing Ron Paul

Via errant AtlasBlogged author Jib Halyard, I learnt that GOP presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) was getting no respect from ABC news after last week’s debate. Jib directs us to Jack Henderson’s blog, where it is noted that

[Paul’s] name wasn’t included in a Web-based check-off “rate the candidates” poll from ABC. And his was the only name left off the list.

This was no accident. Scores of online visitor comments relating to Dr. Paul’s exclusion were deleted, the candidate’s name was still prominently absent hours later, and before long a mini-scandal had made the front page of Digg, Reddit, and other social-networking sites.

(emphasis mine)

As Mr Henderson points out, this was a stupid and pointless thing for ABC to do. It represents exactly why political blogging has become such a big deal, and why talk radio became such a big deal before that. A portion of the American public does care, and we pay attention, which means we will catch this kind of thing and make a fuss about it. And the mainstream media will look biased and inept – exactly as talk radio and blogs have always said they were.

Welcome to the Internet Age, you morons.

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For our Amusement

I just can't imagine what it must be like to live in the area where this happened:

Residents of the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) are wondering how long it will take to remove a disused Boeing 737 that has been abandoned in a busy road.

How long would it take? Only a week. What a clusterf*** this would have been where I come from.

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