Beyond Labels

A 360° Discussion of Foreign, National and Local Policy Issues

11 Dec Notes

Scott’s propeller is at the bottom of the ocean. Scott is not. He was recently seen at our meeting.

I’m putting this at the top: Umeshism. Scott Aaronson is a quantum physicist who defined it in his blog.

The original one:

If you’ve never missed a flight, you’re spending too much time in airports.

Some variants:

If there aren’t loopholes in the tax code, you’re spending too much time closing loopholes.

If there aren’t unintended consequences to a law, you’re spending too much time anticipating consequences.

Article from Cato in 2013

The program’s expenditures have doubled over the last decade, reaching an estimated $144 billion this year.

Area chart linked to data in table format.

From SSI–to 2003

Compared to most other countries:

Bar chart linked to data in table format.

Statistics: from here

A different view from Urban.org

Maxine Taylor, Georgia’s first Licensed Astrologer 

American Federation of Astrologers Certification (Only certified astrologer in Maine)

Salmonella outbreak in 2012

Salmonella in general

2015 E coli outbreak

Chipotle outbreak

CBO forecasting results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Comment

  • Sounds like it’ll be an interesting meeting/discussion. But I found the ‘Airport’ example confused and seriously un-enlightening. As an ice-skater [ in my youth ] I knew if I hadn’t fallen down in a practice, that I hadn’t tried something new. This became a life lesson… buy extra tiles because you’re going to break many learning how to cut them….or expect get bad grades in school, if you’re trying to learn how to think etc. Simple and sturdy front-loading of something new and/or difficult with the expectation i.e. ‘budget’ for ‘failure’….time, emotional, financial etc. But Scott’s maxims mix this lesson with the judgement call/advice about focusing on ‘important’ bits, embedding the assumption that a super important ‘big’ bit will show itself by being hard and lead to failure. Not so, in my experience, or what I know of history, and therefore muddying what I think of as the excellent life-lesson about always front-loading the ‘first time out’ /new with expectations & budgets for failure.


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