I’m suspicious of these results. And like most such studies, they’re not properly controlled, and we don’t know if we’re treating a symptom. It may be that the drug does reduce risk, but that the LDL reduction is a side effect, not the reason that the risk is reduced. And notice that there is no mention whatsoever of diet. My LDL is very low since I cut back on carbs.
The Most Common Grammar Mistakes
Wow. I expected to see more sophisticated errors than this. These border on illiteracy, in my opinion. It shows what a disaster the education system is, from K-12 through overpriced college degrees.
The SoCal Superbloom
We’ve been too busy with home improvements on weekends to get out and see it, but the flowers are gorgeous this year.
Commercial Space Habitats
They’re coming in the next decade. And there will be many activities allowed on them that cannot be performed on the ISS.
The Southern Poverty Law Center
It’s the fascist lying hate group that caused the fascist violent rioting at Middlebury College. I hadn’t realized until reading this what a piece of work Morris Dees is.
The Laffer Curve
Yes, there’s more to tax revenue than rates. I think that from an economic growth (and revenue) standpoint, a reduction in regulations would be more effective. I don’t think that most people understand the regulatory cost to the economy. It’s probably trillions.
[Update a while later]
This, on the continuing and growing ignorance of the media, seems related:
The article explained that unlike Egypt or Pakistan, America doesn’t really have a powerful deep state, and to claim that it does “presents apolitical civil servants as partisan agents.”
Give me a break. “Apolitical civil servants”?
A deep state absolutely exists. Some call it “administrative state” or “regulatory state.” These are the people who crush innovation and freedom by issuing hundreds of new rules. Regulators, if they don’t pass new rules, think they’re not doing their jobs.
Even “anti-regulator” President George W. Bush hired 90,000 new regulators. Calling them “nonpartisan” doesn’t make them harmless—it just means we put up with them through multiple administrations.
Even if you exclude the military and post office, more than 20 million Americans work for the government. Because of civil service rules, it’s almost impossible to fire them.
The Times calls these 20 million people “apolitical”. Please. Most are just as partisan as you or I. Maybe more so, as leaks and signs of bureaucratic resistance to presidential edicts demonstrate.
The notion that George W. Bush was an anti-regulator is ludicrous.
Sorry, Saudis
You have lost control of the oil market, probably permanently. Boo hoo.
[Monday-morning update]
OPEC’s cuts are treading water. “The simplified version is that U.S. oil production is reaching a point where OPEC can choose to sell 100 barrels at $50, or 125 barrels at $40. They can choose between higher profit margins or larger market share, but the days of having both are over for now.”
Trump’s NASA Proposal
Loren Grush has the details.
This is just a proposal; as she notes, Culberson is likely to restore the Europa lander. And in general, the White House proposes, and Congress disposes. What really matters is what gets appropriated.
The worst thing about the NASA budget proposal is that SLS/Orion survive. https://t.co/rAXed575QU
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) March 17, 2017
Shared Risk
No, that’s not how insurance works. The word “insurance” has lost all meaning in the context of the health-care debate.
But this raises another issue. I’ve been seeing stories that insurance companies are factoring “climate change” into their premiums. These people have real skin in the climate game, and I’m wondering if they’re taking the “climate scientists” too seriously, and creating a market opportunity for an insurer who doesn’t buy the nonsense?
The Real Expanse
Thoughts on the worthwhile difficulties of settling space.