The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those talking. The BBC refuses to use the word…
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their…
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated to cobble…
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an incentive change. What matters is…
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a global currency. And then…
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do…
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on course for red route mileage to revert to what it used to be some…
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to verify…
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — or…
China, The EU And Power Over Tech Companies
I just love this confluence. The manner in which Inman, at The Guardian, licks his lips over the power the European Union will – or should – have over Big Tech. As compared to what actually happens with that power over Big Tech when someone has it, as in China. Inman: In the twilight years of the Obama presidency, it seemed that…
How Poor Are The Poor, Really?
From our Swindon Correspondent: I’m a big fan of the comedian Doug Stanhope, and there’s a routine that he once did which is about people’s poverty being their own fault. From Wikiquote If you listen to anyone bitch about the economy for long enough, just let them talk, cuz you’ll eventually hear why it’s…