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Treatment of the Returning Iraq War Veteran from the VA Clinic’s Handbook Josef I. Ruzek,PhD,Erika Curran,MSW,Matthew J. Friedman,MD,PhD,Fred D. Gusman,MSW,Steven M. Southwick,MD,Pamela Swales,PhD,Robyn D. Walser,PhD,Patricia J. Watson,PhD,and Julia Whealin,PhD From Chapter 4,Iraq War Clinician Guide. In this section from the Iraq War Clinician Guide,we discuss treatment of Veterans recently evacuated due to combat or war stress who are brought to the VA for mental health care,and Iraq War Veterans seeking mental health care at VA medical centers and Vet Centers. This section complements discussion of special topics (e.g.,treatment of medical casualties,identification and management of PTSD in the primary care setting,issues in caring for Veterans who have been sexually assaulted,traumatic bereavement) that are addressed in other sections of this Guide. It is important that VA and Vet Center clinicians recognize that the skills and experience that they have developed in working with Veterans with chronic PTSD will serve them well with those returning from the Iraq War. Their experience in talking about trauma,educating patients and families about traumatic stress reactions,teaching skills of anxiety and anger management,facilitating mutual support among groups of Veterans,and working with trauma-related guilt,will all be useful and applicable. Here,we highlight some challenges for clinicians,discuss ways in which care of these Veterans may differ from our usual contexts of care,and direct attention to particular methods and materials that may be relevant to the care of the Veteran recently traumatized in war. Continue reading Treatment of returning war veterans
(by Richard @ Bizmarts –May 2012) Since this is the beginning of Summer,we are being treated to another episode of the Windows Passion Play;wherein Microsoft will attempt to present in ad and print an impression of a highly innovate product being offered to a horde of desperate techies standing in a line around the block to get their hands on MS Corp’s latest O/S jewel. Nothing could be further from the truth. The overwhelming bulk of O/S’es in use in Western Civ is Windows XP. Only in large corporate entities has it been superseded by Windows 7 as a client O/S. Vista was ignored by most users as was ME several years earlier,since both were simply point upgrades to what preceded them. The cost and complexity of “upgrading”to Windows 7 for existing computers makes it an untenable replacement. There is in fact no evidence whatsoever that any appreciable number of users are looking forward to the pending arrival of Windows 8. Quite the contrary,since it is likely Microsoft will take its release as a justification for discontinuing support of XP. In addition,the market for desktop computers has contracted sharply recently,in fact,HP and Dell have both shown disappointing first quarter sales,especially for desktop machines. Continue reading Windows –the “Swiss Cheese”of O/S’es
different perspectives for students,and teachers…Post by: zuzu_ on February 19,2009,03:31:50 PM
It seems to me like over past 2-3 years,I’m having TONS of combat vets in the classroom. I am at a rural Community College,but it is not a big military area or anything. I would say this semester that close to 10% of my students fall into this category.When I teach composition,the issue comes up because I assign a personal narrative,and I will also allow them to write other more formal papers about topics of interest to them. Many vets choose to write about their military knowledge and experiences.A few weeks ago,I found myself trying to encourage a vet to make the Iraqi detainees rounder characters in his narrative. I also teach a general “Intro to Lit”course,in which I’ve always included some “war literature,”so it comes up in discussion there as well. A few minutes ago,a normally very stoic student came into my office to let me know he would be missing class next week because one of his former combat buddies just offed himself. I offered sympathy,and he mentioned that it brought back some memories of other stuff in Iraq. He sat there quietly,and I sensed that he kind of wanted to talk,so asked him,“Like what?”He sat there silent for a full minute before I said,“you don’t have to tell me,”and then he briefly summed up how he had found another buddy who offed himself. Anyway,I am certainly not qualified to counsel these students,and I don’t intend to make it my business. But I was wondering if anyone has some strategies for dealing with recent combat vets in these types of circumstances. I feel so ignorant in many ways because I have no experience with this,and none of my friends or family are military people. In some sense,it is hard to feel like the authority when teaching these students how to write or think about war.
.. Continue reading Vets in the classroom
Note:These articles were written a few years ago,and detail the autocratic, punitive,disruptive,and extra-legal lengths Microsoft will go to “protect”their products,and maintain a stranglehold on PC operating system software. (the full PDF version of F.W. van Wensveen’s highly regarded work:“Why I Hate Microsoft”is available for download here.) <————————————-> From 2010:(my comment) Microsoft speaks of their WGA program first whenever the discussion comes around to privacy,but WGA has nothing to do with the sanctity of user information accessible to Microsoft during the “Update”routine,or when a user runs a standard Microsoft application. MS Silverlight,IE,WGA,and the Update function can provide information similar to that provided by Belarc Advisor back to Microsoft –not only to detect and deter mischievous or malevolent software,but for competitive business advantages. They can obtain detailed application registration and usage information which can be utilized in marketing and sales;as well as to exert pressure on entities who do not play by Microsoft’s rules. They can reward –or create problems for,component manufacturers. They can gain significant business decision data from end-user machines. They can pass on information to second parties to be used at trial or at hearings concerning any presumed violations of EULA’s,registration,access,or use of products and services. And they can remove support for any software,at almost any time,without recourse by the end-user or the developer. In the past they have bought technology companies to kill off their products. They have given away software at no charge to kill off competing software. They have adopted,then amended standards to their advantage while damaging the original standard. And still,after twenty six years,and six years of effort,Microsoft Windows is still insecure,buggy,and prone to malware attacks. In April 2010: “Microsoft has released a total of 11 security bulletins addressing 25 security vulnerabilities for this month’s Patch Tuesday,which will take place on April 13. In this round,five of the bulletins were rated as “critical”and are related to components within Windows. <————————————-> From 2010 and before: (Excerpt from the full posting: http://www.vanwensveen.nl/rants/microsoft/IhateMS.html) 5. Bad practice,foul play “The greatest joy a man can know is to conquer his enemies and drive them before him. To ride their horses and take away their possessions. To see the faces of those who were dear to them bedewed with tears,and to clasp their wives and daughters to his arms.” – Genghis Khan Continue reading From the archives:Microsoft is evil –or “Why I Hate Microsoft”
via Business Week By Brian Womack on May 24,2012 Google Inc. (GOOG) ( GOOG),owner of the world’s most popular Internet search engine,said a new report shows that Microsoft (MSFT) ( MSFT) Corp. makes the most requests among copyright owners to remove content from Google’s search service. Microsoft,or others on its behalf,has requested more than 2.5 million Web pages,or URLs,be removed because of copyright infringement,while Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) (CMCSA)’s NBCUniversal was No. 2 with almost 1 million,according to data released by Google that measured all requests going back to 2011. Member companies of the Recording Industry Association of America,including EMI Music North America,was No. 3 with more than 400,000 requests. Continue reading Google Says Microsoft Leads Requests for Content Removal
Lady Gaga’s Asian tour has generated publicity and often controversy at nearly every stop. Bloomberg News,May 2012 In Seoul,fans younger than 18 were banned from Lady Gaga’s “Born this way”concerts after Christian groups complained that her lyrics and costumes were too sexually provocative. It remains unclear if her June 3 show in Jakarta will take place after Muslim hard-liners threatened violence. Indonesian police initially denied a permit but later hinted the show could go on if she tones it down. Not a chance,said her manager Troy Carter,who told the Straits Times in Singapore on Friday that Lady Gaga “plays the show as it is”and has no plan to self-censor. Hurrah! Note:This is one of the best ways to address the religious hard-liners:by showing everyone,especially the younger generation,that strict adherence to 2000 year old dogma is out of place in the modern world. <————————————-> Update:May 27th,2012 NINIEK KARMINI,Associated Press - Updated 10:09 a.m.,Sunday,May 27,2012JAKARTA,Indonesia (AP) — Lady Gaga canceled her sold-out show in Indonesia after Islamist hard-liners threatened violence,claiming her sexy clothes and provocative dance moves would corrupt the youth. The controversy was a blow to the predominantly Muslim country’s reputation for combining free speech and democracy with a mostly moderate brand of the faith. Continue reading Lady Gaga ‘play the show as it is’?
By Henry Leineweber,Resource Recycling –May 24th,2012 Federal Prison Industries,Inc.,better known as UNICOR,is once again facing a lawsuit regarding worker safety and environmental standards at its electronics recycling operations. UNICOR,which operates an inmate work program at federal corrections facilities,has been processing electronic scrap for nearly two decades. The suits allege that improper material handling,storage,safety and general working conditions exposed inmates and workers to toxic levels of heavy metals,which have resulted in a range of health problems. Two lawsuits have been filed in Panama City,Florida,U.S. District Court – one on behalf of 82 current and former UNICOR employees and one on behalf of 83 family members. A suit representing inmates has not been filed. This is not the first time grievances have been filed against the company. Similar lawsuits were dismissed as recently as recently as 2009 and 2010. Additionally,the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General released a highly critical report of UNICOR’s e-scrap operations in 2010. To UNICOR’s credit,the suits allege the majority of infractions took place before major EH&S improvements began to be implemented in 2003. Since then,UNICOR has continued efforts to clean up its operations,recently announcing that seven of its facilities had successfully achieved R2 certification.
The Good News and the Bad News About Public Colleges - MAY 24 2012 by Laura McKenna Last week’s New York Times article on student loan debt showed that students from state colleges had lower debt burdens than private college students. Tuition was half the price of private schools. (Please play with the Times’ interactive graph.) That’s the good news. The Times also reports that all public colleges have been getting more selective,as students are priced out of private schools. Across the country,the most selective public colleges have been growing more so for decades,with many of them seeing a notable shift in the past few years. The share of entering freshmen who were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes rose to 73 percent last fall from 69 percent in 2007 at the University of Texas at Austin,to 57 percent from 49 percent at Binghamton University and to 80 percent from 76 percent at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,to name a few.
So,smart students are deciding to forgo expensive private school tuition and limiting their student loan burden. That’s good news,too. The bad news is that a growing number of faculty at state or public colleges are adjunct instructors. Adjuncts are temporary faculty members who teach classes for low pay,no benefits. They do not have the protections of tenure. They are often not unionized. 1 million of the 1.5 million people teaching in American colleges are adjuncts. The number of adjunct faculty has increased dramatically over time. LinkedIn reports that it is the fastest growing job description. Continue reading College Ed:Good News &Bad
In her April 2012 column,Megan McArdle outlined how achieving economic growth will be tough, because no European country has a fertility rate high enough to replace its current population. In reply Andrew L Mack, from New Florence, PA wrote: “Megan McArdle clearly lays out demographics as one reason that economic growth is unsustainable. She then drops the ball magnificently when she says: “is strong growth still possible once the demographic dividend has been paid out?”Rather than run with a hard truth,she copped out with another unsubstantiated quote: “-of course it is,at least in theory.” Perpetual strong economic growth is not possible,not even in theory,unless you perform the contortionist group-think of the policymakers who brought us the current mess. Continual growth relies on a growing population,as Ms. McArdle adroitly explains. But it also is depends on unlimited and cheap resources,free waste disposal into our air and water,relentlessly longer hours at work,paid and unpaid,at the expense of leisure time,and even greater waste. Inefficient and obsolete products drive growth,as do canny marketers who persuade people to borrow money to buy even more unnecessary crap. Continued growth depends on borrowing,both as formal loans,and through a plethora of investment and bond mechanisms. Most individuals,businesses,and governments within mature economies are now growing only thanks to borrowed money. To an ecologist like myself,trained to understand what brings stability to ecosystems,it is apparent the model of continued growth in economic systems is inherently unstable. What we are seeing in southern Europe,and the US recession,and in cycles of banking and market failures of increasing severity and frequency are the unavoidable consequences of a system chasing the myths of perpetual growth. Until the global economy can more closely mimic a steady-state system similar to a stable ecosystem,the world will continue to see more problems as described by Ms. McArdle.”
To which Megan McArdle replied: “Whether or not continuous economic growth is possible,or desirable,the fact remains that modern economics are predicated on the assumption that it will happen here. Both individuals and governments are planned for a future in which incomes steadily rise,allowing people to enjoy lengthy retirements,advanced healthcare,independent living,and of course,repayment of the massive debts that almost everyone has accumulated over the past few decades. If that growth doesn’t materialize,the shock will be enormous. Generational battles over things like pensions have occurred in the context of rising incomes:they will become bitter indeed if young and old are fighting over a shrinking economic pie. The most brutal shock will of course be over debt. If incomes fall,that will become an ever larger burden. But if countries default,they will merely shift the shock to someone else –too often to pensioners at home or abroad. However laudable Europe’s demographic decline may be from an environmental point of view,it will be an economic disaster for many who expected a stable,prosperous future.”
In the April 2012 edition of The Atlantic,Roger Lowenstein writes:“In the time of Nicholas Biddle,and even during the formative years of the Fed,banknotes,being liabilities,could be redeemed for something of value,usually gold. Now our dollars are exchangeable only for more dollars. This perpetuates a falsehood. The monetary value of any commodity is arbitrary. Gold has no more intrinsic values than a pocketful of any sort of paper,except for its ability to be forged into something useful or decorative,and even these artifacts are worth only what someone is willing to pay for them. At this time,in this country,an ounce of gold is worth a great big pile of dollars just because we have agreed that it is. When I was a child it was worth $35. Tomorrow it could be worth nothing;all we have to do is change our minds. The invention of Fiat currency was certainly based to some extent on understanding this,plus the fact that by concentrating upon this agreement itself,instead of upon some fictitious “real value”,the currency gains the ability to expand or contract as it needs to without any reference to such a base. Fiat currency has become as important to modern economics is Darwin’s work is to modern biology,or Einstein’s to modern physics. In practice,it runs into trouble only when the underlying agreement is stressed beyond its comfort zone and the currency becomes either overvalued as in a recession or undervalued as in inflation. However,I think we can agree that reestablishing confidence in the currency,however difficult,it is always easier than increasing the amount of gold on hand.
- William D. Owen –Pasadena,CA -
Note:Every day we see another article in the media about the positive signs in the economy;from the decline in the number of new unemployment claims,to a decline in the number of new foreclosures, to the claims that the world economy as a whole can expect another year of strong growth,to the reported rebound in stock prices,or that the U.S. can expect a real GDP growth of 4% by mid-2012. Pardon my French,but this is bullshit –this macro-economic blather is meaningless drivel from the perspective of individual citizens. Home prices continue to fall nationwide,small business loans are back to 2004-2005 levels,credit card companies and banks are continuing to raise interest rates and fees. Food,fuel,clothing,health care,and service charges escalate daily. Fees and provisions from utilities and large-scale service providers are up to and beyond rates considered immoral,or illegal in other times. In the banking industry,55% of bank securities are still in the form of mortgages,there has been a decline of 25% in the number of FDIC insured banks in America while the total value of assets held by these banks almost doubled. Which means increasing difficulty for small businesses to borrow,and small neighborhood banks and credit unions to survive. Just yesterday,two more Georgia banks failed and were taken over by the FDIC. Evidence supports the observation that personal income for over 80% of Americans has actually declined over the past decade,even without the mortgage fueled depression of 2007-20xx. The typical small investor and home owner experienced a loss of 31% of their net worth since 2007,and yet the half empty/half full glass chimera is still a viable public stance of politicians,and those who benefited from the housing bubble collapse. Over 20 million citizens are unemployed,with at least another 10 million underemployed. The average hourly earnings for all nonfarm employees in March 2011 was $22.87 with a norm of 34.3 hours worked per week,which comes to a gross of $784.00 per week. Subtracting payroll and withholding costs,these workers take home about $30k/yr. Comparing this to the “take home”from previous decades in actual buying power,after adjusting for inflation,demonstrates clearly that over 70% in the middle economic distribution are doing worse financially than at almost any time in our recent history. So what can you or I do to deal with this issue? Well,the number one thing you -should- do is to not take this as a minor issue that only affects others. It affects everyone. No-one can afford to be nonchalant about the fallout when the full repercussion of the Worldwide financial meltdown reaches the tipping point,or comes home to roost where one lives. Acting as if “this will all be over soon and we’ll be back to normal”is the height of naivety. It’s way past time to make some changes to deal with the present and future elements of your finances,and social condition. Right off the bat:get your service fees readjusted. First,call your credit card company and ask politely for a lowering of your APR on your credit balance. Remind the agent that in your opinion,your rate is higher than is justified,and you want it adjusted to a better rate,or failing that,you want to know the payout amount required to transfer your balance to another credit provider,whether or not another provider exists. Just this alone will help in several ways. And most likely your APR rate will be reduced,or at minimum the miscellaneous fees charged to your account will not be higher than charged to most other customers. Second,consider all those attachments to your income stream. Do you really need all the auto-deducts from your income,and at their present levels? I will argue it is silly to ignore the automatic monthly payments you make,for water/sewage,electrical power,mortgages and rents,land line phones,cell phone and Internet connections,since every dollar you don’t spend is one less dollar you need to earn to be in the same relative position. Again,the mindset one adopts toward controlling excessive personal spending is highly beneficial as a social virtue,and incidentally is a common feature of wealthier individuals. Scrooge was initially portrayed as dysfunctional;but he could pay his bills,and those of many others too if he chose to do so. If you can’t pay your bills the world becomes a rather unpleasant place. Plus it’s bad for your physical and mental health. Americans in general are incredibly rich. The majority of Earth’s inhabitants live on a small portion of Global annual output compared to the profligacy of the average U.S. citizen. We throw away more food from our refrigerators than many others can obtain in any condition. Food is another area ripe for intercession. Looking at the typical grocery store reveals about twenty aisles:1-2 for produce,1-2 for meats,1-2 for dairy,1 for baked goods,1 for dietary go-withs like pasta,and rice. All these are fundamentally necessary;but what about the other 10-12 aisles? Stuff…and other stuff as an adjunct to the stuff itself! Prepackaged goop your body would be much better off by never coming in contact with. Junk that catches your eye because you saw it on TV –so you toss it in the buggy –but why? Are you buying something necessary or useful for yourself or your family,or are you buying it as a result of conditioning or advertising? Not spending money foolishly is only part of the micro-economic issue…an equal component is what you do with the funds you didn’t waste. Just ignoring the savings and not doing something with it means you will not fully appreciate your efforts. Unfortunately the Banking industry is of little use for micro-finance. They want nothing to do with the dollar you saved here,the five dollars from there. Even if you add to the figurative piggy bank for a year to deposit in a “savings account”or Certificate of Deposit,the buying power of the savings,minus fees paid to the Bank,will be less than the NPV of the money when you saved it. This factor alone is partially why we have such a dismal savings rate. The typical family pays more for home entertainment annually than what they save or invest. Financial institutions give you 1-2% APR on deposits,loan that out via credit cards at 14-24% and build glass and marble cathedrals to their skill as financial managers. The huge disparity between the numbers of participants,and their resources obey the principle best expressed by Willie Sutton. Back in the 1950 and early 60′s,Bank Savings Accounts paid roughly 4-5% annual interest –but there were no credit cards for most individuals. What has happened in the past half century is a substitution of credit for actual cash,with the attendant decline in the real value of cash. Companies are prohibited by legal means of offering a discount for purchasers who pay in cash rather than credit at the consumer level –but not in high finance. Service fees rise at least partially due to the “overhead”associated with handling credit transactions,and the base purchase price is higher as well to compensate. With the ever increasing dominance of large firms in the marketplace,to the active monopoly power many firms have,individual consumers have little to no bargaining power –except again,at the higher levels of purchasing activity. So what avenue is available for individuals in micro-finance? One that -should- is for the USPS to sell a “Stamp Security”–a kind of S&H Green Stamp for the modern world,which would not only address the savings issue;but keep the Postal Service in the “Black”without having to resort to continuous fee increases on private mail. The chances of this happening in the current mode are probably nil –not because it’s a bad idea;but rather because of the power of those who would be opposed to such a mechanism. The US Postal Service has the facilities,they have the equipment,and they have the resources currently available to make this option available on very short notice,without the need for major changes. Unlike a private entity,such a program would have the “full faith and trust”of the U.S. Government. Money deposited by purchase of the “Stamps”could be used for worthwhile national infrastructure programs,a reasonable rate of return could be paid to buyers,and it avoids any issue with “the Government taking over Banks”. In addition,the USPS is already doing this –to a limited degree as evidenced by “Stamp Collections”.
As immigration into the U.S. slows,the 2010 census shows that birthrates of racial and ethnic minorities are overtaking those of whites,with nonwhites making up more than half of all births today. —ARK Associated Press via The Guardian: As a whole,America’s minority ethnic population continues to rise,following a higher than expected levels of Hispanic people in the 2010 census. Minority ethnic populations increased 1.9% to 114.1 million,or 36.6% of the total population,lifted by prior waves of immigration that brought in young families and boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years. But a recent slowdown in the growth of the Hispanic and Asian populations is shifting forecasts of when non-Hispanic white people are likely to become a minority. With 2010 census results suggesting this could happen as early as 2040,demographers now believe the pivotal moment may be pushed back several years in the light of new projections to be released in December. The annual growth rates for Hispanic and Asian populations fell sharply last year to just over 2%,roughly half the rates in 2000 and the lowest in more than a decade. Among black people,the growth rate stayed flat at 1%.
Ehrenreich:How Corporations and Local Governments Rob the Poor Blind By Barbara Ehrenreich,TomDispatch.com
Posted on May 17,2012,Printed on May 23,2012Individually the poor are not too tempting to thieves,for obvious reasons. Mug a banker and you might score a wallet containing a month’s rent. Mug a janitor and you will be lucky to get away with bus fare to flee the crime scene. But as Business Week helpfully pointed out in 2007,the poor in aggregate provide a juicy target for anyone depraved enough to make a business of stealing from them. The trick is to rob them in ways that are systematic,impersonal,and almost impossible to trace to individual perpetrators. Employers,for example,can simply program their computers to shave a few dollars off each paycheck,or they can require workers to show up 30 minutes or more before the time clock starts ticking. Lenders,including major credit companies as well as payday lenders,have taken over the traditional role of the street-corner loan shark,charging the poor insanely high rates of interest. When supplemented with late fees (themselves subject to interest),the resulting effective interest rate can be as high as 600% a year,which is perfectly legal in many states. It’s not just the private sector that’s preying on the poor. Local governments are discovering that they can partially make up for declining tax revenues through fines,fees,and other costs imposed on indigent defendants,often for crimes no more dastardly than driving with a suspended license. And if that seems like an inefficient way to make money,given the high cost of locking people up,a growing number of jurisdictions have taken to charging defendants for their court costs and even the price of occupying a jail cell. Continue reading Ehrenreich:How Corporations and Local Governments Rob the Poor Blind
The Mindboggling Sum We Actually Spend on National Security By Chris Hellman and Mattea Kramer,TomDispatch.com
Posted on May 22,2012,Printed on May 23,2012Recent months have seen a flurry of headlines about cuts (often called “threats”) to the U.S. defense budget. Last week,lawmakers in the House of Representatives even passed a bill that was meant to spare national security spending from future cuts by reducing school-lunch funding and other social programs. Here,then,is a simple question that,for some curious reason,no one bothers to ask,no less answer:How much are we spending on national security these days? With major wars winding down,has Washington already cut such spending so close to the bone that further reductions would be perilous to our safety? In fact,with projected cuts added in,the national security budget in fiscal 2013 will be nearly $1 trillion —$3,200 per person for every man,woman,and child in America –a staggering enough sum that it’s worth taking a walk through the maze of the national security budget to see just where that money’s lodged. Continue reading $1 Trillion in 2013…for “National Defense”
Yeah,we told you so! This just in…At $34 a share,Facebook has a price-to-earnings ratio,a measure of how expensive or cheap a stock is,of about 85 times projected earnings for the next 12 months, according to CapitalIQ. By comparison, Google Inc. GOOG -2.17% trades at 13 times earnings. Google’s click-through rate has been independently confirmed –Facebook has never revealed their rate. Neutral analysts assign Facebook a click-through rate of less than 1 in 17,000 views compared with Google’s at 1.x in 100. Google has a proven record of generating the majority of their operating income from the sale of advertising –Facebook cannot,the bulk of their income comes from ‘investors’who see the 864 million user figure and -assume- FB will be able to convert that into an income stream. Along with others,we don’t think so. By years-end,we believe FB stock will be in the mid-teens. Come taunt me if this doesn’t come true.
 Tthe U.S. government has charged ahead with development programs such as building dozens of schools and clinics that are so poorly built that they might not withstand a serious earthquake. | USAID / MCT/MCT Marisa Taylor and Dion Nissenbaum | McClatchy NewspapersKABUL,Afghanistan — For years,U.S. officials held up Kabul’s largest power plant project as a shining example of how American taxpayers’dollars would pull Afghanistan out of grinding poverty and decades of demoralizing conflict. But behind the scenes,the same officials were voicing outrage over the slow pace of the project and its skyrocketing costs. The problems were so numerous that one company official told the U.S. government that he’d understand if the contract were canceled. “We are discouraged and exhausted with the continued flow of bad information,”one U.S. official complained in an internal memo that McClatchy obtained. “This is a huge example of poor performance on an extremely important development project.” Despite expressing serious misgivings in internal memos and meetings,the U.S. agency that was overseeing the project more than doubled the plant’s budget. Welcome to Afghan aid,American-style. In the rush to rebuild Afghanistan,the U.S. government has charged ahead with ever-expanding development programs despite questions about their impact,cost and value to America’s multi-billion-dollar campaign to shore up the pro-Western Afghan president and prevent Taliban insurgents from seizing control. The well-intentioned campaign comes at a high cost — and not only to American taxpayers. An approach that experts denounce as ad hoc and politicized has led to programs with mixed,if not poor,results and has soured many Afghans on the U.S. military’s presence in their country,even as the Obama administration is banking on their support. Continue reading Afghanistan ‘reconstruction’:bad news over,and over,and over again
House Republicans don’t allow vote forcing Administration to stick to Afghanistan timetable Posted by: CNN Senior Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh -May 18th,2012 Washington (CNN) –House Republicans pulled the plug on a vote Thursday on a bipartisan amendment to a defense bill that would force the Obama administration to stick firmly to its timetable for getting U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. Republicans were concerned the amendment could pass,according to two GOP congressional sources. Instead,GOP members decided to allow limited debate on Afghanistan,but just on one amendment sponsored by California Democrat Barbara Lee that was guaranteed to fail. It would essentially end the war in Afghanistan by limiting funding to the “safe and orderly withdrawal”of U.S. troops. Continue reading House Republicans are at it again –with the “National Defense Authorization Act of 2012″
By PAUL KRUGMAN –May 20,2012 –N.Y. Times Op-Ed Sometimes it’s hard to explain why we need strong financial regulation — especially in an era saturated with pro-business,pro-market propaganda. So we should always be grateful when someone makes the case for regulation more compelling and easier to understand. And this week,that means offering a special shout-out to two men:Jamie Dimon and Mitt Romney. I’ll come back shortly to the troubles at JPMorgan Chase,the bank Mr. Dimon runs. First,however,let me talk about Mr. Romney,whose remarks about those troubles were so off-point that they constitute a teachable moment. Here’s what the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said about JPMorgan’s $2 billion loss (which may actually have been $3 billion,or $5 billion,or more,but who’s counting?):“This was a loss to shareholders and owners of JPMorgan and that’s the way America works. Some people experienced a loss in this case because of a bad decision. By the way,there was someone who made a gain.” Continue reading Dimon’s Déjà Vu Debacle
Note:There are a lot of system utilities available for Windows,and they are sorely needed. Microsoft’s “kitchen sink”operating systems are replete with myriad components that serve purposes other than what a user wants,or needs. Today I was introduced to one of the best freeware utility application I have come across in twenty years of working with computers: I guarantee you will absolutely love this program,and what it is capable of doing. ps:I have never,ever bragged about anything like this before.
Belmont - June 9,1973 ~ Belmont Stakes ~1 ½ mile ~ Belmont Park Secretariat raced into the ever glow of immortality in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. His victory,by one of the widest margins in the history of the American turf – 31 lengths ahead of his nearest challenger and in a world record time for the 1 1/2 miles distance – 2 minutes 24,remains one of the most memorable in sports history. At any moment,a racing fan who might have seen a thousand races,or ten thousand races,or just ten races,can think of those winning numbers 31 and 2:24 and be transported instantly back in time. Back to one of the landmark achievements of a sport as old as horse and man. Continue reading Secretariat –Belmont Stakes 1973 –1.5 miles –won by 31 lengths –in 2:24 –Triple Crown Winner
Instead of trying to save $1 million using traditional financial tools,suppose you decided to save physical items,like precious and semi-precious stones and metals. Obviously you wouldn’t want to try and save physical items that are prone to decay like iron or wood. What about the quantity of “stuff”you’d have had to save annually over the past fifty years to have a current net value of $1 million? | Item | Value Per Weight | Lbs to Save Annually | | 1 Carat VS F Color Diamond –Wholesale | $10,925 per carat | 0 | | Gold Bullion | $1,587 per ounce | 1 | | Scrap Sterling Silver | $28 per ounce pure | 53 | | PET Bottle Scrap | $20 per kilogram | 2200 | | Scrap#1 Copper | $2.95 per pound | 6780 | | Scrap #1 Aluminum | $53 cents per pound | 37736 | | Scrap Stainless Steel | $36 cents per pound | 55556 | | Coal | $60 per short ton | 666667 |
Thus,the issues become a lot clearer about what’s involved with saving scrap to make your million!
The post-war period saw an average increase of approximately 660%,(6.6 times), in the cost of many items for American consumers,with significant differences in certain items. | Item | 1960 | 2010 | Rate | | Gallon of Milk | $0.49 | $3.67 | 7.5 | | Gallon of Gas | $0.31 | $3.67 | 11.8 | | Gold Per Ounce | $36.00 | $1,500.00 | 41.7 | | 5# Bag of Sugar | $0.45 | $11.50 | 25.6 | | Bushel of Corn | $0.98 | $6.38 | 6.5 | | Hershey Bar | $0.05 | $1.00 | 20.0 | | First Class Stamp | $0.04 | $0.42 | 10.5 | | Minimum Wage | $1.25 | $8.25 | 6.6 | | Avg. Per Capita Income | $5,315.00 | $40,065.00 | 7.5 | | Nat. Avg. New House | $12,700.00 | $221,800.00 | 17.5 | | UG Tuition @ UGA | $195.00 | $4,500.00 | 23.1 | | UG Tuition @ Harvard | $1,520.00 | $10,756.00 | 7.1 | | New Car:4dr Sedan | $2,600.00 | $31,500.00 | 12.1 | | Porsche Roadster | $4,200.00 | $90,000.00 | 21.4 | | Monthly SS Payment | $81.73 | $1,149.35 | 14.1 | | Ton of Copper – AVG | $713.00 | $6,600.00 | 9.3 | | NFDA Funeral | $708.00 | $6,760.00 | 9.5 | | 1 Carat D Loupe Diamond | $2,700.00 | $25,125.00 | 9.3 | | Avg. Multiple for Period | | | 6.6 |
Note especially the sky-high rate for gold,but also for a bag of sugar. One significant decline in that fifty year period,has been the deposit interest rate,the return on funds deposited in a commercial savings bank in the United States:from an average of 4.18% in 1960 to an average of less than 1% in 2010. However,this rate hides a stark reality…in 2010 many industrialized countries of the world,such as Australia,still paid over 4%. Current rates in the UK and China are both over 3.5%,whereas in countries with more economic risk,the rates can be in the mid-teens. The average effective after-tax yield on money market,mutual funds,and IRA accounts is not a whole lot better. The prospect of an average working person in the U.S. becoming a millionaire based on savings alone is almost zero. Do the math:assume 28% tax bracket,50 years of savings,7.5% annual depreciation in the value of money,how much would a “Baby-Boomer”from 1945-1960 have had to deposit annually into an interest bearing account to accumulate $1m at retirement? Then convert the value of monies paid in into current NPV dollars,and see what the actual yield was for that “investment”. The actual value of money paid in,to the actual value of money received at retirement. Is it anything close to 6.6 times?Check the IRR of an income stream <————————————-> An example: Time to $1 Million Net Egg - Annual rate of interest:8%
- Federal Tax bracket:28%
- State Tax bracket:6%
- Annual payment into account:$6,000 per year
- Time to $1 Million adjusted for inflation –57 years and 2 months
 If there is a more tiresome phrase in the modern political lexicon than the one that cautions people “not to go there,”I know not what it is. I have been watching the rise of movement conservatism,and the resultant radicalization of the Republican party,for going on 30 years now,all the way back to the NCPAC campaigns run against people like George McGovern and Frank Church by that nasty closet-case Terry Dolan,and my experience tells me that they will always “go there”and,by degrees,they will take us all “there”with them,and,gradually,what seemed extreme will become mainstream. They first “went there”when Harry Dent told them they could win elections by energizing the inchoate rage of crumbling American apartheid. They gay-baited Tom Foley when he was Speaker. The Willie Horton commercial is now remembered mainly as an effective tactic,and not as the piece of racist slime that it always was. They managed to get the respectable press chasing down the most lunatic fake scandals regarding the Clintons,and birtherism had a longer run than it would have had in any political context that was in any way sane. Alex Castellanos conjures up the “Hands”ad to gin up racist anger against Harvey Gantt and in favor of the inexcusable Jesse Helms,and now Castellanos is a respectable commentator on CNN.They always “go there.”They can’t help themselves.And now,of course,thanks to Chief Justice John Roberts,who slid through his confirmation hearings because the Democrats chickened out on the filibuster,and the Citizens United decision,they can “go there”in luxury. The whole system is now rigged so that gozillionnaires,anonymous and otherwise,can purchase a private pipeline to pump as much raw sewage as they can into our elections. They look at democracy as just another bit of the landscape they can despoil. “Go there”? These people live “there.”They got rich “there.”Wherever “there”is in regard to a politician,they find inconvenient to their divine right to rule the country for their own profit,they will set up shop,and the rest of the political process will follow them “there”because the process is so corrupt it can’t function anywhere else. Continue reading Another billionaire willing to fund a political smear campaign
Ernest Callenbach,author of the classic environmental novel “Ecotopia”among other works,founded and edited the internationally known journal Film Quarterly. He died at 83 on April 16th,leaving behind this document on his computer. <————————————-> Epistle to the Ecotopians
By Ernest Callenbach “To all brothers and sisters who hold the dream in their hearts of a future world in which humans and all other beings live in harmony and mutual support—a world of sustainability,stability,and confidence. A world something like the one I described,so long ago,in Ecotopia and Ecotopia Emerging. As I survey my life,which is coming near its end,I want to set down a few thoughts that might be useful to those coming after. It will soon be time for me to give back to Gaia the nutrients that I have used during a long,busy,and happy life. I am not bitter or resentful at the approaching end;I have been one of the extraordinarily lucky ones. So it behooves me here to gather together some thoughts and attitudes that may prove useful in the dark times we are facing:a century or more of exceedingly difficult times. Continue reading Last words:“Epistle to the Ecotopians ”–Ernest Callenback –(1929-2012)
Chill out man:climate change and the future of marijuana Moving to California,I learned quickly that everyone smokes pot here. Everywhere. All the time. People smoke openly on their porches,walking down the street,even pulling their cars onto the highway (a little scary). Our favorite bar doesn’t have a reserved area for cigarette smokers outside (cigarettes are so bad for you!!),but they have a reserved area for pot smoking (not official and not legal,of course). Taking a bike ride through Oakland on a Friday afternoon takes you through one sweet smelling cloud to the next…to the next…to the next,for nearly 8 miles. It has become as normalized here as a cup of morning coffee. As a beloved plant,that society appears to worship,there is a wealth information out there about it. Unfortunately,as a plant whose main side effects are the munchies and watching Adult Swim,the research is not so good. Continue reading The future’s better in some ways…
‘LOSING YOURSELF’ IN A FICTIONAL CHARACTER CAN AFFECT YOUR REAL LIFE (via Science Blog –May 2012) “When you “lose yourself” inside the world of a fictional character while reading a story,you may actually end up changing your own behavior and thoughts to match that of the character,a new study suggests. Researchers at Ohio State University examined what happened to people who,while reading a fictional story,found themselves feeling the emotions,thoughts,beliefs and internal responses of one of the characters as if they were their own – a phenomenon the researchers call “experience-taking.” They found that,in the right situations,experience-taking may lead to real changes,if only temporary,in the lives of readers. Continue reading Why reading fiction matters –extended reasons
Melinda Gates wants family planning back on the global agendaBy Lisa Hymas 
Melinda Gates has big plans. (Photo by World Economic Forum) Can Melinda Gates do for family planning what Al Gore did for climate change? Gates has decided to make birth control her signature issue. “My goal is to get this back on the global agenda,” she tells Newsweek. As co-chair of the richest foundation in the world,she might actually be able to do it. The contraceptive cause could certainly use a high-profile advocate: 215 million women [PDF] around the world want to avoid pregnancy but aren’t currently using modern birth control. As Gates explained last month during a TEDxChange presentation on family planning,“This is a life-and-death crisis. Every year,100,000 women who don’t want to be pregnant die in childbirth. About 600,000 women who don’t want to be pregnant give birth to a baby who dies in her first month of life. I know everybody wants to save these mothers and babies.” That TEDx talk was Gates’ coming-out moment as a family-planning champion: 
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded family-planning projects since its inception in 1999,but it hasn’t been a major focus until now. Melinda Gates says that as she traveled the world on behalf of the foundation over the last decade,she heard over and over again from women in developing countries that they need consistent access to reliable birth control. “I finally said,OK,I’m the person that’s going to do that,” she says. Continue reading Gates Foundation wants family planning back on the global agenda
Of Bedrooms and Boardrooms (by Robert Reich - WEDNESDAY,MAY 9,2012) The 2012 election should be about what’s going on in America’s boardrooms,but some would rather it be about America’s bedrooms. Mitt Romney says he’s against same-sex marriage;President Obama just announced his support. North Carolina voters have approved a Republican-proposed amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage. Minnesota voters will be considering a similar amendment in November. Republicans in Maryland and Washington State are seeking to overturn legislative approval of same-sex marriage there. Meanwhile,Republicans have introduced over four hundred bills in state legislatures aimed at limiting womens’ reproductive rights – banning abortions,requiring women seeking abortions to have invasive ultra-sound tests beforehand,and limiting the use of contraceptives. The Republican bedroom crowd doesn’t want to talk about the nation’s boardrooms because that’s where most of their campaign money comes from. And their candidate for president has made a fortune playing board rooms like checkers. Yet America’s real problems have nothing to do with what we do in our bedrooms and everything to do with what top executives do in their boardrooms and executive suites. We’re not in trouble because gays want to marry or women want to have some control over when they have babies. We’re in trouble because CEOs are collecting exorbitant pay while slicing the pay of average workers,because the titans of Wall Street demand short-term results over long-term jobs,and because of a boardroom culture that tolerates financial conflicts of interest,insider trading,and the outright bribery of public officials through unlimited campaign “donations.” Continue reading Political misdirection writ large
Facebook:The Best Show In Town (via the Ad Contrarian Website –May 17th,2012) “Well,well,well. This whole Facebook carnival is getting to be great fun to watch. It seems like only yesterday we had this to say about advertising on Facebook… “No marketer in his right mind would pay to be ignored by a small number of people. But there is apparently great appeal in being ignored by hundreds of millions.”
Suddenly,however,in the last few days everyone has abruptly discovered what we’ve been saying about Facebook for a long time –no one pays any attention to the ads. On Tuesday,the big bomb hit when GM announced it was cancelling $10 million in Facebook ads. According the The Wall Street Journal… “General Motors Co. plans to stop advertising on Facebook after the auto maker’s executives determined their paid ads had little impact on consumers’car purchases…(GM) will continue to expand its use of marketing through Facebook’s pages,in which marketers can display content at no cost…”
Well,I’ll be darned. Six months ago,you read the following here at The Ad Contrarian…Continue reading Stay far,far away from Facebook’s IPO
Continuing on from the recent seminar entitled “Science &Religion”,it perhaps leads to a re-examination of the concept of transcendent(al) knowledge as presented by Immanuel Kant and others,notably Albert Einstein;who in his writings referred many times to the power,beauty,and life fulfilling ability of this form of spirituality. We have made a Kindle format copy of his book:“Ideas and Opinions”available on Google drive –freely obtainable here. For the past few days I have been tossing around this concept,and returned to a quote made famous by Albert Camus: “For if there is a sin against life,it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life.” Another way of referring to this comes from Robert G. Ingersoll: “Surely their is grandeur in knowing that in the realm of thought,at least,you are without a chain;that you have the right to explore all heights and depth;that there are no walls nor fences,nor prohibited places,nor sacred corners in all the vast expanse of thought…” However,Einstein’s formulation spoke the clearest on the topic to me;especially in this segment of his book:Continue reading Science,Religion &Spirituality according to Einstein,et al | |
