Friday Open Thread

by dvx Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 11:14:55 AM EST

Who's bringing the beverage?

Friday Open Thread | 34 comments (34 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Doing original material now:

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 11:20:44 AM EST

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

they remain darlings in San Francisco.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 03:23:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 5)

Krugman: Smuggish Thoughts (Self-indulgent) (October 12, 2012)

A starting point: It is a truth not universally acknowledged that it's possible to be a highly successful academic and still have a somewhat fragile sense of self-worth. You get your papers published, you get tenure, maybe you win some prizes; all this says that your colleagues believe that your stuff is right, that you really do know something about your subject. But do you really? Or are you just good at self-marketing?

Shows that Economics is not a science.

Well, events provided an acid test. If you believed in the little models I and others were using, you made some very striking predictions about how the world would work post-crisis - predictions that were very much at odds with what other people were saying. You predicted that trillion-dollar deficits would not drive up interest rates; that tripling the monetary base would not be inflationary; that cuts in government spending, rather than helping the economy by increasing confidence, would hurt by depressing demand, with bigger effects than in normal, non-liquidity trap times.
...
So that's great - except that it turns out that one form of anxiety has just been replaced with another. It's great to have confirmation that you weren't just playing career games; it is, however, not just frustrating but terrifying to watch decision-makers ignore all the hard-won evidence and knowledge, and repeat the mistakes of the 1930s. The good news is that I'm not Sammy Glick; the bad news is that I'm Cassandra.

Yup, economics is politics, just like climatology.

I distribute. You re-distribute. He gives your hard-earned money to lazy scroungers. -- JakeS

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 01:57:07 PM EST

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

"economics is not a science"

You think? I came across a NZ economics blog where one economist compared their profession to doctors, in the sense that one wouldn't dare challenge a doctor's medical opinion, lacking the science to do so, yet people dare to disagree with economists... I made a joke comparing them with 17th century doctors, blood-letting and leeches etc.

It was poorly received.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 02:20:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Maybe you should quote some Galbraith to them. Being an economist he has a lot of interesting things to say about the role of conventional wisdom in economics.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 02:37:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Well, if your example had the 17th century doctors being rewarded by selling the blood and renting out the leaches to pay their salaries....

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 02:39:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

But I did just that once with a German doctor who wanted to send me to hospital for allergy tests. Having just visited California, I knew it was a bad case of poison ivy. Now replace "German doctor" with "German economist"....

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 03:02:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

I dropped in over there and wrote something unkind about economists' (and in particular central bankers') attitude to "informed consent" and "right to refuse treatment," and how economists, if they wish to be accorded the respect of doctors, need to start adhering to these basic tenets of medical ethics. Then I took apart his example.

I will admit to some curiosity as to which of those he will take the greater exception to.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 04:06:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

Can't find your contribution at all. Is it a moderated blog ?

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 07:39:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

Presumably. It says "31 Comments" on top, but only displays 30. I assume I got stuck in the moderation hopper because I left the comment without logging in, from a known anonymous proxy IP, and included an outbound link (back here).

Let's give it another couple of hours until they're awake in that time zone.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 08:28:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

Now it says "30 comments". I guess you'd have to log in. I don't fancy your chances of getting past moderation.

I'll try not to spend too much time baiting those guys. One of these "young gun" economists, it turns out, recently attacked my sister on one of her pet public-health subjects (harm reduction with respect to alcohol). However this guy, who is in bed with alcohol-industry interests, based his attack on a misquote, and ended up looking like six tins of cat food. As the saying goes.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 08:48:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

No, it still says 31 in the byline, and 30 in the comment section header.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 08:58:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

Sorry, I'm shipping all beverages to Joe Biden.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 03:10:11 PM EST

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

New debate? Biden won or needs it to drown his sorrows?

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 03:13:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 1)

I actually didn't watch, but I could tell from reading Twitter while it was happening that he completely beat Paul Ryan's ass.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 03:30:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

I watched this one and Biden made a strong case for his side, in contrast to Obama's performance. He could have done more, such as confronting Ryan with the documented fact of the House Republican strategy of refusing to cooperate on any Democratic initiative, but he did a good job of batting down flying BS, such as when Ryan claimed bipartisan support and cited specific Democrats. As he cited them Biden interjected, "withdrew support", "has since repudiated" etc. And Ryan got lost in Afghanistan when trying to define where it was that he and Romney differed.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 07:40:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

Somebody told me yesterday that there are wine pipelines that are used to ship it around from place to place like oil or gas. ???

by asdf on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 03:34:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

I'm at the control terminal.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 03:37:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

There is (none / 0)

They're called "power lines."

Of course, you have to harvest the wind first.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 02:57:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Doh! (none / 0)

Too early for me to post. Misread "wine" as "wind."

Wouldn't surprise me, though.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 03:00:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Doh! (none / 1)

Oh, I get it, had to think for a minute there to understand what you were going on about... :-)

by asdf on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 11:13:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Doh! (none / 0)

Should teach me not to post while barely out of bed in the morning...

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 12:09:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Big party on dKos afterwards.

But I liked Bill Maher's comment "Call 911, there's an old guy beating up a kid on my TV"

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 03:52:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

Maddow Blog - Joltin' Joe hasn't gone away after all

It was early on in last night's vice presidential debate -- indeed, it was after Paul Ryan's very first answer -- that Joe Biden went on the offensive.

BIDEN: With all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey.
RADDATZ: And why is that so?
BIDEN: Because not a single thing he said is accurate.

And it was at that moment when it became clear that this week's debate would not be anything like last week's debate.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 07:42:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

Huffington Post (yea sorry) - Chris Weigant - Biden's Big Night

1 week ago: President Obama is calm, unflustered, respectful and solid. Conservatives pan his performance, he was "destroyed" in the debate! Romney was aggressive, confident, energetic, forceful -- he showed true leadership!
1 week later: Paul Ryan was calm, unflustered, respectful and solid. Conservatives say this is just what we need in a leader! Biden was far too aggressive, far too confident, too energetic and too forceful -- not what America needs in a leader!

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 07:45:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

I think this is the real story of how Romney won this election.

The reality is that Obama did badly in the last debate, but the media spun it into a bigger win for Romney. Now Obama will do better in the next two debates, but both will be called for Romney.

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 09:39:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Is this even parody!?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 09:51:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

That's even angrier than Abba

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sun Oct 14th, 2012 at 03:51:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 1)

I think it is down to rethorical position, or in rethorics terms ethos. The aggressive, dismissive alpha-male approachs works only at an audience that agrees with that pecking-order. Essentially it is down to who is the bigger, stronger ape. That the audience bought Biden being the bigger ape is unsurprising he has age and position at his side. That Ryan did not try for it is in a similar way unsurprising.

Same with the Obama-Romney debate. Race trumphs position, so the audience bought Romney being the bigger ape.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 02:49:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

interesting you said that... obama's body language debating romney was a bit like a waiter, serving drinks at the country club, apologetic, borderline obsequious.

romney, natch, was rampant, loins good and girded, all mission to obama's cub-mission.

sure made for discomfiting viewing...

It's a fine line between homage, parody, and consumer opportunism. Jess Walter

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Sun Oct 14th, 2012 at 04:40:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Friday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Thank you for today's graphic !

My lady and I have been discussing what to wear to the upcoming Coroner's Ball, a halloween costume party, where anything goes, and one idea was to go as Perseus and Medusa. What a splendid suggestion here on Eurotrib. What I save on fabric, I can spend on the helmet !

And wine does not age well in pipelines, though there are varieties like Chateau 99, aged enroute in our finest tanker-trucks. Lined with Limousin Oak, I hear...

by greatferm (greatferm-at-email.com) on Fri Oct 12th, 2012 at 11:26:37 PM EST

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 0)

Shot fired at Obama campaign field office in Denver.

No one was injured, though people were inside the office when the incident occurred, said Denver police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez.

How fun.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 11:45:10 AM EST

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 1)

Just made Rescue Soup. It's everything that was about to go bad in the refrigerator, plus a few other things so that it would taste good. Things that needed to be saved were celery root, kohlrabi, carrots, peppers and peas.

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 01:24:16 PM EST

Re: Friday Open Thread (none / 1)

yep... I think I'll make one of those soon. I'm in sole charge of the fridge for a couple of weeks. Though I have no proof, I strongly suspect my Better Half actually throws things out when I'm not looking.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 02:31:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Friday Open Thread | 34 comments (34 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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