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The government likes to tout the number of jobs that have been created or saved by the stimulus. But even if these numbers are accurate, they do not count the number of jobs that are not created in other more productive or self-sustaining sectors of the economy.
Opinion piece by Ron Paul at http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/25/paul.stimulus.waste/index.html?hpt=C2
This review of the economy seems sane. However, I would like to hear some debate from other economists.
It’s a new car with a couple bells and whistles, but it’s still going to leave you stranded or blow up when you try to shift lanes.
A Barcelona subway station from my friend’s Picassa album. No wonder European couples make out while waiting for trains.
Early this morning I was working on the http://thealpinetrainingcenter.com website, something I love to do because it is used by real users.
One of the things I do on this Rails based website is allow the owner, my friend Connie, to administer pages with a secret key. This is an easy way for her to change content on the website. I needed a way for her to delete records with a link but I wanted to prompt for the secret key. The `link_to` helper function in Rails has a confirm param which will confirm before sending the link but I needed a prompt that could take an input and add it to the URL params when the link is submitted. I found exactly that with this handy plugin: http://github.com/bhedana/link_to_with_prompt. Here is an example of using it:
<td><%= link_to 'Delete', athlete, :prompt => 'Please enter the secret key', :method => :delete %></td>
Btw, the param it adds to the link is params[:prompt_reply].
My friend Matt-man recently got angry and posted something like the following which I am re-writing as my software usability manifesto:
Attention retarded assholes who make software:
If you don’t particularly like people and/or are extremely shitty at explaining things to people then for love of Christ do not take a job where you make software for real users. That is all. Now go back to your cave with your favorite language and don’t bother the rest of us humans anymore. We’ll let you know if we are interested in technical problems you like to solve. Don’t hold your breath though because no one gives a fuck!
Isn’t that great?
Hammerzeit!
Would you put a convicted felon on a parole board absent evidence that he’d really reformed?
Comment in response to this stupid point from the author:
“Axelrod & Co. go too far — way too far —by insisting that banks and other financial institutions that accepted government money should not have a voice in shaping future regulatory reform.”
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/10/white_house_to_banks_shut_up_a.html#more
Canada violence is 10 times less than in US
Canada has quality health care for ALL, at half the cost.
Canada physicians are paid 10 times less. Reason? They work to cure illness; not to drive a Ferrari. Great idea, isn’t it?
Quebec has nationalized electricity (Hydro-Quebec) which profits goes into paying for education and health car. And it has one of the world’s lowest rates: 4.5 cents a kw/hour
Canadian banks are tightly regulated and are the ONLY ONES in the western world which didn’t suffer the crisis.
Quebec has also a nationalized auto insurance agency (SAAQ). ALL drivers are covered for ANY injuries/incapacity/death that might occur. It cost about 2004/250$ a year, and the fee is based on your driving record (how many speeding tickets etc,)
Unemployment is lower
People cannot buy guns
And most are bilingual (I am French)
