What can happen when faith sets out to prove its power through science.
I heard a podcast about this study the other day — a study that attempted to prove that people who were prayed for right before major surgery were more likely to have a more successful outcome to the surgery. The Deity in the Data by William Saletan on Slate.com presents some details and possible conclusions.
March 20 marked three full years of a U.S. military presence in Iraq.
Sadly, not everyone will come home.
Although the photos of flag-draped coffins at the Dover Air Force Base were hidden from the press, they were obtained from the military on request using the Freedom of Information Act. The photos, which are a sad, yet dignified, reminder of the loss of human life, can be found at The Memory Hole.
When I saw this one, I felt a need to share it with readers here.
The war in Iraq has been going on for entirely too long now. It was begun on false pretences and it continues with huge loss of life on both sides. And all we hear from the President and his spokespeople is spin.
Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.
– George W. Bush, May 1, 2003
That was nearly three years ago. How many people have died since then?
More recently, the Pres began to reveal his true thoughts on the War: it’s a mess that someone else will have to clean up:
Question: Will there come a day — and I’m not asking you when, not asking for a timetable — will there come a day when there will be no more American forces in Iraq?
THE PRESIDENT: That, of course, is an objective, and that will be decided by future Presidents and future governments of Iraq.
– March 21, 2006 Press Conference
And more spin:
I wish I could tell you the violence in Iraq is waning and that all the tough days in the struggle are behind us. They’re not. There will be more tough fighting ahead with difficult days that test the patience and the resolve of our country. Yet, we can have faith in the final outcome because we’ve seen freedom overcome the darkness of tyranny and terror and secure the peace before. And in this century, freedom is going to prevail again.
– George W. Bush, March 29, 2006
With 94 years left in “this century,” I hope he’s right.
“Just pay $7 per $1,000 outstanding balance per month!”
I guess Capital One thinks Americans are too stupid to understand how interest works. Kind of strange when you think about the level of debt most people carry. Experience should have taught them by now.
Yet yesterday I got a credit card offer from Capital One (not in my wallet). The ad promised “No more confusing interest” and that I’d only have to pay $7 per $1,000 of outstanding balance. Per month. On top of the minimum payment, of course.
I did the math. It isn’t difficult. 7 / 1000 = .007 x 12 = .084. That’s 8.4%.
I don’t know if that was a fixed interest rate. I shredded the offer right after doing the math. I doubt it, though — I don’t think you can get a fixed interest rate credit card anywhere these days. But, at the same time, I don’t think it’s such a good deal, especially when you can still get interest free intro credit cards. I got another offer for .99% for five or six months the day before yesterday.
On related matters, I realized yesterday that if I took advantage of a credit card offer for $20,000 cash advance at 0% interest for a full year, stuck enough in my checking account bank to cover minimum monthly payments at $250/month (that’s $3K), and invested the rest in an ING CD at 4.5%, I’d come away with a $705 profit, even after paying a cash advance fee of $75. (Yes, I created a spreadsheet to do the calculations for me. I did write a bunch of books about Excel, after all.) There’s no risk of loss — ING accounts are insured — but timing is everything. You need to have the principal ready to give back to the credit card company before that intro period is over. You might want to stick with a 9-month CD to make sure it’s available when you need it; the rate drops to 4.35% and the profit drops accordingly.
Once an accountant, always an accountant. I guess.
I’m baffled by people who can’t.
I consider myself a person with principles. My principles might not match yours and you might not even think they’re any good. But that’s not the point. I have principles and I stand by them.
For example, I believe that if a man and a woman are in a relationship, they should be faithful to each other. That’s one of my principles.
I believe that people should not lie, cheat, or steal. That’s another principle.
I believe that people should be tolerant of other people’s religion, political beliefs, and sexual orientation. More principles.
These basic principles — and lots more where they came from — are what guide me in my daily activities.
I stand up for what I think is right. That’s why I write so many opinion pieces on this site and wickenburg-az.com. I see something I don’t think is right and I want people to know it. I want them to see — even for a moment — why the thing is wrong. Or at least why I think it’s wrong. I want them to look into it for themselves, think about it with their own brains, and make a decision. Then I want them to act on that decision.
One of the biggest complaints I hear these days is that a single person can’t make a difference. I think that’s a cop-out, an excuse not to try. The trouble is, too many people believe it. Too many people are willing to ignore their principles because it’s the easy thing to do.
Everyone can make a difference. If you believe in something, let it guide you. Don’t settle for less.
And don’t give up, just because it’s easier than trying.
Visitors start a lively discussion, but may be missing my point.
My “Just Say No to Outsourcing” piece has gotten a little discussion going in its comments. It appears that some readers are confusing “employ America” with “buy American.”
I’m all for the first, but have limits on the second. While I’d rather buy American-made products, I do have to spend my money where I’ll get the best value for my dollar. Nowhere is this more important than when making a major expenditure, like one for a car.
As I was growing up, my aunt was vehemently opposed to buying anything not made in the US. While that was possible back in the 1950s and 1960s, it soon became very difficult. She stubbornly stuck to her guns for a very long time, buying US-branded televisions and cameras and cars when she could have gotten better quality products, often at a lower price, from Japanese or German manufacturers. In the end, she had to give in, at least on the electronics stuff.
There was a time when the US was at the top of the game, when US-made products were technologically advanced and of better quality than you could get anywhere else in the world. But with some exceptions, that’s changed. For years, people have been recognizing that they can get more value for their hard-earned money by buying products made and marketed by overseas companies.
Personally, I think it’s tragic. I believe that America’s failure to stay at the top of the product manufacturing game is a result of laziness on the part of R&D teams and cost-cutting measures on the part of management. It also has a lot to do with pay levels, benefit packages (often required by unions), and the cost of living in this country. Even if we could make the best product in a given category — say, digital cameras — we couldn’t afford to make it or sell it. All these things combined — not to mention our smug “America is the greatest country in the world” attitude — have led to our manufacturing downfall. After all, it’s hard to make yourself better if you already think you’re the best you can be.
And things are getting worse, as goods mass-produced in China and Korea at rock bottom prices flood the marketplace, replacing quality with items so inexpensive that we can buy with the atittude that when it breaks, we can just throw it away and get another one.
I tried to buy a leather wallet in a leather goods store about a month ago and couldn’t find a single one that wasn’t made in China. It scares me when we get to the point that we simply don’t have a choice. I know now how my aunt felt when she bough her first Canon camera. But at least she was getting a quality product from an established and respected manufacturer.
Anyway, before I alienate any other readers with what will likely be taken as an unpatiotic attitude (a dangerous position to be in these days), I just want to remind readers that if they love America, they should support it any way they feel comfortable supporting it.
Although I’m not comfortable enough to buy a Ford, I’m very happy to avoid doing business with US companies that send customer service jobs overseas. And I’m not afraid to speak out against overseas outsourcing.
Technorati Tags: China, India, outsourcing