Wednesday, June 6, 2007
"IQ will put you in your place" Comment
The above is the title of a paper by Charles Murray, which purported to show that IQ matters when it comes to income independent of upbringing and environmental factors.
The famed recent Zagorsky study didnt deny this, so this has nothing to do with that (apart from being a different more superior form of controlling for environmental factors). But nonetheless if youre interested in the zagorsky study click here (and read the comments for a link too)
In Murray's study, he, rather ingeniously, controlled for environmental effects by looking only at people within the same family. You can google it for the text or just click here for it. (Do read it or you wont understand what Im saying).
What I would like to point out here is this study underestimates the differentials (not earthshattering but what the heck).
The reason is, if One of the siblings had an IQ in the normal range, the sibling outside the normal range would tend to be close to the higher or lower 'normal range' cutoff . This is simply because there is less variation in a family in Iq terms than at the population at large. (I believe Daniel Seligman put the family S.D at 12, while a random choosing of two individuals in the population at large would show an S.D of 17 points).
Now the Earnings figure for the normal range would tend to be accurate, as it is presumably the average of siblings with an IQ closer to 110 and of siblings close to 90 (the two cutoffs for the normal range). But the earnings for the LOWER and HIGHER IQ comparision group will be overstated and understated respectively because the sample individuals used will tend to be closer to the 90 and 110 cutoff because we are dealing with families, not random people.
Just a quibble, but one Ive wanted to scratch for a long time.
The famed recent Zagorsky study didnt deny this, so this has nothing to do with that (apart from being a different more superior form of controlling for environmental factors). But nonetheless if youre interested in the zagorsky study click here (and read the comments for a link too)
In Murray's study, he, rather ingeniously, controlled for environmental effects by looking only at people within the same family. You can google it for the text or just click here for it. (Do read it or you wont understand what Im saying).
What I would like to point out here is this study underestimates the differentials (not earthshattering but what the heck).
The reason is, if One of the siblings had an IQ in the normal range, the sibling outside the normal range would tend to be close to the higher or lower 'normal range' cutoff . This is simply because there is less variation in a family in Iq terms than at the population at large. (I believe Daniel Seligman put the family S.D at 12, while a random choosing of two individuals in the population at large would show an S.D of 17 points).
Now the Earnings figure for the normal range would tend to be accurate, as it is presumably the average of siblings with an IQ closer to 110 and of siblings close to 90 (the two cutoffs for the normal range). But the earnings for the LOWER and HIGHER IQ comparision group will be overstated and understated respectively because the sample individuals used will tend to be closer to the 90 and 110 cutoff because we are dealing with families, not random people.
Just a quibble, but one Ive wanted to scratch for a long time.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Dvorak.
Ive always wondered about our current keyboard layout.
For those not in the know, it goes like this.
How the characters on a keyboard are arranged is deliberately set out to cause typists to slow down (and probably as a minor sideeffect, more hand strain). Why was this done?
Simple. In the early days of the twentieth century, we didnt have electronic word processing. Ergo we made do with manual typewriters. Ask your folks about them if youve never seen one, or search google. Anyway as these machines were mechanical, the keys tended to stick to each other if the typist went too fast.
And so, they came up with the QWERTY keyboard (named after the first 6 letters on the keyboard). By deliberately making it harder to use the most often used keys, typists were forced to slow down. (Ever wonder why you have to lift your finger to press 'E' when it is the most used letter in the english language?)
This is all as it should be. A technical problem without a solution was solved. Problem is, when we left the days of manual typewriters behind us, we didnt automatically leave behind QWERTY keyboards. Inertia kept it as the standard. Books were in QWERTY, typists were trained in QWERTY etc etc.
Over and above this, I believe, the structure of the American economy has a lot to do with it. Unions and careers tend to be horizontally stratifed. By this, I mean secretaries are not loyal to one company and can job skip to another company like anyone else (unlike the Japanese system which was vertically stratified, the secretary would be beholden to a company union, not a secretary union for example).
No one company has any incentive to implement, pay for training, or train secretaries themselves as whatever training they give them may just end up benefitting someone else when the secretary leaves. But the fact remains that Dvorak layouts are faster.
Now, it IS possible to switch to DVORAK, even in Windows XP.. but it doesnt show up on the keyboard... so thats rather counter-intuitive.
A change is around the corner in this small area of life though. OLED Keyboards are here!. These dont have the characters imprinted on the buttons of the keyboard, but rather each button has a tiny display - so the visual keyboard layout can be switched in an instant (accomodating both QWERTY and DVORAK aficianados).
Think about what this means. Id say in a corporate office, at least 1 in every 4 people is a secretary. And these workers spend a third to half their time typing. Switching them to Dvorak would save the company a lot of money in labour costs over time. It has become a little more feasible for companies to invest in training their secretaries, or giving them a small bonus if they switch to DVORAK, so to speak.
Remember, for anyone NOT familiar with Dvorak, with OLED keyboards, the layout can be switched back to QWERTY with the press of a button - Bingo! Lowered transition costs!
Of course OLED keyboards are new-ish. They cost $1,500 a pop. But Id bet in 5 years or less, that price will drop to $150-200 and in 10 years.. probably $25-$75.
As for me? Im still aiming to become the fastest Two-finger typist in the world!
For those not in the know, it goes like this.
How the characters on a keyboard are arranged is deliberately set out to cause typists to slow down (and probably as a minor sideeffect, more hand strain). Why was this done?
Simple. In the early days of the twentieth century, we didnt have electronic word processing. Ergo we made do with manual typewriters. Ask your folks about them if youve never seen one, or search google. Anyway as these machines were mechanical, the keys tended to stick to each other if the typist went too fast.
And so, they came up with the QWERTY keyboard (named after the first 6 letters on the keyboard). By deliberately making it harder to use the most often used keys, typists were forced to slow down. (Ever wonder why you have to lift your finger to press 'E' when it is the most used letter in the english language?)
This is all as it should be. A technical problem without a solution was solved. Problem is, when we left the days of manual typewriters behind us, we didnt automatically leave behind QWERTY keyboards. Inertia kept it as the standard. Books were in QWERTY, typists were trained in QWERTY etc etc.
Over and above this, I believe, the structure of the American economy has a lot to do with it. Unions and careers tend to be horizontally stratifed. By this, I mean secretaries are not loyal to one company and can job skip to another company like anyone else (unlike the Japanese system which was vertically stratified, the secretary would be beholden to a company union, not a secretary union for example).
No one company has any incentive to implement, pay for training, or train secretaries themselves as whatever training they give them may just end up benefitting someone else when the secretary leaves. But the fact remains that Dvorak layouts are faster.
Now, it IS possible to switch to DVORAK, even in Windows XP.. but it doesnt show up on the keyboard... so thats rather counter-intuitive.
A change is around the corner in this small area of life though. OLED Keyboards are here!. These dont have the characters imprinted on the buttons of the keyboard, but rather each button has a tiny display - so the visual keyboard layout can be switched in an instant (accomodating both QWERTY and DVORAK aficianados).
Think about what this means. Id say in a corporate office, at least 1 in every 4 people is a secretary. And these workers spend a third to half their time typing. Switching them to Dvorak would save the company a lot of money in labour costs over time. It has become a little more feasible for companies to invest in training their secretaries, or giving them a small bonus if they switch to DVORAK, so to speak.
Remember, for anyone NOT familiar with Dvorak, with OLED keyboards, the layout can be switched back to QWERTY with the press of a button - Bingo! Lowered transition costs!
Of course OLED keyboards are new-ish. They cost $1,500 a pop. But Id bet in 5 years or less, that price will drop to $150-200 and in 10 years.. probably $25-$75.
As for me? Im still aiming to become the fastest Two-finger typist in the world!
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Death of the Waitress?
The new Microsoft Surface "table" is quite innovative, at least in presentation. Ive seen things like this before, but Surface seems to be taking it out of the conception stage to the implementation stage.
Surface basically is a touch responsive computer screen on a tabletop. Click here to read about it.
The most prominent thing that comes to mind is the death of the waitress. I figure at least half of all waitressing jobs will disappear within a few years from today. And no more lines at fast food joints. Given that minimum wage (using the Canadian version)
comes to Cdn$1300+ per worker per month... getting a few computer touch screens will be a bargain for the proprietor - even if they were a $2000 a pop (currently projected to sell for $5000-10,000 each, but Im sure the price will drop in a few years).
You order from your table. And get a beep or something when its ready. And finally pay direct from your table via credit/debit card or special refillable "McCards".
Surface basically is a touch responsive computer screen on a tabletop. Click here to read about it.
The most prominent thing that comes to mind is the death of the waitress. I figure at least half of all waitressing jobs will disappear within a few years from today. And no more lines at fast food joints. Given that minimum wage (using the Canadian version)
comes to Cdn$1300+ per worker per month... getting a few computer touch screens will be a bargain for the proprietor - even if they were a $2000 a pop (currently projected to sell for $5000-10,000 each, but Im sure the price will drop in a few years).
You order from your table. And get a beep or something when its ready. And finally pay direct from your table via credit/debit card or special refillable "McCards".
Friday, June 1, 2007
Random Blogger Observation
Having read my fair share of blogs, Ive noticed that bloggers fall into 3 distinct patterns when it comes to interacting with their readers.
Without further ado. They are:
1) The Professor
This type of blogger interacts with his reader by giving reasons, judgements, and links. All bloggers do this to some extent, but it is peculiarly salient with the Professors. A good example would be Randall Parker at Parapundit.com. A vague fuzzy subset of this type would be the blogger who doesnt interact with the reader much at all, preferring, for various reasons, to mostly stick to writing main posts. Good examples I guess could be Fred Reed and Steve Sailer.
2) The DiplomatThis type of blogger replies to most comments, and at least once to each commenter. Agree with the commentator or not, the blogger is respectful and acknowledging of what the commentator is saying. In a word, Nice. An example would be The Audacious Epigone.
3) The Warrior
This type of blogger tries to get into a spirited argument with commentators. Usually disagrees, and invites disagreement. This is not to say they are dismissive of commentators, but there is little pussyfooting around, and they tend to shunt the comments section towards their notions, via flat out statements, rather than have a dispassionate organic growth thereof. An example would be Luboš Motl.
I think I fall in the Warrior Section. How about you? :)
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Cereal Killers
A recently evolved group of Isolationist Nerve cells in the Wernicke's Area are under fire from the general population of the Broca region, not to mention the topic of derisive but covert conversation among the generalized neuron population of the Frontal Cortex.
The crux of the matter centers around the supposed inactivity and parasitism of the Isolationist Wernicke's neurons. They counter this generalized hostility by claiming they are merely "doing the mental processing that other neurons wont do".
Right-Wing Extremists among the general population call this "nothing short of propaganda" and retaliate against the Isolationist neurons calling them "nothing more than a waste of scarce glutamine and glucose".
The Debate continues...
On this subject, it is clear that emotion circuitry has routed higher brain functions, by default in the Isolationists, and due to unverified causes among the population at large. All I can say on this topic is this.
Please note that this article bears no ill will to any neurons anywhere. We are all nucleui within our cell wall, trying to survive best we can. One organism under God!
The crux of the matter centers around the supposed inactivity and parasitism of the Isolationist Wernicke's neurons. They counter this generalized hostility by claiming they are merely "doing the mental processing that other neurons wont do".
Right-Wing Extremists among the general population call this "nothing short of propaganda" and retaliate against the Isolationist neurons calling them "nothing more than a waste of scarce glutamine and glucose".
The Debate continues...
On this subject, it is clear that emotion circuitry has routed higher brain functions, by default in the Isolationists, and due to unverified causes among the population at large. All I can say on this topic is this.
Please note that this article bears no ill will to any neurons anywhere. We are all nucleui within our cell wall, trying to survive best we can. One organism under God!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
This is just scary...
Maths enthusiasts are being challenged to answer a sample question from Chinese university entrance tests.
The tests are set for prospective science undergraduates.
Try it out. You'll come away unnerved...
The tests are set for prospective science undergraduates.
Try it out. You'll come away unnerved...
Monday, May 21, 2007
The poisoning of Race Relations in the West
I just saw an episode of the GameShow Deal Or No Deal. They had as the contestant Wesley Autrey Sr.
Wesley is famous because, a while back, an epileptic man fell on the subway tracks in New York. Without hesitation Wesley jumped on the man and held him down (the man was having a fit) while the train went over them. Heroic? Yes.
Wesley is Black by the way.
Thing is, I cannot help but wonder whether the fuss being made about this man would be as great if he happened to be White or Asian. I suspect not. America has a thirst for Black Heroes which doesnt just stop with presidential candidates. This is a slap in the face for every White and/or Asian. They are lesser people in the eyes of the very society they created and maintain.
What this does to blacks also is legitimate heroes like Wesley will be degraded - like my lukewarm response to his fame. I dont think I am psychologically abnormal in this way. More knowledgable? yes. Abnormal? no.
A group of people in a "free" country get all the breaks - if they cannot qualify for jobs - we throw out the people who can qualify, not giving a wan-etioted damn about their lives. But lay out the red carpet when it comes to our special group.
Ditto Education.
And to make things worse, our special group commits sky high crime against the rest of us. And they get defended and pampered in spite of it. Crime is not just a simple word - as many benignly benighted suburban Oprah-watching housewives might think. Assault can change a young man or womans sense of safety for life. Rape, even worse. We walk the streets disempowered with our heads down when crime - especially crime from a privileged class - is lauded and accepted.
Now, to repeatedly emphasize - Wesley did a great thing. I dont know for sure if I would have the same response or not if he was of another race. Maybe Im just cynical about heroes. But I suspect I would be more enthusiastic, or at least less antagonistic, otherwise.
Its a defense mechanism. When you understand economics and politics and such esoterica, at least for a libertarian like me - problems in the West come down to underperforming minorities, liberals and feminists. As these folk stymie me at every turn via perversions of law and society - in defense I must, at least in my mind, stymie them. In things that have entertainment value (our love of heroism is at least part entertainment), I will mentally prohibit myself from enjoying it freely. Its a kind of mind-suicide if I do not.
Things arent always fresh to someone who thinks about it. The reason I have to try extra hard to get a good job, is in large part because I am prevented from freely conveying to an employer my innate job skills via Cognitive Tests. A large chunk, over and beyond this, is how I would have to waste 4 years of my life in college because employers are paralyzed at the idea of giving a job to someone without formal qualifications - because they may be open to lawsuits by minorities. Its a truism that Microsoft is not able to hire a college drop-out like Bill Gates today.
Many readers will say I am making too much of it. I dont ask that you share my sentiments - I have my own personal weighing of factors that will differ from others. I only ask that you acknowledge that it is a legitimate point of view.
Wesley is famous because, a while back, an epileptic man fell on the subway tracks in New York. Without hesitation Wesley jumped on the man and held him down (the man was having a fit) while the train went over them. Heroic? Yes.
Wesley is Black by the way.
Thing is, I cannot help but wonder whether the fuss being made about this man would be as great if he happened to be White or Asian. I suspect not. America has a thirst for Black Heroes which doesnt just stop with presidential candidates. This is a slap in the face for every White and/or Asian. They are lesser people in the eyes of the very society they created and maintain.
What this does to blacks also is legitimate heroes like Wesley will be degraded - like my lukewarm response to his fame. I dont think I am psychologically abnormal in this way. More knowledgable? yes. Abnormal? no.
A group of people in a "free" country get all the breaks - if they cannot qualify for jobs - we throw out the people who can qualify, not giving a wan-etioted damn about their lives. But lay out the red carpet when it comes to our special group.
Ditto Education.
And to make things worse, our special group commits sky high crime against the rest of us. And they get defended and pampered in spite of it. Crime is not just a simple word - as many benignly benighted suburban Oprah-watching housewives might think. Assault can change a young man or womans sense of safety for life. Rape, even worse. We walk the streets disempowered with our heads down when crime - especially crime from a privileged class - is lauded and accepted.
Now, to repeatedly emphasize - Wesley did a great thing. I dont know for sure if I would have the same response or not if he was of another race. Maybe Im just cynical about heroes. But I suspect I would be more enthusiastic, or at least less antagonistic, otherwise.
Its a defense mechanism. When you understand economics and politics and such esoterica, at least for a libertarian like me - problems in the West come down to underperforming minorities, liberals and feminists. As these folk stymie me at every turn via perversions of law and society - in defense I must, at least in my mind, stymie them. In things that have entertainment value (our love of heroism is at least part entertainment), I will mentally prohibit myself from enjoying it freely. Its a kind of mind-suicide if I do not.
Things arent always fresh to someone who thinks about it. The reason I have to try extra hard to get a good job, is in large part because I am prevented from freely conveying to an employer my innate job skills via Cognitive Tests. A large chunk, over and beyond this, is how I would have to waste 4 years of my life in college because employers are paralyzed at the idea of giving a job to someone without formal qualifications - because they may be open to lawsuits by minorities. Its a truism that Microsoft is not able to hire a college drop-out like Bill Gates today.
Many readers will say I am making too much of it. I dont ask that you share my sentiments - I have my own personal weighing of factors that will differ from others. I only ask that you acknowledge that it is a legitimate point of view.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Military and IQ Redux.
If youve ever read Daniel Seligman's "A Question of Intelligence" Im sure the most fascinating info was when he quoted the relation between the AFQT and tank gunnery skills, or between AFQT and Patriot Missile hits.
The AFQT, for those not familiar with it, is a cognitive ability test given to all military inductees. It correlates well with conventional IQ tests, with its sole weakness being that it has a low ceiling (1 in a 1000 get a perfect score).
The AFQT breaks the freshmen into 6 broad categories.
AFQT Level I,II,IIIA,IIIB,IV and V
Lvl V rank in the 0-9 percentile, Lvl IV 10-30 percentile, Lvl IIIB 31-49 percentile, Lvl IIIA 50-64 percentile, Lvl II 65-92 percentile and Lvl I 93-99 percentile.
Converted to an IQ metric this is (on a 15 point Standard Deviation scale)
Lvl 1 = ~IQ123 and above
Lvl 2 = ~IQ106 to IQ122
Lvl 3A= ~IQ100 to IQ105
Lvl 3B= ~IQ94 to IQ99
Lvl 4= ~IQ81 to IQ93
Lvl 5 = ~IQ80 and below
Lvl V is, by law, not allowed to join the army. They tried once during Vietnam in something called Project 100,000. The results were disasterous.
Now lets compare the efficiency of AFQT scores with measures of Job Proficiency.
(Note AIT (advanced individual training) graduates score lower in every measure due to less experience vis-a-vis Unit members)
(Note 2: Original RAND article here. )
[Note 3: Yes, yes, I KNOW something is wrong with the spacing. If anyone knows what causes it, post a comment :) ]
1)When asked to make a communications system operational...
Table 1
Successful System Operation and AFQT
(predicted probability)
SOURCE: Winkler, Fernandez, and Polich (1992).
NOTE: The midpoint in each AFQT category is used in predicting the
probability of successful operation.
2)Number of faults detected in the Communications system...
Table 2
SOURCE: Winkler, Fernandez, and Polich (1992).
NOTE: The midpoint in each AFQT category is used in predicting the
probability of successful fault detection. Cell entries are the
predicted probability that the group will successfully identify the
given number of faults.
3)The famous Patriot Defense System statistics!
Table 3
AFQT and Patriot Air Defense System Operator Performance, Specific
Measures
SOURCE: Orvis, Childress, and Polich (1992).
This slate article mentioned that Lvl IV graduates chewed up more expensive ($8 mil patriot missiles) hardware per successful shot. But its even worse than that! If asset hits means friendly fire of sorts - they were 40% more likely to blow up someone/something on their own side!
Of course the liberals will say if CAT IVs can get 4 or more faults detected (example from Table 2) 2% of the time. If we would stop being racist and prejudiced and train them harder - soon they will be outdoing the CAT Is' 29%...
The AFQT, for those not familiar with it, is a cognitive ability test given to all military inductees. It correlates well with conventional IQ tests, with its sole weakness being that it has a low ceiling (1 in a 1000 get a perfect score).
The AFQT breaks the freshmen into 6 broad categories.
AFQT Level I,II,IIIA,IIIB,IV and V
Lvl V rank in the 0-9 percentile, Lvl IV 10-30 percentile, Lvl IIIB 31-49 percentile, Lvl IIIA 50-64 percentile, Lvl II 65-92 percentile and Lvl I 93-99 percentile.
Converted to an IQ metric this is (on a 15 point Standard Deviation scale)
Lvl 1 = ~IQ123 and above
Lvl 2 = ~IQ106 to IQ122
Lvl 3A= ~IQ100 to IQ105
Lvl 3B= ~IQ94 to IQ99
Lvl 4= ~IQ81 to IQ93
Lvl 5 = ~IQ80 and below
Lvl V is, by law, not allowed to join the army. They tried once during Vietnam in something called Project 100,000. The results were disasterous.
Now lets compare the efficiency of AFQT scores with measures of Job Proficiency.
(Note AIT (advanced individual training) graduates score lower in every measure due to less experience vis-a-vis Unit members)
(Note 2: Original RAND article here. )
[Note 3: Yes, yes, I KNOW something is wrong with the spacing. If anyone knows what causes it, post a comment :) ]
1)When asked to make a communications system operational...
Table 1
Successful System Operation and AFQT
(predicted probability)
| Sample Members | CAT I | CAT II | CAT IIIA | CAT IIIB | CAT IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit Members | .89 | .80 | .63 | .47 | .29 |
| AIT Graduates | .76 | .60 | .40 | .25 | .13 |
SOURCE: Winkler, Fernandez, and Polich (1992).
NOTE: The midpoint in each AFQT category is used in predicting the
probability of successful operation.
2)Number of faults detected in the Communications system...
Table 2
| AFQT Level | 1 or More | 2 or More | 3 or More | 4 or More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAT I | .97 | .97 | .66 | .29 |
| CAT II | .94 | .78 | .49 | .17 |
| CAT IIIA | .87 | .60 | .29 | .08 |
| CAT IIIB | .78 | .43 | .17 | .04 |
| CAT IV | .61 | .25 | .09 | .02 |
SOURCE: Winkler, Fernandez, and Polich (1992).
NOTE: The midpoint in each AFQT category is used in predicting the
probability of successful fault detection. Cell entries are the
predicted probability that the group will successfully identify the
given number of faults.
3)The famous Patriot Defense System statistics!
Table 3
AFQT and Patriot Air Defense System Operator Performance, Specific
Measures
| Measure | I | II | IIIA | IIIB | IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asset Hits (maximum 28) | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Hostile Kills (maximum 78) | 53 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 42 |
| Number of Missiles used for 10 tactically correct kills | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
SOURCE: Orvis, Childress, and Polich (1992).
This slate article mentioned that Lvl IV graduates chewed up more expensive ($8 mil patriot missiles) hardware per successful shot. But its even worse than that! If asset hits means friendly fire of sorts - they were 40% more likely to blow up someone/something on their own side!
Of course the liberals will say if CAT IVs can get 4 or more faults detected (example from Table 2) 2% of the time. If we would stop being racist and prejudiced and train them harder - soon they will be outdoing the CAT Is' 29%...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
And again...
Apologies. But I have another China Article
How Rising Wages Are Changing The Game In China
For years, Yongjin Group has earned a decent profit selling lamps and furniture to the likes of Wal-Mart (WMT ), Home Depot (HD ), Target (TGT ), and Pottery Barn. But lately the company has seen its margins shrink to 5% -- half what Yongjin made when it opened its factory in the steamy southern Chinese city of Dongguan 14 years ago. Why? Labor shortages are forcing the company to boost wages. Last year salaries surged 40%, to an average of $160 a month, and Yongjin still can't find enough workers.
Soon China will move into higher level value added goods. The bastion of the West and Japan.
How Rising Wages Are Changing The Game In China
For years, Yongjin Group has earned a decent profit selling lamps and furniture to the likes of Wal-Mart (WMT ), Home Depot (HD ), Target (TGT ), and Pottery Barn. But lately the company has seen its margins shrink to 5% -- half what Yongjin made when it opened its factory in the steamy southern Chinese city of Dongguan 14 years ago. Why? Labor shortages are forcing the company to boost wages. Last year salaries surged 40%, to an average of $160 a month, and Yongjin still can't find enough workers.
Soon China will move into higher level value added goods. The bastion of the West and Japan.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
China again...
I was watching T.V the other day, the weather channel.
And they have a running ticker-tape of sorts that gives the latest news.
Guess what?
Thats right. China again.
It has now overtaken the U.S as the world's second biggest exporter - with exports growing an amazing 27% in just one year!
Click here to read it.
Frankly, I like the idea of an economically multipolar world (though not of a militarily multipolar world). More competition means less special interest groups. And in many important ways the success of the U.S.A has been because it had little competition and was thus open to being a HUGE special interest groups bonanza. For e.g, I read that 50-65% of graduate students in hard science fields in US colleges are foreigners.
Why is this a good thing? Am I anti-U.S.A?
Not particularly, but I dont like restrictions on my life options and opportunities. When you think about it, there are massive restrictions in the USA. Its only 'selling point' was that other places had worse restrictions giving the USA a comparative advantage - for people of talent themselves and also as a place to park their money.
The US has affirmative action which effectively makes 20% of coveted University seats off-limits to people who deserve them. Ditto the job market. And my personal favourite - the wise Supreme Court Griggs Vs. Duke Power Co. and its aftermath.
As foreign countries rise in eminence, pressure will build to dismantle a lot of this bunk - and paradoxiacally, return the US back to what its founding fathers by and large wanted it to be - a (classical) liberal country.
And they have a running ticker-tape of sorts that gives the latest news.
Guess what?
Thats right. China again.
It has now overtaken the U.S as the world's second biggest exporter - with exports growing an amazing 27% in just one year!
Click here to read it.
Frankly, I like the idea of an economically multipolar world (though not of a militarily multipolar world). More competition means less special interest groups. And in many important ways the success of the U.S.A has been because it had little competition and was thus open to being a HUGE special interest groups bonanza. For e.g, I read that 50-65% of graduate students in hard science fields in US colleges are foreigners.
Why is this a good thing? Am I anti-U.S.A?
Not particularly, but I dont like restrictions on my life options and opportunities. When you think about it, there are massive restrictions in the USA. Its only 'selling point' was that other places had worse restrictions giving the USA a comparative advantage - for people of talent themselves and also as a place to park their money.
The US has affirmative action which effectively makes 20% of coveted University seats off-limits to people who deserve them. Ditto the job market. And my personal favourite - the wise Supreme Court Griggs Vs. Duke Power Co. and its aftermath.
As foreign countries rise in eminence, pressure will build to dismantle a lot of this bunk - and paradoxiacally, return the US back to what its founding fathers by and large wanted it to be - a (classical) liberal country.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Duke lacrosse commentary
There is so much commentary on the Duke Rape case recently.
Conservatives are severely critical of Michael Nifong, the D.A
Thats true and laudable as far as that goes. But what about the bitch who screamed rape and furthermore has a history of doing similar things?
Why isnt she talked about? Why isnt her picture and name splashed over the media because its clear that she lied about the whole thing? She accused 20 people at first then watered it down to 3. That alone should have made the police disbelieve her story.
Rape is a horrible thing. But falsely accusing someone of rape is almost as bad in itself. The accused stand to lose their dignity and social respect, indeed their career and perhaps even their very lives in jail. What kind of a legal system doesnt clamp down on such an obvious imbalance of power?
Could it be because shes a Woman? Or because shes Black? Or both?
Conservatives are severely critical of Michael Nifong, the D.A
Thats true and laudable as far as that goes. But what about the bitch who screamed rape and furthermore has a history of doing similar things?
Why isnt she talked about? Why isnt her picture and name splashed over the media because its clear that she lied about the whole thing? She accused 20 people at first then watered it down to 3. That alone should have made the police disbelieve her story.
Rape is a horrible thing. But falsely accusing someone of rape is almost as bad in itself. The accused stand to lose their dignity and social respect, indeed their career and perhaps even their very lives in jail. What kind of a legal system doesnt clamp down on such an obvious imbalance of power?
Could it be because shes a Woman? Or because shes Black? Or both?
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