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Showing posts from January, 2019

From Amos Tversky's Scrap of Paper

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Amos Tversky was not known as a hoarder. He was the very opposite. He threw away things that didn't matter, and many things which might have. He eschewed social norms. But of his past he did keep a single scrap of paper. On it was written:

There’s Criticism, and Then There’s Bullshit Criticism

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Good Criticism – no bullshit euphemisms Here’s a wild thought – if you thought through how to deal with criticisms, you might handle it better. Modern social organisations are so complex and crowded that anyone must give and take criticism – good or ill intentions notwithstanding – on a daily basis. There are different types of criticisms and different kinds of people which give criticism. The latter affects the former, though it is not always determinative. But one has limited capacity to take criticism – there is a cognitive cost to feeling inadequate, and one must be aware of the danger of becoming deaf to all criticism.

Market Analyses - Bloomberg's Compilation

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Bloomberg has provided a helpful compilation of projections for 2019. America's unstable Presidency and/or divided government has already caused global financial turmoil (most notably in China), and it is clear that a period of discomfort may be in the works.

Lindsey Graham - A Watershed?

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One can hardly forget Lindsey Graham's angry defense of Brett Kavanaugh. It was a kind of righteous anger, a kind of cathartic release of pent-up rage - a reflection of what anybody would feel when faced with what would seem like a politically motivated allegation against a good man. Of course, one has no evidence either way. Who knows what really happened to Christine Blasey Ford? It is entirely possible that she was merely mistaken as to the identity of the perpetrator, or worse, that Brett Kavanaugh was lying. A mere possibility does not elevate an allegation into a guilty verdict. This is no mere platitude. It is something deeply felt by the common man living in a society which has its foundation in due process. It is unfortunate that Ford has no real evidence. Uncorroborated evidence is merely a bare assertion. It can and should never result in a guilty verdict in law. However, Ford's accusations have repeatedly been taken at face value by common citizens and