A seismic shift is occurring in the field of evidence-based medicine that a rare few are aware of, but which will (and likely already does) affect everyone, as the standard of medical care today largely follows from this model.
The very life’s blood of ‘evidence-based’ medicine — peer-reviewed and published clinical research results – which legitimizes the entire infrastructure and superstructure upon which conventional medical knowledge and practice is erected, has been revealed as mostly and patently false.
Case in point: in a 2005 essay, “Why Most Published Research Findings are False,” and which is the most downloaded document of all time on PLoS, the Public Library of Medicine’s peer-reviewed, open access journal, John P. A Ioannidis explains in detail how “It can be proven that most claimed research findings are false.” And that “for many current scientific fields, claimed research findings may often be simply accurate measures of the prevailing bias.”
The Atlantic published a piece on Ioannidis’ work, back in 2010, titled “Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science,” well worth reading, and which opened with “Much of what medical researchers conclude in their studies is misleading, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong. So why are doctors – to a striking extent – still drawing upon misinformation in their everyday practice?“
US coastal cities in danger as sea levels rise faster than expected, study warns
Satellite measurements show flooding from storms like Sandy will put low-lying population centres at risk sooner than projected
Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 November 2012
Sea-level rise is occurring much faster than scientists expected – exposing millions more Americans to the destructive floods produced by future Sandy-like storms, new research suggests.
Satellite measurements over the last two decades found global sea levels rising 60% faster than the computer projections issued only a few years ago by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The faster sea-level rise means the authorities will have to take even more ambitious measures to protect low-lying population centres – such as New York City, Los Angeles or Jacksonville, Florida – or risk exposing millions more people to a destructive combination of storm surges on top of sea-level rise, scientists said.
Scientists earlier this year found sea-level rise had already doubled the annual risk of historic flooding across a widespread area of the United States.
I was lucky enough to attend a small gathering of great thinkers put together by Union Square Ventures earlier this week for an event they called Hacking Society — which was designed to be a one day open conversation on the economics and power of networks, and how to use that as a force for good, in solving economic and social challenges. There were lots of great thoughts that came out of the event (which was live streamed over the web for people to listen in and participate via Twitter — as many did). It would be impossible to sum up all of the great points in a single blog post, so I'm just going to discuss briefly the larger themes that hit me and helped to connect a few disparate ideas in my own mind.
An article written by Slate's Emily Yoffe has gone viral for her view that President Barack Obama should rehire Gen. David Petraeus in the wake of the public revealing of his extramarital affair with biographer Paula Broadwell.
“I have a great idea whom Barack Obama should nominate as his next CIA director: Gen. David Petraeus.” Yoffe wrote.
She continued: “With that simple announcement, Obama could strike a blow for civil liberties and against the silly and destructive sexual Puritanism that has taken down so many public figures. Since Petraeus' departure both Democrats and Republicans have been mourning the loss of a public servant of extraordinary ability. So let's mourn no more.”
David Petraeus rehire movement is picking up online after a report by Emily Yoffe from Slate voiced her opinion that President Barack Obama should rehire David Petraeus.
“I have a great idea whom Barack Obama should nominate as his next CIA director: Gen. David Petraeus.” Yoffe wrote.
. . . . . . . .
When news of the Petraeus scandal first erupted, news analysts were critical about the how the scandal had snowballed. It now appears that much of the investigation was suspect from day one. The case erupted after a series of emails were sent between two women, Paula Broadwell and Jill Kelley.
I can at best “guesstimate” that for the US the transaction tax base is roughly 50 times GDP = $775 Trillion. If the US would adopt an APT tax of 10 basis points, .1% (not 1%) (hopefully in negotiations with UK and EU and best with G20) that would reduce the taxable base by perhaps 30% by eliminating short term trades that would no longer be profitable. That would reduce the tax base to $420 trillion and raise very roughly..an estimated $400 billion in added revenue. With luck, one could eliminate most tax expenditures yielding roughly $ 1 trillion which will be reduced to at most $500 Billion by rate reductions for corporate and personal incomes to get acceptance of the APT tax. So my best guess….is that we could raise roughly 1 trillion per year in added revenue.
