Hard Data
"Finally, some hard data is coming out that verifies things I've been noticing for years!
" The overhead costs of pharmaceuticals : Zithromax is sold by pharmaceutical companies at a 569,000% markup! What's worse, most pharmacies use markups raging from 400%-3000% over wholesale price. I'm not kidding!
"Want to save yourself some money, buy your drugs from Costco. You don't need to be a member to use their pharmacy.
"Read this book: Some smart economist from MIT has decided to use economic methods to answer practical real world questions. His methods are unorthodox, but statistically indisputable.
The result: He proves that the precipitous drop in crime during the 90's was due to 3 causes: more police officers, more people sent to prison, and roe vrs. wade being passed in 1973! And that's hardly the only subversively brilliant bombshell within-- he proves how many teachers cheat thanks to No Child Left Behind. He proves that a swimming pool is more likely to kill your children than a shotgun in the home. He proves that the only effective means currently available to curb gun violence in America would be to make it a major felony to posess an unlicensed handgun.
"Best of all, he finally proves once and for all with regression analysis that black and white primary school students will score equally well on tests, once you control for disruptively bad schools and the decimating effect of the crack trade on American neighborhoods over the past 20 years. (It's worth pointing this out in light of how many of my friends and extended family who have used statistics to prove the very opposite. So much for California being liberal...)
"While you're at it: if you're still in America and you were in any way pleased by the neo-cons suffering a large loss of ground on Nov 7th, remember it is your duty to keep pressure on the newly elected officials to make sure they make good on their promise to undo the damage to America's infrastructure.
"I am out of the country, but even I still managed to vote. Unfortunately, the money-grubbing neo-con incumbent in my newly adopted district won anyway, being one of the few who did. But at least his gay marriage law lost, and a minimum wage hike passed."
* * * * *
"I guess I should also give a normal update. I've moved my division of the business back into the jewellery district, and I'm now getting used to being too close for comfort with the entire staff. Honestly, I liked being isolated a bit. It gave me a bit more control over other people's perception of me.
"That's not to say they're bad people. They're actually very nice and quite accommodating. I guess I've become a very suspicious person after being hoodwinked by my former boss.
"So I'm just going to make sure I'm careful, but at the same time never forget to be nice to everyone. It's a bit of a juggle, I guess.
"Maybe I've just gotten a bit weird from the odd nature of my daily interactions with people. I have to say, I've as of late become a pretty ferocious predator, from wearing a suit nearly every day to spinning most everything I say.
"But I don't see friends much, and I get precious little time with my wife. I have a slightly longer commute now than I did back in the City of Angels, but at least I can read now during that time.
"It's a bit like I'm in fighting mode all the time, always on guard and prepared for the next hurdle or problem. For my health, I need to find a way to maintain this alertness, but be relaxed about it.
"Any ideas?"
" The overhead costs of pharmaceuticals : Zithromax is sold by pharmaceutical companies at a 569,000% markup! What's worse, most pharmacies use markups raging from 400%-3000% over wholesale price. I'm not kidding!
"Want to save yourself some money, buy your drugs from Costco. You don't need to be a member to use their pharmacy.
"Read this book: Some smart economist from MIT has decided to use economic methods to answer practical real world questions. His methods are unorthodox, but statistically indisputable.
The result: He proves that the precipitous drop in crime during the 90's was due to 3 causes: more police officers, more people sent to prison, and roe vrs. wade being passed in 1973! And that's hardly the only subversively brilliant bombshell within-- he proves how many teachers cheat thanks to No Child Left Behind. He proves that a swimming pool is more likely to kill your children than a shotgun in the home. He proves that the only effective means currently available to curb gun violence in America would be to make it a major felony to posess an unlicensed handgun.
"Best of all, he finally proves once and for all with regression analysis that black and white primary school students will score equally well on tests, once you control for disruptively bad schools and the decimating effect of the crack trade on American neighborhoods over the past 20 years. (It's worth pointing this out in light of how many of my friends and extended family who have used statistics to prove the very opposite. So much for California being liberal...)
"While you're at it: if you're still in America and you were in any way pleased by the neo-cons suffering a large loss of ground on Nov 7th, remember it is your duty to keep pressure on the newly elected officials to make sure they make good on their promise to undo the damage to America's infrastructure.
"I am out of the country, but even I still managed to vote. Unfortunately, the money-grubbing neo-con incumbent in my newly adopted district won anyway, being one of the few who did. But at least his gay marriage law lost, and a minimum wage hike passed."
* * * * *
"I guess I should also give a normal update. I've moved my division of the business back into the jewellery district, and I'm now getting used to being too close for comfort with the entire staff. Honestly, I liked being isolated a bit. It gave me a bit more control over other people's perception of me.
"That's not to say they're bad people. They're actually very nice and quite accommodating. I guess I've become a very suspicious person after being hoodwinked by my former boss.
"So I'm just going to make sure I'm careful, but at the same time never forget to be nice to everyone. It's a bit of a juggle, I guess.
"Maybe I've just gotten a bit weird from the odd nature of my daily interactions with people. I have to say, I've as of late become a pretty ferocious predator, from wearing a suit nearly every day to spinning most everything I say.
"But I don't see friends much, and I get precious little time with my wife. I have a slightly longer commute now than I did back in the City of Angels, but at least I can read now during that time.
"It's a bit like I'm in fighting mode all the time, always on guard and prepared for the next hurdle or problem. For my health, I need to find a way to maintain this alertness, but be relaxed about it.
"Any ideas?"