there was a time when american politicians worked for the good of the people. Today that is that has all changed.. the republican party is willing to hold the nation hostage so they can support the high priest of the golden calf.. making sure the poor pay the taxes and not the extremely wealthy..
Oh well greed has it problems usually in less than 100 year when they face their resurrection,, but the it is to late .,.,. poor souls.. On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 2:09 PM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > He's also as stubborn as a mule Allan - makes him even better really. > > > > > Your pros and cons (plus margins) had me thinking rigs - I've been > asked for a book chapter on 'why economics isn't a science' and saw a > set of scales as I read your comments. Coincidentally, Obama was > doing his inauguration speech on tv and I remembered you don't like > him - he changed to a lying toad in front of my eyes (literally in my > head - though I always know I'm seeing an illusion). It was the > 'bringing democracy to all nations of the world' bit. Stuff lies to > us in science - mass is the classic - we treat it as creating > gravitational force (yet gravity is an illusion in general relativity) > and also treat it in terms of inertia - experimental results > coincidentally 'prove' both. US (and all other) imperialism should > make a statement like Obama's impossible to perceive other than as a > lie (the historical evidence is that we have subverted democracy > almost everywhere). I know from my own experience as an experimenter > that it is very difficult to set up measurement. Thinking of this > woolly mix I went to bed and dreamed of politicians as cheating > alchemists. The dream turned sour at that point when I sensed I was > on to something. > > > > > I can see a machine able to flag up (say) US foreign policy effects as > politicians make their promises - clanking up pros and cons to make > lying in performance management more obvious. Science is aware that > it still gets caught up in myths (like creation and big bang - can we > think without origin) but essentially works hard on making factual > databases 'anyone' can use in terms of knowing what and knowing how. > The economic-political system generally prevents this altogether. > Don't really know what I'm on about - but I'm not scared by the > machine possibilities and suspect somewhere in this I don;t believe we > are human yet - and might only become so with machine help. > > Time to unleash the hound! > On Jan 23, 6:56 am, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: >> sounds like a great dog Neil >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 5:58 AM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: >> > Maxwell is a stubby-legged Labrador and a bit of a wimp. He's a >> > sweetie. >> >> > On Jan 22, 1:40 pm, rigs <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> My last was a lab-shepherd with high energy till he grew old- age 13. >> >> Also had a Chesapeake Bay retriever- another large dog that loves >> >> water. I have a large backyard but he really needed a field- stream- >> >> woods,etc. This cold is hard on paws- some fit their dogs with >> >> sweaters and booties.//Yes- it does seem the Brits collapse in snow >> >> and unusual weather but it's a strange year- even Jerusalem could make >> >> snowmen this year. Anyway- happy travels today. >> >> >> On Jan 22, 12:56 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> > Max loves the snow - though we rarely drop much below freezing here >> >> > even with wind-chill. I'm off into Manchester today, assuming out >> >> > trains run on a quarter of an inch of snow, >> >> >> > On Jan 22, 1:07 am, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> > > brrr. We might be there overnight. The deep freeze. Wonderful >> >> > > world. We move through it regardless. >> >> >> > > On Jan 21, 10:24 am, rigs <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> > > > My earlier post has been diverted to outer space, it seems. >> >> >> > > > That loneliness may be a cover, you know. >> >> >> > > > Saul Bellow was a rascal. >> >> >> > > > The speed of information leads to surprise and a protean miss, >> >> > > > often. >> >> > > > I look for patterns in history/culture and try to keep two columns- >> >> > > > pro and con with hope for the margins. The top tiers of government >> >> > > > are >> >> > > > usually the culprits rather than their off-spring- and it's true of >> >> > > > tribes as well as complicated systems- the buck really does stop- >> >> > > > even >> >> > > > in suitcases of cash and packets of Viagra. >> >> >> > > > My "dog" would need diapers- we're at -30 wind chill factor. >> >> >> > > > On Jan 21, 6:10 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> > > > > Of course, I don't expect anything tangled-up with government and >> >> > > > > academic bureaucracy to produce much practical. The gist was once >> >> > > > > that we should aim for praxis, a form of rational action. For >> >> > > > > some >> >> > > > > the guide was marxism, but most of us grew up with a form of >> >> > > > > Keynesian >> >> > > > > guide - the economics of full employment and FDR's never completed >> >> > > > > second Bill of Rights. More recently we have reverted to the >> >> > > > > control >> >> > > > > fraud of banksters and neo-classical economics. I was never much >> >> > > > > interested in the 'grand theory' - as a cop I was more interested >> >> > > > > in >> >> > > > > what people were hiding and lying about, as scientist the grand >> >> > > > > was >> >> > > > > excluded as rigorously as possible a the laboratory door and as a >> >> > > > > university teacher I was more interested in developing resourceful >> >> > > > > humans than daft, religious managerial theories. As a kid, my >> >> > > > > elder >> >> > > > > brother and sister always claimed I changed the goalposts in >> >> > > > > argument >> >> > > > > and as I grew up I discovered this was what argument was generally >> >> > > > > about - the goalposts changing name to root metaphor and paradigm. >> >> > > > > Experts in argument are bought like lawyers and have about the >> >> > > > > same >> >> > > > > ethics. When Socrates gestures at the Sophists claiming 'I know >> >> > > > > nothing, but even this is to know more than they' he is just >> >> > > > > being the >> >> > > > > smartest guy in the room. >> >> > > > > We say 'jaw-jaw' is better than 'war-war' - but there is no >> >> > > > > crucial >> >> > > > > experiment to decide in 'jaw-jaw'. The problem with argument is >> >> > > > > that >> >> > > > > it needs arbitration if human beings are involved in it and the >> >> > > > > seeds >> >> > > > > of its own destruction are laid in most people having no training >> >> > > > > in >> >> > > > > how it is constructed. If you get some training in this you can >> >> > > > > be >> >> > > > > bought like a lawyer as a mouthpiece. Machine knowledge bases and >> >> > > > > reasoning capacity potentially offer a democratisation of argument >> >> > > > > expertise, manufacturing capability, medicine, finance and much >> >> > > > > more - >> >> > > > > evidence-based practice for all. In practice, doing management >> >> > > > > information systems, one soon learns those currently in the know >> >> > > > > want >> >> > > > > to keep things that way. I believe the professions are currently >> >> > > > > preventing this as surely as those smashing machines in the >> >> > > > > industrial >> >> > > > > revolution. I believe this is the central issue of the moment - >> >> > > > > and >> >> > > > > my reasons concern the dream I have of the precipice of disgusting >> >> > > > > war,the dullness of politics, religion and literature. Economic >> >> > > > > growth is nearly all uninteresting - FlopBook and so on - and >> >> > > > > rarely >> >> > > > > about the growth of capital I would value. Would we could dream >> >> > > > > up >> >> > > > > something else - and why we cannot when 2% of labour can provide >> >> > > > > our >> >> > > > > food. I miss any sense of collective dreaming and find only the >> >> > > > > loneliness more 'primitive' people I've met would comment on in >> >> > > > > the >> >> > > > > first blush of their experience amongst us. >> >> >> > > > > On Jan 21, 9:18 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> > > > > > Those who have contributed to the thread have shown me there >> >> > > > > > isn't >> >> > > > > > much general awareness of the 'technology'. There are already >> >> > > > > > intelligent systems like Watson (IBM) doing a fair job on >> >> > > > > > embodied >> >> > > > > > expert knowledge (medical in this case). The general idea is >> >> > > > > > in this >> >> > > > > > from New Scientist: >> >> >> > > > > > In your wildest dreams, could you imagine a government that >> >> > > > > > builds its >> >> > > > > > policies on carefully gathered scientific evidence? One that >> >> > > > > > publishes >> >> > > > > > the rationale behind its decisions, complete with data, >> >> > > > > > analysis and >> >> > > > > > supporting arguments? Well, dream no longer: that's where the >> >> > > > > > UK is >> >> > > > > > heading. >> >> >> > > > > > It has been a long time coming, according to Chris Wormald, >> >> > > > > > permanent >> >> > > > > > secretary at the Department for Education. The civil service is >> >> > > > > > not >> >> > > > > > short of clever people, he points out, and there is no lack of >> >> > > > > > desire >> >> > > > > > to use evidence properly. More than 20 years as a serving >> >> > > > > > politician >> >> > > > > > has convinced him that they are as keen as anyone to create >> >> > > > > > effective >> >> > > > > > policies. "I've never met a minister who didn't want to know >> >> > > > > > what >> >> > > > > > worked," he says. What has changed now is that informed >> >> > > > > > policy-making >> >> > > > > > is at last becoming a practical possibility. >> >> >> > > > > > That is largely thanks to the abundance of accessible data and >> >> > > > > > the >> >> > > > > > ease with which new, relevant data can be created. This has >> >> > > > > > supported >> >> > > > > > a desire to move away from hunch-based politics. >> >> >> > > > > > Last week, for instance, Rebecca Endean, chief scientific >> >> > > > > > advisor and >> >> > > > > > director of analytical services at the Ministry of Justice, >> >> > > > > > announced >> >> > > > > > that the UK government is planning to open up its data for >> >> > > > > > analysis by >> >> > > > > > academics, accelerating the potential for use in policy >> >> > > > > > planning. >> >> >> > > > > > At the same meeting, hosted by innovation-promoting charity >> >> > > > > > NESTA, >> >> > > > > > Wormald announced a plan to create teaching schools based on >> >> > > > > > the model >> >> > > > > > of teaching hospitals. In education, he said, the biggest single >> >> > > > > > problem is a culture that often relies on anecdotal experience >> >> > > > > > rather >> >> > > > > > than systematically reported data from practitioners, as >> >> > > > > > happens in >> >> > > > > > medicine. "We want to move teacher training and research and >> >> > > > > > practice >> >> > > > > > much more onto the health model," Wormald said. >> >> >> > > > > > Test, learn, adapt >> >> >> > > > > > In June last year the Cabinet Office published a paper called >> >> > > > > > "Test, >> >> > > > > > Learn, Adapt: Developing public policy with randomised >> >> > > > > > controlled >> >> > > > > > trials". One of its authors, the doctor and campaigning health >> >> > > > > > journalist Ben Goldacre, has also been working with the >> >> > > > > > Department of >> >> > > > > > Education to compile a comparison of education and health >> >> > > > > > research >> >> > > > > > practices, to be published in the BMJ. >> >> >> > > > > > In education, the evidence-based revolution has already begun. A >> >> > > > > > charity called the Education Endowment Foundation is spending >> >> > > > > > £1.4 >> >> > > > > > million on a randomised controlled trial of reading programmes >> >> > > > > > in 50 >> >> > > > > > British schools. >> >> >> > > > > > There are reservations though. The Ministry of Justice is more >> >> > > > > > circumspect about the role of such trials. Where it has carried >> >> > > > > > out >> >> > > > > > randomised controlled trials, they often failed to change >> >> > > > > > policy, or >> >> > > > > > even irked politicians with conclusions that were obvious. "It >> >> > > > > > is not >> >> > > > > > a panacea," Endean says. >> >> >> > > > > > Power of prediction >> >> >> > > > > > The biggest need is perhaps foresight. Ministers often need >> >> > > > > > instant >> >> > > > > > answers, and sometimes the data are simply not available. Bang >> >> > > > > > goes >> >> > > > > > any hope of evidence-based policy. >> >> >> > > > > > "The timescales of policy-making and evidence-gathering don't >> >> > > > > > match," >> >> > > > > > says Paul Wiles, a criminologist at the University of Oxford >> >> > > > > > and a >> >> > > > > > former chief scientific adviser to the Home Office. Wiles >> >> > > > > > believes >> >> > > > > > that to get round this we need to predict the issues that the >> >> > > > > > government is likely to face over the next decade. "We can >> >> > > > > > probably >> >> > > > > > come up with 90 per cent of them now," he says. >> >> >> > > > > > Crucial to the process will be convincing the public about the >> >> > > > > > value >> >> > > > > > and use of data, so that everyone is on-board. This is not >> >> > > > > > going to be >> >> > > > > > easy. When the government launched its Administrative Data >> >> > > > > > Taskforce, >> >> > > > > > which set out to look at data in all departments and opening it >> >> > > > > > up so >> >> > > > > > that it could be used for >> >> ... >> >> read more » > > -- > > > -- ( ) |_D Allan Life is for moral, ethical and truthful living. Of course I talk to myself, Sometimes I need expert advice.. --
