Monthly Archives: September 2010

THE FOOLISHNESS OF SOME CLINICAL TRIALS.

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Philip

THE FOOLISHNESS OF SOME CLINICAL TRIALS. I have posted before about the misuse of those clinical trials which require the control group to use existing therapies for which there is already abundant data. For example, I posted here last year … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Science | Leave a comment

LETTING THE CONTROL GROUP SUFFER.

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Philip

LETTING THE CONTROL GROUP SUFFER. Amy Harmon writes wonderful and moving articles about the frontiers of cancer research. The New York Times had a heartbreaking and deeply troubling article by her on its front page this Sunday (September 19). It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Science | Leave a comment

URBAN LIFE SHAPING NATURE.

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Philip

URBAN LIFE SHAPING NATURE. Urban activities shape the natural environment in paradoxical ways. Sullivan says that fires in abandoned cars have encouraged certain species of birds and plants. Two naturalists have published an article calling arsonists “New York City’s incidental … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | 1 Comment

NEW YORK CITY—”AN ECOLOGICAL PARADISE.”

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Philip

NEW YORK CITY—”AN ECOLOGICAL PARADISE.”.The New York magazine for September 20 advertises on the cover a wonderful article by Robert Sullivan about the rich ecology of New York City with the headline “The City as Ecological Paradise.” I have posted, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Leave a comment

FLATTERY.

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Philip

FLATTERY. How do you go about getting power so that you can be corrupted and absolute power so you can be corrupted absolutely? The Schumpeter column in the September 11 Economist discusses some academic research on how to get power. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | 3 Comments

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GREEK DEBT CRISIS.

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Philip

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GREEK DEBT CRISIS. Kids, I posted here about how the euro is threatened by the Greek debt crisis. Michael Lewis in this interview says that he doesn’t think that Greece can repay 100% of its debt … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Politics | 1 Comment

NOT COLLECTING TAXES.

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Philip

NOT COLLECTING TAXES. Without accountants, a modern government would not be able to collect taxes. Greece didn’t collect taxes. Michael Lewis quotes the Greek finance minister: “The first thing a government does in an election year is to pull the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | Leave a comment

NOT KNOWING HOW MANY EMPLOYEES YOU HAVE.

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Philip

NOT KNOWING HOW MANY EMPLOYEES YOU HAVE. One of the things accountants do is keep track of things, such as assets—or employees. The Greek government did without a count of employees. There were a lot of off-the-books job-creation programs. Lewis … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Politics | Leave a comment

WHAT IF THERE WERE NO ACCOUNTANTS?

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Philip

WHAT IF THERE WERE NO ACCOUNTANTS? Bernie Madoff, of course, answers the question for private corporations. From another great Michael Lewis article in Vanity Fair, it seems that the Greek government provides a good example of what a public organization … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | Leave a comment

PRINCIPALS AND AGENTS AND ACCOUNTANTS (COMMENT).

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Philip

PRINCIPALS AND AGENTS AND ACCOUNTANTS (COMMENT). Dick Weisfelder commented in particular about the success of executives of corporations in getting excessive compensation for themselves. I posted here about the success of investment banking executives in getting larger bonuses through shifting … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | Leave a comment