Scott’s article about the EpiPen pricing debacle, REVERSE VOXSPLAINING: DRUGS VS. CHAIRS, is going hugely viral having been shared thousands of times on Facebook and posted many times on Reddit. Scott argues that FDA regulation, and possibly lobbying by maker of the EpiPen, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, is preventing the production of cheaper alternatives to the EpiPen.… Continue reading Ep-Ep-EpiPen
Month: August 2016
American Exceptionalism: America vs. Britain
It becomes immediately apparent to any American who has the misfortune of visiting Britain how much worse of a country it is. Compared to America, everything is miniaturized and more expensive. The same probably applies to much of Europe, as well as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, but for this post I’m primarily going to… Continue reading American Exceptionalism: America vs. Britain
Intellectualism, Individualism, and Wealth, Part 4 (philosophy of millennials)
Errata: yesterday’s article, Alt-Right: Classifications and Significance, described neocons as apologetically anti-populist, when it should have been unapologetically anti-populist. Continuing on the series on Intellectualism, Individualism, and Wealth… The Millennial Mindset, Part 2: Philosophy and Wealth describes the underlying philosophy of most millennials as rationalist and valuing of authenticity. But another label could be deontological.… Continue reading Intellectualism, Individualism, and Wealth, Part 4 (philosophy of millennials)
Alt-Right: Classifications and Significance
For some reason the definition of the ‘alt right’ refuses to be resolved to anyone’s full satisfaction. My ‘definition’ is that the ‘alt right’ is a subset of ‘right’ that rejects the ‘mainstream’, which is a kinda circular definition, but taken literally that’s what ‘alternative’ means. The ‘alt right’ can include rationalists and pacifists (rejection… Continue reading Alt-Right: Classifications and Significance
Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 3
Continuing from part 2 about finance: Trillions of dollars of wealth has been created since the market bottom of March 2009, and especially since 2013, some examples being: The S&P 500 bottomed at 666 in March 2009. As of 8/25/2016 it’s now at 2170 for a gain of 226%, which does not include the generous… Continue reading Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 3
Did Hillary Commit Insider Trading?
A story about alleged insider trading by an informed trader who bought put options on IBB (a biotech ETF) before Hillary made a tweet about ‘Epi Pen’ prices, went viral: It was also posted on r/the_donald and r/conspiracy Here is the tweet in question: EpiPens can be the difference between life and death. There's no… Continue reading Did Hillary Commit Insider Trading?
American Exceptionalism
This post succinctly summarizes why the US stock market ha done so well compared to the rest of the world: If the world is circling the drain, America is furthest from the drain, on the most outer ripple. Wherever the market falls more than a couple percent, the huge funds step in and keep buying… Continue reading American Exceptionalism
Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 2 (the obsession with finance)
The second pillar is wealth. From Francisco d’Anconia’s speech in Atlas Shrugged: “So you think that money is the root of all evil?” said Francisco d’Anconia. “Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce… Continue reading Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 2 (the obsession with finance)
Heuristics for the Post-2008 World, Part 1
This advice given this in this article captures the ethos of post-2008 era – an era in which IQ, self-determination, intellectual expertise and knowledge are more important than ever, coinciding with the post-2008 decline/obsolescence of collectivism and liberalism, in general. Commentary is below. 1. Ignore 1-star and 5-star reviews of books, hotels and products. The… Continue reading Heuristics for the Post-2008 World, Part 1
‘Shared Narratives’ is not bi-partisanship
Over the past month or so, I’ve discussed ‘shared narratives’ – points of common agreement among smart people, that somewhat unexpectedly bring them together. Is this the same as bi-partisanship? No. The far-right and the far-left (assuming the political spectrum is linear) are opposite to each other on many issues, but an example of a… Continue reading ‘Shared Narratives’ is not bi-partisanship