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DrTentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#49551: Feb 14th 2013 at 4:49:40 PM

[up]....That's...impressive. She needs therapy. And criminal charges.

Belian In honor of my 50lb pup from 42 Since: Jan, 2001
In honor of my 50lb pup
#49552: Feb 14th 2013 at 4:50:33 PM

As an Accounting Major, I'm just thinking back to my original/basic econ classes. What I remember (which isn't much by now, it was a few years ago) is a class that sort-of interested me but was meant for people interested in buisness courses—not art, history, etc. That is what I think of when discussing an "Overview of Economics" course and I just don't see the appeal in a course on just that.

I can certainly see working the ideas into conversations about buisness stratagy in a more general course.

@ fake vid: I don't even need to see it to understand how stupid a move that was.

Yu hav nat sein bod speeling unntil know. (cacke four undersandig tis)the cake is a lie!
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
DevilTakeMe Coin Operator from Wild Wasteland Since: Jan, 2010
Coin Operator
#49554: Feb 14th 2013 at 5:11:49 PM

The Fake Video thing is just funny and a horrible lack of judgement. At least they pulled the plug on it and they're not going to run it somewhere. Classic case of "more money than sense."

Glove and Boots is good for Blog!
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#49555: Feb 14th 2013 at 5:32:23 PM

Fox News president Roger Ailes: Obama is 'trying to get everybody to hate each other'

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he intends to use his final year in office to push for a ban on plastic-foam food packaging.

Truly plastic-foam food packaging is the greatest threat New York City is currently facing.

Nate Silver: I might stop blogging if it influences election results

edited 14th Feb '13 5:47:28 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
johnnyfog Actual Wrestling Legend from the Zocalo Since: Apr, 2010 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
Actual Wrestling Legend
#49556: Feb 14th 2013 at 5:40:17 PM

Bloomberg will go down in the annals of history as the most anal-retentive public servant ever.

edited 14th Feb '13 5:40:38 PM by johnnyfog

I'm a skeptical squirrel
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#49557: Feb 14th 2013 at 7:10:03 PM

It might stop stupidity like this: http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/09/supermarket-chains-pre-peeled-plastic-wrapped-bananas-slammed.html

And yes, I know that's from Austria, but tell me honestly. Are American supermarket chains smart enough to avoid it?

DevilTakeMe Coin Operator from Wild Wasteland Since: Jan, 2010
Coin Operator
#49558: Feb 14th 2013 at 7:29:42 PM

I can't even imagine why that group in Austria thought that was a good idea, but in my experience, bananas move through US supermarkets so fast that there's really no point or necessity to prepackage bananas, as it only adds to cost.

You tend to only package items like that that aren't moving as fast, either because it's out of season or just not as easy to prepare yourself, like watermelons, etc. Some stores will cut up watermelons and package slices that way to show off what their stock looks like on the inside.

This is why many supermarkets also use this packaging for meat products. Meat departments process quite a lot of meat during the day, and it's not possible to cut it fresh for every customer who just wants to pick something up and get out.

Bananas are pretty straight-forward, by comparison.

edited 14th Feb '13 7:34:12 PM by DevilTakeMe

Glove and Boots is good for Blog!
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#49559: Feb 14th 2013 at 8:10:08 PM

Krugman, as usual, expertly dissects the SotU and response.

To summarize: Obama was boring, because his ideas will never pass Congress; Rubio has had his brain eaten by zombie economics, like the rest of his party.

edited 14th Feb '13 8:12:05 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#49561: Feb 14th 2013 at 8:59:54 PM

I really hope Silver doesn't stop, his polling can't do anywhere near the level of damage that the skewed and manipulated results of major companies/networks do. Facts shouldn't be hidden from the world, let people see them and make their own, more informed, choices.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Lascoden ... from Missouri, USA Since: Nov, 2012
...
#49562: Feb 14th 2013 at 9:36:40 PM

I have a question about political ideologies: Ok, there's Neoconservative, which I (mostly) understand. But, is there such a thing as "Neoliberalism"? And I guess just in terms of US politics, since I know terminology, like conservative and liberal, is different here then in Europe and other places.

edited 14th Feb '13 9:37:19 PM by Lascoden

boop
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#49563: Feb 14th 2013 at 9:57:03 PM

[up]

Neo-Liberals are basically moderate Conservatives.

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Lascoden ... from Missouri, USA Since: Nov, 2012
...
#49564: Feb 14th 2013 at 10:00:36 PM

[up]I thought the moderate conservatives were called "paleoconservatives"? Or are they basically the same thing?

boop
Completion oldtimeytropey from Space Since: Apr, 2012
oldtimeytropey
#49565: Feb 14th 2013 at 10:03:31 PM

A neoconservative is a foreign policy hawk with liberal social views and mixed-economy economic views. Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and Condolleeza Rice are a part of that wing.

Paleoconservatives are foreign policy isolationists with conservative social and economic views.

A neoliberal in the United States is a way to say "I'm a libertarian" without sounding crazy. Or that you're not obsessed with legal drugs which is what libertarians are mainly concerned about over here.

[up][up] Or what that guy said. It's such a rare term over here. My neoconservative and paleoconservative definitions are right, though.

edited 14th Feb '13 10:08:47 PM by Completion

Lascoden ... from Missouri, USA Since: Nov, 2012
...
#49566: Feb 14th 2013 at 10:22:30 PM

From what I'm looking at, both of you guys seem to be right. It's like a less severe form of libertarianism, focused on economics. It's all about enforcing a free-market, from what I can tell. Thanks for the help! smile

boop
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#49567: Feb 14th 2013 at 10:25:21 PM

Neoliberals generally advocate for free markets at home and abroad. There can be overlap with neoconservatives, and we all saw poorly that went in Iraq.

Yeah sure, we can invade Iraq (ignore those silly Generals, we don't need that many troops), set up a functioning market economy and be out in 12-18 months! Its totally foolproof!

Examples include Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld, though the latter leaned more heavily to the neocon aspects.

edited 14th Feb '13 10:26:36 PM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#49568: Feb 15th 2013 at 12:42:44 AM

@ Neoliberalism: Think of Margaret Thatcher, probably Ronald Reagan.

Keep Rolling On
PotatoesRock Since: Oct, 2012
#49569: Feb 15th 2013 at 2:30:51 AM

http://xkcd.com/1127/

Also I feel this comic is relevant to the flow of politics in the US Congress.

TheStarshipMaxima NCC - 1701 Since: Jun, 2009
NCC - 1701
#49570: Feb 15th 2013 at 6:50:04 AM
Thumped: This post was thumped by the Stick of Off-Topic Thumping. Stay on topic, please.
It was an honor
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#49571: Feb 15th 2013 at 6:56:40 AM

We have multiple threads to discuss LGBT issues. Take it there.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#49572: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:01:37 AM

Also, @Greenmantle: Reagan was a libertarian? You could have fooled me.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Belian In honor of my 50lb pup from 42 Since: Jan, 2001
In honor of my 50lb pup
#49573: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:06:43 AM

[up][up][up][up]Yikes. Took me a while to process all that information. I have no idea how long it took him to put it all together.

Main point to take away from that graph, in the context of the recent political climate and our conversations, is how much of the red side has become a dark red (signifying "far right") and the complete lack of light red (signifying "center right")

...I wonder what the Tea Party candidates score on that chart.

Here is a chart, based on the same scores, that is a bit easier to read/understand because it is just showing the general stats for the parties, not the individual.

edited 15th Feb '13 7:07:04 AM by Belian

Yu hav nat sein bod speeling unntil know. (cacke four undersandig tis)the cake is a lie!
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#49574: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:10:46 AM

According to the article on Neoliberalism in The Other Wiki, Ronald Reagan (and Margaret Thatcher) did use Neoliberal economic ideas in their programs. And I'm talking about Classical Liberalism, not the US version of "Liberal"*

.

edited 15th Feb '13 7:12:33 AM by Greenmantle

Keep Rolling On
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#49575: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:22:44 AM

@Sea Shepherd and anti-whaling: Does the US government have any stake in not denouncing Japan's practically-illegal-whaling-under-the-guise-of-scientific-research operations?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

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