UWC does this articles theory support support for intervention into the lifestyles of mothers to be?

Op-Ed Columnist - At Risk From the Womb - NYTimes.com

It brings to mind "To bad we can't outlaw bad parenting." But of course we do to a point, but how far should we take it? Should smoking, drinking, drug using mothers go to jail? should junk food eating mothers? Should we guarantee a minimum lifestyle to reduce stress? Unlike in my younger more idealistic and ideological years I do not think that a slippery slope necessarily means don't try the slide. The political process performs myriad balancing acts. But this new evidence could be used to restrict the freedom of mothers to a shocking extent if the health of the fetus is perceived an preeminent. What is the minimal legal standard of care for a fetus? I have personally felt disgusted and had my night ruined when a friend of a girlfriend was "partying" while pregnant. Not sure where I fall on this one because my preference for freedom for the mother clashes with my desire to not handicap the child. Yes, I am pro-choice, which is another potential inconsistency. OK to kill, just don't hurt it. Strange implication. I guess, in my mind, that the unborn don't have rights but their future selves do.

What to do with Yahoo!?

Nobody even wants to be associated with them.
Story

This next to what is the fair value of Facebook are likely the two most frequently asked questions in Silicon Valley.  Here my crack at it.

The one think I like about Yahoo! is their finance site.  I cannot think of the last time I visited for any other reason.  Oh yeah, when I was considering going through the hassle of moving my domains when they raised the prices of already purchased domains from $10 to $35 dollars.

Aside from a large email user based and non-tech savvy traffic, what does Yahoo! have?  A little of everything.

Yahoo! is internet novices.  Apple is easy to use pretty technology.  Both have a similar world view of controlling the user experience by guiding users through a walled garden of content.  Apple should buy Yahoo!!!

Apples stock is riding high.  Yahoo! would again be able to keep and hire talent.  Jobs would improve Yahoo's user experience.  The PR would be incredible.  Yapple, Aphoo!  Naw.  Just Apple.  Yahoo! can deliver the cheapest traffic on the internet and Jobs is more likely than anyone to succeed at a massive turnaround of attitudes.  Yahoo! will regain pride.

For full disclosure, I do not care much for Apple and think Yahoo sucks walrus balls.  I don't like to follow directions let alone be told what to or not to view or what programs to use by the maker of my phone.  When I was mugged and my iPhone was stolen my relief was unambiguous.

Answer: An ignorant customer is our best customer

Question: What is the unwritten slogan of religious leaders?

This article is funny.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/us/28religion.html

Is summary, the non religious know more about religions than the religious.

For what other entire product categories do the users know less about them than the non-users?
Trans fat?

What qualifies as knowledge?  Does ideology and misinformation count as information?
Tyler Cowen made a very useful point to our class that there is a significant difference between acquiring knowledge of economics versus political ideology.  I think that only knowlege consistent with scientific/objective type evidence should count.  If applied, then many new age medicines and therapies: homeopathy, stone massages, maize covers cloth (yes, I just saw Grownups, pretty funny) all qualify as preying on the ignorant.

Thoughts?

UWC is parody and effective method of discrediting?

I like these people's objective and they make me laugh.

Will they have an impact?  If so, how?
Motivating those that already agree with them or changing peoples minds?
I think motivating is more likely.

The opportunity to parody European labor leaders is almost too easy given that their current slogans are "Anti-Austerity".

We want: More money for less work and you have to pay for it.  As usual, the unionized and government workers are better off then average working in the countries adding to the irony.

Have you ever notices how rarely the wages of protesting union workers are quoted in the mainstream press?
Here is one wage quote and more detail on Spain (even better).

Why so few women in Tech?

Link to Techcrunch article.

Next year the panel should be on why there are so few stay at home dads and what should be done to correct this injustice.  Ha ha ha.

Also, listen to the This American Life episode "Testosterone".  I know is sounds strange, but one of the subjects during a female to male transition that involved high doses of testosterone started to find science interesting and understand science better than prior to the injections.  The impact of testosterone on our personalities and lives is made disturbingly clear.  The show.

UWC will one become an entrepreneur?

Purely based on experience as an entrepreneur...

1. Understands the customers
2. Understands the industry, especially if well established and complicated, such at financial services
3. Has the ingenuity to find a way to make customers happy (sometimes less than is thought necessary see Ray Kroc of McDonald's fortune)
4. Has the balls to take the risk necessary to follow the vision
5. Is sufficiently organized to know what to do next to fulfill the vision
6. Can communicate the required tasks to others
7. Can get others to follow

In most cases, being an entrepreneur has more to do with understanding the market, working hard, and leading than most people realize.  These variable are also less romantic and more difficult to place in a regression than IQ or education so are likely studied less often.

Thoughts?

More on USA Internet snooping

From PC magazine.  "Developers of software that enables peer-to-peer communication must redesign their service to allow interception."


So Skype in the USA will be killed?  Might the carriers be behind this regulation?  Someone please track some donations or political influence.