interiors

Increasing Educational Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:30:00 +0000

The College Board published recommendations on increasing college education rates, all of which are unlike the current US model of education as punishment. In the US we have seen zero-tolerance policies, impoverishment of education opportunities of lower classes via property-based tax policies, and a system that disproportionately favors the gifted and affluent.

The 10 Recommendations

The commission believes that American education is the nation’s greatest strength and most powerful force for advancing the common good in America. To once again return America to its place as the global leader in educational attainment, the commission recommended the following 10-part action agenda:

Provide a program of voluntary preschool education, universally available to children from low-income families, such that all children at or below 200 percent of the ofﬁ cial poverty line have a chance to enter school ready to learn.
Improve middle and high school college counseling by meeting professional stafﬁng standards for counselors and involving colleges and universities in college planning.
Implement the best research-based dropout prevention programs, which include early identiﬁcation of those students who are at risk of dropping out and subsequently providing them with a safety net.
Align the K–12 education system with international standards and college admission expectations so that all students are prepared for future opportunities in education, work and life.
Improve teacher quality and focus on recruitment and retention an education system can only be as good as its teachers.
Clarify and simplify the admission process; a transparent and less complex process will encourage more ﬁrst-generation students to apply.
Provide more need-based grant aid while simplifying the ﬁnancial aid system and making it more transparent; to minimize student debt and at least keep pace with inﬂation, make ﬁnancial aid processes more transparent and predictable, and provide institutions with incentives to enroll and graduate more low-income and ﬁrst-generation students.
Keep college affordable by controlling college costs, using available aid and resources wisely, and insisting that state governments meet their obligations for funding higher education.
Dramatically increase college completion rates by reducing the number of dropouts, easing transfer processes and using “data-based” approaches to improve completion rates at both two- and four-year institutions.
Provide postsecondary opportunities as an essential element of adult education programs by supplementing existing basic skills training with a new “honors GED” and through better coordination of existing

A response to The Appraisal: Is Co-op Living Worth the Hassle?

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:10:00 +0000

The post: The Appraisal: Is Co-op Living Worth the Hassle?:

We live in a condominium, not a co-op, the difference being a condo is generally easier to buy and sublet than in co-ops, albeit a higher cost with lower maintenance. That said, we do have issues with the horrible state of some of our fellow residents' windows; as a condominium, the building does not enforce standards common to co-ops. As for the benefits, typically common to condominium and co-op, we have staff covering doors, the grounds - the condominium has a block-size green area with playground - and maintenance, along with on-site services for packages and dry cleaning.

As to #1's criticism, my feeling is that he is correct, but with further thought, it is equivocal. Living in the city, I have a minimal commute, 20 minutes each way, unlike those in the suburbs. As mentioned, we are provided numerous services at low cost, allowing me to avoid the suburban drudgery of home maintenance. We actually enjoy having less space, and that combined with the city's 'walkability', means that our carbon footprint is very small; New Yorkers are very 'green'. We do not need a car, so we do not have the expenses and drudgery associated with maintaining one, nor the car's exhaust; we rent when needed. Many of the benefits of city-based condo/co-op living become less expensive as one moves to Brooklyn or Jersey City, although in some ways less desirable; New York is loved for its vibrancy, its diversity, and its arts.

As for agreeing with #1, long-term home value probably increases slightly faster in the cities, although ownership itself is not necessarily a good financial choice. Neither choice of location makes much sense, except if you are smart enough to buy on the down-cycle and sell before the market inevitably crashes. Either way, tying up hundred's of thousands of dollars in a home is not the best use of the money, and New York's high cost only means an even larger amount tied up in an investment that simply matches inflation.

Experience versus Science

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 13:10:00 +0000

Regarding incontrovertibility, studies gathered in PubMed might have their flaws, but the opinions of other's are even more flawed. Personally, I accumulate knowledge, so a new study only adds to my existing understanding; I'm not one to simply take a single study as proof, but it seems that many people are willing to trust their experience, even when the bulk of the evidence is against it.

My undergraduate focused on lab study design, and I am very aware of the pitfalls of single studies, or even collections of studies. I am not confused by conflicting facts, since there is little in the world that is simply black and white. One needs to distill generalizable information from the seemingly conflicting information, and when it comes to medicine, one needs to be even more careful about the self-interest of the authors and publishers.

When Conscience and the New Marriage Law Collide

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:39:00 +0000

As with many others, I expressed my outrage at the idea that the people unable to perform their jobs as civil servants because it would require condoning marriage equality:

Admirable for their ignorance and bigotry?

I truly admire people that risked their lives to save Jews, or march in the Civili rights movement. There are many others throughout history that have risked their lives for truly noble causes.

I admire people of courage that move humanity forward, not these people. All manner of hatred has been cloaked in the Bible - Anyone remember the Inquisition, slavery, or the repeated slaughter of Jews? - and nothing, least of all the Bible, can justify such ignorant bigotry.

The Political Economy of the Lesser Depression (A Response)

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:10:00 +0000

Responding to Paul Krugman's post, I wrote the following:

People avoid the analysis of motives, at times calling it paranoid, but in fact it is essential. Why would anyone be surprised that politicians are influenced their donors income interests, let alone their own.

A VP starting a war claims security reasons, but would you ignore that the company he was the CEO of will increase its revenue, making him millions? Obama is beholden to the big-money interests, and seems to have done well fund raising. Does anyone need to be told that some of his 'donors' are benefitting from the crisis.

The absurd irrationality of policy decisions would indicate that reason is not the driving motive, but the interests of the powerful and the wealthy.

Rethinking a Gift to Jeter (My Odd Response)

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:41:00 +0000

Rethinking a-Gift-To-Jeter

It is unlikely I would ever attend a typical sporting event. I actually despise the majority of major team sports in the US, and the reasons mostly emanate from the harm that sports impose on college via low academic abilities and biased admittance policies, and on cities via stadiums and tax breaks, as well as the slavish stupidity men devote to following sports. Personally, I occasionally watch sports, i.e., rowing, cycling, running, and track and field, but they are activities I have or do engage in, and I watch the Olympics.

To me, it is like asking if an ignorant man does an ignorant thing, do I think he is ignorant. It is all stupid; he should have taken the money.

Is College Worth It?

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sat, 21 May 2011 15:45:00 +0000

A response to a post in a long line of articles regarding the value college:

For economic reasons, an undergraduate is worth it because you can't get a master's degree otherwise. With an increasing number of people with 4 year degrees, and the growing divide between degreed and non-degreed, as well as the increased risk of off-shoring, a young person today needs to be more qualified than ever. A master's degree is no guarantee of a job, but it certainly correlates with better outcomes. A better question might be to ask if a master's degree worth it, and even that is often dubious.

As for the non-economic reasons, continued education correlates with many positive outcomes in life - with the awareness that some positive aspects are correlates of higher incomes and intelligence - and extending education as long as possible is a social good, particularly since modern life is more complicated than ever.

Does Facebook Help or Hinder Offline Friendships?

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:42:00 +0000

A response to an article in GadgetWise on the NY Times:

It enhances them, but my observations are primarily of introverts to middling like myself, in which relationships have been fostered and advanced, old wounds healed, and friends recovered. As for the others I don't know, the extroverts and the people that have 1000+ friends, or those that use it for business, I imagine they think life is better for it as well...

The Twitter Trap?

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:05:00 +0000

A response to an article titled The Twitter Trap:

First Post

It is how you use technology, and in that vein, how you teach your children to use it.

I find Twitter a fast way to get at authors that I read regularly, to reduce the advertising I would have to weed through scanning newspapers for good articles. I still read long-form articles and books, and have both an iPad and Kindle, but I typically use RSS an Twitter to scan titles and synopses for material to read. Can you see the value of scanning the top level before diving in, particularly with the profusion of material and sources?

As for the other values of Twitter, fun for the witty - brevity as the soul of wit - and diversity. You can come across others outside of your comfort zone, or wade in to a lively round of repartee.

Second Post

The number of people remembering entire books was likely very small, since literacy itself is a modern phenomenon. Progress really has made knowledge more accessible, and literacy greater. Rather than lament the loss of a few 'freaks' ability to remember texts, one can appreciate that no one needs to do that any longer, no longer needs to waste enormous time and energy to store a single source.

My father had several slide rules for his works with computers in the 50's and 60's, but one should realize how few people could do those kind of calculations, and how inaccessible higher math was to most people. Now almost all people can do the kind of calculations that at one time took an engineering degree.

This is progress.

Is Your Religion Your Financial Destiny?

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 15 May 2011 10:56:00 +0000

There are comments posted in response to a NY Times article correlating religion with educational and economic attainment.

1:

Some of the correlation is related to immigration policy, in that many people are in this country partially because of the preference for educated labor, hence Hindu's and Buddhists high education level. It likely also explains the high showing for Orthodox Christians, and even to some degree, Jews. As a personal note, I work in technology, where much of the staff is foreign-born, hence large numbers of Indians (Hindu), Eastern Europeans and Russians (Christian Orthodox/Jewish/Secular), or East Asian (Secular/Buddhist).

Besides, there has always been a fairly strong inverse correlation between education/intelligence and religiosity, and particularly fundamentalism, and in this case, American Protestant Fundamentalism.

2:

As for the lower-income, higher-education relationship, again, it is based on immigration policy, such that educated immigrants are paid less for the same level of education, and this may be related to a whole slew of factors. At a minimum, there are barriers to non-native English speakers and the ability to rise higher in organizations. My perception is that management is often composed of highly-educated native Americans, while staff is more often composed of highly-educated immigrants.

MLK, Correctly Quoted

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 08 May 2011 10:35:00 +0000

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

Is Fitness All in the Genes?

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:41:00 +0000

A response to an article in the NY Times Well section, Is Fitness All in the Genes?:

As for fitness being some desirable goal, it is better to be active. Many people do not have the capacity to find fitness enjoyable, and the goal for everyone should be activity that he or she can enjoy and continue with, be it strength training, martial arts, volleyball, or any number of non-aerobic activities.

Also, this is news? I was an ACE-certified personal trainer in the early 90's, been working out for 25 years, and I have read a great deal of popular and academic material. A memorable quote from a sports medicine journal regarding fitness was that "seventy percent (70%) of aerobic capacity is how well one chose one's parents."

I regularly row on ergometers - I have not been on the water for 20 years - and someone recently told me they wanted to be as fit as me. Who knew? Yes, I measure over the 95th percentile on treadmill tests, but I tend to think that people see me as a bit of an oddball, more than admirable. Rowing itself, like most aerobic sports, is predictable by numerous physical traits, almost all of which are fixed and largely genetic. People need to understand that, since it will impact their feelings of success and exercise adherence.

The Dirty Little Secret of Successful Companies (A Response)

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:21:00 +0000

Two responses to the Jay Goltz post in the NYT, The Dirty Little Secret of Successful Companies:

Response 1

Pfeffer is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford GSB. In The Human Equation, he lays out 7 principles of successful companies, two of which are obviously relevant:

- Selective hiring of new personnel
- Extensive training

The entire list:

- Employment Security
- Self-managed teams and decentralized decision making
- Relatively high compensation contingent on organizational performance
- Reduced status distinctions
- Extensive sharing of financial/performance information

Response 2

Evaluations can be very arbitrary.

In one former position at a major bank, I was rated excellent year after year by various 'handlers'; I was never really managed. Well, a competing bank bought one of the trading desks, and then the management went with them. I was still excellent witht he replacement managers, but my most senior supporter was shipped off to Europe to manage technology there, and I was left with the other senior person in the department. For her, I was just dead wood of the prior environment, and I hated almost everything about the new manager's style. Instead of being a 5/5, I became a 3/5, a 'six'. It took a year or two, but eventually I was laid off during a merger.

Social Scientist Sees Bias Within (A Response)

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:17:00 +0000

Two responses to the NYT's Social Scientist Sees Bias Within:

Response 1

I went through the recommended posts to see if my premise based on facts, that openness (big-five) correlates with intelligence and 'liberal-ness', was repeated, and found it was, as well as the occasional flip-side, that business people are typically conservative. Gee, smart people identify as liberal or independent, and conservatives are typically middle class and concerned with money.

Although intelligence and personality explain much of the difference, it doesn't explain why the US is so politically and socially backward, as compared to other developed countries.

Response 2

Your weakness is your strength. It is what you make of it.

Rather than looking at the distribution of political stances as a problem, one could try to see it as a positive feature, provided you are a conservative. My sense is that greatness, e.g., Nobel's in Economics or Einstein, is not the province of the common view but the iconoclast. Great thinkers attack their professions bad assumptions, they make new science, and they make their name on not being with the status quo.

NYT's Taking Aim at Public Workers

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:31:00 +0000

A response to the NYT's Taking Aim at Public Workers

Income inequality is a large part of why American's are worse off when compared to the rest of the developed world (read the The Spirit Level), and that is largely driven by low taxes on wealth and low unionism. Although not entirely a solution, a unionized workforce would fare much better, but it seems the attack on public sector employees is a ploy to drive the wedge down deeper, to divide the less affluent from their money. In a short-sghted way it would reduce costs, but then again, only by beggaring thy neighbor. We would still have the same problems as before, or large deficits, gross income inequality, poorer healthcare, lower educational attainment, and a generally less good quality of life. Rather than reducing public sector employees, we should be trying to increase unionism and decrease income inequality.

Not Crass, Class (A Response)

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:15:00 +0000

A response to Paul Krugman's Not Crass, Class

Regarding the narrowing of focus:

Unemployment doesn't matter, because no one we know is unemployed, and we aren't blue collar males
Police abuse don't matter, because we aren't black or hispanic
Profiling is perfectly acceptable, because none of us is black or muslim
Poverty doesn't matter, because, well, you know....

The list is endless, and this problem extends to most everyone's perceptions, but it is particularly important because the policy decisions affecting millions are made by people who have little awareness of problems of the less powerful, or of the problems they cause by warped policy decisions.

In retrospect I could have kept going, including one of the larger sets of underclass, women and children, particularly women of color, single moms, and their children.

A Response to How Puritans Turned Capitalist

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:01:00 +0000

The Ideas blog on the NY times published an article, How Puritans Turned Capitalist which I responded to:

From my own informal research on country measures using OECD data:

In developing countries, industry and work are essential to the wealth of the nation, but once countries reach a certain level of affluence, i.e, are considered developed, work and industry become negative correlates of welfare.

A Comment on Krugman's Post, First They Came For The Climate Scientists

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:58:00 +0000

The post, First They Came For The Climate Scientists which I responded to:

Einstein was a fuzzy-headed liberal, and that's a good thing.

Liberals are open to experience, e.g., have open minds, like to travel, and enjoy novelty, unlike conservatives, who tend be closed to new experiences. This also correlates to some degree with intelligence and to a non-literal intellect. Maybe there is something underlying this, like corporal punishment, but this in many ways explains the rabid stupidity and regressiveness of conservatives' beliefs.

A Response to the NYT's article, Prisoners of White Guilt

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:56:00 +0000

The Ideas blog on the NY times published an article, Prisoners of White Guilt which I responded to:

Without guilt, and similar emotions, we would simply be avaricious and vicious marauders. If it wasn't for the awareness of the past misdeeds, we would simply repeat the atrocities of our rapacious greed and inhumanity. One could better argue why we could do without the Nietzsche-like ego.

A Response to the NYT's article, Switch Sports After Injury? Never!

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:52:00 +0000

The Well blog on the NY times published an article, Switch Sports After Injury? Never! which I responded to:

Although I appear as a single-sport person to many, I've always had a bit of a need for change, and paired with my inevitable stress injuries that came from just running, or biking, or rowing, I gladly changed sports before I did serious damage. Even then, my relatively extensive training knowledge - I was certified as a personal trainer through ACE in the early 90's - taught me the need to training hard-easy, with intervals days followed by something longer and lighter, as well as active recovery.

I recently met someone who claimed to play four (4) hours of aggressive tennis almost daily. He related that he had developed a nagging injury and wanted to know my suggestion for resolving it. When I suggested he should takes some days easy, or replace tennis with weight-training, he was adamant that he could mange with his current regimen of icing and stretching, even though it was required every day he played and has not actually solved his problem. I would assign his inability to change to parts ego, social expectation, and pleasure. He was very proud to tell me about his 'fitness' regimen, particularly considering his age, also as a way to give his wife some free time, and as a pleasurable, intense activity.

A Response to Are Western Minds Different?

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:50:00 +0000

The Ideas blog on the NY times published an article, Are Western Minds Different? which I responded to:

It would be better if you had printed, or at least corrected, the acronym, WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic).

Although the more open-minded and academic would accept this as likely true and significant, we live in a country of the very narrow-minded - maybe most humans are - unable to consider things from other viewpoints. Those close-minded, hedgehogs won't be impacted by the fact that people are different. It's a lost nuance....

Comment on "The rich are different from you and me"

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:45:00 +0000

The Economist has an article, The rich are different from you and me, on possible differences between classes in giving. Rather than taking a position, which is the wont of most commenters, a review of all the posts gives a good sense of the readers beliefs.

Various suggested reasons:

- The rich are rich because they are cheap
- The rich lack compassion for the poor because they don't experience poverty.
- The rich lack compassion for the poor because the poor are unlike themselves
- Neo-conservative values have tilted us toward "Greed is good."
- But the rich give more. Bill Gates and Warren buffet redeem us all.
- The rich believe people get what they deserve
- The rich enjoy their relative societal position
- ...even more so the larger the difference
- Overreliance on subjects from the developed world skews research.

Cultural Aspects of Inequality

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:41:00 +0000

A response to Mind the Gap, a review of The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger:

At one time, as an MBA student with academic leanings, I considered researching and publishing an analysis using Hofstede's cultural dimensions and economic outcomes. What I found was that economic inequality, as measured by the GINI coefficient, correlated strongly with negative social outcomes. Trying to explain the underlying social dimension in developed countries, excluding Japan because of the vast differences in culture, it seemed that masculine (gender-divided) cultures were more unequal, but the correlation was only about .3. Intuitively, it seems obvious that the children of Britain are grossly unequal and the least social-outcome positive, and although the Northern European states are more equal and more socially positive, France and its 'children', Belgium and Canada, also have better social outcomes and lower inequality than the Anglo-Saxon states.

A Response to The Compromises of City Living

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:02:00 +0000

If it’s a condo in Manhattan, you pay about $1000 per square foot, but employers in Manhattan are often financials and they pay six figure salaries, so the cost is balanced against the income.

Some outlying areas have charms, and lower costs, but one of the biggest benefits is the short commute. I walk 30 minutes to work most days, and in prior positions I took the subway; I’m glad not to own a car, and we rent a car when we need to travel. Our carbon footprint is also smaller, and this dovetails with my long-standing environmental concerns.

Although life can be less expensive in outliers, that comes at a loss of convenience, and a longer commute. Additionally, our current building has services that we appreciate, doormen, groundskeepers – we overlook a block-sized inner courtyard – mailroom, and maintenance staff. We regularly avail ourselves of incomparable restaurants around New York, as well as film/movies that play first in Manhattan.

Compromise is a double-edged sword. To paraphrase, one person’s compromise is another person’s benefit.

Texting and EMail Etiquette

noreply@blogger.com (james igoe) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:18:00 +0000

A response to Bolton's article on the NY Times (click the title):

These kind of issues are always judged by a relative yardstick, and it depends on the relationship you have with the person and what the other person would like or accept. It's often a matter of common human decency, although I think the general rule might be, unless it's allowed, it is forbidden. If the person is a stranger, it is never acceptable to read their private material, but if it's a spouse or friend, then let your feelings decide.