Interesting Links for 21-11-2023

[andrewducker]

1. The problems the NHS is facing were all predicted years ago, but the UK doesn't do long term planning

(tags:UK NHS doom )

2. 200 mobsters convicted in mass trial of Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia

(tags:Italy mafia law GoodNews )

3. New rule, if you don't understand exponential growth then you're not allowed to run a country

(tags:mathematics politics Pandemic )

4. How accurate is the new Napoleon movie?

(tags:movies funny history )

5. A City on Mars: Reality kills space settlement dreams

(tags:space reality )

Comments

[conuly]

Does anybody a. understand exponential growth or b. do long term planning? (I'll believe that the Netherlands does long term planning in a few very specific areas related to land reclamation, but otherwise I doubt anybody does.)

About Item 5:

[dewline]

Of course, it's going to take more work in more disciplines than we think to build out to other worlds like this. And we don't want company towns off-Earth to be run by the likes of His Sinkness, ever.

Interesting to note that my local library has a line-up for the few copies they were able to order.

Re: About Item 5:

[rmc28]

I checked but none of my libraries have it in stock :sadface:

[bens_dad]

Compound interest is exponential growth.

Richi Sunak was a hedge-fund manager.

Do hedge-fund managers understand compound interest, or do they end up in that fast-moving gambling area of finance because they don't so could not design mortgages ?

[foms]

I'm confused by the use of the word "bamboozled". My understanding is that bamboozle means to use confusion as a tool for deceit. I would have thought that it necessarily implies malice from the actor.

Is there a milder connotation with which I'm not familiar? Is this use intended to soften the implied accusation of incapacity?

[andrewducker]

I've definitely heard it to just mean "confused".