Outliers and The Ecology of Success

Since it's New Years Eve I'll keep it short. I'm posting the radio interview with Malcolm Gladwell where he discusses his most recent book, Outliers. In the interest of time, I've only posted one thought I had regarding this interview and what I've read thus far. Since Gladwell raises so many facinating issues and questions many blog posts are sure to follow.

Malcolm Gladwell: On Outliers and the Ecology of Success online audio clip

My thoughts -Flawed by Design:
While Gladwell questions how it is that our society can observe biases but do nothing to correct them, thus missing a brilliant opportunity to exploit the vast wealth of human potential, it would seem that answer is rooted well within American history. It is true to say that American wealth was built on the backs of an enslaved subset within our society. It is possible that the reason we observe biases but fail respond isn't due to a lack of knowledge or understanding but rather a more subtle and divisive reinvention of a replacement subset, thus giving a modern complexion to American slavery. Today,this assertion not only hold staggering implications for Americans but snares subsets on a global scale due to the implementation of inherently flawed, opportunistic international trade agreements.

Malcolm Gladwell: Perverse and Often Baffling

Who knew Malcolm Gladwell was so funny? In the following 15 minute podcast Gladwell recounts his first months working as a journalist for the Washington Post. Gladwell demonstrates that his talent isn't restricted to writing, analysis that turns what we've come to believe on its ear, but that he is also a master storyteller.

Malcolm Gladwell: Perverse and Often Baffling - The Moth

Pennsylvania Earthquake, Fire Kills 7

Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Pennsylvania resident & Twitter tweeter, Jim MacMillan reported an earthquake to his Twitter network Dec. 27, 2008, just after midnight. MacMillan thought that the area hardest hit by the quake appeared to be an area he referred to as the "Pennsylvania Dutch country" .

Also reported was a house fire that claimed the lives of 7 Pennsylvania residents. It's not yet known if the fire is related to the quake but the New York Times has reported that 4 adults & 3 children were found in the basement of the building. Firefighters reported that the building was not equipped with smoke detectors and that the group died huddled together in the corner.

It's one of those events where you wish you had a do-over, so you could go to their home with the necessary supplies, install the proper safety devises to ensure the safe evacuation of everyone. My deepest sympathy goes out to the 4 survivors and their families.

Update: Early morning reports indicate that Three Mile Island was effected by the Pennsylvania quake. According to follow up reports the fire which claim 7 lives appears to be unrelated.

Jim MacMillan's personal account: Just F8 and Be There, But Faster

Outliers: The Story of Success

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

My review

My son received Outliers as a gift and I lifted it late Christmas Eve while he was away. Gladwell is fascinating and brilliant, I can't put it down.


View all my reviews.

Merry Christmas:)

Christmas was difficult last year because it was Alexa's first Christmas since her father died. This year promised to be easier but then her pet Chinchilla died last night...ccertainly didn't need that. Nonetheless, we are looking forward to a very laid back celebration this year...no turkey and gravy and all that work this year I'm baking a ham because it's easier. I even briefly considered using paper plates to avoid dishes but felt guilty leaving my beautiful Spode Christmas china unused for another year.

This year we will eat, drink, play Raving Rabbits on the Wii, open gifts and most of all we will be together...just waiting for Ben!

Happy Holiday's, I hope its a good one!

Huffington Post: Send Your Shoe to the White House

About a week after Lost Marbles encouraged readers to ship an old pair of shoes to the White House as a final act of protest, it appears that the Huffington Post has caught wind of the viral shoe shipping trend and wrote about it in today publication.



Huffington Post

Original Ship Your Shoes Post

Autism & Health Care Twitter Day: My Thoughts as Nick & Alexa's Mom

Autism and Health Care Twitter day December 23rd all day.




Before I launch into my thoughts on Health Care I'd like to introduce my son Nick and my daughter Alexa. Nick suffered a shot reaction as an infant and has Aspergers and Alexa has been sick since...forever. Also referred to as Bubble Girl, Alexa has no immune system against common illnesses, a disorder that took over 16 years to diagnose and only after I forced a referral from the iron fist of our local clinic. Specialist are currently looking into the possibility that Alexa may also suffer from Lupus.

Currently, Alexa is 18 and attends Blue Sky Charter school, an online high school and will graduate in the spring. Alexa plans to attend college in the fall of 2009 and major in Asian studies.

Nick is completing his second year at Central Lakes Community College and plans to transfer to Augsberg University where he will major in Space Physics.

As a mother who raised 3 children, 2 with special needs in a single parent household I have many thoughts regarding health and preventative medicine. Also on the effects of the many pollutants that taint in our food supply, our water and our air including those approved by the FDA. In the interest of time I will only address the issue of Health Care in this post but hope that the Obama administration takes a GIANT BROOM and cleans up government agencies like the FDA. The words, Approved by the FDA should actually means something to the American people.


Despite its original publication in 2006, Public Citizens list of arguments in favor of a Single Payer System are still valid. Since portions of the original publication were relevant to activities taking place in 2006, I am posting portions germane to the current question.

July 28, 2006 - The rationale for single payer has become increasingly compelling right now, when U.S. businesses are feeling the pinch of rising health care costs, the number of uninsured continues to rise, the nation is losing its comparative advantage in world markets, hospitals are eager to shed the burden of their “bad debt and charity” pool, and consumers are increasingly baffled by an array of insurers who offer confusion in the guise of “choice.”

The main argument in favor of a single payer is that such a system is the only way we can realistically afford to end the dangerous, embarrassing, and worsening situation wherein about 45 million people in this country lack health insurance and millions more are seriously uninsured. In addition there are a number of practical reasons for having a single payer; these are summarized below.

Single Payer is good for business. Publicly financed but privately run health care for all would cost employers far less in taxes than their costs for insurance. With universal coverage, employers would no longer have to pay for medical care as part of the compensation package offered to workers. And with health care outlays expected to increase between 14 percent and 18 percent between now and 2010, employers can expect no relief from the already unsustainable situation they are facing at present. A survey of senior-level executive in Detroit found that 75 percent consider employee health insurance “unaffordable,” while the remaining 25 percent consider it “very unaffordable.”

If the situation is untenable for individual employers, it is even worse for the economy as a whole. Increases in health care costs are a drag on economic growth: they thwart job growth, suppress increases for current workers, weaken the viability of pension funds, and depress the quality of jobs. Rising health care costs are also causing budgetary problems for federal and state governments, which are currently paying over 50 percent of the U.S. health care bill.

Universal health coverage would also have a salutary effect on labor-management relations. Many if not most strikes in the past five years have involved conflicts over health benefits. Universal coverage would defuse this contentious issue, provide benefits independent of employment status, and allow business greater flexibility in whom to hire.

Single Payer will enhance the comparative position of the U.S. in the global market. President Bush has repeatedly said that the United States is not reluctant to compete on the international market as long as there is an even playing field. At present, the lack of universal health insurance places the U.S. at a disadvantage vis-à-vis other countries. Companies such as General Motors that have factories in both the US and other countries have learned this lesson well; for example, in 2003 the costs of manufacturing a midsized car in Canada were $1,400 less than that of manufacturing the identical car in the US, primarily because of much higher health costs in this country.

Single Payer builds on the existing experience. Those who fear that single payer is new and foreign, and therefore untested, need to be reminded that Medicare is, in essence, a single payer system. For those who are eligible, Medicare is universal and identical, not means-tested, and administered by the government, which acts as a single payer for hospital and outpatient physician services. Because it did not have to sift and sort the population or cope with a layer of insurers, the rollout of Medicare in 1966 was amazingly smooth. Practically overnight---and without computers--- the program covered services provided by 6,600 hospitals, 250,000 physicians, 1,300 home health agencies, and hundred of nursing homes. By the end of its first year, Medicare had enrolled more than 90 percent of eligible Americans, a feat that cemented its popularity and redeemed President Johnson’s faith in the efficacy of government.

In contrast, Part D of Medicare, which departed from the single payer model and introduced private insurers, encountered the wrath of consumers who were unable to maneuver the complicated choices required to obtain prescription drug benefits.

Single Payer has significantly lower administrative costs. Studies by both the Congressional Budget Office and the General Accounting Office have repeatedly shown that single payer universal health care would save significant dollars in administrative costs. As early as 1991, the GAO concluded that if the universal coverage and single payer features of the Canadian system had been applied in the United States that year, the total savings (then estimated at $66.9 billion) “would have been more than enough to finance insurance coverage for the millions of American who are currently uninsured.” More recently, estimates published in the International Journal of Health Services conclude that “streamlining administrative overhead to Canadian levels would save approximately $286 billion in 2002, $6,940 for each of the 41.2 million Americans who were uninsured as of 2001. This is substantially more than would be needed to provide full insurance coverage.” At present, the U.S. spends 50 percent to 100 percent more on administration than countries with single payer systems.

Single Payer facilitates quality control. Having a single payer system would create for the United States a comprehensive, accurate, and timely national data base on health service utilization and health outcomes. This would provide information on gaps and disparities or duplication of care, thereby serving as valuable intelligence for decision-making and resource allocation. At present, the closest analogy to this is the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which has been highly successful in containing costs while providing excellent care. The key to its success is that it is a universal, integrated system. As Paul Krugman has written in an op-ed piece in The New York Times: “Because it covers all veterans, the system doesn’t need to employ legions of administrative staff to check patients’ coverage and demand payment from their insurance companies. Because it’s integrated, providing all forms of medical care, it has been able to take the lead in electronic record-keeping and other innovations that reduce costs, ensure effective treatment and help prevent medical errors.”

Single Payer gives the government greater leverage to control costs. A single payer would be able to take advantage of economies of scale and exert greater leverage in bargaining with providers, thereby controlling costs. Recent experiences with both the VHA system and Medicare Part D indicate the difference exerting such leverage can make. The Department of Veterans Affairs uses its power as a major purchaser to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical makers. But when the legislation leading to the drug prescription plan (better known as Medicare Part D) was passed, Congress explicitly barred negotiating prices with drug makers. The results of this are now becoming evident: at present, the VA is paying 46 percent less for the most popular brand-name drugs than the average prices posted by the Medicare plans for the same drugs. Because Part D increased the effective demand for drugs without controlling costs, prescription drug prices have risen sharply: during the first quarter of 2006, prices for brand-name pharmaceuticals “jumped 3.9 percent, four times the general inflation rate … and the largest quarterly price increase in six years.”

If this trend is allowed to continue unchecked, it could jeopardize the fiscal viability of the Medicare drug program and seriously undermine whatever political and public support it now has. In addition, this could have significant repercussions on the program as a whole. In the words of economist Stephen W. Schondelmeyer, who specializes in drug industry issues, “Higher drug prices may lead to higher premiums next year, which may discourage enrollees from joining or staying in the program, and fewer enrollees could drive premiums even higher.”

Single Payer promotes greater accountability to the public. One of the key features of the U.S. health care system is its fragmentation. When every player is responsible for only part of the care of part of the population part of the time, there is no overall accountability for how the system functions as whole. Consumers are therefore left wondering who is in charge, and whom they can appeal to when their knowledge is incomplete or their care is inadequate.

The most recent report to Congress of the Medicare Advisory Commission recognizes this: “…perverse payment system incentives, lack of information, and fragmented delivery systems are barriers for full accountability.”

The creation of a single payer would provide an opportunity for creating a system run by a public trust. Benefits and payments would be decided by the insurer which would be under the control of a diverse board representing consumers, providers, business and government.

Single Payer fosters transparency in coverage decisions. Ironically, single payer plans have been criticized for “making all sorts of unbearable trade-offs explicit government policy, rather than obscuring them in complexities.” But we support such explicit trade-offs. Given finite resources, it may not be possible to cover every single treatment, device or pharmaceutical a patient may require or desire. Priorities must be set, and the criteria for these should be transparent and consistently applied.

The practice of “obscuring trade-offs” is irresponsible and demeaning to the American public. Medical care decisions are too important and affect everyone too directly to be made surreptitiously. Moreover, forcing policy-makers to make decisions concerning what to cover will ensure their confronting issues of safety, efficacy, and value-for-money that are often circumvented or overlooked. Trade-offs that are transparent to health care consumers will therefore be in the public’s interest.

Robert Pattinson's New Do!

MTV posted pictures of Robert Pattinson sporting a new haircut...

Here's the link to their photo gallery.

Thrown Shoes Hit Sales Record

While Iraqi reporter and pitcher, Muntadar al-Zaidi, awaits trial the BBC reports that sales for the brand of shoe that was hurled at President Bush have skyrocketed. There is no word as to the reason for the sudden increase in sales but insiders say that the Lame-Duck President has been practicing weaving and ducking should anyone else hurl over his performance as Commander and Chief.

Muntadar al-Zaidi's trial is set for December 31, 2008 where he faces up to 15 years for "aggression against a foreign head of state" which the BBC reports could be reduced to a lesser charge of "attempted aggression" (I didn't make that part up). No one was injured during the attack except for the shoe-wielding assailant. Muntadar al-Zaidi's brother told BBC reporters that he has been abused in detention and plans to file a legal suit over his injuries.

The scheduled trial date was specifically selected to provide Christmas cheer and entertainment to Black Water thugs.

Since a number of individuals including al-Zaidi have referred to Bush as a dog, the Obama's are reconsidering the adoption of a new White House mutt and may elect to keep George Walker Bush instead.

Victoria's Secret St. Cloud Sale

While shopping in St. Cloud, MN. yesterday my son stopped in at Victoria's Secret to say hi to a college friend who worked there, shortly thereafter my daughter and I followed and introduced ourselves. As fate would have it Victoria's Secret was having a bra sale, all bras were $29.99 so we shopped.

Like many women, I'm never quiet sure what size is the best fit for me, so when a sales person offered to measure I accepted. I've never done this before but it was good to have exact numbers. My daughter submitted to the same procedure and I was stunned to learn that the bra she was wearing was 3 sizes to small...when did that happen?
She never said anything about needing new undergarments.

As a parent I tried to be somewhat conscious of this because I grew up in a house where everything I had was a hand-me-down...including bra's. The only problem was my sister wore an A-cup and I wore a C-cup. In my mothers mind, I was younger therefore...smaller despite the lack of logic or reason to this assumption. I had no idea how a bra should fit until I began doing my own shopping. Clearly, it was time to update my daughters "sock drawer".

I don't know if all Victoria's Secret stores are running the same sales but given the quality of their merchandise it is well worth a phone call to your area store to find out. Also, I highly recommend being measured, nothing is more worth the investment than the most comfortable, figure flattering undergarments.

If you don't want to brave the mall so close to Christmas check out their online sale, not only does Victoria's Secret have great undergarments but they also have drop-dead gorgeous shoes and killer coats.

Coraline: The Movie & More of Gaimon

The film version looks brilliant! Did I hear it was being produced in 3D, can't wait!

Here is a list of 3D movie theaters, be sure to check back because the list continues to grow. I hope it shows up on the screen of the Imation Imax.

Other related stories: Gaimon calls Coraline the Strangest Stop-Motion Film Ever

and the Graveyard Book video tour

Shoes to the White House: A Photo Journal

Since the idea of shipping shoes to the White House has gone viral I'm asking folks to take take a photo of the shoes you plan to send to President Bush. I'd like to post as many as I can online but I'll settle for a few.

Where is Muntathar al-Zaidi

Update, On Monday Dec 15th, CNN reported that Al-Zaida was still in custody and was possibly facing charges for throwing shoes in the vicinity of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, not for hurling footware at Bush.

Ship Your Old Shoes to the White House

I previously posted a YouTube video of Iraqi reporter Muntathar al Zaidi, 29, throwing his shoes at President Bush.

Someone on Twitter suggested we ship our old shoes to the White House. I didn't know if he was kidding or not and I didn't care. As a final act of protest I'm joining the Iraqi reporter and I'm shipping my old shoes to the White House.

Anyone interested in joining me can
ship their old shoes to:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20500

A second pair can also be shipped to:

Lame "Duck" President Bush
10141 Daria Pl
Dallas, TX 75229

Reportedly the Iraqi reporter shouted, "This is a kiss goodbye you dog." My shoes will be shipped with an identical message.

In addition I'm asking folks to assist me in coming up with shoe jokes. Thus far I have:
Chooing the fat in Iraqi
Playing with the Keds
Bush grapples for New Balance
Mock a Sin
Bush foreign policy...Ugg!
Instead of making his way to the DMZ as scheduled, Bush instead arrived at DSW.
Bushwacked!
Shoe-in For Worst President

Tonight Secret Service and the President of Iraq are sporting T-shirts that say "I'm Not George", lest there be any confusion among journalist or the general population as to where their hostility should be directed....okay, I made that up but its an excellent suggestion.

Feel free to add your own in the comment section!

I'm Not George" T-shirt for Iraqi President and Secret Service ...and anyone else...now available.

Iraqi Reporter Throws Shoes at President Bush

Twitter

"If the Internet is the information highway then Twitter is the Autobahn on crack:)"

Yiruma: A River Flows in You

Largest Full Moon of the Year

According to NASA, on Dec. 12th the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.

Find out why on NASA's website

The Death of Stemware: Giving Saloon Nukie a Whole New Meaning

The New York Times Diners Journal reported on a new restaurant opening tomorrow called La Cave des Fondus. La Cave des Fondus is an American replication of the French restaurant Montmartre restaurant Le Refuge des Fondus an establishment where customers are served red and white wine in plastic baby bottles.

The Manhattan restaurant is owned by Jacques Ouari who told the New York Times, “I wanted to set up my place exactly like the one in Paris. It’s such a fun place. Everybody loves drinking beer and wine from baby bottles - even my father thought it was fun - and I think New Yorkers will like it too. I checked with the health department and as long as we put the bottles in the dishwasher they have no problem with it.”

Waitresses working for Hooters will without question feel the most pressure in light of the new trend, fearing the infantile digression will expand to increase the demand for breastfeeding. The Le Leche League has yet to comment on the increased use of plastic baby bottles but insiders expect that the group will issue a press release in the days to come capitalizing on the opportunity to reaffirm the health benefits of breast feeding for individuals of all ages.

While not yet known, a growing number of diners believe the type of nipple used by La Cave des Fondus will be a determining factor as to the ultimate success or failure of the new establishment. The Nuk, or as it is more commonly referred Nukie, is considered by many to be the best compliment to any alcoholic beverage.

***It should be noted that the Parisian establishment serves wine in baby bottles to avoid the French tax on wine served in glasses. While Parisians most likely appreciate this little tax dodge and go along with the slap-government-in-the-face humor, the activity may not hold the same charm with New Yorkers since the baby bottle will incur the same tax as an elegant piece of stemware.

WeSeed: The Stock Market for the Rest of Us

I don't know the first thing about stock or the stock market but Uncle Pinky did and he died a millionaire. Michael does and his house was featured on a Christmas segment on Home and Garden Television, he's also a portfolio manager for Thrivent Lutheran so he talks about investments with media such as Reuters and on MSN. Michael got the financial gene from his dad, Uncle Lee who I believe worked for Kidder Peabody or some such investment firm...naturally all are more than comfortable.

I on the other hand have trouble with such basic things as a checking account, my children all did well in Math because my oldest son is a Mensa genius and is currently a math and space physics major. He played with stock recently for a college course and did very well, so perhaps he got his genes from the Binger side of family because he certainly has their hair.

Recently I was introduced to a company called WeSeed: The Stock Market for the Rest of Us. I admit that I wondered how long it would take for someone to realize that a vast number of Americans with at least some money to invest, weren't. It always seemed like a massive untapped market...like Barrack Obama engaging the disengaged masses.

WeSeed lets you set up a mock account called a PortFAUXlio so you can practice and learn before you invest. Their objective is to make it user friendly and make investing accessible to...well, people like me. The WeSeed website has investment games, like the Cage Match game where you're shown 2 stock names and you have to the pick which stock is the best investment...you have 60 seconds to get as many correct answers as possible....fun!

I got half right...or half wrong depending on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist. Anyway, their site is fun, interesting and inviting. You can check out stock in the fashion industry..gamer industry you name it. WeSeed's friendly approach allows curious interested onlookers to look at investing through fresh eyes in an embrace everyone atmosphere.

Thanks for thinking about people like me WeSeed.

Twilert for Those Who Tweet On Twitter

Here's a newly launched Twitter application called Twilert. Twilert is a Twitter application that lets you receive regular email updates for tweets containing your brand, product, service or any other keyword you can think of.

If your into microblogger on Twitter check it out . If you aren't tweeting on Twitter yet scope out the wolrd of microblogging at Twitter.com. Once you are a registered user link up with us at http://twitter.com/lostmarbles

Hair and Make Up: A How To Video

My daughter and I began watching these videos after we purchased a set of false eyelashes...just out of curiosity. Women on television always have such striking eyes and I was convinced false lashes had something to do with it. Not knowing what to do with them my quick thinking daughter pulled up a YouTube video and presto we had professional instructions at our finger tips. While we managed to get the lashes on correctly thanks to YouTube we soon discovered it was more entertaining to affix them to places such as the upper lip, chin or even coiled around the finger tips...although we don't recommend this.

With the holiday's nipping at our heels I thought I'd post some hair and make up how-to videos in the weeks to come. When I was a teenager I read all the fashion magazines for pointers and of course as I've gotten older I stopped looking for new tricks and ideas which makes it easy to fall into a rut. The fact is that I like feeling like I look good and every so often its good to shake off the old, rethink color and products.

I recently switched to Sheer Cover make up and I can't say enough about, its definitely well worth seeking out the latest products and mineral make up is a great place to start.

I'll continue adding this type of content to Lost Marbles so when the holiday get-together get under way you can add your own personal sparkle to the holidays.

Holiday Make Up



Eyes


Skin Care

Arby's Erection: The Sequel

In a previous post titled: The Arby's Erection I disclosed the fact that I've always thought the Arby's hat was a short pen*s....my family has accused me of being vulgar for saying so but as Arby's advertising has changed and evolved the fact the the hat looks like a pen*s doesn't appear to be lost on Arby's executives...


At last, someone has posted the most recent Arby's commercial...that one that redeemed me from the accusations of vulgarity. I say again...it was never a hat, it was a pen*s...at least now we're all being honest.



Me don't likee....oh, and be careful mousing over the volume symbol on the Arby's video.

Nora the Cat:: Practice Makes Purrrfect

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Twilight Movie Free Online?

My daughter was watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 online...the one that's still in theaters. When I looked at the site she was on I found old movies, recent moves and other movies that were just released in theaters including Twilight and Four Christmases. After that I found numerous websites that provided the same service.

The sites offer a lengthy disclaimer in essence they are just culling the internet and compiling the films not stealing them so any infringement is on the part of someone else, so they say.

Some sites offered a poorer quality picture while others delivered premium content. The only down fall was an ethical one.

I did watch Twilight online but my daughter and I had already seen the film and still plan to purchase the DVD as soon as its released. Did my online viewing effect their sales, no because we weren't going to see it more than once in the theater and still plan to make the DVD purchase. I also watched Four Christmases but hadn't planned to see it in the theater and only watched half of it because...well too many screaming family members and crying babies.

I expect that it will be only a matter of day before Australia shows up on one of these sites. Will I pay to see it on the big screen.. I wouldn't miss it.

Here are a couple of the sites that I looked at:
www.watch-movies.net
www.momomesh.com

Trying Something New...

I'm just considering a new blog...so far I love the templates.