The unimportant news thread

[Spotted Horses]

Not really.  A portion of basic research is funded by the private sector as well, and always has been.

Also, "keeping pace with inflation" is not the same as "eviscerated".

As with everything else, more money is always needed

Evisceration may be hyperbole, but the decline in public support of basic research came around the time of the financial crisis, John Boehner's battles with Obama over the federal budget and "sequestration." That is when the U.S. share of high prestige scientific publication in your graph starts falling. At that time cuts meant that institutions like the NSF and NIH only had budget to fund renewals of existing research, which starved new research. Renewals have historically had a 50% chance of being funded, and new proposals something like 25%. At that time approval of new projects fell to 5% in some area, 1 in 20 grant proposals funded. And a proposal not agreeing with current consensus was the kiss of death. That suppressed innovation. The other irony is that the various stimulus programs during the crisis targeted "shovel ready," including science. Funding was dumped on established labs, putting new labs at a disadvantage and training lots of students and postdoctoral researchers for jobs that had vanished in the funding squeeze.

[Todd]

That is when the U.S. share of high prestige scientific publication in your graph starts falling.

It's not my graph. 

The bottom line is that total declassified US research spending is about $1 trillion/year, with about $100 billion going to basic and applied research.  That is a lot of money by literally every real-world standard.  Everyone always has many reasons why they need more money.  Politics is how choices are made.  There is no reason to believe choices made previously were bad.  It's OK if the US doesn't maintain some vaporous lead in this arena.  Really, it is.  As mentioned before, some people will have a hard time adjusting to changes.

Incidentally, Nature reported in March that China will spend ~$10 billion on basic research this year and other sources put Chinese R&D at between $450 billion and $650 billion.  So, the US still outinvests China, especially in declassified basic research.  This means that perceived shortcomings in US scientific research are not down to funding, but other issues, presumably institutional mismanagement. 

Without citations, the other stats in your post are anecdotal.

[drogulus]

     

     Everyone likes real estate. What I find interesting is how the different income classes value stocks versus how they value gold. I judge that there's a knowledge gap going on that explains it. The stock market is opaque to non-participants, while gold is (at least on the surface) easy to grasp. If I had no money to invest in either I could understand how to buy gold. The stock market is scary even for many middle income people.

     Given the enormous publicity given to crypto it's encouraging to see that even among the least sophisticated it's fabulously untrusted.

     Re bonds: Is the 60/40 portfolio on life support yet? Yow!

[Karl Henning]

Dipshits at Stonehenge

[DavidW]

Dipshits at Stonehenge

Yeah I saw that!  What idiots.  I also saw protestors trying to tag Taylor Swift's jet... but they got the wrong one by accident!  What a bunch of fools.  Especially Stonehenge.  That really makes me want to chuck recyclables in the trash. THEY ARE NOT HELPING.

[JBS]

Some people like to speculate that Just Stop Oil is an elaborate operation on the part of the fossil fuel industries.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

CBS News: 16 Nobel Prize-winning economists warn that Trump's economic plans could reignite inflation.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-economy-nobel-prize-winners-letter-inflation-warning/

[Todd]

CBS News: 16 Nobel Prize-winning economists warn that Trump's economic plans could reignite inflation.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-economy-nobel-prize-winners-letter-inflation-warning/

Deporting immigrants could shrink the labor force, creating more competition for U.S. workers and pushing up wages, also adding to inflationary pressure, economists warn.

At least economists can tell the truth about the economic motive behind unlimited migration, though one must see wage-push inflation as a/the main concern to share this article's concern.  It is also noteworthy that this concern is not publicized quite so much when the minimum wage is increased by 25% or more.  And of course, the Biden Administration has heartily embraced tariffs, but apparently those are good, non-inflationary tariffs.

It is also worth remembering that Nobel Prize winning economists ran LTCM, which almost brought down the global economy all by its lonesome.

[Todd]

From American Pravda NBC News: Julian Assange returns home to Australia a free man after U.S. plea deal

Assange got a time served sentence because he served five years at Belmarsh.  But of course, prior to that, he was holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years, so he really served twelve years.  For publishing facts about crimes committed by the United States government.

[Todd]

From LiveScience: Astronauts stranded in space due to multiple issues with Boeing's Starliner — and the window for a return flight is closing

Oh, Boeing.

[DavidW]

Oklahoma state superintendent orders the Bible taught in public schools so much for the constitution I guess.

[Todd]

Oklahoma state superintendent orders the Bible taught in public schools so much for the constitution I guess.

This is designed to force lawsuits and elevate it as a wedge issue for 2026 and 2028.

[Todd]

From American Pravda NBC News: Boeing sanctioned by NTSB over release of details in 737 Max investigation

Oh, Boeing.  Again. 

[DavidW]

From American Pravda NBC News: Boeing sanctioned by NTSB over release of details in 737 Max investigation

Oh, Boeing.  Again. 

I feel kind of embarrassed now that we used to take students on a tour of Boeing to show them possible career choices as engineers or physicists.  Oof. 

[NumberSix]

This is designed to force lawsuits and elevate it as a wedge issue for 2026 and 2028.

Absolutely. Just like the Louisiana governor, who was basically begging to be the victim of a lawsuit so that he could be a martyr for his beliefs. But I believe the people suing chose to sue other folks than him, which has to be disappointing for the guy. Poor thing.

[AnotherSpin]

https://eutoday.net/avishai-cohens-moscow-concert/

[JBS]

https://eutoday.net/avishai-cohens-moscow-concert/

I was not keen on him in the first place. If it was Avishai Cohen the trumpet player, then I'd be concerned.

[AnotherSpin]

I was not keen on him in the first place. If it was Avishai Cohen the trumpet player, then I'd be concerned.

Similarly, I like the recordings of Avishai Cohen the trumpeter, and have no interest in Avishai Cohen the bassist. But, the mere fact that any Israeli musician is performing in Moscow now seems outrageous, especially when you consider that the recent Hamas attack on Israel was organised with the participation of three countries, Iran (arming and training), Russia (intelligence), and China (funding). Who knows, maybe bassist is pro-Hamas and came to Moscow to express his deep gratitudes

[Todd]

Similarly, I like the recordings of Avishai Cohen the trumpeter, and have no interest in Avishai Cohen the bassist. But, the mere fact that any Israeli musician is performing in Moscow now seems outrageous, especially when you consider that the recent Hamas attack on Israel was organised with the participation of three countries, Iran (arming and training), Russia (intelligence), and China (funding). Who knows, maybe bassist is pro-Hamas and came to Moscow to express his deep gratitudes

lulz

[Florestan]

Oklahoma state superintendent orders the Bible taught in public schools so much for the constitution I guess.

Actually, let's see.

Constitution of Oklahoma:

SECTION I-1. Supreme law of land.

The State of Oklahoma is an inseparable part of the Federal Union, and the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land.

SECTION I-2. Religious liberty - Polygamous or plural marriages.

Perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and no inhabitant of the State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; and no religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights. Polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited.

Constitution of the US, First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I am not a lawyer, much less a US constitutional lawyer, but --- my own logic and common-sense doesn't see anything in the above prohibiting the Bible being taught in public schools. If I will be proven wrong I will stand corrected.