In healthcare, tests are our eyes into the body’s secretive operations. Whether being swabbed for COVID-19, tested for a genetic condition, taken a drug test, or undergoing routine blood work ordered by your doctor, you’ve likely used a laboratory developed test (LDT). About 70 percent of all medical decisions in the US are based on LDT results.
Since the dismantling of the convertibility regime, the value of the Argentine peso has fallen from one US dollar to a tenth of a penny. Argentines have taken the hint, stockpiling an estimated $265 billion in dollar cash and foreign bank deposits and shunning the peso. A proposal by presidential contender Javier Milei to make the switch from pesos to dollars official would seem to be an obvious next step.
On Friday, November 10, 2023, Moody’s Investors Service sent Washington, D.C.’s politicians and bureaucrats a clear warning. The credit rating service announced it was changing its outlook on its AAA credit rating for the U.S. government from “stable” to “negative.”
The total amount of interest the U.S. government pays on its public debt outstanding over the past year may have just crossed the one trillion-dollar mark.
The House of Representatives has approved a measure to slash the $235,600 salary of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to one dollar. Taxpayers might wonder what could prompt the House to take such action.
By now, many, if not most, people are aware of rising home prices nationwide since the COVID-19 Pandemic. These higher prices have pushed homeownership beyond the reach of many households. Many of the same factors that drove home prices up also seem to have affected the market for sail and motor boats as a surge in demand led to widespread purchases of “pandemic boats.”
Hundreds of millions of Americans suffer the effects of being forced to move the hands of their clocks back or forth by an hour every year. Daylight saving time ends in the wee hours of Sunday, November 6, except for the residents of Arizona, Hawaii, and the outlying U.S. territories, where people avoid the hassle by remaining on standard time year-round.
Unsurprisingly, the Biden administration is trying to capitalize on the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI). First, with its AI Bill of Rights and now with an executive order establishing regulations on AI developers. It even comes with a website! How useful and convenient, right?
A 2023 headline in the San Francisco Standard asked, “Why is San Francisco Called Bip City?” Reminiscent of Portland, Oregon’s “Rip City” NBA basketball moniker, “Bip City” stems from the slang term “bipping,” which refers to breaking into cars. So common are auto burglaries and smash-and-grabs in San Francisco that those crimes have become synonymous with the city. Police are optimistic, however, that bait cars will help combat the problem. But only time will tell if San Francisco’s bait cars will be effective. Research results are mixed, at best.
“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” John Stuart Mill.
An Ontario court, presided over by Justice Paul Schabas, recently ruled on the mandatory re-education ordered by the College of Psychologists for Jordan Peterson. Justice Schabas expressed the view that this re-education did not infringe upon Peterson’s rights, as it primarily aimed to address concerns regarding the use of degrading or demeaning language. However, questions arise regarding the definition of such language and whether it should fall within the scope of legal enforcement.
