short takes
Jan. 27th, 2008 01:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioWords that are often misused #1: "periodic". To be meaningful, this word needs to be accompanied by some indication of the period. "Daily" is "periodic", but probably not what is meant in a recipe's direction to "stir periodically". :-)
Two facts that seem to be at odds with each other: (1) a lot of medieval Islamic recipes call for vinegar; and (2) Islam forbids the consumption of wine.
Our baron (who lives in a castle) shared one way to get your castle past the zoning board. I wonder how that's going to work out for the owners in the end, now that the neighbors have noticed. (Who would have thought you could build a castle on the sly in a populated area?)
Two interesting posts that showed up on my reading list within a few hours of each other, serendipitously: whom do you friend? (from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cahwyguy) and who owns the conversation? (from jducoeur). Both have lots of comments that I haven't yet digested.
Words that are often misused #2: "rebate". A rebate is a refund of monies paid. If you give money to someone who didn't pay any (or as much as is being given out), the correct word is "gift" (or "grant", if you want to be more governmental about it). Just sayin'.
Query: can anyone reading this point me to a neutral high-level discussion of economics, that I can consume in an hour, that explains how merely pushing small amounts of money into the economy helps fend off a recession? What does the mere act of one-time spending accomplish, and does it matter whether it's splurge-buying or spending you would have done anyway? My knowledge of macro-economics is, as you can tell, a little on the spotty side. I don't care enough to read a tome, but I'd like to read something shorter, particularly if it doesn't come with an agenda. And yes, I realize that the rhetoric and the real reasons behind the stimulus package probably differ; I'm exploring the stated reason here.
Two facts that seem to be at odds with each other: (1) a lot of medieval Islamic recipes call for vinegar; and (2) Islam forbids the consumption of wine.
Our baron (who lives in a castle) shared one way to get your castle past the zoning board. I wonder how that's going to work out for the owners in the end, now that the neighbors have noticed. (Who would have thought you could build a castle on the sly in a populated area?)
Two interesting posts that showed up on my reading list within a few hours of each other, serendipitously: whom do you friend? (from
cahwyguy) and who owns the conversation? (from jducoeur). Both have lots of comments that I haven't yet digested.Words that are often misused #2: "rebate". A rebate is a refund of monies paid. If you give money to someone who didn't pay any (or as much as is being given out), the correct word is "gift" (or "grant", if you want to be more governmental about it). Just sayin'.
Query: can anyone reading this point me to a neutral high-level discussion of economics, that I can consume in an hour, that explains how merely pushing small amounts of money into the economy helps fend off a recession? What does the mere act of one-time spending accomplish, and does it matter whether it's splurge-buying or spending you would have done anyway? My knowledge of macro-economics is, as you can tell, a little on the spotty side. I don't care enough to read a tome, but I'd like to read something shorter, particularly if it doesn't come with an agenda. And yes, I realize that the rhetoric and the real reasons behind the stimulus package probably differ; I'm exploring the stated reason here.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-28 12:23 pm (UTC)To push an analogy too hard, consumer spending is like rain, while government spending is like suddenly emptying a bunch of swimming pools - and the sorts of things that a government would suddenly purchase are things that do not properly simulate a natural economy. If you ask me why, though, you'll start to hit the limits of my knowledge.
Basically, it is the consumer and business sectors that are flagging, and so it is the consumer and business sectors that should do the spending. The US Government hasn't quite exactly curtailed its spending, despite the President's first election campaign promises to the contrary. (Consider the size of Homeland Security, and the off-book expenditures for the Iraq Peradventure.)