Overall we have addressed the following issues:
1. Macro Economics: It is clear that these folks oftentimes
do not even agree with themselves! What became clear to me is that macroeconomics
is really just political theory. I examined Keynes, and then followed these
characters for eight years. They all seem to have keen insight into nothing.
One of my favorite piques is the Pigou vs Coase controversy. Here we have
allegedly Republican macro economists, rare as unicorns, espousing taxes to
reduce carbon. They seem totally ignorant of solving the problem technically.
2. Health Care. My timing was good here as well. Yes, the
ACA, the most massive attempt by Progressives to “tell” the rest of us how to
deal with our health. So what happened? Personally I am paying 5 times more now
than in 2008 and still taking no advantage of the system. God has been good so
far. But who gets the money. The Millennials without jobs! You can’t make this
up! Some morbidly obese 20 year old having no job but collecting for their
early stage Type 2 Diabetes! Say what’s with that?
3. Russia and China. After seven years we still see nothing
from Russia in Walmart. It is still China. Oil has collapsed so that Russia as
an extraction economy may be hurting. China is trying to expand, but it should
take a careful dance forward. It still depends on customers.
4. Cancer. We have examined cancer and its progress in
understanding and care. In seven years we have seen massive changes. We have
ways to deal with advanced melanoma, and even many hematological diseases.
However we still have the prostate cancer problems; over 100 target genes.
Moreover we have a collection of people without any basis saying to abandon any
tests on men. All too frequently these cries are from women, and women who do
not even practice or do clinical research in the field.
5. MOOCs. I initially thought MOOCS may have some value.
Except for Prof Lander’s course the rest have been marginal at best and some
outright useless. What I did examine was the tendency of anonymous participants
making the most incendiary remarks on the MOOC’S discussion groups. This seems
to be a pandemic characteristic of Millennials. Every opinion is valid yet they
do not want to tell anyone who they are.
6. CRISPRS. Eric Lander mentioned these offhandedly in a
talk a few months after they came out and I dove into them. I told my grandkids
6th Grade class to follow CRISPRs. These could be the most powerful
tool yet. Also they have deadly consequences.
7. The Academy. Here I examined the Academy over seven
years. It is becoming a mess. Costs are uncontrolled, student sensitivities
rule, political correctness is pandemic, and our Government thinks a degree has
value. What a person can “do” has value, not what “everyone gets a prize”
degree.
It will be interesting to see what the coming year brings.
Thanks for those who visited here. Hope I have not annoyed too many, and feel
free to drop a note from time to time.