New Statesman | NHS reform and the hollow marketisation myth

A free market is not the right organizational form for every activity.



New Statesman | NHS reform and the hollow marketisation myth

‘Jon Stewart doesn't like the Koch brothers.

‘The Daily Show’ Rewrites Koch Industries Commercial That Runs During Show – Consumerist

Why we can't eliminate social security .......

The Average Middle-Class American Only Has $20,000 Saved For Retirement – Consumerist

America's Internet: Why so slow?

 America’s slow and expensive Internet is more than just an annoyance for
people trying to watch “Happy Gilmore” on Netflix. Largely a
consequence of monopoly providers, the sluggish service could have
long-term economic consequences for American competitiveness.....It
matters not just for entertainment; an Internet connection is necessary
for people to find and perform jobs, and to do new things in areas like
medicine and education.

“Stop
and let that sink in: Three-quarters of American homes have no
competitive choice for the essential infrastructure for 21st-century
economics and democracy,” Tom Wheeler, chairman of the F.C.C., said in a speech last month.

The situation arose from this conundrum: Left alone, will companies compete, or is regulation necessary?

Why the U.S. Has Fallen Behind in Internet Speed and Affordability - NYTimes.com

Halloween Candy Has Gotten Cheaper

The world has changed beyond recognition in the last several decades, but much of the candy that will be given out to trick-or-treaters this Halloween is the same as it was 50 years ago. Except for this: It’s often cheaper. We know this because of a 1964 Waldbaum’s ad, preserved in The Times’s archives, listing the types and prices of candy for sale that Halloween. Fifty years to the day after that ad appeared, Archive Dive went to a Waldbaum’s in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to see how the modern selection matched up. It turned out that Waldbaum’s still carries more than a third of the brands listed in the 1964 ad, at very favorable prices. Milky Way, Snickers and 3 Musketeers bars were 59 cents a pound back then, or $4.53 in today’s money; this week, they were on sale for $2.99 for an 11.2-ounce bag, or $4.27 a pound. Hershey’s Kisses, 69 cents ($5.30) for a one-pound bag in 1964, were $1.69 for 11 ounces, or $2.46 a pound. 

What factors do you think influence this decrease in candy prices? Do you plan on going trick-or-treating this Halloween? What candy do you enjoy most for Halloween?

Here's the article for more information: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/upshot/halloween-candy-has-gotten-cheaper.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0

From the BBC: where the dollars for this Tuesday's election came from.

Overall, the election as cost 3.7 billion dollars.



BBC News - US mid-terms 2014: Where does all the money come from?

Contracting out services: exploding rockets

 The Orbital Sciences rocket that exploded after launch was powered by a
pair of rocket engines that were made during the Soviet era and
refurbished, experts said.

Why the rocket exploded is being investigated.  From the BBC:

 

The rocket was due to carry nearly 5,000lb (2,200kgs) of supplies to
six astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It included equipment for astronauts to conduct tests on blood flow to the human brain and to analyse meteors.There was also equipment for experiments to examine the
growth of pea shoots in orbit and how the body's immune system reacts to
space travel.


More than 1,300lb (600kg) of food was on board, including pre-packaged meals and freeze-dried crab cakes.

 I wonder if the company pays for the destroyed equipment and goods?  And the damage to the launch pad? 



Decades-Old Soviet Engines Powered The US Rocket That Exploded - Business Insider