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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 21-Apr-2013
21-Apr-13 World View -- American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic'

Web Log - April, 2013

21-Apr-13 World View -- American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic'

Krugman in 2002: The Fed should create a housing bubble

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic'
Krugman in 2002: The Fed should create a housing bubble
Hepatitis C: The hidden epidemic for the Boomer generation

American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic'

Czech Ambassador Petr Gandalovic

Czech Ambassador Petr Gandalovic

In yesterday's report, "20-Apr-13 World View -- Generational analysis of Boston Marathon bombings", I paraphrased the famous remark by Ambrose Bierce as "Terrorism is God's way of teaching geography to Americans." Well, apparently the problem is worse than I thought, and the education process has begun. Since the announcement that the two Boston Marathon bombers had origins in Chechnya, dozens of bloggers have been posting messages to Twitter and Facebook, accusing the Czechs of terrorism and even calling for US retaliation against the Czech Republic. Ambassador Petr Gandalovic has posted the following message on the web site for the Czech embassy in Washington:

"As many I was deeply shocked by the tragedy that occurred in Boston earlier this month. It was a stark reminder of the fact that any of us could be a victim of senseless violence anywhere at any moment.
As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect. The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities - the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.
As the President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman noted in his message to President Obama, the Czech Republic is an active and reliable partner of the United States in the fight against terrorism. We are determined to stand side by side with our allies in this respect, there is no doubt about that."

This isn't the first time that American bloggers needed education about geography. After the 2008 Russian invasion of the South Caucasus nation of Georgia, bloggers posted messages about Russia invading the U.S. state of Georgia. Ria Novosti and Czech Republic Embassy

Krugman in 2002: The Fed should create a housing bubble

In 2002, famous left-wing economics pundit Paul Krugman wrote a column in which he advocated that the Fed and the Bush administration take steps to create a housing bubble. His reasoning was that consumers would be able to refinance their houses and use the money to purchase things in shopping malls, which would improve the economy. So apparently Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman specifically advocated policies that created the huge financial crisis that's still ongoing.

Today he's advocating the same kinds of policies -- create and spend trillions more dollars, and go into debt with no limits. Having been an intellectual force in creating one disaster, he's doing everything he can to convince the Fed and the Obama administration to create an even worse disaster.

Krugman is not someone that anyone would accuse of knowing anything about economics. But no matter. He had one important qualification -- his deep hatred of President Bush -- and that qualification was enough for the intellectuals in the Nobel Prize committee to award him the Nobel prize. Huffington Post

Hepatitis C: The hidden epidemic for the Boomer generation

Among the ways that the deadly Hepatitis C virus spreads are using dirty drug needles, or by sharing the straws used to snort cocaine. The virus may do nothing for years after infection, and then attack the liver, causing life-threatening liver disease or liver cancer. The Hepatitis C virus is an inner-city and drug-user epidemic: Infection among IV drug users is estimated at 60 percent and in the prison population at about 50 percent. However, a startling new CDC study shows that there is a Hepatitis C epidemic in the making among the Boomer generation. During the 1960s, and especially during the 1967 "Summer of Love," many teen Boomers experimented with sex and drugs. Even one experiment with drugs can be enough to be infected with the virus, and now many of these Boomers are developing liver disease, requiring a liver transplant. According to one researcher:

"This is an iceberg problem. We see only a small part of the problem now -- the tip, those ill or needing liver transplants -- and that's very frightening. But probably 10 times that number have an underlying, smoldering disease and are asymptomatic. And most of these people are walking around without a clue they're infected."

Boomers are now considered to be a "high risk group" for Hepatitis C, and are encouraged to be screened for the virus. Health Day

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 21-Apr-13 World View -- American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic' thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (21-Apr-2013) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 21-Apr-2013 21-Apr-13 World View -- American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic'

American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic'

Krugman in 2002: The Fed should create a housing bubble

Hepatitis C: The hidden epidemic for the Boomer generation

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 21-Apr-2013
21-Apr-13 World View -- American bloggers confuse 'Chechnya' with 'Czech Republic'