Even worse is when all your careful planning generates the desired outcome, ie no catastrophe, and everybody still thinks you are useless because they get the idea that the (averted) crisis was overblown.
See, e.g., "environmentalists overreacted to the ozone layer!" or "the Voting Rights Act has worked so well that we no longer need it!"
There have been several hurricanes since Obama took office that barely missed DC, and people complained about the waste of money spent on preparation. Same for NYC a few years ago, I think. It's tough to show how effectively you prepare to a low information public.
It's almost like the studies that get blogged/pop-sci'd about every 18 months about humans' difficulty assessing long-term risks, catastrophic-but-low-probability-risks and the relative desirability of two marshmallows an hour later have a point.
2- And the stimulus failed. That's an odd case because it did enough to avoid a major disaster but not enough to be widely seen as successful, so everyone hates it.
The stimulus was always going to fail. That was wrote.
Right, Democrat. And black to boot.
That said, the suggestions in the article seem like no-brainers.
Right, like any modern wealthy society can make health care easily available to everyone.
Right, right ... what the hell am I, freaking Supertramp?
8: Or liking having good levees in New Orleans.
I am enjoying the Stormcronologue, but it seems to have ground to a halt, so I'll just say that 9 made me laugh.
Just did a boggle grid that had fleshlight but not flashlight in it ....
Nice sensitivity to the Syrian children.
Is the fleshlight internationally recognized as a WMD?
15: Contrast that wtih me just getting "legless" in support of the children.
The bar chart in that link is very confusing. If you telecommute in New York, it takes you an average of forty minutes to get to work?
If you telecommute in New York, it takes you an average of forty minutes to get to work?
Probably the time it takes to log onto your VPN, assuming an average of 24 timeouts.
Apartments in New York are so big that it takes 40 minutes to get from your bedroom to your home office, even if you stay in your pajamas.
18: Since there were only blue bars (pre-Sandy) for that and "did not work" I presumed that only included folks who had previously commuted but now were not. So zero commute time after.
I was frustrated with the lack of any time period; is that a week, a month or what after the storm. Surely the delays reded over time.
What my home office was doing in my pajamas I'll never know.
Back in April, HUD announced that Sandy-related rebuilding projects had to account for a given risk of flooding in order to receive federal money. In his Climate Action Plan, President Obama called for applying this standard nationwide. The task force echoes Obama, suggesting that subsidized projects use regional data to determine the flood risk in their area and address it accordingly.
I'm kind of amazed this isn't the case already. As I understand it, all new construction in flood risk areas over here has to be flood resistant, not just subsidised projects. I realise there are federalism issues, but still, this is building code 101 surely.
23: Over here we're in the midst of a decades-long exercise in institutional support of the Parable of the Broken Window for areas where rich people like to pass the time*.
*Sandy recovery admittedly not the best exemplar of this principle.
I think it's Ttam who often laments that crisis-avoidance is the most under-appreciated job possible.
One of Barack Obama's greatest achievements as president is the non-invasion of Iran. One of Al Gore's would have been the non-invasion of Iraq.
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As of today, kids who struggled and sweated to achieve the opportunity to receive a hellaciously expensive, incredibly competitive, allegedly top-notch private school education might end up with me, of all people, trying to teach them. Hah!
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Have fun educating the future hedge fund managers.
26: Kids who worked and suffered and struggled for profesors of fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Kids who start college in 2013 have never not known that Sifu was their TA.
"Fiddlesticks C minus. It doesn't even slow them down."
Now the first lecture's going to be packed.
Students are encouraged, nay, required, to appropriate licensed IP as part of their final project.
By appropriate I mean steal.
Also, students will be required to sign various non-disclosure statements and waivers of liability. No children of lawyers or Irish need apply.
Engineering Sciences 56: Killer Robots in Theory and Practice
Now I desperately want [somebody else to run] an unfogged PBeM IOU campaign.
Some knowledge of gyroscopic controls, pooping, and explosive forging is assumed.
Well that wasn't so bad. Of course, today all I had to do was sit through a lecture.
40: I think I remember that one from Pirsig, did the student's panic when you didn't say anything?
Or wait, one of the students was lecturing you?
40: I think I remember that one from Pirsig, did the student's panic when you didn't say anything cause an erotic charge?
Anyhow, no. The section, which is the part I have to teach as a lowly grad etc. doesn't happen until next Wednesday.
Just remember not to be afraid of silence during discussion sections. And don't shy away from actively eliciting further contributions from a student with the simple but effective "say more."
My TF keeps asking me what he should be doing in section. I never went to a section as a student so I don't have a clue.
Apropos of nothing, Adventureland turns out to be a good movie, as I would have known 3 years ago if I'd noticed a couple of comments here about it.
Four years ago? Christ, what year is it now?
47: I'm not sure if any of those comments were written by me, but I liked that movie quite a lot, and I'm not usually a fan of nostalgia trips.
46: all I have been a le to figure out so far is that he should have a section syllabus, containing, presumably, words.
51: Huh, I wouldn't have guessed that. I thought it was more of an "answer questions and try to clear up confusions from the last week of lectures" kind of thing.
Yeah, go figure. A clear outline of what you intend to cover is essential, apparently. According to people who teach very different kinds of course than me or your TF, but who I was nonetheless obligated to listen to.