JONATHAN CHAIT ~ THE BIG CON ~ 2007

~ HAH-B-CE ~ Hoodwinked And Hijacked – By – Crackpot Economics

~ CAC ~ Charlatans And Cranks

~ WMPWRWSD-AT-THBRBE-B-EBP-S-S-CIABOH ~ While Most People Would Regard With Some Distrust – A Theory – That Has Been Rejected By The Experts – But – Embraced By Politicians – Supply-Siders – Consider It A Badge Of Honor

~ OOTHO-CT-I-AA-A-UAT-EA-IF-TFSFW-T-LD-WEMCATBTE-B/S/W-TCOTOI-AAA-THPHW ~ One Of The Hallmarks Of – Cult Thinking – Is – After All – An – Uncanny Ability To – Explain Away – Inconvenient Facts – The First Such Facts Were – The – Large Deficits – Whatever Else May Come Along To Buffet The Economy – Bubble / Scandal / War – Tax Cuts Ought To Overcome It – Again And Again – This Has Proven Horribly Wrong

~ L-DNH-PC-ANST-FOIR-ANGALT-JS-PA-A-GHASINTPTPD ~ Lobbyists – Do Not Hold – Press Conferences – Are Not Subject To – Freedom Of Information Requests – Are Not Given Anything Like The – Journalistic Scrutiny – Politicians Are – And – Generally Have A Strong Incentive Not To Publicize Their Political Dealings

~ TMOTFO-BAG-ITAAMOC ~ The Merger Of The Functions Of – Business And Government – Is Treated As A Matter Of Course

~ IP-A-C ~ Influence Peddling – And – Corruption

~ T-RD ~ The – Revolving Door

~ B-T-PVB-DNCTCTALTDTT-PED ~ But – The – Party Voting Base – Does Not Cherish Tax Cuts To Anything Like The Degree That The – Party Elite Does

~ OP-STTP-B-OM-PU-TS-FTOT-TC ~ Opinion Polls – Showed That The Public – By – Overwhelming Margins – Preferred Using – The Surplus – For Things Other Than – Tax Cuts

~ ARWD ~ Any Rationale Will Do

~ ‘TOTM’-I-OC-M-ADTFD ~ “Tyranny Of The Majority” – Is– Of Course – Merely – A Derogatory Term For Democracy

~ TINLK-99%-F-VTIA-100%-T-O-T-WOTR-1%-A-DIAT ~ There Is No Law Keeping – 99 Percent – From – Voting To Impose A – 100 Percent Tax – On – The – Wealth Of The Richest – 1 Percent – And – Dividing It Among Themselves

~ M:TDTDW ~ Media: The Dog That Didn’t Watch

~ TPI ~ The Proudly Ignorant

~ TFTOHTCIPHCA ~ The Forces – That Once Held The Center In Place – Have Corroded Away

ROGER BACON ~ NOVUM ORGANUM ~ 1620

~ T-HU-WIHOAAO-DATET-SAA-WI-A-TTBA-GN-A-WO-I-TBFO-TOS-YTIE-NOD-IOTBT-GAP-P-TAOIFCMRI ~ The – Human Understanding – When It Has Once Adopted An Opinion – Draws All Things Else To – Support And Agree – With It – And – Though There Be A – Greater Number – And – Weight Of – Instances – To Be Found On – The Other Side – Yet These It Either – Neglects Or Despises – In Order That By This – Great And Pernicious – Predetermination– The Authority Of Its Former Conclusions May Remain Inviolate

~ STDOR-IF-T-SF-CE-HBM-O-A-OA:ST-F-A-U-A;ST-WIWCTB;ST-T-POTM;WOA-COI-BA-FSOUK-FNBRTP ~ Since The Days Of Revelation – In Fact – The – Same Four – Corrupting Errors – Have Been Made – Over – And – Over Again: Submission To – Faulty – And – Unworthy – Authority; Submission To – What It Was Customary To Believe; Submission To – The – Prejudices Of The Mob; Worst Of All – Concealment Of Ignorance – By A – False Show Of Unheld Knowledge– For No Better Reason Than Pride

JAMES RICKARDS ~ THE DEATH OF MONEY ~ 2014

~ TT-WET-CR-A-B-OP-T-TNC-W-NTCHF ~ The Titans – Will Explain To – Credulous Reporters – And – Bought-Off Politicians – That – The New Collapse – Was – Nothing They Could Have Foreseen

~ NA-ND-O-MAFD-WE ~ Now A – New Doctrine– Of – Mutually Assured Financial Destruction – Was Emerging

~ A-HF-IT-PC-F-A-IO ~ A – Hedge Fund – Is The – Perfect Cover – For – An – Intelligence Operation

~ CM-T-A-AB-F-S-IF-TAI-FP-CM-ACI-1998-A-2008-WHF-MA-A-TRO-SC-ICY-AOM-I-DH ~ Capital Markets – Today Are – Anything But – Fail-Safe – In Fact– They Are Increasingly – Failure-Prone – Capital Markets – Almost Collapsed In – 1998 – And – 2008 – Without Help From – Malicious Actors – And – The Risk Of – Similar Collapse – In Coming Years – Accidental Or Malicious – Is – Distressingly High

~ PD-IS-T-PMF ~ Price Discovery – Is Still – The – Primary Market Function

~ MHB-AVF-WE-RT-WC-MNLPTMF-IMT-T-DH-O-TA-A-TR-HR-T-IH-O-TM-R-TE ~ Markets Have Become – A Venue For – Wealth Extraction – Rather Than – Wealth Creation – Markets No Longer Perform True Market Functions – In Markets Today – The – Dead Hands – Of – The Academic – And – The Rentier– Have Replaced – The – Invisible Hand – Of – The Merchant – Or – The Entrepreneur

~ TCOTP-I-T-GFS-IN-M-B-D ~ The Crux Of The Problem – In – The – Global Financial System – Is Not – Money – But – Debt

~ LOCIAMSCRBR-VL-A-NS-WBN-WA-NF-TCE-NC ~ Loss Of Confidence In A Monetary System – Can Rarely Be Restored – Very Likely – A – New System – Will Be Needed – With A – New Foundation – That Can Engender – New Confidence

~ I-SD-INP-T-OR-I-IWTTFO-NF ~ If – Social Disintegration – Is Not Predictable – The – Official Response – Is – It Will Take The Form Of – NeoFascism

~ WLIA-EMS-THRI-ES-ART-TVBOT-I-LO ~ We Live In An – Ersatz Monetary System – That Has Reached Its – End Stage – A Return To – True Value – Based On Trust – Is – Long Overdue

JOHN RALSTON SAUL ~ BUREAUCRATIC EMPLOYEES SPECIALIZED IN METHODOLOGY ~ THE UNCONSCIOUS CIVILIZATION ~ 1995

~ E-PS-A-S-HATI-SA-TTAO-CE-B-AA-TT-POTWOSD ~ Economists – Political Scientists – And – Sociologists – Have Attempted To Imitate – Scientific Analysis – Through The Accumulation Of – Circumstantial Evidence – But – Above All – Through Their – Parodies Of The Worst Of The Scientific Dialects

~ B-D-A-I-HBBU-F-S-N-G ~ Both – Democracy – And – Individualism – Have Been Based Upon – Financial – Sacrifice – Not – Gain

HIITTWHFITS-W-E-IAS-IAIM-DWC? ~ How Is It Then That We Have Fallen Into Taking Seriously – Equating – In A Silly – Indeed An Immature Manner – Democracy With Capitalism?

~ M-BL-WPTI-O-C/FM/PI/R-A-TNC-TAM:BESIM ~ Most – Business Leaders – Who Preach The Ideology – Of – Capitalism / Free Markets / Personal Initiative / Risk – Are – Themselves Not Capitalists – They Are Managers: Bureaucratic Employees Specialized In Methodology

JOYCE APPLEBY ~ THE RELENTLESS REVOLUTION ~ 2010

~ OCCTBOTCS-W-TAOT-DA-A-HM-TT-W-GS-HMP-A-SAE ~ One Cannot Celebrate The Benefits Of The Capitalist System – Without – Taking Account Of The – Disastrous Adventures – And – Human Malevolence – That This – Wealth-Generating System – Has Made Possible – And – Sometimes Actually Encouraged

~ ‘CTGSTCS?’-HBAUQ ~ “Can The Globe Sustain These Capitalist Successes?” – Has Become An Urgent Question

~TA-‘F’-AI-‘FE’STIPO-MTCIC-PMBFTTAJON-B-TANFFTNTWALATWTE ~ The Adjective – “Free” – As In – “Free Enterprise” – Serves The Ideological Purpose Of – Masking The Coercion In Capitalism – People May Be Free To Take A Job Or Not– But – They Are Not Free From The Need To Work As Long As They Wish To Eat

~ C-IA-C-NA-N-S-LTW-NITMA-S-CS-AIAA ~ Capitalism – Is A – Cultural – Not A – Natural – System – Like The Weather – Nor Is The Market A – Self-Correcting System – As Its Apologist Argue

~ AACMITJOCTD-TIO-CI-A-SC-WDTACL-WNTDTBITL ~ At A Critical Moment In The Journey Of Capitalism To Dominance – The Importance Of – Cultural Influences – And– Social Considerations – Was Dispatched To A Conceptual Limbo – We Need To Drag Them Back Into The Light

SUSAN GREENFIELD ~ THE SCREEN IS THE MESSAGE ~ MIND CHANGE ~ 2015

~ E-R-P-C ~ E-Reading – Poorer – Comprehension

~ ‘BE’:B-C ~ “Book Effect”: Better – Comprehension

~ SGEFARE ~ Significantly Greater Eye Fatigue After Reading E-Books

~ RTRAE-T-I-SL-TFA-PB ~ Reading Time For An E-Textbook – Is – Significancy Longer – Than For A – Paper Book

~ WOTT-B-O-S-MBTHW? ~ Which Of The Two – Book – Or – Screen – Might Be The Harder Work?

~ TDB-SAP ~ The Difference Between – Silcion And Paper

~ TDO-MAH ~ The Distractions Of – Multitasking And Hypertext

SUSAN GREENFIELD ~ GAMING ADDICTION HALLMARKS ~ MIND CHANGE ~ 2015

~ LAHMTISG ~ Lying About How Much Time Is Spent Gaming

~ IFO-POQ ~ Intense Feelings Of – Pleasure Or Guilt

~ S-MAM-T-G-TG-TSE ~ Spending – More And More – Time – Gaming – To Get – The Same Enjoyment

~ WF-F/F/S ~ Withdrawing From – Friends / Family / Spouse

~ A/D/M/A/R-WNG ~ Anger / Depression / Moodiness / Anxiety / Restlessness – When Not Gaming

~ SSSOMO-OS-CU-GS ~ Spending Significant Sums Of Money On – Online Services / Computer Upgrades / Gaming Systems

~ TOAG-EWDOT ~ Thinking Obsessively About Gaming – Even When Doing Other Things

SUSAN GREENFIELD ~ MIND CHANGE ~ 2015

~ VLICBD-B-G-TP-R-ITEO-SC-OT-YM-O-I-TM-AAA ~ Very Little Is Currently Being Done – By – Government – To Promote – Research – Into The Effects Of – Screen Culture – On The – Young Mind – Or – Indeed – The Mind – At Any Age

~ TINNBUIM-SSHSTIIUUTEHAD ~ Technology Is Not Necessarily Being Used In Moderation – Some Surveys Have Suggested That It Is Used Up To Eleven Hours A Day

~ MD-G/C/U/M ~ Mind Change – Global / Controversial / Unprecedented / Multifaceted

~ TPEOA-S-O-DE ~ The Potential Effects Of A – Screen-Oriented – Daily Existence

~ TATWAARB-DNSTTOH ~ The Argument That We Are Automatically Rational Beings – Does Not Stand The Test Of History

~ TEOO-AI-A-TNT-ADHC-HNPFIACD-A–T-DE-IGEMP-AAEYA ~ The Easy Opportunity Of – Alternative Identity – And – The Notion That – Actions Don’t Have Consequences – Have Never Previously Featured In A Child’s Development – And – The – Digital Environment – Is Getting Ever More Pervasive – At An Ever Younger Age

~ OOTBDB-ET-A-CDC-I-Q-T-AOT-TS-M-O-AAE-A-IAWT-B/C/R/TV-NH ~ One Of The Big Differences Between –Earlier Technologies – And – Current Digital Counterparts – Is – Quantitative – The – Amount Of Time – The Screen – Monopolizes – Our – Active And Exclusive – Attention – In A Way That – Book / Cinema / Radio / TV – Never Have

~ TCOA-S-BL-I-U-NOIHIS-TAF-B-ABOT-CE-O-N-E-A-N-PAL-O ~ The Content Of A – Screen-Based Lifestyle – Is – Unprecedented – Not Only In How It Shapes – Thoughts And Feelings – But – Also Because Of The – Corollary Effect – Of – Not – Exercising – And – Not – Playing And Learning – Outside

~ WABO-A-UAC-C-O-OAT-B-NEILTAOEWCW ~ We Are Being Offered – An – Unprecedented And Complex – Cocktail – Of – Opportunity And Threat – But – Not Everyone Is Likely To Agree On Exactly What Constitutes Which

~ A-CITM-OT-UG-A-MC-A-CISAAW ~ Any – Changes In The Mindset – Of The – Upcoming Generation – Are – Most Crucially – Anticipating – Changes In Society As A Whole

~ POTB~ Plasticity Of The Brain

~ P-COTDW-CBI-B-AOC-A-AAOTPL-A-T-U-OTAI ~ Perhaps – Criticism Of The Digital World – Could Be Interpreted – By – Aficionados Of Cyberspace – As – An Attack On Their Personal Lifestyle – And – Therefore – Ultimately – On Them As Individuals

~ P-ATBBA-LPC ~ Privacy – Appears To Be Becoming A – Less Prized Commodity

~ IIAITBA-IAP-RTA-W-MT-BD-PTRTVTMLRTIAT? ~ If Inputs Arrive In The Brain As – Images And Pictures – Rather Than As – Words – Might That – By Default – Predispose The Recipient To View Things More Literally Rather Than In Abstract Terms?

~ EM-IAP-T-THT-PTT-NJ-WWT-B-H ~ Ever More – Invasive And Pervasive – Technologies – That Have The – Power To Transform – Not Just – What We Think – But – How

~ ITFYOL-TBH-WOO-CB-T-EG-O-CBN-WAF-AP ~ In The First Years Of Life – The Brain Has – Windows Of Opportunity – Characterized By – The – Exuberant Growth – Of – Connections Between Neurons – Which Allows For – Astonishing Possibilities

~ TS-FBM-D-PDL-IT-IIB-AAPIS-DR-IT-DOD-B ~ The Same – Fundamental Brain Mechanisms – Driving – Plasticity During Learning – In The – Intact Immature Brain – Are Also Pressed Into Service – During Relearning – In The – Damaged Or Diseased – Brain

~ TB-RITL-IRT-OS-A-E ~ The Brain – Remakes Itself Throughout Life – In Response To – Outside Stimuli – And – Experience

~ A-EE-LTAWHO-PCITB-AOTFTG ~ An – Enriched Environment – Leads To A Whole Host Of – Physical Changes In The Brain – All Of Them For The Good

~ NA-L-SC-TOM-O-BC-WIS-A-DILTAS ~ Neuronal Assemblies – Large-Scale Coalitions – Tens Of Millions – Of – Brain Cells – Work In Synchrony – And – Disband In Less Than A Second

~ TSASN~ The Something About Social Networking

~ NS-S-H-SAA-WP-AAR-TWTAGO-T-DS-IMPSWT-ICI-I-MENTSE ~ Neuroimaging Studies – Show – Higher – Stimulation And Activity – When People – Anticipate A Reward – Than When They Actually Get One – The – Dopamine System – Is Most Powerfully Stimulated When The – Information Coming In – Is – Modest Enough Not To Satisfy Entirely

~ IOC ~ Illusion Of Cyberintimacy

~ A-DC-SD-S-TWIA-B-WTHNYBATA ~ A – Deliberately Constructed – Socially Desirable – Self – To Which Individuals Aspire – But – Which They Have Not Yet Been Able To Achieve

~ C/M/I-TA-OP-IACT-AY-UB-TCOR ~ Creating / Managing / Interacting – Through An – Online Profile – Is A Chance To – Advertise Yourself – Unchallenged By The Constraints Of Reality

~ OC-HB-HAB-V-S-C-A-PTB-BN-SN-PTOTIITB-U-A-ATC ~ Of Course – Human Beings – Have Always Been – Vain – Self-Centred – And – Prone To Bragging – But Now – Social Networking – Provides The Opportunity To Indulge In This Behavior – Unabated – And – Around The Clock

~ A-BS-DNTU-WA-AA-I-A-E/SE/C-O-TBBO ~ A – Brain Scan – Does Not Tell Us – Whether An – Activated Area – Is – An – Effect / SideEffect / Cause – Of – The Behavior Being Observed

~ SNS-PA-UP-F-SC-A-E ~ Social Networking Sites – Provide An – Unprecedented Platform – For – Social Comparison – And – Envy

~ ‘C’-HNBD-AANLR-I-SN-TC-A-TFT-IIMT-SN-TIDOHMAYA-AT-TACBR-I-UTBOTBIA ~ “Coolness” – Has Now Been Democratized – Achievements Are No Longer Required – It’s – Simple Networking – That Counts – And – The Fact That – Importance Is Measured Through – Social Networking – That It Depends On How Much Attention You Attract – And That – This Attention Can Be Rewarded – Is – Unlikely To Bring Out The Best In Anyone

~ TT-ADIE-A-AIIOLR-CBL-IEAFTEO-I-F-T-F-C-B-WAGAAWWR-T-TRI-F-T-F-C-WROATE ~ Two Trends – A Decrease In Empathy – And – An Increase In Online Relationships – Could Be Linked – If – Empathy Arises From The Experience Of – Interpersonal – Face-To-Face – Communication – But – We Are Good Only At What We Rehearse – Then – The Reduction In – Face-To-Face – Communication – Would Reduce Our Ability To Empathize

~ AB-TU-A-TLDO-A-ALEB-E-TV-W-A-A-IWHBSI-T-SW-OT-I-TOTHAIAW ~ Associations Between – Technology Use – And – The Later Development Of – Autism – A Link Emerged Between – Early – TV– Watching – And – Autism – It Would Hardly Be Surprising If – The – Screen World – Of The – Internet – Turned Out To Have An Impact As Well

~ S-IIW-TSOOR-R-TSORHI-TTPTMOODIWOIML ~ Surely – It Is When – Time Spent On Online Relationships – Replaces – Time Spent On Real Human Interaction – That The Potential To Miss Out On Deeper Intimacy With Others Is More Likely

~ TSUT-I-TSAF-T-RW-A-RP ~ Time Spent Using Technology – Is – Time Spent Away From – The – Real World – And – Real People

~ EHAT-TACAUW-TAE-‘D’-F-IA ~ Experts Have Argued That – The Internet Creates A Unique World – That Adds Extra – “Disengagement” – From – Immoral Actions

~ TSAVG ~ The Something About Video Games

~ MOR-PG ~ Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

~ GA-U-G-IIAPSTD ~ Gaming Addiction – Unlike – Gambling – It Is A Phenomenon Specific To Digital

~ ITRW-F-E-PF-O-YA-I-ATHTCB ~ In The Real World – Feedback – Especially – Positive Feedback – On – Your Achievements – Is – All Too Hard To Come By

~ UP-CATA-V-V-DFT-HPCAJLT ~ Unhappy People – Create Avatars That Are – Very – Very – Different From Themselves – Happy People Create Avatars Just Like Themselves

~ A-SF-TWYADLARSOM ~ A – Sneaky Feeling – That What You Are Doing Lacks Any Real Significance Or Meaning

~ VG-A-A-PG-LSTAGRFDAP ~ Video Games – And – Attention – Playing Games – Linked Specifically To A Greater Risk For Developing Attentional Problems

~ B-A-E-AI-CD ~ Brain – And – Environment – Are In – Constant Dialogue

~ GMEDP ~ Gamers Make Excellent Drone Pilots

~ WUTTPWAWROBD-IS-V-CO-B/E-E ~ When Used To Treat Patients With A Wide Range Of Brain Disorders – It Seems – Videogames – Can Offer – Beneficial / Enjoyable – Experience

~ TIA-SA-B-TLO-ADHD-S-A-T-S-O-IA-I-C ~ There Is A – Significant Association – Between – The Level Of – ADHD – Symptoms – And – The – Severity – Of – Internet Addiction – In – Children

~IWBFTAT-THB-A-KTDB-FAR ~ It Would Be Foolhardy To Assume That – The Human Brain – Always – Knows The Difference Between – Fantasy And Reality

~TPTIEIOO-ACRB-VG-A-II-A-T/F/B-TINETVLDTC-LV-B-ALBOD-SIT-TDI-A-ADIEL ~ The Picture That Is Emerging Is One Of – A Clear Relationship Between – Violent Gaming – And – Increases In – Aggressive – Thoughts / Feelings / Behavior – There Is No Evidence That Videogames Lead Directly To Criminal-Level Violence – But – A Large Body Of Data – Strongly Indicates That – They Do Induce – An – Aggressive Disposition In Everyday Life

~ T-NS-WS-LIMOTB ~ This – New Strategy – Will Swiftly – Leave Its Mark On The Brain