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The Power of Thresholds
ByadminIn a recent post, I reproduce the figure showing the “stickiness” of odometer readings, when it comes to the price of used cars. Much better to sell your car at 49,999 miles rather than 50,001 miles. But here’s another sticky threshold, that was reported on at 538.com. It shows that when airplane flights leave 40…
A Third Hand Quote, but a Great One
ByadminI recently heard Dan Sulmasy give an ethics talk at a conference. Like me, Dan is a general internist. In his talk, he quoted a former President of the Society of General Internal Medicine and I thought I’d pass the quote along. That former President was Nicole Lurie, who now works for the federal government…
The Hazards of Blogging: Being Misquoted and Misrepresented
ByadminIn a recent post, I wrote about the fact that many physicians in the US do not accept new appointments with Medicaid enrollees. I was surprised to see it quickly garnered over 25,000 views. I guess it’s good to write posts that people read. But I fear that many people read it because it was…
On Not Responding to Anonymous Comments
ByadminOne of the great pleasures of blogging is reaching new audiences and, better yet, interacting with new people. On the other hand, blogging also puts us bloggers into contact with unpleasant commenters. This unpleasantness has compelled me to establish some guidelines for my own on-line behavior. First, I strive always to blog, and to comment…
What Iraq and Cuba Had in Common
ByadminInteresting take on the Bay of Pigs thinking in the Kennedy administration, as summarized in Jim Newton’s book on the Eisenhower Presidency: “The entire enterprise depended on an intelligence assumption that proved false, namely, that the Cuban people would greet the invasion force as liberators and turn against Castro.” Sounds eerily familiar to the Bush…
Surgeons Know Bad Surgeons When They See Them
ByadminThe surgeon told the Weindel family that the operation had gone well. He had taken Dale Weindel’s stomach and cut it into two, and rerouted his small intestines so that all the food Weindel ate would now pass through the smaller portion of his stomach. He had given Weindel a “gastric bypass” operation, the best…