There's No Truth In Pravda, There's No News In Izvestia

Russians have a very subtle sense of humor. The title of this article is a very simple sentence and yet conveys truth, and points to paradox through sarcasm.

In Russian pravda is the word for truth and Izvestia means "delivered messages", or in the case of a magazine or newspaper, "news".

Pravda was the newspaper of the Communist Party and Izvestia was the official newspaper, or magazine of the Soviet Government. There is a distinction there, I just cannot seem to find it.

Perhaps the economy of words in the title is a result of decades of food shortages, as in less is more, or in a totalitarian society the less said the better.

There are two more examples of simple and to the point sentences from Russians that I enjoy.

"They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work."

The next quote comes from the Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff..."In America, you can always find a party. In Soviet Russia, The Party can always find you!"

American media is a little more subtle, yet even though President Obama is not raising as much money as Mitt Romney major news organizations are willing to help the President through "news reporting".

The following headline and photograph comes from ABC News.

"Bain Documents: Romney Offshore Investments Used 'Blockers' To Avoid Taxes"

The photo from the article shows a grim and worried Mitt Romney standing alone and isolated.

The first implication in this headline is that using "blockers" is unethical and "avoid" might be tax fraud, or illegal. The unstated implication is Romney is a member of the 1% and not paying his fair share, whatever that might be, to the government.

The following headline and photographs come from the AP, no the P does not stand for Pravda. 

"Forget the Mormon moment; it's about Catholics"

The disparity in size of the two photographs is interesting. The Vice-President is shown as animated, as is the crowd. The Obama slogan Forward is shown in the background along with the flag of the United States. Paul Ryan is portrayed as alone, and possibly hard of hearing.

As the Korean War was ending the Communists partially sawed off the legs of the chairs that the U.S. Officers sat in to make them appear smaller in photographs at the truce table. These photographs from the AP article are just as biased, and just as childish.

The headline is fairly innocuous. The content of the article is a mile wide and an inch deep.

What is not reported can be just as helpful to President Obama as what is reported. Just as one, and possibly two U.S. Border patrol agents, and who knows how many Mexican citizens have died as a result of the U.S. government selling arms to Mexican drug cartels, so has the interest of journalists in reporting the story died.


http://news.yahoo.com/forget-mormon-moment-catholics-081339027.html?_esi=1

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/bain-documents-romney-offshore-investments-blockers-avoid-taxes/story?id=17067015

Obama Woks His Dog

I love the media and headlines. The headline below is from a Yahoo article written by Oliver Knox.

"Obama to Romney: Release 5 years of tax returns, and we’ll shut up"

The proper response from Mr. Romney would be the day President Obama releases his college transcripts will be the day I release 5 years of tax returns.

By the way if you are invited to a White House barbecue do not eat the meat unless you see the First Dog running around on the White House Lawn.

Don't Know Much About Arithmetic

When I was in college the phrase "free alcohol" seemed to be more sublime than any line Keats penned. I could not imagine writing an ode to a Grecian urn, unless of course the urn was filled beer. Today the phrase has become "alcohol free" which proves that all change is not necessarily progress. Needless to say a Nobel Prize in mathematics was in no danger from me.


The following quote is from an article written by Katherine Harmon and published by Scientific American.

"Since last August, I’ve been counting down the days until my 30th birthday this Wednesday. You see, I’ve got money coming my way not just in the form of birthday checks from my grandmother and aunts but an even larger chunk of change, spread out over the entire year. Starting August 1, I, along with millions of women in the U.S., are going to start saving hundreds of dollars annually now that a new Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision will begin removing insurance co-pays for reproductive preventive services for women. For the year to come, I’m expecting to keep at least $395 a year in “cost-sharing” co-pays that I will no longer be paying."

Let's look at the math; Ms. Harmon's "cost sharing expense" in co-pays was $395.00. Under the Affordable Care Act her new "cost-sharing" expense in co-pays will be $0. So $395 - 0 = $395. The $395 is still there. That $395 is going to be charged back in higher health care costs.

I assume that Ms. Harmon expects to be paid for what she does in her profession, and those that supply Ms. Harmon with goods and services expect to be paid as well.

I have an experiment you can try at home. Look for quotes on health care premiums on line. Enter your age and your spouses age as 50 years old or greater. Your quotes will include maternity care. It will only be a matter of time before those quotes will include reproductive preventive services. Ms. Harmon's $395 saving will be paid for by everyone that has health care, including those who do not need reproductive preventive services.

Ms. Harmon's article is really a puff piece for the Obama campaign, and her understanding of mathematics and economics has unfortunately prepared her for a career in Congress.

http://news.yahoo.com/free-birth-control-reproductive-services-women-starting-august-221500535.html