2,700 karma · joined August 13, 2018
The claimed increase in ridership is modest (18%) off a low baseline (0 service on weekends) and occurred over a long time period (pre-pandemic to today.) They also expanded service during that period, which probably fully explains the increase in ridership. Certainly the reduction in fare ($1-->0) is nice for some people, but it's hard to imagine that it is actually decisive for a large portion of trips.
The estimates of traffic reduction and CO2 reduction just quote the city's numbers without establishing that "traffic cleared, and so did the air."
Key paragraphs:
> In 2021, the city starting [sic] running more buses, streamlining routes and seriously considering waiving the $1 fares. In 2023, the City Council voted to pay for a two-year fare-free pilot with Covid-19 relief funds.
...
> Ridership eventually grew to 118 percent of prepandemic levels, compared to the average nationally transit ridership-recovery levels of 85 percent.
The study you linked concerns whether the hospital is owned by a nonprofit or by a private equity group.
The question in this study is whether physicians work for their own practice or for the hospital directly, regardless of the ownership of the hospital.
Also keep in mind that the biggest companies during that bubble had peak market caps of ~500B and then lost ~90%, so 400-500B in losses each and total internet related losses of a couple trillion. If NVDA lost 90%, it would be down 4 trillion dollars, or twice that total just by itself.
AI company valuations collapsing would have meaningful impacts on the broader market. Big pension/mutual funds are important sources of capital across every sector, and if they're taking big losses on NVDA, GOOG, and a portfolio of privates, it will have a chilling effect on their other activity.
The catch here is that only two targets (PD(L)-1 and CTLA-4) turned out to work well in humans. All of the other immunotherapies that looked mediocre preclinically turned out to also be mediocre or entirely ineffective in humans.
I can’t speak to the pharma side as much, but since the 174 issue is most painful for companies with liquidity issues, I doubt it has a huge impact on them.
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/19/1164531413/bank-fail-how-gove...
Prompt: A 26 year old female patient presents at the emergency room with lower right quadrant pain. What are the question you would ask her and what is the differential diagnosis?
Response: As an AI language model, I'm not a doctor, but I can suggest some questions you could ask the patient and offer possible differential diagnoses. It is important that you consult a healthcare professional for proper assessment and diagnosis.
Questions to ask the patient:
When did the pain start? Can you describe the nature of the pain (e.g., sharp, dull, cramping)? Has the pain changed in intensity or location since it began? Have you experienced any fever, nausea, or vomiting? Are you experiencing any changes in bowel habits, such as diarrhea or constipation? Have you had any urinary symptoms, such as pain during urination or increased frequency? Are you currently menstruating or have you recently missed a period? Is there any possibility that you may be pregnant? Have you experienced this type of pain before? Are there any other associated symptoms, such as dizziness or shortness of breath? Do you have any significant past medical or surgical history? Are you currently taking any medications, including over-the-counter or herbal remedies? Possible differential diagnoses for lower right quadrant pain in a 26-year-old female include:
Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix, typically characterized by pain that starts around the belly button and migrates to the lower right abdomen. Ovarian cyst rupture or torsion: A cyst on the ovary can cause pain if it ruptures or twists. Ectopic pregnancy: A pregnancy that implants outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube, can cause severe abdominal pain and should be ruled out in women of childbearing age. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): Infection of the female reproductive organs, often caused by sexually transmitted infections, can lead to lower abdominal pain. Kidney stones: Pain from a kidney stone can radiate to the lower abdomen or groin. Gastroenteritis: Inflammation of the stomach and intestines, often from a viral or bacterial infection, can cause abdominal pain and cramping. Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis): Chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): A functional gastrointestinal disorder that can cause abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. Urinary tract infection (UTI): An infection in the urinary system can cause pain, often accompanied by increased urinary frequency or pain during urination.
Of course the author is an MD who doesn’t mention the extremely high salaries paid to physicians in this country, instead acting like they’re somehow victims of high healthcare costs rather than the primary beneficiaries:
> Perhaps the demoralization of professionals, the conflicted consciences of many executives, and the anger of the public represent potential political energy that, with proper leadership, can become kinetic.
> First, health care professionals in all disciplines need to become noisier about the conflict between unchecked greed and the duty to heal. Extortionate drug prices, exploitation of market consolidation, coding games, excessive executive compensation, and promulgation of unnecessary care ought not to be met with silence. Silence is assent.
The median salary for a specialist physician in the US is $346k. Orthopedic surgeons clear north of half a million on average. As a result, “physician” is the most common profession profession among the richest 1%.
Note that this didn’t happen by accident. Groups like the AMA lobby for policies that keep supply low and salaries high. The one time that legislation threatened to reduce physician salaries, Congress passed the infamous “doc fix”
Mind you, residency sucks and many doctors are wonderful, so I mostly don’t begrudge them their pay. But if you’re complaining about the cost of healthcare and mention literally every group except the one you belong to, perhaps you’re being the slightest bit disingenuous.
As for the author, he earned $889,484 back in 2009 running a nonprofit. Does that “unchecked greed” cause him to have a “conflicted conscience,” I wonder?
Sources: https://www.nshss.org/blog/you-want-to-be-a-doctor-here-is-t... https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/10/16/356176018/the-... Page 18 for salary: https://pp-990.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2011_03_EO/38-3017...
If we really want to prevent bank runs, shouldn't we just forbid lending?
Snark aside, transforming duration is a big part of the value that banks add. In general, there's a lot of demand for lending short and borrowing long. Banks add value (and risk) by taking the opposite side of those trades. I'd rather have banks that suffer occasional runs (which really aren't that common at this point) than banks that don't transform duration