Felix Mendelssohn was only 16 when he wrote this masterful piece.
Author: DOuG pRATt
Play Your Numbuh!
As an Economics major in college I learned that the Massachusetts State Lottery, then less than five years old, is regressive. Meaning the people who can least afford to play are the ones who spend the most money. But at least the money goes to the state, rather than to organized crime.
The Boston Federal Reserve Bank recently published an analysis of the lottery. If you don’t want to read the article, this graph shows how big the Mass State Lottery is compared to other states.
Many years ago, on a lark I once bought a (losing) lottery ticket. The lottery is a voluntary tax, and people are okay with that. Trump’s proposed additional tax cuts will require new revenue. His tariff taxes, that are supposed to go into effect today, will serve that purpose. They won’t be voluntary and they will be regressive.
Boston’s GBH presents this exhaustive history of the Massachusetts State Lottery. It’s a story of Math, the Mob, the Church and, of course, Politics.
The complete series is available as an audio podcast.
Public Hospitals, Private Money
One of my later technical projects, before retiring eight years ago, had me driving to Carney Hospital in Boston. The place is now closed, as explained in this report on the PBS NewsHour, which is continuing its coverage of the crisis in healthcare.
April Fool Leadership
As expected, when a man with six business bankruptcies on his resume issues a mandate without proper planning or management, the result is a fiasco. This NYTimes article has been shared paywall-free.
Buffett’s Buffet Pick?
Happy Yahoo Fool Day.
Calling All Operating Thetans!
Yesterday’s mention of the Jive Aces’ Scientology connection rates a return to this post from six months ago.
A soundtrack album was released for Hubbard’s book, Battlefield Earth. My immediate impression was, “What video game is this from?”
Participants in this curious project included Return to Forever ex-pats Chick Corea and Stanley Clark. If you’re familiar with Nicky Hopkins, it will be obvious when his piano playing pops up.
Hubbard’s sci-fi roots are acknowledged at the opening, with tributes to Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, and Superman. George Lucas similarly gave a nod to Buck Rogers in the opening of THX-1138.