Worldwide words explains that the phrase means “in addition” when two people are negotiating a deal. The phrase came from the Old English “bot” (additional or remedy). It has a Germanic and Dutch origin “boete” and English words “better or best.” Shakespeare uses it to describe taking of advantage of being distracted. Many old references can be translated as “benefit.”
Author Archives: RF_Alum
Dodd-Frank
The subtitle of this book is “What It Does and Why It’s Flawed.” It was edited by Hester Pierce and James Broughel and was written by them and others at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. I recommend it to anyone who has even the slightest interest in the legislative response to the financial crises that began in mid-2006. You don’t even need to read the entire book to be better informed about the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. There is a short description of what each of the sixteen “Titles” comprising the act were intended to do followed by a brief summary of why the approach is flawed. “The act requires the creation—by one count—of 398 new rules and will affect the U.S. economy by restricting or requiring specific activity.” Only a small fraction of the regulations that are required by the act have been finalized. “Assuming the remaining regulations are proportionately restrictive…Dodd-Frank would create 13,323 new restrictions in total.” Continue reading
Happy as a Clam
I’ve always been interested in this quirky expression, which is used to describe someone who is very happy. The Phrase Finder explains “…that open clams give the appearance of smiling.” The full phrase is “…as happy as a clam at high water,” because high tide is when clams are apparently safest from predators. The expression is particularly popular in coastal areas of New England, but is used everywhere. The first citation found was in a frontier memoir dated 1833.
Deaths Caused by Nuclear Power Generation
This posting was inspired by the review last week of “The Rise of Nuclear Fear” and a commentary about radiation exposure from the Three Mile Island Accident. Spencer R. Weart, the author of the “Nuclear Fear” book, has a conclusion I consider worth repeating. “Much more electricity will be needed before the entire world reaches minimal prosperity. None of the ways to generate electricity is fully satisfactory. In terms of both my family’s health and the health of the environment, I would personally live near an existing nuclear reactor than near a plant fired by fossil fuels such as coal.” Continue reading
The Rise of Nuclear Fear
I struggled with the first part of the book by Spencer R. Weart, my interest in the title kept me reading, and I’m glad I did. I suggest beginning with the personal note at the end of the book. The opening sentence explains the book’s focus on the psychology of fear and the “forces of imagery and their pressure upon policies.” The author also reveals his personal opinions, and I was frankly somewhat surprised that he believes we should develop nuclear energy. The book carefully presents the pros and cons, with more emphasis on the cons, that I hadn’t anticipated that position. Continue reading
Radiation Exposure from the Three Mile Island Accident
A friend told me he attended a conference where one of the papers presented concluded that the person receiving the highest radiation exposure from the accident at Three Mile Island was a journalist who flew from Singapore to cover the story. A Health Physics Society report by Robert J. Barish has a good discussion about radiation exposure during air travel. It explains the exposure “…is caused not only by x rays (photons) but also by a variety of energetic particles such as neutrons, protons, electrons, muons ( a subatomic particle similar to an electron), and pions (another subatomic paricle described as the lightest meson). These “…come from a variety of cosmic sources in our galaxy, with a lesser contribution from our own sun” Continue reading