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posted by janrinok on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:39AM   Printer-friendly
from the can't-be-good-at-everything dept.

Every study ranking nations by health or living standards invariably offers Scandinavian social democracies a chance to show their quiet dominance. A new analysis published this week—perhaps the most comprehensive ever—is no different. But what it does reveal are the broad shortcomings of sustainable development efforts, the new shorthand for not killing ourselves or the planet, as well as the specific afflictions of a certain North American country.

Iceland and Sweden share the top slot with Singapore as world leaders when it comes to health goals set by the United Nations, according to a report published in the Lancet . Using the UN's sustainable development goals as guideposts, which measure the obvious (poverty, clean water, education) and less obvious (societal inequality, industry innovation), more than 1,870 researchers in 124 countries compiled data on 33 different indicators of progress toward the UN goals related to health.

The massive study emerged from a decade-long collaboration focused on the worldwide distribution of disease. About a year and a half ago, the researchers involved decided their data might help measure progress on what may be the single most ambitious undertaking humans have ever committed themselves to: survival. In doing so, they came up with some disturbing findings, including that the country with the biggest economy (not to mention, if we're talking about health, multibillion-dollar health-food and fitness industries) ranks No. 28 overall, between Japan and Estonia.

[...]

The voluminous work that went into the paper may make measuring the UN goals on health seem even more daunting: The researchers were able so far to evaluate just 70 percent of the health-related indicators called for by the UN.

It may not be pretty, but "we have no chance of success if we can't agree on what's critical," said Linda Fried, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:05AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:05AM (#406092)

    I guess that settles it then. One advantage is that, after the people in charge of ISIS and Al Qaeda read it, they'll realize they've been wasting their time going after the USA and Americans.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:23AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:23AM (#406105)

      That would presume that was why they attacked you...

      Which it was not.

      Which you probably already know, but it needs to be said...

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:30AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:30AM (#406109)

        The USA was, and is, considered the leader of the Crusaders, by every metric that mattered - political, economic, military, cultural. That's why Bin Laden went after us. ISIS doesn't seem to have the ideological depth of AQ so they just adopted that part of the program.

        • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:22AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:22AM (#406154)

          The US attacked the middle east (and other Muslim interests) on multiple occasions. It supported violent coups. It meddled in all sorts of other ways.

          THAT is why he did it and why he managed to convince others to also.

          He was a crazy, murderous asshole but envy or the US being "in the lead" were not some of his reasons.

          Also, his beef was NOT just with the US. It was also with Russia for Afghanistan and others.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beliefs_and_ideology_of_Osama_bin_Laden#Grievances_against_countries [wikipedia.org]

    • (Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday September 25 2016, @10:43AM

      by driverless (4770) on Sunday September 25 2016, @10:43AM (#406212)

      Trump: Making America 27th Again!

  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:06AM

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:06AM (#406093) Homepage

    This from the same organization that allowed Saudi Arabia to lead the Human Rights Council and condones flooding all of its more civilized members with Islamic Savages, all the while turning a blind-eye to the United States destructive meddling and implicitly and explicitly condoning electing the same kinds of leadership which are reason why the United States is in decline in the first place.

    Fuck the UN. Amerika uber ALLES!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:11AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:11AM (#406094)

      Wow, you racist. How dare you doubt Saudi Arabia.

      • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:25AM

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:25AM (#406106) Homepage

        Saudi Arabia, mark my words: You're next. America's unanimous congressional support of the "Blame Saudi Arabia for 9/11" bill and rising anti-Islamic sentiment worldwide are no accident. You've outlived your usefulness to us, you're a dangerous and unstable liability, and now its time to take out the trash. When one(the US) hires a hitman(Saudi Arabia) and then takes him out after the hit so that he can't squeal, that's called insurance.

        There will be more American boots on the ground in the Middle-East...except next time they're gonna be on your ground. You've become too fat and arrogant with riches and oil that you think that you can do anything, and you've become so dangerously unstable that, like a rabid pet, we're gonna have to put aside our mutual history and take you out back with the shotgun.

        We will spare your women and young children, but -- Allah willing -- your able-bodied males will die like dogs.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:40AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:40AM (#406117)

          Lol! Yawehawehawehawehawehawehaweh!

          This is gonna be fun!

        • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:44AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:44AM (#406122)

          Are you kidding? Our current president just sent $400 million in unmarked, untraceable cash, without telling anybody, directly to the country his own State Department calls the 'world leader in state-funded terrorism'. Then he vetoed a bipartisan effort to allow 9/11 family members to sue for some money back, while also having fun with an official White House celebration of Muslim holidays. This administration couldn't bow down more to Saudis if they tried, and Hillary is vowing more of the same.

          • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:59AM

            by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:59AM (#406130) Homepage

            Baraq Hussein Soetoro walks a fine line. We can only hope for some truths to emerge, and fast.

          • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:38AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:38AM (#406141)

            > Are you kidding? Our current president just sent $400 million in unmarked, untraceable cash, without telling anybody,

            Are you kidding? Not only was it disclosed, it was reported in the New York Times [nytimes.com] the following day:

            Mr. Obama also announced the resolution of another argument between Tehran and Washington that dates to the Iranian revolution, this one over $400 million in payments for military equipment that the United States sold to the shah of Iran and never delivered when he was overthrown. The Iranians got their money back, with $1.3 billion in interest that had accumulated over 37 years.

            And then the day after it was discussed in a whitehouse press briefing. [whitehouse.gov]

            I am so damn tired of people turning their own ignorance into proof of conspiracy and malfeasance. You fucking trumpkins need to climb back into whatever cesspool you materialized in.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:56PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:56PM (#406236)

              Are you kidding? Not only was it disclosed, it was reported in the New York Times [nytimes.com] the following day:

              Its as good as undisclosed, no one who votes Trump reads the New York Times.

              --
              I defend my right to remain ignorant and stupid!

          • (Score: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:41AM

            by butthurt (6141) on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:41AM (#406143) Journal

            > [...] just sent $400 million in unmarked, untraceable cash, without telling anybody, directly to the country [...] This administration couldn't bow down more to Saudis if they tried [...]

            First off, the payment was made to Iran, not Saudi Arabia. There was a White House press release about the payment, at the time it was made. It was Iran's own money, seized in 1979. As part of the deal, the United States returned that money without paying 36 years' interest. Had the matter gone to the World Court, which both countries had agreed to, the court would likely have ruled that interest should be paid. From the press release:

            The United States and Iran are now settling a longstanding Iranian government claim against the United States government. Iran will be returned its own funds, including appropriate interest, but much less than the amount Iran sought.

            --https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/17/statement-president-iran [whitehouse.gov]

            also explained here:
            http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/opinion/the-fake-400-million-iran-ransom-story.html [nytimes.com]

            • (Score: 1) by butthurt on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:45AM

              by butthurt (6141) on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:45AM (#406146) Journal

              *Oops, "without paying 36 years' interest" should have said "without paying the full amount of interest that Iran had asked."

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by jelizondo on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:10AM

      by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:10AM (#406133) Journal

      Nope, brought to you by a Congress who adjourned [statnews.com] without funding Zika prevention and still is thinking about it [motherjones.com] while the disease spreads [cdc.gov] through the U.S.

      Brought to you by a nation [feedingamerica.org], where:

      • 13.1 million children lived in food-insecure households in 2015.
      • Twenty percent or more of the child population in 30 states and D.C. lived in food-insecure households in 2014, according to the most recent data available. Mississippi (27%) and New Mexico (27%) had the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food.
      • In 2014, the top five states with the highest rate of food-insecure children under 18 were Mississippi, New Mexico, Arizona, Alabama, and Arkansas
      • In 2014, the top five states with the lowest rate of food-insecure children under 18 were North Dakota, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia

      Instead of repeating America Uber Alles like a nazi parrot, how about confronting reality and doing something about it?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:15AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:15AM (#406134)

        And what is your solution to the Google problem?

      • (Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:17AM

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:17AM (#406135) Homepage

        Sally Struthers, is that you?

      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by julian on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:28AM

        by julian (6003) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:28AM (#406174)

        how about confronting reality and doing something about it?

        That would require admitting that all economic systems have strengths and weaknesses, that our chosen one isn't perfect, and that the flaws are fundamental to its nature and cannot be corrected by merely following a more "pure" version.

        It's a lot easier to think that our way of life is perfect, and if it's not working for you then the problem is with YOU and would you please die quickly and quietly so we don't have to deal with your poverty? It's bad enough that some people feel that way but what's really killing us is that many of the staunchest defenders of this system are themselves languishing in the inequality it has created.

        You have people in this very comment section arguing that relative inequality doesn't matter. It does matter; it might actually be more relevant than absolute quality of life for things like societal stability and longevity.

        • (Score: 4, Insightful) by jelizondo on Sunday September 25 2016, @06:35AM

          by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @06:35AM (#406181) Journal

          Hello Julian, thanks for the reply.

          I have a problem with the current idea that you can be whatever you want to be, all you have to do is work hard enough. If you don't make it, then it's your fault for not trying hard enough!

          Well, there is the case of Usain Bolt. Do people really think that the guys who come in second and third in any race where he is present, do not train hard and put their hearths into winning? Do they not dream of saying "I bested Bolt"? Really?

          But Usain has some weird gene or whatever that makes him naturally faster, so it doesn't matter how hard others try, he still wins.

          I was born with sub-standard eyes and actually right now I enjoy probably the best vision I ever had (25/20) after a couple of surgeries but risk losing it entirely due to problems with my retina, telling me that it is my fault that I can't see as well as other people is mockery!

          Most people don't realize how close they are to being homeless and destitute, it takes only a misstep on a staircase, a drunk driver or a bad gene. Denying basic health and income to people is totally un-American. Blaming them for being poor is just beyond the pale, particularly for these so-called Christians who would have kicked the half-dead man [biblegateway.com] on the way to Jericho, unlike the Samaritan.

          As Scott Adams put it: I'm not anti-Business, I'm Anti-Idiot [amazon.com]

          If you study history, even in passing, you can see that we will not end well. A society dominated by the few will not last long and there will be blood in the streets. I'm sure the guys at Wall Street and the upper echelons of corporations and goverment are not stupid, why don't they realize that by taking everything they stand to lose everything, including the country?

          Epipen, Wells-Fargo, DAPL and other quite recent examples should tell us we have gone too far in the wrong direction.

          Sorry for the long reply, I suspect I'm preaching to choir but I despair of the current situation. (And mind you, I'm doing well enough that I outright own my house, van and have no debt. I can and do spend hours reading, studying and writing, because I make enough money to live comfortably. So, I'm not a loser and I do have an autographed photo of Bush (41), no pinko communist here either!

          • (Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:59PM

            by Dr Spin (5239) on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:59PM (#406238)

            I'm sure the guys at Wall Street and the upper echelons of corporations and goverment are not stupid,

            I am sure they don't think they are stupid. However, I am less confident. Remember the French Revolution?

            Yes, Virginia, It could be you!

            --
            Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
          • (Score: 1) by mattTheOne on Monday September 26 2016, @03:35AM

            by mattTheOne (1788) on Monday September 26 2016, @03:35AM (#406519)

            America does suck for the average person, but just like in your example, its great for the outliers.

            I've visited many places on that list and was born and raised in Canada. However, for highly educated ppl the rewards and quality of life are much better in the USA, and if U fail you can always go back to the motherland.

            That's why America continues to do great, if you're successful its the place to be and that's why you see so many ppl flocking there once they get big like actors, musicians, engineers, doctors, authors, etc. Look how many successful ppl move to California?

            If I was just average or below average, it wouldn't make sense to live in USA and I'd be better off immigrating to one of those socialist places, but likely if I was smart enough to realize that I would already be above average. Sadly USA is full of morons, but that's why its so great for newcomers.

            • (Score: 1) by jelizondo on Monday September 26 2016, @05:18AM

              by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Monday September 26 2016, @05:18AM (#406540) Journal

              Oh, I love Canada! I would move there in a heartbeat, I even like colder climates except I don’t relish shoveling snow. (I now live in the tropics, hate the higher temperatures but there is no snow to shovel :-) )

              What I was trying to convey is that the average Joe gets a lie as a philosophy of life: “try hard and you’ll succeed” when his chances are slim and none, particularly the way the playing field has been tilted towards corporations and big-money. And if Joe doesn’t succeed, then it his fault for not trying hard enough.

              Perfectly circular reasoning that lays the blame at the feet of the victim, such as when we tell women, “Dressing like that you are asking to be raped” which absolves the rapist, “What could I do? She was asking for it”

              And this carries the danger of us becoming the Eloi, food for the Morlocks who actually carry the weight of making society function.

              Now, that I come to think of it, you probably weren’t raised a Canadian, you did not even once write “sorry” in your post!

              Cheers

      • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:16PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:16PM (#406226)

        motherjones is not a reliable source about... anything

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by RamiK on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:12AM

    by RamiK (1813) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:12AM (#406095)

    So long as you take your shots, avoid major cities and check the travel alerts regarding race riots and gang wars.

    Signed, China's popular press and the Gates Foundation.

    --
    compiling...
    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @10:16AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @10:16AM (#406208)

      ...Don't drink the water, and don't breathe the air...

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:16AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:16AM (#406099)

    How do we measure what the "greatest country" is? Individual liberty? Personal satisfaction? Poverty? It depends on what is important to the individual.

    On another note, I think rankings like this distract from the real issues. By claiming that a particular country is the "greatest" according to a particular ranking, it gives people an excuse to ignore its shortcomings. Another way rankings like this give people an excuse to ignore their country's shortcomings is by allowing them to look at the 'worst' country and then saying 'Well, we may not be perfect, but at least we're not as bad as [Insert Worst Country Here]!' to dismiss any criticisms. It doesn't matter if you're the "greatest"; what matters is whether or not you are overall good or great, which I don't think any country is. Every single country on the planet could and should do more to respect individual liberties, such as when it comes to privacy.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:21AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:21AM (#406100)

      Individual liberty? Personal satisfaction? Poverty?

      It looks like one criteria is "range and sophistication of country's opera offerings relative to its population, and percentage of population who are interested in operatic performance".

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:28AM

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:28AM (#406108) Journal

      America has Snap Inc.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by quintessence on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:40AM

      by quintessence (6227) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:40AM (#406116)

      True, but considering where the US was in comparison to almost any other country on earth not that long ago, it's obvious it is on a painful downhill slide in nearly any metric you can think of (freedom, quality of life, etc.).

      Rankings give you an indication of what might be working better in other countries, and standards you could adopt to improve.

      Not really here to beat the drum of nationalism, but you'd think a country as wealthy as the US should be doing better.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:25PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:25PM (#406364)

        True, but considering where the US was in comparison to almost any other country on earth not that long ago, it's obvious it is on a painful downhill slide in nearly any metric you can think of (freedom, quality of life, etc.).

        No. By practically any measure the US is still way better than it was 50 years ago. Other countries have improved more. But they had much further to go. This is not a zero sum game.

        Average life expectancy at birth: [infoplease.com]

                            1961      2011
        white males          67        76
        other males          61        72
        white females        74        81
        other females        66        78

        Percent of households with air-conditioning: [freeby50.com]

        1973      52%
        2009      89%

        Percent of population with less than a high-school education: [census.gov]

        1961      52%
        2015      11%

        From 1965 to 2015 inflation-adjusted average household income increased by a minimum of 19% for all levels of society. [advisorperspectives.com] That's despite the average number of people in a household [statista.com] decreasing from 3.33 people in 1960 to 2.54 in 2015 due to lower rates of child-birth and more single-parent households, so effective income per person has increased by a lot more.

  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:21AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:21AM (#406101)

    Typing to save you from RTFA [bloomberg.com].

    1. Iceland
    2. Singapore
    3. Sweden
    4. Andorra
    5. United Kingdom
    6. Finland
    7. Spain
    8. Netherlands
    9. Canada
    10. Australia
    11. Norway
    12. Luxembourg
    13. Ireland
    14. Malta
    15. Germany
    16. Denmark
    17. Cyprus
    18. Belgium
    19. Switzerland
    20. Italy
    21. Brunei
    22. Portugal
    23. Israel
    24. France
    25. Slovenia
    26. Greence
    27. Japan
    28. United State
    29. Estonia
    30. New Zealand

    Of course, this is "Using the UN’s sustainable development goals as guideposts, which measure the obvious (poverty, clean water, education) and less obvious (societal inequality, industry innovation), more than 1,870 researchers in 124 countries compiled data on 33 different indicators of progress toward the UN goals related to health."

    Honestly though, on what metric could the USA be considered the greatest country on earth? We're not the first or best-functioning democracy. We're not the only place with freedom. We're a superpower, but financially screwed and outsourcing all our work. Manifest destiny is long behind us, and decline awaits...

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:54AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:54AM (#406126)

      "Honestly though, on what metric could the USA be considered the greatest country on earth?"

      Military budget.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:22AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:22AM (#406172)

        "We're a superpower, but financially screwed..."

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:20PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:20PM (#406230)

        Military debt

        ftfy

      • (Score: 3, Touché) by Mykl on Monday September 26 2016, @01:25AM

        by Mykl (1112) on Monday September 26 2016, @01:25AM (#406480)

        Proportion of population that is incarcerated

    • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:54AM

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:54AM (#406127) Homepage

      Well, we have our military, but even that in its current state is being dismantled. Allowing trannies to serve, being PC, railroading out personnel for manufactured or otherwise bullshit reasons to avoid paying out retirements, fostering a dog-eat-dog rather than cooperative mindset (specifically, the military was mostly apolitical at the lower levels and didn't get political until the mid-level officer or senior enlisted levels, but now the military is about both backstabbing and obedience to the masters at all levels), Obama's mysterious "purge" of high-level officials...the list goes on and on.

      Coincidentally, the deep state wants more and more immigrants, homosexuals, and trannies. The reason for this is to get them into the military, to create a "Praetorian Guard" of sorts which (in the case of immigrants) is composed of thugs from brutish cultures and with no loyalty to the American people. They were raised with violence and when allowed creature comforts as prizes are willing to do whatever their masters demand. The other case, Homosexuals and trannies, are mostly submissive and eager to serve by nature and yet finally being allowed a taste of that power which was denied to them for so many years, and so fit the mold of the Praetorian Guard very well.

      • (Score: 5, Touché) by janrinok on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:18AM

        by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:18AM (#406194) Journal

        Allowing trannies to serve, [...] fostering a dog-eat-dog rather than cooperative mindset

        And there is your problem in one sentence. You want equality and cooperation, but you are not prepared to offer equality to someone who doesn't meet your view of humankind. You are not prepared to 'cooperate' with them to find their role in society because, er because, well because why exactly? There was a man around in the 1930s and 40s who had similar extreme views as to what 'normal' people should be like. Things didn't work out too well for him however.

        As usual, your head is up your ass, but we will still accept you here. Some of us understand what the words actually mean, we don't just spout them off as though they justify our own skewed view of the world.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:31PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:31PM (#406366)

          Accept is a strong word.
          Tolerate. Maybe even just permit.

    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by isostatic on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:04AM

      by isostatic (365) on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:04AM (#406188) Journal


      Honestly though, on what metric could the USA be considered the greatest country on earth?

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjMqda19wk [youtube.com]

      There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies.

    • (Score: 4, Informative) by bradley13 on Sunday September 25 2016, @11:38AM

      by bradley13 (3053) on Sunday September 25 2016, @11:38AM (#406222) Homepage Journal

      Any set of guidelines that would produce this ordering must be pretty strange, or has been interpreted strangely. I've lived in a number of the countries mentioned, and visited several more. Spain ahead of Germany? The UK ahead of, well, anyone else in Western Europe?

      So I followed the chain of links down the rabbit hole. TFA at Bloomberg has the title "America is not the greatest country on earhh. it's no. 28". This is based on a scientific article published in the Lancet, which is indeed based on the UN's sustainable development goals, but only on the health-related goals.

      So we already have a very different situation from what TFA claims - this is only about health. Still, I just don't see the UK in place 6. For example, the life expectancy in the UK is ranked 33 in the world, behind most other Western European countries. So let's look at the statistics in the Lancet article. Very praiseworthy: if you click on the links, they puts a lot of information in their figures [thelancet.com].

      It turns that they include some strange things in their definition of health. For example, both Switzerland and Austria score terribly for "disasters". The only disasters in these two countries that I can imagine are winter avalanches in the Alps during ski season. (Avalanch deaths in Switzerland average about 25/year). Meanwhile, the UK receives a perfect score - apparently because there are never deaths from natural disasters in the UK. [sky.com]

      Even with this penalty, Switzerland scores better than the UK using an arithmetic mean. The authors make the strange decision to base their results on the geometric mean. This means that a single outlier (in this case, the score for disasters) carries disproportionate weight. They choose this method, because other UN studies have used it. I tried going farther down the rabbit hole, but could not find a justification for this. In any case, it seems clearly wrong for this application.

      It's not clear what agenda the authors are following, but the analysis is just bizarre. Or perhaps they don't have an agenda at all - they just don't understand statistics? Of course, the results become even stranger after the MSM is done misinterpreting them.

      --
      Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
      • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:14PM

        by Nuke (3162) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:14PM (#406242)

        In English lessons at school I remember us discussing a book called "How to Lie with Statistics". This report looks like a good case for such a text book.

        I am sure that I (or anyone) could live in Switzerland without getting into an avalanche. I could live in America without getting obese. I could live in the UK and be killed in an avalanche during a sking holiday in Switzerland, or more likely by a cyclist riding on the pavement back home.

        I am in the UK and was thinking only earlier today that if I had my life again I would leave it for elsewhere. It is getting too crowded and getting taken over by bonkers greenies. Thanks to Mrs T we have become a spiv economy (David Steele's phrase) with everthing a scam. While the rich-poor divide is not as great as in the USA, there are large numbers of people making big money as middlemen or other non-jobs, pushing paper around and relaying phone calls, while a much greater number of people are working their guts out for subsistence with no knowing if their job will still exist the next day.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:01PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:01PM (#406252)

          "I am sure that I (or anyone) could live in Switzerland without getting into an avalanche. I could live in America without getting obese. I could live in the UK and be killed in an avalanche during a sking holiday in Switzerland, or more likely by a cyclist riding on the pavement back home."

          Yes, you could. However, the statistics are not talking about you or anyone; they're talking about everyone. That's why they're called statistics and not anecdotics :)

          • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:42PM

            by Nuke (3162) on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:42PM (#406407)

            My point was that this report has little to do with how good a country was to live in.

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by CirclesInSand on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:00PM

        by CirclesInSand (2899) on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:00PM (#406390)

        The authors make the strange decision to base their results on the geometric mean. This means that a single outlier (in this case, the score for disasters) carries disproportionate weight.

        Geometric mean actually reduces the effect of outliers. Try it yourself:

        (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1000) / 5 ~ 202
        (1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 1000) ^ (1/5) ~ 7.5

        A geometric mean is just an arithmetic mean of logarithms. And most real world data tends to be more nicely distributed about it's logarithm than it's immediate value. See Benford's Law [wikipedia.org] for more info.

        • (Score: 3, Informative) by gidds on Monday September 26 2016, @01:14PM

          by gidds (589) on Monday September 26 2016, @01:14PM (#406623)

          Geometric mean may reduce the effect of high outliers, but it exaggerates the effect of low ones even more:

          (1 + 997 + 998 + 999 + 1000) / 5 = 799

          (1 * 997 * 998 * 999 * 1000) ^ (1/5) ≃ 251

          However, there may be other good reasons for using it.  The UN chose it because [undp.org]:

          The geometric mean decreases the level of substitutability between dimensions [being compared] and at the same time ensures that a 1 percent decline in say life expectancy at birth has the same impact on the HDI as a 1 percent decline in education or income.  Thus, as a basis for comparisons of achievements, this method is also more respectful of the intrinsic differences across the dimensions than a simple average.

          --
          [sig redacted]
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:18AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:18AM (#406445)

        > The only disasters in these two countries that I can imagine are winter avalanches in the Alps during ski season

        Your lack of imagination isn't a scientific basis for drawing conclusions.

        Not only are there avalanches in the winter, there are landslides, [google.com] floods, [floodlist.com] and earthquakes (2 per day, 10 per year of at least 2.5 magnitude [seismo.ethz.ch])

        Kinda funny how you went out of your way to try to prove the scientists were idiots making basesless claims but you couldn't be bothered to check your own assumptions. I think that pretty much sums up your entire approach to understanding the world, don't you agree?

    • (Score: 2) by Jiro on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:04PM

      by Jiro (3176) on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:04PM (#406313)

      If the US has different racial groups than the other countries (and it certainly does, especially compared to Iceland, Singapore, and Sweden), statistics that compare it to other countries are vulnerable to a Simpson's paradox [wikipedia.org] where even if each racial group does better individually than they do in the other country, the other country can come out looking better because it has a larger proportion of the higher scoring racial group.

      Where does the US rank if you rank whites only? (Or Asians, when comparing to Singapore.)

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:21AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:21AM (#406102)

    We've mentioned before how USA continues to slip.

    April 2014
    USA is No Longer Number 1 [soylentnews.org] (Title before editing) [soylentnews.org]

    October 2014
    China Overtakes USA as World's Largest Economy [soylentnews.org]

    .
    Singapore?
    Hope you like a police state where they outlawed chewing gum and censor everything.

    Iceland?
    Yup. The country that USA wishes it was. [dissidentvoice.org]

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

    • (Score: 4, Informative) by jelizondo on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:59AM

      by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:59AM (#406129) Journal

      Singapore?
      Hope you like a police state where they outlawed chewing gum and censor everything.

      At least in Singapore it it the law, when was the last time the law was respected by the NSA, DIA, DHS and other secret and no so secret government agencies dedicated to make the U.S. the greatest police state?

  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Snotnose on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:22AM

    by Snotnose (1623) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:22AM (#406103)

    We kill brown people with drones, too bad the bad guy was in a wedding party. Our cops shoot black people because reasons, too bad he had a legal CCW. One of our health providers raises the price of a life saving device from $100 to $600, even though the medicine is $0.10, and the device maybe $1. We have 2 asshats running for president, both are totally unsuited for the job. Yet we can't let the third party candidates participate in debates.

    For once I think it's probably a good thing I'll be dead in 14 years (latest actuarial tables).

    --
    Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by jelizondo on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:28AM

      by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:28AM (#406137) Journal

      We're on the same boat, man. May or may not live much longer but I wish shit wasn't going so bad as it is now... The U.S. has the resources (both human and otherwise) to be a great nation, a lighthouse of freedom and liberty, but all has been captured by the military-industrial that president Eisenhower [msu.edu] warned us about in in 1961.

      [...] We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts America is today the strongest, the most influential and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment. [...]
      [...] In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. [...]
      [...] We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. [...]
      [...] Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. [...]
      - Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America

      You see, I'm on my way out but I made the mistake of having children, now hostages to an Orwellian future.

      • (Score: 2) by mhajicek on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:19AM

        by mhajicek (51) on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:19AM (#406153)

        Did we save the game back then so we can try over?

        --
        The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
        • (Score: 4, Interesting) by jelizondo on Sunday September 25 2016, @04:24AM

          by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @04:24AM (#406163) Journal

          I did! I did!

          But the freaking 8" floppy drive crapped out upon installing Win 10 build 1607 (anniversary update)!

          We are DOOMED

          I wish, really wish we could rewind and not elect Bush (43), which in mind is where the slide down began...

          And now, remember: Jesus saves but Buddha does incremental backups!

          Cheers

          • (Score: 2) by drussell on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:26AM

            by drussell (2678) on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:26AM (#406173) Journal

            I have several working Shugart SA801 and 851 drives here...

            I'd be glad to send you one if you'd be willing to do a full restore of that backup!!!

            ;-)

            • (Score: 1) by jelizondo on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:58AM

              by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:58AM (#406179) Journal

              Believe or not, I do have some old 8" floppies around with important information (or so it I thought at the time), like Star Trek for the TRS-80!

              And no freaking 8" drive!

              Why do I keep them? Well, I'm a packrat. I have a huge (about 40 lbs) 10 meg hard drive from an HP minicomputer, several different tapes, floppies (8", 5¼ and 3½), all sorts of shit which I resist throwing to the garbage... Might be used for something (I don't know what) in the future.

              God, I am old... and getting older...

              Sniff ;-)

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:43PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:43PM (#406374)

      > We have 2 asshats running for president, both are totally unsuited for the job.

      Do not even begin to equate the two.

      One is a ambitiously competent bureaucrat who has survived the kind of extreme vetting that only 100+ million of republican directed tax dollars could effect. The other is a profoundly insecure narcissist with the attention-span of a toddler and a track record of failure that would be in-survivable without a silver spoon worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

      The two aren't even on the same planet.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:11AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:11AM (#406444)

        [an] ambitiously competent bureaucrat

        Can you name something specific in which she participated that benefited you or where you thought what she did was the proper thing to do?

        Extra credit if she was out front on that and not just following the crowd.

        When I think of Hillary, I think of USAians dropping bombs on children and their mothers as well as more people (of color) going to prison for petty offenses.

        insecure narcissist

        It really is a scary thing to think of him getting dissed via Twitter and reacting by ordering the start of WWIII.

        The two

        A reminder that both the Greens and the Libertarians are on the ballot in enough states to hypothetically get 270 votes in the Electoral College.

        ...and, for those who actually like old-school Republicanism, Libertarians are often called "Republicans who like to get laid and smoke dope".
        Gary Johnson actually gained some executive experience as Governor of New Mexico.

        ...and, when Jill Stein,MD debated Mitt Romney in the gubernatorial race in Massachusetts, The Boston Globe called her "the only adult in the room".
        ...and she's a decade smarter than that now.

        -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:47AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:47AM (#406459)

          > Can you name something specific in which she participated that benefited you or where you thought what she did was the proper thing to do?

          Hello, McFly? National healthcare was her baby decades before Obamacare.

          As secretary of state she more than doubled the amount of aids drugs distributed by PEPFAR for the same cost. [politifact.com]

          During that same time the clinton foundation was a key part of getting cheap aids drugs to 9 million+ patients. [politifact.com]

          If your standard for her actions is perfection, then she's a failure. As is everyone else on the planet.

          > A reminder that both the Greens and the Libertarians are on the ballot in enough states to hypothetically get 270 votes in the Electoral College.

          If you don't live in a swing state, vote for any of those.
          But if you do live in a swing state, then any vote not for clinton is a vote for trump.
          As bernie sanders said, this is not the time for a protest vote. [cbsnews.com] Unless you care more about protest than actual governance.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @02:08AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @02:08AM (#406498)

            National healthcare

            That one was a fumble back in the 1990s.
            Not even partial credit from me.
            What I would have liked to have seen was a simple lowering of the Medicare eligibility age by 5 years.
            Repeat for each new congressional term (every 2 years) or even each presidential term (every 4 years).
            Just think where we'd be now.
            Yeah, dreaming. I know.

            in a swing state

            Oh, yeah. I did forget to mention that part.
            ...then again, when you vote for the lesser of 2 evils, you still get evil.

            -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @02:39AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @02:39AM (#406509)

              > That one was a fumble back in the 1990s.
              > Not even partial credit from me.

              Just because she didn't succeed against overwhelming odds, she doesn't even get credit for trying?
              That is the fucked up reasoning of the "she's a bitch" brigade.

              > What I would have liked to have seen was a simple lowering of the Medicare eligibility age by 5 years.

              Nobody asked you what you wanted to see. This is about her, not you.

              > ...then again, when you vote for the lesser of 2 evils, you still get evil.

              That's a cliched mindless trope. There is no pure good. If you think any candidate is pure good, you just haven't looked at them closely enough. Either that or your standards are those of a simpleton.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @07:00PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @07:00PM (#406719)

                I've looked at who's running.
                The stated platform (for the second time) of the candidate I have picked (as well as her life's actions) is much, Much, MUCH better than the record of the one you like.
                ...regardless of how your person tried (and failed).

                ...and I recognize that my choices (in a reliably Blue state) are not binary.

                -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:23AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:23AM (#406104)

    Mozart died at 35.
    Alexander the Great was 32.
    Van Gogh was 37.

    • (Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:27AM

      by GungnirSniper (1671) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:27AM (#406107) Journal

      Everyone knows 27 is the age to die.

    • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:35AM

      by Snotnose (1623) on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:35AM (#406112)

      I'm 58. I feel the fart of the century coming on now.

      Um, I mean. What's your point? Lots of influential people made their name before hitting 30. The running consensus is they do something good, get laid, have a kid or 3, decide 100 hour workweeks aren't all that good after all, and fade to black.

      Or hit 21 and discover beer. I choose the first scenario, it's up to you which is more likely.

      --
      Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
      • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:54AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @01:54AM (#406125)

        Well, squirting out worthless crotch fruit isn't all that good either, and pales in comparison to the importance of significantly increasing humanity's understanding of the universe. There will always be plenty of people having children, plenty of people partying like morons, and plenty of people erroneously equating having a good memory with being a genius for the foreseeable future; what we really need is for truly intelligent people to live up to their potentials.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:41AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:41AM (#406142)

          > Well, squirting out worthless crotch fruit isn't all that good either, and pales in comparison to the
          > importance of significantly increasing humanity's understanding of the universe.

          You sound like a sheldon cooper wannabee. Except not only will you produce no children, you aren't going to contribute one iota to humanity's understanding of anything either.

          • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:38AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:38AM (#406155)

            You sound like a sheldon cooper wannabee.

            Are you the cretin who keeps running around comparing people to Sheldon Cooper or accusing them of being wannabes, or are there seriously multiple people who do this?

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:47PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:47PM (#406375)

              Well, he clearly doesn't want to be stephen hawking, else he wouldn't be posting here.

      • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:22AM

        by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:22AM (#406196) Journal

        Young whipper snapper - GET OFF MY LAWN :)

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:35AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @05:35AM (#406176)
      And Albert Einstein died at 76. Genghis Khan lived to be at least 65. Your point?
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:11AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:11AM (#406191)

        Health and greatness have no relationship.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:06AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:06AM (#406131)

    But who else can protect you from the Russians and Mongol Hordes? Who else made it even possible for there to be over 70 years of relative peace on the European Continent with their fancy-schmancy social democracies, and in the Far East? What else represents the great might of the British Empire than its fine American muscle, which is stronger than it ever was? Accept it, they rule the world, and you should be damn grateful for it.
    .
    .

    God save the Queen!

    • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:24AM

      by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:24AM (#406197) Journal

      How are you doing protecting the residents of Aleppo at the moment?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:43AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:43AM (#406144)

    Guys? Duh!
    Haven't you paid attention to a word that Trump has said?
    America sucks. He's going to make America Great Again!
    Under Trump's magnificent rule y'all gonna be #1 on this list.
    Yep, yep, yep!!!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:51AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:51AM (#406150)

      People are going to get tired of the USA being ranked #1 in the Lancet poll every year, once Trump gets in there.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:47AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:47AM (#406148)

    "When distant cities are hit by an earthquake, it's the United States that steps in to help."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92KhfGC9Wio [youtube.com]

  • (Score: 2) by Sulla on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:46AM

    by Sulla (5173) on Sunday September 25 2016, @03:46AM (#406158) Journal

    Good thing we were already planning on making it great again!

    --
    Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @04:21AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @04:21AM (#406162)

    Choose what you value, and you determine the results.

    Suppose I instead value:

    1. Strong freedom of speech, to include Westboro Baptist Church and the KKK
    2. The right to carry a pistol, concealed or not, stand my ground, and defend myself
    3. The right to drive an RV the size of a large bus, towing a boat behind it
    4. The right to homeschool my children
    5. The right to give my kids names that are not on a government list
    6. Low taxes
    7. Large houses with large yards and quiet streets

    If those are my values, the USA probably rises to the #1 spot and all those nordic/scandanavian places fall way, way, down the list.

    • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:58PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:58PM (#406274)

      1. Strong freedom of speech, to include Westboro Baptist Church and the KKK

      Also includes free speech zones, people getting arrested for filming LEOs, corporations as people, money as speech, and more!

      2. The right to carry a pistol, concealed or not, stand my ground, and defend myself

      Ah, yeah, the only thing safer than a lone gunman is dozens of bystanders trying to shoot him.

      3. The right to drive an RV the size of a large bus, towing a boat behind it

      Wow, I wasn't aware that's illegal in other countries.

      5. The right to give my kids names that are not on a government list

      The government lists themselves, A-OK!

      6. Low taxes

      Roads, bridges and health care are for losers who can't afford private planes and doctors!

      7. Large houses with large yards and quiet streets

      Wow, another thing I wasn't aware was illegal in other countries.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:40PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:40PM (#406406)

      > just typical liberal rating
      > Choose what you value, and you determine the results.

      Since when are things like good health, clean water, education, innovative business, low violence, less wars and less drug addiction "liberal" values?

  • (Score: 2) by Username on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:52AM

    by Username (4557) on Sunday September 25 2016, @09:52AM (#406205)

    How exactly is a sharia law hellhole where you get arrested for celebrating christmas ranked above the United States?

    Well, whatever. Not like the US cannot obliterate all of 1-27 combined, economically or physically.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:29PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @12:29PM (#406232)

      that is a valid question

      perhaps instead of waving off these statistics and charging along on your merry way as you have been, perhaps some careful study of exactly why brunei is ranked higher is warranted

      or you could just keep obliterating poor countries with weapons paid for by borrowing from china and saudi arabia

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:42PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @02:42PM (#406265)

      > How exactly is a sharia law hellhole where you get arrested for celebrating christmas ranked above the United States?

      As opposed to a christian hellhole where you get arrested for wearing too much clothes?