Libertarian Commentary on the News for the Week of 25-30 December MMV (2005)-- Page 2

Alabama: Store owner kills one robber, holds other for police
WSFA News
"One man is dead and another is in police custody today after an attempted robbery at a Tuscaloosa gas station. Surveillance video shows the two men entering the Raceway on McFarland Boulevard wearing ski masks around 2:45 Thursday morning. The store owner says one of them, a 19-year-old man, put a gun to his head and demanded money. That's when the owner says he grabbed his own gun and started shooting, killing the 19-year-old. The owner then pointed his gun at 22-year-old Jamie Marcus Witherspoon and told him to get on the ground where he held him until police arrived. Lieutenant Lloyd Baker with the Tuscaloosa Homicide unit says the owner is not being charged with any crime because it was a case of self-defense." (12/29/05)

A brave man, and a good action on the part of Alabama peace officers - not charging the man who had to kill his attacker.

New Hampshire: Store clerk will continue to carry gun ... at a different store
WMUR News
"A store clerk fired for bringing a gun to work has a new job at another store. Bruce Soiett said that he always brings his .45-caliber handgun to work. He used to work at a Cumberland Farms in Greenland, and on Dec. 7, the store was robbed at gunpoint. When the thief ran, Soiett followed him. "I yelled at him to stop, and he turned with the gun," Soiett said. "I fired two quick shots because I thought he was going to shoot at me." No one was hit, and the robber was never caught. Soiett lost his job because Cumberland Farms has a no-weapon policy. The owner of the Exit 3 Travel Stop in Portsmouth was happy to hire him. "We feel more comfortable having people who can stand up for themselves," store owner Bharat Batel said." (12/29/05)

Remind me not to shop at Cumberland Farms - not that I get back into the area where CF has stores - if I can possibly help it. Good for Batel - he is likely a volunteer-American, and he knows that freedom comes with responsibility.

Mama's Note: This is a problem for a lot of people, especially professionals like nurses. Nurses are totally forbidden to travel armed, even in their own vehicles. We're supposed to pray that most criminals know we are also not allowed to carry any kind of medication or drugs. Total control of this by the state means we either have to live with it or give up nursing. Liberty is always the real answer.

Stupid Government Tricks
How could we let the year end without a few choice examples of how this bizarre human institution continues to demonstrate its incompetence around the world? These ten stories this week range from various countries in Europe to tiny municipalities in American states, showing that neither size nor responsibility nor location can keep government officials nor bureaucrats from demonstrating their true nature. Scary, isn't it?

Germany: Postmen learn dog psychology
Ananova [UK]
"The German post office has started giving mail workers lessons in canine psychology. Official say the number of dog attacks on postmen this Xmas were the lowest in 10 years after the lessons. Deutsche Post spokeswoman Sylvia Blesing said: 'The number of attacks is dropping, in some places by as much as half. The reduction began after we starting teaching our postal workers how dogs think. We tell them not to run away if they see a dog coming and how to react in a dangerous situation.' The German post office has sent around 80,000 of its postmen and women on the courses, first introduced in 2001, to learn how to psychoanalyse dogs and how to deal with them." (12/28/05)

You would think that postal workers, generally being over eighteen or even twenty-one, would have been able to learn how to handle dogs - but then you would be mistaken about the level of ability and education the average postal worker is expected to have as a new-hire. And, I sometimes think that dogs can sense the generally low level of intelligence, drive, and presence that low-level government workers have. "Alpha males" (or females) they are not.

Businessman jailed for sale of chemicals to Saddam
The Scotsman (UK)
A DUTCH businessman was given a 15-year prison sentence yesterday after he was found guilty of complicity in war crimes for selling chemicals to Saddam Hussein's Iraq which were used to carry out gas attacks.

I keep hearing from across the board that there were no "weapons of mass destruction" found, yet this man is being convicted for supplying materials to make something that didn't exist? What am I missing? I have NEVER agreed that the mere fact that Iraq had WMD (and had used them on other nations and their own people) was justification for a preventative attack and occupation of Iraq, but I cannot stomach those who wish to rewrite history and spew lies and hatred with such devastating logic as "Bush lied and soldiers died."

Mama's Note: Three things... Selling something doesn't always mean it got delivered and "chemicals" can be used for many different purposes, of course. Chlorine can be used to disinfect things or to make a deadly gas. The mere purchase of it does not prove criminal intent. The second thing to keep in mind is the integrity and reliability of those who accused and "convicted" this person. Governments do not rate high in either category. The lies of Bush played only a small part in the death of so many people, soldiers and civilians all over the world. The lies, cowardice and dereliction of duty by congress and almost every other level of government are equally responsible. Those are not lies...

Washington's struggle to cut spending
Christian Science Monitor
"If nothing else, Washington's tortured, yearlong budget debate shows that cutting federal spending may be even more difficult today than it used to be. Not that it's ever been easy. For at least the last quarter-century, the federal deficit has been a perennial problem of US politics. As defense and entitlement spending has grown, most everything else that the US government does has been squeezed and squeezed again in search of savings. Many of the obvious cuts have now been made, while major reductions in domestic entitlements have proved politically elusive. The result: a deficit reduction bill that's far smaller than fiscal conservatives wanted, whose cuts may be offset by the loss of federal revenue expected from furthering the Bush tax cuts." (12/27/05)

Listen to the CSM moan. First, there are NO cuts - see the next article and you'll see what I mean. Second, no, the obvious cuts haven't even been LOOKED at, much less made, because the philosophy is still "Let government do it." Unless the role of "Defense" is returned to defense and not to imperial adventures at home and abroad, and the most massive welfare system ever created (and I'm NOT talking about the military retirement system), and unless TANSTAAFL is tattooed on the inside of the eyelids of every turkey we send to DC, this will NOT get any better. What they are saying is that the point of collapse is just moving closer all the time.

US spending more on entitlement plans
Arizona Republic
"Three growing entitlement programs consumed nearly half of all federal spending in 2004, and budget analysts expect them to make up an even bigger share in the future. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid accounted for more than $1 trillion in the 2004 budget year, according to the Consolidated Federal Funds Report being released Tuesday by the Census Bureau. Overall federal spending was $2.2 trillion, an increase of 5 percent from 2003. 'The total federal spending increase is actually down a bit from recent years,' said Gerard Keffer, chief of the Census Bureau's federal programs branch. 'It had been running 6 to 8 percent in the past several years.' For years, Washington has been fighting over how to manage the growth of entitlement programs. Analysts think the fight will continue for years." [FND editor's note: And there you have it -- the "cuts" we keep hearing about are decreases in the growth of spending, not decreases in spending. Never forget it - TLK] (12/27/05)

Like the previous article and analysis, this article shows that most people don't really have any idea of what needs to be done. Colorado had the right idea with TABOR but gutted it last month: spending has to STOP. We are all champagne drinkers on a beer budget, and politicians know it: they won't stop spending until their hands are cut off (figuratively speaking of course).

Mama's Note: The politicians won't stop spending because the general population has been brainwashed into thinking the same way they do. Just think about all of the insane credit spending in the average family, with no incentive at all in our economy for saving and frugal living. Oh, the incentive is coming and the economy is well on the way to a fatal crash. Unfortunately, so many people will suffer terribly and many will simply die because they have no idea how to survive without the stolen goods of other people.

Maine: Parade permit ordinance struck down
First Amendment Center
"The [Augusta] city attorney said he would seek authorization to appeal a federal judge's decision that strikes down a parade-permit ordinance, whose fees were challenged as excessive. Sides for and against Augusta's parade ordinance agreed that the case decided by U.S. District Judge John Woodcock Jr. could have broad implications. The ordinance requires marchers to provide notice 30 days before their events, to meet with the police chief and pay fees. The case arose from a 'March for Truth' parade last year. After calculating the costs for traffic control, the city police department charged march organizer Timothy Sullivan $1,500 for a permit. Sullivan, of Castine, claimed the fee was excessive and was joined in his suit by Larry Danzinger of Castine, who said the city's permit fee prevented him from holding a workers'-rights march in Augusta. Woodcock's decision said the city ordinance restricts freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution." (12/27/05)

Any excuse will do, when you don't want to hear people.

Proposed law could harm charitable giving
Nashville City Paper
"Charitable giving by seniors could decrease significantly if the federal budget reconciliation bill passes in Congress in its current form. More than 80 percent of Tennessee seniors who are members of the AARP donated to charities in 2003. With a close 51-50 vote decided by Vice President Dick Cheney, the U.S. Senate last week approved the conference agreement on the budget reconciliation bill, which includes provisions that could discourage seniors from donating to charitable organizations. Under current law, Medicaid includes a provision that penalizes seniors who have transferred assets for less than fair market value within three years of applying for long-term care coverage. That language includes charitable donations seniors made within three years from applying for Medicaid. The goal is to deter seniors from transferring assets to become eligible for Medicaid." (12/29/05)

This is one of those unintended consequences - although now that it has been recognized I suppose there is some chance that it can be fixed. At the same time, if "charities" includes the likes of the AARP, there may be an understandable motive. Like the unions, the AARP is a massive supporter of liberal big government. All of this could be solved, of course, by eliminating Medicare and Medicaid, eliminating the taxes and borrowing that support the programs, and encourage, not discourage charitable giving.

Mama's Note: If a person has assets, they need to provide for themselves with them, not give them away so they can join the ranks of those who receive stolen goods! But it is likely to continue as long as there are stolen goods to be obtained.

New England towns aim to keep out restaurant chains
Christian Science Monitor
"As a newspaper reporter, Diane Srebnick covered the division that surfaced last year when a Dunkin' Donuts planned to move into rural Cornish, Maine. The tension she witnessed between an anti-franchise coalition and Dunkaccino fans spurred her to preventive action: a ban on 'formula restaurants' in her own community a few weeks ago. A tiny town of 2,500, Shapleigh has no franchises. But Ms. Srebnick, a planning board member, says corporate sprawl is a concern for even the most remote parts of Maine. ... Her measure comes on the heels of two similar bans within two years in Maine. Last month, the seaside village of Ogunquit banned all chain restaurants from its vicinity, following in nearby York's footsteps the year before." (12/29/05)

Another example of local government actions that are both against freedom and against common sense. Sadly, the reason these "formula" restaurants are so ubiquitous is because people LIKE to patronize them: yes, they have a lot of advertising, but if they weren't at least tolerable (and an improvement over the locally-owned and -mismanaged stores they displace) they wouldn't be popping up everywhere. Government can no more dictate good taste than they can the weather.

New York: Spitzer subpoenas record companies
Forbes
"New York state attorney general Eliot Spitzer has issued subpoenas to the world's leading music companies in an effort to discover whether the industry has broken any laws regarding the wholesale pricing of digital music downloads, the Financial Times reported. The subpoenas were issued to Sony BMG, Time Warner Inc's Warner Music, EMI Group PLC and Vivendi Universal unit Universal Music last week, people involved said, but the probe is still at a preliminary stage. 'It is too early to call it an investigation,' a spokesman for Spitzer said." [FND editor's note: If it's not an "investigation," then on what authority are subpoenas being issued? - TLK]

It looks like just another case of bullying, to me. Of course, the laws are so confusing that who, even the gov-goons, can understand them?

Stupid People Tricks
One reason that governments do such amazing tricks is, of course, because they are made up of people. And people, even when NOT functioning as elements of a government, have this certain knack. No question, something needs to be done to contain the stupid things that people do - but government ISN'T one of the successful ways. The best way seems to be making people responsible for their own actions, making them accountable Sadly, this isn't done very much.

People countersuing corporations using SLAPPs against them
Myrtle Beach Online
" A year ago Tom and Barbi Diehl were sweating a $5 million libel and slander suit, filed against them by a company that objected to Tom Diehl's public opposition to a proposed garbage holding pen in his suburban St. Louis neighborhood. The lawsuit was tossed out by Missouri courts this year and now the Diehls are suing the garbage company for damages, arguing that the suit against them was malicious. Defamation lawsuits are filed every day, but amid the clutter of allegations claiming damaged reputations and hurt feelings is a trend of countersuits against corporations, public officials and others that have used so-called SLAPPs to silence opposition in public forums. The reaction to strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, varies from state to state, but legal analysts say there is a growing backlash against these suits that many say are designed solely to stifle public dissent and discourage involvement in civic affairs." (12/25/05)

As the civil society breaks down and the stakes get higher, this is getting to be more common. The so-called SLAPPs themselves are a response by companies (and a good many private individuals) who have gotten tired of not being allowed to do anything with their own property and not being allowed to operate their businesses, without first getting permission from virtually everyone in the country, or after spending vast sums of money to just respond to dozens or hundreds of "comments" submitted for the sole purpose of preventing something from being done or built (BANANA syndrome: build absolutely nothing anywhere now or always).

Even the term "SLAPP" is a pejorative designed to denigrate what is usually (but not always) a defensive action - most small companies and individuals may not exactly like honest public participation but are willing to accept it - it is the malicious and frivolous "participation" that frosts them. This is probably a good example. These people (the Diehls) are producing trash just like everyone else in St. Louis, and they aren't willing to take their trash fifty miles outside of town to the nearest landfill which has been located so far away because no one wants it for a neighbor, but I'll bet that they also aren't willing to pay the cost of having that packer truck that picks up their trash on their front curb haul everything out that fifty miles, either. So the companies, in order to keep rates down to what the politicians are willing to accept (trash collection is seldom a free market these days), have to come up with alternatives, and transfer stations (the proper term for the insultingly-labeled "garbage holding pen" in the story) are one of the better ways to do that. But he doesn't want a transfer station any more than he wanted the landfill nearby - and heaven forbid someone should suggest a composting facility or a waste-to-energy station or incinerator be built within his community. Throw in some greedy lawyers and you have the current situation.

New Hampshire Republicans drift from national party
Boston Globe
"With signs pointing to a resurgent Democratic Party in New Hampshire, the state's all-Republican congressional delegation is becoming increasingly at odds with the national Republican Party in a state that was long a GOP bellwether, according to an analysis of votes and other actions in Congress over the past year. Congressmen Jeb Bradley and Charles Bass voted for expanded stem cell research and opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Bradley notably declined to endorse Bush's Social Security plan. Senator John E. Sununu opposed Bush's plan for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, joined a filibuster to insert civil liberties protections into the USA Patriot Act, and voted against his party leadership on several major spending bills." (12/26/05)

As with many GOP types in "Blue States" - these people are certainly not conservative (nor are they libertarian, despite some claims). It again points out that neither of the old parties really have a philosophy except that of the power of the state. Of course, the last thing the GOP started out as was "conservative" - it was a radical departure from traditional American political belief, and it pushed the Democratic Party to turn into the monster it too is today.

Mama's Note: The last person who told me he was a "conservative" couldn't answer my simple question. I asked him just what it is he was trying to conserve...

Oregon: Minor parties brace for impact
Eugene Register-Guard
"Minor party candidates rarely strike fear in the hearts of the major party leaders; the Pacific Green and the Libertarian parties' registered voters each represent less than 1 percent of the Oregon electorate. Even so, they're both hoping to make some noise -- and maybe have some impact -- next year. That's in part because of how the race for governor is shaping up. Democrats and Republicans are heading for contested primaries in May. And a popular Republican lawmaker, Sen. Ben Westlund of Bend, is considering a run as an independent. That creates the potential for a close finish in the general election, and a minor party candidate could end up spoiling a win for one major party candidate or the other - or at least creating enough risk of being a spoiler that he can capture some attention for his party's causes." (12/26/05)

Unfortunately, like voting itself, if third parties made any difference, they'd be illegal. Libertarians and others HAVE done well as spoilers, even in the Northwest, but as soon as it becomes a regular case, expect the old parties to band together (more than usual) to come up with ways to defang them. So don't expect this effort to change much.

Mama's Note: On the other hand... if some third party were to take hold and displace one of the "big boys," just how long do you think it would take for them to degenerate? So, don't expect this to change anything, even if it were a success. Government isn't the solution - it's the problem, no matter what "party" is involved.

Downside of cleaner air: More warming
Christian Science Monitor
"New measurements of tiny particles in Earth's atmosphere contain a sobering message: All those hard-won efforts to cut air pollution may unwittingly accelerate global warming. The result: The planet is likely to warm more and faster than current projections suggest, according to a team of British and American scientists. The group has produced the most precise estimates yet of how tiny particles, known as aerosols, could affect the world's climate. Aerosols, which include pollutants, have a cooling effect on the atmosphere, and the team's work suggests that the cooling effect is strong - nearly as strong as the top estimates of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)." (12/27/05)

More hype. I don't put this in the "Tech" section because this is imaginary science, and make of it whatever you want, because someone else will come out against it tomorrow. Meanwhile, notice how CSM and the rest of the media always "views with alarm" and makes everything out to be evil and bad for you?

Their two cents: Protesters hang up on tax for Iraq war
Denver Post
"Peace activist Bill Sulzman in Colorado Springs protests the war in Iraq by refusing to pay the federal excise tax of about 50 cents on his monthly phone bill. Sulzman also recruits others who are against US military involvement in Iraq to stop paying the tax, which was first adopted in 1898 to pay for the Spanish- American War. The tax raises about $5 billion a year, which activists say goes to fund war efforts. The Internal Revenue Service won't confirm that the money goes exclusively to the military but instead says it goes for general fund expenditures, including military spending."It's kind of entry-level active resistance," Sulzman said. "Phone companies don't cut off the phones. They don't have the leverage." Nationally, an estimated 10,000 phone customers don't pay the tax, said Ruth Benn, a spokeswoman for the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee in New York. With many Americans questioning the rationale for the Iraq war, the number who don't pay appears to be growing, said Betty Ball, a spokeswoman at the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center in Boulder. " (12/29/05)

This is, indeed, cutting off your nose to spite your face. Failing to pay simply results in getting phone service canceled, once the unpaid balance gets to be high enough. And since most companies have to pay the tax FIRST before they pay themselves, the guvmint doesn't really lose a dime

Technology and Health Matters
MMV (2005), like the past century and more, has been another year with lots of technology changes, lots of new ideas, and lots of hype about all that as well. A few last stories to end the year about how technology is NOT evil (or good) in and of itself, but how it can be used for good or evil. Medicine and medical care is much the same way, as these stories also point out. As always, it is the people that make the difference.

Kentucky: Town eyes flattening mountaintops
Washington Times
"The towering mountains that frame this Appalachian town have been a hindrance to growth, forcing homes and businesses to crowd together side by side on precious little flat land. That could change under a plan by Pikeville leaders who recruited a coal company to flatten two mountaintops to make room for the town of about 6,300 to expand. Appalachian towns like Pikeville that have exhausted all usable land have no choice but to look to the mountaintops, City Manager Donovan Blackburn said. 'If you look at the amount of land that is developable right now, there is virtually none,' Mr. Blackburn said. 'This will be a tremendous benefit.' However, in mountaintop-removal coal mining, hilltops are blasted away to uncover coal seams, and the leftover rock and dirt are dumped into adjacent valleys, burying streams. Environmentalists say the process destroys wildlife habitat and contaminates water. " (12/29/05)

Oh, whee! In West Virginia and Pennsylvania, there are massive environmental movements dedicated to preventing this mountaintop flattening, and for the most part they have the support of local communities. Indeed, one size does NOT fit all. As usual, even the Times tends to simplify the matter: yes, this type of mining does destroy some types of wildlife habitat, but in the process creates other types of wildlife habitat, and it is a very subjective call which is a preferred habitat. Water CAN be contaminated, but the actions necessary to prevent such contamination are well-established and can be easily incorporated into the mining - indeed, by law, they are required to be incorporated. This Kentucky town is trying to address this problem, but it is far from the only town that faces it - virtually ALL cities and towns in the Western US are similarly hemmed in - not necessarily by a lack of flat land but by federal government ownership of 50-90 percent of the land, which is "preserved" and thus unavailable for much of anything. The same environists want to see that federal land EXPANDED to engulf more and create more Pikevilles.

Car trouble
AlterNet
"I sometimes find it hard to believe there could be any more cars in the world than there are today. Yet if economic forecasts are to be believed, auto use will rise dramatically in coming years as emerging middle-class households in China, India and even Africa achieve the universal dream of owning their own means of transportation. People everywhere are enraptured by the idea of speedy personal mobility that automobiles seem to offer -- a love affair best evoked in an anecdote told by Song Laoshi, a teacher in Beijing, to a journalist from the Guardian: 'When I was a child, we used to walk miles to the nearest road and then just stand and wait. You will never guess why. We wanted a car to pass so that we could breathe in the fumes. For us, that was really exciting.'" (12/29/05)

This kind of parochialism is, I am convinced, behind much of the media response (even "alternative" media like AlterNet, reprinting from the Guardian (UK)) to events: "it is okay for us [the Elite] to have all these things," but people in China or Kenya or Peru should not, because they will destroy the earth with us." (Notice the sneering remarks - "mobility that automobiles seem to offer" and compare it to the reality that autos DO offer a degree of freedom seldom found in the world prior to 1900.) So they MUST oppose free markets, personal choice, and anything else that threatens (or seems to threaten) their position, their dominance.

Whooping cough makes resurgence
Washington Times
"Pertussis, the highly contagious disease also known as whooping cough, has become a growing problem in adolescents in recent years despite its history as primarily a disease of infants and young children, federal data show. 'Even though the highest rate of pertussis is still among children under 6 months of age, the highest proportion of cases is now among adolescents,' said Dr. Amanda Cohn, an epidemic intelligence service officer for the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Cohn is one of the authors of a report titled 'Pertussis -- United States, 2001-2003,' published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that was released last week. The study showed that reported cases of pertussis increased from a historic low of 1,010 in 1976 to 11,647 cases in 2003. 'A large increase in reported cases has occurred among adolescents' as vaccinations they received as young children have lost effectiveness, the authors wrote." (12/26/05)

A responsibility-free and blame-free society cannot maintain a high level of medical care, no matter how much money and how much government it has.

Mama's Note: As with all disease, nutrition, hygiene and general health are the most important things to limit the damage done by these infections. Individuals must take responsibility for the health and nutrition of their families, not rely on government and various vaccines.

Bezos launches space venture
ABC News
"Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos expects a rocket-ship complex for his aerospace venture Blue Origin to open early next year. [Kent, WA city] records show that an office and warehouse he's revamping in this south Seattle suburb will be used to design and build spacecraft and engines. Blue Origin has released few details about the project. But a Texas newspaper editor who interviewed Bezos earlier this year said the billionaire talked of sending a spaceship into orbit that launches and lands vertically, like a rocket, and eventually building spaceships that can orbit the Earth possibly leading to permanent colonies in space." (12/27/05)

The only way that ventures like this can succeed, I am convinced, is to keep as low a profile as possible, get as few permits as absolutely essential, and have VERY big bucks. Unless some kind of reactionless or other drive is found/invented, it is much too big a signature to hide very long. (See the excellent SF novel, "Red Thunder" by John Varley for some ideas of just what could happen.)

Study warns of deep permafrost thaw
Columbia Tribune
"Climate change could thaw the top 11 feet of permafrost in most areas of the Northern Hemisphere by 2100, altering ecosystems across Alaska, Canada and Russia, according to a federal study. Using supercomputers in the United States and Japan, the study calculated how frozen soil would interact with air temperatures, snow, sea ice changes and other processes. The most extreme scenario involved the melting of the top 11 feet of permafrost, or earth that remains frozen year-round. 'If that much near-surface permafrost thaws, it could release considerable amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and that could amplify global warming,' said lead author David Lawrence of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. 'We could be underestimating the rate of global temperature increase.'" (12/27/05)

Chicken Little again! NCAR, in Boulder, Colorado, is fighting for its budget, as usual.

Mama's Note: The thing most people fail to consider is the fact that the climate of the world DOES change, slowly but constantly, and always has. The idea that the activity of mankind has anything to do with it is as silly as expecting to turn aside a tornado by spitting into the wind. The only sane way to use our time and resources on this subject is to learn how to adapt and survive the changes we can do nothing about.

European satellite launch challenges GPS
ABC News
"The European Union launched its first Galileo navigation satellite on Wednesday, moving to challenge the United States' Global Positioning System (GPs). Russian space agency Roskosmos said the 600 kg (1,300 lb) satellite named Giove-A (Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element) went into its orbit 23,000 km (15,000 miles) from the earth after its launch on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in the middle of Kazakhstan's steppe. ... The 3.6 billion-euro ($4.27-billion) Galileo programme, due to go into service in 2008 and eventually deploy 30 satellites, may end Europe's reliance on the GPs and offer a commercial alternative to the GPs system run by the U.S. Military" (12/28/05)

Even government on government competition is still potentially a win for consumers. But don't believe that this is a "commercial" alternative - it is still government, just Euro-governemnt.

Revealed: the pill that prevents cancer?
Independent [UK]
"A daily dose of vitamin D could cut the risk of cancers of the breast, colon and ovary by up to a half, a 40-year review of research has found. The evidence for the protective effect of the 'sunshine vitamin' is so overwhelming that urgent action must be taken by public health authorities to boost blood levels, say cancer specialists. A growing body of evidence in recent years has shown that lack of vitamin D may have lethal effects. Heart disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis are among the conditions in which it is believed to play a vital role. The vitamin is also essential for bone health and protects against rickets in children and osteoporosis in the elderly. ... The dose they propose of 1,000IU a day is two-and-a-half times the current recommended level in the US." (12/28/05)

Like so many other miracle cures announced by whomever, this has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Mama's Note: We'd all be better off if we quit worrying about finding any one particular substance and simply accepted the fact that all disease and tissue degeneration is related to our total nutrition, emotions, attitude and lifestyle. If we seek real health and wellness in all these things, we can't help but suffer far fewer diseases and health problems. But this would require that people take complete, personal responsibility for themselves and their health - and give up all their favorite vices. It's much easier to demand that government come up with a pill that will replace all that hard work and responsibility.

Math professor solves decades-old problem
San Francisco Chronicle
"A professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia is being recognized for solving a math problem that had stumped his peers for more than 40 years. The achievement has landed Steven Hofmann an invitation to speak next spring at the MMVI (2006) International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid, Spain. ... Hofmann became curious about the problem as an undergraduate when a professor introduced him to it. The professor was unable to solve the problem. Hofmann, 47, would have more success when the problem began to take over his life in 1996. ... The problem, known as Kato's Conjecture, applies to the theory of waves moving through different media, such as seismic waves traveling through different types of rock. It bears the name of Tosio Kato, a now-deceased mathematician at the University of California-Berkeley, who posed the problem in research papers first written in 1953 and again in 1961." (12/27/05)

As always, solving problems like this can lead to all sorts of interesting things. As I said, for good or evil - even math is no exception

Hackers rebel against spy cams
Wired
"When the Austrian government passed a law this year allowing police to install closed-circuit surveillance cameras in public spaces without a court order, the Austrian civil liberties group Quintessenz vowed to watch the watchers. Members of the organization worked out a way to intercept the camera images with an inexpensive, 1-GHz satellite receiver. The signal could then be descrambled using hardware designed to enhance copy-protected video as it's transferred from DVD to VHS tape. The Quintessenz activists then began figuring out how to blind the cameras with balloons, lasers and infrared devices. And, just for fun, the group created an anonymous surveillance system that uses face-recognition software to place a black stripe over the eyes of people whose images are recorded. Quintessenz members Adrian Dabrowski and Martin Slunksy presented their video-surveillance research at the 22nd annual Chaos Communication Congress here this week." (12/29/05)

Hmmm. A lot of good ideas here - and a good way of showing people what is going on.