Yearly Archives: 2013

Twelve years after 9/11, we still have no idea how to fight terrorism.

"The seven studies include among them 86 findings about the effectiveness of counterterrorism programs, and those findings are startling. Lum, Kennedy and Sherley report that the average effect of the programs examined was negative. That is, the intervention was found to increase terrorist incidents rather than reduce them. The results varied by the type of intervention, but not in a way that should give us any comfort about our strategy. It's scandalous that we spend billions every year on counterterrorism but barely spend any effort on evaluating whether what we're doing works." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwelve years after 9/11, we still have no idea how to fight terrorism.

You’re Much More Likely to Be Killed By Lightning than by a Terrorist

"The U.S. Department of State reports that only 17 U.S. citizens were killed worldwide as a result of terrorism in 2011. That figure includes deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq and all other theaters of war. Wikipedia notes that obesity is a a contributing factor in 100,000–400,000 deaths in the United States per year. That makes obesity 5,882 to times 23,528 more likely to kill you than a terrorist. The annual number of deaths in the U.S. due to avoidable medical errors is as high as 100,000. The CDC stated in 2011 that – in the majority of states – your prescription meds are more likely to kill you than any other source of injury. So your meds are thousands of times more likely to kill you than Al Qaeda." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYou’re Much More Likely to Be Killed By Lightning than by a Terrorist

Just Say the Magic Word

"When your government starts arbitrarily seizing skyscrapers, the time to start thinking about and devising an internationalization strategy was yesterday. If you have not already started, I'd suggest that it is high time to get going. This goes double for libertarians and anyone else who could one day become the government's next enemy du jour. All the government has to do is say the magic T-word, and poof: your rights, your assets, and even your life can be taken from you in an instant, without due process, and the vast majority of people will approve of it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJust Say the Magic Word

Pawn Shops Boom as Consumer Retail Banking Retreats

"The industry association estimates there were 10,000 pawnshops in early 2012, the latest figures available, compared with about 6,400 in 2007. That expansion is, in part, fed by the rising number of Americans whose tarnished credit effectively bars them from the mainstream financial system. The growth has attracted the attention of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a recently formed regulator that has been scrutinizing pawnshops, along with other nonbank lenders like payday loan operators. EZCorp, a publicly traded operator of pawnshops, reported that total loan balances swelled 22 percent to $44 million in its most recent quarter." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPawn Shops Boom as Consumer Retail Banking Retreats

Dementia Drugs Ineffective at Slowing Mental Decline

"Cognitive enhancement drugs only have short-term benefits and can cause significant side-effects for people with mild memory problems, according to researchers. In a new review of existing data, researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada studied eight randomized clinical trials and three companion reports on the efficacy of four drugs in people with mild cognitive impairment. The drugs were donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), galantamine (Razadyne), and memantine (Namenda). They found that while the drugs do have short-term benefits, they are lost after a year and a half of treatment." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDementia Drugs Ineffective at Slowing Mental Decline

Kevin Trudeau jailed for not paying $38 million to feds over natural remedies

"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been after 50-year-old Trudeau, originally from Massachusetts, for several years after he made millions flogging what he claims are natural cures for serious and potentially fatal illnesses. The ruling at the end of last month was the latest round in more than a decade of legal battles that began with a suit filed by the Federal Trade Commission. Trudeau was slapped with a $38 million fine in 2011 after allegedly scamming customers for decades. FTC put the value at $37.6million as to how much consumers were defrauded by 'deceptive infomercials' that Trudeau filmed in order to plug his book - The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKevin Trudeau jailed for not paying $38 million to feds over natural remedies

A Government Database about our Sex Lives: Gee, What Could Go Wrong?

"I don’t like the idea of government bureaucrats having my private information, but what’s probably most worrisome about this Obama Administration scheme is that the data won’t be confidential. As McCaughey writes, it’s just a matter of time before hackers or incompetent bureaucrats make that information public. By the way, everything written by McCaughey and Hatch also helps to explain why we should resist privacy-destroying schemes such as the Internet sales tax cartel being pushed by greedy politicians. I know I wouldn’t want all my online purchases in a database where state and local bureaucrats would be able to snoop for details." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Government Database about our Sex Lives: Gee, What Could Go Wrong?

Chicago ‘Safe Passage’ Worker Hit Woman, Stole Benefits Card

"A Safe Passage worker for Chicago Public Schools allegedly struck a woman and stole her Link benefits card, authorities say. Lashia Brown, 22, has been charged with misdemeanor battery and felony ID theft. Police confirmed Brown has a prior criminal record that includes possessing a weapon without a Firearm Owners Identification Card, an offense for which she pleaded guilty. Brown allegedly struck the victim in the face and used her Link card to withdraw money. She was arrested Tuesday in the 3200 block of West Madison and ordered held on $10,000 bond. A Link card provides cash and food-buying assistance for families that meet income guidelines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChicago ‘Safe Passage’ Worker Hit Woman, Stole Benefits Card

Woman sues US Airways for losing her husband’s ashes after TSA mishap

"Initially, Mrs O'Grady planned to take the urn on board with her, but was stopped by TSA agents who told her she wasn't allowed to bring the cardboard box containing his urn through security because 'it's contents were not a solid substance'. So she went back to the airline's front desk and put the box in her checked luggage. Because of that delay she nearly missed her flight as well. By the time she got to the gate, she was too late and the airline had already given up her seat. Mrs O'Grady had to buy a $500 first-class ticket just to stay on the same flight. But the real shocker happened after she arrived at her sister-in-law's house in Hull. She opened the bag and the box of ashes was gone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoman sues US Airways for losing her husband’s ashes after TSA mishap

French mother jailed for sending son to school in ‘I am a bomb’ shirt

"A French mother who sent her three-year-old son to school in a T-shirt reading 'I am a bomb' and 'Jihad, born on September 11' was given a suspended prison term Friday for defending crime. Bouchra Bagour said she had simply wanted to mark the birthday of her son — who is named Jihad and was born on September 11 — and had not intended any connection with the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001. On Friday, an appeal court in the southern city of Nimes fined Bagour 2,000 euros ($2,700) and giving her a suspended one-month jail term. Her brother Zeyad, who gave his nephew the T-shirt, was fined 4,000 euros and given a two-month suspended prison sentence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench mother jailed for sending son to school in ‘I am a bomb’ shirt