statism

School Has Become Too Hostile to Boys

"As school begins in the coming weeks, parents of boys should ask themselves a question: Is my son really welcome? A flurry of incidents last spring suggests that the answer is no. In all these cases, school officials found the children to be in violation of the school’s zero-tolerance policies for firearms, which is clearly a ludicrous application of the rule. But common sense isn’t the only thing at stake here. In the name of zero tolerance, our schools are becoming hostile environments for young boys. As our schools become more risk averse, the gender gap favoring girls is threatening to become a chasm." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSchool Has Become Too Hostile to Boys

Bill Bonner: The world’s fattest army

"Yes, dear reader, times have changed. But humans have not. Give them the opportunity, and they will turn into zombies. The late Colonel John Boyd of the US Air Force, observed that, 'It is not true the Pentagon has no strategy. It has a strategy, and once you understand what that strategy is, everything the Pentagon does makes sense. The strategy is, don’t interrupt the money flow, add to it.' Boyd was a strategist. He observed that wars were won by lean and agile fighters, who were able to improvise and innovate quickly as needs and opportunities arose. Bureaucracy does not support such warriors; it tries to get rid of them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: The world’s fattest army

Texas begins replacing paved roads with gravel due to lack of funding

"The Texas Department of Transportation began converting more than 80 miles of paved roads to gravel on Monday, according to the Texas Tribune. The speed limit on the new gravel roads will be reduced to 30 mph. Texas lawmakers approved $225 million for the repair of roadways and bridges within the state highway system this year. Texas lawmakers also approved a ballot measure that would provide $1.2 billion a year for state transportation projects. But the Texas Department of Transportation said $400 million was needed to repair immediate damage caused by energy sector traffic across the state." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas begins replacing paved roads with gravel due to lack of funding

Oakland citizen activist says city worker assaulted him

"The resident, 36-year-old Joshua Daniels, is recovering from a black eye and broken eye socket that required 10 stitches at Highland Hospital to close a wound that he said he suffered when a city worker, who was cleaning up the plaza, attacked him during a confrontation. Daniels, a regular activist at Oakland City Council meetings and no stranger to many city officials, said the confrontation began about 8:30 a.m. as he was walking through the plaza and spit his gum into a trash bin that was being used by city workers. [..] 'Truthfully, when I pulled out my phone and started filming, that's when it escalated,' Daniels said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOakland citizen activist says city worker assaulted him

Federal Drug Agency Denies Marijuana Is Less Toxic Than Alcohol

"The National Institute on Drug Abuse released an eyebrow-raising statement to PolitiFact on Monday, denying that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol. 'Claiming that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol cannot be substantiated since each possess their own unique set of risks and consequences for a given individual,' wrote the institute. NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health, funds government-backed scientific research and has a stated mission 'to lead the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Drug Agency Denies Marijuana Is Less Toxic Than Alcohol

Obama administration asks Supreme Court to allow warrantless cellphone searches

"If the police arrest you, do they need a warrant to rifle through your cellphone? Courts have been split on the question. Last week the Obama administration asked the Supreme Court to resolve the issue and rule that the Fourth Amendment allows warrantless cellphone searches. But as the storage capacity of cellphones rises, that position could become harder to defend. Our smart phones increasingly contain everything about our digital lives: our e-mails, text messages, photographs, browser histories and more. It would be troubling if the police had the power to get all that information with no warrant merely by arresting a suspect." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama administration asks Supreme Court to allow warrantless cellphone searches

U.S. survey data casts doubt on classification of psychedelics as ‘dangerous’

"The study, published online Tuesday in PLoS One, used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health survey to investigate psychedelic drug use and mental health problems. The survey is administered annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The researchers found psychedelic use was not associated with a higher rate of mental health problems. In fact, the use of psychedelic drugs appeared to reduce the risk of mental illness, though only slightly." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. survey data casts doubt on classification of psychedelics as ‘dangerous’

US court rules that IP cloaking to access blocked sites violates CFAA law

"The legal dispute began in July 2012 when Craigslist sent a cease-and-desist letter to apartment listing app PadMapper, claiming it was violating the site's terms of service by scraping apartment rental information from the online classifieds site. Craigslist argued that the 3Taps' subterfuge violated the CFAA, which prohibits the intentional access of a computer without authorization that results in the capture of information from a protected computer. The 1984 law, which was invoked in the federal prosecution against late Internet activist Aaron Swartz, has been criticized as overly broad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS court rules that IP cloaking to access blocked sites violates CFAA law

US court rules that IP cloaking to access blocked sites violates CFAA law

"The legal dispute began in July 2012 when Craigslist sent a cease-and-desist letter to apartment listing app PadMapper, claiming it was violating the site's terms of service by scraping apartment rental information from the online classifieds site. Craigslist argued that the 3Taps' subterfuge violated the CFAA, which prohibits the intentional access of a computer without authorization that results in the capture of information from a protected computer. The 1984 law, which was invoked in the federal prosecution against late Internet activist Aaron Swartz, has been criticized as overly broad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS court rules that IP cloaking to access blocked sites violates CFAA law

This is the way they’ll ‘nationalize’ gold

"What they’re really trying to do is send a clear message– if you use Bitcoin, there will be consequences. This isn’t even really about Bitcoin. The big picture issue is that governments are scared to death of currency alternatives catching fire. With so much debt and monetary stress in the global economy, it’s becoming increasingly clear by the day that the current fiat experiment is in serious trouble. The only reason it still works is because (a) people continue to have confidence in the system, and (b) there really is no mainstream alternative to holding paper currency. This last fact is paramount." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThis is the way they’ll ‘nationalize’ gold