statism

Public Health Proposal Considers Mandatory ‘Smokers License’

"A public health proposal suggests that tobacco smokers should be required to apply and pay for a 'smoker’s license' in order to continue buying cigarettes, writing that it could discourage young people from picking up the habit. In a controversial move, the smartcard would allow the government to limit how many cigarettes a smoker could buy. Professor Chapman suggests 50 per day averaged over two weeks to accommodate heavy smokers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPublic Health Proposal Considers Mandatory ‘Smokers License’

Maker of Airport Body Scanners Suspected of Falsifying Software Tests

"A company that supplies controversial passenger-screening machines for U.S. airports is under suspicion for possibly manipulating tests on privacy software designed to prevent the machines from producing graphic body images. The TSA sent a letter Nov. 9 to the parent company of Rapiscan, the maker of backscatter machines, requesting information about the testing of the software to determine if there was malfeasance. The company previously had problems with a 'calculation error' in safety tests that showed the machines were emitting radiation levels that were 10 times higher than expected." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaker of Airport Body Scanners Suspected of Falsifying Software Tests

Emboldened Rhode Island, Maine lawmakers seek to legalize pot

"Rhode Island Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, said Thursday that the passage of legalization referendums in the two Western states are the latest indication that American attitudes toward marijuana are softening. She said the regulated sale of marijuana would eliminate the black market while raising an estimated $10 million in revenue for government coffers. Maine Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, said she also will propose legislation to legalize marijuana in her state, and estimated that sales taxes on its purchase there would raise $8 million." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEmboldened Rhode Island, Maine lawmakers seek to legalize pot

Rooftop gardens growing in popularity in notoriously smoggy Mexico City

"A green revolution is sweeping across the car and concrete jungle of Mexico City, an infamously smoggy capital that was once dubbed 'Makesicko City' by novelist Carlos Fuentes. Residents are growing vegetables on rooftops, planting trees where buildings once stood, hopping on bicycles and riding in electric taxis, defying the urban landscape in this metropolis of 20 million people and four million cars. 'This is our vote for the environment,' said Elias Cattan, a 33-year-old bespectacled architect pointing to the lettuce, onions and chilies growing in a planting table and inside used tires on the balcony of his rooftop office." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRooftop gardens growing in popularity in notoriously smoggy Mexico City

The Nearly-Free University

"The entire education industry on the U.S. is based on an inflexible, increasingly marginal-return 'factory model.' We are 'training' millions of people in an assembly-line based on the assumption that academia is a limitless growth industry, when in fact it has reached the zenith of diminishing-return complexity and cost. Student would be encouraged to earn money via the work projects undertaken. Instead of owing $120,000 after four years of passive study, students might complete their University experience with earnings in the bank. The Nearly Free University model would educate the 95% who do not need PhDs." Continue reading →

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Is a college degree worth the cost? You decide.

"Here is an example of some of the plumb jobs college grads were able to land during the Obama administration. Not just liberal arts majors mind you, but graduates with degrees in mathematics, robotics, neuroscience, engineering, accounting, business administration, economics, biology, communications, graphic design, marketing, and linguistics." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs a college degree worth the cost? You decide.

Police In ‘Riot Gear’ Raid Poker Game With $0 Buy-In, Organizers Arrested

"State and local authorities raided a monthly poker tournament at a bar in the city of Largo, after an investigation into unlawful gambling. The Nutz Poker League, which was running a free game open to the public at Louie’s Grill and Sports Bar at the time of the crackdown, said on its Facebook page that some of the police were in 'full riot gear' and had their 'weapons drawn.' Felony charges have been filed, according to the league. Under Florida law, the felonies would be in the third degree and could carry a prison sentence of up to five years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice In ‘Riot Gear’ Raid Poker Game With $0 Buy-In, Organizers Arrested

Homeless man jailed for charging phone in park

"A homeless man spent the night in jail Sunday after police arrested him for charging his cellphone in a public picnic shelter at Gillespie Park. Darren Kersey, 28, was charged with theft of utilities after Sarasota Police Sgt. Anthony Frangioni spotted him charging his phone at about 9:20 p.m. Sunday. Unable to come up with the $500 bail for the misdemeanor, Kersey had no choice but to stay in jail." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeless man jailed for charging phone in park

NYC Housing Authority ordered workers not to speak to media or politicians after Sandy

"In the chaotic days after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) general manager Cecil House sent out a memo ordering staffers not to speak to elected officials or members of the press. According to the New York Daily News, the memo went out on Nov. 2, after the storm had knocked out power, heat and hot water to some 80,000 residents in 400 buildings. Critics charge that the agency has moved too slowly in the wake of the storm, which struck on October 29. An estimated 7,000 residents of the city’s housing projects are still without basic services. Some workers and local politicians are furious." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYC Housing Authority ordered workers not to speak to media or politicians after Sandy

Gov. Christie Threatens NJ Residents With Post-Storm Tax Hikes

"Hey, somebody has to pay for the police that enforced his price controls on gasoline. Gov. Chris Christie is warning New Jerseyans living in storm-wrecked towns that they're likely to see higher local property taxes to help pay for rebuilding. Christie, dressed in a suit and tie, said an exemption to the state's 2 percent tax cap law is emergencies like Sandy, which destroyed coastal towns, knocked out rail service and left 2.7 million households in the dark. While municipalities can expect federal reimbursement for most storm-related cleanup costs, residents will most likely foot the bill for rebuilding." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGov. Christie Threatens NJ Residents With Post-Storm Tax Hikes