Monthly Archives: June 2012

Sullivan: How libertarians think about economic justice

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Libertarians think about economic justice primarily in terms of personal freedom. Their argument is that since we all own ourselves and the fruits of our labor, we must be free to do with them as we wish, as long as we do not harm others exercising that same freedom.

Consistent with this thinking are the libertarian ideas of free markets and minimalist government.

According to libertarians, government has only three legitimate functions:

To respect and uphold the validity of contracts;

To protect private property; and,

To keep the peace.

For government to operate or interfere in areas other than these (including the marketplace) violates the libertarian principle of freedom and is thus illegitimate.

The libertarian emphasis on freedom has much merit. We are all citizens of the "land of the free." Yet, freedom pursued without regard for the well-being of society and individual citizens can easily become a fault because of the damage that can be done in the name of freedom.

Libertarian opposition to government regulation in the marketplace is based on the claim that it will stifle the ability of business to compete and that government has no business regulating functions in society that the market will putatively take care of.

This reasoning fails to acknowledge, however, that government regulation ensures that we have safer consumer products, including food and drugs, cleaner drinking water and air, reduced workplace danger, and safer automobiles with higher gas mileage.

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Sullivan: How libertarians think about economic justice

Islands: Places in paradise to get lost

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Wish you were here? Read where these travel personalities would choose to be a castaway. Picture: Getty Source: National Features

The Seychelles: St Anne, Moyenne, Round and Mahe Islands. Picture: Supplied Source: National Features

FROM the gale-blasted cliffs of the North Atlantic to the balmy shores of the Indian Ocean, Lonely Planet Magazine contributors tell us about the islands they would most like to find themselves marooned on.

History

St Kilda, Scotland

- Ben Fogle presents Lonely Planet's Year of Adventures on the BBC.

St Kilda is a windswept archipelago, 65km west of Scotland's Outer Hebrides across the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands have remained uninhabited for the past 82 years, after the last St Kildans were evacuated.

Getting there isn't easy but it's certainly worth the effort.

Looking up at its vertiginous cliffs from the foaming sea is overwhelming: rolling banks of sea mist tumble down from the slopes of the interior and birds wheel overhead.

St Kilda is also home to the ghostly remains of a village on the island of Hirta. It is very strange to walk among the houses where a once-thriving community lived.

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Islands: Places in paradise to get lost

US health care reform efforts through history

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By CONNIE CASS Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law comes after a century of debate over what role the government should play in helping people in the United States afford medical care. A look at the issue through the years:

1912: Former President Theodore Roosevelt champions national health insurance as he unsuccessfully tries to ride his progressive Bull Moose Party back to the White House.

1929: Baylor Hospital in Texas originates group health insurance. Dallas teachers pay 50 cents a month to cover up to 21 days of hospital care per year.

1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt favors creating national health insurance amid the Great Depression but decides to push for Social Security first.

1942: Roosevelt establishes wage and price controls during World War II. Businesses can't attract workers with higher pay so they compete through added benefits, including health insurance, which grows into a workplace perk.

1945: President Harry Truman calls on Congress to create a national insurance program for those who pay voluntary fees. The American Medical Association denounces the idea as "socialized medicine" and it goes nowhere.

1960: John F. Kennedy makes health care a major campaign issue but as president can't get a plan for the elderly through Congress.

1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson's legendary arm-twisting and a Congress dominated by his fellow Democrats lead to creation of two landmark government health programs: Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor.

1974: President Richard Nixon wants to require employers to cover their workers and create federal subsidies to help everyone else buy private insurance. The Watergate scandal intervenes.

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US health care reform efforts through history

Supreme Court ruling caps a century of American debate over how to get medical care for all

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WASHINGTON The Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law comes after a century of debate over what role the government should play in helping people in the United States afford medical care. A look at the issue through the years:

1912: Former President Theodore Roosevelt champions national health insurance as he unsuccessfully tries to ride his progressive Bull Moose Party back to the White House.

1929: Baylor Hospital in Texas originates group health insurance. Dallas teachers pay 50 cents a month to cover up to 21 days of hospital care per year.

1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt favors creating national health insurance amid the Great Depression but decides to push for Social Security first.

1942: Roosevelt establishes wage and price controls during World War II. Businesses can't attract workers with higher pay so they compete through added benefits, including health insurance, which grows into a workplace perk.

1945: President Harry Truman calls on Congress to create a national insurance program for those who pay voluntary fees. The American Medical Association denounces the idea as "socialized medicine" and it goes nowhere.

1960: John F. Kennedy makes health care a major campaign issue but as president can't get a plan for the elderly through Congress.

1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson's legendary arm-twisting and a Congress dominated by his fellow Democrats lead to creation of two landmark government health programs: Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor.

1974: President Richard Nixon wants to require employers to cover their workers and create federal subsidies to help everyone else buy private insurance. The Watergate scandal intervenes.

1976: President Jimmy Carter pushes a mandatory national health plan, but economic recession helps push it aside.

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Supreme Court ruling caps a century of American debate over how to get medical care for all

Health-Care Ruling May Be a Catalyst for Stocks

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Markets are bracing for the Supreme Court ruling on health care in the week ahead and it could be a positive catalyst for stocks if the new law is overturned.

But any pop is likely to be brief and the focus will return to Europe as the European Union leadership gathers to discuss a banking union at the end of the week. Early in the week, the focus will be on Greece's efforts to restructure its bailout and Spain's expected request Monday for funds to recapitalize its banks. There is also a stream of U.S. economic data, including durable goods, weekly jobless claims and consumer confidence readings.

The Supreme Court decision on President Obama's health-care reforms could possibly come Monday but certainly by the end of the week. Some analysts say if the law is overturned, stocks could instantly spring into rally mode, though that could be short-lived since uncertainties remain. Health-care stocks have been moving higher ahead of the ruling on the Affordable Care Act, and were the best-performing sector in the past week, gaining 0.8 percent.

"The initial reaction (if overturned) will be that this is positive because it had a dampening effect on small business hiring and small business confidence," said Barry Knapp, head of equity portfolio strategy at Barclays Capital. But he said any rally will be unsustainable. "It still leaves a block of uncertainty and that uncertainty also relates to the election results Is it positive for Romney? Is it positive for Obama? Both cases could be made. In the short term, it's not going to move the market that much."

Knapp said if health-care reform is not overturned, or just partially overturned, stocks could react negatively. "It' not so clear what happens to the health-care sector stocks. I think the first reaction will be up, but you have to wonder about HMOs. There was a view they could have a much bigger customer base," he said.

The justices are deciding whether Congress exceeded its authority by passing the law, which mandates individual health-care insurance. They could decide to throw out all of the law, part of it or keep it intact.

Analysts have said the market could read a ruling against the Affordable Care Act as a negative for Obama because he has invested so much personal capital in a law that could be deemed unconstitutional and the process has been disruptive across the economy. On the other hand, there is a sense a rejection could galvanize his supporters, a negative for GOP candidate Mitt Romney.

Euro Driven

But the bigger driver of markets remains Europe's debt crisis and expectations for the EU leaders' summit are relatively low.

"We think what is likely is another half-hearted set of solutions to the problem," said Pimco strategist Tony Crescenzi. He said one problem is there's "bailout fatigue" on the part of creditors, and "austerity fatigue" on the part of countries that have to make tough choices to curb spending.

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Freedom Fest celebration begins with an elusive duck

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The official brochure presented by The Austin Area Chamber of Commerce says June 30, but for many listeners of KAUS Radio the magic moment comes at 7:35 a.m. Monday when the first clue in the Golden Duck Treasure Hunt is announced.

Although he doesnt know what the clue will be, KAUS Radios John Wright assumes it wont provide much to go on. The clue is important, however, because it will likely have a bearing on the next clue and the one after that, he explains. Its more fun when the game lasts.

Clues are provided by the 'Clue Crew,' he said, and we dont even know who they are.

What is certain is that the Golden Duck has become a solid fixture of the Freedom Fest program.

Its been going on longer than Ive been here, Wright said. I know it goes back to Cedar River Days. They dont even ask us if were going to do it anymore.

Hes also sure of the rules: The duck must be hidden on public land and inside the city limits; he or she cant be under water; cant be buried; and cant be more than five feet off the ground.

The rules are there to make sure that the hunt is safe, Wright said.

While there are 22 events listed in the Chamber program for Freedom Fest 2012, two will be new to most people.

The Raptor Center of the University of Minnesota has promised Festival Director Jeff Baldus that it will bring an American Bald Eagle to Family Day in the Park at Bandshell Community Park on July 3. The Centers 45-minute shows are set for 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Kids Game Area.

And the Austin Fire Department has challenged fire departments from the surrounding area to a battle of the barrel from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on July 4 at Ninth Place S.W. The contest decides who can best handle a fire hose to move a barrel down a cable. After the battle, kids will have an opportunity to give it a try.

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How is Freedom Investing working out?

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We believe this is one of the times when your asset allocation should tilt foreign and overweight the handful of countries with high economic freedom. Although many economists acknowledge that freedom matters, few investment strategies take advantage of this fact. Foreign investments has fallen recently as European sovereign debt problems have sucked down the global ...

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How is Freedom Investing working out?

Eco suction mat cleans shoes, never gets dirty

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We all have mats by our front doors to wipe our shoes on, but they eventually get dirty themselves and end up getting thrown out. Thats not the case for this eco-mat developed by Paionia Furyokuki. It keeps itself clean by using suction pads which suck away any dirt on your shoes and on the mat itself.

In the video above you can see the mat with the suction hoses placed underneath to capture and draw away the dirt. The suction pads are turned on when the sensor detects a person approaching, the user then simply walks over the mat to have their shoes cleaned. This stops people carrying any dirt on the soles of their shoes into a building, potentially saving businesses money on cleaning bills.

The entire system consists of a mat, cleaner, hose, front and back slopes, and a sensor. No difficult installation is required either, simply lay the mat down where you want it, position the sensor, and youre good to go.

A single eco-mat system will set you back quite a bit, though. A mat, riser, hose, and cleaner will cost $6,250, but naturally they are designed for businesses. The mats come in three different shapes and are 50cm wide and 1m long.

The technology has only just started being publicised so it hasnt had much recognition yet. Every building could benefit from having such a mat, it would save money and create cleaner environments. Their main goal at the moment is to let the world know this product exists so they build interest.

One question Id like answered, though. How does it deal with muddy shoes? Surely the suction isnt good enough to get rid of such a sticky, heavy substance.

More at DigInfo.tv

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Eco suction mat cleans shoes, never gets dirty

Google Celebrates Alan Turing with a Turing Machine Doodle

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Alan Turing is being honored with a Google doodle this weekend on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the pioneering British computer scientist and father of artificial intelligence.

Turing (June 23, 1912-June 7, 1954) worked as a code breaker during World War II, heading the team tasked with cracking German naval codes at Britain's Government Code and Cypher School (GCCS). Prior to the war while a student at Cambridge, he developed his famous "Turing machine," a variation of which is depicted in Google's animated Turing doodle below.

A Turing machine is not an actual computer but rather a hypothetical one that still serves as a fundamental tool for understanding how algorithms, computer programming, and computing itself works. Turing described his conceptual computer, which he referred to as a Logical Computing Machine, in his 1948 essay "Intelligent Machinery" as having:

"...an unlimited memory capacity obtained in the form of an infinite tape marked out into squares, on each of which a symbol could be printed. At any moment there is one symbol in the machine; it is called the scanned symbol. The machine can alter the scanned symbol and its behavior is in part determined by that symbol, but the symbols on the tape elsewhere do not affect the behavior of the machine. However, the tape can be moved back and forth through the machine, this being one of the elementary operations of the machine. Any symbol on the tape may therefore eventually have an innings."

Turing did help design and build functional computational machines in the 1940s and 50s, including groundbreaking experimental computers like the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) while working at Britain's National Physical Laboratory and the Manchester machines at the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory run by the famous mathematician and code breaker Max Newman at Manchester University.

But he is most famous today for the "Turing test." This proposed method for determining if a machine can "think" is considered the basis of the science of artificial intelligence.

There is actually some controversy over how Turing proposed to test machines for intelligence in his 1950 essay "Computing Machinery and Intelligence." In the essay, Turing describes question-and-answer games that involve a "blind" player interrogating two other players, one a human and one a computer, to try to determine the gender of each. In different versions of the game, the players attempt to either trick or assist the interrogator in making his or her final determination of gender.

Turing proposes that if the interrogator is as often right (or wrong) about the computer's gender as the human's, then the computer can be described as "intelligent." However, Turing tests have evolved into a form used today known as the standard Turing test where the interrogator is attempting to simply determine which of the two players being questioned is a human and which is a computera formulation of the game that some argue Turing intended while others believe he did not.

The annual Loebner Prize competition, initiated in 1990 by the American inventor Hugh Loebner, uses a standard Turing test on computer programs entered in the contest to determine which is the most human-like.

Turing was gay during a time when homosexuality was persecuted under the law in the U.K. He was convicted of illegal homosexual acts in 1952 and forced to undergo chemical castration treatment to avoid a prison term.

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Aerospace Industry to Witness Growth Despite Recession: Lucintel Estimates Global Commercial Airliner and Regional …

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Aerospace Industry to Witness Growth Despite Recession: Lucintel Estimates Global Commercial Airliner and Regional Aircraft Market to Reach US $112 Billion In 2017Irving, TX (PRWEB) June 22, 2012 Despite economic difficulty, the aerospace industry is proliferating and the global commercial airliner and regional aircraft markets are expected to reach approximately US $112 billion in 2017 with a ...

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Vampire website leads to another sex-crimes case

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By Lori Kurtzman

The Columbus Dispatch Saturday June 23, 2012 5:45 AM

Jeffrey Justice, 29, is accused of exchanging nude photos with a teen he met on a vampire site.

Vampires are big right now. Big enough that a teen might jump online to talk fangs and immortality or who Bella should have ended up with in the Twilight series.

But its not just teens on those sites, as two central Ohio cases show, nor is it all innocent chatting.

Prosecutors say two men charged in separate sex crimes this week met their victims on vampire-themed social-networking sites.

The latest accusations involve a northeastern Ohio man charged with swapping nude photos with a Licking County teen. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted 29-year-old Jeffrey Justice of Chesterland on one count of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

The indictment, released yesterday, alleges that Justice and the 15-year-old Newark girl exchanged the pictures some time between Jan. 1 and June 1 after meeting on a vampire website. Workers at a local youth club alerted authorities, Licking County Prosecutor Ken Oswalt said. Justice is being held at the Licking County jail.Earlier this week, a North Side man was charged in federal court with forcing a 15-year-old to perform oral sex on him at least seven times in his home or car. Randall V. Roberts, 41, who is jailed in Franklin County, met the girl on vampirefreaks.com, according to the complaint. From 2006 to 2010, records show at least three other men nationwide have been charged in sex crimes against girls they met through the same site.

While FBI spokeswoman Jenny Shearer said she hasnt heard of a trend of vampire site-related crimes, shes hardly surprised that potential sex offenders might search such forums for underage targets.

People who have those interests know where to go to find potential victims, she said.

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Magic movie chemistry for Mario

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Emmy Award winner Mario Andreacchio. Picture: Mangan Chris Source: AdelaideNow

EMMY Award winner Mario Andreacchio has managed to secure the feature rights to The Alchemyst, the first in Michael Scott's six-book series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

It's big news for Adelaide's Mario who runs AMPCO Films out of Norwood, as the complete series of the books has sold in excess of 25 million copies, and the latest one, The Enchantress, has already reached No.2 on the New York Times best sellers list. Hunger Games is No.1.

Mario, of Napoleon and The Dragon Pearl fame, and Konstantin Thoeren will produce the film.

Mario tells Confidential the film does not yet have a studio and it is unsure whether some of it will be filmed in SA, using the South Australian Film Corp's Adelaide studios.

"This type of franchise is rare for Australia," Mario says. "We are not wired up to think that we can do a Harry Potter, or a Twilight or a Hunger Games. But then, no one thought Peter Jackson could do Lord of the Rings in New Zealand.

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Magic movie chemistry for Mario

BIO Applauds Senate Reauthorization of Farm Bill

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today applauded Senate Leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) along with Senate Agriculture Committee Leaders Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kans.) and other Senators for reauthorizing the Farm Bill, including a strong Energy Title with mandatory funding for vital renewable energy programs.

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIOs Industrial & Environmental Section, stated, Farm Bill energy programs play an essential role in helping new companies unlock private investment capital for construction of innovative biorefineries; putting underutilized farmland back into production of next-generation energy crops; and revitalizing rural America. These programs can continue to provide a high rate of return to America by supporting the emergence of new agricultural markets and innovative industries, such as renewable chemicals. The programs have already supported construction of a number of new biorefineries in every region of the United States, creating new employment opportunities and economic revitalization of rural areas.

BIO applauds the bipartisan cooperation that brought this legislation to successful passage. We urge leaders of the House of Representatives to take up this important legislation.

For more information, see the BIO factsheet Farm Bill Energy Title: Timeline of a Successful Policy Initiative.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the worlds largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtech NOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling innovations transforming our world. Subscribe to BIOtech NOW.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO India International Conference September 12 13, 2012 Mumbai, India

Livestock Biotech Summit September 19 21, 2012 Kansas City, MO

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Grey's anatomy: Victory for faith

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The grey: Erewhon (2) ridden by Rod Quinn (maroon, white star on cap). Picture: Damian Shaw. Source: The Sunday Telegraph

PUNTERS may have sacked him but Darley trainer Peter Snowden never lost faith in problematic galloper, Erewhon, who was back in the winner's stall at Warwick Farm yesterday after an absence stretching back to his Group 1 Spring Champion triumph in 2010.

The son of Commands opened up at $3.50 in the ring but couldn't find a friend and wound out to $5 by the time the field jumped.

Erewhon settled behind leader O'Crikey ($21) and the well-fancied San Zaim ($4) before peeling three wide around to mount his challenge. Jockey Josh Parr drove Erewhon to the lead at the 200m from which point the grey had to repel challengers to his inside and out before holding on for a hard-fought win.

"It's very satisfying because it's been a long time between drinks," Snowden said. "The horse has so many problems with his feet; he's had four quarter-cracks in the past 18 months which has given us hell but we've finally got them right now, so it's been a good job by all the staff.

"Erewhon is a Group 1 winner and Group 1 winners are hard to get, so you want to hang on to them as best you can. But it's just been one thing after another with him, to get him back to his best."

Erewhon was crunched from $9 into $5.50 equal favourite when he made his long-awaited return to racing at Rosehill last month but was soundly beaten. "I was disappointed with his first-up run because I thought he was more forward than that but these older horses once they get out of form or don't race for quite a while, it takes them a lot longer to get them back," Snowden said.

"He's needed the two runs before this."

Erewhon's return to form came at the expense of a conga line of unlucky horses, beginning with the John O'Shea-trained Glintz ($10) who had his chances ruined by a chequered passage in the straight. A noted front runner, connections opted for a change of tactics after two poor runs. This time the son of Pins parked back in the field in an awkward position.

Glintz looked likely to threaten inside the final 100m but was held up at crucial stages, going down by a half-head at the wire.

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Grey's anatomy: Victory for faith