• Pages

  • Tag Cloud

  • Art

  • Economics

  • Futurism

  • Humor

  • Interact

  • Miscellaneous

  • Objectivists

  • Organizations:

  • Politics

  • Software

  • Technology

  • Web Design

  • Archives

  • Statistics

    • Total Stats
      • 1,083 Posts
      • 8 Pages
      • 1,135 Comments
      • 625 Comment Posters
      • 74 Links
  • Spam Blocked

  • Meta

  • Archive for July, 2007

    Socialist healthcare failing in Canada

    Posted by David on July 18th, 2007

    NY Times:

    Canada remains the only industrialized country that outlaws privately financed purchases of core medical services. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other politicians remain reluctant to openly propose sweeping changes even though costs for the national and provincial governments are exploding and some cancer patients are waiting months for diagnostic tests and treatment.But a Supreme Court ruling last June — it found that a Quebec provincial ban on private health insurance was unconstitutional when patients were suffering and even dying on waiting lists — appears to have become a turning point for the entire country.

    “The prohibition on obtaining private health insurance is not constitutional where the public system fails to deliver reasonable services,” the court ruled.

    ‘Sicko’ pictures

    Posted by David on July 17th, 2007

    It shouldn’t surprise anyone that non-elite native Cubans don’t exactly receive the same level of treatment as wealthy foreigners, but if your friends have been taken in by ‘Sicko,’ these photos might be a rude awakening.  For more, read my One Minute Case Against Socialized Healthcare

    “Human greed takes lion’s share of solar energy”

    Posted by David on July 3rd, 2007

    You can’t make this stuff up: enviro-wackos are now attacking human civilization for using too much solar energy.

    The human dominance of this natural resource is affecting other species, reducing the amount of energy available to them by almost 10 per cent, scientists report.

    Researchers said the findings showed humans were using “a remarkable share” of the earth’s plant productivity “to meet the needs and wants of one species”.

    They also warned that the increased use of biofuels – such as ethanol and canola – should be viewed cautiously, given the potential for further pressure on ecosystems.

    “Here we are, just one species on the earth, and we’re grabbing a quarter of the renewable resources … we’re probably being a bit greedy.”

    So what exactly is the right percentage for “just one species” to “grab?”

    By the way, only 29.2% of the Earth’s surface is land, and 81.98% of that is not arable. Thanks to industry, humans are capable of productively using far more of the non-arable portion than any other species, as any visitor to Las Vegas should know.

    Can you answer these six basic scientific questions?

    Posted by David on July 1st, 2007

    Of the six prominent UK intellectuals, only the scientists had mostly-correct answers.  If you find yourself having similar trouble, Bill Bryson’s book is a good place to start.