How Nigeria's plan to privatize its electricity company could light up Africa - CSMonitor.com

How Nigeria's plan to privatize its electricity company could light up Africa - CSMonitor.com: "Electricity is the critical technology for African countries to master. The difficulty is more political-economic than technological. State-ownership, while sometimes warranted, has been an utter failure in the electricity sector in Nigeria and in many other African countries."

Campaign For Liberty — Trading for Security ��| by Sheldon Richman

Campaign For Liberty — Trading for Security ��| by Sheldon Richman: "Neither the United States nor any other nation has ever been deprived of essential goods and brought down by economic warfare. Smuggling, bribery, and middlemen eager to make money invariably evade the tightest embargoes."

FOXNews.com - State Dept. warns Americans not to visit NKorea, says few ex-presidents available for rescues

FOXNews.com - State Dept. warns Americans not to visit NKorea, says few ex-presidents available for rescues: "Americans should heed our travel warning and avoid North Korea. We only have a handful of former presidents."

LOL!

Kim Jong-il snubs Jimmy Carter to seek China ties, son's accession - CSMonitor.com

Kim Jong-il snubs Jimmy Carter to seek China ties, son's accession - CSMonitor.com: "“I expect that China will guarantee its support for the power handoff in return for the North agreeing to return to denuclearization talks, on genuine terms, and refrain from provocative behavior,' Yoo Ho-yeol, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Korea University, told The Korea Times."

FOXNews.com - For some nursing home residents, patients' rights means choosing caregivers based on race

FOXNews.com - For some nursing home residents, patients' rights means choosing caregivers based on race: "Elderly patients, who won more legal control over their quality of life in nursing homes, sometimes want to dictate the race of those who care for them. And some nursing homes enforce those preferences in their staff policies."

PG&E pushes 'pumped hydro' for energy storage | Green Tech - CNET News

PG&E pushes 'pumped hydro' for energy storage | Green Tech - CNET News: "Despite all the advances in battery technologies, pumped hydro storage--essentially pumping water uphill and releasing it through a generator later--remains one of the cheapest ways to store bulk electricity on the grid."

Campaign For Liberty — Are You Smarter Than a 20th Grader?

Campaign For Liberty — Are You Smarter Than a 20th Grader?: "Who is surprised that businesses are cutting jobs again? Are taxes going up or down? Are regulations being added or removed? Are mandates increasing or decreasing? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates the 20 new mandates in the Health Care Reform Bill will increase employers' benefit costs by 20% to 60%. What does that mean for jobs? Let's do the math.

For a firm with 1,000 employees, a 20% increase could mean more than $1 million in additional benefit costs. Divide by our magic number of $50,000 and you have 20 jobs that will be cut as a result of HCR."

"Last week Congress passed a $26 billion bailout of states to 'save' 160,000 government jobs. That is $162,000 per government job 'saved'. How many private sector jobs will it cost to 'save' them? You know the magic number - do the math. Plus one minus three is a net two jobs lost, so get ready to read about the President's economists being surprised again."

Chile miners have country rallying around hope of rescue - CSMonitor.com

Chile miners have country rallying around hope of rescue - CSMonitor.com: "Up and down the capital of Santiago, drivers honked their horns as news emerged that the 33 trapped Chile miners remain alive. Helping the miners persevere mentally may now be the greatest task, as rescue efforts could stretch to Christmas."

FOXNews.com - Hamburg: Massive egg recall dramatizes need for agency to have greater regulatory authority

FOXNews.com - Hamburg: Massive egg recall dramatizes need for agency to have greater regulatory authority: "At the same time, she said Congress should pass pending legislation that would provide her agency with greater enforcement power, including new authority over imported food."

What does imported food have to do with this? It sounds like a power grab.

FOXNews.com - Chief of Gulf oil spill damage claims says it was his idea to bar recipients from suing BP

FOXNews.com - Chief of Gulf oil spill damage claims says it was his idea to bar recipients from suing BP: "'It is not in your interest to tie up you and the courts in years of uncertain protracted litigation when there is an alternative that has been created,' Feinberg said.

He added, 'I take the position, if I don't find you eligible, no court will find you eligible.'"

It sure is nice to have a person in charge who knows all, is completely fair, and knows that is best for everyone!

Afghanistan corruption: How one town battled a shoddy school and won - CSMonitor.com

Afghanistan corruption: How one town battled a shoddy school and won - CSMonitor.com: "While sending the powerful to prison has its benefits, teaching ordinary Afghans how to resist the powerful may prove to be more successful. Proponents of this approach argue that could do more to establish Afghan democracy than much-hyped elections.

A group of Afghans held a successful sit-in after they discovered a contractor using shoddy bricks and cement on a girls school. The protest came about as part of a quiet effort to help citizens keep officials and businessmen on the straight and narrow.

“The quick approach is we are going to put the bad guys in jail. This is nice, but symbolic. A second bad guy will come,” says Lorenzo Delesgues, director of Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA), whose training led to the sit-in. “The answer is to create social pressure.”"

Pakistan floods: Why aid is so slow compared to Haiti earthquake - CSMonitor.com

Pakistan floods: Why aid is so slow compared to Haiti earthquake - CSMonitor.com: "nearly three weeks into the disaster in Pakistan, the roughly $230 million committed to help 15 million people affected breaks down to about $15 committed per flood affected person. Within 10 days of the Haiti earthquake, $742 million was committed (and $920 million pledged). With some 1.5 million people directly impacted, that breaks down to $495 per person committed, she says."

FOXNews.com - Probe Reveals Flaws in N.C. Prosecutions, Including High-Profile Murder Case

FOXNews.com - Probe Reveals Flaws in N.C. Prosecutions, Including High-Profile Murder Case: "at times, 'information that may have been material and even favorable to the defense of an accused defendant was withheld or misrepresented.'

The report does not conclude that any innocent people were convicted, noting the evidence wasn't always used at trials and defendants may have admitted to crimes. But it states prosecutors and defense lawyers need to check whether tainted lab reports helped lead to confessions or pleas."

FOXNews.com - Advocates say attorney general 'dragging his feet' on standards to prevent prison rape

FOXNews.com - Advocates say attorney general 'dragging his feet' on standards to prevent prison rape: "Justice Department statistics show that an estimated 4.5 percent, or 60,500 inmates, report being victims of sexual assault in federal prisons, said Pat Nolan, vice president of outreach program Prison Fellowship. It happens to almost 1 in 8 juveniles in custody."

The Science Behind Foldit | Foldit

The Science Behind Foldit | Foldit: "Foldit is a revolutionary new computer game enabling you to contribute to important scientific research. This page describes the science behind Foldit and how your playing can help."

Critical of GOP candidate Ron Johnson | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

Critical of GOP candidate Ron Johnson | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin: "Since Johnson apparently forgot, here’s what he was recently asked by the website Wispolitics:

“Do you want to open up more of the United States — the continental United States — to drilling. I mean, would you support drilling like in the Great Lakes for example, if there was oil found there, or using more exploration in Alaska, in ANWR, those kinds of things?”

Johnson said: “Yeah. You know, the bottom line is that we are an oil-based economy. There’s nothing we’re going to do to get off of that for many, many years, so I think we have to just be realistic and recognize that fact. And I think we have to get the oil where it is, but we need to do it responsibly.”

Johnson let his answer stand for weeks. But the day before Russ Feingold ran an ad highlighting the need to protect the Great Lakes, Johnson changed his tune in a press release. Now he claims he’s always been against oil drilling in the Great Lakes."

It sounds like he was asked a general question, gave a general answer, and is now being chastised for specifics. I don't think this proves that he changed his mind -- it may simple prove that he wasn't careful enough with the details.

FOXNews.com - Prosecutors seek rare federal death penalty in Ohio fire that killed mom, 8 kids

FOXNews.com - Prosecutors seek rare federal death penalty in Ohio fire that killed mom, 8 kids: "Now federal prosecutors are seeking a rare federal death penalty against the convicted drug dealer accused of setting the inferno. They contend that Carter's Section 8 subsidy effectively involved the house in interstate commerce, giving them federal jurisdiction that allows a death penalty for fatalities caused by the alleged arson of government property."

FOXNews.com - In role reversal, Ohio sex offender mistakenly given private information about his neighbors

FOXNews.com - In role reversal, Ohio sex offender mistakenly given private information about his neighbors: "Neighbors routinely get a picture and a name when a sex offender moves next door. In a turnabout, an Ohio sex offender has received private information about his neighbors, including their Social Security numbers.

The material was shown to The Associated Press by convicted rapist Pearly Wilson, who was mistakenly given the information by a prosecutor. The data also contain the names, addresses and birth dates of nine of Wilson's one-time neighbors on Columbus' east side."

"Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien took responsibility for the error, which he believes to be isolated.

Wilson's former neighbors, meanwhile, are wondering why the government has data about them at all."

More than the Sum of Our BMIs | Patrick Basham and John Luik | Cato Institute: Commentary

More than the Sum of Our BMIs | Patrick Basham and John Luik | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The BMI is wholly arbitrary, having no scientifically valid relationship with mortality. It's inadequate as a measure of body fat because it cannot account for the composition of a person's body — fat, muscle, organs, water, etc. It's also affected substantially by a person's frame and the relative length of his or her legs and torso. And it does not take into account whether body fat is well-distributed or concentrated around the waist, the latter being more likely to indicate health risks."

"There is scant scientific evidence to support assertions by the federal government and others that being overweight or obese increases one's mortality risks, or that the overweight and moderately obese can improve their health by losing weight. Such claims ignore 40 years of international data suggesting that obesity is not a cause of premature mortality. Many studies have demonstrated that the effects of diet and physical activity are independent of the effects of BMI and other measures of body size or fat."

"Recent empirical analysis of the relationship between BMI and mortality found that death rates were essentially the same given BMIs ranging from 20 to 35. Normal-weight individuals of both genders do not appear to live longer than the mildly obese (those with BMIs of 30 to 35). This suggests that the only scientifically justified obesity interventions pertain to the small fraction of the population with BMIs of more than 40 (3 percent to 4 percent of adults)."

The Making Up of a President - Clifford F. Thies - Mises Daily

The Making Up of a President - Clifford F. Thies - Mises Daily: "We found that the values implicit in presidential ratings are just about the opposite of those of the people, as expressed in their voting. The people vote for the nominees of the party of the sitting president who have avoided war, and whose terms of office were characterized by strong economic growth. The people don't really care much about political or personal scandal. By contrast, the intellectuals love war, don't care about economic growth, and are obsessed with scandal.

Another thing Gary and I found is that ratings of presidents, upon their departure from office, tend to start low and then rise over time. Therefore, the very low rating accorded George W. Bush in the recently released Siena poll can be expected to improve in the coming years."

"And how does the intellectual elite explain the turnaround of the economy under Reagan, that we went from the stagflation of the 1970s and the malaise associated with Carter to 'morning in America'? Well, I'm glad you asked that question.

According to the presidential experts, it was Luck. The intellectual elite rank Ronald Reagan low in economic performance, #21, below Barack Obama. But they rank Reagan #3 in Luck."

Man faces jail for YouTube video of traffic stop | Technically Incorrect - CNET News

Man faces jail for YouTube video of traffic stop | Technically Incorrect - CNET News: "The wiretap argument enjoys an interesting logic: that the audio part of a conversation between a police officer and a suspect is private, and therefore, according to laws in certain states, both parties have to agree to any recording.
However, traffic stops don't really seem all that private. Indeed, they often cause traffic congestion as rubberneckers slow their vehicles to take in the action. So one wonders just how sturdy that argument might appear in any eventual court case.
And then there's the police highly technological penchant for dashboard cams. Don't they make TV shows out of the footage? Is the logic really that the police can film anything, but the public can't?"

Recovery for Wisconsin

Recovery for Wisconsin: "Feingold has been a long-time proponent of investing in rural broadband as a way to erase the digital divide and improve business and employment opportunities in rural areas."

Baldwin Telecom got $9 million but they already offer broadband (at least 1 MB download) to all of there customers.

How Do Bureaucracies Work? | Jason Kuznicki | Cato Institute: Commentary

How Do Bureaucracies Work? | Jason Kuznicki | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Much of the material is clearly neither sensitive nor embarrassing, and a good deal of it appears to be so abbreviated that it's essentially uninformative, as war veteran and eyewitness Noah Schachtman has observed. Yet it was collected anyway and made classified. Perhaps this happened simply because information collection in the digital age is so ridiculously easy. More, though, does not always mean better, particularly not when what you really need is possibly a single piece of high-value information amid gigabytes of data."

Feds admit storing checkpoint body scan images | Privacy Inc. - CNET News

Feds admit storing checkpoint body scan images | Privacy Inc. - CNET News: "For the last few years, federal agencies have defended body scanning by insisting that all images will be discarded as soon as they're viewed. The Transportation Security Administration claimed last summer, for instance, that 'scanned images cannot be stored or recorded.'
Now it turns out that some police agencies are storing the controversial images after all. The U.S. Marshals Service admitted this week that it had surreptitiously saved tens of thousands of images recorded with a millimeter wave system at the security checkpoint of a single Florida courthouse."

"William Bordley, an associate general counsel with the Marshals Service, acknowledged in the letter that 'approximately 35,314 images...have been stored on the Brijot Gen2 machine' used in the Orlando, Fla. federal courthouse. In addition, Bordley wrote, a Millivision machine was tested in the Washington, D.C. federal courthouse but it was sent back to the manufacturer, which now apparently possesses the image database."

Few Batting Eyes at Obama's Deadly Drone Policy | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary

Few Batting Eyes at Obama's Deadly Drone Policy | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "He reports that, contrary to the administration's claim that only high-level terrorists researched are targeted, 'the CIA has killed around 12 times more low-level fighters than mid-to-high-level al-Qaida and Taliban leaders since the drone strikes intensified in the summer of 2008.'

Another of his sources, who was involved in our robotic warfare and has since left the service, told him that the CIA's targeting of low-level foot soldiers worries him because 'it degrades the notion we're going after serious threats to the United States.'"

"other American intelligence officers 'proudly tout the drone campaign as the most precise and possibly humane targeted killing program in the history of warfare.'"

What Happens If U.S. Troops Leave Afghanistan? Not the End of the World As We Know It | Leon T. Hadar | Cato Institute: Commentary

What Happens If U.S. Troops Leave Afghanistan? Not the End of the World As We Know It | Leon T. Hadar | Cato Institute: Commentary: "[If we need to say in Afghanistan] 'To prevent Afghanistan becoming a failed state and a haven for terrorists,' by asking, 'If we are in Afghanistan, why are we not also in Somalia, Yemen or Pakistan?' Rachman point out that these countries (one could add Kashmir and some of our beloved Central Asia's 'Stans' to the list) have become centers of operations for mishmash of radical Islamist terrorist groups"