U.S. bill seeks to rescue faltering newspapers

From Reuters.com (March 24):

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks.

Under this arrangement, newspapers would still be free to report on all issues, including political campaigns. But they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt, and contributions to support news coverage or operations could be tax deductible. [read more]

Ah, those poor, poor newspapers. It seems the gov't is bailing out every business now--which is what newspapers are. Could it be that people are getting their news online at various news sites for free like I do? If you read one newspaper you are limiting yourself news wise. Newspapers are not making money because they are not getting subscribers and advertisers. Mainly subscribers because advertisers will only advertise if there are enough subscribers to the paper. There has to be someone to see the advertisement or else the ad does not work. Newspapers can do what the New York Times did--find someone to borrow from. New York Times found a wealthy Mexican investor to make it stay afloat. No negative stories about him I guess.

As for the part they will be prohibited from making political endorsements--they'll get around that. They can do that by running stories positive for a politician and throw one or two stories that are negative against the politician for good measure and bury them in the back pages. Or they can have a reporter do a story about a politician and slam him/her then the paper can say the reporter's view is not our own.

Note that newspapers can't endorse a politician but the bill doesn't say anything about endorsing an issue like gun control, etc. I would rather have newspapers be factually accurate as possible. That's more important to me. Being bias one way or another just goes along with the territory.

Again this is not Congress' responsibility. It might even violate the Freedom of the Press right. What is next? Having TV news go nonprofit? NBC News ratings aren't very good. If that happens then Fox News could go nonprofit too. Wouldn't that make the Left happy. I wonder if the bill passes how many newspapers will be nonprofit and have the gov't tell them what they can and can't do.

Geithner Asks Congress for Broad Power to Seize Firms

From Washington Post.com (March 24):

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner [tax cheat] today told Congress the administration will seek unprecedented power to seize non-bank financial companies whose collapse could jeopardize the economy, a move Geithner said would have allowed the government to bail out insurance giant American International Group at a far lower cost to taxpayers. The government at present has the authority to seize only banks. [Darn! That's not enough power! Obama thinks to himself.] [read more]

Yes we can take over most of the economy! Can you say Hugo Chavez? I don't hear about people flocking to Venezuela (other than far-left celebrities) since Chavez got into power. Let's call this broad power what it is (even though Dems don't want to admit it): Socialism. What is the exit strategy? When does the gov't takeovers stop?

The Banking Queen, Barney Frank says we need a system like FDIC for all financial services. Swell. Who's next? The insurance companies? (Wait a second. I forget they are villains.) The pharmaceutical companies? Again the villains. Oil companies? Nope. Then again the Left could take over those companies and them into their image. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy don't it? Not that I want any of those companies to be bailed out. I don't want any company to have special treatment from the gov't. It is not their responsibility.

I noticed in the video that the wacky far-left group Code Pink was in the background with their signs. How sweet. You can always count on them to get attention.

Democrat senator trying to stop clean power effort

From One News Now.com (3/21):

Nineteen companies have submitted applications to build solar or wind facilities on a parcel of 500,000 desert acres, but Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Friday such development would violate the spirit of what conservationists had intended when they donated much of the land to the public.

Feinstein said Friday she intends to push legislation that would turn the land into a national monument, which would allow for existing uses to continue while preventing future development. [more]

So much for alternative energy. Then again the Dems are in the back pocket of the envirofascists. According to the article this land is for benefit of the public, but isn't clean energy benefiting the public too?

I always see environmentalists put on TV ads about solar energy, but when a company actually tries to develop solar energy a bonehead senator shuts it down. Don't make sense. Conservationists say solar and wind technology would hurt the desert tortoise. I don't see how. The desert is already a harsh place. I would think the tortoise has more important things to worry about like predators. Heck you cannot even touch or harass (don't call a tortoise "slow poke"--it hurts their feelings) a desert tortoise or you'll get in trouble.

Feinstein said there are other deserts for solar and wind facilities. Sure right until those deserts are off limits too.

Having Veterans Pay For Their Wounds

The American Legion was ticked (and that's an understatement) that Obama was thinking about having veterans pay (or their insurance companies pay) out their pocket for their injures incurred during service of their country. Obama said he thought this would save money. Not bailing out failed companies would save money. Then he thought let Medicare pay for their injures. Yea, that is a brilliant idea. Not! Nonetheless. Now he has changed his mine because of the outrage of the American Legion and most probably most of the American people. I am outrage to say the least. Obama is the troops Commander in Chief. That thought should not even be in his mind. Veterans put their lives on the line in service of their country. The president (and yes even the Congress) should be looking out the troops and veterans best interests. Paying for their injures is the least the gov't can do our veterans. I guess we now know what Obama's priorities are.

McCain had a good idea. He said let the veterans pick their own doctors and then the gov't would reimburse the doctors.

Think about this issue in this way. The veterans and active troops work for the gov't. The gov't is the employer. Any injury an employee has on-the-job should be payed by the employer. No different for the gov't. It's that simple.

Coatings that 'self-heal' in sun

From BBC News (March 12):

Scientists have devised a coating that when scratched heals itself upon exposure to sunlight.

The secret of the material lies in using molecules made from chitosan, which is derived from the shells of crabs and other crustaceans.

In the event of a scratch, ultraviolet light drives a chemical reaction that patches the damage. [more]

The article said the coating works on car paint. Just imagine the possibilities. Self-healing wallpaper, sunglasses, Saran rap, upholstery, etc. It is almost as if it's alive like skin.

The Rules of the Game

These are UN diplomacy rules as told by Michael Soussan in his 2008 book: Backstabbing for Beginners. My Crash Course in International Diplomacy.

1. The truth in not a matter of fact, it is a product of consensus.
2. Never get stuck with the buck.
3. The assistant to your enemy is your friend.
4. Even the paranoid have enemies.
5. Always be more polite than your enemy.

The first rule could fit the climate change alarmists. It is no wonder the UN is so screwed up.

Virtual Reality Headset

From DailyMail.co.uk (March 5):

A virtual reality helmet that recreates the sights, smells, sounds and even tastes of far-flung destinations has been devised by British scientists.

The device will allow users a life-like experience of places such as Kenya's Masai Mara while sitting on their sofa.

They can also enjoy the smell of flowers in an Alpine meadow or feel the heat of the Caribbean sun on their face. [more]

Cool! This is the first time, according to the article, the manufacturer was able to simulate smells in a VR device. I just hope the manufacturer doesn't simulate toxic smells like smoke. Firemen who using the helmet don't need to smell smoke. They might need to know if it is in a building but not need to smell it. Also you don't want the other inputs of the helmet to harm the user either. This is just common sense.

It would be a good idea if the user was allowed to control the input of the helmet. That is to allow the user to turn off the sense of smell or hearing or whatever.

If it comes to a point that VR is indistinguishable between real life and virtual life there should be a "VR" symbol in the simulation so the user can know what is real and what is not.

59% Still Believe Government Is the Problem

From Rasmussen Reports.com (February 26):

In early October, as the meltdown of the financial industry gained momentum following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 59% of U.S. voters agreed with Ronald Reagan that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” [more]

To a conservative like me this makes intuitive sense, and to over 50% of the American people it makes sense too. Gov't can only make things worse by getting in the way of the economy. You can't run an economy from the top down. There are too many variables too keep track of--namely people. Ask any person in the social sciences. Predicting what people will do is tricky. That is why there are so many schools of thought in psychology.

Then there is the issue of power. As Lord Byron put it succinctly long ago: Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. He was right back then, and is still right today. People are imperfect. Even if they intend to do good, they can screw up and still do bad. Multiply that by 10 for gov't. Utopia on earth is a myth.

There is a reason America has the Bill of Rights. It is to protect America from its own gov't--not the other way around. The Founding Fathers knew about gov't who had absolute power over its citizens and abused that power. Thomas Paine had it exactly right when he said: "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." Bingo.

Along the same line of thinking: 73% Trust Judgment of People More Than Politicians. It's too bad the Left don't trust the judgment of people. They are just too obsessed with gaining power and holding on to it.

Japanese: U.N. Man-Made Global Warming Theory Like 'Ancient Astrology'

From Newxmax.com ( February 25, 2009):

Japanese scientists have made a dramatic break with the United Nations’ view on man-made global warming with a report asserting that “this hypothesis has been substituted for truth.”

Three of the five researchers involved in the report disagree with the view of the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that recent warming is due primarily to industrial emissions of greenhouse gases, and say it is instead driven by natural cycles.

Among the points made in the report:

• CO2 emissions began to increase significantly after 1946 and are still rising. Therefore, according to the IPCC, global atmospheric temperatures should continue to increase. However, temperatures stopped increasing in 2001.
• The global temperature increase up to today is primarily a recovery from the “Little Ice Age” that earth experienced from 1400 to 1800. This rise peaked in 2000.
• Global warming and the “halting of the temperature rise are related to solar activity.

[more]

Darn those Japanese global warming denyiers and their report! Oh, I'm sorry it's not "global warming" anymore--that's the old term. It's now called "climate change" because after all the world is getting colder. Climate change, huh. Isn't climate change just another name for the seasons?

In the article it said, "since 2003, the number of global warming lobbyists has risen by more than 300 percent." Wow! That's a lot of lobbyists. But that what happens when money influences science--science always loses. And since science is about discovering the truth--the truth looses out too. I know scientists have to make a living, but there is a line that should never be crossed. And that line is distorting or making up facts to fit a theory. If a scientist does that then any theory he devised cannot be trusted. He has ruined his reputation.