Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Tue, 2005-06-28 07:00.
From The Federalist:
"The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence." -- John Adams
and:
"Prices are advertised everywhere. From newspapers to billboards to websites, we are forever being told how much things cost. Want to buy contact lenses? A cruise to Alaska? A pedicure? The price of almost any product or service is readily available, and vendors vie for business by keeping their prices competitive. But not when it comes to health care. How much does your local hospital charge to deliver a baby? Which blood pressure drugs are the most affordable? What is the going rate for a pediatric checkup? Most of us couldn't begin to answer such questions. Hospitals and physicians rarely advertise their rates because patients rarely care to learn them. For the majority of Americans under age 65, medical bills are something insurance companies take care of. Few patients have any incentive to focus on price, so few health care providers have any incentive to compete on price. Result: ever-higher health care costs, leading to ever-higher insurance costs. It may seem natural to rely on insurance to pay for ordinary health needs, but it isn't. After all, we don't use auto insurance for tune-ups or tires. Homeowners insurance doesn't cover paint jobs or new appliances. Those kinds of costs we pay out of pocket, which is why we do things like get written estimates or check Consumer Reports. When we're footing the bill, price and value matter." -- Jeff Jacoby

# CarryABigSticker.com - Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam - bumper sticker, magnetic bumper sticker, bike sticker, or fridge magnet. [google]

Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam

# BreakTheChain.org - The Drapegate Scandal - an open letter to John Ashcroft, from Claire Braz-Valentine, on the 2002 erection of a drape to cover the naked breast of the "Spirit of Justice" statue in the Great Hall of the U.S. Department of Justice. Hehe. The drape was recently removed. [clairefiles]

# Massad Ayoob - High Volume Shootout: The Harry Beckwith Incident - how one gun store owner defended himself from seven bandits, killing only the one who tried to run him over with a car, and why it was important that he had high-capacity rapid-fire arms at his disposal. [clairefiles]

# Nick Buchan at NEWS.com.au - Boffins create zombie dogs - suspended animation is a reality, for dogs. Humans may not be far behind. Far out. [smith2004]

# Tim Klimowicz - Iraq War Fatalities - Flash animation. Push the button to start. A graphic illustration of coalition fatalities in Iraq, ten days per second. Well done. [smith2004]

# ABC 7 Chicago - Chicago pairing surveillance cameras with gunshot recognition systemsChicago pairing surveillance cameras with gunshot recognition systems - the "SonicNet" that Vin Suprynowicz predicted in his "futuristic" novel, The Black Arrow is a reality in Chicago, and probably coming to a city near you. [smith2004]

Adding the SENTRI to an existing surveillance camera is not cheap. The system costs between $4,000 and $10,000 per unit, but in Chicago they and the accompanying cameras are paid for with forfeiture money.

Police Superintendent Phil Cline told an audience at a recent U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting, "the drug dealers are actually paying to surveil themselves." -

# EarthWorks Emporium - Cane Masters Canes - a variety of martial arts canes. $45 to $299. [clairefiles]

# MediaFrame does open source streaming media in Java. They have an applet that plays Mpeg-1 and Mpeg-4 streaming video. Worked for me. Very nice. [wes]

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