Month: December 2014
SECURITY: Tricks for passwords
6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords
By Maria Korolov Follow
Network World | Dec 22, 2014 3:00 AM PT
*** begin quote ***
We all know that the current username-and-password system is broken. With Russian hackers reportedly sitting on over a billion passwords, and new breaches hitting the news on a regular basis, it’s fair to assume that if hackers don’t have your password already, they’re about to.
“Most websites and companies require passwords that are at least eight characters long, contain lower and upper case characters, a number, and one or more special characters,” says Vincent Berk, CEO of network security firm FlowTraq.
These kinds of password policies have actually reduced security overall, argues Jacob West, CTO at HP Enterprise Security Products. “We need to bring some sanity back to our password policies,” he says. “A human will never be able to meet these requirements.”
*** and ***
1. Letter substitution cipher: a=b
2. Letter substitution cipher: a=s
3. Never write down encrypted passwords; banana, not nsmsms
4. Use earworms to your advantage: Wheels on the bus go round and round
5. The mnemonic code: a=alpha
6. Add site name to end of password: banana-twitter
*** and ***
One popular alternative is to use a password management tool that keeps all your passwords in an encrypted file, usually in combination with apps on your desktop, laptop and mobile devices.
*** end quote ***
I have used all of these at one time or another.
I think LASTPASS with a complex master password written no where is “good enough” for my non-financial passwords. The few financial ones I have memorized.
AND … …
For those sites who use “security questions”, Users should treat those just like passwords. Do NOT use real answers.
Happy New Year!
# – # – # – # – #
GOVEROTRAGEOUS: “Main Street” was financially “raped”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/business/fresh-doubt-over-the-bailout-of-aig.html?_r=0
Fresh Doubt Over the Bailout of A.I.G.DEC. 20, 2014
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON
*** begin quote ***
Last week, Edward Kane, a finance professor at Boston College and an expert on financial regulatory failures, said, “We’ve learned so much from this case that everyone wanted to cover up.” Mr. Kane said that while he is not on Starr’s side in the litigation, the facts that it has surfaced are important for citizens to understand.
“These are the equivalent of storm troopers marching in and throwing their weight around and telling lies about it afterward,” he said. “The lawsuit is an effort to make these people accountable that has not been available through the political system.”
*** end quote ***
It’s clear to me that Goldman was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Bear Sterns, a Goldman competitor, was executed!
The FED and Treasury stampeded Congress into the rescue.
And as soon as the funds were voted, the “rules of engagement” were changed to benefit the Big Banks and Wall Street. AKA Goldman.
Argh!
And “We, The Sheeple” and the Taxpayers, as well as “Main Street” were financially “raped”!
And, Ms. Warren not withstanding, it continues to go on!
Argh!
# – # – # – # – #
TECHNOLOGY: Equip ALL planes with a locator that can’t be turned off
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20141229/as–indonesia-plane-f312b6eda8.html
In crowded skies, lost plane’s request for new path denied
Dec 29, 10:08 AM (ET)
By TRISNADI MARJAN and MARGIE MASON (AP)
*** begin quote ***
SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — The plane sought permission to climb above threatening clouds. Air traffic control couldn’t say yes immediately — there was no room. Six other commercial airliners were crowding the surrounding airspace, forcing AirAsia Flight 8501 to remain at a lower altitude.
*** end quote ***
First, how crowded are the “friendly skies”?
Second, in today’s age, one always thinks of terrorism.
Third, guess “we” still have not fitted ALL planes with a locator that can’t be turned off.
Fourth, didn’t, after the MH370, we learn that the engines “call home”?
Argh!
Praying for these souls and their families. But it looks grim.
— 30 —
TINFOILHAT: Did dot gov pay Sony to pull the movie?
http://www.commanderzero.com/?p=2283
Just some ramblings
Posted on December 19, 2014
*** begin quote ***
Im fascinated at the notion of the North Koreans determining what movies we can and cannot watch. I have a conspiracy theory that the .gov paid Sony to pull the movie and compensate them for their loss in order to avoid the threatened ‘events’ that would take place at theaters in the US that showed the movie. But…thats all conspiracy theory. On the other hand, you can bet right now that industry underwriters are changing their policies to specifically exempt this sort of blackmail in future studio insurance policies.
*** end quote ***
Certainly makes sense.
Given how chummy BHO44 is with the Hollywood elite.
Not that “We, The Sheeple” will ever find out!
Argh!
# – # – # – # – #
GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Eliminate the death tax
http://www.economics21.org/commentary/tax-change-business-alive-after-your-death-2014-12-19
This Tax Change Could Keep Your Business Alive After Your Death
Diana Furchtgott-Roth
12/19/2014
*** begin quote ***
As 2014 draws to a close, many people are thinking of tax planning strategies. Some might donate to charity, others might choose to pay state taxes early. One novel idea that has just been proposed on Capitol Hill would allow people to decide when to pay estate taxes.
*** end quote ***
Here’s a better idea. Eliminate the death tax entirely.
Since only “poor” people pay it!
Argh!
# – # – # – # – #
Diana Furchtgott-Roth | 12/19/2014 | 
As 2014 draws to a close, many people are thinking of tax planning strategies. Some might donate to charity, others might choose to pay state taxes early. One novel idea that has just been proposed on Capitol Hill would allow people to decide when to pay estate taxes.
GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Utah’s Republican Crony Capitalism
http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2014/12/15/republican-crony-capitalism-run-amok-out-west/
STATE & URBAN 12/15/2014 @ 6:18AM
Republican Crony Capitalism On Display Out West
Patrick Gleason
Contributor
*** begin quote ***
Utah’s traditional insurance brokerage community is none too pleased about having to compete with Zenefits. On November 20, Utah Insurance Commissioner Todd Kiser sent a letter to Zenefits, informing the company that it is violating Utah inducement and rebating laws because it offers its software for free. Kiser said the company should be assessed $5,000 for each violation and twice the profit generated per violation. Because of this, Zenefits would currently be on the hook for at $97,000 penalty.
Kiser told Zenefits that it could come into compliance with state law by raising prices and ceasing to advertise. Zenefits does not charge businesses for their software, but they generate a profit from commission paid by the insurance providers with which they connect their clients. Zenefits understandably does not wish to go along with Kiser’s orders. It’s worth noting that Commissioner Kiser was an insurance broker for 25 years prior to being elected to the state legislature. Kiser’s dictate, at the expense of small businesses, will protect brick-and-mortar brokerages like the one he used to run. He even said, in his own words, “the ease of using Zenefits” is part of the reason why he went after them.
*** end quote ***
“Crony capitalism is a term describing an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, or other forms of state interventionism.”
Crony capitalism – Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crony_capitalism
# – # – # – # – #
Anyone, who thinks that EITHER political party is not corrupt, is naïve at best.
This is an example of why the USA isn’t “land of the free”.
You can’t compete if you don’t kowtow to the politicians and bureaucrats!
At least, the Mafia protects you for your money!
Robbery is robbery reguardless of if you use the guns of Gooferment or your own.
Argh!
# – # – # – # – #
POLITICAL: Time to end the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”!
New Jersey Physician Charged With Five Others For Running Prescription Drug Ring
A suspended Middletown physician was busted along with five others for selling forged Oxycodone prescriptions for $300 to $400, police say.
By Caitlin Brown (Patch Staff)
December 20, 2014 at 8:19am
*** begin quote ***
Detectives have dismantled a prescription drug ring run by a suspended physician Thursday night following a monthlong investigation, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Six people were arrested for their respective roles in a prescription drug ring, including Dr. Kenneth Lewandowski, 51, of Tatum Drive in Middletown, who is charged with six counts of third degree Conspiracy, six counts of third degree Forgery and the Unlawful Practice of Medicine – a third degree crime.
*** and ***
“Drug addiction is a menace to our society. The Middletown Police Department remains firmly committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to apprehend and prosecute anyone involved in illegal drug sales. This case is a great example of how law enforcement is working together to address this deadly issue,” said Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber.
*** and ***
“We cannot fail to recognize that drug dealers don’t just hang out on street corners or in parking lots. Sometimes drug dealers wear familiar uniforms, have specialized degrees and they live and work within our communities,” Gramiccioni added. “Our preconceived stereotypes are challenged when a trained physician turns his back on his duty to save lives so he can rake in cash at the expense of others enslaved by these drugs.”
*** end quote ***
Don’t buy into the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”?
All the force that the Gooferment has applied to this “problem” and the Unintended Consequences are the real problem.
With all the “laws”, diktats, and regulations haven’t budge the rate of addiction.
And the prisons are filled with “offenders”.
Time to recognize that Prohibition didn’t work for booze and it’s not working against certain drugs.
Sad that in the Gooferment Skrules it’s easier to get Marijuana than booze.
All this does is make it “cool”.
And very dangerous.
Let’s turn from the meme of “force” and “prohibition” to the meme of it’s a “medical problem”.
In the meantime, let Walmart be our weapon against the illegal drug dealers who kill the unfortunate addicts. It’s rumored that if there was a free market in drugs, that the junk would be cheaper than aspirin. And a lot safer.
Envision that an addict could be a burger flipper and afford his addiction.
And, we could shift the budget from “enforcement” to “treatment”.
Laissez-faire is an economic system in which transactions between private parties are free from intrusive government restrictions, tariffs, and subsidies, with only enough regulations to protect property rights.
Want to kick the habit? Then there are resources available. Don’t want to? Make it cheap and safe for an addict to indulge.
It’s immoral to coerce people to behave the way the Gooferment thinks is “good for them”.
Argh!
Time to end the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”!
# – # – # – # – #
POLITICAL: “No room at the inn”
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/18/ending-the-invisibility-of-homelessness/
Ending The Invisibility Of Homelessness
by Kevin F. Adler
*** begin quote ***
Last night in San Francisco, 6436 of our neighbors slept on the streets or in shelters.
The lack of affordable, safe, and supportive housing is a scourge on society. It costs $90K to maintain a human being on the streets for a year, compared to $18K to provide supportive housing to a previously homeless person. Over the last 10 years, an influx of 75,000 people have moved to San Francisco, while only 17,000 new housing units have been built.
We can end chronic homelessness by 2020 by providing affordable, safe, and supportive housing options to the homeless and by electing representatives who will fight for housing as a basic human need.
But providing support means understanding that the needs of the homeless extend beyond housing.
*** end quote ***
I empathize with the plight, and I blame the Gooferment for it.
Between “rent control”, zoning, and welfare, the Gooferment has created the problem.
Add to that the deinstitutionalizing of vast numbers of the mentally ill and breaking the promise to provide “community support”, Gooferment made the problem worse.
Throw in the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs” and the mess is complete.
Gooferment drove out the “charity” in our hearts by taking over and providing the “safety net”, which is more like a trap.
Argh!
Separation of Charity and State is the answer. That and rolling back the diktats of the State that make house unaffordable.
In word, the Gooferment isn’t helping.
# – # – # – # – #
INSPIRATIONAL: Weihnachtsfrieden versus Trêve de Noël
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce
Christmas truce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Christmas truce (German: Weihnachtsfrieden; French: Trêve de Noël) was a series of widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front around Christmas 1914. In the week leading up to the holiday, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk. In areas, men from both sides ventured into no man’s land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football with one another, giving one of the most enduring images of the truce. However, the peaceful behaviour was not ubiquitous; fighting continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies. The following year, a few units arranged ceasefires, but the truces were not nearly as widespread as in 1914; this was, in part, due to strongly worded orders from the high commands of both sides prohibiting fraternisation. Soldiers were no longer amenable to truce by 1916. The war had become increasingly bitter after devastating human losses suffered during the battles of the Somme and Verdun, and the incorporation of poison gas.
# – # – # – # – #
Can’t have peace break out when a very profitable war was being waged.
Time to bring all our girls and boys home NOW!
It the Gooferment’s politicians and bureaucrats want to fight a war, let them lead from the front.
Any volunteers.
Only military veterans should be able to vote!
Robert Heinlein’s idea from Starship Troopers that only those who have served have the right to vote, because only those who have served have put the greater good ahead of their own personal safety and thus only those who have served could be seen to be responsible enough to understand what voting means … …
The Vet knows what voting for a war means … grunts are going to die.
Dona Nobis Pacem
# – # – # – # – #
RANT: Christmas is about life
http://www.wsj.com/articles/seventy-years-on-an-executed-boy-is-cleared-of-murder-charges-1418876410
Seventy Years On, an Executed Boy Is Cleared of Murder Charges
George Stinney, a Black 14-Year-Old, Was Sent to the Electric Chair for Killing Two White Girls
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, South Carolina—More than 70 years after South Carolina sent a 14-year-old black boy to the electric chair in the killings of two white girls in a segregated mill town, a judge threw out the conviction, saying the state committed a great injustice.
# – # – # – # – #
Once again, we have another glaring example about the death penalty.
There’s no such thing as a “reversible error”.
Humans make mistakes. Humans are corrupt. Humans are stupid.
SO why would we EVER think that our “system of injustice” would not be flawed?
Project Innocence only looks into cases where the prisoner is alive and look how many errors they find!
Argh!
Merry Christmas.
# – # – # – # – #
GUNS: Companies that ban concealed carry
*** begin quote ***
These companies have apparently forgotten the numerous criminal shootings that have taken place in commercial settings, many of which could have been cut short if a customer with a gun had been able to respond. In fact, the Texas concealed carry law was passed in response to a 1991 shooting in the Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, in which 22 lives were taken.
- AMC Theatres
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Chuck E. Cheese
- Costco
- Disney World
- Goodyear
- IKEA
- Panera Breads
- Peet’s Coffee
- Sonic
- Target
- TGI Friday’s
- Toys-R-Us
- Waffle House
- Whole Foods
*** end quote ***
I won’t be spending my money with them.
They have right to restrict who they will do business with.
And, so do I.
Unfortunately, some of these I really like.
But, like my list of Hollywood “celebrities”, “from my cold dead hands”.
Argh!
# – # – # – # – #
POLITICAL: We’re the bad guys
http://ncc-1776.org/tle2014/tle801-20141214-02.html
A is A: A Thing is Itself
by L. Neil Smith
*** begin quote ***
“Americans don’t torture people,” My uncle and grandmother explained, something that, sadly, couldn’t truthfully be said of us today.
*** and ***
The third excuse is pure, epistemological silliness: that you can obtain useful information by systematically mistreating people. They may hold out for a while, but eventually they’ll break down and tell you exactly what they think you want to hear. I know that I certainly would. And our many “successes” in Aghanistan illustrate that pretty well. The government, to my knowledge, has never offered an example of torture saving the day—and there are so many unanswered questions about the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is too contaminated for such use.
I was brought up by my mother and father believing that only the bad guys torture people. The Spanish Inquisition, Italian fascisti, the Nazi German Gestapo, Darth Vader threatening Princess Leia with a floating torture machine. And guess what, Rush. My mom and dad were right.
We’re the bad guys.
*** end quote ***
Sadly, there’s no excuse for this.
Time to roll back the warfare / welfare state.
# – # – # – # – #
INSPIRATIONAL: Preparing to get Alzheimer’s?
http://www.ted.com/talks/alanna_shaikh_how_i_m_preparing_to_get_alzheimer_s
Alanna Shaikh: How I’m preparing to get Alzheimer’s
When faced with a parent suffering from Alzheimer’s, most of us respond with denial (“It won’t happen to me”) or extreme efforts at prevention. But global health expert and TED Fellow Alanna Shaikh sees it differently. She’s taking three concrete steps to prepare for the moment — should it arrive — when she herself gets Alzheimer’s disease.
# – # – # – # – #
Here’s something that I fear.
While it would not be a financial disaster because of Long Term Care insurance, it has to be a terrible way to “exit stage left”.
Any of these diseases that rob you of your mind or your physical abilities are tragic.
If we had “scientific research” done without Gooferment involvement, then I believe we would be curing these diseases. Instead, the money is wasted. And, worse, than the wasted money, is the waste in human capital.
Argh!
Separation of Scientific Research and State!
# – # – # – # – #
POLITICAL: Gooferment grants monopolies
Beware the New Airport ATM Scam
December 9, 2014 12:26 pm by Ed Perkins
*** begin quote ***
A representative of the Civil Aviation Authority, the agency that monitors consumer issues in air travel in Britain, told me that the retail foreign exchange folks have cut deals with airport management to oust the real banks and give retail foreign exchange outfits a monopoly, for which privilege they pay fat fees to the airports. A representative of ABTA, the association of travel agents and tour operators and U.K. equivalent of ASTA, summed it up by saying, “The worst place to exchange currency is at an airport.” This consumer issue hasn’t loomed large on the British scene because locals can, in fact, withdraw pounds with no fees; the practice hits only visitors.
*** end quote ***
Anything it can get away with!
Argh!
I’m sure it in EVERYTHING that Gooferment does!
Screw the little guy.
# – # – # – # – #
EVLYNN: Yet another bad day
“Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.”
― José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love
# – # – # – # – #
SECURITY: Use unique passwords at every site
http://arstechnica.com/staff/2014/12/ars-was-briefly-hacked-yesterday-heres-what-we-know/#p3
Ars was briefly hacked yesterday; here’s what we know
Readers, please change your passwords.
by Ars Staff – Dec 16 2014, 4:52pm EST
*** begin quote ***
Log files show the hacker’s movements through our servers and suggest that he or she had the opportunity to copy the user database. This database contains no payment information on Ars subscribers, but it does contain user e-mail addresses and passwords. Those passwords, however, are stored in hashed form (using 2,048 iterations of the MD5 algorithm and salted with a random series of characters).
Out of an excess of caution, we strongly encourage all Ars readers—especially any who have reused their Ars passwords on other, more sensitive sites—to change their passwords today.
We are continuing with a full autopsy of the hack and will provide updates if anything new comes to light.
Thanks to everyone who offered their support!
*** end quote ***
LASTPASS ensures a unique password every time.
# – # – # – # – #
HARDWARE: Keurig machines have security and a design flaw
http://hackaday.com/2014/12/10/dead-simple-hack-allows-for-rebel-keurig-k-cups/
DEAD SIMPLE HACK ALLOWS FOR “REBEL” KEURIG K-CUPS
by: Rick Osgood
December 10, 2014
*** begin quote ***
Unfortunately newer versions of these machines have a sort of DRM, or lockout chip. In order to prevent unofficial k-cups from being manufactured and sold, the Keurig machines have a way to detect which cups are legitimate and which are counterfeit. It appears as though the machine identifies the lid specifically as being genuine.
It turns out this “lockout” technology is very simple to defeat. All one needs to do is cut the lid off of a legitimate Keurig k-cup and place it on top of your counterfeit cup. The system will read the real lid and allow you to brew to your heart’s content. A more convenient solution involves cutting off just the small portion of the lid that contains the Keurig logo. This then gets taped directly to the Keurig machine itself. This way you can still easily replace the cups without having to fuss with the extra lid every time.
*** end quote ***
BUT, (and there is always a BIG butt), after the big “bio film” revelation that Keurigs are “un clean able”, why would anyone buy one?
Ewww, yucky!
And, who know what breeds in that bio film contaminated water reserve — the green meanies?
# – # – # – # – #
MONEY: A grandparent’s obligation?
https://personal.vanguard.com/us/whatweoffer/college/vanguard529
Saving for college—trust Vanguard to help you reach your goal
*** begin quote ***
Keep your money for college—not taxes
When you invest in a 529 plan, your earnings grow tax-deferred, so more of your savings goes toward your main goal—financing a college education.
Why the Vanguard 529
- Low costs
- Our expenses and fees, among the lowest in the industry, allow more of your money to work for your child.
- Easy investing
- Choosing an age-based option and
- an automatic investment plan (AIP) could mean almost no work for you.
Experience
- We’re a leader in direct-sold 529 plans: Vanguard investment options are offered in 28 plans totaling more than $25 billion in assets.*
*** end quote ***
Holiday gift giving season is upon us.
I’m not only a fat old white guy injineer, but a Bahhh Humbug type who’s hero is old Ebenezer (who I think was given a bad rap!).
Grandparents, assuming you want the best for this grandchildren, have an obligation to “fill in” for the parents. Parents have to do the day to day things, under pressure and time constraints. Us old <synonym for multiple instances of flatulence> — and I include myself in that category — have the luxury of seeing the “whole road” since we are far closer to the end than the beginning.
What one thing do parents overlook or can’t afford — other than there own retirement?
Yup, saving for their kids education.
Now in our day and age, I know I got a present and a savings bond. Sometimes the savings bond WAS the present. One uncle gave me a FIFTY DOLLAR bond and a big <synonym for donkey> navel orange! I remember that one. But the savings bond is a joke now days. It’ll never pay for tech school or college.
So, rather than throw money away on presents that will NEVER be remembered, I’m agitating for 529’s.
Specifically the Vanguard 529 Nevada plan because of the “age adjustment” option and the very low fees.
While YMMV, this gift would be wasted. Even if it’s forgotten.
# – # – # – # – #
POLITICAL: Can we afford NASA?
NASA’s $349 million monument to its drift
Construction of a test tower in Miss. continued long after the rocket project was scrubbed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/12/15/nasas-349-million-monument-to-its-drift/?wpmm=AG0003409
# – # – # – # – #
You have to read this one!
Another example of the Gooferment being immoral, ineffective, and inefficient!
So here we have a multi-decade multi-billion boondoggle.
Argh!
# – # – # – # – #
POLITICAL: Read the Bills update
Letterhead
December 16, 2014
Mr. Ferdinand Reinke
1641 International Dr Unit 414
McLean, VA 22102-4831
Dear Mr. Reinke:
Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 1831, the Read the Bills Act. I appreciate hearing from you.
On May 6, 2013 Representative Kerry Bentivolio introduced H.R. 1831, legislation to require Congress to post potential bills online for a minimum of seven days before voting for passage of them. In addition, all legislation would have to be voted on by a roll call vote.
H.R. 1831 has been referred to the House Judiciary and Rules Committees. Please be assured that my staff and I closely review legislation that comes before the Senate. I will be sure to keep your views on this important issue in mind.
Again, thank you for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Signature
Tim Kaine
# – # – # – # – #
Notice that he doesn’t say hell support it!
Argh!
If anything, it seems like he’ll oppose it.
# – # – # – # – #
RANT: FDA has several negative effects
http://keywestlou.com/tonight-the-pope-president-of-france-and-chernobyl/#comment-232310
TONIGHT THE POPE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE AND CHERNOBYL
Posted on December 9, 2014 by keywestlou
*** begin quote ***
I have to vent. Price of prescription drugs again. I had to pick up a 30 day supply of the blood thinner prescribed for me. $121. And I have one of the best AARP supplemental drug programs!
There is no generic. The blood thinner came out in 2009.
It is the donut again. You who are over 65 will especially understand. I have been in the donut since June. I telephoned the insurance company last month. They said I could get out of the donut if I paid $4,000 odd dollars.
The drug companies and insurance companies continue to rip us off. Neither Obamacare nor anything else helps. The drug companies have continued to receive basically a free ride under Obama.
*** end quote ***
>The drug companies and insurance companies continue to rip us off.
You’re pointing at the wrong villain. It’s the Gooferment that allows Crony Capitalists to be protected from a true free market. AND, its FDA has several negative effects: (1) it raises the cost of getting a drug “approved”; (2) it adds decades to getting a drug to market; (3) it regularly denies approvals because it’s politically safer; and (4) it ignores that there are natural remedies and lifestyle changes that are more effective than drugs — but no one makes a profit on those.
>Neither Obamacare nor anything else helps.
Obamacare was written by the insurance companies. You expect that to change anything?
Medicare was camel’s nose of getting the Gooferment into healthcare.
And, it’s been more and more intrusive ever since.
We need Separation of Medicine and State!
>The drug companies have continued to receive basically a free ride under Obama.
Not just a free ride. They’ve actually INCREASED their political influence to Society’s detriment.
# – # – # – # – #
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL News Alert
FDA Advisers’ Financial Ties Not DisclosedThe Food and Drug Administration hasn’t disclosed numerous financial ties between medical-device makers and the doctors and other experts who review devices for the FDA, a Wall Street Journal analysis of corporate, state and federal data shows.
In panels evaluating devices involved in cardiology, orthopedics and gynecology from 2012 through 2014, a third of 122 members had received compensation–such as money, research grants or travel and food–from medical-device companies.
Nearly 10% of the FDA advisers received something of value from the specific company whose product they were evaluating.
# – # – # – # – #
SECURITY: Government-grade malware is a problem for all
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/12/corporate_abuse.html
Corporate Abuse of Our Data
Bruce Schneier
*** begin quote ***
That is not a good enough excuse, though. As nation-state malware becomes more common, we will often lack the whole story. And as long as countries are battling it out in cyberspace, some of us will be targets and the rest of us might be unlucky enough to be sitting in the blast radius. Military-grade malware will continue to be elusive.
Right now, antivirus companies are probably sitting on incomplete stories about a dozen more varieties of government-grade malware. But they shouldn’t. We want, and need, our antivirus companies to tell us everything they can about these threats as soon as they know them, and not wait until the release of a political story makes it impossible for them to remain silent.
*** end quote ***
Can’t do anything about it!
Don’t worry about it!
Argh!
# – # – # – # – #
RANT: KMA Charles Barkley Critics
‘Kiss My Ass’: Charles Barkley Responds to Critics
Who Didn’t Like How He Blasted Ferguson Thugs & Looters
BY SHAWN BEVANS
*** begin quote ***
Charles Barkley is no stranger to controversy, especially as of late when the NBA Hall of Famer voiced his opinions to CNN on a variety of tumultuous topics such as Ferguson, Eric Garner and the general relationship between police and the black community.
*** end quote ***
He’s move up in my view.
Call ‘em as you see ‘em!
I like his Grandmother too.
And, he’s honest about it’s sad. I’m a pro-lifer.
But we have to be honest about the facts.
“You’re entitled to your own opinion but you’re not entitled to your own facts.” —Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Argh!
Kudos to Mister Charles.
# – # – # – # – #
MONEY: A Monetary Gadfly
LIBERTY DOLLAR ALERT:
December.06.2014
Thank you from BVNH
Dear Liberty Dollar Supporters!
Thank you for your wonderful emails and your continued support. While I am disappointed we didn’t “change the money – change the country,” I am humbled by your kind words of support and sheer joy that I am not going to prison. I hope to review all my emails and reply to your questions and suggestions as soon as time permits.
Meanwhile, you may wish to share the main points raised in the Wall Street Journal editorial by Seth Lipsky just the day before I was sentenced: “A Monetary Gadfly in an Age of Fiat Money” and his excellent editorial “Beyond Bernard von NotHaus” in the New York Sun published the day after I was sentenced. Both are very well written and should be of interest to your local news sources.
I wish to express a very special thanks to Noell Tin, Fred Williams and Tom Ashcraft, the very competent and dedicated team of attorneys who represented me at the Sentencing Hearing and GATA for their outstanding support and posting Seth Lipsky’s WSJ.
Please remember that it is only by banding together and adopting a free and independent currency that provides us with “just weights and measures” that we will be able to throw off the yoke of a manipulated monetary/tax system and generate a peaceful and prosperous society.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Bernard von NotHaus
Monetary Architect/Editor
Editor@LibertyDollar.org
# – # – # – # – #
Well, at least, he didn’t go to prison.
Like anyone would confuse fiat valueless tokens for the Liberty Dollar “medallions”!
Or their “warehouse receipts” for the Federal Reserve System’s “toilet paper”.
What is a “dollar” these days?
# – # – # – # – #
SERVICE: Google’s Gmail sending more “stuff” to spam
This week I had a lot more good stuff going to spam on Google.
I use “in:spam” to check weekly.
If you use Google’s Gmail, then you might want to check too.
I also use filters to ensure that “stuff” doesn’t get put in spam.
FWIW
# – # – # – # – #
Reinke Faces Life 
This Tax Change Could Keep Your Business Alive After Your Death