Thai navy boards cabin of fugitive ‘seasteaders’ facing death penalty – Reuters

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Elwartowski and Ocean Builders say the vessel was in international waters and beyond Thailand’s jurisdiction. But Thai authorities say the structure is in its 200-mile exclusive economic zone and therefore a violation of its sovereignty.

Source: Thai navy boards cabin of fugitive ‘seasteaders’ facing death penalty – Reuters

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200 miles?

Does that encroach up on Hawaii or San Francisco?  Maybe even NYC!

— 30 —


Is Dentistry a Science? – The Atlantic

Saturday, April 20, 2019

The Cochrane organization, a highly respected arbiter of evidence-based medicine, has conducted systematic reviews of oral-health studies since 1999. In these reviews, researchers analyze the scientific literature on a particular dental intervention, focusing on the most rigorous and well-designed studies. In some cases, the findings clearly justify a given procedure. For example, dental sealants—liquid plastics painted onto the pits and grooves of teeth like nail polish—reduce tooth decay in children and have no known risks. (Despite this, they are not widely used, possibly because they are too simple and inexpensive to earn dentists much money.) But most of the Cochrane reviews reach one of two disheartening conclusions: Either the available evidence fails to confirm the purported benefits of a given dental intervention, or there is simply not enough research to say anything substantive one way or another.

Source: Is Dentistry a Science? – The Atlantic

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“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca

I’m shocked that procedures that don’t earn a lot of money for the dentists are not done!

Argh!

— 30 —


Friendly Neighborhood Liberty Dollars – LD Network

Saturday, April 20, 2019

In 1991, a man named Paul Glover introduced what would become the most successful Community Currency to date: Ithaca Hours, which are based on one hour of human labor. A single Hour is valued at $1…

Source: Friendly Neighborhood Liberty Dollars – LD Network

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Well the "Don Quixotes of Money" are back with a new run at the fiat currency call the "dollar" aka "Federal Reserve Banknote". Derogatorily called a "FRBie" in the hard money & survivalist communities.

 If you remember the original episode, then you'll remember that when their idea of an alternative currency began to get traction, the politicians and bureaucrats came down on them with a "heavy hammer". (To bad, I was not on that jury. How anyone could confuse a big silver coin or a strange sized colorful bill as a "greenback" was beyond me.) 
Having dodged a long prison sentence for “counterfeiting”, I thought that this would fold like most “community currencies”.  But I was wrong.  
Now they have still repeated the original mistake of using the word "dollar".  Of course, the current FRBies bear as much resemblance to the original "dollar" aka Thaller as I do an Olympic Athlete in any sport. Well maybe sumo.

I’ll probably buy a few as a conversation starter.  Maybe even for a 1K oz of silver, (15.07 * 1,000 = 15,070), I’ll have some “Kendall Park”, “South Brunswick”, or maybe even “Tyne Court” dollars printed.  Laugh!

I really admire the tenacity of these “hard money champions”.  Like the “Charge of the Light Brigade”, “Custer’s Last Stand”, Stalingrad, Agincourt, history is littered with historical examples of the hopeless and hapless casualties of stupidity.
All that being said, I hope that they can impact the discussion of "hard money" versus "fiat money" that we have now. To see the human cost of the unConstitutional "money", we just have to look at the welfare / warfare state, the national debt that will never be repaid, the unfunded liabilities of Gooferment promises & "pensions", as well as the destruction of savers and investors.  Hard to itemize all the bad things that happened when Jackson, Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, and Nixon got involved in "money".  Argh!  

— 30 —

Climate Change – LewRockwell

Friday, April 19, 2019

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.

The leading advocates of the Climate Change movement are politicians, entertainers, and even children. Climate preachers such as Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio lack any formal scientific training whatsoever, and live personal lives of unparalleled luxury while prescribing carbon austerity for the masses. Yet no one is permitted to point out their scientific ignorance or call attention to their hypocritical lifestyles.

Source: Climate Change – LewRockwell

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Spare me the modern day equivalent of the “Court Jester” instructing “We, The Sheeple” how the world should work.

These “watermelons” (i.e.: Green outside; Red <communist> inside) don’t have the experience of one small business owner or the credentials of a wise academic like a Rothfarb.

Sorry, but — to misapply “A Few Good Men” — “I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.” Colonel Jessep in A Few Good Men played by Jack Nicholson

I don’t care what these truly “dumb” people pontificate about.  Let them live their beliefs like a Mother Theresa, Gandhi, MLK, or Ron Paul, and then and only then should anyone listen to them.

Argh!

— 30 —


Notre Dame: Symbol of a Failing Culture – LewRockwell

Friday, April 19, 2019

People without history have no context. They are unstuck in time having to relearn lessons which our ancestors built monuments to remind us of what we’re capable of for better or worse.

While the French government took years to raise €12 million to renovate Notre Dame despite having the highest tax rate in the world, private donations to rebuild it topped $1 billion in the first 48 hours after the fire was put out.

This is gratifying in a way that is almost beyond words. And it makes a mockery of the statist arguments for government to replace private charity and private property.

Source: Notre Dame: Symbol of a Failing Culture – LewRockwell

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Yeah, “private charity” could NEVER ever replace Gooferment “services”.

Argh!

— 30 —


Podcast Episode 224: The Constitution and Executive Power | Brion McClanahan Author & Historian

Friday, April 19, 2019

A leftist professor wants to limit executive power. This should not be news in the Age of Trump. Every leftist wants to do that, but this leftist might be slightly different. Professor Julia Azari wrote a piece for Vox arguing that the Constitution doesn’t do enough to limit executive power and suggests amending it to do so.

Source: Podcast Episode 224: The Constitution and Executive Power | Brion McClanahan Author & Historian

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We need to reign in the Executive.  The problem is NOT BHO44 or DJT45.  The DOWG weren’t perfect and they didn’t do enough to prevent the President from becoming a King. Or worse, a Deity.

I think of how some of my Depression Era relatives “worshiped” FDR and the fights when certain uncles who were war vets pointed out his flaws (i.e., women), claims that just weren’t true (i.e., he saved us from the Depression), and “conspiracy theories” (i.e., he caused Pearl Harbor; he led us into war; he was a socialist that gave away the world at Yalta).

Maybe that where I get my “suspicion” that ALL the Conspiracy Theories have a grain of truth at the core AND SOME even are true!

Argh!

— 30 —

 


GOLDBUG: Seems real simple!

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Goldtradewar

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A look at what was saved, what was lost in Notre Dame fire

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Source: A look at what was saved, what was lost in Notre Dame fire

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If “we, humans” were smart everyone would be looking at their “national treasures” and see what need to be save.

I’d start with the soon to be aborted babies — much more important than “mere” “art” — but that’s just my view from the cheap seats.

I’d pray for any religion that wishes ill or celebrates the misfortune of others.  I’m sure it won’t happen but if I was an Islamic Leader, then I’d say shame on those who “celebrated” the fire.  If nothing else, it’s in poor taste and sure to bring about strife.

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” — Buddha

— 30 —


Eric “Nuke ‘Em” Swalwell Wants To Take Your Guns And Jail Anyone Who Resists | Zero Hedge

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper on Sunday, Swalwell – who last year joked about nuking gun owners who refuse to give up their firearms –  discussed his longstanding proposal to ban so-called ‘assault weapons.’

Source: Eric “Nuke ‘Em” Swalwell Wants To Take Your Guns And Jail Anyone Who Resists | Zero Hedge

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I foresee a real messy “civil war” if they try.

It’s a “hill” that many, if not all, gun owners will die on.

We all know that without “gun control” genocide would be impossible.

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand? . . .” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

“You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” — apocryphal unsourced quote attributed to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

It just can’t happen without a lot of bloodshed.

— 30 —

 


Silver versus Debt, Delusions and Devaluation | The Deviant Investor

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Silver prices are too low based on five decades of history and via comparisons to national debt, the S&P 500 Index and gold. Expect silver prices to rise far higher in coming years as the over-leveraged financial system resets and rebalances.

Source: Silver versus Debt, Delusions and Devaluation | The Deviant Investor

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Seems unavoidable.

— 30 —


My Money, My Choice: Remember Taxation Is Theft On April 15th | Zero Hedge

Monday, April 15, 2019

Abolish The 16th

Defenders of the IRS often espouse the fallacy that taxes are how we pay for a civilized society. If it weren’t for the government, who would pave the roads? Who would educate the children? Who would confiscate your earnings? But here’s a better question, one that suits the state much better: If it weren’t for the government breaking your legs, who would give you a crutch? That’s the real nature of government; it’s not the benevolent force out to do good that some statists believe is the case.

Source: My Money, My Choice: Remember Taxation Is Theft On April 15th | Zero Hedge

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Real simple — Abolish The 16th — recognize the mistake and fix it!

— 30 —


Prior to 1913 No One Paid Income Tax. Why Now? | | Tenth Amendment Center

Monday, April 15, 2019

Of course, those receiving and benefiting from these programs will defend them.  But the fact remains that tax monies provide largely government jobs, which are almost entirely consumption jobs (jobs that consume the production of society but produce little consumable).  Such jobs cannot produce for public consumption a potato, a carton of milk, or even a can of hair spray.  They bring another person to the table to eat, but not another to produce something to eat.

Source: Prior to 1913 No One Paid Income Tax. Why Now? | | Tenth Amendment Center

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Seems like we need to get back to “lean” Constitutional activities and cut the warfare / welfare state down to a much more manageable size.

Regardless of who’s in charge — the Democans or the Republicrats — Gooferment just gets bigger and bigger.

No new programs, no new taxes, and an ongoing program of 1% annual real bottom line cuts.

— 30 —


Google, Mozilla Blacklist Gab’s ‘Dissenter’ Free Speech Browser Extension | Breitbart

Friday, April 12, 2019

Both Google and Mozilla have banned Gab’s Dissenter.com extension from their browsers’ extension stores. Dissenter’s mission is to bring a free speech comment system to every site on the Internet.

Source: Google, Mozilla Blacklist Gab’s ‘Dissenter’ Free Speech Browser Extension | Breitbart

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I like and use this extension regularly.

I wish I could find out when some one comments on my blog in dissenter.

— 30 —


Expert: Every Illegal Alien Costs Americans $70K Over their Lifetime

Friday, April 12, 2019

Every illegal alien, over the course of their lifetime, costs American taxpayers about $70,000, Center for Immigration Studies Director of Research Steve Camarota says.

Source: Expert: Every Illegal Alien Costs Americans $70K Over their Lifetime

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This is a direct consequence of the welfare state.

“We, The Sheeple” need to end welfare for everyone — including Crony Capitalists.

— 30 —


Would Patients Be Able to Escape BernieCare? – WSJ

Thursday, April 11, 2019

In other words, you are free to choose any doctor the federal government allows you to choose. On at least one point, Mr. Sanders is being honest. He’s not even trying to sell the Obama whopper that patients will get to keep the plans and the doctors they like.

Source: Would Patients Be Able to Escape BernieCare? – WSJ

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I like “Bernie-care” even less than I do “Obama-care”, “Medicare”, “Medicaid”, VA care, “Indian Healthcare System”, or any such nonsense.  Hopefully we can get to “health insurance” that’s regulated as loosely as Life Insurance.

Cheap, easy to get, and very simple to collect on.

Argh!

Let’s separate “health”, “health care”, “health care insurance”, or something else from the Gooferment.

— 30 —


(153) Julian Assange is a Hero – YouTube

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Published on Apr 11, 2019
Sargon of Akkad

President Trump should pardon him.

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I agree!

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Trump is Right to Blow Up the Fed | The American Conservative

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

While the Fed is meant to be independent from the executive branch on a day-to-day basis, it is certainly not independent of Congress or the law. Yet the Fed in recent years has shown a troubling tendency to deviate from its legal mandate and make up new authorities to fit the changing economic situation. Case in point: the dubious notion that we should seek a 2 percent rate of inflation.

Source: Trump is Right to Blow Up the Fed | The American Conservative

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It’s simple.  Like Doctor Ron Paul said: “End the Fed”!

Return to the “barbaric” old gold standard of “honest” money.

Let the invisible hand of the free market set the interest rate.

If interest rate is the “time preference for money”, then how could it EVER be naturally zero.

The FED —

The Federal Reserve Bank is a misnomer. IT ain’t “federal”. It reserves nothing. And, it ain’t a “bank”. It is a private cartel of the elite banks run for their benefit and that of the entrenched politicians.

— has destroyed the USA with debt and trained “We, The Sheeple” not to save for a rainy day.

Argh!

— 30 —


GOVERNACIDE: A Mysterious Infection — and secrecy will kill us

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

2019-Apr-10

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/deadly-germs-lost-cures-a-mysterious-infection-spanning-the-globe-in-a-climate-of-secrecy/ar-BBVFPi7

Deadly germs, Lost cures: A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy

*** begin quote *** 

Last May, an elderly man was admitted to the Brooklyn branch of Mount Sinai Hospital for abdominal surgery. A blood test revealed that he was infected with a newly discovered germ as deadly as it was mysterious. Doctors swiftly isolated him in the intensive care unit.

The germ, a fungus called Candida auris, preys on people with weakened immune systems, and it is quietly spreading across the globe. Over the last five years, it has hit a neonatal unit in Venezuela, swept through a hospital in Spain, forced a prestigious British medical center to shut down its intensive care unit, and taken root in India, Pakistan and South Africa.

Recently C. auris reached New York, New Jersey and Illinois, leading the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to add it to a list of germs deemed “urgent threats.”

The man at Mount Sinai died after 90 days in the hospital, but C. auris did not. Tests showed it was everywhere in his room, so invasive that the hospital needed special cleaning equipment and had to rip out some of the ceiling and floor tiles to eradicate it.

*** and ***

Antibiotics and antifungals are both essential to combat infections in people, but antibiotics are also used widely to prevent disease in farm animals, and antifungals are also applied to prevent agricultural plants from rotting. Some scientists cite evidence that rampant use of fungicides on crops is contributing to the surge in drug-resistant fungi infecting humans.

Yet as the problem grows, it is little understood by the public — in part because the very existence of resistant infections is often cloaked in secrecy.

With bacteria and fungi alike, hospitals and local governments are reluctant to disclose outbreaks for fear of being seen as infection hubs. Even the C.D.C., under its agreement with states, is not allowed to make public the location or name of hospitals involved in outbreaks. State governments have in many cases declined to publicly share information beyond acknowledging that they have had cases.

All the while, the germs are easily spread — carried on hands and equipment inside hospitals; ferried on meat and manure-fertilized vegetables from farms; transported across borders by travelers and on exports and imports; and transferred by patients from nursing home to hospital and back.

C. auris, which infected the man at Mount Sinai, is one of dozens of dangerous bacteria and fungi that have developed resistance. Yet, like most of them, it is a threat that is virtually unknown to the public.

Other prominent strains of the fungus Candida — one of the most common causes of bloodstream infections in hospitals — have not developed significant resistance to drugs, but more than 90 percent of C. auris infections are resistant to at least one drug, and 30 percent are resistant to two or more drugs, the C.D.C. said.

Dr. Lynn Sosa, Connecticut’s deputy state epidemiologist, said she now saw C. auris as “the top” threat among resistant infections. “It’s pretty much unbeatable and difficult to identity,” she said.

*** and ***

One author of the article in Mycoses, a doctor at the hospital, said in an email that the hospital did not want him to speak to journalists because it “is concerned about the public image of the hospital.”

The secrecy infuriates patient advocates, who say people have a right to know if there is an outbreak so they can decide whether to go to a hospital, particularly when dealing with a nonurgent matter, like elective surgery.

“Why the heck are we reading about an outbreak almost a year and a half later — and not have it front-page news the day after it happens?” said Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a physician in Kentucky and board chairman of Health Watch USA, a nonprofit patient advocacy group. “You wouldn’t tolerate this at a restaurant with a food poisoning outbreak.”

*** end quote ***

The old Irish friends and relatives used to believe that going to the hospital was a death sentence.  Maybe they weren’t completely wrong.  I used to think it was superstition; “sick people go to the hospital; sick people die; it’s the people; not the hospital”.  Now I’m not so sure. 

Again, like in the vaccine controversy, where the side effects are hidden and Big Pharma is insulated from lawsuits, the secrecy gives rise to “common sense”.  If the experts will not tell us the truth, human beings will figure it out.  

Like AIDS in the gay community, sometimes plain old ordinary dumb humans have to piece together the jigsaw puzzle.  

With vaccines, I have personally seen the ravages of polio on a strong healthy child in my cousin William.  When the polio vaccine was announced, my family lined up all their children for it.  They also convinced the neighborhood.  Skeptics were brought to visit William and they became converts.

That being said, the secrecy of the Gooferment aka CDC and FDA, along with the horror stories about autism skyrocketing, I understand parents’ reluctance to make their children “lab rats”.  Maybe, if they could trust the “medical establishment”, then the fear would be palpable.

What do we have to do to correct this situation?

  • Politicians and bureaucrats must be dragged to the discussion.  Kicking and screaming if need be.  Transparency is the order of the day.  Facts cure ignorance and fear.  Let’s admit that there is a problem.  This is America, home of the brave.  Let’s face our fears with bravery and courage. To do that we need leaders to stand up and tell the “hard facts of life”.  The world is a dangerous place; ignoring the facts makes it even more so.
  • Big Pharma has to give up the “vaccine secrecy” and the financial protection of the indemnification laws.
  • The “Medical Establishment” (i.e., doctors, hospitals, their lawyers) have to worry less about “their image” and more about effective solutions.
  • “We, The Sheeple” need to get with the program.  Don’t get your medical diagnosis from “Doctor Google” or the latest “celebrity” with a miracle cure.  Do be an informed active participant in your own medical care.  (It enrages me when I go to medical appointment and the staff is surprised when I know and have documented everything I take and why as well as all my own medical records. At the very least, people can put the prescription bottles in a zip lock and bring it with them.)

Seem simple enough to me.

Argh!

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CLOUD: Yet another “web service” gets dropped for whatever reason

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

2019-Apr-09

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT YOUR MICROSOFT HEALTHVAULT SERVICE
Microsoft HealthVault service to end November 20, 2019
This notice contains important information from the HealthVault team at Microsoft. Please read this notice immediately; it contains time-sensitive information that may require you to take action.

We are reaching out to you because you are a registered user of the HealthVault service. We are providing you this notice to ensure you are aware of an important development:

The Microsoft HealthVault service will be shut down as of November 20, 2019.
Data you have in your HealthVault account will be deleted effective November 20, 2019. If you wish to keep the data in your account, you need to take action now to transfer that data from your HealthVault account.
Please take appropriate action to move your data or information you may have stored in your HealthVault account. To help customers that wish to transfer their data out of HealthVault, several options are available and described below.

If you are using an Application (mobile, web, etc.) that is dependent on the HealthVault service, such applications may also stop working once the HealthVault service is shut down. Please reach out to the Application provider for information on their plans.

We appreciate your use of the HealthVault Service. If you have questions regarding this communication please do not hesitate to reach out to HealthVault Customer Support.

The HealthVault Team
Microsoft Corporation

Questions:

What date will the HealthVault service become unavailable?
The HealthVault service will become unavailable on November 20, 2019.
Will I be able to access or add new data to my HealthVault account after November 20, 2019? 
No, when the HealthVault service is shut down on November 20, 2019 your account will be closed. You will no longer be able to access the account or any data in it. If you want to keep the data that you currently have in your HealthVault account, please take action now to either download your data or transfer that data to another record keeping service, or your data will be deleted on November 20, 2019.
Can I delete my account and/or the data in it before November 20, 2019? 
Yes, you may proactively delete your account before November 20, 2019 if you choose to do so. For help, view the HealthVault Help section, Your HealthVault Account – “How do I close my HealthVault Account?”
Can I obtain a copy of or download my data before November 20, 2019? 
Yes. You can download your data by logging into your account and choosing to export your data. Details on how to export data can be found under the HealthVault Help section, Health Information – “How do I export and save health information from HealthVault?”. Once you have exported your data you have the option to take it to another record keeping service of your choice (for example, a Personal Health Record (PHR) service).
Is there an option for me to transfer or export my data to another Personal Health Record (PHR) provider?
The following companies should be able to provide you with a streamlined option to export your data to one of their PHR services. If you would like to use one of these services, you will need to authorize the HealthVault application to export your data to that service. You can find more information for these options here:How do I export my data to Get Real Health’s Lydia? (US and International Customers)
How do I export my data to FollowMyHealth®? (US Customers Only)

Please be aware that these companies are not affiliated with Microsoft, so if you export your data to them Microsoft will no longer be responsible for that data or its safekeeping. Because your data instead will be governed by the terms of service and privacy and security policies and practices of these companies, you should familiarise yourself with those terms, policies and practices before exporting your data to these companies.
What happens to my data if I do not wish to download or transfer it or if I don’t take any action before November 20, 2019? 
If you do not wish to download or transfer your data, you may proactively delete your account and the data contained within before November 20, 2019. If you do not take any action then your data will be automatically deleted when the HealthVault service is shut down on November 20, 2019.
Will I or my provider be able to access my HealthVault emergency profile after November 20, 2019? 
No, your HealthVault emergency profile will not be accessible by you or others after November 20, 2019.
I have set up devices like a blood pressure cuff to send data to my HealthVault account. What happens to these connections? 
On November 20, 2019 HealthVault will stop accepting any new data from all devices. Until then, you may continue to send data to your HealthVault account using your devices (unless you have closed your account).
I currently use HealthVault Connection Center to connect my device with my HealthVault account. Will HealthVault Connection Center continue to work past November 20, 2019? 
HealthVault Connection Center is also being decommissioned and will no longer be able to send data to your HealthVault account once the HealthVault service is stopped on November 20, 2019.
How do I stop getting notifications about the deprecation of HealthVault? 
You may delete your HealthVault account now to stop receiving these notices. 
For more information on how to delete your account, see the HealthVault Help section, Your HealthVault Account – “How do I close my HealthVault Account?”.
I use an Application on my phone that sends my data to HealthVault. Will this Application still work after HealthVault is gone? 
That will depend on what the Application does. There may be some limited functionality that the Application can still perform, or it may stop working completely as it will no longer be able to access the HealthVault services. For technical problems with a specific Application you should contact the Application provider.

Privacy Statement

Microsoft Corporation 
One Microsoft Way 
Redmond, WA. USA 98052

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[JR: Argh! The big companies suck and will throw you over the side as soon as they can’t make a buck?]

— 30 —


Minimum wage hikes trigger ‘payroll tsunami,’ as small businesses cut back | Fox News

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

“For perspective, this is equivalent to eliminating nearly 50 percent of projected job growth between 2016 and 2026,” Ben Gitis, director of labor market policy at American Action Forum, wrote. “Maryland is not in a strong position to absorb this shock, as it continued to experience below-average job growth while the state implemented its previous minimum wage hike from 2014 to 2018.”

Source: Minimum wage hikes trigger ‘payroll tsunami,’ as small businesses cut back | Fox News

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Like a self-inflicted economic wound!

— 30 —


Combating the Myths of Heartless Libertarianism

Monday, April 8, 2019

For the course of two years, I challenged myself to answer a very complicated set of questions. Namely, why are libertarians’ stereotypes so negative, and why have they been allowed to fester and spread through popular culture, the media, and academia like a plague?

Source: Combating the Myths of Heartless Libertarianism

*** begin quote ***

Libertarianism is not a religion, first and foremost; it is a guiding set of secular principles that speak to the better side of human nature defending the inalienable rights of self-ownership, property rights, and liberty.

Unlike statism, which is found within modern progressivism and neoconservative circles, libertarianism doesn’t seek to answer all of life’s questions. Statism seeks to explain that without a monopoly of force and violence, the comfort of civilization could not exist, despite historical evidence that the state monopoly of force has been the leading cause of unnatural death in human history, with the philosophy of communism being the number one murderer of individuals in the twentieth century alone.

*** end quote ***

Libertarians, in general, just want you to have all the freedoms they want for themselves.

Statists have no such principle.

I like the formulation: “Don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff.”

— 30 —


When a child’s mental health diagnosis comes too late to help | Aeon Essays

Monday, April 8, 2019

The behaviour started in kindergarten, and occurred at home, at school, and on weekends. I dutifully drove her to appointments with a therapist and a psychiatrist, who characterised the behaviour as a symptom of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) combined with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), a behavioural issue some experts contend could stem from permissive parenting or a past riddled with either abuse or neglect. But I wasn’t permissive. Anna had never been abused or neglected. Like many seeking answers, I hit the books and kept a notebook about her extreme rages. When I asked Anna’s first psychiatrist about her extreme tantrums and outbursts, his warm brown eyes couldn’t mask his dismissive body language and cautious remarks that her behaviour was likely just an extreme case of ODD. He offered an antipsychotic mediation, Zyprexa, to her drug cocktail. But the medication didn’t work; the symptoms continued, and Anna’s diagnosis remained ADHD and ODD for years.

Source: When a child’s mental health diagnosis comes too late to help | Aeon Essays

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A touching article.  I can’t imagine what some parents go through.  Wonder why we can’t “solve” these problems?

So sad.

— 30 —


Eating raw garlic could help keep your memory sharp in old age | Daily Mail Online

Monday, April 8, 2019

Eating raw garlic could help prevent age-related memory loss suffered by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, scientists suggest.

Source: Eating raw garlic could help keep your memory sharp in old age | Daily Mail Online

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Anything to avoid going to “the home”!

— 30 —


LIBERTARIAN: You can put what you want in your own body — The West Virginia Gooferment gets this one right

Monday, April 8, 2019

2019-Apr-08

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-05/latest-social-justice-absurdity-0

*** begin quote ***

West Virginia passes the best food freedom law in the country

In the Land of the Free, most state laws severely limit what kinds of food items people can sell. These laws hit small farmers and producers really hard, where people have to submit to kitchen inspections and pay steep permit fees.

In 2015 however, Wyoming set the food freedom standard with a law which cut all sorts of restrictions on selling homemade foods like baked goods, pickles, and kombucha.

Neighbors South Dakota and Utah quickly followed.

Now West Virginia has passed arguably the most expansive food freedom law in the country.

It allows homemade food to be sold online or in person without licenses or inspections. They just have to include a label explaining that it is homemade, listing the ingredients, warning of possible allergens, and including contact info of the producer.

There is no limit to how much a merchant can earn, and the only restriction is on foods containing meat.

So far, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Utah say there hasn’t been a single report of foodborne illness from anyone selling food under the new laws.

It’s sad that allowing people the freedom to choose what they put in their own bodies is such a novel concept. But we’re happy to see this law passed.

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How rare is this?  

One can only hope this is a new trend!

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Stockman Exposes The Two Elephants In The Room That The GOP Has Completely Forgotten | Zero Hedge

Sunday, April 7, 2019

If you are still in the casino, run, don’t walk, toward the nearest emergency exit. The Trumpite/GOP is about to learn that deficits do matter and that what really ails the economy of Flyover America is the destructive Keynesian posse domiciled in the Eccles Building.

Source: Stockman Exposes The Two Elephants In The Room That The GOP Has Completely Forgotten | Zero Hedge

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This has to end badly.  It ALWAYS does.

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INTERNET: PayPal is getting political?

Sunday, April 7, 2019

2019-Apr-07

https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/contact-us

Tell us about your issue so we can help you more quickly.

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I love PayPal and use it frequently. I’m concerned that PayPal is getting into politics when it “deplatforms” others for political reasons. If this happens, then I will be forced to “deplatform” PayPal. If there’s a crime going on, that’s one thing. If it’s just “hate speech” or other “politically correct” bad behavior, then that’s none of PayPal’s concern. IMHO

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