Privacy and self ownership – Page 18

Weekend links

Published January 27, 2018 11:18 am by Claire

LaVoy Finicum’s widow is suing the FBI and Oregon state police. Big time.

“Your papers, please!” The all-American version.

You’ve probably heard that Ursula K. LeGuin died this week. Here’s some wisdom from her on that strange subject known as “spare time” and the even stranger subjects of creative work and life.

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Thursday links

Published January 25, 2018 1:24 am by Claire

The NSA’s mission statement as of last year. The NSA’s mission statement today. Seems they’ve given up on “honesty” and turned “transparency” into pure authoritarianism. But then, did anybody believe them in the first place? (Via The Intercept)

“When Corruption is a Job Perk” (cops and “get out of jail free” cards for their friends and relatives). But no worries! The cop union plans to cut corruption by as much as 1/3. Maybe even 1/2 for retired cops.

Commander Zero has interesting observations on a little-known experiment in starvation — and also offers his readers a chance to get in on a heavily discounted bulk buy of those excellent Mountain House foods.

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Tuesday links

Published January 23, 2018 1:11 am by Claire

li>Five months of texts missing? That’s nothing. “Losing” or destroying inconvenient evidence is the FBI’s stock in trade says Jim Bovard.

Craft beer. The strangest, happiest economic story in America.

“The myth of the playground pusher.” “Drug-free school zones” are nothing more than an excuse to increase sentences for “crimes” that have nothing to do with schools.

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Thursday-Friday links

Published January 18, 2018 7:32 pm by Claire

Some hospitals, sick of high drug prices, are forming their own non-profit drug manufacturer.

Michael Wolff’s riotously controversial book about the Trump administration has already been signed for a TV series. A sit-com, I assume. (H/T MRJ)

In Mexico, cities are dealing with corruption and violence by effectively seceding and shutting themselves off.

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Midweek links

Published January 17, 2018 7:33 am by Claire

We were worried about our rights when the IRS started using private bill collectors. Did we even consider that the poor IRS might actually lose money on the deal?

Nissan wants to read your mind.

Richard Rahn talks rationally about immigration from sh*tholes (or ratholes or sh*thouses; the claims about Trump’s language are mutating) — and in the process includes three branches of my ancestry. I’m so proud.

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Weekend links

Published January 13, 2018 9:59 am by Claire

From FiveGallonIdeas.com, a DIY emergency kit in a bucket.

Kit Perez writes her first article on Medium. Four ways the surveillance state is expanding that most people don’t realize.

Is the medical “system” in the U.S. post-apocalyptic or pre-modern? Both?

25 Comments

Tuesday links

Published January 9, 2018 1:03 am by Claire

James Damore (remember him?) has just filed a class-action suit against Google, alleging the company discriminates against conservative white males. That could get interesting.

I love movies. But I am so freakin’ sick of whiny, hypocritical actresses lamenting how difficult their privileged lives are and congratulating themselves for the “courage” of their #MeTooing and their black gowns red carpet that I’m thinking about giving up my Netflix and going cold turkey.

In case you didn’t already know it, the NFL boycott is real and significant

12 Comments

Friday links

Published January 5, 2018 1:13 am by Claire

This isn’t a new story. But it’s a wow and anybody who thinks about self defense should read it. A hit man came to her house. She survived. He didn’t. No guns involved. (H/T jc2k in comments)

Republican wins a hotly contested Virginia race. By having his name pulled out of a punch bowl.

Oregonians kinda-sorta, in a smallish way, finally get to pump their own gas. And there’s panic in the streets. (If you want to know why it’s hard to get people to envision even small amounts of political change, there’s your perfect example.)

16 Comments

Midweek ramble and links

Published January 3, 2018 1:43 am by Claire

Funny thing, human psychology. I wrote Monday night that my bedroom renovation project had begun to feel like purgatory. So I gave myself permission to take a break from the project yesterday … which naturally made me feel good about working on it again. Got a fair bit done. By next week I’ll have reached the point where I’ll need The Wandering Monk’s assistance again (to replace sections of bad flooring, mostly). But I’m afraid the Monk may have finally wandered. Oh, not wandered from the area; he bought a house a year ago, so he won’t be leaving for…

11 Comments

Midweek links

Published December 27, 2017 6:00 am by Claire

United sorta-kinda-but-not-really apologizes to the woman who got bumped from her first-class seat so it could be given to “Queen” Congressthing Sheila Jackson Lee.

This Future of Freedom Foundation piece on Christmas-tree protectionism is good as far as it goes. But it doesn’t mention the obnoxious “checkoff” program that turned real Christmas trees into yet another federal hog trough.

An oldie-but-goodie: Frank Chodorov’s 1952 thinkpiece, “Time for Another Revolution.” (H/T CB)

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Category: Privacy and self ownership