Milton Friedman AND Thomas Sowell in one discussion: a treat!

 

A Four-Step Healthcare Solution (by Hans-Hermann Hoppe)

Yes, I do fall into the category of unhealthy/infirm people.

That is why I have all this time to blog – I am lying in my sickbed, with my laptop propped up on my chest – typing away,  instead of being an actual productive member of society.  Those who can, do – those who can’t teach… or bitch on the internet, as is my case.

Yet, I am all for wholly unrestricted, unregulated and unsubsidized medical system because, from personal experience, it would open up options for people like I, who have chronic illnesses.  It would permit us to make healthcare choices for ourselves, rather that permit faceless bureaucrats who have never met us from limiting our options at their whim.

(And yes, those of us who are not wealthy would still have more choices open to us, by volunteering for free treatment in studies that would further the medical knowledge for all!  After all, a partial hope in a study is much better than no hope in a system that will simply not pay for innovative treatment nor allow you, the patient, to pay for it yourself outside the main medicare – i.e. the current Canadian system!)

After all, he who pays the bills is the master:  if I do not directly pay for my own medical care, then I cannot expect to be the master of it!

And, if it is my body – do I not have the right to choose the medical treatment I receive, instead of delegating it to a faceless bureaucrat who bullies the doctors who go out of their way to help their patients instead of the bureaucracy?!?!?

 

The Lycurgus Cup – 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows that the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers

A fascinating article from Smithsonian.com explains why this 4th century C.E. cup appears jade coloured when lit from the front, but red when lit from behind:  it’s all in the Roman’s mastery of nanotech:

‘The ancient nanotech works something like this: When hit with light, electrons belonging to the metal flecks vibrate in ways that alter the color depending on the observer’s position. Gang Logan Liu, an engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who has long focused on using nanotechnology to diagnose disease, and his colleagues realized that this effect offered untapped potential. “The Romans knew how to make and use nanoparticles for beautiful art,” Liu says. “We wanted to see if this could have scientific applications.”

When various fluids filled the cup, Liu suspected, they would change how the vibrating electrons in the glass interacted, and thus the color. (Today’s home pregnancy tests exploit a separate nano-based phenomenon to turn a white line pink.)’

Read the full article: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/This-1600-Year-Old-Goblet-Shows-that-the-Romans-Were-Nanotechnology-Pioneers-220563661.html#ixzz2colO2wpQ

Tamarrud Movement in Gaza Calls to Oust Hamas on November 11

While I am not familiar with the Tamarrud movement in Gaza, and thus I cannot comment at length on their goals/actions, I think it is newsworthy that they have made this call and that they are willing to fight against the Muslim Brotherhood incarnation in Gaza, the terrorist organization Hamas.

Let’s keep our eyes on this one!