No man has the right, under any circumstance, to initiate force against another man, nor to threaten or delegate said initiation of force. - The Zero Aggression Principle


As Americans we must always remember that we all have a common enemy, an enemy that is dangerous, powerful and relentless. I refer, of course, to the federal government. -Dave Barry


I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will not live for the sake of another man's life, nor ask another man to live for the sake of mine. - John Galt's Oath from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

From D. T. Armentano @ the Future of Freedom Foundation:

I have been teaching economics at the university level for twenty-five years. Easily the most often-asked questions relate to monopolies. The questions are often put in the following form: "In an economy free of governmental regulation, wouldn't a firm or group of firms obtain a monopoly over some vital resource or product? And won't the monopoly then exercise its power by raising prices?"

The issues most often revolve around the oil industry and the famous Standard Oil Company antitrust case. The history of Standard Oil, students frequently tell me, proves that monopolies exist in free markets — and that they do raise prices arbitrarily — and that this is precisely why we need antitrust laws.

Are monopolies truly an inherent problem in a free market? And do we need antitrust laws to combat them?

The clearest definition of monopoly is one seller, with the law prohibiting competitors from entering the market. Local telephone and cable-television companies are examples — they are usually provided a monopoly by their local governmental officials — that is, they are made the only provider of the service in a certain locale — and competition is prohibited by the local governing body. Obviously, this is not a monopoly arising in a free market since it is the government not the market that is dictating the number of suppliers. The best way to get competition in these types of activities is to remove the legal restrictions on market entry — which, by the way, is happening in some cable-television markets, which has resulted in a decrease in prices.

More here.

Today is a sad day in SF my friends; Arthur C. Clarke died today in his home at the age of 90.


From AOL News:

Arthur C. Clarke, a visionary science fiction writer who won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died Wednesday (remember folks, this is on the other side of the world. They're a day ahead of us over there.) in his adopted home of Sri Lanka, an aide said. He was 90.

Clarke, who had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome since the 1960s and sometimes used a wheelchair, died at 1:30 a.m. after suffering breathing problems, aide Rohan De Silva said.

Co-author with Stanley Kubrick of Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey," Clarke was regarded as far more than a science fiction writer.

He was credited with the concept of communications satellites in 1945, decades before they became a reality. Geosynchronous orbits, which keep satellites in a fixed position relative to the ground, are called Clarke orbits.

More here.

What can you do to provide yourselves and your families with the promise of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Maybe the Free State Project (FSP) is what you're looking for.

For those of you who don't know, the FSP is an effort to get 20,000 liberty-loving individuals to move to New Hampshire.

They're looking for productive, tolerant folks from all walks of life and of all ages, creeds and colors who agree with the simple political philosophy that government exists at most to protect people's rights and should neither provide for people nor punish them for activities that interfere with no one else.

Here's a quick primer on the FSP:





Get more info about the Free State Project here.

This just in; An interesting article from Forbes.com about those greatest of pop culture icons, superheroes ( yes, those superheroes) and their leadership abilities.

From Forbes.com:

You remember Quasar, the superhero created by artists and writers at Marvel comics back in 1978?

Of course you don't because he didn't have the staying power, so to speak, like many of the superheroes that still are brilliantly being splashed on the pages of their own graphic novels decades after they were first introduced to the world.

These are the ones making it to the big screen and the ones appearing in videogames.

These are the most enduring of all time. But who is at the top of that list? It quite possibly could be, and should be, Superman, who turns 70 this year.

The rest is here.

This is my tribute to all you drunk bastards this holiest of holidays.......St. Patrick's Day.

So here you go....


This segment is sponsored by:




Drunk Yank on St.Patrick's Day




The After-effects of a Heavy St. Patrick's Day




Drunk Guy in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day




And Lastly we have some nice traditional irish music for ya:
Kiss Me I'm Sh*t-Faced


I'm sailing up to boston

For those of you who are sick and tired of having a singular view of global warming (or climate change I think it's now called) shoved down your throat; There is an excellent website called Climate Debate Daily that I think you would all enjoy.

Good day and safe surfing.

From Lifehacker.com:

The New York Times reports that the push-up, longtime signifier of fitness, really is an indicator that we should take seriously.

The push-up is the ultimate barometer of fitness. It tests the whole body, engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs... Push-ups are important for older people, too. The ability to do them more than once and with proper form is an important indicator of the capacity to withstand the rigors of aging.

More here.




I promise you, this will not become a regular segment.

From BusinessWeek:

Call it an attempt to lock the barn door before the next group of horses escapes. Even as criticism has mounted that the Bush Administration has moved too slowly to stem the slide in housing and credit markets, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Mar. 13 announced a series of recommendations intended to prevent a recurrence of the lapses and errors that led to the meltdown in the first place.

"As we continue to address the current market stress, we must also examine the appropriate policy responses," Paulson said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. But he also sounded a note of caution aimed at heading off calls for more radical regulatory changes emanating from Congress, consumer groups, and others critical of the financial industry.

More here.