Should you be taxed to subsidize ‘The New York Times’? — CNet

Newspapers around the country, by and large, are suffering declines in revenue. Most of the decline can be directly attributed to corresponding aspects of the Internet (although, one can make a strong argument that a not unimportant reason for the decline is the overwhelming political bias of the big papers). Now, the first mention of subsidies for newspapers has slipped out.

Now newspapers are facing a hurricane-strength competitive gale, and they, understandably, don’t like it one bit. A recent article in the Columbia Journalism Review titled “The Uncle Sam Solution” suggests everything from ownership tax incentives and R&D subsidies for the development of electronic paper–to a straightforward redistribution of wealth from taxpayers to newspaper owners and employees.

[…]

But probably the biggest reason to be wary of higher taxes to help out newspapers is the broader one: Bailing out an industry that’s suffering because of technological change or increased competition is not a wise choice in the long run. Afternoon newspapers are largely a defunct breed for the obvious reasons; would society really be better off if taxes were raised to subsidize such money-losing ventures for purposes of nostalgia?

I quote the CNet article instead of the underlying article furthering the idea of subsidies, et al., because of some finer points mentioned:

The stiff winds of Internet competition have already swept through countless businesses, including travel agents, car dealers, wine retailers and stock brokers.

Some have adapted. Some have perished. I have a friend who, to his chagrin, became a licensed stockbroker in Pennsylvania just as E*Trade and other Internet brokerages were becoming popular. And does anyone even remember travel agents anymore?

[…]

Now, everyone says they like competition in theory, but nobody actually likes to have competitors in practice. For the better part of a decade, Craigslist and eBay have been slowly nibbling away at newspapers’ classified-ads business. A 2005 MediaPost article says that as a result, according to McKinsey, newspapers have lost as much as 75 percent of their pricing abilities in key categories such as employment and general merchandise. Google is another competitive threat, with both broad and very targeted ads, and the cost of newsprint probably isn’t helping.

The statement “nobody actually likes to have competitors in practice” is a bit overbroad. The author obviously means that nobody likes to have their own competitors, but I am quite happy — in fact, perfectly happy — to have competitors of every product that I purchase.

I’m not nit-picking the author’s article; I just want to point out that I like having competitors for my news, too, and there are plenty. The newspapers can either compete or die, and because of the aforementioned reason in the parentheses above, I just as soon prefer they die.

Quiet ministry makes a difference — Home Town News

My grandfather was featured in a story about Christian ministry and church building in various places, particularly in Romania.

Jack Davis is an unassuming man from Blacksburg, but during the past 43 years, he has traveled the world making a difference. During that time, he has volunteered with the Jessie Powers Evangelistic Association, helping the needy in Haiti where they began a school for the deaf. The work with the deaf was very fruitful until the government began taking their medicines and then exacting a fee before those much-needed drugs could be recovered.

Just as the doors to Central America closed, the wall in Germany came down and the Eastern Bloc nations began opening their doors to evangelists. Davis went with the JPE Association to Russia where they ministered to the poor. Then, in 1990, they began the ministry to Romania, which continues to this day. Davis has been to the Transylvania area of Romania 18 times. He went alone this summer in August for 21 days to check on the churches that they helped to build, both physically and spiritually. In Romania, they encourage and meet the health needs of many people who have been living for decades in deprivation, unlike anything most Americans have seen.

That deprivation began with Communist rule in 1947, and reached its height when Nicholae Ceausescu ruled from 1967 through 1989. All Christians lost their jobs at the very beginning, and many were imprisoned or relocated. The Romanians lived with strict rationing of power, food, and other necessities. By 1989, according to CNSAS (the Council for Studies of the Archives of the Former Securitate), one in three Romanians was an informant for the Securitate. Health care dropped substantially, and medicines were no longer imported. It was a fertile situation for the black market, which controlled everything in the country. The legacy of the period was a bloated heavy industry using archaic production methods, (Romanians had to wait three years for a washing machine, two to three years for a color TV, five–10 years for a car), and technologically obsolete (Romania, in 1989, produced 1960s cars and 1970s TVs and washing machines). In 1989, Romania had only a 68-mile stretch of roadway, and that was in poor shape.

While his countrymen lived in these conditions, Ceausescu and his family enjoyed the best – he built himself a palace in the ‘80s with a luxury neighborhood to match. He required his government employees to move from job to job, so that no one established a power base. During the uprising in 1989, 1,000 people were killed, and not one person came to the rescue of Ceausescu or his family. They were tried by a kangaroo court and publicly shot on Dec. 25.

This was the state of life in Romania (then named The Socialist Republic of Romania) when groups began providing aid. The Jessie Powers Evangelistic Association went into Romania in 1991. In 1992, as Jack began the work from Cluj and walked to the outer villages. He was able to work from the home of Zachei and Maria Ivoras in the town of Gligoresti, which has about 150 people. Although he doesn’t speak the language, his first job was to help them build their church. Zaccheus’ daughter, Georgetta, and her son, Ovedia (Ovie for short) make a 1.5-hour train trip to help Jack. His friend, Ovie, now 13, serves as his translator.

In 2001, Ovie wanted to go for a walk, so he took Jack to a small creek, which they crossed on a swinging bridge. Then they crossed the “big river,” on a ferry. Jack saw a little village, Gabou, across the way, and learned there was no Christian church there. (The Orthodox Church was replaced by a “state” religion, the communist government imprisoned ministers at will, and for decades, the people worshipped in secret and in fear). Gabou was an 8-mile walk from Zaccheus’ house, but Jack met with the Christians there, and helped them build a new church. They tore down a dilapidated house and for two years had a poured cement slab. It took them four years to complete the church.

Jack explained when freedom came; churches were packed with standing room only. Now that more churches have been built, they are not as crowded. There was a great spiritual hunger in the country when the Communists left power, but the church continues to grow.

According to Jack, the situation in Romania is much better now. The land can now be used for farming; there are new industries and more choices. The country joined the EU last year, so that helped, but it did cause merchandise to increase in price. Many of the young people have gone to other countries for work. Davis said the Romanian people are very kind, helpful and loving – the Orthodox not so friendly. The people that Jack met in 1992 are now his friends; they give themselves easy nicknames so he can remember them. In the city of Cluj, Jack met a man who needed medicine for his heart; the Powers ministry was able to get it for him. “We are friends to this day.”

These are just a very few reasons that make him a great man.

Joke about mom leads to criminal investigation — Northwest Florida Daily News

I guess times are changing.

A child’s joke about sleeping with another friend’s mother led to a child abuse investigation.

An investigator with the Department of Children and Family went to Destin Middle School on Sept. 19 to look into an allegation that a child had been having sex with an adult, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office report.

The investigation revealed that the story started during P.E. class while a few boys were joking around.

Upon questioning, one of the boys involved said he “made up the story about a friend having sex with (the) mother,” the report stated.

The case was ruled as unfounded.

Will someone please think of the children???

Do Not Call listings aren’t forever — AP

The Do Not Call list is almost five years old, and since registrations are only good for five years, those who registered their phone numbers early may be fielding calls from telemarketers again soon enough.

Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do not enroll again.

“It is incredibly quick and easy to do,” Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection, said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. “It was so easy for people to sign up in the first instance. It will be just as easy for them to re-up.”

But Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., says people should not be forced to re-register to keep telemarketers at bay. Doyle introduced legislation this week, with bipartisan support, to make registrations permanent.

All you have to do is reregister at www.donotcall.gov. It takes less than a minute, so here’s your fair warning.

Stronach went to U.S. for cancer treatment: report — CTV

Canadian MP Belinda Stronach has traveled to California for surgery as part of her medical treatment for breast cancer.

“Belinda had one of her later-stage operations in California, after referral from her personal physicians in Toronto. Prior to this, Belinda had surgery and treatment in Toronto, and continues to receive follow-up treatment there,” said MacEachern.

He said speed was not the reason why she went to California.

Instead, MacEachern said the decision was made because the U.S. hospital was the best place to have it done due to the type of surgery required.

Although evidence like this is by nature anecdotal, it certainly gives one pause when thinking of the health care systems in the United States and Canada. It goes without saying that the U.S. has problems with health care, but unlike what Michael Moore would have you believe, Canada (and other countries with socialized health care) has significant problems with their health care systems, too.

Politicians have the best of both worlds, as politicians, in societies with socialized health care: they live in a system where the people are dependent on them, thus furthering their own careers, and they have the personal means to travel elsewhere for their own health care when necessary.