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Keeping Business Honest - John Stossel - Townhall Conservative ...

Instinctively, we look for people's motives. We need to know whom we can trust and whom we can't. We're especially skeptical of business because we know business wants our money.

It took me too long to understand that business's desire for profit is a good thing. To get our money, businesses -- if they can't look to the government for favors -- need to give us what we want. Then they must make continuous improvements and do it better than the competition does.

That competition is enough to protect consumers. But that's not intuitive. It's intuitive to assume that competition isn't really consumer protection and that experts at the FDA, FTC, DEA, FCC, CPSC, OSHA and so on must protect us. These experts consult "responsible" businessmen for advice on creating rules to make sure businesses meets minimum "standards."

Unfortunately, this standardization stops innovation.

We are imprinted to be wary of newcomers, strangers. Newcomers by definition are less experienced. Maybe they'll do something unsafe or dishonest! We don't want government to stop them from doing business -- we just want consumers protected! Governments claim to do that by licensing businesses.

People like the idea of licensing. We license drivers. We license dogs. It seems prudent. People naively think this government seal of approval makes us safer.

This naivete is used to justify all sorts of rules that kill competition.

Las Vegas regulators require anyone who wants to start a limousine business to prove his new business is needed and, worse, will not "adversely affect other carriers." But every new business intends to beat its competitors. That's the point. Competition is good for us. Las Vegas' anticompetitive licensing rules mean limo customers pay more.

In Nashville, Tenn., regulators ruled it illegal for a limo to charge less than $45 a ride. One entrepreneur had won customers by charging half that, but the new regulations mean the established car service businesses no longer have to worry about him.

Perhaps Nashville's and Vegas' regulators really believe "this is an area where the free market doesn't work," as the manager of the Nevada Transportation Services Authority put it. But it's fishy that charging big fees for licenses just happens to be a very effective shakedown operation. Vegas cab and limousine businesses give "substantial" donations to Vegas-area political candidates, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

Our big government has justified its existence (at least since the Progressive Era) by claiming it is a "countervailing influence" to corporate power -- when it is, in fact, incestuously entwined with corporations.

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Stubby-Armed Dinosaur Was T. Rex of Southern Hemisphere

A newfound giant predatory dinosaur with even stubbier arms than Tyrannosaurus rex may now hint that a vast desert once existed in the heart of a lost supercontinent, potentially barring this carnivore and its kin from spreading across the entire ancient world, researchers say.

When T. rex and its tyrannosaurid relatives dominated as predators in the Northern Hemisphere in what is now North America and Asia, carnivores known as abelisaurids were the top killers in the Southern Hemisphere on the lost supercontinent of Gondwana, which once was made up of what is now Antarctica, Australia, South America and Africa.

The newfound abelisaurid species, discovered in Patagonia in Argentina, is named Eoabelisaurus mefi, or "dawn Abelisaurus of the Museo Palentol?gico Egidio Feruglio." Based on the nearly complete skeleton, the carnivore was about 21 feet (6.5 meters) long and lived about 170 million to 175 million years ago, back when the area was hot and ranged between pronounced dry seasons and extensive rain.

The finding, detailed online May 23 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests the abelisaurids, whose origins have remained enigmatic, originated at least 40 million years than before thought. This meant that abelisaurids existed back when all the continents were united in the supercontinent Pangaea. [See Photos of the New Dinosaur]

Little arms

Abelisaurids generally resembled tyrannosaurids in appearance, stalking the land on two legs, although their skulls were relatively shorter in length and taller in height, with a shape that hinted they had extremely powerful bites. As squat as the arms of tyrannosaurids were, abelisaurids had even squatter limbs that appeared even less useful ? for instance, they typically lacked wrist bones.

"Why these animals had such tiny arms is a good question," said researcher Oliver Rauhut, a paleontologist at the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology in Germany. "One part of the answer might be that both had skulls that were adapted for very powerful bites, so these animals obviously relied on 'head hunting' for acquiring prey and didn't need the arms for that."

Rauhut added that tyrannosaurids and abelisaurids had specialized arms, with abelisaurids having an enlarged shoulder girdle, indicating muscle strength, as well as more flexibility of the upper arm. "What they did with these arms is anybody's guess," Rauhut said.

Dinosaur barrier

The fossil was first discovered in 2009 during a large-scale prospecting campaign by researcher Diego Pol at the Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum in Argentina in a dry, savannahlike landscape. "Basically everything that grows there has thorns," Rauhut said. Native animals include the lowland llama, a small flightless bird known as the nandu, and armadillos, "but what you see most is actually sheep," Rauhut added.

The arms of Eoabelisaurus are not as tiny as those of later abelisaurids, but they are still unusually small, revealingthat shortening of abelisaurid arms began very early in their evolution. This reduction apparently started with the lower arm ? in Eoabelisaurus, the upper forelimb is of normal size, but the lower arm is much shorter in comparison, with a very stunted hand and tiny fingers and claws.

The fact that Eoabelisaurus lived about 175 million years ago suggests abelisaurids could have spread across the whole of Pangaea before it fragmented about 10 million to 15 million years later into Gondwana and Laurasia, the supercontinent once made up of what is now Europe, Asia and North America. Since abelisaurids were apparently exceedingly rare in the Northern Hemisphere, a natural barrier may have prevented their advance northward, researchers suggested.

Growing evidence from climate models and geological data suggests a huge desert in the center of Gondwana might have kept abelisaurids from dispersing to the north. Such a barrier could also explain why other groups of animals were restricted to Gondwana, such as certain mammals and giant plant-eating sauropods, the researchers explained.

The scientists hope to continue investigating the dinosaurs of Patagonia. "Dinosaurs from the Southern Hemisphere are still extremely poorly known, so we can expect to find more surprises," Rauhut told LiveScience.

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The Hunky Gardener Designer: Ten Tips for Decorating Your Kitchen

A significant amount of care and thought should be put into decorating your kitchen. The kitchen is more than a place to make food. It's a space to let out your inner creativity by making deliciously unique meals or whipping up a dessert worthy of a queen. The kitchen is also a place to create lasting memories by making your grandmother's secret recipe or laughing with family and friends over meals.

Here are 10 home decorating tips for your kitchen that you can use to make this space in your home extra special.

1. Rather than replacing old cabinets, replace the handles and put on a fresh coat of paint or stain. This is a budget-friendly way to bring worn out cabinets back to life.

2. Use colorful curtains to hide kitchen tools and utensils that are placed in open cabinets.

3. Find framed art prints or posters that feature food and drink recipes that can serve a dual function. Not only will they fill up empty wall space, but the recipes will motivate any chef to create new culinary masterpieces.

4. If there is extra space on top of your kitchen cabinets, fill them with a varied assortment of plates, jars or vases. To add an additional personal touch, collect unique vases and jars while traveling so each decorative piece reminds you of a happy memory.

5. Fresh herbs always taste better. Plant an herb garden in your windowsill to keep the herbs readily available while showing off your green thumb.

6. Collect menus from your favorite restaurants around town or throughout the world. Frame the menus and hang them throughout your kitchen.

7. Create a warm and hospitable atmosphere by hanging art prints that serve as a reminder of the importance of friends and family. Art prints with sayings such as, "The Kitchen is Where the Heart Is" or "Bless Our Home" will be perfect additions to your kitchen.

8. If you are short on space, use your kitchen tools as decorations too! Stainless steel utensils can be used for wall art. Pots and pans can hang on hooks around your kitchen island or on strategically placed hooks throughout your kitchen.

9. Baskets can be used for a variety of purposes. They can be used for fruit, kitchen utensils, nonperishable food or many other functions. If drawer space is limited, fold your kitchen towels and oven mitts neatly and place them in a basket on your counter.

10. Keep it clean. Clean up after every meal to keep the kitchen a place where everyone can enjoy their time.

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10 gadgets you'd be a fool to buy right now

23 hrs.

Avram Piltch , Laptop

They say patience is a virtue, but like temperance and chastity, it?s not much fun. Unfortunately, if you want to reach a state of true techstasy, you may need to repress your desire to buy a new gadget today and wait for the next version to come out.

To be fair, sometimes now is the best time to buy a particular device and sometimes you drop your phone into a public toilet and have to replace it right away.?But when you buy that 3G phone a month before its hot new 4G replacement comes out, you might as well buy an ?I?m with stupid? T-shirt for your friends to wear when you go out together.

Here are 10 products you?d be a fool to buy today.

The iPhone

If you have your heart set on purchasing a new iPhone, don't do it yet. Every rumor points to the arrival of a much-improved product arriving by fall. We don't know what exact specs the iPhone 5 will have. We don't even know if it'll be called the iPhone 5 (my money's on "the Brand Spanking New iPhone"), but we can be pretty certain it will have 4G LTE, a faster processor, a better camera and a larger and sharper screen.?

While four or five months may seem like a long time to wait, most iPhone owners are on two-year phone contracts that usually won't allow them to upgrade until after 20 months. Do you really want to spend 2013 being known as the loser who has to "take a grenade" with Siri's older, slower moving sister while your friends cozy up to the new model?

More: What You Need to Know About the iPhone 5

Windows Tablets

Let's face the facts. If you want to buy a Windows 7 tablet, you're either a multitouch masochist or a sadistic CTO, looking to pinch-zoom in on employee suffering. ?Though Windows 7 runs all the applications you could ever want, its touch-unfriendly interface makes it really difficult to use with adult-sized fingers. Ever try tapping the X widget to close a window? You'll need to stick your index finger in a pencil sharpener first, so you can make sure it's thin enough.

Coming this fall, Windows 8 offers a very touch-friendly Metro UI and a host of touch-friendly apps on top of it. Even better, Windows 8 will run on ARM-based tablets, allowing for thinner, lighter and longer-lasting designs. A slew of new convertible notebooks that run Windows 8 will arrive this fall too. ?I can't wait for the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, which bends its hinge back 180 degrees to become a slate. Even Kanye West would sit in his seat long enough to wait for Windows 8.

More: 10 Ways Windows 8 Beats the iPad

Ultrabooks

The first generation of Ultrabooks ? a new category of uber-thin, fast-booting notebooks?? arrived last fall with prominent entries from all the PC vendors. However, though notebooks like the ASUS Zenbook UX31 and Toshiba Portege Z835 have a lot going for them, a new generation of much-improved Ultrabooks will arrive this summer. These notebooks will sport Intel's faster, more efficient third-generation Core Series processors (aka Ivy Bridge), and many will offer higher-resolution displays.

A couple of models stand out to us. The ASUS ZenBook Prime will offer a generous 1920 x 1080 screen that will let you watch HD movies at their native resolution, while viewing more of your favorite web pages and documents without scrolling. Meanwhile, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon could be the ultimate productivity notebook when it launches this summer. It will pack a gorgeous 14-inch, 1600 x 900 matte display into a .75-inch-thick chassis that weighs just 3 pounds. Plus, you'll get the industry's best keyboard.

More: 10 Most-Anticipated Notebooks

Sprint Phones

Sprint likes to call itself "the Now Network," but it really should be named "the Promise Network," because right now all it is selling is the promise of 4G LTE at some point in the future. The carrier recently announced that it is dumping its mediocre 4G WiMAX network in favor of LTE on new handsets. That's the right move long-term, but it leaves current Sprint customers in a bind.

The company is selling 4G LTE phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and LG Viper 4G LTE, but they'll only get a 3G signal until Sprint launches its new network. The carrier plans to roll out LTE this summer to just six cities ? Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio ? with no ETA for other cities apart from 123 million people covered by the end of the year.? Even if you live in one of the designated six markets, there's no guarantee that Sprint's implementation of LTE will be as fast as AT&T and Verizon's; we just don't know.

Whether you are already a Sprint customer or are just thinking of becoming one, you should wait to see how quickly the company's version of LTE is coming to your area and whether it actually lives up to the hype. You don't want to buy that Evo 4G LTE today, only to be stuck with 2007-era 3G speeds while your friends on Verizon and AT&T are cruising along at 4G.

More: 4G Reality Check -- Beware of These Cons and Lies

MacBook Pros

If you have your heart set on an Apple MacBook Pro, tell your heart to go on without one for just a little longer. Everyone expects Apple to announce a new lineup of MacBook Pros in June and these new notebooks will reportedly weigh less, feature high-resolution "Retina" displays and provide USB 3.0 ports in addition to running Ivy Bridge CPUs. These notebooks will also be running Apple's new OS X Mountain Lion software, which brings more iPad-like functionality to Macs along with stronger security.

Unless a pack of rabid Windows fanboys breaks into your house and smashes your current MacBook Pro with a Metro-UI styled hammer, you can hold on for another few weeks. The Retina display, which should show more content on the screen at once, is reason enough to wait.

More: The Next MacBook Pro: 6 Things You Need to Know

Android Tablets

Apple enthusiasts don't have anything to wait for when it comes to tablets. The "new" iPad just came out in March and has an incredible, high-res screen paired with a powerful processor. However, if you want to consider an Android tablet, now is not the time to buy.

Though we've seen some speedy quad-core tablets like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, we're still waiting for Android tablet makers to come out with screens that have higher than 1280 x 800 resolution. Both ASUS and Acer have announced 1920 x 1200 tablets, but neither one has hit the market yet. If you plunk down $500 on a tablet now, you'll feel silly when the new HD models arrive within the next couple of months.

More: ASUS Transformer Prime TF700T Hands-On

Smart TVs

Apple can play coy all it wants, but many industry insiders believe that the Cupertino company plans to launch its own TV later this year. There's no question that the Apple TV will have deep iTunes integration, a gorgeous screen (Apple is known for that) and some kind of Siri-based voice control.?

When it comes to launching new Smart TVs, Apple won't be alone. LG recently showed off its G2 Smart TV, which uses the Google TV 2.0 interface, supports voice commands and comes with a gesture-controlled "Magic" remote. Lenovo just began shipping its ?Android 4.0- powered K55 ?Smart TV in China and it may come here at some point as well. If you wait, the additional competition from these new products will force down prices on existing Smart TVs as well.

More: What Are Smart TVs?

Windows Phones

The Nokia Lumia 900 has a gorgeous design and the HTC Titan II has an awesome 16-MP camera. However, when it comes to specs, apps and basic multitasking, Windows Phones still lag behind their Android and iPhone counterparts.?

With Windows Phone 8 due out this fall, Microsoft could finally start to close the feature gap with Apple and Google. According to some reports, the new mobile operating system will support higher resolution screens, dual-core CPUs, NFC payments and apps that can control other apps, a necessity for true multitasking.

Microsoft has issued some conflicting statements about whether current Windows Phones would get an OS upgrade so I wouldn't count on the Lumia you buy today running Windows 8 tomorrow. If you're attracted to Windows Phone, delay your purchase until fall. Otherwise, you'll be living with a single-core, low-res handset for two years.

More: 8 Awesome Features of Windows Phone 8

eReaders

There are several great eReader options on the market right now, from the tablet-like Amazon Kindle Fire to the E Ink-powered Nook Simple Touch. However, as strong as the eReader offerings are today, they're about to get much better. Barnes & Noble just released its Simple Touch with GlowLight and rumor has it that Amazon is set to release its own backlit E Ink-based Kindle this summer.

However, backlit E Ink is just the tip of this innovative ice berg. Expect Amazon to launch the second-generation Kindle Fire 2 this fall, complete with higher-res screen options and possibly larger form factors like 8.9 inches. Flush with investment money from Microsoft and not content to stand still, Barnes & Noble is sure to release a new Nook Tablet sometime later this year as well. We'd expect the next Nook to also have a higher resolution than 1024 x 600.?

There's also a persistent rumor that Amazon will release Kindles using color E Ink later this year. We just reviewed the color E Ink-powered Ectaco Jetbook Color so the technology is already out there. How bad would you feel if you bought an old-school grayscale Kindle today, only to see one with a backlight or a color screen come out within a few months?

More: eReader Guide

BlackBerrys

Research in Motion, the company that makes Blackberry phones, seems to be stuck in a time warp, offering phones that have the best specs of 2009, including single-core 800-MHz CPUs, tiny 2.4-inch screens and an ?outmoded BlackBerry 7 OS. Fortunately, most people aren't foolish enough to buy phones that you'd expect to find in the bargain bin at a garage sale rather than the shelf at a Verizon store.?

RIM seems to understand the problem, too, and it plans to release an entirely new line of phones running its new BlackBerry 10 OS later this year. The new touch-friendly BlackBerry London phone, complete with a bigger screen and faster processor than we've seen on a BlackBerry before, should arrive by fall. If you must have a BlackBerry, this is the one to wait for.

More: RIM Demos Upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS

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SYNKOPY Festival music review by Mellotron Storm

I'm not sure how many prog fans would actually like this EP. SYNKOPY released this back in 1972 and there is a real sixties Pop flavour to the music throughout. Vocals are in their Czech language. I love this stuff.

"Festival" opens with strummed guitar as electric guitar leads jump in then vocals. This is a top three for me. Just so catchy and i like the depth of the music. "Par Tydnu" is another catchy 60's sounding vocal led tune. Harmonies help out and we get a raw guitar solo after 1 1/2 minutes. Another top three. This music just makes me feel sooo good. "Chci Devce Staly" opens with harmonica and a beat. Vocals and guitar follow. Good song. "Dablova Znama" is led by guitar and multi-vocals. Very BEATLES-like. I'm not a big fan of the way "Lady Godiva" starts but man when it kicks in i'm singing along with the chorus and vocal melodies. So uplifting and the final top three for me. "Bytost Podvina" is killer stuff with the abrasive guitar almost in the Neil Young style. Vocals and harmonies too. Good track. "Zarliva Divka" is another good 60's sounding Pop tune with vocals. This is really good.

You've been warned but man this comes across like a greatest hit album because all the songs are so good.

Mellotron Storm | 4/5 | 2012-5-20

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Kenwood-Car-Stereo | TravelBuddies.us ? Travel Tips

Kenwood Car Stereo Lets You Listen To The Future Of Car Audio.

This brand is a household name for every car audio enthusiast. Mention the name Kenwood car stereo and they will know what you?re talking about.

Kenwood car stereos have produced high quality consumer electronics, test equipment and communication equipment since 1946. Kenwood car stereos primarily specialize in the design, engineering and manufacture of wireless communication infrastructure but are also renowned in the production consumer mobile and home entertainment systems. Kenwood car stereos are also committed to creating the finest quality components with state of the art technologies that has earned them a huge following in the audio products scene.

At present, Kenwood car stereos have a very impressive product lineup that would make anyone drool over, whether he is an audio enthusiast or not. For the regular Joe who isn?t really into technical stuff, and is just looking for something nice to put into his ride, Kenwood car stereos offer sleek designs that will surely satisfy anyone?s craving for aesthetic. Tech-freaks and geeks will also be impressed with the specs a Kenwood car stereo has.

A lot of Kenwood car stereo units nowadays include popup LCD panels for watching VCD/DVD movies. The Kenwood KVT-717DVD 7.0? Wide, Fully Motorized In-dash Monitor DVD/WMA/MP3 Receiver is a good candidate for any situation.

? 7.0 inch Wide Color TFT Active Matrix Display
? Full-automatic Open/Close with slide and angle adjustments
? Interactive Touchscreen Control with OSD
? Audio Easy Control Mode while Playing Visual Source
? Selectable Wall Paper (6 Patterns)
? Installer/Backup Memory of Audio/Video Setup
? Maximum Output Power : 50W x 4 (MOSFET Power IC)
? 3 Preouts with 5V Pre-out Level
? 2 RCA AV Inputs / 1 RCA AV Output
? Video Input for Rear View Camera
? RGB Input for Navigation System
? System Q/ System E?s+
? DVD Menu Direct Touch screen Control
? MPEG 1/2 Video files (.mpg) and JPEG files (.jpg) Playback
? Dual Zone Source & Volume Control
? DVD?R/RW Compatible
? External Media Control ? iPod Ready
? Optional TV Tuner

For those who might not get what the hell all of these means, just imagine this: a really thin monitor panel that smoothly retracts and extends at the push of a remote, crystal clear movie and picture playback, all encased in a beautiful black matte finish polymer casing done with a space age design.

If all you want is a just a regular car stereo for playing CDs?, listening to mp3s or the radio, Kenwood car stereo have a lot to choose from. A good head unit would be the KDC-MP928 AAC/WMA/MP3/ CD Receiver with External Media Control.

? Auto-Slide Detachable Faceplate
? Rotary Encoder & Jog Control Knob for Easy Operation
? 4096 Color OEL Display
? Display Customize Function
? Maximum Output Power : 50W x 4 (MOSFET Power IC)
? ACDrive (Advanced Codec Drive)
? AAC/WMA/MP3 Playback
? G-Analyzer (Graphic Motion Analyzer)
? Built-in DSP : DTA/System Q(4band P-EQ)/Digital E?s/SRS
WOW Digital Effect
? O.D.D. (Offset Dual Differential) D/A System for Sound Quality
? Installer/User/Backup Memory of Audio Setup
? SIRIUS Satellite Radio Ready
? HD Radio Ready
? External Media Control ? iPod Ready
? Dual Zone Source & Volume Control
? AUX Input
? Gold Plated 3 Preouts with 5V Pre-output Level

The Kenwood car stereo auto slide detachable faceplate allows you to take the faceplate (one which has all the buttons) in order to prevent theft by taking away the functionality of the unit left in the car.

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