04
Dec 07

Saude, Educacao e Direitos

Path: mv.asterisco.pt!mvalente
From: mvale…@ruido-visual.pt (Mario Valente)
Newsgroups: mv
Subject: Saude, Educacao e Direitos
Date: Tue, 04 Dec 07 21:07:21 GMT

E que nao falha: sempre que oico alguem a papaguear
“ah e tal a saude e a educacao sao direitos de todos
e portanto tem de ser publicos”, nao tarda nem cinco
minutos para ouvir a parte do “mas para os meus filhos
nao serve, como posso eu mando-os para a escola e para
o hospital particular”…

E de hipocrisia, incoerencia e imoralidade atrozes.

O problema esta na interpretacao do que e um “direito”.
E que ter um “direito” nao e ter uma *garantia*; ter um
“direito” e poder ter livre acesso (livre as in freedom,
not as in gratis) a algo, se a esse algo se puder alcancar…

Health Care Is Not A Right

“Government intervention in medicine is immoral in principle and
. . . disastrous in practice. No man . . . has a right to medical
care; if he cannot pay for what he needs, then he must depend on
voluntary charity. Government financing of medical expenses . . .
even if it is for only a fraction of the population, necessarily
means eventual enslavement of the doctors and, as a result, a
profound deterioration in the quality of medical care for everyone,
including the aged and the poor.”

[Leonard Peikoff, “Medicine: The Death of a Profession,”
http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?id=13873&page=NewsArticle

— MV


04
Dec 07

Books Left on the Queue

Path: mv.asterisco.pt!mvalente
From: mvale…@ruido-visual.pt (Mario Valente)
Newsgroups: mv
Subject: Books Left on the Queue
Date: Tue, 04 Dec 07 20:47:21 GMT

I have finally finished up with the ITIL Library
and with the “Dreaming Void”:

http://mv.asterisco.pt/2007/Nov/cat.cgi?Book%20Reading%20Update

Not up to my usual speed, but one has to take into
account the “density” of the referred items, both in
terms of content and number of pages (the Void clocks
in at 647 pages).

The books left on the reading queue should be enough
to make it through to Xmas (when I expect the usual
batch from Amazon, courtesy of Cristina’s online shopping)

Mavericks at Work
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mavericks-Work-Original-Minds-Business/dp/0007244061/

Egonomics
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Egonomics-David-Marcum/dp/1416533230/

I started into Mavericks just last night; this and the
Amazon batch will hopefully psych me up for the upcoming year.

— MV


03
Dec 07

Phone-Ix

Path: mv.asterisco.pt!mvalente
From: mvale…@ruido-visual.pt (Mario Valente)
Newsgroups: mv
Subject: Phone-Ix
Date: Mon, 03 Dec 07 10:40:21 GMT

Anda-se por ai nos blogs e e’ ver uma carrada
de posts a criticar o nome do novo MVNO dos CTT.

http://www.phone-ix.pt/

Nao sou marketoide, nao vou comentar a estrategia
de branding. Nem sou Zandinga, portanto nao sei se
vai resultar bem ou mal (depende das pessoas, o que
significa que tanto pode ser uma como outra).

No entanto dois factos incontornaveis:

– toda a genta fala ou ouviu falar do Phone-Ix

– o gajo que nos CTT decidiu correr o risco (que o e


01
Dec 07

Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal

Path: mv.asterisco.pt!mvalente
From: mvale…@ruido-visual.pt (Mario Valente)
Newsgroups: mv
Subject: Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 07 14:41:21 GMT

Capitalism is the progressive ideal, because it is the
only social system that that leaves man free to pursue —
and achieve — his own happiness.

Capitalism is the ethical ideal, because it is the only
social system that leaves man free to be moral — to live
by the use of his own mind.

Capitalism is the objective ideal — because it is the only
system that is true, both in philosophical theory and in
economic practice.

Capitalism is the unknown ideal…until now.

http://www.capitalism.org/tour/preamble1.htm

— MV


01
Dec 07

Sad, Strange, Beautiful Songs

Path: mv.asterisco.pt!mvalente
From: mvale…@ruido-visual.pt (Mario Valente)
Newsgroups: mv
Subject: Sad, Strange, Beautiful Songs
Date: Sat, 01 Dec 07 14:17:21 GMT

Fish – Gentleman’s Excuse Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TAEej_GShw

Jean Michel Jarre – Souvenir of China
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORmuUI-FLwo

Setima Legiao – Sete Mares
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwSVKBXd4w

Michael Hedges – Because It’s There
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTC7kPZZmuM

Jean Beauvoir – Sorry I Missed Your Wedding Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjpmOmtw7AQ

— MV