Drama in the Linux world Linus vs Cox; trouble at CentOS

After a dispute with Linus Torvalds, the long time developer and Linux kernel maintainer Alan Cox has stopped development of the Linux TTY subsystem. A debate took place on the Linux kernel mailing list over the question of whether changes in the TTY code should, or could, affect the operation of existing programs

Dispute between Linux gurus Alan Cox and Linus Torvalds



Open Letter to Lance Davis

July 30, 2009 04:39 UTC

This is an Open Letter to Lance Davis from fellow CentOS Developers

It is regrettable that we are forced to send this letter but we are left with no other options. For some time now we have been attempting to resolve these problems:

You seem to have crawled into a hole ... and this is not acceptable.

You have long promised a statement of CentOS project funds; to this date this has not appeared.

You hold sole control of the centos.org domain with no deputy; this is not proper.

You have, it seems, sole 'Founders' rights in the IRC channels with no deputy ; this is not proper.

When I (Russ) try to call the phone numbers for UK Linux, and for you individually, I get a telco intercept 'Lines are temporarily busy' for the last two weeks. Finally yesterday, a voicemail in your voice picked up, and I left a message urgently requesting a reply. Karanbir also reports calling and leaving messages without your reply.

Please do not kill CentOS through your fear of shared management of the project.

Clearly the project dies if all the developers walk away.

Please contact me, or any other signer of this letter at once, to arrange for the required information to keep the project alive at the 'centos.org' domain.

Sincerely,

Russ Herrold
Ralph Angenendt
Karanbir Singh
Jim Perrin
Donavan Nelson
Tim Verhoeven
Tru Huynh
Johnny Hughes

http://www.centos.org/
Also on the website, it states:

Facts Regarding CentOS and the Open Letter to Lance Davis
- CentOS is not Dead or going away.

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I'm good to go for a long time! : "A few extra pounds can add years to your life"

A few extra pounds can add years to your life: study


To sum it up, don't be too fat, and don't be too skinny.

Carrying a little extra weight may actually be good for you, according to a Canadian study that showed a few pounds appear to protect people from an early death.

Researchers found that while underweight and extremely obese people die earlier than people of a normal weight, people who are slightly overweight actually live longer than those of a normal weight.

The findings of the new study were published online in the journal Obesity by researchers at Statistics Canada, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland State University, Oregon Health & Science University, and McGill University.

"It's not surprising that extreme underweight and extreme obesity increase the risk of dying, but it is surprising that carrying a little extra weight may give people a longevity advantage," researcher David Feeny from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research said in a statement.

But fellow researcher Mark Kaplan, professor of Community Health at Portland State University, said while a few extra pounds may protect older people as their health declines, that did not mean people of normal weight should try to add bulk.

"Our study only looked at mortality, not at quality of life, and there are many negative health consequences associated with obesity, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes," said Kaplan.

The study was based on examining the relationship between body mass index and death among 11,326 adults in Canada over a 12-year period using data from the National Population Health Survey.

During the study period, from 1994/1995 through 2006/2007, underweight people were 70 percent more likely than people of normal weight to die, and extremely obese people were 36 percent more likely to die.

But overweight individuals were 17 percent less likely to die. The relative risk for obese people was nearly the same as for people of normal weight.

The researchers said this was the first large Canadian study to show that people who are overweight may actually live longer than those of normal weight. An earlier study, conducted in the United States and published in 2005 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed similar results.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

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C4L: Obama's Regulatory Plan Strengthens Federal Reserve

June 20, 2009

Dear Friend of Liberty,

This week, the Obama administration unveiled another scheme to give more power to an already out of control Federal Reserve under the guise of regulatory "reform." (The 85 page "plan" can be read in its entirety here.)

This Fed power grab will do nothing to help our economy or enable us to take control back from banksters and Wall Street insiders.  Instead, their proposal will address our economic crisis by creating more rules, regulations, and government agencies.  And of course, the plan is to spend more money we don't have to implement this bureaucratic nightmare.

The Federal Reserve, currently taking hits from all sides, receives a substantial increase in powers from this proposal.  Yes, you read that right.  In the midst of the unprecedented squandering of TRILLIONS of taxpayer dollars, the Fed is going to get MORE power, unless you and I stop this scheme.

Click "Read More" to see the rest

According to The Wall Street Journal:

The proposal, if passed into law, would represent one of the biggest changes ever in the Fed's role. The central bank would win power to monitor risks across the financial system, and sweeping authority to examine any firm that could threaten financial stability, even if the Fed wouldn't normally supervise the institution. The nation's biggest and most interconnected firms would be subject to heightened oversight by the central bank....

Read the rest (which also has an Audit the Fed mention) here.

In another WSJ article, we find that:

The Fed emerges from the plan with the power to oversee from top to bottom almost any financial company in the country, including the firms' foreign affiliates....

So any financial firm, even if it doesn't actually own an insured depository institution, would be subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve.

The same institution that fueled the housing bubble and made our current economic crisis possible is now the one who gets to decide who poses a risk to the economy!

The idea that the Fed's power would be increased right now is absurd.

Thanks to the efforts of Ron Paul and Campaign for Liberty supporters, well over half of the House of Representatives is now on record supporting a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve.

So why would Congress even consider granting the Fed new powers?

As you may have seen, recorded testimony from the Fed's Inspector General shows she has NO IDEA how our money is being spent there and NO IDEA what is really going on -- or at least won't say.

And the central bank is under so much fire that it has to hire a lobbyist to defend itself on Capitol Hill.

You might assume that the Fed would be in retreat. Or at least that the Obama administration wouldn't even THINK about granting them new powers right now.

Think again.  Politics trumps logic once more.

Despite all the promises of "change" that were so easy to make during the primary season, the Obama administration is practicing business as usual.

Like previous administrations, its ideas involve centralizing power among a few under the guise of "streamlining" the process. Instead of achieving accountability, this plan will further empower the Fed and their allies on Wall Street and in international banks.

It all goes to show that our work to Audit the Fed is only beginning.

While the support we have so far achieved is historic, you and I are taking on more than just our nation's central bank.

We are challenging a long-held, firmly entrenched mindset that begins and ends any conversation by asking how the federal government can increase its power.

So today, let's do two things:

1. Urge your Congressman and Senators to support H.R. 1207/S. 604, Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill, to pull back the curtain and expose the out of control Fed once and for all.   If your Congressman or Senator is already a cosponsor, urge him or her to do everything in their power to ensure this vital bill comes to a vote in the near future.

2.  Insist your Congressman and Senators resist granting any new power to the Fed by rejecting the Obama administration's new financial regulatory scheme.

Thank you for all your work on behalf of the cause of freedom. In the face of growing threats to everything our movement stands for, your support enables Campaign for Liberty to champion the principles that made this nation great.

In Liberty,

John F. Tate

President

 

P.S.  Your action today is vital to both the continued momentum on passing Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill, AND to fight back against a new scheme from the Obama administration released this week to grant MORE power to the Fed.

Please act quickly, and contact Congress today! Visit our States page and click on your state to get contact information for your Congressman and Senators!

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Congressman Ron Paul on Healthcare (video)

Click "Read More" to read a letter from RP (and another from John Tate) on this subject

Dear Friend,

As both a defender of Liberty and a Medical Doctor, I’m very concerned about the plans the Obama Administration and many in Congress have to increase the government’s role in healthcare.

Medical decisions being made by government bureaucrats, loss of privacy of medical data, and our ability to keep our own insurance and doctors are all up for grabs once Congress starts moving on these government takeover and rationing schemes.

But the good news is you and I can fight back.

Because you’ve joined me in battle before, I wanted you to be among the first people contacted by Campaign for Liberty in their fight against this federal power grab of our healthcare.

As you may know, Campaign for Liberty is carrying the Revolution forward and is leading the fight in Congress and all across the country, mobilizing Patriots to battle.

This battle against government-run healthcare is one I sincerely hope you will join.

Please watch this video I recorded to in response to this Government Healthcare Takeover Plan.

And if you have not already, please take a careful look at the letter below from Campaign for Liberty’s President, John Tate, and do all you can to help our fight for freedom.

For Liberty,

Congressman Ron Paul

-----------

Dear Friend of Liberty:

“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

If these words send a shiver up your spine now... just wait.

What if the next time you hear that, it’s your doctor?

What if it’s the person who decides if you get a life-saving procedure?

If that scares you as much as it scares me, I hope you’ll sumbit the petition below to Congress IMMEDIATELY.

And I hope you’ll join Campaign for Liberty’s fight against this government takeover of our healthcare system by making a generous donation as well.

I'll give you the link for petition in just a moment, but first let me explain how urgent this effort is.

As you’ll see, there’s no time to waste.

You and I must DEMAND President Obama and Congress back off their healthcare rationing Scheme and other plans for government intervention.

There’s no telling when Congress may act to implement their European-style takeover of medicine, so there’s absolutely NO time to waste.

If passed, not only could the $1.5 TRILLION federal government takeover of healthcare be the last straw to bankrupt our country, but it would also:

*** Hand control of our healthcare industry to an unelected federal board who will take charge of deciding who gets medical care -- and who doesn’t;

*** End medical privacy by establishing a nationwide Medical Record Database, allowing virtually anyone in the medical-industrial complex -- even those in foreign countries -- to access your personal medical records WITHOUT your consent;

*** End private health insurance by herding hardworking Americans into a government-sanctioned health insurance boondoggle;

*** Dramatically raise taxes by counting health benefits as “income,” or by forcing businesses and uninsured workers to pay for officially sanctioned insurance.

*** Allow for even more government intrusion into our personal lives by paving the way for bureaucrats to tell us what we can and can’t eat, drink and smoke, like New York City’s ban on smoking and “unapproved” fats in food.

I can tell you my friend; there has never in our history been a more imminent danger of government-run healthcare becoming the law of the land.

That’s why it’s vital you act TODAY!

You see -- two major events have come together to assist their diabolical plans to take over our healthcare.

First, as you know, international banksters and their allies in our federal government raided our Treasury, stole our tax dollars, and nearly sank our economy.

This job-destroying recession - largely caused by an out of control Federal Reserve, Congress and Wall Street - has caused far too many families to have to worry about their jobs – and their healthcare.

And then, just as millions of Americans were feeling the effects of this troubled economy, large-scale fear was foisted upon us by government agencies thirsty for more power and control over our lives.

You see, after radically overhyping the threat to U.S. citizens from the swine flu, the government now believes you are ready to be led to “safety.”

They believe all they have to do is constantly harp about the “high cost of healthcare” and American citizens will instantly fall in line behind their scheme to “take care of us.”

But of course, you and I both know we didn’t get here by accident and we didn’t get here in only the last few months.

The truth is, the answer to our problems is NOT more government involvement in healthcare.

The answer is LESS -- so the free market can inexpensively and efficiently distribute much-needed healthcare services to ALL American citizens.

But, of course, that’s not what those in power in Washington D.C. really want.

After all, that would mean they’d have less POWER and less CONTROL over our lives -- and power and control are EXACTLY what this fight is all about.

You see, this Government Healthcare Takeover and Rationing Scheme strikes at the heart of EVERYTHING you and I hold dear.

You and I believe American citizens ARE NOT cattle to be poked, prodded and herded like livestock by government bureaucrats who “know what’s best for us.”

But under their Big Government Healthcare power grab, you’ll be nothing more than a dehumanized statistic -- a number on a piece of paper.

The Federal Healthcare Rationing Board will make THEIR decisions on what healthcare you and your family receive based not on what YOU or your doctor decide is best . . .

. . . But on what THEY decide is best.

Isn’t your life really worth saving? What about your family’s?

Well, the Obama Administration and their Big Government allies in both parties think you’re too “personally invested” to answer those questions “objectively.”

So they want their own handpicked, Washington, D.C. bureaucrats to answer them for you.

And if you don’t like their decisions?

Well, hopefully you can live with them -- literally.

If that scares you as much as it scares me, I hope you’ll submit the Petition to Congress opposing any Government takeover of healthcare.

Campaign for Liberty will gather these Petitions from hundreds of thousands of supporters nationwide, and use them as part of a huge grassroots blitz on Washington in opposition to government-run healthcare.

You and I must lead this fight to stop the government from taking over yet another area of our lives.

You see, Campaign for Liberty supporters know first-hand what happens when out of control bureaucrats are left to make decisions that impact our freedom.

Think about what that means for your healthcare.

What do you think will happen under a government run healthcare system if your political or religious views happen to be “undesirable?”

What about if you own a gun?

You know, after seeing all those government memos accusing freedom-loving, law-abiding citizens of being “terrorists,” do you really want to find out?

Just like in that case, while we may wonder about the full extent of their schemes, we need only look at what they’re willing to say publicly for clues as to their intentions.

You see, the advocates for government-run healthcare are not at all afraid to say they want a socialized healthcare system like Canada’s.

And you and I know what the government takeover of healthcare in other countries has brought them.

There, folks have to wait over four months just to see a specialist -- and over SIX MONTHS for simple surgical procedures!

Can you imagine that? Is that really what we want for ourselves and our families?

Well, Ron Paul and Campaign for Liberty strongly say “NO!”

But as it stands now, not enough Americans understand what’s at stake for them and their families.

That means our backs are TRULY against the wall.

The good news in this fight is that IF you and I show Americans what Government Health Care is really all about, we CAN defeat it.

But to succeed, it’s up to you and me to flood the White House and Congress with a TIDAL WAVE of public opposition.

That’s why Campaign for Liberty is pulling out all the stops to inform folks about the facts -- and urge them to express their outrage to Washington, D.C.

We’ll start with these Petitions, which we’ll gather and deliver in the coming weeks. But of course, that won’t be all.

E-mail blasts. Blogs. Direct mail. Phone banking.

Town halls, meet-ups, leaflet drops.

Newspaper, radio and television ads.

Media and PR blitzes from Campaign for Liberty staff and supporters.

But such an extensive program isn’t cheap.

And it’s the ONLY way we’re going to defeat further erosions of our freedoms and the government’s takeover of our healthcare.

So in addition to submitting a signed Petition, please make your most generous contribution of $250, $100 or $50 TODAY!

The truth is, without your IMMEDIATE action, I’m afraid there just won’t be enough time or money to do everything that needs to be done.

And I’m sure you’ll agree, this is not a fight you and I can afford to lose. And that no one can bring the heat quite like you and your fellow Patriots. Just look at how much progress we are making toward Auditing the Fed!

So please click here to submit your petition along with a contribution of $250, $100 or $50 TODAY!

Power-hungry politicians in Washington, D.C. are intent on ramming this bill into law before the American people realize what’s at stake.

That’s why we may not have much time.

So please click here to submit your Petition and generous contribution of $250, $100 or $50 IMMEDIATELY!

Sincerely,

John F. Tate
President

P.S. The Federal Government is poised to hand over your healthcare, your medical records, and decisions over even life and death to unelected bureaucrats.

There’s not a moment to waste if you want to keep your freedom, your doctor, even the power to decide whether you receive life-saving medical care.

Please join Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty today in our fight to stop a Big Government takeover of Healthcare, before it’s too late!

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People are not smart enough to make their own decisions...

so the government has to do it for us.


Senate approves FDA reg of tobacco

At least this guy got a reduced sentence, being he was obeying state law to the letter. Federal law has to control as much as possible, in order to justify its existence.
366 day sentence for pot dispensary owner


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For Today:

Saddam sees death as a Sacrifice for Iraq

Bush set to make Iraq statement
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Interesting Reading

Saddam's Trial : "A Travesty"


Fidel still dominating Cuba
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