The state-socialist model: The public puts up the capital and takes the risk but if the enterprise succeeds the profits are private

The government awards grants to think-tanks, companies, foundations, and universities to undertake research. However the published results of these studies oftentimes end up behind the pay-wall of a privately held for-profit company. Some are beginning to challenge that by boycotting the principal profiteer of this style of the "public pays for but private companies profit from" model.

" 'The government pays me and other scientists to produce work,' say this piece in the Chronicle of High Education, 'and we give it away to private entities,' says Brett S. Abrahams, an assistant professor of genetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 'Then they charge us to read it.' Mr. Abrahams signed the pledge on Tuesday after reading about it on Facebook."

That may all be about to change though. Some of the people doing the research are threatening to boycott Elsevier publishing company, a major player in this scheme and thereby cutting off the oxygen that this scam needs to live. Heh.

weblog

A photo essay about an abandoned island city - Mg Photo Agency
"The feeling of being in some far off post-apocalyptic land is immense. To experience a place where every way you turn is abandoned desolation, immediately overwhelms; you do not need to imagine what it would be like to stand in a once occupied city after a plague, The Bomb, or at the end of time."


Airborne Laser zaps in-flight missile- CNET
A flying Maginot Line. Very expensive, and very impressive too, (in a geez-whiz! kinda way), but largely worthless unless you have it deployed exactly where and when the NorKs, Iran, China, India or Pakistan or whoever else are about to launch a nuke at the U.S.
Secession In The Air - Taki's Magazine
"The secession taking place in America is a secession of the heart—of people who have come to believe the government is 'them', and not 'us'." Heh.
Australian Judge Rules Facts Cannot Be Copyrighted - Slashdot.org/
Regardless of the amount of effort that was spent collecting them.
Why Tenure Harms Education - American Thinker
Backpack-style rifle slings - Gun Slings Direct.com/
What biathlon competitors use to hold their rifles securely while downhill skiing.
Not all fun & games at Olympics - Washington Post
Mob smashes windows in downtown Vancouver shopping area. Friday night too.