long term for high cholesterol, some causes of heart burn, and maybe some other things [the new reply setup hides the message you replied to from me], but i can tell you right now that for Asthma, at least, diet and exercise often don't do shit. [admittedly, some people, exercise helps. others though, it really, really doesn't.]
for those other things, a short term 'get out of immediate danger' type drug isn't a bad idea, i think... but the long term solution really should be diet and exercise. people just suck at sticking to such a program when unhealthy food is cheaper/easier to get, and their jobs don't include said exercise. [paying to exercise just feels like getting shafted twice, for one thing...]
none of the above in any way excuses pharmaceutical company's behavior, mind you.
on the other hand, that 'lord' before his name does make him nobility, and they have been known, from time to time, to grasp technology very quickly, when they stood to benefit from, or at least not loose out on, it.
also means, if memory serves, that he's not chosen for his position based on his ability to convince people that they'll pay less in taxes, or to look good in photos. that probably helps.
Sales taxes are a slightly different thing, i would expect.
They're a consumer tax, going to the appropriate level of government for the situation, and a dodge to avoid raising/implementing income taxes while achieving approximately the same effect, though admittedly allowing one to make exemptions and variable rates based on different factors. [plus a lot more paperwork for all concerned except said consumer, but never mind].
That's the case here, anyway. Might be different where you are.
While it may achieve the same net effect on the market, the logic, at least, makes a heck of a lot more sense.
... sometimes government regulation is a good thing
when it's done properly. Unlike the sort of problems above, in NZ there Is competition to provide internet services. And phone services, for that matter.
the wholesalers [the ones who own the land lines and the cell phone towers and all that good stuff], and I'll admit there are only two of them, have government mandated minimums in what they must provide in all Sorts of things. [side effect of the older one originally being a government department and the deals involved in unbundling the network]. the retailers [actual ISPs, in the case of the internet stuff] are ridiculously numerous and compete just like any other business. works very well.
[it should also be noted that cable tv is a VERY new thing, in practice, here, and is provided as something of a 'bonus' by one of the wholesalers as a side effect of them running fiber optic lines in the first place. it's 90+% just an alternate delivery method for ground station [?] and satellite[which we've had for AGES] tv though. so, no actual 'cable' companies.]
admittedly, there were some interesting hiccups near the beginning when the older wholesaler was also a retailer, but that got split up so it's all good.
so, yeah, we have a functional duopoly in the 'dumb pipes' role, which can't pull anything stupid without getting sat on by the government, and a nice competitive environment over the entire country for actual provision of services.
for all the problems my own country has, it always amuses me when i see instances where government intervention and limitation of corporate freedoms [not actual individual's Rights, mind you] have been of great benefit.
all this aside, sucks for the folks in Canada. And the US, for that matter. If it's a big deal, may i suggest emigration?
here's question: what kind of hoverboard wouldn't work on water? one would think that'd be half of the point. [still, falling off and drowning is a viable outcome...]
On the other hand: yay! Such judges do exist! The world is not quite entirely doomed!
But yeah. That is pretty sad.
It's always seemed to me that a lot of cases would be better settled [mostly civil, but some criminal too] by way of the law saying 'in the event that thing x happens/is desputed, it may be brought before a judge' ... and says nothing else. the judge listens to the sides and then says "here's the solution. go do it"
Well, arguably when the individual in question is acting in his capacity as... whatever he's employed as, one could make the case for it. In his free time? not so much.
I'm pretty sure it'd be more useful to pour the gasoline on the whitehouse. setting Yourself on fire just makes you look like an idiot and/or attention whore, and if you screw up, you're dead.
still probably not terribly productive though.
this, like many of life's problems, could be solved by the proper application of explosives.
[wonder if this sort of comment gets me on watchlists anywhere interesting? *laughs*]
On the post: Major Labels Accused Of $6 Billion Worth Of Copyright Infringement In Canada
Re: Re:
the odds of it actually occurring are almost non existent, but still.
On the post: Pay-For-Delay Agreements Again Show How Pharma Abuses Patent Law To Harm Us All
Re: Re: long term drug therapy
for those other things, a short term 'get out of immediate danger' type drug isn't a bad idea, i think... but the long term solution really should be diet and exercise. people just suck at sticking to such a program when unhealthy food is cheaper/easier to get, and their jobs don't include said exercise. [paying to exercise just feels like getting shafted twice, for one thing...]
none of the above in any way excuses pharmaceutical company's behavior, mind you.
On the post: TV Exec Upset When Daughter Doesn't Want To Bring TV To College
Disturbing
On the post: Why Would Countries Leave ACTA Negotiations If Text Was Public?
Re: Re: Re:
[I'm sure trappings wasn't the word i had in mind when i started, but the one i wanted escaped me
On the post: UK Politicians Pushing Back On Mandelson's Digital Economy Bill
Re: Is this a fake story?
also means, if memory serves, that he's not chosen for his position based on his ability to convince people that they'll pay less in taxes, or to look good in photos. that probably helps.
On the post: Australia Moves Forward With (Weakened) System To Have Artists Paid Multiple Times For Same Artwork
Re: very easy to get around the law
On the post: Australia Moves Forward With (Weakened) System To Have Artists Paid Multiple Times For Same Artwork
Re:
They're a consumer tax, going to the appropriate level of government for the situation, and a dodge to avoid raising/implementing income taxes while achieving approximately the same effect, though admittedly allowing one to make exemptions and variable rates based on different factors. [plus a lot more paperwork for all concerned except said consumer, but never mind].
That's the case here, anyway. Might be different where you are.
While it may achieve the same net effect on the market, the logic, at least, makes a heck of a lot more sense.
On the post: Swedish Court Gets One Right: Won't Shut Down OpenBitTorrent
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Yes, But Will Sergey Brin Take Peter Mandelson Out To Dinner At A Fancy Resort?
Re: "The arguments of lawyers and engineers..."
Their customers.
Yeah, good job there, bankers.
On the post: Neat Trick: Rogers Offers Online Video And Broadband Cap To Punish You For Using It
... sometimes government regulation is a good thing
the wholesalers [the ones who own the land lines and the cell phone towers and all that good stuff], and I'll admit there are only two of them, have government mandated minimums in what they must provide in all Sorts of things. [side effect of the older one originally being a government department and the deals involved in unbundling the network]. the retailers [actual ISPs, in the case of the internet stuff] are ridiculously numerous and compete just like any other business. works very well.
[it should also be noted that cable tv is a VERY new thing, in practice, here, and is provided as something of a 'bonus' by one of the wholesalers as a side effect of them running fiber optic lines in the first place. it's 90+% just an alternate delivery method for ground station [?] and satellite[which we've had for AGES] tv though. so, no actual 'cable' companies.]
admittedly, there were some interesting hiccups near the beginning when the older wholesaler was also a retailer, but that got split up so it's all good.
so, yeah, we have a functional duopoly in the 'dumb pipes' role, which can't pull anything stupid without getting sat on by the government, and a nice competitive environment over the entire country for actual provision of services.
for all the problems my own country has, it always amuses me when i see instances where government intervention and limitation of corporate freedoms [not actual individual's Rights, mind you] have been of great benefit.
all this aside, sucks for the folks in Canada. And the US, for that matter. If it's a big deal, may i suggest emigration?
The South Pacific's nice this time of year ;-)
On the post: The Uselessness Of Amazon's Announcement That Kindle Is Its Best Selling Product
Re: dude!!!!!!!!
On the post: Don't Blame Facebook For Some Kids Beating Up Another Student
Re: Sick of this
that said, i approve the above post.
On the post: Filmmaker Allowed To Use The Name Rin Tin Tin To Describe Rin Tin Tin
Re: i could
On the post: Tiburon Approves Recording Every Car That Enters/Leaves... Despite More Evidence Of Traffic Camera Abuse In UK
Re:
Especially if it's serious.
On the post: Label Exec Arrested For Not Using Twitter To Disperse Crowd At Mall To See Singer
Re:
On the post: Spanish Court Dismisses Complaint From Nintendo Against Counterfiet DS Cartridges, Since They Add Functionality
Re:
But yeah. That is pretty sad.
It's always seemed to me that a lot of cases would be better settled [mostly civil, but some criminal too] by way of the law saying 'in the event that thing x happens/is desputed, it may be brought before a judge' ... and says nothing else. the judge listens to the sides and then says "here's the solution. go do it"
I'm not explaining that properly... meh *shrugs*
On the post: ESPN Writer Suspended From Twitter
Re: Re:
On the post: ESPN Writer Suspended From Twitter
Re: Re: Re:
That's impressive.
Of course, you then forgot a 'between' after the 'as', but one can't have everything.
[Surprisingly, there is absolutely no sarcasm in this comment]
On the post: Copyright Extension Moves To Japan
Re: Re:
that said, a lot of weirdness in Japanese law can be traced back to US interference.
of course, it's Japan. it's also just outright weird in the first place :D
On the post: No, ACTA Secrecy Is Not 'Normal' -- Nor Is It A 'Distraction'
Re:
still probably not terribly productive though.
this, like many of life's problems, could be solved by the proper application of explosives.
[wonder if this sort of comment gets me on watchlists anywhere interesting? *laughs*]
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