U.S. scores dead last again in healthcare study

U.S. scores dead last again in healthcare study | Reuters
The United States ranked last when compared to
six other countries -- Britain, Canada, Germany,
Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, the Commonwealth Fund report
found.
...

The report looks at five measures of
healthcare -- quality, efficiency, access to care, equity and the
ability to lead long, healthy, productive lives.

Britain, whose nationalized healthcare
system was widely derided by opponents of U.S. healthcare reform, ranks
first in quality while the Netherlands ranked first overall on all
scores, the Commonwealth team found.

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Australia - Big Brother will be watching you

Australian Government To Force Internet Users To Install State-Approved Software - informationliberation
The
Australian government is set to intensify its war against Internet
freedom by forcing web users to install state-approved anti-virus
software. If they fail to do so, they will be denied an Internet
connection, or if their computer is later infected, the user's
connection will be terminated.



"AUSTRALIANS would be forced to install anti-virus and firewall
software on their computers before being allowed to connect to the
internet under a new plan to fight cyber crime. And if their computer
did get infected, internet service providers like Telstra and Optus
could cut off their connection until the problem was resolved," reports
News.com.au. ...

US funds to warlords for protection ends up being paid to the Taliban as bribes

Funding the Afghan Taliban - INSIDE STORY - Al Jazeera English
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In an ironic twist of events, US citizens have discovered that it
is their tax money that indirectly funds Taliban - the very people their
troops are fighting in Afghanistan.
 
A congressional
investigation revealed that millions of dollars spent by the US
military for security puposes has inadvertently gone into the pockets
of the Taliban.

The US pays millions of dollars annually to local warlords across
Afghanistan in exchange for gunmen to protect the supply convoys.
 
Investigations
revealed that these gunmen in turn bribed the Taliban not to attack.
 
When
convoys refused to pay warlords, their trucks were often attacked.
 
The
report concluded that this has undermined US efforts to end corruption
and build an effective Afghan government. On the contrary, it has
unwittingly funded the insurgency.

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