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Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi -- for free
PRI in the News
By: Verne Kopytoff, Ryan Kim
9.30.2005
Google Inc. has offered to blanket San Francisco with free wireless Internet access at no cost to the city, placing a marquee name behind Mayor Gavin Newsom's effort to get all residents online whether they are at home, in a park or in a cafe.
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Why Americans Shouldn't Rage Against the Machine
Technology Op-Ed
9.30.2005
The 9th Annual Gilder/Forbes Telecosm (sic) Conference took place this week at Lake Tahoe. Officially, the theme was "the Singularity," an artificial intelligence term denoting the emergence of transformative technological change. But the main meme revolved around a slightly less sexy idea: kiosks.
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Teaching without tenure
Education Op-Ed
By: Lance T. Izumi, J.D.
9.29.2005
The California Teachers Association (CTA) has announced it will spend $5 million to fight Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ballot measure to lengthen the probationary period for teacher tenure in California public schools. CTA says reforming tenure policies won't improve education. The hard evidence on teachers and tenure says otherwise.
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Prop. 75 backers, foes scrap at Capitol
PRI in the News
By: Christian Berthelsen
9.28.2005
SACRAMENTO -- Conservative proponents of a November ballot initiative that would make it more difficult for public employee unions to make political contributions faced harsh questioning Tuesday from a legislative panel stocked with labor-friendly Democrats, who called the measure a sham and accused one backer of "trying to take control of the government."
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Governor, Teachers Argue Over Prop 74 Schwarzenegger Supports 74
PRI in the News
By: Lyanne Melendez
9.27.2005
California could become only the second state in the nation with a five-year tenure law for public school teachers. Missouri is the other state. Voters will decide in November whether to change the law from the current two years to five. The governor is a strong supporter of the change, and that has enraged most teachers who say Prop 74 does more harm than good.
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Counterfeit Drugs will double by 2010
Health Care
9.25.2005
Counterfeit drug sales are growing at nearly twice the rate of those for genuine pharmaceutical products, according to a report by former FDA Associate Commissioner for External Relations Peter Pitts.
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A Capitalist Solution to Freeing China
Technology Op-Ed
9.23.2005
If America is to maintain its place in the world, its high-tech leaders need to embrace freedom and capitalism. Those concepts not only define the underlying principles of a just world, but they also speak to what technology firms must do to survive on the world stage.
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Unsafe in Any Dose
PRI in the News
By: David Holman
9.22.2005
Brushing off the risks inherent in drug reimportation schemes, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has a standard retort: "Show me the dead Canadians."
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Aging: A Disease Technologists Are Getting Ready to Tackle
Technology Op-Ed
9.16.2005
The world's oldest person is 115 years old, and while that might seem impressive, it's only the beginning. Advances in technology are poised to usher in longer and better life spans, a reality the general public has been slow to notice and the subject of a conference this weekend at Stanford University.
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A Prescription for Scarcity
Health Care Op-Ed
By: John R. Graham
9.11.2005
Californians are concerned about their health care. The number of uninsured has increased, as has the cost of health insurance. We question the quality of our health care. We are anxious about rising costs. Some of us look to government for relief, but what role does government actually play? The Orange County Register Commentary section has joined with the Pacific Research Institute, a California free-market think tank, to run a series of articles on the topic of a Healthy California. Today, the institute's director of health care studies, John R. Graham, examines the consequences of SB840, proposed legislation that would impose single-payer health care in California.
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Lay Off the Pills
Health Care Op-Ed
By: Sally C. Pipes
9.10.2005
Senator John McCain recently told health care executives gathered in Phoenix that the pharmaceutical industry has justifiably gone from revered to reviled in the eyes of the public.
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Texas Leads the Way for IPTV
Technology Op-Ed
9.9.2005
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is set to grow tenfold by 2010, but according to industry reports the leader won't be the United States. Instead, countries such as China, France, and Italy are forecast to lead. It's possible, however, that recent changes in Texas and at the Federal Communications Commission will give the U.S. a boost.
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PRI Press Release: California Charter Schools Succeed Where Others Fail
Press Release
9.7.2005
SAN FRANCISCO – Some of California’s charter schools, often serving low-income regions, are shattering the status quo and producing remarkable gains in student achievement. According to a new book by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools, the reasons for these schools’ success are simple – proven curriculum, student testing, discipline, teacher accountability, and high expectations.
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REACHing for Improvement
Education Op-Ed
By: K. Lloyd Billingsley
9.7.2005
In less than a decade, by 2013-14, every student in America will be required to reach proficiency in reading and math, according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). But those students who need help the most may be left behind nonetheless — owing to the perverse incentives and simplistic growth targets that characterize most states' approaches to meeting NCLB requirements.
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Lawsuit ignores who's gouging whom on drug prices
Health Care Op-Ed
By: John R. Graham
9.2.2005
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has decided that cutting prescription drug prices constitutes "gouging the public." That's what he claimed last week while launching a lawsuit against 39 pharmaceutical companies for defrauding Medi-Cal. This government agency, as Lockyer's findings show, is incapable of controlling costs as well as private buyers could.
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The New Security Threat: Federal Bureaucrats
Technology Op-Ed
9.2.2005
A new threat to national security surfaced this week and if federal agencies fail to address it, they could hamstring important tools to catch terrorists. The General Accounting Office (GAO) reported this week that federal agencies are breaking privacy and security laws while conducting data-mining activities. According to the GAO, of the five federal agencies examined, "none followed all key procedures."
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