BlackSabbath
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Posts posted by BlackSabbath
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My favorites are Terry Goodkind, Philip Pullman, George R. R. Martin, Orson Scott Card (mostly for Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Enchantment), J. K. Rowling, and Koushun Takami (he has only written one novel, Battle Royale, which is the best thriller I have ever read).
I second J.K. Rowling and Terry Goodkind and add the hilarious Terry Pratchett and the absorbing Katharine Kerr.
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The Objectivist Forum book - a compendium of the magazine from 1980-87 - shows how Nietzsche can superficially appeal to an Objectivist but shows that, ultimately, he is a racist and an irrationalist.
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I have yet to meet an honest Objectivist on this forum, so I will not be visiting again. If you take offense at my accusation, feel free to refute it, but I will not be reading it. I would say "may God have mercy on your souls," but since God is a fiction, I suppose you're doomed.
Translation: Troll, troll, troll, my name is Troll McTroll etc.....
We have guys like this at the capitalism magazine forum.
One said farewell because he both wanted to combine catholicism with Capitalism and couldn't refute our arguments.
(I love that emoticon).In this case, there doesn't seem to be any evidence to back up his assertion so you are probably well rid of him.
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There was a BBC show on this guy and his loathsome family a few weeks ago.
Here is conclusive proof that you should not waste your time with people you know to be idiots.
(I love that emoticon). -
If someone worked 60 hours a week (although companies like Walmart like to employ them for 39 so the won't be full-time) at $6/hour, that would be $360 a week and roughly $14k a year... and that's if they can fine a second job since WalMart won't give them fulll-time. 14K pre-tax for a 60 hour work week and no vacation... That kind of sucks...
Your arithmetic is dire. A 60 hour week at $6 an hour is $18720.
Can I just point out that the state is the villain of the piece by taxing people and regulating the economy, therefore reducing the average amount of capital, per head, creating unemployment and lowering people's living standards?
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try 'Stream Of Passion' also featuring Arjen Lucassen and Within Temptation.How remiss of me, I forgot Ayreon, tech metal for geeks!And I had it on my Sony MP3 player at the gym, too.
JJM
Look up 'Ice Queen' on you tube.
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My favorite Bond movie is Doctor No. I highly recommend it to everyone. (By the way, it most closely follows the book of any of the Bond movies.)
'On her Majesty's Secret Service' is the closest film to the book by a mile.
The book contains the best chapter I have ever read, entitled 'death for breakfast'. All Bond buffs should read it, it's absolutely brilliant.
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Who here has read the book, by Ian Fleming?
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Question:
Who here has read Casino Royale by Ian Fleming?
If you have, what did you think of it?
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By Diana from NoodleFood,cross-posted by MetaBlog
I haven't even had time to read <A HREF="http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0306/p09s01-coop.html?page=1">this Christian Science Monitor</a> essay on the 50th anniversary of Atlas Shrugged by Christian economist Mark Skousen, but I thought I should link to it sooner rather than later, as I'd love to see some good letters to the editor written in reply!
Just as well you haven't read it, it's loathsome.
Here are some truly woeful quotes, with my comments in brackets:
"There is much to commend, and much to condemn, in "Atlas Shrugged." Its object – to restore man to his rightful place in a free society – is wholesome. But its ethical basis – an inversion of the Christian values that predicate authentic capitalism – poisons its teachings. "
"But there's a dark side to Rand's teachings. Her defense of greed and selfishness, her diatribes against religion and charitable sacrificing for others who are less fortunate, and her criticism of the Judeo- Christian virtues under the guise of rational Objectivism have tarnished her advocacy of unfettered capitalism. Still, Rand's extreme canard is a brilliant invention that serves as an essential counterpoint in the battle of ideas. "
". Rand's plot violates a key tenet of business existence, which is to constantly work within the system to find ways to make money. Real-world entrepreneurs are compromisers and dealmakers, not true believers. They wouldn't give a hoot for Galt. "
(Can I just add that this is downright idiocy. 'Real-world entrepeneurs' are indeed compromisers and deal-makers and they helped to prop of totalitarian and genocidal regimes throughout the world. quite a few German businessman thought Hitler would be good for them and we all know what happened after that.)
"Rand, of course, knows this. And that's OK, because "Atlas Shrugged" is about philosophy, not business. In her world, there are two kinds of people: those who serve and satisfy themselves only and those who believe that they should strive to serve and satisfy others. She calls the latter "altruists." "
(How about people who trade with their fellow man to each other's mutual benefit? Just ignore that why don't you?)
" Must we accept her materialist metaphysics in which, as Whittaker Chambers wrote in 1957, "Randian Man, like Marxian Man, is made the center of a godless world"? "
(Has this guy read the same book I have?)
"Perhaps a true capitalist spirit can best be summed up in the commandment, "Love thy neighbour as thyself" (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39)."
(?!?!?!?!?)
and he finishes with: "John Galt – it's time to come home and go to work."
Dear oh dear. Good luck writing letters about this.
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I am also a big fan of Nightwish. I will check out the other bands you have recommended.
Also try Xandria at www.xandria.de for a band not miles away from Nightwish. You should really enjoy Operatika as well.
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I tend to like selected forms of heavy metal.
Some of the bands that I am presently really interested in are:
Lacuna Coil, a gothic metal band from Italy. In particular, the song I have linked here is my favorite song by this group. It is called "Heaven's a Lie."
i've seen them live.
I recommend Nightwish, Within temptation and Edebridge as well. I also recommend Operatika as well.
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Would you mind telling me why? Because I, for one, accept the idea that the exchange paradigm doesn't hold in a fiat money economy.
Felix, you say earlier 'In any market, every dollar that enters it has to leave it. ' and I asked what happens in an inflation, such as Weimar Germany had.
What is your answer?
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Being a newbie in this area myself, I still wonder if I can pull off defending this theory, but I'll give it a try.
Let's start with a simple problem:
In any market, every dollar that enters it has to leave it.
Does it? why?
How about Germany between 1919 and 1923, albeit with deutschmarks instead of dollars?
This entire thread obscures the difference between wealth and money.
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One difference is that he is definitely not a newbie to Objectivism.
Did he say that in the thread he threatened to have me banned on?
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I lot of people on this forum are like that.
There is a guy who posted here, a couple of weeks ago, who held that to be an Objectivist, one must be teetotal.
When I said, 'If you don't like whisky, that leaves all the more for me.
', he threatened to have me banned. -
By that statement you have boldly declared yourself to be an adversary of Ayn Rand's stance against mind-altering substances. I shall report you to the moderators and have you removed from future posting.
Actually, I'm well known here and as an Objectivist, not a troll.
The fact is that I enjoy a drink. My Grandfather also enjoys his whisky. My father, an alcoholic, does not enjoy his drink and drinks to escape, al a 'the pleasure-seeking personality' described in 'The Virtue of Selfishness'. BTW, I have no idea how it feels to be drunk as I've never been any where near drunk.
The fact remains that if you don't drink whisky, that leaves all the more for me.
(I love that emoticon) -
In the years since I first encountered Objectivism, not one ounce of alcohol has passed my lips.
If you don't drink whisky, then that leaves all the more for me.
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Has anyone read Victor Hugo's "Ninety Three"? I have read half of "Les Mis", and was blown away by it, but so far "93" isn't very impressive.
I enjoyed most of it but Hugo ethics are dire and the ending had me raging.
It didn't help that the translation of the scene that Ayn Rand quotes from was different than the one she read.
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I quit going there years ago. It seemed to be an endless flame war between a troll and the membership. Then there was the 10 minute posting thing. I think that was the kicker for me. What is the web address?
the 10 minute posting rule is no more and as for trolls, I have a simple policy:
delete, delete, delete!
I love deleting posts!
(I love that emoticon). -
The Capitalism Magazine forum is back up, for those of you who miss it.
The 10 minute time limit on posting is no more
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That was the only part I was kind of iffy about, but one look at the expression on the character's face makes it readily apparent that he has no desire to be doing this; he really looked like he didn't want to be there and it's not like he wasn't trying to work.
I've not seen the movie but I know that Braddock did indeed pay back all his welfare money after he had won his world title.
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A socialist friend put forward an interesting argument about property. When someone owns property they have freedom but are they not depriving other people of freedom by preventing others from using that property?
No. Ask him to define his terms? What does me mean by freedom? Does he mean anarchy?
The cancellation of private property, in all forms of socialism, is totalitarian and, if you check 'Socialism' by Ludwig von Mises, you will find that socialism makes economic calculation impossible.
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Inspector,
I think thats a rather weighty assumption. In the Laissez Faire system of the 19th century, many destitute people were left without aide, and some even starved to death in the most civilized of nations- including orphans and children.
Where was this laissez-faire? How did it mean starvation for the poor?
Favorite Contempory Authors?
in Literature
Posted
Muggle.
JK Rowling books are superbly plotted and always have a brilliant twist worthy of 'The Usual Suspects' or 'L.A. Confidential'.