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Dogstar

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  1. Some of my science-minded friends have been posting this video on Facebook. This video is a perfect example of what Ayn Rand described as the failure to distinguish the metaphysical from the man-made. There’s nothing mystical or supernatural about any of this. Math is a man-made epistemological device invented by human beings to measure things. Mathematicians deliberately chose to divide circles into 360 parts (degrees) for the same reason they chose to divide hours into 60 parts (minutes) and divide minutes into 60 parts (seconds): so everything would be highly divisible. The Sumerians invented the base-60 number system which survives today in our system of time. This is like being shocked to “discover” that there are 1,000 millimeters in a meter and presenting this “scientific discovery” as proof that there must be intelligent design inherent in the universe. The intelligent design is inherent in our man-made metric system of measurement.
  2. According to the movie Scream there are certain rules for surviving a horror movie Scream Rules to succesfully survive a horror movie: You may not survive the movie if you have sex. You may not survive the movie if you drink or do drugs. You may not survive the movie if you say "I'll be right back", "Hello?" or "Who's there?" Scream 2 Rules to succesfully survive a horror movie sequel: "Never, ever, under any circumstances assume the killer is dead." Scream 3 Rules to succesfully survive the last chapter of a horror movie trilogy: "You've got a killer who’s gonna be superhuman. Stabbing him won’t work, shooting him won’t work. Basically in the third one, you gotta cryogenically freeze his head, decapitate him, or blow him up." "Anyone, including the main character, can die. "The past will come back to bite you in the ass. Whatever you think you know about the past, forget it. The past is not at rest! Any sins you think were committed in the past are about to break out and destroy you." Scream 4 Rules to succesfully survive a horror movie remake: Virgins can die now. If you want to survive in a modern day horror movie, you pretty much have to be gay.
  3. Thieves are criminals. The "rich" person who had his money stolen was the victim. He's blaming the victim! A person who takes someone else's property without his consent and without giving something of equal value in exchange is a parasite and a thief.
  4. Well said! Of course, if being poor is virtuous, giving money to the poor would be sinful.
  5. There was a time when Jon Stewart's primary concern was to be funny. Humor is now merely a secondary concern. If he keeps heading down this road he'll be as bad as SNL. SNL gave up on being funny around the time that Bush "stole" the election from Gore. The entire cast was so full of rage they lost their ever-loving minds. From that point on, it was war. The humor became a secondary concern. They haven't been funny in years. They are just being a bunch of a-holes delivering insults with a smile on their face to hide their rage and hatred. Obama, Hillary, SNL, and Jon Stewart are all following Saul Alinsky's playbook for "Progressives" Saul Alinsky’s 12 Rules for Radicals RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (They want to create anger and fear.)
  6. I think you misunderstand the meaning of "concrete" as it applies to epistemology. If I witness a particular plane lose a wing and crash, that is a particular concrete event. From that particular, concrete observation I can draw the general conclusion that all planes that lose wings will likewise crash. You could say generally that planes that lose their wings drop like rocks because the rule applies to more than that one particular, concrete plane crash you witnessed.
  7. That depends on whether or not you borrowed the money. Borrowed money does not add to your wealth. If you saved $1,000 of your income and borrowed another $3,000, you'd have $4,000 but your wealth would only be $1,000. Owner's equity (wealth) = Assets (what you own) - Liabilities (what you owe). $1,000 = $4,000 - $3,000
  8. A principal residence is pure consumption. You are consuming the rent income you could be earning on it and every month you live there represents an opportunity cost.
  9. Great question Prosperity! If you’re looking for a generic definition of an investment that would apply to all the different types of investments, I would start by putting together a list of all the different types of investments one could have then start abstracting away their differences until you end up with one definition that applies to all the different types. A speculative investment is one type of an investment. Unlike a bond that promises to pay a 3.00% yield, a speculative investment makes no such promise so it would be impossible to compute an expected return. Beanie babies generate no cash flows but if you buy one in the hopes that someone else will come along & pay you more than what you paid, you have made a speculative investment. A capital investment is when a producer purchases capital goods (the means of production) in the hopes of making a return. Investments can be made with your own money (your savings) or with borrowed money (someone else’s savings or even credit the Fed created out of thin air). To define “investment” you would need to determine what speculative investments, bonds, and capital investments have in common. In all cases you are sacrificing current consumption (of your own money or someone else’s money) to buy an asset in the hope of earning a return. Note that savings & investment are not the same. If I bury cash in my back yard or hide it under my mattress I am saving but I have not made an investment. Investment is a form of spending. If I deposit my money in a bank I have purchased an earning asset (savings account) that will pay me a return (interest). If you want to include human capital investments of your time in your definition of investment you will need to generalize your definition even more. At that point, the only thing that all investments have in common is a sacrifice & a hope of making a return on your investment. By investing in your children, you sacrifice your time in the hopes that you get a fulfilling relationship with them in return. Hope that helps, or at least gives you food for thought.
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