Sirius1
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Posts posted by Sirius1
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You have chosen to risk your lives for the defense of this country. I will not insult you by saying that you are dedicated to selfless service — it is not a virtue in my morality. In my morality, the defense of one's country means that a man is personally unwilling to live as the conquered slave of any enemy, foreign or domestic. This is an enormous virtue. Some of you may not be consciously aware of it. I want to help you to realize it.
^ from Address To The Graduating Class Of The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York — March 6, 1974
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The overarching purpose of PTK is to recruit high-GPA students to low-prestige schools.
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If you can get the forum listed here and here as a safe haven for students wanting to start their own campus club, it could be an excellent growth opportunity. The Local Forums could be expanded to accommodate them, and moderation could be delegated as needed.
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He is not compromising by wearing common clothing anymore than he is compromising by speaking a common language. Why did you ask your question in English?
What currency was your last paycheck in, and why did you agree to that?
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at some point, you become large enough to buy the government. Therefore, there should be caps on how much corporations can make and how much CEOs can make and/or we should increase taxes on the rich.
Non sequitur
After all, they say, many of the rich earned that money illegitimately.Non sequitur
However, the thing they miss is .... They also miss that ... For that reason, I suggest we get it as small as we can.Appeal to consequences of a belief
the lower taxes you have, the more prosperous and less leech-like corporations would be.Non sequitur
Also, using one logical fallacy to reply to another would be an example of "two wrongs make a right."
/edit: format
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You say that I need to provide evidence for my CLAIMS?
If you are offering only unsubstantiated opinions, then how are you different from the psychiatrists that you describe, that offer medication without proof for their assertions?
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I do not value my fatherland much. However, it might be that I will be forced to live in it for economic reasons, or do not have the courage to immigrate to another one. What am I to do in such a case?
First of all, do not say "forced to live in it for economic reasons." No one is forcing you to do anything. I think that you mean, "I lack the money to move," or "I do not know how I will make money if I move," neither of which is insurmountable. Choosing to be sharper in the way that you interpret reality will help you regardless of your particular circumstances. Be precise with your thoughts and words.
Second, if lacking courage is acceptable to you, then you have already made your decision, and nothing said here will help you to change your mind.
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How could I take the argument further than stating that it is morally wrong to force people to pay for such services and that the government's sole role should be...? Can the argument be carried farther?
A secondary argument would be that such a policy does not provide incentive for people to be responsible and self-aware.
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Let's say that I have been a bank robber for several years and have never been caught. Someone loaned me a book on "The Virtue of Selfishness" and I noticed that what I was doing has been immoral this whole time. What should I do? Do I turn myself in? Do I forgive myself for that action and start living a productive life? Should I try to give tha money back? What should I do?
Perhaps you could return the money in exchange for immunity and a job as a bank security expert. Then you would have the self-esteem that comes from honest and productive work, and they would be guarded against future theft. They would be stupid to say no.
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A third danger is that by paying them less (but still a livable wage), you could be making it easier to buy their vote.
If you are wanting self-sufficient men, it is better to pay them $1 per year (not a livable wage). They won't be able to run for office, or stay in office, unless they have been sufficient already (exceptions exist).
This site compare salaries by state, but doesn't include per diem in the salary. Examples:
New Hampshire House of Representatives = $100/year
New Mexico House of Representatives = ~$4500-9000/year (per diem only).
Texas House of Representatives = $17,920/year
Connecticut = $28,000/year
Massachusetts = $58,000+/year
California = $95,000+/year
U.S. House of Representatives = $174,000/year
Paying a low wage isn't the only safety mechanism available (high campaign costs would be another) but it is probably the most reliable.
Also, if you pay them less, you could afford to have a more representative government. Rough ratios:
New Hampshire 1:3,311
New Mexico 1:28,709
Texas 1:165,215
Connecticut 1:23,299
Massachusetts 1:41,209
California 1:444,018
U.S. House of Representatives 1: 705,762
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Snow_Fox: You are not as alone as you think.
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I am also against the "War on Drugs". I also don't do drugs. But it is clear to me that the ONLY and STATED purpose of the Silk Road is to buy contraband. It should be shut down.
Another purpose = honey trap.
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Analogy:
There are many types of knives, and some knives are sharper than others. To evaluate the quality of a knife, one must not consider just its sharpness, but also the raw material from which it is made, and its suitability for the task at hand.
There are degrees of sharpness, raw material, and suitability.
The same is true of an artist, with this exception: the artist is both the knife and the blacksmith.
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"Excelsior!"
"To infinity, and beyond!" -- Buzz Lightyear
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@ Mustang19:
1. Have you read "Atlas Shrugged"?
2. Do you understand how a dictatorship works in reality?
3. How would you generate wealth to sustain your rule?
4. What makes you think that the threat of harm provides greater incentive than the profit motive?
You seem like a thoughtful person -- why not trace the entire plan and just look at how it does or doesn't work in reality?
Doesn't it collapse when someone brings a bigger gun, or when people refuse to live in fear?
You certainly don't have to answer these questions if you don't want to, but if you do, then I am also curious about what inspired you to pursue these lines of thought -- was it a book, a movie, something in the news, what exactly?
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I reconnected with my first real girlfriend after 12 years. We had drifted apart when I joined the military and she moved overseas. We're now happily married. Facebook made it possible.
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just thought of 2 more basic uses for Facebook:
-- as a business card when stripped of everything else
-- as an identity placeholder to reduce the possibility of being impersonated
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any substantial insight particularly from those who may have gone through a collectivistic phase themselves.
Have you considered immersing yourself in collectivist groups to better understand their processes? That might be a fun research project, especially if you go beyond just observation and start asking them questions. Then you can draw your own conclusions.
These might be some interesting places to start:
1. a church -- perhaps a small-group "bible study" where participation is expected or tolerated. Ask the questions that nobody else asks, and see what happens.
2. a military recruiter -- start asking them questions about "selfless service" or what is meant by their "core values." Let them try to convince you.
3. a government official, or a political rally -- ask questions in a way that makes them think you really want to know so that you can "advance the cause" of X, Y, or Z.
4. a volunteer group
Play dumb, ask probing questions and look for logical fallacies.
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What is interesting to me is the fact that a video of a 6-year-old going through a scanner that emits ionizing radiation isn't news, but one of her getting a pat-down is.
If she (or her parents) were given a choice, then they chose the pat down.
If she was not given a choice, then it was because young children aren't allowed to go through the apparatus.
(I don't know the TSA rules, I'm just looking at it from a health perspective.)
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Given that you are in the military, it might be worth investigating the effects of pressure, if any, on each of those surgery styles (diving and/or high altitudes).
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another minor function:
-- targeted advertising.
not a big deal to me, but for the sake of completeness it should not be overlooked.
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Facebook combines these functions:
1. contact list
2. email / instant message
3. message board
4. photo album / yearbook / alumni
5. quick resume / biography
and adds this element:
6. sharing
consequences of the above are:
7. convenience of having all of the above in one place
8. connecting with people from your past because many people are joining
Functions 1-5 are not unique to Facebook.
Function 6 is probably the biggest source of disagreement because it ventures into these territories:
a ) individual vs. collective
b ) privacy vs. transparency
As for me, I joined Facebook when it was brand new and quickly canceled. It seemed invasive. I joined again a couple years later and the privacy controls appeared to be better, so I stayed.
I'm not a very social person (around 50 acquaintances on "friends" list). I don't understand how people maintain a friends list of 4,000+ people.
My wife and I both have small social circles that are scattered geographically, so it makes sense for us.
By the way, I've created a Facebook group for this discussion, you can all join it here, just kidding.
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This discussion could benefit from greater specificity.
I like jazz. Specifically, jazz piano. Even more specifically, jazz piano stemming from the ragtime tradition, as portrayed by these artists (order is chronological so that you can hear a progression in the music):
1. Scott Joplin --
You might be familiar with Scott Joplin if you have heard and enjoyed the soundtrack to the movie, "The Sting" with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. You might also have heard ragtime at Disneyland or Disneyworld, on Main Street ().2. Fats Waller --
3. Art Tatum --
4. Oscar Peterson -- youtube example
I like it for these reasons:
1) the artists are passionate
2) the artists are skilled
3) the music is happy and reflects a joy of living
There are many branches of the Jazz tree. I have explored other branches but keep coming back to this one.
If there are to be debates about the style or history of jazz, you really must be specific.
If you have Netflix, there is an instant jazz documentary by Ken Burns that might help you find what you like or don't like. It is an attempt to portray the full spectrum of jazz from origin to present day. The soundtrack to the documentary itself is a fair introduction, but it skips over the piano styles that I have come to enjoy.
There are also some innovations that parallel the jazz story, such as the phonograph, or the
that might be of interest.edit -- added links
nerve damage
in Psychology and Self Improvement
Posted · Edited by Sirius1
What is your research strategy? What have you learned so far?