Walker
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Posts posted by Walker
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But I don't agree that everyone in an entire country is equally the enemy just because their government attacked us.
Godless, I think you're arguing against a strawman here.
Brook states in his speech that there are people living under enemy governments who are innocent. They are people who actively resist the government, are attempting to leave that country, or people who would like to resist the government but cannot (I'm thinking very old people here); of course, children are on the list as well.
Yaron Brook explicitly stated in his speech that the U.S. government benefits in no way by targeting such people. However, since these people usually live in the midst of those who explicitly or implicitly support the enemy, they will end up feeling the force of the U.S. military. If they are rational people, they will understand the position that the U.S. is in, and curse the enemy government who caused such force to be necessary.
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One of the criticisms of decentralized spy work is that different spy groups wouldn't "talk to each other" and the enemy would slip through the cracks that opened up between organizations.
What is the solution to that supposed problem?
Another valid criticism is that it can be highly inefficient. Without well managed communication, different spy groups/security groups could be repeating each other's work unknowingly.
First off, a decentralized organization is one in which an extensive formalized hierarchy or chain of command does not exist. Members at the bottom of the organization are "empowered," i.e. given a large amount of decision making power. The reason for structuring an organization like this is to make it more responsive to the challenges it faces on a day to day basis.
The reason such a model has thrived in the business world is the coming of supportive information technology. With proper information systems, the different groups composing an organization can communicate very well, which minimizes repetition in tasks.
So, the solution to this specific problem is properly designed and properly implemented information systems.
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I function pretty well on roughly 5.5 hours of sleep. (Go to sleep at 2:30-3:00AM, wake up at 8:00AM for class).
But, on the weekends I get about 8 hours.
Also, I don't drink coffee.
Some thoughts...
Just from my general observations, when I excercise I don't require as much sleep. For about a month, instead of going to sleep at 1:30AM, I'd hit the gym for an hour. Now, I don't finish studying until around 2:30AM, so I can't go to the gym as much; I've noticed that under these conditions I end up being more tired.
If you're going to try reducing the amount of time you sleep, I suggest taking a multivitamin. I always used to get sick when I didn't sleep enough. Now I'm taking a multivitamin and I haven't been sick at all this semester.
I'm also interested in learning more about what others have to say on this topic. After school, I'm planning on going into investment banking, which means I'll be lucky to get on average 4-5 hours of sleep per night during my first 2-3 years.
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Interesting idea FC.
After I read your original post, I immediately thought of the more modern example of America's congress vs. Britain's parliamentary system.
As long as the different forms are properly limited in their powers and refrain from violating individual rights, the proper choice of government simply comes down to choosing the governmental form that is most effective in protecting individual rights in the given context.
If our colleges weren't overflowing with socialists/fascists/communists/neo-cons (soon), I'd expect this to be something that would be discussed in the realm of political science.
This idea will definitely come in handy next time I meet a libertarian who tries to convince me that Ayn Rand was an anarchist because the Valley didn't have a highly formalized government in place.
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Well, it really depends on how long you're going to be in NY.
However, some cool things to do that I can think of off the top of my head:
1. Visit the Empire State Building - incredible view and building.
2. Take the South ferry to Staten Island and back. For $2 (or a free transfer from the train you take to get there) you get a stunning view of downtown, an alright view of the Statue of Liberty and just a pleasant boat ride. The best view is right when you push off of Manhattan.
3. Walk around (my personal favorite). No kidding - if you've never been to NYC, just spend some time walking around the city. Good places (when it's not too crowded, which depends on when you go): Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Downtown (City hall, South St. Seaport, WTC site, Battery Park).
4. At night, walk halfway over the Brooklyn bridge - incredible view of downtown and around the pillars they have plaques describing how the bridge was originally made. Make sure to bring comfortable walking shoes.
5. Metropolitan Museum of Art - you could spend a month here.
6. Museum of Natural History- life size animal displays (the blue whale is pretty cool), dinosaur bones (very cool), Hayden planetarium and the surrounding section on the nature of the universe.
7. If you come late Spring, Summer, or early Fall, spend a day in central park.
8. Get the best pizza in NYC - John's Pizzeria in Greenwhich village. Mmmmm.
9. Go to a broadway show/ballet/orchestra performance. These are always fun.
That's all I can think of right now. Believe me, if you have money and time, there are too many things to do in one vacation.
Oh yes, you should also check www.nyu.edu/clubs/objectivist to see if our club (the Objectivist Club @ NYU) has any events open to the public when you're here.
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I agree with Feldblum.
In regard to your second question, being shy and reserved could defintely hold you back from getting better jobs (or simply getting a job out of college) and being generally successful in the business world.
Although I doubted it when I first showed up to business school last year (undergraduate), networking is SO important to getting internships and your first job. By networking here I mean actively seeking out and developing contacts with recruiters and employees at firms that you are interested in working at.
There are a few reasons why networking is so important.
1. You can only learn so much from a company's website about what it is like working there. Meeting people who actually work at a firm will give you real idea of what a specific job is like. From there, you can make an educated decision about whether you even want to consider that specific job.
2. Knowing the recruiters is a great advantage in the interview process coming out of school. If you have talked to a recruiter and have shown enthusiasm about learning about their company, they will remember you, which is basically a foot in the door for an interview.
3. If you know more people, it's more likely that you'll hear about some opportunity. For example, my friend's Dad's company was looking for an intern. He knew I was a business student and got in touch with me. I interviewed, got the job, and had an incredibly rewarding experience.
Also, you may want to tame your shyness for the reason that if you go into business you will be working with other people every single day. You need to be able to communicate effectively with people to solve the problems you'll be confronted with.
However, don't be discouraged. If I were you, I'd do some serious thinking. Perhaps you should think about why you are shy, and then ask why the heroes of Ayn Rand's fiction are not.
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For me going to a restuarant is always a win-win situation.
If I receive good service, I leave a large tip. Recognizing good service with a proper reward is an act of justice. I always feel good after a good trade.
If I receive bad service, I leave a tip proportional to the service I received. Of course, I take into consideration the aspects of being a waiter that Thoyd Loki mentioned (for example, if the management is incompetent and understaffs the waiting staff). My girlfriend finds it comical how upbeat I am when I receive poor service - being an incredibly frugal student, I welcome having bad or non-existent service so that I don't have to pay the tip.
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I'm looking to purchase the tape set titled "In defense of financial markets" by Dr. Yaron Brook.
If any one has a set they'd like to sell, please let me know.
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Check out this article:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/n...e_shooting_dc_5
1.) If the soldier who killed the terrorist is charged for "war crimes," it will be a grave injustice perpetrated by "just-war theory." Based on the story above, it's easy to understand what probably happened:
The marine unit enters a mosque they have been told is occupied. They see a pile of dead terrorists. One of the marines notices one is breathing slightly. After hearing of or witnessing hundreds of American soldiers being killed by suicide bombers, he thinks the terrorist is faking being dead, waiting for the marines to approach so he blow himself up. So, he puts a bullet in the terrorist's skull to eliminate this potential threat.
If I was in the same position, I would have done the exact same thing.
2.) The article really reaks of typical anti-America, anti-military views. Notice how at the title refers to the terrorist as a "wounded Iraqi." Not only is this a blatant evasion of the fact that the executed man was a terrorist, but it implies that the terrorists in Iraq are Iraqis, which they most certainly are not. It reminds me of the press's earlier attempts to make the terrorists in Iraq look like the "Iraqi resistance."
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Below is the URL to a movie review of "The Incredibles" in the NY Times.
I post it because Ayn Rand is mentioned in it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/movies/0...jo2IO9YERQuIj8g
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"Rebecca"
It's a Hitchcock film. It's a good thriller with interesting characters.
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Why Businessmen Should Be More Selfish by Alex Epstein
- A free speech sponsored by the Objectivist Club @ NYU -
Date: Monday, October 18th
Time: 8:00PM - 10:00PM (Doors @ 7:30PM)
Location:
The Kimmel Center - Room 914
60 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
More Info: www.nyu.edu/clubs/objectivist
NOTE: All non-NYU attendees MUST make a reservation for themselves and any guests they plan on bringing by emailing [email protected] (please include your name and the name of your guest(s). Also, to be allowed inside of the building, non-NYU attendees and their guests MUST bring government identification (drivers license, passport, etc...).
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I hope some of you in the New York City area can make it! It should be a very interesting speech on ethics in business. Also, if you plan on coming, do not make a reservation last minute. There is a limit as to how many non-NYU people we can allow, which was maxed out at our speaker event last week with Dr. Harry Binswanger.
Thanks!
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My recommendations would really depend upon what level of education you're seeking to acquire and what your goal in investing is.
However, for a general level of education, I can recommend Investing for Dummies. It's a comprehensive book which covers a lot and is great for someone just entering the investing world - it covers stocks, bonds, REITs, Index funds, ETF's (I think), Mutual funds, etc... and gives good advice.
(However, he takes a shot at Ayn Rand in the version I have by saying that her formulation of capitalism as suitable to a selfish individual is incorrect and that capitalism's wealth can be shared with everyone - yuck).
Other books for stock-picking that I've read or plan on reading:
Value Investing for Dummies - Sandler
The Warren Buffet Way - Hagstrom
The Intelligent Investor - Grahm
Security Analysis - Grahm
Random Walk Down Wall Street - Malkiel
But, some of these books may not be applicable to you if you don't plan on being a stock-picker.
In addition, read the WSJ. (I just got my free 3 week subscription!).
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Walker,
Good to see that you're rehabilitating the NYU Objectivist club. When I was attending NYU a couple years ago the former creature running it morphed it into a "let's criticize Ayn Rand and ARI club" featuring Sciabarra as spiritual mentor.
Please tell me Sciabarra's not still involved.
West,
The club you experienced, although we are officially the same NYU club, has been <b>completely</b> changed. Last year a student who was as dissatisfied as you were with the club found other real objectivists (i.e. anti-TOC, anti-libertarian, pro-ARI), and brought a case against the old club management to the SAB to have us given control over the club.
We lost the case (primarily because the SAB saw both groups as Objectivists and basically told us to get along). So, since we didn't have official club status we met at an Au Bon Pain regularly, figured out a loop hole in the NYU club red tape that allowed us to put together an event (Affirmative Action debate w/ Dr. Binswanger), and had a wonderful semester.
At the end of the semester, the creature you referenced - after letting the official club stagnate for 2 semesters - gave us the club. We hit the ground running and are currently in the beginning of what is going to be an awesome semester.
Sciabarra is not, and never will be, involved with OC@NYU.
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Eran,
Yes. So far, all of our events are going to be held on the NYU campus (which encircles Washington Square Park). Our meetings are on the outskirts of the campus.
Hope to meet you some time this semester!
Betsy,
Those are the colors, however, on the computer I created the website on and the ones I've tested it on the type has been readable.
But, thanks for the heads up. I'll be changing the color schemes sometime during the next 1-2 weeks.
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I'm VP of the Objectivist Club @ NYU. You're more than welcome to come to our weekly meetings and, if you email us a reservation, you can come to our speaker events (we have a few awesome events coming up too).
[Click here] to go to our webpage for contact information, etc...
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- I'm an undergrad Sophomore finance/math student. I'd like to pursue a career in some type of wealth management job - however, I'm still looking for different internship opportunities to learn as much about as many possible careers as I can.
I just finished up a Summer marketing internship at a data services company. I worked independently on a variety of business development projects focused on new pricing, licensing, terms of use, and distribution processes for 10+ products/services. I got offered a job, but I figured it'd be best to finish school.
Secondary Occuptions:
Full-time boyfriend to a beautiful girlfriend
Guitar player for 7 years.
Reader (mostly investing and philosophy)
Ranting editorial writer (so far I've gotten one published (: )
Vice President of the Objectivist Club @ NYU
Soon-to-be investor
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That is actually a pretty neat article in that it contrasts the secular mystics with "Sa'dollah Nasiri-Qeydari, head of the Astronomical Society of Iran," who, from his comments, appears to be a very rational man. I think this is a nice example of how there are both rational and irrational people in Iran.
GC's right though - Iran has a lot of mysticism. It's called "Sufi mysticism," and it is pervasive in Shia Islam and a lot of Iranian art. From what I've read, it's complete nihilism.
In regards to my statement that I think that Iran could become an individual rights supporting nation, I should have been more clear. Obviously, I don't see Iran becoming a LF capitalist nation any time soon. However, I could see Iran becoming a "mixed economy secular government" nation like the US.
Sure this isn't perfect, but it's much better than what they have now. From what I've read, most Iranians, even many of the religious ones, want a secular government. In fact, that's probably the primary thing that all Iranian student protestors can agree on. So, I don't think knocking the mullahs out of power is the problem. The problem is that Iran has a history of socialist and communist power groups (as people on this thread have noted). This is reflected in the fact that some of the student groups are communist or socialist.
If Iran was able to knock the mullahs out of power, I would expect a government similiar to the US but a little bit more left leaning to be instated. While this isn't perfect, at least people wouldn't be getting tortured in jail for speaking out against "Allah."
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I'm taking a required class right now on Iran, so I've learned a lot about the country in the last semester.
Question 1: GC is correct.
I've talked to an Iranian student who attends Tehran University who said that the "reformist" party was simply created by the conservative hardliners in order to prevent the country from falling apart in the mid '90's. Considering that the party was at first led by a hardliner and now has spokesmen like President Khatami who issues blatant lies like "Iran has no political prisoners," I believe my student friend.
The "reformists" simply advocate a slightly watered down theocratic dictatorship (which is what Iran is, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise - the parliament and presidency is a show), while conservatives obviously advocate complete totalitarian rule.
Question 2: At the minimum, the US should support freedom supporting Iranian students (which many students are not) in any way possible. Also, all political/economic ties should remain severed.
If Iran presents a threat to the US by supporting terrorism or seeking WMD, the government should be annihilated.
I think it would be pretty easy to rebuild Iran into country respecting individual rights. Although the government is completely religious, a majority of Iranians - although still Islamic - consider themselves "secular," by which they mean that they advocate a separation between religion and state. I mean, in the 1960's, if you walked through Tehran, women were wearing miniskirts and eating KFC. In other words, Iran has not been a Western-hating Islamic state forever, and I think a change can be made.
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From what I've heard, ARI has a searchable student database. If I were you, I'd check that out.
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Hi Shelle,
Check this out: http://www.iespell.com/
It's a spellcheck add-on for internet explorer. It works great for checking forum entries.
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At my school, the Chief Investment Officer of Equities at Calvert Group talked at a business summit on SRI. Since Calvert is heavily into SRI, he wanted to present his case for SRI and explain it.
Basically, his company looks for "environmentally friendly" companies and companies who are "socially responsible," i.e. - they give away their money to charities. However, they don't invest in these companies unless of course they are highly profitable - otherwise, Calvert wouldn't be around for very long.
The point of his lecture was that SRI funds do better than non-SRI funds (my response: big deal, I could beat both funds by sticking my money into spiders or an S&P index funds). Obviously, being "socially responsible" has nothing to do with being a profitable business - in fact, it holds those companies back from realizing their true potential.
SRI is probably considered "moral investing," which I'm sure everyone here realizes is completely wrong. However, I think approaching investing from a moral point of view is perfectly correct - as long as that moral point of view is based on proper values.
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AutoJC,
I agree with much of what you said about Mystic River. I enjoyed the movie, although it was a bit too grim at times (the ending
).However, you forgot to mention one of the best traits! It's a thriller/mystery and it keeps you guessing until the very end. It was very suspenseful, which made it pretty enjoyable.
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I also can't hear any glaring deficiencies in the music. It sounded pretty similiar to music in the first two HP movies.
It has a mysterious/creepy feel to it, which I think fits the movie nicely.
The only thing I didn't like was the loud piercing whistles (or piccolo?) in the beginning - which could have just been my crappy speakers on my labtop. I like how he makes the low woodwinds laugh in the beginning though; it sounds like an evil cackle.
French Police Misplace Explosives On Jet
in Current Events
Posted
French Police Misplace Explosives On Jet
Wow. If Islamic fascists don't blow us up, secular European fascists probably will.
I burst out laughing at the utter absurdity and stupidity of the situation - then I realized that they never found the explosives. ::sigh::