Mimpy

I'm living in Wellington for a couple months. Any Objectivists out here? Would be interested in a meet-up!

Option c works best for me! Option b is fine, too. EDIT: Monday night would be good since that's the last day Matthew80 can make it...

I'm in the suburbs of Philly until the middle of February. Would be interested in a meetup!

If an artist holds the rights to a song and he wishes to distribute it freely, that is his prerogative. There is nothing wrong with downloading his music then. This would only be wrong if the artist does not hold the rights to the song, in which case you would be stealing. Don't think of it in terms of a value exchange. Think of it in terms of the person who owns the the rights to the product being able to set the terms of distribution of his product. As long as you are obeying those terms, your action is completely moral.

I thought it focused too much on silly love relationships. There was not enough action.

As most of you know, Congress is trying to rush through a massive health care bill by the August recess. Among many things, this bill will create a public option for health insurance that will compete with private insurers. It will also set up the “Health Insurance Exchange” platform, which will regulate which policies you can purchase. Some other horrific aspects of this bill can be read here. Ultimately, the only way to stop bills such as these from even coming to the table is by changing the culture. People need to understand that health care is not a right, that doctors have the right to choose their patients and set their own prices, that rising costs in healthcare are due to government intervention, etc. The United States has the best health care in the world. It is undoubtedly not perfect, but it is still the best. We need to fight to maintain quality and freedom in healthcare. We cannot change the culture in just a few weeks. So what can we do? I think the most effective solution right now is to write to our representatives. While they may not read our letters fully, they will at least keep a count of how many of their constituents support the health care bill and how many do not. Given that politicians’ main aim these days is to get re-elected, they are more likely to not vote for this bill if they see that a larger proportion of their constituents don’t support it. So let your voice be heard. You can write to your representatives at www.congress.org . Keep your letters short and to the point. Be polite. There are so many aspects from which you can discuss this issue. Pick just one or two. My letter is below. Feel free to use it in part or entirely, if you wish. Please do not vote for the health care bill. Government health care just does not work. Consider the rationing and long wait times in Canada and Britain. This will inevitably occur in America, as well, since private insurers will not be able to compete with the unlimited funds of the public option. The public option, then, will be the only option for most Americans. The United States has the best healthcare in the world. To maintain this quality and lower the costs, we must implement free market reforms in healthcare. These include: allow consumers to shop for insurance across state lines, remove coverage mandates in insurance policies, remove tax benefits for employer-based insurance, phase out Medicare and Medicaid. Also consider what this means for those who will be paying for this new system. A tax hike of greater than 5% on the wealthiest Americans is highly unjust. These people work hard for their money, and they should be able to spend it on the things they value. These are likely the most productive individuals in America. Taking their hard earned money to forcibly pay for the health care of their neighbor is unfair. By forcing the rich to pay for this program, we essentially turn them into our slaves, to be used at any time to fund our agendas. Sincerely, XXXXXXXXX XXXX

Such a shame. So sad.

Congratulations! My research project is funded by NASA. Like others have said, given that so much of your money is forcibly taken from you to advance the government's agenda, it is not immoral to reclaim some of that money back in the form of working for a employer who is funded by the government. Otherwise, 90% of academics would likely be out of a job. And many others, of course.

This is a disgusting thing to say and undermines the beauty of their relationship. One does not choose to be gay because there is an absense of eligible members of the opposite sex. To assert that sexuality is something that can change with the whim of the moment is absurd.

I have no idea where you are getting this from. From watching Jon & Kate, everyone is perfectly happy on the show. Yes, the kids fight, but so what? When do siblings not fight? To say that misery is inherent in having many children is absurd. And the reason there are so many shows today about families with many children is because it is interesting. People love kids and they especially love kids that look alike. It is also fun for parents to see how other parents handle situations much more stressful than their own.

I've watched many episodes of "John & Kate Plus 8," and I think the show and the family are great. There is no inherent value in having a parent's "undivided attention." Attention is only good when it is constructive. And attention can still be given, even if a parent is busy with other children (or other activities in general, like work). Clearly, these kids won't have trouble with money. The show itself is a huge source of income. As for doing things "individually," this can still occur, even with many kids in the house. For example, John & Kate take each kid out individually for a day of fun once in a while. As for "screaming madness," there are many other sources for this, not just from other children. Creating a healthy and positive environment is what is key. If a parent can do that, then that is what is important. So I think that these situations need to be assesed on a case-by-case basis. I certainly would not say that John & Kate are doing anything wrong. They did not plan for 8 kids, it just happened that way due to the nature of in vitro fertilization. I have not heard anybody refer to these parents as "selfless," but I could be mistaken. I definitely think this is a minority, though. Most mothers would not call Kate selfless but instead empathize with the tremendous stress she endures every single day.

To assess whether a Founder effect is positive or not, you must determine if the alleged advantage occured because of the Founder effect. I don't know the particulars of the example you have mentioned, but it is not clear from what you said that the advantage occurred because a group of people isolated itself from the rest of the population. A small population always increases the risk of inbreeding, which is never to the offspring's advantage. Consider the Amish in Eastern Pennsylvana, who are plagued with a myriad of diseases.

While some of the precautions people might be taking may seem overboard, the fact remains that this flu is dangerous and that we do not have enough Tamiflu in this country to treat everyone. Furthermore, though the strain does not cause serious problems in some, in others, it certainly kills if not treated right away. I think it is great that we have reached the point in medicine where a virulent strain that could cause a pandemic can be controlled. It is still important to take precautions, however, because regardless of whether this flu might kill you or not, you still don't want to have it and take that chance.

To my understanding, they generally don't allow that. You can always audit classes, however.

It is a four year program.