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JMartins

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Posts posted by JMartins

  1. I used to be able to enjoy it, but not any more – it's such an extreme waste of time, that I just end up feeling restless and impatient while playing. There's so few good games out there too, and all are based on inverted moralities, or no morality at all. I am considering purchasing a good flight simulator though.

  2. I came across a webshop named "No Free Lunch Distributors". Do anyone know if it's operational, and if so, who's behind it? It appears to be functioning, though I ask because it looks as though it was developed in the early nineties, and hasn't been updated ever since.

    The webshop offers videos of two interviews which I am very interested in watching, namely the one Phil Donahue did with Ayn Rand in Madison Square Garden, as well as the one by Phil Snyder, which I have never had the pleasure of watching.

  3. I'd greatly appreciate any advice you might give me, as to which book is the best introduction to the Scientific Method. I understand that Aristotle was a leading thinker on this – has there been written a book on his theories on this alone? If so, what is its title, and would you recommend it? Thank you.

  4. Ron Paul held a press conference a while back, where it was believed that he would officially endorse Bob Barr for President – something that would have given Barr's campaign a considerable amount of libertarian voters and greatly added to his fundraising. To Barr's credit however, he denied to show up once he learned that the socialist Ralph Nader and the environmentalist Cynthia McKinney would also be present (Paul decided to endorse them all as viable candidates, to draw more votes for third parties). Barr also refused to show up at a recent "third party debate" when he learned that he would have been obligated to debate Cynthia McKinney and Chuck Baldwin, who he considered to be insignificant candidates (he only wanted to debate Ralph Nader, who is his equal in the current polls). The majority of the Ron Paul Revolution activists now hiss and spit at Barr, calling him a selfish traitor to the "Revolution".

    These events give me a bit of respect for Bob Barr.

  5. I'm more concerned about what these kinds of people will do if Obama is defeated. I know Obama has said that if he doesn't win this election he won't seek the Presidency again, though he is by all means a liar and a flip flopper. If he does lose, and states that he will run again in 4 years, the membership of Obama Jügend might soar throughout the 4 years of the McCain administration.

    In any case, I expect massive rioting if he is defeated next month.

  6. campobamaaf8.jpg

    When readers first alerted us to the camps, we thought it might be another hoax that migrated into inboxes. But it's for real.

    The unsolicited pitch goes like this: "Camp Obama attendees will receive real world organizing experience that will have a direct impact on this election. Graduates of Camp Obama will go on to become Deputy Field Organizers who will lead this campaign to victory in crucial battleground states around the country."

    The letter continues, "By participating in Camp Obama you'll get the kind of experience that Barack got as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he learned that real change happens from the bottom up."

    Read the rest of the story here:

    http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.a...307928498550592

    Watch the Obama Youth in action here :P:o :o

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy09UpI60F8

    If you are willing to abandon reason and lower your intelligence to that of an animal, you can sign up for Camp Obama here:

    http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/campobamail

    The name "Hitler Jügend" comes to mind.

  7. What would/could they do to you as an American citizen should you tell them to go pound sand?

    I've purchased a book on this law which, it appears, may in itself be larger than the U.S. Constitution. The first advice I am given in it, is to "seek professional help to interpret the law" before moving to another country. I haven't read it yet however, so I'm not sure what happens if I live in the US long enough to qualify for becoming a citizen, but inadvertently reset the "Norwegian tax timer" by visiting the home country for too many days. I can let you know when I find out.

  8. If you call a 32% income tax and a 25% sales tax quality of life then I have a lovely time share in North Korea you might be interested in. With their state being maintained by nationalized oil and gas and a useless monarch running about spending your money; Norway, is like the Saudi Arabia of Europe. As for the girls I'd rather just go to Latvia, who not only has gorgeous women but the most lopsided female to male ratio in the world (CIA Fact book).

    Bold mine

    Actually the average income tax rate here is at 38%. I'm a student, with a student loan and a part-time job, and even I have to pay 38% (though with all taxes put together, we pay well over 50% of our money to the state). We're truly creatures of the state here. Our finance minister belongs to the equivalent of the American Socialist Party, and her party's agenda is to force people to work no more than 6 hours a day, and to abolish grades in school -- topics which are being seriously discussed at the Storting. :dough:

    The sense of life here is horrible -- it can be described as "don't think you're any better than me". When our prime minister publicly states that he's going to "fleece the wealthy", he's being cheered on by most of the population. The richest man of Norway, the entrepreneur John Fredriksen, recently left the country in disgust, saying he would not invest another single coin in Norway (much to my joy).

    Depending on how the financial crisis turns out, I'll be moving to the United States as soon as I finish my studies. It's too bad I'll be bound by Norwegian law to pay all my taxes to the Norwegian state for 5 years after having moved, and that the timer resets if I go to visit my family there for too long.

  9. Fat chance. I can't think of one time on popular television that mentioned Rand in anything BUT a negative light.

    Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged have been mentioned numerous times in the new tv-series "Mad Men". The executive of the advertising agency is a student of Objectivism, and has given a copy of Atlas Shrugged to two of the employees (main characters) so far. While the executive is a bit quirky, he's intelligent, successful and likeable. The story is set in New York, in the 60's. There have been four mentions so far.

  10. Ron Paul has endorsed Pastor Baldwin from the Constitution Party. He stands for massive government intervention on social issues such as homosexuality, abortion, prostitution and drugs, and is strongly against immigration, something which should turn a lot of people away from Paul's "Campaign For Liberty".

    Source

  11. Though I have read Atlas Shrugged a couple of times, I would like to purchase it as an audiobook as well -- primarily because I'd like to be able to listen to Galt's Speech, Francisco's money speech, and various other parts, while doing housework and other similar tasks. I see that there are three versions available -- one is narrated by Edward Herrman, another is narrated by Scott Brick, while the third is narrated by Christopher Hurt. Which of these narrators would you recommend? I have a positive impression of Christopher Hurt, whose voice is used in the dramatization of Galt's Speech on YouTube, though I'm completely unfamiliar with the other two.

    Thank you.

  12. (CNN) — Hours after calling the economy ‘strong,’ John McCain appeared to clarify the comment Monday afternoon, minutes after he was derided as "out of touch" by the Obama campaign.

    "My opponents may disagree, but those fundamentals of America are strong," McCain said at a campaign event in Orlando. "No one can match an American worker. Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on earth. Our workers have always been the strength of our economy, and they remain the strength of our economy today."

    “But their efforts are not being matched at the top," he added. "From Washington to Wall Street, the top of our economy is broken. We have seen self interest, greed, irresponsibility and corruption undermine the hard work of the American people."

    So, in a nutshell: The workers are the strength of the economy, and the ones trading the goods, while the executives are the greedy and self-interested causes of corruption that undermine the workers and the economy in general? He did, at least, say that Washington was partly responsible -- I fail to see how McCain and his band of lobbyists will remedy the situation however.

    Also, by reading this transcript of a talkshow McCain recently attended (along with Whoopi Goldberg), you will see that he is clearly a great scholar of the Constitution, proudly standing up for its principles:

    GOLDBERG: Should I be worried about being a slave, about being returned to slavery because certain things happened in the Constitution that you had to change.

    McCAIN: I, I understand your point.

    GOLDBERG: Okay, okay.

    McCAIN: I understand that point and I, I, [applause] thank you. That’s an excellent point.

    GOLDBERG: Thank you sir.

    McCAIN: And I thank you.

    :lol:

  13. Despite being so short, this story manages to get its point across very nicely. It would, of course, be more appropriate (and correct) if it was about the difference between a capitalist and a socialist.

    The Difference Between a Republican and a Democrat

    A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so

    many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal

    Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of

    higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words

    redistribution of wealth.

    She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican,

    a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had

    participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that

    her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what

    he thought should be his .

    One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes

    on the rich and the need for more government programs. The

    self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the

    truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she

    was doing in school.

    Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and

    let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was

    taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which

    left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She

    didn’t even have time for a boyfriend, and didn’t really have many

    college friends because she spent all her time studying.

    Her father listened and then asked, ‘How is your friend Audrey doing?’

    She replied, ‘Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy

    classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so

    popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She’s always invited to

    all the parties and lots of times she doesn’t even show up for classes

    because she’s too hung over.’

    Her wise father asked his daughter, ‘Why don’t you go to the Dean’s

    office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend

    who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly

    that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.’

    The daughter, visibly shocked by her father’s suggestion, angrily fired

    back, ‘That’s a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I’ve worked really

    hard for my grades! I’ve invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work!

    Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I

    worked my tail off!’

    The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, ‘Welcome to the

    Republican party.’

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