Pete Caya

I'm having the same thing going on with one of my friends. I have only known him for about three months, and we were really good friends when we first met, but it's starting to dawn on me that he is extremely selfless. I've talked him through a few depressions since I've known him, because I like to do that for friends when they feel bad (I have a selfish investiture in their feelings, I'm not trying to feel like I'm better than them). Anyway, he doesn't contact me at all, so it's generally me walking up to and talking to him. He gets drunk often with friends, and jokingly calls himself things like "scumbag" and the like. The thing that really threw me though is that when I was discussing the election, I realized he wasn't just someone that was misguided. He told me point blank that others have the right to steal from the rich because anyone could have done what they have done. He also clings to this one friend of mine and acts really touchy-feel with her even though she has no interest in him and it really upsets me to see him doing that. Sorry needed to vent. Anyway, I am pretty sure I am going to cut off associating with him regularly. He'll just become another face that I say "How's it going dude" to. Don't get too upset over this fellow. He's probably lying about your friends, and honestly, he doesn't sound like someone that you want to associate with anyway.

I've been listening to Rush since I was a kid. My parents always listened to him, and I have to say that if it weren't for him I wouldn't be an objectivist today. His ideas are far from perfect, but I have a great deal of respect for the man. Also, he is a big advocate of Ayn Rand, despite the criticisms from many objectivists. It makes me wonder how in-touch with Ayn Rand's movement of ideas he is.

For my Inquiry into the Social World class, I am doing a twelve age research paper on conflicts between land and sea super powers (regional or international). I am looking for standing army and naval statistics for a large range of nations ranging from 300 B.C. to 1980 A.D. Does anyone know a source that I could get this information from (preferably free)?

I LOVE it. I watch every new episode that comes on the television. Brilliant show, but I liked the ninth Doctor more. It seems like the current one is really just an appeal to the teenage girl audience.

I recently learned about the Efficient Market Hypothesis in my Micro-economics course. When I first heard about it from my professor, i was kind of shocked that such an idea exists. Anyway, I did some research, and now it makes even less sense! According to EMH, the market right now reflects all predictable current and future trends for the different investment possibilities, so it is impossible to predict what stocks will do well. My problems is that there are deviations, and not just the statistical kind. If there was a plumber or someone that made a fortune like Warren Buffet, I would believe because that would mean that it really is just random. But all of these people are extremely well educated. What do more knowledgeable people here think though.

The damndest thing is that I had never thought of her that way until I just read Ayn Rand's article. Fascinating stuff, and it does make one think of how much force the media can conjure up under the words "legacy".

The idea that in order to be happy, you have to live a life in which one has no emotional investiture in anything just interests me. I genuinely am trying to think of a reason that it does, and I think it has to do with the fact that I haven't ever met a person that does this out of perceived wisdom, and not being a broken human-being. I guess that rationalization speaks volumes for the Stoic Philosophy.

Alright, thanks for the help everyone, especially dianahsieh, I appreciate it. Although, I still find it a very interesting way of thought.

I've been reading a bit about Stoicism, but I do not quite understand all of it's principles. However, I noticed some interesting similarities like the concept that happiness can only be achieved by virtue, and that virtue is derived by acting rationally. However I don't like the pantheistic ideas and the concept that reason is god. Anyway, I know that many people on this board have a huge knowledge of philosophy and that they could probably explain the basic differences (or similarities) between Objectivism and Stoicism quite well. I searched the board, and couldn't find a thread similar to this, so I thought I would start a new one.

I have had many anthems (their moral value sticks, but I find newer songs that strike me just as much morally). My biggest anthemsong would probably be Take the Time by Dreamtheater: The unbroken spirit Obscured and disquiet Finds clearness this trial demands And at the end of this day sighs an anxious relief For the fortune lies still in his hands If there's pensive fear, a wasted year A man must learn to cope If his obsession's real, Suppression that he feels must turn to hope.

Trust me, Bernanke has. He wrote my Micro-economics textbook jointly with someone and it's a great explanation of why the free-market does work. The only way I could possibly think that Bernanke could contradict himself this much is that he didn't actually have a hand in the writing of the book.

Just bought it. I've been looking for something like this for a while and this fits the bill. I'm also going to get "Thanks for Arguing" which from what I hear is a very good book for understanding persuasion as well.

I'm going by their interpretation of it, not ours.

It means that we've lost quite a lot

The only two Professors I have that have said anything about it, are positively livid. My Econ professor discusses it everyday (fun fact, my micro-economics text-book was written by Bernanke and it is completely against government regulation) and my Political Science professor went on a thirty minute rant when it was passed.

Wouldn't that more or less be a swipe at people who have no backbone?

It doesn't surprise me that the majority of people find it easier to live on the brink of being an animal than living as men. Fortunately, I have noticed something a phenomenon I call "closet morality" where people do indeed claim to be theists and all that, but in fact are no such thing and actually behave rationally for the most part.

The best argument for me against Pascal's wager is pointing out that we should due a whole number of pointless things because we can't prove they won't have a benefit.

Yeah, I understand what you mean after reading the Motley Fool articles. The reason I was looking into them was that Ric Edelman recommended investing in them for people who want to put money in the stock market, but don't have the money to diversify meaningfully. Anyway, I've decided to go with the finance major, I need to get my priorities set though, I have a bad habit of trying to go in two directions at once (the double major thing I just posted). Good news, we have a finance club, looks like I can learn a lot from them: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1S1-1202080003401301.html [/sarcasm]

Well, I guess this is kind of a follow-up on that thread I posted a while back. I decided to double major in Finance and Accounting and I want to begin getting experience with managing money. I have begun going ahead of the rest of my classes in the textbook, but I want to know if aside from investing on my own (I'm checking out mutual funds right now) if there was any way to get some experience in the realm of finance (I am not exactly sure of my desired position as of yet, but I plan to be involved in something like banking/entrepreneur). I've check out internships, but I don't think there are too many company openings for people that are in their fourth week of their fourth semester. Any ideas?

I used to frequent the site, and it is a good place to get basic knowledge (food, supplements), but don't take your advice from it if you get into the more complex parts of it because a lot of the information becomes unclear and argued about a lot (whether you should eat carbs before sleeping for example) The site is definitely the place to start though. Also, check out www.athletes.com for some really good fitness articles and exercises.

It's easy, she's the anti-Obama. A white conservative woman who is a charismatic upstart. It's very similar to what was happening to Obama last spring.

I just realized I posted this in the wrong forum, would a mod be kind enough to move it to the Books-Fiction forum?

Recently I have found myself becoming fascinated by The Picture of Dorian Grey, and because of the book purchased the novel A Rebours. I just finished reading it and I actually enjoyed it somewhat, hearing the critique and philosophies of a broken man, cloistered in a cottage in the French countryside. I thought that if there was anywhere that people might have read this interesting (if obscure) book, it would be here. Any opinions?

The thing is that in order to have a chance of getting to where I want, I would have to drop out of college, take the rest of the year off, and join the Player's School of Music next year. Anticipating a music career at St.Bonaventure University is like going into a community college and expecting to become president. Also, I don't think I have the drive to make music any more than a hobby for myself, but right now I'm trying to figure out if I am trying to tell that to you or myself. Either way, I have until the end of the semester to make a decision. I think I may take a double major in Finance and Accounting and from there become an entrepreneur.