tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post487393076791603061..comments2024-01-05T06:18:18.086-05:00Comments on CommentaramaPolitics: Moar Friday HitsAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-644310846378200622013-12-09T16:48:56.443-05:002013-12-09T16:48:56.443-05:00Erm... a small point, but nursing and care homes i...Erm... a small point, but nursing and care homes in the UK are not part of the NHS: the vast majority are run by the private sector.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18105609617071999765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-90805630468492153882013-12-08T09:58:29.773-05:002013-12-08T09:58:29.773-05:00Hm.
LINKHm.<br /><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/07/rand-paul-says-first-vote-needs-toward-2016-white-house-bid-is-his-wife/" rel="nofollow">LINK</a>Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453591141757808708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-82960807937626638782013-12-07T19:50:08.782-05:002013-12-07T19:50:08.782-05:00I hope they work. :) I love those. The Austrians...I hope they work. :) I love those. The Austrians are everywhere! AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-36075387557625587432013-12-07T19:40:46.414-05:002013-12-07T19:40:46.414-05:00I am making some of your Mom's cookies this we...I am making some of your Mom's cookies this weekend. Thanksgiving got kinda' crazy and I didn't have time. I'm going to make the crescent shaped ones first (I can't remember the name). I will let you know how my official "taste testers" at work like them. I warn you though, they WILL eat anything...really! I even have an official Austrian taste tester too!BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-43948469509477198812013-12-07T19:37:13.528-05:002013-12-07T19:37:13.528-05:00Yeah, it's amazing how many of these supposed ...Yeah, it's amazing how many of these supposed hate crimes are just cries for attention or outright fraud. There are some sick people out there who want to feel relevant to the world.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-85238915308133723002013-12-07T19:35:56.829-05:002013-12-07T19:35:56.829-05:00Bev, We've got one inch outside. So I think w...Bev, We've got one inch outside. So I think we'll survive. :) But it is 7 degrees, so it is cold.<br /><br />How did the cookies turn out?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-3669789225534742102013-12-07T19:22:12.646-05:002013-12-07T19:22:12.646-05:00Hey, Andrew, are you snowed in in Colorado?Hey, Andrew, are you snowed in in Colorado?BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-91568320678249932522013-12-07T19:21:38.428-05:002013-12-07T19:21:38.428-05:00Andrew - It is the same for many incidences of no...Andrew - It is the same for many incidences of nooses hanging too. I think it is purely to get attention.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-54910708859391751622013-12-07T14:21:09.882-05:002013-12-07T14:21:09.882-05:00BTW, On the hate crimes thing, there have also bee...BTW, On the hate crimes thing, there have also been a series of incidents lately with waitresses claiming they were told racist or anti-gay things as reasons for not getting tips, and in each case, it's turned out that the waitress was lying and one even faked the receipt.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-10746052711997618792013-12-06T15:49:25.190-05:002013-12-06T15:49:25.190-05:00Bev, that had crossed my mind, and I'm sure th...Bev, that had crossed my mind, and I'm sure the author would say the same thing does apply to God. Like I said, completely lazy intellectually.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-78574222245739037922013-12-06T14:18:00.582-05:002013-12-06T14:18:00.582-05:00The author is tackling the philosophical question ...<i>The author is tackling the philosophical question by saying that "because it's hard to say where life begins and ends, we should just assume there's no such thing as life." </i><br /><br />T-Rav - Isn't that kind of the "anti-religious" philosophic viewpoint? Since we can't prove when/where life begins/ends, life must not exist.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-41536685274451542662013-12-06T14:00:28.106-05:002013-12-06T14:00:28.106-05:00Andrew
I got the sense from the Stossel expose o...Andrew <br /><br />I got the sense from the Stossel expose on BitCoins that they are primarily being used now by people who want to make monetary exchanges that were off the record i.e. drug sales, transactions in dictatorship countries that are disallowed etc.<br /><br />I would not technically classify it as a Ponzi scheme. You essentially are buying something. A virtual unit of currency that only exists on the internet. There is no need for anyone to fund current exchanges with future people being fooled to opt in. Everyone receives this thing and there are supposedly only so many of these things that are allowed to be creative.<br /><br />The risks and they are substantial are twofold:<br /><br />One: Bit Coins are a fiat currency that are not even backed by a government. They are only worth anything if other people think they are worth something. Essentially you could decide to sell Confederate dollars under the same scheme. If people are willing to accept it is worth something they you are good. If not well at least confederate money might have some collectors value... with bit coins you got nothing.<br /><br />The second risk which is no less imposing than the first is the risk of corruption. The idea is that bit coins will never inflate relative to themselves because there are only so many bit coins allowed to be in existence. Thus a Bit Coin could fluctuate with the prices of the US dollar but not say with Gold that is more stable. IF you can't print more you can't inflate the currency.<br /><br />The true risk is that you are trusting whoever has developed this programming code that they are enough of a hot shot programmer to stop all hackers from breaking the encryption algorithms and downloading more or that the programmers themselves are not going to ignore their promise and one day just release more of the bit coins. This risk is greater than the first because one this happens, not backed by government the first risk will automatically become a reality as well.<br /><br />Essentially you are buying magic invisible money from some guy on the internet.Individualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005025873042230314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-13859089012027936922013-12-06T13:12:22.389-05:002013-12-06T13:12:22.389-05:00I follow all of the health stuff in Britain and th...I follow all of the health stuff in Britain and their system is a mess. Americans would never tolerate that and the Dems better watch their butts because they own all the country's health care problems now.<br /><br />On hate crimes, this is becoming the "in thing" to invent hate crimes and then scream about it. That's the surest way to discredit something. Nice work, fools.<br /><br />Patriot, Bit coins are an illusion. They are a ponzi scheme that you go into knowing it's a ponzi scheme. Buy them at your own risk.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-53005365591667958962013-12-06T13:11:41.203-05:002013-12-06T13:11:41.203-05:00tryanmax, usually when articles like this one pop ...tryanmax, usually when articles like this one pop up, there's more to it than meets the eye. Not so much here. The author is tackling the philosophical question by saying that "because it's hard to say where life begins and ends, we should just assume there's no such thing as life." That's one of the poorer exercises in logic I've seen lately.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-55752221026077393072013-12-06T13:05:16.488-05:002013-12-06T13:05:16.488-05:00Indi, agreed on all points. The whole comparison o...Indi, agreed on all points. The whole comparison of government outlays between red and blue states is just something liberals tell themselves so they can say that they, and not Middle America, are the backbone of the country. Like the article about machine life, it's good for a laugh, if not much else. T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-48346970126675383702013-12-06T12:39:02.820-05:002013-12-06T12:39:02.820-05:00T-Rav, I tend to agree with your sentiment about h...T-Rav, I tend to agree with your sentiment about hate crimes. These hoaxes wouldn't work if it weren't for an extreme credulousness and acute sensitivity on the part of those rushing to organize candlelight vigils for the very people that turn out to be perpetrating the problem. It's really quite the opposite of "cry-wolf." To me, this speaks against the usefulness of "awareness" campaigns. I realize that you can't eliminate a problem by ignoring it, but I believe you can exacerbate one by poking at it too much. It also feeds into victim culture, which has generated a perverse identity of victims as heroes. That isn't to say that victims can't become heroes, as many have, but it is not automatic. It is the rush to canonize victims of every perceived slight that encourages people to stage these sorts of hoaxes. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-82501977461360670602013-12-06T12:08:39.370-05:002013-12-06T12:08:39.370-05:00Bev
That's a good point,
John Stossel did a ...Bev<br /><br />That's a good point,<br /><br />John Stossel did a show on Bit Coins. They are a completely private currency that uses sophisticated encryption software to identify the timestamp of an individual file to form a monetary unit that is literally made up of data.<br /><br />Supposedly there are or will be only so many Bit Coins in existence so there will never be inflation. As to their actual trading value supposedly these are transactions that governments are not able to monitor and therefor cannot control or tax.Individualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005025873042230314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-15042909159377087962013-12-06T12:00:38.233-05:002013-12-06T12:00:38.233-05:00Bev, I was actually going to link that story about...Bev, I was actually going to link that story about the waitress too, but then forgot about it. But it's maybe an even more egregious example of this whole thing, because it a) pulls all the right heartstrings with the whole military angle, and b) all the major news outlets jumped on it right away as an example of bias and hate, and then of course we learned better. Not that they'll easily admit it, though.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-39526662566237054182013-12-06T11:52:39.436-05:002013-12-06T11:52:39.436-05:00Patriot, I have no thoughts on Bitcoins, so hopefu...Patriot, I have no thoughts on Bitcoins, so hopefully others can help you out.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-50159392424471109502013-12-06T11:52:03.145-05:002013-12-06T11:52:03.145-05:00Scott, you're right, there are very real incid...Scott, you're right, there are very real incidences of crimes or harassment on the basis of race or sexuality or whatever, something I suspect I have more personal experience with than many of the people who are always raising the hue and cry.<br /><br />But in my opinion, the whole concept of "hate crime," whatever basis it has in reality, is a very dangerous one, because it makes any negative interaction between two people of different backgrounds very easy to be exploited and made into a fake example of intolerance. One could almost say that these "cry wolf" stories are a feature of it, not a bug.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-73935979057719282662013-12-06T11:51:56.579-05:002013-12-06T11:51:56.579-05:00tyranmax
If all one eats for dinner is brussel s...tyranmax <br /><br />If all one eats for dinner is brussel sprouts every night can one really say one is livingIndividualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005025873042230314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-19564308706802145372013-12-06T11:51:28.065-05:002013-12-06T11:51:28.065-05:00Bev, I know Andrew touches on that in his book, bu...Bev, I know Andrew touches on that in his book, but I'd like to understand it better. Hopefully one of these days, you or he would devote an article to the subject. (Or if there's one I'm forgetting, link to it here.) tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-36551777306786953742013-12-06T11:44:14.069-05:002013-12-06T11:44:14.069-05:00Kit, I hadn't seen that. It's more than I ...Kit, I hadn't seen that. It's more than I would have expected at this point from the Cameron government. <br /><br />The reaction from the public health sector, on the other hand, is as predictable as night following day.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-56948420629802939052013-12-06T11:36:19.751-05:002013-12-06T11:36:19.751-05:00Individual - And to add to that, many "Red St...Individual - And to add to that, many "Red States" have no state income tax so the taxpayers pay more to the Federal gov in income tax because there is no state/local income tax deduction in those states with no state income tax...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-23368884270552003042013-12-06T11:34:18.806-05:002013-12-06T11:34:18.806-05:00The machine life article is a lightweight take on ...The machine life article is a lightweight take on something serious thinkers have been toying with for decades if not centuries. It's little more than a mental exercise. The serious debate isn't whether life exists, but how do we adequately describe the things that we know to be true? The divide between living and not-living may be narrower than we think, but it doesn't change the obvious. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.com