Can a Bad Memory be a Good Thing?

15 11 2008

While I was boredly checking yahoo news articles I found this.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122635803060015415.html?mod=yhoofront

And all this time I with me concentrating my boiling blood vessels out of myself, you’re telling me now that it’s a good thing that I don’t remember stuff?! Geez Laweez! I’m sure that I can relate to a lot of other people out there when I say this. It drives me crazy when I forget the simplest of things. I remind myself to do something or buy something in the morning and then I go off to do more imminent and interesting things. Then I beat myself over the head later when I realize that I forgot it. “How could I be so stupid?!” I used to be really hard on myself about the practice but now I have more or less accepted it as part of me. The idea that it may actually be good for you – perhaps even more efficient – gives me greater validation. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Fads, Life

Book Review: A Farewell to Alms

14 11 2008

my-room-007

Here is a copy of a critique I wrote back in March about a fascinating non-fiction book which my father gave to me for Christmas. It is called A Farewell to Alms and it is an economic commentary written by Gregory Clark.

Alright, here goes:

Gregory Clark is an economics professor at UC-Davis. Clark is also the author of A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World. In his 2007 “blockbuster of economics,” as a reviewer dubs it, he takes a journey through human economic history, analyzing particular constants along the way. He grapples with fellow scholars such as Thomas Malthus, William Godwin, Adam Smith, Michael Kremer, Kenneth Pomeranz and Jared Diamond. Clark makes the claim that income per person remained constant up until about 1800. If this is true, wouldn’t that mean that total wealth is generated when society’s population expands? No, says Gregory Clark. In the long run it may work out that way, but this is because wealth generated by advances in technology which would benefit the population as a whole are offset by population growth. This situation was turned around at about 1800 by the Industrial Revolution. Thus, according to Clark, Thomas Malthus, an 18th-19th century political economist who studied population discovered how the world works just as the world stopped working that way. Clark does not explicitly point this out himself, but it is an ironic twist that is noticeable. Adam Smith, by contrast, orchestrated hypothesizes that were relatively irrelevant to the old world but became the basis for economics in the modern world.

On the whole, A Farewell to Alms is fascinating and should in time intrigue anyone who takes the time to read it. However, it requires a very patient reader and the structure of the writing is questionable. Clark states the problems he tries to solve at the beginning. Why are some parts of the world better off than other parts? What caused the Industrial Revolution? Why was it England that initiated it? Clark then appears to leave these questions behind for the bulk of the book and come back to them near the end after giving a mountain of background information. The reader may have to flip back to the beginning to remember what Clark’s mission was when he starts discussing it again. Or, if the reader was hooked by the questions he asked, they will probably be disappointed when he does not address them right away. In the end, Clark contends that long-term cultural trends and values played a role in creating our new modern economy.

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Categories : Book Review, Theory

Sarah Palin Talks Straight

13 11 2008

Today at work while I was browsing online I saw an interesting article on Sarah Palin. While Palin has been somewhat of an inspiring mystery to me, or perhaps even a mysterious inspiration, this article opened my eyes deeper into her soul. I felt like she was too contained during the campaign and now we can gain a grasp of her true self. In some ways it was what I hoped for out of her but was not sure would be the truth. Sarah Palin, please forgive me for losing faith in you.

governorsarah1

Now on to what she said in the article. She said that the Republican ticket lost this election because it was too “status quo.” I knew that for months but it was relieving to hear her say it – she obviously was not able to dish out that kind of straight talk while she was running for vice president. Palin accused Bush of “souring the GOP brand.” Yeah, no kidding. After the 1994 takeover when the GOP drafted the Contract with America and we finally saw some politicians working for Americans instead of special interest groups, the GOP took a downturn for the worse. The presidency of George W. Bush has been one of big spending, big deficits and big foreign intervention which are the very things that true conservatives should oppose.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15474.html

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Categories : Politicians

“Common” Sense: How Common is it, Exactly?

12 11 2008

Common Sense. Common Sense. Common Sense. What is it, exactly? It is in the title of my blog…in fact the title implies that you’ll find quite a bit of it on this blog. It’s a commonly used term – often subconsciously. It’s the title of a historic pamphlet written by Thomas Paine during the American Revolutionary War. That was a great pamphlet…a true world-changer…and it was written in the plain down-to-earth style that I myself like to adapt at times. But perhaps I will post more on that another time. This post is about plain old Common Sense – the root of the concept itself. It is defined by Merriam-Webster as “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.” That is not the only way of saying it. But it gets right to the point: Common Sense is prudent, it is simple and it is a conclusion one comes to based on given (usually obvious) information.

I like to base a lot of my beliefs and practices on Common Sense. It is what I use for my broad, down-to-earth, intellectual philosophy on life, love, politics and business alike. It differs in many ways from Conventional Wisdom. Conventional Wisdom is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the generally accepted belief, opinion, judgment, or prediction about a particular matter.” Plainly said. Conventional Wisdom does not HAVE to be contradictory with Common Sense. Often, they go hand-in-hand. “Don’t stare into the Sun for long periods of time without shades.” Here, Common Sense and Conventional Wisdom are in happy agreement. “Don’t wear all black and stand in the center of the highway in the middle of the night.” Again, Common Sense and Conventional Wisdom do not diverge.

However, a widely accepted belief is often blatantly wrong when one sees it plainly. It is then that Common Sense says one thing and Conventional Wisdom another. All too often, people are prone to follow Conventional Wisdom. In yesterday’s post I discussed the Drug War and how Common Sense said it was time to end it but after all these years the Conventional Wisdom of drug prohibition is deeply embedded into our culture. So, something can be both Common Sense and Conventional Wisdom and something can also be Common Sense but not Conventional Wisdom. When such an occasion happens, the opposing view is then Conventional Wisdom but not Common Sense. There are also some things that are neither Common Sense nor Conventional Wisdom. For instance, “Neptune has the strongest winds of any planet in the solar system, measured as high as 2100 km/hr.” This is not Common Sense, as it is not a based on simple perception. It is also not Conventional Wisdom, since it is a remote fact and most people don’t know (unless they’re astronomers) or, frankly care. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Abortion, Common Sense, Immigration, Personal Responsibility, Social Security, Theory

Richard van Winkler on Drugs

11 11 2008

I decided to go to a talk today given by Richard Van Winkler, the superintendant of the Department of Corrections of Cheshire County, NH. No, I did not actually go to New Hampshire. He came to speak locally. Mr. Van Winkler is a member of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition – drug prohibition, that is. The event was sponsored by SSDP (Students for Sensible Drug Policy) and Van Winkler’s talk was preceded by a member of the New Hampshire State Legislature who recently tried to pass a decriminalization bill in his state (live free or die New Hampshire – if there’s a place for that anywhere it’s there.) The talk was illuminating beyond my initial expectations.

Van Winkler began the talk by sharing his own personal story on how he became involved in LEAP merely one year ago. He was persuaded to watch a short DVD, became intrigued and now he’s speaking at locations all across the country. He must have found his calling in this because he sure is dedicated. Even more amazing is that he is one of the few CURRENT law enforcement officers who speaks out for LEAP on the costs and failures of the “War on Drugs.” A retired officer speaking out is one thing, but one still active is something else.

Van Winkler had good voice contact and voice tone during his talk. He seemed to really build a connection with the audience – a sign of a good public speaker. One of the best qualities of his talk though, was his use of visual aids. A large power point projector flashed jaw-dropping statistics that would make any open-minded person see just how much of a lunacy the drug war is. It goes completely against pure common sense, and Van Winkler only brought up certified government information – no other sources – this all comes from the same government that imposes the puritanical madness of drug prohibition upon America (and the world, through international efforts.)

  • · 1.3% was a number that kept popping up over and over again throughout the talk. It is the exact same percentage of Americans addicted to drugs before 1914, when Heroin was first outlawed (you could get it in grocery stores before then), in 1970 when the Drug War was initiated by Nixon and today. It has not changed at all!
  • · $68 billon is spent annually on the Drug War. Think about that. The population of the United States is a little over 300 million. That is well over $200 from every taxpayer a year. If we did not have the Drug War, what would you buy right now with $200?
  • · 41% to 28%. That is the amount by which American tenth-graders (where pot is illegal) outsmoke Holland tenth-graders (where pot is legal) in smoking good ol’ mary jane. That is the percentage who say they have smoked it.
  • · 16,000 profit margin. Marijuana is just a plant. If one could acquire seeds for it than it would be just as worthless as any other. However, since it’s a valuable illegal drug with a vast market, people pay much more (the exact price varies by geographical location.) Remove the profit margin and that leaves thousands of drug dealers unemployed. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Boston, War on Drugs

What’s Next for Sarah Palin?

10 11 2008

sarah-palin

I think everyone recounts this past Tuesday when Barack Obama was elected President by the American public in a relatively close popular vote – certain sections of the media pointed to the electoral college vote and declared it a “landslide.” Barack Obama is, after all, their adopted son and he can count on their support. However, the topic of my post today is Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska and John McCain’s vice presidential running mate.

My view of Sarah Palin has jumped around quite a bit during the course of the election. I, unlike most Americans, did know who she was before John McCain announced that he had chosen her for the number two position. I had heard she was the most popular governor in the nation with an approval rating in the 80s and that she was very fiscally conservative with a borderline libertarian economic position. She took down a lot of corruption in Alaska, where my friend who lived there for a half a year confirms that politicians there tend to be pretty corrupt. However, I heard she was the exception (and still believe that.) I was hoping that McCain would either pick her or Bobby Jindal (they are both non-corrupt governors of corrupt states, young vibrant traditionalists, fiscal conservatives and are both either a woman or a minority – which would help their election.)

I did some intense investigation into Palin once the election was underway. I read her whole biography.

http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Hockey-Alaskas-Political-Establishment/dp/0979047080

It was an illuminating read. I saw how she got into politics, fought corruption and became governor first-hand. She seems like a real life Mr. Smith. A genuine outsider. She may be just what we need-someone to shake up the political establishment of the whole country just like she did for Alaska. Maybe turn the Republican Party back to its real small-government style. She did support Pat Buchanan in the past. I see that as a good sign.

To fully understand Palin, one should look at others that are around her, such as her lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell. Palin and Parnell have had a close relationship within the Alaskan Executive Branch. They kept the door separating their offices open at all times. They were both fresh young faces fighting corruption and runaway spending. They both sought national office in the 2008 election season. Palin ran for VP and Parnell ran for the US House against scandal-ridden, corrupt RINO Don Young. Parnell was endorsed by Palin and the Club for Growth. Unfortunately, Young beat him by a slim margin in the primary. I do not think it was all in vain, though. Palin and Parnell have reformed the Alaskan establishment heavily in the past and although they did not succeed that particular time, they sent out a message that will resonate with liberty-loving citizens in the future.

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Categories : Politicians

Victory for Animal Rights Propaganda

8 11 2008

On election day this past Tuesday, voters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts decided, among other things, to ban greyhound racing as a legitimate business practice. The final tally was 56% to 44%.

http://us-elections.suite101.com/article.cfm/question_3_greyhound_racing_ban_approved_in_ma

I must say I am glad not to be the owner of Wonderland Greyhound Park. I have never been to a Greyhound race myself, but this is appalling. I doubt that everyone who voted for this measure knows a ton about greyhound racing, so how can they so casually decide to ban it? I bet the pictures of dogs everywhere with supposedly-inflated statistics swayed quite a few people over on an emotional side, despite that greyhound racing in Massachusetts is reported to be safer than in other states, where many of the pictures the animal rights enthusiasts brandished during the campaign season. Also, in the middle of a poor economic period, is it really a good idea to eliminate an entire industry which many people’s jobs are tied to? Fortunately states are geographically small in New England and some of the enthusiasts for the sport may find a new home in Connecticut, Rhode Island or New Hampshire, states where they need not feel oppressed, which are all just a short ride away.

In a free country, anybody should be able to do anything they want as long as they do not infringe upon others. A. k. a. everyone leaves everyone else alone. Of course that’s not the way everyone sees it. Some may argue that “leaving everyone alone” applies to animals as well and they should be treated just like people. This kind of idea normally hails from the most radical fringe of the animal rights movement, like PETA. South Park made fun of them a few times. Check out the episodes “Douche and Turd” from Season 8 and “Free Willzyk” from Season 9. Hilarious. My props to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park.

I don’t have a problem with people being vegetarians if that is the diet they prefer but they better not act all pompous or try to preach to me about it. I like my meat and have no qualms about eating it-humans – and animals – have been eating each other since the beginning of time. Even Mowgli approves of it – it’s the “law of the jungle.” I just recently bought a shirt online. I think it pretty much sums it up…check it out:

meat-murder-tasty

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Categories : Boston, Craziness

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