Earlier this year I had one of the most serious ordeals with health in my life so far – my battle with gingivitis. No, scratch that. My WAR with gingivitis – because that’s really what it was – me against the gingivitis, all-out, total mobilization, day-in and day-out. It began when I paid a visit to the dentist for a semi-annual checkup a handful of months ago. She removed a good deal of plaque from the fronts of my teeth and asked me how regularly I had been brushing and for how long? I told her the truth. Now, I’m never one to neglect personal hygiene or health issues – that would totally contradict my “Body First” philosophy, after all. But, to be honest, I was always pretty lucky as far as dental health goes – that’s really the only legitimate way of describing it: “luck” – so while I was told to brush my teeth well and often as a kid – and floss, too – I never really got toothaches or problems when I didn’t so I didn’t see the point. I never even had a cavity throughout my youth – still haven’t actually! Now, like I said – I was just lucky about this, I’m not saying anyone can get away with it – and I probably shouldn’t have. Anyway, the truth of the matter dawned on me when the dentist mentioned my gingivitis infection and that I needed to start brushing her way. “Sorry,” I asked her, “are you saying if I don’t do this I CAN GET gingivitis?” The dentist, really nice lady but getting visibly impatient, said “no, you need to cure your gingivitis – you HAVE gingivitis.” Ok, now the truth of the matter dawned on me. Read the rest of this entry »
My Personal War Against Gingivitis
30 04 2009Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: Gingivitis, Life
Categories : Life, Personal Responsibility
More Great Quotes
29 04 2009“In former times, we constantly made jokes about different races…Every friendly clique had a ‘Sam the Jew’ or ‘Jose the Mexican’ – but we didn’t think anything of it or have a racist thought. It was normal that we made jokes based on our nationality…We’re all spending too much time and energy trying to be politically correct.”
-Clint Eastwood
“People tend to tremble in the face of an imaginary danger and are too lazy to see the real one.”
-Douglas Reed
“The substance of the eminent Socialist gentlemen’s speech is that making a profit is a sin. It is my belief that the real sin is taking a loss.”
-Winston Churchill
“Can someone please tell us how U. S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano got her job?”
-The editorial board of The National Post, a Canadian Newspaper
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
-Dr. Seuss Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 2 Comments »
Categories : Uncategorized
The Role of Money in Gambling (Part 2)
28 04 2009One of the most common settings for gambling to take place in the United States today is within a commercial casino. In 2004 the total gross casino gaming revenue for state-sanctioned casinos was $28.93 billion (Commercial Casino State Statistics.) There were nearly 350,000 employees working for them nationwide (Commercial Casino State Statistics.) This does not include Indian casinos. It is widely known that in a casino the odds of the games are stacked highly unfavorably against the consumer player. The casinos have structured it this way. They also fine-tune the atmosphere inside and offer free drinks to their patrons. It is set up with this system in place so that “the house always wins” and the casino is left with the maximum possible revenue that they can generate. Example of games of chance that one might commonly find in a casino include Baccarat, Craps, Roulette and Slots. When I was in my senior year of high school, my AP Statistics class did a unit studying the statistical logistics behind the game of craps, which is played with dice. It is actually one of the more complicated games among the normal casino clique and there are several different plays one can make. We found that a player has the best chance against the house if one plays the simplest variation where the odds are close to 50-50 but favor the house in the long-run. As for the game of slots, there are many experts on slot machines out there who give advice on strategies and which machines to play, but at best this cuts the house advantage to a low percentage. It does not erase the house advantage or create an advantage for the player. The only games that a player might gain an advantage in are Blackjack and Poker. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: Gambling, Money
Categories : Economics, Theory
Book Review: How an Economy Grows and Why it Doesn’t
27 04 2009http://www.amazon.com/How-Economy-Grows-Why-Doesnt/dp/0930374061
I just got finished reading How an Economy Grows and Why it Doesn’t, by Irwin Schiff. It is a comic book (or as current artists of that kind prefer – “graphic novel”) which shows the workings of an economy like ours in both a free market society and one like the one in which we live. I find it a very enlightening piece that anyone interested in the current welfare of our economy, what is being done about it and what should be done about it, should read. Released in 1985, I strongly believe that it has as much, if not more, relevancy today as it did then. I especially recommend it to young people. They need to know how we got in our current situation through the actions of past generations if they are to find a solution to meet the needs of future generations. The author, Irwin Schiff has articulated a timeless classic in simple economics. Interestingly, his son, Peter Schiff, also an eloquent and educated economist, is considering a run for the Senate in 2010 against the vulnerable Christopher Dodd of Connecticut. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: Free Market, Politics
Categories : Book Review, Economics
Choosing Responsibility at 18
26 04 2009I have always believed in the principle of: equal privilege, equal responsibility. This, of course, means that if one bears equal responsibility for something, they should also receive the equal privilege that comes along with such responsibility. Equal privilege. Equal responsibility. This is form of personal responsibility that demands and expects Common Sense out of all parties involved. This can be applied to the drinking age. I believe that it should be lowered to 18 from the current age of 21 – a position shared by the Amethyst Initiative and Choose Responsibility. To this date, over 100 college presidents and chancellors have decided that the 21 year-old drinking age is not working for America. This new trend was initiated by John McCardell, the former President of Middlebury College in Vermont. This has garnered quite a bit of news attention since last Summer. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: Drinking Age, Politics
Categories : Personal Responsibility
Napolitano’s New Crusade
25 04 2009There’s a new turn of developments hailing from the office of Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. This, is, of course the same cabinet Secretary who released a memo which could target gun owners, pro-lifers, military veterans and citizens who support responsible immigration policy as “right-wing extremists.” Brilliant notion – if there is dissatisfaction from the manner President Obama is handling his administration and these groups gain support you can get around the conventional how-a-democratic-society works lens view and just say “they’re not legitimate opposition, they’re right-wing extremists, we need to contain them” and use the War on Terror for direct political leverage – not even President Bush ever went that far. This is not the way to be a “uniter and not a divider,” this is the way to be a dictator.
Anyway, this week there was something new on the agenda for the Secretary of Homeland Security. It’s not right-wing extremists this time, it’s something new. Canadians. That’s right – Napolitano has called for redoubled security on the Canadian border – because obviously, that’s where we need to focus our efforts. Not – say – the Mexican border, where ten times as many illegal immigrants come from a year. Napolitano also brought back an old claim that the 9/11 high-jackers came from Canada, whilst many new theories on that matter have arisen since then. As you can probably tell, the Canadians were just thrilled to hear the news: Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : Immigration, Politicians
The Role of Money in Gambling
24 04 2009When I mention the role of money in gambling, I do not merely speak about the action involved in wagering money in a game of chance and the logistics of that. The truth behind what money means to gambling and what gambling means for the concept of money is part of a more multidimensional complex. And it is a massive subject – money has been around in some form for thousands of years and gambling is a giant industry in our contemporary society. The total gross gambling revenue in the United States for all forms of gambling amounted to $92.27 billion (American Gaming Association.) That figure is an intimidating one and is measured in terms of money. According to the American Gaming Association, gross gambling revenue is defined as “the amount wagered minus the winnings returned to players” and represents the value of gambling for those who organize it, such as the owner of a casino. In the United States, gambling typically is concentrated in certain areas, such as Las Vegas, Nevada, Atlantic City, New Jersey and Indian reservations. It takes place in a wide variety of scenarios. For instance, it can take place in a casino, at a racetrack, in an online setting (though this has been heavily restricted in recent years), betting on sports (this is only legitimately available in a few states), lotteries (this is legitimately available in almost every state) or bingo, which is often used as a fundraiser for churches and religious institutions. Gambling can take place in either a legal setting or an illegal setting. Gambling has taken place legally and illegally throughout history and throughout the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: Economics, Gambling, Money
Categories : Economics, Theory
In the News these Past Few Days:
23 04 2009Sarah’s W.A.R. a Failure
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s designated nominee to fill the office of the state attorney general post was rejected the other day in a 35-23 vote in the state legislature. Wayne Anthony Ross – nicknamed W.A.R. was a passionately strong individualist and defender of civil liberties. He was even genuine enough in his promotion of civil liberties to defend a KKK piece of art. This is the correct way to have free speech, for if the controversial or extreme message is not included under the First Amendment tent of free speech and expression, than there is no such thing as free speech or expression. His was the correct position in our society, but of course he was rewarded with no praise for taking such a strong stance. There was also a liberal ideologue who made an accusation of him defending rape – although no evidence existed for such a thing except for her word. Given some of the past accusations she has made against politicians, it is doubtful he said it. If he said it than it was probably in jest and should hold no serious bearing. Number one, he is married with a wife and children and a stable family life. Number two, Governor Palin, a WOMAN, appointed him. His rejection comes as bad news to me because from what I read online he seemed pretty qualified and I’m sure he would have been a good attorney general.
Jackie Chan is Anti-Freedom
The famed martial artist and actor Jackie Chan made a statement on Sunday which contradicted the nature of liberty:
“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not. I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.” Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : Knicks, Life, News, Obama Administration
10th Amendment Movement and FOCA
22 04 2009There has been a lot of talk in the past few months over the so-called “Freedom of Choice Act” in Congress. The new Obama Administration in the White House has – while masquerading as a voice of moderation – indicated support for this bill which would invalidate state restrictions on abortions – many of which 90% or more Americans support. This has become a latter-day rallying point for pro-life activists and a beacon of fear for certain state governments. The FOCA would have much difficulty squeezing its way through Congress – many moderate Democrats oppose this bill for its radical fashion. However, like the topic of highways, this issue might very well find itself intersecting with the newly-formed Tenth Amendment Movement among the states. The Tenth Amendment Movement is a grassroots and state-level effort to return to the more Federal system of government that existed at the nation’s founding. To fully understand the Tenth Amendment Movement, one must first fully understand the Tenth Amendment, which states:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: Abortion, FOCA, Freedom of Choice Act, Government, History, Politics, Tenth Amendment
Categories : Abortion, Federalism, History, Obama Administration, Sovereignty, States
The Trimester Dichotomy
21 04 2009Today we think of the different stages of pregnancy in terms of “trimesters” – periods of three months – three of which make up the total nine-month pregnancy. It is second nature now when discussing the topic of pregnancy to refer to the first trimester, second trimester or third trimester to indicate how far along in the pregnancy one is. However, the dichotomy of dividing pregnancy into trimesters does not accurately reflect real fetal development. When one is in the womb, one develops throughout the nine months of pregnancy and while two different pre-born babies may both be in the “first trimester,” one may be significantly more developed and aware than the other. Thus, the division of pregnancy into “trimesters” carries no more intellectual validity than dividing it into “semesters” or “pentamesters” or “hexamesters” or nine month-long “nonomesters.” Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: Abortion, Politics, Pregnancy, Supreme Court, Trimester
Categories : Abortion, Collectivism, History, Politicians, Sovereignty
