Alan C.

Price of beef, fish, eggs reach record highs Price of Electricity Hit Record High in U.S. in 2014

Bitcoin's rapid rise was not due to the increase in productivity and labor-saving benefits that it conferred upon society, but rather due to hype, wishful thinking, and speculation. Peter Schiff referred to it as "Tulip Mania." Society has been made better off by smartphones because they provide visible, tangible, labor-saving benefits. We know what a smartphone is worth because one can calculate opportunity cost of not having a smart phone. What visible, tangible, labor-saving benefits has Bitcoin accorded? What is the opportunity cost of not using Bitcoin? When somebody answers that question then the real price of a Bitcoin will be discovered, and I think it will be too low to make it worthwhile.

Pope on Charlie Hebdo: 'You cannot insult the faith of others' Poop Francis is a charlatan who is peddling bullshit to credulous, feeble-minded people.

I've never bought a Bitcoin and don't plan to. In The Ethics of Money Production by Guido Hülsmann, he noted that, "...the monetary use of a commodity ultimately depends upon its non-monetary use..." Rick Rule: "I don't have any way to express the utility of that labor excecpt in the ascribed value of a market for Bitcoin."

Economic Death Spiral: More American Businesses Dying Than Starting

British prime minister says he'd ban encrypted messaging services if elected to power again

The reason why this is being largely ignored by mainstream media is because Nigeria isn't part of the Western hegemons, and doesn't advance the "terrorist boogeyman is gonna getcha" narrative. The media focuses on terrorist attacks that hit home in order to rile people into a patriotic and nationalistic fervor so that they'll support more foreign intervention. The media and government still talk about 9/11 as if it's the worst tragedy that has ever happened. About the same number of people die in car accidents every month in the U.S. as died from 9/11, and nobody cares.

People Separated From iPhones Suffer Psychological Effects, Study Finds I thought this was quite amusing.

Most Americans Don’t Have Savings to Pay Unexpected Bill

Doesn't the fact that somebody receives welfare mean that they're not productive? Afterall, if they were productive then they wouldn't need welfare, right? What does it mean to be productive? It means that somebody is producing something. What do people on welfare produce? Where does welfare come from? Welfare comes from other people who produce something and then get expropriated by the State.

Yes, simple carbs break down quickly and can cause your blood sugar to spike. Many fitness and bodybuilding videos talk about simple vs. complex carbs. Pro bodybuilders minimize simple carbs while cutting, prior to competitions, to prevent fat accumulation. During the cutting phase, they will often eat only lean protein (fish, chicken, egg whites) and vegetables.

In a free-market economy, people are rewarded according to the value they provide to others. [some] scientists contribute to the provision of goods and services which improve the lives of millions of people via labor-saving devices and technology. Doing so requires specialized knowledge and expertise which is not in abundant supply, and which may require years of work and deferred consumption. Being a busboy doesn't require specialized knowledge and expertise, years of work, or deferred consumption. Learning to be a busboy can be accomplished within days and available candidates are abundant. That's why [some] scientists should get paid more than busboys. Actually, you do ascribe to it as evidenced by the fact that you're using a computer. Technological innovation is made possible by the capitalistic order of production. Fidel Castro hated capitalism, except for his Rolex watches.

I often sit like that (not quite that exaggerated), but not intentionally. I've been wearing relaxed-fit jeans since my late teens because I have thick, muscular thighs from playing soccer for over a decade. I cannot even cross my legs.

France has strict gun-control laws, and murder is illegal.

Obama administration imposed $181 billion in regulations in 2014, report finds

Kickstarter raised $529M for projects in 2014 (from 3.3M people) Star Citizen funding reaches $66M (with over 672K supporters)

It's not simply a matter of efficiency. Economic calculation requires prices, and prices require money. The absence of money prices severely limits a society's productivity and ability to grow, because prices allow coordination on a vast scale.

Coincidence of wants The primary problem with barter economies is that they impose transaction costs (eg. time, coordination, transport, storage, seasonal). Money (ie. a widely recognized and accepted exchange medium) minimizes this problem.

Scientific team sounds the alarm on sugar as a source of disease

An elderly Gregory Peck?

Wendy McElroy on the fallacy of rape culture:

Great movie from the 80s which I saw in the theater. The amusing thing about this movie was that the aliens were supposed to represent Republicans. Keith David also appeared in John Carpenters The Thing (1982)

There is no hope for libertarianism through the political process. The best you can do (and since you're compelled to participate) is to use it as a vehicle for disseminating libertarian ideas.

Some resources are more abundant than others, and resources can be reconstituted in almost limitless combinations, but I wouldn't say that they're unlimited. However, time is limited and people have to eat. Also, if input exceeds output then you'll get nowhere fast. People who make others feel guilty and ashamed for living (and consuming) are attempting to compensate for their own feelings of inadequacy and have little to contribute to the benefit and well-being of others. In psychology, it's known as a manipulation tactic called 'leveling.'

I bought a cheap T-Mobile flip phone (Samsung) and the minutes cost me $100/year, or less. I've had it for about 4 years and have been very happy with it.