tasmlab

I've been married for 17 years and we don't bicker over little things. Or any things (for the most part). I like Dsayers post. I think it also helps to have some money. If one can not have an iota of stress about bills, buy whatever one needs, hire people to do housework/lawn, etc., there's not much little stuff to fret over. I think it helps not to be overburdened with work. If a husband and wife's only time together is the exhausted scraps of after a hard days work, people are more likely to be irritable and stressed. IMO.

We homeschool, unschool approach. It's wonderful. My wife and I and our three kids (4, 7 and 10) are together all day.

I taught my 7 and 10 year old to play poker. We bet money (change) and they/we have a blast. I homeschool, so we get a little math in during the game. The Wii U is superb. Go for it.

He did a comedy routine at Porcfest a few years back, a roast of sorts. I did a couple searches and can't find the exact one, but that might be clue enough if you are interested in looking around on Youtube. I think I listened to it from SchoolSucksProject.com

This is a significant plot point in "A Miracle on 34th Street". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039628/?ref_=nv_sr_1 IIRC, even though Macy's Santa begins referring customers to other stores, Macy's sales boom as well because of it.

Being young and low paying jobs pretty much go hand in hand. Young people haven't developed the marketable skills that a high paying job requires because they haven't had the time/experience.

FWIW, I was bummed too with the news. Zelda has been in the family for about 30 years.

Yea, he was over the top, but then he had a God complex. And to some degree a murderer. I thought he made every scene particularly tense. SPOILER: I personally really liked "Her", but regardless it's interesting to contrast how the different movies thought AI would liberate itself in the end, with one professing love and then leaving to be with AI, the other murdering its maker and joining humanity.

It's a pretty unconventional movie. It deals with a guy who has created Artificial Intelligence and has lots of discussion on whether AI deserves the same treatment as life, when determinism becomes free will, and other fun topics like that. I won't give out much more unless somebody wants to discuss. Recommended!

Thanks!

I don't think a redwood needs to die before another is born. I'm just guessing, but a 10 year old one could probably muster a pine cone or two.

Thanks! I bought the URL years ago. I was talking to a friend who is a cosmologist studying gravity waves and asked him how long before there would be a practical application of his science. He said "about 500 years." It seemed to apply to ideas like atheism and anarchism too, at least at some large time scale. Plus I thought it sounded cool.

Hi everybody, I've started my own blog and podcast site so I can produce some of my own content and join the conversation. Check it out if you wish and like my FB page if it makes sense for you. The main topics will be on education, homeschooling and anarchy/libertarian topics. Like all new blogs, I haven't proven that I can stick with it. So wish me luck and discipline. Thanks! http://www.fivehundredyears.org

Hi FDRers! I've just released a podcast/mini-book (20-pages)/blog on a comprehensive case for home education. It contains 54 cases for why people should shun public compulsory schooling and embrace homeschooling. Please check it out when you have time: http://fivehundredyears.org/?p=77 Thanks so much in advance! Jeff (tasmlab) ____________ 1. The argument for knowledge 2. The argument against conformity 3. The argument for better learning, a love of learning and engagement 4. The argument for exposure 5. The argument for powerful subjects 6. The argument for useful subjects 7. The argument for modernity 8. The argument against instructor-led, time-fixed training 9. The argument against testing and grades, and rewards and punishments 10. The argument for doing vs. observing 11. The argument for free play 12. The argument for history 13. The argument for alternative political views 14. The argument for religion or atheism 15. The argument for leaders over followers and entrepreneurs over workers 16. The argument for opportunity 17. The argument for happiness and for empathy 18. The argument for family 19. The argument of efficiency and time 20. The argument for convenience 21. The argument for sleep, sleeping in and staying up 22. The argument against exhaustion 23. The argument for vacation 24. The argument for having kids around (to benefit adults) 25. The argument against boredom 26. The argument against peer pressure 27. The argument against stress and unneeded pressure 28. The argument for caring and thinking about it 29. The case against useless credentialing 30. The argument for accelerating, or even skipping, college 31. The argument for real experience and income 32. The argument for job or career preparedness 33. The argument for creating a diverse network 34. The argument against extending childhood or postponing adulthood 35. Arguments for socialization and individuation 36. The argument against bullying 37. The argument for mixed age groups 38. The argument for adult interaction (to benefit children) 39. The argument for health and safety 40. The argument against drug abuse 41. The argument for the environment 42. The argument for self-rule, self-control, self-ownership and treating children as free humans 43. The argument for libertarian morality (or the argument against coercion and the initiation of violence) 44. The consequentialist libertarian argument against government effectiveness (i.e., the government is bad at doing things) 45. The argument for thrift 46. The argument against human capital 47. The argument against school and its true function 48. The argument against poverty and prison 49. The argument against the military, war and soldiering 50. The argument for ending public education 51. The argument for limitless, flourishing education options 52. The argument for ending government 53. The argument for a better society 54. The final personal argument from experimentation and low risk

School sucks project is my personal favorite these days.

50 or 100 years before your time is probably accurate. Probably the same timeline, at best, for achieving Harris' own vision for an "End of Faith".

Instead of the law saying religious preferences are somehow special, I would've preferred if they used a free association argument, allowing for discrimination for any preference or criteria.

To each his own, but I've found having them to be the most glorious thing in my life. The desire didn't pop up until I was in my early thirties, was married for seven years, financially stable/affluent, and had a wife able to be a full time mommy. I think all of that stuff makes the decision so much easier.

That was a good approach IMO. About me: I always thought death would be some careful discussion I would have with my kids when they were like 10, but it came up with all of them around the age 3. It's too prevalent in media to avoid. I use a similar approach as you. Just tell them the truth. Their grandma died last year (my mom) and they wanted to go to the funeral. It was too far to take everybody. I did snap a photo of her in her coffin so they could see. They sometimes say they miss her if they see a picture or video clip of her, but they know that she's dead and gone.

Celebrate or don't. What ever floats your boat. IMO. Birthdays get fun with kids. They get super excited for both my wife's and my birthdays. They try to make us breakfast in bed, make homemade cards, get excited about candles and cake, like to do "you smell like a monkey" during the song, etc.

This may be semantics, but every company has a monopoly on its brand. E.g., McDonalds has a monopoly on McDonald's brand hamburgers. But then not one in the category of hamburgers, and not one in restaurants and not one in food. In Peter Theil's book "Zero to one*" he advocates every company building a monopoly. Mises explains that there can be 'limited space monopolies and they can be frequent. There might be one cement company in a region, but they can't gouge beyond what the product would cost + shipping from a distant competitor. A more direct limited space monopoly is the concession stand at a movie theatre. Since you are trapped in the building, the concession stand can inflict gouge pricing. And they do. In general, I agree with the OP's idea, but I would probably say that monopolies, esp if you include category competition, in a free market are extremely rare. Probably not mutually exclusive IMO. * Great book BTW.

Gatto might be my favorite liberty author, as much as he is one. Some of his books really blew my hair back.

I bought the collector's edition despite having the original just to have it in my collection, but I don't think there's a remarkable difference in content.

OK, so you're playing with live rounds here. You actually have children. As someone who took the step to unschool my three children last year (two of which were in PS) I strongly recommend over-researching this topic. Read a bunch of books to get your arguements dead on solid. Not just to debate your co-workers, but to feel confident your self. Some good titles: - Gatto: Dumbing us down - Gatto: Weapons of Mass Instruction - Peter Gray: Free to learn - Lewllen: Teenage Liberation handbook - John Holt: Teach your own. Also, check out the schoolsucksproject podcast. It's amazing. Molyneux is frequently referenced and a repeat guest. It takes a while, especially if you were schooled yourself, but eventually you'll find the idea of letting the government take over your children repulsive and dangerous. Also, people are terrified of being wrong about public schools. There's too much at stake; either they went through them themselves or are putting their children in harms way. Your not fighting their reasons, you're fighting their guilt and fear. Keep on keeping on!

Just a personal anecdote, I had a girlfriend that I acquired while she had a boyfriend and, sure enough, she left me with another overlap between me and the new guy. I later became good friends with the boyfriend before me and he had originally started the same with her and her previous boyfriend. This is just one case, and maybe it could work in a situation, but if she doesn't cut off one of you within, say, a day, I'd be very suspect of her character. IMO.