Wednesday, July 31, 2013
The Beanie Baby College Fund
Posted by
Nick
The first takeaway that most folks will have from this film, Bankrupt by Beanies, is that the family made a bad investment call and sunk their dough into too many collectibles that didn’t appreciate. That notion is quickly dispelled by reading about the family members’ gonzo behavior, along with the inability to sell what they bought. Also, the father speaks to his “thrill” upon acquisition of each new stuffed animal, and he refers to the acquisition days as being “fun and exciting.” He notes that back in the day, he couldn’t understand why his wife and kids eventually grew weary of the family-hobby-to-nowhere.
The family is now stuck with a massive stockpile of unwanted fad toys. The Beanie Baby craze was just one small speck of lunacy that swept American culture as one fetish after another has become a beacon of civilization. The problem, however, was the boom-bubble “buy buy buy buy” mania that swept American culture, funded by easy credit (have pulse, will loan) that was enabled by government intervention and Federal Reserve policies. The video ends with this unfortunate statement:
The family still has between 15,000 and 20,000 beanie babies. But they admit despite how dire the circumstances are now, the beanie babies could come around again. “I guess we’ll see who’s crazy in 20 years,” the film ends.
Still, after 20 years, they have hope that the Beanie Baby lunacy will be reignited by some magical force. He waits and waits to hear from someone that he will cash out on a fixation that has long been six feet under. Unfortunately, the boom-bubble mentality breeds this kind of sentiment, as I have argued often. Inflationary policies have multiple social impacts that result in cultural carnage and ruined lives. Thanks to my sister, Christine DeCoster Sickler, for the link, as she remembers my position on this craze from 20 years ago.-Karen De Coster, No More Beanie Baby Bubbles
A Family Spent $100,000 on Beanie Babies to Put Their Kids Through College
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
You Can Always Leave
Posted by
Nick
Below, Tom Woods replies to the common anti-libertarian argument that demands libertarians leave the country if they don't like the system, the rules, etc.
When Did I Sign This 'Social Contract'?
Friday Music Break
Posted by
Nick
A long break if you listen to the whole album, but this was my introduction to Coldplay and remains my favorite.
How to Fold a T-shirt
Posted by
Nick
I'm doing a small load of laundry as I write this. I ran out of clothes a couple days ago. No towels (been taking showers by drying off with paper towels), no undershorts (wore the same ones a couple days in a row, not wearing any at the moment), no T-shirts (except for one very old one that is stained yellow and has a bunch of holes in it, which I'm wearing right now), and I got by for socks by buying a package of new ones.
After my clothes are done, my folding is minimal because my folding skills are minimal. I don't even try to fold T-shirts anymore, I just stuff them as is as they come out of the dryer into my laundry sack (a plastic trash bag). So, I was hoping the video below would help me, but after watching it several times, I doubt I'll get the hang of this Japanese folding technique. Maybe you can do better as you're undoubtedly brighter and more dexterous than I am.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Smash the Job Culture!
Posted by
Nick
We work even longer hours than our fathers, pay higher taxes, depend
on two salaries to keep one household together, shove our alienated
children into daycare and government education camps, watch our money
steadily inflate away, and suffer mightily from a raft of job-related
mental and physical ills.
We may not do manual labor. But we work even longer hours than our fathers, pay higher taxes, depend on two salaries to keep one household together, shove our alienated children into daycare and government education camps, watch our money steadily inflate away (while the TV tells us the consumer price index is holding steady) and suffer mightily from a raft of job-related mental and physical ills.
What’s changed but the details? For all our material possessions, we’re in the same old cycle of working, hurting, and losing.
And even though the FBI may not pay us a visit for complaining about it, rebelling against jobs is still a threat to the powers that be.
The government doesn’t have to worry about rebellion much, though. Because today we’re programmed from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed to value jobs, big corporations – and the things jobs buy us – over the real pleasures – and real necessities – of being human.-http://c4ss.org/content/12839
We may not do manual labor. But we work even longer hours than our fathers, pay higher taxes, depend on two salaries to keep one household together, shove our alienated children into daycare and government education camps, watch our money steadily inflate away (while the TV tells us the consumer price index is holding steady) and suffer mightily from a raft of job-related mental and physical ills.
What’s changed but the details? For all our material possessions, we’re in the same old cycle of working, hurting, and losing.
And even though the FBI may not pay us a visit for complaining about it, rebelling against jobs is still a threat to the powers that be.
The government doesn’t have to worry about rebellion much, though. Because today we’re programmed from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed to value jobs, big corporations – and the things jobs buy us – over the real pleasures – and real necessities – of being human.-http://c4ss.org/content/12839
Quote of the Day
Posted by
Nick
Power is not to be conquered, it is to be destroyed. It is tyrannical by nature, whether exercised by a king, a dictator or an elected president. The only difference with the parliamentarian ‘democracy’ is that the modern slave has the illusion of choosing the master he will obey. The vote has made him an accomplice to the tyranny that oppresses him. He is not a slave because masters exist; masters exist because he elects to remain a slave. -Jean Francois Brient
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Confiscated Raisins - Small Farmers Stand Up to the USDA
Posted by
Nick
"They want us to pay for our own raisins that we grew," says Raisin Valley Farms owner Marvin Horne. "We have to buy them back!"
This is but one absurdity that Marvin and his wife Laura have faced during their decade-long legal battle with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Every year, the Hornes plant seeds, tie vines, harvest fruit, and place grapes in paper trays to create sun-dried raisins. And every year, the federal government prevents them from bringing their full harvest to market.
It's called an agriculture marketing order. Depression-era regulations meant to stabilize crop prices endanger the livelihoods of small farmers across the country, but the raisin marketing order is particularly egregious. An elected board of bureaucrats known as the Raisin Administrative Committee decides what the proper yield should be in any given year in order to meet a previously decided-upon price.-http://youtu.be/A8S4S49TyDk
Thursday, July 18, 2013
That's the criminal Obama administration for you!
Posted by
Nick
The U.S. Department of Justice, overseen by Attorney General Eric Holder, has ordered the Sanford, Florida police department to keep possession of all the evidence from George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial - including the exonerated neighborhood watch volunteer's gun. Sanford police confirmed on Thursday that the DOJ asked the agency not to return any pieces of evidence to their owners. Zimmerman was expected to get his firearm back by month's end. The development is a sign that the criminal section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is seriously investigating Zimmerman to determine if federal civil rights charges should be filed.-Justice Department places 'hold' on Trayvon Martin trial evidence, including George Zimmerman's gun - which Florida law says must be returned to him @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on FacebookZimmerman (and his family) has received numerous death threats from pond scum masquerading as human beings, so he needs his gun more than ever now.
George Zimmerman is about to get his gun back, and defense attorney Mark O'Mara says he has "even more reason" to carry it now that many are angry over his acquittal. Zimmerman's Kel Tec 9 pistol will be returned to him, pending a decision about his concealed weapons permit. "Even more reason now, isn't there?" O'Mara said, when asked by ABC News if ZImmerman was intending to rearm himself now that he is a free man. "There are a lot of people out there who actually hate him, though they shouldn't." O'Mara maintained that the presence of the gun did not escalate the situation between Zimmerman and Martin, but saved the former's life. "I think that he feels truly in his heart that if he did not have that weapon that night he might not be here," O'Mara said. "[He] would have continued to get beat even though he was screaming for help."-http://youtu.be/UgRUkyfiRYIvideo via: Guns.com
If...
Posted by
Nick
If the dentist wasn't so expensive, I'd go more often. Just had bridge work started and a tooth pulled. My cost? Almost $1700, and that's with insurance. And, I chose all the least expensive options for treatment. I just hope I don't get another serious tooth ache, because right now, even a filling isn't in my budget.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Pet Flipping
Posted by
Nick
Pet owners across the country are reporting a disturbing trend in which their lost companions are sold for profits. Law enforcement and activist groups call it "pet flipping."-'Pet Flipping' Trend Involves Selling Missing Pets For ProfitABC-7.com WZVN News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Bloodbath Coming?
Posted by
Nick
Barack Obama
convinced and inflamed millions of African-Americans that Zimmerman was
guilty. The Internet has spread this
vile poison far and wide.
Accordingly Florida brought a seriously flawed criminal case
forward that they knew would never survive in court. It happened because of raw and malicious political
pressure. That has put millions of African-Americans
on edge. If the many thousands of
tweets and other Social Media threats are any indication, America’s big cities
are going to see a major bloodbath.
The police will quickly lose any hope of control because
they have lost their edge. It past riots
and insurrections police has always had exclusive use of portable communications
devices. They could easily coordinate tactical
peacekeeping efforts via two-way radios.
The police have virtually no experience dealing with rioters
with absolute communications parity. The
thought of this is really frightening. I
know that police academies have not really found a way to teach cops how to
tactically or otherwise effectively deal with hostile groups armed with relatively new communications
empowerment.
The game has been changed by millions of cheap, smart phones
and the Internet. Those taking part in
violence will quickly outnumber police and coordinate ambushes with gasoline
and paint thinner bombs that will defeat even the best police body armor. Even young children will be texting the
positions of police, their numbers and their vehicles.
Police will have little choice but to quickly retreat and it will be civilians
fighting for their lives and property without significant law-enforcement
resources.
If you live in or near a large city it would be best to
make plans to vacation or otherwise stay away from home as the Zimmerman trial
winds down in the coming week or ten days. At least try and remove your children to safer
areas if you can.-http://www.crimefilenews.com/2013/07/technology-and-american-summer.html
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Could George Zimmerman Actually Be Innocent? Trayvon Martin Trial 2013 Thoughts From a Black Woman
Posted by
Nick
"I know this will throw many off because I'm black but its something to consider..."-http://youtu.be/Fs9iV1HP3GU
The Commentator on the Zimmerman Trial
Posted by
Nick
Now that the prosecution has failed in proving beyond a reasonable doubt
that George Zimmerman should be charged with first degree murder,
they've decided, despite all evidence seemingly supporting Zimmerman's
story, to instruct the jury to consider manslaughter and, erm, child
abuse - since Martin was a minor. Basically, they're asking the jury to
ignore the facts heard up until now and are shifting gears (in mid-air I
might add) to try and get a conviction; any conviction.
Holy shit.
Doesn't look like the DA is out for justice. They're out for political blood.
From what I've seen, this is a textbook "reasonable doubt" case where the defense and credible witnesses have supported the Zimmerman version of the facts.
The DA is stretching on this one. Big time.
Here's the backstory to Trayvon Martin (the son Obama never had) and the madness of a corrupted PC system and the police force joined to conspire against maintaining a civil society by upholding THE LAW.
This was not allowed into the court. Yet, even without this, the defense proved its case.
Something stinks somewhere. I'm invoking cui bono?-http://friendlymisanthropist.blogspot.com/2013/07/george-zimmerman-da-not-out-for-justice.html
Holy shit.
Doesn't look like the DA is out for justice. They're out for political blood.
From what I've seen, this is a textbook "reasonable doubt" case where the defense and credible witnesses have supported the Zimmerman version of the facts.
The DA is stretching on this one. Big time.
Here's the backstory to Trayvon Martin (the son Obama never had) and the madness of a corrupted PC system and the police force joined to conspire against maintaining a civil society by upholding THE LAW.
This was not allowed into the court. Yet, even without this, the defense proved its case.
Something stinks somewhere. I'm invoking cui bono?-http://friendlymisanthropist.blogspot.com/2013/07/george-zimmerman-da-not-out-for-justice.html
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Nikola Tesla Exhibit
Posted by
Nick
It's super geek Nikola Tesla's birthday, and there's an exhibit to help celebrate: NYC Nikola Tesla Exhibit Opens For His 157th Birthday
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Consequences of Free Money - Chapter Jackson with Peter Schiff
Posted by
Nick
It's free! Swipe Yo EBT Free! Swipe Yo EBT It's free! Swipe Yo EBT Free! Swipe Yo EBT It's free You had me to get it all free You had me to get it all free You had me to get it all free You had me to get it all free
Lovelace
Posted by
Nick
The trailer showcases Lovelace's small-town beginnings, her post-"Deep Throat" rise to fame and her later activism against the porn industry.-"Lovelace" trailer: Amanda Seyfried channels "Deep Throat" porn star
Quote of the Moment: The Coup in Egypt
Posted by
Nick
The US government won't call what happened in Egypt a coup because that would require a cessation of appropriations of American taxpayer money to the Egyptian military -- and Israel and its American lobby oppose that. - Sheldon Richman
I'm Ћ Newest Symbol in Ћ English Language
Posted by
Nick
Australian spends thousands to get new letter added to alphabet! Can't you see this headline if supermarket tabloids published such stories as this? No? Okay, how about Alien Advocates New Letter Be Added To English - Beginning of Outer Space Invasion of Earth? No? Did you see anything else? Did you notice I never once in all the words above used "the"?
And that's in spite of the fact that "the" is the most used word in English, beating out "be", "to", "of" and..."and". So why does "and" get its own symbol, and on our keyboards no less (the "&" known as the ampersand) while "the" is forced to remain a mere word made up of three letters? That's what Paul Mathis, Australian restaurateur, wants to know.
Aussie restaurateur Paul Mathis invents new letter of the Alphabet
Mathis has invested $38,000 into developing the symbol which he would like to see added as a 27th letter of the alphabet. "The word 'and' is only the fifth-most used word in English and it has its own symbol - the ampersand," Mathis told The Age. "Isn't it time we accorded the same respect to 'the'?"Actually, I'm less interested in Ћ than I am in where the $38,000 went. Well, maybe part of it was for the app which you can download so you too (or should I be using "2") can begin using Ћ in place of "the".
Monday, July 8, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Microwave Not Heating Troubleshooting Guide
Posted by
Nick
Visiting relatives this weekend and their microwave stopped heating. Very frustrating as the fridge is filled with those frozen dinners.
Unarmed Man Shot Dead By Police While Watering Lawn
Posted by
Nick
This is from a few years ago, but the comments at the video are recent (some from today, actually) and it is consistent with the violent cop incidents taking place everyday that even Drudge is now reporting prominently.
Here is a perfect example of the citizen spy culture taking root in the USA with the "If you see something, say something" program encouraged by Homeland Security. A 911 call apparently was made after a neighbor mistakenly interpreted a man sitting on a porch as a "drunk with a gun." Officers arrived, ready for battle, and the man was killed . . . while watering his friend's lawn.-http://youtu.be/u6S7LRrCru8
"Police acknowledge they never asked the man to drop what they thought was a gun" (a spray nozzle for the end of a hose) "or spoke to him in any way", and yet they were "forced to shoot" and kill him. Of course they were "forced" to do it. They committed cold-blooded murder and the criminal police culture will protect its own (imagine, however, if you or I had shot someone dead in similar circumstances).
The evil (yes, EVIL) neighbor who called police to report an innocent man harming no one said on his 911 call "He's just sitting there with his legs crossed on the porch landing". Oh my god! What a threat! Just sitting there with his legs crossed! CALL THE POLICE!!! Another goddamned (yes, if there is a God you will burn in hell, you fucking cop-lover!) busybody calling 911 and the state's uniformed thugs for no good reason. The 911 operator asks the piece of shit statist if he knows what kind of "gun" the man is holding. He replies: "Basically what I can see, he's moving it back and forth, it looks like a little tiny six-shooter or something like that." This moron wouldn't know a gun if he saw it up close just before it blew a hole through his sick, freedom-hating brain. "Back and forth"? Oh yeah, he was watering! That's what you do when you're watering.
Am I a Head with a New Body or a Body with a New Head?
Posted by
Nick
So we can now fix up headless horsemen? I guess it's coming. By the way, the title of this post was inspired by a recent DQ commercial where the guy (did the announcer call him Sam?) asks if the "5 buck lunch" is chicken strips, fries and a drink with a free sundae, or a sundae with free chicken strips, fries and drink. The connection? If he keeps eating that crap for lunch, he'll soon need a new body.
Could an Italian Scientist Pave the Way for Human Head Transplants?
Apparently, they've (and that means the Russians) been experimenting with head transplants since the 50s! With dogs! Wait, wasn't that a low budget horror movie from back then?
Dr Sergio Canavero believes that the technology now exists that will allow surgeons to carry out the Frankenstein-style procedure, which has been tested out on animals since 1970.- 'First human head transplant now possible', neurosurgeon claims
Wait! 1970? What happened to those 1950s Russian experiments??? Oh, I forgot this part: Twenty years later, American neurosurgeon Robert White conducted a successful head transplant by moving the head of one monkey to the body of another. The monkey lived for several days, but because White could not connect the two spinal cords, the monkey eventually died.
Soooo, around 1970 was the first successful animal head transplant, with a monkey. Always the poor monkeys.
Would you donate your whole body, not just your organs, if you knew someone else would someday control it and use it for who knows what disgusting purpose? Don't touch my junk, bro, even after my head has gone to bodiless heaven!
Also, I wonder if this could be the ultimate answer to better sex change operations. "I'm a woman trapped in a man's body" becomes "I'm a man with a woman's body", which I guess makes the man-head now a woman?
Head transplants have been attempted since the 1950s, when Russian scientist Vladimir Demikhov experimented with dogs.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
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