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Saturday, January 30th, 2010
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1:59 am - Helen FIles #94
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*Helen comes home, and essentially falls asleep right away without dinner. it's about 2am now, and Helen (still in bed) doesn't want food...* Rob: Why aren't you starving? Helen: I's conserving energy in my hibernation state!
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(comment on this)
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| Friday, January 29th, 2010
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12:42 am
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This BBC article gets points for using the word "Squashing" to refer to nuclear fusion:
[Fusion] is markedly different from current nuclear power, which operates through splitting atoms - fission - rather than squashing them together in fusion.
ETA: despite the doom and gloom, we live in very exciting times. Technology has advanced so much that the mere though of a 56k dial up connection, which was once a luxury enjoyed by few (and before then, within my life time, a technological impossibility), is treated as an incomprehensible hardship (and hey, it IS ;). The shear pace of change is staggering, but we're so used to it we don't even notice. And what lies ahead? usable fusion power?
current mood: Amused
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(comment on this)
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| Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
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7:46 pm - Helen FIles #175
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Helen: There's this dichotomy. Are you nice or are you not nice? Like when I first met you, I thought you were the nicest person. aahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Rob: wow, you couldn't even finish that thought...
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, January 11th, 2010
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7:13 pm - Helen FIles #17
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*talking about being over protective about your children* Helen: Sometimes I worry that I'm be going to be really worried.
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Sunday, December 13th, 2009
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7:26 pm - Helen Files #2
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Helen: Snuggly Rob, you're the one. You make snuggling so much fun. Snuggly Rob I'm awfully fond of you!
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
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2:39 am - Helen Files #37
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Helen: You realize your Helen Files will make everyone think I'm mean and shallow. Rob: Well, everyone who reads my Live Journal. Which is approximately no one. Helen: True. You don't have any friends.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, December 5th, 2009
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2:26 pm - Rob Files #1
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Helen: (Tries to get Rob to watch an Adam Lambert music video) Rob: I don't understand why you're doing this to me.
Rob: *Posting this entry* Helen: You're such a jerk. I hate you so much.
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(comment on this)
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| Saturday, November 21st, 2009
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11:57 pm - Helen Files #99
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Rob: (Tries to briefly explain recursive functions) Helen: I don't understand why you're doing this to me.
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(comment on this)
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| Friday, November 13th, 2009
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10:56 pm - Helen Files #982
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Helen (singing Shakira): Lucky that my breasts are small and humble. Helen: Whenever I imagine myself singing this, I always have to gloss over that part. Rob: ... Helen: ... Helen: because my breasts aren't small and humble.
(now) Helen: don't post that! I sound vain! plus.. I'm singing shakira...
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(comment on this)
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| Friday, September 4th, 2009
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9:00 pm
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| Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
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8:58 pm - Bread
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| Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
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6:07 pm - Once again, with feeling: Wealth redistrobution DOES. NOT. WORK.
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A while back I was trying to explain how government funding of "Affordable Health care" was just going to make health care more expensive. In fact, part of the reason why health care is already extremely expensive is the approximately $600 Billion the federal government already dumps into the massively ill managed Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as a variety of regulations that raise barriers to entry into the field and discourage end users of ever caring about cost. It might seem counter intuitive if you don't grok basic free market economics, but that's the way it works. If you use subsidies to make it cheaper for people to get something, and there is a limited supply, the demand drives the prices up. This means that MORE people need subsidies to get the services they used to be able to afford.
My real world example of this phenomenon was college education. College degrees are socially over valued. Everyone says "You need an education!" So the government subsidizes education, making it real easy to get 'cheap' loans. This floods the education market with cash, pushing up prices. The net result is a lot of college graduates with crushing mountains of debt and a huge population of people with degrees. And a higher supply of degrees means... the degrees are now worthless! (are you catching onto the Supply/Demand economics yet?) So now that your degree is worthless, you can't pay off all that debt. Some people think that the solution is MORE debt and MORE degrees. I guess some people can run that race and win...
Any how, that was my general argument against Barack Obama. His socialist "Affordable" health care plan will end up hurting health care in the long run. But my arguments were all pretty abstract to some people.
Until now.
Right now our economy is in turmoil because of the government encouraging cheap loans to promote "Affordable Housing". People who could not afford the loans got them anyway. This Raised the supply of money, making money "cheap". When money is cheap, the price of goods hyper inflates. In the previous case, it was college tuition that inflated; In this case, it is housing prices. So the housing market boomed for a while, and houses were being built, increasing the supply of houses. With the increase in the Supply higher, Demand is down and Houses (like the college degrees before them) are worth less.
The net result of "Affordable" Housing, "Affordable" Education, and "Affordable" health care is a massive run up in price, and a massive loss of value. It isn't rocket surgery, folks.
Now that we've established that socialism and wealth redistribution does not work, lets look at the Socialist Robber Barons who made a killing while killing our economy and while killing the opportunity for the poor.
This video outlines the causes of our current crash, as well as the folks who made a huge profit off of the predatory loans that the government encouraged, and sometimes mandated. Barack Obama was part of a law firm that sued banks that refused to give sub-prime loans. One of his campaign's economic advisers was the CEO of Fannie Mae for several years, made millions of dollars, and pushed billions in junk loans.
Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?
Here's a montage of Democrats defending the predatory lending of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac under the guise of supporting "affordable housing." Meanwhile, Republicans were trying to reign in Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac. This even has Frank Raines (the afore mentioned Obama Adviser) saying that housing is a "Riskless investment". Riskless! He calls the system that is crashing down around us "riskless". This is the guy advising Obama on economics?
Shocking Video Unearthed Democrats in their own words Covering up the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Scam that caused our Economic Crisis
I have a hard time believing that Socialism has as much of a hold on this country as it does. It has proven destructive over and over again. And yet it is still tauted as "Hope!" and "Change!" and "Fighting for the little guy!"
When their socialist policies plunge us into a depression, it is the little guy who gets foreclosed, the little guy whop is out of a job, and the little guy who is standing on the soup line. And it is entirely the result of the Socialist Robber Barons' policies.
But then, I guess the Socialist Robber Barons get to spend a cut of their loot on soup kitchens and be hailed as heroes by giving hand outs to people they fucked over in the first place.
"The government is good at one thing...it knows how to break your legs, and then hand you a crutch and say 'see if it weren't for the government you wouldn't be able to walk.'" -- Harry Browne
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, September 7th, 2008
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10:50 pm - Fight back against NJ gun laws: NJCDL meeting in Hackensack, Sept 16
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Howdy,
The NJCDL is having a general meeting on Tuesday September 16 at 7:30 PM, at 339 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ (Parking around back).
The general idea is to get gun owners who want to change NJ gun laws all in one place, get to know each other, learn HOW to effect the political process from seasoned political strategists, and form a network of individuals and teams that will take the political actions needed to effect the 120 lawmakers in our state.
Gun owners aren't political types. If we want to effect the politics of the state, we have to learn how to play politics.
It's time to fight back in NJ.
If you can't make it, you can still sign up for the NJCDL alerts by shooting an email to alerts@njcdl.org.
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(comment on this)
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| Thursday, July 31st, 2008
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2:41 am - my body, my choice!
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via Kit, and stolen directly from http://munchkinwrangler.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/my-body-my-choice/
my body, my choice!
…except when you’re a poor resident of California, apparently.
Isn’t it funny that the same people who would scream bloody murder if someone proposed a ban on abortion in their state don’t have a problem with banning trans fats or denying the poor neighborhoods of Los Angeles access to cheap prepared food?
Regardless of your stance on abortion (and please don’t kick off that debate in the Comments), it has to strike one as odd that these folks have no issue with a woman hoovering out her uterus, but then actively try to prevent the same woman from having a super-sized Big Mac meal afterwards. Do you own your body, or don’t you?
Of course, banning new McDonald’s and KFC restaurants from being built in East and South L.A. means that all kinds of healthy restaurants are going to move into those neighborhoods to pick up the slack, ready to serve nutritious fare at prices that can compete with the $0.99 Value Menu…
Anyone pay attention in your Economics class? Let’s see if you can predict the effect of that particular piece of city ordinance, and what kind of effect it’s going to have on the obesity rates in East L.A.
Of course, they’re using the old “public health care costs” argument, which should give the proponents of a National Health Care System pause. This is the writing on the wall, folks…when the State picks up the tab for fixing your boo-boos, the State soon claims the right to control what you do with that body, and what goes into it. At that point, it’s only a matter of time before your “free” health care means putting up with a ban on risky sports and greasy foods, and mandatory exercise will be just around the corner. After all, when the State pays to have your body fixed, you become a number on a public expenditure ledger, and they’ll pass whatever laws they can think of to keep that number as low as possible.
When you give the responsibility for your own health to someone else, that means they get to make your choices for you.
Government does not grow by seizing our freedoms, but by assuming our responsibilities. – Michael Cloud
With the possible exception of spiteful politics, this is the single biggest reason I oppose Obama. He wants to remove responsibility. And by taking away responsibility, he takes away your power over your own life.
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(20 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, July 28th, 2008
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1:38 am - some things i may want for my birthday
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| Sunday, July 27th, 2008
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3:14 pm - Helen Files #3
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| Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
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2:44 am - Helen files #443
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While driving around one night with a full moon Helen: Ooo, neat, the moon is red tonight. Me: BWA HA HA HA HA Helen (changing subjects): I love driving around with my hone... Me: THAT MEANS WE EAT BABIES TONIGHT! Helen: Never mind.
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, July 4th, 2008
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5:06 pm
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| Friday, June 20th, 2008
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8:10 pm - Helen files #22
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*MISSING CONTEXT THAT DOESN'T MAKE HELEN SOUND MEAN*
Helen: Don't hit me BACK!!
*CONTEXT OR SOMETHING*
Helen: Get away from me! Me: Ok. Helen: nnoooooo *cling*
*WAS THERE CONTEXT?*
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, June 12th, 2008
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11:18 am - Day 9,085
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