tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22091411693965220582024-03-12T20:31:31.295-07:00spirit beyond reason and aestheticsencompassing music philosophy theatre and criticismAntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-84845620380341100222018-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:002018-12-30T07:00:14.546-08:00ubilinks<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This page is for people who bought the hard copy of my book Universal Basic Income - For and Against to get direct links to the source material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Universal Basic Income: For
and Against, original talk given at Fika Cafe, Glasgow (2016):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWxs5f1HRaM&t=17s"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWxs5f1HRaM&t=17s</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Think Like an Economist!
Presentation given at Scottish Libertarian Students event (2017):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="https://youtu.be/Y6UpE7LlNrk"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://youtu.be/Y6UpE7LlNrk</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Corporatism and Reforming the
Welfare State, YouTube Video (2008):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="https://youtu.be/nAfpGZWJOQQ"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://youtu.be/nAfpGZWJOQQ</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">3<sup>rd</sup> World Aid vs.
Exploitation of the Third World, YouTube Video (2008):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmVEotnLaTA"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmVEotnLaTA</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Misanthropic Myths about 3<sup>rd</sup>
World Poverty Debunked, Article (2017):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://scottishlibertarians.com/thirdworld/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://scottishlibertarians.com/thirdworld/</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Hope of Affordable Housing, Article (2016):</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://scottishlibertarians.com/the-hope-of-affordable-housing/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://scottishlibertarians.com/the-hope-of-affordable-housing/</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">We Shouldn’t Even Need a
Basic Income to Meet Everyone’s Needs!, Article (2016):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://scottishlibertarians.com/basicincome/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://scottishlibertarians.com/basicincome/</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">What Libetarianism can do for
The Poor, Article (2017):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://scottishlibertarians.com/poverty/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://scottishlibertarians.com/poverty/</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Living Wage : The Road to
Hell… is paved with good intentions., Article (2015):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://scottishlibertarians.com/living-wage-the-road-to-hell/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://scottishlibertarians.com/living-wage-the-road-to-hell/</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why Mechanisation Does Not
Cause Unemployment…, Article (2016):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://scottishlibertarians.com/mechanisation/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://scottishlibertarians.com/mechanisation/</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Labour Laws, Podcast (2017):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="https://soundcloud.com/scottishliberty/workers-rights"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://soundcloud.com/scottishliberty/workers-rights</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beauty Salon Economics,
Article (2017):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://seeingnotseen.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/beauty-salon-economics.html"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://seeingnotseen.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/beauty-salon-economics.html</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Occupational Licensing,
Article (2017):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://seeingnotseen.blogspot.co.uk/2017/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://seeingnotseen.blogspot.co.uk/2017/</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why Do Markets Work? Public
vs. Private, YouTube presentation (2018):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRjwgd2jdIs"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRjwgd2jdIs</span></a></u><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Download my previous eBook,
<i>Common Misconceptions about Capitalism Debunked </i>(2016) for
free:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://www.antonysammeroff.com/"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: large;">www.antonysammeroff.com</span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<br />Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-17453008598173766272015-12-26T10:21:00.001-08:002015-12-26T10:21:45.860-08:00"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate." - Noam Chomsky.<br />
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For Example: you are allowed to debate how much government we should have, and what kind of government that should be.... but the idea that no government should exist is never given any serious consideration in the mainstream.<br />
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Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-27912437564511926752015-11-06T06:47:00.000-08:002015-12-18T06:48:05.507-08:00Concrete-BoundA realisation from Ayn Rand which has really helped me understand the psychology of others is the concept of being "concrete-bound" which took me a while to understand. When I would debate with my dad for example, he would often say things like "well there are very well researched people, as intelligent as you are, who disagree with you" - or (my favourite) "if you ask 100 people the vast majority would disagree" ; not realising these were not actually arguments - never mind valid or sound.<br />
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When I would make as obvious reductio ad absurdum like "Well if you asked 100 people if the world was flat in 1066 ..." he would say things like "I don't like your analogies..." as though my example had nothing whatsoever to do with what he said. Ayn Rand helped me realise he was "concrete-bound" he didn't know how to move from a specific example such as "if you ask 100 people they will disagree with you (on this issue)" to the underlying principle of the assertion (the truth is what the majority says it is.) Have you any experiences of interacting with the "concrete-bound" ?<br />
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I have found a method of intervening in a way that helps explain the leap but it requires a bit more patience.<br />
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You have to first make explicit the principle, "are you saying that if most people believe something then that something is true?" - Wait for them to respond. They are unlikely to say yes, if they say "no - but..." listen to what they have to say and then respond, "But you accept that just because the majority of people say something is true that doesn't mean it is true?" and proceed in the same fashion without hostility so avoid provoking defensiveness.<br />
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In other words: don't skip steps in your reasoning, and don't use hidden premises. Take people through the argument stage by stage.<br />
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Afterwards you can explain the concept of the particular logical fallacy<br />
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Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-34556104363882767872015-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:002015-10-26T07:40:54.831-07:00Why Government is Antithetical to Freedom"When two people meet in a political discussion, regardless of the political affiliations, there are bound to be a number of issues that they agree on. For example, a socialist and a free-marketeer - despite having completely different opinions on how an economy should be run - are likely to agree on a dearth of issues including ending foreign military interventions, the war on drugs, reducing government surveillance into the private lives of citizens, and ending corporate welfare from the government to rich business issues. Nevertheless, under the political system which most people favour - parliamentary democracy of some description - both are almost completely powerless to fight back against these (real or perceived injustices) because they have to simply accept one of the "package deals" of policies offered by one of the parties that can win. If none of those parties offer the option of ceasing to sink state funds into nuclear weapons, for example, these supposed political enemies alike will both be forced to pay for them through the tax system - regardless of their personal values. It is the power to divest which is the real basis of political freedom. The power to say "no, I don't believe in this, I don't want to pay for it, and so I am going to spend my money elsewhere." That is the freedom that the non-state sectors of society (be they businesses, charities, cooperatives or other non-government organisations) offer, but the state does not, and fundamentally why the state is antithetical to freedom."
- Antony Sammeroff<br />
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I think if you use this argument when you get into political debates with statists, "even where we both agree - and there is lots of common ground - we are still powerless to make change under the system you support, which is parliamentary democracy" - the penny might drop.<br />
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It looks like this: "Both you and I agree on lots of issues, for example against the wars, against the war on drugs, against corporate welfare. But under the system you support, we are relatively powerless to change it because even if we vote - we can only vote for the package deals of party x or party y - if those issues are off the cards on both platforms, we will still have to pay for it whether we like it or not through the tax system - even if one is one platform, another one is not likely to be on the other platform. "Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-57434715403024709032015-10-24T08:41:00.000-07:002015-10-26T08:41:58.273-07:00Get in Touch with your Heroes.... Now!!!Really sorry to hear that my friend and colleague Peter Gerlach passed away at 77. I had the pleasure of interviewing him 4 times for YouTube, sadly one of the interviews did not record and was lost forever, but I was told that our last one included 'a lifetime of takeaways.' I was looking forwards to collaborating more when I finished my current projects... Silly me for waiting. His wisdom lives on in his work. I honour you Pete thank you for all you taught me.
funnily enough look at my facebook status from the 12th of October:
Hey if you like or admire someones work or writing or whatever they do you should send them an email before they croak. I have exchanged emails with most of the people who really influenced my thinking that were alive during my lifetime. Alfie Kohn, Warren Farrell, Stefan Molyneux, Pete Gerlach.... Nathaniel Branden, another hero, died December of last year - I had never bothered to even try emailing him. Marshall Rosenberg died this year. For ages I wanted to tell sci-fi author Brian Aldiss what I thought of his writing, and how much I loved his ability to build rich worlds - even just for one short story or a novel. He is 90 now! I finally emailed him today, almost 10 years after the thought of wanting to tell him first crossed my mind. Perhaps he is too busy to reply but at least I put it out there, we'll see. Get emailing your heroes they might croak like Nathaniel Branden and Marshall Rosenberg.
Talk about timing!Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-74733581778357680602015-10-19T09:00:00.000-07:002015-10-26T09:01:22.074-07:00marriageyou know, my whole life I have taken it for granted that if I got married I would take the ladies name as well as her taking mine. So much so that the first time I realised it was when I mentioned a scenario that it was a feature of in passing to a flatmate around 6 years ago and rather than comment on the scenario he remarked that it was "very modern" of me to add a girls last name before my own. Isn't it weird? I never even regarded it as a thing, even although I knew that most people don't do that. Only problem is that if the tradition continues my descendants will have a massive long list of names.
Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-66752902201313888412015-10-16T04:15:00.000-07:002015-10-16T04:15:28.707-07:00Causes of Economic Crash of 2008Here are the best videos I have found in this topic:<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VQ0-3fQIB2g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K0SfiiTIYfE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/541bajR4k8g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-23139447534882417812015-10-09T09:01:00.000-07:002015-10-26T09:02:06.594-07:00Tax codes
Apparently Americans spend 6.1 billion a year complying with US tax codes. Wouldn't it be nice if they just replaced the 67,000 pages of tax regulations with the FAIR Tax and everyone could go out volunteering, spending the afternoon with their family, or making something that other people want for some extra cash?Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-17439405252996923772015-10-06T10:52:00.000-07:002015-12-26T10:54:46.330-08:00Posts on Education<br />
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I would not say that our society is one for bringing out the excellence in people<br />
our education system for example only really focusses on learning things and writing them out again in exams<br />
besides reading, writing and arithmetic (and memorisation) it does not teach people many skills<br />
it is also very authoritarian and does not foster independent thought, initiative or critical thinking<br />
so what we are really seeing when we look at humans are humans with one hand tied behind their back<br />
I am all for education but a different kind of education that edifies people and helps them feel confident in taking on challenges and learning from mistakes (I was a piano tutor for 8 years or so and I have also been a classroom assistant)<br />
then we will see a different kind of human being<br />
in this day and age memorisation is really not a very important skill, because you can get all the info you need at the click of a mouse. People need skills if they want to live independent and self-responsible lives, if they want to have options instead of having to take what they can get (be it from employers, or the state.)<br />
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Higher Education is so screwed up right now that the stuff that should be considered a worthy hobby is seen as vocational; and the stuff that is actually vocational is considered to be an unworthy hobby! C'mon people we can do better in the 21st century lets teach about the Socratic question: how is a good life lived?</div>
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Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-30414232648341448932015-10-05T08:29:00.000-07:002015-10-28T08:29:36.143-07:00"Work and love; love and work... that's all there is." - Freud
I think Freud was right when he said "Work and love; love and work... that's all there is." People obsess about sex, money and power, but none of those come close to either being occupied in fulfilling work or in the love of others - because those three things are all means to an ends, whereas fulfilling work and love are processes which are their own ends.
Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-26708032195961451392015-10-04T10:19:00.000-07:002015-12-26T10:19:27.919-08:00A Blessed LifeI live a blessed life. Sometimes I get down but not because anything is objectively<br />
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wrong with my life, it's just my own negativity and unprocessed shit. And whenever I go<br />
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a level up and see through my own bs I am just thankful to be alive. I live a life of<br />
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service and get to make a living helping others heal and grow. I'm immensely<br />
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intelligent, a good communicator, great writer and speaker, musical, and have cultivated<br />
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many talents. What more could you want? I love my life!<br />
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Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-20664869918449232982015-09-28T10:43:00.000-07:002015-12-26T10:48:21.613-08:00Worst Justification for CircumcisionIf anyone thinks it's ok to circumcise a child because they're too young to be self-aware and they won't remember it anyway, then you should be aware that that's exactly the pretext people used to give themselves for pederasty. It's time to stop this nonsense it's the 21st century people.Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-64389799158347653102015-09-27T10:49:00.000-07:002015-12-26T10:49:55.065-08:00the value of therapy<br />
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In the unconscious = ruining your life. In the conscious = unlocking your gifts.Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-7158571889933939772015-09-24T10:50:00.000-07:002015-12-26T10:51:51.365-08:00I was bornI was born with the umbilical chord wrapped around my neck. If I had died when I was born then I wouldn't have had this fucking amazing weird, terrifying, exhilarating, frustrating, educational, unspeakable, paradoxical life. So I am grateful to be alive. Thank you.Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-75633862171630115312015-09-06T01:34:00.000-07:002015-09-08T01:37:12.250-07:00Confirmation Bias<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">Idiots can convince themselves that they are extremely smart and well informed by reading erudite people who agree with their already existing views.</span>Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-10684559537460118232015-08-17T07:38:00.000-07:002015-08-17T07:38:10.547-07:00Fringe Reviews 2015!!! (part 1)<a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/14/review-big-shot/">Big Shot</a> ****<br />
<a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/13/review-attempts-on-her-life/">Attempts on Her Life</a> ***<br />
<a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/14/review-half-a-sixpence/">Half a Sixpence</a> ***<br />
<a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/13/review-happy-girl/">Happy Girl</a> ***<br />
<a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/13/review-ada/">Ada</a> **<br />
<a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/12/review-clickbait/">Clickbait</a> **<br />
<a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/13/review-ursula-invents-old-woman/">Ursula Invents Old Woman</a> **Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-23277184520108806822015-08-01T10:07:00.000-07:002015-08-17T10:08:57.184-07:00Into The Woods @ Edinburgh PlayhouseClick Here for my Review of Stephen Sondheim's <a href="http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/index.php/2015/08/01/review-into-the-woods/">Into The Woods</a>Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-67128652891618123162015-04-14T03:13:00.001-07:002015-04-14T03:13:20.065-07:00A Rational Critique of The Green Party<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5U05yItYY6s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3FaQn2gUTFo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-41365531623054890592015-04-02T03:33:00.000-07:002015-04-02T03:46:46.808-07:00Capitalism an inherently Statist system?It has been alleged by persons on the left that capitalism is an inherently statist system. That there has never existed any kind of stateless capitalism or "free market" in any real sense, and that therefore 'to contrast the state with "the market" is just silly.' That under capitalism, statism and the market economy are just two facets of the same hierarchical, totalising system of class rule.<br />
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I have heard those propositions put forwards before and I would urge you to reconsider: are the actually - or necessarily - true?<br />
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Firstly, I agree that "there are not free markets," but to say there never existed any kind of stateless capitalism or "free market" in any real sense is of no substance really. There had, perhaps, once never been a slave-free statist society, or one where women had the same rights and responsibilities under the law, or one that was not feudal, or a monarchy. So what? Society is a garden where we reap what we sow.<br />
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What is silly is not to contrast the state with "the market" but define the free market and the complete opposite of the free market capitalism at the same time! I point, naturally, to corporate welfare, legislations that offer preferential treatment to one service provider over another, subsidisation of domestic producers or protectionist tariffs – all interventions in the market that are not based on the market forces of supply and demand. The state is responsible for almost 50% of the spending in the economy in the UK, and 19% of the population is employed in the public sector. The state controls the money supply, sets the interest rates, and is responsible for regulating each and every facet of the economy from the provision of energy, to the conditions under which someone can employ another person. The state runs the schools, and a great deal of the hospitals. It decides when a road is to be built, and when we are to build a railway. It hands subsidies to tobacco farmers, then taxes the tobacco we smoke. It hands welfare to the wealthy in the form of contracts and preferential legislation, and to the poor in the form of entitlements, free services and food stamps.<br />
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The state does not exist because of capitalism, but because the state exists then capitalists are going to exploit it - it would be irrational for them not to do so if it provided more value than serving their customers, just as it would be irrational not to claim housing benefit if you were eligible - but to define the free market (the voluntary exchange of goods and services) and the complete opposite of the free market (state interference in the market) is simply rhetorical sophistry.<br />
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It is fallacious to conflate economic power with political power, they are not the same thing. Economic power does not equate to the ability to use force with impunity to achieve your goals. Otherwise Starbucks would lobby McDonalds, and McDonalds would lobby Coca Cola, who were at the same time lobbying Microsoft and Apple. They do not do this. Why? Because the state is the only institution that is able to pass preferential legislations, hand out subsidies and use force and the tax system to enforce them.<br />
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If you have a lot of economic power, then even absent the state you can buy a lot things from voluntary sellers: property, factories, machines, natural resources, products, services... but you will soon run low on assets if you are not also creating things that other people want to voluntarily purchase from you. If people are voluntarily purchasing things you produce then you are providing value to them. You are making them better off. Otherwise they would not purchase your goods voluntarily, you would have to coerce them to do so. This is one of the reasons why we voluntarists, anarcho-capitalists, or libertarians (call us what you will) do not want the state. In the market, if you don't like a service you have the power to simply stop buying that service: you don't have to vote for anyone, you don't need to get everyone to agree with you - you just buy something else instead. Not so with government - because you've already bought it. You don't have any choice in the matter. The state it has the power to violate your conscience and force you to pay for it through the tax system, while claiming that you tacitly consent to this violation of your free will to support those causes that you support and divest from those that you do not simply by virtue of living in a particular geographical area.Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-61173401917225590112015-03-30T04:11:00.000-07:002015-12-27T07:30:37.154-08:00HelpingThe best forms of therapy, in my opinion, are the ones where the clients are enabled to have most of the revelations themselves, rather than deferring to the insight of the practitioner for "wow"ing.Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-28504619467905918022015-03-30T02:34:00.000-07:002015-12-26T10:26:21.742-08:00From someone who follows my work:<br />
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"I am honored to be a husband and the father of two wonderful girls, ages 14 & 4. I work full time while my wife works part-time and grows an online business. We really like your work. Your interview with Bonnie Harris has changed our lives. Thank you! "<br />
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Get my FREE CD on improving communication skills: https://beyourselfandloveit.leadpages.co/ultimate-communication-power/Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-41586534176490374152015-03-12T04:14:00.000-07:002015-04-02T04:15:12.256-07:00A Touching Testimonial"I'm very grateful for how things turned out last night. I absolutely enjoyed the conversation and I felt a very strong connection. It amazing to think about that I have known people for decades, and never even been close to anything like this with them.<br />
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I also enjoyed going outside, and looking at the stars. It was a great thing to do, which I will certainly remember. Anyway, I would love to talk to you more, and I see it as a great investment.<br />
I`ll initiate the payment now, so please let me know when you have received the payment.<br />
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Also, I will be going on a weekend trip leaving tomorrow so I wont be available for another session until next week.<br />
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Looking forward to talk to you soon.<br />
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And, thanks a lot for your help Antony."Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-78311996065804386182015-03-09T02:29:00.000-07:002015-12-27T07:37:32.238-08:00Avoiding Unpleasant Emotions <br />
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If you are always trying to avoid unpleasant emotions you will not be an honest person and you will probably not create anything fantastic either. Face up to your anxiety and deal with it now - make it fun! This is what you have to do now if you want to have a fulfilling life in the now to come.<br />
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Robin Balsiger: 'How do you mean "Make it fun"? Isn't that just another way of not really facing up to it and trying to make it into something else, because you wanna avoid the unpleasentness?'<br />
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hmmm interesting what I mean is get into the spirit of the challenge , and see looking at your anxiety as part of an adventure of self knowledge. Sometimes when you do great things there are difficulties, but part of what makes those things so great is that the difficulties sharpened you for the challenge. Something like that, it's hard for me to put clearly. Great question!<br />
<br />Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-87294977869622885632015-03-07T04:04:00.000-08:002017-04-05T03:20:53.665-07:00My Vulgar Hatred of The '90s<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I was glad to hear that I am not the only person I know who hates the 90s.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't know what I find more annoying about the pop music of the 90s, the fact that they constantly shat out lyrics that would be insulting to the intelligence of even the ditzy 14 year old girls that bought it, cases in point: </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"oh baby you're so fine, I'm gonna make you mine, your lips they taste so sweet," </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"you are my fire, the one desire, believe when I say, I want it that way," </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"you drive me crazy, I just can't sleep, I'm so excited, I'm in too deep, crazy, but it feels alright, baby thinking of you keeps me up all night" </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">and etc. ad infinitum. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Or rather, the fact that all these idiots went out an bought copies of this crap by the millions. I mean what does that say about the level of sophistication of our culture? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The 2000s was definitely better. People who played their own instruments dominated the charts even if it was boy-band-metal such as Linkin Park or pop punk stars such as Sum 41 and Bowling for Soup.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">At least the 2010s risque and unashamedly id, hedonistic and indulgent (Gaga, Kesha, Nicky Minaj, et al.) All right, most of the pop music of our era it is a bag of balls, but at least it isn't the "oh we are so nice and innocent and sweet, and completely asexual" which was the staple of the 90s, and of course, completely disingenuous. There was nothing more satisfying than when these good little boys and girls were exposed for taking recreational drugs at parties or behaving indecently. It broke the façade. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Much of the disco music of the 90s was simply 70s disco music less the typically well arranged horn and string elements, or 80s disco music less the variety of synth or which was by this point considered "cheesy." We also sa<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;">id goodbye to the overblown rockist power-ballad <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;">with attend<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;">a</span>nt</span> guitar solo in pop<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;">, also </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;">to </span></span></span>be con<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;">sidered mawkish and dated</span>.</span> </span>I remember remarking once that M People's single <i>One Night</i> sounded remarkably 70s, only later to discover that it bore a striking resemblance to 1975 number <i>Highwire </i>by Linda Carr and The Love Squad. Likewise <i>One For Sorrow</i>, a track by an innately disposable and all but forgotten 90s band, Steps, is a dead ringer for <i>The Winner Takes It All</i> by Abba. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Of course was a lot of great music in the 90s outside of the charts, although I have thought compared to 60s and 70s and to a lesser degree 80s it was on "The Downward Spiral." For each Nine Inch Nails there were a dozen Stabbing Westwards, for each Nirvana there were six hundred Silverchairs, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">a thousand </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">clone bands who tried and failed to carry the movement forwards by replicating the sound of what they liked</span></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">. For each Alanis Morisette or Cheryl Crow a thousand chart-topping acoustic acts have to have been forgotten in time</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">, and you really have to shake your head in dismay.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't really listen to contemporary rock so I don't know what it going on with it, but nothing I have heard so far has really grabbed my attention so maybe I have simply stopped paying attention. The crucial difference is, thanks to the advent of the internet, I can listen to virtually anything I like the sound of, from anywhere in the world, at any time - and <i>from</i> any time. Regardless of whether you happen love or hate the music of the 90s, you have one distinct advantage over your 1990s counter-part (or former self.) You can always get access to whatever music floats your boat!</span>Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2209141169396522058.post-18772467012392751682015-01-16T02:39:00.000-08:002016-03-15T06:05:02.769-07:00ComplainingComplaining about what is without working towards what could be is immature.<br />
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Most people think changing the world is more about changing other peoples habits than their own, but most people who make a positive impact in the world lead by example.<br />
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Antonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318202057238078631noreply@blogger.com0