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Egoism Individualism Sovereignty Splendor (These ideas are explicated in this sloppy manifesto) SplendorQuotes: Splendor is the interior experience of being so enthralled by the act of creating the values that contribute to and ultimately comprise your idealized perfect self that, while you are experiencing it, you are your idealized perfect self. Living is what you're doing when you're too enthralled to notice. Dying is what you're doing when all you can do is notice. Man is the only animal capable of comprehending what his life requires, and he is the only animal capable of failing to do what his life requires. Self-love is the joy and reverence you earn and deserve by the relentless pursuit of your deepest desire. Self-esteem is the high regard in which you presume to hold yourself in appreciation for the accomplishment of absolutely nothing. Greg Swann's writings Wild Cochise Gang: Our family pages and Christmas cards Read my free e-book about love, splendor and philosophy, The Unfallen My Myers-Briggs type is ESTJ: Administrator--Much in touch with the external environment. Very responsible. Pillar of strength. 8.7% of population. Take a free Myers-Briggs personality test. War with Iraq: The Cain Doctrine The 'wrest' of the story Taking a better grip Why the Bush Doctrine will prevail--and fail A Just and Libertarian war... Persephone's second coming... presence of the recent past Nick and Norm drive the point home A Costco family Christmas Hang tough The season's greetings Curing the incuriosity of the East A canticle for Kathleen Sullivan Colloquy with a goat Back-handing the sinister American left To Condi, with sweetness Reds Sacrificing Diana Defusing the Unabomber Let 'em eat steak Shyly's delight Anastasia in the light and shadow Archives Join the email update list 
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Saturday, January 10, 2004
No luck at the Horseshoe... From this morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal: Deputy U.S. marshals entered Binion's Horseshoe late Friday armed with two court orders authorizing them to seize up to $1.9 million in cash from the casino, an action that forced the closure of the 52-year-old property's casino.This has been going on for months, of course, and it has the look and feel of real spite to it. The Behnens had no shortage of opportunities to cash out for what they could and avoid closure and bankruptcy. Instead, it looks to me like Becky Benhen had to prove to her brother Jack Binion that she was just as much a casino mogul as him. Jack just sold his non-Nevada casinos to Harrah's for $1.45 billion. Becky is reputed to be shopping the World Series of Poker, the first and most prestigious of the poker tournaments, invented by her father Benny Binion. But except for the part about Jack being a billionaire and Becky having her joint shut down by creditors, Becky is right up there with all the Big Boys in the gaming biz. So there! This is not a good thing for Downtown Las Vegas, of course. But at least the players at Binion's kept up the fine traditions of Downtown until the very end: The Craps players had to be told twice to cash out and go home, and the Poker Room stayed open until the bitter end... Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Houston hops train of fools... Some doofus at my wife's office spammed the entire company with this article from the Houston Chronicle. It's a rah-rah booster piece about the brand new trolley that opened on New Year's Day in downtown Houston--at a cost of only $325 million. The Leviathan has inured us to enormous numbers, so nobody ever stops to do the math. The new rail line, every bit as high-tech as its many Nineteenth Century counterparts, runs for 7.5 miles. That means that the cost of this "community investment" was only $684 per inch. Truly, the rails could have been plated with gold. But wait. There's more. The 7.5 mile trip was taking 29 minutes, start to finish, on opening day. The 325 million dollar trolley chugs along at a little over 15 miles an hour. On national holidays. One might surmise that it will be somewhat slower in rush-hour traffic. What a boon to the Houstonians to have a downtown trolley that even the asthmatics can outrun! The whole article is a hoot, particularly when the incredibly credulous reporter advises us that, "Others were critical." You may be assured that no one was critical of the insanely stupid idea of building really slow trolley systems at $684 an inch. And that includes the doofus in my wife's office, who I will promise you did not take any sort of mass transit vehicle to get to work. |
SplendorQuests
Work
I am a a Realtor working in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, and the Designated Broker for Bloodhound Reatly. I am an Accredited Buyer's Representative, a Certified Buyer's Representative, a Certified Residential Specialist, an E-Pro Internet Certified Realtor and a Graduate of the Realtor Institute. I speak frequently on real estate issues and write a weekly column for West Valley sections of the Arizona Republic. If you need--or you know someone who needs--to buy or sell a home in the Metropolitan Phoenix area, I would be grateful for the opportunity to compete for the business. I think I represent the best of all worlds: Objectivist intelligence, Libertarian integrity and Catholic conscientiousness. For a liberty-loving take on real estate news, visit the Bloodhound Home Marketing Group weblog. And if what I'm doing suits the readership of your web site or weblog, please do link to it. Or go me one better by putting the customizable button above on your web page. Either way, for every person you refer who buys or sells a home with us, we will donate 10% of our net commission to the charity or advocacy group of your choice (within limits; we won't give money to people who kill people). Find out more from our referral page.
Play
If you don't know how to play poker, but want to learn, a place to begin is my Amazon list of poker books for beginners. Just remember: If you don't have a Positive Expected Value--you're gambling... | ||
