LexNaturalis Keeping the flame of knowledge burning

I recognize that it has been over 6 months since I have written an update to this site. I cannot promise to be more forthcoming with updates because the last time I made such a promise I failed to meet the artificial deadline I set for myself. I do not desire to make another promise that can be broken. I will, however, endeavor to add content in short order. If you are a reader and have a desire to read a particular subject you may feel free to e-mail me your thoughts. My e-mail is name AT domain DOT net (where name and domain are lexnaturalis).

War is a subject that many treat with the same attitude that they treat their favorite sports team; that is, they cheer loudly and vociferously for their favorite team whether the team is any good or not. Many people feel strongly about war and many people argue just as strongly. Unfortunately many people do not argue rationally. This author will attempt to argue rationally for the necessity of war. War may not only be Just, but it may also be necessary. “Peace at any cost” may very well be the worst and most inhuman idea to ever exist.

Many people consider children to be one of the greatest gifts that can be given. That belief is somewhat naïve because a child is not a gift. A gift is something that is given without compensation. Ask any parent who is watching their first born son graduate from High School or College and see if they think everything is worth it. Ask a father if seeing his daughter’s joy on her wedding day is just compensation for years of care and love he bestowed upon her. A child is more than a gift. A child is a lifestyle; a child is life itself. That is, a child used to be a lifestyle.

People rally towards freedom like it’s a beacon of hope. Freedom is an ideal that draws people like flame draws a moth and oftentimes the result is similar. People’s passions are so inflamed that they burn themselves by trying to achieve the noble idea that is freedom. Many people equate freedom with the ability to do what they want and say what they want without any sort of ramifications for their actions. There is no government to beat them down and tell them that they can’t do a certain thing. Some take this to an extreme and argue that anarchy is the freedom; freedom cannot exist without government. Those that argue that extreme position are not misguided; they are completely wrong.

One of the primary reasons for the articles that this author writes is to attempt to inflame the mind. Many people just sit around and blindly take in bits of information without actually parsing that data or attempting to verify the validity of the information they receive. This author abhors that mode of living. A human being is, essential, a rational creature. No other creature on earth is capable of rational thought. Rationality separates man from ape and man from tree. The thesis behind this article is simple: Life is a thinking man’s game.

According to CNN Money, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union began a strike against GM facilities at 1100ET this morning. Apparently 73,000 UAW workers picketed GM plants and has rendered 59 GM plants idle. This does not bode well for the United States economy (at least the Automotive sector).

The University of Pennsylvania has issued a news release stating that they have created a new form of nonvolatile memory that can revolutionize the industry. According to the news release, scientists at Penn have developed nanowires capable of storing computer data for 100,000 years and retrieving that data a thousand times faster than existing portable memory devices such as Flash memory and micro-drives, all using less power and space than current memory technologies.

France has managed to rile up Iran(BBC) by hinting that there might be a coming war over Iran's Nuclear program. This is an interesting development in world affairs because France has historically been anti-war and is generally considered to be marginally anti-United States. Iran thinks that France is now in bed with the United States and their official response did not mince words.

I've just discovered several great personal finance blogs that I thought I'd pass along. I was looking at my old bookmarks and found a bookmark to a blog called Get Rich Slowly and from there I discovered three other good personal finance or finance-related blogs. They are Financing Your Family, Wise Bread, and The Simple Dollar.

There have been several news articles written lately about American subprime mortgage problems. Two news stories in particular caught my attention. The first is an article titled Mortgage Woes Unlikely to Be Cured by Congress and the second is titled Fed urges lenders to ward off mortgage defaults.