One Improving Unit

I’ve just had my camera stolen. As per usual, I’m intellectualising it to death. Yes, I am incapable of taking anything at face value - I guess this is my way of coming to terms with this very annoying occurrence. My friends have permission to be amused by my pontifications. No-one can convince me that the universe doesn’t have an ironic karmic order to it. This is merely the latest in a long series of dramatic events in my life that have strangely coincided with related intellectual realisations. I can only laugh at the dark humour of fate. This disaster...

By James Smith Vote2 1

TAKE COVER! Dunkirk is a thrilling, visceral new Second World War epic from Christopher Nolan, the man setting the standard for intelligent blockbuster film-making. It will be considered a seminal adaptation of the inspiring story of cooperation. Nolan’s rendering of the British retreat from France after the Nazi advance is suspenseful with a capital S, but also a story of personal struggle and survival. It’s an exercise in forthright narrative drive. Immediately engaging, the tension is mounted as we follow newcomer Fionn Whitehead’s Tommy, a solitary infantryman, as he barely escapes capture, and French friendly fire. He arrives on the...

By James Smith Vote3 0

For me, it started with the beautiful billboard and poster. Then when I got about half way through the actual movie, I relaxed, and wrote in my notebook: SHOCK: a superhero movie that’s engaging and interesting! It’s honestly shocking to see a triple A comic-book adaptation that has a moral drive on a serious level, whilst being super entertaining. It’s something for both adults and young people alike to enjoy whilst it’s happening and ruminate on afterwards. Moreover, parents should show Wonder Woman to their teen and pre-teen daughters, and sons, not simply because it’s lead by a strong, sympathetic...

By James Smith Vote5 0

In order to have motivation for a task you need to have a clear vision of what you hope to gain from completing it. Even tasks you would rather not do, like working 8 hours every day, you may persist in because you can see that the benefits of your salary, experienced gained and career advances outweigh the downsides. If you internalise your goals, you can put up with gruelling and time-consuming activities like physical exercise. The problem with tasks like paying taxes and doing homework is that the gain from performing them is obscured and in the case of...

By James Smith Vote10 1

I was intrigued by this latest socialist recruitment video, this time from the Democratic Socialists of America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sLgqq939JQ It’s got the usual hallmarks of socialist propaganda. What struck my attention the most was what it was appealing to. Here’s what so-called ‘capitalism’ is: “Capitalism is a man-made system based on profit. It takes wealth and resources away from the public and puts it in the hands of private capitalists. A few become enormously wealthy on the backs of the many. This consolidated control of profit and political power leads to extreme inequality.” Oh no! And what does this terrible system...

By James Smith Vote6 0

The tragedy of the commons means there is no cut and dry answer.

By James Smith Vote4 4

If you wanted to 'explain politics' to the completely uninitiated, you might be inclined to put it this way: The left, or liberals, are socially and fiscally liberal. The right, or conservatives, are socially and fiscally conservative. Libertarians are socially liberal and fiscally conservative. There you have it. The problem with this analysis is not that it is too general, but that it doesn't actually make sense. It shows us that the popular conversation has shaky principles, and therefore leaves the layman utterly confused. You can't separate social policy and economic policy. In all the important ways, a person's social life and economic...

By James Smith Vote5 0

It is apparently a great outrage that sports stars earn more in a week than a nurse will in a lifetime. Lionel Messi is the highest paid soccer player in the world at the time of writing, earning €16 million a year. A nurse, on the other hand, will earn only €20-30 thousand a year. You don’t need to do any complex calculations to figure out that that’s a staggering inequality. Is it justified? Those who would say ‘no’ would argue it on two accounts: 1. The nurse’s job is more necessary to human health, and therefore noble, than a...

By James Smith Vote4 0

In the past I’ve hesitated in writing about current events in the belief that it would only be useful for only a short time, that is, the time in which that event is a hot-button topic. What’s the point in writing about the latest news scandal if it’s going to be forgotten within a week or two? It would be wasted words. For that reason I have been mostly content dealing with more esoteric content, that elucidates general, timeless themes that are not bound to any specific turn of events. The problem that I see with news and current affairs...

By James Smith Vote4 0

Listen, you can’t go around beating people up you disagree with. Just because someone has a different opinion than you, doesn't mean you have the right to punch them in the face. Even if what they’re saying is completely abhorrent, insulting, offensive, or otherwise contrary to your values, you should not cause physical harm to someone else. The exception is when they have attacked you first. If they do that to you, you have every right to visit the equivalent force upon them. If someone punches you, by all means, punch back. Make sure they know you don't appreciate having...

By James Smith Vote3 0

Ahh, the dreaded M-word. Money is the biggest barrier to travelling. Like most ‘yeah but’s, there is a large portion of truth in it. Yes, you do indeed need money to travel . . . mostly. It is possible to get by bumming around, hitching trains, grabbing snacks off refugees etc. but it is not recommended. You probably will need money. However, this is nowhere near as big a problem as people think it is. In fact, as an excuse not to travel it is poor. If you think travelling is expensive, you should see how expensive not travelling is:...

By James Smith Vote7 0

West Ham United are losing. On Saturday, the team suffered an agonising 5-0 defeat to Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup, but this is hardly an atypical result in which has been a disappointing season so far. Last season, under charismatic coach Slavn Bilic, they finished in a very decent 7th position, above giants such as Liverpool and Chelsea. This season they sit in a lame 13th, and out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle. There has been one reason put forward by all for this drastic dip in form; it’s not the players,...

By James Smith Vote4 2

I very much enjoyed Roderick Long’s article ‘Equality: Unknown Ideal’. I have to admit, having an idea that Long was some kind of ‘left-libertarian’ (not totally unjustified), I was expecting it to be a smuggling of egalitarian ideas into traditional libertarian/classical liberal ideas. I was pleasantly surprised by Professor Long’s round rejection of the more commonly supported notion of socioeconomic equality, in favour of a version of equality that is soundly based in personal property rights. In fact, he puts it so clearly, it makes it even more clear in my mind that there are only two ways to look...

By James Smith Vote3 0

One of the key reasons why I hate shopping is that everyone thinks I need help. No, I know how a shop works. Even if you could show me the perfect good immediately, I’d prefer to find out through deliberation of all factors, which often requires staring blankly at the shelves for a good five minutes. I’m not one of those that can swiftly rush through a shop and apparently know exactly what I want merely by looking at it. You see, for me, shopping is 5% actually buying stuff and 95% thinking time. Browsing the wares is my way...

By James Smith Vote3 3

“Don’t be a plant” – Doug Casey Travelling can be a brilliant way to advance your career. This may come as a shock to you if you still believe the myth that travelling is for people without any goals. People with this mindset are stuck in the 1950s, back when travelling was considerably more expensive and the culture was more conservative. You were expected to stay in your home town, marry a nice local girl or guy that your parents approved of, and not venture as far as the next city for University. The only kind of people that went travelling...

By James Smith Vote3 1

“What about the roads?” they ask. What, indeed? The statists ask it rhetorically, but it’s worth asking properly. The assumption behind it, when asked, is that since the state does finance and facilitate the road system, that there is no other way one could do it. It exists, therefore it must be. But let’s apply some thought: why exactly do most states control the roads whereas most states do not raise grain or build automobiles? What is it about roads that makes it so common for states to ‘provide’ them? The statists may assume that roads are a definite ‘public...

By James Smith Vote9 0

There are two things to do in Guernsey that don’t necessarily involve getting “steaming” (drunk): hang out at the beach, or visit the various museums dotted around the island. The TripAdvisor top ten is full of museums: whether it is the Castle Cornet that boasts something like 8 museums for the £10 entry fee, the Underground Military Museum, or the Occupation Museum. The “Occupation” Museum, was that? Yes. The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles that were occupied by the Nazis during the Second World War. It may come as a surprise to you that any...

By James Smith Vote6 0

Hello world!

By James Smith Vote12 1

It’s high time that government addicts faced the fact they are in a pathological interventionist mental state.

By James Smith Vote20 5

This is part of my travel memoirs from my year away. I stopped at Hong Kong on the way to Australia - my few days there were an inkling into the joys of world travel. I had a looser plan than the previous day - I wanted street food, but I also had errands to run. I'm not usually susceptible to street sellers but on this particular morning I had so much to think through that I was somewhat absent-minded walking the Golden Mile to where I wanted to eat, and I found myself being accompanied into a building by...

By James Smith Vote5 0

What It’s Like To Have Your Camera Stolen Nov 11, 2017

Christopher Nolan Shows Us The Meaning of Mindblowing with Dunkirk Jul 22, 2017

Wonder Woman in the Garden of Good and Evil Jul 2, 2017

Filing Taxes Is Only Slightly More Preferable Than Prison Apr 19, 2017

Socialism Is No Cure For Alienation, No Economic System Is Apr 5, 2017

A (Probably Vain) Plea For Tolerance on the Borders Issue Mar 28, 2017

What It Means To Be Socially Liberal Mar 23, 2017

Why Lionel Messi Is Paid More Than Nurses Feb 18, 2017

There’s Never A Dull Moment In 2017 Either Feb 1, 2017

A Lesson For 4-Year-Olds Jan 23, 2017

Do You Really Need Money To Travel? Jan 14, 2017

West Ham Are Losing, and It’s The Government’s Fault Jan 12, 2017

Liberty Is All Well and Good, But . . . Jan 6, 2017

Raglan – The Freedom Lover’s Surf Community Jan 2, 2017

Why Going Travelling Is Good For Your Career Aug 18, 2016

“But What About The Roads?” Hopefully Dispensed With Forever Jul 28, 2016

Price for levitra at walgreens We’re Under Occupation Jun 2, 2016

Why I Don’t Give A S*** About Being Green Apr 22, 2016

Are You Addicted To Government? Apr 15, 2016

Museums in Hong Kong Mar 23, 2016