Maslow Needs

 

Skepticism

 

Skepticism is generally a questioning attitude or doubt towards one or more putative instances of knowledge which are asserted to be mere belief or dogma. Formally, skepticism is a topic of interest in philosophy, particularly epistemology. 

---- Wikipedia

The skeptical movement is a modern social movement based on the idea of scientific skepticism. Scientific skepticism involves the application of skeptical philosophy, critical-thinking skills, and knowledge of science and its methods to empirical claims, while remaining agnostic or neutral to non-empirical claims. 

-- Wikipedia

The skeptical movement is a modern social movement based on the idea of scientific skepticism (also called rational skepticism).

Scientific skepticism involves the application of skeptical philosophy, critical-thinking skills, and knowledge of science and its methods to empirical claims, while remaining agnostic or neutral to non-empirical claims (except those that directly impact the practice of science).

The movement has the goal of investigating claims made on fringe topics and determining whether they are supported by empirical research and are reproducible, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge".

The process followed is sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry.

Roots of the movement date at least from the 19th century, when people started publicly raising questions regarding the unquestioned acceptance of claims about spiritism, of various widely-held superstitions, and of pseudoscience.

Existentially Speaking

George Carlin Quotes

I worry about my judgment when anything I believe in or do regularly begins to be accepted by the American public.

Dogs and cats get put to sleep; hogs and cows get slaughtered.

A lot of these people who keep a gun at home for safety are the same ones who refuse to wear a seat belt.

Shopping and buying and getting and having comprise the Great American Addiction. No one is immune. When the underclass riots in this country they don’t kill policemen and politicians, they steal merchandise. How embarrassing.

Granola didn’t sell very well when it was good for you. Now it has caramel, chocolate, marshmallow, saturated fat and sweeteners with a small amount of oats and grains. Sales picked up.

Sometimes a fireman will go to great strenuous lengths to save a raccoon that’s stuck in a drainpipe and then go out on the weekend and kill several of them for amusement.

They debated NAFTA for a long time: should we sign it or not? Either way the people get fucked. Trade always exists for the traders. Anytime you hear businessmen debating “which policy is better for America,” - don’t bend over.

As far as calling them “Native Americans” is concerned, do I even have to point out what an insult this is? We steal their hemisphere, kill twenty or so million of them*,destroy five hundred separate cultures, herd the survivors on to the worst 

land we can find, and now we want to name them after ourselves? It’s appalling. 

Haven’t we done enough damage? Do we have to further degrade them by tagging them with the same name as the conquerors? (*Before 1492 there were 25 million people in Central America. By 1579 there were 2 million)

President George Bush declared a National Day of Prayer for Peace. This was after he had carefully arranged and started the war.

Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second best policy. Second is not all that bad.

Do you know the nicest thing about looking at pictures of a 1950’s baseball park? The only people wearing baseball caps are the players.

It’s way beyond ironic that a place called the Holy Land is the location of the fiercest most deeply felt hatred in the world.

After every horror we’re told, “Now the healing can begin.” No. There’s no healing – just a short pause before the next horror.

Talk about wrong priorities. We live in a country that has a National Spelling Bee. But when is the last time you heard of a Thinking Bee. Or a Reasoning Bee? Maybe an Ethics Bee? Never! Did you know the only people in our culture who are taught ethics are a handful of college philosophy students?

Most people with low self-esteem have earned it.

Spirituality: the last refuge of a failed human. Just another way of distracting you from who you really are.

When Ronal Reagan got Alzheimer’s disease, how could they tell?

Next time they give you all that civic bullshit about voting, keep in mind that Hitler was elected in a full, free democratic election.

Why keep trotting out this Billy Graham character? He has nothing to say and basically no one gives a fuck.

Instead of warning pregnant women not to drink, I think alcoholics should be told not to fuck.

Regarding the Boy Scouts, I’m very suspicious of any organization that has a handbook.

As far as I’m concerned, humans have not come up with a belief that’s worth believing.

I don’t know how you feel, but I’m pretty sick of church people. You know what they ought to do with churches? Tax them! If holy people are so concerned with politics, government and public policy, let them pay the price of admission like everyone else. The Catholic Church alone could wipe out the national debt if all you did was tax their real estate.

Everywhere you look there are families with too many vehicles. You see them on the highways with their RVs. But apparently the RVs aren’t enough, because behind them they are towing cars, motor boats, go-carts, dune buggies, dirt bikes, ski jets, snowmobiles, parasails, hang gliders. Hot air balloons and two small two-,man deep sea diving bells. The only thing these people lack are lunar excursion modules. Doesn’t anyone take a fucking walk anymore?

If it’s true that our species is alone in the universe, then I would have to say the universe has aimed rather low and settled for very little.

Suppose you took an oath by placing your right hand on the Bible and raising your left? Would it still count? Does God really give a shit? Does anyone?

I think everyone should treat one another in a Christian manner. I will not however be responsible for the consequences.

Here’s more middlebrow bullshit philosophy. “That which does not kill me makes me 

stronger.” I’ve got something more realistic: “That which does not kill me may sever my spinal cord, crush my rib cage, cave in my skull and leave me helpless and paralyzed, soaking in a puddle of my own waste.” Put that on your T-shirt, touchy feely New Age asshole!

Live and let live – that’s what I say. Anyone who can’t understand that should be killed.

I’m thinking of buying a church and changing it around: maybe selling crack and having a few whores in the pew.

I don’t understand why prostitution is illegal. Selling is legal, fucking is legal. So why isn’t it legal to sell fucking?

The next time a prostitute solicits your business, ask for the clergyman’s rate.

Christian deodorant: “Thou shalt not smell.”

You know who would make an interesting murder-suicide? Madeline Albright and Yanni.

Never forget that Hitler was a Catholic.

America: where Irish, English, Germans, Scandinavians, Poles and Italians come together to kill Indians, lynch niggers and beat the shit out of spics and Jews.

History is not happenstance: it is conspiratorial. Carefully planned and executed by people in power.

In the United States anyone can be president. That’s the problem.

I was once dancing with a woman who told me she had a yeast infection so I told her to bake me some bread.

If you live long enough, everyone you know has cancer.

Why don’t network TV shows have a warning that says “Caution: you are about to watch a real piece of shit.”

Boy, am I glad to get rid of that fucking Mother Teresa.

The IQ and life expectancy of the average American recently passed each other going in the opposite direction.

Are you sick of this “royal family” shit? Who gives a fuck about these people? Who cares about the English in general? The uncivilized, murderous, backward English. Inbred savages hiding behind Shakespeare, pretending to be cultured. Don’t be misled by the manners – if you want to know what lurks beneath the surface, take a look at soccer crowds. That’s the true British character. I’m Irish and American, and we had to kick these degenerate mother fuckers out of both countries.

The best thing about living on the seashore is that you only have assholes on three sides.

If you want to get rid of counterfeit money, put it in the collection plate at church.

I don’t understand the problem with paroling Charles Manson? I say set him free and let him get on with his work. I have a long list of celebrities I’d be glad to share with him.

Suggested Bumper Sticker:  We are the proud parents of a child whose self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us advertising his minor scholastic achievements on the bumper of our car.

When I first heard the song “Don’t worry- be happy” I realized it was exactly the kind of mindless philosophy that Americans would respond to. It would make a great national anthem along with “Me first”.

Can’t we silence these Christian athletes who thank Jesus whenever they win and never mention his name when they lose? You never hear them say, “Jesus made me drop the ball” or, “The Lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage.”

The following statement is true. The previous statement is false.

Source:
http://www.skeptic.ca/george_carlin_quotes.htm

George Carlin feared no man

Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

I went to a bookstore and asked the sales woman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him...is he still wrong?

If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

Is there another word for synonym?

Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice?"

Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"

What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?

If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?

How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?

Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.

To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated, but not be able to say it.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

The older you get, the better you realize you were.

Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

Do pediatricians play miniature golf on Wednesdays?

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?

If you ate pasta and anti-pasta, would you still be hungry?

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?

source:

http://www.skeptic.ca/george_carlin_quotes.htm

Jerry Seinfeld - Jokes and Funny Quotes.

I was the best man at the wedding. If I'm the best man, why is she marrying him?


It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper.


What is a date really, but a job interview that lasts all night? The only difference is that in not many job interviews is there a chance you'll wind up naked.


You know you're getting old when you get that one candle on the cake. It's like, "See if you can blow this out."


Men want the same thing from their underwear that they want from women: a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom.


Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them's making a poop, the other one's carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge.
Now they show you how detergents take out bloodstains, a pretty violent image there. I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.Maybe you should get rid of the body before you do the wash.


That's the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people other than me


There's very little advice in men's magazines, because men don't think there's a lot they don't know. Women do. Women want to learn. Men think, "I know what I'm doing, just show me somebody naked."


According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.


Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason


The Swiss have an interesting army. Five hundred years without a war. Pretty impressive. Also pretty lucky for them. Ever see that little Swiss Army knife they have to fight with? Not much of a weapon there. Corkscrews. Bottle openers. "Come on, buddy, let's go. You get past me, the guy in back of me, he's got a spoon. Back off. I've got the toe clippers right here."


Why do people give each other flowers? To celebrate various important occasions, they're killing living creatures? Why restrict it to plants? "Sweetheart, let's make up. Have this deceased squirrel."


Why do they call it a "building"? It looks like they're finished. Why isn't it a "built"?


People who read the tabloids deserve to be lied to


Seems to me the basic conflict between men and women, sexually, is that men are like firemen. To men, sex is an emergency, and no matter what we're doing we can be ready in two minutes. Women, on the other hand, are like fire. They're very exciting, but the conditions have to be exactly right for it to occur.


The big advantage of a book is it's very easy to rewind. Close it and you're right back at the beginning.


I have a friend who's collecting unemployment insurance. This guy has never worked so hard in his life as he has to keep this thing going. He's down there every week, waiting on the lines and getting interviewed and making up all these lies about looking for jobs. If they had any idea of the effort and energy that he is expending to avoid work, I'm sure they'd give him a raise.


To me, a lawyer is basically the person that knows the rules of the country. We're all throwing the dice, playing the game, moving our pieces around the board, but if there is a problem the lawyer is the only person who has read the inside of the top of the box.


Men don't care what's on TV. They only care what else is on TV.

The idea behind the tuxedo is the woman's point of view that men are all the same; so we might as well dress them that way. That's why a wedding is like the joining together of a beautiful, glowing bride and some guy. The tuxedo is a wedding safety device, created by women because they know that men are undependable. So in case the groom chickens out, everybody just takes one step over, and she marries the next guy.


My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty, and that's the law.


I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell it. Can't eat it. Can't taste it. The end of the show they hold it up to the camera, "Well, here it is. You can't have any. Thanks for watching. Goodbye."


Somebody just gave me a shower radio. Thanks a lot. Do you really want music in the shower? I guess there's no better place to dance than a slick surface next to a glass door.


See, the thing of it is, there's a lot of ugly people out there walking around but they don't know they're ugly because nobody actually tells them. 

What would the world be like if people said whatever they were thinking, all the time, whenever it came to them? How long would a blind date last? About 13 seconds, I think. "Oh, sorry, your rear end is too big." "That's ok, your breath stinks anyway. See you later."


You know what I never get with the limo? The tinted windows. Is that so people don't see you? Yeah, what a better way not to have people notice you than taking a thirty foot Cadillac with a TV antenna and a uniformed driver. How discreet. Nobody cares who's in the limo. You see a limo go by, you know it's either some rich jerk or fifty prom kids with $1.75 each.


You can measure distance by time. "How far away is it?" "Oh about 20 minutes." But it doesn't work the other way. "When do you get off work?" "Around 3 miles."


Are there keys to a plane? Maybe that's what those delays are sometimes, when you're just sitting there at the gate. Maybe the pilot sits up there in the cockpit going, "Oh, I don't believe this. Dammit..I did it again." They tell you it's something mechanical because they don't want to come on the P.A. system, "Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to be delayed here on the ground for a while. I uh..Oh, God this is so embarrassing...I, I left the keys to the plane in my apartment. They're in this big ashtray by the front door. I'm sorry, I'll run back and get them."


I once had a leather jacket that got ruined in the rain. Why does moisture ruin leather? Aren't cows outside a lot of the time? When it's raining, do cows go up to the farmhouse, "Let us in! We're all wearing leather! Open the door! We're going to ruin the whole outfit here!"

Mortgage Fraud

Dr. Fred Bloom unwittingly sold this house into what may have been a mortgage-fraud ring.
I may be on the losing end of a $200 million mortgage-fraud scheme.

Earlier this year, my colleagues and I bought a tiny slice of a toxic asset, a bond backed by a bunch of bad mortgages. We’ve been using the asset as a window into the housing boom and bust.

Recently, a group of reporters at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune told us that one of the mortgages in our asset was part of a real-estate scheme being investigated by the FBI.

That told me that, to understand how the scheme worked, I should learn the story of the house on Cove Terrace.

The house is a nice Florida place — red-tile roof, pool, boat dock. In 1999, it was owned by Dr. Fred Bloom, a doctor who unwittingly sold the house into what may have been a mortgage-fraud ring.

Bloom spent a happy decade raising kids here. In 2000, he sold the house for $600,000 — much less than he'd hoped. The buyer was represented by Craig Adams, a real-estate agent known in Sarasota as a guy who could make deals happen.

Two weeks later, Adams re-sold the house for $725,000.

“I was really upset!” Bloom says. He thought his real-estate agent had misled him about the value of the house. But there was more to the picture than he knew.

According to Matthew Doig, an investigative reporter who has written about mortgage fraud for Sarasota Herald-Tribune, this is what happened:

Adams had a group of friends and associates.  One would buy a house. Then he’d sell it to another, for a higher price. Then it would get sold again, at a price that was still higher. The sales often wouldn’t get listed publicly and Adams would set the prices.

With each sale, someone would take out a loan that was more than big enough pay off the previous loan. The players would split the remaining cash.

"After Dr Bloom is out of the picture, that house is completely controlled by Craig Adams," Doig says. "Every time it is, sold Adams is representing both the buyer and seller."

I called Adams seeking comment, but he didn't return my calls.

In four years, Bloom’s house had six owners — and the sale price went from $600,000 to more than $2 million.

Dr. Bloom became more and more confused by the escalating price. The house didn’t look better.  In fact it looked worse:

"The yard was really in disrepair," he said. "It looked like it was vacant."

This kind of scheme is common during housing booms, according to Guy Cecala, of the trade magazine Inside Mortgage Finance. But passing a house back and forth, and taking out ever bigger loans, has to end badly for someone.

By 2007, Bloom's old house was owned by yet another associate of Craig Adams — a guy who wound up defaulting on more than $2 million in loans. The bank foreclosed on the house.

The banks clearly lost big time.  They kept handing out the loans because they were caught up in the bubble too.

At the height of the bubble, a third of the  people buying houses were never planning to live there.  That doesn’t mean all those loans were all fraudulent.

At the same time, mortgage fraud can be something as simple as saying you’re going to live in a house you never plan to set foot in.

The FBI is looking into more than 3,000 cases of mortgage fraud.  And in Sarasota they're doing it with help of Craig Adams: The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has reported that he’s gone from real estate genius to FBI informant.