In our government, there are two fundamental types of rights, positive and negative. They mean two entirely different things. A negative right does not mean that somebody has the right to take something from you. It actually means that nobody has the right to mess with your rights. For example, the right to life is a negative right, meaning that nobody is allowed to kill you. On the other hand, a positive right is a right that gives you something. The (fake) right to healthcare is a positive right.

Of all of the business opportunities that were discussed this week, photography appealed to me the most. I could photograph commercial products for companies. These pictures could be used for advertising. Instead, I could take pictures of people. This could be for school photos, magazines, or a photography studio. I could also take photos of nature. Animal and plant pictures are generally very interesting and would be fun to take. Landscape pictures are also very cool. I could also post my photos on the internet on a site like Shutterstock. Of all of the business opportunities presented throughout this week, photography was the least boring option.

In Buddhism, the heart of the Buddha’s teachings are known as the Four Noble Truths. They are as follows: there is suffering in the world; there is a cause of suffering; by eliminating the cause, one can end suffering; and there is a path by which one can end suffering. The focus of Buddhism is to alleviate all pain and suffering. The Buddhist monks were expected to act like doctors, to first figure out the symptoms, then the cause, next the possibility of a cure, and finally to give the remedy.

During this week in business, there were several business opportunities that were discussed. The one that I liked the most was Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This allows other businesses to be found easier on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Amazon. SEO is very important because most Americans do online research prior to purchase, even when buying local. Several things matter to the search engines. The first of these is words. Each search engine finds its “hits” based on the words found in the websites. A search for chairs will not bring up articles on ukulele maintenance. The next important thing in articles is the title. This is very similar to the previous point. Another important thing for SEO are links. The more links to a site, the more likely that it will be found by a search engine. Also, the words in the links matter. If the link is associated with chairs, then so will the website.

There are two different ways to do the accounting for your business, cash and accrual. Cash accounting is where you record all of your expenses and incomes upon complete payment. This system works pretty well, but it is not the best. Accrual accounting is where the money is recorded regardless of whether the payment is complete. This accounting system keeps track of the business’ money more efficiently and can more accurately track how much money the business has.

Hinduism is the ancient religion native to India. It began over 1000 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. This religion is extremely tolerant of other beliefs. This is because the Hindus believe that every being is reborn after death in a never ending cycle of rebirth. To find the most fulfillment in its current life based off choices from previous ones, the soul is sent onto the path of any possible religion, not just Hinduism. The Hindu monks live to help others become better in their own respective religions. They help others to change their lifestyles to fit their current beliefs.

Buddhism is a religion that began in Asia. According to the legends, a prince, by the name of Siddhartha left his palace one day and saw such terrible things that plagued the human race as old age and disease. He devoted himself to knowledge and wisdom and left his city as a sadhu, essentially a monk. Changing his name to Gautama, the former prince wandered the lands. During his journeys, he meditated, and arose as an awakened one, also known as a Buddha. He taught his discipline all over the country.

In this day and age, not many people think that capitalism is a great idea. When they think of capitalism, they actually think of crony capitalism. They say that capitalism allows special minorities to influence government by giving money and support. Another claim is that capitalism and the free market allow employers to pay almost nothing to their employees. This is not true because people would not work for almost free. The employers have to pay a decent salary to their employees in order to run their business. People also claim that capitalism makes the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Again this is not true because the poor will work for their money instead of having it given to them outright.

Money is a medium of exchange. It began when simple people held onto a good to exchange it later. Before this people needed to find somebody who wanted what they had and had what they wanted. This is called a double coincidence. Sometimes, people had to trade for things that they did not want just to trade it again for what they were after in the first place. Eventually, people started carrying around a product that they were not going to use, only to trade. Over time, precious metal coins became the currency. However, these coins were heavy, detectable, and easy to steal, so some people stored coins for others and gave them receipts in exchange. The receipts became so valued and trustworthy that most people stopped using coins in large quantities. Eventually, the governments and banks cut any ties to the precious metals and the slips of paper were just that. The only reason that paper money has any value is because people continue to pretend that it does.

John Locke was a 17th Century English philosopher. Today, his definition of self-ownership is commonly referred to as the best definition. His definition of self-ownership meant, as might be obvious, owning yourself. This is because only you have the moral claim over you own body. Only you can control yourself and do stuff like donating an organ. Out of his idea of self ownership, comes the idea of private property. John Locke said that if a person mixed their labor with something, then it became theirs. In English, this means that if somebody puts work and effort into something, then it rightfully becomes their private property.