ZiggyKD

As to these statements, I present you these analogies: - In order for a government to protect its citizens, it requires weapons. Therefore, that government has a right to those weapons. - In order for a government to exist, it requires funding. Therefore, that government has a right to that funding. - In order for man to exist, he requires food and shelter. Therefore, man has a right to food and shelter. This is a gross misconception of the concept of individual rights. Rights are guarantees only to freedom of action, not guarantees to objects. Both of you are claiming that because a government's (proper) role is to defend (the right's of) its citizens, the means with which it is to accomplish this task are to be guaranteed to it by virtue of a right. You have perverted the concept of rights and used it to defend your illogical stance that a proper government has a right to weapons (or anything, really). It must be realized that a proper government is solely the defender of rights, it is the agent of the people, the policeman, the marine; it must be realized that a proper government has no rights. I refer both of you to the excellent and enlightening chapter entitled "Man's Rights" in the Virtue of Selfishness for a proper, reality-grounded presentation of the concept of individual rights.

Cole, These are the possible outcomes, you've figured out that much. They would be better stated this way: If my first pick is door A and the host opens door B, then the car is either behind C or A. ...and so on. However, I can't really say that you've "figured it out," that is, discovered the answer to the riddle, since you really haven't given an answer. Yes, you can pick which door you choose first.

This is incorrect. I'll explain when more people having given it a shot. On second thought, I think this is a brain teaser. It is "a mentally challenging problem or puzzle," as dictionary.com defines it. Note to mods: please change the second choice in my previous post to "" to remove the smiley face.

Not really a "brain teaser," but interesting regardless: You're on a game show, and the host shows you three closed doors. Behind two of them is a sheep, and behind one is a car; you do not know which object is behind which door. The object of the game is to get the car by picking the right door. The game goes as follows: You pick a door. The host will not open the door you picked, but instead will open another door. The door the host opens will always have a sheep behind it, no matter what your original choice. The host offers you a choice at this point: you can a) stick with your original choice, or switch to the other remaining closed door. The host will then open the exact door that you chose (no switching this time). The question is: what is the best choice to make?

The speaker I built last summer with my old room mate. A project I had been planning for a long time, very happy to complete one half of it. The woofer (lower large driver) is my pride & joy: materials include a woven carbon fiber cone and thick butyl rubber surround. Carbon fiber is a light yet rigid composite, which helps the driver reach higher decibel levels easier (through its light weight) and reduces distortion (a product of reduced cone flexing, due to increased rigidity). Butyl rubber, same rubber used in the soles of shoes, works as a damper, returning the cone to equilibrium quickly after excursion (movement) for tighter bass response. Oh and my guitar's in the pic too.

I think your idea is very interesting, but from what I gather from this quote, you seem to think that living in a rational society is a requirement for "fully living as true Objectivists." One can follow the philosophy and practice it consistently without living in such a society, as best expemplified by Ayn Rand's life in the US. This does not mean that we shouldn't work to change things here, or in other words, that we shouldn't defend and promote our values (the value-seeking individuals that we are), but only that that kind of society is not a requirement for living a purpose-driven, virtuous life. Of course, through living virtuously, one would want to create that kind of wonderful society, but that society is not the pre-requisite for being an o'ist -- a thinking mind is. Please correct me if I am misinterpretting your argument.

When a hacker violates property rights, he forfits his own rights, which he himself needs to further his own life. This act is anti-life, and is therefore immoral. I do believe there are "hackers" companies hire to find security holes, but that does not involve any violation of rights.

Either Iron and Wine did a cover of that song (which is the version I prefer), or vice versa. In either case, Iron and Wine is definitely worth checking out -- very relaxing, happy music. edit: just checked, the original is by Postal Service.

Winter solstice. Though originally a pagan holiday I believe, it is a secular celebraton life during the shortest day of the winter, or so I'm told.

What about a whole new document: The Declaration of Economic Independence?

Any and all violations of individual rights performed by the government -- which basically means the realization of its proper role as the protector of rights.

Forgot the picture

You've got great taste Walsh. I drive an 88 BMW 325is, beige, 5 speed. What a car. Two owner, dealer serviced for 11 years, very well maintained and taken care of. For the interested: inline six cylinder, locking differential, power sunroof, 4 wheel discs with ABS, leather interior, ~2800lbs. My old room mate owned a 325ic, and he said the roof leaked all the time, and it's basically impossible to fix (I've read the same on a BMW message board too). How's your top?

felipe isn't from Tallahassee Selfish, he's actually in New York right now. he was just informing Release about my club, which I am president of. There are two other officers from my club that post here every once in a while, 5 officers total, all in Tally. There's also a club at UF, which seems to be doing fairly well: www.aynrandclub.com

I agree, really nicely done web site. UF's club has been around longer than mine, which I am currently president of. I get the impression, from their site, that they have a solid organization down there. As for the t-shirts Stephen, why don't you contact them yourself? http://www.aynrandclub.com/contact.htm

There's a very well organized o'ist club a couple hours north of you at UF: aynrandclub.com.

I'm a full time student in mechanical engineering, and just recently started work at a place nearby designing parts in Autodesk Inventor, making end fittings for synthetic cables.

Forum Rules: You have posted this same exact message ("A review of the album, "Concerto of Deliverance", is just published at Atlasphere...") in three different forums today alone (1, 2, 3) not to mention that half of your posts (9 out of 17, by my count) are loaded with your attached advertisements or links to your "concerto" project . Spamming is explicitly prohibited on this message board. As an aside, I wish I would have known about that myself before I made my introduction thread months ago (which was basically an ad for my club's website).

Wow. The dishonesty is apparent whether or not Nathenial Branden's letter is true.

Interesting, I'm currently considering either minoring or double majoring in electrical (currently a mechanical engineering major) because I found all the circuits material we covered in Physics II really interesting. Maybe I found it interesting because I can apply this material right now to my speaker building hobby. You've read more material in the past year and a half than I have since I was introduced to Ayn Rand 5 years ago (at age 15). That's admirable. And yes, kudos definitely go to David Veksler for creating this site

Would you say you're like Ms. Taggart, Dagny?

My brother reminds me of Francisco. I've met plenty of Peter's in my life, too. Also, Rearden's mom is very much like my own. I've never met someone like John Galt.

I've long wanted to build home audio speakers for a hobby, and have done research on this topic for quite some time. I have recently finished the first of a pair of bookshelf speakers for my computer (a glorified home theater really). When I saw it standing upright for the first time, fully painted with all the drivers screwed into the cabinet, I was beaming with pride. When I heard it for the first time, I was overjoyed. Running through my mind were the hours spent on calculations for the design, mathematical predictions for frequency response, my own journey to discover the fundamentals of how a driver works, and how every element, from cone material to cross-over design, affects the audible quality of the speaker. What I saw (and heard) was my will made visible, concrete -- I saw the product of my mind, the achievement of a value. I'm still smiling Does anyone else have any hobbies from which they derive a sense of pride?

Thanks Ash, any chance someone can change the title to "Cox & Forkum now in the papers!" please?