OldGrayBob

I highly suggest that a critically thinking person get a hold of a copy of the book "State of Fear", not for the novel - which I find interesting, but for the bibliography. I found that the few of the references that I have checked so far to be very informative. I am looking forward to checking more of the references.

I would like an unbiased review of the book How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter . The liberal press seems to hate it like poison, which may be a good thing! Thanks in advance.

My three favorites Young Frankenstein Mel Brook's best - what more can you say! We Were Soldiers When I first saw this movie, the memories came rushing back, I swear that I could smell the Army paint and feel the roughness of starched uniforms. In Country The final part at the Vietnam Memorial for me is the most moving part of any movie that I have ever seen. I have known too many whose names are on that wall.

What difference will it make. If Kerry is elected, he probably will run away after 4 months like he did in Vietnam. Then we will have an ex-trial lawyer, Edwards, in charge. Brrrr...

I am a book nut! These are my favorites in which I have them both in text and on audio CD (via Audible.com). I know that they all do not fall into the Objectivist mold, but one reads for pleasure too! A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has always been a pleasurable read. 'Tis, by Frank McCourt A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt Anthem by Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub Convergence by Charles Sheffield Divergence by Charles Sheffield Dreamcatcher by Stephen King Everything's Eventual by Stephen King Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams Ringworld by Larry Niven Salem's Lot by Stephen King So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish by Douglas Adams Song of Susannah: The Dark Tower VI by Stephen King Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein Summertide by Charles Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Dark Tower: The Dark Tower VII by Stephen King The Drawing of the Three: The Dark Tower II by Stephen King The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I by Stephen King The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub The Time Machine by H.G. Wells The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand The Waste Lands: The Dark Tower III by Stephen King Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein Transcendence: Book 3 of The Heritage Universe by Charles Sheffield Wizard and Glass: The Dark Tower IV by Stephen King Wolves of the Calla: Dark Tower V by Stephen King

Just from a personal, selfish point of view, as a Vietnam era veteran, Kerry's claim at the end that he serverd honorably made my blood boil. The Swift Boat Veterans will soon get a contribution from me. Try as I might, I am sorry but I cannot be rational on this issue, too many memories!

Personally, from my point of view, Nikola Tesla has them both beat.

In a trip through a local office supply store, my wife looked at some of the school supply lists that teachers at various local schools have posted. One that caught her attention was for a second grade class in Madison, Wisconsin. The list was topped with 4 boxes of crayons, 16 crayons per box, followed by multiple sets of other items. At the end of the list was the message that stated that unused supplies would not be returned to the students. The reason for this is that all supplies will be kept in common by the teacher and distributed to the students when they use them. This insures fair and equal access to the supplies to all students, even those who could not contribute.

Three gilded balls implies a pawn shop.

From the general tone of Kerry's speech, he did not seem very bright, he seemed to be repeating things he did not understand. BTW, If you want another reason not to vote for Kerry, check out http://www.swiftvets.com/index.php?topic=SwiftPhoto.

I see a problem with the whole discussion and that is the definition of what is 'love.' I am currently married and have been for the past 36 years to the same person. After all this time I do not know a good definition for love. Love seems to change from hour to hour, day to day, and year to year. Did 'love at first sight' happen to me and my wife, it might have, but I cannot honestly say it did.

Lazarus Long, the main character in Robert A. Heinlein's Time Enough for Love and other novels seems to be quite an Objectivist. Following are a few quotes from the book, enjoy: One man’s “magic” is another man’s engineering. “Supernatural” is a null word. -Lazarus Long Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child. -Lazarus Long History does not record anywhere a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. -Lazarus Long, Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily. All other “sins” are invented nonsense. -Lazarus Long Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed. -Lazarus Long It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so, and will follow it by suppressing opposition, subverting all education to seize early the minds of the young, and by killing, locking up, or driving underground all heretics. -Lazarus Long If you happen to be one of the fretful minority who can do creative work, never force an idea; you’ll abort it if you do. Be patient and you’ll give birth to it when the time is ripe. Learn to wait. -Lazarus Long Being intelligent is not a felony. But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor. -Lazarus Long The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history. -Lazarus Long Does history record any case in which the majority was right? -Lazarus Long God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent -- it says so right here in the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash, and in small bills. - Lazarus Long What are the facts? Again and again and again - what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what "the stars fortell", avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable "verdict of history" - what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue. Get the facts! -Lazarus Long One man's theology is another man's belly laugh. - Lazarus Long A shaman shall be presumed guilty until proven innocent. - Lazarus Long

Thanks for the reviews of I, Robot. I grew up reading Asimov back when I, Robot was new science fiction! I just reread a month ago, and the memories of the initial enjoyment came back. I was afraid what Hollywood might do to it, (like it did to Starship Troopers). Thanks again, I think I will avoid the movie.

I have the same fear. The Fountainhead is more that a novel, it is a statement. Ayn Rand was the architect of that statement. Can you just imagine some Hollywood second-handers modifying it!

My hat is off to you if you can watch more than 3 minutes of the Democratic Convention. My stomach is not that strong. Instead I relistened to the last hour of The Fountainhead that I have (unabridged) on CD. One point, only PBS was carrying it on broadcast. Either it is political alignment or just lack of anything interesting to show, I am not sure.

That quote from Ayn Rand is a simple but beautifully stated concept of what death means for an atheist. As an atheist who that has spent the time pondering the concept of death, I must agree with her completely.

The draft did exist, I was drafted into the US Army in 1968. The Army did one very positive thing for me. I was stationed 1,500 miles from our parents homes. I and my wife both learned a lot of independence which neither of us have lost. In my opinion, the draft being mentioned now is just an election year ploy by the party not in power to scare the voters.

Besides the fore mentioned Irish Tin Whistle, I have two other hobbies/passions. The first is weight-training. Pumping iron is addictive, especially free weights. Mainly you compete only with yourself -- an objectivist activity(?). I just wish that I would have started it before I was 56 years old! I have been pumping iron now for almost 2 years and I think I keep on doing as long as I can. The other hobby/passion is PC gaming. I am almost ashamed to admit that the shoot them up, solo games really do something to me. BTW, Doom 3 comes out in 8 days!

Hobbies, how about the Irish Tin Whistle? This little, (cheap?), musical insrument has openned a whole new world for me. Unfortunately, I caught a bad case of WhOA, Whistle Obsessive Acquisition Disorder. I now have over 15 whistles. And I am not alone in this hobby. There are Irish music sessions, (structure quite differently from other types of music sessions,) where Guinness has been known to flow. One of the most popular web sites on eht whistle is at http://www.chiffandfipple.com/table2.html.

In truth, Kerry does not seem too independently minded nor does seem to understand some of the things that he is saying. This may make great fodder for the Jay Lenos of the world, but it makes me wonder who is the “Toohey” that is pulling his strings?

Hello and welcome. We seem to have a few people here that are professionals in "Information Technology." I got my degree in CompSci in 1971. {Yes they had computer back then...}

Being married to a cellist / pianist, I can tell you that Beethoven is know also for his love music. "Fur Elise" for example.

My personal favorite. Down by the Salley Gardens Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet; She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet. She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree; But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree. In a field by the river my love and I did stand, And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand. She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs; But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears. William Butler Yeats (1889) Besides being a beautiful poem, it is also a beautiful tradition Irish tune. [salley is a willow brush used in making baskets.]

All the responses so far,seem past-tense. I just started with the Irish Whislte about two years ago. I have learned much about playing and reading music but most important, I at age 57 have finally learned to really listen to music. It is a mental exercise along with other things such as objectivism that is enhancing my life. Currently, I refuse to sit back and retire. I want both physically and mentally keep as active as possible.

I recently contributed to ARI and got the CD, Philosophy: Who Needs It. This CD contains Ayn Rand's historic address given at West Point in March, 1997. I have never heard a recording of any of her talks before, so I did not know what to expect. I did not expect the accent and at first it kind of floored me. But in a few moments that passed and you are left with a warm, intelligent speaking to you. For me to hear her talk added a fullness to her philosophy that reading it will never give. If you have not heard her address, I most highly suggest that you somehow find a copy and listen to it. It will be rewarding.