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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/09/11 in all areas

  1. TheDudeWow

    Prelude

    A solitary note rose above the dim depths of the orchestra pit; the signal of a forward scout for his nearing army. Out of the darkness, the resonant echoes of an ethereal march began their approach as a call to defiant purpose ruptured the veil of tranquility strewn across the anxious theater. The battle began in earnest when the initial volleys of noise faded beneath opposing walls of unstoppable sound. Triumphant shots of brass rang out in fierce retaliation to the screams of the assaulting, undulant strings, giving audible life to nameless conflict. The dissonant harmonies clashed in a violent dance of annihilative ultimatum; each force a statement of uninhibited drive. A constant, sonorous pulse of drums throbbed as the plangent heart of struggle, circulating the sheer will of the antagonism present in the vibrating air. The beat unrelentingly escalated in a final, consuming drive for victory mirrored in the symphonic rivals, until all were disarmed with a sudden silence.
    2 points
  2. Summer

    Success is Imminent

    Success is Imminent By: Summer Hamori Note: I am not posting this for tips regarding my writing style. Thank you. Indigo waves rush through eroded rocks. The slicing points, piercing the surface like daggers to a fluid pulse, untouched by the flowing currents, are sharp and jagged around the edges. She sits in the dirt, her long sun-brown legs absorbing a cool promise of clarity; toes playing in the tide as guppies flock to them curiously, murmuring secrets against the uncovered flesh before gracing it with silver tails as they scatter onwards. Her eyes are portions of the sky, captured and collected for decoration. He watches this, unconscious of his stare and unwilling to correct it - a khaki notebook upon his lap. In the corner, he sketches an outline of her silhouette. She gazes to the stars, seeing nothing. Lost in thought. Spring mist signifies a memory sinking upon the municipality, under the rising moon, conquering the terrible hues of lilac and blue. She slips into the water without explanation – the burning, searing twinge and the tremor of muscles hopelessly quivering as her body is ravaged; as she collapses within the bearing, a face drown below the surface, where he can no longer see. And the fury is her maximum splendor. A moving current cuts through the numbing river, the surface of which masks a concealed beauty: the deadly fruition of knowledge hidden within the head of a naked woman, ripping through the forgotten whispers of twilight.
    2 points
  3. RandyG

    Rand-bashing article

    That wasn't 'taking government assistance' at all. It was theft recovery.
    1 point
  4. Funny how the people who earn too much is always one income bracket higher then the person complaining about capitalism.
    1 point
  5. TheDudeWow

    Prelude

    Conflict- The curtain of maroon velvet rose in response to the deafening applause which followed the combative overture. With a soft click, light quickly spread across a minute circle at center stage, eager to illuminate its sole resident. Within the walls of a pillar composed of citrine brightness stood a woman, facing opposite the crowd. She swiftly turned to her left and, with weightless grace, began to advance towards the edge of the stage when the calm voice of a man called out, “Wait.” He spoke, not a plea to be considered, but a command to be obeyed. The woman halted, but kept her back to him. He slowly proceeded from the shadowed stage and was lit. A tall, gaunt figure emerged from the tenebrious shroud, opposite the woman. He continued his approach,moving with the single-minded resolution of a man crazed with tenacity. Nearing the woman, he reached as if to turn her around. Before his outstretched hands could grasp her shoulders, she pivoted abruptly and stared at the man indifferently with cold, golden eyes. “Why?” She questioned him without genuine inquisition; no answer was needed. “You and I both know the answer to that.” His answer subjugated her interrogation, and the two were silent for a few long moments. She then rotated, looking out over the audience. An onyx dress encircled her thin body, flowing smoothly from slight straps clinging to her pale, slender shoulders down to her stiletto-clad feet. Her short blond hair sat just above the nape of her neck, shining beneath the rays of muted spotlight. It circled her face, and her thin, lightly curved bangs came to rest at the level of her sharply angled eyebrows. Her lips bore no emotion, save a strong, still impasse. Head held proudly aloft, her sharp eyes looked off into the distance in pensive thought. “The things you want,” she paused, turning back towards the man, “you know that you cannot have both. There is no compromise here. There is no middle ground.” “Do you honestly think that anything you can say can stop me? You are surely not the first to claim that what I seek is impossible, and I swear to you, you will not be the first to be correct. Do you know what I am? I am the unstoppable force incarnate. I will not allow anything to stand before me. I do not yield; flee or be razed.” “What happens when the unstoppable force meets an immovable object?” she rebutted softly. He responded to her taunt with a devilish grin of pure audacity. “If you won't be displaced, I'll cut straight through you.” He hesitated momentarily, then continued. “You think very highly of yourself. It would be a shame to fall from the grace of your lofty ideals and end up trampled underfoot like the rest of these sinners.” “A tower of corpses is not the only way to elevate yourself.” “Who said anything about elevation? I'll pull the sky down beneath me and watch it bow. They'll worship at a temple of my own design and sell their precious souls to do it.” “Do you realize that you've been on your knees the entire time?” “I worship no one.” “You've destroyed any possibility for reverence. Nothing matters to you because you've lost sight of meaning.” “My purpose is my own. My meaning is what I make of it. I will do for the sake of doing. I will not stop for the sake of movement. Nothing in this city can hold me back. You see these skyscrapers?” Slowly, the murky stage became aglow with the pinpoints of light in the backdrop. A distant cityscape took form from the obsidian shadows towards the rear of the set. “These will be mine.” She diverted her gaze from the man and swiftly walked away. The now-solitary figure continued to contemplate the buildings before him. “And, in time,” he quietly spoke to himself, “so will you.”
    1 point
  6. Not every male thinks with, or is controlled by, their "second brain". It appears you are looking for a rationalization of just such behavior.
    1 point
  7. Ferris

    Dealing with Loneliness

    *** Mod's note: Merged with a previous topic *** Although i`m a very objective person, and starting my journey towards a more objective life, there is something that I do not agree. I see nothing wrong with wanting to be social and having more friends, even just for the sake of “having more friends”. I don’t see nothing wrong with having friends whose view of the world are different from mine – what matters is if we have fun together and enjoy each others company. For instance: Peter Keating was social, everyone liked him and he could have any girl he wanted (nice!). On the other hand, Roark didn`t have any friends in school, and was lonely like a baby in the womb. What was Roark`s problem? Why couldn`t he go to a party, have sex with girls, and have fun for gods sake? I personally value these things very much, even though there is not a important and serious purpose behind these activities. Whenever Roark entered a room, people felt uncomfortable, and his face was closed like a vault. What is the advantage of being like that? I don`t see why he couldn`t be social, have a lot of friends, join the fraternity, and still be loyal to his principles, and still stand for his ideas, do you guys get my point? Does living objectively in the context of human interactions means having just few friends who share your views, just sitting by their side doing nothing and acknowledging their existence? That seems pretty boring to me. In Atlas Shrugged, the playboy life Francisco was having seemed pretty cool and exciting. Why couldn`t someone lead a life with a lot of fun and parties and girls and still be productive and objective? For instance yesterday I decided to learn to surf. I live In a coastal city and it would be fun to surf. Then I asked myself: why do you want to surf? And I didn`t know a reason, besides: I just want it, it must be fun! According to Roark, he would say: since there is no reason for me wanting to learn how to surf, besides my wish to do it, I wont do it. I remember a time in the book when Keating called Roark to go out and have a beer. Roark said: what for? For gods sake, what was the problem of going out for a beer????? He would stay home doing nothing anyway!!!!! I don’t want to realize with 80 years old that I lived my life as a lonely bastard who didn`t have fun at all. Do you guys understand what i`m saying?
    -1 points
  8. dakota

    How far is too far?

    I taught at the High School level for a few years -- maybe that's why. However, some teens can and do make good choices, as I saw time and time again. Nevertheless, they are not self-sufficent and thus do not bear any of the responsibilities of providing food, shelter, education, clothing,....on and on and on. Therefore, as hard as it is for a young person to accept, their parents are the ultimate authority and until they are providing for themselves they ought to respect that authority regardless of whether they agree or disagree. Not if they are in conflict with the wishes of one's parents. They're paying the bills and are legally responsible for you -- you can indulge your thoughts and feelings, if they are in conflict with your parrents, when you're not living off of them.
    -1 points
  9. Jacob86

    Integrating Volition

    No. The only way to not be coerced is to have an identity which is capable of being free to some degree from the total causal effects of outside action. Yes, causality is identity in action, but we are attempting to inquire about the Identity/Nature of Man in this discussion. Freedom from coercion for Man does not mean that he must be free from HIS identity. It means that his identity must be such that he is from from the coercive effects of OTHER causal actions to some degree.
    -2 points
  10. Umm...Not only there are none, but there has never been one. Oh, God. I'm not getting into this argument again...
    -3 points
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