Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

davidmsc

Regulars
  • Posts

    34
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by davidmsc

  1. I think most of us would like to do that - but do you have any specific ideas for doing it?
  2. Good on Selleck! It's become a cliche, for the TV stars of the 70s and 80s to have those walk-on cameos, and it usually does indeed seem pretty lame.
  3. Been in the Air Force for nearly 20 years, but have worked with and studied with several Navy folk -- including some nuke dudes who spent plenty of time at sea (and under it). My iimpression is that it is very grueling -- arguably the toughest non-combat job you can imagine -- but the shore leave and the extra pay (bonuses) definitely go a long way towards making it bearable -- especially for four years. The training is excellent, by all accounts. And FWIW: military service to America is indeed a noble thing. Unquantifiable -- can't calculate how much $$ something like that is worth. My advice -- do it. I have met very very few people who regret serving in the military, be it a four-year hitch or a career.
  4. It is refreshing to see fellow Objectivists appreciate Kill Bill as much as I do. KBv1 and KBv2 - separately and/or together - are, quite simply, the best movie ever made. I remain awestruck at the perfection. The precision. The integration. The style. As noted by Ebert: a movie isn't necessarily about WHAT it is about -- it is about HOW it is about it. Execution is everything. No pun intended.
  5. I watched Olbermann when he delivered this "Special Comment" and was absolutely amazed. His utter hatred of Guiliani (and Bush, duh) has completely overtaken his sense of reason, and he is now unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. A shame, because Olbermann - at his best - can be quite entertaining, when not engaged in "bushitler" tirades.
  6. I know very little about Bible history and such, but here's my two cents: A Christian is anyone who (a) believes in "God" - a supreme being who caused everything, and ( believes that Jesus is the son of God and accepts that Jesus is the only way to salvation and heaven; in other words, the divinity of Jesus. Based on my limited knowledge of Mormons, they do qualify as Christian in that sense. There are "degrees" of Christianity: baptist, catholic, mormon, etc. All have differing levels of faith in certain aspects of the Bible and certain aspects of Jesus, Mary, etc, but fundamentally they all believe in those two tenets, as far as I know. And FWIW: generally speaking, most Mormons that I know seem to be much more faithful to their stated beliefs than most Christians (and Jews) that I know. Yes, the level of absurdity that they believe in eclipses much of their fellow Christians, but in terms of day-to-day living and personal integrity, they generally are decent people, and their lifestyle in some ways is more similar to mine (atheist, duh) than other religionists.
  7. Being part of the National Honor Society is not immoral or wrong; it is a means to achieving your goals, and it does not ask that you do anything illegal, etc. Performing "community service" is perfectly OK -- but NOT if it is mandatory for ALL students. As a stipulation of belonging to a club, mandating such service is fine. Charitable organizations are - usually - perfectly legitimate services that rely on the general goodwill of most people --> think "benevolent universe." Bottom line: requiring community service to graduate from high school is wrong. Choosing to belong to an organization (NHS) that requires same is not wrong.
  8. I live over in Fox Farm -- in the Air Force -- and I definitely appreciate the delivery drivers from all the places! Like I said, my usual is Howard's Pizza mostly, and once in a while Pizza Hut, and even McKenzie River occasionally. And my kids sometimes order Chinese food for delivery (yuck!). ps - check out www.greaterfalls.com blog
  9. United States Air Force - healthcare administrator. For another few months, when I retire from the military. After that...not entirely sure -- hope to do something in communications, media, public relations, blogging, along those lines.
  10. I always give at least two bucks to pizza-delivery folks -- especially when the roads are really bad here in Great Falls. But I usually get Howard's Pizza (no offense, baseball genius!)!
  11. Very cool -- congratulations, and be *proud* of your accomplishment. Law school is intense, by all accounts.
  12. I had great difficulty understanding the phrase "Sense of Life" when I was young and just beginning to appreciate Rand and Objectivism. The best way that I can explain it - based on my probably limited understanding even now - is that a person's sense of life is akin to a pair of glasses. It is the "lens" through which a person looks at the world. For instance, one person views the world in terms of optimism, opportunities, and challenges - sort of like wearing the proverbial "rose colored glasses." Another person views the world in terms of misery, obstacles, and doubt. Can a person change their "sense of life?" Yes, but it is not as simple as changing a pair of glasses, obviously. But I think that the "glasses" analogy is probably accurate enough to give newcomers a semi-decent understanding of the concept.
  13. 1. I think what the comment meant was that someone who spent so much time on studies probably has very little social life (although that's not necessarily true). 2. Regarding the original post: very impressive for such a young lad, although I completed 60 credits in 12 months for my graduate program. Granted, I was much older and more organized, etc -- I'm saying it only to demonstrate that it is not impossible (or even improbable). Bringing those 70+ credits to the table made all the difference, and likely motivated the kid to work that much harder to attain his goal in such a short time.
  14. I can not think of any good reason for an Objectivist to go to a strip club.
  15. 9/11 conspiracy nuts are idiots, plain and simple. Sure, it would be great to be able to "pin" the people/gov't/organization that they already hate (Bush, Rove, Big Oil, etc), because that fits in very nicely with their worldview. There is simply no way that something of this magnitude and import could have been planned, executed, or covered up by Americans in any capacity. It would have been (a) prevented or ( exposed completely by fellow Americans.
  16. Interesting...turns out that I am Gail Wynand. I can live with that.
  17. Unreasonable movies/books/etc can be quite enjoyable, for many of the reasons stated above. It's not a matter of an Objectivist believing in an absurd premise, such as deities or supernatural -- rather, it's an exercise in "What if...?" For instance, I enjoy very much the book "Fool On The Hill" by Matt Ruff (I'm sure many of you have read his Sewer/Gas/Electric), and one of the things that I love about it is the discussion among the dogs and cats. Of course this is nonsense, but by asking "what if dogs and cats could communicate using human words?", I am able to enjoy it.
  18. My impression of "sense of life" is that is refers to an outlook on the world. I think that someone (Rand?) once compared it to a pair of glasses -- you know how some people talk about putting on "rose-colored glasses" and enjoying a happy, rosy view of life and the world? Sense of life is sort of like that -- it's the lens through which you view the world. It seems to me that it is both innate and deliberate -- sometimes it is a natural reaction or interpretation of events, and other times you have to figuratively "put on your glasses" with your Objectivist sense of life in order to interpret an event or situation.
  19. About three months ago, I finally purchased my "dream vehicle" -- a 1999 Ford Explorer Sport with 4-wheel drive. Her nickname is "The Black Beauty," with a nod to The Green Hornet.
  20. For years, I have seen only Eric Close as the ideal John Galt. I truly don't understand the Brad Pitt fascination. Eric Close has a face that conveys no pain, fear, guilt, and such. Pitt's face conveys only "Brad Pitt."
  21. Amen to both Hepburns -- one petite, delicate, and feminine, and the other strong, bold, and feminine -- and both amazing beauties. Modern Day: Gwyneth Paltrow has awful politics, but physically she's amazing, as is Jolie. Also Theron.
  22. Hmmm...music was odd, not quite what I imagined...and I can just about imagine James Woods as Hank Rearden, and John Malkovich as James Taggart...and the images were compelling enough. Interesting.
  23. Drugs impair your ability to reason. Deliberately impairing your ability to reason - to THINK - seems to me to be one of the absolute worst things you can do to yourself. It is wrong. Simply wrong.
  24. GOOD GRIEF -- this guy comes into our clubhouse and wants to learn more about it, and gets criticized for referring to Ayn Rand as "Rand?" GET A GRIP. It is common practice -- accepted practice -- to refer to most celebrities (be they intellectual, political, Hollywood, or other) by only their last name. We refer to Hume, Rachmaninov, Freud, Streisand, Bush, Limbaugh, Lennon, Clooney, and such by only their last names, for instance.
×
×
  • Create New...