Sherry

Welcome! I was born in NH (down in TX)...not a baseball fan but did root for the Red Sox as a kid. But I still love the Patriots! My family loves Halo! I never lived in VT, but did enjoy the short time I got to visit there. I lived on the other side of NH, near the ocean, so didn't make it over too much, but it is quite beautiful! I have read all her novels, but have yet to read her plays. I really loved We the living, for those that haven't read it. For her nonfiction, there are some great recommendations here. My husband and I wiped out our local Half Price books and Barnes&Nobles hahah buying a bunch of her books with essys. I hope to have them all read by the end of the year, but I know they are something I will keep coming back to time and again over and over. The compilation Voice of Reason is put together extremely well, and is very easy to read. I currently try to read an essay a night. Thery are not all Rand, of course. I am also reading her other essays as well, and my husband and I are attending a local OPAR study group.

Thoyd, I think that is probably the clearest, and shortest, explanation yet.

Grant...I don't think your idea is a good one, but others have stated why. However, I so enjoyed that term, I just had to say so. carry on...nothing to see here....

I just finished Atlas a few days ago, and didn't open this thread until I was done hahah...I didn't want to spoil the ending for myself! The only thing I have seen that hinted at him dying is Branden saying he did (someone had a link where to a Branden piece, that was I think in the 1990s?)...but Rand didn't write in the book that he died, and I believe she left his final fate open, and did so on purpose. I think, once the Prime Movers, came out of Atlantis, Eddie would be one of the first people Dagny would contact. I think he was not ready for Gulch, but would have been at some point. The timing wasn't right. He didn't have the right frame of mind. I was very disappointed by Cheryl Taggert's suicide as well, but, it really helps to drive home the point of one's survival being the ultimate goal. I guess once she realized what her life had really become, that she wouldn't be able to live the life she had intended, so death was preferable to life. It was so sad, and I was very disapointed. But Rand used it well.

It does make one's head hurt doesn't it? It seems to be that situation #1 is what it truly is, really, but of course, the politicians are rationalizing things as #2. They THINK they they are doing good, but really, no, they are not, because the bottom line is that they shouldn't be interfering in the economy in the first place. The problems when they set controls on the economy, it brings forth more controls because the first set of controls do harm. (That would be my understanding under Objectivism.)

That is a very good point........

Perhaps this is where the charitable private organizations can come in if they want to do their "good works". OR an situation where Capitalism can save the day. Supply and demand of the employment pool. Here is a thought: a local factory needs some low level workers, and perhaps they are hard to find because the average Joe in the community has put themself in a position to have better skills, so that they work better jobs. So...hmmm...where to get these low level employees? Hmm...they call up the prisons and say: hey, you know, I need some guys that may not already have a lot of skills, but are not already hardened criminals. Do you perhaps have some of those? (Perhaps the young and foolish that got caught up in some foolish crime that didn't involve physical harm or, etc.) Then, the factory owner, should he decide too, could go in and fund a program for these guys to learn a trade. Let him pay for it. IF these guys behave, do well on the program and make parole, require them to go work for this employer while on parole. The employer could pay them a training rate, and after the parole period is up, they can leave if they want. Or, the employer can invite them to stay, and perhaps give them a raise if they are working out. (I wouldn't make the wage a law thing...but it should all be contractural so that neither the worker nor the employer gets screwed.) Of course, the factory owner would probably not want to do this if the market didn't require it: IE...if he could do this with high school students, or with the non convicts. This is just one thought. I don't offer this as something that would offer a solution to all cases, but just one idea.

Thanks for including the link with the clips and lyrics. I liked all the clips, but really loved Walk the World in Chains, the lyrics are awesome. Okay, I may be dating myself here, but the singer sounds like a cross between Pat Benatar and Amy Lee (that's a compliment...I am an old lady compared to many here, but a great fan of Pat and Evanescence) But not trying to put your music in a pigeon hole or anything. That is just the first two singers/band I thought of whilst listening to the clips. Congrats!

Dismuke, we met very, very briefly at the end. Just a "oh, you are Dismuke, nice to meet you." sort of thing, nothing I would expect you to remember hahah. Ditto to what Lathanar said.

I don't like the bonding out idea. I think you need to be held personally accountable for your crimes, regardless of whether your friends have the money to "bond" you ought. EDITED TO ASK: Perhaps I misunderstood what you mean by "bonding out" Or we talking about a parole situation (where someone has done some time, has behaved well, showing he is a good risk to be put back out in the world, and people saying, hey we will put up some money and show we will keep an eye on him for the duration of his parole period? THAT I think is a marv idea. OR....are we just referring to: Guy does crime, rich friends come in and say "aw...come on, he is really a swell guy, here is money for a fine, we'll keep an eye on him from now on." I don't like that idea.

I think there was an article on Atlasphere regarding an Indian actress or anchor woman that was an Ayn Rand fan, and it mentioned other Indian woman that admired her as well. It doesn't really surprise me. As they become technologically advanced, it would seem logical that a philosophy that would help them continue to break free from caste systems and religion. And all that altruism that is shoved down their throats in the poorest parts of their country. Good for India!

As someone seriously studying Objectivism, I have found NTOS, coupled with the local OPAR study group to be extremely helpful. (I was really pleased to have had the opportunity to meet a few more people that post on this board at the past meeting as well.)

Wow....one has to work really REALLY hard to misunderstand a philosophy that badly. Good ol dangle...giving it the communist try.

I have never heard of warpathing, though i have heard of warchalking. When I heard of it, a few years ago, it was people driving around town, putting chalk marks on buildings to show where hotspots where. This was not to the knowledge of the companies. At least not the time when I read the article (this was about 3 or 4 years ago). This doesn't really change the arguement either way...just thought perhaps warchalking was maybe the word you were thinking of.

actually...use www.indeed.com it will pull up job postings across several job boards and company postings. Very. very handy....

Gar....tis the Flying Spaghetti Monster coming to touch unbelieving Objectivists with His Noodley Appendage.

Okay, I see what you are saying..just boiling it down to the root of why are you going to college. Don't go if you don't know what your reason or purpose is to go.

Well. you do know there is a inverse relation between pirates and global warmer. The more pirates, the less global warmer. So the more the pirates, the better things should be.

http://www.rte.ie/arts/2006/0427/joliea.html Apparantly there is talk of Jolie and Brad Pitt. I think it is a bad idea. I think they are media whores myself (not that there's anything wrong with that, I just find in annoying), and while I have enjoyed some of their films, I think they both would be too much of a distraction to the film. I am still trying to recover from Jolie's horrible, horrible English accent in Tomb Raider 1 and 2...and that accent in Skycaptain and the world of tomorrow...though it seemed appropriate there. And, I guess I would spend the whole movie thinking: Would Dagny be off adopting little babies in Cambodia on her vacation? probably not. Would John Galt be supporting John Kerry for president? Probably not. See...my probably I couldn't get this stuff out of my head...but those two are just so in your face with their personal lives that, well, I think it would interfere with the message of the movie. I also think they should do it as a mini-series. Thats what Rand intended. (I wish I could find the link...I read that online a week or two ago...dang my mortal mind!) It would be awesome if it was made for HBO or showtime and shown as a miniseries, say over maybe 12 hours. I think that would work. After all, how can you take a 1200 page book and shrink it to a 2 or 3 hour movie? Yes Jude Law is a good looking fella, but he isn't really Spanish or Latin America. I think a younger version of Antonia Banderas would be awesome for that role. How about...Benicio Del Torres? I think he could pull of Francisco perfectly, and should be in the age range.

Thanks Moose. Good article...I wasn't aware of that site either..thanks.

This is good advice. Lathanar isn't one to jump the gun, though. He's reading her fiction now. It is funny, because his brain and my brain is wired so differently. I go to an OPAR study group fairly regularly, and have read a lot more of Rand's fiction, but I think he has read as many as Rand's actually non fiction as I have. And he has "gotten it" a lot quicker than me. I have to say, though, that it is nice to see him change his mind on some issues that we had been arguing about for a few years. Do you know how hard it is to say SEE! I WAS RIGHT! I WAS RIGHT!! Because, well, I really can't say that, because it wasn't me that changed his mind...and it wasn't really me that was right. It just was right...and that is fine with me. It's all good.

Ugg...its downright scary!

Well, for you, it may not be worth it to spend all that money to get a degree in English. You can probably find a lot of free resources online in fact. Like you said, if you plan to work for yourself, as in sell only your finished product, you may not run into any issues. Now, if you want to be a copy writer, a tech writer, a journalist, you probably would need some formal, verifiable training. (I said probably because there are always exceptions to these rules.) I am a Recruiter by trade, and no, I didn't finish college. BUT, when I fell into my field, it was at a time before the internet bubble burst and anyone with a pulse was allowed to become a Recruiter. (Lucky for me). When that bubble burst, unproductice companies started laying off...I was able to hold on to my job, but I would have never been able to find another one at the time because I had no degree and that was one of the standard requirements. Most of what I learned in college has helped me. I say most, because I was all over the map and couldn't decide what I wanted to have for a major so took some course that were not relevent. I was self employed for 2 years too...and those courses did help me in that endeavor as well. I don't think we should be discounting someone wanting to complete college just for the sake of learning either, if that is something they value. Anyway...back on the subject of lazy kids: It doesn't matter what time period we are in. Are kids lazier than they were when I was a teenager? I think the difference is perhaps a lot of the activities they do for leisure are less physical. Most of my friends and I were outside playing baseball, football, basketball, running through the woods, causes mischief, and being general juvenile deliquents. A lot of the same kids today are home, not getting in trouble, but sitting in front of the computer playing World of Warcraft or yaking on MySpace. So it it is just different leisure activities. If the parents tell the kids when they are young..."hey little fat Tommy, you have to run around outside for 30 minutes before you spend 6 hours on Mario Kart" then it probably wouldn't seem so bad. I think most teenagers would rise to a challenge if given one. I think the years between 13 and 25 are wierd. You have such varying degrees of maturity in people. Some people have amazing abilitiest to start understanding concepts and taking responsbility at a young age, other people are still living based on their hormones when they are 30. It varies from person to person. I don't know most of the young'ns here, but I am very impressed with most of you. I don't agree with everyone, but I think it is great how well most of you express yourself. K...enough sucking up to you all ...I need to go feed my own kids.

I had this on my blog...but wanted to post here as well regarding this topic: MAss Insanity only gets worse Okay...here is another article that makes the whole health insurance issue in Mass even scarier: Health bill premiums may exceed predictions Health Bill Premiums May Exceed Predictions Hmmm...so no high deductible plans allowed....so they are cutting out choices, so they will only have high premium insurance plans....not very smart. Interesting article. Unbelievable. I lived in NH for most of my life, but at one point, had health insurance on a MA plan...it was crazy to deal with. I wonder how many companies close to the NH border will finally jump ship and go up to the income tax and health insurance tax free zone. NH has its own set of problems, but at least it doesn't smack businesses and individuals down for not having health coverage (yet...I hope that is never!)

ack It makes me sick to even think that one would have to feel like they would have to compromise on an application essay. I don't think you do here, though. Don't let them pigeon hole you with their narrowmind view on diversity. Sure, you know i think it is kind of neat you get to meet people from all walks of life. But it sure isn't really necessary. You certaintly don't need to give them some sort of cookie cutter essay for AA. You can still "play it safe" I think, and not betray your Objectivist philosophy.