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athena glaukopis

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Everything posted by athena glaukopis

  1. Thanks for saving me 11 dollars Too bad though, it looked so cute
  2. West and I are Wii'ers, but I'm opting for a Dance Dance Revolution pad instead of a wii fit. I already do yoga, cardio, pilates and free weights (when I can get my ass out of the apartment, which is where the problem lies), but don't see the wii fit as being the "right fit" for me (no pun intended). I don't know if you've ever played Dance Dance Revolution, but OH MY GOD, i sweat my butt off, even after a few rounds of "beginner" !! If you haven't tried it, I would suggest playing it at any local arcade (if they're an arcade worth their tokens, they'll have one... kids are rabid about this game)... it definitely has a higher activity level than the wii fit, and might be a good one to invest in if you find yourself plateauing with the wii fit.
  3. West and I met on Atlasphere, a dating site for Ayn Rand admirers.
  4. The second one is used in the movie Labyrinth ^^ O the memories!!
  5. I like "Contemplation" a lot!
  6. hahah how cute ^^ thanks for that
  7. i assume you mean "romantic" in the sense of "romance" not "Romantic (with a capital R)" Amelie, His Girl Friday, Funny Face, and My Fair Lady... not only are they romantic, but they are Romantic, heart-warming, laugh-out-loud fun and generally enjoyable. I also consider the Illusionist to be romantic, and on top of that, it is literally the most Romantic Realist film i've ever seen.
  8. Put us down for that too, Kendall
  9. I was under the assumption that a reply to our claims would be rational arguments substantiating your side of the discussion, not insults. I don't see how that kind of response is warranted at all, let alone why you thought it was necessary to give us a backhanded insult thinly-veiled as a "refrain from insult" -- Either choose to insult us or not; by framing an insult as if it were not an insult, it does not make A non-A. I was under the assumption that a reply to our claims would be a rational arguments substantiating your side of the discussion, not insults. I don't see how that kind of response is warranted at all, let alone why you thought it was necessary to give us a backhanded insult in the first place (especially thinly-veiled as a "refrain from insult")
  10. It's hard for people to accept [that Ayn Rand didn't like sports] with no evidence besides some arm-chair speculation by some forum members. There are an infinite amount of things missing from AS. Does that mean that Ayn Rand didn't like knitting, playing scrabble, or going to the beach just because she chose not to include it in a work of fiction?
  11. In a community full of "traders" (people who seek value for equal value), I don't see the point of posting a long personality test (with the implicit assumption that people will spend the time - a value - to fill it out) without giving us a little context as to what the test is all about. You are offering us something without giving us the information that we need to consider it's value to us. What will I get in return for filling out this test? Knowledge of myself? Do the results tell me my IQ, what kind of occupation I should hold, or how close my personality is to Ayn Rand's? Will the correct answer win me a million dollars? Just posting the quiz with no context does not entice me to answer this quiz (and lets face it, if you posted it on a public forum, you did so because you wanted people's responses). A quick "Hey guys, I just made this personality test as a fun way to get to know each other better, feel free to fill it out and we can compare answers!" is all that is needed to completely summarize all the info that one would need to judge whether or not this test is a value to take. On a separate note, the way you are handling those who have responded is the exact opposite that is needed for people to be willing to participate in this quiz. By telling people that you don't need to explain the context of this randomly posted quiz, it's like telling them "i gave you this to do, but i'm not going to tell you why" ... what do you expect except a lot of confused and dissenting voices? Especially in a forum of people who notoriously expect reason and fact-based explanations, not "I am not going to show anybody a reason. I have my own reasons for posting it, I am not going to do the job for more people by coming up with reasons why they should fill it out as well. Well... ok, there's my reason right there NOT to take this test: I am not a whim-worshiper and I need reasons to do things. If you can't give that to me, then I see no point in taking this quiz, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this conclusion. " As Snerd pointed out: "The motivation for any such survey has to be provided by the survey-creator."
  12. Can you give us a little context? What is the point of this personality test? Who wrote it and for what purpose?
  13. I cannot stress the importance of what Dr. R has pointed out. My (atheist) mother taught me when I was young that its ok to have sex before marriage, as long as it is safe, protected, completely consensual (aka I'm completely ok and comfortable doing so, and I can "always say no if I decide it's gone too far, etc") and with "someone that I love / is important to me"... Ok that was certainly not enough. What is love? what makes someone special to me? I had no concept of valuing with which to make any use of the sentence "only sleep with someone that is special to you" ... I didn't wait for someone special because I was only told TO wait, not why to wait.. nobody explained to me WHY to wait, WHAT to wait for, or WHY to have sex in the first place. Nobody told me that the act of sex is not the end in itself nor is it the root of the value of sex. So, as a confused kid who was already so screwed up thanks to my ignorant - but good hearted - parents inability to teach me how to explicitly and systematically find and gain values, it was all just a hodgepodge in which the act of sex was just another floating abstraction with the words "only do it with someone special" attached as a tagline. Just saying "wait" is not enough, just saying "its your choice" is not enough... Her choices in sex are going to be reflections of her ability to value properly and act on those values. Beyond talking about the right reasons to have sex, there needs to be constant guidance about how to independently value and judge... otherwise your "wise advice" will just sink to the bottom of a confused mud puddle.
  14. I know one thing: Bugchasing and giftgiving is completely immoral to the core. It is worship of death.
  15. kendall, happy birthday. you're my favorite oo.net'er and i'm glad you were born. can't wait to see you at ocon
  16. Does that mean my parents, born in 1960 were made a long time ago? My mom wouldn't like to hear that ^^ But as K-Mac pointed out, this film has an all-star cast, so those of us who didn't see it the first time around, would be inclined to see it (on TCM) or at least have heard of it. Many fans of classic films will systematically watch the filmography of their favorite actors, especially those as talented and prolific as Gene Kelly and Spencer Tracy. Many films from this era had a sense of life totally different from films made today. If you like the affirmable classic films of that era you should see "Executive Suite" if you haven't already, it's mind-boggling that a film like that was even made; it's so good! In short, its about the event of finding the next man (in a board of directors, each of their own personality and character) to run the furniture company whose owner just died. In the end,
  17. Beyond everything that has already been said above, my first thought was that in a collapsed world such as that in AS, I think the luxury of million-dollar sport stars had long vanished as the world could barely keep its necessary industries alive, let alone make enough wealth to support such an industry (of "entertainment")... i mean, cmon if there is only enough wealth in the economy to fuel *one* nice hotel in new york, where is the wealth to fuel the yankees or the mets? It sounds to me like most of the world is on the brink of starvation... how many of them would be able to pay for football tickets? i bet at this point, there are more likely to be local cockfight and underground bare-knuckle boxing matches. "Heart of a Pagan" is a novel by Andrew Bernstein about how (pro) athletes and athletics reflect heroism and hero-worship
  18. i am in love with "Generations"
  19. LINK TO STORY this is from 2005, but my chin dropped to the floor when i read this
  20. I have seen multiple posts/questions on this very question ("necessary" natural resources in a free-market society), including one posted yesterday here The search feature is very helpful to browse old posts, I'd suggest checking the archives incase your question has already been expertly answered and welcome
  21. [Edit] Disclaimer: This is West--I accidentally posted while the computer was signed in as athena--all further posts will be correctly logged. With just the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, I think it's pretty clear what the intent was of forming the Government: From the Declaration of Independence: And in the preamble of the Constitution of the United States: Man has nalienable rights, and we're going to institute a Government with the intent of securing them. I think the intent is rather simple and explicit. The problem is that intent is not enough; the terms used are not explicitly defined--judges argue over semantics, rendering many of these words meaningless. 'Rights' are a floating abstraction for most people, or a stolen concept, in the case of people attributing rights to animals (on a side note, that foie gras ban in Chicago is more dangerous than it sounds in my opinion; it's not merely that a particular right is being violated--it's the fact that the concept of rights is going to be destroyed altogether if legislation like this continues, as people will use it as an example for ammunition).
  22. Nicola Cabibbo, head of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and a nuclear physicist, said: “The Church wants to close the Galileo affair and reach a definitive understanding not only of his great legacy but also of the relationship between science and faith.” They want to reach an understanding of the relationship between science and faith? Maybe we should enlighten them *conference calls Peikoff and the Pope*
  23. Here is a review of "Sparrowhawk 1: Jack Frake" I wrote on my blog: This book was so exciting! Ed Cline is a writer who is able to create a book as philosophically sound and exciting as Atlas Shrugged Set in England in the late 18th century (at the first stirrings of the American Revolution), young Jack Frake is a pure, intelligent egoist of a young lad, whose life takes some crazy turns, and he ends up joining the Skelly Gang, who smuggle goods into England in defiance of the heavy taxes imposed by the Crown. Skelly and his men embody the "Live free or die!" spirit that powers the American Revolution, and are great men who value their life and liberty above all. The Skelly oath: "I pledge, upon my soul, to be always a true and mindful patriot and obey all laws in this kingdom that secure my rights as an Englishman to life, liberty and property and to flout and oppose, with wit or weapon, at every chance all those that befog, confound or belittle them." The heroes were worth affirming through-and-through, and are great examples of philosophical unity and virtue in action. Cline fulfills me in a way that other Romantic novelists have not been able to. Cline does NOT have a malevolent universe and there is NO mind-body dichotomy or moral grayness in the heroes (a problem I often come across in characters by such writers as Hugo, Henry James, and Dostoyevsky which hinders my ability to TRULY affirm their works and characters completely). At first, I was slightly put-off by Cline's extravagant vocabulary, but after getting into the book, his use of obtuse words tapers off, as well as my frustration when I came across words I didn't know -- I was so excited to keep reading, I wouldn't even bother looking them up. I find myself laughing happily at Cline's cleverness as well as the joy that I felt while reading some of the dialogue or action in Sparrowhawk... it made me that happy! I read the last 200 pages all in one go, because I was so riveted by the story. Cline does a wonderful job of building complex and exhilarating action, as well as realistic and lovable characters. I cannot recommend this book enough! I can honestly say, with full confidence that Sparrowhawk 1 is the best book I've read since I finished the Fountainhead, and Cline is my second favorite author. I am already finished with Sparrowhawk 3! I love this series, West and I hope to talk to Ed Cline IRL @ some point. PS: I haven't written a review of Sparrowhawk 2: Hugh Kenrick, but I adore Hugh (and if I had the romantic attention of either, I would very much choose Hugh <3 <3 <3 ) AHH I LOVE THIS SERIES
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