Kat

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes! You're the best!

Wishing my dude the happiest birthday ever! Happy birthday, Mike, and many happy returns.

Today we saw the latest Atlas Shrugged movie, Who is John Galt. One thumb up and one thumb sideways. It was good entertainment and not bad for a low budget film trilogy that went through hell to get made. This third installment was kinda a chick flicky love story. John Galt was super hot and had great hair. Dagny, the lead character, was miscast once again, and the makeup and wardrobe for her were horrible. A well tailored suit, new purse and some eyeliner would have helped a lot, and she simply wasn't tough enough to be believable as Dagny. I guess I'm still a bit disappointed that Angelina backed out. She would have nailed that scene with the idiot guard. The actor who played Francisco was way too old and they should have brought Beckel back as Ellis Wyatt, too, James and Floyd Ferris were very well cast. I would have loved to to have John Stossel rather than Sean Hannity in the commentary part, too. Changing casts and directors with each installment really kinda bugged me. I could not have imagined them doing to Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker what they did to Dagny. Although the movie was a decent introduction to Rand's philosophy, it barely skimmed the surface, and like the other two movies, could easily been a half hour longer, and made a lot more sense. At least the movie showed that Objectivists are really nice people... which we are.

I do not believe that vaccines are safe for everyone and had I known what I know now 20 years ago, I don't think I would have vaccinated my son as I did. The government keeps pouring on more and more vaccine mandates and the autism rates keep rising. You can find "scientific" studies on both sides of the vaccine debate just as you can with global warming. Follow the money and don't forget that drug companies are usually in bed with government. I used to think the anti-vaxers were nuts, but I have since changed my mind. I've heard too much firsthand from parents in the autism community. I do not know for certain what caused my son's autism as there were also other immune, environmental, and genetic issues in play, but I do strongly suspect vaccination may have been a contributing factor.

OK, so the suicide bomber of Objectivism is finally blowing himself up. Kinda cool, actually.

Oh Dear. I hope my teddy never has to go through that!

So sad. I will always remember Barbara fondly. She was a very sweet lady and always called me "Kat Dear." I remember back when Mike and I were first becoming an item online, I told Barbara we were getting engaged and her response was "Don't you think you should meet him first?" Barbara has always been a great inspiration and Objectivist Living was the place online where she was always welcomed and respected. It has been awhile since we last met up with Barbara. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos from our trip to Hollywood when we last visited with her at her home and went out to Hamburger Hamlet, but here are a few pics from the TAS conference where we spent a lot of time with Barbara. I remember the long talks in the hotel room and taking her around during the conference. We love you Barbara and miss you dearly. You have touched our lives and we are forever changed for the better. Rest in peace my friend. at the reception Barbara speaking at the summer seminar Barbara, Kat and Michael Roger Bissell with Barbara

Baal, you are joking, right? I don't think giving away books is altruistic at all. You are sharing your philosophy and that is a value. With this service the books are going to eager young people pledging to read them. Over the years I given away many Ayn Rand books to people on my own. I occasionally pick up books used or cheap and give them away or loan them out. I gave several to an OL member about a month ago. This program just expands my reach. You can buy books from amazon or other online store and have them shipped directly to the student with this service. I have no problem with charity or giving as long is it is in alignment with my values. Giving feels good and helps a worthy cause. Getting Objectivism out there to eager young minds is a great thing IMHO. Kat

While at OCON the other day I saw a talk by a programmer named Jason Crawford and he spoke a bit about spreading Objectivism. He has a cool little site that matches students who want to read Ayn Rand's works to people who have been touched by the philosophy and want to donate books to these students. If you have extra books around you want to share or would like to buy books for these students pledging to read them, check out the site at http://freeobjectivistbooks.org/

There will be a screening of the movie Love Letters at OCON tonight, Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 7:45 pm. OCON is taking place this year at the Westin Michigan Ave in Chicago. It is across the street from the John Hancock Center. http://objectivistco...013/events.html Love Letters: Screening and Talk Tuesday, July 9 • 7:45–10:45 PM This event includes a screening of Love Letters, a 1945 film based on a novel by Christopher Massie and adapted by Ayn Rand. Following the 101-minute-long film, directed by William Dieterle and starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten, Michael Paxton discusses the movie’s history and gives a brief analysis of its adaptation for the screen. The audiovisual components (e.g., directing, production design, art directing and music) are discussed in the context of how the filmmakers successfully used these elements to serve the story’s theme and how Ayn Rand’s sense of life imbued the project. The discussion includes examples of how the film could possibly be improved and remade to be a more dynamic work of art. The evening includes a display of movie memorabilia from the film and Mr. Paxton’s personal collection (stills, ads, press book, 78 and LP recordings, and posters). Q&A follows the presentation. Ticket pricing for the event is on the pricing page. ($10)

purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Mr. Pot of Adventure has never taken the test. Mrs. Pot of Adventure has, both online and professionally, and the result was INTP. We are a rare but fabulous personality type!

Why cool it? We're not really disagreeing as I see it. Hedge funds, private equity firms, etc. are just groups of investors and just a means to mobilize large sums of money. Sure there are evil people like George Soros in the business, but he is the exception and not the rule. Like Francisco says, money is just a tool. Mike just knows Jonathan is an ARI guy but he doesn't like going to the ARI or tea party events as he wants to stay away from both ARI and Chicago politics. Since I work in downtown Chicago, it is far more convenient for me to attend meetings and lectures which I enjoy. I try to catch most of the meetings because I'm still kicking myself for missing the monthly meeting where Gary Johnson just happened to show up. Kat

I like Jonathan Hoenig. He is a wonderful champion for Ayn Rand and capitalism over here in Obama country. I've met him and he has spoken at tea party events and he's a very nice guy. I'm glad he's getting the message out to a wider audience through his media appearances. He also did a plug for Atlas Shrugged Part II and had a cameo in the wedding scene. Kat

I've enjoyed watching David Kelly's commentaries and seeing the stream of Atlas Shrugged Part I online yesterday. I realIy do like the second movie better than the first one. Maybe it was the direction or the cast. It certainly flowed better and they certainly seemed old enough this time around. The new Francisco and James were spot on. Showing Hank's affair but not his wife's wasn't fair though. She didn't come off as bitchy as the first one. I also liked seeing Teller and others in cameo roles. I still don't think they have the right Dagny though, and I don't know if it was a crummy make-up artist or what, but she looked horrible. She never smiled and had huge bags under her eyes and her make-up and wardrobe had much to be desired. I almost expected to see the Very Hungry Caterpiller in the credits cast as Dagny's eyelashes..... They need real stars in the final version cast as Dagny and John Galt.

Romney won IMHO but I just simply don't like Obama. He's a big baby who went crying to mommy moderator. He can't run on his record and doesn't deserve a second chance. Simple as that.

The autism walk is this coming weekend and I still have a couple hundred dollars to raise to reach my goal of $2,500. I appreciate the support of OLers who have contributed to the cause. So far, nobody has claimed a prize and it has been rolling over. The prizes are d'Anconia copper or Jennifer Burns' book on Ayn Rand. Since this is the final stretch, the next donation of $40 or more takes both prizes. Donate now and message me with the address to send it to. Good luck! http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/chicago/katdaddy Kat

I am halfway to my goal and ~3 weeks away from the event and still have some goodies to give away... A 1 oz D'Anconia copper barter medallion or Jennifer Burns' book, Goddess of the market. The guys that have donated $50+ so far have declined the incentive gifts so it is still wide open. Please visit my Walk Now for Autism Speaks page and help if you can. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks! Kat

Word.

Hi Cheri, welcome to Objectivist Living. It is nice to see other single moms here. I hope you enjoy our little online home here. You have an interesting story to tell and I'm sure it will all work out ok. You have a young Randroid on your hands just full of piss and vinegar and trying to become a man. He is trying to find himself and discovered Rand and is using the philosophy for the wrong reasons such as alienating people who love him. Hopefully, this will be a short phase. I have a daughter about the same age away at college and drifting a bit left, but not too far. She still loves her mama. They always come back. Taking in foster kids is an admirable thing to do IMHO and doing it without taking gov't money and having to answer to idiot bureaucrats is awesome. I don't see why he has a problem with that, I certainly don't. Maybe some people would call me an altruist too, but I don't care. I strongly believe in helping others one on one or through supporting non-profits. In my world being selffish means paying yourself and your family first and if there is extra make a difference to someone or a cause that is meaningful. It feels good to share and try to make a difference. I have an autistic teenager at home and I raise money for autism research. If I had the means, I would probably take in other autistic kids. This is my selffishness. I want my kid to have a better chance at life and I want to see this epidemic cured during my lifetime. OK, I'll take a stab at the 3 question challenge... 1. Do Objectivists love their kids unconditionally? Ayn Rand was never a parent and so could never truly speak to that so I will speak for myself and say YES. There are, of course, times when the kids will anger and disappoint us, but the love is always there, no matter what. It is hard not to love your kids. The only example I can think of is if your kid was a serial killer or killed your spouse or other family members... then it would be hard. 2. Productive work Be ambitious and productive doing what you love and are good at. Money and recognition are icing on the cake. We can't all be millionaire industrialists, but one should never feel guilty for making money from honest work. Trade value for value. Money is good but it should not be obtained via force or fraud. 3. Does an objectivist care about things that don't impact them directly? Does anyone? it is true most of us are not out to save the whales or are joining greenpeace because for the most part we think that humans are superior to animals, but I'm sure there are O'ists out there who volunteer at animal shelters, too. It is all very individual. The closer you are to a cause, the more you care. I think that goes for most everyone and not just Objectivists, but we tend to have a closer connection to what we promote because we know it reflects our values. Some people just pick up causes to be with people they think are cool. I like to think we are a bit more indpendent than that. As Objectivists, I think we look inside a bit more and choose our own values. Reading Atlas Shrugged for the first time brought me clarity that I never knew I had. We have choices. If you feel passionately about something who cares what anyone else thinks. Kat

We have a Winner!!! Dennis Edwall stepped up to the challenge. I can give away up to 3 prizes so lets keep this thing going. A $50 donation from OL members will win either a d'Anconia 1 oz copper barter coin or Ayn Rand Goddess of the Market by Jennifer Burns. I'm tempted to give the monkey a prize just for speaking out against vaccines... but it will cost him $50. Again, the website for my walk donation page is http://www.WalknowForAutismSpeaks.org/chicago/katdaddy Keep it coming because I'm getting closer to my goal. thanks, Kat

Well, we had a winner but he declined a prize so we'll keep this going a bit. I am trying to raise money for Autism Speaks and this will be our fifth year participating in Walk Now for Autism Speaks, their biggest fundraising event. The Chicago walk draws in over 10,000 people and raises millions of dollars for autism research. I want to see my kid beat this thing and am finally seeing some hope as I investigate and try out new things such as changing his diet and his doctor. I know there is no cure for autism, but some are making drastic improvement with the GFCF diet and various therapies and biomedical interventions. In my son's case, I don't believe vaccines caused his autism because he did not have seizures or a dramatic change, but I know of others where that was the case, so I certainly would not dismiss that theory. A baby gets about 35 vaccine doses by the time he is 2 and if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't. Anyway, whether or not you agree with me, please help us solve this puzzle we call autism.... and maybe win a book or Ayn Rand collectible coin in the process.... http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/chicago/katdaddy cheers! Kat

So sorry to hear about Steve. He will be missed. Kat