anonrobt

But remember, too - sheep are cared for by shepherds, for one purpose, to be muttoned - sheep are there for the sake of the shepherd and his friends and associates... look at how many of the sheep in this country are discovering that the shepherd and the wolf are the one and same, only the shepherd has more finesse and charm...

Very interesting... very amusingly so... ;)

I think it's important to differentiate between a single man and the species here. What is perceived as "success" for an individual may mean nothing to the entire species. When you speak about "more often then not man is expected to succeed than to fail, to win than to lose, to survive than to die" remember that the species has only one chance to survive - if it goes extinct it's game over. This may be a good reason to broaden our horizons and think about what is best for the human species instead of what is best for an individual man. Watch out or you'll end up in collectivism-land! As for what is best for an individual man? Lots of women! That should help the species too. I suggest three wives and ten concubines. --Brant Hah - you couldn't begin to properly service them all, quite aside from treating them all as the individuals they each are with the respect thus due them...

Indeed - happy birthday from myself, too... live longer, prosper more...

He is also a bit of a nutter. His -A New Kind of Science- is utter nonsense. Ba'al Chatzaf Time will tell.......... ;)

Thanks. Good for a laugh. Bill P Indeed, that was very amusing...

well, it is true not all the ocean of tears can change a Budweiser into a Guinness...

Leonard Peikoff and his ilk. I'll buy and read the bio, of course. --Brant As far as recall, she is not associated with Peikoff.. indeed, wasn't she was one of the speakers at the Atlas at Fifty conference where the Brandens were there as well, and Ed Hudgens and Snyder and Smith?

Adam, Do you mean Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Vertebrata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Primate; Family: Hominidae; Genus: Homo; Species: H. sapiens If this were true it would mean that each human was part of the animal kingdom and not a special creation outside that kingdom of animals. It is curious in retrospect to try to recapture that perspective that once prevailed. I vaguely recall being made aware of that notion that humans were not part of the animal kingdom when I was a child. Fortunately I was skeptical even then. Some suspect I have become more gullible with age. gulch Actually, think it is H. sapiens sapiens [the same who thinks twice]

I have always thought the 'fair witness' was a viable occupation...

And what about hairy vulvas? Oh indeed - and the hairier, the greater the forest, the sexier... it was only in 'hiding' the fur behind bikinis that cultured the waxing and inducing the pre-pubescent imitative look, which is gross, pretend pedophilia, and very unsexy...

I find nothing attractive in high heels. I find nothing attractive in hairy armpits. --Brant That is because you have been culturally induced to - it has been a 'stigma' in Mad Ad ever since the flapper days, and 'only peasants' would cling to their so-called barbaric image... [do you shave your own? no? then why it is 'attractive' on a male but not on a female? -culturally induced sexism]

A value is always a value. To say that some values contradict others is wrong thinking. Not at all, because some values are objective needs of the organism and others are subjective and experienced as needs and wants. --Brant Anything can be a value, but the ones Objectivists are concerned with are VIABLE values...

Yes - van Cliburn is still the best performance of that concerto, by far...

Adam et al, here is a link to one of my favorite cartoonists from the IBD. Scroll down and click on the little pictures to see them larger!: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/Cartoons.aspx...324779250270160 Trouble is none of it is really funny as we begin to feel the pain. I would advise that you join those of us, if you haven't already, and take heart from our growing numbers: www.campaignforliberty.com 25April 148957, 148998, 149050 gulch Rameriz is terrific, no question there - had a hoot on his April 1 wooden nickle one...

Ba'al, Branden addresses your comment in the discussion by noting that Rand limited herself to evidence provided by the senses concerning the world (just as you limit existence to operations of substance); but Branden believed limiting experience in this manner was unjustified. Per his definition of reason, "reason is the non-contradictory integration of experience." Rather than integrate, you're discarding mystical experiences. This might be considered unreasonable. I'll import a brief mention from another of Wilber's conversations and hope that memory serves me right: Science verfies knowledge through the following process: 1. Action leads to observed effect (the observation) 2. The action is repeated and consistently yields the same observations (repeatability) 3. The action and resulting observations are confirmed and consistent among the experts in the field (validity) The arousal of certain mystical experiences conform to these three tenets; therefore "reason compels us to see that..." mystical observations are observations consistent with reality. - Christopher Define this so-called 'mystical experience'... further, a band of nuts bolstering up each other's 'experience does not allude to 'validity'... the 'experience' could just as well be distortions of reality - especially since almost all of them claim 'becoming beyond the self, which is to say, removing one's identity as an individual as supposedly an 'advancement' to 'knowing thyself and thy place in the universe' [eg - a cog among something supposedly 'larger' than oneself]...........

And while it is not 'really' classical, there is much uplifting enjoyment in hearing 'Classical Gas'... as for true 'classical', it has always been the second movement of Rach's Second Piano Concerto that has held so much to me, yes, from association very intimate and singularly unique to me...

And what state would that be?

from what heard, CNN didn't stay around long enough to really know...

Think of it like in music - variations and reps on a theme - as in Beethoven's Fifth... the extended version is much better all in all than the shortened ones so often used [bernstein did a recording of this]... it builds the momentum and theming up better...

Watch out - I happen to be member of PETA and will protect that cat. But the cat won't need protection when I think about it - it would fight back enough if you tried to tie anything to its tail ... A PETArd among our midst.... for shame...

There's more than those 9 minutes - that was one of 5 parts...

Keep in mind what we are: Hominid 5.0, the baddest, smartest Ape in The Monkey House. ............................. Please - let's be a bit correct here... apes and monkeys are both primates, but an ape is most assertively NOT a monkey... [indeed, it is insulting to the ape]

Ed is a visionary...

April first passed some time ago.....