jordanz

I am interested in hearing your many other reasons, if you would be willing to share them? OK - you asked for it... In no particular order: * I have a lot of emotional baggage from childhood and don't think I would make a very good father. * We're both very selfish (imagine that). We value our time and want it for ourselves. * My wife doesn't like children very much. They can be loud, messy, rude, demanding, etc. * Having children is a tremendous amount of work. All the couples we know who have kids (especially young ones) do very little except take care of their kids. * Kids grow up and don't necessarily appreciate their parents (I'm one of those kids). So, what's the point? You invest 18 years in them and then they rebel against you. * Expense. Children are a big drain on finances. The expense gets worse as they get older. If you want them to go to a good college you'd better have a fat bank account. Hmm - that's all for now. I could probably think of other things ;)

We just saw the movie the other night. Very beautiful and mesmerizing. Though the voice-overs were pure mysticism.

Sorry to go off on a tangent... Your pun reminded me of the movie "Princess Bride". So, in that vein... Maui-age ;)

Pure insanity. Linz, apparently, is in denial that he is the reason that many of us won't spend any more time on SoloPassion.

My wife and I decided at the outset not to have children. After 13 years, we're very happy with our decision. We have many reasons, but the one that still feels strongest is: lifestyle. We have a spontaneous lifestyle. We wake up on Saturday and decide to take a walk, go to breakfast, etc. at the spur of the moment. We also take many vacations each year. These would all be very difficult with children. I could list many other reasons if you're interested.

Doh - this was meant to be a reply to this thread: http://wheelerdesignworks.netfirms.com/Obj...?t=6&highlight=

I'm looking forward to meeting you all face-to-face. I tend not to be very social, but this year, given all that's gone on, I have a lot to be social about ;)

That's due to Wikipedia, of course.

> Philip Seymour Hoffman as Taggart. Inspired! That gets my vote. I think Hoffman is one of the great actors of our day. He's perfect for the part.

The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics - One Man's View by Jordan Zimmerman I began to read PARC with an open mind. From the first pages, however, I found it appalling; so much so that I began marking pages and writing in the margins. The notes were only to be for me but I soon began to read how many in the community admired and liked the book. I can't understand how anyone can like this book. So, I've decided to publish my thoughts online. There is a plague in the Objectivist community. I hope one day we find a cure. In the meantime, here is my attempt at an antiseptic. Intro: http://www.jordanzimmerman.com/parc/ The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics In 2005, a book came out that re-ignited a terrible division in a community to which I belong. That book is The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics (PARC) by James Valliant. The community is made up of those who follow Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. The two main camps are the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) and The Objectivist Center (TOC). I am a strong supporter of TOC. I have no issue with ARI. The division between the two groups causes me great pain and frustration. We are a tiny, marginalized group as it is. The in-fighting only serves the purposes of our enemies. The differences between ARI and TOC are well known within the community. If you don't know what they are a few Internet searches will provide hours of reading. I began to read PARC with an open mind. From the first pages, however, I found it appalling; so much so that I began marking pages and writing in the margins. The notes were only to be for me but I soon began to read how many in the community admired and liked the book. I can't understand how anyone can like this book. So, I've decided to publish my thoughts online. There is a plague in the Objectivist community. I hope one day we find a cure. In the meantime, here is my attempt at an antiseptic. Caveats/Disclaimers/Miscellaneous: I refuse to write anything that is nasty, mean or an ad hominem. I will maintain this in my DB here and anywhere I post. A commitment to this is the first step to curing this in-fighting. I am not affiliated with nor do I have any relationship with Nathaniel Branden or Barbara Branden. I've met Nathaniel a few times at TOC events and he's never been nice to me. I met Barbara once at a talk she gave and she seemed very nice. I will not respond to criticism (public or private) of the DB. The DB is currently limited to my opinions only. In the future I'll consider opening it up to others. I have not read Passion of Ayn Rand or Judgment Day in many, many years. My comments are based solely on what I found in PARC. I am not a student of philosophy nor an expert on Objectivism. I use Objectivism to live my life. I give financial support to The Objectivist Center and attend many of their conferences. I have no animus towards the Ayn Rand Institute or its supporters. As of the posting of this DB, I hereby refuse to visit the websites that are the main carriers and conveyors of the "plague". Database: http://www.jordanzimmerman.com/parc/db.php I want to give my deep thanks to Michael Kelly for his encouragement and proof-reading. This was a tedious effort and Michael gave me the extra push I needed to finish it.

I've made a commitment not to go to those sites anymore - it's bad for my mood. Given what everyone is saying here, I think I'm making the right choice. My only hope in all this is that somehow Diana is somehow channeling Francisco D'anconia and is really doing some underground work... uh, right.

Hi Marsha, I really liked V as well. There's an interesting thread on Robert Bidinotto's site on it. It seems views on this movie are split on the Oist community. http://bidinotto.journalspace.com/?cmd=dis...364&entryid=364

I, too, will no longer visit SOLO Passion nor Noodle Food. For those who care ;)

You find this "horrible and grating"? http://mfile.akamai.com/12856/wm2/muze.dow....asx?obj=v10402 (Wes Montgomery) or this? http://mfile.akamai.com/12856/wm2/muze.dow....asx?obj=v50606 (Eric Johnson) or this? http://mfile.akamai.com/12856/wm2/muze.dow....asx?obj=v10207 (Steve Khan)

I love the electric guitar. It's not the instrument, it's the player. The electric guitar can be used for beauty or for noise. Wes Montgomery played an electric guitar.

Actually, I think you are making my point here. Take the frosting from a cake and it's still a cake. Take the cake from frosting and you don't have a cake. Don't get me wrong - I love a great lyric. But the essential part of music is: harmony, melody and rhythm.

Do you have a reference for that? I didn't know that about AR. I actually agree with her on this. Personally, I hate Mozart. I realize I'm in a small minority on this ;)

I love a lot of pop and rock music. But, given what I said above, only when it's the music that is good. In today's culture, pop music consists mostly of: a) attitude/expression of rebellion; B) trite music with an interesting lyric; c) music with a purpose other than listening enjoyment (dance music, etc.).

To the poster that lists the lyrics... If you don't mind, I'd like to challenge you (in a friendly way). Imagine for a moment that all the song lyrics that you printed were in a language that you didn't understand. Would you still like those songs? Would the songs still have meaning to you? Whenever I listen to music that has words this is what I do. In my opinion, lyrics are non-essentials to music. The music is the essential: the harmony, melody and rhythm; these being what defines the concept "music". This is my problem with most of pop music. The music itself is mostly a commodity of chords and melody that have been used countless times. What moves me musically is harmony and melody that generate strong emotions. For a concerto of deliverance, the emotion would have to be a progresssion from tension to a release of bliss. Rachmaninoff's 2nd and 3rd concerti do this for me. So, do Puccini's operas. However, so does "Close to the Edge" by Yes.

My wife and I love Wilkinson. We own Crystal Fire: http://www.herndonfineart.com/images/Wilki...rystal_fire.jpg

I like so many movies for so many different reasons. For example, I love "Glengary Glenross" for the incredible dialogue and acting (even though the sense of life is disgusting). But, if I had to put together a "desert island" set, maybe: Life is Beautiful Shawshank Redemption Groundhog Day The Edge Flight of the Phoenix (the original) For humor: Anchorman (I know I'm insane, but this one makes me laugh uncontrollably) Airplane (any of the Zucker brother movies for that matter) Nutty Professor (original) Too many more to list...

I'm reading "The Objective C Programming Language". Thrilling sutff