It's Barbara's Birthday!!!

Michael Stuart Kelly
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Michael Stuart Kelly Grand Master

Michael Stuart Kelly

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Happy birthday, Barbara,

Kat and I cannot express in words the profound gratitude and love we feel for you coming into our lives.

Your presence has graced us in a unique manner that is impossible to duplicate.

The value of you is something we cherish in an entirely selfish manner.

May you live to double your age and beyond.

Much love on this special day.

Kat & Michael

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Rich Engle Newbie

Rich Engle

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Celebrate your day, Barbara--a lot of us are doing it along with you, that's for sure.

There will never be enough thanks for what you have done and who you are.

What time is the party, and when should I get there? Do you have stuffed olives? I mean the real good Sicilian ones, not that junk they have at World Market. smile.gif

Best, best, bestest!

rde

Edited by Rich Engle
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George H. Smith Newbie

George H. Smith

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Happy Birthday, Barbara!

There is a story about Barbara that I have always liked, and I don't think she will mind if I tell it.

In the early 1970s, I was writing quite a few reviews for Academic Associates' Book News. A book I recommended for review was Red Square at Noon, but since I had already written three reviews for the current issue (which was the informal limit), I asked my girlfriend (whom I shall call D) to write it.

D's review wasn't very good, and I knew it, but I submitted it to Barbara anyway. Barbara later told me that she didn't like it, and she requested that it be rewritten. (It couldn't be fixed with editing.) I told her that I would convey the message to D.

Well, I conveyed the message to D, who, as expected, didn't take it well. So rather than endure days of domestic agony, I told D to forget about it and that I would take care of the matter myself. So I wrote an entirely new review and put D's name on it.

I vividly recall what happened when I went to Barbara's Hollywood apartment on Franklin Ave. to give her the new review. Barbara didn't look at the 500-word review for more than a minute until she said, "George, D. didn't write this review; you did."

I sheepishly confessed my deception, and Barbara, being the understanding type, gave the green light to publish the review under D's name.

Thus did I learn, from practical experience, that it's not nice to fool Barbara Branden. :rolleyes:

Ghs

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George H. Smith Newbie

George H. Smith

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Ninth,

This jam-session version of Happy Birthday doesn't have the TCFW quality that yours does, but it is more suited to my tastes. I suspect that Barbara won't care for it, however. :mellow:

Ghs

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Jerry Biggers Newbie

Jerry Biggers

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Barbara,

Happy Birthday to the author of the still-reigning, standard reference, and sine qua non biographical study of Ayn Rand and the birth of Objectivism!

Enjoy!

-Jerry

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jriggenbach Newbie

jriggenbach

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Allow me to join the celebration. Happy Birthday Barbara!

Ditto, a day late, Barbara--from Roger & Becky

Two days late - just back from two weeks on the road - but fervent as all hell: hope you had a Happy Birthday, Barbara!

JR

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Barbara Branden Newbie

Barbara Branden

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Thank you all so much for your good wishes. Please consider this a personal thank you to each of you separately. But there seems to have been a mistake. How can I be 81? People's grandmothers are 81. What can that have to do wIth me? I feel as if I were 18 -- I blinked once -- and here I am!

I'm not complaining. I'm well aware that I have nothng in the world to complain about. When I was very young, I used to think that, above all, I wanted my life to be interesting, It has been more interesting than I could have imagined. (In fact, I could have used a few dull moments now and then.) And it's great to know that even now, I'm still learning and still growing. So I plan to stick around, so long as reasonable health allows, for a long time. I like it here!

George, about your story of the review: If there is anything I know. it's literary style, I may have told this story before -- but at my age, don't I have the right to forget now and then? Years ago. I came home quite late one night, and went to my bedroom. I switched on the television but I wasn't looking at it, just half-listening as I prepared for bed.. A writer was being interviewed, but I didn't know who it was -- until I realized, "That's Chaim Potok!" (a writer whose work I very much admire.) I recognized his literary style in his conversation, (And by the way, I do rather like the jazz version of Happy Birthday -- although not as much as the chipmunk version. Thank you for that, Dennis.)

Michael... thank you for being so good a friend.

Barbara

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  • 11 months later...
Xray Newbie

Xray

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Happy birthday, Barbara.

Reading your fascinating, utterly compelling and wonderfully written biography of Ayn Rand has been an unforgettable experience for me.

Edited by Xray
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Selene Newbie

Selene

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Happy Birthday Barbara:

From the day I first saw you at NBI in 1964, I knew you were the class of the outfit.

I have never been disappointed in that judgment.

You are a remarkable person. Thank you for all you have done for myself and others in the field of truthful, principled thinking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hN8CKwdosjE

ABBRACCI GRATIS

Adam

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william.scherk Mentor

william.scherk

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I will add my best wishes too. Many happy returns, Barbara!

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