caroljane

Adam dear, are you unusually distracted lately? It;s breach. Also I noticed recently you wrote "fair for "fare" and used "criteria" as a singular. Most unlike you. Solicitously, A Concerned Friend PS although I am not surprised that breeches would naturally leap first into your mind

Whatever you think, there are nice guys. Some are even heroes.

We would not be where we are at Without the grace of lovely Kat, So here's a grateful birthday Hellow for she's a jolly good fellow!

No, he isn't. Did you not even read Studio's thoughtful and accurate post on his political orientation? These knee-jerk "communist" comments are the equivalent of liberals calling Ayn Rand a fascist.

I like all the amphibian permutations - also the association with Hercules, a 1980's cartoon my son used to watch. It was one of those ancient ones where the mouths of the barely animated characters just stayed open while the dialogue was said, hilarious. Anyway Hercules had a sidekick inexplicably called Newton, whose main function was to be endangered and shout 'HERC! Herc!" at crucial moments. I can envision President Gingrich addressing an unruly Congress, casting his eyes to heaven and squeaking "Herc! Herc!"as the problems of the nation overwhelm him. Kyrilla Pewter Tankard Owner

Red Wings whomped the Jets last night,. Boo-hoo, boo-hoo, Shut their winning streak down tight, Oh, alack a day. Gwine to lose all month? Gwine to slump till May? Nebbermind, the year's sold out, Nobody chase Jets away.

So what the student was seeking was to comply with the irrational demands of public schooling. What the teachers were seeking was to look as if they teach something in order to justify their sustenance. What the other authors were likely to seek was to look good in a climate where that's all that counts, although probably not all of them. John,I am curious - is it only public school teachers who merely want to "look as if they're teaching something" without actually doing it, or is this an intrinsic characteristic of most teachers, in your view - even in private schools? There is in fact no such thing as teaching. There is only the facilitation and enabling of learning. In this case I would give the teacher the benefit of the doubt and assume she thought the students might learn something from conducting such a survey.

Not so fast. If anyone claims to have found the Higgs there are going to be a dozen who will attempt to falsify the claim (by experimental means, of course, or showing there is an error in the original finding). Falsification in science yields as many rewards as verification. Rumors explode over Higgs Boson discovery: Foxnews Dec 7, 2011: http://www.foxnews.c...oson-discovery/ Xray, never mind Higgs and Boson. There is a new female here who is only 17 and called Dominique! If that doesn't bring out the secret billionaire, nothing will! Let's pray nobody scares her away. Just in time for Christmas...fingers crossed.. Carol eternal optimist .

Carol: Actually, and remember, we are going on polls alone right now, not a single vote has been cast, but apparently, no one seems to care about it in this environment and economy. In the post Clinton/Lewinsky environment, sex is not an issue. We all know about Mr. Newt and there is very little that can be thrown against him that we do not know. The interesting strategy that Mr. Newt announced at the Republican Jewish Coalition this week is the Lincoln Douglas debate format. It is, frankly brilliant because as Mr. Newt explained, if he does not accept the debate format, then the President witll become his scheduler. Mr. Newt will appear within four (4) hours of each of O'biwan's appearances and rebut and lay out his programs. O'bama is extremely vulnerable to an electoral college defeat. Frankly, Romney can beat him also. I even think that Dr. Paul would have a shot because he is really gaining ground. Dr. Paul performance in tonight's debate was excellent. He has a decent chance at either winning Iowa outright or finishing a close second to Mr. Newt. Remember, the Republicans changed their format this cycle to proportionate allocation of delegates which means Dr. Paul, Mr. Newt and Mitt will definitely be at the convention with large blocks of delegates. We could still see a brokered convention. Adam Well, you know the US political process and I am merely a gaping outsider. In the interests of gravitas however, if you persist in referriing to the prez as Obiwan (which is kind of cute, I found myself calling him that recently to the amusement of my hearers (I gave you credit), I think you should refer to Mr Newt as Mr Toad.

Hi! You like to read about Scotland- I have read the entire oeuvre of Nigel Tranter in my time, and one of my hobbies is spreading the word that the Declaration of Arbaoth was in fact far more inspirational than the Declaration of Independence. In my view Glasgow is still the Paris of the North, at least, parts of it. It's good to have you aboard for the countdown to Hogmonay... ...sound of bagpipes....shrieks, growls,roars, breaking glass..."like a violin sweetly played in tune"!

Um, Rick Perry flubbed one-third of his entire policy statement -- was that because he is only about Perry and a relentless crusade for communism? Carol: Rick Perry is not the President. Also, Rick Perry is not the smartest person to ever occupy the White House. Rick Perry is not too smart for us to understand which is what the entrenched state media has been telling us for the last four (4) years. Therefore, there is no comparison to be made. Adam Disagree. Between Presidents and aspiring Presidential candidates, comparisons can be made and always are.

I don't care either about his sexual morals -- but the American electorate seem to. Do you really think that if he got the nomination he could beat Obama?

But Adam-- his grandiosity is frightening. He explained his serial adultery as a byproduct of his devotion to America!While being adulterous he was smugly trying to impeach Clinton for having "not-sex" or whatever with Monica. He felt entitled to collect megabucks from Freddie Mac and then thunderously denounce it. He clearly feels that the ordinary ethical rules do not apply to him.

Um, Rick Perry flubbed one-third of his entire policy statement -- was that because he is only about Perry and a relentless crusade for communism?

More likely that this definition can be understood. Not sure why she should be so grumpy here. It's not a definition, but I don't see how the students usage of the word symbolism is particularly ambiguous or flawed either. Somebody got an idea why she snapped? I can certainly understand why she did not want to provide a long analysis of her literary process to a bunch of high school students. Let them write their own essays!

I wonder what she meant by "and it is not true". Hawthorne's characters can't be seen as symbolic? It's been a long time since I read "the Scarlet Letter". Did Rand read it?

Nay! we are having lolling-around-hitting-the-wrong-button issues.

By "first man she ever loved" I wasn't referring to her father but to her would-be boyfriend Lev. I agree that rejection by a father (if it happened) is a tragedy, especially for a soul so hungry for heroes as Rand

The tragedies in Ayn Rand's life were real, but it is difficult to class "rejection by the first man she ever loved" as a tragedy on a scale with the others in her life. Such rejection is unbearably painful at the time, but it is a hazard of young adulthood that so many survive -- it's like calling the measles a near-fatal illness with enduring consequences.

Obama's 57 states comment worries me. Maybe it is a glimpse into his despotic marxist mind, More states, a great election coup! Well, he better not think to grab them from the True North Strong and Free! Not even Newfoundland will we give up. Maybe Cape Breton and a couple of villages in Saskatchewan, but that's it.

I'm curious - what did this nascent Objectivist have to say about Coach Rob? Carol: He was just surprised that I knew about the situation. He is a life long Canadian. I complemented you guys on being a solid economy in a world that is economically floundering. He was also quite proud of how well Canada was fairing. He mentioned that his company might be relocating some of its operations back to the US becasuse of the dollar weakness. He was quite proud of how you have absorbed immigrants into a positive economy. I agreed and complemented the fact that you guys have a legal process that works, unlike us. I mentioned that I knew a person who lived in Toronto and that was why I was so familiar with his city and the Mayor's "policies." He will be looking into Ayn's works this weedend and he will e-mail me if he has any questions. I will be following up with him mid/late next week when I receive the documents that they signed that I prepared. I will inquire as to his perceptions of Coach Bob specifically when I speak with him. Adam special report from the lower 57 states - I know we have 57 states because O'biwan, the smartest, most brilliant man to ever occupy Wall Street and the Presidency of the US said so! Thanks for the nice words about our polity. We are very lucky with our economy, due in large part to the shrewd and conservative policies of the previous (ironically Liberal) government who strengthened the coffers during the boom years and guarded them in the downturns. And progressive immigration policies over two generations of post-WWii iimmigration, in the main, are paying off. For example, I think that mandatory free English or French language training for newcomers who are not self-supporting is immeasurably valuable. Of course I would think so since I earn my living from it. Further ? about your client, what part of Toronto does he live in? In 1998 there was a forcible amalgamation of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) in which former boroughs like East York and cities like North York which surrounded the "old" Toronto became Toronto also. This was supposed to save money ("economies of scale") but of course it didn't. Mayor Ford comes from Etobicoke, a former suburb city, and has an active distrust and dislike of core Torontonians.

I'm curious - what did this nascent Objectivist have to say about Coach Rob?

Another chillingly sad, desolate note. The latest allegations include the detail that S assaulted a child in the basement of the Sandusky family home, while Sanduslky's wife was upstairs. The boy says he screamed for help, but nobody came. Nobody came.

Ok, now, will you acknowledge that in discussing the “founding of Christianity”, you’re talking about one of many, many cults? And that it is a cult which does not have a reliable historical record, particularly of its first 3 centuries? If so, I ask again, why talk about Christianity, as opposed to Scientology or Mormonism? If you’re looking to learn lessons on how to build a cult, shouldn’t you look at cults with objective, independent, contemporarily reported histories? Or do you think there are lessons to be learned from what Christian apologists portray their history to have been? Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History, for example? "All writings whatever which Porphyry or anyone else has written against the Christian religion, in the possession of whomsoever they shall be found, shall be committed to the fire." -- Emperor Theodosius I. Source: Lardner, Works, vol. vii., pp. 206, 396 Ok, now, will you acknowledge that in discussing the “founding of Christianity”, you’re talking about one of many, many cults? And that it is a cult which does not have a reliable historical record, particularly of its first 3 centuries? If so, I ask again, why talk about Christianity, as opposed to Scientology or Mormonism? If you’re looking to learn lessons on how to build a cult, shouldn’t you look at cults with objective, independent, contemporarily reported histories? Or do you think there are lessons to be learned from what Christian apologists portray their history to have been? Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History, for example? "All writings whatever which Porphyry or anyone else has written against the Christian religion, in the possession of whomsoever they shall be found, shall be committed to the fire." -- Emperor Theodosius I. Source: Lardner, Works, vol. vii., pp. 206, 396 This is an excellent point. The similarities beween Objectivism and Scientology have often been noted, and both movements seem to attract similar types - excellence-seekers bent on success and self-improvement. I wonder if there is any way of estimating the numbers of professed Objectivists and of Scientologists?

Weirdly, it seems to indicate the defense position. Sandusky's lawyer is saying that "it makes no sense" that fine upstanding men like Paterno, Curley and the other guy, would ever hear of a child rape and do nothing. Therefore McQueary must be lying about telling them he saw it. McQueary is the bad guy, and Penn State the victim. You could not make this stuff up. McQueary could be lying. He could be "queer." Based on his statement, he is, basically a piece of dog feces. He could, and he is. But it is hard to believe that those now 10 boys are lying, or that McQ, Joe "I wish I had done more" Paterno, and many, many more whose names we will never know, did not close their eyes to the ugly little squashed blob on their mighty, shiny football machine.