caroljane

Yes. Just trying to get distance from the awful essential sorrow here -- evade it, I suppose. Thanks for the "good". I try.

I once wrote that relative intelligence was the "dirty little secret" in Objectivism. Recently I have observed spirited debates about what I have dubbed "measurble results of relative intelligence", which for convenience I would call: "My unwritten book is longer than yours" or "My ideas are bigger than yours" After much introspection I have integrated that this phenomenon occurs because most Objectivists are men. Gord bless them! Now that I have realized this I am much happier and pleased that everyone is playing nice together again. Until the next time.

I do not pronounce it, it is a written name. Tell me how you pronounce Lynam and you will do better than 80% of my own relatives let alone spell it after 25 years familiarity. This is not Ick but the mideast and Africa are aweing me. Today I noticed my taxi driver was Ethiopian (the streetcar had short-turned and I was late for work as usual).We had an interesting conversation, I mentioned I was interested in its history as the cradle of Christianity. He told me about an old series of churches where you walk underground on a spiritual journey. it is so dark that you can see nothing, and you meet Shaitan if you are a sinner in your heart, but you see light if you are truly good. Also, Hurricane Katrina originated in the highlands of Ethiopia. They have a 13-month year and on 9/11 it was their New Years Day. His Americanrelatives were all rounded up by the FBI because they had all booked the day off work so they "must have known".

FRATERNAL ORDER OF THE SACRED IGLOO Local 13 RED ALERT BUSTED in Sector 76! All agents HOME right now, I don't care how damn sunny it is down there. I mean it Nanook

Michael, on the face of it you are utterly right. First do no harm. This is a chew-on one. To effectively ensure the end of a life by removing a life-support. Then to perform a procedure ( or provide a device) that ensures the continuation of that life for however short or long a time.Then release that life into its custodians. Then....? Lawyers? PDS? I didn't go to law school in spite of my Lsat because I knew I would never be able to work that hard. Help me out here.

Having language on the brain, I first misread this topic title as, "Translating Objectivist Ideas into Everyday Language.' But why not do that ? Many regulars of this site are fluent speakers of Objectivish (and some claim to be) and their translations would be fascinating to read. it's already been experimented with in the Atlas Shrugged movie with a simple transition to vernacular bad grammar ("it's us who move the world") so I'm sure the writers on here can do better than that.

I should not have commented without proper information, I apologize again. i would just say that they are probably trying to avoid a legal precedent, not set one, I can't think what it is but it will likely turn up on a Law & Order sometime soon. The Canadian euthanists I cited were not eugenecists nor were those who support them. Nor am I. In case you were wondering.

Michael I may be confused about the specifics of the case under discussion. It's not sloppiness, I just try not to read about dying children, or to retain the details when I can't avoid it. But I thought this case involved the doctors wanting to prolong the child's life, and the parents to end it naturally at home. If I am wrong and have it backwards, I apologize. But I can't retract my initial statement which I think is true. If the book the docs are going by is wrong, and/or they are wrong to go by it, they are wrong. But changing the book is a whole other topic.

Carol: It is about the parents individual right to decide for their child. They are the legal custodian. The state has no legal interest in this at all. How is it only about the child for the doctors? I am not sure what you meant by that. Adam As I understand the reasoning, the child's life (not custody) belongs to itself, not the parents. The continuation or termination of that life, in this case, is a medical ethics question, and has been left to (or dumped on) the medical professionals. Adam, you are a parent. You know there is no such thing as an "individual right" there!

Very good point. Some posters (not you or Brant or Michael!) even boast of their quickness in posting and minimal editing. Speed reading for what you are looking for is an idiosyncracy, understandable in those who are corresponding with longtime acquaintances.

What Joel said. As an issue, this is for us about the parents who are enduring what no one should have to endure, or about the government. Only for the doctors is it only about the child. They are going by the book. Their book, not mine or Joel's or Shane's or Adam's or Michael's or Sarah Palin's. As an issue it is about euthanasia, really. Recently a father was released from prison here after being convicted of euthanizing his hopelessly-ill daughter. A husband declared he had euthanized his terminally-ill wife, then backtracked and blamed "doctors' advice." Nobody charged him with anything initially, but there is so much publicity now that who knows what will happen. On your turf in NS Joel, I think. Or, I suppose,on everybody's turf, our mutual mortal coil.

You should know that MSK has referenced one David Icke, a conspiracy theoriston the subject of alien lizards who eat human flesh,on a new "humour".This is obviously an indirect libel upon you, based on the title of this thread, and I urge you to seek counsel. (I did really well in the LSAT and am probablycheaper than Adam)

Don't worry, Hachette is safe and being guarded by my son's English bulldog puppy who is sleeping on it. Bodie is adorable even though he chewed three keys off my keyboard last time he visited. That breed are just not very bright.He thinks everything, even TV remotes and delicate electronics, are just new toys or somebody's shoe. Tiiimmberrrrr..!!!

Dennis, the scene you suggested should have been included had the opposite effect on me from what you expected it to convey, not because it doesn't dramatically illustrate the value of independent judgment, but because it does. As a non-metallurgist or engineer, I immediately thought:"She studied engineering and looked at tests shown to her by the inventor, a man she wants to sleep with. Would I gamble on her judgment?" I think such a scene would weaken not strengthen the movie for general audiences.

CONFIDENTIAL to Brother PDS The Grand S says since you have always been open about the Wings he will overlook it if you tell him the names of the other secret non-Leaf fans. ISS Nanook, who else

Well it sure seems like this year they could actually get in the playoffs ! Closed the gap from 14 to 4 points as of last night but now its 6 pts again. Once a team gets in we all know what can happen - remember last year with Montreal and Philly being 7 and 8 seeds ! Living in Toronto ( although a big Flyers fan since I was a kid ) I would just love to see the Leafs get in and watch the city go wild ! Marc, I remember when the Blue Jays won the World Series and the city-wide, though stately celebration. If it could ever happen with the Stanley Cup most of my generation would probably die of sheer joy, so in my own selfish interest I accept the reality that it isn't likely. The Leafs always do this to us, late surge and even if they make the playoffs just collapse at the unaccustomed effort. I was always a Canadiens fan but had to convert, at least superficially, when I moved here and married, then mothered, hopeless Leafs cultists, lost to all reason. And the Argos, now the TFC, it never ends. What would we do without it?

Now that I think of it, "men-only book club" is not a bad partial description of OL. What do you think XRay? Gentlemen, I said PARTIAL.

I also know some basic conversational Objectivese. You say you "know" some basic Objectivese. Define Know. Are we to infer that you understand it, that you grasp it firmly, that you promise not to misunderstand, wilfully misunderstand, or misrepresent it? Hmm? And, WSS: are you also in a state of fully conscious awareness to fully consciously grasp that the ultimate value is Objectivism's survival? I'd like to take the epistemogical snarl of whether or not I "know" basic conversational Objectivese to chat, when Carol gets time. As for fully conscious awareness grasp of ultimate, well, no. Basic conversational Objectivish is "you make a pre-moral choice to live when you choose to suckle," or "even cabbages have morality," or "it's earlier than you think. Let's watch Charley's Angels." Slightly offtopic, I just read an interesting article on men-only book clubs originally in the Telegraph. it mentioned a study (no, it only said "one study" so I don't know which one) that found one in four Americans have never read a book. I think that is encouraging, it means that three in four have read at least one. I'd like to chat but when I daringly pushed the button it told me that my Cookies are disabled, although at the bottom of the screen it invites me to delete them. I now know my browser is the internet explorer (I think)but I do not want to mess with the cookies whatever they are and I do not know about chat, do you have to make an appointment for it? I am not being disingenuous, I really don't know this stuff.

FRATERNAL ORDER OF THE SACRED IGLOO Local 13 Office of the Grand Shaman Dear Brothers, As the Season of Penitence nears and we await it in our individual spiritual states of wild irrational optimism, resigned defeatism or just-stay-drunk-all-the time till the suspense is over, it is good to remind ourselves that in times of turmoil as in calm we are all one nation, that is to say Leafs Nation, except the few dissenters among us, overt and covert. I name no names. Until the playoffs are decided, there will be prayer services at the Igloo every Wednesday and Saturday, led by Brothers Mahovlich and Henderson Riel, ably assisted by their sister, Johnny Eddie Shack-Bower. Many of the Elders recall the glorious Centennial Year when twins Mack and Henny were born,and Leafs last won the Cup, and the bright future they have always symbolized to us. No refreshments will be served and only blue and white can be worn. It has to work sometime. ISS Gord acting Shaman

XRay, re firm graspings, a certain Hibernian Fowl with a well-feathered nestis said to have a "piece" of Atlas Shrugged the Movie! What if he loses all his money and we have start being nice to other possibilities?

I should say, everybody's reactiions, I don't expect you all to write magazine-length analyses. Except of course Phil, from him I need fully referenced and annotated commentary with bibliography and index. I can wait the eight months. I can tease Phl without fear until his Hachette is in his hands.

Well, everybody expected this to be a polarizing movie, and nobody is easier to polarize than Objectivists. I won't get to see it (they ignored the Canadian market for some reason) but I'm sure I would like it better than the book. I'm not a film buff though of course I have msny favourites, but I love well-done film reviews and have read thousands, of movies I never saw or wanted to see, just for the pleasure of reading Jay Scott or Pauline Kael, years after the films were forgotten and the reviewers dead. I look forward to everybody's review here in April and in the meantime I hope more audience members from the screening will chime in. Has anyone mentioned the soundtrack yet?

Brilliant. The most cogent exposition of Canadian geoculture I've ever seen. But we're still Ontario and they're still worms. New Brunswick has great malls!

That's not the opposite of what the "woman" wrote. She said: "Women who aren't slaves to whims, "hormones," or learned helplessness will always be written off as 'cold.'" and the opposite would be "Women who aren't written off as 'cold' are slaves to whims, "hormones," or learned helplessness." That's quite an an insult to an awful lot of women who are not described as cold. Technically you are right, but I wasn't trying to construct an opposite but a parallel-opposite (insult women-praise men); the original comment feels really dated (1970s?) and has been trashed many times in its many variations.

Men who are slaves to interests, "hormones" and acquired collegiality will always be written about as cool and awesome. By me anyway Anonymous OL Groupie