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    Posted by skidance 9 years, 5 months ago
    Also, no one uses apostrophes correctly, either.
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    • Posted by $ CBJ 9 years, 5 months ago
      I alway's do.
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      • Posted by skidance 9 years, 5 months ago
        LOL!

        Seriously, though, if anyone here would like a bit of help with this punctuation mark, please let me know.
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        • Posted by khalling 9 years, 5 months ago
          do a post!
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          • Posted by skidance 9 years, 5 months ago
            Guidelines for Using Apostrophes Correctly

            By Richard Nordquist
            Grammar & Composition Expert
            CATEGORIES

            The apostrophe may be the simplest and yet most frequently misused mark of punctuation in English. Here we'll review six guidelines for using the mark correctly.
            1. Use an Apostrophe to Show the Omission of Letters in a Contraction
            Use the apostrophe to form contractions:

            I'm (I am)
            you're (you are)
            he's (he is)
            she's (she is)
            it's* (it is)
            we're (we are)
            they're (they are)
            isn't (is not)
            aren't (are not)
            can't (cannot)
            don't (do not)
            who's (who is)
            won't (will not)
            Be careful to place the apostrophe where the letter or letters have been omitted, which is not always the same place where the two words have been joined.
            * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its:

            It's the first day of spring.
            Our bird has escaped from its cage.
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            2. Use an Apostrophe with -s for Possessives of Singular Nouns
            Use an apostrophe plus -s to show the possessive form of a singular noun, even if that singular noun already ends in -s:

            Harold's crayon
            my daughter's First Communion
            Sylvia Plath's poetry
            Dylan Thomas's poetry
            today's weather report
            the boss's problem
            Star Jones's talk show
            Victoria Beckham's husband
            3. Use an Apostrophe Without -s for Possessives of Most Plural Nouns
            To form the possessive of a plural noun that already ends in -s, add an apostrophe:

            the girls' swing set (the swing set belonging to the girls)
            the students' projects (the projects belonging to the students)
            the Johnsons' house (the house belonging to the Johnsons)
            If the plural noun does not end in -s, add an apostrophe plus -s:
            the women's conference (the conference belonging to the women)
            the children's toys (the toys belonging to the children)
            the men's training camp (the training camp belonging to the men)
            Ads
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            www.universalclass.com
            Learn From Home At Your Own Pace And Earn Continuing Education Units
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            www.education.com/Worksheets
            Free Alphabet Worksheets (A-Z). Print One at a Time or a Whole Set!
            4. Use an Apostrophe with -s When Two or More Nouns Possess the Same Thing
            When two or more nouns possess the same thing, add an apostrophe plus -s to the last noun listed:

            Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
            Emma and Nicole's school project (Emma and Nicole worked together on the same project)
            When two or more nouns separately possess something, add an apostrophe to each noun listed:
            Tim's and Marty's ice cream (Each boy has his own ice cream.)
            Emma's and Nicole's school projects (Each girl has her own project.)
            5. Do Not Use an Apostrophe with Possessive Pronouns
            Because possessive pronouns already show ownership, it's* not necessary to add an apostrophe:

            yours
            his
            hers
            its*
            ours
            theirs
            However, we do add an apostrophe plus -s to form the possessive of some indefinite pronouns:
            anybody's guess
            one's personal responsibility
            somebody's wallet
            * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its:
            It's the first day of spring.
            Our bird has escaped from its cage.
            Ads
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            Calculators: Different Calculators For Every Situation - Free!
            6. Generally, Do Not Use an Apostrophe to Form a Plural
            As a general rule, use only an -s (or an -es) without an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns--including dates, acronyms, and family names:

            Markets were booming in the 1990s.
            The tax advantages offered by IRAs make them attractive investments.
            The Johnsons have sold all of their CDs.
            To avoid confusion, we may occasionally need to use apostrophes to indicate the plural forms of certain letters and expressions that are not commonly found in the plural:
            Mind your p's and q's.
            Let's accept the proposal without any if's, and's, or but's.

            RELATED BLOG POST: The Long Campaign to Abolish the Apostrophe
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    • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 5 months ago
      I would register an appeal to the rules which you
      cite here -- to make "if's, and's or but's" work best,
      do this::: "IFs, ANDs or BUTs" and then reduce the
      font size of the capital letters. -- j

      p.s. I do "expert editing" as a sideline.

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      • Posted by plusaf 9 years, 5 months ago
        ... good one, johnpe... but you seem to assume that a lot of people who use apostrophes to indicate plurals would 'get it.'... :)
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        • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 5 months ago
          I came from a world where "published work" was
          supposed to both communicate *and* teach --
          demonstrating the right way to communicate!

          IF we had that, these days, more might "get it"....... -- j

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          • Posted by plusaf 9 years, 5 months ago
            True, but after 24 years "in industry," I also realized that, even if I were 'communicating' with the cleanest, truest FM signal I could produce, if I am surrounded by AM 'receivers' they will not decode or perceive ANY message. :(

            And management always seemed to blame me, the 'transmitter' for the "failure to communicate."
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            • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 5 months ago
              that's part of the reason for my departure at age 59
              into retirement -- "casting pearls before swine"
              comes to mind....... -- j

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              • Posted by plusaf 9 years, 5 months ago
                and my years at my last company job before I was offered early retirement and 'took the money and ran.' I hope you're enjoying life as much or more than I am... :)
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                • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 5 months ago
                  I have broken 4 bones, bought 2 motorcycles and
                  sold one (the '71 harley fx), become a ham general,
                  started to learn the steel guitar, been to alaska and
                  loved my family much more often....... super!!! -- j

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  • Posted by iroseland 9 years, 5 months ago
    Its easy to think that, but you really need to meet my sister.. She has managed to climb the ranks at Great Plains, then after the buy out managed to make regional sales manager at Microsoft and not only survived stack rank, but when she told them she was quitting they assumed she was just taking some time off to have kids. Now, she is at sales force and when she mentioned that she might have to leave to get a change of scenery they offered to have her spend a year in London getting things back into shape there.. Now, you might be thinking that an accounting software sales exec who drives a Porsche might not be good for much else.. But, you really need to see her hang drywall, or hang cabinetry...
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  • Posted by HuckFinn 9 years, 5 months ago
    There aren't if you are looking in the government-industrial complex. I am a Galt equivalent and I am nothing unusual in my circle of friends of Galts, Taggarts, Wyatts, Mulligans, Reardens, D'Anconias, et al, et al.. We are the small business people who quit the political correctness of big business and went off our own way. When it all comes crashing down, we will be the Phoenixes who step out of the ashes not to rebuild America as it is but to build a free America like the original.
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  • Posted by professorbean1942 9 years, 5 months ago
    My Daughter is! At 37 yo and pregnant she ran down a purse snatcher in Caito, Equidor. A genetic counselor she is moving up the corporate ladder and making things happen. Gave her a Reardon Metal bracelet for her 40th.
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  • Posted by $ puzzlelady 9 years, 5 months ago
    Misplaced apostrophes aside, the assessment makes no sense. Dagny is a fictional character used by a philosopher/author to depict attributes of mind, independence and integrity the author admired. Rand did not admire second-handers. Dagny wannabes are second-handers. Be yourself, a being "of self-made soul", not an imitation.

    And if real-world individuals are to be compared and evaluated against an ideal, is being very rich one of the criteria? Can't we appreciate productive individuals on their own objective merits without expecting them to be like characters in a book?
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    • Posted by khalling 9 years, 5 months ago
      good points. I assume you are responding to Elizabeth Holmes. Why are you focused on her wealth and not her achievements? Her technologies are highly disruptive and beneficial. and she began her business at a young age. These are the types of people Rand modeled her characters after, are they not?
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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 5 months ago
    Maybe there arent a lot here in the USA, but I bet there ARE in China. I buy a lot of items for our company from China, and the people there are quite remarkable in their attitudes and customer service. Much better on the average than the people here in the USA unfortunately.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 5 months ago
    There are many Dagnys out there. I married one. She started out as a bookkeeper for a furniture chain, became a prize-winning photographer, and got antsy in retirement to become a top-selling Avon Lady. Managed on the way to have a couple of kids, and help a decrepit husband to survive. They're out there all right. You just don't get to hear about them or have novels written about them. She inspired me to use as our motto, "Ad astra per aspera." Look it up.
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  • Posted by $ DriveTrain 9 years, 5 months ago
    The statement "There are no Dagny Taggarts in today's world" needs a whole lot in the way of specification as to meaning.

    - Do you mean there are no brilliant, principled women in prominent positions within corporations? I can tell you about a woman named Gwynne Shotwell, President and CEO of a little company named SpaceX, who gave a talk on the future of private space exploration a year or so ago that about had me jumping for joy;

    - Do you mean there are no brilliant, principled women in prominent positions within journalism? Virginia Postrel. Megyn Kelly. Michelle Malkin. Star Parker. Say no more.

    - Do you mean there are no brilliant, principled women in prominent positions within elected (or appointed) office? Judge Janice Rogers Brown springs immediately to mind. Mia Love too - as of a month from now. There are a number of lesser others, each with her own ideological shortcomings but courageous in any case - Haley, Bachmann, Palin, etc.

    - Do you mean there are no brilliant, principled women in prominent positions within the Arts and Entertainment field? Yes, that particular line of work carries more than its share of human debris, but ohhboy - where would I begin on the plus side on that one?

    On the contrary, I think they're everywhere - but that "major" media, errm... have a problem with women in positions of power, so we don't hear much about them.
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  • Posted by Zero 9 years, 5 months ago
    I keep clicking but it doesn't go anywhere.
    Surely it's not just the bald statement!

    If so, well... bullsh!t. What nonsense.
    Ridiculous. And shame on 6 "thumbs ups".

    We, of all people, should know better.

    (But I must be missing something, right. The link is broken or something. Right?)

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  • Posted by skidance 9 years, 5 months ago
    Guidelines for Using Apostrophes Correctly

    By Richard Nordquist
    Grammar & Composition Expert
    CATEGORIES

    The apostrophe may be the simplest and yet most frequently misused mark of punctuation in English. Here we'll review six guidelines for using the mark correctly.
    1. Use an Apostrophe to Show the Omission of Letters in a Contraction
    Use the apostrophe to form contractions:

    I'm (I am)
    you're (you are)
    he's (he is)
    she's (she is)
    it's* (it is)
    we're (we are)
    they're (they are)
    isn't (is not)
    aren't (are not)
    can't (cannot)
    don't (do not)
    who's (who is)
    won't (will not)
    Be careful to place the apostrophe where the letter or letters have been omitted, which is not always the same place where the two words have been joined.
    * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its:

    It's the first day of spring.
    Our bird has escaped from its cage.
    Ads
    Homeschooling Curriculum
    www.calverteducation.com/
    Providing Complete & Effective PreK-8 Program. Get a Free Catalog.
    ITT Tech - Official Site
    www.itt-tech.edu
    Tech-Oriented Degree Programs. Education for the Future.
    2. Use an Apostrophe with -s for Possessives of Singular Nouns
    Use an apostrophe plus -s to show the possessive form of a singular noun, even if that singular noun already ends in -s:

    Harold's crayon
    my daughter's First Communion
    Sylvia Plath's poetry
    Dylan Thomas's poetry
    today's weather report
    the boss's problem
    Star Jones's talk show
    Victoria Beckham's husband
    3. Use an Apostrophe Without -s for Possessives of Most Plural Nouns
    To form the possessive of a plural noun that already ends in -s, add an apostrophe:

    the girls' swing set (the swing set belonging to the girls)
    the students' projects (the projects belonging to the students)
    the Johnsons' house (the house belonging to the Johnsons)
    If the plural noun does not end in -s, add an apostrophe plus -s:
    the women's conference (the conference belonging to the women)
    the children's toys (the toys belonging to the children)
    the men's training camp (the training camp belonging to the men)
    Ads
    Grammar 101 Courses
    www.universalclass.com
    Learn From Home At Your Own Pace And Earn Continuing Education Units
    Printable Alphabet Pages
    www.education.com/Worksheets
    Free Alphabet Worksheets (A-Z). Print One at a Time or a Whole Set!
    4. Use an Apostrophe with -s When Two or More Nouns Possess the Same Thing
    When two or more nouns possess the same thing, add an apostrophe plus -s to the last noun listed:

    Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
    Emma and Nicole's school project (Emma and Nicole worked together on the same project)
    When two or more nouns separately possess something, add an apostrophe to each noun listed:
    Tim's and Marty's ice cream (Each boy has his own ice cream.)
    Emma's and Nicole's school projects (Each girl has her own project.)
    5. Do Not Use an Apostrophe with Possessive Pronouns
    Because possessive pronouns already show ownership, it's* not necessary to add an apostrophe:

    yours
    his
    hers
    its*
    ours
    theirs
    However, we do add an apostrophe plus -s to form the possessive of some indefinite pronouns:
    anybody's guess
    one's personal responsibility
    somebody's wallet
    * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its:
    It's the first day of spring.
    Our bird has escaped from its cage.
    Ads
    Free Calculator Toolbar
    calculator.utilitychest.com
    Calculators: Different Calculators For Every Situation - Free!
    6. Generally, Do Not Use an Apostrophe to Form a Plural
    As a general rule, use only an -s (or an -es) without an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns--including dates, acronyms, and family names:

    Markets were booming in the 1990s.
    The tax advantages offered by IRAs make them attractive investments.
    The Johnsons have sold all of their CDs.
    To avoid confusion, we may occasionally need to use apostrophes to indicate the plural forms of certain letters and expressions that are not commonly found in the plural:
    Mind your p's and q's.
    Let's accept the proposal without any if's, and's, or but's.

    RELATED BLOG POST: The Long Campaign to Abolish the Apostrophe
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    1
    Posted by $ khalling 6 minutes ago
    lol. thanks-I actually think you should make it a post instead of a comment. only those in this post are seeing it
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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 5 months ago
    Francisco was right in AS1. This IS a war and we have to take sides. The problem is that I think its too late to prevent the apocalypse of socialism in the USA. The great mass of people who dont think will only abandon socialism when its failure is right there in front of them (which means the apocalypse). Look at Venezuela- its nearly collapsed and there isnt a revolution yet !!
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  • Posted by 9 years, 5 months ago
    That's the money making side of her. What about the other side?
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    • Posted by khalling 9 years, 5 months ago
      what was Dagny's other side before she met Galt?
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      • Posted by $ Susanne 9 years, 5 months ago
        I'm not sure Dagny had a "different" side; I feel more as if Galt was the force that catalyzed Dagny from a shrewd businesswoman philosophically set against the likes and influences of looters and moochers to someone who could, thus catalyzed, act against such a force.

        A woman with a determined, set, and morally correct compass to begin with, she wasn't changed - she was empowered in a way she had not conceived until that meeting.
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FORMATTING HELP

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