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I just found another Ayn Rand fan.

Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 11 months ago to The Gulch: General
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Across the street from our family business a demo company has been tearing down 3 old abandoned homes. It's a small town so a number of people came up to watch. I heard a lot of them comment on the skill of the heavy equipment operator. His boss told me that he was the best operator he had. I talked to him today and when he saw my Atlas Shrugged sweat shirt he called it the greatest book ever written. He asked if I had read any of her other books and he told me he had read just about everything she had written. Not surprising that someone highly skilled in their profession is a fan of Rand. He said he had read AS while in college and that it didn't make him very popular. He said Penn State was filled with libtards (pretty cool hearing someone else use that term). It's always fun to find like minds. I told him about the Gulch. Hope he joins.

All Comments

  • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    That's great. I love wearing the AS stuff to work. I never know who will come up and say they are a fan. They always seem relieved to find out there are more of us out there.
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  • Posted by $ Maree 8 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Welcome pd4. Got an easier nickname? Or tell us its meaning?
    I hope you will enjoy being in our group.
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  • Posted by $ Maree 8 years, 10 months ago
    Great story RR
    I was on Malaysian Air recently and my mate seated nearby was re-reading the AS i gave him ages ago
    A chap stops to talk about it.
    As we're disembarking at KLIA i wrote WIJG and our gulch address and gave it to him. Big grins.
    It was my private 'Dannesjold with burlap package' moment.
    Keep up the good work Rich.
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  • Posted by pd4pd51939 8 years, 11 months ago
    thank you all !!!!!!. Just to let you know,I I think seeing AR in boston was one of the greatest moments in my life, I just wish every body could have experienced it....
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  • Posted by $ jdg 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Please, no. Requiring the book will (1) make the rebellious kids, like me, hate it and (2) give lefty teachers an opportunity to bash its ideas and author.
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  • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I have realized too that Rand fans are everywhere. I had a customer come in who is a retired executive and had a Who is John Galt license plate holder. A women working the deli counter at our local market is a huge fan. A young 20 something couple came in one day and said they loved AS. It is fun to find like minds.
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  • Posted by ycandrea 8 years, 11 months ago
    It is so nice to find fellow Objectivists out there, huh? Reminds me of when Dagney spotted John Galt in her crowd of railroad workers.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Hell, you actually type with 1 finger more than me. This is a wonderful blog which corrects some goofs for you and allows you to edit. You'll enjoy the Gulch much more if you contribute to it.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Unitarian Universalism. It's a lot like church but in modern times it has dropped all religous dogma, tells the stories of religions and philosophies of the world, and does not tell people what to believe. The joke answer is "they're atheists with children".
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    It gets better with age. My first copy was a present from a neighbor. It's the only book I make a point of keeping three on hand. One if one of mine wears out and one to give to someone. The third book now numbers a bit over one per every year of publication. I've never used the second book but just in case it's there. for a while that's all there was but along with Heinlein and a few others it made for some memorable moments. Especially if i act out the dogs being treated better than children then follow it with some Rand-isms. I can't imagine ever doing a re-read and not finding some new nugget.

    Comment on writing. the way to learn is write. But it helps to have some guidance some structure. I found fiction to be the most challenging so much so I saved it for retirement and finished the first draft at 5k plus pages. Then the tear at your heart part commences. Slash slash slash ...But I still have the original. first drafts. For publication? Probably not.For gifts undoubtedly.....as a way of thanking people who made a difference in my life.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    People hate having to face themselves on dark evenings and admit their whole lives are trashed. The good ones change. The rest are dross at best they are two afraid to admit their afraid of the dark and can't make it on their own.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I got decent grades, but when it came time to take the "EIT"
    and the PE, I aced them both. . that, and since my engineering
    bosses loved the fact that I really knew the trade, told
    my professors that I got it. -- j
    .
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  • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I went to college with the same mind set. I wanted to learn and grades were not very relevent. I have always found the people that hate Rand to be especially passionate in their hate.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 8 years, 11 months ago
    I put my mechanical engineering professors on notice by
    carrying AS with my books and slide rule. . I am certain
    that my grading was different as a result -- some better
    and some, worse. . it was a curious thing, because
    my primary purpose there was not grades, but knowledge. -- j
    .
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    After reading a chapter or two, I admire the thought that went into it. I could never write in that manner. I lack the patience. It's no wonder she took so much time to write Atlas.
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  • Posted by $ sekeres 8 years, 11 months ago
    This summer, when hunting a replacement watch battery while wearing an AS shirt, found a young fan working the jewelry counter at Walmart. She seemingly knew how to use every tool the department had and their entire stock, complete with cross references. Reminded me of the way the Gulchers kept outside jobs for 11 months of the year.
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  • Posted by pd4pd51939 8 years, 11 months ago
    I fogot to add that i have never took typing or learned how, with more than 2 fingers, if my typing isnt good enough (or my spelling i'm sorry )and will be content to just read what other members write?
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  • Posted by pd4pd51939 8 years, 11 months ago
    i just landed about 5 minutes again ago. i am very happy i found this place. i signed up a month ago but was to busy to do anything on here ..,i am 76 years old and started reading her when i was in my thirties . I have read almost everything back to when she wrote in broken english.i saw her talk at the Ford Forum in Boston Mass , a few years before she died ,( I think those years are right?) i have forgot a lot, so it is interesting .. hearing all those ideas again. I hope i can add something to this forum..
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  • Posted by $ Radio_Randy 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    There is a commercial, I keep hearing, where a young lady is so busy taking care of others that she has been neglecting her own needs. She makes it sound as though her needs were an afterthought.
    Then, I watch the nightly news where they interview young schoolchildren who's main goal in life is to help others.
    We've forgotten what it's like to be somewhat selfish and take care of ourselves, first. I think we need to re-learn that skill and teach others how to properly practice "selfishness".
    Lastly, when I "help others", I usually focus on those who show some initiative to help themselves, rather than the moochers, who merely take...
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  • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I had read a while back that the more interesting a book the lower your comprehension. The theory being that a more interesting book sparks ideas and you tend to let your mind wander. I am finding that to be true with AS. I am getting just as much out of it this time as I did the first.
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  • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Well said. Ayn Rand should be required reading in High School. Of course, the left is scared to death of her.
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