I totally agree b_b! That movie was made for pre-adolescent boys.

We saw it last night. Last night, I thought it was ok. But today when someone asked me what I thought of it, I realized how truly disappointed I was. It should have been titled 'Destroyer of Steel' and starred someone not called Superman. I think that he and the Kryptonites together destroyed more steel structures in that film than were destroyed in all the Transformers movies combined. I have so much to say that I can't even figure out how to get started.

All I'm going to add is that 'Now You See Me' is a better expenditure of your hard-earned cash. It was Flashy! Suspenseful! With a dash of humor, and a twist of drama. The characters had depth, and the plot was consistent. Not particularly cerebral, but definitely targeting a discerning audience.

<<<applause, applause>>

LOL, yes, yes, you were laughing with me.

As I said previously, I tried to read it twice before and had made it about halfway when I quit. This past week, I picked it up at that point. and probably got through a few chapters. So, at this rate of reading a few chapters each year I think I'll finish Rand's treatise by the end of this decade.

What did you decide was the best way to swallow your bitter pill? Are you listening to The Fountainhead, reading or both?

Ha ha, I'm not being fair, its really not that bad - there is wisdom in every viewpoint.

Thanks for sharing this. This is a difficult conversation fraught with strong emotions on all sides.

And with an ever-rising share of income going to capital rather than labor, that safety net would have to be paid for to an important extent via taxes on profits and/or investment income.

The writer of this op-ed seems to think the only solution is for the haves to give in the form of forced charity (is that an oxymoron?) to the have-nots.

Aren't 'fair' labor laws a better way to provide for those hard-workers? If Americans value good hard-working people then they must make laws which force owners to pay them according to their work. Healthy self image is fostered by earning more for hard work, in the form of wages. That same person is demoralized when given a hand-out in the form of welfare.

People don't normally and naturally do what is right - that is why we have laws. A simple example of this can be seen by looking at traffic. In India, Kazakhstan, and other countries with minimal traffic laws, you see crazy scary drivers everywhere. Going on a short drive is taking your life in your hands. Here in America, where we have amazing traffic laws, people are conditioned to do what is best for everyone - not just themselves. The result being much fewer traffic accidents then you see in most other countries. My many foreign friends tell me that our traffic is one of the marvels of the world.

I'm barely scratching the surface of this problem and am not entirely convinced that my own argument holds water. I'd just like to see a more open dialogue about this issue without all the finger-pointing and anger that usually ensues.

Hopefully, others will join this #currentevents #labor type conversation :-)

That's okay, have a laugh at my expense. Ugh! My brain is swiss cheese.

I do love to research, and as long as I'm going to do this thing, I should do it well. But, not that well! Ha! I've officially switched to The Fountainhead, the reader on this audio is much easier to listen to. Yes, I'll listen to it again - but not simultaneously with the text as I was with the other.

The article that flagamuffin links to is a great example of "You can't judge a book by its cover". It is a thoughtful article that reminds us all to pay close attention, conduct sound research, and only then move forward in informed protest. Your comment is antithetical to the point of the article. Mr Klein is telling us to carefully consider viewpoints and reasoning of others. That includes Republicans. I believe your complaint with the commenters is more about their attack of the writer without participating in intellectual discourse, not about their political position.

Ha ha! I love it!

Joel, even worse is that the average American seems to have a day long memory - or should I argue, no memory whatsoever, when it comes to current events. Would I be wrong to say that when the media tells us to think we say 'About what?'

"...dangers we face in the world, you know, some new and unpredicted threat. We need more authority. We need more power. And, there will be nothing the people can do at that point to oppose it. Uh, and, it will be turnkey tyranny." Chilling words - but true.

Is Snowden a brave hero? or a cowardly traitor?

Thanks! I'm hoping to forget about the mute button, and hoping that it is never necessary to remember it, though, thankful you have included it (is that like the fighter pilot's eject button?).

Thank you for putting so much effort into creating Hubski!

Lol! Just realized that I'm reading Atlas Shrugged - not the Fountainhead. That explains why I first downloaded The Fountainhead - I was wondering why I did that. Ok, time to switch books. Actually did read The Fountainhead a few years back, it was Atlas Shrugged I couldn't get through. Okay, good, got that straight....

That is exactly what I'm doing! The reader uses an interesting form of intonation that works pretty well and is easy enough to listen to, but actually seems to change the meaning from what I 'thought' some of the characters were intending. For instance, when Mrs. Reardon speaks to her husband, is she snide, sarcastic, condescending, or just ignorant?

I'm wading about in the beginning of the latter half at this point. I keep finding myself yelling at Ms Rand, in the same way that I'd yell at a talk show host - haha!

We should have some lively discussions when the time comes.....

Lil, thanks for the welcome! I'm so encouraged and excited to find this group of deep thinkers who are unwilling to 'hate' people with ideas different from their own, but rather to learn from them. That is why the question you asked seems perfectly suited to Hubski. Even if mk doesn't like self-help books - he obviously agrees that walking with the wise makes us wise.

I'm thankful that you've shared your titles and reasons for appreciating them. I have a daughter that I think will benefit from Difficult Conversations.

Your post reminds me that instructional books save time and help us to avoid 'reinventing the wheel'. If someone else has learned better ways of doing things, I'd rather learn from their mistakes than make my own.

Adam Butcher did a great job developing this story! Impressive hoax.

And, this is the reason why we won't see that kind of testing happen, at least while the current Queen has a say in it:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/feb/05/princes-in-tow...

Yes, it is! I just can't make myself sit still long enough to slog through it so am on a waiting list for the audio version. Is that cheating?

Self-help books, hmmm, such a general term which by definition is also an oxymoron. You are not helping yourself you are getting help from someone you assume is wiser than yourself. In the words of a wise prophet of old in response to his companion telling him that people go to a psychiatrist to talk about their problems, "Hasn't she got any mates?" Many of us read self-help books because we are too prideful to admit to our 'mates' that we could sure use their advice.

Or maybe, you don't have enough 'mates' to consult. In which case, you should read 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie.

Or, maybe you have chased away all your mates by acting a little crazy due to severe insomnia, in which case you should read 'Restful Sleep: The Complete Mind/Body Program for Overcoming Insomnia' by Deepak Chopra.

Once rested, its time to reconcile with your mates, so read "Love Languages" by Gary Chapman to help you understand the differences in how people feel loved.

Now that you are reunited with your mates, you may want to feed them at a joyful reunion but concerned about healthful eating, and wanting to surprise them all, you can find all you've ever wanted to know about nutrition, food, and cooking in the companion books "Let's Eat it Right" and "Let's Cook it Right" by Adelle Davis.

Finally, after consulting your mates you've discovered that they know just as little as you do about the meaning of life in which case you should read 'The Bible' by many authors, under inspiration of God.

All of the above have changed my life for the better. I'm extremely grateful to all of their authors for taking the time to share their wisdom with me. I skimmed them all, many times each.

"He who walks with the wise, will grow wise." Proverbs 13:20

Yes, I am interested! How does one go about joining?

I read 1/2 way through The Fountainhead a couple of years ago, on the advice and incessant prodding of a friend. I tried and tried to pick it up again, but couldn't get past her pretentious attitude. My friend insisted that I needed to get to the second half to really appreciate the book's content - so, if I join this book club, I'll do so. I must say that it is alway a good thing for us to look at life from many angles and Ayn Rand helps us to see a perspective that most of us never consider.

Well, getting ahead of ourselves a little bit, her writing is EXTREMELY pretentious.

Haha! Humanodon, apparently, you've already drunk the Kool-Aid!