Ayn Rand's celebration of Individuality

Ayn Rand's philosophy which she termed as 'objectivism' celebrates individualism and rational thinking, the role of man's rational mind in existence. She says that man's highest moral duty is toward oneself.

Story found HERE

EVERY WRITER'S ideas, perspective and philosophy shapes up the thinking of an individual who reads his/her books and further influences the reader’s attitude and ideology in the long run, to eventually becoming a source for defining oneself , an individual’s identity and a driving force for restricting authority .

Ayn Rand, the author of books like the Anthem, We The Living, Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged,brings out her philosophy of life in her writings. Almost all her works are fictional, where she introduces her philosophy, ideology which she neatly weaves with the fictional element.

 

Rand is very vocal when it comes to expressing her ideology and perspectives to the outside world. Her philosophy is very unique and different from the conventional thought or say - a mindset which most people in general has. And she is indeed very bold and courageous in penning down her thoughts on various subjects and strongly advocating her philosophy.

 

Many of her readers have picked up her cues on sometimes resisting authority. This philosophy and ideology gives an individual the power to challenge authority or any idea that is contradictory. Sometimes, it also helps to challenge conventional thought process or a collective thinking in favour of an individual’s mind.

 

Ayn Rand’s philosophy which she termed as ‘objectivism’ celebrates individualism and rational thinking, the role of man’s rational mind in existence. She says that man’s highest moral duty is toward oneself. One should pursue one’s own happiness and should never sacrifice one’s rational self interest for a greater good, as it doesn’t make sense to sacrifice one’s soul for others. An individual’s duty should be towards one’s own spirit and soul.

 

Her book Atlas shrugged talks about how producer’s (thinkers) of the world refused to be exploited by the state, the government and went on a strike where they eventually left their work, put their mind to an abrupt halt to prevent the state (parasite) from further exploitation.

 

In the book ‘Fountainhead’, she brings out how an individual had to struggle for what he believes in when he took non-compromised path. In general, people are usually conditioned to think or act in a particular manner, which is accepted by one and all. An individual is not allowed to think independently or stand by what he believes is right. One is supposed to follow a norm, be a conformist.

 

There are some people who couldn’t stand by their own thinking, believes and ideas because of fear of rejection by the society and hence abandon their original thinking, forcing themselves to think or act according to the norm which is accepted by the society.

 

The book also talks about how people in a position of power, try to suppress an individual with original ideas and great intellect because it threatens or challenges their position of power. The latter is condemned if he dares to go against collective thinking in favour of one’s own thinking.

 

The book centred on Howard Roark, an individualistic, architecture student, unusually bright with a unique and different architectural sense of design who comes up with his own original and unique style for which he was ultimately thrown out of the college. His great mind became his worst enemy when it came to his profession. He was not allowed to work according to his architectural sense and was instead pressurized to follow the normal rules. As a result, he was always out of work, jobless as he was not ready to compromise.

 

At the end, Roark’s great mind broke all barriers after challenging the collective thinkers and men who existed on the ideas of others whom Ayn Ryan termed as ‘Parasite’ and ‘Second Handers’.

 

The novels talks about the triumph of original ideas and of men who dare to think and stand by their thoughts and ideology no matter what. The book is a celebration of courage and guts to go through difficult period in life just to uphold one’s own spirit , ideas and thinking (which is the highest moral duty toward oneself ) without compromising on integrity, individuality and in the process, fighting and challenging authority.

 

 

We should all strive to think on our own...society tries to dictate

how we should act, feel, think...but compliance is just an nice

way of saying manipulated.

 

We should treat each other with respect though when thinking

for ourselves and not take individuality to the extreme.

We can't act violently to each other...that is a fear  based action.

 

We should act out of love for ourselves and others.

 

Yours Truly,

 

mediamerlin 

McDonald's Monopoly Game Board 2009: free codes and links to rare Monopoly pieces

October 12, 2:25 PM Haight-Ashbury Budget Living Examiner Carol Hilker

Story from    EXAMINER

Free code for the Monopoly McDonald's Board Game.

Every year like clockwork, we supersize, hoping for Park Place or Monopoly.  Most of us are happy enough with a free quarter pounder with cheese.  So if you are into the yearly Monopoly Game Piece extravaganze, read on and find out how to get free codes.

To win, you either need to find an instant win piece, or collect all of one group of streets or railroads. There's one piece in each group that's hard to find. If you get that piece, finding the other two will be easy. The hard to find pieces are on this page.
http://www.amazing-bargains.com/mcdonald…

You can also go online to http://playatmcd.com and play there using that little code at the bottom of the piece for an extra chance to win.

How to Enter Online: Visit monopoly.promotions.com/monopoly09/front.do and setup an account. Then input your codes.

Free McDonald's Monopoly Codes:

• I6L6V4N4T09 (From Rules)
• UONLYRICHER (From Facebook)
• ONLYPLYRSWN

How to use the McDonald's Facebook code:

1. You must have a Facebook account. Sign up free or login.
2. Go here to access the McDonald's page on Facebook.
3. Click Go.
4. Click Allow.
5. Click Let's Play.
6. Click Publish or Okay (pick one).
7. Click Okay.
8. You will be taken to the McDonald's Monopoly page.
9. Click Let's Play.
10. Sign in.
11. Click to Roll.

The FREE Code can be used only once per person and/or email address or mobile phone and will not count against your daily play limit of ten (10) Codes per day. FREE Codes can be used by multiple participants.

Rare Online Collect and Win Properties:

• Short Line
• Pennsylvania Ave
• Mediterranean Ave

Rare Code List:

• Mediterranean (#101) for $50
• Vermont (#104) for $1,000
• Tennessee (#110) for $5,000
• Boardwalk (#122) for $1,000,000

$100,000 Online Jackpot Sweepstakes: Each valid Game Stamp Code entry (limit 10 per day) during the Online Game Period (October 6, 2009 through November 16, 2009) will earn the participant one (1) entry into the random Drawing for the chance to win $100,000. FREE Codes are not eligible for Sweepstakes entry. On or about November 17, 2009, one (1) winner will be randomly selected to receive the $100,000 prize, subject to verification and compliance with the Official Rules.

Daily and quarter hourly prizes may be available at any time during the applicable Day, or quarter hour and, once won, will not be available again until the next Day (for Daily prizes) or Quarter hour (for Quarter Hourly prizes).


Before you move on, make sure that you read a summary of the  official rules for prize list and further details.  The Monopoly game board is available online and on the side of the bags.

• Online Pre-Promotion Sweepstakes: Obtain an entry by using a FREE Code to register for the Online Game taking place in the U.S. and Canada
•  
• Collect & Win: Win by collecting Game Stamps to form "Winning Combinations" as part of the In-Store Game
•  
• Instant Win: Win instantly with "Instant Win Game Stamps" as part of the In-Store Game
• Online Game: Use the 11-digit Code found on MONOPOLY Game Stamps to play MONOPOLY Online for more chances to win instantly and/or by collecting "Online Winning Combinations" as part of the Online Game taking place in the U.S. (See Canadian Rules for Online Game in Canada.)
•  

Eligibility: You will need Internet access and a valid email address to participate in the Online Game. Open to residents of U.S., Guam, Saipan & Canada. Void in Puerto Rico, Am. Samoa & where prohibited. Must be 13 or older (ME residents must be 18 or older) to play Online. Online Game not available in Guam & Saipan; text play not available in Canada.

Twenty-eight (28) $1 Million daily opportunities, one per day (U.S. & Canada combined) Online 10/6/09 - 11/2/09 (12:00:00 midnight ET to 11:59:59 pm ET). Each day, one player will land on Chance Online and receive as a prize a next-day Monopoly Dice Roll. A roll of two (2) sixes (6&6) results in $1 Million prize, payable $50,000/year for 20 years w/o interest. Other rolls receive $10,000. See roll results at PlayatMcD.com.

Entry Dates: Game begins 10/6/09. In-Store Game ends 11/2/09, or while supplies last; Online Game ends 11/16/09 at 11:59:59 pm ET.

To participate without making a purchase, mail a legibly handwritten, self-addressed, stamped envelope ("SASE") with sufficient postage and a return address (first and last name, street address, city, state, and zip or postal code) to:

2009 MONOPOLY at McDonald's Free Game Piece Request
P.O. Box 49189
Strongsville, OH 44149-0189

DO NOT SEND POTENTIAL WINNING GAME STAMPS, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS TO THIS ADDRESS. Two (2) Game Pieces will be mailed in response to each request that complies with the requirements of the Official Rules, while supplies last. Mail-in requests, including both outer envelope and SASE, must be handwritten and must be postmarked no sooner than September 22, 2009 and must be postmarked by November 2, 2009 and received by Sponsor no later than November 6, 2009. If the In-Store Game runs long, these dates are subject to a corresponding extension. Requests from Vermont residents that are postmarked in VT may omit return postage.

I always enjoy the thrill of seeing if I can win anything here.

Yours Truly,

mediamerlin

Underlining 'Free' in 'Free Credit Report'

Story from Washington Post.

By Michelle Singletary

Sunday, October 11, 2009

I've been meaning to pull my credit reports for some time.
I, like so many others, am concerned about identity theft or uncorrected errors in my credit files that might ding my credit scores.
When I finally got around to it, I knew to go to AnnualCreditReport.com or call 877-322-8228. I haven't been fooled by those ubiquitous commercials for FreeCreditReport.com with the goofy guy playing a guitar and complaining about how his life is messed up because he didn't check his credit report.
But the Federal Trade Commission has received many complaints from consumers who were misdirected from the official centralized site. Every person is entitled to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
In an effort to help keep people from ending up on impostor sites or falling for promotions for free credit reports that aren't really free, the FTC is seeking public comment on proposed amendments to the free-report rule. The credit card legislation passed this spring requires the agency to create amendments to the law by Feb. 22, 2010, to prevent deceptive marketing of these reports.

Over the next two months, you'll have a chance to weigh in on the FTC's rulemaking effort. Do take the time to comment, especially if you feel you've been deceived. This isn't a trivial matter. These rules will dictate how you get your credit reports. Most of what the FTC is proposing will make things better, but the agency needs to be tougher.
"We are encouraging consumers and anybody else to comment," said Katherine Armstrong, an FTC lawyer. "We want to know if we got it right."
On one important rule, the FTC has it only partly right.
The agency wants to prevent the credit bureaus from offering any product or service until after consumers get their free reports. The law currently permits the credit reporting agencies to advertise their proprietary products and services through the centralized source, in this case AnnualCreditReport.com.
Once you've followed directions and entered personal information intended to make sure you are who you say you are, you will encounter advertising for credit scores and credit monitoring services. Then you have to decline the offers before obtaining your truly free credit report. I had to click through two Web pages of such marketing before getting to my report for one bureau.
Although the FTC said it recognized the potential for confusion from such marketing, it initially chose not to restrict it. Now the agency is trying to rectify that mistake.

The FTC is proposing that any advertising or marketing for products or services through the centralized source be delayed until after consumers have obtained their reports through telephone, mail or Internet requests.

The agency is also proposing that the credit bureaus remove the hyperlinks to their specific Web sites from AnnualCreditReport.com.


On the official site, there is bold red lettering that says "Start Here to view and print your credit report now." But some people assume they should click on the credit bureau links below that wording. If they do, they are navigated away from the free site. Consumers who mistakenly click on the links then see a page with products and services offered by the bureaus.

Another proposed rule would require that companies prominently inform consumers they haven't landed on the official free-report site. For example, the FTC says that if a Web site advertises a free credit report, the other site must send the consumer to a separate landing page with the required disclosure: "This is not the free credit report provided for by federal law."

One amendment would require audio disclosures about the official free reports to be delivered in a slow and deliberate manner.

To read the text of the Federal Register notice with all the proposed changes, go to http://www.ftc.gov. Comments must be received by Nov. 30.

To submit your comments electronically, go to http://public.commentworks.com/ftc/FreeCreditReportNPRM. Comments on paper should be mailed or delivered to Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 (Annex T), 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580.

The FTC should remove all advertising and marketing by the credit bureaus before, during and even after the process of getting a free credit report. It's a pain to have to worry about identity theft or mistakes when checking your credit report. People should be able to get their reports and exit the Web site without having to go through a gantlet of sales pitches. Why give the bureaus a commercial crack at all?

If the FTC really wants to end consumer confusion, AnnualCreditReport.com should be commercial-free. Right?
If you're with me, let the FTC know.
-- By mail: Readers can write to Michelle Singletary at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
-- By e-mail: singletarym@washpost.com.

We should all be aware of where we end up when we sign up for these "FREE" services.
So many times...scammers end up with a similiar likeness..site to the original..I always 
make sure that the https is there with the secure sites.

Yours Truly,


mediamerlin

Degos Disease

Original story Speak Easy

'House' Season 6, Episode 4: TV Recap

By Melinda Beck

Fox

Omar Epps as Foreman

In many ways, it was back to the same old “House” this week, with a mysterious illness, tangled interpersonal relationships, even a fleeting diagnosis of lupus–before House’s brilliance saved the day.
The medical mystery involved a billionaire dad with the Midas touch – everything he encountered turned to gold, except his family. “It’s karma,” he said. “First my wife, then my son.” We never did learn what happened to his wife, but it must have been bad. Now his son had a life-threatening illness, and he insisted that House figure out what’s wrong.
Cuddy told him House was unavailable, but ended up conceding that House could advise (read: continue to drive Foreman crazy.) There was the usual merry-go-round of possible diagnoses: impacted bowel due to weakened colon nerves (does that really mean constipation?) . . . no, brain cancer…  no, abdominal cancer … no, abdominal epilepsy, with severe malnutrition.. . no, wait, what are all those spots appearing right before the commercial?
Meanwhile, Chase and Foreman were preoccupied trying to figure out how to present President Dibala’s case at the upcoming M&M conference (that stands for Morbidity and Mortality, when the highly suspicious deaths are discussed).
You’ll recall from last week that the visiting African dictator, who was planning to murder half a million of his people once he was discharged from Princeton-Plainsboro, died of a rare misdiagnosis, which occurred after blood from a corpse in the morgue was – oddly enough – misplaced for his, leading the usually infallible doctors to think he had scleroderma, and give him the wrong treatment, which is what really killed him. That was Chase’s moralistic handiwork, but Foreman helped cover it up, and that put Foreman on the hot seat. They had covered their tracks …  except for a telltale 20% discrepancy between the corpse’s cholesterol and the dictator’s, and Cameron’s growing suspicions that her new husband is keeping something from her…
The third plot involved Thirteen’s departure –  from Princeton-Plainsboro and the U.S.  She was heading to Thailand, only to find her plane reservation cancelled. Was it Foreman desperately wanting her back, after firing her last week? Was it House, desperately needing her on the team? She decided it was Wilson, who conceded, “you’re the only one House hasn’t been able to suck into his crazy vortex.”
Back to the sick kid, whom the doctors decided had Degos’ disease (good thing I have a medical dictionary handy). It causes the micro blood vessels in the brain, skin and GI tract to break down, and causes papules on the penis. There’s no treatment. It’s incurable.
House: “I’m sorry. I wish there was something we could do.”
Dad:  “How long?”
House: “Not much longer.. a day at the most.”
The billionaire then took matters into his own hands and summoned his lawyers to get rid of his assets, reasoning that God will treat him better, and cure his son, if he’s broke. The suits told him he was insane, irrational, and will destroy his company and all those who depend on him. But he signed the papers and his son promptly flatlined, with the long beeeeeep of impending death, prompting the doctors to work furiously to bring him back..
Apparently Wilson hadn’t cancelled Thirteen’s plane reservation after all.  “Why don’t you just admit you like having her around?” he asked House.
“Because I was born with a heart three sizes too small,” House said.
Wait – that’s it! With five minutes left, House, as usual, got the inspiration he needed all along.
It was primary antiphospholipid syndrome – (an autoimmune disorder that causes blood clots in arteries and veins, according to Merck.)  Start the boy on heparin and prednisone and he’ll be fine, House said.
And so will Chase and Foreman, thanks to the mysterious appearance of lab reports showing that President Dibala’s former doctors were prescribing high doses of a drug to boost his HDL cholesterol, which could easily explain some unusual blood test results. Chase hadn’t requested the lab reports. Foreman hadn’t either, which means it could only have been…. ..
Chase confronted House and asked him how he’d thought of it. “He was an old black guy… I knew he had to be taking something for his cholesterol,” House said.
Chase: “You don’t think I should be fired?”
House: “Better a murderer than a misdiagnosis.”
Chase: “Whether you want to be in charge or not, you are, and you always will be.”


Viewers: Have we seen the last of Thirteen? Can Chase and Cameron’s marriage be saved? And can the fascinating House-is-crazy plot detour really be over so fast?


These are all good questions but my main one would be can Foreman really be  a leader?

Yours Truly,

mediamerlin

Mystery Google: Surprise Yourself With Someone Else's Search Engine

Story found HERE!

Mystery Google is a bit spooky, a bit social, and all in all a strange search engine full of surprises.
What does it do? Type in a search term on Mystery Google, and you get back "what the people before you searched for."
For example, we tried typing in "Huff Post" and got back the search results for a different user's query for "thank you."
It's a nifty way to know what other people are exploring on the web, and a cool spin of the online roulette.
We also learned a thing or two that we wouldn't have gone looking for otherwise (did you know "barak llahu fik" means thank you in Moroccan Arabic? We didn't).
Give it a try, let us know what you think.

  

I think it might be interesting to see how this looks....

Yours Truly

mediamerlin