Some books have been on my "want to read" list for many years...Atlas Shrugged being one of them, but it was one that I didn't know if I'd ever get around to it. I actually didn't know anything about it besides it was supposed to be excellent. I finally did get around to it and on the whole I really loved it...but still have mixed feelings about parts of it.
When I was looking for a book on CD to listen to while going to Vegas and back in August, I saw "Atlas Shrugged" and grabbed it...finding out later that the 26 disc set was only half the set. 50 CDs and 63 hours of listening pleasure...only I wound up checking the book out of the high school library this week so I could finish it more quickly (reading goes faster than listening to the CDs).
Basic theme: socialism doesn't work and the free market system does.
Basic run down...there are a few industrialists working hard to keep their industries going in spite of governmental interference because, according to the government, everything should be done for the common good--meaning lots of regulations and "evening of the playing field" by taking from those that have and deserve to give to those that don't have and don't deserve. The industrialists start disappearing one by one just when their sector is about to go under (they are "on strike"...and Glen tells me the original title to the book was "Strike.")
I was fascinated by the story line and really couldn't wait to see how it would all play out. However, there were a few things that keep me from being totally thrilled: the love affairs of the main character Dagny, the fact that there wasn't any middle ground for some things (ie the socialists believed in all mercy and no justice while John Galt's people were all about justice and I didn't see much mercy going on), and then at the end Dagny kills a man when I don't understand why she didn't just wound him...she's a murderer in my eyes. Big bummer for me. Then, in the end, why wasn't Eddie brought to Atlantis?! He was so deserving!
Very thought provoking. They probably could have (and probably somewhere do have) college courses devoted to some of the monologues (Francisco's on money goes for about 5 pages, but John Galt's on evil, morality, socialism, looters, etc. goes on for 50 pages and I admit, I didn't understand a lot of it). The characters were all or nothing however...like the mercy and justice concept. They didn't have any "normal" people featured in the book...they were either totally greedy, sniveling idiots (though that was really fun to see the whiners get their due) or were rich and super intelligent.
The other thing besides money that I often notice in books (due to the fact that I'm not rich or thin) is that every good person seems to be beautiful, handsome, and has a great body...flat stomach, good curves, etc. So, Dagny, who spends 90% of her awake time at her desk (and half of her sleep-time, too), has this gorgeous body...and there is no evidence that she ever exercised besides the few crises where she had to run down to the railroad tracks. The good guys with the flat stomachs...we don't know enough about them to see if they get to exercise or not. The bad guys are the ones described as being the ones with extra flesh... Like I said, I guess I notice those things because of my state, and they really don't mean much, but I do notice them.
My next read from the list of books that have been on my "want to read" list for too long: Paradise Lost by John Milton. And I'm hoping the library can get in a Les Miserables book on CD for me (though they only have abridged copies available at the other branches and my sister says the unabridged is the best).
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
revised ed week schedule
Denise and I got our room assignment-3203 Merrill Hall. Why are we always on the 3rd floor? But Merrill Hall is the closest to the cafeteria.
I've made several changes from my previous picks...even of classes that I originally really wanted to go to. I hope I can get in to the classes I want.
MONDAY
8:30 Look to Christ in Every Thought; Doubt not, fear not (Ehlers)
9:50 Obedience and Freedom: Opposite Sides of the Same Coin (Ehlers)
11:10 no class
12:30 Up the Down Economy--America’s Financial Future (Marsh)
I really want this one. Love Scott Marsh, plus I hear hyperinflation is coming (first deflation and then hyperinflation) and I want to know more about it.
1:50 The Word of Wisdom--”The Do’s” (Petersen)
3:10 What Physical Evidence at Carthage Jail Reveals about the Assassinations of Joseph and Hyrum Smith (Lyon)
TUESDAY
8:30 Stretching the Grocery Dollar--An Avenue to Food Storage and Extra Money! (Osborne)
can I just say when "exclamation points!" are used in a class titled it makes me hesitate to go...I'm afraid the teacher will be too peppy for my taste...silly isn't it?
9:50 The Trials and Tests of Abraham (Williams)
11:10 Devotional with Elder Snow
12:30 Chemistry: Creating meaningful connections between how his brain works and how her brain works (Wrigley)
1:50 Parents Presenting the moral--Making the Gospel the Lens through Which We View the World and not Vice Versa ( Terrance D. Olson)
3:10 no class
4:30 Finding Faith--Have you seen His hand? (Gubler)
5:50 Was It a Prompting or Was It Just Me? (Hinckley)
7:10 Blog your family history (Summers)
8:30 Pondering and reflecting invites revelation (Erickson)
WEDNESDAY
8:30 Speaking in Sacrament Meeting--Develop Your Message (Witt)
I would really like to improve my speaking skills...for the audience's sake as well as mine
9:50 The Family Meeting: How to make FHE, scripture studies, and Recreation more effective and worthwhile (Schmidt)
11:10 Raising children to learn by the Holy Ghost (Bothell)
12:30 Communication Skills are no substitute for Christlike attributes (Bytheway)
How can you not go to a John Bytheway class when you have a chance...even when it's a topic you normally may not choose?
1:50 Ancestor Immigration and Migration: Keys to Unlocking Family History (Ewell)
Maybe this class will help me find HannahWestover and her husband Mr. Newman (William? Thomas?) in England before they came over in the early 1800s.
3:10 no class
4:30 Preparing Our Children--Setting Standards and Expectations (Anderson)
5:50 Emergency Preparedness, not paranoia: The right frame of mind (Ehlers)
7:10 We are spiritual beings who need to create and work hard (Erickson)
8:30 Good, Better, Best: Putting that which matters most, first (Benson)
THURSDAY
8:30 Speaking in Sacrament Meeting--Organize Your Message (Witt)
9:50 Discernment: Telling Real Heroes from the Real Villains (Bartholomew)
11:10 Revelation--Receiving the Mind and the Will of the Lord (Bird)
12:30 A model for creating emotionally intimate relationships (Scoresby)
1:50 Kitchen Nutrition--What Are My Choices? (Nyland)
3:10 no class
4:30 Doing the things that we know we should do (Stevenson)
5:50 Preparedness: “Here a little and there a little” (Ehlers)
7:10 The Declaration of Independence, the Bible, and Latter-day Scripture (Moseley)
8:30 Teaching Children to Excel Scholastically: The Benefits of a Nurturing Environment (Ricks)
FRIDAY
8:30 Debt-Free Living: Debt Free and Loving It (Sudweeks)
9:50 Unusual Old Testament Stories (Williams)
11:10 Inspired Leadership is our aspiration (Dew)
Just like the class from John Bytheway, how can you pass up Sheri Dew if you have the chance to see her live regardless of the topic (leadership, sad to say, is not something I'm interested in, though I should be)
12:30 To Be and To Do: getting it all together (Scoresby)
1:50 Eating and Health--What’s the Link? (Fullmer)
3:10 no class
4:30 Maximizing Prosperity through Scriptural and Prophetic Wisdom (Marsh)
5:50 Using your provisions in the “Eye of the storm” (Ehlers)
7:10 no class
8:30 Teaching your children good lifetime money habits (Milne)
For those of you who got the newest BYU Magazine, there is an article on page 24 about Financial Myths by Bryan Sudweeks (one of the Ed Week presenters). If you don't get the BYU Magazine, here is a link to the article:
http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=2647
Will I be able to sneak out for a bit on Friday and buy some peaches? The 14 jars we canned won't last long.
I've made several changes from my previous picks...even of classes that I originally really wanted to go to. I hope I can get in to the classes I want.
MONDAY
8:30 Look to Christ in Every Thought; Doubt not, fear not (Ehlers)
9:50 Obedience and Freedom: Opposite Sides of the Same Coin (Ehlers)
11:10 no class
12:30 Up the Down Economy--America’s Financial Future (Marsh)
I really want this one. Love Scott Marsh, plus I hear hyperinflation is coming (first deflation and then hyperinflation) and I want to know more about it.
1:50 The Word of Wisdom--”The Do’s” (Petersen)
3:10 What Physical Evidence at Carthage Jail Reveals about the Assassinations of Joseph and Hyrum Smith (Lyon)
TUESDAY
8:30 Stretching the Grocery Dollar--An Avenue to Food Storage and Extra Money! (Osborne)
can I just say when "exclamation points!" are used in a class titled it makes me hesitate to go...I'm afraid the teacher will be too peppy for my taste...silly isn't it?
9:50 The Trials and Tests of Abraham (Williams)
11:10 Devotional with Elder Snow
12:30 Chemistry: Creating meaningful connections between how his brain works and how her brain works (Wrigley)
1:50 Parents Presenting the moral--Making the Gospel the Lens through Which We View the World and not Vice Versa ( Terrance D. Olson)
3:10 no class
4:30 Finding Faith--Have you seen His hand? (Gubler)
5:50 Was It a Prompting or Was It Just Me? (Hinckley)
7:10 Blog your family history (Summers)
8:30 Pondering and reflecting invites revelation (Erickson)
WEDNESDAY
8:30 Speaking in Sacrament Meeting--Develop Your Message (Witt)
I would really like to improve my speaking skills...for the audience's sake as well as mine
9:50 The Family Meeting: How to make FHE, scripture studies, and Recreation more effective and worthwhile (Schmidt)
11:10 Raising children to learn by the Holy Ghost (Bothell)
12:30 Communication Skills are no substitute for Christlike attributes (Bytheway)
How can you not go to a John Bytheway class when you have a chance...even when it's a topic you normally may not choose?
1:50 Ancestor Immigration and Migration: Keys to Unlocking Family History (Ewell)
Maybe this class will help me find HannahWestover and her husband Mr. Newman (William? Thomas?) in England before they came over in the early 1800s.
3:10 no class
4:30 Preparing Our Children--Setting Standards and Expectations (Anderson)
5:50 Emergency Preparedness, not paranoia: The right frame of mind (Ehlers)
7:10 We are spiritual beings who need to create and work hard (Erickson)
8:30 Good, Better, Best: Putting that which matters most, first (Benson)
THURSDAY
8:30 Speaking in Sacrament Meeting--Organize Your Message (Witt)
9:50 Discernment: Telling Real Heroes from the Real Villains (Bartholomew)
11:10 Revelation--Receiving the Mind and the Will of the Lord (Bird)
12:30 A model for creating emotionally intimate relationships (Scoresby)
1:50 Kitchen Nutrition--What Are My Choices? (Nyland)
3:10 no class
4:30 Doing the things that we know we should do (Stevenson)
5:50 Preparedness: “Here a little and there a little” (Ehlers)
7:10 The Declaration of Independence, the Bible, and Latter-day Scripture (Moseley)
8:30 Teaching Children to Excel Scholastically: The Benefits of a Nurturing Environment (Ricks)
FRIDAY
8:30 Debt-Free Living: Debt Free and Loving It (Sudweeks)
9:50 Unusual Old Testament Stories (Williams)
11:10 Inspired Leadership is our aspiration (Dew)
Just like the class from John Bytheway, how can you pass up Sheri Dew if you have the chance to see her live regardless of the topic (leadership, sad to say, is not something I'm interested in, though I should be)
12:30 To Be and To Do: getting it all together (Scoresby)
1:50 Eating and Health--What’s the Link? (Fullmer)
3:10 no class
4:30 Maximizing Prosperity through Scriptural and Prophetic Wisdom (Marsh)
5:50 Using your provisions in the “Eye of the storm” (Ehlers)
7:10 no class
8:30 Teaching your children good lifetime money habits (Milne)
For those of you who got the newest BYU Magazine, there is an article on page 24 about Financial Myths by Bryan Sudweeks (one of the Ed Week presenters). If you don't get the BYU Magazine, here is a link to the article:
http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=2647
Will I be able to sneak out for a bit on Friday and buy some peaches? The 14 jars we canned won't last long.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Ed Week insanity
My Ed Week schedule has not even arrived in the mail yet, but it has been available online since June 24th. I've printed it out and poured over it. I try to pick topics I need and topics I am interested in, of course. The topics I need remain steady, but depending on the day, the topics I am interested in might change. So, I have my classes planned...and, of course, the classes I have chosen are subject to change, but here it what I have (classes I really want to attend are in bold):
8:30-9:25 am
Monday Look to Christ in Every Thought; Doubt not, Fear not (Ehlers)
Tuesday Nine Myths of Family Finance: What Wise Financial Stewarts Know (Sudweeks) Wednesday Understanding Personal Revelation part 2 (Bartholomew)
Thursday Consecration and Sacrifice (Edmunds)
Friday Choosing Zion (Edmunds)
9:50-10:25
Monday Obedience and Freedom: Opposite Sides of the Same Coin (Ehlers)
Tuesday The Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth (Norman)
Wednesday The Family Meeting: How to make FHE, scripture studies, and Recreation more effective and worthwhile (Schmidt)
Thursday Discernment: Telling Real Heroes from the Real Villains (Bartholomew)
Friday Unusual Old Testament Stories (Williams)
11:10-12:05
Monday “No More Disposition to do Evil” (Petersen)
Tuesday Devotional with Elder Snow
Wednesday Raising children to learn by the Holy Ghost (Bothell)
Thursday Leadership doesn’t just happen (Dew)
Friday Inspired Leadership is our aspiration (Dew)
12:30-1:25
Monday Up the Down Economy--America’s Financial Future (Marsh)
Tuesday Chemistry: Creating Meaningful connections between how his brain works and how her brain works (Wrigley)
Wednesday Communication Skills are no substitute for Christlike attributes (Bytheway)
Thursday A model for creating emotionally intimate relationships (Scoresby)
Friday To Be and To Do: getting it all together (Scoresby)
1:50-2:45
Monday The Word of Wisdom--”The Do’s” (Petersen)
Tuesday Parents Presenting the moral--Making the Gospel the Lens through Which We View the World and not Vice Versa ( Terrance D. Olson)
Wednesday Ancestor Immigration and Migration: Keys to Unlocking Family History (Ewell) Thursday Symbols of Exaltation: the Tree of Life and the Ancient Tabernacle (Line)
Friday Symbols of Redemption: The Parables of Jesus--Symbolic Stories of the Atonement (Line)
3:10-4:05
Monday Physical Evidence at Carthage Jail & What it Reveals abt the Assassinations of Joseph Smith & Hyram Smith (Lyon)
Tuesday eat
Wednesday eat
Thursday eat
Friday eat
4:30-5:25
Tuesday Finding Faith--Have you seen His hand? (Gubler)
Wednesday Wiki.FamilySearch.org and Record Search (Summers)
Thursday Doing the things that we know we should do (Stevenson)
Friday “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear”--a personal approach (Anderson)
5:50-6:45
Tuesday Was it a prompting, or was it just me? (Kevin Hinckley)
Wednesday Emergency Preparedness, not paranoia: The right frame of mind (Ehlers)
Thursday Preparedness: “Here a little and there a little” (Ehlers)
Friday Using your provisions in the “Eye of the storm” (Ehlers)
7:10-8:05
Tuesday Blog your family history (Summers)
Wednesday We are spiritual beings who need to create and work hard (Erickson)
Thursday The Declaration of Independence, the Bible, and Latter-day Scripture (Moseley)
Friday The Integrity and Guiding Principles of the Leading Signers and Framers (Moseley)
8:30-9:25 pm
Tuesday Pondering and reflecting invites revelation (Erickson)
Wednesday Good, Better, Best: Putting that which matters most, first (Benson)
Thursday Boss your money around: More savings and less debt (Milne)
Friday Teaching your children good lifetime money habits (Milne)
8:30-9:25 am
Monday Look to Christ in Every Thought; Doubt not, Fear not (Ehlers)
Tuesday Nine Myths of Family Finance: What Wise Financial Stewarts Know (Sudweeks) Wednesday Understanding Personal Revelation part 2 (Bartholomew)
Thursday Consecration and Sacrifice (Edmunds)
Friday Choosing Zion (Edmunds)
9:50-10:25
Monday Obedience and Freedom: Opposite Sides of the Same Coin (Ehlers)
Tuesday The Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth (Norman)
Wednesday The Family Meeting: How to make FHE, scripture studies, and Recreation more effective and worthwhile (Schmidt)
Thursday Discernment: Telling Real Heroes from the Real Villains (Bartholomew)
Friday Unusual Old Testament Stories (Williams)
11:10-12:05
Monday “No More Disposition to do Evil” (Petersen)
Tuesday Devotional with Elder Snow
Wednesday Raising children to learn by the Holy Ghost (Bothell)
Thursday Leadership doesn’t just happen (Dew)
Friday Inspired Leadership is our aspiration (Dew)
12:30-1:25
Monday Up the Down Economy--America’s Financial Future (Marsh)
Tuesday Chemistry: Creating Meaningful connections between how his brain works and how her brain works (Wrigley)
Wednesday Communication Skills are no substitute for Christlike attributes (Bytheway)
Thursday A model for creating emotionally intimate relationships (Scoresby)
Friday To Be and To Do: getting it all together (Scoresby)
1:50-2:45
Monday The Word of Wisdom--”The Do’s” (Petersen)
Tuesday Parents Presenting the moral--Making the Gospel the Lens through Which We View the World and not Vice Versa ( Terrance D. Olson)
Wednesday Ancestor Immigration and Migration: Keys to Unlocking Family History (Ewell) Thursday Symbols of Exaltation: the Tree of Life and the Ancient Tabernacle (Line)
Friday Symbols of Redemption: The Parables of Jesus--Symbolic Stories of the Atonement (Line)
3:10-4:05
Monday Physical Evidence at Carthage Jail & What it Reveals abt the Assassinations of Joseph Smith & Hyram Smith (Lyon)
Tuesday eat
Wednesday eat
Thursday eat
Friday eat
4:30-5:25
Tuesday Finding Faith--Have you seen His hand? (Gubler)
Wednesday Wiki.FamilySearch.org and Record Search (Summers)
Thursday Doing the things that we know we should do (Stevenson)
Friday “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear”--a personal approach (Anderson)
5:50-6:45
Tuesday Was it a prompting, or was it just me? (Kevin Hinckley)
Wednesday Emergency Preparedness, not paranoia: The right frame of mind (Ehlers)
Thursday Preparedness: “Here a little and there a little” (Ehlers)
Friday Using your provisions in the “Eye of the storm” (Ehlers)
7:10-8:05
Tuesday Blog your family history (Summers)
Wednesday We are spiritual beings who need to create and work hard (Erickson)
Thursday The Declaration of Independence, the Bible, and Latter-day Scripture (Moseley)
Friday The Integrity and Guiding Principles of the Leading Signers and Framers (Moseley)
8:30-9:25 pm
Tuesday Pondering and reflecting invites revelation (Erickson)
Wednesday Good, Better, Best: Putting that which matters most, first (Benson)
Thursday Boss your money around: More savings and less debt (Milne)
Friday Teaching your children good lifetime money habits (Milne)
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