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freeonlineswapbooks-blog · 11 years

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Feeling at Home - Defining Who You Are & How You Want to Live

What does “home” mean to you?

I was thinking about the meaning of home this afternoon as I was running errands and listening to Michael Buble’s Home on the radio. For the song, home is a person, someone he loves. But to me, it is more than that.

Home is a place where I can be embraced by comfort, warmth, safety and security. A place that nurtures family, but also supports my individuality.

The Power of Feeling at Home

What I love about this book is her beautiful writing about how powerful it is to feel at home and how important it is to create that in your own home. I am presenting a lot of her thoughts here so that you can get a feel for her way of thinking.

Creating home may be accomplished as you decorate but it is about far, far more than window treatments and furniture placement.

Defining Who You Are

In the first chapter, Stoddard begins by telling a story about her daughter’s sense of home in Paris, where she now lives. The story leads to an exercise she suggests for the readers…

What are the ten best words you could use to define yourself? Take a few minutes to compose your own list and then, I will share mine….

Okay, here’s my confession. I did this twice. I loved the ten words, but loved the ten phrases even better…

My Ten Words: healing, spiritual, nature, writing, singing, family, reader, orange, brown, tea.

My Ten Phrases:

meant to heal

contemplative spirituality

connection to nature

write at home

singing my heart out

close family

voracious reader

orange with brown

dresses and long skirts

tea and meditation

What’s your list of descriptive words or phrases?

But even more important is how it feels to see yourself in words that way. For me, it feels deeply affirming. Like a celebration of who I am. Does it feel that way to you?

That is how it should feel to be at home!

Keep a Home Journal

The author suggests that as you read the book, you keep a notebook and fill it with what you learn and discover about yourself and what feels important to create in your home. The book contains other great exercises for defining yourself and questions along the way to help you explore what is meaningful to you.

“Think of this book as a place to discover your own personal truth. By getting in tune and in touch with your truths, you can create a home that echoes your true spirit.” -Alexandra Stoddard, Feeling at Home: Defining Who You Are and How You Want to Live

#alexandra stoddard #feeling at home #how to decorate your home #how to decorate your house

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Caleb's Branch

This is certainly an unusual tale. Here we have Caleb, a child from a single and destitute mother, who is taken in by a trusted friend of the family. The father figure for Caleb has never been a father; he is not married and has little experience with children. Despite all of this, the two blend well together and create their own version of “family” – with just the two of them.

Issues from raising a child as a single father, without a mother’s presence and tackling stereotyped views that a man cannot adopt a child by himself were raised in a compelling manor right from the start. Difficulties in handling corrupt and ruined systems in some medical and childcare arenas are also raised with strong emotion. The author brings up the fact that schools who teach children as a generic mass rather than focusing on the individual, leave too many children on their own. Careless doctors, thoughtless education systems, unreasonable and unbending childcare rules… All of these are addressed in Caleb’s Branch.

Young Caleb is a gifted and abused child that is overdosed with prescription drugs, strung out and hyper active when he arrives at his new home. He has a secret ability to see things that others cannot. The author uses this to slip back in time to the family who lived on the same piece land generations ago, where we are shown another kind of a father-son relationship.

Often justifiable, but tiring and emotional rants were used to relay the rage and frustration felt by the new father in this story. The writing style was definitely descriptive -sometimes a little over descriptive for my tastes. The way the author concluded Caleb’s Branch had me wondering if I had missed some pages, because it didn’t really conclude. It is painfully obvious that there will be a book two on the slate, which might provide the explanations and closure that are missing in this book.

Caleb’s Branch, a relatively large book with over 400 pages, is difficult to classify. It is a family story with mysterious and paranormal occurrences that involves two families separated by generations, yet connected through a little boy named Caleb and the land they have all called “home”. I thought it was particularly interesting that the author showed how having children can sometimes bring a new understanding of our upbringing and our parents – and therefore, of our selves.

#adoption #book review #family #problem child

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Everything I Needed to Know About Business I Learned in the Barnyard by Don Aslett

“Everything I Needed To Know About Business I Learned In The Barnyard” by Don Aslett is an enjoyable book that is just what is says it is, “The Business Basics Handbook.” If you are familiar with Aslett’s direct down to earth style, that’s just what you get in this book. The lessons he shares were learned in the Barnyard, but they can apply to just about anywhere.

While I didn’t grow up on a farm, I spent time on them growing up in North Dakota and Montana, so I could definitely relate to many of the stories and lessons Aslett shares about growing up. I also found the advice down to earth and extremely practical. You could say it’s just common sense. Aslett would most likely agree. The question then becomes, “why aren’t more people following the common sense advice and succeeding more?”

It’s a quick read of 116 pages with many illustrations those familiar with Aslett’s books have come to expect. I think some of the humorous illustrations help bring the points home and make them stand out. For instance, one early lesson is “Roost high!” Rather than explain, there is a picture of a chicken who has dropping from another chicken landing on its head. The caption says, “You can figure that one out yourself.”

There’s nothing here that doesn’t make sense. Again, many people probably heard the same advice growing up. I know I did. But I really applaud Aslett for putting the lessons in this fun to read book. We all could use a reminder once in a while. Reminders like, “A dull knife is worse than no knife at all,” “The secret of early and late,” “Empty corrals still cost,” It’s not the cost of the chicken, it’s the cost of the feed,” and many, many more.

All of the advice comes in little sections that include many real life examples from Aslett’s time on the farm and running successful businesses with the principles he learned growing up and doing barnyard chores. If you enjoy Aslett, you will enjoy this book. If you are new to Aslett, this is a good book to start with if you want some down home common sense advice on running a business based on barnyard principles. I enjoyed it and try to incorporate and live by many of these ideas.

#business basics #business basics handbook #common sense #Don Aslett #management

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Professor Kingsfield

In the novel The Paper Chase by John Osborn one of the most important characters was Professor Kingsfield. The setting was law school and the professor was instrumental in teaching the young students to become good lawyers. The student’s feelings were obviously no concern to Kingsfield as he sole focus is on providing the most value as possible as a teacher to his students. His lectures were so well planned and precise that they were able to finish the last page of the reading material during the last minute of class time which meant they never fell behind or got ahead of his planned schedule.

The author Osborn, Jr. paints the character of Professor Kingsfield as the quintessential successful and respected lawyer. He seemed to obtain every necessary characteristic to be successful in field of law. Kingsfield’s intelligence, time management, and work ethic were a few examples of the qualities that made quite the impression on Hart and the other Law students.

One night when Hart was walking through campus he bumped into his friend Anderson and said, “Hey, you’re looking into Kingsfield’s office,” Hard said, his mouth rounding in a smile. “You really can see in from back here, can’t you.”

It made him feel close to Anderson. “I’m not watching him,” Anderson said stiffly. “I’m studying him.”

“Studying him?” Hart said.

“I want to learn how best to maximize my time, so I use him as a model. It’s all related to grade point.”

For anyone to be peering into a window in the middle of the night to study a person’s actions to help with their own time management gives insight into how brilliant Kingsfield is. This is because the essence of Anderson’s actions seems to be the epitome of not usefully spending your time.

The teacher was clearly one of the most efficient people that Hart had ever met. It is important to use these role models as mentors in the future. For these law students the more work they put in during school will help them with their cases in the future.

#brilliant kingsfield #class time #law students #professor kingsfield #sole focus #Time Management

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Be Special - Be Yourself for Teenagers By Ronit Baras

Instead of writing a review from my own point of view, I’m going to present here a collection of reviews by some teens, as well as some grown-ups.

“I wish I’d had this book when I was a teenager and I also wish I’d had it when my children were younger. Be Special, Be Yourself is very wise and inspiring on a lot of everyday topics that aren’t discussed much.”

- Sandra Hogan, Public Affairs manager

“I really love the book. We face peer pressure every day, so it’s cool to read a book that goes against everything people look for. Be happy with yourself, you are the only person you will answer to, in the end. If you have enough determination, you can do anything. Be Special, Be Yourself is on of my top 10 book list. I love it! There is really hope!”

- Stephanie Cook, 16 years old

“Be Special, Be Yourself says you might try something and fail, but trying it differently will give you different results. It beautifully shows that not everyone who looks perfect has a perfect life. Keep trying, no matter what. The greatest massage to parents and teenagers is ‘Never give up. There’s always a way through’. I loved it!”

- Jennifer Masterton, 16 years old

“I liked Curly Line with Flowers very much. Reading the dyslexic writing with intelligent thoughts was very graphic. The Building of Life was my favorite story. I like the ideas very much, and the way the thought processes developed to the very provocative conclusion. Biography so beautifully shows adults and teenagers that we need to appreciate who we are and what we have and feel free to show love to our loved ones.”

- Annique Goldberg, mother, skipper and world traveler

“Be Special, Be Yourself has taught me that being different can be a good thing and we shouldn’t change our beliefs just because they’re not what most people think. People are special not because of how beautiful or popular they are, but because of what kind of person they are inside. The book encouraged me not to be afraid to ask for help. No matter what problem you have, there will always be someone there to help you and someone to listen to you and you should never give up. I learned that if I try my hardest, I will get what I want and that sometimes the things that I want most can be right under my nose…”

- Penny Johnston, 14 years old

“This enjoyable and original book is special on so many levels – from the imaginative story lines, to the way it creatively and sensitively deals with issues of relevance to both teenagers and adults. Be Special, Be Yourself is an absorbing read, which stimulates our thinking about human nature and how we deal with love, acceptance of self, finding personal strength and the understanding and acceptance of the differences which define us as individuals. The interest created by the inter-woven storylines, particularly in Love Me, Love Me Not, are especially enjoyable as we trace the invisible emotional connections the characters have with one another. Be Special, Be Yourself contains positive, inspiring life messages for young and old.”

- Tamara Luski, Music teacher

“Be Special, Be Yourself helped me accept people the way they are. It taught me that it’s what’s inside that counts. It tells us teenagers to love our parent and be thankful for what we’ve got. It is a great way of saying to parents ‘be supportive and never give up on your kids’.”

- Geneva Goldberg, 12 years old

“Be Special, Be Yourself has a powerful message to ease the struggle between power/authority/conformity and the need to express. We’re entering the stage of life when we have to start taking other people into account. It helps teenagers see why they shouldn’t judge people before they get to know them. I feel it’s a real eye opener. As teenagers, we need this book.”

- Clare Richmond, 16 years old

“This collection of stories samples a wide range of significant social and emotional experiences in the lives of a range of young adults, their friends and families. Ronit has managed to convey deep wisdom and sage advice about values and behavior, self esteem and relationships, in a style which refrains from preaching, but rather allows characters, events and storylines to illuminate issues, struggles and resolutions, in a manner which is particularly engaging for young people. It strikes me as an ideal teaching resource for the study of society and personal development.”

- Maria Delaney, teacher

#inspiration #parents #ronit baras #short stories #teachers #teen #teenager

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Book Review - Our Oneness In Christ By Ian Johnson And Lauston Stephens

Consistently Living Together As One In Christ

“Our Oneness in Christ” is a refreshing, reminder of the need to live consistent with our position as believers. We are one with Christ and in Christ. Ian Johnson and Lauston Stephens provide insights often overlooked in today’s literature, pulpits, and seminaries. These important truths are often overshadowed by church tradition, denominational dogma, and individual indifference or prejudice.

Section one of the book answers the question: Why living consistently in oneness with Christ is important. The authors consider God’s expectation of the believer, the benefits and pitfalls of living in conflict to this truth. The narrative goes on to reflect on what oneness in Christ is and is not, including the many different concepts held among Christians regarding living in harmony. The final chapters deal with stumbling blocks to living in oneness. These include misunderstanding of concepts on authority, submission, heresy and the dissimilarity between the essential church and the ordered church.

I personally was moved by the thoughts from John 17 as Jesus prayed to the Father for oneness to be manifest among the believers.

“Our Oneness in Christ” is a book written on an important subject in layman’s language. The supporting scriptures reinforce the importance of the subject matter. Detailed bibliography and thorough end notes make this an excellent reference book and resource tool for future study, for adult Bible classes, small group Bible studies, or individual study. This is a much needed book on a subject close to God’s own heart.

As Reviewed for Midwest Book Review

#Christian Living #doctrine #Ian Johnson #Lauston Stephens #Theology

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Joyful Wisdom

Joyful Wisdom by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is my favorite book I have read recently. I’ve never tried meditation or studied Buddhism but have always been interested in the concepts of it, such as focusing your mind and being at peace. Also I like it because it may help to quiet the anxieties and troubles that the world’s imprint leaves on me (and you). The author states that Buddhist meditation practice provides “the opportunity to use difficult conditions- and the disturbing emotions that usually accompany them- to unlock the power and potential of the human mind.” Sounds great to me!

What really hit home for me was the emotional/thought management techniques. Basically through meditation and practice a person can separate their thoughts and emotions and view them more objectively (kind of like when you see yourself in a dream, you see yourself in third person, outside of yourself). There are many important reasons for separating out your thoughts and emotions. First, you are no longer allowing your thoughts and emotions to control you which allows you to become liberated from them. I can appreciate this concept because throughout my life I’ve had issues with depression, anxiety, and anger. By distancing yourself from your thoughts and emotions it allows you to view them objectively, and many times quell them. It prevents you from being negatively effected and upset by the ups and downs that emotions and thoughts can have on your body and mind.

Also, you no longer define yourself by your thoughts and emotions (which change so frequently and are so flighty!). You start to recognize that you are having certain thoughts or emotions, but don’t incorporate that into your self worth (ex: I am having depressing and lonely thoughts and feelings versus I am a depressed and lonely person). This will allow you to feel a variety of emotions and think many different thoughts without it effecting your self-esteem. This was a real mind blower for me!

Although the author is Buddhist these concepts and ideas can be practiced along with, and complement many other religions. For example, a central concept of the book is learning to empathize with others and practice loving kindness towards everyone. As a Christian, his ideas on how to develop empathy really helped me. Lately I have felt pretty closed off and sometimes pessimistic towards others in my life and the human race. I plan on incorporating his ideas and meditation techniques to try to help me feel more interconnected to the human race again:).

Also fascinating was the lack of “individualism” in Buddhism. He explains that in western culture there is so much pressure on the self- finding yourself, making yourself happy. This is really a moot point. People are constantly changing, even on a cellular level. Obviously the person you are today is not the same person you were 5 years ago, or even 1 year ago. So, in western culture we are continuously trying to “find” ourselves, when a real defined, unchanging self simply does not exist. I really identified with this, and have never really been introduced to such a radical perspective.

Although the author is Buddhist these concepts and ideas can be practiced along with, and complement many other religions. For example, a central concept of the book is learning to empathize with others and practice loving kindness towards everyone. As a Christian, his ideas on how to develop empathy really helped me. Lately I have felt pretty closed off and sometimes pessimistic towards others in my life and the human race. I plan on incorporating his ideas and meditation techniques to try to help me feel more interconnected to the human race again:).

Anyways, the book was very well-written, relatable, and fun to read. A definite two thumbs up, anyone can learn from it and become a more enlightened person.

#Buddhism #buddhist #emotion management #joy #meditation #self #self improvement #wisdom

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Hold 'em Poker For Advanced Players - A Review

Texas Hold ‘em Poker is not something that is not familiar to people any longer these days. As a matter of fact, it has turned out to be a game that has the biggest fans base in the world today. Due to this, there have been quite a few poker guide books published. But one good book that may actually help people win may be the book that is written by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth entitled Hold ‘em Poker for Advanced Players.

The book categorizes the starting hands to 8 categories. The book also explains how people should play each category in different situations. The book also emphasizes that raising will give players better chance instead of calling in the conditions where:

There has not been any other player that enters the pot formerly.

The player has got a considerably playable hand.

The player assumes that there is a reasonably good chance – a percentage as low as twenty five may even be fine – that all the players that exist behind them, not excluding the blinds, are quite likely to fold.

Yet, the book also reminds that players should keep in mind that they will be better off calling when either condition 1 or 3 above is not met. But this is exceptional if the player has got best hands and they are supposed to fold the weak hands.

By reading this book, players will also be aware that taking the last turn to take action in a betting round may be very advantageous. Yet, raising the marginal hands may be wise in case the raise may fold the button.

#advance poker #advanced players #few poker guide #hold em #poker guide #poker guide books

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A Review of the Success From Home Magazine

The Success From Home Magazine domain was registered in September of 2002. Every time an issue of this publication is released the purpose is to inspire and motivate anyone interested in entering the Home Based Business market as well as directly catering to Network Marketers. Each month this publication focuses on a successful Network Marketing Company. They really focus on the positive aspects of this company and what is responsible for its success.

Each issue of the Success From Home Magazine focuses on a unique blend of articles that are written by expert contributors. Just a few of these are Robert Kiyosaki, Paul Zane Pilzer, John Fleming, Suze Orman, John C. Maxwell and Stephen R. Covey. Other professionals who contribute to this publication are economists, financial planners, self help leaders, motivational gurus and best selling authors.

The editors from the Success From Home Magazine are always on the prowl for new talent to add to their magazine. This is their purpose and what they work hard everyday to strive to do. They claim that this is the “Top Magazine” that focuses solely on the Small Home Business Owner. You can also choose to advertise your MLM Company in this media.

You will find Success From Home Magazine in places like Barnes & Noble, Borders, Staples, B. Dalton Books, Hastings and Books-A-Million. The Home Based Business Industry is currently a 1 Trillion dollar industry. For those not aware 1 Trillion means 1000 billion. Also the Home Based Business Market continues to grow at a rate of 15.6 Percent Per Year and has been since 1995.

Also over 175,000 new people each week get involved in direct selling just in the United States. And 30 Billion Dollars in sales each year are generated in direct sales just within United States Borders. 100 Billion per year worldwide. And the Success From Home Magazine distributes 408,000 copies of their magazine each month to these types of people and their circulation is 100% paid and BPA Audited.

Advertising in this magazine would be rather expensive for an individual but could be well suited to a large group of MLM Professionals on a co-op basis. You can currently as of the time of this review get a full page ad for as low as $10,275.00. You’ll be able to access media kits and advertising rates right from their website under the advertisers link in pdf format.

#home based business #Success From Home Magazine

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A Book for Writers: "Aspects of the Novel, by E. M. Forster

The most useful book of essays I’ve ever read about fiction dates from 1927 and refers to works by such authors as Dostoyevsky, Melville, Thomas Hardy, and D. H. Lawrence. The good news: even if you haven’t read a single work by those authors, you’ll still find Aspects of the Novel engrossing, relevant, and helpful in your own work. I promise — whether you’re writing commercial sci-fi mysteries or literary character studies.

E. M. Forster, novelist and frequent beneficiary (or victim, depending on your point of view) of Merchant-Ivory film adaptations, gave a series of lectures at Cambridge in 1927, which were then published as Aspects of the Novel. The book’s chapters are “The Story,” “People,” “The Plot,” “Fantasy,” “Prophecy,” and “Pattern and Rhythm.” That’s it. These are Forster’s topics, and he covers them in few words: the book totals only about 175 pages.

Can Forster, a novelist from another era, say anything you haven’t heard before, especially when he covers a subject as complex as story in a mere seventeen pages? I defy you to find a more concise explanation of the difference between story and plot than this:

“The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot.

Of course, Forster elaborates on his point, but that’s not a bad start, is it? Even if your fiction is loaded with story, it may be in need of plot, as Forster defines it. A lot of the unpublished fiction I read is loaded with story but in need of plot–even if that’s the case in only one scene or in only one paragraph. This book will help you understand how to change that. (Hint: it has a lot to do with the word why.)

You may look at the list of chapters and think, What the $%*# is prophecy? Two pages in, you’ll begin to understand. I can’t do it justice, but it’s a quality Forster sees in the truly great novelists, and not in the truly good ones. It’s about creating characters who are both real and part of something greater than themselves. Our author makes no secret of his opinions on who fits into which category, but I’ll let you find those opinions out for yourself. Whether your favorites are his favorites isn’t the point, anyway. The point is that his insights can help you bring your own writing closer to that transcendent level.

Forster uses examples from wide-ranging works to make his points, from War and Peace and Wuthering Heights to — well, to some obscure novels from his own period that none of us have heard of or will hear of again. But it doesn’t matter: he provides the perfect examples from each book to bolster his arguments and explain his points. And he might just inspire you to go out and peruse a few classics: after finishing Aspects of the Novel, I finally decided to read War and Peace (let’s just say he likes that one).

He begins the book by emphatically refusing to discuss fiction in chronological order, or within the context of “influences and schools,” stuff he considers “pseudo-scholarship.” Instead, he presents the following image:

Time, all the way through, is to be our enemy. We are to visualize the… novelists not as floating down that stream which bears all its sons away unless they are careful, but as seated together in a room, a circular room… all writing their novels simultaneously.

Who wouldn’t want to be a fly on the wall and hear the conversation in that room? And he further draws us into that room by providing a series of couplets: pairs of excerpts from (at first) unidentified novels, which he compares and then contrasts, perfectly illuminating the subtle but profound ways two writers can be both the same and different.

Forster begins with the most basic and necessary element, story, gradually takes us to the more esoteric and subjective topics of the fantastical and the prophetic in fiction, and rounds out his discussion back at the fundamentals: pattern and rhythm. His thoughts on each are opinionated, witty, and still very much relevant almost a century later. Which may help explain why Forster’s own novels are still so popular and relevant a century after their own publication.

#books on writing #fiction #fiction writing #novel writing #writing #writing a novel #writing fiction

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Duma Key Review - A Look Into Stephen King's Novel

I’ve recently finished reading the new novel by Stephen King called Duma Key. I wanted to write this short review about Duma Key to share with you what I feel about it.

Duma Key is a novel which portrays the strengths of Stephen King’s writing over the years:

1. His ability to create compelling and deep characters

2. His ability to develop rich and natural dialogs.

3. His vast imagination which breeds continuous new terrors and ways to enthrall us readers.

4. His ability to frighten us and make us laugh at the same time.

There was a time, a few years back, when it seemed that King’s writing has faltered a bit, as if he’s lost his edge. However, now it seems that the fountain of King’s creativity is far from dry. Duma Key is a living proof as it’s a novel which I enjoyed immensely and which can assume a place of honor among King’s numerous works.

Duma Key is the story of a man by the name of Edgar Freemantle who suffers an horrific work related accident which deprives him of an arm and inflicts upon him a severe head injury which impairs his memory. He retreats from his Minnesota home to a rented place in Florida, on a secluded stretch of beach called Duma Key.

Here he resumes his long lost talent of painting and begins producing work of astounding beauty and power. However, the force of Edgar’s pictures isn’t confined to the canvas, for soon, his work begins to infringe upon the real world and to threaten him, his friends, and his family. Now that Edgar realizes what that he has unleashed a terrible force, he must face this dark entity and fight what he has helped to awaken.

I won’t say anymore so as not to spoil it for you. I truly believe that this is a book you should read. I highly recommend Duma Key to any lover of fiction and suspense.

#buy duma key #duma key #duma key review #duma key story #Stephen King #stephen king duma key

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The Balanced Innovator

I had been trying to understand the reasons why certain new product developments succeed, while others fail. With uncanny consistency I found that organizations attempting new product development were strong in either design or development, or in business process and planning, or in sales and marketing, sometimes in two out of three but rarely in all three. Taking the research further, I discovered that the balance between our intellectual strength or capabilities, our organisational strength and our emotional or human strength was the real key. I call this the What, How, Why Balance. On those rare occasions where this balance is achieved, the new product development was a success. When one or more factors were weak, the project failed. Buoyed by this discovery I took the research into new fields like new business proposals, sports teams, and even into personal and career development. People and organizations that understand, execute and demonstrate strengths in all three are much more successful than those who are weak in one or more factor. The secret to this What, How, Why Balance depends on not only understanding what to do, or how to do it, but equally on why.

The What, How, Why Balance provides unprecedented success for the organisations and individuals who achieve it, going beyond world class performance. Check it out for yourself by thinking about the most successful organisations and people you know. I am very confident that they have this balance.

I will even be bold to suggest that the result of the next Presidential election in the United States will depend on this balance, whether the candidates and voters understand this is a mute point. The candidate making the best emotional connection and ability to balance that with intellect and organisational strength will win. If only everything in life were this simple.

#balance #business #businesss success #growth #Innovation #marketing #sales #startup #success

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Increasing Consumer Confidence

The Conference Board’s index of Consumer Confidence increased to 49.5% from a significantly upwardly revised level of 48.7 in October. Originally, the October level was at 47.5%. Consensus expectations were for the consumer confidence level to actually fall to 47.5%. The index saw a big step up from dismal levels during the spring, but since May consumer confidence has roughly hovered within a few points of 50.

All of the improvement came from the expectations element of the consumer confidence index rose to 68.5 from 67.0 last month. However, that was because fewer consumers thought things would get worse, and would stay unchanged (at a very bad level) rather than due to an increase in those who thought things would actually get better over the next six months. The percentage expecting an improvement in business conditions over the next six months actually declined to 20.0% from 20.8%. However, the decline in those expecting further deterioration in the economy fell to 15.1% from 18.2% last month.

The 5,000 households that the Conference Board surveyed assessment of the present situation fell ever so slightly to 21.0 from 21.1. That is a very bad reading, not to far from the record low set in February 1983 of 17.5%. Overall, 45.7% of consumers saw the current business conditions as bad, down from 46.7% in October, while 8.1% saw business conditions as good, up from 7.8% last month. Their view of the labor market continued to decline, with 49.8 seeing jobs as hard to get, up from 49.4% last month. The percentage (of deluded people) who saw jobs as plentiful dropped to 3.2% from 3.5% in October.

While the better-than-expected evaluation for this month — and the upward revision to last month — are encouraging, the details of the report are not all that robust. In theory, higher consumer confidence should lead consumers to open up their wallets, something that is very important as the holidays approach. If consumers have confidence about the economy, they are more likely to buy big ticket items like cars from Ford (F – Analyst Report) or major appliances from Whirlpool (WHR – Snapshot Report). Perhaps they might buy more impulse items at the checkout counter at Wal-Mart (WMT – Snapshot Report).

Historically though, the numbers, like the University of Michigan sentiment numbers, do not have a great track record of predicting how consumers will behave. So count this report as a minor positive. Changes in consumer spending generally have much more to do with changes in personal income than with this sort of survey data, and that data is due out tomorrow.

#business #consumer #economics #economy #finance #Jobs #retail

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Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged"... A Philosophy That Almost Made It

Ayn Rand not only advocated the concept of Objectivism in her book, “Atlas Shrugged,” she lived that philosophy with rare passion and audacity.

There are many things to admire about Ayn Rand’s accomplishments. She arrived alone in New York in 1925 as an impoverished immigrant. In time she became an admired author, rose to remarkable celebrity status, and went on to build a profitable intellectual empire. Her influence remains extraordinary to this day, and her books are still in print. One of her novels, “The Fountainhead,” became a popular movie. (Rand wrote the screenplay, at her insistence.) Her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged,” was released as a modern movie (Part 1), nearly thirty years after her death.

But it is her philosophy, Objectivism, which was (and remains) Rand’s most powerful influence upon society. Once again, there are things to admire about Objectivism. A partial but dedicated understanding of noble values was the basis of Rand’s thinking. Since Plato’s time, the familiar triad of timeless values has been generally recognized as truth, beauty, and goodness. Rand extolled truth, and lauded uncompromising integrity. And she lived by that code; she was true to her beliefs. Rand also embraced beauty, advocating challenging benchmarks of excellence … “The only sin is to do things badly.” Turning to the third classic principle, that of goodness or caring, Ayn Rand brushed this metavalue aside. She was a cruel and insensitive narcissist who damaged many lives. And here lies the soft spot in the Objectivist philosophy.

Shortly after Ayn Rand’s death in 1982 at the age of 77, one of her estranged associates, psychologist Nathaniel Branden, called Ayn’s publicist of thirty years. He asked her what she felt about the loss of Ayn Rand. The publicist replied: “I don’t feel much of anything. Whatever love I felt for Ayn vanished a long time ago. I can’t feel anything for her accomplishments anymore. I am too angry at her cruelty, and about the harm she caused to so many people who cared for her.”

Truth and beauty (or integrity and excellence) are critical to material success. Yet goodness is perhaps the most important metavalue of all. It is also the most challenging, because one cannot practice goodness in a vacuum. Goodness involves the development of caring and respectful relationships with other people. Goodness is vastly more than a technique for being nice and getting along with others. Goodness fosters the quality of caring in a Self-Actualizing personality. Goodness modifies the drive to excel, resulting in a wholesome tension between self-interest and service to others. Without caring and respect for all human beings, any political, industrial, or religious philosophy or movement eventually corrupts into a lethal danger to humankind. A dedicated Nazi or a terrorist could demonstrate fidelity toward his cause, or perceived truth, and establish excellence in his performance, and yet casually inflict incalculable evil on innocent people.

Ayn Rand was a devoted atheist, but this cannot excuse egotistic callousness. Abraham Maslow was also a professed atheist, yet he held the metavalues of truth, beauty and goodness to be inseparable. He went so far as to profess that these metavalues are realities, potential active agents, not just furniture for the mind. Maslow declared that metavalues are virtual living realities in the Self-Actualizing personality. He was an advocate for a science of values, refusing to concede the study of truth, beauty and goodness solely to religion and philosophy.

Even so, Objectivism is a philosophy that embraces the preeminence of the individual. This is to be lauded and respected. Another important tenant of Objectivism is the declaration that the human will is the determiner of the inner life experience. We cannot control what may happen to us in the situational fields in which we live, but we are totally responsible for our attitudes toward these situations. Although Ayn Rand lived the values of self-respect and personal responsibility, she stopped there. She believed that science has all the answers, and spiritual insight is a fantasy. But, as Viktor Frankl stated, “we cannot be a law unto ourselves.” Moreover, we cannot truly respect ourselves to a greater degree than we respect other people.

Ayn Rand is to be admired for her courage, but not her ruthlessness. I have conceded that Objectivism features some tenants of importance and power. However, as a philosophy, its power becomes perilous because it attempts to be a two-legged stool. We need all three metavalues: truth, beauty, and goodness. The eternal triad protects us from a narcissistic delusion of infallible power. Because, when power leads us toward arrogance, truth reminds us of our limitations. When power narrows our concerns and directs us toward selfishness, beauty reminds us that we need the rich and nourishing diversity of our human brothers and sisters. And, perhaps most important, when power corrupts and injures, goodness cleanses and heals. For it is truth, beauty, and goodness that are the touchstones that guide humankind toward love and service.

And love, the “desire to do good to others,” is the most powerful force in the universe.

#atlas shrugged #ayn rand #beauty #goodness #metavalues #truth #values