USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Michelle420]

My two great dane-newfoundland pups are different as night and day. One pup is a foodie begging for everything loves when it's time to be fed. The other pup snubs his nose at costco's kirkland brand dog food but will eat pedigree. If I serve something he doesn't like he won't eat lol. I heard eggs can be a good protein and is ok for dogs, so I cooked some up and added it to the food the one pup doesn't like and he ate around the food to get the eggs. He must think I'm Mrs Farnsworth there to serve his eccentric tastes. If only he had a collar with a bell to ring for his beck and call.

 

[Ringel05]

Got morning chores done. It's already getting hot outside.

I wish I had mine done.

I got up early had to give the cat a shot for diabetes. But since I was up just did the chores and got em done.

Our last dog had diabetes and had to have insulin shots twice a day. But because he got a treat each time he got a shot he was diligent in reminding us it was time for his shot.

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Mortar and pestle, syringe (no needle). Crush the pill, add enough water to fill the syringe then feed to the cat that way. We had to do that with Boo because he wouldn't take pills, no matter how hard we tried he'd just spit them back out. The syringe method can be a little messy as you cat will probably fight that also but it's better than trying to force feed a pill. I would shoot the syringe contents into Boo's mouth then hold his mouth closed till he swallowed.

 

[Ringel05]

I wish I had mine done.

I got up early had to give the cat a shot for diabetes. But since I was up just did the chores and got em done.

Our last dog had diabetes and had to have insulin shots twice a day. But because he got a treat each time he got a shot he was diligent in reminding us it was time for his shot.

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Carly, the mini doxie who is living with us until her human companion can come home has to have a large liver support pill every day. I was having a difficult time cutting the pill into small pieces that could be concealed in her food without pulvarizing and losing some of the pill. And then I found out she was supposed to take the pills on a empty stomach at least an hour before she eats.

So what to do?

I finally bought some pill pockets at the vets not really expecting them to work because with them wrapped around a big pill that was a BIG bite. But she loves the pill pockets and snarfs them down along with the pill inside them--no fuss, muss, bother, or trauma for her or us. The vet said the little bit of food in the pill pocket would not interfere with the effectiveness of the medication.

We really do sometimes make things harder than they have to be.

Tried the pill pockets with cats in the past, no luck. They either wouldn't eat them or just spit them back out.

 

[Foxfyre]

I wish I had mine done.

I got up early had to give the cat a shot for diabetes. But since I was up just did the chores and got em done.

Our last dog had diabetes and had to have insulin shots twice a day. But because he got a treat each time he got a shot he was diligent in reminding us it was time for his shot.

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Mortar and pestle, syringe (no needle). Crush the pill, add enough water to fill the syringe then feed to the cat that way. We had to do that with Boo because he wouldn't take pills, no matter how hard we tried he'd just spit them back out. The syringe method can be a little messy as you cat will probably fight that also but it's better than trying to force feed a pill. I would shoot the syringe contents into Boo's mouth then hold his mouth closed till he swallowed.

When Carly had that spell and we almost lost her, she refused food or water for a couple of days. But the potassium supplement we were to give her was in syringes and the vet said most dogs liked it and would swallow it right down when it was squirted in their cheek. And she did. And Hombre thought we could probably force feed her water that way to keep her from being dehydrated too. And that worked like a charm.

She's back to normal now, active, bouncy, happy, and ornery as ever.

 

[Ringel05]

I got up early had to give the cat a shot for diabetes. But since I was up just did the chores and got em done.

Our last dog had diabetes and had to have insulin shots twice a day. But because he got a treat each time he got a shot he was diligent in reminding us it was time for his shot.

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Mortar and pestle, syringe (no needle). Crush the pill, add enough water to fill the syringe then feed to the cat that way. We had to do that with Boo because he wouldn't take pills, no matter how hard we tried he'd just spit them back out. The syringe method can be a little messy as you cat will probably fight that also but it's better than trying to force feed a pill. I would shoot the syringe contents into Boo's mouth then hold his mouth closed till he swallowed.

When Carly had that spell and we almost lost her, she refused food or water for a couple of days. But the potassium supplement we were to give her was in syringes and the vet said most dogs liked it and would swallow it right down when it was squirted in their cheek. And she did. And Hombre thought we could probably force feed her water that way to keep her from being dehydrated too. And that worked like a charm.

She's back to normal now, active, bouncy, happy, and ornery as ever.

Jasper didn't always drink enough water when he was younger leading to bladder infections so when he's started to look a little dehydrated we would force feed him water that way, didn't take too many times before he wised up and started drinking more water.

 

[Foxfyre]

I got up early had to give the cat a shot for diabetes. But since I was up just did the chores and got em done.

Our last dog had diabetes and had to have insulin shots twice a day. But because he got a treat each time he got a shot he was diligent in reminding us it was time for his shot.

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Carly, the mini doxie who is living with us until her human companion can come home has to have a large liver support pill every day. I was having a difficult time cutting the pill into small pieces that could be concealed in her food without pulvarizing and losing some of the pill. And then I found out she was supposed to take the pills on a empty stomach at least an hour before she eats.

So what to do?

I finally bought some pill pockets at the vets not really expecting them to work because with them wrapped around a big pill that was a BIG bite. But she loves the pill pockets and snarfs them down along with the pill inside them--no fuss, muss, bother, or trauma for her or us. The vet said the little bit of food in the pill pocket would not interfere with the effectiveness of the medication.

We really do sometimes make things harder than they have to be.

Tried the pill pockets with cats in the past, no luck. They either wouldn't eat them or just spit them back out.

The critters have different preferences just like us people do. That was obvious when we had both Carly and Sally the Shih tzu with us for a week. Had to give them different treats, prepare their meals differently, and their ideas of what going for a walk involved made taking them together impossible.

 

[Michelle420]

Our last dog had diabetes and had to have insulin shots twice a day. But because he got a treat each time he got a shot he was diligent in reminding us it was time for his shot.

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Mortar and pestle, syringe (no needle). Crush the pill, add enough water to fill the syringe then feed to the cat that way. We had to do that with Boo because he wouldn't take pills, no matter how hard we tried he'd just spit them back out. The syringe method can be a little messy as you cat will probably fight that also but it's better than trying to force feed a pill. I would shoot the syringe contents into Boo's mouth then hold his mouth closed till he swallowed.

When Carly had that spell and we almost lost her, she refused food or water for a couple of days. But the potassium supplement we were to give her was in syringes and the vet said most dogs liked it and would swallow it right down when it was squirted in their cheek. And she did. And Hombre thought we could probably force feed her water that way to keep her from being dehydrated too. And that worked like a charm.

She's back to normal now, active, bouncy, happy, and ornery as ever.

Jasper didn't always drink enough water when he was younger leading to bladder infections so when he's started to look a little dehydrated we would force feed him water that way, didn't take too many times before he wised up and started drinking more water.

I have two pupps, and the foodie pup drinks alot, the eccentric pup doesn't drink enough, but I discovered eccentric boy likes ice cubes so I give him ice cubes throughout the day.

 

[WelfareQueen]

Only for you saps! My weekend starts Sun night and continues until midnight, Wed.

My "weekstart" is beginning now

Your work Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off?

Yes, usually at this schedule. With some Saturdays, if it needs...

P.S. Hmm, I don't like Ayn Rand so much, but as I see - she's a wonderful source of citations!

I like Ayn Rand very much. She celebrated the individual and condemned government interference in free development of talent, skills, resources, and industry. Objectivisim places the responsibility for each person's success, or failure, in their own hands. Unfortunately, she proved all-to-prophetic in her depiction of how government interference would affect social development.
I also really like Robert Heinlein. Have you read much Heinlein?

I do love Robert Heinlein and have read much of his books (and periodically re-read )) Objectivism is not a single idea, claimed a responsibility of persons for own success. But opposition of "creative" person to society is not a good idea. It's interesting, how different Ayn Rand percieved in US and in Russia, but as a raiser of question "How much each person could do against society" she's not alone, there are a lot of authors, from Dostoevsky to Efremov, raised the same problem...
At my sight, ideas of Ayn Rand - typical ideas of liberals, who lose the revolution and country 100 years ago... History showed, communism, as ideology, was more progressive... and, ironically, got the main problem of Ayn Rand's ideology at the end. It's not a bad idea, some "atlants" could rule of people progress, according with their high morals. The main problem - WHERE we can find people with such high morals, enough for successful rule of our sophisticated world?

P.S. Oldman Heinlein knew the construction of US society very good... But it's interesting to read, how he tried to apply his knowledges to Moscow life, organized by different principles ))))

Interesting to find another Heinlein fan in the Coffee Shop. I think I first read one of his "juveniles" when i was in sixth grade...something called Farmer in the Sky. I have probably read twenty or thirty of his books since. There is probably no one who has contributed more to my overall moral development than Heinlein. My favorite is Time Enough For Love. The aphorisms in the interludes are priceless. I can quote many of them from memory.

Ex: Never appeal to a man's "better nature." He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.


A woman is not property. Any man who thinks otherwise is living in a dream world.


In a mature society "civil servant" is semantically equal to "civil master."


There is a excellent biography of Heinlein out there. The man was a true American Hero. He graduated from the Naval Academy and served with distinction until he contracted TB. He was a engineer during the Second World War working on munitions for the war effort.

I would characterize him as a Libertarian with a strong humanistic streak. A great man imho. The biography I mentioned.

The young Naval Officer.

 

[Foxfyre]

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Mortar and pestle, syringe (no needle). Crush the pill, add enough water to fill the syringe then feed to the cat that way. We had to do that with Boo because he wouldn't take pills, no matter how hard we tried he'd just spit them back out. The syringe method can be a little messy as you cat will probably fight that also but it's better than trying to force feed a pill. I would shoot the syringe contents into Boo's mouth then hold his mouth closed till he swallowed.

When Carly had that spell and we almost lost her, she refused food or water for a couple of days. But the potassium supplement we were to give her was in syringes and the vet said most dogs liked it and would swallow it right down when it was squirted in their cheek. And she did. And Hombre thought we could probably force feed her water that way to keep her from being dehydrated too. And that worked like a charm.

She's back to normal now, active, bouncy, happy, and ornery as ever.

Jasper didn't always drink enough water when he was younger leading to bladder infections so when he's started to look a little dehydrated we would force feed him water that way, didn't take too many times before he wised up and started drinking more water.

I have two pupps, and the foodie pup drinks alot, the eccentric pup doesn't drink enough, but I discovered eccentric boy likes ice cubes so I give him ice cubes throughout the day.

Carly likes ice cubes too and when we were weaning her off the syringes filled with water and trying to coax her to drink normally again, I found offering her an ice cube to lick for a bit and then putting it, plus another one or two, in the water dish did get her to drink water on her own. She likes cold water.

Sally the Shih tzu however prefers room temperature water.

They really are just as different personalities just as we people are.

 

[saveliberty]

I'm getting ready to do both a driveway and a barn. I was planning on making a roller to compact the soil and subsequent layers of stone and gravel. Leveling isn't too critical with the driveway, but the barn will need to be level because we plan to eventually put in heated concrete in a portion of the floor.

The plate compactor I rented was over 300 pounds. It did a nice job, but my hand tamping was pretty good, as the compactor did not make a very big change. Getting it back into the trailer was fun. I worked it up two boards until it was in the trailer.

 

[Foxfyre]

My two great dane-newfoundland pups are different as night and day. One pup is a foodie begging for everything loves when it's time to be fed. The other pup snubs his nose at costco's kirkland brand dog food but will eat pedigree. If I serve something he doesn't like he won't eat lol. I heard eggs can be a good protein and is ok for dogs, so I cooked some up and added it to the food the one pup doesn't like and he ate around the food to get the eggs. He must think I'm Mrs Farnsworth there to serve his eccentric tastes. If only he had a collar with a bell to ring for his beck and call.

Goodness those are going to be HUGE dogs.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I wish I had mine done.

I got up early had to give the cat a shot for diabetes. But since I was up just did the chores and got em done.

Our last dog had diabetes and had to have insulin shots twice a day. But because he got a treat each time he got a shot he was diligent in reminding us it was time for his shot.

The cat has to have shots twice a day as well. He's doing pretty good now that they got the right dosage figured out.

I'd hate trying to give our cat a shot. I can't even get her to take a pill; my employer always ends up shoving any pill the cat needs into her mouth.

Carly, the mini doxie who is living with us until her human companion can come home has to have a large liver support pill every day. I was having a difficult time cutting the pill into small pieces that could be concealed in her food without pulvarizing and losing some of the pill. And then I found out she was supposed to take the pills on a empty stomach at least an hour before she eats.

So what to do?

I finally bought some pill pockets at the vets not really expecting them to work because with them wrapped around a big pill that was a BIG bite. But she loves the pill pockets and snarfs them down along with the pill inside them--no fuss, muss, bother, or trauma for her or us. The vet said the little bit of food in the pill pocket would not interfere with the effectiveness of the medication.

We really do sometimes make things harder than they have to be.

I have found pill pockets successful with both dogs and cats. Dogs will also take pills wrapped in: bacon, cheese, ham, cat food (canned), and many other yummy treats. Dogs don't chew their food well before wolfing it down. Cats, on the other hand, prefer to chew more thoroughly and the concealed medication must be encased in a very tasty morsel, otherwise, the morsel will be consumed and the pill spit back out.

I keep a "pill gun" on hand. Cats still fight it, but it saves your fingers.

 

[gallantwarrior]

My "weekstart" is beginning now

Your work Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off?

Yes, usually at this schedule. With some Saturdays, if it needs...

P.S. Hmm, I don't like Ayn Rand so much, but as I see - she's a wonderful source of citations!

I like Ayn Rand very much. She celebrated the individual and condemned government interference in free development of talent, skills, resources, and industry. Objectivisim places the responsibility for each person's success, or failure, in their own hands. Unfortunately, she proved all-to-prophetic in her depiction of how government interference would affect social development.
I also really like Robert Heinlein. Have you read much Heinlein?

I do love Robert Heinlein and have read much of his books (and periodically re-read )) Objectivism is not a single idea, claimed a responsibility of persons for own success. But opposition of "creative" person to society is not a good idea. It's interesting, how different Ayn Rand percieved in US and in Russia, but as a raiser of question "How much each person could do against society" she's not alone, there are a lot of authors, from Dostoevsky to Efremov, raised the same problem...
At my sight, ideas of Ayn Rand - typical ideas of liberals, who lose the revolution and country 100 years ago... History showed, communism, as ideology, was more progressive... and, ironically, got the main problem of Ayn Rand's ideology at the end. It's not a bad idea, some "atlants" could rule of people progress, according with their high morals. The main problem - WHERE we can find people with such high morals, enough for successful rule of our sophisticated world?

P.S. Oldman Heinlein knew the construction of US society very good... But it's interesting to read, how he tried to apply his knowledges to Moscow life, organized by different principles ))))

Interesting to find another Heinlein fan in the Coffee Shop. I think I first read one of his "juveniles" when i was in sixth grade...something called Farmer in the Sky. I have probably read twenty or thirty of his books since. There is probably no one who has contributed more to my overall moral development than Heinlein. My favorite is Time Enough For Love. The aphorisms in the interludes are priceless. I can quote many of them from memory.

Ex: Never appeal to a man's "better nature." He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.


A woman is not property. Any man who thinks otherwise is living in a dream world.


In a mature society "civil servant" is semantically equal to "civil master."


There is a excellent biography of Heinlein out there. The man was a true American Hero. He graduated from the Naval Academy and served with distinction until he contracted TB. He was a engineer during the Second World War working on munitions for the war effort.

I would characterize him as a Libertarian with a strong humanistic streak. A great man imho. The biography I mentioned.

The young Naval Officer.

I've used several Heinlein quotes in my signature line while in the USMB. Like you, his works played a large part in my philosophical development. He got a little preachy towards the end, but his stories were still always worth reading.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I'm getting ready to do both a driveway and a barn. I was planning on making a roller to compact the soil and subsequent layers of stone and gravel. Leveling isn't too critical with the driveway, but the barn will need to be level because we plan to eventually put in heated concrete in a portion of the floor.

The plate compactor I rented was over 300 pounds. It did a nice job, but my hand tamping was pretty good, as the compactor did not make a very big change. Getting it back into the trailer was fun. I worked it up two boards until it was in the trailer.

Sounds like I'll be using the hand tamping method, too. Loading heavy things on and off of trailers and trucks is easy-peasy now that I have Hoe-zilla. Using a JD 410 to lift and transport heavy stuff makes "yard work" a piece of cake. Hold in mind, I don't have a yard, per se, I have acres and acres of birch/spruce forest to "clean and jerk".

 

[Ernie S.]

I'm officially peed!
In Alabama, the last drink is served at 1:59:59, but customers are welcome to stay until staff really wants to go home. Bet laid plans and all,sometimes staff want a cocktail after work and once customers are out on a busy night, outside lights go out, doors are locked and the party resumes. So, after I left at 4, the staff was cleaning and drinking and around 6 eveything was done except the deposit and 2 bartenders, one male and one female left together. The woman was buzzed, probably over the legal limit, but most people in this business can still function quite well at a .16. The guy doesn't show his level unless you really know what to look for up to a point, but his license is suspended for a DUI.
He's kind of macho behind 10 beers so he convinces he should drive. Well half way home (they're room mates only) the guy turns off the headlight by mistake and gets pulled over.
Instant DUI and driving while suspended. Police ask the woman if they can search the car and since she had nothing to hide, OKs the search so she can get home and get some sleep. They found a bag of pot in his back pack..
I don't use the stuff, but I really don't care if anyone else does, but bring it or any other illegal drug into my bar, and you are gone for life. The SOB had pot, in his back pack, behind my bar, all friggin night. They put a 12 hour hold on him, so he gets out at 7. I'm about to go bail him out but I can't decide what to do first: Do I shoot him or fire him?I'm about certain I will do both, so if I turn up missing, send bail money the the Foley PD.

 

[Montrovant]

Got morning chores done. It's already getting hot outside.

I wish I had mine done.

I got up early had to give the cat a shot for diabetes. But since I was up just did the chores and got em done.

I got up early (relatively speaking) and went with the little one to a birthday party. It was outside and soooooo hot.

We're apparently going to go to Medieval Times in a couple of hours. I should, of course, do schoolwork between now and then....instead, I'll just play a game and do schoolwork tonight.

I didn't go to Medieval Times, so I played, napped, and I'm working on schoolwork at the moment. I'm having some trouble with multivalued dependencies in my Database Management class.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm officially peed!
In Alabama, the last drink is served at 1:59:59, but customers are welcome to stay until staff really wants to go home. Bet laid plans and all,sometimes staff want a cocktail after work and once customers are out on a busy night, outside lights go out, doors are locked and the party resumes. So, after I left at 4, the staff was cleaning and drinking and around 6 eveything was done except the deposit and 2 bartenders, one male and one female left together. The woman was buzzed, probably over the legal limit, but most people in this business can still function quite well at a .16. The guy doesn't show his level unless you really know what to look for up to a point, but his license is suspended for a DUI.
He's kind of macho behind 10 beers so he convinces he should drive. Well half way home (they're room mates only) the guy turns off the headlight by mistake and gets pulled over.
Instant DUI and driving while suspended. Police ask the woman if they can search the car and since she had nothing to hide, OKs the search so she can get home and get some sleep. They found a bag of pot in his back pack..
I don't use the stuff, but I really don't care if anyone else does, but bring it or any other illegal drug into my bar, and you are gone for life. The SOB had pot, in his back pack, behind my bar, all friggin night. They put a 12 hour hold on him, so he gets out at 7. I'm about to go bail him out but I can't decide what to do first: Do I shoot him or fire him?I'm about certain I will do both, so if I turn up missing, send bail money the the Foley PD.

I counted this funny Ernie, even though it really isn't, because I'm pretty sure you won't shoot him. Not that he doesn't deserve it. Probably just as well that it turned out the way it did rather than him getting busted on premises and putting you all under suspicion.

 

[Ernie S.]

I'm officially peed!
In Alabama, the last drink is served at 1:59:59, but customers are welcome to stay until staff really wants to go home. Bet laid plans and all,sometimes staff want a cocktail after work and once customers are out on a busy night, outside lights go out, doors are locked and the party resumes. So, after I left at 4, the staff was cleaning and drinking and around 6 eveything was done except the deposit and 2 bartenders, one male and one female left together. The woman was buzzed, probably over the legal limit, but most people in this business can still function quite well at a .16. The guy doesn't show his level unless you really know what to look for up to a point, but his license is suspended for a DUI.
He's kind of macho behind 10 beers so he convinces he should drive. Well half way home (they're room mates only) the guy turns off the headlight by mistake and gets pulled over.
Instant DUI and driving while suspended. Police ask the woman if they can search the car and since she had nothing to hide, OKs the search so she can get home and get some sleep. They found a bag of pot in his back pack..
I don't use the stuff, but I really don't care if anyone else does, but bring it or any other illegal drug into my bar, and you are gone for life. The SOB had pot, in his back pack, behind my bar, all friggin night. They put a 12 hour hold on him, so he gets out at 7. I'm about to go bail him out but I can't decide what to do first: Do I shoot him or fire him?I'm about certain I will do both, so if I turn up missing, send bail money the the Foley PD.

I counted this funny Ernie, even though it really isn't, because I'm pretty sure you won't shoot him. Not that he doesn't deserve it. Probably just as well that it turned out the way it did rather than him getting busted on premises and putting you all under suspicion.

Alabama Beverage Control is pretty much Gestapo. Had an inspector decided to wander in last night, he could have done so without a warrant or even identifying himself. Had he looked in that back pack I would have lost my liquor license and been subject to $10,000 in fines. Had that happened, 50/50, this would no longer be funny.

 

[Michelle420]

My two great dane-newfoundland pups are different as night and day. One pup is a foodie begging for everything loves when it's time to be fed. The other pup snubs his nose at costco's kirkland brand dog food but will eat pedigree. If I serve something he doesn't like he won't eat lol. I heard eggs can be a good protein and is ok for dogs, so I cooked some up and added it to the food the one pup doesn't like and he ate around the food to get the eggs. He must think I'm Mrs Farnsworth there to serve his eccentric tastes. If only he had a collar with a bell to ring for his beck and call.

Goodness those are going to be HUGE dogs.

yeah they can knock me over if they jump at me, I think they are ten months old now but weigh 100 pounds.

 

[WelfareQueen]

Your work Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off?

Yes, usually at this schedule. With some Saturdays, if it needs...

P.S. Hmm, I don't like Ayn Rand so much, but as I see - she's a wonderful source of citations!

I like Ayn Rand very much. She celebrated the individual and condemned government interference in free development of talent, skills, resources, and industry. Objectivisim places the responsibility for each person's success, or failure, in their own hands. Unfortunately, she proved all-to-prophetic in her depiction of how government interference would affect social development.
I also really like Robert Heinlein. Have you read much Heinlein?

I do love Robert Heinlein and have read much of his books (and periodically re-read )) Objectivism is not a single idea, claimed a responsibility of persons for own success. But opposition of "creative" person to society is not a good idea. It's interesting, how different Ayn Rand percieved in US and in Russia, but as a raiser of question "How much each person could do against society" she's not alone, there are a lot of authors, from Dostoevsky to Efremov, raised the same problem...
At my sight, ideas of Ayn Rand - typical ideas of liberals, who lose the revolution and country 100 years ago... History showed, communism, as ideology, was more progressive... and, ironically, got the main problem of Ayn Rand's ideology at the end. It's not a bad idea, some "atlants" could rule of people progress, according with their high morals. The main problem - WHERE we can find people with such high morals, enough for successful rule of our sophisticated world?

P.S. Oldman Heinlein knew the construction of US society very good... But it's interesting to read, how he tried to apply his knowledges to Moscow life, organized by different principles ))))

Interesting to find another Heinlein fan in the Coffee Shop. I think I first read one of his "juveniles" when i was in sixth grade...something called Farmer in the Sky. I have probably read twenty or thirty of his books since. There is probably no one who has contributed more to my overall moral development than Heinlein. My favorite is Time Enough For Love. The aphorisms in the interludes are priceless. I can quote many of them from memory.

Ex: Never appeal to a man's "better nature." He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.


A woman is not property. Any man who thinks otherwise is living in a dream world.


In a mature society "civil servant" is semantically equal to "civil master."


There is a excellent biography of Heinlein out there. The man was a true American Hero. He graduated from the Naval Academy and served with distinction until he contracted TB. He was a engineer during the Second World War working on munitions for the war effort.

I would characterize him as a Libertarian with a strong humanistic streak. A great man imho. The biography I mentioned.

The young Naval Officer.

I've used several Heinlein quotes in my signature line while in the USMB. Like you, his works played a large part in my philosophical development. He got a little preachy towards the end, but his stories were still always worth reading.

I agree, some of his latter day books were a bit on the preachy side. But still, his humanism always came through for me. I really liked Job: A Comedy of Justice, The Cat Who Walked Through Walls and Friday among his later books.

My personal favorites are Time Enough for Love, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Glory Road, Farnham's Freehold, and Starship Troopers.

I have joked to my stepson that Heinlein was like Lt. Dan from Forest Gump. His family served in every war in American History...from the American Revolution up through Vietnam. His brother was a Major General in the Army. Reading his biography...his biggest disappointment was not being able to serve his full hitch as a Naval Officer. It crushed him and he turned to writing as a last resort. I think he would have liked nothing better than to die gloriously for his Country. I am so glad I read the definitive biography that was authorized by his wife. A very good man imho.