The Fountainhead The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand, and her first major literary success. More than 6.5 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide. The Fountainhead's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an individualistic young architect who chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. The book follows his battle to practice what the public sees as modern architecture, which he believes to be superior, despite an establishment centered on tradition-worship. How others in the novel relate to Roark demonstrates Rand's various archetypes of human character, all of which are variants between Roark, the author's ideal man of independent-mindedness and integrity, and what she described as the "second-handers". Plot summary[edit] In the spring of 1922, Howard Roark is expelled from his architecture school for refusing to adhere to the school's conventionalism. After Cameron retires, Keating hires Roark, who is soon fired for insubordination by Francon.
Iliad The Iliad (sometimes referred to as the Song of Ilion or Song of Ilium) is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege; the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war, and related concerns tend to appear near the beginning. Then the epic narrative takes up events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles' looming death and the sack of Troy, prefigured and alluded to more and more vividly, so that when it reaches an end, the poem has told a more or less complete tale of the Trojan War. Synopsis[edit] The first verses of the Iliad Achaeans[edit]
Greek primordial deities Genealogy and nature[edit] The primordial gods are depicted as places or realms. A common example is Tartarus, who is depicted as the Underworld, Hell, and a bottomless abyss. His sibling, Erebus, is also depicted as a place of pitch-black darkness or a vast emptiness of space. Hesiod[edit] According to Hesiod's Theogony (ca. 700 BC): Other sources[edit] Other genealogy structures[edit] Philosophers of Classical Greece also constructed their own metaphysical cosmogonies, with their own primordial deities: Pherecydes of Syros (ca. 600–550 BC) made Chronos (time) the first deity in his Heptamychia.Empedocles (ca. 490–430 BC) wrote that Aphrodite and Ares[citation needed] were the first principles, who wove the universe out of the four elements with their powers of love and strife.Plato (ca. 360 BC) introduced the concept in Timaeus, the demiurge, modeled the universe on the Ideas. See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]
5 Must Read Finance Books - Investopedia.com In 2010, the bestselling finance books represented a sampling of old standards mixed with modern classics. I have selected some of my favorites that I think you'll enjoy as well-written and valuable books to improve your financial life. (We give you a list of informative and entertaining reads that you'll want to share with others this season. Check out 10 Books For The Holidays.) IN PICTURES: World's Greatest Investors 1. In particular, Ramsay is known his "snowball" strategy for getting out of debt. 2. For example, the book points out that working hard and even earning a high income are not enough to ensure financial success. "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" is a must read for those looking to change their attitude about money and wealth. 3. The central tenet of the book is that a scientific approach should be used when directing your investments. IN PICTURES: Baby Buffett Portfolio: His 6 Best Long-Term Picks 4. This is not the book for those who want set-it-and-forget-it investments. 5.
The Labyrinth of Crete, the myth of the Minotaur Zeus, in the form of a bull, brought Europe from the Phoenician seashore to Gortys in Crete where he made love with her under a plane tree (or on the plane tree after assuming the form of another sacred animal, the eagle), since then the plane tree was blessed to never lose its leaves (evergreen). From their union three sons were born triplets (or two twins). Next, Zeus arranged the marriage of Europe to the Cretan King Asterion (or Asterio), who appointed Europe's and Zeus' sons as his successors. -> Read more about Gortys -> Read more about the Abduction of Europe by Zeus As promised, the three sons of Europe and Zeus (Minos or Minoas, Radamanthis, Sarpidon) succeeded King Asterion to the throne of Crete. The gods loved Minos because his father, Zeus, honored him above all. Once, wanting to offer a sacrifice in honor of his uncle Poseidon, Minos asked Poseidon to send the best bull he could find from the sea. -> Read more about the Minoan Palace of Knossos -> Read more about Daedalus
Was There a Trojan War? The Size of Troy Troy appears to have been destroyed around 1180 B.C. (this date corresponds to the end of our excavation of levels Troy VIi or VIIa), probably by a war the city lost. The main argument against associating these ruins with the great city described in the Iliad has been that Troy in the Late Bronze Age was a wholly insignificant town and not a place worth fighting over. It appears that this city was, by the standards of this region at that time, very large indeed, and most certainly of supraregional importance in controlling access from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea and from Asia Minor to southeast Europe and vice versa. A spectacular result of the new excavations has been the verification of the existence of a lower settlement from the seventeenth to the early twelfth centuries B.C. The Setting of the Iliad Homer took for granted that his audience knew a war had been fought for what was alternately called Ilios or Troy. The Hittite Connection Was There A Trojan War?
Must-Read Economics : Planet Money Iphokhia/Flickr Listeners often write in asking for book tips. I polled the PM staff and a few econ and finance bloggers. Here are some suggestions, including a mix of classics and new releases. What are your favorite econ books? Post your recs in the comments. Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera’s All the Devils Are Here. Niall Ferguson’s The Ascent of Money. Michael Lewis’ The Big Short. Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom. Greg Ip’s The Little Book of Economics: How the Economy Works in the Real World. Liaquat Ahamed’s Lords of Finance. Todd G. Adrian Nicole LeBlanc’s Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx. John McMillan's Reinventing the Bazaar. Andrew Ross Sorkin’s Too Big To Fail. Gary Stern and Ron Feldman’s Too Big To Fail. Pietra Rivoli’s The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy. Tim Harford’s The Undercover Economist.
Greek mythology Greek mythology is explicitly embodied in a large collection of narratives, and implicitly in Greek representational arts, such as vase-paintings and votive gifts. Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the world, and details the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and mythological creatures. These accounts initially were disseminated in an oral-poetic tradition; today the Greek myths are known primarily from Greek literature. Archaeological findings provide a principal source of detail about Greek mythology, with gods and heroes featured prominently in the decoration of many artifacts. Geometric designs on pottery of the eighth century BC depict scenes from the Trojan cycle as well as the adventures of Heracles. Sources Literary sources The poetry of the Hellenistic and Roman ages was primarily composed as a literary rather than cultic exercise. Archaeological sources Survey of mythic history Origins of the world and the gods
Oedipus In the most well-known version of the myth, Oedipus was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta. Laius wished to thwart a prophecy, so left him to die on a mountainside. However, the baby was found by shepherds and raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope as their own. Oedipus learned from the oracle at Delphi of the prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother but, unaware of his true parentage, believed he was fated to murder Polybus and marry Merope, so left for Thebes. Years later, to end a plague on Thebes, Oedipus searched to find who had killed Laius, and discovered that he himself was responsible. The legend of Oedipus has been retold in many versions, and was used by Sigmund Freud to name and give mythic precedent to the Oedipus complex. Basics of the myth[edit] After many years, Oedipus was told by a drunk that he was a "bastard", meaning at that time that he was not of the same blood to them. Events after the revelation depend on the source. Notes[edit]