Randex http://randex.org/ The latest news and commentary on Ayn Rand and Objectivism en admin@randex.org Copyright 2010 2010-03-10T01:51:48-05:00 http://feeds.feedburner.com/Randex?format=skinRandexhttp://feedburner.google.com ✖ ••• Individuality, freedom, and superiority: Returning to Ayn Rand’s problems http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/s_0_NMS6EGc/individuality-freedom-and-superiority-returning-to-ayn-rands-problems.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/individuality_freedom_and_superiority_returning_to_ayn_rands_problems/ Rand's model of the individual is lacking in depth because it does not address how each of us as individuals… Substantial, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments Rand's model of the individual is lacking in depth because it does not address how each of us as individuals came to be who we are. She simply takes them for granted as elemental forces of nature. As the African proverb puts it: "I am because we are." — Gus diZerega, Beliefnet.com - A Pagan’s Blog  #
]]> 2010-03-10T01:51:48-05:00 Gus diZerega, Beliefnet.com - A Pagan’s Blog http://blog.beliefnet.com/apagansblog/2010/03/individuality-freedom-and-superiority-returning-to-ayn-rands-problems.html ✖ • Keynes for today http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/ksBbBSQdHMo/hari0410.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/keynes_for_today/ The notion that deregulated markets will reach an “equilibrium”—which provides the best of all outcomes—turns out to be a quasi-religious… Brief, Capitalism, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments Book review: Keynes: The Return of the Master, by Robert Skidelsky. The notion that deregulated markets will reach an “equilibrium”—which provides the best of all outcomes—turns out to be a quasi-religious fantasy. The economic models “proving” it is so are lies and act, as Professor Paul Davidson puts it, as Weapons of Math Destruction, shoving us towards the abyss. Unregulated markets will seesaw wildly between booms and busts. Only tough regulation can stop the market from devouring its own internal organs, and only big government spending can prevent a bad recession souring into a depression. This was all willfully forgotten by the Chicago School economists and Ayn Rand devotees who conquered America. They didn’t prevail because they had the best arguments; their predictions were about as accurate as Sybil the Soothsayer’s. No, they prevailed because their arguments served the interests of the super-rich, who lavishly funded the campaigns of politicians who picked them up. — Johann Hari, The Progressive  #

Categories: Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-10T01:46:12-05:00 Johann Hari, The Progressive http://www.progressive.org/hari0410.html ✔ •• Letting the left claim the cerebral high ground http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/S11iFddWAoY/tasha-kheiriddin-letting-the-left-claim-the-cerebral-high-ground.aspx http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/letting_the_left_claim_the_cerebral_high_ground/ From bank bailouts to government health care, not in recent memory has socialism garnered such a toehold in American political… Medium, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Positive, Opinion, Allows Comments From bank bailouts to government health care, not in recent memory has socialism garnered such a toehold in American political discourse. Ayn Rand would recognize much of the statist nightmare of her famous Atlas Shrugged in Mr. Obama’s America: government ownership of lending institutions and car companies, increasing demonization of the rich, and an unelected “czar” in Washington for every policy area under the sun. — Tasha Kheiriddin, National Post (Toronto)  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged
]]> 2010-03-10T01:41:59-05:00 Tasha Kheiriddin, National Post (Toronto) http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/03/09/tasha-kheiriddin-letting-the-left-claim-the-cerebral-high-ground.aspx#ixzz0hjZABniq ✖ •• What Washington state does about its budget deficit is a taxing mess http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/5KaYogpE6I4/2011292208_biztaltoncol09.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/what_washington_state_does_about_its_budget_deficit_is_a_taxing_mess/ Americans face a future where even the basic government services they long took for granted are in doubt. This may… Medium, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments Americans face a future where even the basic government services they long took for granted are in doubt. This may be heaven for some acolytes of Ayn Rand. But she wrote fiction. — Jon Talton, Seattle Times  #
]]> 2010-03-10T01:37:44-05:00 Jon Talton, Seattle Times http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jontalton/2011292208_biztaltoncol09.html?syndication=rss ✔ • Make way for local elections http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/B4NKqICCAzE/55684-make-way-for-local-elections http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/make_way_for_local_elections/ The 2008 Malaysian general election demonstrated that individual citizens do have the power to change the course of the country.… Brief, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Positive, Opinion, Allows Comments The 2008 Malaysian general election demonstrated that individual citizens do have the power to change the course of the country. It is a reminder that the kind of confidence in individuals that seemed to exist only in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged does exist in the real world. It blew away the feeling of helplessness that nothing can be done. It proves that in the face of a titan, individuals can be as fearsome as the titan can. — Hafiz Noor Shams, The Malaysian Insider  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged
]]> 2010-03-10T01:28:42-05:00 Hafiz Noor Shams, The Malaysian Insider http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/hafiznoorshams/55684-make-way-for-local-elections ✔ •• Bob Barr visits Cartersville http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/kMw806fqOVs/Bob-Barr.Visits.Cartersville-3886689.shtml http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/bob_barr_visits_cartersville/ Libertarian Bob Barr arrived eight minutes late with smiles and waves for his Feb. 16 appearance sponsored by [Georgia Highlands… Medium, Positive, News, Allows Comments, Inaccurate Libertarian Bob Barr arrived eight minutes late with smiles and waves for his Feb. 16 appearance sponsored by [Georgia Highlands College]'s Libertarian Club. [....] [He] spoke about the new RFID chips that are placed in passports so travelling will be, as he said with sarcasm, "easier for you." However, he explains this convenience often comes at a price, the ultimate price in his eyes: an individual's privacy. These trends and examples all lead to his main point, for which he quoted Ayn Rand, "The right to privacy is the basis of our freedom and liberty." — Kursten Hedgis, Six Mile Post (GA Highlands College, Rome)  #

Categories: Inaccurate
]]> 2010-03-10T01:15:47-05:00 Kursten Hedgis, Six Mile Post (GA Highlands College, Rome) http://www.sixmilepost.com/news/2010/03/09/News/Bob-Barr.Visits.Cartersville-3886689.shtml • Keynesian creationism: Part II of ‘A curious resurrection of libertarianism’ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/BDq7U2xFtn4/Keynesian-Creationism-Part-II-of-A-curious-resurrection-of-libertarianism-86890637.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/keynesian_creationism_part_ii_of_a_curious_resurrection_of_libertarianism/ Libertarianism was never really dead. [Jacob] Weisberg was drumming on the casket of a straw men made vaguely in the… Brief, Neutral, Opinion, Allows Comments Libertarianism was never really dead. [Jacob] Weisberg was drumming on the casket of a straw men made vaguely in the form of Ayn Rand and Fed pooh-bahs. He wove together a number of disparate narratives from prominent leftish intellectuals and passed it off as something epic. — Max Borders, The Examiner (Washington, DC)  #
]]> 2010-03-10T01:09:49-05:00 Max Borders, The Examiner (Washington, DC) http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/Examiner-Opinion-Zone/Keynesian-Creationism-Part-II-of-A-curious-resurrection-of-libertarianism-86890637.html#ixzz0hjRUyGLZ ✖ • Look to grassroots to reinvent Toronto http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/DM5lRCFJyqE/776366--look-to-grassroots-to-reinvent-toronto http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/look_to_grassroots_to_reinvent_toronto/ Toronto is a bottom up, democratic city. No, we're not France, and we shouldn't try to be like New York.… Brief, Negative, Letter to the editor Toronto is a bottom up, democratic city. No, we're not France, and we shouldn't try to be like New York. We should try to just be who we are. We don't need mega-projects imposed on us by "great men" whose greatest ideas came from an Ayn Rand novel. We need more democratic participation. — Stephen Kerr, Toronto Star  #
]]> 2010-03-10T01:05:14-05:00 Stephen Kerr, Toronto Star http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/776366--look-to-grassroots-to-reinvent-toronto ✖ ••• Ayn Rand’s books are deliciously anti-statist, but her philosophy is borderline Nazi http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/pl3OFn6XNtY/ayn-rands-books-are-deliciously-antistatist-but-her-philosophy-is-borderline-nazi.thtml http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/ayn_rands_books_are_deliciously_anti-statist_but_her_philosophy_is_borderli/ What I find most off-putting about Rand is her hardness of heart. She has a Nietzschean (indeed, borderline Nazi) contempt… Substantial, Books, Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments, Inaccurate What I find most off-putting about Rand is her hardness of heart. She has a Nietzschean (indeed, borderline Nazi) contempt for human frailty and a total lack of sympathy for the underdog. In her weltanschauung, you’re either a hero (rare) or — much more likely — a mere filler of latrines. Any form of charity, she suggests, is a kind of grotesque liberal indulgence towards people who really aren’t worth saving. — James Delingpole, The Spectator  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Inaccurate
]]> 2010-03-10T00:50:25-05:00 James Delingpole, The Spectator http://www.spectator.co.uk/columnists/all/5813463/ayn-rands-books-are-deliciously-antistatist-but-her-philosophy-is-borderline-nazi.thtml ✖ ••• Ayn Rand, the philosophy of freedom, and a serial killer http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/YlYFJ0ux2cI/ayn-rand-the-philosophy-of-freedom-and-a-serial-killer.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/ayn_rand_the_philosophy_of_freedom_and_a_serial_killer/ Rand's admiration for a sociopathic murderer is an eye-opener as to the moral sensibility that appeals to all too many… Substantial, Atheism, Books, Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, We The Living, Egoism, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments Rand's admiration for a sociopathic murderer is an eye-opener as to the moral sensibility that appeals to all too many 'conservative' and 'libertarian' Americans. She was one very disturbed and deeply wounded person, as her biographies show. — Gus diZerega, Beliefnet.com - A Pagan’s Blog  #

Categories: Atheism, Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, We The Living, Egoism
]]> 2010-03-09T13:55:16-05:00 Gus diZerega, Beliefnet.com - A Pagan’s Blog http://blog.beliefnet.com/apagansblog/2010/03/ayn-rand-the-philosophy-of-freedom-and-a-serial-killer.html ✔ • Progressives undermine their cause by attributing free-market principles to their opponents http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/Q8q7o0FftvA/baker.php http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/progressives_undermine_their_cause_by_attributing_free-market_principles_to/ Banks such as J.P. Morgan and Citigroup were arguably too big to fail even three decades ago, before growth and… Brief, Capitalism, Positive, Opinion, Allows Comments Banks such as J.P. Morgan and Citigroup were arguably too big to fail even three decades ago, before growth and mergers expanded their size several-fold. In the last decade they grew so big that their collapse would undoubtedly have jeopardized the health of the financial system. Everyone knew that, so creditors could lend them money without concern for the banks’ soundness: the government, ultimately, would stand behind their debts. This has nothing to do with Ayn Rand’s libertarianism. Huge financial institutions simply took advantage of taxpayers by getting insurance without having to pay for it. — Dean Baker, Boston Review  #

Categories: Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-09T13:49:59-05:00 Dean Baker, Boston Review http://bostonreview.net/BR35.2/baker.php ✖ • The right’s big lie http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/-UIyyQe3130/article http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/the_rights_big_lie/ By demagoguery, the right wing has sold more than a few on the policies and politics of Ayn Rand and… Brief, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments By demagoguery, the right wing has sold more than a few on the policies and politics of Ayn Rand and Herbert Hoover. A government of and by the people was not the answer but the problem. As one of their acolytes, Grover Norquist, said, "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub." — Henry Ferreira, Standard-Times (New Bedford, MA)  #
]]> 2010-03-09T13:40:58-05:00 Henry Ferreira, Standard-Times (New Bedford, MA) http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100308/OPINION/3080323/-1/news ✖ • An educator’s change of heart http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/14Sjq5Z5BtI/l08ravitch.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/an_educators_change_of_heart/ Diane Ravitch’s self-described intellectual U-turn is a case study in how some ideas, however bad, are created and perpetrated in… Brief, Negative, Letter to the editor Diane Ravitch’s self-described intellectual U-turn is a case study in how some ideas, however bad, are created and perpetrated in the service of power, while other ideas, however truthful, rarely see the light of day. Dr. Ravitch fashioned herself into the Ayn Rand of educational policy and rose to fame as a result of a free-market ideology that came into fashion in George W. Bush’s administration. — Peter Sacks, New York Times  #
]]> 2010-03-09T13:37:14-05:00 Peter Sacks, New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/opinion/l08ravitch.html ✔ •• Undermining 1st Amendment from the top http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/Tj7thOMoKOo/doc4b91d449bfda5724043808.txt http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/undermining_1st_amendment_from_the_top/ Don Watkins, an analyst with the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, writes: “You might think this radical call for… Medium, Ayn Rand Center, Positive, Opinion, Allows Comments Don Watkins, an analyst with the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, writes: “You might think this radical call for government control of the media is at odds with the First Amendment and the ideals of its authors. Not according to [Federal Communications Commission Chief Diversity Officer Mark] Lloyd and his fellow travelers, who portray their vision of a government-funded press as a continuation of the American tradition. The founders, they say, weren’t committed to protecting a profit-seeking press from government control. Instead, their primary concern was making sure the press could effectively educate and inform Americans, and they obsessively sought to subsidize the press in order to achieve that goal.” Lloyd’s approach is dangerous in a country founded on the ideal of free speech, with the founders even writing into the Bill of Rights the guarantee of a free press. — The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg ,SC)  #

Categories: Ayn Rand Center
]]> 2010-03-09T13:35:19-05:00 The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg ,SC) http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2010/03/07/opinion/edit/doc4b91d449bfda5724043808.txt •• Not quite a bull’s-eye http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/UQ3DwniKfzo/0310bullseye.htm http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/not_quite_a_bulls-eye/ [Frederick] Sheehan goes out of his way to highlight Ayn Rand's first impression of [Alan Greenspan] when they met: "'Do… Medium, Personal life, Neutral, Opinion Review of the book Panderer to Power: The Untold Story of How Alan Greenspan Enriched Wall Street and Left a Legacy of Recession, by Frederick Sheehan. [Frederick] Sheehan goes out of his way to highlight Ayn Rand's first impression of [Alan Greenspan] when they met: "'Do you think Alan might basically be a social climber?'" (p. 9.) This quote serves as a leitmotif of the book as Sheehan digs into Greenspan's later life. He decided that the other Greenspan – the man who hitched his wagon to Arthur Burns's star early on – was the real Greenspan. The impression he conveys is that Greenspan wasn't even much of an Objectivist, although Sheehan doesn't intimate that Greenspan was drawn into Rand's inner circle out of a desire to rub shoulders with a popular novelist. He presents Greenspan as a man who did believe in Rand's philosophy in his own way, but shed it while ascending the socio-political heights. Like many libertarian critics of Greenspan, Sheehan brandishes "Gold And Economic Freedom" as a reproach – even if he holds his nose a little while doing so. — Daniel M. Ryan, Enter Stage Right  #

Categories: Personal life
]]> 2010-03-09T13:31:52-05:00 Daniel M. Ryan, Enter Stage Right http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0310/0310bullseye.htm ✖ • Fringe politics becoming dangerously acceptable in US http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/mA0U2koxXRU/510355.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/fringe_politics_becoming_dangerously_acceptable_in_us/ [Joseph] Stack's inchoate anger is reflected in a growing wave of angry Americans. Some believe that federal income tax is… Brief, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments [Joseph] Stack's inchoate anger is reflected in a growing wave of angry Americans. Some believe that federal income tax is illegal and they have a right to not pay it. Many more feel that tax dollars are being needlessly spent and national expenditures should be limited to police, fire and self-defense functions. These libertarian followers of Ayn Rand include the now discredited Alan Greenspan. — Harvey Dzodin, Global Times (Beijing)  #
]]> 2010-03-09T13:27:34-05:00 Harvey Dzodin, Global Times (Beijing) http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/foreign-view/2010-03/510355.html ✖ •• From the Martian desk http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/L8jxXZ5hhmI/desk097.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/from_the_martian_desk/ When asked how she would "cut the deficit without cutting Medicaid and Medicare," [Tea Part activist Keli] Carender answers, "Let's… Medium, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Negative, Opinion When asked how she would "cut the deficit without cutting Medicaid and Medicare," [Tea Part activist Keli] Carender answers, "Let's see. Some days I'm very Randian. I feel like there shouldn't be any of those programs, that it should all be charitable organizations. Sometimes I think, well, maybe it really should be just state, and there should be no federal part in it at all. I bounce around in my solutions to the problem." ("A Young and Unlikely Activist Who Arrived at the Tea Party Early," by Kate Zernike, The New York Times, February 28, 2010.) Charitable organizations... Is there a mention of them in Atlas Shrugged, the Libertarian bible? Does she really believe in the generosity bequeathed by the Founding Fathers? — Gilles d'Aymery, Swans  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged
]]> 2010-03-09T13:23:57-05:00 Gilles d'Aymery, Swans http://www.swans.com/library/art16/desk097.html ✖ • A dream of Morlocks and Eloi getting along with each other http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/wnzec6F6HsE/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/a_dream_of_morlocks_and_eloi_getting_along_with_each_other/ In today's polarized political world, conservatives tend to consider liberals as clueless children, as naive little Pollyannas adrift in a… Brief, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments In today's polarized political world, conservatives tend to consider liberals as clueless children, as naive little Pollyannas adrift in a world beyond their comprehension... whereas we liberals tend to frame conservatives as mindless Ayn Rand clones, as Nietzschean fugitives from the wrong side of Pink Floyd's rock opera The Wall. — Glenn Contrarian, Blogcritics  #
]]> 2010-03-09T13:20:24-05:00 Glenn Contrarian, Blogcritics http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/a-dream-of-morlocks-and-eloi/ ✖ • ‘Socialist’ profs didn’t sink economy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/blq4mCH0GAQ/socialist_profs_didnt_sink_eco.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/socialist_profs_didnt_sink_economy/ In a letter published on Feb. 28, (”Another liberal will poison our students”) Len Testa deplored the appointment of Van… Brief, Capitalism, Negative, Letter to the editor, Allows Comments In a letter published on Feb. 28, (”Another liberal will poison our students”) Len Testa deplored the appointment of Van Jones to a teaching fellowship at Princeton. [....] Actually, our current economic crisis was the work of legions of MBAs on Wall Street and throughout the upper echelons of corporate America. And their professors were, by and large, conservatives. Many of those professors were, and are, adherents of the “Chicago school” of economics, just like the government officials who enabled Wall Street to run wild by deregulating financial markets. Today, their extreme laissez-faire philosophy stands discredited, except in the eyes of the most dedicated followers of economists Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman — or of those who, like former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, are unregenerate acolytes of Ayn Rand. — Jack Hannold, Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ)  #

Categories: Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-09T13:12:16-05:00 Jack Hannold, Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ) http://www.nj.com/gloucester/voices/index.ssf/2010/03/socialist_profs_didnt_sink_eco.html ✔ • Nonfiction: “You are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto,“ by Jaron Lanier http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/o4Zw2yBB62E/1040360-148.stm http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/nonfiction_you_are_not_a_gadget_a_manifesto_by_jaron_lanier/ All the unemployed writers, broke musicians and worried filmmakers who see their professional horizons melting into the ether of cyberspace… Brief, Positive, Opinion Book review. All the unemployed writers, broke musicians and worried filmmakers who see their professional horizons melting into the ether of cyberspace -- not to mention the lowly cephalopod (I'll explain later) -- will be cheered by Jaron Lanier's latest curmudgeonly screed. The virtual-reality pioneer champions the role of the artist as Promethean in the face of the rise of mob mentality. It's a bracing dose of economic realism and Ayn Rand philosophy for all those techno utopians with their heads in the clouds. — Evelyn Mcdonnell, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  #
]]> 2010-03-09T13:05:34-05:00 Evelyn Mcdonnell, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10066/1040360-148.stm#ixzz0hgUTMDt0 • Chesterfield student wins T-D spelling bee http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/HxqakSTFz1c/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/chesterfield_student_wins_t-d_spelling_bee/ [Ryan Oppenheim is] a devoted reader, currently plowing through Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" for a school project. Brief, Books, The Fountainhead, Neutral, News, Allows Comments [Ryan Oppenheim is] a devoted reader, currently plowing through Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" for a school project. — Melissa Ruggieri, Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)  #

Categories: The Fountainhead
]]> 2010-03-09T13:02:21-05:00 Melissa Ruggieri, Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/SPEL07_20100306-220003/328800/ ✔ •• Video poker won’t solve anything http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/npvanAEatIk/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/video_poker_wont_solve_anything/ The Daily Herald recently selected a quote from Ayn Rand for its word puzzle, "The upper classes are a nation's… Medium, Positive, Letter to the editor, Allows Comments The Daily Herald recently selected a quote from Ayn Rand for its word puzzle, "The upper classes are a nation's past, the middle class is its future." That says a lot about why change is so difficult. — Guy Turnbull, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)  #
]]> 2010-03-09T13:00:45-05:00 Guy Turnbull, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=362782&src= ✔ • Happiness is my computer http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/uZNBdQ1hJYY/article7050494.ece http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/happiness_is_my_computer/ [Jimmy Wales:] I take pride in my work and I like to focus my mind on it. I think our… Brief, Positive, Allows Comments Interview with Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia. [Jimmy Wales:] I take pride in my work and I like to focus my mind on it. I think our first responsibility as humans is to think, to focus our minds and consider what we're doing and what we ought to be doing. Philosophically, I'm an objectivist. — Danny Scott, The Times (London)  #
]]> 2010-03-09T12:57:06-05:00 Danny Scott, The Times (London) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article7050494.ece ✖ •• Ideas for modern living: Mutuality http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/5wwtUzVa7KY/mark-earls-school-of-life-mutuality http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/ideas_for_modern_living_mutuality/ Many prefer to see human life as one long competitive struggle for dominance. Philosopher Edmund Burke, Darwin's champion Herbert Spencer… Medium, Negative, Opinion, Inaccurate Many prefer to see human life as one long competitive struggle for dominance. Philosopher Edmund Burke, Darwin's champion Herbert Spencer (who coined the phrase "survival of the fittest") and Ayn Rand (high priestess of the American idea of rugged individualism) are among those who characterise human life in terms of the struggle between individuals for the spoils of humanity. — Mark Earls, The Guardian (London)  #

Categories: Inaccurate
]]> 2010-03-09T12:55:42-05:00 Mark Earls, The Guardian (London) http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/07/mark-earls-school-of-life-mutuality • People watching http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/DeITo0BwgBE/people-watching.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/people_watching/ [Arnold Newman] photographed many Presidents of the United States, and made a mark through his extraordinary and intense portraits of… Brief, Neutral, News, Allows Comments [Arnold Newman] photographed many Presidents of the United States, and made a mark through his extraordinary and intense portraits of artists, actors, writers and performers like Piet Mondrian, Ayn Rand, Alberto Giacometti, [...] Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Marilyn Monroe, Man Ray, and many others. — Giridhar Khasnis, Deccan Herald (Bangalore, India)  #
]]> 2010-03-09T12:51:43-05:00 Giridhar Khasnis, Deccan Herald (Bangalore, India) http://www.deccanherald.com/content/56523/people-watching.html • File under “shameless self-promotion” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/RjY_xOVw8Jg/file_under_shameless_selfpromo.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/file_under_shameless_self-promotion/ Our colleagues in Inc.'s art department are celebrating five merit awards presented by the Society of Publication Designers. SPD recognized… Brief, Neutral, Allows Comments Our colleagues in Inc.'s art department are celebrating five merit awards presented by the Society of Publication Designers. SPD recognized Inc. for the still-life photography in the Inc. 500 issue, an illustration of author Ayn Rand that appeared in the November issue, and our recurring photo essays "Behind the Scenes," "Passions," and "Innovation." — Mike Hofman, Inc.  #
]]> 2010-03-06T20:26:08-05:00 Mike Hofman, Inc. http://www.inc.com/mike-hofman/2010/03/file_under_shameless_selfpromo.html •• Suspenseful accounting of economic disaster http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/MGVrijauZdY/suspenseful-accounting-of-economic-disaster-86705857.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/suspenseful_accounting_of_economic_disaster/ Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, a fictionalized panorama of economic philosophy, famously opens with the question, "Who is John Galt?" One… Medium, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism, Neutral, Opinion, Allows Comments Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, a fictionalized panorama of economic philosophy, famously opens with the question, "Who is John Galt?" One must read a great deal of a fairly heavy-handed book to learn the answer, but it puts one in mind of a question surely asked by a number of lay observers of the recent economic melt-down south of the border: "Who are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?" — Ted St. Godard, Winnipeg Free Press  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-06T20:17:44-05:00 Ted St. Godard, Winnipeg Free Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/entertainment/books/suspenseful-accounting-of-economic-disaster-86705857.html •• Robbing the GOP of credibility http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/koFYXh6SvG4/article-His-Voice--Robbing-the-GOP-of-credibility- http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/robbing_the_gop_of_credibility/ After Aquila’s Feb. 27 column (“Democrats: Fulfilling the Communist agenda”), I realized the brilliance of Aquila’s efforts. You see, Mr.… Medium, Atheism, Neutral, Opinion, Allows Comments After Aquila’s Feb. 27 column (“Democrats: Fulfilling the Communist agenda”), I realized the brilliance of Aquila’s efforts. You see, Mr. Aquila is part of a communist fifth column that has infiltrated the GOP and is intent on destroying the party from the inside. [....] He tries to misdirect with contradictory quotes from figures of authority. Aquila thoroughly understood that Ayn Rand’s radical libertarianism and anti-communism was also tinged by the strongest form of atheism. Aquila thoroughly understood that Ayn Rand’s radical libertarianism and anti-communism was also tinged by the strongest form of atheism. One of her quotes: “Faith is the worst curse of man, as the exact antithesis and enemy of thought.” Yet he strategically chose to quote Rand, thus undermining his previous claims about the ungodliness of the communist agenda. With that signal quote, he thereby managed to thoroughly derail any chance at GOP ideological coherence while simultaneously calling into question any commonality of purpose with libertarians. — Mark Davis, Tracy Press (CA)  #

Categories: Atheism
]]> 2010-03-06T20:04:39-05:00 Mark Davis, Tracy Press (CA) http://www.tracypress.com/view/full_story/6590071/article-His-Voice--Robbing-the-GOP-of-credibility-?instance=home_opinion_lead_story ✔ •• BB&T has donated $1 million to High Point University http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/zbNQpchHFRU/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/bbt_has_donated_1_million_to_high_point_university/ High Point University said yesterday that it has received a $1 million contribution from BB&T Corp. in support of its… Medium, Capitalism, Positive, News, Allows Comments High Point University said yesterday that it has received a $1 million contribution from BB&T Corp. in support of its entrepreneurship program. [....] Cynthia Williams, a spokeswoman for BB&T, said that the gift to High Point University is separate from the grants given from the bank's charitable foundation for programs geared toward the moral foundations of capitalism. The foundation, established by John Allison, the bank's retired chairman and chief executive, has provided $1 million-plus gifts to at least 10 universities in North Carolina. Those programs typically have had a connection to author Ayn Rand and objectivism, which extols rational individualism, creativity, independent thinking and a limited role for government as a protector of the peace. — Winston-Salem Journal (NC)  #

Categories: Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-06T20:01:57-05:00 Winston-Salem Journal (NC) http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/mar/06/bbt-has-donated-1-million-to-high-point-university/ ✖ • Making another dive into evils of the deep http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/JzkbYAYbVnw/06bioshock.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/making_another_dive_into_evils_of_the_deep/ BioShock took players beneath the Atlantic to the underwater Art Deco dystopia known as Rapture in a fearless, mesmerizing depiction… Brief, Altruism, Negative, Opinion BioShock took players beneath the Atlantic to the underwater Art Deco dystopia known as Rapture in a fearless, mesmerizing depiction of Randian philosophy run amok. Rapture was built on the ocean floor in the 1950s by a tycoon named Andrew Ryan as a hyper-libertarian escape from the strictures of government, religion and morality on the surface. As a banner in Rapture proclaims: “Altruism is the root of all wickedness.” — Seth Schiesel, New York Times  #

Categories: Altruism
]]> 2010-03-06T19:57:47-05:00 Seth Schiesel, New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/06/arts/television/06bioshock.html • Local book news http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/3D8zLK3m8ww/fl-bk-local-books-030710-20100307,0,6643105.story http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/local_book_news/ [The Literary Feast] has become a nationally known event since it began 22 years ago. Authors this year include Russell… Brief, Neutral, News, Allows Comments [The Literary Feast] has become a nationally known event since it began 22 years ago. Authors this year include Russell Banks, "The Reserve"; R.B. Bernstein, "The Founding Fathers Reconsidered"; Deborah Crombie, "Necessary as Blood"; Joy Fielding, "The Wild Zone"; Anne C. Heller, "Ayn Rand and the World She Made" [....] and L. Jon Wertheim, "Strokes of Genius". — Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel (FL)  #
]]> 2010-03-06T19:37:20-05:00 Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel (FL) http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/stage/fl-bk-local-books-030710-20100307,0,6643105.story ✖ • Sarah Palin promotional spot (Version 1) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/8rC4pP34KPw/sarah-palin-promotional-s_b_487584.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/sarah_palin_promotional_spot_version_1/ She's Ayn Rand's wet dream and Milton Friedman's egg cream! Brief, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments Humor. She's Ayn Rand's wet dream and Milton Friedman's egg cream! — Steven Weber, Huffington Post  #
]]> 2010-03-06T19:32:06-05:00 Steven Weber, Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-weber/sarah-palin-promotional-s_b_487584.html •• Sports and social justice with David Zirin http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/1EV7QLSp3yU/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/sports_and_social_justice_with_david_zirin/ [Q:] This June your book Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love will be published. We have… Medium, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Neutral, Allows Comments [Q:] This June your book Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love will be published. We have two vivacious owners in Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones here in the Lone Star State. Should I expect to be reading about one or both of these men when I review your book? [A:] Well, they both certainly come up because they're never boring. If you are entertaining as opposed to shadowy and nefarious, it goes a long way when we're talking about owners. But the public dollars that went to the Jerry Dome is unconscionable. Cuban is an interesting guy: an Ayn Rand populist, who supports some very dynamic left-wing films and documentaries while simultaneously preaching the gospel of Atlas Shrugged. I wrote about him here. — Timothy Braun, Austin Chronicle  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged
]]> 2010-03-06T19:25:30-05:00 Timothy Braun, Austin Chronicle http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Sports/Blogs/index.html/objID975959/blogID/ ✖ • The Tea Party’s impossible anti-government dream http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/1XChCF-Qrn8/the_tea_partys_impossible_anti.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/the_tea_partys_impossible_anti-government_dream/ I have bad news for you, my teabagging brothers and sisters. Once elected, [Republicans] are going to sell you down… Brief, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments I have bad news for you, my teabagging brothers and sisters. Once elected, [Republicans] are going to sell you down the river. How do I know? Well, Republicans aren’t going to let the state wither away (Actually, look it up, Ayn Rand fans. That’s what communists want, too. And if you’re thinking of violent revolution, well, that’s called treason). — Susan J. Demas, mlive.com (MI)  #
]]> 2010-03-06T19:19:30-05:00 Susan J. Demas, mlive.com (MI) http://blog.mlive.com/capitolchronicles/2010/03/the_tea_partys_impossible_anti.html • The men who helped shape the Xbox 360 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/x4Ym-7UaWb4/article.php http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/the_men_who_helped_shape_the_xbox_360/ Jonathan Blow. [....] Endlessly self-deprecating but terrifyingly smart, Blow has criticised World of Warcraft for being exploitative and regularly advocates… Brief, Neutral, Opinion, Allows Comments Jonathan Blow. [....] Endlessly self-deprecating but terrifyingly smart, Blow has criticised World of Warcraft for being exploitative and regularly advocates less commercial, more personal styles of play, and rewards which fundamentally matter, rather than basic unlockables and trinkets. Ayn Rand would hate him. — Tom Pakinkis, CVG  #
]]> 2010-03-06T19:00:16-05:00 Tom Pakinkis, CVG http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=237895 ✔ •• Morning must reads—Now that I think about it, Kathleen Sebelius does kind of look like Ayn Rand http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/m18G_rw30DY/Morning-Must-Reads----Now-that-I-think-about-it-Kathleen-Sebelius-does-kind-of-look-like-Ayn-Rand---86581732.html http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/morning_must_reads_--_now_that_i_think_about_it_kathleen_sebelius_does_kind/ Writers Janet Adamy and Avery Johnson tell us about the administration’s effort to impose health insurance premiums by fiat and… Medium, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Positive, Opinion, Allows Comments Writers Janet Adamy and Avery Johnson tell us about the administration’s effort to impose health insurance premiums by fiat and a meeting with health insurers summoned to the White House for a whipping that was so over the top that it could have been a scene in Atlas Shrugged. — Chris Stirewalt, The Examiner (Washington, DC)  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged
]]> 2010-03-06T18:50:16-05:00 Chris Stirewalt, The Examiner (Washington, DC) http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Morning-Must-Reads----Now-that-I-think-about-it-Kathleen-Sebelius-does-kind-of-look-like-Ayn-Rand---86581732.html#ixzz0hQMdoYpp • Romney’s competing impulses http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/zkH9T57AX1g/nj_20100306_3781.php http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/romneys_competing_impulses/ [Mitt] Romney has re-emerged with a recent speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference and this week's release of a… Brief, Capitalism, Neutral, Opinion [Mitt] Romney has re-emerged with a recent speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference and this week's release of a book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. [....] He highlights his experience as a management consultant at Bain & Co., picturing himself as a kind of corporate Sherlock Holmes, who sifted through mounds of perplexing data to unearth winning strategies for troubled companies. And he identifies as his top economic goal not promoting "liberty" or slashing government, as many conservatives might, but encouraging innovation. These pages leave no question that Romney is a conservative, but he portrays his mind as more empirical than ideological. The book is more Jack Welch than Ayn Rand. — Ronald Brownstein, National Journal  #

Categories: Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-06T18:46:49-05:00 Ronald Brownstein, National Journal http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20100306_3781.php ✖ ••• Ayn Rand’s excellent proposal http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/2lURWezjRhA/article_5653.shtml http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/ayn_rands_excellent_proposal/ In Ayn Rand’s sprawling novel, Atlas Shrugged, ubermensch industrialist, John Galt, infuriated over the “theft” of his property by the… Substantial, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism, Egoism, Negative, Opinion In Ayn Rand’s sprawling novel, Atlas Shrugged, ubermensch industrialist, John Galt, infuriated over the “theft” of his property by the parasitic government, calls upon his fellow “captains of industry” -- the “producers of wealth” -- to go on strike which, we read, brings down the entire economy. He then proposes that these elite “producers” leave the wreckage of the old “collectivist” order behind and establish their own utopian society. What a splendid idea! I’m all for it! So let’s suppose that each and every CEO of the fortune 500 companies suddenly disappeared, along with Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs, Robert Benmosche of AIG, and all those other bankster executives who claimed $150 billion in bonuses last year. (Supplied, by the way, by us taxpayers). Would the US economy collapse? Well, maybe not. — Ernest Partridge, Online Journal  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism, Egoism
]]> 2010-03-06T18:06:46-05:00 Ernest Partridge, Online Journal http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_5653.shtml •• From canyon to cove: A visit to Hangover House http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/Ia4Z8qzYBbk/cpt-canyontocove03052010.txt http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/from_canyon_to_cove_a_visit_to_hangover_house/ As one might expect of such an old and notable dwelling [Hangover House] has its mysteries and urban legends. One… Medium, Ayn Rand Archives, Ayn Rand Institute, Books, The Fountainhead, Personal life, News, Allows Comments As one might expect of such an old and notable dwelling [Hangover House] has its mysteries and urban legends. One such legend surrounds a purported visit that Ayn Rand made to the home before writing her monumental novel about a modernist architect, “The Fountainhead,” where she allegedly interviewed [architect William Alexander] Levy about his theories of architecture. Levy apparently believed that some of his words and ideas were used in Rand’s book, and that scenes in “The Fountainhead” were set in Hangover House. But Benec said this is now being debunked by a representative of the Ayn Rand Archives in Irvine who responded to Benec’s original house listing with a letter citing various facts to prove that Rand “did not set foot in California” from 1934 to 1943 and therefore could not have visited the house or used it in her novel. The archivist also said there is no written evidence, such as notes, in her papers indicating a link between Rand and Levy. “They said it is not possible,” Benec said. But the story persists. — Cindy Frazier, Coastline Pilot (Laguna Beach, CA)  #

Categories: Ayn Rand Archives, Ayn Rand Institute, The Fountainhead, Personal life
]]> 2010-03-06T17:52:30-05:00 Cindy Frazier, Coastline Pilot (Laguna Beach, CA) http://www.coastlinepilot.com/articles/2010/03/04/blogs_and_columns/lumberyard_logs/cpt-canyontocove03052010.txt ✖ • Prime time takes on primary care http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/HtauD62oE9Y/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/prime_time_takes_on_primary_care/ The president was right about last week's health care summit. It was not "good television." Unless your idea of "good… Brief, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Negative, Opinion Humor. The president was right about last week's health care summit. It was not "good television." Unless your idea of "good television" is old Jerry Springer. But could "good television" help Americans understand the nuances of health care reform? What if Prime time tackled the topic? Here's next month's schedule: "Desperate Housewives": One housewife desperately wants breast implants, but her HMO won't cover the procedure. The other housewives e-mail their Congressmen but get no response. So the housewives all go to a Tea Party convention where they seduce angry, unemployed men carrying copies of "Atlas Shrugged." Back home the housewives agree - people who trust rich insurance CEOs more than they trust their elected officials are bound to end up desperate. — Bruce Watson, Amherst Bulletin (MA)  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged
]]> 2010-03-06T17:23:32-05:00 Bruce Watson, Amherst Bulletin (MA) http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/166921/ ✔ •• Oil exec urges industry to take political actions: Obama administration ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/_KKiwooLrhA/article.aspx http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/oil_exec_urges_industry_to_take_political_actions_obama_administration_/ [Mike Cantrell] talked about the irony of his reading "Atlas Shrugged" — the libertarian novel that details the gradual, passive… Medium, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism, Positive, News, Allows Comments [Mike Cantrell] talked about the irony of his reading "Atlas Shrugged" — the libertarian novel that details the gradual, passive collapse of a capitalist, competitive society — during the last presidential election. "That's the option we make when we don't engage politically," he said. "We have to fight for our right to make money." — Rod Walton, Tulsa World  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-06T16:51:05-05:00 Rod Walton, Tulsa World http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=49&articleid=20100304_49_E3_Oiland97235 ✖ •• A year ago, when the Dow was tanking and the WSJ knew why http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/3YgiGcGu41U/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/a_year_ago_when_the_dow_was_tanking_and_the_wsj_knew_why/ [The market] closed today at 10,444, up 54 percent from the low noted by the Wall Street Journal. So much… Medium, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments [The market] closed today at 10,444, up 54 percent from the low noted by the Wall Street Journal. So much for a capital strike. So much for going Galt. Apparently those capitalists think a lot more of Obamanomics than the experts at the WSJ believed. — Jay Bookman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jay Bookman  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged
]]> 2010-03-06T16:42:49-05:00 Jay Bookman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jay Bookman http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2010/03/04/a-year-ago-when-the-dow-was-tanking-and-the-wsj-knew-why/?cxntfid=blogs_jay_bookman_blog ✖ • CNBC millionaires don’t believe in predatory lending http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/rLaHtzZqiFE/cnbc_millionaires_dont_believe.php http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/cnbc_millionaires_dont_believe_in_predatory_lending/ Rick “Tea Party” Santelli gets involved [in the discussion of “predatory lending”], seemingly recommending that the government force everyone to… Brief, Capitalism, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments Rick “Tea Party” Santelli gets involved [in the discussion of “predatory lending”], seemingly recommending that the government force everyone to take financial literacy classes (odd for an Ayn Rand fan). — Ryan Chittum, Columbia Journalism Review - The Audit  #

Categories: Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-06T16:32:26-05:00 Ryan Chittum, Columbia Journalism Review - The Audit http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/cnbc_millionaires_dont_believe.php ✖ • Kudos to SABMiller: THIS is how you run a business http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/3m_B78Wm6oM/index http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/kudos_to_sabmiller_this_is_how_you_run_a_business/ Great Recession. Without SABMiller: Federal government's free-market-worshipping financial decision-makers ignore internal warnings about perils of unregulated big-money black-box market for… Brief, Books, Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments Great Recession. Without SABMiller: Federal government's free-market-worshipping financial decision-makers ignore internal warnings about perils of unregulated big-money black-box market for derivatives and credit-default swaps. With SABMiller: Loose and buzzed, Fed decision-makers decline to take "Atlas Shrugged" seriously; agree to sensible public market oversight. — Patrick Hruby, ESPN  #

Categories: Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-06T16:28:01-05:00 Patrick Hruby, ESPN http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=4966104 •• Fresh media, stale ideas http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/YCXWgXpT3K0/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/fresh_media_stale_ideas/ The first Bioshock was an unrelenting satire of video games and the people who play them, set against one of… Medium, Capitalism, Neutral, Opinion, Allows Comments The first Bioshock was an unrelenting satire of video games and the people who play them, set against one of the most creative, thoughtful backdrops ever seen in the medium — a crumbling utopia beneath the sea built upon the principles of (and destroyed by) Objectivism, Ayn Rand's personal brand of hyper-capitalism. It was the first mainstream, multimillion-dollar video game to ever use the mechanics and conventions of the medium to build its themes (basically, will and choice are central to Objectivism, and games, with their fairly limited range of interactivity, rob you of both). — Kyle Francis, FFWD  #

Categories: Capitalism
]]> 2010-03-06T16:26:30-05:00 Kyle Francis, FFWD http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/screen/video-game-reviews/fresh-media-stale-ideas-5319/ • Press start: The “games as art” debate http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/2dxMdXkI8AI/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/press_start_the_games_as_art_debate/ Anyone who has explored the Ayn Rand-inspired dystopia of BioShock, or has witnessed the seamless fusion of beauty and gameplay… Brief, Neutral, Opinion, Allows Comments Anyone who has explored the Ayn Rand-inspired dystopia of BioShock, or has witnessed the seamless fusion of beauty and gameplay in Shadow of the Colossus would have a difficult time arguing that these experiences were any less instances of art than those of other, more permanently constructed mediums. — Shaun El-Ters, JackCentral (AZ)  #
]]> 2010-03-06T16:16:47-05:00 Shaun El-Ters, JackCentral (AZ) http://jackcentral.com/ae/2010/03/press-start-the-games-as-art-debate/ • Apple’s suit against HTC pits patents against innovation http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/6rB-9RCvn2I/Apple-s-suit-against-HTC-pits-patents-against-innovation http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/apples_suit_against_htc_pits_patents_against_innovation/ It’s interesting that the justifications of patents I’ve seen (even from Objectivists) is on utilitarian premises – a justification of… Brief, Capitalism, Neutral, Opinion, Objectivist author It’s interesting that the justifications of patents I’ve seen (even from Objectivists) is on utilitarian premises – a justification of the “social” benefits of the patent system. But the evidence suggests the opposite – that patents are a net cost, not a benefit to both innovators and consumers. — David Veksler, Christian Science Monitor - Mises Economics Blog  #

Categories: Capitalism, Objectivist author
]]> 2010-03-06T16:09:57-05:00 David Veksler, Christian Science Monitor - Mises Economics Blog http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/Mises-Economics-Blog/2010/0304/Apple-s-suit-against-HTC-pits-patents-against-innovation ✔✖ • Marlins catchers see bumps ahead for prospect http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/zAhqpr9hoKA/news http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/marlins_catchers_see_bumps_ahead_for_prospect/ The [John] Baker and [Ronny] Paulino stories are more like novels by Ayn Rand and Leo Tolstoy – long, fascinating… Brief, Mixed, Opinion The [John] Baker and [Ronny] Paulino stories are more like novels by Ayn Rand and Leo Tolstoy – long, fascinating and a bit of a grind. Oh, and ongoing. — Steve Henson, Yahoo! Sports  #
]]> 2010-03-06T16:03:21-05:00 Steve Henson, Yahoo! Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=sh-marlinsmiami030410&prov=yhoo&type=lgns ✔ • Obama’s new adversary http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/WazzcfZOBmM/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/obamas_new_adversary/ [Rep. Paul] Ryan, who majored in economics and political science at Miami University in Ohio, says his chief influences are… Brief, Positive, News [Rep. Paul] Ryan, who majored in economics and political science at Miami University in Ohio, says his chief influences are still thinkers discovered in the soul-searching that followed his father's death, including Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and Friedrich Hayek. — Shawn Tully, CNN/Money  #
]]> 2010-03-06T02:44:33-05:00 Shawn Tully, CNN/Money http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/04/news/economy/paul_ryan.fortune/ ✖ • Technology and the power to say no is real health reform http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Randex/~3/jaRdpEo16h0/ http://randex.org/index.php/weblog/comments/technology_and_the_power_to_say_no_is_real_health_reform/ The second leg of health reform is convincing you to change your nasty habits. [....] But this interferes with freedom,… Brief, Negative, Opinion, Allows Comments The second leg of health reform is convincing you to change your nasty habits. [....] But this interferes with freedom, we’re told. Smoking is legal, liquor is legal, McDonald’s is legal, exercise is a choice. You’re Communists, Nazis, trying to tell me what to do. I argue that’s not freedom, it’s license. But rather than have an argument, I suggest, sign here. Go in peace. You and Ayn Rand have a grand old time. But when you get cancer, or heart disease, or diabetes, I think that contract should say that when the drip line goes into your vein you pay cash. Or accept responsibility for your choices and drop dead. — Dana Blankenhorn, SmartPlanet  #
]]> 2010-03-06T02:17:39-05:00 Dana Blankenhorn, SmartPlanet http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/technology-and-the-power-to-say-no-is-real-health-reform/920/