Ehre

I read a great article in the LA Times, and wanted to share. Now, if only Francisco also owned a copper mine . . . Link to the article: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-guat...5004,full.story

From what I've heard, one of the Johnny Carson shows is accessible (I believe it's at the Ayn Rand Institute?), but her other appearance is not. She was also on Phil Danahue twice, and there are several older interviews with people I have never heard of (excluding Mike Wallace) that he has. I don't want to pressure him into anything, but I will discuss the topic more next time we talk. I don't think he can actually sell the videos, but making them public would be highly beneficial to anyone interested in Ayn Rand, Objectivism, or just someone who stumbles upon them. Plus, I have a feeling many of the videos will be lost for good if he never puts them out there... That scares me. Digitizing them doesn't seem to be a problem; he put several of them on a DVD for the Ayn Rand get together. Updates to come soon.

Tonight I was lucky enough to be invited to a very small Ayn Rand get together. It was hosted by an old friend of hers, and consisted of a handful of Objectivists from back in her day (Nathaniel Branden was even there). Unbelievably, this guy recorded everything from all her talk show interviews, to old college radio lectures, to even a fashion show the whole group put together back in the 60's (or 50's, can't remember). The highlight of the night for me was to watch Ayn Rand on Johnny Carson. I have seen her Phil Donahue and Mike Wallace interviews in the past, but I enjoyed this one more. Instead of putting Rand on the defense or wasting time having her argue with audience members, Carson made sure it was in no way a hostile environment; this relaxed her, bringing out more of Rand's personality and humor. Carson even canceled the other guests, leaving Rand to answer questions the whole show (more than 90% of which was Rand talking, because he didn't cut her answers short). This interview would be great to show people who are new to Rand's ideas; it shows her having a good time, smiling, and joking around while teaching. People who are newly introduced to her might open up more and listen, as opposed to closing off because of her usually blunt, stern approach (which I also enjoy very much). I'm not quite sure what he plans on doing with all of this footage, but I was talking to him about what a valuable learning tool it would be if they were in circulation. I'll talk to him about it more when I go over to see another few interviews (all of which I never knew to exist!).

MANtage! George Washington Rap (VERY funny) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-69414486881463942

Terry Goodkind seems to have led many people to Rand's work. Welcome!

Great video Paul! It very clearly explains the problem with Libertarianism.

The black and white poster is my favorite. Maybe it would help if the letters surrounding the picture were a little darker so it stood out more? That's a shame you aren't going to sell them, I would have purchased several immediately!

That's phenomenal! Is there a reason why something similar isn't done for college students? From my experience, many High School students don't put enough thought into the books they read, but college students are usually at a stage in their lives where many of them really start thinking for themselves and absorbing information from books. Funny enough (or sad enough) just last night I received a myspace message from a young High School girl in response to a bulletin I wrote that contained Ayn Rand's name. "have you read anthem by her? its amazingggggg... and the ending was perfect with the word EGO. because seriously that is what brings down society and brings up power." ... Well, I'm sure it's at least benefiting some students.

The Evolution of Math in America Teaching Math In 1950 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit? Teaching Math In 1960 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit? Teaching Math In 1970 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit? Teaching Math In 1980 A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20. Teaching Math In 1990 A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.) Teaching Math In 2008 ¡Un hachero vende una carretada de madera para $100! El costo de la producción es $80.

"I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind." --Albert Einstein "My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment." --Albert Einstein "I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it." --Albert Einstein While Albert Einstein didn't consider himself an Atheist, he sure as HELL wasn't a devout Christian . The same goes for Isaac Newton, who's religious views seemed to be close to those of a deists (I'm not sure what he exactly considered himself), and far from/contradicting to those of a "devout Christians". [Edited to correct a grammatical error]

What do you plan on doing at this study group?

"Trust in the God's, Leonidas" "I'd prefer you trust in your reason"

http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/06/waterfuel.html I'm suprised there isn't more coverage on this technologies progress. Perhaps it's being kept under wraps to not put so many companies out of business?

A news title caught my eye while browsing Yahoo.com. The title: "Atheists in U.S. challenge growing religious influence" Below is the article: Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070104/ts_csm/catheist The merging of religion and state has been a topic frequently rolling around in my mind lately. The amount of people in America that want it to be a reality frankly scare the crap out of me; no matter how unlikely its possibility. It's nice to be reminded by public news that there are others taking up the same fight as myself.

When I hear or see someone get killed who undoubtedly deserved death, it fills my heart with joy to know there is that much less evil in our world; and it fills my heart with pride to see that there still exists good men to fight against such evil. "Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent" -Terry Goodkind, The Sword of Truth

I live in Los Angeles, but the above picture was taken when I was on a business trip in Austin, Texas. The building in the background is the Frost Bank Tower. Currently the tallest and most beautiful building in Austin.

I just found this picture and wanted to post it because I really like the building in the background

Doing what I love to do (That's a costume, I don't typically wear short shorts in below freezing temperatures ) I don't have many recent pictures of myself on this computer, so I just cropped some group shots I was able to dig up

I think things will become a LOT more clear if we use examples. I'll give an extreme/ exaggerated example. Example: You must kill a certain innocent girl to save everyone elses life on this planet. Let's say that's all there is to that equation, so we don't have to factor in alternative actions, who/what's behind this problem, and so on. There is no alternative action. How does that end not justify the means? Normally killing an innocent girl would be completely evil, but with the given end it seems to completely justify the means. Example: You must murder an innocent girl to gain $10,000. Even if your goal is $10,000, it does not justify your means in this situation. So it seems to me that it's really a matter of weighing the means and the ends. If the immoral means are the only way to reach a needed end, then its justified. If the immoral means reach an end achievable my moral means, then it is not justified. I'm still a bit unclear about this topic, so I'm hoping this quote helps clarify things for me. I still think I'm missing something. -Brando

I really don't think Germany will be much of a problem now, but I have definately asked myself that same question and put some thought into it. I have been to Germany a few times, and it is actually one of my favorite countries to visit; I absolutely love being surrounded by the very fascinating culture, history, and it's newer cities that are almost futuristic. While there, I have stayed with families and have had families come visit me here in America. Everyone from Germany that I've talked to about WWII becomes nervous to talk about it or too forceful in how much they dislike Nazis. They try very hard to serparate themselves from the Nazis in any way possible, almost too hard. At first it weirded me out how obssesive they are about it, but then you also need to keep in mind that you can be arrested for even slightly seeming like a Nazi, being in possession of a swastika, and possibly even being in contact with a Nazi. This can definately make someone obsessive about it whether they hate nazis of love them. After getting to know a few of them personally, I have learned that most families still have all of their grandfathers or fathers war metals and gear locked away somewhere safe that they wont talk about. I think there is still some resonating pride in the past strength in the country, and the strength of specific family members that fought, but they would never put that into words around others. this still doesn't mean they follow the Nazi beliefs and I don't hold it against them. Even I can compliment and respect many of their military generals, tactics, speeches, and technologies brought about from that era; my beliefs contradict the Nazi's, I just make sure never to shut my eyes and turn away from something when you can really learn about it and learn something from it. I really do think they are changing for the better, and their government has come a long way since WWII. But, I see how they could still have some followers of the old ways. A very good friend of mine was born in Germany and has a mother that is a Nazi, yet he is an Objecticvist (they try not to talk about their beliefs too much with eachother ); not all people are smart enough to branch off and think for themselves, though. Anyway, even though I think Germany will not go down that same path again, I can see how it is possible, no matter how unlikely. I'll give examples of what brought about these ideas, but remember I am not saying that I believe them to be true, just that I have seen how they could play out from learning about the country, and mapping out its possibilities in a fiction world in my mind -- They are very strict about making sure no one in the country seems like a Nazi. It's a cover up to bring other countries farther away from the idea of its possibility. Really, their love of Nazis is still there; it's still lingering in some of the government officials, workers, mothers, grandfathers. After WWII they were extremely weekend, and every year give out large amounts of money to other countries in apologies to what they did. This is again a cover up. They have actually found very smart ways to build up their strength while trying to lure away cautious eyes. An example of this is their military program. After WWII they were VERY limited in the amount of military they could have. So they set up a program that requires everyone at a certain age to join the military for a short while to go through some rigorous training to ready them for fighting, war, tactics etc . . . Then they leave the military and continue on with their lives. This makes sure their military numbers stay small, but if a problem were to arise, they could call to arms almost every citizen in the country - Millions! I find the above path to make for a more interesting beginning to a fiction novel then the truth. I just wanted to throw out some ideas and possibilities to toy around with yourselves. -Brando

My results: "You are Fransisco d'Anconia. You are good at everything you do, creation and destruction come equally easy to you. You are passionate, good-looking, talented, and frankly rather annoying. No one likes a show off." True. You can't be accurate with only five questions. Oh well, it's still good for a laugh

I came across this survey that you can fill out to find which Ayn Rand hero you are most like. I havn't played with it enough to test its accuracy, but I thought I would just post it for you guys anyway; either way it still seems fun. Make sure to post your results! Copy the following link: http://quizilla.com/users/onionpeel/quizze...%20are%20you%3F

I find myself to be very open about my beliefs. I have talked to many friends, co-workers, family members and random encounters about the subject. I even post bulletins on my Myspace page with quotes from Ayn Rand or writings from myself about Objectivism asking for my many random friends' opinion (I'm guessing everyone knows what Myspace is, being the craze it is now ). I'm not being some weirdo trying to convert every person they see, I wouldn't waste my time, I am just happy to bring it up when a subject I can relate it to is being discussed (which is often). I enjoy doing this because I get to hear every possible alternative and anti-Objectivist arguments I can; this helps me with future debates, keep an open mind, gain pride in Objectivism vs. other belief systems, and furthers my search of someone that can change my mind about Objectivism (Which at this point, seems like it will have to be God himself coming down to discuss my misunderstandings ) As long as it wont get you in trouble, I highly recommend all of you do the same if you have the time and feel you can keep it at more of a debate or discussion level and not so much a violent argument (some people just can't handle it, and you are just wasting your time). It really is a great learning experience whether it requires me to do more research on a certain topic, or it helps me further understand the reasons people cling onto the many irrational beliefs out there. You can never learn enough.

I would definately pick Ashley Judd over Angelina Jolie. Jolie tends to bug me when I see her in films or interviews. :-/

World of Warcraft: Korgath server, Alliance, Name is Weißerlöwe