Author: s1e2t3u4p5

Graduate Scholarships and Graduate Seminar 2009

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

The Atlas Society, by way of William Thomas, has announced the following graduate programs:

*1) Graduate Scholarships: Application Deadline March 1, 2009.*
We at TAS are looking for graduate students with a high potential to contribute to future work on Ayn Rand and Objectivism, and whose progress toward a degree could signally benefit from scholarship support. We offer up to $11,000 over the year-long period August 2009-July 2010. Students with a solid, systematic understanding of Objectivism and who are pursuing Ph.D. or masterâ??s degrees in philosophy, political science, history, psychology, and related fields are eligible. Full application information is online at:
www.atlassociety.org/cth-13-1360-GradSchol.aspx .
If you are interested in possibly applying for a scholarship, donâ??t hesitate to contact me.
*2) Graduate Seminar in Objectivist Method, planned for August 2â??7, 2009*
David Kelley and I are pleased to announce that we will be holding our annual seminar for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, planned for George Washington University in Washington, DC in the first week in August this year. The Graduate Seminar is an intensive week-long seminar for around 10 students.
Instruction in 2009 will focus on the distinctive Objectivist methodology of approaching philosophical issues. The syllabus will include aspects of philosophical analysis such as defining concepts, analyzing the logical structure of arguments, keeping context, organizing ideas in terms of essentials, and employing induction and deduction appropriately. Students will also learn presentation skills by taking part in the presentation of a 10-part course on Objectivism. David and I will be the lead instructors.
The Graduate Seminar, including room and board in Washington, is free to full-time students and scholars, and applicants may also request up to $300 in travel money.
A syllabus and application form will both be posted online shortly.
The early application deadline for the Graduate Seminar is May 15, 2008. Applicants will be notified about their acceptance by May 23. Preference will be given to early applicants in acceptance and travel stipend award decisions. Applicants who need a decision before May 23 are welcome to request an early decision at the time that they apply.
Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis through July 10, 2008. Applicants after May 15 will be notified regarding their acceptance on a rolling basis, but no later than July 17. Acceptance of such late applicants will depend on available space and funds.

Ayn Rand, meet Amazon Kindle

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

The next time I re-read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, I suspect it will be on the new Amazon Kindle, which looks pretty fantastic.
It appears to solve several of the problems I have experienced, over the years, with reading on my Treo and my iPhone:

  • The Kindle is more like looking at paper than looking at a CRT or LCD screen
  • No glare when you’re reading outdoors or in front of a window
  • Larger screen, which means more readable fonts as well as less time spent scrolling and waiting for the screen to load

And it solves several problems associated with books, as well:

  • Easier to hold in your hand. I’m guessing here from the videos, since I haven’t actually held one yet. But I’ve always been annoyed by the awkward way you have to use your fingers to hold open a new paperback. The Kindle looks easier.
  • No more accumulating hundreds of books on bookshelves that you read once, at most, and then have to lug from one home to the next, in heavy boxes, when you move.
  • Less money spent on books that you may or may not actually read.
  • Less eye strain. At night, when my eyes are tired, I could have the Kindle “read” to me. Ditto when I’m driving and want to listen to a book.

I like it.

Back to square one for the Atlas Shrugged movie

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

The Atlas Society has news on the Atlas Shrugged movie:

The Lionsgate project came to a halt on September 30, 2008, when the company chose not to renew its option with Atlas Society trustee John Aglialoro, owner of the movie rights and current script. Now, after a waiting period through the end of 2008, Aglialoro is pursuing other options. In addition to the possibility of producing an adaptation himself, he is in discussions with private investors and film producers.
Burns of Lionsgate remains interested in the project, however, as do the Baldwins. Aglialoro is exploring with them the possibility of a new film dealâ??this time without Angelina Jolie, who was previously attached to the role of Dagny Taggart. â??Jolie failed to seize the opportunity, and weâ??re moving on,â? said Aglialoro.

Not everyone will see the omission of Angelina Jolie as a bad thing.
Read the full update for more — including which high-profile actresses have expressed interest and are currently reading the script.

WSJ: Atlas Shrugged – from Fiction to Fact in 52 years

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

Stephen Moore, senior economics writer for the Wall Street Journal, compares today’s bailout orgy and economic stimulus plans to the “economic lunacy that Atlas Shrugged parodied in 1957.”

The current economic strategy is right out of “Atlas Shrugged”: The more incompetent you are in business, the more handouts the politicians will bestow on you. That’s the justification for the $2 trillion of subsidies doled out already to keep afloat distressed insurance companies, banks, Wall Street investment houses, and auto companies — while standing next in line for their share of the booty are real-estate developers, the steel industry, chemical companies, airlines, ethanol producers, construction firms and even catfish farmers. With each successive bailout to “calm the markets,” another trillion of national wealth is subsequently lost. Yet, as “Atlas” grimly foretold, we now treat the incompetent who wreck their companies as victims, while those resourceful business owners who manage to make a profit are portrayed as recipients of illegitimate “windfalls.”

Read the full article.

TAS Summer Seminar 2009 Announcement

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

The Atlas Society posted the following letter on its website announcing that they have canceled their summer seminar for this summer.

To members and friends of The Atlas Society: 
Many of you have said that the Summer Seminar is one of the most fulfilling experiences of your year. We at the Atlas Society sincerely acknowledge what a pleasure it is to host this event and connect with the vibrant individuals who make up our community. And so it isnâ??t without a touch of sorrow that we publicize the cancellation of the 2009 Summer Seminar.
This decision has come at the end of a long deliberation about how best to use our time, money, and staff expertise to spread the message of Open Objectivism, especially while we maintain our footing in this rocky economic environment. We have concluded that the internet is the most cost-effective method to deliver our product. Currently, our website attracts over 250,000 viewers every month, with a substantial portion from overseas: Europe, Latin America, India, and East Asia. This level of exposure is an enormously positive achievement for our organization.
However, the current TAS website is not adequate to sustain the further gains we believe are possible. To bring these gains to fruition, we need a radically redesigned website. This projectâ??the redesigning of our websiteâ??will be a major focus for 2009. While our existing site has a wealth of material on Objectivism, we need navigation tools that enable users to find what they want across the breadth of material and to the depth of their interests. We plan to add interactive features and make use of diverse media: audio, video, blogging, and email bulletins, as well as text.
The content of our website is where our staff expertise factors in. The staff of the Atlas Society will be called on for tasks such as selecting, editing, and organizing old materialâ??including hundreds of lectures from Seminars past; creating new material, both written and audio-visual; and structuring the site to make it appealing to intended users. These tasks require knowledge of Objectivism. At key points, the project will place heavy demands on the content creators on staff: David Kelley, Ed Hudgins, and Will Thomas.
Our content is also where you, our members, factor in. We deeply value the insight and commitment of the individuals in the Atlas Society. We implore you to refocus with us and accept our warm invitation to lend your ideas to our developing website, and to our publications, especially The New Individualist. To what topics would you like to see Objectivism applied? What questions do you have about the philosophy? What have we written in the past that youâ??ve found inspiring, helpful, challenging, or simply enjoyable reading?
As our website becomes more streamlined and accessible to a worldwide public, our goal is to gain more membersâ??smart and creative individuals like you. You have already helped to create the spirit of the Atlas Society by your support and your participation in our programs, events and in our literature. After all, the culture of our movement is determined not only by our staff, but also by our supporters. Your engagement will affect the impression we make and the audience we draw to our website. We are listening, and we want you to share your thoughts with us.
We hope you will share in our big-picture vision. With the successful completion of our website project in mind, we look forward to an invigorating Summer Seminar in 2010. The 20th anniversary of Open Objectivism will be an event to celebrate in style. We can’t wait to see you there.
Best regards,
David Kelley
Chairman
P.S. To contact any of us or to offer support to The Atlas Society, e-mail tas@atlassociety.org or call 202-296-7263 (202 AYN RAND).

Joe the Plumber: Atlas Contemplates Shrugging

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

From a new article at American Thinker, written to “Joe the Plumber” from a fellow businessman:

I wish you well, guy. You might just have the genius and persistence to pull this off. I really do hope so. As for me, I have had enough. I have fought creeping liberalism and managed more wins than losses over 17 years. We have progressed to where our business, now a corporation, is big enough so that Obama and his ilk now have their own ideas about “what larger businesses can afford” and what “corporations can afford.”
Well I’ve got news for him. I cannot afford what they think I can afford, so I am breaking her up and giving her away to some key employees. I wish them well too. They are like you, tough and smart. Perhaps if they stay small enough and never can carry forward more than 250 thou to the next year, they will be allowed to keep their businesses through a downturn.

See the full article for more.

Economic crisis caused by social engineering

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

Excellent commentary by Michael Malone on the bailout mess:

From where I sit, the United States government has embarked on two pieces of social engineering in the last few years. One was to make oil as expensive as possible to drive people to greater use of alternative energy sources — because anything less would be irresponsible and destructive to the environment. The other was to enshrine home ownership (i.e., easy-to-obtain mortgages) as a new American right — because anything less would be unequal and racist.
None of us voted on these decisions — indeed, neither was even spoken about directly, much less debated. But nevertheless, both became national policy … and both have sparked national, now international, crises. Then, once they became crises, both were blamed on â??greedy capitalismâ??, instead of what they really were: legislative interference into market forces…. To my mind, what makes this economic crisis different from ones in even the recent past is that it has exposed the fact that there are, apparently, no real leaders left in Washington — that the intellectual capital in the National Capitol has fallen to a new low — if thatâ??s possible. Most of all, it shows that we can no longer look to D.C. for leadership into the rest of the 21st century.

See his full article for more. (via Instapundit)

Authors needed: The Cases for Obama and Barr

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

Much as we did for the 2004 election, this month the Atlasphere would like to publish a series of articles called “The Case for John McCain,” “The Case for Barack Obama,” and “The Case for Bob Barr” — laying out the pro-Rand arguments for each of the candidates in this year’s election cycle.
We have an excellent candidate for the McCain piece, and would like to receive submissions for the Obama and Barr pieces.
If you’d like to be considered for the slot, please review our writers guidelines and send your draft article to us (editors AT theatlasphere DOT com) in MS Word format.
Thank you!

Colorado's Amendment 48: Fertilized Egg = Person

Posted on by s1e2t3u4p5

From Diana Hsieh:

Reproductive rights in Colorado are under attack by the religious right. Amendment 48 — the ballot measure that would define a fertilized egg as a person with full legal rights in the Colorado constitution — threatens not just legal abortion but also the birth control pill and in vitro fertilization.
The Coalition for Secular Government just published an issue paper on the threat posed by Amendment 48 by Ari Armstrong and myself (Diana Hsieh) entitled “Amendment 48 Is Anti-Life: Why It Matters That a Fertilized Egg Is Not a Person.” It’s available for download at:
http://www.SecularGovernment.us/docs/a48.pdf
It shows that Amendment 48 is deeply hostile to human life:
* Given existing criminal statues, Amendment 48 would subject women and their doctors to life in prison or the death penalty for abortions, even in cases of rape, incest, and fetal deformity.
* It would prevent doctors from properly treating non-viable ectopic pregnancy until the woman’s life and health was in serious danger, thereby causing needless deaths.
* It would force thousands of women each year to bear unwanted children, whatever the cost to their own lives and happiness.
* It would ban popular and effective forms of birth control, including the birth-control pill, thereby increasing unwanted pregnancies.
* It would outlaw the fertility treatments responsible for the birth of hundreds of Colorado babies to eager parents each year.
Amendment 48 would do all that based solely on the faith-based fiction that a fertilized egg is the moral equal of a born infant. Our paper shows that the biological facts support the opposite conclusion: that only the pregnant woman, and then the born infant, are persons with rights. It shows that Amendment 48 is deeply hostile to the requirements of a rational, responsible, and moral life.

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