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Category: The Atlasphere
All things Atlasphere can be found here, columns, podcasts, interesting anecdotes, and more.
'Crosspoints' Discount for Atlasphere Members
From Alexandra York to Crosspoints reviewer Michelle Fram Cohen:
My nonprofit arts foundation American Renaissance for the Twenty-first Century (ART) is making a special offer to ART members right now. If they buy either an author signed soft or hard cover of CROSSPOINTS (at 15% discount), they get a copy of FROM THE FOUNTAINHEAD TO THE FUTURE and Other Essays on Art and Excellence ($14) free.
If you’d like to offer your readers this same thing, please do so, but tell them that they must put “Atlasphere” on their order to cue us that they are eligible for this special deal. They can check the web site www.ART-21.org to see the essay book and get ordering info. ART is nonprofit, so their check could (if they wish) be viewed as a donation for tax purposes.
Paul DePodesta and Howard Roark
From an article in the LATimes about Dodgers General Manager Paul DePodesta:
The primary architect of the Dodger roster is not the owner of one year but rather the general manager of 11 months, soft-spoken, unassuming Paul DePodesta, who turned all of 32 last month and is looking forward to his only child’s first birthday this month.
Architect is a description the Harvard-educated DePodesta would find flattering because the fictional character he admires most is Howard Roark, the fiercely independent architect in Ayn Rand’s 1943 novel, “The Fountainhead.”
Roark dismissed traditional methods and stood by his radical designs in the face of severe criticism. Rand presented him as a man of extraordinary conviction, and, no surprise here, Gary Cooper played him in the movie.
Fans alarmed at the wholesale shakeup of the Dodgers probably feel DePodesta is more interested in detonating dynamite than in drawing up the blueprint for a winning team. Not that he would be insulted ? Roark too blew things up when he deemed it necessary.
Tradition? Ka-boom! Time-honored methods? Ka-bluwee!
“There are a lot of things we do because that’s the way we’ve always done them, and I do my best to not accept that as an explanation,” DePodesta said. “Circumstances change and you have to be proactive about changing with those circumstances.”
See the full article for additional information.
Putin Demotes Economic Advisor Andrei Illarionov
We’ve noted previously that Putin economic advisor Andrei N. Illarionov has been a vocal admirer of Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged. It sounds like Putin has suddenly noticed that the principles in Atlas are, uh, incompatible with dictatorship.
From an article in the New York Times:
President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday abruptly reduced the responsibilities of a senior adviser who last week issued a sweeping criticism of the Kremlin’s leadership and expressed deep misgivings about the direction in which Russia was headed.
In a presidential decree released without further comment, Mr. Putin relieved the adviser, Andrei N. Illarionov, of his duties as Russia’s envoy to the Group of 8, comprising the world’s major industrialized nations and Russia. Mr. Putin reassigned those duties to a presidential aide who is seemingly a more loyal Kremlin insider, Igor I. Shuvalov.
Mr. Illarionov, 43, has been an economics adviser to Mr. Putin since 2000, and at times a vocal critic of the Kremlin’s course. Both the Kremlin and Mr. Illarionov’s spokeswoman said that for the moment he would retain his principal post. But his sudden removal as envoy to the Group of 8 carried an implicit rebuke.
In a long news conference here last week and then in an interview on an independent radio station, Mr. Illarionov issued a searing and comprehensive assessment of the state of affairs in Russia, saying the country had sharply shifted direction for the worse, and risked becoming a third world state.
See the full article for additional information. (Via Drudge)
Ayn Rand Centennial Celebration in NYC (Feb 2nd)
Forwarded to us by Atlasphere member Don Hauptman:
[Note: the information below is now superceded by the information on their web site.]
Party Like It’s 1905!
Join Us in New York City for a Gala Celebration of Ayn Rand’s 100th Birthday
Dear Ayn Rand Admirer,
Happy New Year. But the festivities aren’t over yet!
This is the start of “The Year of Ayn Rand.” One month from today, on the night of Wednesday, February 2, 2005, the date of Ayn Rand’s 100th birthday, a festive Centennial Celebration will be held here in New York City.
If you’re in another part of the world, this is a great time to visit New York. The holiday tourists are gone, hotel rates are lower, and many otherwise sold-out shows have seats available. (Contact me if you need NYC hotel or entertainment recommendations.)
But the most important event on February 2 will be our Centennial Celebration. The venue is Porters, a restaurant in Manhattan’s newly trendy Chelsea neighborhood. It will close to the public, so we will have the entire main floor from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Porters is a classy place with great food and warm, inviting decor. Reviewers use such words as “stylish,” “stunning,” and “ocean liner Deco.” For a 360-degree panoramic tour, plus reviews and other information, go to www.portersnyc.com.
Here are highlights of what’s included in our Ayn Rand Centennial Celebration:
- Gourmet hors d’oeuvres served by uniformed strolling waiters.
- A selection of premium-quality red and white wines and a variety of soft drinks. (For those who prefer beer or hard liquor, there will be a cash bar.)
- An artistically decorated birthday cake, accompanied by coffee and teas.
- Socializing and camaraderie with Objectivist friends, both old and new.
- A souvenir brochure of little-known, unpublished fun facts about Rand and Objectivism. Exclusively for those who attend this event.
- A tribute to Ayn Rand, some important news … plus a few surprises!
What will it all cost? Catered events in Manhattan are wildly expensive. But the staff of Porters has worked with us enthusiastically and heroically to keep the price reasonable — while delivering a high-quality experience that you will enjoy and long remember.
Admission is $55 per person, including gratuities and tax. We’re not aiming to make a profit (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), just to cover our costs.
Don’t delay. The word is spreading, interest is already strong, the restaurant’s capacity is limited, and we expect to sell out quickly.
See below for how to reserve, deadlines, and other details. And remember: If you procrastinate, you may miss out — and you’ll have to wait another 100 years for Ayn Rand’s Bicentennial!
Cordially,
Don Hauptman
Unofficial Event Host
HOW TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS
Our friends at Laissez Faire Books have benevolently agreed to process reservations and payments for us. You have three convenient ways to reserve and pay:
TO CHARGE BY PHONE: Call toll-free 1-800-326-0996 (or 501-975-3650), Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. Major credit cards honored — please have your card number ready.
TO PAY BY CHECK VIA SNAIL MAIL: Send a check payable to Laissez Faire Books for $55 per person. In the “For” or “Memo” line, write: Rand Centennial. Include your name and names of your guests. Mail to: Laissez Faire Books, 7123 Interstate 30, #42, Little Rock, AR 72209. If you want a confirmation, please include an e-mail address.
IMPORTANT FACTS
Time and place: Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Porters Restaurant, 216 Seventh Ave. (between 22nd and 23rd Streets), Chelsea, New York City. Conveniently located near subways, buses, parking.
Dress code: As befits the occasion, the following is recommended: jackets and ties for men, cocktail attire or dressy casual for women.
Reservation deadline: Laissez Faire Books must receive your reservation and payment no later than close of business, Friday, Jan. 21. But the restaurant’s capacity is limited and we expect to sell out quickly. To ensure that you’re not disappointed, don’t wait — make your reservations today. Absolutely no unreserved admissions at the door.
Cancellations and Refunds: If you reserve and pay and then must cancel, you will receive a full refund if you inform Laissez Faire Books by close of business, Wednesday, Jan. 26, which is one week before the event. No refunds after that date because we owe the restaurant, regardless.
Disclaimers: Particulars subject to change. Our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement — we are e-mailing several lists and it is impractical to eliminate duplications.
See you at Porters on Ayn Rand’s 100th Birthday, February 2!
UPDATE [Jan 14] – An update from Don Hauptman:
Still time to sign up for the Ayn Rand Centennial Celebration in NYC on Feb. 2 — but move fast!
Don Hauptman, Objectivist party animal, announces, “We’re close to selling out. As of today, Friday, Jan. 14, 2005, we have paid reservations equal to about 3/4 of the restaurant’s capacity. I may have stop accepting new reservations soon — or run the risk of violating the (governmentally imposed) fire laws! Flash: Guest speaker Erika Holzer, Ayn Rand’s friend and one of her lawyers, will share memories and anecdotes. Don’t delay. If you miss out, you’ll have to wait until the year 3005 for another event like this! Call LFB after 9 a.m. Central time, weekdays only: 1-800-326-0996. See you at the party.”
For complete details about the event, go here.
Private vs. Government Aid for Tsunami Victims
The Ayn Rand Institute has published an op-ed, below, arguing that any help for Tsunami victims in Southeast Asia should come from private, not government, coffers.
Is such private fundraising really a practical solution? Consider this: Amazon.com alone has already raised well over $9 million (from 124,000 separate donors) in private funding for the Tsunami victims.
The money will be donated to the American Red Cross, which, according to at least one government source, is the same organization that will receive the initial funding from the U.S. government.
U.S. Should Not Help Tsunami Victims
By David Holcberg
As the death toll mounts in the areas hit by Sunday’s tsunami in southern Asia, private organizations and individuals are scrambling to send out money and goods to help the victims. Such help may be entirely proper, especially considering that most of those affected by this tragedy are suffering through no fault of their own.
The United States government, however, should not give any money to help the tsunami victims. Why? Because the money is not the government’s to give.
Every cent the government spends comes from taxation. Every dollar the government hands out as foreign aid has to be extorted from an American taxpayer first. Year after year, for decades, the government has forced American taxpayers to provide foreign aid to every type of natural or man-made disaster on the face of the earth: from the Marshall Plan to reconstruct a war-ravaged Europe to the $15 billion recently promised to fight AIDS in Africa to the countless amounts spent to help the victims of earthquakes, fires and floods–from South America to Asia. Even the enemies of the United States were given money extorted from American taxpayers: from the billions given away by Clinton to help the starving North Koreans to the billions given away by Bush to help the blood-thirsty Palestinians under Arafat’s murderous regime.
The question no one asks about our politicians’ “generosity” towards the world’s needy is: By what right? By what right do they take our hard-earned money and give it away?
The reason politicians can get away with doling out money that they have no right to and that does not belong to them is that they have the morality of altruism on their side. According to altruism–the morality that most Americans accept and that politicians exploit for all it’s worth–those who have more have the moral obligation to help those who have less. This is why Americans–the wealthiest people on earth–are expected to sacrifice (voluntarily or by force) the wealth they have earned to provide for the needs of those who did not earn it. It is Americans’ acceptance of altruism that renders them morally impotent to protest against the confiscation and distribution of their wealth. It is past time to question–and to reject–such a vicious morality that demands that we sacrifice our values instead of holding on to them.
Next time a politician gives away money taken from you to show what a good, compassionate altruist he is, ask yourself: By what right?
UPDATE: More on this subject from Terence Corcoran at Canada’s National Post:
If there’s an emerging lesson in the aftermath of the tsunami, it is this: Beware of aid efforts that must be trumpeted in press releases and hyped at news conferences. The bulk of world relief to tsunami victims, soaring to hundreds of millions of dollars, had been registered by private agencies collecting donations from individuals who sought no public recognition, issued no media release and made no effort to get their names into the papers. It was only after it became obvious thousands, if not millions, of individuals wanted to help that the world’s governments — in Ottawa and Washington and elsewhere — suddenly saw an opportunity. Absurdly, Ottawa announced it would “match” the private donations of individual Canadians — as if Ottawa got the money from some magic fountain behind Parliament Hill rather that from taxes on the same individuals who had already volunteered.
Charles Tomlinson (1932 – 2004)
Charles Thomlinson passed away yesterday. Charles was a forester, writer, and long-time supporter of the importance of Ayn Rand’s ideas.
Charles’s book The View From My Stump was a popular favorite among many admirers of Ayn Rand’s work and, together with his wife Susanna, he was a founder of the “traveling Objectivists,” a group which traveled to destinations around the world twice annually.
He was also the founder of the concept behind the Atlasphere.
Charles was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and did not expect to live more than a year. He published his thoughts about his pending death in the May 2002 edition of TOC’s Navigator, and shared his reflections on how private ownership has helped save American forests in a column for the Atlasphere this past September.
His funeral will be private. There will be a local celebration of Charles’s life from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, January 2nd at the Tomlinson Building at 250 South Poplar Street in Florence, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to The Objectivist Center, the Cherokee Public Library, Hospice of the Shoals, or an organization of personal choice.
New Apprentice, Kelly Perdew, a Fountainhead Fan
We noted several months ago that Trump’s first apprentice, Bill Rancic, was reading The Fountainhead. But now we’ve learned that Trump’s newest apprentice, Kelly Perdew, is a bona-fide fan of the novel.
From an article in the New York Sun:
About 17 million Americans watched Thursday night as Donald Trump chose his next “apprentice” in a three-hour television special on NBC. And even that number – more Americans than bought Bill Clinton’s memoir or saw Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” in theaters – probably understates the significance of the television program.
Thursday’s show featured a “studio” audience in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, a destination spot for high culture that was taken over for the evening by Mr. Trump and his would-be apprentices. NBC’s corporate parent, General Electric, is one of America’s largest companies. And the program is particularly popular among the younger demographic that will influence America’s future.
So what was all the fuss about? Viewers saw Mr. Trump hire Kelly Perdew, who triumphed over the 17 other candidates in the course of the season-long reality television show. And who is Mr. Perdew? A West Point graduate who completed the Army’s ranger training and, according to the “Apprentice” Web site, served two years as a military intelligence officer.
“My military experience will really help me,” Mr. Perdew told Entertainment Weekly.
In promotional material on the show’s Web site, Mr. Perdew says that if he had a super power he would use it to “help the thousands of brave Americans putting their lives on the line to protect our freedom.” He lists “The Fountainhead,” a libertarian tract by Ayn Rand, as among his favorite books.
Course: Introduction to Ayn Rand's Philosophy
From Objectivist Conferences:
Registration is open for “Introduction to Ayn Rand’s Philosophy,” a six-part weekly evening course starting on January 20, 2005. The course is taught as an interactive class, in which participants are invited to raise questions. There are three ways to take the course: in person at the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine, California; live via teleconferencing; and by listening online to recordings of the classes.
The instructors scheduled to lead the class are Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute and a former college professor; and Dr. Onkar Ghate, a senior fellow and an instructor at the Objectivist Academic Center.
The course is open to the general public. High school and college students are encouraged to attend and will receive a substantial discount on the registration fee.
Those who wish to attend class at the Ayn Rand Institute should register early?space is limited.
For all the details, pricing and registration information, visit the Objectivist Conferences Web site.
Milton Friedman on the Progress of Free Markets
From an article at the Australian reprinting Milton Friedman’s comments in the Hoover Digest:
After World War II, opinion was socialist while practice was free market; currently, opinion is free market while practice is heavily socialist. We have largely won the battle of ideas; we have succeeded in stalling the progress of socialism, but we have not succeeded in reversing its course. We are still far from bringing practice into conformity with opinion. That is the overriding non-defence task for the second Bush term. It will not be an easy task, particularly with Iraq threatening to consume Bush’s political capital.
Keep reading… (Hat-tip to Instapundit.)