Fall 2009 issue — The vision of the electric car is a totem to the Progressive movement. But is it a realistic vision?Progressive-inclined businesspeople are thick on the ground in Silicon Valley, a bastion of environmentalism. Since information technology can operate at a comfortable distance from the factories of energy producers, an entrepreneur can make millions in IT without ever deviating from his or her green creed.

6 février 2012

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Sidebar article to: " Goddess Undeified ." a review of the book Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right, by Jennifer Burns.Fall 2009 issue -- Jennifer Burns summarizes the essential structure of Objectivism in one place in her biography, a single paragraph on page 148: “It was all adding up to one integrated system. Man was a rational creature who used his mind to survive. The rational faculty required independence and individuality to operate properly; therefore an ethic of selfishness was appropriate for rational men.”

6 février 2012

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In the old days, circa 1900, American businessmen had to twist their minds into pretzels in order to pretend that some desired governmental intervention criminalizing rival companies was compatible with free enterprise. In the middle of the twentieth century, it was easier: Businessmen could portray governmental interventions criminalizing rivals as undoubted exceptions to free enterprise but as actions demanded by national security—and as actions targeting less patriotic rivals. Today, fifty years deep into the postmodernist era, I wonder if American businessmen can any longer distinguish between business activities aimed at out-competing rivals and governmental activities aimed at criminalizing them.

Feb 3, 2012

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Conrad Black’s book on his legal ordeal, A Matter of Principle, has now been published (it can be ordered from Amazon here ) and The New Criterion’s February issue has a review of it, “The persection of Lord Black,” by Andrew C. McCarthy.

Feb 2, 2012

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Qu'est-ce qui caractérise un génie ? Si c'est la misanthropie, alors Jean-Sébastien Bach (né le 21 mars 1685) n'était pas un génie. Il a réalisé sa plus grande œuvre en

30 janvier 2012

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3 minutes

May 2003 -- On March 21, 2003, sophisticated weapons were assaulting the Baathist regime in Baghdad. And so was a simple one: the truth. One such strike occurred that day at about 1321 "Zulu" time (that is, Greenwich Mean Time). Gavin Hewitt, a BBC reporter with the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, which was scouting ahead of the U.S. advance to Baghdad, reported: We are deep into Southern Iraq, certainly well over 100 kilometres north from the border. We've been driving for over 11 hours.In the last few minutes we just crossed over the Basra-Baghdad highway.We've had several bizarre incidents in the last few minutes of drivers on the highway completely unaware that American armour may be this far north, stopping their vehicles in utter amazement as we crossed the highway.

30 janvier 2012

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Sidebar article to: "Charms and Enchantments of Fantasy" (July/August 2003) The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien A novel in three books: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

30 janvier 2012

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In his State of the Union address, on January 24, President Obama said: "I’m asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorney general [sic] to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.”

Jan 29, 2012

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Leftists often insist—and quite rightly—that it is foolish for America to try to impose its political system on countries with fundamentally different cultures. But will they speak out against the American government’s increasing attempts to impose our legal system on countries with fundamentally different cultures? Michael Volkov (background here ) points out at his blog “Corruption, Crime & Compliance” just how far the U.S. invasion has gone.

Jan 28, 2012

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If man is to live on earth, it is right for him to use his mind, it is right to act on his own free judgment, it is right to work for his

Jan 27, 2012

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12

December 1997 -- The Beacon at Alexandria tells the story of Charis of Ephesus, a young woman living in the late Roman Empire who determine

Jan 26, 2012

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3 minutes

December 2000 -- Let me be clear from the first: Justin Martin’s biography of Alan Greenspan is a fun read. Written in a vigorous, journalis

Jan 26, 2012

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6 minutes

December 2000 -- Nineteen ninety-nine was a breakthrough year for the public visibility of Ayn Rand and Objectivism, especially in intellect

Jan 26, 2012

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5 minutes

How do you like your Objectivism? Liberal: freshly phrased (but loosely represented), full of new connections, etc?

25 janvier 2012

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10 minutes

Objectivists have long hoped to see a high-quality academic journal focusing on Objectivism. Last month's publication of The Journal of Ayn

25 janvier 2012

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10 minutes

L'art est largement considéré comme indéfinissable, intrinsèquement subjectif et déconnecté de tout besoin ou préoccupation pratique. De nombreux penseurs modernes

25 janvier 2012

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David Kelley Ph.D

7 minutes

BOOK REVIEW : Richard Taylor, Restoring Pride: The Lost Virtue of Our Age (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Press, 1996)

25 janvier 2012

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5 minutes

May, 2000 -- Douglas Den Uyl's new "reader's companion" to The Fountainhead is a curiosity, for it is a work of literary criticism focused

25 janvier 2012

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10 minutes

Instapundit Glenn Reynolds has been looking back to the early days of his blog, 10 years ago, and this look back struck me as a particularly fruitful: How about compensation for defense expenditures when a person is found not guilty? Quoth Reynolds on January 5, 2002: “A lot of people like my idea of applying "loser pays" to the government -- though one lawyer who represents governments says it should work both ways.

Jan 23, 2012

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Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the judicial district that includes Manhattan, this week announced his latest prosecution of what he now

Jan 21, 2012

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3 minutes