Thursday, February 24, 2011

This Week's Objectivist Round Up

It's over at The Secular Foxhole.  Go check it out!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

This Week's Objectivist Roundup

It's over at The Playful Spirit.  Go check it out!

Announcing SnowCon!

Front Range Objectivism is pleased to announce the full schedule and to open registration for SnowCon -- our March mini-conference.  The core of the conference runs from Friday, March 11th to Sunday, March 13th in Denver, but you can also join us for three days of winter play in the beautiful Colorado Rockies beforehand.

 

You can view the full schedule of lectures and events on the SnowCon web site: http://www.frontrangeobjectivism.com/snowcon/

 

Or you can watch/listen to my preview of it: http://www.frontrangeobjectivism.com/snowcon/webcast.html

 

Colorado is a wonderful state to visit, and SnowCon will be good intellectual fun!  So please join us! 

 

To attend SnowCon, you must register by noon on Thursday, March 3rd.  If you register by noon on Thursday, February 24th, you'll save $20, paying only $140 rather than $160.  (That price includes two buffet meals.)

 

Here are some more details from the SnowCon web page:

 

The core events of SnowCon will be held in Denver on Saturday and Sunday. Lectures include Dr. Paul Hsieh on the morality of carrying firearms, Dr. Diana Hsieh on moral character, Santiago Valenzuela on immigration, and Joe Collins on America's founding.  Saturday night's keynote FROST lecture will feature Jenn Casey and Kelly Elmore on applying the principles of positive discipline to adult relationships.

 

SnowCon also offers a workshop on activist writing with Ari Armstrong, a discussion and performance of Beethoven by pianist Hannah Krening, a workshop on Atlas Shrugged Reading Groups, a demonstration of Liberty Toastmasters, and more. Other optional events include a tour of Denver microbreweries, a hike in Roxborough Park, a tour of the Denver Museum of Art, and a trip to a local shooting range.

 

For details, see Denver Activities and Schedule.

 

In addition, SnowCon attendees can enjoy three relaxed days of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and other winter activities together in Breckenridge before the weekend in Denver -- from Wednesday to Friday.

 

For details, see Breckenridge Activities and Schedule.

 

SnowCon welcomes all friendly people with a serious interest in or honest curiosity about Ayn Rand's philosophy, regardless of their level of knowledge.

 

Santiago and I will be attending the Breckenridge and Denver conference days and we hope to see you there!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

This Week's Objectivist Round Up

It's over at Erosophia.  Go check it out!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Objectivist Round Up - February 3, 2011

Welcome to the February 3, 2011 edition of the Objectivist Round Up!

Ayn Rand's birthday was this week on February 2nd.  I love birthdays because they celebrate the individual.  Happy birthday, Ms. Rand! =)

Jared Rhoads presents Berwick on a one-way path posted at The Lucidicus Project, saying, "Donald Berwick has been renominated to head up the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Unfortunately, he is on a one-way path to greater government intervention and unlikely to consider free market reforms."

Benjamin Skipper presents Why I like Dragon Ball Z posted at Musing Aloud, saying, "Lately I've been watching Dragon Ball Z Kai, and I was surprised to find it has very good philosophical elements. It isn't just a show with cool fighting, but also a display of authentic heroism and villainy. If you've been following my views on why I like conventional villains, then you should be able to tell there's something unique about these heroes."

C.W. presents INFLATION PRIMER posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "An Inflation Primer. Some prices have risen. Does that mean inflation? Keep your causes straight. Blaming the wrong thing means that you will be caught off guard by what is actually happening."

Edward Cline presents The Perils of a Siege Mentality posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, "What bothers me endlessly about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is that they operate on the policy that defeat by our enemies is implicitly conceded. That is the policy adopted by our government, and one can trace it all the way back to President Ronald Reagan’s failure to retaliate against the murder of nearly 250 Marines in their bunker-like barracks in Lebanon in 1983 and the policy that sent them there. Instead of striking a mortal blow at Iran and Hezbollah, we indulged in a wave of maudlin mourning and shameful self-pity."

Andy Clarkson presents The Ultimate Cause of the Triumphs and Tragedies of Jewish Culture posted at The Charlotte Capitalist, saying, "Imagine a relatively small culture brimming with influential intellectuals (Ludwig von Mises, Ayn Rand, Baruch Spinoza, etc.), ground-breaking scientists (Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, Jonas Salk, etc.) and highly successful businessmen (David Sarnoff, Michael Dell, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, etc.) And then imagine the punishment of that culture not for its faults, but for its values and virtues. It is punishment that occurred not just once, but throughout time. It continues to this day. It sounds like the backdrop for an Ayn Rand novel. But this is not fiction, this is history. It is the story of the triumphs and tragedies of Jewish culture -- and their causes."

Rory presents Constituting a Union posted at A Matter Of Mind To Matter, saying, "A short diatribe of mine on the moral dilemma of forming the Union whilst allowing slavery."

Peter Cresswell presents The inevitable conflagration in Cairo posted at Not PC, saying, "Scott Powell's history course helped me make sense of the chaos in Cairo. The insights are his; the mistakes are mine; but this might help you make some sense of it all. It boils down to which side integrates their ideas best . . ."

Jared Rhoads presents Twead #7: Silent Cal's Almanack posted at The Lucidicus Project, saying, "Some highlights and tidbits from David Pietrusza's book on Calvin Coolidge."

Thomas Hochmann presents The Welfare State in Education posted at The Objectivist Voice, saying, "A great guest post by Morgan Polotan illustrating today's welfare state as extended to education."

Paul Hsieh presents ACOs: Repackaged HMOs? posted at We Stand FIRM, saying, "The latest "hot" proposed health care reform is Accountable Care Organizations. But are these just a new twist on an old bad idea?"

Julia Campbell presents pot roast posted at the crankin' kitchen!, saying, "An easy, warming pot roast with winter root vegetables for these cold February nights!"

Stella presents My workout, not theirs posted at ReasonPharm, saying, "With CrossFit, I'm learning to be firsthanded about fitness."

Ari Armstrong presents Why Ayn Rand Trumps Sam Harris on Ethics posted at Free Colorado, saying, "While Sam Harris's utilitarian premises lead him to sanction sacrifice in some circumstances, Ayn Rand showed that one's life is the ultimate standard of 'well-being.'"

Edward Cline presents Burning the Koran is Self-Defeating posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, "Burning a book is basically an emotional expression of the contempt, anger, or fear one harbors for the book. It is fundamentally cathartic in nature; it begins with the flames and ends with the ashes. The emotion is indulged and expended, privately or in public. It is certainly a species of freedom of speech, or of expression, but what does it accomplish beyond the satisfaction of having committed the action?"

Rational Jenn presents I am a Productive Mommy posted at Rational Jenn, saying, "Is parenting productive in the virtuous sense? I say yes, and here are some of my reasons."

Morgan Polotan presents Obamacare: Making Enemies of All | Morgan Polotan's Blog | Defending the Individual Since 2010 posted at Morgan Polotan's Blog.

Diana Hsieh presents Seafood Curry posted at NoodleFood, saying, "Here's my easy recipe for seafood curry that's a sure winner!"

Ron Pisaturo presents Happy Ayn Rand’s Birthday posted at Ron Pisaturo's Blog.

Jason Stotts presents The Republicans are Still Our Enemies posted at Erosophia, saying, "Even in light of the Republicans helping to push back against Obamacare, we need to remember that although we share a common enemy in the Democrats, the Republicans are still our enemies."

Jason Stotts presents Formspring: Sleep Sex posted at Erosophia, saying, "A reader asks about the moral implications of sexsomnia (sleep sex)."

Santiago and Kelly Valenzuela presents A Tale of Two States posted at Mother of Exiles, saying, "Is illegal immigration really to blame for California's awful economy?"

Kelly Elmore presents Crossfit and Body Image posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, "In this post, I explain how Crossfit is helping me to develop a better attitude about my body."

Stephen Bourque presents President Obama and the State University of Baloney posted at One Reality, saying, "It is instructive to juxtapose two recent news events to consider which is more likely to cause harm."

Kate Yoak presents Catholic school teacher who chooses action posted at Parenting is..., saying, "A catholic school teacher chooses to teach sex ed, keeping it a secret from the school. But is her choice wrong?"

Victoria Genther presents Now Taking Orders for the February 2011 Print Edition! posted at The Undercurrent Blog, saying, "This edition features exciting articles on Obama and idealism, drug prohibition, green energy, and government spending. Order your copies by February 9th!"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of objectivist round up using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.


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