Record Number of Students Enter the Ayn Rand Institute’s “Fountainhead” Essay Contest

Irvine, CA, July 7, 2009–More than 7,000 high school students, a record number, have entered the Ayn Rand Institute’s annual “Fountainhead” essay contest, which will award the winners a total of $43,250 in prizes.

First published in 1943, The Fountainhead tells the heroic and fascinating story of Howard Roark, an intransigently independent architect who stands against society’s conventions and refuses to compromise his standards in work and in life.

Open to 11th and 12th graders, the “Fountainhead” essay contest requires contestants to write on one of several topics dealing with the characters and themes in the novel. The contest is designed to promote critical thinking and writing skills. Essays are judged on both style and content.

According to Marilee Dahl, ARI’s education manager, “Judges look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of The Fountainhead.”

Since 1985 more than 200,000 high school students from around the world have entered ARI essay contests and received more than a half a million dollars in prizes.

The first prize winner for the “Fountainhead” essay contest this year will take home $10,000; 5 second-prize winners will receive $2,000 each, and 10 third-prize winners will receive $1,000 each. In addition, 45 finalists will get $100 each and every one of the 175 semifinalists will get $50.

More information about this year’s competition can be found at http://aynrand.org/contests.

————–

To interview Ms. Marilee Dahl or for more information on ARI’s educational programs, please contact media@aynrand.org

The speaking tour includes the following appearances:

 February 9: University of Texas, Austin.
 February 10: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
 February 11: University of Georgia, Athens.
 February 12: University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

According to Dr. Lockitch, “The theory of evolution is often disparaged by its opponents as being ‘just a theory’, a speculative hypothesis with little basis in hard, scientific facts. But this claim carries with it the implied accusation that Charles Darwin was ‘just a theorist’, an armchair scientist whose life’s work was nothing more than an exercise in arbitrary speculation. A look at Darwin’s pioneering discoveries, however, reveals the grave injustice of this accusation.” As Dr. Lockitch explains in his talk, “Darwin was not ‘just a theorist’ and evolution is not ‘just a theory.’”

In this speaking tour, which also celebrates the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s masterpiece On the Origin of Species, Dr. Lockitch explores Darwin’s life and work, focusing on the steps by which he came to discover and prove the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Impact, which remains available in a print edition for ARI donors of $35 or more each year, delivers the latest news and progress reports on ARI’s programs, along with interviews of Objectivist intellectuals and monthly highlights of different aspects of Ayn Rand’s philosophy.

The new, free electronic format will serve as an excellent way of introducing newcomers to ARI’s goals and programs. Additionally, visitors may now view a three-part introductory video on ARI’s home page, which provides information about Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and the Ayn Rand Institute.

» View ARI’s Impact newsletter online

“Americans can learn an important lesson from the spread of socialism in Venezuela,” said Thomas Bowden, an analyst at the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. “What is Chavez counting on when he grabs a private building and vows to make it into a hospital, school, or university? He’s counting on his listeners to excuse the seizure of private property because a higher moral purpose is supposedly being served.

“Chavez is relying on the fact that socialism embodies the world’s moral ideal of individual sacrifice for the ‘common good.’ History has taught him that no opponent will denounce that ideal. And so he climbs to the moral high ground, turning his back on socialism’s dismal historical record of economic decline, lost freedoms, and human misery.

“As long as the moral ideal of self-sacrifice remains unchallenged, socialism will continue to spread–not only in the third world, but in America as well.

“There is a rational alternative. It’s laissez-faire capitalism, which upholds the individual’s moral right to live and work for his own sake, not society’s. But to establish freedom we must dig up the moral roots that continue to nourish socialism worldwide.”

“Part of the reason Madoff’s misdeeds went undetected is that the Securities and Exchange Commission spends most of its time doing things the government has no business doing. The only legitimate job of a securities law enforcement division is to protect investors against the specific crimes of theft, fraud, and breach of contract.

“But the SEC plays a much different role. Its mandate is to attempt to make investing ‘safe’ by controlling every aspect of financial markets, from dictating the composition of mutual fund boards to mandating public release of executive compensation numbers that shareholders want kept private to determining when executives are allowed to sell stock–‘insider trade’–instead of leaving that to the discretion of a company’s owners.

“In pretending to guarantee to investors that their investments are sound, which is impossible, the SEC encourages the kind of blind group-think that characterized the Madoff investors. And with the SEC devoting itself to a sprawling array of elaborate witch-hunts, such as the ‘insider trading’ case against Mark Cuban, what time or attention does it have for real fraud?

“The answer–as is clear from the fact that a 29-point, 17-page report on Madoff, submitted in 1999, 2001, and 2005, entitled The World’s Largest Hedge Fund is a Fraud slipped through its cracks–is none.”

As environmentalism continues to grow in prominence, more and more of us are trying to live a “greener” lifestyle. But the more “eco-friendly” you try to become, likely the more you find yourself confused and frustrated by the green message.

Have you tried giving up your bright and cheery incandescent light bulbs to save energy–only to learn that their gloomy-but-efficient compact fluorescent replacements contain mercury? Perhaps you’ve tried to free up space in landfills by foregoing the ease and convenience of disposable diapers–only to be criticized for the huge quantities of energy and water consumed in laundering those nasty cloth diapers. Even voicing support for renewable energy no longer seems to be green enough, as angry environmentalists protest the development of “pristine lands” for wind farms and solar power plants.
Why is it that no matter what sacrifices you make to try to reduce your “environmental footprint,” it never seems to be enough? Well, consider why it is that you have an “environmental footprint” in the first place.

Everything we do to sustain our lives has an impact on nature. Every value we create to advance our well-being–every ounce of food we grow, every structure we build, every iPhone we manufacture–is produced by extracting raw materials and reshaping them to serve our needs. Every good thing in our lives comes from altering nature for our own benefit.

From the perspective of human life and happiness, a big “environmental footprint” is an enormous positive. This is why people in India and China are striving to increase theirs: to build better roads, more cars and computers, new factories and power plants and hospitals.

But for environmentalism, the size of your “footprint” is the measure of your guilt. Nature, according to green philosophy, is something to be left alone–to be preserved untouched by human activity. Their notion of an “environmental footprint” is intended as a measure of how much you “disturb” nature, with disturbing nature viewed as a sin requiring atonement. Just as the Christian concept of original sin conveys the message that human beings are stained with evil simply for having been born, the green concept of an “environmental footprint” implies that you should feel guilty for your very existence.

It should hardly be any surprise, then, that nothing you do to try to lighten your “footprint” will ever be deemed satisfactory. So long as you are still pursuing life-sustaining activities, whatever you do to reduce your impact on nature in one respect (e.g., cloth diapers) will simply lead to other impacts in other respects (e.g., water use)–like some perverse game of green whack-a-mole–and will be attacked and condemned by greens outraged at whatever “footprint” remains. So long as you still have some “footprint,” further penance is required; so long as you are still alive, no degree of sacrifice can erase your guilt.

The only way to leave no “footprint” would be to die–a conclusion that is not lost on many green ideologues. Consider the premise of the nonfiction bestseller titled “The World Without Us,” which fantasizes about how the earth would “recover” if all humanity suddenly became extinct. Or consider the chilling, anti-human conclusion of an op-ed discussing cloth versus disposable diapers: “From the earth’s point of view, it’s not all that important which kind of diapers you use. The important decision was having the baby.”

The next time you trustingly adopt a “green solution” like fluorescent lights, cloth diapers or wind farms, only to be puzzled when met with still further condemnation and calls for even more sacrifices, remember what counts as a final solution for these ideologues.

The only rational response to such a philosophy is to challenge it at its core. We must acknowledge that it is the essence of human survival to reshape nature for our own benefit, and that far from being a sin, it is our highest virtue. Don’t be fooled by the cries that industrial civilization is “unsustainable.” This cry dates to at least the 19th century, but is belied by the facts. Since the Industrial Revolution, population and life expectancy, to say nothing of the enjoyment of life, have steadily grown.

It is time to recognize environmentalism as a philosophy of guilt and sacrifice–and to reject it in favor of a philosophy that proudly upholds the value of human life.

Open to 12th graders and both undergraduate- and graduate-level college students, the “Atlas Shrugged” essay contest requires contestants to write on one of several topics dealing with the characters and themes in the novel. The contest is designed to promote critical thinking and writing skills. Essays are judged on both style and content.

With 1,917 contestants, 2008 was the most competitive year in the contest’s history. The previous record was 1,647 contestants in 2003.

The following students have won this year’s second and third prizes:

Second-prize winners ($2,000):

Gregory Arney, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
Ryan Krause, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Margaret Wray, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Third-prize winners ($1,000):

Abigail Chernick, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
Cadmus Kyrala, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Melanie Martin, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Ryan Menezes, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Tay Tufenkjian, George Washington University, Washington, DC

The contest also awards 20 finalists ($100) and 20 semi-finalists ($50). A complete list of winners and a copy of the first-prize essay can be read online at the Ayn Rand Institute’s website.

Republican Socialists

December 31, 2008

Washington, D.C.–“Republicans routinely criticize the policies of Barack Obama and other Democrats as socialist,” said Alex Epstein an analyst at the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. “But their endorsement of Barack Obama’s imminent, trillion-dollar ‘stimulus plan’ shows that they buy into socialist ideas just as much as the Democrats. Indeed, Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s explanation of his party’s approach to a ‘stimulus plan’ would make Leon Trotsky proud: ‘We should have a simple test: Will the . . . trillion-dollar spending bill really create jobs and grow the economy . . .?’
 
“What is socialism, if not the idea that the government should seize citizens’ wealth and control industry in the name of creating jobs and growing the economy? If the government has the political right and economic ability to conduct this ‘simple test’ with a trillion dollars of stimulus, why not just nationalize the whole economy outright, and have McConnell, Obama, and a handful of czars tell us what to do and where to spend our money?
 
“A party that truly understood what is wrong with socialism would recognize the injustice and impossibility of central planners expropriating and dictating citizens into prosperity. It would recognize that wealth creation and economic prosperity are the result of protecting the rights of productive individuals to plan, produce, and trade on a truly free market–absent the massive government manipulation of interest rates and home-buying that brought about the current disaster. The Republicans have not earned the right to call anyone socialist–except themselves.”

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Home Forums Elections Clerk Of Courts race

Clerk Of Courts race

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6:09 am September 4, 2008 spacecoastconservative Member PSJ posts 33	1 David Isnardi said: Those that were behind the scenes blogging for Mitch…I sent this originally to FT they did not post it and shut down the blog string.  I did not have time to post a reply to the lies that mitchites posted against me and my family prior to the primary, after words I was not given the oppurtunty.  So I posted here in hopes that those that were posting the BS would read it. Dave Dave, Sorry that you and your family were attacked. I know how that feels. Don't worry about posting your response here. I think we all understand. Remember, your victory is in the fact that the people supporting him had to face defeat. That's a good thing. I voted for Scott and I'm glad I did.
8:37 am September 3, 2008 David Isnardi New Member posts 2	2 Those that were behind the scenes blogging for Mitch…I sent this originally to FT they did not post it and shut down the blog string.  I did not have time to post a reply to the lies that mitchites posted against me and my family prior to the primary, after words I was not given the oppurtunty.  So I posted here in hopes that those that were posting the BS would read it. Dave
5:57 pm September 2, 2008 Palm_Bay_Conservative Member Palm Bay posts 24	3 That was quite a rant, the only thing I didn't take away from it, who was it aimed at?
5:12 pm September 1, 2008 David Isnardi New Member posts 2	4 After the vileness and lies that were spewed through the course of this campaign and the inability to face defeat honorably it doesn’t surprise me that the tone of the county politics has changed, it was our intention to facilitate that change.  No more Mr. Nice guys to go around.  There are some out there that hide behind their screen names and espouse lies and only have one intention in mind…that is to hurt those of us out here that have a true understanding of how bad this county is suffering at the hands of an incompetent few.   I can’t believe that these same people that have patted me on the back after serving my country for more than two decades and then out of the corner of their mouths and with alias’ tell me to stay out of things that don’t concern me.  Well I have stayed out of the blog fights on FT, sitting back listening to my friends inform me how bad that a select few fat boys sitting in their mom’s garage or in their trailer have been bad mouthing me and more importantly my kids!  That is new lows for these select few slugs, I can take whatever any one throws my way, but mess with the kids and that is another issue.  Let’s compare our children for a few moments shall we?  Let’s start with my son Angelo Isnardi, Staff Sergeant United States Army currently serving in Iraq…that’s right, he has received the Purple Heart and numerous other accolades, not a bad start eh?  Let’s move to my daughter Anna-Marie Isnardi, four year degree in criminal justice and one of the most caring, giving women that I have the privilege in knowing.  Then there is Dominic, another four year college graduate in criminal justice, family man with one son and also runs a side business…these are just half of my children and there are more to come…the fact that they are employed at the Clerk’s office with CJ degrees and that became an issue only reaffirms that those blogging need more investigative skills…I would hate to think my tax dollars was wasted on the skills of the bloggers who thought that was an issue…considering more than likely those that were blogging were at one point trained LE investigators? For the record the races that I was involved with were-Burdett, Ellis, Anderson and Baker.  All won but Burdett.  Steve is a true man of integrity and the county lost out when he did not win…it was a shame he lost.  Ellis is the finest leader that I have served with both in the military or out, I don’t always agree with him but he will listen to new innovating ideas and allows all his employees to have a say.  You can’t ask for more than that. Anderson is the young pup who I believe will be in congress one day, he is not just my good friend he is my best.  I am proud to say that publically as well. Michelle Baker is a fantastic lawyer who made her way through hard work and humble beginnings.  So I exercised my right to be involved…I am always amazed that FT is begging folks to run or be involved yet they facilitate you anonymous bloggers.  That’s okay though, while you were well hidden in your mom’s garage or your trailer doing God knows what in between posts…I was walking doors getting those folks that I thought should be elected, elected!  Have a great four years…sissies!
2:09 pm August 31, 2008 spacecoastconservative Member PSJ posts 33	5 Thanks, Matthew! I read it and tried to post a comment but it didn't go through. Can Needelman get any worse than that “Thank you” letter? I am so glad I voted for Scott Ellis. I got honesty, integrity and someone who wouldn't write a letter like that! … BTW, My math problem was 1 + 1. Why do I get all the hard ones? LOL!
7:12 am August 30, 2008 Matthew D Nye Admin posts 13	6 spacecoastconservative said: Palm_Bay_Conservative said: Well, I had been willing to give Mitch another chance in a few years, but after his “concession” I don't think I could ever vote for him again, for anything. What he showed in all of this is not only that he has no respect for Scott Ellis, who has done a good job, and thankfully will continue, but also that he has no respect for us, the voters. I didn't see or hear about Needleman's concession. Can you give a link? I would love to find out about it. http://spacecoastpolitics.com/2008/08/27/concession-letter-from-needelman-campaign/
11:53 pm August 29, 2008 spacecoastconservative Member PSJ posts 33	7 Palm_Bay_Conservative said: Well, I had been willing to give Mitch another chance in a few years, but after his “concession” I don't think I could ever vote for him again, for anything. What he showed in all of this is not only that he has no respect for Scott Ellis, who has done a good job, and thankfully will continue, but also that he has no respect for us, the voters. I didn't see or hear about Needleman's concession. Can you give a link? I would love to find out about it.
9:41 pm August 28, 2008 Palm_Bay_Conservative Member Palm Bay posts 24	8 Well, I had been willing to give Mitch another chance in a few years, but after his “concession” I don't think I could ever vote for him again, for anything. What he showed in all of this is not only that he has no respect for Scott Ellis, who has done a good job, and thankfully will continue, but also that he has no respect for us, the voters.
1:57 am August 25, 2008 Alex Brewer Member posts 3	9 Sean Freeman said: I think you're being way too kind to Needleman Alex. Based on his performance, not only should he NOT be the next Clerk of Courts but he should be forever banned from holding ANY position of public trust! He shouldn't be out there issuing parking tickets at the Indialantic boardwalk! He has shown us what a pathetic little creep he really is and it is time for him to slither back into whatever hole he crawled out of and leave the good people of Florida alone. True Sean. Mitch's message to the citizens of Brevard County is that he will achieve certification of dishonesty. It is sad that his campaign of lies is basically a damage to the Republican Party and an insult to the good people of Florida. The shine is off the turd.
8:35 pm August 24, 2008 spacecoastconservative Member PSJ posts 33	10 I used to respect Needleman. He ruined that all by himself and his smarmy efforts to discredit Scott Ellis. Needleman should have run an honorable race; he chose not to. Needleman should have run a race with issues counting, not personalities; he chose not to. Needleman should have dealt in truth and facts, not lies and deception; he chose not to. Based on Needleman's performance as a candidate, if Needleman ran for “Mosquito Control Spray Man, First Class,” I would not be able to vote for him. Too bad Needleman chose the route he did. Needleman could have been a good candidate; but he chose not to. His choice was to lose votes. My choice was to vote early and to vote for Scott Ellis. This Tuesday, I encourage others to vote for Ellis, too. I think he showed himself to be strong and not needing deception to prove he has done the right thing for the taxpayers of Brevard. I think Ellis for that.
10:35 am August 24, 2008 Sean Freeman Member posts 8	11 I think you're being way too kind to Needleman Alex. Based on his performance, not only should he NOT be the next Clerk of Courts but he should be forever banned from holding ANY position of public trust! He shouldn't be out there issuing parking tickets at the Indialantic boardwalk! He has shown us what a pathetic little creep he really is and it is time for him to slither back into whatever hole he crawled out of and leave the good people of Florida alone.
3:43 am August 24, 2008 Alex Brewer Member posts 3	12 The interview on Bill Mick Live on Friday morning clearly showed that Mitch Needleman does not have the minimum knowledge about the Clerk of Courts office operations. First he bashed Scott Ellis for not getting along because Scott challenges every expense to lower the costs or reduce  waste of money. Then he said that the Clerk of Courts should be responsible for all the County expenses.   So Mitch endorses Scott, because that is what Scott has been doing, truly a perfect job on that part alone. Mitch said that the Courts expenses are too high, and later claimed that he would add another branch to get more revenues. Of course, ignoring that the extra branch expenses will exceed any marginal income. The worst was when Mitch added all the accusations and half truths that the Courts should be increasing revenues, while it sounds good, it is total fabrication, since the Courts can not issue traffic tickets or promote marriages to increase the recording fee revenues. After Scott rebutted every single allegation, Mitch simply changed the subject. Mitch is better fit for State Politics, where the work is purely legislative and does not require experience or hands on every details. The Clerk of Courts requires dedicated hard work that is not meant to be a popular position or social gathering.  Scott Ellis has been doing an excellent job, dedicating many hours extra on his own time.  There was no doubt after the interview, Ellis is the best candidate.
10:01 pm August 23, 2008 Palm_Bay_Conservative Member Palm Bay posts 24	13 How many people heard the interview on Bill Mick Live on Friday morning with Scott Ellis and Mitch Needleman?  I'm wondering what people took away from that interview. Personally, I had already decided to vote for Scott Ellis, but after this interview I really felt validated in that decision.  Mitch, who I used to like, came across as a really nasty, angry, win at any cost, slick talking politician, and I really didn't like what I heard from him.  To me the interview consisted of Mitch leveling accusations, half truths and total fabrications at Scott, and Scott effectively rebutting all of them, but being in the uncomfortable possition of being on the defensive the whole time. I do hope that Mitch is not finished in Politics around here, but, since he's acting a bit like a child at the moment, we, the voters, really need to give him a well earned time out. Mitch, if you lose this election on Tuesday, which I think you likely will, take this as the message, “Go to your room and think about how you've been acting, and come back when you decide to be a politician that we can respect again.”

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Currently Online: 1 Guest Maximum Online: 6	Forums: Groups: 5 Forums: 14 Topics: 18 Posts: 91	Members: There are 41 members There are 1 guests Matthew D Nye has made 13 posts	Top Posters: spacecoastconservative – 33 Palm_Bay_Conservative – 24 Sean Freeman – 8 Alex Brewer – 3 David Isnardi – 2
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The failure to wipe out Hamas on previous occasions has encouraged Palestinian terror groups. It teaches Islamists that their terrorist war will be rewarded, that their quest to destroy Israel–and ultimately America–is achievable.

To put an end to Hamas’s brazen aggression, the jihadist group must be defeated. It is proper and necessary for America to aid and bolster Israel, its one true ally in the Middle East, in the face of a common enemy.