The Gateway Objectivists' January
Meeting:
"Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life"
The next meeting will be on Saturday, January 15,
2000, at the home of Jeff & Joy Kiviat.
Please call (314) 469-2723 for directions. We
will be watching "Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life" on DVD and
big-screen TV. Join us for a look at
Michael Paxton's documentary on the life of Ayn Rand. The
movie is filled with a wealth of information, footage, pictures and
interviews. Even if you saw it in the theater, there
are plenty of details you could have missed. We
will also enjoy plenty of movie snacks.
The Sharing of Flesh
Our last meeting was a discussion of Poul Anderson's
short story, "The Sharing of Flesh,"
and an article by Eyal Mozes entitled "Poul Anderson's 'The
Sharing of Flesh' and the Objectivists Ethics."
"The Sharing of Flesh" is a short science
fiction story about a race of humans on
the planet Lokon who have a genetic mutation: adolescent Lokonians
cannot reach puberty unless they ingest a dose of
hormones found only in human flesh.
The premise of the story provoked a discussion centered
on Objectivism's non-conflict-of-interests
principle and the empirical nature of man. We also discussed
other ways that the Lokonians could solve their problem, rather than
sacrificing someone else for themselves. The
article by Mozes is available at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/4082/sof.html.
We also watched A&E's 1999 Biography of the Year
on Alan Greenspan. In addition to footage and
several mentions of Ayn Rand, the show provided some very
interesting information on the past and present life of the chairman of
the Fed and the "intentional ambiguity" that
surrounds his public persona.
Our evening ended with a viewing of David Kelley's
"A Philosophy for the 21st Century"
speech from the Atlas and the World conference in 1997. This inspiring
address focused on the impact of the novel on capitalism, as well as
changes in collectivism and multiculturalism.
Golden Globe Nominations
"The Passion of Ayn Rand" received two
nominations for Golden Globe awards. Helen
Mirren was nominated for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Made-for-TV
movie, and Peter Fonds was nominated for Best
Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Miniseries or
Made-for-TV Movie. The nominations were announced in December,
and the awards show will be telecast on January 23.
Rand Makes the List Again
Ayn Rand appeared on yet another list of best books.
This time "Atlas Shrugged" was voted
as the number five book on barnesandnoble.com's Top
100 Picks of the Century. The
lists of books and albums were voted on by the website's
customers. The first place book was Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with
the Wind," and second place was "Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J. K. Rowling.
Using Statistics to Prove Your Love
Atheists and Agnostics are less likely to get
divorced than Baptists and Jews, according to a
national survey by Barna Research Group. The survey found
that Baptists, at 29%, have the highest divorce rate of any Christian
denomination. Jews have an even higher rate of 30%.
Atheists and Agnostics, Catholics and Lutherans
all share a 21% divorce rate.
Good News/Bad News on Charter
Schools
Potential charter schools in St. Louis received good
news and bad news recently. While the lawsuit
challenging them was dismissed, sponsorship will be
harder to get. The suit by the St. Louis Public
Schools challenging the constitutionality of charter
schools in Missouri was dismissed on December 27.
The "St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
reported December 28 that the reason for the dismissal was that
the charter school which was blocked from opening by the suit was not
going to open this year anyway. There was no ruling
regarding the constitutionality issue, so the
school board can easily resubmit the lawsuit the
next time a charter school plans to open in St. Louis.
Even with the ability to operate legally, potential
charter schools still need a public institution
sponsor to process their application and monitor the
school. In December, the University of Missouri at St. Louis announced it
would no longer act as a sponsor or review any charter
applications, citing financial reasons. Earlier
this year, St. Louis Community College also announced
it would not sponsor potential schools. The only available sponsors
now are Harris-Stowe State College, Southeast Missouri
State University and the St. Louis School Board.
We welcome submissions of reviews,
articles, columns and commentary. Direct all
correspondence to gwobjctvst@aol.com.
|