Free Republic

So, are you doing anything different economically? Are you cutting back? Will Christmas and Thanksgiving be any different? Are you spending, saving, paying down?

Several years ago, Miss Ayn Rand wrote The Fountainhead. Despite a generally poor press, it is said to have sold some four hundred thousand copies. Thus, it became a wonder of the book trade of a kind that publishers dream about after taxes. So Atlas Shrugged had a first printing of one hundred thousand copies. It appears to be slowly climbing the best-seller lists. The news about this book seems to me to be that any ordinarily sensible head could not possibly take it seriously, and that, apparently, a good many do. Somebody has called it: "Excruciatingly awful." I find...

Few details available about military mission ... except that it succeeded An Atlas 5 rocket has lifted off from Florida carrying a highly classified military satellite. The rocket launched into a nearly cloudless sky at 5:35 p.m. ET Tuesday. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture involving Lockheed Martin and Boeing, handled the launch. Eric Brian, a spokesman for the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, declined to say which branch of the military will command the satellite in orbit. Brian said the rocket carried a $500 million payload. The satellite was made by Lockheed Martin. United Launch Alliance...

If that's correct, I can't think events in 2009 will do anything to diminish the flow. What I wonder is: Where did those 2 million go? Britons, Canadians, Europeans, etc, who seek "greener pastures" generally wind up in the U.S. For most of us immigrants, this is the last stop on the tour: There's nowhere else to go. So where on the planet do a couple of million Americans go to find somewhere "greener"?

Despite a number of differences I have with Ayn Rand on issues of religion and philosophy, her 1957 magnum opus, "Atlas Shrugged," definitely steered me away from the leftist upbringing I had, and introduced me to the world of conservative ideas and authors: Ludwig von Mises, Henry Hazlitt, Milton Friedman, Isabel Paterson, and many others. Universally panned by literary critics of the day, "Atlas" was, nevertheless, a bestseller in 1957, and continued to sell about 100,000 copies a year for 51 consecutive years. 52 years later -- just after the inauguration of zerobama -- "Atlas" has apparently tripled its sales...

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite are ready for launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today. The spacecraft are scheduled to lift off together with three attempts possible at 5:12 p.m., 5:22 p.m. and 5:32 p.m. EDT. If launch slips to Friday, June 19, the launch opportunities would be 6:41 p.m., 6:51 p.m. and 7:01 p.m.

What is the breaking point? Where will the resistance form? Heavy questions, but unavoidable in the current political climate. The productive members of society can only be pushed so far, some say. What they envision is not defiance of law or a reversal of the election. It is people's growing disengagement from a new economic order that punishes effort and rewards envy — the creepy future that Bill Ritter and Barack Obama intend for us. Columnist Michelle Malkin calls that withdrawal "going Galt." Malkin was the first speaker last weekend when several hundred Coloradans gathered for a free-market leadership conference...

Could Obama's carbon emission policies re-create the economic conditions that led to Southern secession?Who Pays for Cap and Trade? (Wall Street Journal, 3/9/09, A18) describes how Barack Obama's proposed carbon taxes and cap-and-trade mandates will affect different regions of the United States. The table shows per capita carbon emissions in tons. Highest are Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska, West Virginia, Montana, Louisiana, Indiana, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Iowa. All are either Red States or conservative Blue States. Lowest are NJ, FL, WA, OR, MA, CT, VT, CA, NY, and RI. All except Florida are reliable Blue States with high populations of latte-sipping...

The airwaves and the Internet wires have been burning with all manner of rhetoric over the past three months, but perhaps the three that most bear retaining in the minds of Americans is: Elections have consequences. Usually elections revolve around familiar "wedge" issues, abortion, gay marriage, gun rights, and taxes, but this time part of the electorate has raised the ante. This time, they have made a statement on what form they would wish for society as a whole. The fundamental form of society is important. A society can allow people to live without fear, to achieve their full potential,...

Treasury Secretary Geithner Tells CNBC: "We Need to Be Exceptionally Careful That We Protect Taxpayers." Banner only

A fascinating new atlas, featuring cities that are renamed to reflect their etymological origins, is now on sale. Etymologists and wordsmiths will take particular interest in a new set of maps going on sale in time for Christmas. The traditional names for the world's cities, countries, rivers and mountains have been altered on an atlas to reflect their origins and literal meaning. Chicago, for example, is renamed Stink Onion and Cameroon is called the Land of Shrimps. The logic behind each place name is explained on the back of the maps. Cameroon comes from the Portuguese word camaroes, meaning...

WORLD NET COVERS THE GOOGLE BAN ON ATLAS Chelsea of World Net Daily has picked up on this outrage: "SANDBOXED"/ BLACKLISTED BY GOOGLE. Check it out: Google 'censoring' anti-Obama bloggers? Writer claims Internet giant banning stories that expose president-elect Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs Is Google censoring anti-Obama stories? Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs claims the search engine giant has banned her groundbreaking articles about Obama – a technique many people refer to as "sandboxing." "There was no warning, no notice, nothing," Geller told WND. "They have basically sandboxed me." "Sandboxing" happens when Google strips a website's rankings from its...

(Los Angeles) Barak Obama and John McCain should take note of a Zogby poll released today that found that 8.1 percent of American adults have read the book Atlas Shrugged by pro-freedom philosopher Ayn Rand. This result matches the 8.1 percent result from the 2007 Atlas Shrugged survey. This poll illuminates a large segment of the American public that favors minimum government. Atlas Shrugged chronicles an America where government has taken control of nearly all aspects of life. As society collapses the heroine follows a trail of clues surrounding the disappearance of innovators and the rise of a mysterious phrase...

Each year since 2005, the US government has levied taxes and then transferred over a trillion dollars per year in social welfare spending. Since 1965, the year the War on Poverty began, the US government has shared tens of trillions of dollars in wealth to fight a poverty rate that remains unchanged, at 14%, from 1964 to today. In this election, Obama promises to “share the wealth.” Barney Frank asserts that there are plenty of “rich people we can tax to recover this money” the Democrats plan to spend – as if you absconded with the funds. Hillary famously said...

The Atlas 5 rocket’s planned Thursday liftoff cleared a final hurdle during a routine pre-launch review today at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Officials confirmed the mission is targeting departure at 3:02 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-3 on South Base. While the window remains classified, the launch could occur anytime before 4 a.m., according to officials. The West Coast’s first Atlas 5 rocket will carry a top-secret satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.

A powerful explosion rocked Tacoma Saturday afternoon, sending four injured workers to the hospital, shooting a fireball hundreds of feet into the sky, shutting down highways and banning aircraft for a five-mile radius. The series of events leading to the explosion began as a tanker truck driver was loading propane into one of two stationary tanks at Atlas Castings & Technology. Two smaller explosions occurred, followed by a massive one that blew the truck apart, with the axel flying hundreds of feet in the air before

It has been half a century since the publication of Ayn Rand's magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged. That book like no other has inspired millions of readers; motivated individuals to pursue their own happiness and achieve the best within them; influenced philosophy, politics, ethics and aesthetics; and has created the Objectivist movement. The Atlas Society will celebrate this great achievement with an all-day conference and gala concluding banquet in Washington, D.C. and give you any updates on the planned Atlas movie! Our keynote speakers: *John Stossel, ABC News 20/20, author. Dinner Speaker *Charles Murray, author, philosopher and social scientist. Luncheon Speaker....

Arlington, VA, March 12, 2007 – Think tanks from the United States and 13 other countries have been named winners of 2007 Templeton Freedom Awards, the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, which manages the competition, announced today. Winning institutions come from a widely diverse geographical area, ranging from Montana to Montenegro, Brazil to Belarus, Sweden to Japan. The multi-faceted awards program, which attracted this year more than 200 entries from 53 countries, recognizes innovative civil society programs sponsored by independent research institutes around the world. The program is named in honor of famed investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. “Economic and...

It takes about six minutes for a firefighter with a full load of gear to reach the top of a 30-story building by running up the stairs--and when he gets there, he's tired. A group of MIT students have designed a rope-climbing device that can carry 250 pounds at a top speed of 10 feet per second. They have a contract to make the climbing device for the U.S. Army for use in urban combat zones, and they hope to make it available to rescue workers. The students founded a company, Atlas Devices, based in Cambridge, MA, to commercialize the...

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed United Launch Alliance ("ULA") joint venture between the US Defence and Space contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The investigation has shown that the proposed transaction will not significantly impede effective competition in the European Union. Both Boeing and Lockheed provide space launch services to governmental and commercial customers. Lockheed is active on the market with its Atlas family of launch vehicles as well as with Proton, a launcher produced in a joint venture with Russian partners. Boeing offers the Delta launch vehicles as well as launchers produced by...

National Geographic Society retreats The Marze Por Gohar Party is happy to announce that with the hard work of our compatriots for defending the Persian Gulf, the National Geographic Society has been forced to retreat from their earlier stance regarding the Persian Gulf. The National Geographic Society has reportedly removed the illegitimate name from its maps, however there is an asterisk now explaining that some countries use another (unrecognized) name to refer to the Persian Gulf. Though the Islamic Republic would like to have Iranians believe that the matter regarding the National Geographic’s use of an illegitimate name for the...

Physik Astronomie Louisiana State University 14.01.2005 LSU researcher solves ancient astronomy mystery An ancient mystery may have been solved by LSU Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Bradley E. Schaefer. Schaefer has discovered that the long-lost star catalog of Hipparchus, which dates back to 129 B.C., appears on a Roman statue called the Farnese Atlas. Hipparchus was one of the greatest astronomers of antiquity and his star catalog was the first in the world, as well as the most influential. The catalog was lost early in the Christian era, perhaps in the fire at the great library in Alexandria. The...

Americans had a brand new view of the world just in time for Geography Awareness Week November 14-20. The National Geographic Society, which hosts the annual event, has just published the eighth edition of its Atlas of the World. The Society made more than 15,000 changes from the previous version, issued five years ago. In addition to traditional maps, the book contains country-by-country profiles of political and economic data, as well as maps of cultural aspects - such as religions and languages. Chief cartographer Allen Carroll says the new edition had to venture beyond the customary political maps. "I’ve always...

October 24, 2004 Unfortunately due to powerful anti-Iranian activities and the typical incompetence of the Islamic Republic that occupies Iran, the southern states of the Persian Gulf who have only come to existence thanks to foreign powers, have slowly become more brazen. As a result the National Geographic Society has printed at least three major erroneous statements in its Atlas of the World 2005 (Eighth Edition, ISBN: 0-7922-7543-8 & ISBN: 0-7922-7542-x) regarding Iran and the Persian Gulf. Considering the fact that the National, Geographic is the biggest non-profit educational and scientific institution, it is hard for us to fathom how...

The following is an excerpt from Atlas Shrugged, © Copyright, 1957, by Ayn Rand. "So you think that money is the root of all evil?" said Francisco d'Anconia. "Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another, must deal by trade, and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of...

<p>From the perspective of a political scientist, nothing is perhaps as genuinely Mexican as the long-term institutionalized corruption of our police and bureaucracy. This is so longstanding and deeply embedded in daily routine that the concept of "ethical government" is a true oxymoron.</p>

International Launch Services (ILS), a Lockheed Martin Corp. joint venture, has been given the green light for what will be the first Atlas V launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch will be from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 3-East, which is being refurbished to support a late 2005 launch for this national security mission. The launch is for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), as one of 18 missions assigned to ILS and the Lockheed Martin-built Atlas V rocket under the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. This is the formal contract for one of those...

Lockheed Martin and International Launch Services are preparing for [Wednesday's] lift-off of an Atlas 3B rocket with a Navy communications satellite aboard. It's the last of the Navy's "UFO" or ultra high-frequency follow-on satellites, which allow people in all branches of the military to talk securely between the ground, ships and airplanes, often with small, portable terminals. ... 8:24 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003 In the words of a seasonal song, baby, it's cold outside. However, cold won't hinder the launch. Winds might, but now, both surface and upper-level winds are below limits. The countdown is proceeding toward the...

A Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket has lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California carrying a classified payload into orbit for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. Check our our Mission Status Center to follow the rocket's climb to orbit.

Meet Joe Dirt Stuart K. Hayashi In 2001, comedian David Spade came out with a movie titled "The Adventures of Joe Dirt." It now appears that the film was about Joe Conason, the author of "Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth" and an editorialist for the liberal-biased Salon.com. In the person of Brad Pitt, you've already Met Joe Black. Now Meet the Real Joe Dirt. His book purports to expose how right-wingers harness the corporate media to brainwash society. Instead of demonstrating such, however, Joe is too busy flinging his Dirt around. In two...

There is a pure joy in seeing libertarian principles expressed by unexpected sources in a world teeming with those who love power. This is especially true when the expression is focused on the next generation. Thus, I am almost rapturous about book five in the Harry Potter series, The Order of the Phoenix. The first blessing of the Harry Potter series is that it is an example of a gifted writer making an obscene fortune by creating a product people love. It has recently been confirmed that J. K. Rowling is now wealthier than the World's Greatest Welfare Mother, the...

---------------------------------------------------------------------- VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE As of 2003 April 9 This schedule is a composite of unclassified information from government, industry, and other reliable sources. The dates and times may not agree with those posted on the official Vandenberg AFB launch schedule (mocc.vandenberg.af.mil/launchsched.asp). Launch Time/Window Date (PST/PDT) Vehicle Pad/Silo -------- ----------- ---------- -------- JUN 1 ~12:00 Pegasus XL Offshore Payload is OrbView 3 commercial reconnaissance satellite. Pegasus will be air-launched from an L-1011 staged from Vandenberg AFB JUN Unannounced Minuteman III LF-04 ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is at least one unarmed warhead. Impact area is near Kwajalein in the...

In her 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand imagined a monstrous world in which the laws and the political regime, rather than protecting productive individuals, actually make it easy and legal for the rapacious and the envious to steal from them. Not surprisingly, many producers drop out of this society. In response, politicians warn the remaining producers not to leave their jobs, claiming that it is their duty to serve society. This nightmare scenario is now breaking out across the United States. The victims are physicians. Faced with the high costs of malpractice insurance and bogus lawsuits, plus onerous government...

<p>In her 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged," Ayn Rand imagined a monstrous world in which the laws and the political regime, rather than protecting productive individuals, actually make it easy and legal for the rapacious and the envious to steal from them. Not surprisingly, many producers drop out of this society. In response, politicians warn the remaining producers not to leave their jobs, claiming it is their duty to serve society.</p>

A Credit to the Corporate Raider Stuart K. Hayashi The media's exploitation of the 2001 corporate scandals in its hysterical (and popular) campaign to defame businesspeople in general harkens back to another anti-capitalist witch hunt they conducted in the 1980s. That era is now pejoratively dubbed "the Decade of Greed," as it saw the proliferation of honest but controversial characters known as "corporate raiders." "Corporate raiders" are the mavericks who launch "hostile takeovers," trying to take over failing mega-corporations for themselves. (Successful companies have higher stock prices and are thus harder to buy out.) To do this in the...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 September 16 An Atlas V Rocket Prepares to Launch Credit & Copyright: Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation Explanation: The first launch of an Atlas V rocket occurred last month. The Atlas V, built by Lockheed Martin, is the first rocket in the U. S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Rockets in this program can carry increasingly heavy payloads by just adding more boosters. In fact, the only US...

DENVER, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin's Atlas V launch vehicle, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems headquartered near Denver, Colo., is scheduled for its inaugural flight Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2002, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Atlas V is America's next-generation rocket, which ultimately will replace all current versions of Atlas and Titan launch systems in operation today. Liftoff is scheduled for Aug. 21 at 6:05 p.m. EDT, with the launch window extending from 6:05 - 7:34 p.m. EDT (4:05 - 5:34 p.m. MDT). Launch will take place from the company's new launch site at...

July 20, 2002 Arabic atlas offers unique view of 11th-century world By Hannah Hennessy AN 800-YEAR-OLD Arabic atlas that gives an unusual insight into medieval concepts of the world and has never been seen in public before has been saved for the nation by Oxford University. Costing £400,000, but probably worth more than £1 million, the Book of Strange Arts and Visual Delights may be the most important Islamic scientific manuscript to have come on the market in the past century, university historians say. The two-volume 96-page manuscript contains 17 maps, including two of the world, one of Sicily and...

<p>Battle with butchers union prompts beloved specialty supermarket to close its doors after more than 50 years.</p> <p>Mary Owens looked shocked as Eleanor Maurer calmly gave her the news.</p> <p>"Hi, Mary. Did you know we're closing Atlas in a month?"</p>