tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56433312012-02-14T16:44:21.569-06:00Welcome to my personal blog!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.comBlogger971100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-66568524708818121642011-09-11T11:23:00.000-05:002011-09-11T11:24:01.783-05:00

On the anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001, I remember that the United States of America stands for one thing above all else:FREEDOM.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-76078173362995872542011-07-05T12:57:00.003-05:002011-07-05T14:48:37.019-05:00

Dear Moviegoers,It is NOT okay to come in after the lights have gone down and ask those who are already comfortably settled in to change their seats when there are plenty of STILL EMPTY seats to choose from.Thanks!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-20882002289202091462011-07-01T09:01:00.007-05:002011-07-01T09:42:16.805-05:00

Someday I'm going to write about my all-time great movie-going experiences and Foreign Correspondent is going to be near the top of my list, along with The Empire Strikes Back and Forbidden Planet!Directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940, Foreign Correspondent is one of my favorite movie-going experiences not so much because of the theater where I first saw it some thirty years ago - the Valley Art

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-38772742893744925692011-06-23T09:24:00.004-05:002011-06-23T09:49:20.233-05:00

The unrepeatable experience that is Bruce Goff's Bavinger House appears to be gone now - whether forever or not, I do not know.According to a story in The Oklahoman, the house recently sustained serious and extensive damage. For many years I read that the Bavingers were a private family and did not allow visitors. I did not know that the house had been open to the public in the last few years.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-91861865436786613762011-06-17T09:03:00.002-05:002011-06-17T09:15:52.184-05:00

Muppets: I've been following the new Muppet movie trailers & the newest one, "Being Green" is classic, old-school Muppet Show subversiveness. Absolutely hilarious. But will the whole movie be this funny?Moneyball: "Moneyball", the book, was about how Billy Beane re-invented the game of baseball. In "Moneyball", the movie, Brad-Pitt-as-Billy-Beane throws desks and chairs and seems to leave

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-27558452741403365342011-06-07T09:28:00.004-05:002011-06-07T15:28:10.841-05:00

Okay, I don't normally find these Hitler YouTube mashups amusing at all. In fact, I think all too many of them are just plain stupid.BUT: as a Doctor Who fan (YAY MATT SMITH!!!!), I found myself literally ROFLMAO after seeing these new videos:http://www.combom.co.uk/2011/06/more-doctor-who-and-hitler-mash-ups.htmlDAMN YOU STEVEN MOFFAT! (Just kidding, Mr. Moffat! You're brilliant & I CAN'T

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-59764381578395957382010-09-07T18:10:00.006-05:002010-09-07T18:33:37.802-05:00

"Your account has been temporarily suspendedSuspicious activity has been detected on your Facebook account and it has been temporarily suspended as a security precaution. It is likely that your account was compromised as a result of entering your password on a website designed to look like Facebook. This type of attack is known as phishing."I've lost track of how long it has been since I've been

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-39574409533864128522009-09-06T09:02:00.002-05:002009-09-06T09:07:13.778-05:00

Here's a story in the Tulsa World about a building with a nifty name. It's being converted into a Marriott hotel.Love the sign! Looks like they plan to keep it.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-4829398909180846142009-08-24T18:18:00.001-05:002009-08-24T18:20:25.160-05:00

I'm experimenting with NetworkedBlogs on Facebook. This is a test entry to see how it looks.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-50486513836563850612009-08-21T18:56:00.002-05:002009-08-21T18:59:58.362-05:00

How could this not be one of the all-time great movie titles?No, I haven't seen it. Yet. I just opened today's email from Criterion and there it was:A Colt Is My Passport

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-6537526323204269802009-07-06T08:24:00.002-05:002009-07-06T08:26:53.923-05:00

Here's an article about Goff's Bavinger House in Norman. It's one of Goff's most famous works and I was unsure of its status until I read this story.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-3533499743918245202009-05-22T08:54:00.003-05:002009-05-22T08:56:26.494-05:00

OK, I don't visit NYTimes.com for the beefcake, but the photo of Mark Sanchez in this article is nice.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-91353136432173107392009-05-12T00:16:00.002-05:002009-05-12T00:19:44.279-05:00

OK, as much as I'm loving the new Star Trek movie - I've seen it twice already! - I also like this "analysis" of the military tactics depicted. Let's just say they could use some improvement!If you haven't seen it yet, don't let this stop you! The new Star Trek is all kinds of fun - and more!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-24796714241614948362009-04-30T21:36:00.000-05:002009-04-30T21:37:02.357-05:00

One week to STAR TREK!!!!!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-27068652476027615922009-03-12T20:25:00.004-05:002009-03-13T21:34:13.168-05:00

Monsters Versus Aliens. Hilarious!Movie Trailers - Movies BlogOh yeah! I'm seeing this when it comes out!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-46323897264866355382009-03-06T14:40:00.002-06:002009-03-06T14:44:38.266-06:00

Euros Lyn is on Wired.com NOW!He's talking about the new season of Torchwood AND David Tennant's final episode as Doctor Who!AND there's the new Torchwood trailer!Director Euros Lyn Talks Torchwood, Tennant's Doctor Who Farewell

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-27687340645305440042009-02-27T22:22:00.003-06:002009-03-04T20:42:42.676-06:00

WHY did I wait so long to see this movie? City of Ember is magnificent, glorious, majestic, electrifying, stupendous - at times, physically overwhelming, and above all, very Romantic!While the story can be seen as dealing with some of the same themes and situations as Anthem, in that it takes place in a rigidly-controlled future society that its protagonists seek to escape from, City of Ember is

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-3067025287548731182009-02-05T21:23:00.005-06:002009-03-04T20:43:16.679-06:00

Yes, I had to resist using the title "Captain Jack is Back!"Just caught the first trailer for the upcoming Torchwood mini-series (thank you, io9).This series has been extremely uneven, to say the least. At first I was very disappointed in the dark direction it took after all the swashbuckling Captain Jack did on Doctor Who.But the show has had some good spots.And some pretty bad ones, too,

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-63772694418542824032009-01-29T20:08:00.004-06:002009-03-04T20:43:53.876-06:00

. . . Nestor Carbonell is GORGEOUS!(Yeah, I know, he's married, and all. But, still . . . )

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-74543784735347362172009-01-28T19:09:00.002-06:002009-03-04T20:44:47.727-06:00

http://io9.com/5136738/create-your-own-original-star-trek-story

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-26099128801001095152009-01-27T18:04:00.005-06:002009-03-04T20:45:17.598-06:00

Zaha Hadid's work can be uneven, in the quality of both design and construction, but I find her "Bridge Pavilion" for the Zaragoza Expo to be fascinating in terms of both form and texture. The skin of the structure possesses a porousness and openness that I have not seen in Hadid's work before, and I find her deployment of it in the context of her forms in this instance particularly sympathetic.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-88341332577542281982009-01-14T12:48:00.008-06:002009-03-04T20:46:01.589-06:00

Wow. Here I am in the middle of watching all the episodes of The Prisoner - which I haven't seen since I was a child - and io9.com posts this report: Patrick McGoohan, one of genre television's most innovative voices, just died at age 80.I was fascinated by The Prisoner - and by McGoohan - back when it was first shown here in the States on CBS. Secret Agent Man was another early favorite of mine.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-72548977181339865062009-01-11T19:53:00.002-06:002009-01-11T20:00:22.901-06:00

All 17 episodes of the original The Prisoner TV series are now online and can be viewed for free at the website of American Movie Classics!(Hat tip: Will Wheaton)

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1158809259533069032006-09-20T22:27:00.001-05:002009-03-04T20:46:56.325-06:00

Looks like it's up to the Objectivists: . . . between the Christian traditionalists and the modern pseudo-secular subjectivists, there is no one in the mainstream of our culture who is capable of defending the real Enlightenment-era foundations of our civilization. If the pope won't do it and leftist intellectuals won't do it—then I guess we're going to have to do it ourselves.("Is the Left

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1157723073649184562006-09-08T08:42:00.001-05:002009-03-04T20:47:31.714-06:00

Amazon.com has a new video download service: they have the original STAR TREK! They have the original TWILIGHT ZONE! They have FIREFLY! I may faint!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1155672263489376802006-08-15T15:01:00.001-05:002009-03-04T20:48:25.572-06:00

"In terms of moral character and integrity, Rand stood head and shoulders above other celebrated intellectuals, who are not run down personally in conversations about their ideas, whether they be Picasso, Hemingway, Bertrand Russell, or even Karl Marx. It is no doubt antipathy for Rand’s ideas that has led many of her critics to latch on to the Brandens’ portraits with such avid interest, but it

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1153611560014245822006-07-22T18:29:00.000-05:002006-07-23T12:23:07.240-05:00

Got my copy of Andrew Bernstein's Capitalist Manifesto today & my reaction to what little I've had a chance to read so far is "DAMN! What an adventure story!"Which is fitting since one of the things Bernstein mentions is the origin of the word entrepreneur, which, when it first appeared, was often translated as "adventurer"! And what an adventure the story of the people who built Western

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1153432764672266672006-07-20T16:58:00.000-05:002006-07-23T12:24:01.930-05:00

Just found out the Harkin will be showing Miami Vice next Thursday at midnight!I'M THERE!!!!!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1153430620281660512006-07-20T16:12:00.000-05:002006-07-20T16:57:51.643-05:00

Well, here I am, about a week away from the opening of Miami Vice - Brokeback Mountain and Pirates of the Caribean: Dead Man's Chest have come & gone - & I'm feeling a thrill of anticipation the likes of which I haven't felt about an upcoming movie in a loooooong time!I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!I visited the updated site for Miami Vice and I was impressed with the way it managed to immerse me in the film

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1134707353625536292005-12-15T22:23:00.000-06:002005-12-15T22:34:34.650-06:00

I went to see King Kong yesterday and caught the trailer for Miami Vice.YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!From what I saw, it looks like Miami Vice is going to be the coolest movie of 2006! In fact, I predict it's going to be cooler than all the other movies that are going to be released next year put together!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1134314939427631932005-12-11T09:19:00.000-06:002005-12-11T09:59:48.163-06:00

This makes me nervous. A spaceport run by the New Mexico government will be subject to the inherent and arbitrary vagaries of politics. It does not strike me as being a solid foundation for Branson's new venture - or any one else's, for that matter. I really wish Branson would build his own spaceport with his own money and run it himself on land that he personally owns. The quicksand of politics

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1126392389255005642005-09-10T17:35:00.000-05:002005-09-10T17:46:29.260-05:00

After reading Robert Tracinski's assessment - in TIA Daily - of the situation in New Orleans, plus the posts on various aspects of the disaster response and recovery effort on the Harry Binswanger List, the only conclusion left for me to draw is that whoever decides to return to New Orleans and Louisiana to rebuild should make it one of their very first and crucial priorities to circulate recall

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1124750624201894972005-08-22T17:42:00.000-05:002005-08-22T17:43:44.206-05:00

Anyone who places force ahead of thought is less than human.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1121888058670645662005-07-20T14:27:00.000-05:002005-07-20T14:35:05.290-05:00

I would not be a true Trekkie if I did not acknowledge the passing of Jimmy Doohan, who will be forever known as Scotty - Mr Scott (or Lt Montgomerty Scott) from Star Trek. As far as I know, Doohan is the second of the cast of the original series to pass - after DeForest Kelley, who played Dr McCoy.Ah, Star Trek! Perhaps some day I will post something about my experiences as a member of

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1121399854787698282005-07-14T22:56:00.000-05:002005-07-14T22:57:34.793-05:00

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1121298786311981962005-07-13T18:49:00.000-05:002005-07-13T18:53:06.316-05:00

That's from a posting by Sarah Hintz on THE FORUM for Ayn Rand Fans. The posting discusses the film Gattaca.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1121269249969718112005-07-13T10:29:00.000-05:002005-07-13T18:54:12.780-05:00

This story has just made my day: voters in Muskogee have rejected a new sales tax that would fund a city "economic development" group!Muskogee shoots down tax - Muskogee Phoenix"It's sending a loud-and-clear message that Muskogee is closed for business," said Lisa Clark, executive director of Muskogee Development. "It has a definite negative impact. We'll be unable to attract businesses. It kind

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1118850468171016482005-06-15T10:44:00.000-05:002005-06-15T11:41:37.020-05:00

I don't believe that the Religious Right really is all that popular. I think that whatever popularity it does have is being blown out of proportion by scare-mongers seeking to cash in on the Religious Right's attempts to grab power.But to the extent that the Religious Right does have any popularity, what is its real source? It is human beings' need of a code of morality. The

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1118792922382469142005-06-14T18:46:00.000-05:002005-06-14T18:48:42.390-05:00

This, to me, is what's wrong with the world today in a nutshell. It's from a description of a course being offered at this summer's Objectivist Conference, "The Rise and Fall of Ancient Greek Justice: Homer to the Sermon on the Mount" to be taught by Robert Mayhew.The traditional ancient Greek conception of justice is best captured by the idea of helping friends and harming enemies. This

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1118621046019247382005-06-12T18:49:00.000-05:002005-06-12T19:31:03.413-05:00

Has Bob Geldof learned anything from his experiences with the Live Aid concerts in 1985?Well, I haven't seen any pronouncements from him yet this time, but I well remember when he was promoting Band Aid and Live Aid back in the 80's. His mantra back then was "This is not about politics". "This" being poverty, of course, the implication being that anyone who dared to mention the political

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1115777847168261682005-05-10T21:09:00.000-05:002005-05-10T21:19:45.663-05:00

The word "Liberty" has been out of favor in the world for far too long. Thank you, Mikheil Saakashvili, for resurrecting it!From The Intellectual Activist Daily:Today's Wall Street Journal, at http://tinyurl.com/bd367, provides a good profile of Georgia's "Rose Revolution" and the 37-year-old, Columbia-University-educated Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. But nothing is as eloquent as

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1115249579557819132005-05-04T18:14:00.000-05:002005-05-04T18:32:59.596-05:00

In today's TIA Daily, Ed Thompson writes, in a letter on 'progressive indexing':It's not that the left doesn't want Social Security cuts for the poor; it's that they want them to *be* poor.Altruism, the idea that individuals do not have the right to live solely for their own sake, presupposes poverty--real or imagined. Without poverty, the altruists are out of business.The relationship between

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1114224906879338832005-04-22T21:53:00.000-05:002005-04-22T21:55:06.880-05:00

I saw it today and I can't wait to see it again!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1113946814492951782005-04-19T16:35:00.000-05:002005-04-19T16:46:55.843-05:00

This is the most dangerous statement I've seen so far in stories about the new pope:William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, applauded the selection."The new pope, like his predecessor, understands the grave danger that awaits a society wherein each individual makes up his own morality," he said in New York, The A.P. reported. "It may not sell in the U.S., but it is nonetheless true

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1109875677486253302005-03-03T12:29:00.000-06:002005-03-05T20:16:21.470-06:00

Antonin Scalia's cheerleading for the tyranny of the majority was on full display Wednesday during oral arguments in two cases regarding displays of the Ten Commandments on government property:When Chemerinsky objected that "it is a profoundly religious message," Scalia responded: "It is a profoundly religious message, but it's shared by the vast majority of the people. . . . It seems to me the

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1109204929422965692005-02-23T18:06:00.000-06:002005-02-23T18:40:45.126-06:00

Leonard David's Space Colonization: The Quiet Revolution on Space.com is the most exciting thing I've read in a long time. It reminds me of the way I used to feel about technology back in the 60's when I was a kid who was addicted to NASA launches and whose favorite TV show was Jonny Quest. Back then, the words "New and Improved!" were anything but a tired advertising gimmick to me.David

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1109123189454992712005-02-22T19:42:00.000-06:002005-02-22T19:47:41.500-06:00

Ran across this whilst surfing the AtomFilms blog:Survivor starts its tenth season tonight. Ten seasons of preening, back-stabbing, no-talent narcissists who think a month of drinking rain water and arguing with a lazy hick from Alabama over who cut down more palm fronds will make them a star.http://blog.atomfilms.com/archives/2005/02/index.html#a000051One more reason why I don't have a

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1108245512949602592005-02-12T15:44:00.000-06:002005-02-14T23:41:22.803-06:00

Well, I'm surfing the 'net this afternoon, and since I'm curious to see more of Berlin after watching The Bourne Supremacy last weekend (I downloaded it from Movielink!), I'm discovering that there is a major exhibition on the work of Stanley Kubrick going on there right now, complete with "recreations" (at least I think that's what they are) of the HAL 9000 main memory from 2001: A Space Odyssey

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1107868026340846472005-02-08T07:00:00.000-06:002005-02-08T17:10:03.203-06:00

What would have been the fate of Rushdie's Satanic Verses under such a law? How would such a law not place Britain on the side of the Ayatollah Khomeini, who sentenced Rushdie to death for writing that book? How does such a law not pave the way for the reinstatement of "blasphemy" laws? As for me, I think it is time to publicly state that I agree with Voltaire: "I disapprove of what you say,

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1107318271093503762005-02-01T22:18:00.000-06:002005-02-01T22:29:09.036-06:00

"If self-interest is myopic and brutal, why is it that the cultures that embrace it are prosperous and free, while the cultures that reject it are stagnant and impoverished?" That's the question Nick Provenzo asks in The Moral Basis of Mindlessness at his Rule Of Reason blog at the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism site.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1107214045415725102005-01-31T17:22:00.000-06:002005-01-31T17:27:25.416-06:00

"Al Ghizi's husband, Abbas, spent two years in jail in Iraq before leaving for Kuwait in 1986. He hasn't seen his family since. A generally happy man who is thrilled to be voting, he will talk about anything but what happened in jail. 'A lot of bad things happened to people in jail,' he said, and that's about it. 'They were hurting people all the time.' Why vote? 'I'm doing this for my people,

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1107174848022905182005-01-31T06:29:00.000-06:002005-01-31T06:34:59.796-06:00

I think this is so apropos in light of what I posted on Saturday: " . . . in the left's eyes, there is equality in starvation and that trumps the requirements of survival."- Harry Binswanger, in this morning's HBL

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1107045062793879212005-01-29T18:01:00.000-06:002005-02-02T21:34:44.046-06:00

I just spent the afternoon listening to two Phillips Seminary professors tell Democrats how to outdo the Republicans at using religion to get votes. Now I feel dirty. Based on what I heard at this little event, the Democratic Party is headed for disaster. Everything I heard at this event confirmed all the criticisms leveled against the Left by the contributors to the HBL and TIA Daily. The

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1107014077636161462005-01-29T09:46:00.000-06:002005-01-29T09:54:37.636-06:00

What is the appeal of Ayn Rand? Onkar Ghate has written an op-ed on the subject for the Ayn Rand Instititute. February 2nd is the 100th anniversary of her birthday, and Ghate maintains that Rand's appeal comes from her conviction that ideas matter: The key to Rand's popularity is that she appeals to the idealism of youth. She wrote in 1969: "There is a fundamental conviction which some

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1106710090764919352005-01-25T21:11:00.000-06:002005-01-25T21:28:10.766-06:00

In today's TIA Daily, Robert Trancinski asserts that privatizing Social Security is the best possible opportunity to redefine the relationship between the government and the private citizen. Tracinski says that Social Security is the biggest single contributing factor to the size of the government, and privatizing Social Security would be the first step in eliminating the source of funds that

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1106628380760821362005-01-24T22:36:00.000-06:002005-01-24T22:47:29.650-06:00

I came across the following quote in today's HBL and was so impressed by it that I wanted to pass it along. It's from a January 4 NY Post article by George Friedman and was sent in by a writer describing his experience in the intelligence community and his recognition that "intelligence failures" are a result of a culture that discourages people from raising their heads above the crowd: "Porter

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1106516307940090502005-01-23T15:13:00.000-06:002005-01-23T15:40:09.676-06:00

I have seen the pictures sent back from Titan by Huygens via Cassini this week and all I can say is "WOW!" It's strange that images that could be almost reassuringly familiar could actually depict such an alien reality. What at first glance seems like unremarkable shorelines and river deltas is made remarkable by the fact that the features in these images are on a very cold planet very much

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1106443526264808392005-01-22T19:13:00.000-06:002005-01-22T19:26:20.626-06:00

A report in The Oklahoman notes that the State of Oklahoma is trying to attract a facility to "refurbish" tanker aircraft for Airbus. Yeah, right! Brilliant move. The Pentagon is going to really want to go with Boeing's biggest foriegn competitor to get tankers for America's military. Ah, Oklahoma's "economic development" officials! What a bunch of idiots!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1106442714013043562005-01-22T18:45:00.000-06:002005-01-22T19:11:54.013-06:00

Taschen is coming out with The Stanley Kubrick Archives, a massive, image-heavy display of artifacts from Kubrick's personal collections. The book will be 544 pages long and cost $200! While I'm sure the book will be a welcome addition to the literature on Kubrick and his films, I am horrified to see that Kubrick's own personal 70-millimeter print of 2001: A Space Odyssey - surely a priceless

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1106271524013530392005-01-20T19:30:00.000-06:002005-01-29T18:46:29.066-06:00

Richard Prawdzienski has a fine editorial printed in this week's Oklahoma Gazette. You can access it here: tinyurl.com/4rz35 Or you can go to www.okgazette.com, roll your cursor down to News in the navigation bar on the left side, and click on Commentary. Richard's piece is below another piece. Because I saw Richard's piece as a fine opportunity to say something about the relationship

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1105575462380768052005-01-12T18:08:00.000-06:002005-01-12T18:22:23.733-06:00

In yesterday's TIA Daily, Robert Tracinski wrote about an article in Christianity Today: an interview with the author of a book about a survey of religious attitudes among American youth. The following quote from that interview caught my eye: "Based on our findings, I suggest that the de facto religious faith of the majority of American teens is 'Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.' God exists. God

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1105476171155431572005-01-11T14:19:00.000-06:002005-01-11T14:46:42.743-06:00

Came across a post today on Bruce Prescott's blog about Southern Baptist Convention PAC head Richard Land. This statement struck me as a doozy: 'I've got more in common with Pope John Paul II than I do with Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton.' . . . 'We both say all human life is sacred, that marriage is between a man and a woman, that homosexual behavior is contrary to God's will.' All this is just

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1105070974547483772005-01-06T21:58:00.000-06:002005-01-06T22:09:34.546-06:00

Congratulations to the US Chamber of Commerce for showing that they have the cojones to expose Eliot Spitzer for what he really is: a vicious bully in the mold of Rudolph Giuliani, who started his career by destroying Michael Milken. As reported in today's TIA Daily: New York State's economic dictator, attorney general Eliot Spitzer, has so intimidated New York corporations that he faces

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1105068238495320272005-01-06T21:14:00.000-06:002005-01-06T21:25:59.506-06:00

The following appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. It's from James Taranto's "Best of The Web" column. For those of you who may not be familiar with Westboro Baptist Church, it is the home base of Topeka, Kansas's own Fred Phelps - if that name does not ring a bell, visit http://www.godhatesfags.com/. Be warned: you may want to wash your computer - and yourself - afterward. That

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1104624479507756352005-01-01T18:03:00.000-06:002005-01-01T18:13:07.396-06:00

The businessmen he met seemed to wish to evade the subject of his trial. Some made no comment at all, but turned away, their faces showing a peculiar resentment under the effort to appear non-committal, as if they feared that the mere act of looking at him would be interpreted as taking a stand. Others ventured to comment: "In my opinion, Rearden, it was extremely unwise of you. . . . It seems

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1104549742334325542004-12-31T21:04:00.000-06:002005-01-11T15:37:56.893-06:00

A little over a year ago I was browsing the magazine racks at Borders in Norman when I spotted Architectural Record with the Tokyo Prada on the cover. Intrigued, I looked inside and found the photos accompanying the article to be dazzling. I immediately purchased the magazine and have had it on display in my home ever since. A few days ago I was browsing the magazine racks of the OKC Borders

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1104421587216148792004-12-30T09:40:00.000-06:002004-12-30T09:46:27.216-06:00

And, by the way, congratulations to Burt for being named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Inc. Magazine! http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050101/eoty-rutan.html SPACE SHIP ONE, GOVERNMENT: ZERO!!!!!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1104421065143072362004-12-30T09:28:00.000-06:002004-12-30T09:39:32.170-06:00

Virgin soars towards new frontier I want to point out a couple of things in this story. Rutan is quoted as saying: "This experience is going to have very few restrictions on what you can do because these payloads are doing it for fun and every person has a different idea of what fun is."What he means by "these payloads" is: paying passengers! I think it is absolutely stunning that a person

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1104025342802749642004-12-25T19:39:00.000-06:002005-01-20T19:49:39.623-06:00

I have just seen The Aviator and I am frankly flabbergasted that a filmaker such as Martin Scorsese would take the side of a private businessman as much as he does in this movie. Howard Hughes is portrayed as being the target of collusion between his competitor and the government. Juan Trippe is portrayed as a person who would stop at nothing to maintain Pan Am's monopoly on international

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1103599095892945272004-12-20T21:11:00.000-06:002004-12-20T21:19:19.683-06:00

The key to religion's power lies, of course, in morality. An important part (though not all) of the reason for this is emotion. While it is true that Reason makes it possible for Human Beings to live, it is emotions which make it possible for Human Beings to experience the Joy of living. This is also the key to the power of faith, and it will only be when the relationship between Reason and

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1103422999131252122004-12-18T20:09:00.000-06:002004-12-18T20:30:49.556-06:00

Well, if this is what the Democratic Party has come to, it makes me want to throw up. This morning I posted a snip from TIA Daily about the governor of Illinois' desire to ban violent video games on DemoOkie.com. Rather than seeing the greater danger of granting the government a role in censoring the moral influences on the youth who play these video games, the two who posted replies so far

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1103073610731988392004-12-14T19:15:00.000-06:002004-12-26T19:04:59.156-06:00

I posted this on the Oklahoma Atheists board on December 12th. I've made a couple of changes for posting it here. A post on the HBList mentions Antony Flew: rather dismissively, due to Flew's being a British modernist philospher - hardly someone who could be expected to really stand up for atheism - or anything else, for that matter. Plus, it seems he wrote an article on Ayn Rand's ethics which

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1103072884381997402004-12-14T18:59:00.000-06:002004-12-26T22:23:07.463-06:00

I posted a slightly different version of this on the OKObjectivists list on Dec 5th - I got another email today from a Gay activist who's depressed by the elections and wants to do something about it. Education is the answer, they say. Well, okay, but education about what? This particular activist says we need more positive portrayals of Gay people. Well, I think that's a start but is it

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1068399760476962062003-11-09T11:42:00.000-06:002004-12-14T19:34:36.970-06:00

Yahoo! News - Duran Duran Carefully Plots Comeback Duran Duran's "The Reflex" was my all time favorite for 20 years. That was before they appeared on the MOBO Awards, which features Jamaican singers who advocate the murder of Gays and Lesbians. Now I just can't get that enthused about DD anymore.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1064017206348132152003-09-19T19:20:00.000-05:002004-12-14T19:33:21.410-06:00

http://ruleofreason.blogspot.com/2003_09_14_archive.html#106398226748248672 Dick Grasso deserves to be saluted, not punished! Shame on Hank Paulson of Goldman Sachs, Philip Purcell of Morgan Stanley, and William Harrison of JP Morgan Chase and the other members of the board of the NYSE for not having the guts to stand by THEIR decision to give Dick Grasso the reward he surely deserved for

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1062647078605381822003-09-03T22:44:00.000-05:002004-12-14T19:35:37.003-06:00

OK, Colin Farrell is HOT! What can I say? And he's playing Alexander in the upcoming movie! AND he's bulking up for the role! AND there will reportedly be LOTS of sex scenes between Alexander and his boyfriend!!!!! Am I drooling already? You betcha!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1062642541451267462003-09-03T21:29:00.000-05:002003-09-03T21:29:01.456-05:00

"During a cheerful and pleasant meeting (that’s the kind of guy Gillespie is) at The Union Leader offices, the party’s new chairman, energetic and full of vigor, said in no uncertain terms that the days of Reaganesque Republican railings against the expansion of federal government are over. No longer does the Republican Party stand for shrinking the federal government, for scaling back its

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1062641717368348802003-09-03T21:15:00.000-05:002003-09-03T21:15:17.376-05:00

"The Rushdie fatwa alone is justification for war with Iran. The prospect that the same power that believes it has the right to kill writers it doesn’t like is developing nuclear weapons ought to be cause for serious pause. So what if Islam interprets a war with Iran as a war against Islam? Islamic militants have no qualms over waging war against us. Yet even post-9/11, it seems people in the US

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1062218247455836762003-08-29T23:37:00.000-05:002003-08-29T23:37:27.473-05:00

They won a Lifetime Achievement award at the VMA's and blew them away at the Roxy! www.duranduran.com

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1061605192478547012003-08-22T21:19:00.000-05:002003-08-22T21:19:52.500-05:00

"Ethics based economics for kids"? What a concept! Check it out! www.cost-benefit-jr.com

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1061605003918692492003-08-22T21:16:00.000-05:002003-08-22T21:16:43.940-05:00

Can Objectivists make an impact on the political climate of our country? Is it time for them to try? "To thoroughly expose the viciousness of Dean’s proposals, one must name and attack its moral premise. One must defend egoism." Dean's moral premise is, of course, altruism. How do Objectivists go about making a political impact when the moral basis of our culture is altruism? Remember

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1061176805819466942003-08-17T22:20:00.000-05:002003-08-17T22:20:05.830-05:00

Even if I don't agree with everything he says. What else can I say? Unfortunately his computer got hit by a virus and it looks like it's going to be offline til it's fixed. www.coldfury.com/reason/weblog.php

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1061059326113622962003-08-16T13:42:00.000-05:002003-08-16T13:42:06.043-05:00

In his essay, End States Who Sponsor Terrorism, written in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001, Leonard Piekoff wrote, "The survival of America is at stake. The risk of a U.S. overreaction, therefore, is negligible. The only risk is underreaction." I offer that quote as my comment on the following: Shiites Demand U.S. Troops Leave Baghdad 61 killed in upsurge of Afghan violence

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1061058832685275132003-08-16T13:33:00.000-05:002003-08-16T13:33:52.720-05:00

It comes from an inability to think in terms of principles, which is why deregulation continues to take the blame for what environmentalists have done to our national power industry. (Power Ties - The lights didn't have to go out: "The U.S. has grown complacent as the memory of California's blackouts in 2000 has faded." ) See "Californication and the East Coast Blackout".

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060925295393388442003-08-15T00:28:00.000-05:002003-08-15T00:45:40.206-05:00

My all-time favorite song: "The Reflex" by Duran Duran!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad to see they're all back together again and making what certainly seems to be a genuine effort to match the excitement of their early years! Sure looks to me like they're succeeding (damn I wish I was in as good a shape as Roger Taylor)! And they're going to present at the VMA's! How fitting is that? All the

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060883762833706052003-08-14T12:56:00.000-05:002003-08-14T13:00:35.283-05:00

If homosexuality is open to choice, then it is a moral issue. If not, then it is a metaphysical issue, not a moral one.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060883620595094542003-08-14T12:53:00.000-05:002003-08-14T12:58:13.066-05:00

On reading a statement by a conservative Republican that he believes all Democrats think that wealthy Americans are undeserving of their prosperity, I am reminded of my Seventh Day Adventist grandmother who actually told me one time that everyone who has ever achieved any kind of success in life, be it wealth or fame, only did so by being in league with the Devil. Now either she didn't know

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060630825415144602003-08-11T14:40:00.000-05:002003-08-11T14:40:25.416-05:00

Why should everyone except the businessman be free to live their lives as they choose? Does not exempting businesspeople from the same concern for "civil and human rights" that we grant to minorities such as Gays, blacks and women make them truly "second-class citizens"? Does not the Equal Protection Clause apply to businessmen as well? Where is the concern for the freedom of

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060222076078125452003-08-06T21:07:00.000-05:002003-08-06T21:07:56.086-05:00

www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?id=9508&sd=08/07/03 Fantastic news! Congratulations to Rives Kistler! Hopefully he's the first of many! And get this: Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski is, himself, a former state supreme court justice. Wow!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060141182587090152003-08-05T22:39:00.000-05:002003-08-05T22:42:26.836-05:00

Interesting results in today's PlanetOut poll: Is organized religion harmful to society? If anything it's integral to society. 8% Not if it's just a personal belief system 27% More often than not, it is. 23% It's probably our biggest stumbling block. 39% Other 2% Hmmmm . . .

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060141009838307582003-08-05T22:36:00.000-05:002003-08-05T22:45:17.973-05:00

Australian leader says gay marriage threatens "survival of the species" Oh really? The survival of the Human race does not depend on procreation, it depends on THOUGHT! The only thing which can guarantee Human survival is the Human means of survival, which is Reason.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060041204972991832003-08-04T18:53:00.000-05:002003-08-04T18:56:19.210-05:00

EXCERPT: "Another scheme included working with German investors to build a $70 million hotel and gambling complex--a scheme that fell apart after the Germans took over the fortress in 1978, and Bates regained control in a dramatic helicopter raid at dawn." Has 'haven' for questionable sites sunk? | CNET News.com

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060027735763505202003-08-04T15:08:00.000-05:002003-08-04T15:08:55.773-05:00

Checking out the Ayn Rand Meetups, noticed this from fcookinham in New York and cannot resist passing it along: ""Followers"? When people ask me whether I am an "Ayn Rand follower", I say that Rand valued thinking for yourself above all else, so anyone who is literally an "Ayn Rand follower" is no follower of Ayn Rand. Follow me?" Love it!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060019776567596302003-08-04T12:56:00.000-05:002003-08-04T12:56:16.633-05:00

Excellent post today by Nick Provenzo at the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism dealing with a reader's question on the morality of Capitalism. EXCERPT: "Mr. Smith’s ultimate question is (does) capitalism inevitability leads to avarice(?) The answer is of course, no. Abundance is not a threat; it is the fruits of hard work and intelligence. If Mr. Smith still questions capitalism, I would

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060012457262946212003-08-04T10:54:00.000-05:002003-08-04T12:41:23.513-05:00

There's a wonderful story in today's New York Times - Brainstorm to Breakthrough: A Surgical Procedure Is Born - that shows that exciting innovations in medicine are still possible. Yet, I wonder, given medicine's current slide toward fascism, how much longer this will be true in this country? A few days ago, I posted the following to some email groups I belong to: "Doctor group after

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1060010485586018852003-08-04T10:21:00.000-05:002003-08-04T10:26:17.800-05:00

My post on Hitler's Economics has been generating debate on the OGLPC Discussion List between Paul Barby, state secretary of the Oklahoma Democratic Party and Chris Powell, state chair of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party. Paul's posts have been textbook examples of how laissez-faire Capitalism is misrepresented by leftists as being equivalent to fascism. Chris has been doing an excellent job

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643331.post-1059945096697273772003-08-03T16:11:00.000-05:002003-08-03T16:37:14.543-05:00

People try to pretend that Hitler wasn't religious. They also try to pretend he wasn't a Keynesian. http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/centralplanning.html EXCERPT: "Ever since 9-11 and the authoritarian, militarist response, the political left has warned that Bush is the new Hitler, while the right decries this kind of rhetoric as irresponsible hyperbole. The truth is that the left, in

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.com0