Des Moines Objectivist Group

11/12/2017

After a hugely successful run in the Netherlands and other European locals, the play based on "The Fountainhead" is opening in the USA later this month. How is your Dutch?

Ivo van Hove updates Ayn Rand’s notorious paean to radical individualism.

11/04/2017

Sounds like it could have come right out of Atlas Shrugged:

Reporters and editors at the local news sites joined a union last week. On Thursday, their billionaire owner closed the sites.

04/10/2016

If you've got a minute to read and sign this, please consider doing so. The city of Dallas has decided that it wants a pretty "gateway" to its arts district, so it's altered its zoning laws. A mechanic, who started and ran a successful auto repair shop in the neighborhood, is about to be put out of business without compensation. Signing this petition will let the Dallas City Council know that people care about this sort of thing.

https://www.change.org/p/don-t-zone-me-out-of-business

I opened my auto repair shop along Ross Avenue in Dallas, Texas more than 30 years ago, and I have been serving customers there ever since. When I opened the shop, I thought I had it made. Owning my own business was the American Dream I’d been chasing since 1974, when I immigrated here from Kenya...…

09/16/2015

Listening to an older episode of Iowa Public Radio's River to River today. The episode was an interview with some of the current resident writers at the well-known writing program at University of Iowa.

One writer is Rochelle Potkar, a writer and poet from Mumbai. When the host asked her what she thought of Iowa, Potkar said:

"I was just telling a friend that if John Galt had been a writer, this is the world he'd have created. Because this, for me, this is like utopia. Because at home in Bombay, I live like the other writers in the world who are not in residencies. You work in your house near a beautiful window and that's all you have. And then you go across the city via train or congested road to a poetry reading, far away. And you come back and that's a day.

"And here there's everything -- almost under one dome. Whether it's cinematheque or whether it's a book store, everything is at hand. I don't think you need to go anywhere else. In fact, I worry that I might not want to go, you know?"

Literature: Better Than Politics at Fostering Cultural Understanding
* Duration: 45:00, Played: 35:16
* Episode Download Link (21 MB):
http://cpa.ds.npr.org/ipr/audio/2015/08/rtr150827.mp3?origin=body
* Show Notes:
http://iowapublicradio.org/post/literature-better-politics-fostering-cultural-understanding

Was she referencing *the* John Galt? I Googled and found out. Yes, *the* John Galt. When asked in another interview what she thinks of movies being made out of books, she said she enjoyed The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

Interview with Rochelle Potkar
http://guptakaushal.blogspot.com/2015/09/interview-with-rochelle-potkar.html

While I was searching I also happened to find another Indian woman writer who said Ayn Rand was one of her favorite authors, "for her innovative thoughts and conviction".

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: USHA NARAYANAN
https://metroreader.wordpress.com/author/metroreader/

Since 1967, over 1,400 writers from more than 140 countries have taken part in the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, often referred to as

05/09/2015

Ayn Rand has inspired individuals around the world to discard convention and pursue a better life. See for yourself what her philosophy is all about.

08/19/2014

Sure, Ayn Rand glorified plutocrats and looked down on poor people—if you're reading a completely different book.

07/31/2014

The countdown has begun. Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt? hits theaters in 44 days. Help spread the word - Like and Share this post.

07/28/2014

If you are interested in learning more about Ayn Rand and her ideas, free copies of selected fiction and nonfiction are available exclusively for students. Simply create a brief public profile with your name and school and indicate which book you would like to read. From there, the site will try to pair you with a generous donor who will fulfill your book request.

http://www.aynrand.org/educational-resources/high-school-resources

07/24/2014

7pm tonight at Lincoln, Nebraska's Prairie Pride Film Festival, Stewart Wade's new film "Such Good People" will show. Stewart is Academic Programs Officer at the Ayn Rand Institute, and moonlights as a screenwriter, producer and director of several independent feature films. (Or maybe the moonlighting is the other way around!)

Hi Prairie Pride Fans! Today I want to highlight our opening film, Such Good People. From their website, “Such Good People” is a contemporary screwball comedy, about a couple, Michael Urie("Ugly ...

07/24/2014

Aynrand.org is the official website of the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), the source for information on the life, writings and work of novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand.

Headquartered in Irvine, California, ARI offers educational experiences based on Ayn Rand’s books and ideas for a variety of audiences, including students, educators, policymakers and lifelong learners. ARI also engages in research and advocacy efforts, applying Rand’s ideas to current issues and seeking to promote her philosophical principles of reason, rational self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism.

Aynrand.org is the official website of the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), the source for information on the life, writings and work of novelist-philosopher

07/16/2014

A major theatrical production of The Fountainhead in France: http://www.festival-avignon.com/en/shows/2014/the-fountainhead

The Guardian review: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/jul/16/the-fountainhead-review-ivo-van-howe-ayn-rand-avignon-festival

Based on the novel The Fountainhead, which became a bestseller in the United States upon its publication is 1943 and has encountered a growing success in Europe over...