When I studied Dr. Peikoff’s courses almost 40 years ago, I was thrilled by the knowledge and delighted with the clarity, certitude, and wit of his delivery. I had taken hundreds of courses during my life, but none that compared to his. It is through them that I became an Objectivist. They changed my life….
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COVID-19: Stupidity, Incompetence, Dishonesty, Evasion
Let me start with three honest, competent, and smart experts—true experts. Dr. Peter Attia, a physician who specializes in the study of longevity, wrote on April 20, “The good news is that [COVID-19] doesn’t look nearly as catastrophic as it seemed in mid-March. . . . The numbers of new cases and new deaths seem…
The COVID-19 Catastrophe Is the Result of Monumental Mismanagement.
The first act of management is planning. No planning? There can be no management. Planning is thinking, identifying facts, and projecting courses of action. There was little credible, thoughtful planning for the management of COVID-19. Instead, we got reactiveness and political posturing, just as we did in the November elections. Above all, planning requires reliable,…
Magnificent Painting
Today I hung and lit a magnificent new painting by Bryan Larsen. The painting is especially spectacular under its nightlights. These lights bring it alive and show the diffusion of the light from Prometheus’s torch, which spreads left to the muses until the last two are more subdued. It is an intriguing painting. What is…
Richard Salsman’s (Ayn) Rand Camp
I was delighted to host Richard Salsman and his wife, Lisa, at my home last weekend. Richard is a professor of the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Department at Duke University. We had lovely meals together, and one evening we were joined by Alex Epstein. I’m happy to announce that Prometheus Foundation will be sponsoring an…
COVID-19 Symptoms
The attached table (from the Australian Government Department of Health) compares the symptoms of COVID-19 against those of the cold and the flu; it may be helpful to you. There are more differences between a cold and COVID-19 than there are between COVID-19 and the flu. The flu and COVID-19 share very similar symptoms and…
COVID-19: Damage, Destruction, Depression, and Disaster
No, I have not joined the mad media mob that is prophesying the end of the world. I am only evaluating the grossly irresponsible and irrational edicts of politicians such as Governor Newsom in California, President Trump, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer.. They are shutting down the motor of the world. Governments are causing untold…
COVID-19 Update: Keep Calm and Carry On
This message brought some comfort to the English during the height of World War II as England was being bombed by the Nazis every day and night. The Queen, hereby, is granting America the rights to use this message to help Americans deal with the virus. May it bring us, too, some small measure of comfort…
COVID-19 and Other Viruses
Information viruses—i.e., misinformation, false information, and incomplete information—are being spread far and wide. See, for instance, the Wall Street Journal article, Infodemic: When Unreliable Information Spreads Far and Wide by Ben Zimmer. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of: “A massive ‘infodemic’, an overabundance of information—some accurate and some not—that makes it hard for people…
Coronavirus: Mad Media, Medical Misinformation, Posturing Politicians, and a Panicking Public
Run for your life! The virus is coming! The end is nigh! Religious nuts carrying placards proclaiming that the world is going to end were, until recently, laughed at. Now, medical “experts,” politicians, and the media are making such claims. The mad media with their exaggerations and fear-mongering are to be expected. But mad medical…