FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

Today's episode of Alain de Botton's TV series, Philosophy: A guide to happiness, was about Friedrich Nietzsche. Click here to watch a clip.

I listened to John Ridpath's lecture, Ayn Rand versus Friedrich Nietzsche: the cause of, and the cure for nihilism, in October.

MAP OF BLOGOSPHERE

The Commissar @ the Politburo Diktat has created a map of the blogosphere ("Commonwealth of Blogosphere States"). Dean Esmay thinks that Everything Going According to Plan. Hmmm, I am not sure about the map. I think that the Commissar has omitted one important place on the map... ;)

Btw: As I promised in a previous post, a few of the individuals who are located on my guestmap have received a Caf�Press discount coupon.

UPDATE 12/03/03: The Commissar has added EGO on the map ("Commonwealth of Blogosphere States"). The Politburo Diktat has picked EGO as a city of "Kolkatastan" (a.k.a Kazakhstan). EGO will not follow Suman Palit's suggestion and "sneak into Reynoldssia." The plan is instead to announce "Aqta�" ("Aktau") as an independent city after the oil deal.

BLOG-IRAN

I will join the Blog-Iran campaign by writing regularly posts on the situation in Iran. For daily news updates, go to "Doctor Zin". [Via United Blogs Directory @ ActivistChat.com.]


I have added Blog-Iran to the War on Terrorism category and my List of Links.

In the news: Iran: Rights Monitors Concerned Over Fate Of Iranian Student Who Spoke With UN.

Related: My post, "UNCLE SAM TOUR": AFGHANISTAN 10/07/01, IRAQ 03/19/03, IRAN XX/XX/04?

BUY SOMETHING DAY

Did you buy something on the so-called "buy nothing day"? [Hat tip to I.S.T., FSO mailing list.] I am heading to Gothenburg city and I will purchase some luxury items such as cigars and cognac. More on this event later on...

In order to get in the right X-mas spirit, read Leonard Peikoff's editorial, Why Christmas Should Be More Commercial.

THANKSGIVING

Visit the Berkeley plantation in Virginia and celebrate America's First Official Thanksgiving in 1619. [Hat tip to HBL.] Read my post, THANKS! (11/28/02).

UPDATE 11/30/03: You could read Harry Binswanger's post @ Dollars & Crosses.

THE CONCORD CRIER

I have added freelance writer Scott Holleran's newsletter, The Concord Crier, to the Objectivism category.

If you are interested to learn more about what happened on April 19, 1775, go to the Library of Congress. For more history, read the third chapter, Concord Memories, of Charles Burr Todd's online book, In Olde Massachusetts. Sketches Of Old Times And Places During The Early Days Of The Commonwealth.

TRUCK AND BARTER

My post, STEEL TARIFFS AND RUST BELT VOTES IN 2004, is included in the seventh edition of Carnival of the Capitalists. Go to Kevin Brancato's blog Truck and Barter. I have added the homepage of the Carnival of the Capitalists to my List of Links.

AMERICAN DIGEST

I have added American Digest to my List of Links. Read Gerard van der Leun's post, An Idea Whose Time Has Come... Again. Who would be on your list for an online Committee for a Free World? [Via InstaPundit.]

SALAM PAX: BELLUM!

Is it time for Bellona to enter the stage? Blogger Salam Pax is complaining about America's (nicknamed "Georgie") "room service" in Iraq. I think that S.P. should cut the crap and shut up. "Georgie" (GWB) has no obligation to take care of the Iraqi people. The main task was to protect America by removing outside threats, e.g., Saddam Hussein & company. Salam has been protected by a "Guardian angel" for some time and recently been on British TV. Read N.Z. Bear's post, Salam Pax: A Fine Whine, and Mark Wickens' comment on James Lileks' hard-hitting answer to Salam Pax. Here is a comment by Zeyad:

"Come one Salam, if it weren't for that jolly old chap you refer to as Georgie you wouldn't be enjoying your freedom in London writing for the Guardian now would you my friend? Nevertheless enjoy your trip and wish you a safe return."

Read Mark Glaser's article, Reading Between the Lines in Iraqi Blogs and Newspapers.

IS OSAMA BIN LADEN IN IRAN?

I heard from a friend in America that Fox News had a report on O.B.L. and his whereabouts. Did you watch this program? I tried to do a search on the web site, but I couldn't find anything. Debka filed this story on September 8: Iran Helped Bin Laden's Lieutenant al-Zawahiri Escape. Reporter Massoud Ansari thinks Bin Laden is in Pakistan.

Today is "Qods day" in Iran. The mullahs are pushing the "Palestinian issue" in the following way: "every Muslim and freedom-seeking person ought to pay his debt to Palestine." I wonder what kind of "payment" they are talking about...

Here is quote from Michael Ledeen's article, Nothing to lose but their chains:

"Iran has always been the most powerful and the most lethal of the terror masters (Hezbollah is an Iranian creation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Islamic Republic), but it also holds another record of sorts: it is the first example of a totally failed Shiite Islamist state." [Via iranFilter.]

In the news: Al Qaeda vows "big strike by February"

Related: My post: IS SAAD BIN LADEN IN IRAN?

UPDATE 11/26/03: Special Report with Brit Hume (Fox News): Explosive New Bin Laden Evidence.

NOUS POETIKOS

I have added Dare Balogun to the Blog category. For an example of an active mind ("nous poetikos"), start with reading his first post, The Future is Here.

RECAP: CA RECALL...

Nicholas Provenzo (The Rule of Reason) and "NoumenalSelf" have some thoughtful comments on a specific candidate (scroll down the list - 5th from the bottom, 241 votes).

In the news:
Schwarzenegger's inauguration speech.
Schwarzenegger: An idealist without illusions?

From the archives: My post, RECALL OF THE CALIFORNIA ROLL(ER COASTER)?

IN DEFENSE OF CAPITALISM

Read Jonathan Hoenig's column, In Defense of Capitalism. [Hat tip to CapitalistPig newsletter.]

THE WORLD OF GLOBALIZATION AND MY GUESTMAP

Looking at my guestmap (25 entries so far), I am happy to see that I have readers around the world (America, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Germany, Sweden, and Australia).

I will place an order for some EGO products in the near future and then send an email with a Caf�Press discount coupon to a few of the individuals who have signed my guestmap. If you want to add webtools to your site, check out Bravenet.

Talking about globalization, 150 cities in 45 countries have enrolled in Prodos' Celebrate Capitalism� campaign.

THE WRIGHT STUFF

I have added Tom Wright to my blogroll. He started the Inter Relay Chat channel #GeekSpeak in 1994.

A TV GUIDE TO HAPPINESS?

I have watched a couple of episodes of a TV series called Philosophy: A guide to happiness. Last time it was about Michel De Montaigne. The series is based on Alain de Botton's book, The Consolations of Philosophy.

COMMENTS & FEEDBACK @ EGO FORUM

Here are some of the comments I have received lately:

Apollo (11/02): Thanks for the book tip, Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia by Mike Resnick.
Jim Woods (11/13): Thanks for your answer to my question about what has happened to Nucor. I read Jim Collins' book, Built to Last : Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, during the Organizational Leadership course. I will look into his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't. I have created a new category called Literature @ the EGO Forum.

Stan (11/12): Thanks for informing us about Gore Vidal's latest outburst. Read Damian Penny's post, Gore Vidal keeps digging and digging. This topic belongs to the Founding Fathers category.

PCM (11/14): Thanks for the scary article on the ugly situation regarding modern art. For real sculptures, go to Quent Cordair Fine Art and then continue the Art thread.

EUROPEAN SOCIAL(IST) FORUM IN PARIS

Read Daniel Drezner's post, A marriage made in protest, [via Andrew Sullivan] on how Jacques Chirac's administration is supporting the activities at the European Social Forum in Paris. Eduardo Montero is one of the participants. He is from Stockholm, Sweden, and is a member of the League for the Fifth International. His group has been attacking Attac for being too "soft" against capitalism. Here is a quote from the "Workers Power Global" web site:

"Attac is the centre of the right wing and reformist attempts to politically tame and organisationally hobble the anti-capitalist movement."

In the news: Leftist protests jam Paris streets. Nota Bene: For your own safety, get hold of a "sac vomitoire" (barf bag) before you click on the outgoing link to Al "JihadTV" Jazeera.net...

INSIGHT ON THE NEWS

Read Stephen Goode's interview with Thomas A. Bowden. I look forward to read C. Bradley Thompson's article, The Nanny State, in the current issue of the Insight on the News magazine. [Hat tip to Harry Binswanger mailinglist member Tom Bowden.]

C. Bradley Thompson's book, John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty, is a potential candidate for the next Book of the Month.

THE BATTLE OF IDEAS: CHICKENHAWKS VERSUS PACIFICISTS

Call me an "armchair general", a "warblogger", or a "chickenhawk", or whatever name you could come up with. I don't care about the different labels. The important thing to understand is that we are fighting a war of ideas. For a better understanding of the situation, go to the Ayn Rand Institute's MediaLink section, America at War, and read Dr. Leonard Peikoff's article, End States Who Sponsor Terrorism (10/02/01). Read it again, chew and digest it, and let it sink in. You should now be ready to speak out against the anti-war crowd and pacificists of all stripes, and at the same time be able to defend the ideals of the Founding Fathers, America and Western culture!

Read the post, Chickenhawks And Other Interest Group Politics, over @ Winds of Change.NET [via Little Green Footballs] and military blogger Greyhawk's (Mudville Gazette) post, Chucklelinks for Chickenhawks.


Day By Day cartoon, 11/13/03, by Chris Muir.

Related: My post, "UNCLE SAM TOUR": AFGHANISTAN 10/07/01, IRAQ 03/19/03, IRAN XX/XX/04?

EGO BLOG: A CRAWLY AMPHIBIAN?!@#*�~

My current status in the Truth Laid Bear's Blogosphere Ecosystem: "Crawly Amphibian" (rank: #1765). It could be hard to "survive" in the blogosphere with a rough "league of liberal linkers" and "frog-eaters", but I will "bite" back!

STEEL TARIFFS AND RUST BELT VOTES IN 2004

It will be interesting to see if George W. Bush really is a supporter of free trade, or if he is going after the voters living in the rust belt states. I think that Sebastian Mallaby hits the nail on the head with the conclusion that Bush and his representatives have made a huge mistake by thinking "they could buy the allegiance of protectionists, whether they are big farmers or the steel industry, to make some advance in their long-term trade policy and not become captives of the protectionists." [Elizabeth Becker's article, For Bush, a Janus-Like View of Trade.] Here is another excerpt from the same article:

"The "red states" territory in the Midwest and South that voted for Mr. Bush in the 2000 election are some of the biggest recipients of those subsidies, and it is unlikely that he will upset those voters with a new free trade agreement soon before the presidential election."

I wonder what went wrong with Nucor after the glory days of Ken Iverson? Look at this statement by Daniel DiMicco, vice chairman, president and CEO of Nucor:

"The steel industry is a test case for problems facing all sectors of U.S. manufacturing. The way to send a clear message that the U.S. is truly committed to a level playing field for domestic manufacturing is to keep the president's steel tariffs intact. This is the tip of the iceberg and all of America is watching." [Ineffective Steel Tariffs Now Illegal, Too by Dan Ackman.]

You will have some great time of reading if you could get your hands on the following books:
� American Steel by Richard Preston.
� Plain Talk : Lessons from a Business Maverick by Ken Iverson.

I recommend you to read the following articles on Capitalism Magazine web site:

$ Laissez-Faire: The Right Cure For Steel by Aaron Schavey.
$ Let the Steel Tariffs Die by Bruce Bartlett.

In the news:
US considers severe new steel penalties.
Q&A: US-EU Steel Dispute.

UPDATE 11/14/03: News flash & action alert!
George W. Bush: "I'm in the process of reviewing the extent to which the industry has been restructured. I'm going to make a decision within a reasonable period of time."

Read Outlaw the Sun by Fr�d�ric Bastiat. How about sending an early X-mas present to GWB? Maybe the President will change his mind if he reads The Law and Economic Fallacies...

Steal Industry

For more cartoons like this, check out John Cox & Allen Forkum's book, Black & White World.

UPDATE 11/15/03: Bush's Steel Opening. [Via The Intellectual Activist.]

NEW FEATURES

I have added a couple of new features on my blog:

� Tell-A-Friend. Go to the Support category and click on the button. Thanks for spreading the good word!
� EGO Forum. Write a message, start a new thread, send suggestions and tips on other blogs, web sites, news sources, events, topics and issues, et cetera.

PERIODIC TABLE OF BLOGGERS

I have added Score Bard's Periodic Table of Bloggers [via InstaPundit] to the Resources category. Don't you think it is humbug.dot.com that InstaPundit is "I - Iodine"? Shouldn't I - EGO, be in this place instead?! Maybe it's time to join the Alliance of Free Blogs, or maybe not... ;) [Via InstaPundit.]

INVESTMENT SUCCESS

I want to thank reader Jennifer for the nice gift I received on Monday! She purchased William J. O'Neil's book, 24 Essential Lessons for Investment Success: Learn the Most Important Investment Techniques from the Founder of Investor's Business Daily, from my wish list @ Amazon.com. Jennifer: Thank you very much for the book and your nice note! :)

Yesterday I went to an investment fair arranged by the Swedish Shareholders' Association. For more information on investing, check out the World Federation of Investors and the National Association of Investors Corporation.

VETERANS DAY

Here is an excerpt from Edwin Locke's commentary, Giving Real Meaning to Veterans Day, @ Cybercast News Service:

"The best way we can honor our veterans and give real meaning to Veterans Day -- aside from ceremonies honoring their past and present dedication and bravery -- is to promise that we will go to war only when America's interests as a free nation are threatened."

SHARIAH LAW IN AFGHANISTAN AGAINST BEAUTY PAGEANT

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HOTLINE TO G*D & LINK TO Y*HW*H

I am not sure that Allahu Akbar "is in the House"... He hasn't answered my calls. Maybe Bruce Almighty [hat tip to Venting Steam] has a hotline to Yahweh? I have added Yahweh is in the House to the List of Links category.

THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT AND THE END OF THE WORLD...

A few days ago, I was walking across the Iron Square (I call it the "red square" because of all the labor union headquarters, the "people's house", socialist bookstores, et cetera, located around the square) and a man approached me with a flyer. It was announcing a lecture by Hal Mayer, founder of the Hartland Institute. The title of the speech: "September 11 and the Demise of Religious Liberty." Here is quote from Hal Mayer's article, Terrorists and the Demise of Religious Liberty:

"Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson pointed the finger. They said that the reason for the terrorist attacks was the tolerance of homosexuals, the purveyors of pornography, and the abortionists. There was a media outcry against this supposedly illogical conclusion, and these men withdrew their statement. In actuality, even though they didn't see the whole picture, Falwell and Robertson had identified a Biblical principle." ["EndTime Issues," December 2002.]

Check out cartoons on Falwell and Robertson's Stupid Comments @ Dary Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index. Read Mark Morford's column, Jerry Falwell Blames You. [Via Little Green Footballs.]

Courting Trouble

For more cartoons like this, check out John Cox & Allen Forkum's book, Black & White World.

Related: My post, JUSTICE VERSUS THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

THE COWBOY VERSUS THE DIPLOMAT?

I must say that I am pleased with President Bush's speech at the National Endowment of Democracy. (But G.W.B. doesn't understand the link between faith and force due to his born-again Christian beliefs. He thinks that altruism, i.e. sacrifice, is a virtue, and he doesn't understand the real danger of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia.) Here are some good excerpts from the speech:

"Dictators in Iraq and Syria promised the restoration of national honor, a return to ancient glories. They've left instead a legacy of torture, oppression, misery and ruin." ... "The regime in Tehran must heed the democratic demands of the Iranian people or lose its last claim to legitimacy."

Here is "diplomat" Wesley Clark's "solution" to the problem in the Middle East: "Right now, governments like Syria and Iran believe that if the United States is successful in Iraq, they might be next. We have to change that dynamic and have some kind of a constructive dialogue with those governments." [Via Andrew Sullivan.]

From Voice of America News: Iran Accuses Bush of Interfering in Internal Affairs.

THE NANNY STATE...

From Times Online (10/22/03): Burger addicts need state help.
From the Onion (11/05/03): Americans Demand Increased Governmental Protection From Selves. [Hat tip to Michael Gold.]

BOOK OF THE MONTH

I wrote in a post that I was thinking of adding a new feature to my blog. I have picked Thomas A. Bowden's book, The Enemies of Christopher Columbus as the Book of the Month. The book is written in a Q&A format, including appendices with historical texts and commentaries, endnotes, bibliography and afterword (133 pages). Here is an excerpt from the answer to the first question - "Who are the enemies of Christopher Columbus - and why do they seek to destroy his reputation?":

"The chief purpose of this book is to warn that the enemies of Christopher Columbus are serious, and that the ideas they endorse, if not refuted and rejected, will end in the death of science, the destruction of the cities, and the impoverishment of the human race." [Page 5.]

You are more than welcome to give me suggestions on books for the month of December.

GREED IS DEFENDED ON CASHIN' IN

Jonathan Hoenig will defend the concept of greed on the Fox News program, Cashin' In. The show airs at 11:30 A.M. EST (repeat on Monday at 5:30 A.M.). Read Jonathan Hoening's article, The Difference Between Us and Them (SmartMoney.com, 09/13/01).