PEAR CASHEW NUT SALSA

This recipe is from Jonas Borssén's book, Eat The Heat (page 51).

Pear-Cashew Nut Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 pears, diced.
• 5 green onions, sliced.
• Juice of 1/2 lemon.
• 1 red paprika (bell pepper), roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced.
• 1 Hungarian wax chile pepper, finely chopped.
• 2 stalks celery, diced.
• 1 3/4 ounces cashew nuts, chopped.
• Salt

Directions:

Mix the ingredients and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or cheeses.


It has turned red!

For another salsa recipe, go to my post, MIDSUMMER RECIPES.

UPDATE 10/01/05:

I got inspired by the comments by three of my readers, so I took one of the Cheyenne chile pepper fruits and created my own dip sauce for Buffalo wings. The ingredients are:

• Sour cream (3 dl)
• Lime & mango chutney (1 tablespoon)
• Lime & cinnamon honey (1 teaspoon)
• Lime juice (1/2 lime fruit)
• Cashew nuts, peanuts, and other spicy nuts (a handful, crushed)
• Cheyenne chile pepper (1 fruit, chopped)

MIDWEEK 39 SAMPLER

Here is this week's sampler:

• Gus Van Horn is back in the saddle with his post, Around the Web on 9-28-05.
• Andy Clarkson is cutting through the pork with his post, It's The Spending Stupid.
• Diana Mertz Hsieh has reviewed the movie, Serenity, in her post, The Final Serenity. More links to reviews at InstaPundit. [Editor's comment: I am not a movie "buff," so I have some catching up to do..., e.g., Firefly.]
• What Did You Learn In School Today? (Tom Paxton). Oak Tree learned in Teaching the Impossible #25 that "markets fail"...
• Wonder Woman of North American Patriot ("A Canadian conservative atheist with a passion for justice") has created the following banner (I Am Pro-Victory):

We are closer to victory if Bush is getting rid of the Power Source of terrorism...


[Editor's comment: Do you think GWB is listening to a "leading expert on Al-Qaeda at Harvard University"? Is he the "Voice of the Caliphate"? Do you see a risk that Fox News could be incorporated under the "Global Islamic Media Front" sometime in the future...]

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: NEW ADVERTISING

I continue to do changes in the blog template, by adding new ad formats. You will see PJ Media ads in the near future. I am testing Chitika's eMiniMalls. Read Darren Rowse's review at ProBlogger. I have added a link to the Great Republic Ad Network at Blogads.

Recommend reading: My post, BLOGGING AND ADVERTISING.

MAHMOUD ZAHAR

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar.

Q.) The Untied Stated [sic] and the European Union still consider Hamas a “Terrorist” organization. Are you still negotiating with EU representatives?

A.) They [the Bush administration] are criminals, they left the black classes in New Orleans to be killed by a natural disaster and they did not interfere. They are real “terrorists,” it is a matter if conviction. This administration is describing the freedom fighters as terrorists. America is committing state crimes against innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, in Palestine, and even Venezuela. (albawaba.com, 09/26/05.)

CENSORSHIP IN COMMUNIST CHINA

The bureaucrats at the Ministry of Information Industry and the State Council in communist China are crushing freedom of speech again. In the news:

Also as part of an ongoing effort to curb potential dissent, thousands of cybercafes -- the main entry to the Web for many Chinese unable to afford a computer or Internet access -- have been closed.

Authorities in Shanghai have installed surveillance cameras and begun requiring visitors to Internet cafes to register using their official identity cards to keep tabs on who's seeing and saying what online.

The government also recently threatened to shut down unregistered Web sites and blogs, online diaries in which users post their thoughts for others to read. (BusinessWeek / AP, 09/25/05.)

I hope that the people of the free China, i.e., Taiwan Republic of China, are keeping tabs on the developments in the PRC...

Get your copy of the Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents by Reporters Without Borders, before it is too late... [Via Search Engine Journal.]

Related: My post, NO FREE SPACE AT MSN IN COMMUNIST CHINA.

PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT

It was a fascinating article (Better by design) on Product Lifecycle Management in the technology quarterly issue of the Economist. I am sure that this type of software could be integrated into a business management system. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Where next for PLM? The next step, says Mr Donaldson of IBM, will be to broaden access to the technology and bring medium-sized companies, not just engineering and consumer giants, into the world of PLM. It is shaking off its engineering origins and is moving, he says, into the mainstream parts of business. IBM is currently working to help business and engineering schools better understand the technology. Clearly, if lots of newly minted business graduates have been taught about PLM, they are more likely to want to use it when they get jobs. ...

This is a testament to PLM's success, but paradoxically could cause it to disappear. "I'm not sure PLM will survive as a stand-alone category," says Mr Radjou. Instead, he says, PLM functions will be broken down and bundled into other applications, such as supply-chain management systems and even desktop productivity software. (Economist.com 09/15/05.)

I would be interested in coordinating these kind of tasks at my next job. It would fit greatly with my background as purchaser and long experience of supply chain management, and also be a natural next step after my studies in international project management.

MORRIS THE PHOTO MODEL

I wonder if Morris will start a career as a photo model after his photo session at Laurence Simon's carnival model gallery at This Blog Is Full Of Crap.



As you could see, Morris is good at relaxing after his catwalk... Talking about cat walk, Kate Moss shouldn't count on doing it for a while. Stefan Persson, H&M's executive chairman, has cancelled her contract. I could assure you that Morris is not into drugs, except for sniffing on catnip now and then...

ANDREW BERNSTEIN AND DANA BERLINER

Jim Woods informed me about two transcripts:

• Should the government prevent price gouging? - Andrew Bernstein.
• Testimony to House Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States House Judiciary. - Dana Berliner.

BLOGFLUX MAPSTATS

Check out EGO map stats by Blog Flux. [Via The Benjo Blog.]

MIDWEEK 38 SAMPLER

Gus Van Horn is contemplating on how he could become a full-fledged writer (Notes on Blogging VI). He will celebrate his first blogiversary next month. [Editor's comment: Have you read Ayn Rand's book, The Art of Nonfiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers?]

Felipe Sediles is writing a post on the things important to him (What I Like).

I want to connect in a way with the above posts, by taking an excerpt from my post, ANNUAL BLOG REPORT III ON MY BIRTHDAY.

My intention is to continue to blog, but I can't say how often I will publish posts in the near future. It is all depending on my career situation. I am finishing my studies in June, and I strive to get a new job a.s.a.p., but it is hard to find due to the state of the market. If you have any job leads, tips, suggestions, etc, please don't hesitate to send me an email or give me a call! (EGO, 05/25/05.)

I don't have the ambition to become a professional writer on full-time basis, but I am interested in different types of writing assignments in the future. I am still having plans to add new content and features to the blog, e.g., a talk radio / podcasting show. I have to look into the technical details regarding recording phone interviews by using Skype and Gizmo Project on a Linux machine.

I am in the process of starting my own company, so I am planning on writing more business related posts in the near future...

Gideon Reich has taken a look on the The Latest Smear at Ayn Rand and her philosophy, Objectivism. To end the post in a positive way, read Diana Hsieh's post, Andy on Religion and Capitalism, and Robert Tracy's post, A Print of the Greatest Mind in History.

For more great posts, check out the Reason Roundup at Andy Clarkson's Charlotte Capitalist.

TECH TUESDAY: TECHNOLOGY QUARTERLY

Check out this week's edition of the Economist. The Technology Quarterly is premium content, but you could read a sponsored PDF version for free.

AHMADINEJAD IS TALKING BS IN NYC

In the news: IAEA Chief Urges More Diplomacy on Iran - ABC News / AP.

From Ahmadinejad's UN speech:

In keeping with Iran's inalienable right to have access to a nuclear fuel cycle, continued interaction and technical and legal cooperation with the IAEA will be the centerpiece of our nuclear policy. Initiation and continuation of negotiations with other countries will be carried out in the context of Iran's interaction with the Agency. With this in mind, I have directed the relevant Iranian officials to compile the legal and technical details, of Iran's nuclear approach, based on the following considerations: (RegimeChangeIran.com, 09/18/05.)

UNrehearsed

CATS AND CAPITALISTS

This week's edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists is hosted by Will Franklin of WILLisms.com.

Morris has become a cat model! Check out this week's edition of the Carnival of the Cats at Watermark.

OPEN THREAD POST: ELECTIONS

What are your reactions on the recent elections in Norway and Germany?

It looks like it will be some kind of coalition of different parties in Germany. Do you think that the Freie Demokratische Partei could "stick to their guns" in the long run?

Norway shifted to the left... and the European newspapers are happy with it. I know about a few individuals in Norway who are involved in the Liberal People's Party, but I must say that I wouldn't participate in a political party in Sweden at the moment. I think it is too early...

Recommended reading: My posts, REFLECTIONS ON THE ELECTION and EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND ITS CRITICS.

TURNING UP THE HEAT

Here is an excerpt from Sandy Thorn Clark's article, Turning up the heat.

For cooling down between bites of spicy foods, DeWitt suggests palate cleansers including sliced fruits such as mango, peach, plum, pineapple and papaya; pickled vegetables such as eggplant, cauliflower, carrots and cucumbers; cheese wedges; grated coconut; high-quality olives; chutneys and relishes; breads, flavored tortillas and crackers, and sorbets. (SunTimes.com, 09/07/05.)

For more photos, go to my other blog and read my post, PAPRIKA AND CHILE PEPPER.

Related: My post, HOT PHOTOS AND BIBLE FOR THE SPICY FOOD LOVER.

RELAXING MORRIS

Morris is "chilling out"...

BUSH'S BATHROOM NOTE

Here is an excerpt from Marc Morano's article, Embarrassing Bush Photograph Exposes Reuters Contradiction.

The enhancement of a Reuters news photograph showing President Bush jotting a note about needing a bathroom break represented the organization's standard policy, according to one of its picture editors. But an executive with Reuters told Cybercast News Service Thursday afternoon that anyone doctoring a picture for publication would be immediately fired.

The photo was taken of the president Wednesday as he sat in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. According to an article published by the PDN Newswire Thursday, the picture was snapped by Reuters contract photographer Rick Wilking and shows Bush scribbling a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reading, "I think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible?" (CNSNews.com, 09/15/05.)

I am glad to see that Tony Abu Tuz of War Photoblog is back in business! He has a scoop on George Bush's bathroom note. Rick Wilking, the photographer who took the picture, is interviewed in Gelf Magazine.

It would be good if Bush had left the U.N. building after his visit to the bathroom, and then joined the demonstration against Ahmadinejad. My fear is that he will invite the Iranian president for a cup of tea...

Technorati tags: bush bathroom.

SYMBOLS OF SACRIFICE

So, what's the real meaning behind the Crescent of Embrace? Are the architects honest in their intentions of the Flight 93 memorial, or is it another sign of multiculturalism? After reading the following statement by the principal architect, Paul Murdoch, I guess you could fear the worst motif. [Via Sisu.]

A primary task of this generation is to create new patterns of development that sustain human habitation on this planet. Towards this end, the principles adopted for our practice are intended to ensure that each project contributes to an overall goal of environmental responsibility while striving for design excellence. (PaulMurdochArchitects.com, 1991.)

Crescent of Embrace


Related: My post, CRUCIFIX FASHION?

FRIDAY ARK AND FOOD CARNIVAL

Morris says: Have you checked out the Friday Ark at the Modulator and the Carnival of the Recipes at Trub?

PIZZA

I took a recipe (pizza dough and tomato sauce) from a magazine specializing in Italian wines, and then added my own ingredients.

Pizza with Hungarian sausages

Dough (6 pizza pies)

• 1/2 package yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 2.5 dl water (lukewarm)
• 0.5 dl olive oil
• 6 dl flour

1. Put the yeast in a bowl and mix it with the lukewarm water, sugar, and salt.
2. Add olive oil and flour in batches, and make it into a dough.
3. Put a cloth over the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour.
4. Take out the dough and cut it into pieces.
5. Roll out the dough.
6. Put the pizza pie on a cookie sheet.

Tomato sauce

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• salt and black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic.
2. Then the ingredients are "soft," add sugar, tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, oregano and basil.
3. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Add some salt and black pepper.

Toppings

• Salami
• Beer sausage
• Paprika (bell pepper)
• Chile pepper
• Tomato
• Olives
• Grated cheese

1. Add the tomato sauce, cheese, and the toppings on the pizza pie.
2. Put the baking plate in the oven for circa 15 minutes at 275 degrees Celsius.

For more on pizza, check out the links on Pizza Therapy.

[Editor's comment: What's your favorite type of pizza, and pizza restaurant?]

MIDWEEK SAMPLER

Here is this week's sampler:

• Cause, Effect, and Libertarianism by Gus Van Horn.
• Four Years After 9/11 -- The Pessimistic View by Gideon Reich.
• What's Next? by Robert Tracy.
• Reason Roundup by Andy Clarkson.

JUDGE ROBERTS AND WODEHOUSE

Did you know that John G. Roberts Jr. is a fan of P.G. Wodehouse?

John Roberts

GOOGLE BLOG SEARCH

In the news:

• Google unveils blog search site - BBC.
• Google Launches Industrial Strength Blog Search - Search Engine Watch.

EGO is listed in the following way on Google Blog Search:

Related Blogs: EGO - Reason - Egoism - Laissez-Faire Capitalism

Blogger has added a search function.

TECH TUESDAY: MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

I wonder what business leaders at eBay have in mind with the acquisition of Skype. Will the business venture become a "powerful ecommerce and communications engine"? Here is an excerpt from Martin Geddes's post, eBay and Skype: Back to basics.

Companies like Dell, eBay, Google, etc. got big by thinking big. They picked a unique business model, and drove it to completion without losing focus. To understand this transaction, you need to look for where the big prizes are.

The obvious one is the wrong one. Google and eBay are already in the business of generating sales leads. The Skype community, for all its size and vibrancy, is not being bought because they can be pitched to and turned into eBay users. Or if it is, this story will have a nasty ending where all the heroes get bumped off and the princess just grows old and ugly. (SkypeJournal.com, 09/12/05.)

Richard MacManus of Web 2.0 Explores has thoughts on the communication aspect of the deal.

There are two main aspects of this purchase which intrigue me. The first is that eBay is building out its communications platform with this purchase. It will continue to run Skype as a standalone Internet Telephony business, but it will also use Skype's telephony and IM product line as a platform to extend its own e-commerce business. I'm not sure I buy the line about eBay buyers and sellers wanting to communicate with each other via voice, but I do believe it will open up new lines of business for eBay - lead generation is the example eBay used in its presentation to investors. (Blogs.ZDNet.com, 09/13/05.)

Jennifer Guevin of CNET News reports that the blogosphere is watching the outcome with great interest:

Whatever the fallout of this acquisition, the blogging community will be watching, analyzing and writing, with an eye to what the move will mean for consumers and telecommunications giants and how it will affect the way communication happens online. (News.com.com, 09/12/05.)

Do you think that this deal is a sign of a new dot-com era, or a "panic" act in order to stay ahead of the competition? [Editor's comment: If you want to kill some time, play the Pinkslip Panic game. Have you read Philip J. Kaplan's book, F'd Companies: Spectacular Dot-Com Flameouts?]

In the news: Court wrangling haunts Skype's rags-to-riches story by Dawn C. Chmielewski (Mercury News).

It will be interesting to see the positive macro-economics effects in Estonia. I think that the Baltic states could draw attention from new investors and entrepreneurs after lowering the flat tax. Here is an excerpt from Ivar Ekman's article, Skype is 2nd jackpot for Scandinavian duo.

But the glow of eBay was not only shining over Skype's two founders and the company's operations in London and its headquarters in Luxembourg. In Tallinn, Estonia, where most of Skype's programming is done and where more than 100 employees work, the news was creating an obvious if somewhat tight-lipped buzz.

"Everybody feels quite elevated here," said Jaan Tallinn, a senior developer for the company. "It feels good. How else could it be?"

But asked whether there would be any financial windfall for the Estonian employees, Tallinn would only say that "there is an options plan for the employees, yes. But I'm not sure how much I can expand on that." (IHT.com, 09/13/05.)

Related: My posts, TECH TUESDAY: VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL, EBAY AND THE FUTURE OF ONLINE AUCTIONS, and INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM.

Technorati tags: ebay skype.

ROBERT TRACINSKI ON MSNBC

From the TIA Daily:

TIA Daily editor Robert Tracinski will be appearing on "The Situation with Tucker Carlson" on the MSNBC cable news channel. The show runs from 11 pm to midnight Eastern time, and Robert will probably appear in the second half of the hour, though that is not definite. (TIADaily.com, 09/12/05.)

THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO DOT COM

Check out The Capitalist Manifesto blog for Andrew Benstein's book, The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire. [Via Dollars & Crosses / Capitalist Magazine.]

THE NEW WAVE OF THE WELFARE STATE

Read Ron Pisaturo's article, New Orleans: The Dead End of the Welfare State.

OPEN THREAD POST: OBJECTIVIST CONFERENCES

Organizers of iCon 2005.

I'm back. I had a great time in London. I want to thank the organizers for the great work! I look forward to the next conference! For you who didn't attend, please be sure to sign up for the next conference.

Please feel free to write down your memories from an Objectivist conference, e.g., the summer conference in San Diego. I hope I will be able to attend the conference in Boston in Boston...

FOLLOW THE LINKS

Follow the links... See you next week!

NO POSTS ON SEPTEMBER 11

I will be attending a conference in London this weekend, so please don't expect any new posts on September 11. [Editor's note to his guest bloggers: You are more than welcome to write posts this weekend!] I will try to write a wrap-up post with links to interesting posts around the blogosphere published during this week. In the meantime, please take time and read the following posts:

• 9/11 Anniversary Approaching by Little Green Footballs.
• Our prescience may have been premature by Sisu.
• Confronting Terrorism IV by Cox & Forkum.

Related: My post, SEPTEMBER 11 RECOLLECTION.

TERRORIST GROUPS IN SWEDEN

The tabloids have written about different militant Islamists and terrorist groups located in Sweden. Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, Armed Islamic Group, and Ansar al-Islam are all mentioned. Here is an excerpt (Leading Imam Warns of Moslem Extremists) from Radio Sweden:

Sweden's leading Moslem cleric says he has received death threats after condemning the July 7th attacks in London.

Writing in the newspaper "Expressen" Tuesday, the head of the Swedish Council of Imams, Hassan Moussa, says the London bombings convinced him to stop qualifying his criticism of terrorism in his Friday sermons.

The day after his unreserved condemnation, he started receiving threats, even inside his own mosque. (SR.se, 09/07/05.)

Related: My post, TWO TERRORISTS FROM IRAQ CONVICTED IN SWEDEN.

ROBERT TRACINSKI ON HEADS UP AMERICA

Robert Tracinski of The Intellectual Activist will be on the Heads Up America radio show at 4 PM EST. Go to SuperTalk 1350 for listening to the program online. Ken Bagwell has a link to Robert Tracinski's article, An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State.

TECH TUESDAY: HANDY DANDY TOOLS

I found the following tools and tricks on Download Squad:

• podOmatic: Another web-based podcasting contender.
• Getting things done with T-bird.
• Backpack: web-based PIM.

What's your favorite tool?

The Economist has a fascinating article on digital homes.

OPEN THREAD POST: CAREER TALK ON LABOR DAY

I think that career could be a good topic to discuss on Labor Day. You are welcome to mention different types of career resources. I have found useful information at the career center at Gothenburg University. Tomorrow I will listen to a representative from Manpower. The activity is organized by a network of job seeking academics. Have you read The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success by Nicholas Lore?

Here is an excerpt from Fredric Hamber's article, Time to Celebrate Man's Mind.

It is fitting that the most productive nation on earth should have a holiday to honor its work. The high standard of living that Americans enjoy is hard-earned and well-deserved. But the term "Labor Day" is a misnomer. What we should celebrate is not sweat and toil, but the power of man's mind to reason, invent and create. (Accuracy In Media, 08/30/05.)

YUMMY BRANDS

The Economist has an interesting report, Fast food's yummy secret, on Yum! Brands Inc (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's, and A&W Restaurants). The Colonel hasn't been introduced to Sweden yet...

The parent of those three fast-food chains, it has 34,000 (mostly franchised) restaurants around the world, 2,000 more than McDonald's. At home in America it accounts for about 4% of all restaurant-industry sales, behind only McDonald's at 6.5%. With 1,378 KFC restaurants in China, and 201 Pizza Huts at mid-2005, Yum! owns two of the best-known brand names in the world's most populous market. Not bad going, you might say, for a company that Pepsi-Cola got rid of in 1997 because, in the words of one PepsiCo executive, "restaurants weren't our schtick". (Economist.com, 08/25/05.)

The fear of acrylamide has come up to the surface again and McDonald's and seven other potato chip and French fry producers are sued. I wonder if California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is a friend of Stephen Joseph?

Related: My post, MCDONALD'S HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 50 YEARS.

SEARCHING FOR PALESTINE INFO AND HAMAS WEBSITE

EGO is listed #1 of about 1,760,000 for the Google search "Hamas website". I recommend you to check out Internet Haganah's database of jihad sites, if you are interested in learning more about Hamas.

In the news: Hamas unmasks its top commanders - BBC.

LINKING AL QAEDA TO THE BOMBINGS IN LONDON

Is the latest Jihad video a proof that Al Qaeda was involved in the bombings in London? For more on Ayman al-Zawahiri's appearance in the video, read the Newsweek article, Al Qaeda: A Link to London?

WILLIAM REHNQUIST

In the news:

• Rehnquist left Supreme Court with conservative legacy by Joan Biskupic, USA Today.
• Rehnquist death gives Bush chance to shape court by Jackie Frank, Reuters.
• Court nominee ready for hot seat: Legal opinions offer clues to Roberts' views - Detroit News.

Scott Holleran of the Concord Crier comments:

CRIER COMMENT: from here, the President nominates a replacement -- Bush is supposedly leaning toward conservative Antonin Scalia -- which must be approved by Congress. Expect a huge battle. Related: United States Supreme Court, History of Court. (ConcordCrier.com, 09/03/05.)

Related: My post, THE SUPREME COURT AND THE ELECTION.

ATLAS SHRUGGED FILM IN DEVELOPMENT

Baldwin Entertainment Group has announced that Atlas Shrugged is in development. [Via September 2005 CyberNet - Part 1.] Scott Holleran has been in contact with Howard Baldwin, CEO and President of B.E.G. Here is an excerpt from his article, The New Orleans Disaster and the Line on 'John Galt'.

It was supposed to be a light column about this and that, with a brief update on a movie adaptation of my favorite novel, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, which Miss Rand began writing here in the San Fernando Valley in 1946. It is the story of man's mind on strike. Whether one agrees with Miss Rand's radical philosophy, Objectivism, laid bare in the book, it is an unforgettable masterpiece with grand cinematic potential, a fact recognized by the producer of last year's Oscar-winning Ray, Howard Baldwin, who tells me that he is closer to bringing Ayn Rand's epic to the screen. (BoxOfficeMojo.com, 09/02/05.)

[Editor's note: This post is crossposted to the Egosphere.]

CLASSIC READINGS, A HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, AYN RAND ANSWERS

Thanks to Andy Clarkson of the Charlotte Capitalist for recommending Wilhelm Windelband's book, History of Philosophy.



I have picked Ayn Rand Answers by Robert Mayhew as this Book of the Month. I look forward to attend Robert Mayhew's lecture, Humor in The Fountainhead, at the Objectivist conference in London. If you haven't purchased August's book yet, read Robert Tracinski's review of the Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire.

I have added Robin Field's online store Classic Readings to the Literature category. [Hat tip to Betsy Speicher's CyberNet.] I have to purchase Reason in Rhyme: A Musical Introduction to Philosophy sometime in the future.

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: PICOSEARCH AND BOOK OF THE MONTH

I have written more than 1500 posts and thereby reached the maximum level of indexed documents, so I will remove the Picosearch feature in the near future. Please continue to use Google's site search (located on top of this page) if you want to find things on this blog. As a trivia, here is the top list.

Top Queries Report (1206 searches)

1. ego 56
2. kaito 21
3. richard raworth 10
4. sex 10
5. the certainty site 8
6. who is steve friedman? 7
7. ayn rand 7
8. icsa test report 6
9. bomb iran 6
10. egoism 6
11. alter ego 5
12. powerfulminds.org 5
13. peikoff 5
14. ted burke 4
15. capitalism 4
16. hoenig 4
17. michael moore 4
18. currency 4
19. hiv 4
20. martin lindeskog indtv holdings llc 4

On another note. You are welcome to give me suggestions on the Book of the Month. We are already in September, but I haven't found a new book yet.

MORRIS IS GOING OUT

Morris is standing at the door...


Morris is going out...


Bye bye...

For more animal pictures, check out Friday Ark at the Modulator.

AHMADINEJAD, CHAVEZ AND CASTRO

In the news: Ahmadinejad to travel to Cuba and Venezuela before UN summit. [Via Daneshjoo.org.]

The United States will not be the first country in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel in his first foreign visit as Iran's newly elected president. Scheduled to attend the summit of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, Ahmadinejad will instead be making a stop in Cuba and Venezuela before heading to the United States for the UN summit... (Adnki.com, 08/30/05.)

From the article, Iran leader to visit commies on way to U.S. [Via Regime Change Iran.]

In 2001, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, visited Castro in Cuba. The aging communist dictator told Khamenei to help defeat the U.S. "as you toppled the Shah" in 1979. Castro also said together Cuba and Iran would bring America "to its knees." (WorldNetDaily.com, 08/31/05.)

[Editor's comment to Pat Robertson: How about "killing two three birds with one stone"...]

SPRITZER

Here is a short & sweet recipe:

Spritzer (Fröcc in Hungarian) wine drink.

• White wine, e.g., Welschriesling (Olaszriesling in Hungarian).
• Add soda water.

Ego drinking Zwack Unicum.