Another "Atlas 50th" panel to air on C-SPAN 2 this Saturday


Bidinotto

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On Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 3:00 pm Eastern time, and on Sunday, October 21 at 3:00 am Eastern, C-SPAN-2 will broadcast the third panel from the 50th anniversary celebration of the publication of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, the gala event hosted on October 6 by The Atlas Society.

Yours Truly was pleased to be the moderator for this stellar panel, which discussed Rand's thinking on economics, business ethics, and entrepreneurship. The panelists were Edward Younkins, professor of economics at Wheeling Jesuit University, speaking on "Atlas and Economics"; Ed Snider, chairman of Comcast Spectacor, addressing "Atlas and the Entrepreneur"; and Rob Bradley, Jr., president of the Institute for Energy Research, on "Atlas and Business Ethics."

I lead off with brief remarks on the reasons for the widespread hostility toward business and businessmen, and how Rand's philosophical ideas not only repudiated that popular view, but led her to romanticize businessmen in Atlas Shrugged. Younkins gives a superb presentation on the brilliant economic insights that Rand incorporated into her visionary novel. Ed Snider reads revealing correspondence between himself and Ayn Rand, in which he first approached her with the idea of setting up a new organized effort to promote her ideas. Rob Bradley takes on modern university teaching of "business ethics," as seen through the filter of Rand's own ethical thinking, and then demonstrates exactly what ideas led to the collapse of the Enron corporation, where he used to work.

It's a fascinating hour-long overview of the appeal and applicability of Rand's ideas to the world of business. Check your local listings for the exact time of the broadcast in your area, and be sure to set your recorder.

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On Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 3:00 pm Eastern time, and on Sunday, October 21 at 3:00 am Eastern, C-SPAN-2 will broadcast the third panel from the 50th anniversary celebration of the publication of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, the gala event hosted on October 6 by The Atlas Society.

Yours Truly was pleased to be the moderator for this stellar panel, which discussed Rand's thinking on economics, business ethics, and entrepreneurship. The panelists were Edward Younkins, professor of economics at Wheeling Jesuit University, speaking on "Atlas and Economics"; Ed Snider, chairman of Comcast Spectacor, addressing "Atlas and the Entrepreneur"; and Rob Bradley, Jr., president of the Institute for Energy Research, on "Atlas and Business Ethics."

I lead off with brief remarks on the reasons for the widespread hostility toward business and businessmen, and how Rand's philosophical ideas not only repudiated that popular view, but led her to romanticize businessmen in Atlas Shrugged. Younkins gives a superb presentation on the brilliant economic insights that Rand incorporated into her visionary novel. Ed Snider reads revealing correspondence between himself and Ayn Rand, in which he first approached her with the idea of setting up a new organized effort to promote her ideas. Rob Bradley takes on modern university teaching of "business ethics," as seen through the filter of Rand's own ethical thinking, and then demonstrates exactly what ideas led to the collapse of the Enron corporation, where he used to work.

It's a fascinating hour-long overview of the appeal and applicability of Rand's ideas to the world of business. Check your local listings for the exact time of the broadcast in your area, and be sure to set your recorder.

Excellent. I taped last weekends C-Span broadcast.

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Oh yeah... Just in case C-SPAN 2 doesn't get their "for more information" blurb right THIS time, the group hosting this event was actually The Atlas Society.

The real URL is: www.atlassociety.org.

And the phone number is 202-AYN-RAND.

Okay?

That's what we've told the producers this week, repeatedly. So, let's see if they get it right this time.

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Chris, we had our phone number and website URL plastered right up on the podium. You'll note, though, that the tight C-SPAN camera angles on the speakers' heads and shoulders usually cut off any view of the podium.

However, the organization's name WAS mentioned repeatedly by speakers and displayed on the stage backdrop.

As for the inspired phone number, Ed Hudgins is responsible -- one of his first acts upon setting up what was then our Washington office.

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Yes, they had atlassociety.org at the end. Also we did get some podium shots with 202-AYN-RAND on our sign. And CSPAN started the broadcast at 2:54pm rather than 3:00 so they included my plug for The New Individualist! (Set your video recorders for 2:54am Sunday morning if you missed recording it!)

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Ed,

Be glad there were a couple of mistakes. You set a really high bar this time around. If there were no mistakes, the next event might bring the feeling of anticlimax with it right at the outset because it would seem impossible to beat what you had already achieved.

You did a magnificent job. Thank you for all you did on this celebration.

Michael

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Thanks Michael! It will be tough to outdo ourselves with events like Atlas 50. In the meantime we'll have a steady flow of New Individualists, op-eds and other output in our attempt to spread Objectivist ideas and actions. By the way, thanks for you nice summary of the event, complete with photos!

Thanks Chris! And by the way, CSPAN had a lot of audience shots and Q&A coverage so that those who attended could be part of the show!

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