Ayn Rand

 

Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, and political thinker, born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum on February 2, 1905, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Rand's family was well-educated and financially successful, but they lost their wealth and status after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Rand studied philosophy and history at Petrograd State University but was forced to leave after her father's business was seized by the Soviet government.

In 1926, Rand emigrated to the United States, where she began her career as a screenwriter in Hollywood. She later turned to writing novels and became famous for her works of fiction, including "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged." Her philosophy of Objectivism, which emphasized individualism, reason, and laissez-faire capitalism, had a significant impact on conservative and libertarian thought in the United States.

Throughout her life, Rand was an outspoken critic of collectivism and totalitarianism, and she believed that individual rights were paramount. She also believed that artistic and intellectual pursuits were essential to the human experience, and she celebrated the virtues of individualism, rationality, and self-interest.

We the Living, by Ayn Rand

"We the Living" is a novel by Ayn Rand, published in 1936, that explores the struggles and hardships faced by individuals living under Soviet communism in post-revolutionary Russia.

The novel centers around the life of Kira Argounova, a young woman who, despite her intelligence and independent spirit, is unable to escape the oppressive regime that dominates her life. Throughout the novel, Rand portrays the Soviet system as a suffocating force that crushes the individual spirit and ambition of its citizens.

The Tyrannical Impulse and Social Justice

There is no such thing as "social justice"; it is a null concept allegedly first-coined by Luigi Taparelli, a Catholic priest, c. 1840. If you try to find a definition of this term, you'll get something like this:

(from the Oxford English Dictionary): "justice in terms  of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and    privileges within a society."

(from The UN, 2006):  "the fair and equitable distribution of economic, political, and social resources, based on the principles of equality, human rights, and non-discrimination."

Just take a few minutes and digest that. Important questions arise. What are economic resources? Who decides what is fair, and just? Who distributes these things? And more importantly, who produces them?

Jean Valjean and Cosette

 

from Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.

The story of Jean Valjean and Cosette is one of the central threads in Victor Hugo's novel "Les Misérables." Jean Valjean is a former convict who is transformed by the kindness of a bishop and becomes a compassionate and selfless man, dedicated to helping those in need.

After his release from prison, Valjean struggles to find work and is turned away from every opportunity because of his criminal past. Desperate and hungry, he steals silverware from the bishop's home but is caught and brought back to face punishment.

To everyone's surprise, the bishop tells the authorities that he gave Valjean the silverware as a gift and even gives him additional valuable items. The bishop's act of mercy changes Valjean's life, and he begins to live as an honest man, determined to make amends for his past mistakes.

What is Ray Tracing?

 

Ray tracing is a rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate the behavior of light in a 3D environment. It works by tracing the path of individual rays of light as they travel from the camera through the virtual scene, interacting with objects and surfaces along the way until they reach a light source or are absorbed.

In the ray tracing process, each pixel in the image is traced back to the light source, allowing for accurate calculation of lighting, shadows, reflections, and other visual effects. This results in highly realistic and detailed images with accurate lighting and shadows, making ray tracing a popular technique in fields such as architecture, product design, and visual effects.

Government Overreach

Is it appropriate for any sane government to do anything but govern? 

One topic that has increasingly come to the forefront of public discourse is that of government overreach. It is a concept that is not new, but one that has certainly become more pressing in recent years. As we grapple with the challenges of a rapidly changing world, it is worth taking a moment to reflect on what exactly we mean by government overreach, and why it is so important to guard against it.

The Elian Gonzalez Affair, 1999-2000

The Elian Gonzalez affair was a highly publicized custody battle over a young Cuban boy named Elian Gonzalez, who was rescued off the coast of Florida in November 1999 after a boat carrying him and his mother and others capsized while attempting to reach the United States from Cuba. Elian's mother and ten other people drowned in the incident, and Elian was found floating on an inner tube by a pair of fishermen.

Elian's father, who was still in Cuba at the time, demanded that his son be returned to him. However, Elian's maternal relatives in the United States, who had taken him in after his rescue, refused to give him up and sought to keep him in the United States. The situation quickly became a political and diplomatic controversy, with supporters of Elian's relatives in the United States arguing that he should be granted asylum and allowed to remain in the country, while the Cuban government and Elian's father insisted that he be returned to Cuba.

The United States government initially allowed Elian to remain in the United States while the custody battle was resolved through legal and diplomatic means. However, after several months of legal proceedings, the United States government ultimately decided to return Elian to his father in Cuba. In April 2000, armed federal agents stormed the house where Elian was staying with his relatives in Miami and took him into custody. Elian was eventually returned to Cuba, where he was reunited with his father.

The Elian Gonzalez affair was highly controversial and divisive, with many people on both sides of the issue passionately arguing for their position. It was also significant in the larger context of U.S.-Cuba relations, as it highlighted the ongoing tensions between the two countries and the contentious issue of immigration between Cuba and the United States.