Day with a Difference - July 06, 2006

Today's Inspirational Quote:

Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values. - Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand - Political and social views

Rand's political views were strongly pro-capitalist, anti-statist, and anti-Communist. She exalted what she saw as the heroic American values of egoism and individualism. Rand also had a strong dislike for mysticism, religion, and compulsory charity, all of which she believed helped foster a crippling culture of resentment towards individual human happiness and success. Rand detested many prominent liberal and conservative politicians of her time, including prominent anti-Communists, such as Harry S. Truman, Ronald Reagan, Hubert H. Humphrey, and Joseph McCarthy.

She opposed US involvement in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, although she also strongly denounced pacifism: "When a nation resorts to war, it has some purpose, rightly or wrongly, something to fight for – and the only justifiable purpose is self-defense." She opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, "If you want to see the ultimate, suicidal extreme of altruism, on an international scale, observe the war in Vietnam – a war in which American soldiers are dying for no purpose whatever,"but also felt that unilateral American withdrawal would be a mistake of appeasement that would embolden communists and the Soviet Union.
Economics

Generally, her political thought is in the tradition of classical liberalism. She expressed qualified enthusiasm for the economic thought of Ludwig von Mises and Henry Hazlitt. The Ludwig von Mises Institute says that "it was largely as a result of Ayn's efforts that the work of von Mises began to reach its potential audience." Though not mentioned as an influence by her specifically, parallels between her works and Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" do exist (although Rand sharply criticized Emerson in her address to the graduates of West Point, calling him a "very little mind"). Later Objectivists, such as Richard Salsman, have claimed that Rand's economic theories are implicitly more supportive of the doctrines of Jean-Baptiste Say, though Rand herself was likely not acquainted with his work.

Expand your knowledge base

The following clues below refer to words. These words are all anagrams, and the anagrams of the words all rhyme with each other. Can you figure out all the words that rhyme with each other?

Clues:

1. The longest river in the world.
2. Beverages usually made from grapes.
3. Machines used for moving heavy objects.
4. Evergreen trees with needle-like leaves Scroll down for answer

























Answer

The words that rhyme with each other:

1. Line
2. Swine
3. Sign
4. Spine

The answers to the clues:

1. Nile
2. Wines
3. Gins
4. Pines

Have a memorable day!
Priya