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For Ayn Rand fans: a ghost

April 29, 2017 by Jeff (ILoveCapitalism)

Perhaps you know Ayn Rand’s first novel, We The Living. It’s a story of two lovers, Kira and Leo, who try to survive together in the early Soviet Union. They fail, because of the myriad ways that communism (or dictatorship in general) degrades everyone and destroys their humanity.

You may also know that Rand based the character of Leo on a real person, a fellow anti-Soviet student in early 1920s Petrograd for whom she had an unrequited love. At the time, she was called Alissa Rosenbaum.

During her lifetime she wouldn’t give out Leo’s real name, but at some point after Rand’s death in 1982, her biographers/archivists figured it out. His name was Lev Bekkerman, and I recently web-surfed to this picture of him:

handsome photo of Lev Bekkerman

He is said to have been a tall, intelligent, self-confident womanizer, who had once hid some anti-Soviet students in his home. One reads that, sadly, Bekkerman was murdered in one of the Soviet political purges of the 1930s. By which time Rand had traveled to the U.S., married an American, and written and published We The Living (in English).

Life works strangely: if Bekkerman had returned her love, then Rand probably would have stayed in Soviet Russia – and been destroyed, much like Bekkerman and much like Kira and Leo in her novel. Instead, she came to America and became a great thinker and writer.

If anyone can read and translate the writing on the photo, please let us know what it says (in the comments).

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, Bibliophilia / Good Books, Communism, Conservative Ideas, Freedom, Literature & Ideas Tagged With: Amazing Stories, ayn rand, Bibliophilia / Good Books, Communism, Conservative Ideas, freedom, lev bekkerman, Literature & Ideas, soviet russia, we the living

This is cool

November 12, 2014 by Jeff (ILoveCapitalism)

The European Space Agency confirms that it has landed its probe, Philae, on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

As the CNBC writer says, “It’s the first time a man-made object had ever touched down on a comet. The lander will extract and analyze samples from the comet, and scientists hope the data could contain hints about the history of the universe.”

Some nice images of the comet in the video below, from about 7:30 to 9:50:

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, Science, Technology Tagged With: 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Amazing Stories, comet, esa, european space agency, philae, Science, technology

It’s natural for smarts to win in the end

March 27, 2014 by Jeff (ILoveCapitalism)

A colleague sent me this, and I find it vaguely hopeful:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uBFUumm3Dk[/youtube]

An orca (a large-brained mammal related to the dolphin) knew how to kill a Great White shark, cleverly by flipping it on its back.

I’m not sure for what that’s a metaphor, but I’ll think of something. Hat tip, boingboing.net.

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, Random Thoughts Tagged With: Amazing Stories, great white, intelligence wins, orca, Random Thoughts, smarts win

“It’s our choices that make us fat, not McDonald’s”

March 8, 2014 by Jeff (ILoveCapitalism)

I do NOT recommend this guy‘s diet, but he claims to have lost 56 lbs and counting, eating all McDonald’s – all the time.

Get regular exercise and honestly limit your calorie intake, and you will moderate your weight…it’s math. (Or science; take your pick.)

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, Food, Health & medical, Social Issues Tagged With: Amazing Stories, Food, Health & medical, mcdonald's diet, personal responsibility, Social Issues

Monday night Beauty

September 9, 2013 by Jeff (ILoveCapitalism)

Van Gogh - Sunset at Montmajour

It’s the newly re-discovered Van Gogh.

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, Art/Art History Tagged With: Amazing Stories, Art/Art History, Sunset at Montmajour, Vincent Van Gogh

SPECIAL POSTING FROM GAYPATRIOT READER

June 1, 2012 by GayPatriot

I’m happy to turn the page over to long-time reader & commenter, John R.

Happy Birthday, John!

-Bruce

************************

I have a very important announcement. Today, June 1, I am 90 NINETY years old!
I have lived through the following presidential administrations;

   Harding   Coolidge   Hoover   Roosevelt   Truman

   Eisenhower   Kennedy   Johnson   Nixon   Ford

   Carter   Reagan   Bush   Clinton   Bush   Obama

Which one was the best?  “I Like Ike”.

It was a very pleasant and peaceful 8 years. Unlike the previous years of wars and unemployment.

There were many teaching jobs because the country was now booming with kids. Many of my exGI friends became teachers after spending 4 or more years in college under the GI Bill. But spending years in college was not for me. I got a job in China, then Jpan and finally Alaska. Alaska was great!

TV was coming into its own and many of the ex-GIs who went to tech school now was busy setting up new TV stations and maintaining them.

Flying was becoming very important. It was a great and pleasant experience to take a trip. I was fortunate to have flown on most of the airlines. Between Anchorage and the East Coast NorthWest used a double decker. I cannot remember the name. (Getting senile) It had a bar downstairs and you could go down and make your trip even more enjoyable. The airlines started flying jets at the end of the 50s and flying has not been as good since.

So many things have happened in my life time. I could never write about them all here. I have written a history of my family starting from the 1600 and ending in 1958. I wrote it for my descendants and for my many cousin’s descendants. I had it printed at a large printing company in Silicon Valley. The owner called me and said that when they get my books printed could he print one for himself. That told me that I would not have to be embarassed giving it as a gift to others rather than just my relatives.

So if any of you would like a book, contact Bruce for my address or e-mail address. There is NO charge.

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, American History

Merry Christmas… from Nashville!

December 21, 2010 by GayPatriot

Good evening everyone from Music City, USA. If you follow me on Twitter you know that PatriotPartner and I are on vacation in Nashville, TN.

Our normal Nashville trip is in June for the CMA MusicFest. But we decided to come during Christmastime because of Garth Brooks. Garth is having a series of charity concerts to raise money for victims of the historic floods that hit Middle TN this past May.

Tonight is the concert for us, but Garth will have had about 20 shows over 10 days when it’s all done. News reports say the effort has raised over $3.5 million.

Thanks Garth. And Merry Christmas Nashville!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, Christmas, Country Music, Economy, Great Americans, Great Men, Heroes, Living In Red State America

Decision Points: The George W. Bush That The Media Didn’t Let You See

November 15, 2010 by GayPatriot

I’ve just begun to read President George W. Bush’s memoirs — Decision Points. I downloaded it on Kindle last night and haven’t been able to put it down.

I’ll discuss more later as I read more (I’m into the summer of 2000 campaign period now.)

But one takeaway already is that George W. Bush is smart, thoughtful, complex, honest, candid and not the cartoon the media liked to make him out to be.

Like or dislike him — this is required reading!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

UPDATE (from Dan): I’ve also been reading the book, agree it’s difficult to put down and posted some initial reactions here and here.

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, American History, Arrogance of the Liberal Elites, Bush-hatred, Conservative Ideas, Conservative Introspection, Conservative Movement, Freedom, Great Americans, Great Men

Oct. 26 1985: When This Baby Hits 88 MPH…You’re Gonna See Some Serious Sh-t!

October 26, 2010 by GayPatriot

In the fictional world of Hill Valley, California today is a momentous day in history. Twenty-five years ago this morning, while being chased by angry Libyans, Marty McFly attempts to outrun them in a gussied-up DeLorean. Instead of escaping from the Twin Pines Mall parking lot, the DeLorean reaches 88 mph, the flux capacitor designed by Dr. Emmett Brown activates and transpors Marty and the fancy car back to the year 1955.

The movie Back to the Future actually premiered in July of 1985 — 25 years ago. But those of us die-hard fans know all of the movie dates all too well. Oct. 26, 1985 at 1:24 AM is among the most important moments in the film’s storyline.

I was 17 years old when I first saw the DeLorean disappear in a flash on the big screen. No other movie made such an impression on me in my teen years as BTTF did. Perhaps it was the fact that like Marty, I was also a bit of a loner in high school and anxious about my own future. And yeah, there were Star Wars geeks & Trekkies — but ever since BTTF I’ve been a time travel fanatic.

So cheers to Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis & Dr. Brown on the 25th anniversary of the first trip of the time traveling DeLorean!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, American History, Movies/Film & TV, Pop Culture

Barney Gets One Right, Favors Defunding ACORN

September 23, 2009 by B. Daniel Blatt

Well, Barney may not have learned from the role of the Community Reinvestment Act in creating the mortgage meltdown, but he does seem to have learned from the steady drip-drip of untoward practices in various ACORN offices around the country. And not just those uncovered by two twentysomethings dressed as a pimp and his prostitute.

The Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee believes it’s time for the federal government to cut off funding to the controversial and corrupt left-wing organization.  Had the Massachusetts Democrat not been at the White House for a ceremony awarding the Medal of Honor to a soldier who had lived in his district during the House vote to defund ACORN, Frank says he would have voted to cut of funding for ACORN:

I am very disappointed in the actions that were taken by members of ACORN, and I do not believe that ACORN’s response has been adequate for an organization that has received public funding.

There are questions about the constitutionality of Congress passing a law that singles out one organization, but the basic principle that ACORN should not now be receiving public funding is an important one. I have therefore urged the Obama administration to withhold any additional funding for ACORN at least until there is very firm evidence that the abuses of which ACORN members have been guilty have not only ceased, but that procedures are in place to prevent them from happening again…

Kudos, Congressman.

Filed Under: Amazing Stories, Congress (111th)

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