Almost $1.4 Million Raised at Fundraising Dinner
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aynrand.org/impact Volume 19, Number 11, November 2013 Almost $1.4 Million Raised New ARI Campus Lecture at Fundraising Dinner he Ayn Rand Institute is proud to announce Tthe launch of our newest ARI Campus lecture: Introducing Objectivism. Designed for beginners, the lecture provides a basic overview of Ayn Rand’s philosophy. This 15-minute introduction to Ayn Rand’s philosophy features audio of Rand herself reading a column she wrote for the Los Angeles Times in 1962. The audio was recorded later that year as an Attendees mingle before the dinner introduction to The Ayn Rand Program—a series of radio broadcasts organized by Columbia University. n September 26, the Ayn Rand Institute hosted Impact readers may recognize this as her famous Oits fifth annual Atlas Shrugged Revolution din- Auctioned Items at the “Objectivism on One Foot” essay—in which she ner in New York City. Held at the St. Regis, the event New York City Dinner responded to the challenge of presenting the essence brought together nearly 160 people dedicated to bring- of Objectivism while standing on one foot. ing about a cultural revolution based on Ayn Rand’s • First edition of limited-edition tenth anniversary In the first half of this brief lecture, Rand pres- philosophy, Objectivism. publication of Atlas Shrugged, signed and numbered by Ayn Rand ents the basic tenets of Objectivism in a clear and Even before the dinner, more than $345,000 had engaging manner via four simple steps. In the sec- been raised through table sponsorships and individual • An inscribed and signed copy of The Fountainhead, ond half, she goes on to explain how destructive ticket sales. That evening, thanks to a very generous with a front cover label promoting the 1949 Warner periods in the history of the modern world were matching offer made by an anonymous ARI contribu- Bros. film caused by views antithetical to her philosophy, such tor, more than a million dollars in additional funding • High-quality reproduction of a page of Ayn Rand’s as altruism. The lecture enhances Rand’s audio with was raised—bringing the total for the event to just notes while writing Atlas Shrugged, featuring “The multimedia elements and culminates in a short quiz under $1.4 million. strikers’ oath” and “For the end” to gauge students’ understanding. Yaron Brook, executive director of ARI, com- • High-quality reproduction of a page of Ayn Rand’s Whether you’re new to Ayn Rand’s ideas or a mented: “We are all deeply grateful for our contribu- notes while writing Atlas Shrugged, labeled “For dedicated Objectivist, taking the Introducing Objec- tors’ continued support, as well as their enthusiasm Galt-Dagny meeting” for our current and future projects. These contribu- tivism lecture is a great way to learn about or refresh • A collection of items related to Ayn Rand’s March your understanding of the basics. You can view this tions will help immensely with expanding our vari- 1964 interview with Playboy magazine, including lecture, and many more, at campus.aynrand.org. ous educational programs, improving our outreach Rand’s personal copy of the issue and reproductions capabilities, and achieving our overall goal of pro- of the article’s galley proofs with handwritten revi- moting Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism.” sions by Rand The featured speaker for the evening was Ken Yaron Brook Appears Moelis, founder and chief executive officer of Moelis & Company, a global investment bank. In his speech, Earlier that day, dinner attendees were invited on Stossel to Discuss Mr. Moelis expounded on the growing impact Atlas to attend a special showing of the theatrical adaption Minimum Wage Shrugged has had on his life. When Mr. Moelis first of Anthem at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. After the read the book in high school, he did not grasp the phil- performance, Dr. Brook led an audience talk-back, osophic implications of the story—and even skipped during which audience members had the opportunity n October 13, Yaron Brook appeared as a guest reading Galt’s speech at the end altogether. Reading to ask questions about the ideas presented in the play. on Fox Business’s Stossel. The show, hosted O Atlas Shrugged for a second time in his twenties moti- Guests took advantage of three sponsor levels by veteran journalist John Stossel, analyzes current vated Mr. Moelis to further explore Rand’s ideas. At a to attend the dinner. “Atlas Sponsors,” those who affairs from a pro-liberty viewpoint. The title of time when he was working long hours—even to the generously contributed $50,000, included: Cliff and this particular episode was “Selling Victimhood.” It point of sleeping under his desk—the novel reminded Laurel Asness of Greenwich, Connecticut; Dmitry addressed how policies such as affirmative action, him, “This is the point of life, to succeed. I recommit- Balyasny, manging partner and chief investment offi- welfare and disability laws create more victims ted to being the best I can be at [my] job.” After his cer of Balyasny Asset Management LP; Carl B. Bar- rather than solve perceived problems. third reading of Atlas Shrugged in 2006, he was so ney, chairman of Independence University; and David Dr. Brook spoke about the minimum wage and inspired by Dagny Taggart starting the John Galt Line Sokol, founder and chairman of Teton Capital, LLC. how it hurts the individuals it is intended to help. that he left his position at UBS AG and founded his “Event Sponsors,” those who contributed $25,000, He explained that by maintaining minimum wage own investment bank, which now has 600 employees. included: Eric Brooks, founder, and Jeff Yass, man- laws, government effectively takes jobs away from Two ARI program participants were also invited aging director and founder, of Susquehanna Interna- the young, poor and uneducated, since they cannot to speak at the dinner. Robert Schimenz, who has tional Group, LLC; Jim Brown, principal and partner, sell their labor to employers at a mutually benefi- taught Anthem, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged Brandes Investment Partners; Bradley I. Meier; Evan cial rate that’s lower than the government-imposed through ARI’s Free Books to Teachers program, Picoult of New York City; and Mark Rothstein of Los minimum wage. spoke about how bringing Ayn Rand’s ideas into his Angeles. classroom has influenced the thinking of both his stu- “Table Sponsors,” those who contributed $10,000, dents and himself. Perianne Boring, a journalist cur- included Andrew Layman and Linda Mann of Bel- rently working with RT America television, reflected levue, Washington; and Ken Moelis, founder and on the inspiration she gained from attending ARI’s CEO of Moelis & Company. briefings for congressional staffers while working as Individual tickets could be purchased for $1,000. an analyst on Capitol Hill. ARI’s next fundraising dinner will be held in Another highlight of the evening was the auction Chicago in 2014. Keep an eye out for future updates of rare Ayn Rand memorabilia, the proceeds of which in Impact, and contact [email protected] were also matched. See the sidebar on this page for for more information about ARI’s Atlas Shrugged auctioned items. Revolution dinners. ARI Hosts Panel on Global Warming The Issue of Compromise requires men to accept ethical subjectivism as the basic principle superseding all principles in human In this section, Impact highlights writings from relationships and to sacrifice anything as a con- Ayn Rand’s corpus for fans who wish to learn cession to one another’s whims.” (“Doesn’t Life more about her philosophy, Objectivism. Require Compromise?”) Today’s advocates of “compromise” aim pre- ost people today view willingness to compro- cisely to blur the difference between negotiating the The panel at the ARI event (left to right): Keith Lockitch, Joseph Bast, Robert Carter and S. Fred Singer M mise as an unconditional virtue. Ayn Rand implementation of “a mutually accepted principle” challenged this view. and betraying one’s principles. “There can be no n an effort to dispel the misinformation about A compromise, properly understood, “is an compromise on basic principles or on fundamental I the science behind global warming, scholars adjustment of conflicting claims by mutual conces- issues” such as “between freedom and government affiliated with Chicago’s Heartland Institute have sions. This means that both parties to a compromise controls; to accept ‘just a few controls’ is to sur- been traveling across America to discuss the re- have some valid claim and some value to offer each render the principle of inalienable individual rights sults of their recent publication Climate Change other. And this means that both parties agree upon and to substitute for it the principle of the govern- Reconsidered II: Physical Science. On October 8, some fundamental principle which serves as a base ment’s unlimited, arbitrary power, thus delivering the Ayn Rand Institute hosted a panel discussion for their deal.” For example, “one may bargain with oneself into gradual enslavement.” (“Doesn’t Life on this topic featuring Heartland Institute presi- a buyer over the price one wants to receive for one’s Require Compromise?”) dent Joseph Bast and scholars S. Fred Singer and product, and agree on a sum somewhere between If one fails to differentiate between one’s prin- Robert Carter. The panel showcased the Heartland one’s demand and his offer. The mutually accepted ciples and a particular desire or wish, one may Institute’s important work on global warming, and basic principle, in such case, is the principle of think that doing anything one doesn’t want to do continued the collaborative relationship between trade, namely: that the buyer must pay the seller is a “compromise.” But, writes Rand, “A ‘compro- the two organizations.