From the Editor, Winter 2010

Merry Christmas readers! And welcome to the Winter 2010 issue of The Objective Standard.

Let me begin by congratulating Deborah B. Sloan, the winner of our first annual TOS essay contest. Ms. Sloan’s essay, “Capitalism: The Forgotten American Dream,” took first place among twenty-eight entries, winning her $2,000 and the publication of her article in the journal. Second and third place went to Kristian Kanya (winning $750) and Caitlin McLean (winning $300) respectively. Congratulations to all! (We will announce the topic for the 2011 essay contest in the Spring 2011 issue).

Here is a preview of the articles at hand: Under the column “India in Focus,” which will be a regular feature from here forward, Chak Kakani discusses India’s Commonwealth Games and shows why, far from achieving their intended goal of “national prestige,” the Games exposed an ugly contradiction in Indian culture and politics.

Next up is my article, “The Republicans’ Opportunity to Restore America . . . and Their Obstacle,” which considers the Republicans’ alternatives following their victories in the 2010 midterm elections, and identifies a moral conflict, which, if unresolved, will preclude them from saving the land of liberty.

Andrew Bernstein’s essay, “The Educational Bonanza in Privatizing Government Schools,” surveys the ills of government-run schools, shows the general superiority of private schools, zeros in on the reason for the difference, and proposes a radical change from which everyone would benefit.

In my interview with Andrew Schiff, the author and investor discusses his book, the state of economy, the cause of America’s financial problems, and investment possibilities under the circumstances.

Scott Holleran’s essay, “Andrew Carnegie: The Richest Man in the World,” surveys the life of the great tycoon and finds him to be rich in more ways than one.

The conclusion to my book Loving Life includes the final, summarizing chapter along with the afterword on terrorism and the appendix on emergency situations.

The films reviewed in this issue are Waiting for “Superman,” directed by Davis Guggenheim (reviewed by Sean Saulsbury), and Burzynski: The Movie,directed by Eric Merola (reviewed by C. A. Wolski).

The books reviewed are: How Barack Obama is Endangering our National Sovereignty,by John R. Bolton (reviewed by Daniel Wahl); The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns,by Mohnish Pabrai (reviewed by Daniel Wahl); Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West,by Stephen Fried (reviewed by Jules Klapper); Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think,by Dennis Greenberger and Christine A. Padesky (reviewed by Daniel Wahl); and Repotting Harry Potter: A Professor’s Book-by-Book Guide for the Serious Re-Reader,by James W. Thomas (reviewed by Daniel Wahl).

This issue of TOS ends our fifth year of publication and begins a new year in which the journal will soar higher and farther, producing ever-better content and reaching more and more people with the ideas on which human life, civilized society, and political freedom depend. We at TOS thank you for your continued business, which makes our mission possible, and we wish you a wonderful and prosperous 2011.

Enjoy the holidays!

—Craig Biddle

About Craig Biddle

Craig is cofounder and editor of The Objective Standard, cofounder and director of education at Objective Standard Institute, and executive director of Prometheus Foundation. He is the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It; Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing; and the forthcoming Moral Truths Your Parents, Preachers, and Teachers Don’t Want You to Know. He is currently working on his fourth book, “Thinking in Principles.”

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