After writing "Atlas Shrugged", she wrote non-fiction books about her Objectivist ideas. She published "The Objectivist ", which then became "The Objectivist" magazine, with contributions by other writers. She also published "The Ayn Rand Letter", a later newsletter about her ideas. Rand's views are typical libertarian–conservative views. Freedom of the individual, the evils of 'large' government, the economic benefits of low taxes and 'small' government, the 'open' society: these are values which run through all her work.
Rand invented a philosophy that she called "Objectivism". She was against communism, socialism, and collectivism, which are political systems where a community or the government of a country takes charge of distribution of that country's goods and products.
She opposed altruism, which she viewed as a form of self-sacrifice. She favored a form of rational selfishness.
She also thought that countries should have very small governments. Rand did not think that welfare payments to poor people were a good thing, because this involves using force to take money away from others. She believed that charity (giving money away) could be a good thing if the person giving the money wanted and chose to do it, but she did not think that people should be expected or forced to give away their money.
She was against religion, and was an atheist.
Laubach
Laubach is a town in the district of Giessen, in Hesse, Germany. Laubach is known as a “Luftkurort," which means “fresh air resort.” Laubach is a small town. It has a population of about 10,000 people. It is 23 km east of the city of Giessen. Surrounding Laubach are the small towns of Hungen, Grünberg, Schotten and Lich.
The Laubach woods are part of the foothills of the Vogelsberg (Bird Mountain). Laubach is an area of interest to tourists because it has many historic and colorful half-timbered ("fachwerk") buildings. The main attraction is the castle. The castle was built in the thirteenth century. It belongs to the Count Solms-Laubach family. One of the largest private libraries in Europe is inside the castle. The castle library has more than 120,000 books and manuscripts. In the Johann Gutenberg Museum in Mainz is an original Gutenberg Bible which came from the castle library. The castle grounds include a large park. There is a lake for swans in the park. The park is open to the public without charge.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Laubach used to be named St. Maria. The oldest part of the church was built in the twelfth century. The church was renovated in the eighteenth century. Inside the church is a baroque organ.
The main street of Laubach is Friedrichstrasse. On this street is the former district courthouse , and the city hall, and the Heimat Museum.
The Heimat Museum is the local history museum. It was originally built near the town of Gonterskirchen in 1750 by Count August Solms-Laubach. The building was moved to its present location in 1832. For many years it was a school. Now it is a museum. In the museum is a permanent exhibit honoring Friedrich Kellner.
Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (30 August or 4 December 1962 – 23 November 2006) was a lieutenant-colonel in the Russian Security Service. Later he was a dissident and writer.
Litvinenko worked for the KGB and the FSB through the 1980s and 1990s. Later, he accused his bosses of planning to assassinate Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky. As a result, he was arrested, but later released by Russian authorities. Afterwards, he fled to the United Kingdom and was given British citizenship.
While he was in Russia, Litvinenko tried to publish a book in which he said President Vladimir Putin rose to power with help of the FSB. He said the FSB tried to cover this up by frightening Russians by bombing apartment buildings in Moscow. He said the FSB then pinned the blame on terrorists operating from Chechnya.
On 1 November 2006, Litvinenko suddenly became sick and was hospitalized. He died in London three weeks later, as a result of poisoining by polonium-210. The news of his death spread around the world, and many felt the poisoning was done by the Russian government. Vladimir Putin and Kremlin spokesmen have repeatedly denied this, and many new leads have been taken upon during the case. Although there are some suspects and theories in the murder, no official arrest has been made yet.
Unlike most common radiation sources, polonium-210 emits only alpha particles. These do not penetrate even a sheet of paper or human skin. Thus they are invisible to normal radiation detectors. Hospitals only have equipment to detect gamma rays. Both gamma rays and alpha particles are classified as ionizing radiation, and can cause radiation sickness.
An alpha-emitting substance can cause damage only if taken in (as food or drink) or inhaled (breathed in). It acts on living cells like a short-range weapon. Litvinenko was tested for alpha-emitters using special equipment only hours before his death.
Coprophilia
Coprophilia is a sexual fetish people feel when they come into contact with feces. Coprophilia can be said to be liking the smell, taste, or feel of feces in a sexual way. The feeling can be either through touching the skin or through rubbing the penis head against feces. Enjoyment can also be made from the feeling of feces passing through the anus.
Eating feces is also known as coprophagia. This is bad for one's body. A person who eats feces is at risk of getting sick through hepatitis, infection, and AIDS. Those with a weak immune system should not eat feces. There are also social problems with eating feces. It causes bad breath and is a taboo.
There are those who make movies involving coprophilia. This is called scatology.
Kalabhra dynasty
The Kalabhra dynasty ruled over entire Tamil country in South Indian between the 3rd and the 6th century C.E..
They won over the ancient Chola, Pandya and Chera dynasties and replaced them. There is little information about their origin and details about their reign. They did not leave any monuments. The only source of information on them are to be found in Buddhist and Jain literature. They were displaced around the 7th century by the revival of Pallava and Pandya power.
Hindu scholars and authors who wrote in the 7th and 8th century C.E. when Pandya and Pallava had taken over again have written very little about the Kalabhra in their texts. Perhaps therefore the period of their rule is known as a ‘Dark Age’ – an interregnum.
NASCAR
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is an American organization that operates different auto racing series. The company was founded by Bill France Sr., and since August 6 2018 Jim France has been the CEO. The three largest racing series run by NASCAR are the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. In addition to the three national series, NASCAR also organizes racing at over 1,500 short tracks around The United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
The NASCAR Cup Series is the highest level of racing in NASCAR. Drivers race in 36 races a year, and the driver with the most points at the end of the year is awarded the NASCAR Cup. The closest championship battle was in 2011, and was won by Tony Stewart, who finished the season tied in driver points with Carl Edwards. Stewart won the Cup with five race wins on the season to Edwards' one. This ended a streak of five Sprint Cup wins by Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch was the 2019 Cup Series champion. It was his second championship. He won his first championship in 2015.