NYC Junto Newsletter: “Atlas” super app & lots of news

Contents
* NEW Junto meeting Oct. 6
* Upcoming Junto speakers
* NEW Independent Institute pres. on Stossel TV, Thu. Sep. 29
* NEW Ayn Rand's influence on Steve Jobs
* NEW Alan's new site: Tax Politics
* NEW iPad app of Ayn Rand's novel, "Atlas Shrugged,"
* NEW Audio course: Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"
* NEW Dan O'Connor is running for Congress, 2012
* NEW Larry Abrams thriller "The Philosophical Practitioner"
* NEW "Atlas" DVD: Special Edition
* NEW Victor Niederhoffer on: "The Speculator as Hero"
* NEW New York Objectivist Society, Conference 2011
* NEW Crony capitalism = "Crapitalism"
* New York City Ayn Rand Meetup, Sun., Sept.25th
* Ayn Rand walking tours
* NYCjunto-discuss list
* About this newsletter
**************************************************
Junto is a group that shares information
and discusses current issues...
plus presents speakers to talk with us:

Janine R. Wedel
"Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers
Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market"

Thursday, Oct. 6

Admission Free -- No reservation necessary
* We'll socialize from 7:00pm.
* The meeting begins at ABOUT 7:30pm
    with a discussion of current issues and events.
* The featured speaker is introduced at ABOUT 8:00pm.
* The meeting will continue to ABOUT 10:00pm.

General Society Library,
20 West 44 St., between 5th and 6th Aves., NYC
near the Grand Central Terminal

Subway: 4, 5, 6, S to Grand Central -- 42nd St.
or
B, D, F, 7 to 42nd Street -- Sixth Ave. at Bryant Park
or
A, C, E, N, Q, R, S, 1, 2, 3 to Times Square -- 42nd St.

Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M42, M98, M101, M102, M104, Q32

Train: MTA Metro-North Railroad to Grand Central 

Car: Some private parking facilities in the area. Parking on
side streets is metered, limited to specific days and times.

Please note:
* Junto is not the usual sort of meeting with a long speech
followed by Q & A. Junto's invited speakers give a short
presentation and are challenged to defend their assertions.
* Discussions are intense, but polite. Participation by all
attendees is highly encouraged.
* Junto meets on the first Thursday of every month, at the
General Society Library, 20 West 44 St., NYC, between
5th and 6th Aves., near Grand Central Terminal
**************************************************
Janine R. Wedel, prof. public policy, George Mason U.
"Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers
Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market"
    Her talk will be based on this book of the same title:
janinewedel.info/books.html
    Learn about her at:
JanineWedel.info 

Shadow Elite: Perhaps the biggest threat to liberty today
is the intertwining of state and private power.
    Principles that have long underpinned both modern
democratic states and the free market are being trampled
by today's top power brokers -- the shadow elites.
    Shadow elites test both the rules of the free market
(competition) and of government (accountability).
    Exhibit A is finance, and, in the U.S., additionally the
intelligence and national security arenas.
    The latter are significantly in the hands of a massive
"shadow government" made up in large part of companies
that work solely or primarily for government and are utterly
dependent on government largesse.
    Government functions are often outsourced to these "private"
companies whose heads continuously "evolve" between
company positions and top government posts.
    Meanwhile, in the financial arena, the business and political
policy deciders who "coincide" at the highest echelons of
power, backed by the billions of the state, recall the clans
and oligarchs of eastern Europe.
    Ongoing economic crisis threatens to further encourage
the flouting of free-market principles and intensify the fusion
of state and private power -- and not only in the arenas
here named.
    At stake are our economic well-being, security, and liberty.  

James K. Galbraith says of this book: "...sweeps from Poland
and Russia to Cambridge and D.C. [she's] reinvented the study
of public administration for an era of blurred roles and secret
networks....a must-read for all who care about the future of
government -- even the possibility of decent government".
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Visit NYCjunto.com for more information and to sign up for
the Junto e-newsletter.
    Visit Junto on Facebook:
on.fb.me/JuntoNYC
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Junto focuses on libertarianism, Objectivism and investing.
Our founder and host is Victor Niederhoffer.
    Visit his site at:
DailySpeculations.com
**************************************************
Please em­ail the above text to your freedom loving friends
who might be interested in Junto.
    Feel free to use the above text to promote Junto among
libertarians, Objectivists and investors.

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Come to Junto, meet the upcoming speakers:

* Nov. 3, Kathryn Schultz, author "Being Wrong". What it
means to be in error. Why people tend to assume they're
right about most everything. Error is a fundamental human
condition and should be celebrated.
BeingWrongBook.com/author

* Dec. 1, David Friedman, prof. law, Santa Clara U., Liberty
magazine contributing editor, anarcho-capitalist
davidDFriedman.com

* Jan. 5, 2012, Ilana Mercer, "Lessons for America from
Post-Apartheid South Africa"
bit.ly/MercerBook
bit.ly/MercerColumn 

* Feb. 2, 2012, Ayn Rand's 107th birthday celebration.
Speaker Donald Luskin market commentator.
His subject will be announced later.
    He co-wrote "I am John Galt: Today's Heroic Innovators
Building the World and the Villainous Parasites Destroying It."
    It introduces you to real-life titans who've lived their lives
like Rand's fictional heroes and the malefactors who've lived
like her fictional villains:
Steve Jobs as Howard Roark,
Paul Krugman as Ellsworth Toohey,
John Allison as John Galt,
Bill Gates as Henry Rearden and
Barney Frank as Wesley Mouch, etc.
    Watch Donald's short video on Amazon:
tiny.cc/LuskinVideo

NEW———————————————————————
Independent Institute pres. on Stossel TV show, Thur. Sept. 29
    David Theroux will discuss the changing tide in the
American political culture and answer the question:
What if libertarians were in charge?
    He's directed and published over 70 books, publisher of the
quarterly: The Independent Review.
    Co-editor, "The Energy Crisis, Private Rights and Public
Lands," editor; "Politics and Tyranny." Articles and reviews in
USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily,
Wash. Times, among others. He's been on many local, national
and international TV and radio shows.
    Stossel's on Fox Business Network, eastern time:
Thur., Sept. 29, 10pm        Sat., Sept. 30, 9pm;
Sun., Sept. 30, midnight        Sun., Oct. 1, 9pm

NEW———————————————————————
Ayn Rand's influence on Steve Jobs
    Woz: "Steve Jobs is the greatest business leader of our time."
From Bloomberg's phone interview with Apple co-founder
Steve "The Woz" Wozniak....
    ...Having ended his full-time employment with Apple nearly
25 years ago, Wozniak is said to maintain connections to Jobs....
    ...Wozniak believes Jobs' speed of thought and endless drive
helped the company move forward, believing that he may have
adopted the ethos of the hard working, never failing Hank
Rearden in Ayn Rand's book "Atlas Shrugged".
    "Steve was very fast thinking and wanted to do things,
I wanted to build things. I think 'Atlas Shrugged' was one
of his guides in life".
   This is from:
tiny.cc/RandSteveJobs

NEW———————————————————————
Alan's new site: Tax Politics
    Alan Dlugash is a fellow who often speaks at Junto. He's
usually at the back at the of the room. He often explains taxes
and govt.
    He was named one of the top 50 IRS Practitioners by
CPA magazine.
    At his site you'll find he's Partner at Marks Paneth & Shron
LLP. He primarily concentrates on tax planning and financial
analysis for high net worth individuals and their related
business entities, including partnerships, small corporations
and estates and trusts.
    He also consults to small businesses on executive
compensation matters and assists accountants and lawyers in
understanding the tax ramifications of their clients’ activities
and transactions.
    In addition, he's been involved in hundreds of matrimonial
cases, providing tax services, evaluating businesses'
interests and analyzing tax shelters and other entities.
    His home page has six of his recent essays. There are links
to his many letter to the editor's, essays, video and radio shows.
    His "Tax Info" page has links to:
* Owing the IRS Can Be a Good Thing:
      Making your W-4 work for you
* Deductions:
      Standard or Itemize? How to know which to do
* Tax Breaks for Parents: Child care and college credits
* Obama's FY2012 Budget: Taxes + Taxes + Taxes
* Smart Money Moves For 2011:
      How to plan wisely with your money for the future
* Comprehensive List of Tax Hikes in Obamacare:
      Americans for Tax Reform has the breakdown
* Alternative Minimum Tax Report:
      Info on AMT changes and how it affects you
Visit his site at:
TaxPolitics.com

NEW———————————————————————
iPad app Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" with lots of extras
    Apple's iPad offers an Amplified Edition of "Atlas." Instead
of buying the text-only e-book of the novel, you get many
added features which allow you to learn more about the novel,
her life and ideas: 

The app has four main sections:
    * "The Book" section offers the full text of "Atlas Shrugged".
Users can share their favorite passages from the text on social
media sites and see manuscript pages of various sections of
the novel.
     * "The Author" section has a Rand bio, graphic timeline of
her life, gallery of her photos, key documents related to her
work including notes from Rand's journal about passages in
"Atlas" and recollections of Rand by Leonard Peikoff, her
longtime associate and intellectual heir.
    * "The Philosophy" section, has an essay about the
essentials of Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, an audio
lecture by Rand describing her philosophy and her 1964 talk
"Is Atlas Shrugging?"
    * "Hall of Atlas" section has video and audio interviews
with Rand discussing the main themes in "Atlas" and other
intellectual topics. "Who Said That?" quiz to attribute quotes
from the novel to their respective characters, Discussion Guide
for book group or classroom conversation and more reading
resources.

Publisher's Weekly says: "...all types of bells and whistles for
the tech-minded Objectivist out there. [It] joins the small group
of literary titles getting an electronic makeover....
    "...you get a copy of Rand's original manuscript, complete
with her notes...a quote sharing function that allows users to
share their favorite passages to Facebook, Twitter and email.... 

* Endorsements and testimonials from celebrities and business
      leaders on the power and influence of "Atlas"
* Catalog of the Rand's available titles
* Trailer for upcoming documentary "Ayn Rand and the
      Prophecy of 'Atlas Shrugged' "
* Easy in-book navigation features: text search, bookmarks,
      custom reader settings, flip pages with tap or swipe
* Sidebar annotations alongside the novel which can be hidden

    Watch a slide show of photos from the app:
tiny.cc/AtlasAppPhotos
    You can buy it for $14.99 at iTunes:
tiny.cc/iTunesAtlasApp

NEW———————————————————————
Audio course on "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
    I'd been tempted to read Smith's book but knew I wouldn't
get much out of it unless I knew more about the context, the
specifics of the 1770s.
    This two part course gives the context needed. It's part of the
series, Giants of Political Thought by Harriman House, British
publisher of business and financial titles.
    "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of
Nations": is a masterpiece of the Scottish Enlightenment. It has
a theory of social order arising from the unintended
consequences of self-interested behavior.
    The self regulating system of the free market, Smith says,
protects consumers from entrenched special interests and is
usually harmed by government intervention.
    This course explains his and others' major arguments and
provides background of many types.
    Smith was born 1723, Scotland. He entered U. of Glasgow
at 14, later went to Oxford, then taught at Glasgow U.
    Script by George H. Smith, Jack High and Wendy McElroy
Narrator: Craig Deitschman, with actors doing characters with
French and Scottish accents. The accents are broad and take
some getting used to, but it's worth it for the content. It was
produced in 1985 by Knowledge Products.
    Amazon lists Kindle and hardbound versions. But those are
Smith's book, not this course about his book. This confusion
exists because the title of this course is "The Wealth of Nations." 

* Audible, audio edition: $9.95 for each of two parts
* CD: $18 for each of two parts

    Part 1, 2-1/2 hours:
tiny.cc/SmithCourse1
    Part 2:
tiny.cc/SmithCourse2

NEW———————————————————————
Dan O'Connor is running for Congress, 2012
    Dan, who's a regular at Junto, is running for the US Congress
from District 12. It covers Chinatown, Alphabet City, larger
areas in Brooklyn and even larger areas in Queens:
tiny.cc/DanDistrict
    If you're in his district, you can take his poll: What's most
important to you: Lowering taxes? Improved education?
Lower cost of living? Less military intervention? War on
drugs? Unemployment? at:
danoconnor2012.com/

NEW———————————————————————
Larry Abrams thriller "The Philosophical Practitioner"
    Correction: In an earlier Junto newsletter I'd written that this
book would be available in hardcover at Amazon.
    It isn't in hardcover, but it is available there as a paperback.
And, as always, you can get it on Apple platforms plus Nook.
You can get it as Kindle, which is text-to-speech enabled:
tiny.cc/Philoso

NEW———————————————————————
Official "Atlas" DVD: Special Edition
    Part 1 of the film, the Atlas Productions version, has the
"I am John Galt." fan video compilation, "The John Galt
Theme" slide show, special commentary by producers
John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow, with screenwriter
Brian O'Toole
    They're selling three other Special Editions: Atlas Society,
Freedom Works and Reason magazine. Each of these has
different extras.
    Also there's a boxed set of all four Special Editions.
    There are other collections and merchandise, including
Dagney's bracelet:
    None of these Special Editions will be sold in stores.
Pre-order for shipping on release day, Nov. 8:
tiny.cc/AtlasDVD

NEW———————————————————————
Victor Niederhoffer on: "The Speculator as Hero"
    On Feb. 10, 1989 Victor wrote an OpEd in the Wall Street
Journal. In it he explains what a speculator does and how
people benefit throughout the world:
tiny.cc/speculator

NEW———————————————————————
New York Objectivist Society, Conference 2011
    Intellectual nourishment for the soul of an Objectivist,
raising money for Ayn Rand Institute and connecting
Objectivists in the greatest city on earth.
    Fundraiser dinner Fri.,  Nov. 4, benefiting Ayn Rand Inst.
plus two days of lectures Sat., Nov. 5 and Sun., Nov. 6.
    Featured speakers:
* Andrew Bernstein "Villainy: An Analysis of the Nature of Evil"
* Harry Binswanger "Psycho-Epistemology:
        How the Mind Operates the Subconscious"
* Yaron Brook "Ayn Rand's Free Market Revolution:
        How the Ideas of 'Atlas Shrugged'
        Can End Big Government"
* Eric Daniels "The Virtue of Judicial Engagement
* Shoshana Milgram "Ayn Rand's Top Secret:
        An Inspiring Original Screenplay about the
        Development of the Atomic Bomb"
* Jean Moroney "How Understanding Your Emotions
        Helps You Think Logically"

100 people will be able to attend this conference at the
InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel,
on 48th St. between Lex. and Park Ave.
    $500 if paid by Sept. 25
    $600 if paid after Sept. 25 and before Oct. 15
subject to availability
    RSVP: info@newyorkobjectivistsociety.org
Make your check payable to: New York Objectivist Society, Inc.
Mail to:
A. Benlian c/o NYOS, P.O. Box 939, Bronxville, NY 10708
    Register or learn more at:
tiny.cc/nyosConf

NEW———————————————————————
Crony capitalism = "Crapitalism"
    At Junto, Gene Epstein of Barron's, has called crony
capitalism: Crapitalism. Twice in recent weeks, when watching
O'Reilly and then Special Report on Fox News TV, I've heard
John Stossel refer to Crapitalism, too.

—————————————————————————
New York City Ayn Rand Meetup, Sun., Sept.25th
    Come join us at 3:00pm.
As always, we'll talk about Ayn Rand, her works, Objectivist
life, challenges, options, associations and knowledge.
    Give and take, open to all, no charge, no reservations.
It's at The Midtown Restaurant, 155 East 55 St, between
3rd and Lexington Avenues, in Manhattan, free.

Benny Pollack, Ayn Rand Meetup organizer says:"Join our
group of regular Objectivists for a lively discussion on topics
related to Ayn Rand and Objectivist philosophy in general.

"Please join us. If you are already versed in the topic, want
to learn or just want to spend an intellectually stimulating
afternoon, please come. I hope to see you all there."
    The Ayn Rand Meetup is almost always on the last Sunday
of each month.
    Learn more about it at:
AynRand.meetup.com/8

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Ayn Rand walking tours
    Fred Cookinham has a set of two Rand tours.
* Tour one: "Atlas Shrugged Tour" from the Waldorf=Astoria
    to and through Grand Central Terminal.
* Tour two: "Ayn Rand's Park Avenue Tour" from Grand Central
    to Two Park Avenue.
        All Ayn Rand tours are related to both her life in NYC
and her writings about the city. 

* Tour one: "Atlas Shrugged Tour" 1-1/2 hour
11:00am, meet at SE corner Park Ave. and east 50th St.
See places Rand researched and fictionalized in the novel,
around and in Grand Central Terminal
Sat. Nov. 5, Sun. Nov. 6

* Tour two: "Ayn Rand's Park Avenue Tour" 1-1/2 hour
11:00am, meet at NE corner on east 42nd St. at Vanderbilt Ave.
Where Rand lived and held her salons. Where she learned about
architecture from Ely Jacques Kahn, in his own masterpiece
Art Deco building. Scenes from "Atlas Shrugged."
Sat. Oct. 1
plus
EVERY Wed. through Sept. 28.
6:00pm, meet at NE corner on east 42nd St. at Vanderbilt Ave.

"Skyscrapers of The Fountainhead" 2-1/2 hours
11:00am, meet at Number 1 Broadway, at Battery Place.
The changing styles in architecture -- from Beaux Arts to
Art Deco to International Style -- that form the background to
the story of Roark's struggle. Was Roark Wright? -- the real-life
models for Rand's characters.
Sat. Nov. 19, Sun. Nov. 20

"Ayn Rand's Fifth Avenue" 2-1/2 hours
11:00am, meet at the Columbus statue in Columbus Circle,
within the circle of fountains at Broadway and 59th St.
Art and architecture in the glamour shopping district of the
Twentieth Century world. Central Park So., Rockefeller Center,
the Stork Club and where Random House published "Atlas
Shrugged". Where Rand bought her paintings, clothes and
fancy dinners.
Sat., Sep. 24, Sun. Sep. 25

For a private tour by Fred Cookinham, some Saturdays, Sundays
and evenings are open. Call the phone number at the bottom of
InDepthWalkingTours.com
    Fred Cookinham's walking tours keep getting better,
because he never stops researching. He's often at Junto and
Ayn Rand Meetups.
    $20 per person, $15 for people 65 and older. Schedule,
directions, other NYC tours: InDepthWalkingTours.com

Highlights of previous years * Fred gave special "Ayn Rand
and Free Market Tour" for Mont Pelerin Society. * Hear Fred
give "Ayn Rand's Park Ave". on BBC's Radio 4 "The Right
Stuff" on their site. * His interview on "Hardfire" Ayn Rand
Revealed, at Amazon and other places. Answers questions on
Rand's life, loves, philosophy, works and influence.
    Differences between helping a person and sacrificing,
when's "volunteering" not voluntary? Fred's interviewer then
Chair Manhattan Libertarian Party, Joseph Dobrian.
    Watch part: bit.ly/ARfred 

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NYCjunto-discuss list

Junto members can discuss Junto speakers, articles from
other places and other topics of interest.

You can read these posts at:
yhoo.it/JuntoP
    To post to this list you need to be a member of it.
Become a member at: yhoo.it/JuntoD or send an email to:
NYCjunto-discuss-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

—————————————————————————
About this NYC Junto newsletter

* Iris Bell moderates and writes this e-newsletter
* Oleg Atbashian created NYCjunto.com. He also sends out
    this e-newsletter and cares for its email list.
* Andy George helps with the sound system and supplies
    the music.
* We're looking for volunteers to help with Junto publicity.
* Our founder and host is Victor Niederhoffer. Visit his site at:
    DailySpeculations.com
* This e-newsletter comes out twice a month. You might get an
    occasional extra email about a timely event.
* To subscribe to this newsletter put "Junto list" in the
    subject line and email your name and preferred email
    address to:
info@nycjunto.org
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END