Note: if you want to prepare for the meeting,
read “Outliers”, by Malcolm Gladwell.

WHEN:
SATURDAY, August 21, 2010 7:00-7:30 PM Start Time

TOPIC:
Luck, Outliers and Objectivism
Based on
“Luck in the Pursuit of Life”
a course by Dr. Diana Hsieh
and
“Outliers, The Story of Success”
by Malcolm Gladwell

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DISCUSSION:
Jackie will review what she learned in Dr. Diana Hsieh’s course “Luck in the
Pursuit of Life”, specifically how ideas about luck have affected ideas about
morality.  Gladwell’s book “Outliers” will be discussed.  Do you have to be
lucky to be an outlier?  Is Objectivism itself and outlier?  Rand’s ideas
about luck will be covered.

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.

Jackie & Lyman Hazelton are hosting the tenth annual
Arizona Objectivists’ Potluck and Party at their home
on Saturday, July 17, 2010 beginning at 6 PM.

DINNER:
Sandwiches (Cold Meats and Cheeses, Bread and/or Rolls)
Make Your Own Sundae

YOU BRING:
A side dish, a dessert, or beverages.
Options include: salad (potato, fruit, green, pasta, etc.),
vegetables, cookies, cake, wine, beer.
Please avoid anything that needs to be heated.
We’ve got the chips covered too.

DISCUSSION:
Free Minds 2010 Conference recap
OCON 2010 Summer Conference recap

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

WHEN:
SATURDAY, June 19, 2010 7:00-7:30 PM Start Time

TOPIC:
Immigration based on the editorial comment
Illegal Means Illegal in Arizona Now
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103354078329&s=5288&e=001jCxQ209qxz1Ng-wvNaEfFRAxJ_wbb4JwOb3DRhwsWK7oBOw_LvvwUh6J2WG85TsX8T2UdKkfCmDzpmdtm6rmv9GCcBASmjXT9zjw3otQIL8yvFrPOYBdayxm8cCFkHKkEXcNK16ZZ61RGSgRElyGMgwZv9mZjS4Y]
By William Thomas
Copyright, The Atlas Society. For more information, please visit
www.atlassociety.org.

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DISCUSSION:
Jackie will review what Rand had to say about immigration and then lead a
discussion on the Thomas editorial comment.

The Atlas Society describes the editorial comment as follows.
“Arizona has enacted a law that makes illegal immigration to the U.S. a state
crime.  As the top state for border-crossings from Mexico (and so, the main
way station for illegal entry into the U.S.), Arizonans were tired of waiting
for the Federal Immigration and Naturalization Service to stem the tide of
illegal immigration into their state. They were also afraid that crime was
rising due to the presence of law-breaking illegals.”

“There has been an outcry against the law from the Obama administration,
Latino groups, and “progressives.” But let’s face it: illegal immigration is
illegal, isn’t it?”

“From his perch in Guatemala, the country of origin of many of America’s
illegals, William Thomas, The Atlas Society’s director of programs, parses
the immigration  problem, which has caused such passionate divisions in the
United States.”

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.

WHEN:
SATURDAY, May 15, 2010 7:00-7:30 PM Start Time

TOPIC:
The Future of Objectivism
Video of a talk by David Kelley
at the Free Minds 2009 Conference

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DISCUSSION:
The future of Objectivism depends on the choices people make.  In this talk,
Kelley discusses the elements of Objectivism, the view from the inside, the
view from the outside (non-Objectivists) and Objectivism as a way of life.
In particular, he identifies 3 hard nuts to crack where Objectivism must
supply alternatives if it is to have a broader influence in the culture.

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.

If you plan to attend next Saturday but have not yet let us know, please do so
by replying to this email.  Please arrive BETWEEN 7 and 7:30.  Any earlier and
you may catch us eating dinner or making preparations.  Thanks.

WHEN:
SATURDAY, April 17, 2010 7:00-7:30 PM Start Time

TOPIC:
An Interview with Ayn Rand
Video tape of Ayn Rand being interviewed by
James McConnell at the University of Michigan in 1961

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DISCUSSION:
In February we viewed the last speech Rand made in 1981, the year before her
death.  Group members expressed the desire to see Rand when she was younger.
The earliest video recording of Rand that I could find was “An Interview with
Ayn Rand” by University of Michigan Psychology Professor James McConnell in
1961.  Rand was 56 years old.  She had published Atlas Shrugged in 1957, four
years prior.  She was still associated with the Brandens at the time of this
interview.

We will view the 30 minute interview and discuss Rand’s remarks.

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists@cox.net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.

WHEN:
SATURDAY, March 20, 2010 7:00 PM

TOPIC:
Religion vs Self-Esteem
DVD Recording of Dr. Edwin A Locke on 11/07/2007
at Hilton Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa, CA
107 minutes with Q & A

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DISCUSSION:
Religion is almost universally regarded as crucial to achieving happiness.
Even critics of religion often concede that it helps people live more
fulfilling lives.  In this talk, Dr. Edwin A Locke argues that, far from
being a means to a successful life, religion is incompatible with a basic
need of human life: self-esteem.

Dr. Locke shows that religion undermines every essential precondition of
self-esteem: metaphysically, it declares that man is evil by nature;
epistemologically, it regards faith as superior to reason; ethically, it
advocates the “virtues” of obedience, altruistic duty and humility; and
politically and economically, it declares money-making to be sinful, and
demands some form of statism.

Indeed, religion attacks the quest for self-esteem by denouncing its primary
cause: pride.  This talk argues that pride is not a sin but a virtue, the
virtue of moral ambitiousness, and it is attained by constant adherence to
reason in the pursuit of moral perfection–a state which religion makes
impossible.

BIO:
Dr. Edwin A. Locke is Dean’s Professor (Emeritus) of Motivation and Leadership
at the R.H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College
Park.

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
480-921-1156

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.

WHEN:
SATURDAY, February 20, 2010 7:00 PM

TOPIC:
The Sanction of the Victims
Video Recording of the last talk Ayn Rand delivered on November 21, 1981.
Published in The Voice Of Reason, Chapter 15, Pages 149-157 and in
The Objectivist Forum, April 1982

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DISCUSSION:
In Rand’s final public talk, she exhorts a group of businessmen to stop
apologizing, and stop supporting anti-capitalist institutions:  ”It is a
moral crime to give money to support ideas with which you disagree.  It is a
moral crime to give money to support your own destroyers.”  See how the force
of her ideas captivated an audience and drew a tumultuous response.

This is Ayn Rand’s last piece of writing.  She delivered the lecture in New
Orleans on November 21, 1981, before an audience of businessmen attending
seminars sponsored by the National Committee for Monetary Reform.  She was
planning to give it again at The Ford Hall Forum in Boston.  Leonard Peikoff
delivered it there in her stead on April 25, 1982, some six weeks after her
death.

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
2153 E. Alameda Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.

WHEN:
SATURDAY, January 16, 2010 7:00 PM

TOPIC:
Going Galt from
She’s Back article in Reason Magazine December 2009 pages 50-63
http://reason.com/archives/2009/11/09/ayn-rand-is-back

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DISCUSSION:
We will discuss the Reason Magazine article.  Please consider:
- In what way is Rand back?
- How are her views “radical”?
- What does it mean to “Go Galt”?
- Do you thing “Going Galt” is an effective strategy for social change?

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
2153 E. Alameda Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.

Jackie & Lyman Hazelton are hosting the 11th annual
Arizona Objectivists’ Solstice Party at their home on
Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 6 PM.  Note earlier
start time.

DINNER:
The traditional Pizza ordered out for $5 per person.
There will also be holiday sweets for dessert and
non-alcoholic beverages. If  you have special dietary needs or
would prefer an alcoholic beverage, please feel free to bring
what you require or desire, for yourself or to share.

GIFT EXCHANGE:
We will play a present guessing game to sharpen our logical
reasoning skills and get to know each other better. Please
bring a wrapped gift worth $15 or more which represents
something about yourself (but of course should be an object
that someone else might like). Before entering, place the gift
in a brown paper bag (at the door) and then deposit it in the
guest room. After dinner, we will draw numbers and begin  the
present selection and analysis. Each gift will be opened, written
down on your list and analyzed.  Once all gifts are opened, you
must finalize your guess at who gave each gift.  Starting with the
first gift,  the real giver reveals himself/herself and explains the
gift selection.   Why, for example, he gave the CD and a
potato perched on a styrofoam couch. The person who gets the
most correct gets an additional gift from Jackie.  Ayn Rand’s Collective
played this type of game at Christmas time. If you prefer not to bring
a gift, you can forego participation in the exchange but may
still assist in the guessing.

2010 TUESDAY MEETING DECISION:
We will finalize what book to use for the Tuesday meetings in 2010.
See prior email listing 6 options.

TOPIC:
Solstice Party & Gift Exchange

WHEN:
SATURDAY, December 19, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
2153 E. Alameda Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
A $5 contribution for pizza and a wrapped gift worth $15 or more.
In previous years gifts included  books, CD’s, alcohol, DVD’s,
tools, candy, gift baskets.

WHEN:
SATURDAY, November 21, 2009 7:00 PM

TOPIC:
Socialized Medicine

LEADER:
Jackie Hazelton

DESCRIPTION:
On November 10th, Frontline on PBS will rebroadcast a show on how 5 capitalist
democracies around the world handle health care in their countries.
We will discuss Rand and Peikoff’s views of socialized medicine presented in
their talks in the Voice of Reason and how this relates to Obamacare.  How
should medical care be handled from an Objectivist perspective?  Please come
with your ideas.

READING:
The Voice of Reason - Essays in Objectivist Thought
Chapter 29 How Not to Fight Against  Socialized Medicine by Ayn Rand
Chapter 30 Medicine: The Death of a Profession by Leonard Peikoff

WHERE:
Jackie & Lyman Hazelton’s Home
2153 E. Alameda Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282
480-921-1156
Use http://www.mapquest.com/ to get directions from your location.

QUESTIONS:
Jackie Hazelton
(c) 480-516-3281 (h) 480-921-1156
(e) AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net
Jim Kirk
(e) JAMTKIRK_at_aol_dot_com

RSVP:
Reply to this message to AZObjectivists_at_cox_dot_net or
Call Jackie Hazelton at 480-921-1156

BRING:
Snacks or beverage to share or a monetary donation.