Welcome to the First Anniversary Edition of the Objectivist Roundup. Yes, the Objectivist Roundup — the weekly review of posts from Objectivist bloggers — is one year old. The very first Objectivist Roundup was hosted on Kim’s Play Place on July 19th. It was a small beginning, with just four submissions. Now, one year later, the Roundup has more submissions than I care to count. (I’ll let the HTML do the counting for me.)

So without further ado, it’s time to whack the birthday piñata to see what Objectivist goodies burst forth:

1. Jeff Scialabba presents The Next Hot Career Choice: Self-Immolation posted at The Undercurrent.

2. Guy Barnett presents Ending Racism through Racism posted at The Undercurrent.
3. Gideon Reich presents Armchair Intellectual posted at Armchair Intellectual, saying, “Here’s my review of the Summer 2008 issue of The Objective Standard.”
4. Paul Hsieh presents A Conversation With My Dentist posted at We Stand FIRM, saying, “It’s important to spread good ideas. And it’s equally important to give our moral sanction and support to others who spread good ideas. In both cases, you may make more difference than you realize.”
5. Burgess Laughlin presents Quality Control in Movements? posted at Making Progress, saying, “How have movements of the past–such as the movement to abolish slavery in the USA–succeeded? One element of the answer might be quality control. Did members of successful movements of the past attempt some sort of quality control? This article offers preliminary notes for such an investigation.”
6. Monica presents Environmentalists vs. The Environment posted at Spark A Synapse, saying, “This week, I discussed the Objectivist view of environmentalism and contemplated the question, ‘Are hard-core environmentalists really pro-environment or are they are just anti-man?’ I concluded that hard-core environmentalists aren’t pro-environment any more than hard-core animal rights activists such as PETA are pro-animal, as evidenced by their desire to destroy all domesticated species. Likewise, hard-core environmentalists are nihilistic. Rather than seeking a positive value, they seek a negative: the complete absence of man’s influence on the world. This is why viable solutions to the putative problem of global warming, such as nuclear power and forestry, are rejected.”
7. Khartoum presents Enforcing Vegetarianism posted at Philosophy, Law and Life.
8. Ari Armstrong presents Denver Post’s Crack Economic Team Strikes Again posted at FreeColorado.com, saying, “I poke holes in the claim that energy controls and subsidies are responsible for Colorado’s economic success.”
9. Stephen Bourque presents The Rescue of Ingrid Betancourt posted at One Reality.
10. Roderick Fitts presents The Importance of the Subject posted at NoodleFood, saying, “Tara Smith’s paper, ‘The Importance of the Subject in Objective Morality: Distinguishing Objective from Intrinsic Value’ elaborates on philosopher Ayn Rand’s view that the individual (the “subject”) plays an important role in the generation and the instructions of an objective morality.”
11. Myrhaf presents Sui Generis posted at Myrhaf, saying, “In this episode Myrhaf is asked to name authors who write like Ayn Rand, but fails to think of any.”
12. Ken presents To the Republican Platform Committee posted at Ad Hoc, saying, “Here’s my advice to the Republican Platform Committee regarding the religious right’s threats to the separation of church and state.”
13. Gus Van Horn presents Prager’s False Equation posted at Gus Van Horn, saying, “The religionists are trying to keep us from realizing that the gay marriage debate is really about individual rights.”
14. C. August presents Book Review: The Sparrowhawk Series posted at Titanic Deck Chairs, saying, “Do you long for new novels that live up to and reflect your sense of life? Are you tired of modern fiction that wallows in the mundane and profane, as if that’s all there is in the world? Read this review to find out if you should add Sparrowhawk to your reading list.”
15. Valda Redfern presents The Solution to the Food/Energy/Whatever Crisis posted at Valzhalla, saying, “‘In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has’ (Proverbs 21:20).”
16. Peter Cresswell presents Chrysler Building – William van Allen posted at Not PC, saying, “New York’s Chrysler Building is now Abu Dhabi’s Chrysler Building — an unintended consequence of Keynesian economics and environmentalist anti-development policies.”
17. Nicholas Provenzo presents Five Great American Paintings: Part III: Lincoln the Railsplitter posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, “This post discusses “Lincoln the Railsplitter,” one of five paintings that I consider to be among American painter Norman Rockwell’s greatest artistic achievements.”
18. Edward Cline presents John McCain: Pseudo-Maverick II posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, “Senator John McCain is a political pseudo-maverick because, in reality, he subscribes to every major fallacy at large in contemporary Western culture.”
19. Darren Cauthon presents Radio Royalty Rates Jumped? In Comes the Free Market! posted at Darren Cauthon.

That concludes this Anniversary Edition of the Objectivist Roundup. Now that you’ve gotten your fill of 19 (!) posts, it’s time to pack up the birthday cake and head home from the party. On your way out, remember to give all due congratulations and thanks to the women of Kim’s Play Place and Rational Jenn for creating and sustaining a fantastic carnival every week for a whole year!