Mini Round Up

In the absence of time to write anything substantive today, I thought I'd provide a reading list of articles that are definite must-reads. Without further ado, get your mouse ready and click on some links:

• Vindicating Capitalism: The Real History of the Standard Oil Company by Alex Epstein.
  This is a fascinating and brilliantly informative article that explores the nature of the oil industry before Rockefeller, his unmatched productive achievement and revolution of the industry, and the government's efforts to destroy him. I have long referred back to a book called The Myth of the Robber Barons as a great defense of capitalism and refutation of anti-trust and the idea that the industrialists of that era were "robber barons." Alex Epstein's article is far better. Read it at The Objective Standard.
  
  
• HR 676 by Gus Van Horn.
  Gus writes in devastating detail about a recent shady meeting of supporters of nationalized health care in America. Read it at his blog, Gus Van Horn.
  
  
• The Parasitic Nature of Primitivism by Stephen Bourque.
  Stephen analyzes an appearance in Australia by the Pope, where he attacked our "insatiable consumption" and lauded the primitive nature of the Australian aboriginals. That's just the window dressing, though, and the real good stuff comes when Stephen addresses the nature of modern people who idealize a primitive way of life. Read his ideas at One Reality.
  

In other news, in honor of her birthday, Mrs. C. August and I were the guests of her parents at The Top of the Hub restaurant over the weekend. As you can see from their website, it's a restaurant located on the top floor -- the 52nd floor, in fact -- of the Prudential building in Boston. What an amazing experience. I had heard that it fell out of favor (bad management) in recent years, and just went through a revitalization. Well, it worked. Sitting by the giant windows overlooking the Charles River, we had a fantastic experience. The service was top-notch, they made a perfect Hendrick's Gin martini, and the food was wonderful. You need a reservation well in advance to get seated by the window, but if you're planning a trip to Boston, I'd highly recommend it.