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Most Objectivist thinkers are ‘little known’ outside of Objectivist circles so I will post a list of the ones I know.Objectivist Intellectual’s Biographies (85) last updated 10/14/18 (not complete)Amesh AdaljaMD, 2002, American University of the CaribbeanDr. Adalja, a board-certified physician in infectious disease, critical care medicine, emergency medicine and internal medicine, specializes in the intersection of national security with catastrophic health events. He publishes and lectures on bio-terrorism, pandemic preparedness and emerging infectious diseases. He has been a guest on national radio and television programs.John AllisonMBA, Management, 1974, Duke UniversityMr. Allison is president and CEO of the Cato Institute. He was previously chairman and CEO of BB&T Corporation, the 10th-largest financial services holding company headquartered in the United States. During Allison’s tenure as CEO from 1989 to 2008, BB&T grew from $4.5 billion to $152 billion in assets.Carl BarneyCarl Barney is a businessman who, among other business activities, owns and manages several private business colleges.Rituparna BasuBS, Biology, 2010, Pennsylvania State UniversityMs. Basu is a health care policy analyst at ARI. Her work has appeared in publications such as Forbes and The Daily Caller, and she has been interviewed on radio and TV programs, internationally. Ms. Basu has briefed congressional staffers and speaks regularly at university campuses, including Georgetown, Emory and Temple.Ben BayerPhD, Philosophy, 2007, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignDr. Bayer teaches philosophy at Loyola University New Orleans. His research focuses primarily on questions about the foundations of knowledge and the freedom of the will.Robert BegleyRobert Begley is a writer for The Objective Standard. He is the founder and president of the NY Heroes Society, an organization dedicated to promoting heroism in the culture. Robert is also a judge in Anthem, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged essay contests. He was the host and producer for the Manhattan Cable TV program, The Voice of Reason. Robert is currently writing a book about the history of New York heroes.Michael S. BerlinerPhD, Philosophy, 1970, Boston UniversityDr. Berliner is the founding executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute and served as co-chairman of ARI’s board of directors. He is editor of "Letters of Ayn Rand", "Understanding Objectivism" and a recent biography of operetta composer Emmerich Kálmán. Dr. Berliner taught philosophy and philosophy of education for many years at California State University, Northridge.ANDREW BERNSTEINPhD, Philosophy, 1986, City University of New YorkAndrew Bernstein holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. He has taught at Hunter College, the New School for Social Research, Pace University and Marymount College, where he was chosen Outstanding Faculty Member for 1995. He currently teaches at the State University of New York at Purchase, where he was selected Outstanding Faculty Member for 2004.Dr. Bernstein has lectured at universities across the United States, including at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, the United States Military Academy at West Point and many others; and at philosophical conferences both in America and abroad. He is the author of The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire, to be published in the spring of 2005 by University Press of America. His first novel, Heart of a Pagan, was released in 2002. He is currently writing Objectivism in One Lesson, an introduction to the philosophy of Ayn Rand. His website is Andrew Bernstein | Philosopher and TeacherDr. Bernstein is the author of "The Capitalist Manifesto" (2005), "Objectivism in One Lesson" (2008), "Capitalism Unbound" (2010), "Capitalist Solutions" (2011), and of numerous essays. He is currently writing “Heroes and Hero Worship” for the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. Dr. Bernstein lectures widely on Ayn Rand’s novels and Objectivism.DAVID BERRYD.M.A., Composition, 2002, University of South CarolinaDavid Berry is an associate professor of music. He teaches courses across a wide range of historical and theoretical musical subjects including film music. He is a recorded and published (BMI) composer with performances of his music in America and Europe in both fine art and popular music genres.CRAIG BIDDLEB.A., Fine Arts, 1988, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityCraig Biddle is the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts That Support It and is currently writing another book, Good Thinking for Good Living: The Science of Being Selfish. In addition to writing, he lectures on the Objectivist ethics and teaches workshops on thinking in principles. Editor and Publisher of “The Objective Standard”Specialties: Ethics, ObjectivismHARRY BINSWANGERPh.D., Philosophy, 1973, Columbia UniversityDr. Binswanger is the author of The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts, the editor of The Ayn Rand Lexicon and co-editor of the second edition of Ayn Rand’s Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. Dr. Binswanger is a professor of philosophy at the Ayn Rand Institute’s Objectivist Academic Center and is a member of ARI’s board of directors. He is currently working on a book on the nature of consciousness.Dr. Binswanger is the author of "How We Know" and "The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts", the editor of "The Ayn Rand Lexicon" and co-editor of the second edition of Ayn Rand’s "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology". He is an instructor of philosophy at the Ayn Rand Institute’s Objectivist Academic Center and a member of ARI’s board of directors.TORE BOECKMANNWriterMr. Boeckmann has written and lectured extensively on Ayn Rand’s fiction and philosophy of esthetics. He edited for publication Rand’s The Art of Fiction. His own fiction has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. He is currently writing a book on Romantic literature.Thomas A. BowdenSpecialties: Legal issues, physician-assisted suicide, abortion rights, mandatory community service.Mr. Bowden, an attorney in private practice in Baltimore, Maryland, taught at the University Of Baltimore School Of Law from 1988 to 1994. Author of a booklet against multiculturalism, “The Enemies of Christopher Columbus,” he has also published op-eds in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Philadelphia Inquirer, Portland Oregonian, Los Angeles Daily News, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Charlotte Observer. He is a former member of the board of directors of The Association for Objective Law, a non-profit group whose purpose is to advance Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand, as the basis of a proper legal system. In that connection, Mr. Bowden has filed amicus curiae briefs in the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal for the Second and Third Circuits, challenging mandatory community service for high school students on legal and moral grounds.YARON BROOKPh.D., Finance, 1994, University of Texas at AustinDr. Brook is president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. A former finance professor, he has published in academic as well as popular publications, and is frequently interviewed in the media. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News Channel and PBS among others. On college campuses across America and in the boardrooms of large corporations, he has lectured on Objectivism, business ethics and foreign policy.Dr. Brook is executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. He is the coauthor of the national best-seller “Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government” and a contributing author to both “Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea” and “Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism.”ANDY CLARKSONMBA University of MarylandMr. Clarkson is a decades-long Objectivist He has focused on researching the history of ideas and published The Impact of Aristotle Upon Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Cultures : A Compilation of Notes and Quotes From A Variety of Sources Plus Commentary, published in December 2016.PAT CORVINIPh.D., Electrical Engineering, 1995, University of California at Santa BarbaraDr. Corvini recently left a twenty-year career in semiconductor optoelectronics to work full time in the history of science and mathematics. She lectured on Archimedes at the 2003 Objectivist Summer Conference.SUSAN CRAWFORDB.S.N, Nursing, 1982, Marymount College, VirginiaSusan Crawford is a registered nurse. She has given two parenting courses and wrote the pamphlet “The Reading Habit/Money Management.” Susan is married to Jack Crawford and the mother of two sons, Jason and DavidERIC DANIELSPh.D., American History, 2001, University of WisconsinDr. Daniels is a visiting assistant professor of history at Duke University’s Program on Values and Ethics in the Marketplace. He has lectured at summer conferences and to numerous Objectivist community groups. He is an alumnus of ARI’s Objectivist Graduate Center (precursor to the Objectivist Academic Center). A contributor to the Oxford Companion to United States History, he is currently working on a book about American politics andDr. Daniels works at LePort Schools, teaching science and history, and as a curriculum developer. Previously, he was a professor at Clemson, Duke and Georgetown Universities. Dr. Daniels has published book chapters and articles on antitrust, individualism and economic freedom.John DennisPhD, Psychology, 2010, University of Texas at AustinDr. Dennis teaches at Catholic University in Milan, University of Perugia and University of Alberta. His research on motivation is funded by the EU and Templeton Foundation. He is a licensed psychologist trained in CBT. In 2013 Dr. Dennis started Melioravit, a scientific communication company that helps researchers get funded, published and cited.Robert van DortmondMSc in Applied Physics, Delft University of Technology; Executive Program, Stanford Graduate SchoolMr. van Dortmond teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Amsterdam/The Amsterdam Centre for Entrepreneurship. He is an active mentor, shareholder and board member of various startups. He speaks on Ayn Rand’s ideas and is an advisory board member of ARI Europe of which he was one of the initiators.Dianne DuranteSpecialties: Esthetics, painting, sculpture, homeschooling.Dr. Durante is a freelance writer on art and current events. She has lectured on painting and sculpture at Objectivist conferences; several of these lectures are available on tape from the Ayn Rand Bookstore. She has also just finished a book on New York sculpture, Forgotten Delights: The Producers. Dr. Durante and her husband homeschool their daughter in Brooklyn, NY.Alex EpsteinSpecialties: Current Affairs, racism, and moral defense of businessmen.Alex Epstein is an Objectivist speaker and writer living in Richmond, VA. His Op-Eds have been published in dozens of newspapers around the country, including The Houston Chronicle, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Washington Times. He is also a regular contributor to The Intellectual Activist, a monthly magazine analyzing political and cultural issues from an Objectivist perspective. Mr. Epstein holds a BA in philosophy from Duke University, where he was editor and publisher of The Duke Review for two years.STUART MARK FELDMANM.A., Art, 1975, Rowan University, New JerseyStuart Feldman works in bronze, stone and wood, creating sculptures of the human figure expressing man’s most noble and inspiring qualities. A former instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, he is cofounder of the Schuylkill Academy of Fine Art, in Philadelphia. His sculptures are held in private collections, and he has created a number of commissioned pieces.ROBERT GARMONGPh.D., Philosophy, 2002; University of Texas at AustinDr. Garmong is a graduate of the Objectivist Graduate Center, and has lectured on philosophy at many Objectivist conferences. He is the author of “J.S. Mill’s Re-Conceptualization of Liberty,” currently under submission to publishers. Dr. Garmong teaches philosophy at Texas A&M University and at Texas State University.MARILYN (GEORGE) GRAYB.S., Child Development, 1961, Iowa State UniversityMarilyn George is a retired Montessori teacher, school owner and administrator. She holds teaching certificates from both the American Montessori Society and the International Association of Progressive Montessorians and was a Montessori teacher for twenty-five years. She owned, administered and taught for ten years in her own school, which had an international reputation for excellence. She taught Montessori courses at Seattle University for more than ten years and has consulted for schools nationwide. Marilyn has been ballroom dancing since she met Ted Gray at a conference in 1989, at her first lesson, and today they compete at the Silver level.Debi GhateLLB, Law, University of Calgary, 1995Ms. Ghate is vice president of Education and Research at the Ayn Rand Institute, where she heads up a variety of educational and policy-related programs. She is also director of the Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship, an organization that supports academic scholarship based on Ayn Rand’s work.Onkar GhatePhD, Philosophy, 1996, University of CalgaryDr. Ghate is senior fellow and chief content officer at the Ayn Rand Institute. He specializes in Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, and is ARI’s senior instructor and editor. He publishes and lectures on Rand’s philosophy and fiction, including application of Objectivism in the culture, and has been a guest on national radio and television programs.GENA GORLINPhD, Clinical Psychology, 2012, University of VirginiaMs. Gorlin has two years of experience conducting individual psychotherapy with anxious and depressed young adults. Her research has been published in highly regarded academic journals. She is also a graduate of the Objectivist Academic Center and a former board member of The Undercurrent, a national campus publication.Allan Gotthelf (deceased)Specialties: Love, self-esteem, happiness, Objectivism, AristotleAllan Gotthelf is emeritus professor of philosophy at The College of New Jersey. He is an internationally recognized authority on the philosophy of Aristotle, with many scholarly publications. He has lectured on Objectivism and Aristotle — including their views on love and sex, self-esteem, and individual happiness — throughout North America and in Europe and Japan. He has been a visiting professor at Swarthmore College, Georgetown University, Oxford University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, and most recently, the University of Texas at Austin. In 1987, Dr. Gotthelf was one of the founders of the Ayn Rand Society; a professional organization affiliated with the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division, and has headed it since 1990. He enters his second year as Visiting Professor of Historyand Philosophy of Science (HPS) at the University of Pittsburgh. Prof. Gotthelf holds the Pitt Fellowship for the Study of Objectivism, funded by the Anthem Foundation and he will be working throughout the year on various projects in connection with his Fellowship. He is the author of On Ayn Rand (Wadsworth Publishing, 2000), the best-selling book in the Wadsworth Philosophers Series.4-19-2007 from his website:Visiting Professor, under the university's new Fellowship for the Study of Objectivism (Member: Classics, Philosophy and Ancient Science Program). A specialist on Aristotle's biology and philosophy, and on the philosophy of Ayn Rand, Gotthelf is emeritus professor of philosophy at The College of New Jersey, and has taught on a visiting basis at Swarthmore, Oxford, Georgetown, Tokyo Metropolitan, and the University of Texas at Austin. He is a life member of Clare Hall Cambridge, and was a visiting member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. Gotthelf is author of On Ayn Rand (Wadsworth Philosophers Series, 2000); co-editor of Philosophical Issues in Aristotle's Biology (Cambridge 1987); editor of Aristotle on Nature and Living Things (Pittsburgh 1985); and has prepared for publication D.M. Balme's posthumous editions of Aristotle's Historia Animalium (Cambridge 2002, Cambridge MA 1991). His collected Aristotle papers will by published next year by Oxford University Press, under the title: Teleology, Scientific Method, and Substance: Essays on Aristotle's Biological Enterprise. He is currently working on several Aristotle projects and an extended study of Rand's theory of concepts, essences, and objectivity.TED GRAYB.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1965, Northeastern University;M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1971, Brooklyn Polytechnic InstituteTed Gray, an engineer, has been dancing since his teens. They both consider dancing primarily a social and romantic activity. Occasionally, they enter amateur dance competitions. As a couple they have given many formal and informal group lessons—at home, at conferences and on a cruise ship. Ted is a mechanical engineer with forty years experience in design and analysis of structures, and prevention of vibration. He is an amateur student of history, enjoying especially the biographies of great Americans and the history of technology. He has been a student of Objectivism for thirty-eight years.Hannes HackerSpecialties: history and politics of the space program, science and technology.Mr. Hacker graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BS degree in aerospace engineering in May 1988. He earned a MS degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin December 1990. He has eleven years of space-flight operations experience including work on the space shuttle, international space station and commercial communications satellites.DAVID HARRIMANB.S., Physics, 1979, University of California at Berkeley;M.S., Physics, 1982, University of Maryland;M.A., Philosophy, 1995, Claremont Graduate University, CaliforniaDavid Harriman is the editor of Journals of Ayn Rand and a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute. He has lectured extensively on the history and philosophy of physics. He is currently developing the physical science curriculum at VanDamme Academy and working on two books: one demonstrating the influence of philosophy on modern physics (The Anti-Copernican Revolution) and the other presenting Leonard Peikoff’s theory of induction (Induction in Physics and Philosophy).David HolcbergSpecialties: Environmentalism, science, capitalism. David Holcberg holds a degree in civil engineering and is a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute.JONATHAN HOENIGCommunications and Philosophy, 1999, Northwestern UniversityMr. Hoenig manages Capitalistpig Hedge Fund, LLC. A former floor trader, his first book, Greed Is Good, was published by HarperCollins. Mr. Hoenig has written for publications including The Wall Street Journal, Wired andMarketWatch: Stock Market News - Financial News. He was named one of Crain’s Forty Under Forty and appears regularly on Fox News Channel.Gary HullSpecialties: Philosophy, multiculturalism, business ethics, education.Dr. Hull is director of the Program on Values and Ethics in the Marketplace at Duke University. His op-eds have been published in numerous newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Orange County Register, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Chicago Tribune. He has made numerous television and radio appearances to discuss Ayn Rand’s philosophy, multiculturalism, affirmative action, the Elian Gonzalez affair, sex, ethics, politics. He has lectured on Ayn Rand’s philosophy at conferences around the world and, as a member of the Ayn Rand Institute’s Speakers Bureau, has spoken at universities across the country, including Harvard, Michigan at Ann Arbor, Wisconsin at Madison, Texas at Austin. Dr. Hull is the author of A Study Guide to Leonard Peikoff’s book Objectivism: the Philosophy of Ayn Rand, and is co-editor of The Ayn Rand Reader (Penguin/Plume, 1999), a collection of fiction and non-fiction writings by Ayn Rand.MARTIN F JOHANSENMS, Computer Science, 2009, University of OsloMr. Johansen is a PhD research fellow at SINTEF, the largest independent research institute in Scandinavia. He is currently completing his PhD studies at the University of Oslo as part of an international research project on software testing.Elan JournoBA, Philosophy, 1997, King's College, LondonMr. Journo, director of policy research at ARI, is completing a book on American policy toward the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. His 2009 book, “Winning the Unwinnable War,” analyzes post-9/11 U.S. foreign policy. His writing has appeared in “Foreign Policy,” “Journal of International Security Affairs” and “Middle East Quarterly.”ELLEN KENNERPh.D., Clinical Psychology, 1992, University of Rhode IslandDr. Kenner, a clinical psychologist, has taught university courses in introductory psychology, abnormal psychology and theories of personality. She gives talks on romance, self-improvement, psychological self-defense, parenting and communication skills. She is in her eighth year as host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Rational Basis of Happiness®.Ryan KrausePhD, Strategic Management and Organization Theory, 2013, Indiana UniversityDr. Krause is an assistant professor at Texas Christian University’s Neeley School of Business. He researches corporate governance and has published in “Academy of Management Journal,” “Strategic Management Journal” and “Journal of Management.” His research has been covered by the “Wall Street Journal,” “USA Today,” “Businessweek” and Fox Business Network.Andrew LaymanAndrew Layman is a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft where he works on Internet and database technologies. Prior to joining Microsoft in 1992, he was a Vice President of Symantec Corporation and original author of the Time Line project management program.Peter LePort, M.D.Specialties: Medicine, free market reform of healthcare, medical savings accountsDr. LePort, a full-time surgeon, lectures nationwide on free market reform in healthcare, particularly on the benefits of medical savings accounts. He is a member of the board of directors of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine. He co-wrote a healthcare reform proposal that discusses voluntary, tax-free medical savings accounts and high-deductible personal health insurance and which includes a method to privatize Medicare. He earned his medical degree from Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, and is a former assistant professor of surgery at that institution. He is a member of the Faculty of the American College of Surgeons and of the Orange County Surgical Society.Andrew LewisPostgraduate Diploma of Philosophy, 1994, University of Melbourne, AustraliaMr. Lewis has studied philosophy at the Objectivist Academic Center, the University of Melbourne and the University of Southern California. He worked with Leonard Peikoff on his radio show, has lectured at Objectivist conferences, and is principal at VanDamme Academy, where he teaches a three-year history curriculum covering ancient, European and American history.JOHN LEWIS (deceased)Ph.D., Classics, 2001, University of CambridgeDr. Lewis is assistant professor of history at Ashland University, where he holds an Anthem Fellowship for Objectivist Scholarship. He is Assistant Professor of History in the Department of History and Political Science. He has published in several professional journals, and has been a visiting scholar at Rice University and Bowling Green State UniversityEDWIN A. LOCKEPh.D., Industrial Organizational Psychology, 1964, Cornell University.Dr. Locke is Dean’s Professor of Leadership and Motivation (Emeritus) at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is internationally known for his research and writings on work motivation, leadership and related topics, including the application of Objectivism to psychology and management. He is a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute and has published numerous op-eds.Keith LockitchPhD, Physics, 1999, University of Wisconsin at MilwaukeeDr. Lockitch is an ARI fellow and director of advanced training. In addition to speaking and writing for ARI on issues related to energy, climate and environmentalism, he teaches writing for the OAC and has developed courses on Ayn Rand’s ideas and novels for a variety of audiences.ROBERT MAYHEWPh.D., Philosophy, 1991, Georgetown UniversityDr. Mayhew is associate professor of philosophy at Seton Hall University. He is the author of Aristotle’s Criticism of Plato’s Republic and The Female in Aristotle’s Biology and the editor of Ayn Rand’s Marginalia, Ayn Rand’s The Art of Nonfiction, Essays on Ayn Rand’s “We the Living” and (forthcoming) Ayn Rand’s Q & A. He has completed a book on Ayn Rand’s HUAC testimony and is preparing for publication a collection of essays on Ayn Rand’s Anthem.Arline MannArline Mann is an attorney. She is vice president and associate general counsel of Goldman, Sachs & Co.John P. McCaskey, Ph.D. in history, is the founder and chairman of the Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship. He spent twenty years in the computer business, most recently as founder of Epiphany, Inc., before returning to academia in 2001. He studies and teaches history and philosophy of science at Stanford University.Scott McConnellSpecialties: Volunteerism, Communism in America, Ayn Rand's life. Mr. McConnell is a former literature teacher and high school English teacher. He has a BA in behavioral sciences and worked in Hollywood as a script reader. He has given several lectures on Ayn Rand's life.Shoshana MilgramPhD, Comparative Literature, 1978, Stanford UniversityDr. Milgram, associate professor of English at Virginia Tech, specializes in narrative fiction and film. She has lectured on Ayn Rand at Objectivist and academic conferences and has published on Ayn Rand, Hugo and Dostoevsky. Dr. Milgram is editing the draft of her book-length study of Ayn Rand’s life (to 1957).Ken Moelis. Mr. Moelis is founder and chief executive officer of Moelis & Company, a global investment bank that provides financial advisory, capital raising and asset management services to a broad client base including corporations, institutions and governments. Mr. Moelis has over thirty years of investment banking experience. Prior to founding Moelis & Company, he worked at UBS from 2001 to 2007, where he was most recently president of UBS Investment Bank and, previously, Joint Global Head of Investment Banking. Mr. Moelis serves on the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, the Wharton Board of Overseers, the Board of the Tourette Syndrome Association, and the Board of Governors of Cedars Sinai Hospital.Jean MoroneyCertificate, 1996, Objectivist Graduate Center, Ayn Rand Institute;MS, Psychology, 1994, Carnegie Mellon University;MS, Electrical Engineering, 1986, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMs. Moroney is president of Thinking Directions, a business that develops and teaches methods in applied psycho-epistemology. She has given her flagship course, Thinking Tactics, to corporate and public audiences across North America. She is writing a book titled “Smarter: How to Achieve Your Goals When Nothing Goes as Planned.”Adam Mossoff is Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law. He is also Co-Director of Academic Programs and a Senior Scholar at the Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property at George Mason, which he co-founded in 2012. He teaches and writes in the areas of patent law, trade secrets, trademark law, property law, and internet law. He has published extensively on the theory and history of how patents and other intellectual property rights are fundamental property rights. His article on the very first patent war, the Sewing Machine War of the 1850s, has been widely cited in today's public policy debates concerning patent litigation, patent licensing, and patent pools. He has testified before the Senate, and he has spoken at numerous congressional staff briefings, professional association conferences, and academic conferences, as well as at the PTO, the FTC, the DOJ, and the Smithsonian Institution. He is Co-Chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee of the IEEE-USA, and he is a member of the Amicus Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Public Policy Committee of the Licensing Executives Society, and the Academic Advisory Board of the Copyright Alliance. ADAM MOSSOFF is an expert in patent law and property theory. He has published numerous law review articles and book reviews on topics in legal philosophy, patent law, and property law, including in law reviews at the University of Arizona and UC-Hastings, and in the interdisciplinary law journal, the University of Chicago Law School Roundtable. He was a visiting lecturer and John M. Olin Fellow in Law at Northwestern University School of Law, where he taught a seminar on property theory. Immediately prior to coming to MSU College of Law, he clerked for the Hon. Jacques L. Wiener, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Professor Mossoff graduated from the University of Chicago Law School with honors in 2001. He has a M.A. in philosophy from Columbia University, where he specialized in legal and political philosophy, and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Michigan, where he graduated magna cum laude and with high honors in philosophy. Hi is now an Associate Professor of Law at George Mason University School of LawSpecialties: Philosophy of Law, Constitutional Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Patent RightsJ. PATRICK MULLINS is a doctoral candidate in the history department of the University of Kentucky. He is in the last stages of writing his doctoral dissertation with the help of a generous grant from the Ayn Rand Institute.Travis NorsenSpecialties: Physics, science, history and philosophy of science, science education.Mr. Norsen is a physics and philosophy double-major at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. He is currently attending his final year of a PhD program in physics at the University of Washington in Seattle. Mr. Norsen is also a former adjunct instructor of physics at DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA.JOHN E. OPFER, who still tops the list of Amazon Reviewers on the CyberNet Scoreboard, is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Ohio State University where he specializes in cognitive and developmental psychology. Nowadays he's too busy reviewing his research findings to review books. His work at OSU's Concepts and Learning Lab explores how young children form and change their concepts, such as concepts of living things and number. His website is at <Department of Psychology - John Opfer> where you will find links to several of his fascinating papers.Michael PaxtonMFA, 1984, New York UniversityMr. Paxton directed the world premiere of Ayn Rand’s Ideal (1989) and adapted and directed a dramatic presentation of Anthem (1991). His documentary, Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life, won an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Satellite Award for Best Feature Documentary. He teaches production design and film history at the Art Institute in Hollywood.Lee PiersonPhD, 1982, Psychology, Cornell UniversityDr. Pierson, director of the Thinking Skills Institute at Fairleigh Dickinson University, teaches students and business professionals how to keep any thought process moving toward its goal by activating the right knowledge as needed. He has a long-standing interest in and recently participated in life-extension research.AMY PEIKOFFJ.D., 1998, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law;Ph.D., Philosophy, 2003, University of Southern CaliforniaDr. Amy Peikoff is an Anthem fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is teaching undergraduate courses in ethics and epistemology. Her writings on legal and philosophical issues have appeared in academic journals and leading newspapers. She has taught for the Objectivist Academic Center and lectured for Objectivist organizations and at conferences. Visiting Fellow at Chapman University’s Law School.Leonard PeikoffPh .D., Philosophy, 1964 New York UniversityFrom 1957 until 1973, Peikoff taught philosophy at Hunter College, Long Island University, New York University, the University of Denver and the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.After that, he worked full-time on The Ominous Parallels (published 1982) and gave lectures across the country. He gave courses on Ayn Rand's philosophy regularly in New York City, which were taped and played to groups in some 100 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. In addition, he spoke frequently before investment and financial conferences on the philosophic basis of capitalism.Dr. Peikoff, who is a naturalized American citizen, was born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1933. His father was a surgeon and his mother, before marriage, was a band leader in Western Canada. He has been a contributor to Barron's and an associate editor, with Ayn Rand, of The Objectivist (1968-71) and The Ayn Rand Letter (1971-76).He is author of Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (Dutton, 1991), the definitive statement of Objectivism.Steve PlafkerJ.D., 1973 USCPh.D., Math, 1966 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOISBS, MATH, MIT, 1961Dr. Plafker is a retired Los Angeles County deputy district attorney. His teaching experience includes teaching law to law students and to undergraduates. Before becoming a lawyer, he taught mathematics at Tulane University. He is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of The Association For Objective Law (TAFOL).Richard RalstonSpecialties: Ayn Rand’s life, Objectivism (General), Projects of the Ayn Rand Institute, Volunteerism, Foreign Policy, Journalism and MediaAfter serving seven years in the U.S. Army, Mr. Ralston completed an M.A. in International Relations at the University of Southern California in 1977. He then began a career in newspaper publishing and direct marketing. He has been the circulation director and publisher of The Christian Science Monitor, a radio producer, a national television news business manager, and a book publisher. As an independent direct marketing consultant, his clients included IBM, British Airways, CNN, and the Los Angeles Times. His book Communism: Its Rise and Fall in the 20th Century was published in 1991. Mr. Ralston is now Managing Director for the Ayn Rand Institute.JOHN RIDPATHPh.D., Economics, 1974, University of VirginiaDr. Ridpath (York University, retired) writes and speaks in defense of capitalism, and on the impact throughout Western history—including the American Founding era—of the ideas of the major philosophers. A recipient of numerous teaching awards, and nominee for Canadian Professor of the Year, he continues to lecture throughout Europe and North America.Jonathan Paul Rosman, MDSpecialties: Medicine, psychiatry.Dr. Rosman is a board certified psychiatrist, with additional qualifications in the subspecialties of addiction psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. Prior to entering full-time private practice in California in 1989 he was an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. For several years, Dr. Rosman has been a psychiatric consultant to the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, and is the psychiatric consultant to the Sleep Disorders Center at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California. He is also medical director for the Eating Disorder Center of California, a private, intensive outpatient clinic in Brentwood, California, devoted to the treatment of patients with anorexia and bulimia.Dr. Rosman is a published writer and lecturer on various aspects of psychiatry. Dr. Rosman's theoretical orientation is broad-based, drawing on and integrating aspects of cognitive-behavioral, short-term psychodynamic and biologic theories with Objectivist epistemological principles. He practices as both a psychotherapist and a psychopharmacologist.GREG SALMIERIB.A., Philosophy, 2001, The College of New JerseyPhD, Philosophy, 2008, University of PittsburghDr. Salmieri is a philosophy fellow at the Anthem Foundation and co-secretary of the Ayn Rand Society (a professional group affiliated with the American Philosophical Association). He teaches at Rutgers University. He has published and lectured on Aristotle and Ayn Rand and is co-editor of forthcoming books on both thinkers.Richard M. SalsmanSpecialties: Banking, free market economics, economic forecasting, capitalism, investmentsRichard M. Salsman is president and chief market strategist of InterMarket Forecasting, which provides quantitative research and forecasts of stocks, bonds, and currencies to guide the asset allocation decisions of institutional investment managers, mutual funds, and pension plans. He is the author of numerous books and articles on economics, banking, and forecasting from a free-market perspective, including Breaking the Banks: Central Banking Problems and Free Banking Solutions (American Institute for Economic Research, 1990) and Gold and Liberty (American Institute for Economic Research, 1995). Mr. Salsman’s work has appeared in The Intellectual Activist, the New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Barron’s. From 1993 to 1999, he was a senior vice president and senior economist at H. C. Wainwright & Co. Economics. Prior to that he was a banker at Citibank and the Bank of New York. Mr. Salsman is an adjunct fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research and the founder of The Association of Objectivist Businessmen.Lee Sandstead received his B.A. Philosophy/B.S. Mass Communication from Middle Tennessee State University in December 1996, when he was awarded the prestigious award for “Outstanding Magazine Journalism Graduate.” He has studied art history at the University of Memphis’ graduate program, and most recently, the art history doctoral program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York City. He is a popular writer/photographer/lecturer of art-historical subjects. He has delivered almost 50 keynote lecture-addresses to such prestigious institutions as: Yale, Duke, University of Michigan, Penn State, NYU and the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto. Articles of his have been published in numerous journals, and his photography has been seen in publications such as: The New York Times, Fortune, and Ms. Magazine. He currently teaches art history at Montclair State University and is author of the forthcoming book on American master-sculptor Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874-1954DINA SCHEIN FEDERMAN (deceased) is completing her article on "Integrity in The Fountainhead_" for ROBERT MAYHEW's upcoming collection of essays. She will also be delivering two lectures at the European Objectivist conference in London this month. Her writing projects include severalarticles on Virtue Ethics, a movement in academic ethics.DANIEL SCHWARTZBA, Liberal Arts, 2006, St. John’s CollegeMr. Schwartz is a doctoral candidate in philosophy at UC San Diego, where he is working on a dissertation titled “Baconian Foundationalism and the Problem of Certainty.” He specializes in early modern philosophy and the history of the philosophy of science.PETER SCHWARTZM.A., Journalism, 1972, Syracuse UniversityPeter Schwartz is the founding editor and publisher of The Intellectual Activist. He is the editor and contributing author of Ayn Rand’s Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution, and is chairman of the board of directors of the Ayn Rand Institute.Thomas ShoebothamMM, Orchestral Conducting, 1996, University of New MexicoMM, Cello Performance, 1992, Eastman School of MusicMr. Shoebotham is music director of the Palo Alto Philharmonic. Previous conducting engagements have included Berkeley Opera, Opera San José, Peninsula Symphony Orchestra and many other groups. He has lectured on music, taught in school music programs and performed numerous recitals as a cellist and pianist over the last twenty years.Stephen SiekPhD, Musicology, 1991, University of CincinnatiDr. Siek, professor emeritus at Wittenberg University, has recently publishedEngland’s Piano Sage: The Life and Teachings of Tobias Matthay. For many years he has lectured and written about the early work of Frank Lloyd Wright, including a scholarly study of Wright’s 1909 home for Burton Westcott in Springfield, Ohio.BRIAN P. SIMPSONPhD, Economics, 2000, George Mason UniversityDr. Simpson is a professor at National University in San Diego. He is author of the book Markets Don’t Fail! and he has a number of papers published in academic journals. He is currently working on another book titled “Money, Banking, and the Business Cycle,” which he hopes to publish soon.Steve SimpsonJD, 1994, New York Law SchoolMr. Simpson is director of legal studies at the Ayn Rand Institute. A former constitutional lawyer for the Institute for Justice, he writes and speaks on a wide variety of legal and constitutional issues, including free speech and campaign finance law, cronyism and government corruption, and the rule of law.Aaron SmithPhD, Philosophy, 2010, Johns Hopkins UniversityDr. Smith is an instructor at the Ayn Rand Institute where he teaches in the Objectivist Academic Center and the Summer Internship program. He lectures for ARI and develops educational content for the Institute’s e-learning programs.Tara SmithPhD, Philosophy, 1989, Johns Hopkins UniversityDr. Smith, professor of philosophy at the University of Texas, holds the BB&T Chair for the Study of Objectivism and the Anthem Foundation Fellowship. She has published books on values, virtues, and individual rights. Her latest, “Judicial Review in an Objective Legal System,” is forthcoming in fall 2015 (Cambridge University Press).MARY ANN SURESM.A., Art History, 1966, Hunter College, New YorkMary Ann Sures taught art history at Washington Square College of N.Y.U. and at Hunter College. She applied Objectivist esthetics to painting and sculpture in a ten-lecture course, “Esthetics of the Visual Arts,” which was written in consultation with Ayn Rand. Her philosophical approach to art history is presented in “Metaphysics in Marble” (The Objectivist, February/March, 1969). She is co-author with her (late) husband Charles of Facets of Ayn Rand (published by the Ayn Rand Institute), memoirs of their longtime friendship with Ayn Rand and her husband Frank O’Connor.C. BRADLEY THOMPSONPh.D., History, 1993, Brown UniversityC. Bradley Thompson is the BB&T Research Professor at Clemson University and the Executive Director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He has also been a visiting fellow at Princeton and Harvard universities and at the University of London.Professor Thompson is the author of Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea and the prize-winning book John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty. He has also edited The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams, Antislavery Political Writings, 1833-1860: A Reader, co-edited Freedom and School Choice in American Education, and was an associate editor of the four-volume Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment. His current book project is on the ideological origins of American constitutionalism.Dr. Thompson is also an occasional writer for The Times Literary Supplement of London. He has lectured around the country on education reform and the American Revolution, and his op-ed essays have appeared in scores of newspapers around the country and abroad. Dr. Thompson's lectures on the political thought of John Adams have twice appeared on C-SPAN television.LISA VANDAMMEB.A., Philosophy, 1994, University of Texas at AustinLisa VanDamme is the owner and director of VanDamme Academy, a private elementary and junior high school in Laguna Hills, California. She specializes in the application of Objectivism to educational theory. Her previous lectures on homeschooling, hierarchy and the teaching of values will be included in a forthcoming education anthology featuring Leonard Peikoff’s “Philosophy of Education.”Don WatkinsBA, Business Administration, 2005, Strayer UniversityMr. Watkins is a fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute. He is the author of “RooseveltCare: How Social Security Is Sabotaging the Land of Self-Reliance” and coauthor, along with Yaron Brook, of the national best-seller “Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government.”KEITH WEINERPh.D., Economics, 2012, New Austrian School of Economics (non-accredited)Dr. Weiner is the founder and CEO of Monetary Metals, a company on a mission to pay interest on gold, and the president of the Gold Standard Institute USA.He makes the economic arguments, as well as the moral, for a free market in money and credit. There has never been an unadulterated gold standard in history, as all governments (including the U.S.) have regulated and interfered with banking, even when other enterprises were unshackled. Today our monetary system is failing, and Keith describes the mechanics in detail, why making the passionate case for gold as the money of free markets.He is also the founder of DiamondWare, a software company sold to Nortel in 2008.Glenn WoiceshynSpecialties: Education, ethics, environmentalism, science, politics.Mr. Woiceshyn is currently developing curriculum and teaching materials for grades 4 to 6 based on his understanding of Objectivism and his experience in "homeschooling" his son and other children. As a freelance writer, Mr. Woiceshyn's op-eds have appeared in numerous newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald.JAANA WOICESHYNM.B.A., 1983, Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration; Ph.D., Organization and Strategy, 1988, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School)Dr. Woiceshyn is an associate professor at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. She has taught business ethics and strategic management to undergraduate, MBA and executive MBA students and to various business audiences since 1987.BARRY WOODPh.D., History of Art and Architecture, 2002, Harvard UniversityDr. Wood is curator of the Islamic Gallery Project at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. He has lectured and published on subjects ranging from Persian poetry to Web design.Darryl WrightSpecialties: Ethics, political philosophy, ObjectivismDarryl Wright is associate professor of philosophy at Harvey Mudd College, a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Michigan in 1991, and his A.B. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1985. Dr. Wright has published scholarly articles and/or lectured on the history of ethics, early twentieth-century philosophy, value theory, coercion, and other topics in philosophy.

Pretty interesting, aren't they??The entire world's population could fit inside Los Angeles.ShutterstockThe world's total population is more than 7.5 billion. And obviously, that number sounds huge. However, it might feel a little more manageable once you learn that if every single one of those people stood shoulder-to-shoulder, they could all fit within the 500 square miles of Los Angeles, according to National Geographic.3There are more twins now than ever before.ShutterstockYou might think twins are a rarity, but they're actually becoming more common than ever. "From about 1915, when the statistical record begins, until 1980, about one in every 50 babies born was a twin, a rate of 2 percent," writes Alexis C. Madrigal of The Atlantic. "Then, the rate began to increase: by 1995, it was 2.5 percent. The rate surpassed 3 percent in 2001 and hit 3.3 percent in 2010. [That means] one out of every 30 babies born is a twin."Scientists believe this trend is due to the fact that older women tend to have more twins, and women are choosing to start families later. Fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization likely also play a role.4The hottest chili pepper in the world is so hot it could kill you.ShutterstockThe "weapons-grade" Dragon's Breath chili pepper is so hot it's downright deadly. If you ate one, it could potentially cause a type of anaphylactic shock, burning the airways and closing them up."I've tried it on the tip of my tongue and it just burned and burned," said Mike Smith, the hobby grower who invented the Dragon's Breath along with scientists from Nottingham University. So why make such an impractical pepper? As it turns out, the chili was initially developed to be used in medical treatment as an anesthetic that can numb the skin.5More people visit France than any other country.ShutterstockFrance is a beautiful country, filled to the brim with delicious wines, scrumptious cheese, and tons of romance. So it's no surprise that more people want to visit France than any other country in the world, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.In 2017, the European country welcomed 86.9 million people. Spain was the second-most popular destination with 81.8 million visitors, followed by the United States (76.9 million), China (60.7 million), and Italy (58.3 million). La vie est belle!6The world's most densely populated island is the size of two soccer fields.Unsplash/ Sid VermaSanta Cruz del Islote in the Archipelago of San Bernardo off the coast of Colombia may only be about the size of two soccer fields (AKA two acres), but the artificial island has four main streets and 10 neighborhoods. Five hundred people live on the island in around 155 houses. With so many people packed into such a small space, it's the most densely populated island in the world, according to The Guardian.7The Canary Islands are named after dogs, not birds.ShutterstockIt might seem safe to assume that the Canary Islands were named after canary birds, but the location was actually named after dogs. Although it's off the coast of northwestern Africa, the archipelago is actually part of Spain. In Spanish, the area's name is Islas Canarias, which comes from the Latin phrase Canariae Insulae for "island of dogs." World facts related to dogs? Now those we can get behind!8Indonesia is home to some of the shortest people in the world.ShutterstockThough there are short people and tall people everywhere, Indonesia is home to some of the shortest people in the world, according to data compiled from various global sources by the Telegraph in 2017.When taking both genders into account, the average adult is around 5 feet, 1.8 inches. People in Bolivia don't tend to be much taller, with an average adult height of 5 feet, 2.4 inches. The tallest people among us live in the Netherlands, where the average adult height is 6 feet.9The Paris Agreement on climate change was signed by the largest number of countries ever in one day.ShutterstockWhen 174 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement on Earth Day in 2016 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, it was the largest number of countries ever to come together to sign anything on a single day, according to the UN. The agreement aimed to combat climate change and accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed to strengthen the global climate effort.10The world's quietest room is located at Microsoft's headquarters in Washington state.ShutterstockSilence is golden, as they say. And while it may not be worth quite as much as jewels and gold to most people, it certainly was the primary goal for those who built the quietest room in the world. Located at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, the lab room measures a background noise of -20.35 dBA, which is 20 decibels below the threshold of human hearing and breaks previous records for spaces that were deemed the planet's quietest places, according to CNN."As soon as one enters the room, one immediately feels a strange and unique sensation which is hard to describe," Hundraj Gopal, a speech and hearing scientist and principal designer of the anechoic chamber at Microsoft, told CNN. "Most people find the absence of sound deafening, feel a sense of fullness in the ears, or some ringing. Very faint sounds become clearly audible because the ambient noise is exceptionally low. When you turn your head, you can hear that motion. You can hear yourself breathing and it sounds somewhat loud."11There are only three countries in the world that don't use the metric system.ShutterstockFor simplicity's sake, most of the more than 200 countries in the world use the metric system when describing things like length or mass. However, there are three countries that stand out: Liberia, Myanmar, and the United States.And soon, that number might be down to two. In 2018, Liberia commerce and industry minister Wilson Tarpeh said the government plans to adopt the metric system in order to promote accountability and transparency in trade, according to the Liberian Observer.12The longest place name on the planet is 85 letters long.AlamyPeople who live in Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya Hill, Australia, need a little patience when it comes to learning to spell their hometown's name. But you know what? So do the folks from Lake Chargoggagoggman-chauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Massachusetts and Tweebuffelsmeteen-skootmorsdoodgeskietfontein, South Africa.None of them have quite as much work to do when jotting down their address as those who live in Taumatawhakatangihanga-koauauotamateaturipukakapikimaung-ahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, New Zealand, though. At 85 letters long, this is the longest place name in the world.13Four babies are born every second.ShutterstockEvery second, we welcome four new babies into our overall population. Do a little math and you'll find out that means there are approximately 250 births each minute, 15,000 each hour, and 360,000 each day. In a full year, there are around 131.4 million babies born on Earth, according to the Ecology Global Network.14The coldest temperature ever recorded was -144 degrees Fahrenheit.ShutterstockYou might think you're accustomed to frigid air and blustery winds, but the average winter day has nothing on the coldest day ever recorded, which was -144 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature was recorded in Antarctica during a span of research between 2004 and 2016. Just a few breaths of air at that temperature would induce hemorrhaging in your lungs and kill you.15The Earth's ozone layer will make a full recovery in 50 years.ShutterstockBecause of pollution, the Earth's ozone layer has suffered a lot. That's bad news for everyone, since the fragile gas layer protects our planet and shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Fortunately, climate change experts believe that the ozone layer will fully heal within 50 years, according to a 2018 report from the United Nations.The recovery is thanks in large part to the Montreal Protocol of 1987, which put a global ban on the use of one of the main culprits for the damage: chlorofluorocarbons (CFOs). Previously, CFOs had been common in refrigerators, aerosol cans, and dry-cleaning chemicals.16Japan is the world's most earthquake-prone country.ShutterstockEarthquakes can range from minor tremors that are barely noticeable to building-toppling ground-shakers that cause massive destruction. But it's an inevitable part of life for those who live in countries such as China, Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey, which are some of the most earthquake-prone places on the planet. However, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, Japan records the most earthquakes in the world.17There are around 4 quadrillion quadrillion bacteria on Earth.ShutterstockNot all bacteria are bad. In fact, some of those itty-bitty biological cells are actually good for us and aide the world in various and complex ways. And that's nice to know, considering there are around 4 quadrillion quadrillion individual bacteria on our planet, according to NPR.18People who are currently alive represent about 7 percent of the total number of people who have ever lived.ShutterstockHere's another world fact to keep in the back of your mind: According to the Population Reference Bureau, since the time Homo sapiens first hit the scene 50,000 years ago, more than 108 billion members of our species have been born. And a large chunk of that number is alive right now. According to the bureau, the number of people alive today represents a whopping seven percent of the total number of humans who have ever lived.19Muhammad is thought to be the most popular name in the world.ShutterstockStep aside John, James, Mary, and Jane—the most popular name in the world is believed to be Muhammad. According to the Independent, an estimated 150 million men and boys around the world share this name. The popularity is thanks to a Muslim tradition of naming each first-born son after the Islamic prophet.20Only two countries use purple in their national flags.ShutterstockLooking for some more interesting facts? Well, here's one: The flag of Nicaragua features a rainbow in the center that includes a band of purple, while the flag of Dominica boasts a picture of a sisserou parrot, a bird with purple feathers. These elements make them the only two flags in the world that use the color purple.21Africa and Asia are home to nearly 90 percent of the world's rural population.Unsplash/ João SilasNot everyone lives in a booming city or sprawling suburb. Many people still make their homes outside of bustling locations—especially in India, which has the largest number of people living in rural areas (approximately 893 million people live outside of the city), according to Reuters. China also has an impressively large rural population, with 578 million living outside of major centers.22The most expensive coin in the world was sold for more than $7 million.ShutterstockThe 1933 Double Eagle was a $20 U.S. coin made of gold that never went into circulation. A few of the coins were made, but most were destroyed—save for nine that were presumed stolen by U.S. mint workers. After years circulating the globe and falling into the hands of a few notable owners—including the king of Egypt—one of the coins was auctioned off at Sotheby's in 2002 for a stunning $7,590,020. That made it the most expensive coin ever sold at auction.23The world's largest man-made oyster reef was created in Maryland.ShutterstockDue to overfishing and disease, the oyster population in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay was seriously suffering. But thanks to dedicated work by scientists at the Horn Point Laboratory, the Army Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Nature Conservancy, the state is now the location of the world's largest man-made oyster reef. Home to more than one billion oysters, the area is a no-fishing zone, which will hopefully give the population a chance to recover.24A record-breaking 92 countries competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics.ShutterstockEvery four years, the Olympic games bring together the most competitive athletes from around the world. And when the PyeongChang Winter Games were held in 2018, 2,952 athletes were expected to show up from a total of 92 countries. That beat the previous record of 2,800 athletes from 88 countries who participated in the Winter Games in 2014.25South Sudan is the youngest country in the world.Unsplash/ Kyle GlennSome countries are hundreds of years old, while others can trace their nation's history back for thousands of years. But South Sudan in North Africa just gained its independence from Sudan in 2011, which currently makes it the youngest country in the world.26More than 52 percent of the world's population is under 30 years old.ShutterstockAccording to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as of 2012, 50.5 percent of the world's population were people under the age of 30. Around 89.7 percent of those young people live in emerging and developing economies like the Middle East and Africa.27People 60 years and older make up 12.3 percent of the global population.Shutterstock/Monkey Business ImagesAlthough the majority of the human population is currently under 30 years old, there are still plenty of older folks among us. In fact, 12.3 percent of people on Earth are 60 years old and older. That number is expected to reach 22 percent by 2050.28There are more than 24 time zones around the world.ShutterstockIf the Earth's time zones were each one hour apart, then we would have 24 times zones, which sounds pretty straightforward. However, the situation is a little more complicated than that. Since many time zones only differ by 30 or 45 minutes, they don't fit into a neat and tidy 24 hour span, which means that there are more than 24, though it's hard to say exactly how many.29Nearly half of the world's population watched both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup games.ShutterstockSoccer—or football, depending on who you ask—is the most popular sport around the world. That's why when the FIFA World Cup games took place in both 2010 and 2014, nearly half of the world's population (around 3.2 billion people) tuned in to see who would win.30It's estimated that Sweden has more islands than any other country.ShutterstockWith 221,800 islands, Sweden is thought to have more islands than any other country in the world. Only about 1,000 of them are inhabited.31There are 43 countries that still have a royal family.AlamyThe British royal family may be the most famous royal family on the planet, but there are still plenty of other nobles out there. In total, there are 28 royal families who rule over a total of 43 countries around the world, including Japan, Spain, Swaziland, Bhutan, Thailand, Monaco, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Liechtenstein.32California is home to the "Artichoke Capital of the World."ShutterstockCastroville is a rural town in California that grows a lot of artichokes (and other vegetable crops), thanks to the fact that the area enjoys ideal weather year round. Because of this, it grows 99.9 percent of all commercially grown artichokes and has even been nicknamed the "Artichoke Capital of the World."33All giant pandas in zoos around the world are on loan from China.ShutterstockThe panda at your local zoo may look like it's at home in its cozy sanctuary. But unless you live in China, the pandas that you're seeing are just visiting. That's because every one of the gentle giants in zoos around the world are on loan from China. Yes, they're technically the property of the government of China, according to Vox.34The "most typical human" fits this description.ShutterstockAccording to a study developed for National Geographic in 2011, the world's "most typical" person is right-handed, makes less than $12,000 per year, has a mobile phone, and doesn't have a bank account.35Canada has nine percent of the world's forests.ShutterstockOur neighbors to the north boast 396.9-million hectares of forests, or nine percent of all of the forest area in the entire world, according to Natural Resources Canada.36The red-billed quelea is the most common bird on Earth.Shutterstock/MLHowardThere may not be any red-billed queleas in your neighborhood, but that's not because there aren't an abundance of them. These birds, which live in sub-Saharan Africa, are considered "agricultural pests" because their massive flocks can obliterate entire crops. Although their numbers fluctuate, there are around 1 to 10 billion queleas, which leads scientists to believe that there are more of them than any other bird on Earth, according to Audobon.37There's a website that tracks the world's population in real time.ShutterstockAs of 2019, the overall human population is estimated to be more than 7.7 billion people. And if you want to watch that increase in real time, you can tune into the World Population Clock, which shows the upticks and downticks as babies are born and other people die. You can also see the current populations of different countries, including China (1,420,000,000+), India (1,368,000,000+), and the U.S. (329,000,000+).38More people speak Mandarin Chinese than any other language.ShutterstockWith around 950 million native speakers and an additional 200 million people speaking Mandarin Chinese as a second language, it's the most popular language in the world.39Around one in every 200 men are direct descendants of Genghis Khan.ShutterstockDuring his lifetime between 1162 and 1227, Genghis Khan fathered countless children. And while we may never know exactly how many offspring the leader of the Mongol Empire had, scientists now believe that around 1 in every 200 men—AKA 16 million people—are a direct descendant of his, according to a 2003 historical genetics paper.40Copenhagen is the most bike-friendly city in the world.ShutterstockMany places around the world are trying to figure out how to rework their infrastructure to accommodate cyclists and hopefully, in turn, encourage residents to use the environmentally friendly mode of transportation. That's why Copenhagen has become such a role model; according to Wired, it's the most bike-friendly city in the world.41There are 41 countries that recognize sign language as an official language.ShutterstockThere are estimated to be 72 million deaf people around the world. There are also about 300 different sign languages—including American Sign Language and International Sign Language—as well as 41 countries that recognize them as an official language.42The global adult literacy rate is around 86 percent.ShutterstockWith each generation that passes, more and more people are learning how to read, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). These days, around 86 percent of adults around the world are able to enjoy a book. UNESCO also explained that their data shows "remarkable improvement among youth in terms of reading and writing skills and a steady reduction in gender gaps. Fifty years ago, almost one-quarter of youth lacked basic literacy skills compared to less than 10 percent in 2016."43Facebook has more users than the population of the U.S., China, and Brazil combined.ShutterstockDo you use Facebook? If you don't, you're among a number that gets increasingly smaller every day. In fact, 2 billion active users have an account on the social media platform, which is more than the population of the United States, China, and Brazil combined. Facebook's co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted about the milestone, saying, "We're making progress connecting the world, and now let's bring the world closer together."44There are only two countries with names that begin with "The."UnsplashYou might find yourself saying "the" before various countries and place names when referring to them thanks to grammar and common pronunciation, which is why we say the United States or the Maldives. However, only The Gambia and The Bahamas formally include "the" in their nation's names.45All the ants on Earth weigh about as much as all the humans.ShutterstockThe total population of people who are alive on Earth hasn't even hit 8 billion. At the same time, there are 10 quadrillion (10,000,000,000,000,000) individual ants crawling around at any given time. According to wildlife presenter Chris Packham, who appeared on the BBC, when combined, all of those ants would weigh about the same as all of us humans.However, Francis Ratnieks, professor of apiculture at the University of Sussex, disagrees. He says that while this fact may have been true in the past, these days "we must also remember that humans are getting fatter all the time. We're not just increasing in population, we're increasing in fatness, so I think we've left the ants behind."46The oceans contain almost 200,000 different kinds of viruses.ShutterstockThe next time you feel like taking a dip in the big blue ocean, you might not want to think about the fact that the seemingly pristine water is home to almost 200,000 different kinds of viruses. While this may sound scary, Matthew Sullivan, a microbiologist at the Ohio State University, told CNN, "Having that road map [of what viruses exist] helps us do a lot of the things we'd be interested in to better understand the ocean and, I hate to say it, but maybe to have to engineer the ocean at some point to combat climate change."47New Zealanders have more pets per household than any other country.ShutterstockPeople who live in New Zealand seem to love having an animal companion around. That's why 68 percent of households in the country have a pet, which is more than any other nation in the world. Americans also happen to love furry friends, which is why more than half of all U.S. homes have either a dog or cat (or both).48Tokyo is the world's largest city with 37 million inhabitants.ShutterstockTokyo is a booming city—not only by Japanese standards, but also compared to cities around the world. With around 37 million people living in Tokyo, it's the world's largest city when it comes to population size, according to Reuters. The next largest city is Delhi, India, (population 29 million) and Shanghai, China (population 26 million).49Interpol began in 1914 when legal professionals from 24 countries got together to discuss catching fugitives.ShutterstockThese days, Interpol (or the International Criminal Police Organization) may be well-known for tracking down outlaws around the world. But the group dates all the way back to 1914 when the International Criminal Police Congress was held in Monaco. That meeting saw police and judicial representatives from 24 countries get together with the goal of improving contacts between police forces in different countries in order to increase the effectiveness of international investigations.50Nearly two people die each second.ShutterstockWhile four babies are born on Earth every second, it's estimated that around two people pass away at the same time. That means that 105 people die each minute, 6,316 people die each hour, 151,600 people die each day, and 55.3 million people die each year. Sorry, folks—not all interesting facts are fun!FILED UNDERFACTS • TRIVIAREAD THIS NEXTYou May LikePowered byThe One Person Many People Blame for JFK's Tragic DeathThese Skin Conditions Could Mean You're Carrying the CoronavirusHere's What the Trump Family Actually Eats in a Day

What political propaganda has been so successful that people still believe in it today?There are actually there are three common miss conception in American Politics that are used as propaganda tag lines.Republican Administrations are better with EconomicsDemocrats are weak on National DefenseUniversal Health care will ruin level of care and destroy innovation in the medical field.All of these would be a multi-page answer as you will see from just working out on one and that one that I have chosen to respond with is :Universal health care will lower standard of care . Under universal health care medical advancement would stop.It is based on a false argument about free market rooted in pre Great depression economic philosophy which was all basically proven wrong by… wait for it … The Great DepressionThe level of Care argument is based in 1900s criticism by health lobbyistActually in the late 1980s early 1990s with the emergence of HMOs Physicians had created an elegant model that could have been applied to and was taken from the same universal health care system established by the US as part of the reconstruction of Japan.We would have universal health care at an affordable rate through no governmental means had insurance companies not destroyed the HMO model by leveraged buy outs and political lobbyingNot having it is killing babies.I am disabling comments on this because I know this topic very well. I know the history , the counter arguments and the history of the counter arguments and to be honest those who would argue the opposite tend to be very snide in comments and not accurate as I have said below in all the answers is that they date back almost 100 years and over a century of the it working in the rest of the world proves it wrong : You are more than free to write your own answer or if I trusted alt conservative readers to respond in an objective voice I wouldn’t, but life is too short to ignore the condescension I get in these replies while researching and counter-citing the outlandish rebukes that have no result in altering opinionUniversal health care will lower standard of care . Under universal health care medical advancement would stop.This dates back to the beginning of the new deal when Medicare was initially conceived as a different system than Medicare . Medicare like the ACA was a compromised deal.The way the argument works and has worked since 1929 is this. Democratic administrations and congresses fight for universal medical care they propose a watered downed version of what we know works because we … (this is what kills me) designed the policies and methods that have been adopted by other countries. So administration and congressional bill introductions offer a weakened plan that then gets more weakened and strip to pass at which point the opposition use these mauled ripped apart pieces of policy to attack the opposition. Basically I force you to compromise even more on a compromise then throw the passed legislation back in your face as how your plan doesn't work and this is why it seems democrats always lose the debate because they are saying “what the hell that is not our plan, it was your plan we dint want it but its what passed” Which is exactly why both Ryan and DJT were not and still are not able to offer a health care package unless they steal it completely from the democratic platform but then can not sustain an argument about why their opponents are wrong.( You can see how this can start to become a book because right now we could go into the argument I stated at the beginning that Republicans are better at the Economy : at this point we could extend into the entire argument about government involved and partnered in corporations we know works because we designed Japan at reconstruction that way … .but this answer even at this juncture is huge and we do not really have the time to go through how we know 40 years of Republican economic myths about unregulated industry doesn't work because we deliberately excluded those systems when we rebuilt both China’s and Japan’s economy after world war 2. Oh yea, missed that one in both high school and college history; what Reagan did not tell us and what DJT will not tell you are does not know, is that the the looming economic destruction from the Japanese in the 1980 and losing jobs to them and fearful they were holding so much debt: and China today is because we designed their systems with all of the stuff we refuse to put to work in the American economy because of the GOP fear of socialism and its not a fear of socialism its a fear of lower share holder pay outs.. I have to digress here because this is an entirely different topic and this is already a long parenthetic digression)Brief History of Universal Health Care in AmericaIn 1993, President Bill Clinton pushed for universal health care to lower the Medicare budget. First Lady Hillary Clinton led the initiative. Hillarycare used a managed competition strategy to achieve its purpose. The government would control the costs of doctor bills and insurance premiums. Health insurance companies would compete to provide the best and lowest cost packages. The plan encountered too much resistance from doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies to pass Congress.In the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator Barack Obama outlined a universal plan. Obama's health care reform plan offered a publicly-run program similar to that enjoyed by Congress. People could choose it or buy private insurance on an exchange. No one could be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. The federal government would expand Medicaid funding and add subsidies.In 2009, President Obama proposed the Health Care for America Plan. It provided Medicare for all who wanted it. Monthly premiums were $70 for an individual, $140 for a couple, $130 for a single-parent family, and $200 for all other families.Employers could continue offering their plan if it was as good as the national plan. If they elected the national plan, they would pay a 6% payroll tax. The federal government could have bargained for lower prices and reduce inefficiencies. That would have lowered health care costs by 1.5% per year. It would have reduced visits to the emergency room by the uninsured.Too many people were afraid of universal health care. In 2010, Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. More than half or 57% of Americans incorrectly think the ACA is universal health care. It attempted to enforce mandatory health insurance, similar to Germany's plan. But it allowed too many exemptions. It also allowed states to decide whether they would expand Medicaid. As a result, 13 million people still went without insurance. Trump's tax plan removes the mandate in 2019.2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proposes a Medicare-for-all universal health plan. The government-run program would enroll all Americans. They would have no deductibles, copayments, or out-of-pocket expenses. Sanders would raise taxes to pay for it. The country would transition from Medicare, Medicaid, and all insurance to the new program over four years. The Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Services would remain.The plan would cover hospital visits, primary care, medical devices, lab services, maternity care, and prescription drugs. It would also cover vision and dental benefits as well as long-term care. Obamacare dropped long-term care because it was too expensive.The plan would cut administrative costs associated with the variety of insurance plans available today. The New England Journal of Medicine estimates that U.S. administrative costs are double that of Canada. A 2011 study estimates U.S. doctors spend four times as much as Canada dealing with insurance companies.“It was an effort to get universal health insurance, really, in the beginning of the 20th century,” admits Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works. But FDR underestimated how contentious the idea would appear, especially given states like California had already introduced legislation (albeit failed) around universal health care.”Universal health care was almost part of the original Social Security Act of 1935The counter argument to it was completely generated by the GOP responding to fears of the nations conservatives at the speed that FDR was pushing new policies. You have to remember the country, like when President Obama took over, was on the verge of economic collapse.Some will try and compare the Great Depression and the Economic meltdown and argue that the Great Depression was worse. It was only because of the length of response to it. The truth is that the effects were basically the same the difference being that the Great Depression lasted longer and took longer to recover from because of the policies and safeguards that FDR implemented that Reagan and the Bushs administrations chipped away at or maybe we are going to ignore that every Republican Administration since WW2 has come with an economic crises, the S&L Crisis of the 1980, the economic meltdown , The Great Depression etc. The only reason Nixon was able to avoid one was because he stole out of the democratic play book took us off the Gold Standard and increased the debt ceiling causing the formation of the Libertarian movement. I do not want to dwell that long on this because it will drift of topic.This is how it works , since Theodore Roosevelt the Democratic Party has been pushing for health care for all and since then it has been being fought . FDR, Truman and Johnson all pushed the goal further as well as Clinton and Obama. Even Nixon was in favor of it , however, did not have the political capital to spend on it.The argument had no factual basis then as it still really does not now . Any statistical proof offered is based primarily on push questions . The reason for it being blocked initially was for two reasons Hoover and later completely politic retribution for FDR winning the Presidency. Thats it that is why we have not had universal health care since 1930.“ GOP and private medical lobbies like the American Health Association, which accused FDR of socialist conspiracy and government overreachHoover did not propose universal health care because he was very close to being by today”s standard. In fact the Libertarian party only was formed as a result of Nixon wanting to increase the debt ceiling and remove us from the gold standard.“His predecessor, President Herbert Hoover, had upheld a policy of federal distance when it came to economic matters. A proponent of the free market, even amidst crisis, Hoover instead called on states to stabilize income and private charities to serve the immediate needs of the poor. It didn’t work. In 1931, the unemployment rate hit 15.8 percent. By 1933, the year FDR took office, it would reach 25 percent. Families were homeless and starving. Those who did work could not afford any sick time. The effects of nationwide poverty impacted all Americans.” Universal health care was almost part of the original Social Security Act of 1935“Because Roosevelt was pushing quickly, and had offhandedly mentioned the potential of comprehensive health care, Americans grew concerned. Their suspicions were fanned by the GOP and private medical lobbies like the American Health Association, which accused FDR of socialist conspiracy and government overreach.”Universal health care was almost part of the original Social Security Act of 1935Why America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health CareAdditionally believe it or not we have a really bad form of it independent of the ACA and Medicare .The reason hospital costs are what they are is because uncollected and unpaid costs are dispersed across those costs that can be covered . So the cost of care would actually go down as the level of care would remain.The medical breakthroughs and new techniques have nothing to do with private insurance or medicine. These are developed by research grants and the like and not paid for as standards of care . In fact these procedures are more likely to be covered via universal health care as private insurance does not cover anything seamed experimental.In truth universal health care has been basically a fact of life for the rest of the world since the 1900, FDR was attempting to pass a policy that would con temporize American Medical Economics with the rest of the industrialized world:Many European countries were passing the first social welfare acts and forming the basis for compulsory government-run or voluntary subsidized health care programs.The United Kingdom passed the National Insurance Act of 1911 that provided medical care and replacement of some lost wages if a worker became ill. It did not, however, cover spouses or dependents. U.S. efforts to achieve universal coverage began with progressive health care reformers who supported Theodore Roosevelt for President in 1912, though he was defeated.Progressives campaigned unsuccessfully for sickness insurance guaranteed by the states. A unique American history of decentralization in government, limited government, and a tradition of classical liberalism are all possible explanations for the suspicion around the idea of compulsory government-run insurance.[The American Medical Association (AMA) was also deeply and vocally opposed to the idea,which it labeled "socialized medicine". In addition, many urban US workers already had access to sickness insurance through employer-based sickness funds. History of health care reform in the United States - WikipediaHere is the worst part we are supposed to be the most advanced country in the world. we are supposed to have medical care that supercedes everyone. Universal health care is supposed to destroy standard of care. Yet, in response to all these claims the opposition of universal medical coverage is at a failure to explain why America is on par with some of the worst places in the world for pre-nadial care and infant mortality. If universal health care ruins standard of care then how come so many babies born in the system do not survive compared with other countries that have it.We want to be pro-life because human life is sacred ( but our medical care system is resulting in an infant mortality rate on par with the third word.This argument should sound familiar it is the exact same argument used today and has been being used by the medical lobby and later the medical and insurance lobby since the 1900 adopted by the GOP in order to assist in winning political elections.The truth is that universal health care does and has worked for over a century around the rest of the civilized industrial first world and any one who is a governmental employee or a servicing military member can attest to the low cost and complete care. The tricare and other government plans are actually based on the pre-medicare compromise proposed under the New Deal:Here is a comparison of how universal health care works as well as a complete understanding of it :Summary of Seven Countries' Universal Health PlansAustralia: Australia adopted a two-tier system. The government pays two-thirds, and the private sector pays one-third. The public universal system is called Medicare. Everyone receives coverage. That includes visiting students, people seeking asylum, and those with temporary visas. People must pay deductibles before government payments kick in. Half of the residents have paid for private health insurance to receive a higher quality of care. Those who buy private insurance before they reach 30 receive a lifetime discount.Government regulations protect seniors, the poor, children, and rural residents.In 2016, health care cost 9.6% of Australia's gross domestic product. The per capita cost was US$4,798. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development disclosed that 22.4% of patients reported a wait time of more than four weeks to see a specialist. On the other hand, only 7.8% of patients skipped medications because the cost was too high. In 2015, the Australian life expectancy was 84.5 years.Canada: Canada has a single-payer system. The government pays for services provided by a private delivery system. The government pays for 70% of care. Private supplemental insurance pays for vision, dental care, and prescription drugs. Hospitals are publicly funded. They provide free care to all residents regardless of the ability to pay. The government keeps hospitals on a fixed budget to control costs. It reimburses doctors at a fee-for-service rate. It negotiates bulk prices for prescription medicine.In 2016, health care cost 10.6% of Canada’s GDP. The cost per person was US$4,752, and 10.5% of patients skipped prescriptions because of cost. A whopping 56.3% of patients waited more than four weeks to see a specialist. As a result, many patients who can afford it go to the United States for care. In 2015, the life expectancy was 82.2 years. Canada has high survival rates for cancer and low hospital admission rates for asthma and diabetes.France: France has an excellent two-tier system. Its mandatory health insurance system covers 75% of health care spending. That includes hospitals, doctors, drugs, and mental health. Doctors are paid less than in other countries, but their education and insurance is free. The French government also pays for homeopathy, house calls, and child care. Of that, payroll taxes fund 40%, income taxes cover 30%, and the rest is from tobacco and alcohol taxes. For-profit corporations own one-third of hospitals.Patients give care consistent high ratings.In 2016, health care cost 11% of GDP. That was US$4,600 per person. In 2013, 49.3% of patients reported a wait time of more than four weeks to see a specialist. But only 7.8% of patients skipped prescriptions because of cost. In 2015, the life expectancy was 85.5 years.Germany: Germany has mandatory health insurance sold by 130 private nonprofits. It covers hospitalization, outpatient, prescription drugs, mental health, eye care, and hospice. There are copays for hospitalization, prescriptions, and medical aids. There is additional mandatory long-term care insurance. Funding comes from payroll taxes. The government pays for most of the health care. It limits the amount of the payments and the number of people each doctor can treat. People can buy more coverage.In 2016, health care cost 11.3% of GDP. That averaged US$5,550 per person. Only 3.2% of patients skipped prescriptions because of cost. Also, 11.9% of patients reported a wait time of more than four weeks to see a specialist. But most Germans can get next-day or same-day appointments with general practitioners. In 2015, the life expectancy was 83.1 years.Singapore: Singapore's two-tier system is one of the best in the world. Two-thirds is private and one-third public spending. It provides five classes of hospital care. The government manages hospitals that provide low-cost or free care. It sets regulations that control the cost of the entire health care system. People can buy higher levels of deluxe care for a fee. Workers pay 20% of their salary to three mandated savings accounts. The employer pays another 16% into the account. One account is for housing, insurance, or education investment.The second account is for retirement savings. The third is for health care. The Medisave account collects 7% to 9.5% of income, earns interest, and is capped at the $43,500 income. More than 90% of the population enrolls in Medishield, a catastrophic insurance program. The Medifund pays for health costs after the Medisave and Medishield accounts are exhausted. Eldershield pays for nursing home care. Once an employee turns 40, a portion of income is automatically deposited into the account.In 2009, Singapore spent 4.9% of its GDP on health care. That's US$2,000 per person. In 2015, life expectancy was 83.1 years.Switzerland: The country has mandatory health insurance that covers all residents. Quality of care is one of the best in the world. Coverage is provided by competing private insurance companies. People can buy voluntary insurance to access better hospitals, doctors, and amenities. The government pays for 60% of the country's health care. Dental care is not covered. Vision is only covered for children. The government subsidizes premiums for low-income families, about 30% of the total. There is a 10% coinsurance cost for services and 20% for drugs.These out-of-pocket costs are waived for maternity care, preventive care, and child hospitalization. The government sets prices.In 2016, health care spending was 12.4% of GDP. It was US $7,919 per person. There were 11.6% of patients who skipped prescriptions because of cost. Also, 20.2% of patients reported a wait time of more than four weeks to see a specialist. In 2015, life expectancy was 83.4 years.United Kingdom: The United Kingdom has single-payer socialized medicine. The National Health Service runs hospitals and pays doctors as employees. The government pays 80% of costs through general taxes. It pays for all medical care, including dental, hospice care, and some long-term care and eye care. There are some copays for drugs. All residents receive free care. Visitors receive care for emergencies and infectious diseases. Private insurance for elective medical procedures is available.In 2016, health care costs were 9.7% of GDP. The cost was US$4,193 per person. Only 2.3% of patients skipped prescriptions because of cost. But 29.9% of patients reported a wait time of more than four weeks to see a specialist. To keep prices low, some expensive and uncommon drugs aren't available. Hospitals can be crowded with long wait times. In 2018, the flu outbreak extended wait times to 12 hours. But most measures of health, like infant mortality rates, are better than average. In 2015, life expectancy was 81.2 years.Comparison to the United StatesThe United States has a mixture of government-run and private insurance. The government pays most of the cost, but also subsidizes private health insurance through Obamacare. One-third of the costs is for administration, not patient care. Health care service providers are private. Sixty percent of citizens get private insurance from their employers. Fifteen percent receive Medicare for those 65 and older. The federal government also funds Medicaid for low-income families and the Children's Health Insurance Program for children.It pays for veterans, Congress, and federal employees. Despite all these, there are 28 million Americans who have no coverage. They either are exempt from the Obamacare mandate or can't afford insurance.In 2016, health care cost 18% of GDP. That was a staggering US$9,892 per person. Exactly 18% of patients skipped prescriptions because of cost. But only 4.9% of patients reported a wait time of more than four weeks to see a specialist. In 2015, life expectancy was 79.3 years. The third leading cause of death was a medical error. The quality of care is low. It ranks 28th according to the United Nations.Why does the United States have such high costs and such low quality? Most patients don't pay for their medical services. As a result, they can't price-shop doctors and hospital procedures. There is no competitive reason for providers to offer lower costs. The government can negotiate lower prices for those covered by Medicare and Medicaid. But competing health insurance companies don't have the same leverage.Insurance and drug companies want to maintain the status-quo. They don't want the government restricting prices. They lobby to prevent universal health care. But 60% of Americans want Medicare for all. California, Ohio, Colorado, Vermont, and New York are moving toward universal health care in their states.Affordable universal health care was at its closest before being dessimated by the insurance lobby with the rise and fall of the HMO :The problem with American health care is not the care. It’s the insurance.Both parties have stumbled to enact comprehensive health care reform because they insist on patching up a rickety, malfunctioning model. The insurance company model drives up prices and fragments care. Rather than rejecting this jerry-built structure, the Democrats’ Obamacare legislation simply added a cracked support beam or two. The Republican bill will knock those out to focus on spackling other dilapidated parts of the system.An alternative structure can be found in the early decades of the 20th century, when the medical marketplace offered a variety of models. Unions, businesses, consumer cooperatives and ethnic and African-American mutual aid societies had diverse ways of organizing and paying for medical care.Physicians established a particularly elegant model: the prepaid doctor group. Unlike today’s physician practices, these groups usually staffed a variety of specialists, including general practitioners, surgeons and obstetricians. Patients received integrated care in one location, with group physicians from across specialties meeting regularly to review treatment options for their chronically ill or hard-to-treat patients.Individuals and families paid a monthly fee, not to an insurance company but directly to the physician group. This system held down costs. Physicians typically earned a base salary plus a percentage of the group’s quarterly profits, so they lacked incentive to either ration care, which would lose them paying patients, or provide unnecessary care. Opinion | How Did Health Care Get to Be Such a Mess?A Regulated System of Health PlansOne way to achieve universal coverage is through a system of competing private health insurance carriers. In the Netherlands and Switzerland, people are legally required to buy private insurance or else pay a fine. The Dutch choose between plans offered on a national marketplace, while the Swiss shop on regional marketplaces. These systems resemble the marketplaces introduced in the U.S. by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).1But there are key differences. In the Netherlands, financing is shared between individuals and their employers, and insurance plans also cover dependents. But the Swiss pay the entirety of their plan costs, and children require the purchase of separate plans.The Dutch also pay lower premiums, averaging around $115 to $150 per month, compared to $385 per month in Switzerland. In comparison, average employee premiums in the U.S. in 2017 were $118 for single-person plans and $435 for family plans. Approximately 40 percent of the Dutch, moreover, receive tax subsidies to purchase insurance, similar to the subsidies introduced by the ACA.Cost-sharing is also lower in the Netherlands: there is none for primary care and preventive services, while copayments for other services are capped at $475 per year, after which they are free. By contrast, the Swiss face copayments for all services up to a deductible of their choosing, between $248 and $2,065. After this, 10 percent to 20 percent coinsurance applies on all services, capped at $579 per year for adults. All told, average annual out-of-pocket costs in Switzerland are nearly four times higher than those in the Netherlands ($2,313 vs. $605).A Single Public PlanIn countries that have public insurance systems, also known as “single payer” systems, national, regional, or local governments are the main payer of health care. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service is funded by national taxes, while other systems are decentralized, with revenues raised through regional taxes (Canada) or local taxes (Sweden). In Norway, funding is split: primary care is funded through municipal taxes, while national taxes pay for hospital and specialty care.The House and Senate bills that would introduce a single public plan for the U.S., however, differ from the approaches taken in other countries in two important ways.First, many of these proposals would impose no patient cost-sharing. This is in contrast to Scandinavia, where patients pay copayments for most services. Norwegians pay $17 (U.S.) for primary care visit, $39 for specialist visits, and up to $51 for prescription drugs. At the same time, total annual out-of-pocket spending is capped at $221 per year (as of 2017), after which services are free; also, vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women are exempt from most cost-sharing. Even in countries where physician and hospital services are free, such as the U.K. and Canada, patients pay some portion of prescription drug costs.Second, the single public plans that have been proposed in the U.S. so far would provide everyone with a wide range of benefits, including vision, dental, and long-term care. Most countries with universal coverage, however, cover vision and dental benefits only for targeted populations such as children and low-income adults. Similarly, long-term care is not typically covered. Instead, these services are financed separately, whether through national long-term care insurance or local taxes.Variations on a Theme: A Look at Universal Health Coverage in Eight CountriesCONCLUSION“Although more than half Americans support the idea of universal health care, U.S. health care is not as inclusive as in Germany, Switzerland, France, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Obamacare is the closest to universality the United States has ever implemented, but it falls short because of its many exemptions.For universal health care to work, everyone, including healthy people, must pay premiums or additional taxes to pay for health care. This funds the security health blanket for all citizens. Ideally, with a health care system under government regulation, everyone will have access to quality treatments at low costs. Such a system would provide very affordable preventative care and implement strict control of pricing and quality of drugs and medical services.”Why America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health CareThe truth is that the reason we do not have health care is because of lobbyist working on behalf of privatized health care in the 1900 and basically a libertarian President in Hoover. The Great Depression taught us that most economic theory leading up to it did not work, and we know this because we built hybrid economies all over asia when we reconstructed them. That there is no correlation between level and care and universal healthcare and in most instances level and speed of care increases. We know from medicare, governmental plans, and service member health care that administration can be cheaper when not paying out to share holders and bonuses to sales people , adjusters and CEOs. We know that 35 percent minimum of the amount you spend on insurance and closer to 43 percent to the hospital goes to administration and share holders and not the level of care. We know that it has nothing to do with medical advancement because this is done through grants and non directed research money and fellowships and never covered under health insurance anyway. It is not in private health cares best interest to develop new procedures because the cost of a new procedure though better takes a minimum of a decade to become mainstay. We know from the opiod epidemic exactly what private health care does to the medical system (if you do not understand this statement suggest that you watch any of the many videos easily available. John Oliver has a perfect summary of it on Last Week Tonight titled Opiod Epidemic 3) But the bottom line is that universal health care saves babies.History of health care reform in the United States - WikipediaThe Nation: Health Care Through FDR's LensesUniversal health care was almost part of the original Social Security Act of 1935Opinion | How Did Health Care Get to Be Such a Mess?Variations on a Theme: A Look at Universal Health Coverage in Eight CountriesWhy America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health CareVariations on a Theme: A Look at Universal Health Coverage in Eight Countries