Latest news with #AynRand
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story review – hyped-up account of nice-guy 90s mainstream rockers
Unless you are a big fan of what the American charts call 'mainstream rock' and entering late middle age round about now, you may never have heard of 90s outfit Collective Soul. And yet this clearly band-endorsed documentary hypes them so much, you may question your own remembrance of things past. For instance, much is made of Collective Soul's first big hit, Shine from 1993, which first broke out via airplay at an Atlanta college radio station, with the film giving the impression that everyone was humming this tune back in the day. This may not in fact have been the case: you might associate the time more with the likes of Whitney Houston, Nirvana and dancefloor fillers like Rhythm Is a Dancer. It turns out that Collective Soul, named after a phrase in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, is a classic rawk outfit with a guitar-heavy, chunky-riff and wailing-vocals sound, somewhat generic but enjoyable. The group is built around Stockbridge, Georgia, brothers Ed Roland (the lead singer and songwriter) and his rhythm guitarist brother Dean; they are the sons of a preacher man and father figures and old friends feature very heavily in their story. The film works its way through the band's pre-history and story methodically, with Ed Roland dominant throughout as literally and figuratively the group's loudest voice. Give Me a Word hits every station of the rock band cross, from the years of toil in obscurity, working in music shops and trying out different sounds and collaborators, then the aforementioned big break, and the years when they should have been making bank but were getting ripped off by poor contract reading skills. At one point they even play Woodstock (the 1994 edition, not the big '69 event) in front of nearly half a million people, and yet they were still sleeping four people to a room and taking home about $150 a week. Soon, the inevitable musical differences and fallings out reshuffle the line-up. But they're all such nice guys, despite the flamboyant swearing and boasting about the partying, that the film only barely mentions that the bust-up between Ed and lead guitarist Ross Childress had something to do with a romantic betrayal. Indeed, the film seems rather ripe with pendulant silences on certain subjects and areas of the band members' lives. We meet no current wives or girlfriends, although their existence is often invoked. And yet one of the people Ed gets most weepy about is a gay friend from high school who died of a drug overdose back in the day, leaving the singer with an enduring and overwhelming sense of loss. Apart from Ed and Dean's still living mother and one or two others, there are practically no women in the movie, except for the great Dolly Parton, who covered Shine. Somehow it says it all about the slippery nature of fame when Ed mentions – with amusement, rue and just a tiny trace of resentment – that people just assume that Shine was written by Parton rather than himself. Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story is on digital platforms from 8 July.
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story review – hyped-up account of nice-guy 90s mainstream rockers
Unless you are a big fan of what the American charts call 'mainstream rock' and entering late middle age round about now, you may never have heard of 90s outfit Collective Soul. And yet this clearly band-endorsed documentary hypes them so much, you may question your own remembrance of things past. For instance, much is made of Collective Soul's first big hit, Shine from 1993, which first broke out via airplay at an Atlanta college radio station, with the film giving the impression that everyone was humming this tune back in the day. This may not in fact have been the case: you might associate the time more with the likes of Whitney Houston, Nirvana and dancefloor fillers like Rhythm Is a Dancer. It turns out that Collective Soul, named after a phrase in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, is a classic rawk outfit with a guitar-heavy, chunky-riff and wailing-vocals sound, somewhat generic but enjoyable. The group is built around Stockbridge, Georgia, brothers Ed Roland (the lead singer and songwriter) and his rhythm guitarist brother Dean; they are the sons of a preacher man and father figures and old friends feature very heavily in their story. The film works its way through the band's pre-history and story methodically, with Ed Roland dominant throughout as literally and figuratively the group's loudest voice. Give Me a Word hits every station of the rock band cross, from the years of toil in obscurity, working in music shops and trying out different sounds and collaborators, then the aforementioned big break, and the years when they should have been making bank but were getting ripped off by poor contract reading skills. At one point they even play Woodstock (the 1994 edition, not the big '69 event) in front of nearly half a million people, and yet they were still sleeping four people to a room and taking home about $150 a week. Soon, the inevitable musical differences and fallings out reshuffle the line-up. But they're all such nice guys, despite the flamboyant swearing and boasting about the partying, that the film only barely mentions that the bust-up between Ed and lead guitarist Ross Childress had something to do with a romantic betrayal. Indeed, the film seems rather ripe with pendulant silences on certain subjects and areas of the band members' lives. We meet no current wives or girlfriends, although their existence is often invoked. And yet one of the people Ed gets most weepy about is a gay friend from high school who died of a drug overdose back in the day, leaving the singer with an enduring and overwhelming sense of loss. Apart from Ed and Dean's still living mother and one or two others, there are practically no women in the movie, except for the great Dolly Parton, who covered Shine. Somehow it says it all about the slippery nature of fame when Ed mentions – with amusement, rue and just a tiny trace of resentment – that people just assume that Shine was written by Parton rather than himself. Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story is on digital platforms from 8 July.
Fast Company
27-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
A rare Frank Lloyd Wright house hits the market
For architecture enthusiasts, a longtime dream may have just come within reach: A Frank Lloyd Wright home just hit the market, and it could be yours for a cool $2.5 million. The home, located in Jackson, Mississippi, was designed by Wright in 1948—when the late architect was 81—for a local oil speculator named J. Willis Hughes and his family. Originally called the Hughes House, the home has since adopted the nickname 'Fountainhead,' courtesy of an elaborate backyard water feature and pool. (Wright was also said to have served as inspiration for Ayn Rand when she wrote her classic novel of the same name.) The three-bedroom home has more than 3,500 square feet of interior space and a scenic view from its position tucked into the wooded hillside. And, while Fountainhead may boast a hefty price tag today, it was originally made to be affordable. The home is one of just around 60 houses that are considered ' Usonian,' a style created and coined by Wright in the 1940s and '50s. Usonian homes were Wright's answer to the postwar era: Designed to be accessible to the American middle class, they tend to make use of simple layouts, open floor plans, and natural materials. Given that Wright's total portfolio of designs includes more than 1,000 buildings, this style is now considered quite rare. When approaching the home's design, Wright took his cues from the surrounding environment. The contours of the building site determined the home's parallelogram form, which is characterized by a multitude of low, horizontal leading lines. Furnishings like sofas, tables, beds, and dressers are all seamlessly built into the home's auburn wood walls. 'The parallelogram design is etched in the floors, and dictates the placement of walls, the size of the doors, and the shape of the spaces,' the home's listing on Sotheby's International reads. It goes on to note that Fountainhead was built with no stud walls in the house, no Sheetrock, brick, tile, or paint and 'boasts of exquisite, exceptionally durable Heart Tidewater Red Cypress wood for the walls and ceilings.' According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the house saw some fairly significant wear and tear during the 25 years that it served as the Hughes family residence. However, the most recent owner, architect Robert Parker Adams, alongside his former wife, Mary, devoted years to restoring the home to its former glory. Adams has lived at the property since 1979. 'I've been here 40-something years; I've had my experience,' Adams told The Journal, adding that he hopes to share his experience and knowledge with the next owner.
IOL News
20-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Are we inviting the World Bank's interference or seeking genuine support?
Later this year the World Bank Group will launch the second pilot edition of its B-READY report, a new benchmark for assessing global business climates. Image: Wikipedia Has the World Bank's flagship business index already been hijacked — from a South African perspective — even before the country's debut in the pilot phase? Money, as Ayn Rand wrote, is the barometer of a society's virtue. In her 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged, Rand observed: 'When you see that trading is done not by consent but by compulsion, when you see that to produce, you need permission from men who produce nothing, when money flows to those dealing in favors rather than goods — when corruption is rewarded and honesty becomes self-sacrifice — you may know your society is doomed.' Nearly seven decades later, her words remain chillingly relevant. Later this year (September–October 2025), the World Bank Group (WBG) will launch the second pilot edition of its Business Ready (B-READY) report, a new benchmark for assessing global business climates. South Africa is set to join the third pilot in 2026, alongside 184 economies, before the project's full rollout in 2027. B-READY, an evolution of the discontinued Doing Business survey, evaluates regulatory frameworks and public services affecting firms. For South Africa, the index focuses on 10 key areas — business entry, utilities, labour, financial services, taxation, dispute resolution, and more — spanning four departments: Employment and Labour; Finance; Small Business Development; and Trade, Industry, and Competition. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The WBG has already critiqued South Africa's 'hard regulations', including BEE policies, local content rules, and collective bargaining, arguing they stifle implementation and breed corruption. A February 2025 WBG report, Driving Inclusive Growth in South Africa, also highlighted weak market competition as a critical flaw. Notably, the report's contributors included prominent South African economists and private-sector representatives — Tania Ajam, Haroon Bhorat, Mcebisi Jonas, and others. While the World Bank is a respected institution, its reports often reflect local biases rather than impartial Washington analysis. South African policymakers are well aware of this — and of attempts to influence policy through institutions and 'experts' of perceived gravitas. B-READY's methodology relies on firm-level surveys and confidential expert input, raising questions about transparency. In a country with low internet penetration and a gatekeeping culture, how representative will these surveys be? The selection process — scouring LinkedIn, conferences, and embassy directories — hardly guarantees objectivity. The Doing Business report's demise in 2020 followed data manipulation scandals involving China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Is South Africa immune to such interference? With competing economic agendas, disjointed governance, and external pressures (including from Trump-aligned figures), the risk of distortion is real. Domestically, the DA is challenging labour laws in court, while AfriForum lobbies foreign governments against B-BBEE. Meanwhile, institutions such as the CIPC, Competition Commission, and SARS — though theoretically capable of enabling business — remain inefficient and disjointed. Consider recent examples: CIPC's mass deregistration of 'non-compliant' companies, under the guise of FATF compliance, ignores South Africa's unemployment crisis. Private-sector exploitation of undocumented workers (Uber, SPAR franchises) flouts labour and tax laws. Tshwane's revenue crackdown exposes rampant illegal utility connections by businesses. Will the World Bank's surveys capture these realities? Or will its findings — like past reports — be skewed by advocacy masquerading as research? A 2005 evaluation of WBG research (led by Nobel laureate Angus Deaton) found that the Bank elevated favourable studies and ignored inconvenient ones, blurring the line between analysis and agenda. South Africa doesn't need external interference — it needs will. Regulatory bodies must function cohesively. Policies should enable, not strangle. And if B-READY is to be Rand's 'noble medium', it must resist becoming another tool of coercion. The question lingers: Is the World Bank's index a genuine reform tool—or a new frontier of influence against South Africa? * Makgwathane Mothapo is a marketing and communications practitioner. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
Wall Street Journal
11-06-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
He Saved a Historic Frank Lloyd Wright. His Latest Project: Finding a Buyer for It
Frank Lloyd Wright had more design ideas in a day than most architects have in a lifetime. Between the end of World War II, when he was almost 80, until his death in 1959, at 92, he designed more than 100 single-family homes. Their variety is staggering, which is why true Wright aficionados can never see enough of them. Each house, dozens of which are open to the public, packs surprises. What's more, even in his 80s, and even while trying to complete important public commissions like New York's Guggenheim Museum, Wright never took the easy way out. When J. Willis Hughes, an oil speculator from Jackson, Mississippi, asked Wright to design a house for his large family, he sent the architect photos of a relatively flat and open site. Wright asked him to find a lot with more complex, and challenging, topography. Hughes complied, buying a wooded acre that descends from Glenway Drive, in the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson, into a gully. That allowed Wright to play with level changes in the house, and to extend the bedroom wing into the landscape with a fountain that feeds a swimming pool that feeds a stream designed by Wright. The elaborate water feature is one reason the house is known as Fountainhead. The other reason is that Ayn Rand's 1943 novel of that name concerns an idealistic architect based largely on Wright.
