Fossett, 63, had previously survived a nearly 30,000-foot plunge in a crippled balloon, a dangerous swim through the frigid English Channel and hours stranded in shark-infested seas.
Fossett, who made millions as a commodities broker in Chicago, also completed the Iditarod sled-dog race, scaled some of the world’s best-known peaks, sailed and flew around the world, and set more than 100 aviation and distance records.
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The "philosophy" of one-time Hollywood screenwriter Ayn Rand is a key reason why American politics is so fucked up:
By rejecting altruism and embracing selfishness she rejected the Judaeo-Christian underpinning of the religious right. The only moral obligation a person had was to his or her own happiness. That meant capitalism should be given a free rein with an unregulated market economy.
She pushed America's cult of individualism into uncharted waters where ruthless self-interest and disdain for poorer members of society were the guiding principles.
Growing up in Russia probably had a lot to do with her extremist beliefs, but that doesn't excuse the fact she was one screwed-up woman.
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