So, here I am, nearly two thirds of the way through the book, more than a week ahead of my schedule. I consider myself a sprinter at tasks. I’ll describe myself thus: I lose interest. After a big burst of energy at the outset, I’ll wander off to something else. As evidence, naturally, I’ll point…
Author: Clio
The Roman Bulla
Because of our affinity for Imperial Roman culture and religion, we made our son a bulla, and bestowed it upon him at his naming ceremony shortly after his birth. A bulla is a Roman amulet which was worn by children until their rite of passage into adulthood. The details of who wore bullae and what…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 20: The Sign of the Dollar
Ayn Rand couldn’t stand me, so she banned me. — Kid Rock Chapter summary: Dagny rides the Comet on her way to Utah. She has a long conversation with a stowaway on the train who used to work for Twentieth Century Motors, relating a story about a young engineer named John Galt who walked out…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 19: The Face Without Pain or Fear or Guilt
All right, I think Rand has tricked me about the nameless worker. If so, good for her. This was enough of a continuation of the last chapter; it felt somewhat like Rand had put in an artificial, forced break so she’d have ten chapters in each part. Chapter summary: Francisco shows up at Dagny’s apartment….
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 18: By Our Love
I finished two chapters last night, because I had a long period trapped under a sleeping baby and they were short chapters. I will keep this commentary restricted to chapter 17. Chapter summary: Francisco shows up in Woodstock, apparently to convince Dagny to come to Atlantis. His conversation is interrupted by radio news of the…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 17: The Moratorium on Brains
Braaaaaaaaaaaains…. Chapter summary: The chapter begins with another monologue featuring Eddie and the workman, the third so far. There are then two primary episodes: First, Hank meets Ragnar on a country road, during which Ragnar offers him a bar of gold of his own money. Ragnar then gives a long speech during which, among other…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 16: Miracle Metal
In honor of the Silliest Chapter Yet, I think this is the time to confess that I cannot see the author’s name without my mind mentally singing, “And Ayn Rand, Ayn Rand she wrote a bo-o-ok” (to the tune of “I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls). Chapter summary: In an alleged attempt to minimize…
Marketing food to children
Apparently, a government interagency group is developing non-binding guidelines for foods which are marketed to minors. If food producers were to follow these guidelines, either the food itself would need to be changed or the marketing thereof. Read more on CNN, HuffPo, and BNet. I’m of two minds on this topic. On the one hand,…
Movie review: Fired Up! (2009)
We’ve gotten far enough into the summer TV season that our DVR is persistently empty and we’ve used up most of the VOD choices available to us. This leaves us with having to wander the movie channels more emphatically than we do in the winter months. Tonight’s discovery was Fired Up!, a typical summer guy…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 15: Account Overdrawn
I believe I’m getting to the portion of the experience of reading this book that I was dreading, the part that marathon runners call “The Wall” (NB: My knowledge of marathon running comes exclusively from Run Fat Boy Run, despite my brother’s engagement in them… I should ask him sometime about The Wall, assuming he…