Brave New World took me longer to re-read than I’d expected, given its length, and on reflection, the similarities between it and Atlas Shrugged are more tenuous than I’d remembered. I think this is in part because, as Huxley himself notes in the preface to my edition (a Bantam paperback), he spends no time whatsoever…
Author: Clio
Just a skosh
Elsewhere today, somebody used the word skosh in a blog comment, although he spelled it scoce. It took me a second to recognize it, at which point it occurred to me that I’m not sure I’ve ever actually seen the word in print (under any spelling). The word is fairly common in spoken English: “Move…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 30: In the Name of the Best Within Us
Let’s go to a movie where everybody fights But in the end there’s dancing, songs, and smiles You need lots of smiles — Boomtown Rats, “Wind Chill Factor Minus Zero” It is finished. — Jesus of Nazareth Chapter summary: The Scooby Gang (except for Velma, who drowned in the East River) release Galt from the…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 29: The Generator
What a strange and silly chapter. It feels like Rand is getting as tired of this book as I am. Chapter summary: Stadler decides to seize power by taking over Project X. He gets there to find Cuffy Meigs, drunk and also trying to seize power through Project X. There’s a brief argument during which…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 28: The Egoist
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s obviously not one of Dagny’s trains, since those tunnels have all collapsed. Chapter summary: Following John’s speech, the antagonists decide to fail to address the event at all, neither sanctioning nor sanctioning it (I love contranyms!). The President puts a tail on Dagny, hoping…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 27: “This is John Galt Speaking”
I had a joke to put here, but I decided: I’m tired of the smarmy jokes. This book is having an odd effect on me, this chapter in particular. Chapter summary: The Powers that Be have set up a global broadcast so that the President can make a state of the world announcement, but John…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 26: The Concerto of Deliverance
While the previous chapter focused on Dagny, this one focuses on Hank, tying up the final loose end that needs to be tied up before Galt can give his soliloquy. Chapter summary: Hank faces a strike from the steelworkers’ union, led by agents planted by the government to cause trouble. He’s called to a meeting…
Atlas Shrugged Chapter 25: Their Brothers’ Keepers
Being sick much of last week, I muddled slowly through the first part of this chapter, and then in a sudden urge to finish this by the end of the month, I surged forward. As a result, I’m currently halfway through the behemoth 27th chapter. As such, many of my impressions of chapters 25 and…
Website for toddlers: KneeBouncers
The KneeBouncers store sells a tshirt that says, “My computer has been taken over by KneeBouncers.” It speaks the truth. There are many educational websites out there, as well as commercial sites tied to items of interest to older children. But toddlers are a bit of a special market, with very simple interests: Bright colors,…
Xenorepulsive
In my continuing quest to muddy the evolutionary waters of English, I offer the word “xenorepulsive.” I was discussing with my wife today the issue that “racist” has become an increasingly broad, and hence useless, word. Liberals tend to use it to mean any sort of hostility or negativity based on people of a different…