Forces of Henry Adams

 Modern politics is, at bottom, a struggle not of men but of forces. The men become every year more and more creatures of force, massed about central power-houses. The conflict is no longer between the men, but between the motors that drive the men, and the men tend to succumb to their own motive forces.

~ Henry Adams ~

 

... What I would ask Mr. Adams is -- 'And once that has happened…then what?' Is there no alternative? Or is this by design? Is this Democracy as advertised? I agree that Mr. Adams' description fits the bottom of politics, but is this firm curved shape what we want to spank? What makes it 'modern'?

CoVid-19 is making a Move Again.

1/4 of a Million infected. 

Wear a Mask -- Don't Hurt People. 

And Long Remains the Blame

As longtime political handicapper Stu Rothenberg wrote in a post-Memorial Day column:

"The country is as polarized as it was two months ago, and the trajectory of the contest is essentially unchanged, with Biden holding a comfortable lead in national polling and having multiple paths to 270 electoral votes.

"While daily developments give the cable television networks something to chatter about, today's big story will be replaced by a new one tomorrow, and another one the day after that. But the fundamentals of the race remain unchanged."

IS IT OK TO... ?

This is a question which is asked with frequency by writers who have recently committed to the idea of getting serious with their time and have decided to take it out on a novel. Is it Ok to...?

apocalypse (n.)

Etymology: late 14c., "revelation, disclosure," from Church Latin apocalypsis "revelation," from Greek apokalyptein "uncover, disclose, reveal," from apo "off, away from" (see apo-) + kalyptein "to cover, conceal," from PIE root *kel- (1) "to cover, conceal, save." The Christian end-of-the-world story is part of the revelation in John of Patmos' book "Apokalypsis" (a title rendered into English as pocalipsis c. 1050, "Apocalypse" c. 1230, and "Revelations" by Wyclif c. 1380).

Phrasal Verbing Character Voice

It occurs to me that our age can be deduced by our phrasal verbs. When we are young, it is all up; we run up, grow up, rush up, want to stay up. When we are older it is all down; slow down, hold it down, calm down, I need to lay down.

Author: Glenn Hefley

Grendal's Mother in Beowulf

Until the late 1970s, all scholarship on Grendel's mother and translations of the phrase "aglæc-wif" were influenced by the edition of noted Beowulf scholar Frederick Klaeber. His edition, Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburg, has been considered a standard in Beowulf scholarship since its first publication in 1922.