Strut and Fret

I just finished reading "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. Astonishingly, it was written in 1932. I'm astonished because of how creepily accurate much of it is. It's startlingly prophetic and I began to feel guilty about many of the conveniences that I enjoy.

A large part of the book focuses on the idea that a happy, calm population is a productive one. People are, essentially, medicated and conditioned into a dull, smiling complacency. A fictional feel-good drug called Soma takes all of the edge off of any taxing or startling experience, while a constant diet of scented air, radio, television, and "feelies" (movies that proffer not only a visual and aural experience, but also tactile and olfactory ones), keeps them distracted from their own thoughts. People are encouraged never to be alone. Think about how our current, modern lives work and this book could touch a nerve.

The book (and, of course, the title) also makes several references to Shakespeare's writings. I was delighted to recognize many of them, as I didn't realize I remembered that much from my college Shakespeare courses. "How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,that has such people in't!" I might write more on this later, time allowing.


I'm currently working on a project involving hundreds of slides from Israel in 1967, just after, I believe, the six-day war. Israel had conquered the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights. Tourists were just being allowed back in the country when my clients took their trip and shot amazing photos of everything. It's a remarkable look into the recent past of Israel. However, looking at shots of a model of Solomon's Temple brings home the ridiculousness of calling 100-year-old buildings in Philadelphia "historic."


UPDATE: I'll post playlists from my last few shows later today. I've been working through the blog and fixing the links. I think everything will be tip-top by next week.