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Tag: jimTaggart

  • The “Passion” of John Galt (or the end of Jim Taggart)

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 102 – pp. 1140-1149

    No it ain’t.

    “Long coils of wire, like the twisted arms of an octopus, stretched forward across the stone floor, from the machine to a leather mattress spread under a cone of violent light. John Galt lay strapped to the mattress, He as naked; the small metal disks of electrodes at the ends of the wires were attached to his wrists, his shoulders, his hips and his ankles…”

    Sounds like an impressive creation. Wonder where Dr F bought the kit for that?

    They turn on the machine and hear the buzz from the generator and the amplified sound of John Galt’s heartbeat.

    Now he makes a fairly ridiculous sounding demand of Galt.

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  • Best chapter in the book – pt. 2

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 091 – pp. 972-981

    “You can accept our repentance,” said Lillian in a voice glassy with caution. “I only want you to know that whatever I’ve done, I’ve done it because I loved you.”

    Hank ain’t listening to that.

    Mother Rearden is approaching panic mode.

    “What’s happened to you? What’s changed you like that? You don’t seem to be human anymore!”

    (more…)

  • A September 2 surprise!

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 085 – pp. 909-921

    Somehow destroying a company like d’Anconia Copper or Rearden Steel is one thing. But destroying an innocent like Cherryl sinks the whole bunch to a new level of moral depravity.  (Not that I’m sentimental, but that bit pissed me off.)

    That said, the drama is starting to pick up. I mean it was all well and good living in Atlantis for a month. But the real drama is here where the scumbags live. Hey, call me a jerk. I read the Bible and TMZ.com.

    I stopped a couple pages early yesterday. Felt it was the fitting thing to do as the chapter ended with Cherryl. Time to get back on pace.

    (more…)

  • A tragic, untimely end…

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 084 – pp. 902-911

    The world, as represented by ole Jimmy Taggart, is rapidly spiraling down into a moral abyss. He’s just hit it with Lillian Rearden. More or less taking advantage of a woman down on her most-undeserved luck to satisfy not a sexual but a power lust.

    Yeah, he’s a sick POS. (And I’m getting the sense he’s going off the deep end.)

    Anyway, back to the ever-increasing drama…

    (more…)

  • Jim Taggart’s descent to oblivion

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 083 – pp. 892-901

    Now we shift back in time. (Just an hour or so) Jim Taggart is sitting in his study and sees Cherryl leave the apartment.

    He slams the door and we get into a little “crazy scene.” (The kind of stuff that wins actors Oscars. — I have never made a prediction this early, but…

    (more…)

  • The light goes on for Cherryl

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 082 – pp. 882-891

    Yeah, Jim keeps heading on down the path with Cherryl.

    “What path is that?” you say.

    (more…)

  • Jim Taggart is a piece of shit

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 081 – pp. 872-881

    OK, for those who came in late. Things are picking up. A little. Hank and Dagny have taken the last steps they can against the looters. Jim and his cohorts are taking over the rest of the world (to loot it.)

    (By the way, anyone interested in how this works in real life should read the Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein. It’s essentially about how countries are bankrupted and destroyed so that the US can come in an cash in. Personally, I think she misdirects her blame at Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of economics. Well, in truth, they were all there for the events she describes, but I think she unfairly takes issue with the free market theory. What she inadvertently reveals, is its misapplication.)

    All I’m gonna say is, if this story doesn’t end with a huge 21st century battle between the looters and the industrialists with handheld x-ray machines, self-sustaining motors, giant xylophones and maybe a couple light sabers and an terminator or two, I’m gonna be pissed. Anywho…

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  • Jim Taggart’s hollow conquest

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 080 – pp. 862-871

    “Now tell me,” he asked, “where were you?”

    Can’t tell you. Don’t know. Couldn’t’ find it if I wanted.

    “Who is he?”

    “Who is John Galt?”

    Ohhhhhhhh!

    (more…)

  • Saving the country’s morale

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 078 – pp. 842-851

    “How many trains have been discontinued in the country in the past three weeks?”

    “It has eliminated thirty per cent of the trains run in the country,” said Eddie. “The only competition left is in the applications to the Board for permission to cancel trains. The railroad to survive will be the one that manages to run no trains at all.”

    That’s quite an explanation.

    What’s going on in Dagny’s head?

    (more…)

  • Dagny’s return from paradise

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 077 – pp. 832-841

    “The buildings seemed worn by weeks of summer heat, but the people seemed worm by centuries of anguish.”

    Dagny’s back in the Big Apple. Apparently things have gone down hill in just the last month. These ten pages are more or less catch up so I’m just going to hit the highlights. (I want to get moving on that Project X — or Thompson Harmonizer plot twist.)

    So she got dropped in Watsonville NE. Made her way to the train she took to the airport. While on the train she realized that her return from the dead was going to be a public affair. (Wait’ll you see how she covers her bases on that!) At the airport boarding the plane she stops a reporter, identifies herself and tell’s him she’s alive before boarding her flight.

    The news is out all over by the time she lands.

    (more…)

  • The more you give – the more you get

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 056 – pp. 619-628

    Dagny’s in awe. And in horror. Horrified awe? Awesome horror?

    In any case, I don’t think she still fully gets it. The part about “inaction” actually being action (in this instance.)

    She sees things as they are because they (her, Francisco, Hank et al) didn’t work hard enough. Francisco is trying to tell her it’s because they worked too hard. (And didn’t charge enough.)

    I think this is where a lot of objection to Rand’s philosophy comes in.   That her idea of “chasing money” is her moral end in itself. It’s not. . .

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  • Obeying orders and dodging responsibility

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 053 – pp. 589-598

    “Split rail,” the conductor answered impassively. “the engines went off the track. . .”

    Rails were worn. Scheduled to be replaced. Order canceled by Clifton Locey.

    Might he finally be held responsible? What about the engine?. . .

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  • Plotting the death of the free world

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 055 – pp. 539-548

    If I may paraphrase Directive 10-289. . .

    Point One – you are officially chained to your job — quitting is a criminal offense

    Point Two – if you own a business, you have to keep it in operation no matter what

    Point Three – all patents, copyrights, intellectual property and the like must be turned over to the state as a “patriotic emergency gift”

    Point Four – nothing new shall be invented, produced or sold

    Point Five – industry shall be required to produce the exact same amount of goods as they did during the “basic year”

    Point Six – everyone shall spend the same amount of money they did on the goods they bought in the “basic year”

    Point Seven – all wages, prices, salaries, dividends (and about any other payout you can think of) shall be frozen

    Point Eight – anything not covered (or if you break the rules) ends up in front of the Unification Board . . .

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  • The climax of the decline (???)

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 054 – pp. 529-538

    “You know, of course, I won’t allow this to continue. . . I won’t permit you to have her. Not her. Anyone but her. . . . I won’t permit it! You’ll give it up!. . . You’ll give it up, you’ll leave her, you’ll never see her again!”

    Hank has a calm reply.

    (more…)

  • Secrets revealed

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 053 – pp. 519-528

    My God! How long have I been gone! Well the move is about done. Pictures to hang and a few more things to organize, but for the most part, I’m all in. I think I set a world record for how much crap one guy can have. Seriously. The whole damn thing took 4 weeks. I know a guy down here who claims he can throw all his stuff in a duffel bag. I’m jealous.

    So where were we? Oh yeah! “another death was all but assured…”

    (more…)

  • The death of John Galt

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 052 – pp. 509-518

    High drama. In the movies I think there’s a name for this. Of course I don’t know what it is.  The board wants Dagny to recommend dismantling the only profitable line in the Taggart Trans system. The line she built…

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  • The beginning of the end?

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 051 – pp. 499-508

    All hell has broken loose. The apocalypse is at hand. And the G is still screwing things up.

    (more…)

  • The wedding crasher

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 041 – pp. 399-408

    No it’s not a cuisinart.

    It’s her husband at the reception. In the presence of so many of whom it will impress.

    “Your guests are quite impressed. I can practically hear them thinking all over the room. Most of them are thinking: ‘If he has to seek terms with Jim Taggart, we’d better toe the line.”

    So it’s not really a gift. More of an exchange? What’s she want?

    (more…)

  • Of receptions and deceptions…

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 040 – pp. 389-398

    And on and on he’d ramble. About how good Dagny, his “ruthless, conceited bitch” of a sister and Hank Rearden and all the rest of them are at making money. Why wouldn’t they acknowledge his spiritual superiority.

    Don’t know Jim.  Maybe if you were living in a monastery. . . but you’re president of a railroad.

    Cherryl on the other hand, really had no idea what he is talking about. She does see that he’s in pain, however, and her youthful sympathy, like finding a rabbit or something equally cuddly caught in a trap makes you cry, draws her to him.

    Actually did more than that.

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  • Tracking the motor

    Atlas Shrugged – Day 030 – pp. 294-303

    Chapter X — Wyatt’s Torch

    They’re going to find the person who built that motor. Won’t be easy. First they have to find out about the owner of the factory. So they start at the hall of records. . .

    “Nobody knows who owns that factory now. I guess nobody will ever know it. . .”

    (more…)