Eighty years ago, George Orwell made his first impact on American letters, interestingly enough, not with his bombshell attack on the Russian Revolution, Animal Farm, but with a small collection of his essays, Dickens, Dali and Others, which appeared in April 1946 to positive reviews. Edmund Wilson, doyen of American reviewers, gave the volume a boost in The New Yorker, calling Orwell a master of sociological criticism, while complimenting him on “a readiness to think for himself” and for “a prose style that is both downright and disciplined.” (RELATED: Is Orwell Heading to the Memory Hole?) Orwell’s collection of essays was reviewed by the leading journals of opinion, an indication that the success of Animal Farm in England had spread his reputation in America. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The Atlantic praised Orwell’s skill in analyzing the role of popular culture, calling him a literary detective. Diana Trilling in Nation also admired Orwell’s approach to popular culture as “something fresh and new.” (Nation would not be so admiring of Animal Farm and Orwell’s skewering of the Russian Revolution when it appeared four months later.) Commonweal’s reviewer, Charles Brady, praised the essays and pointed out that Orwell was someone Catholics should admire. Until the appearance of this small collection of essays and the massive follow-up success of Animal Farm four months later, Orwell had little following in America. Two of his early novels, Burmese Days and A Clergyman’s Daughter, had received positive notice in the Catholic intellectual journal, Commonweal, which also was among the first to recognize the importance of the Dickens, Dali volume. Orwell’s first significant appearance in America came early in World War II, when the left-wing journal Partisan Review negotiated a deal with him for periodic reports on the war’s impact in Britain. Fifteen of these “London Letters” appeared between 1941 and 1946 and were typical of Orwell — insightful, sometimes wrong-headed about the course of the war, but always interesting and opinionated. Orwell also formed a friendship with a former Partisan Review stalwart, the critic Dwight Macdonald, and even contributed cultural pieces to his idiosyncratic journal, Politics. Although disagreeing with Macdonald’s pacifist views regarding the war, the two men shared a sharply negative opinion of Communism. Despite the success of Animal Farm … and even more so, Nineteen Eighty-Four, I believe a case can be made for the significance of his mastery of the essay form. Despite the success of Animal Farm (which sold half a million copies in the United States and made Orwell rich for the first time) and even more so, Nineteen Eighty-Four, I believe a case can be made for the significance of his mastery of the essay form. Quite simply, he was the greatest essayist of the 20th century, something first recognized in America. What made Orwell a success at the essay form was his skill as a literary critic as well as his insight into what we would call popular culture. The Dickens, Dali volume was the first attempt to study popular cultural themes, seemingly frivolous examples of art and literature, and what they tell us about contemporary society. No one had attempted that before, and the format was one that suited Orwell’s plain literary style, one that was clear, concise, and could be appreciated by the general reader as well as the scholar. The concept can be found in both scholarly and popular journals today. There were 10 essays in the volume that discussed serious literary topics such as the significance of his early literary idols, Kipling and especially Charles Dickens as well as distinctive pieces on insignificant topics, an approach that Orwell first developed and which became and remains popular today: the serious essay or analysis of seemingly frivolous literature such as “The Art of Donlad McGill,” dealt with crude, semi-obscene postcard drawings. Orwell argued that they reflected the resilient strength of the English working classes and should be taken seriously. He also found revealing cultural differences between American and English society in the detective story, contrasting the behavior of the English gentleman thief, Raffles, with what he called the American sadism of No Orchids for Miss Blandish.  No one had done this before, and the American literary world was impressed. Time’s critic, James Agee, found Orwell’s prose vigorous and his observation of life “with an eye that is usually more sharp than bloodshot.” While the historian Arthur Schlesinger believed that Orwell’s prose was characterized by “deadly simplicity.” The main essays in the book are on provocative themes and are developed with flair and originality. The most influential piece deals with one of Orwell’s idols, Charles Dickens. Orwell’s ‘take’ on Dickens as possessing a “free intelligence” and as a man of strong moral sense reflected some of his own strengths as a writer. Orwell described Dickens as honest and, in a phrase that describes himself, as “generously angry” at war with the world’s “smelly little orthodoxies.” He believed that Dickens was a type of 19th-century liberal, a free intelligence not found in the England of his time. The essay influenced by Darwin scholars can still be found in the college canon today. Orwell found Kipling fascinating, characterizing him as a mix of imperialist and talented writer. He believed that Kipling was “the only English writer of our time who added phrases to the language.” While disapproving of Kipling’s “jingoism,” Orwell admitted that at times his verse reached poetic levels, quoting the lines from “Mandalay”: For the wind is in the palm-trees and the temple-bells they say; “Come you back, you British soldier, come you back to Mandalay It is clear that Orwell is half in love with Kipling despite criticism of his political philosophy. In a comment that has pertinence today, Orwell strongly rejected calling Kipling a fascist, a term that he argued has become entirely meaningless. “Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A Man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying.” The remaining essays in the volume, while always worth a read, are not of the same quality. His take on Salvador Dali opens with an example of Orwell’s provocative way of challenging the reader: “Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A Man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying.” But Orwell has little of interest to say about Dali. “In Defense of P.G. Wodehouse” reflects Orwell’s disgust at the persecution of a writer whom he loved as a young man. In the midst of defending Wodehouse — a stance he shared with other conservative authors such as Evelyn Waugh — Orwell makes a serious point that Wodehouse’s best work really reflected the pre-World War I and not the 1920s. Dickens, Dali and Others introduced America to Orwell as an essayist, but his best essays wouldn’t be seen in America until after his death. In 1952 Anchor Books, trying to reach educated readers with quality paperbacks, published A Collection of Essays which along with reprinting titles from his first volume included some of Orwell’s most important work: “Shooting an Elephant,” “Politics and the English Language,” “Why I Write,” as well as his highly personal piece on his early education, “Such, Such Were the Joys.” This volume was widely reviewed now that Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four had made him famous, and exposed the reading public, including college students who found it in required reading English courses, to Orwell’s unique skill as a writer of provocative essays. Orwell achieved fame with Animal Farm and especially Nineteen Eighty–Four, but his official biographer, Bernard Crick, believed that his essays “may well constitute his lasting claim to greatness as a writer.” A little strong, but he may have a point. READ MORE from John P. Rossi: Churchill as Hero of World War II Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair: A Reflection Is Orwell Heading to the Memory Hole? John P. Rossi is Professor Emeritus of History at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

The economy under President Trump’s leadership has performed brilliantly: economic growth and productivity are up, inflation is subdued, and unemployment is low. But the fact is, Americans are paying more for electricity these days, and the president — as he promised in the runup to 2024 — needs to show he’s doing something about it. This concern of affordability will play a pivotal role in the upcoming mid-term elections, just 9 months from now. The outcome of the midterms will determine which party controls the House and Senate and, hence, the ability of Donald Trump to continue his domestic economic policies. (RELATED: Drill, Baby, Drill — But What About the Electrical Grid?) A new poll has found that more Americans think Democrats (37 percent), as opposed to Republicans (25 percent), are the party most committed to reducing energy prices. Enter Artificial Intelligence. It is no surprise that AI is rapidly and significantly being integrated into the U.S. economy. To support this burgeoning investment in AI, tech companies are increasingly developing data centers that draw enormous power from America’s aging electrical grid, thereby pushing up the cost of electricity to utility customers. (RELATED: Data Centers Are an Easy Scapegoat for Failing Electrical Grids) The Trump administration is exploring measures to reduce the impact on consumers by requiring technology companies building data centers to absorb all associated utility and infrastructure costs as electricity prices continue to rise across the US. (RELATED: On Venezuelan Oil Tankers, Chinese AI, and American Energy Traitors) The discussion around data center costs comes as electricity prices have increased significantly, rising 6.9 percent (double the rate of inflation) year over year in 2025, with no signs of remitting. Through the end of the decade, data centers will constitute 40 percent of electricity demand growth. In January, several states joined the White House in signing an agreement urging PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator, to require major technology companies to finance $15 billion worth of new power plants. PJM manages the electrical grid in regions with high concentrations of data centers, including northern Virginia and New Jersey. But here’s the thing — electricity prices have been rising steadily for more than a decade, and this is before AI meaningfully entered the picture. Putting a cap on AI-generated energy costs will not, by itself, solve President Trump’s electricity affordability problem with America’s electorate. Since 2021, the average price of electricity across the U.S. has risen by almost 30 percent, with no signs of slowing down. In 2025, electric utilities across the nation requested rate increases totaling $71.2 billion through 2028. As a result, the public has been pointing the finger at everything from the rise in new AI data centers, grid investments, to growth in “green” energy. But electricity pricing is too complicated to blame just one thing. A recent study revealed that electricity price changes across the U.S. in recent years were driven by a combination of factors, including location, infrastructure impacts from extreme weather conditions, grid upgrades needed for modernization and resilience, and volatility of fossil-fuel costs. There’s no single explanation for U.S. price trends across all types of customers in all contexts. The reason for this lies in a combination of structural pressures that are now threatening energy affordability. Demand Is Outpacing Supply In some locations, higher prices can be explained by the law of supply and demand. More electricity is needed than is currently available. But Rome was not built in a day — and neither are new power generation and delivery systems. In PJM, the regional transmission organization serving the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest, tight supply and growing demand have contributed to record prices in the auction for future supply. According to PJM’s independent market monitor, new AI data centers are largely responsible for this trend, driving a $7.3 billion, or 82 percent increase, in auction revenues in 2025 alone. Unless President Trump is successful in his efforts to have “Big Tech” absorb the costs from new AI data centers and their increased energy demand from America’s power grid, that burden will ultimately be paid by utility customers, and the latter are already seeing higher costs on their bills from last year’s capacity auction. In the face of constrained supply, one way for the president to quickly access affordable sources of energy is by removing barriers that limit demand-side resources. Inconsistent rules and inadequate compensation structures hinder the potential of solutions that address the problem by reducing and managing demand rather than building more supply immediately — such as more flexibility at data centers and grid-enhancing technologies. Longer term, the U.S. will need to build new supply and the infrastructure to support it, which means streamlining permitting and reviewing timelines that can take years to navigate. Aging Infrastructure and Deferred Investment The electric grid is the largest and most important “system” in the country, and much of it is old. For decades, electricity demand was flat. Utilities and regulators responded rationally by deferring major investments. That kept rates low, but it also meant infrastructure aged in place. Transmission lines, substations, generation assets, and gas-electric coordination systems all require large capital outlays at the same time. Natural gas supplies roughly 43 percent of U.S. electricity generation; yet, the infrastructure needed to move gas reliably to power plants has not expanded at the same pace as dependence on it. We postponed investment during decades of flat demand and are now paying the bill when demand is rising again. Most of the U.S. electric grid was built in the 1950s and 1970s and is now approaching the end of its expected 50- to 80-year lifespan. At the distribution level, utilities report that roughly 28 percent of their spending on local power systems is driven by a need to replace old infrastructure. Electricity Is Cheap, Delivering It Is Not Over the past 10 to 15 years, the cost of generating electricity has fallen steadily. We have become remarkably proficient at producing “cheap electrons.” But moving them over long distances is another issue. In the future, the electricity we consume may be relatively cheap, while the systems that make it available account for a growing share of our utility bill. Although President Trump is making prudent decisions, it would be too simple to blame AI data centers for the current electricity price hikes. Rising electricity prices are not a sign of sudden market failure. They reflect a system being asked to do more, more reliably, and under harsher conditions, after decades of “kicking the can down the road.” The real question is not whether prices will rise, but whether the president can (over the next 9 months) convince Americans that he is taking concrete steps to fix a problem not of his own making. READ MORE from F. Andrew Wolf Jr.: The Cost of Harvard’s Intransigence Lord Mandelson: The Albatross Around Sir Keir’s Neck The Productivity Boom Economists Didn’t See Coming

New Mexico is opening a formal, state-funded probe into Jeffrey Epstein’s 7,600-acre Zorro Ranch this week, authorizing $2.5 million to examine allegations that the late sex offender used the property as a site for trafficking and sexual abuse.  The measure, the first state-level investigation focused on Epstein’s New Mexico estate, establishes a bipartisan committee that seeks to collect testimony from alleged victims as well as local residents and others who may have knowledge about activities at the ranch. The committee, referred to as the “truth commission,” establishes a four-member panel composed of Democratic Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, Democratic Rep. Marianna Anaya of Albuquerque, Republican Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis, and Republican Rep. William Hall II of Aztec. Romero co-sponsored the legislation, which grants the panel subpoena power, requires an initial report by July, and authorizes the investigation to continue through the end of 2026.  The four commissioners have relevant backgrounds that they bring to the “truth commission.” Representatives Romero and Reeb are both attorneys. Representative Hall formerly worked for the FBI, and Representative Anaya is an advocate for abuse survivors and the former deputy director for ProgressNow New Mexico. The commissioners plan to recruit a team of investigators to support the commission and coordinate with the New Mexico DOJ.  This state inquiry unfolded as the Department of Justice announced the release of roughly 3.5 million additional records tied to the Epstein case at the end of January. This disclosure, mandated under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, is the largest public release of Epstein-related materials since his 2019 arrest and death.   Last week, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard insisted on an investigation. She sent a Feb. 10 letter calling on state and federal officials to examine allegations contained in an email revealed through the recent Epstein document release. In response, Chief Deputy Attorney General James Grayson said the New Mexico Department of Justice is treating the claim seriously and needs to acquire the original materials referenced in the email before determining how to proceed.  According to an anonymous November 2019 email included in the newly released files, an alleged former ranch worker wrote, “Did you know somewhere in the hills outside the Zorro, two foreign girls were buried on orders of Jeffrey and Madam G? Both died by strangulation during rough, fetish sex.” The anonymous source in the email claimed to possess videos taken from Epstein’s home, including footage allegedly involving sex with minors as “insurance in case of future litigation against Epstein,” and the source sought payment of 1 bitcoin, worth approximately $8,000, to share them.  The email was sent to conservative talk show host and former mayoral candidate Eddy Aragon, who said he declined to respond, and instead, immediately forwarded the message to the FBI. Aragon said the FBI reassured him that investigators would follow up with him, though he said he never received further communication. In 2019, shortly after Epstein’s arrest in New York, New Mexico’s Attorney General Hector Balderas opened a state-level inquiry into potential crimes connected to Zorro Ranch. That effort was halted after federal prosecutors in Manhattan requested that New Mexico “cease any investigation into sex trafficking” and that they “would pass along any information [federal investigators] may have gathered about state crimes that were committed…” Subsequent emails released by the Justice Department indicate that federal authorities ultimately had “not searched the New Mexico property.”  Located 30 miles southeast of civilization in Santa Fe, Zorro Ranch is now a focal point of online speculation following the new release of 3.5 million new files. Some are theorizing that the ranch and other properties contain “underground tunnels” and “bunkers,” based on several email exchanges discussing “tunnel maintenance.” In 2015, for example, an email was forwarded to Epstein that read, “the dimensions from John= [sic] as per your request…” The original email, from John Woods with Jaredian Design Group, said, “As requested, floor plans of the existing ‘tunnel’ building and m=intenance [sic] building with square footages.”  Another email had several attached photos of “under_ground_tunnel.” Other documents have individuals speculating that Zorro Ranch has “6 levels.” It is further theorized that Epstein worked with Lifeboat Foundation because the organization builds bunkers, based on emails sent from Eric Klien of Lifeboat Foundation to Epstein in 2014. READ MORE from Dylan Kresak: Sexuality Symbols Spotted in Lego Kids’ Show Ninjago Puerto Rico Is Pro-Life? New Law Defines Unborn Babies as Human Beings in Homicide Cases Transgender Ex-Student Identified as Suspect in One of Canada’s Deadliest School Shootings

Everything in nature has a reason for being — except socialism. But let’s remember, not everything comes from God; the devil sometimes claims a share of authorship. God, for example, made some very tasty fruits with pits so we don’t eat too many. If you don’t believe me, try eating a kilo of cherries and write me about your experience (no details needed). God also made melons, quite indigestible, with seeds to scare off the lazy — most of us. He made the tastiest fish full of bones, so we don’t drive the species to extinction. Meanwhile, cabbage and cauliflower stink when cooked, which should have given Mom a clue when she first tried to get us to eat them as children. God made shellfish ugly, so our uric acid levels don’t spike. Luckily, He also invented wine, so we can eat all the shellfish we want without worrying about uric acid. He made lemons sour, so we don’t eat them straight, but rather with rum and Coke, as the Holy Mother Church commands. And He made pigs pink — no idea why, maybe it was a joke. He invented lightning before thunder to protect our cardiovascular health. He invented free fall, so that the idiots taking dangerous selfies have a natural predator. He put thorns on some flowers, so we don’t send hundreds of roses to every crush at once. And He made some animals very ugly, so we keep a safe distance. He gave us prominent noses, so we don’t make the foolish mistake of wearing masks when politicians tell us to. He gave us hair on our heads to serve as a natural measure of the passage of time. And He created rats, so that cats occasionally stop bothering humans. He made laughter contagious, so there are moments of relaxation at funerals. He gave us bad tempers, so we don’t reason with idiots. And He gave us two hands, so we can text on our phones while opening a beer and speeding down the highway. God made us have nightmares at night, so that waking life doesn’t seem so terrible. He made women beautiful, so men don’t spend all their money on luxury cars. And He also created salespeople, to show that it’s possible to live without friends. He made cats indifferent, so that dogs seem like our best friends. God made snakes — probably a suggestion from the devil. He created tofu to punish hipsters. And He made the stars shift at night, to make the wait more bearable for insomniacs. God made chickens hatch from eggs — and sometimes the opposite — to promote the circular economy. He gave teeth to herbivores to deceive predators. He invented sociology degrees, so people collecting unemployment benefits can at least brag about a diploma. God made literature for us to keep quiet for a while and let Him get some sleep. He gave us fire, so we smokers don’t stay constantly grumpy. He created the hole in CDs, so we can stick our fingers in them. And He made the platypus, to show that He has a sense of humor. Babies crying all night make the coffee industry, which supports millions, viable. The deafening noise of the Black & Decker ensures that afterward, even Bad Bunny sounds like music. He created Sydney Sweeney, so that I stop proposing to Maria Sharapova every single day. God made politicians charming and attractive, to prevent voter abstention — and then stupid, so we don’t trust them more than we should. He made tracksuits, so fat people think they are exercising while eating pizza and watching TV. He made gyms smell awful, so we avoid the temptation to go in and, instead, head to the bar. God created food influencers, so we understand why our grandparents taught etiquette in schools. He created endless podcasters, so we appreciate the brevity of a tweet; astrologers, to stop all liars from entering politics; and computer scientists, to deal with the overproduction of heavy metal band T-shirts no one has ever heard of. God created the last slice of sandwich bread, so we can use the expression “You’re more useless than the last slice of sandwich bread.” He made the sea, so all the creatures that He forgot to give legs can move around. He invented glasses, so even we idiots can look smart. And God made us writers and journalists alcoholics, to stop all the whiskey from being drunk by school bus drivers. READ MORE from Itxu Díaz: AOC’s Big Comedy Show in Europe It’s Time to Regenerate the Spirit My Response to WaPo’s ‘Blueberry’ Love Letter Recommendation for Valentine’s Day Erratum: In my previous article, I “literally made Hitler born” in Germany instead of Austria, and I have no qualms admitting that I am an illiterate idiot, but the truth is that this time it was due to a translation error of the expression “the cradle of.”

In 2018, Christian “CT” Newman walked away from the Sportster Showdown in Sturgis with more than a trophy. After earning […] The post CT Newman’s Kickstart-Only Harley-Davidson Evolution Sportster | Best in Show Build appeared first on Hot Bike Magazine.