Word: veneering
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...scandal, indignation and adoration that this world-weary little man has produced, there has been a curious lack of commentary upon the quality of his prose and his philosophy. This is indeed to Houellebecq's advantage, as his novel gives the avant-gardes a bad name. Beneath its glossy veneer of scandal, The Elementary Particles is an amazingly shallow and silly read. Filled with poorly realized characters, indifferent writing and ludicrous leaps of logic, the novel will not leave you pondering the inescapability of nihilism. It will only leave you looking for a way to annihilate the book itself...
...that he's out of uniform. He appears in public these days as a rather feeble octogenarian sporting soft colors, smiling affably, his eyes vaguely anxious and his demeanor almost eager to please. These days, the ruthless dictator of yore inspires more pity than terror, particularly now that the veneer of international respectability of his 17-year reign of terror has been stripped away...
What happened last week looked inevitable as it unfolded live on TV. But it didn't even look possible two weeks ago. Milosevic unwittingly set his fate in motion last summer when he tampered with the constitution and called an election nine months early to buff up his democratic veneer. Voters didn't like that, but when Serbs went to the polls Sept. 24, even they suspected the country would cement his presidency in place for another four years. And when the opposition declared a runaway victory on Sept. 25, claiming Kostunica had got 52.4%, compared with Milosevic...
...sooner than one might have dared hope, predicts Harvard University neurologist Dr. Dennis Selkoe, Alzheimer's disease will shed the veneer of invincibility that today makes it such a terrifying affliction. Medical practitioners, he believes, will shortly have on hand not one but several drugs capable of slowing--and perhaps even halting--the progression of the disease. Best of all, a better understanding of genetic and environmental risk factors will lead to much earlier diagnosis, so that patients will receive treatment long before their brains start to fade...
...will be interesting to see how Giuliani fares politically in the wake of Sunday's assaults. Throughout his tenure as mayor, he's fought to maintain an illusion of safety; it's been his meal ticket. If that veneer of law and order slips away, what is he left with...