Comments on 2 books
"The Blue Sweater" - Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz
Throughout this book the author demonstrates that she must be an exceptionally strong person, both physically and mentally. Although she had what must have been a very exciting and promising job at one of America's largest banks, she could not satisfy her desire to involve even the poorest people of world in our interconnected economy and society, by means of finding local "entreprenuers," that is, people with ideas and ability, and the new practice of "microfinancing," very small loans at very low rates of interest. By choice, it seems, she worked mostly with women.
This desire of her's led to a series of posts and projects, and ultimately revealing acquaintances with Rwandan women on both sides of, and both before and after, the genocide of 1994, which killed over 800,000 people; about 10% of the population.
The author's accounts repeatedly demonstrate the relationships, conflicts, and hopes of Africans and Western outsiders in our "post-modern" times.
"Goddess of the Market - Ayn Rand and the American Right" by Jennifer Burns
Although the author of this fascinating book writes that in the year 2008 alone the combined sales of Ayn Rand's four novels, all written over 50 years ago, exceeded 800,000 copies; I never read any of them, and I still have no plans to do so. However, Jennifer Burns outlines at least 3 of them so well, I feel that I already know something about them.
For me this book was filled with history and information about early Soviet Russia, Hollywood, and American politics, primarily conservative politics, from the 1930s to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.
All the philosophical and personal conflicts, disputes, and struggles involving Ayn Rand, and her "Objectivist" philosophy, and "libertarians," and various conservative factions was entirely new to {oblivious?}me, and very educational and enlightening.
The author also mentions the last television appearance of Ayn Rand on a well known, at the time, American "talk show," which occurred not long after the death of her husband of 50 years in 1979. I do remember watching that program.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Experimental Blog #13
Comments on the book "The Name of War - King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity" by Jill Lepore
The author of this book, the original scholar {from my point of view}, Jill Lepore, seems to have meticulously given all sides and opinions about this American event, which occurred over 325 years ago, and its subsequent affects.
I found the philosophical background to be especially interesting. The author says that the Dutch jurist and theologian Hugo Grotius was "deeply influential" in New England during this time, and he wrote that a "just war" must have two criteria; a "just cause" and "just conduct". She also mentioned St. Augustine, who said that a "just war" is "fair, legal, and limited", while a "holy war", a concept rejected by Hugo Grotius, is "sanctioned by God", or "divinely ordained and unrestrained".
The author also wrote at length about how American public opinion went seemingly from one extreme to the other about King Philip and his war. First he was a "treacherous beast", but then he was portrayed, especially in the 19th century, as a "noble, but doomed, hero, who must die." At the very same time the majority of Americans supported the "Indian removal" policy, often brutal, persued by President Andrew Jackson and all the following presidents.
The author of this book, the original scholar {from my point of view}, Jill Lepore, seems to have meticulously given all sides and opinions about this American event, which occurred over 325 years ago, and its subsequent affects.
I found the philosophical background to be especially interesting. The author says that the Dutch jurist and theologian Hugo Grotius was "deeply influential" in New England during this time, and he wrote that a "just war" must have two criteria; a "just cause" and "just conduct". She also mentioned St. Augustine, who said that a "just war" is "fair, legal, and limited", while a "holy war", a concept rejected by Hugo Grotius, is "sanctioned by God", or "divinely ordained and unrestrained".
The author also wrote at length about how American public opinion went seemingly from one extreme to the other about King Philip and his war. First he was a "treacherous beast", but then he was portrayed, especially in the 19th century, as a "noble, but doomed, hero, who must die." At the very same time the majority of Americans supported the "Indian removal" policy, often brutal, persued by President Andrew Jackson and all the following presidents.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Experimental Blog #12
Comments on 2 books
"The Map that Changed the World"- William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester
Another geology book that I read recently listed this book in the bibliography as somewhat "hagiographic", but still informative or worth reading. I found the book to be a very informative account of the life and sometimes amazing work of William Smith. However, the book did leave an impression that it was somewhat one-sided, and almost always, in favor of William Smith.
"Stories in Stone"- Travels Through Urban Geology by David B. Williams
When I finished this book, I could not get over the feeling that this book was one of the most impressive and informative books that I have read in a year or more. Reading it made me somewhat distressingly aware of my lack of, or miseducation, many years ago. Although, it is perhaps partly because geology and paleontology are also sciences that seem to have made remarkable advances or consolidation and interpretation of knowledge and research in recent decades, that is, in the last 30 years, or so.
"The Map that Changed the World"- William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester
Another geology book that I read recently listed this book in the bibliography as somewhat "hagiographic", but still informative or worth reading. I found the book to be a very informative account of the life and sometimes amazing work of William Smith. However, the book did leave an impression that it was somewhat one-sided, and almost always, in favor of William Smith.
"Stories in Stone"- Travels Through Urban Geology by David B. Williams
When I finished this book, I could not get over the feeling that this book was one of the most impressive and informative books that I have read in a year or more. Reading it made me somewhat distressingly aware of my lack of, or miseducation, many years ago. Although, it is perhaps partly because geology and paleontology are also sciences that seem to have made remarkable advances or consolidation and interpretation of knowledge and research in recent decades, that is, in the last 30 years, or so.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Experimental Blog #11
Comments on the book "The Passage to Cosmos" - Alexander von Humboldt and the Shaping of America by Laura Dassow Walls
As the subtitle says, this book is all about Alexander von Humboldt, the very famous, in his lifetime, "Natural Philosopher" from Prussia, who lived right before the full developement of genuine science from 1769 to 1859. Alexander von Humboldt denied the existence of, or, at least criticized, the new concept of "scientific objectivity."
So, my opinion is that this book is best when it is about geography and the description of Humboldt's American travels. It is also interesting when it is about the history of American landscape art of the 19th century. I thought it was fairly good, but variable, when it was about early 19th century American literature.
However, as a book of philosophy or religion, which I think both Alexander von Humboldt and this book are really about, I did not find it very inspiring.
Among very many people, the author mentions Karl Heinzen, the German philospher of "terrorism." Heinzen was one of Humboldt's many followers; who included both abolitionists and racists, and many other people with very opposing views.
Laura Dassow Walls begins her book by relating a "life changing experience" that involved holding a dead bird, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, that she was preparing for stuffing. Well, the last Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I saw, very briefly, was along the Fox River, not far south of Geneva, Illinois, on December 1st 2009.
As the subtitle says, this book is all about Alexander von Humboldt, the very famous, in his lifetime, "Natural Philosopher" from Prussia, who lived right before the full developement of genuine science from 1769 to 1859. Alexander von Humboldt denied the existence of, or, at least criticized, the new concept of "scientific objectivity."
So, my opinion is that this book is best when it is about geography and the description of Humboldt's American travels. It is also interesting when it is about the history of American landscape art of the 19th century. I thought it was fairly good, but variable, when it was about early 19th century American literature.
However, as a book of philosophy or religion, which I think both Alexander von Humboldt and this book are really about, I did not find it very inspiring.
Among very many people, the author mentions Karl Heinzen, the German philospher of "terrorism." Heinzen was one of Humboldt's many followers; who included both abolitionists and racists, and many other people with very opposing views.
Laura Dassow Walls begins her book by relating a "life changing experience" that involved holding a dead bird, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, that she was preparing for stuffing. Well, the last Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I saw, very briefly, was along the Fox River, not far south of Geneva, Illinois, on December 1st 2009.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Experimental Blog #10
Comments on 2 books:
"Ages in Chaos - James Hutton and the Discovery of Deep Time" by Stephen Baxter and
"The Man Who Found Time - James Hutton and the Discovery of the Earth's Antiquity" by Jack Repcheck
Recently I became more aware that I had a serious gap in my education in the science and history of geology. I could not decide which of the above 2 books to read, so I decided it would be better to read the longer one first. Of course, James Hutton was never called a scientist, since all such people were called Natural Philosophers back then.
Stephen Baxter, author of the longer book above, is British, and is described as primarily a writer of science fiction. His book seems to include more discussion of English politics and European philosophy, and he refers to such people as Rene Descartes, Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and even Karl Marx. He also mentions the beheading of the famous scientist, or Natural Philosopher, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, during the "Terror" of the French Revolution.
The shorter book is by an American, Jack Repcheck. Both books are very interesting, well written, and complement each other very well. Repcheck goes back as far as ancient Rome, and writes about the religious chronologies of Bishop Eusebius, Flavius Josephus, Julius Africanus, and others too, even in Medieval times. Of course, both authors write about the Bible, and the well known religious chronology of James Ussher; who was the established authority at the end of the 18th century, when James Hutton lived.
Repcheck also writes more and very interestingly about the "Scottish Enlightenment," and those famous people associated with it, such as; David Hume, Adam Smith, and others less famous. He also writes very descriptively about the city of Edinburgh and the environments of Scotland and England.
And another book, "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" - The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
I counted 22 recomendations, or positive comments, on the cover, or inside this book. I learned{I hope}many much needed lessons, not only about all kinds of punctuation marks, but about the proper, or improper, use of some words and other points of grammar. For one thing, it seems I use too many commas, but it was very interesting to find out what radically different opinions some famous authors, other writers, and editors have about punctuation.
Thanks to this book, I will make more effort to use punctuation correctly; so as to write more clearly and accurately.
"Ages in Chaos - James Hutton and the Discovery of Deep Time" by Stephen Baxter and
"The Man Who Found Time - James Hutton and the Discovery of the Earth's Antiquity" by Jack Repcheck
Recently I became more aware that I had a serious gap in my education in the science and history of geology. I could not decide which of the above 2 books to read, so I decided it would be better to read the longer one first. Of course, James Hutton was never called a scientist, since all such people were called Natural Philosophers back then.
Stephen Baxter, author of the longer book above, is British, and is described as primarily a writer of science fiction. His book seems to include more discussion of English politics and European philosophy, and he refers to such people as Rene Descartes, Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and even Karl Marx. He also mentions the beheading of the famous scientist, or Natural Philosopher, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, during the "Terror" of the French Revolution.
The shorter book is by an American, Jack Repcheck. Both books are very interesting, well written, and complement each other very well. Repcheck goes back as far as ancient Rome, and writes about the religious chronologies of Bishop Eusebius, Flavius Josephus, Julius Africanus, and others too, even in Medieval times. Of course, both authors write about the Bible, and the well known religious chronology of James Ussher; who was the established authority at the end of the 18th century, when James Hutton lived.
Repcheck also writes more and very interestingly about the "Scottish Enlightenment," and those famous people associated with it, such as; David Hume, Adam Smith, and others less famous. He also writes very descriptively about the city of Edinburgh and the environments of Scotland and England.
And another book, "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" - The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
I counted 22 recomendations, or positive comments, on the cover, or inside this book. I learned{I hope}many much needed lessons, not only about all kinds of punctuation marks, but about the proper, or improper, use of some words and other points of grammar. For one thing, it seems I use too many commas, but it was very interesting to find out what radically different opinions some famous authors, other writers, and editors have about punctuation.
Thanks to this book, I will make more effort to use punctuation correctly; so as to write more clearly and accurately.
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