Friday, March 19, 2004
Ace
I really like reading books by E. Annie Proulx -- of course, I always wonder what the "E" stands for (found out on Barleby.com that it stands for Edna!)
Read That Old Ace in the Hole : A Novel while traveling, and found it to be a light/fun read. I don't think it is as strong as Shipping News or Postcards, even (which I also read on the trip!), but it was good nonetheless.
Is a coming of age story... about Bob Dollar... of course, he's trying to earn a buck, and figure out what to do with his life... story takes you on a hunt for hog farm locations in the texas panhandle...
Some notes I enjoyed:
pg. 163 -- "Roosevelt changed the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in the month, persuaded that more shopping days for Christmas would improve the economy." (note the was 1939... I found that interesting... moving a quasi-religious day for purposes of commerce... of course, I just assume that's true... not worth fact-checking
SEE -- East of Eden starring James Dean -- was supposedly based on the story of Cain and Abel
pg. 211 -- "I thought we might hit the Trail Dust for lunch ... They have great Texas Steaks" -- my friend, Chris Hey, and I once ate at this restaurant on our cross-country car trip... the father of a girl we knew from high school took us there (with her) and treated for us... the steak was the best I ever had, bar none... they had a tradition of cutting off your tie, if you were wearing one, and hanging it on the wall... plus, their was a sliding board in the restaurant... or, maybe I had too many beers?
Read That Old Ace in the Hole : A Novel while traveling, and found it to be a light/fun read. I don't think it is as strong as Shipping News or Postcards, even (which I also read on the trip!), but it was good nonetheless.
Is a coming of age story... about Bob Dollar... of course, he's trying to earn a buck, and figure out what to do with his life... story takes you on a hunt for hog farm locations in the texas panhandle...
Some notes I enjoyed:
pg. 163 -- "Roosevelt changed the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in the month, persuaded that more shopping days for Christmas would improve the economy." (note the was 1939... I found that interesting... moving a quasi-religious day for purposes of commerce... of course, I just assume that's true... not worth fact-checking
SEE -- East of Eden starring James Dean -- was supposedly based on the story of Cain and Abel
pg. 211 -- "I thought we might hit the Trail Dust for lunch ... They have great Texas Steaks" -- my friend, Chris Hey, and I once ate at this restaurant on our cross-country car trip... the father of a girl we knew from high school took us there (with her) and treated for us... the steak was the best I ever had, bar none... they had a tradition of cutting off your tie, if you were wearing one, and hanging it on the wall... plus, their was a sliding board in the restaurant... or, maybe I had too many beers?
Reefer Madness!
Read about 10 books on our 2 months of travelling... toward the end, read Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market, by Eric Schlosser (also penned Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal)
Found it enjoyable -- probably not as good as FFN, but that's only because he didn't cover each of the three topics of RM (Marijuana, Migrant Labor Abuse, and Pornography) in as much detail as he covered food processing abuses in FFN. That said, the book was thought provoking -- I've never understood why the government doesn't just legalize weed and tax it. Doesn't seem any worse than alcohol, and it actually has positive uses (as a textile, treatment for pain sufferers, etc.). Also, the government's change in direction with regard to pornography over the years has been fairly drastic... especially when you think about the fact that massive, publically traded companies now ship porn thru to tv's everywhere (in your home as ppv, in hotels, etc) as commonly as title fights.
The book obviously caters to the liberals among us.
Some notes of interest:
READ - Indoor Marijuana Horticulture - The Indoor Bible
- Primo Plant: Growing Marijuana Outdoors
- How to Grow the Finest Marijuana Indoors Under Lights
- The Big Book of Buds: Marijuana Varieties from the World's Great Seed Breeders
- Marijuana Grower's Handbook: The Indoor High Yield Guide
- Ask Ed: Marijuana Law: Don't Get Busted
- Closet Cultivator
pg. 186 -- found interesting that one of the largest sellers of sexual 'devices' is named Philip Harvey (runs Adam & Eve / PHE) and that he actually leads a dual-life -- "for more than twenty-five years Harvey has managed family planning programs in developing nations and written dozens of articles on population control for academic journals. He has spent millions of dollars earned ... to fund non profit programs overseas ... in India, Ethiopia, Brazil, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines."
pg. 219 -- Adam Smith "believed that the interests of consumers must always take precedence over those of producers, who often care little about the public good and always seek to avoid competition. "The sneaking arts of underling tradesmen," he warned, "are thus erected into political maxims for the conduct of a great empire.""
-- Karen and I noted, in Thailand (and other countries during our trip) how true this was -- specifically, that cars in those countries didn't have seat belts for the rear passengers. Now, we know that the car companies (Toyota, etc.) fully understand how those seat belts save lives, but SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED BY LOCAL LAW, they decide to save the money and not install them, so as to remain $ competitive. That is despicable, and exactly why the public needs the government (basically, the citizenry) to be their advocate.
pg. 293 -- reminder (in the acknowledgments) that Eric Schlosser's work had begun/was encouraged by the editors at The Atlantic Monthly -- he noted their "willingness to publish long articles challenging the conventional wisdom." -- I'd say that's reason enough to pick up a copy of the AM from time to time, wouldn't you?
Found it enjoyable -- probably not as good as FFN, but that's only because he didn't cover each of the three topics of RM (Marijuana, Migrant Labor Abuse, and Pornography) in as much detail as he covered food processing abuses in FFN. That said, the book was thought provoking -- I've never understood why the government doesn't just legalize weed and tax it. Doesn't seem any worse than alcohol, and it actually has positive uses (as a textile, treatment for pain sufferers, etc.). Also, the government's change in direction with regard to pornography over the years has been fairly drastic... especially when you think about the fact that massive, publically traded companies now ship porn thru to tv's everywhere (in your home as ppv, in hotels, etc) as commonly as title fights.
The book obviously caters to the liberals among us.
Some notes of interest:
READ - Indoor Marijuana Horticulture - The Indoor Bible
- Primo Plant: Growing Marijuana Outdoors
- How to Grow the Finest Marijuana Indoors Under Lights
- The Big Book of Buds: Marijuana Varieties from the World's Great Seed Breeders
- Marijuana Grower's Handbook: The Indoor High Yield Guide
- Ask Ed: Marijuana Law: Don't Get Busted
- Closet Cultivator
pg. 186 -- found interesting that one of the largest sellers of sexual 'devices' is named Philip Harvey (runs Adam & Eve / PHE) and that he actually leads a dual-life -- "for more than twenty-five years Harvey has managed family planning programs in developing nations and written dozens of articles on population control for academic journals. He has spent millions of dollars earned ... to fund non profit programs overseas ... in India, Ethiopia, Brazil, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines."
pg. 219 -- Adam Smith "believed that the interests of consumers must always take precedence over those of producers, who often care little about the public good and always seek to avoid competition. "The sneaking arts of underling tradesmen," he warned, "are thus erected into political maxims for the conduct of a great empire.""
-- Karen and I noted, in Thailand (and other countries during our trip) how true this was -- specifically, that cars in those countries didn't have seat belts for the rear passengers. Now, we know that the car companies (Toyota, etc.) fully understand how those seat belts save lives, but SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED BY LOCAL LAW, they decide to save the money and not install them, so as to remain $ competitive. That is despicable, and exactly why the public needs the government (basically, the citizenry) to be their advocate.
pg. 293 -- reminder (in the acknowledgments) that Eric Schlosser's work had begun/was encouraged by the editors at The Atlantic Monthly -- he noted their "willingness to publish long articles challenging the conventional wisdom." -- I'd say that's reason enough to pick up a copy of the AM from time to time, wouldn't you?
Homestead.com sucks
Really, the title sums it up -- of course, I'm so cheap that I'll stick with them as my site hosting company until August 2004, since I'm paid up until then :)
Remember, never, ever, ever, ever patronize homestead.com (I told you not to click on it!)
Remember, never, ever, ever, ever patronize homestead.com (I told you not to click on it!)
Read Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton on the trip, and enjoyed it -- I found the first 1/3 somewhat boring as it was a lot of lists of people's names and events, but after that it actually inspired me. Reminded me about the sacrifices public officials make (lower salary, long hours, constant scrutiny) and the potential nobility of their undertaking. Some notes from the book:
pg. 12 -- "more than one opinion could live under the same roof"
"a person was not necessarily bad just because you did not agree with him, and that if you believed in something, you had better be prepared to defend it"
pg. 132 -- "government could -- and should -- be a partner in creating opportunities for people who were willing to work hard and take responsibility"
pg. 160 -- "something was missing from their lives -- something critical ... a little heart, a lot of brotherhood"
pg. 161 -- "we need a new ethos of individual responsibility and caring"
pg. 237 -- "if you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."
READ -- Stephen Ambrose book "D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II"
READ -- Susan McDougall -- "The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk : Why I Refused to Testify Against the Clintons and What I Learned in Jail"
pg. 428 -- John Wesley's invocation, "Live every day doing as much good as you can, in every way that you can" ... shortened from his poem/quote
"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
To al the people you can,
As long as you ever can,
Amen!"
READ -- Taylor Branch "Parting the Waters" -- Pulitzer Price winning book on Martin Luther King
pg. 463 -- "One hundred and fifty years ago, the women at Seneca Falls were silenced by someone else. Today, women -- we silence ourselves. We have a choice. We have a voice."
pg. 463 -- "I dipped into the well of inspiration that Harriet Tubman had handed down to us all and vowed to just keep on going."
pg. 505 -- "It is my opinion that on Judgment Day the first question God asks is not about the Ten Commandments (although He gets to them later!) but what He asks each of us is this: "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE TIME AND THE TALENTS I GAVE YOU?""
pg. 12 -- "more than one opinion could live under the same roof"
"a person was not necessarily bad just because you did not agree with him, and that if you believed in something, you had better be prepared to defend it"
pg. 132 -- "government could -- and should -- be a partner in creating opportunities for people who were willing to work hard and take responsibility"
pg. 160 -- "something was missing from their lives -- something critical ... a little heart, a lot of brotherhood"
pg. 161 -- "we need a new ethos of individual responsibility and caring"
pg. 237 -- "if you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."
READ -- Stephen Ambrose book "D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II"
READ -- Susan McDougall -- "The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk : Why I Refused to Testify Against the Clintons and What I Learned in Jail"
pg. 428 -- John Wesley's invocation, "Live every day doing as much good as you can, in every way that you can" ... shortened from his poem/quote
"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
To al the people you can,
As long as you ever can,
Amen!"
READ -- Taylor Branch "Parting the Waters" -- Pulitzer Price winning book on Martin Luther King
pg. 463 -- "One hundred and fifty years ago, the women at Seneca Falls were silenced by someone else. Today, women -- we silence ourselves. We have a choice. We have a voice."
pg. 463 -- "I dipped into the well of inspiration that Harriet Tubman had handed down to us all and vowed to just keep on going."
pg. 505 -- "It is my opinion that on Judgment Day the first question God asks is not about the Ten Commandments (although He gets to them later!) but what He asks each of us is this: "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE TIME AND THE TALENTS I GAVE YOU?""
