The Night Trilogy
by Elie Wiesel , Copyright 1972, 1985, 2008
Translated from the French
Three parts: Night - Dawn - Day
Night: A teen age boy describes his time in Auschwitz with his Father.
The Father is eventually killed and the boy escapes at the end of the war with Germany.
Dawn: Wiesel's second book is a novel is set in Palestine, still Jewish but ruled by Great Britain. Elisha, a young survivor of the death camps, his superiors give him the job of executing one of His Majesty's officials in retaliation.
Day: Wiesel' third book is a novel, with the same character now living in New York.
He is hit by a taxi and spend weeks in a hospital, battling the pain of his multiple injuries. There is a young woman in his life from time to time in this story.
A long read of all three parts and very interesting.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Friday, November 11, 2016
Business Adventures
Business Adventures
by John Brooks
Copyright 1959 first year and other years to 1969
1. THE FLUCTUATION
The Little Crash In '62
Stock Market crashes of 1929 and 1962 were compared.
It could happen again for certain.
As de la Vega said, "It is foolish to think that you can withdraw from the Exchange after you have tasted the sweetness of the honey."
2. THE FATE OF THE EDSEL.
A Cautionary Tale
Rise and Flowering, several years of research, design, and planning.
Then building separate factories and sales facilities.
Decline and Fall, Production and sales started.
Some sales and then buyers disappeared. Some quality problems.
Finally in 1958 production was stopped and the Edsel was discontinued.
Reasons for failure not clear, the downturn in the economy may be the reason.
In the end it did little harm to the Ford Motor Company.
Other new designs and smaller models were introduced with much success.
3. THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX.
Its History And Peculiarities
The current Federal Income system has grown very complex and needs simplification. Optimists believe simplification will soon occur and hopefully bring it back to be near to that in 1913, the first ever put in during peacetime in the USA.
4. A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME
Insiders At Texas Gulf Sulphur
How much time should there be before an insider can release information to cause others to buy stock from a corporation, as well as that insider to also buy that investment stock???
5. XEROX XEROX XEROX XEROX
Very successful with new copy machines in the 1960's.
Later they they invented the mouse and other features for computers and passed along the information to Microsoft and Apple. Xerox did very little for computers and soon were bypassed by Microsoft and Apple.
6. MAKING THE CUSTOMERS WHOLE
The Death of a President
A story about the Ira Haupt & Co., a member if the New York Stock Exchange.
This exchange company was faced with a big loss of funds due to oil reserve failures due to false information. The New York Stock Exchange wanted to at least protect the investment companies doing investment business with the Haupt Co.. Other Exchange members were asked to provide funds to cover the probable losses to Haupt investment companies, including 4 Exchange members in England. In the end total amount raised and donated was about $9,000,000.
This happened during the weekend when US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963,
7. THE IMPACTED PHILOSOPHERS
Non-Communication At GE
Price fixing in the electrical supply industry was denied by top executives at General Electric and other companies. Blame was placed on poor communication between top leaders and those lower down in the company. In the end the courts held many of the lower leaders guilty resulting in large fines and jail time.
8. THE LAST GREAT CORNER
A Company Called Piggly Wiggly
Clarence Saunders as head of the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain attempted to play the game of "Corner" the market by buying nearly all the stock of that company. Then he attempted to sell much of the stock at a greatly inflated price. He borrowed a lot of money to buy the stock. His attempt failed due to stock market controls and the market selling a lot of stock market short sales. He became bankrupt and resigned as head of the company. He had several more attempts at starting new grocery stores with very little success.
9. A SECOND SORT OF LIFE
David E. Lilienthal, Businessman
Lilienthal was very successful in government work, but moved to private enterprise later in life. At first he was doubtful about that, but eventual found it to provide much more personal satisfaction than he ever derived from public service.
10. STOCKHOLDER SEASON
Annual Meetings And Corporate Power
Four large company annual meetings were described, including professional stockholders who attended to ask difficult and foolish questions.
11. ONE FREE BITE
A Man, His Knowledge, And His Job
Donald Wohlgemuth worked at B.F. Goodrich in Akron, OH making space suits.
When he later applied to work for International Latex Corp. he faced law suites etc.to prevent his use of space suits knowledge in his new job.
12. IN DEFENSE OF STERLING
The Bankers, The Pound, And The Dollar
The Federal Reserve Bank Of New York with other world bankers, saving the English sterling pound, and worldwide selling of US gold reserve are all covered in this section.
by John Brooks
Copyright 1959 first year and other years to 1969
1. THE FLUCTUATION
The Little Crash In '62
Stock Market crashes of 1929 and 1962 were compared.
It could happen again for certain.
As de la Vega said, "It is foolish to think that you can withdraw from the Exchange after you have tasted the sweetness of the honey."
2. THE FATE OF THE EDSEL.
A Cautionary Tale
Rise and Flowering, several years of research, design, and planning.
Then building separate factories and sales facilities.
Decline and Fall, Production and sales started.
Some sales and then buyers disappeared. Some quality problems.
Finally in 1958 production was stopped and the Edsel was discontinued.
Reasons for failure not clear, the downturn in the economy may be the reason.
In the end it did little harm to the Ford Motor Company.
Other new designs and smaller models were introduced with much success.
3. THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX.
Its History And Peculiarities
The current Federal Income system has grown very complex and needs simplification. Optimists believe simplification will soon occur and hopefully bring it back to be near to that in 1913, the first ever put in during peacetime in the USA.
4. A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME
Insiders At Texas Gulf Sulphur
How much time should there be before an insider can release information to cause others to buy stock from a corporation, as well as that insider to also buy that investment stock???
5. XEROX XEROX XEROX XEROX
Very successful with new copy machines in the 1960's.
Later they they invented the mouse and other features for computers and passed along the information to Microsoft and Apple. Xerox did very little for computers and soon were bypassed by Microsoft and Apple.
6. MAKING THE CUSTOMERS WHOLE
The Death of a President
A story about the Ira Haupt & Co., a member if the New York Stock Exchange.
This exchange company was faced with a big loss of funds due to oil reserve failures due to false information. The New York Stock Exchange wanted to at least protect the investment companies doing investment business with the Haupt Co.. Other Exchange members were asked to provide funds to cover the probable losses to Haupt investment companies, including 4 Exchange members in England. In the end total amount raised and donated was about $9,000,000.
This happened during the weekend when US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963,
7. THE IMPACTED PHILOSOPHERS
Non-Communication At GE
Price fixing in the electrical supply industry was denied by top executives at General Electric and other companies. Blame was placed on poor communication between top leaders and those lower down in the company. In the end the courts held many of the lower leaders guilty resulting in large fines and jail time.
8. THE LAST GREAT CORNER
A Company Called Piggly Wiggly
Clarence Saunders as head of the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain attempted to play the game of "Corner" the market by buying nearly all the stock of that company. Then he attempted to sell much of the stock at a greatly inflated price. He borrowed a lot of money to buy the stock. His attempt failed due to stock market controls and the market selling a lot of stock market short sales. He became bankrupt and resigned as head of the company. He had several more attempts at starting new grocery stores with very little success.
9. A SECOND SORT OF LIFE
David E. Lilienthal, Businessman
Lilienthal was very successful in government work, but moved to private enterprise later in life. At first he was doubtful about that, but eventual found it to provide much more personal satisfaction than he ever derived from public service.
10. STOCKHOLDER SEASON
Annual Meetings And Corporate Power
Four large company annual meetings were described, including professional stockholders who attended to ask difficult and foolish questions.
11. ONE FREE BITE
A Man, His Knowledge, And His Job
Donald Wohlgemuth worked at B.F. Goodrich in Akron, OH making space suits.
When he later applied to work for International Latex Corp. he faced law suites etc.to prevent his use of space suits knowledge in his new job.
12. IN DEFENSE OF STERLING
The Bankers, The Pound, And The Dollar
The Federal Reserve Bank Of New York with other world bankers, saving the English sterling pound, and worldwide selling of US gold reserve are all covered in this section.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
To Kill a Mockingbird
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
By Harper Lee, copyright 1960
It is 376 pages describing the life of a young girl in a southern town.
Outstanding reading, at the end she is only in third grade, a young brother in early high school. Includes the troubles of negroes in the early 1900's in the South of the USA.
A mockingbird in a very few lines is mentioned only once near the end of the book.
It is singing in an oak tree and mocking various other birds
Brought to my mind my early school days in a one room school house in southern Illinois. Kasten School in Macoupin County. Found a map showing all of those old schools in that county.
An outstanding book near the top of my reading list of 23 books "You Should Read."
Completed reading it on 11-4-2016.
By Harper Lee, copyright 1960
It is 376 pages describing the life of a young girl in a southern town.
Outstanding reading, at the end she is only in third grade, a young brother in early high school. Includes the troubles of negroes in the early 1900's in the South of the USA.
A mockingbird in a very few lines is mentioned only once near the end of the book.
It is singing in an oak tree and mocking various other birds
Brought to my mind my early school days in a one room school house in southern Illinois. Kasten School in Macoupin County. Found a map showing all of those old schools in that county.
An outstanding book near the top of my reading list of 23 books "You Should Read."
Completed reading it on 11-4-2016.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald, copyright 1925 and 1953
A novel of the Jazz Age
A story about the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby.
Story is on Long Island, NY.
Has some resemblance to present day Donald Trump in New York city.
Began reading on 9/6/2016.
Completed reading on 10/15/2016.
by F. Scott Fitzgerald, copyright 1925 and 1953
A novel of the Jazz Age
A story about the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby.
Story is on Long Island, NY.
Has some resemblance to present day Donald Trump in New York city.
Began reading on 9/6/2016.
Completed reading on 10/15/2016.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Quakerism
Quakerism
by Leonard S. Kenworthy, 1981
A Study Guide on the Religious Society of Friends
Part One: Friends for Over Three Hundred Years
Chapter 1: George Fox and the Early Friends: Quakerism in the Seventeenth Century
Chapter 2: Consolidation, Cultural Creativeness, and Conservation: Quakerism in the Eighteenth Century
Chapter 3: Dividing Our Inheritance and Promoting Concerns: Quakerism in the Nineteenth Century
Chapter 4: Expansion, Service, and the Search for Identity: Quakerism in the Twentieth Century
Part Two: Some Distinctive Features of Quakerism
Chapter 5: The Quaker Meeting for Worship
Chapter 6: The Quaker Meeting for Business
Chapter 7: The Queries, The Advices, and the State of the Society
Reports: A Triad of Quaker Practices
Chapter 8: The Unique Role of Women in Quakerism
Chapter 9: Some Quaker Testimonies and Concerns
Chapter 10: Other Quaker Testimonies and Concerns
Part Three: Some Other Aspects of Quakerism
Chapter 11: How the Religious Society of Friends Is Organized
Chapter 12: Pastoral Friends
Chapter 13: Some Characteristics of Vital Friends Meetings
Chapter 14: The World-Wide Society of Friends
Chapter 15: Quakerism in Our Revolutionary World Today and Tomorrow:
Some Strengths and Weaknesses
by Leonard S. Kenworthy, 1981
A Study Guide on the Religious Society of Friends
Part One: Friends for Over Three Hundred Years
Chapter 1: George Fox and the Early Friends: Quakerism in the Seventeenth Century
Chapter 2: Consolidation, Cultural Creativeness, and Conservation: Quakerism in the Eighteenth Century
Chapter 3: Dividing Our Inheritance and Promoting Concerns: Quakerism in the Nineteenth Century
Chapter 4: Expansion, Service, and the Search for Identity: Quakerism in the Twentieth Century
Part Two: Some Distinctive Features of Quakerism
Chapter 5: The Quaker Meeting for Worship
Chapter 6: The Quaker Meeting for Business
Chapter 7: The Queries, The Advices, and the State of the Society
Reports: A Triad of Quaker Practices
Chapter 8: The Unique Role of Women in Quakerism
Chapter 9: Some Quaker Testimonies and Concerns
Chapter 10: Other Quaker Testimonies and Concerns
Part Three: Some Other Aspects of Quakerism
Chapter 11: How the Religious Society of Friends Is Organized
Chapter 12: Pastoral Friends
Chapter 13: Some Characteristics of Vital Friends Meetings
Chapter 14: The World-Wide Society of Friends
Chapter 15: Quakerism in Our Revolutionary World Today and Tomorrow:
Some Strengths and Weaknesses
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Reflections On a Ravaged Century
Reflections on a Ravaged Century
by Robert Conquest
Copyright 2000
Part I MINSLAUGHTER
Chapter I: History's Battleground
Chapter II: The Culture of Sanity
Chapter III: The Marxist Irruption: How and Why
Chapter IV: The Nation: Hope and Hysteria
(Nationality, Nationalism, Fascism, National Socialism)
Chapter V: Totalitarian Party --- Totalitarian State
Chapter VI: Into the Soviet Morass
Chapter VII: The Great Error:
Soviet Myths and Western Minds
Chapter VIII: Launching the Cold War
Chapter IX: Missiles and Mind-sets:
The Cold War Continues
Part II: THE CONSEQUENCES
Chapter X: Scar Tissue: A Note on Post-Soviet Russia
Chapter XI: In a Wayward West
Chapter XII: "The Answer Is Education"
Chapter XIII: Halfway to One World:
Imperialism, Anti-imperialism
Chapter XIV: The "Europe " Idea
Chapter XV: A More Fruitful Unity
(The Oceanic Perspective)
by Robert Conquest
Copyright 2000
Part I MINSLAUGHTER
Chapter I: History's Battleground
Chapter II: The Culture of Sanity
Chapter III: The Marxist Irruption: How and Why
Chapter IV: The Nation: Hope and Hysteria
(Nationality, Nationalism, Fascism, National Socialism)
Chapter V: Totalitarian Party --- Totalitarian State
Chapter VI: Into the Soviet Morass
Chapter VII: The Great Error:
Soviet Myths and Western Minds
Chapter VIII: Launching the Cold War
Chapter IX: Missiles and Mind-sets:
The Cold War Continues
Part II: THE CONSEQUENCES
Chapter X: Scar Tissue: A Note on Post-Soviet Russia
Chapter XI: In a Wayward West
Chapter XII: "The Answer Is Education"
Chapter XIII: Halfway to One World:
Imperialism, Anti-imperialism
Chapter XIV: The "Europe " Idea
Chapter XV: A More Fruitful Unity
(The Oceanic Perspective)
Monday, June 20, 2016
Hunger
Hunger
Translated from the Norwegian of Knut Hamsun by George Egerton
Started to read on 6-29-2016
Translated from the Norwegian of Knut Hamsun by George Egerton
Started to read on 6-29-2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Welcome to Subirdia
Welcome to SUBIRDIA
By John M. Marzluff, copyright 2014
303 pages
began reading May 24, 2016
Completed reading June 6, 2016 and review written.
Chapter one: Home Turf
Chapter two: Finding Subirdia
Chapter three: A Child's Question
Chapter four: A Shared Web
Chapter five: The Fragile Nature of Subirdia
Chapter six. Where We Work and Play
Chapter seven: The Junco's Tail
Chapter eight: Beyond Birds
Chapter nine: Good Neighbors
Chapter ten: Nature's Tenth Commandment
By John M. Marzluff, copyright 2014
303 pages
began reading May 24, 2016
Completed reading June 6, 2016 and review written.
Chapter one: Home Turf
Chapter two: Finding Subirdia
Chapter three: A Child's Question
Chapter four: A Shared Web
Chapter five: The Fragile Nature of Subirdia
Chapter six. Where We Work and Play
Chapter seven: The Junco's Tail
Chapter eight: Beyond Birds
Chapter nine: Good Neighbors
Chapter ten: Nature's Tenth Commandment
The Coming Anarchy
THE COMING ANARCHY
Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War
by Robert D. Kaplan, copyright 2000
finished reading May 24, 2016
Interesting reading but far from up-to-date considering writing was about 29 years ago.
Contents:
A series of writings by journalist Kaplan
I. The Coming Anarchy February 1994
II. Was Democracy Just a Moment? December 1997
III. Idealism Won't Stop Mass Murder November 14, 1997
IV. Special Intelligence February 1998
V. And Now For the News: The Disturbing Freshness of Gibbon's Decline and Fall March 1997
VI. Proportionalism: A Realistic Approach to Foreign Policy August 1996
VII. Kissinger, Metternich, and Realism June 1999
VIII. Conrad's Nostromo and the Third World Spring 1998
IX. The Dangers of Peace
Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War
by Robert D. Kaplan, copyright 2000
finished reading May 24, 2016
Interesting reading but far from up-to-date considering writing was about 29 years ago.
Contents:
A series of writings by journalist Kaplan
I. The Coming Anarchy February 1994
II. Was Democracy Just a Moment? December 1997
III. Idealism Won't Stop Mass Murder November 14, 1997
IV. Special Intelligence February 1998
V. And Now For the News: The Disturbing Freshness of Gibbon's Decline and Fall March 1997
VI. Proportionalism: A Realistic Approach to Foreign Policy August 1996
VII. Kissinger, Metternich, and Realism June 1999
VIII. Conrad's Nostromo and the Third World Spring 1998
IX. The Dangers of Peace
Monday, March 28, 2016
The Tudors
The Tudors
by G.J,Meyer, 2010
started to read: 3-28-2016
PART ONE
An Excess of Good Fortune: 1486-1532
PART TWO
Monster: 1533-1547
PART THREE
A King Too Soon and a Queen Too Late: 1547-1558
PART FOUR
Survivor: 1558-1603
Finished reading: 5-10-2016
Total of 576 pages.
For 118 years the Tudor kings and queens took England from a Catholic country to finally a Protestant one. Various swings back and forth to Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603 and the final end of Catholic religion in England.
by G.J,Meyer, 2010
started to read: 3-28-2016
PART ONE
An Excess of Good Fortune: 1486-1532
PART TWO
Monster: 1533-1547
PART THREE
A King Too Soon and a Queen Too Late: 1547-1558
PART FOUR
Survivor: 1558-1603
Finished reading: 5-10-2016
Total of 576 pages.
For 118 years the Tudor kings and queens took England from a Catholic country to finally a Protestant one. Various swings back and forth to Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603 and the final end of Catholic religion in England.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
The Conscience of a Liberal
The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Krugman, 2007
began reading in December 2015
completed reading March 28, 2016
Chapters:
1. The Way We Were
2. The Long Gilded Age
3. The Great Compression
4. The Politics Of The Welfare State
5. The Sixties: A Troubled Prosperity
6. Movement Conservatism
7. The Great Divergence
8. The Politics Of Inequality
9. Weapons Of Mass Destruction
10. The New Politics Of Equality
11. The Health Care Imperative
12, Confronting Inequality
13. The Conscience Of A Liberal
by Paul Krugman, 2007
began reading in December 2015
completed reading March 28, 2016
Chapters:
1. The Way We Were
2. The Long Gilded Age
3. The Great Compression
4. The Politics Of The Welfare State
5. The Sixties: A Troubled Prosperity
6. Movement Conservatism
7. The Great Divergence
8. The Politics Of Inequality
9. Weapons Of Mass Destruction
10. The New Politics Of Equality
11. The Health Care Imperative
12, Confronting Inequality
13. The Conscience Of A Liberal
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Stuck
Stuck
by Anneli Rufus - 328 pages
Completed reading 02/13/2016
Six chapters:
1. ONCE UPON A TIME: Stuck in the Past
2. SEMIAUTOMATIC: Stuck in the Present
3. OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN: tuck on Habits
4. THE HORROR, THE HORROR: Stuck on Trauma5. PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE: Stuck on Others
6. TAKE THE JOB AND Shove IT: Stuck on Work
I'll never change.
I can't.
I can.
Can't.
Can.
Many, many references to other writers and books.
by Anneli Rufus - 328 pages
Completed reading 02/13/2016
Six chapters:
1. ONCE UPON A TIME: Stuck in the Past
2. SEMIAUTOMATIC: Stuck in the Present
3. OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN: tuck on Habits
4. THE HORROR, THE HORROR: Stuck on Trauma5. PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE: Stuck on Others
6. TAKE THE JOB AND Shove IT: Stuck on Work
I'll never change.
I can't.
I can.
Can't.
Can.
Many, many references to other writers and books.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
by Walt Whitman
American Poetry - 19th Century 0
Started reading 1-9-16
In Cabin'd Ships at Sea
To Foreign Lands
To a Historian
Eidolons
by Walt Whitman
American Poetry - 19th Century 0
Started reading 1-9-16
In Cabin'd Ships at Sea
To Foreign Lands
To a Historian
Eidolons
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