Monday, November 10, 2014

Babbitt

On 11/10/2014 began reading Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis.
Completed reading it all on 11/28/2014
Entire book has great detail about Babbitt's home and family, his real estate business, community organization and on the side girl friend.
Setting is an imaginary city in the Midwest.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The Next Convergence

The Next Convergence  by Michael Spence    2011
The Future of Economic Growth in a Multispeed World

Completed reading on 11-9-2014
Spence considers this convergence of economic growth will take 100 years and we are half way though it. His last 2 sentences:  "Past experience and conceptual tools will be useful but not sufficient.  We, and future generations, will have to invent our way through and around potential roadblocks along the way." 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Academically Adrift

Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses
Written by professors Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa

Starts with a quote from former Harvard president Derek Bok: "Colleges and  universities, for all the benefits they bring, accomplish far less for their students than they should, without being able to write well enough to satisfy their employers, reason clearly, or perform competently in analyzing complex, non technical problems."

"The extent of disengagement in young adults today (age 18 to 24):
- only 24 % even read a print or on-line version of a newsletter
- 34 % on a typical day receive no news from any source."
Many of above are enrolled in higher-education institutions.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Second Machine Age

The Second Machine Age - Work, Progress, and Prosperity in Time of Brilliant Technologies
Written by IT Professors Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee

Today (10-5-2014) finished reading this very thoughtful book.
The final 3 sentences are great:
" There is a cause for optimism, but only if we're mindful of our choices.
Technology is not destiny.
We shape our destiny."

Frank M.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

I Am Abraham

I AM ABRAHAM

A Novel of Lincoln and the Civil War.
Written by Jerome Charyn -  2014

Completed reading 9-6-2014

Very interested reading but not actually about the civil war or even about stories we already knew about Lincoln.  The author admits much is made up to make it interesting.  Doesn't even mention his famous beard or why he grew it.  Also the famous Gettysburg speech is just barely mentioned and not quoted in the book.

Frank M.

Jimmy Carter A Call To Action

Jimmy Carter A Call To Action
Women, Religion, Violence, and Power

Written by Jimmy Carter - 2014

Finished reading on 8-31-2014

Thursday, July 3, 2014

America's Global Influence

America's Global Influence    2007
Opposing Viewpoints
by  David M. Haugen and Susan Musser, Book Editors

Chapter 1.
What Are the Aims and Impact of America's Foreign Policy Agenda?

Chapter 2.
How Are U.S. Military Policies Affecting America's Global Influence?

Chapter 3.
How Are American Economic Policies Affecting Trade and Foreign Aid?

Chapter 4.
What Is the Global Impact of American Culture?

Completed reading it today, July 14, 2014.
Very unusual book, with 6 or so opposing viewpoints in each of the 4 chapters. The reader is invited to consider 3 questions during the reading of each viewpoint. It all considers America's foreign policy agenda, U.S Military Policies, American Economic Policies, and American Culture and their global influence.   


Dangerous Nation

Dangerous Nation
by Robert Kagan    2006

America's Place in the World
from It's Earliest Days to the Dawn of the Twentieth Century.

At end of book:
Chapter 12
Morality and Hegemony - page 356
Spanish-American war started in 1898 and lasted only about 10 weeks. 
US military defeated Spain and made independent Cuba, Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico.
President McKinley replaced President Cleveland in 1898 and approved the military action which Cleveland refused to do. 

Monday, June 30, 2014

Of Paradise and Power

OF PARADISE AND POWER
By Robert Kagan     2003 First Printing    103 pages


The Power Gap   page 12
Psychologies of Power and Weakness  page 27

Hyperpuissance    page 42

The Postmodern Paradise   page 53

The World America made   page 70

Is It Still "The West?"     page 76


Adjusting To Hegemony   page 85

Completed reading it today - 6-30-2014.

Robert
Kagan describes Europe currently as being weak in fighting ability and so relies more on cooperation and negotiating with other countries.  America he says is very strong with military capability and so is more likely to go to war  alone if negotiatiations fail.  Book is written soon after September 11 and he concludes with hopes that there would be more common understanding between the United States and Europe.  Soon afterwards events in Iraq and Afghanistan do not indicate that has happened. 



Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Complete Tacitus Anthology

THE COMPLETE TACITUS ANTHOLOGY
Began reading it on 6-22-2014


Text from Ancient Rome

The Histories
The Anals
Germania

Agricola
A Dialogue on Oratory

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Natural History - A Selection

Natural History - A Selection
by Pliny the Elder  (23-79 AD)
Translation with and introduction and notes by John F. Healy


THE UNIVERSE AND THE WORLD
Book II.     Astronomy
Book III.    Spain and Italy
Book IV.    Europe and Britain
Book V.     The Continents of Africa and Asia
Book VI.    The Black Sea, India and the Far East
All very sketchy and fare from complete.  Maybe due partly to only selections in this book.


ZOOLOGY
Book VII     Man
Pliny quotes stories from many sources, such as a race of people with only one eye.
Many of these are obvious not true.  Some seem to be made up stories.
Book VIII    Land Animals
Book IX      Creatures of the Sea
Book X       Birds
Book XI      Insects

BOTANY

MATERIA MEDICA

MINING AND MINERALS

On 6-22-2014 after exactly 4 weeks completed this selection from Natural History written about 2000 years ago.  Very interesting to read how nature was viewed then.
Many facts and statements presented by Pliny are not true.  Some major errors are corrected by the translator in the many footnotes.

Frank M.






Wednesday, May 21, 2014

The Satyricon - Complete

The Satyricon - Complete


Roman Novel, prose and poetry, written by Gaius Petronius (27-66 AD), during reign of Nero.  Translated in 1924 by W.C. Firebaugh with supplements by de Salas, Nodot, and Marchena.  Only fragments of the main book have been found, the supplements attempt to fill in the missing parts.  This book calls the supplements forgeries.
I would have much preferred reading with out the supplements. But price was right at Amazon for the Kindle - $0.00.