false 7 196 196 true 5641923 read 0 true 632270 currently-reading 0 true 632269 to-read 61 false 2098986 fiction 22 false 2099102 sci-fi-fantasy 21 false 2099278 history-current-events 16 false 2106739 poetry-plays 15 false 2099267 science-mathematics 13 false 2099232 philosophy-linguistics 4 false 2099262 business-economics 0 false 2099274 religion-spirituality http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75360001 to: Language in Thought and Action: Fifth Edition (Paperback) by S.I. Hayakawa
bookshelves: philosophy-linguistics
This book taps into that great Niagara of information that surrounds us in everyday life, language. The author puts this fascinating flow of information under the microscope and shares with the reader important insights into how the sounds we call words and their meanings affect thoughts and have shaped human's actions. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75359611 to: Relativity: The Special and the General Theory (Penguin Classics) by Albert Einstein
bookshelves: science-mathematics

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5292303 to: Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher (Paperback) by Richard P. Feynman
bookshelves: science-mathematics
I recently reread this book and I must say it remains quite the spectacular read. Anyone who wishes to glean a greater understanding of the universe might as well read from the best. And this is as great as any place to start. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4936208 to: A History of Western Philosophy (Paperback) by Bertrand Russell
bookshelves: philosophy-linguistics
Let's not kid anybody here. You want to know about philosophy, see this book and think: "Hey a history of western philosophy! Just what I was looking for." Not only do you get a pretty broad and general idea of the philosophers Mr. Russell selected but also gives you insight on what opinions he held of some of these ideas. Funny in some parts, boring as dirt in others.

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5288433 to: Parecon: Life After Capitalism (Paperback) by Michael Albert
bookshelves: business-economics
This has to be the most terribly written/argued and dull book I have ever read. I had to force myself to finish it, though I didn't want to. That being said I want to bore everyone with the details, though if you want to stop here it is sufficient to say: After the "perils" of capitalism, Mr Albert wants us all to hold hands and remunerate each other in a nice, orderly fashion while still maintaining private ownership of property. Oh and we have to be intimately involved with every aspect of our product consumption, down to the very last detail...for the upcoming year. If you do wish to waste the time and effort to read this book, please take note: Mr. Albert takes great effort to avoid the use of the words "pay," or "money." This is quite serious in a book about economics. Its probably why this book is referred to as an example of anarchistic visions.

It is unfortunate that he believes remuneration can only be fair if a trained person gets remunerated and does similar tasks to an untrained person (he says because they will balance out skills, eventually). His cute example of a good musician getting paid more than a bad one being unfair is a pretty great example of why parecon is unrealistic and won't happen. For example: I want to listen to a good musician, thus I pay him for his efforts (Buy tickets to his show, his cd, etc.). I do not want to listen to the bad musician, so I don't. Should I be forced to pay for this bad musician to play in empty venues, bringing in no more "remuneration" to the host? Or perhaps I can be forced to go watch this bad musician make a fool of himself. Obviously, if you're going to prove a point, you should at the very least use a good example (And not one from a movie). Take for instance another example: (Edited to sound like a bad doctor joke!) Doctor, doctor: I have cut open my arm and I'm bleeding everywhere, please help me! (Reply) Sorry I can't; I have to finish cleaning these bedpans full of poo because it is unfair to the nurses that they have to do it all the time so I will be with you in a minute; just after I scrub this fecal matter out of my fingernails... Don't even get me started on Mr Albert's ideas on education and training vs. ability.

I understand that what Mr. Albert is getting at is efficiency. He wants to close (eliminate?) the gap between the super rich and the poor, working class and give everyone a fair and balanced daily routine. A noble cause; but his suggestions and this book fail miserably at making this argument. Yes, people understand that working in a coal mine isn't at all like trading credit default swaps or organizing worldwide trade agreements, but not everyone can be involved in every deal. Yes they affect me--everything does, in an economic sense, really--so I would like to have a voice in the procedure. Since my options are limited I'm glad that someone intimately affiliated with the industry, deals, etc. is in charge and not some coal miner, temporarily working there to fulfill his "balanced job comlpex" requirements. People are trained and pursue careers to be involved because that's they want; not everyone can be involved or has the desire. What I can't understand is how Mr. Albert doesn't even bother to dissect capitalism, or relate parecon to its specific "perils." Capitalism is weighted, through private ownership, to one end--a few rich and generally older people have more money and a larger number of poor people have less. Thus they have easier lives and are able to live comfortably (Unless, of course, they are working all the time to make said money). If parecon works, as Albert suggests in the book, why doesn't he show us how?

I see elements of his arguments already in this "mid-capitalist" economy. Take for example, oh I don't know, a large multinational corporation. Within this organized group are strategic business units which are focused on performing particular tasks (Accounting, Legal, IT, etc.) all in different regions of the world, all have strength, solidarity, diversity, and self-management. They are beholden to the greater good of the company, but each unit has total control over what it does and how. The only thing missing is the equity, which is what this author is obviously arguing. Oh and I think we all have our fair share of meetings, thanks.

A good argument would at least involve describing how maintaining private ownership would not translate into one person/family/group/city/state/nation owning more property than others (Something Mr Albert glosses over). If he was to be realistic and practical, he would suggest something akin to forced joint-stock ownership in all aspects of the economy, regulated by an omniscient and omnipotent super computer (Bar codes on foreheads anyone?). But I'll stop there since this is fantasy and I don't want to put words in his mouth. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18502620 Andrew's review of The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve
by G. Edward Griffin

You seem to be misunderstanding what constitutes intellectual dishonesty. If this book were a history on cheese; who cares whether the author likes Camembert, or actually prefers English cheese over French? That would have nothing to do with the actual history of cheese; am I right? The same goes with any subject. It is the author's duty to remove himself from the text as much as possible when presenting history; not to colour the information with an emotive and suggestive narrative. Reread the first two paragraphs of the book and tell me this book doesn't read like a novel... So at least we agree that the author is guilty of bad writing.

Also, you have misinterpreted one of my statements. "the typical American skepticism of government" does not mean what you have taken it to mean. That phrase meant that there is a type of skepticism of government that I see as typically American. Perhaps I should have said "the typical, American skepticism..." my apologies if this was not as clear as I intended.

As for your last few statements; I understand and can sympathize. I think that the subject deserves to be studied objectively and thoroughly before one comes to definitive conclusions. This book is not the last station; nor should it be the end of the line. The issue is not so much the government control, but the companies and individuals who get to feed directly from the tap of this "inflation." Think of it like a faucet filling a bath in a bathhouse. Those hands closest to the water are able to cup the flow, profiting the most, while the rest of the bath fills more slowly. It trickles down and eventually affects the other baths in the bathhouse. The governments of the world issue the new currency and the companies and private interests closest to the source are able to use the new money where it is available and worth the most. If you watch Goldman Sachs closely, you will see how effectively these hands can cup the flow. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4929461 to: Eye of Terror (Warhammer 40,000 Novels (Paperback)) by Barrington J. Bayley
bookshelves: sci-fi-fantasy
This book is one of my all-time favourites. Surprisingly you don't need much knowledge of the Warhammer 40k universe to enjoy this book. The main gist of the story is that the eye of terror is a rip on the fabric of space and time, where all manner of dark and evil demons lurk and you basically get to go in there and see what its like. Its kind of like a Down-the-Rabbit-Hole kind of adventure, but with a sci-fi/nerdy twist. Every time I read this book it makes me have vivd dreams. Every time! The only problem is that its now out of print. Good luck finding a copy.

Just be forewarned, however, that this book is the literary equivalent of reading a star trek novel. The universe in which the story is set is in the 41st millenium after all. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4933859 to: New Science (Penguin Classics) by Giambattista Vico
bookshelves: philosophy-linguistics
This will seriously bore you unless you are interested in Joyce, linguistics, philology, scholarly studies. I read it during my Joyce phase. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5343358 to: Gulliver's Travels: An Authoritative Text, the Correspondence of Swift, Pope's Verses on Gulliver's Travels and Critical Essays (A Norton Critical) by Jonathan Swift
bookshelves: fiction
I love this book! Considering it was written hundreds of years ago, it is a very enjoyable story. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6435307 to: Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (Paperback) by Neil Postman
bookshelves: history-current-events
The fact that I was led to this book by a twelve year old in a bookstore--where I was working at the time--tends to give me hope that more people are aware of the issue presented in this book than I had imagined.

This book puts the "medium is the message" idea into perspective. Postman posits that society used to be based on the written word where oratory skills were a sign of a person 's intellect; today oration is reserved for teachers and professors, and the written word, though still used, is secondary to the visual presentation that television as a medium allows. We are warned that while the idea that "seeing is believing" holds to be true, we are in danger of being led to accept that what we see is the whole picture. ]]>