Rian Nejar's Blog, page 8
August 12, 2016
Review: A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York
A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York by Cindy Amrhein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A detailed, rigorously researched, amply illustrated, and expertly edited historical work.
A feeling of overwhelming sadness fills the mind as one reads this work by Cindy Amrhein. Am reminded of an old Native American saying, “Man can no more own land than he can own air or water.” Cindy proves, with unerring accuracy, that greed and deceit invalidated – no, decimated – this simple wisdom of indigenous peoples. They were robbed not only of their land, but also of their lives, and their way of life.
The work includes very many exquisite images of historical significance that support the author’s rigorous research documented within. A book recommended to all history buffs, especially those who seek to understand the injustice inflicted upon American Indians.
August 10, 2016
Review: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Rambling and broad, with “no unifying theme” as the authors write in the book. But, at the same time, a clever and surprising look into human behavior and statistics. An absorbing read for students of economics and science.
Freaky.
July 31, 2016
My One Conversation With God
Did I ever tell you about my one (and only) conversation with God? No? I think you’ll enjoy it… so here goes.
On a fun exploration adventure with a good undergraduate college friend, AGS for short, we visited a gorge cut into uninhabited land by a seasonal river. The side of the gorge was largely comprised of loose yellow-brown mud and small rocks, with sparse clumps of vegetation. On impulse, we decided to climb a side of the gorge with nothing but our riding clothes and shoes, and a length of nylon rope about two meters long. We had nothing in our stomachs either, having started out early that morning with no breakfast. Suffice it to say that we soon found ourselves stuck about two-thirds of the way up, exhausted, facing a near vertical dry mud and gravel face, no vegetation to hang on to, and large rocks far down below to receive anyone slipping down. The fun had evaporated entirely in the hot noon-day sun.
I asked AGS to carry on climbing, if he could and solicit help from anyone he may find for a rescue. He refused to leave me perched precariously on the side of the gorge. The two-meter nylon rope we carried with us was simply too short for us to connect us together for safety and climbing assistance. The mud face was perilously slippery and our motorcycle riding shoes were no help at all. Neither of us could climb anymore – me because of the gorge wall’s characteristics and exhaustion, and AGS because he could not abandon me.
It is thus, in my intemperate youth, that I took a long moment to rest, and to contemplate on the presumed, assumed immortal. Not one to subscribe to “braying,” I bargained with the timeless creator, sustainer, and destroyer all rolled into one. Pointing to the rocks down below, I argued that it would be an inordinate waste of a useful life for me to end up smashed on them. That I had shown promise in life to that point, and could help the all-in-one make things better. AGS, perched at a short distance from me, immersed in thoughts of his own and did not participate in my debate with the unknown unknowable. After a few minutes of my rigorous, vigorous, humorous presentation of my case, with no perceivable or conceivable counter arguments coming along, I relaxed into smiles and inner laughter. And thought pragmatically about my predicament, rather than negotiate with the vast emptiness of endless space and time.
It occurred to me that I might find a jagged rock, and cut holes into the side of the gorge face. Could that give my slippery-shoed feet better footholds? And could these holes also be used as locations to grip with my hands on the surface? Converting this promising thought into action, I found myself a sharp implement and began this method of climbing the mud face. With me, AGS began to climb on, and in just an hour or so, we found ourselves at the top, hugging for joy. Ancient tooling and tool-use skills came to my rescue that day…
And so concluded my one conversation with whatever is perceived in whichever, however, whatever manner… and it’ll exhaust me no end if anyone argues that my thoughts, imagination, knowledge, and action are all gifts from the omniscient omnipotent omnipresent.
July 28, 2016
Review: GR3T3L-1
GR3T3L-1 by V.M. Sawh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Imaginative and well written.
V. M. Sawh takes a childhood tale of a boy and girl, Hansel and Gretel, abandoned in a forest by parents who couldn’t care for them – the children find their way back home following bread crumbs – and retells it with contemporary and futuristic variations that lend excitement, anticipation, and adventure. He transforms a rather frightening fairy tale into interesting science fiction.
The storytelling within is seamless despite numerous flashbacks. Robots are the protagonists, and they fit gender-identifiable roles. The plot is reminiscent of the age-old balance between creation and destruction, communication and conflict, though it isn’t a balance as much as a death struggle in GR3T3L-1. The author is adept in his explorations of consciousness and sentience.
Nevertheless, I thought the work somewhat ambitious in the number of aspects it captured…for instance, robotic sentience explored within included emotions and desires of motherhood. Alien consciousness reflected very human quests. A credible synthesis of such aspects is missing. But that takes little away from a reader’s enjoyment of the story.
I sought an emotional connection as I read the story. The author makes commendable efforts toward such resonance, but I thought it fell a bit short of such an experience.
All in all, an excellent work of science fiction recommended to all who enjoy the genre.
June 28, 2016
Review: Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills by Mike Kallet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A lucid guide to effective problem-solving and result-oriented thinking.
A book that offers instruction to think smarter can give one pause. Isn’t thinking smart? Is there a secret to thinking that can make it smarter?
What Mike Kallet offers in this helpful guide is a way to organize and structure one’s thinking. He provides a process – arguably as old as the teachings of Socrates – distilled to the essentials that support goal-oriented thought and action. It isn’t magic, or any esoteric secret sauce, but clarity, specificity, and a rigorous exploration of a multitude of perspectives. And, he offers this learning in a structured, succinct guide.
Veterans of industry will recognize the guide as a collection of best practices developed over time for effective meetings, management of teams, and leadership. The steps in the book are thus common sense to those so trained.
To all others, this book can be an invaluable guide – to organization and streamlining of thought.
A Goodreads Giveaway book received and reviewed.
June 18, 2016
BREXIT Uncertainty and Volatility
US Market Volatility (1-Year Weekly Chart)
“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change.”― Heraclitus
The only thing certain about the market is uncertainty.
The US FED seemed quite confident that they’d be raising interest rates twice this year just a few weeks ago. Now they aren’t sure of even a single raise, given an unexpectedly dismal job creation number as well as uncertainty surrounding BREXIT.
Will BREXIT – Britain’s exit from the European Union – happen? While public polls and debate remain unclear, signals from the financial markets are less so. European hedge funds all assert that Britain will not leave the EU. Simultaneously, UK equity funds have seen the second largest outflows of money in recent history. There is a saying in capital markets: the time for fear is when everyone is uniformly bullish. When vested interests – hedge funds – all assert that BREXIT won’t happen, the probability that it will is high. When investors vote with their feet, pull their money, their mouth is not far behind, and their collective belief is in market turmoil from a change in status.
What is certain nevertheless is uncertainty and consequent market volatility. A prior article, Twice in the Past Two Decades, pointed to the possibility of a sharp correction. The trigger for such a market move can be BREXIT, which I believe to be a strong possibility. See increased signs of volatility (VIX, VVIX) in the 1-year weekly chart?
Late summer last year saw dramatic volatility in the markets caused by fears of GREXIT or even a GRACCIDENT as some called it. A weak member, defaulting on its obligations, nevertheless managed to muster the collective will to remain in the union. The present situation is quite different, dangerously so. A strong member is looking to leave the union, in rational self-interest, and could weaken it significantly. Such action will likely have global repercussions.
Would you bet, as I do, that volatility in the markets will increase dramatically?
Disclaimer/Disclosure: I remain short SPX with a small position in a volatility instrument. Invest with caution always. I am not affiliated with any financial or other institutions engaged in investments promotion or transactions.
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Review: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I bought this book on an impulse: exactly what its author talks about. And regretted said impulse, almost immediately. This is little more than a journalist’s bag of anecdotes, stories, and select psychological research findings.
“Thin-slicing.” Gladwell makes a big deal of it, asserting decisions made from first impressions, quick evaluations, can be more accurate than rigorous and thorough investigations. Except, in his opinion, when it goes wrong. Huh? What?
Sure, puffer fish, thin-sliced, can be a delicacy. Slice it just a bit thicker, and visits to the morgue and lawsuits follow.
This work is little more than a hodge-podge of ideas, experiments, and results built around traditional wisdom and its contemporary counterpart, “Less is more.” Personally, I’d flipped its pages and come across this example included: A father and son involved in a serious accident, taken to a hospital, where the doctor looks at them and cries “This is my son!” What is the doctor’s relationship to the accident victim? Gladwell wrote that this isn’t a situation amenable to ‘systematic thought,’ but is one where the answer just pops into the mind without rigorous thinking. I disagreed, worked out the answer (and its possible contemporary variants) in a few seconds, and posed the puzzle to the shopkeeper who had this book on sale for a couple of dollars. He struggled with it, while another patron, passing by, said: “I know the answer. Won’t tell you, but you’ll work it out…” To save the shopkeeper from embarrassment, I worked the answer out, systematically, with him: two individuals, both parents, one a father…
I thought Gladwell wholly wrong in his claim, about the example above, and the incident at the shop supported that, but such puzzles interest me and I bought the book. But, as indicated earlier in the review, I had misgivings about the book and came to regret buying it. Suffice it to say when Gladwell started talking about an American Presidency determined by his theory of “thin-slicing,” I’d had enough and couldn’t continue further.
Instinct and intuition, first impressions, and concepts such as ‘less is more,’ are useful just where they are applicable. That can hardly be said to prove decisions made with rapidity and less ‘consciously registered’ information can be more reliable than those arrived at rigorously, systematically. I think Gladwell builds a case where there is none to be built.
A book for entertainment value, but not for any substantive learning.
June 17, 2016
Review: The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals
The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals by William J. Bennett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
An erudite, cogent argument against the loss of shame and outrage in America.
I’m not one to read books on politics or on lusty politicians and their tawdry affairs. This book, sold for a dollar at an annex to my local library, caught my attention. I’m glad it did, for I read it in a couple of days. The book is about Bill Clinton. Yes, William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States of America. One whose personal shenanigans have redefined the American Presidency. One whose term gave birth to phrases such as “Bimbo Eruptions.”
More specifically, the book delves into arguments and actions defending this politician, who came under independent counsel scrutiny while in office, and the author’s response diligently refuting such arguments. William J. Bennett called the book “The Death of Outrage,” and the book does read like a dying rattle of the contorted and suffocated social consciousness of a confused nation.
The author’s passion, a structured approach to the subject matter, and the level of detail in the work all contribute to making it rather engaging. Clearly, Mr. Bennett holds deep feelings about Mr. Clinton escaping democratic, widespread condemnation, and richly deserved punishment. Here is a man who has abused power wherever he could, abused his influence over women, and abused the dignity of high offices he has held. A politician who tattooed “The end justifies the means” on all American minds (and bodies?) he is alleged to have groped. And yet he stands unaffected by any disapprobation: “This is a man immune to shame” writes Mr. Bennett. Could the author be right? His book does go a long way to shedding light on a festering infection on America’s civic thinking.
But is it really outrage that matters? Can laws mandate ethical conduct? Or can the outrage of governed masses, or that expressed by the author, compel principled behavior in politicians? The author makes compelling arguments, albeit by interpreting theological passages, against the absence of judgment, and the quotidian advocacy of tolerance and love. Try telling parents of chronically ill-behaved children the same thing; they’d likely take the author’s point of view.
Bennett’s arguments come across at times as sweeping and preachy. He writes, for instance, “Human nature is fallen.” True – in his case especially – for he has been outed as a compulsive gambler who has squandered large sums of money. But not true – in the general case, in all other religions and cultures that are part of this nation of immigrants. He claims, with ineffable, clueless confidence, that “…the words of the Declaration of Independence define much of the world’s moral currency.” He is perhaps not aware of (or conveniently ignores) the American poetess Phyllis Wheatley’s words that referred to an inherent strange absurdity in the very same declaration, when she wrote about “
…the insistence upon liberty by the patriots and their [simultaneous] tolerance of African American slavery…
“
At times wordy and verbose, Bennett laces his writing with the occasional hyperbole. One such that caught my eye: “…bordering on the intergalactic.” His tenure as the Secretary of Education may be the cause. Nevertheless, I found the book easy to read. The hyperbole is – forgivable. The author delves into religion and theological interpretations near the end – presumably because such arguments are thrown in to defend the indefensible – which are easily skimmed over.
The one burning question that the book left me with is this: if sexual misconduct and questionable cover-ups by a politician can merit a $40 million+ investigation by independent counsel, and impeachment proceedings, why isn’t the unilateral invasion of another country, slaughter of hundreds of thousands, and breaches of all international agreements on treatment of prisoners, all on evidently false pretexts, by another ex-US-president, not subject to similar and even greater scrutiny? Have we Americans lost all sense of shame, outrage, and self-consciousness?
A book, if read with an open and non-partisan mind, that can be of much value to those attuned to social consciousness and its refinement.
Take Two Sentences
By Artist Bijal Biswaal, of the Indian railways
When writing, take a couple of sentences to set a scene. Immerse the reader in it. Build expectations, anticipation.
These two caught my eye as I browsed an online article early this morning:
“Water pipes gurgle worryingly in the hushed, gloomy room which is home to part of Germany’s national archive. The air is papery and sweet. Uniform, grey paper boxes, each stamped with a black reference number, are stacked floor to ceiling” – from ‘Auschwitz SS Trial: Will Hanning Case Be Germany’s Last?‘
An article by Jenny Hill, BBC News, Detmold, Germany.
Some may argue that this is overboard – for an article that deals with a subject matter of such seriousness. Nevertheless, note the employment of one’s many senses. Immersive.
I liked it.
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June 13, 2016
Review: Anyone Can Get An A+: How To Beat Procrastination, Reduce Stress and Improve Your Grades
Anyone Can Get An A+: How To Beat Procrastination, Reduce Stress and Improve Your Grades by Geetanjali Mukherjee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A detailed, structured guide to better time and learning management.
Geetanjali Mukherjee provides copious useful information and instruction in her guide to improving exam grades. Building upon her personal experience in exams based curricula, she crafts a helpful study guide for students of all levels of capability. She writes to the doubts and confusion students may go through.
I couldn’t escape a feeling that much of what Ms. Mukherjee writes is – common sense. Perhaps this has something to do with my own educational experiences. I’ve never had to “work hard” for any examinations, standardized or otherwise. But I haven’t been a “topper” either, always hanging around in the top group, barely making my (lucky?) entrance into such hallowed clubs. Good time management, good habits, generally, and an inner individual motivation to really learn. Good food habits too – and no one had to tell me! I’ve always done well in subjects where I’ve loved my teachers. I think this aspect – that there aren’t any bad students, only bad teachers – is missed in the book. But the book is for the typical student, not the carefree philosopher.
A comparison between educational systems – such as the Finnish vs. the American vs. the Indian – can add much value too. Children in Finland are known to do very little homework. They spend about 20 hours per week in classes, and much more in broad life skills education outside of classes. Children in Montessori educational systems similarly learn a lot more hands-on, at a pace suited to themselves, and excel at learning what they discover as their aptitude.
It shouldn’t be just about getting A-pluses, should it?
An easy-to-read book that diligent teenagers and parents and parents may well enjoy.
