Let's Be Careful, USA

It's bad enough that we in the US have decided we don't value education and science enough to pay for it but now, in addition to decreasing scientific research budgets, our policy makers want to decide what is good science rather than letting scientists decide what is good science? That is fucking scary!

"In the history of this committee, no chairman has ever put themselves forward as an expert in the science that underlies specific grant proposals funded by NSF," Johnson wrote in a letter obtained by ScienceInsider. "I have never seen a chairman decide to go after specific grants simply because the chairman does not believe them to be of high value."

In her letter, Johnson warns Smith that "the moment you compromise both the merit review process and the basic research mission of NSF is the moment you undo everything that has enabled NSF to contribute so profoundly to our national health, prosperity, and welfare." She asks him to "withdraw" his letter and offers to work with him "to identify a less destructive, but more effective, effort" to make sure NSF is meeting that mission.

That excerpt makes me want to shake Johnson's hand. 

The essence of scientific research and progress is peer review. It's the basis for the entire process. From the first science report you submit in grade school to the top tier grants you apply for as a full professor, it's all about peer review. Research doesn't happen in a vacuum (even privately funded, patent protected research findings go through regulation testing/departments before they can be used in an open market) and it shouldn't happen in a vacuum.* Rigorous peer review improves the quality and the impact of research that is funded and performed.

And it's called PEER review for a reason. I wouldn't send a scientific paper to a lawyer for feedback just as I wouldn't expect to be asked to edit a law brief. If we take trained scientists out of the equation of reviewing science and place it into the hands of politicians we would be taking expertise out of the equation and that's complete nonsense.

Let's be careful!

* obviously research studying the effects of vacuum environments (like this for example) should happen in a vacuum. :-)

Hostage by Robert Crais

Title: Hostage
Author: Robert Crais
Publisher: Doubleday (2001)


No stranger to Crais' back list, I was happy to delve in for this month's pick... but then saddened to see that it's the last of his back list that I hadn't read. So hats off to Michael for getting us back to one of our favorite authors (and, if memory serves, the author that drew us together in the first place oh so many moons ago). Now I join the rest of his fans in having no choice but to wait for each year's new release. One other sad note in an otherwise very positive month is that I was unable to attend this year's Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I missed the books but I missed the comradery most of all and I hope all my book buddies had a wonderful time.

For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of Hostage

at It Rains... You Get Wet

From the author's website: "Jeff Talley was a good husband, a fine father, and a front line negotiator with LAPD's SWAT unit. But the high-stress, unforgiving job took an irreparable toll on his psyche. Unable to talk down a despondent father before he murders his wife and son and takes his own life, Talley plummets into a downward spiral. His marriage ends, he resigns from SWAT, and he struggles to escape from his former life by taking the chief-of-police job in a sleepy, affluent bedroom community far from the chaos and crime of Los Angeles."

Escape turns out to be impossible when a trio trying to flee a crime scene end up invading a local home and taking the family hostage.

The set-up seems straight-forward but becomes more complicated with each chapter. I find the complications enjoyable and so don't want to spoil them here. I only mention them because RC never allows the reader to get lost in the tangles. His signature snappy pace is also on display here which results in an involved plot with lots of characters reading like his usual page turners.

The POV shifts throughout the novel but predominately remains with Talley. He's a good character to spend the novel with but not great. He has a lot of depth but not many layers making it difficult to become really attached to him. As in, I was never really that worried about him or his outcome (or the outcome of his family). It's probably a weird thing to complain about but he was just too good and in this type of book Good rarely gets punished. It's not that I want good people to be punished but when, as a reader, you're not even concerned it sets a distance between you and the character. (I realize this view probably has a nonsensical component to it when I'm talking about a book in which multiple people get taken hostage but I hope my perspective makes sense in a narrative way.)

As I mentioned above, this book has a large cast of characters and they are handled deftly as the action proceeds but I found it heavy-handed in the back story department. Around 3/4 of the way through I really didn't care anymore whose mom/dad/guardian had done what resulting in weird behavior. And [MILD SPOILER] I continue to assert that RC does not like our courts muddled up with trials for Bad People. Has anyone else noticed his downright Shakespearean endings?
[MILD SPOILER END]

Despite not being particularly worried about our main character the dramatic tension was held throughout. Even though I was 99.9% sure who would survive and who wouldn't the pace of the novel kept me extremely interested in how it would all unfold. I'll take that in a thriller any day.




So about the movie... well, let's leave that for Michael's post.


rating: 3 of 5 stars





Click here for an index of the joint post series

Dead Spy Running by Jon Stock

Title: Dead Spy Running
Author: Jon Stock
Narrator: Paul Panting
Audiobook Publisher: W.F. Howes Ltd. (2009)

This review is really more in the light of forewarned is forearmed so, if this is a title you like, here's my polite heads up that I don't have anything good to say about this book. I'm going to keep this short because I don't like to spend a lot of time on books I don't like and I couldn't even make it through the second (of nine) CDs.

Dr Musacha and I had a bit of a drive over the weekend so I browsed the audiobook section at the library for some entertainment. We both like spy thrillers which is how I ended up with this title. Suspended MI6 agent, Daniel Marchant is running the London Marathon with his girlfriend (Leyla, a current MI6 agent). He encounters and thwarts a suicide bomber also running the marathon. Shortly thereafter he's taken into MI5 custody and aggressively questioned. MI6 finally gets him into a safe house but pretty quickly gives him to the CIA for questioning which immediately becomes torture porn. It was at this point that Dr M was so disgusted he asked me to turn it off.

A few comments made by us whilst listening:

This dialogue is terrible.
This guy [author] is obviously not a physiologist. There's no way [insert character here] would respond in this way to the physical stress.
Are there any characters in this book that aren't cliches?
Why is it that whenever Daniel talks about why he loves Leyla he's always referring to her body and when she talks about why she loves him she's always listing his qualities as a capable human/agent?
Did he just imply that every human with a vagina is suspect?
Seriously! Is Leyla nothing more than a pair of legs with tits or what? Can any character see her as an agent and not as a sexual object?
Actually, it's hard to see Leyla as an agent because she never gets to do anything agent-y. I mean, she's a fucking secret agent and yet she can't figure out if her mom is being mistreated in a full-care home?
Is this a flashback within a flashback?
Have you noticed that nothing has happened since the opening action sequence? Almost all the subsequent scenes have been flashbacks and meetings.


More derogatory comments were made but I think you get the point: bad dialogue, bad characters, nonsensical plot, offensive and boring. Not exactly a spy thriller if you ask me.

rating: 1 of 5 stars

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Title: Atonement
Author: Ian McEwan
Publisher: Anchor (2003)


Due to the beginning of this year being quite filled with the excitement of emigration, Michael was kind enough to take lead on choosing the first few book/movie pairs for the year. I was pretty excited to see Atonement on that list because I'd been wanting to read it again. It's a book that I responded to in a completely emotional way when I first read it. I've been looking for an excuse to pick it up and try for a more rational response. For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of Atonement

at It Rains... You Get Wet

From the publisher: "On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia’s childhood friend. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives–together with her precocious literary gifts–brings about a crime that will change all their lives. As it follows that crime’s repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece."

In a nod to efficiency I often like to pull the publisher's synopses rather than try to do my own but in this case it was probably a necessity. Even with my second, hopefully more rational, reading of the book I doubt I could say what it was about in only a few sentences. But what the above synopsis doesn't impart is anything about the structure of the novel and that might be my favorite thing about it. Yeah, I should admit right out that what I love most in this novel is McEwan's craft. The story literally makes my blood boil but its structure and exquisite craft give me little thrills because good writing is such a pleasure.

The book is separated into three parts, the first of which comprises that "hot summer day."  That day ends with a crime that defines the rest of the protagonists' lives. The second part is several years later and occurs during WWII. The final part is essentially Briony putting the bow on the story. Except the bow is not a cheery thing but a thing that might make a reader want to grab its mangled fucking ends and rip everything to shreds... that's purely a supposition you understand. I bring up the structure because it's part of the story, too. Briony wants to be a writer and discovers the novel in 1935. She grows up to write novels and Atonement so wonderfully embraces a novelist's mind and methods that you feel Briony the Novelist's touch in every part. It's easy to read the story and not notice this but I find it just delicious and can't imagine this story without this telling.

So about this story... it's a heartbreaker. It's not just that uncheery bow at the end either. It's all of it. Briony's mistake, Lola's victimization, Robbie's lost chance at a normal life, Cecilia's break from her family. And, my gosh, it's so hard to not be angry the whole time you're reading it. The little moments of nothings that lead to such a disastrous outcome break your heart and make you so mad. And that has to be another testament to McEwan's craft here. A book you wish you could throw at the wall but you can't because you don't want to put it down. A book with a protagonist whose neck you want to ring but you can't because without her there is no story. It's an absolutely fascinating experience.

So about this telling... it can be a slog. That may come as a surprise since I spent a whole paragraph gushing about exquisite craft but it's true. Admittedly, I am a reader who regularly skims but if I'm reading a book I really like or am really impressed with then I usually attend to every word. I just couldn't do it here. No matter how impressed I was, or how interested, I simply could not manage to stay in a character's head as long as McEwan wanted me to. (This is probably the reason I avoid memoirs.) There are endless chances to spend time on tangential trains of thought and those are trains in which I have no interest. If I get lucky, one day I will find someone who likes them and is willing to share with me what s/he likes about them. I need some educatin'.

But back to this experience... it really is an experience. Even though the story gets me so emotional I can't say I'm ever lost in it. I can't ever stop seeing the Novelist's touch, I can't ever stop analyzing all the decisions that lead to the story's end, I can't ever stop wondering what I would have said, had I been Robbie or Cecilia, when Briony came to me with the truth. It's the kind of book I wish I had read with a book club because it's hard to not want to discuss it. And, unfortunately, the pieces of the story I want to discuss most are huge spoilers so I am going to avoid them here. In case any visitor's have read the book and want to discuss I am going to list two questions:

Did Briony actually give anything back to Cecilia and Robbie with this story?
Was this a successful atonement?

My answers are no and no which is why I think Part III of the book infuriates me.

What I've written here seems to me a rather unconventional review and lacking in what I think is most essential in a review: can you tell if this is the kind of book you'd be interested in? I'm pretty sure I can't pull it together because I still struggle with what I think about the book. And that, I must say, means it's something extraordinary. Whether or not I like it, I can't stop thinking about it. In a world with endless options for entertainment, a story that a reader can't get out of her mind is certainly an accomplishment.

I can't say I recommend it without reservations but I can definitely say that I want to discuss it with anyone who has read it.

So about the movie... well, let's leave that for Michael's post.



rating: 3 or 4 of 5 stars *

*depends on the day :-)



Click here for an index of the joint post series

Sexual Objectication is Yucky

Clear reasons why and suggestions for change.

My favorite quote:
We raise our little boys to view their bodies as tools to master their environments. We raise our little girls to view their bodies as projects to constantly be improved. What if women started to view their bodies as tools to master their environment?

Skip

Unforeseen circumstances have Michael and me skipping our usual end of month post this month. We'll be back next month though.

As for me, another injury has me laid up and convinced that 2013 hates me. Thanks to Magam for sending me this fun photo.

The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake

Title: The Hot Rock
Author: Donald E. Westlake
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (1970)


Ah, the New Year.
What's that you say?
In internet time folks are already predicting the hottest trends for 2014?
Yes, I admit, in internet time I have missed the New Year (and my end of the year reading roundup *sigh*). But despite the fact that I'm doing a fair imitation of having quit the internet I am still around. Concussions, injured horses, personal events and planning a move to New Zealand have all come between me and my digital world but I certainly would not miss out on inaugurating a new year of reviews with Michael. We've already got the first few months mapped out (I may be negligent of the internet when I get busy but I'm never negligent of books:) and Michael picked a great way to open up the new year. For those that are new to this series, this is where Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here. Happy New Year and enjoy!

Click here for Michael's film review of The Hot Rock

at It Rains... You Get Wet

This is the first Donald E. Westlake I have read (including all the pseudonyms under which he published) and in the time honored tradition of not being aware of something and then suddenly seeing it everywhere once it comes to your attention (is there a name for this phenomenon?) I came by this article. Newbies like me can learn a lot about the career of Westlake and old fans will probably enjoy the recap of his writings. Now, on to The Hot Rock...

Dortmunder is a criminal mastermind who, fresh out of jail, is ready to get to work for his new employer, Major Patrick Iko. Iko would like Dortmunder and his crew to steal an important artifact his country lost in a reshuffling of borders. The artifact, an emerald with religious significance, is on display in New York as part of an Exhibition that will soon hit the road. The crew decide they want to take the rock (soon to be hot) before it's on the move. Thus begins the first of many capers. Criminal mastermind he may be but Dortmunder is also singularly unlucky. He can pull off the perfect caper, all except for the part where you leave with the item of interest.

The patrolman on the switchboard...said, "Sir, the phone's gone dead."
"Oh? We'd better call the phone company to fix it pronto," the lieutenant said.

There's a lot of fun in this book and it's not just the clever capers. Plays on words, puns, misunderstandings, and a healthy sense of the ridiculous keep this story entertaining. The dialogue will make you laugh and the subtle humor of the writing will keep a smile on your face. My favorite moment has to have been when Dortmunder and his parole officer are speaking at cross purposes which results in the parole officer thinking he's actually rehabilitated a criminal.

He gazed around the bleak battered office with its grimy furniture and the faded inspirational posters on the walls, and his eyes were shining with an unaccustomed glow. He could be seen to think, It does work! The whole probation system, the paperwork, the irritation, the crummy offices, the surly parolees, by God it works!

It's a testament to the writing that I wasn't just laughing but also genuinely feeling for the poor schmuck. Of course, at that point I was feeling so bad for Dortmunder's failed capers that I was probably in a vulnerable place. You end up feeling so bad because these are beautiful capers; so elegant and stylish that it breaks the heart when they fail.

I've got to give this locomotive back," he [Iko] said. "Don't lose it, don't hurt it. I have to give it back, it's only borrowed."

How can you not love the hell out of a caper that includes a borrowed locomotive? And it's only one of them. The one with the helicopter is just as awesome. Toot toot.

If you're even mildly entertained by a good caper than this title is definitely for you. The humor and fun characters are just icing on the cake. And the characters are tons of fun. Each crewman brings a unique skill and personality to the group and watching these traits unfold is quite a treat. By the end I could imagine even the way they each walked much less how they talked and dressed. And don't worry, it wasn't due to laborious descriptions, it just comes quietly across as you make your way from page one to the end.

I'm off to check out the film review (won't you join me?) but how about my favorite quote to enjoy before you go?

"We can still get it," he said. "We've still got a shot at it."
"Take me back to the dog," Dortmunder said.

rating: 4 of 5 stars



Click here for an index of the joint post series

Quotable

99 Problems and The New Jim Crow

I recently picked The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness for my book club (and it's very interesting - you should read it) and then I came by this: JAY-Z’S 99 PROBLEMS, VERSE 2: A CLOSE READING WITH FOURTH AMENDMENT GUIDANCE FOR COPS AND PERPS by Caleb Mason (which is also interesting [plus entertaining] - you should read it).

They both reference similar and key Supreme Court decisions which have led to exactly what cops can and can't do regarding the 4th Amendment.

This Must Be Shared

PCN often has the most amazing posts about personal or family events but this must be the absolute most amazing of all!

One Take On What Women Gamers Want

And it's a good one. Read it here.


(hat tip: Dr M)

Operation Terror by The Gordons

Title: Operation Terror

Author: The Gordons

Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc. (1960)

If Michael and I were on the East Coast we'd obviously be distracted by events of greater import than our monthly duo post. Since we are dry and with power on this side of the US we will forge ahead with this month's pick but I'm definitely keeping our Atlantic friends in my thoughts and wishing as quick a recovery as possible. 

All the credit goes to Michael for this Halloween pick and he sure did pick a good one. It's not exactly horror but the chilling suspense builds nicely and, if you're not a horror fan, this is a wonderful alternative for getting your holiday creeps. For anyone new to the series, this is where Michael and I choose a book/movie pairing and I say a few words on the book and Michael says a few words on the movie.

Click here for Michael's film review of Experiment in Terror
at It Rains... You Get Wet

Rip said to her, "Is anybody listening in?"

"No."

"You don't have an extension?"

"No."

"But somebody may be listening to you?"

"Could be, Pete."

"Somebody in the house?"

"No."

"Somebody outside?"

"Yes."

Thus begins the partnership between Kelly Sherwood and John Ripley to catch a bank thief. Sherwood, a bank teller, is ambushed in her garage by a man who promises her a cut if she helps him rob the bank. He also threatens her (and her sister) if she does not help. Not long after he leaves, she calls the FBI (TSTL Miss Sherwood is not!) to report his threats. He was waiting for her to do this and attacks her. He makes more threats and it isn't until Ripley, an FBI agent, calls back that she is able to alert the authorities.

"Where were you at noon? I waited for you at the drugstore." As she groped for words, he continued accusingly. "You always eat lunch at the drugstore, but today you didn't. Why didn't you? I'm asking why you didn't."

She thought quickly. "I brought lunch with me today."

"No, Kelly, you didn't. I'll tell you what you did. You were talking with the police. You were telling them about last night." 

She raised her voice. "I wasn't. I tell you--"

"Shut up." The trigger had snapped. He said angrily, I'm going to punish you. I'm going to do it through your kid sister..."

Operation Terror isn't just the title but the philosophy of The Gordons' villain. He threatens and harasses Sherwood relentlessly and without much of a pattern. He disrupts her sleep and keeps her in constant paranoia regarding the safety of her sister. He wants to break her down, break her will and so be reasonably sure that she will abet him in his robbery. Against this assault, Sherwood works closely with Ripley and the FBI to determine the identity of the robber.

It's possible that many readers prefer modern thrillers with all the suspense that modern technology can offer but I have to admit to being a sucker for finding a payphone, getting access to punch cards, and waiting several days for background information from the "main office." Not only does it change the pace and strategy of a manhunt but it has the feel of placing the story in an alternate universe (ha! I say this like I don't remember only needing a dime to make a call at a payphone:) with alternate rules. The fun of it is re-organizing your expectations for what can and cannot be accomplished under a particular set of circumstances.

And the "details" really are satisfying. This is a thriller with a brain full of characters with brains (and a surprising mini-twist for the character of the villain). Instead of rolling your eyes at the obvious holes you'll find yourself wondering if you could have got around the FBI/villain's plan. The lack of holes keeps the suspense as the centerpiece and that is pleasing indeed. 

For all the positives there is something slightly clumsy about the writing. I could never quite put my finger on why it seemed to stutter but that it did I could never ignore. It's a short book that you ought to fly through with very little pause but that isn't quite how it reads. It's not a deal breaker or anything, just noticeable. On the plus side, it's properly copy edited and what a refreshing quality that is!! (Yeah, that's right, I just got excited about copy editing! But seriously, have you seen some of the slip ups in books getting into bookstores these days?)

Don't miss this big thriller in a small package, it's a quick and satisfying read. Perhaps this means I should seek out more work by The Gordons. Anyone have any suggestions?

Don't forget to check out the film review. 

rating: 4 of 5 stars



Click here for an index of the joint post series

Life is Full of Scary Shit

One of its scariest attributes is The Enabler. Don't be one.

Brutsch is a grown-ass man who has made his own choices, choices that creatures with opposable thumbs would generally find repugnant. Yet when he showed off the gold-plated Reddit bobblehead award he received “for making significant contributions to the site,” he was offering very real evidence that in addition to being a singular, walking piece of vomit, he’s also undeniably a bro in a community of fellow dirtbags. He existed, and thrived, because he had the encouragement to do so.

Full article here.

Eye of the Beholder

Have a listen.

sgwordy says: So if I decide the sky is white and start looking at it like it's white will I see white more than blue?

Dr Musacha replies: It doesn't seem like that should work.

sgwordy says: Yeah, this is totally blowing my mind.

Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides

Title: Ghost Soldiers

Author: Hampton Sides

Publisher: Doubleday (2001)

Repeat readers of this book/movie post series might have noticed that Michael and I called an audible. Michael did some reconnaissance and it turns out Hampton Sides' Ghost Soldiers edged out Breuer's The Great Raid as a good read for this amazing WWII rescue mission. I'll probably eventually get to William B. Breuer's book, as well, as this is a bit of WWII history I didn't know anything about and I'd like to continue learning about it.

In an odd coincidence my book club read Unbroken this month and I watched Red Tails this weekend so I'm feeling steeped in WWII history. But let's get to the review so anyone who, like me, didn't previously know about this rescue mission can fix that. For anyone new to the series, this is where Michael and I choose a book/movie pairing and I say a few words on the book and Michael says a few words on the movie.

Click here for Michael's film review of The Great Raid
at It Rains... You Get Wet

From the publisher: "On January 28, 1945, 121 hand-selected troops from the elite U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission: March thirty miles in an attempt to rescue 513 American and British POWs who had spent three years in a surreally hellish camp near the city of Cabanatuan. The prisoners included the last survivors of the Bataan Death March left in the camp, and their extraordinary will to live might soon count for nothing—elsewhere in the Philippines, the Japanese Army had already executed American prisoners as it retreated from the advancing U.S. Army. As the Rangers stealthily moved through enemy-occupied territory, they learned that Cabanatuan had become a major transshipment point for the Japanese retreat, and instead of facing the few dozen prison guards, they could possibly confront as many as 8,000 battle-hardened enemy troops.

Hampton Sides's vivid minute-by-minute narration of the raid and his chronicle of the prisoners' wrenching experiences are masterful. But Ghost Soldiers is far more than a thrilling battle saga. Hampton Sides explores the mystery of human behavior under extreme duress—the resilience of the prisoners, who defied the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation, tropical diseases, and unspeakable tortures; the violent cultural clashes with Japanese guards and soldiers steeped in the warrior ethic of Bushido; the remarkable heroism of the Rangers and Filipino guerrillas; the complex motivations of the U.S. high command, some of whom could justly be charged with abandoning the men of Bataan in 1942; and the nearly suicidal bravado of several spies, including priests and a cabaret owner, who risked their lives to help the prisoners during their long ordeal."

Sides begins this book with the following quote from Dante's Inferno:

Let us not speak of them; but look, and pass on. 

It's apt for the book but also very much apt for the WWII history that I've been wading through lately. And, probably, apt for any exploration of war. Sadly, humans are all too prone to "look, and pass on" but nowhere does such a sad reality became more apparent than in war.

Sides allows readers to see this (from the Allied perspective) by intertwining the experiences of the POWs in the camp with the details of the days leading up to the raid. The plight of the POWs begins before the surrender on Bataan, is seen on the Death March to the prison camps and then, in brief but evocative glimpses, through the years in the prison camps. 

Sides also includes a small history of the birth of the Army Rangers. For the 6th Ranger Battalion, a mission of this caliber was what they had been created and trained to do but what they had not yet had the chance to do. Joining the Rangers was Filipino Captains Pajota and Joson with their guerrillas who were instrumental in supporting the attack on the camp and providing resources for the evacuation of the prisoners. 

Sides does an excellent job of painting a clear picture of the situation for both the POWs and Fil-American forces who eventually serve as their liberators. On the one hand this is something any reader would want, but on the other there is much that is hard to read here and that clear picture hides nothing. The abject despair of war, and its unbelievable absurdities, are brought to vivid life. The POWs initial response to the rescue efforts were particularly heartbreaking. Most of the prisoners were so ill and confused that they had to be convinced - sometimes physically - to evacuate. One POW was so distraught over documents he had to leave behind that he could not be convinced to leave.

Then the prisoner burst into tears and collapsed on the ground. Kinder tried not to consider for even a second the world of despair suggested by this man's predicament; there wasn't time for it now. Kinder lifted him in his arms. Through his sobs the POW said, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank God you've come!"

Reading this will be hard for almost anyone but worth it, as well. 

It doesn't change my recommendation of this title but I feel I ought to also mention that it could have been better written (having recently read Sides' Blood and Thunder which was much better craft-wise I was surprised at some of this book's issues). It's unnecessarily repetitive at times, employs overuse of phrases like "in truth," and the alternating of chapters from POW and rescuer points of view was a mistake, in my opinion. But, again, I think it's time very well spent to read this book so I recommend that you don't miss out.

We are all ghosts now

But once we were men.

                                --from an unsigned diary recovered from Cabanatuan camp

 
Don't forget to check out the film review.

rating: 4 of 5 stars


Click here for an index of the joint post series

Better Off Lem & Phil

Funny on the show, funny in real life.

Sometimes Science is Sad!

Check out this article. 

And I couldn't agree more with...

I don't know. I think we have this tendency to overrate our powers of reason, and underrate the lizard-brain. We have an even greater tendency to underrate the power of culture and socialization among the elite.

Kids Are Hard Work

Check out what these unsuspecting Swedes said about their paternity leave:

Before going on leave, Mr. Decker says he thought: "You get up, you eat—how hard could it be?" He was looking forward to getting a lot of personal tasks accomplished during his time off. He was wrong.

"You're pretty much switched on all day, except for a brief nap midday," he said. "And then there was the food. One week she liked eggs, the next day she didn't…It's really hard to schedule life with an 11-month baby."

Mr. Butcher, from Spotify, had originally planned on spending his six-month leave drinking coffee and writing a script while taking breaks in the park to watch his daughter play.

In reality, "I'd be lucky to have 30 minutes for myself a day. The rest was just endless cleaning, feeding, changing and picking up." He says that, two weeks into it, he wondered if he was going to last the entire leave, "but I'm happy I did it and could bond with my daughter."

I just laughed and laughed. Not that I have kids (I'm not interested in that kind of hard work) but it was no surprise to me to read these quotes.

Interesting Article

Found here. The segment that most caught my eye:

But the veil of opulence operates only under the guise of fairness. It is rather a distortion of fairness, by virtue of the partiality that it smuggles in. It asks not whether a policy is fair given the huge range of advantages or hardships the universe might throw at a person but rather whether it is fair that a very fortunate person should shoulder the burdens of others. That is, the veil of opulence insists that people imagine that resources and opportunities and talents are freely available to all, that such goods are widely abundant, that there is no element of randomness or chance that may negatively impact those who struggle to succeed but sadly fail through no fault of their own. It blankets off the obstacles that impede the road to success. It turns a blind eye to the adversity that some people, let’s face it, are born into. By insisting that we consider public policy from the perspective of the most-advantaged, the veil of opulence obscures the vagaries of brute luck.

But wait, you may be thinking, what of merit? What of all those who have labored and toiled and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to make their lives better for themselves and their families? This is an important question indeed. Many people work hard for their money and deserve to keep what they earn. An answer is offered by both doctrines of fairness.
The veil of opulence assumes that the playing field is level, that all gains are fairly gotten, that there is no cosmic adversity. In doing so, it is partial to the fortunate — for fortune here is entirely earned or deserved.

The veil of ignorance, on the other hand, introduces the possibility that one might fall on hard luck or that one is not born into luck. It never once closes out the possibility that that same person might take steps to overcome that bad luck. In this respect, it is not partial to the fortunate but impartial to all. Some will win by merit, some will win by lottery. Others will lose by laziness, while still others will lose because the world has thrown them some unfathomably awful disease or some catastrophically terrible car accident. It is an illusion of prosperity to believe that each of us deserves everything we get.

I put this under my label "equality" but depending on perspective one might very much disagree with that. Thoughts anyone?

Quotable

Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg.