Quirky thoughts from an old man.
A Rift in the Earth
by James Reston
This is a short book that tells the story of the building of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC. “Our nation lost its will for the war, and yet didn’t have the courage to stop it.” Maya Lin’s simple but moving memorial is a fitting tribute to those who gave there lives in this lost cause. Reston’s story of the “Art wars” that were fought over its construction is worth reading.
Written by Fred Anderson. This is a book about the war that the British and the French fought about North America among other things. Most of what I learned about it was about the important role that the Native Americans played in the war and how heroic they were against insurmountable odds. It also shows how the colonists were starting to have different interests than the British monarchy with regard to taxation, representation, trade and expansion into the west.
Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely (2008)
“One cannot mix social norms and market norms.” If you don’t believe this try to pay for Thanksgiving Dinner at you Mother-in-laws house.
A interesting book that attempts to explain things like why we steal and and why we over value what we have. very thought provoking.
Read more: Books 2
“Before printing the total number of books in Europe was well under one hundred thousand. By 1500, after forty-five years of the printed book, the total has been calculated at nine million.”
Paul Johnson in The Renaissance a Short History.
“We desire the desire of others.”
From The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
Or put in the vernacular: We want to be wanted.
Books wait on shelves.
Redundant in a Google world
I will miss the smell.
“Almost everything good in the world is a result of teamwork.”
Quote from Thanks a Thousand by A.J. Jacobs
“If you only read books that everyone else reads you will only think what everyone else thinks.”
