books: what are you currently reading?

[Caleb]

I'm on a Welsh poetry kick. Scored a great thrift store find recently. 

[GA-ME]

For another take on education: "The Underground History of American Education" by John Taylor Gatto.

I read this a while ago. Every time I hear someone blathering on about the "bullying epidemic," I think of Gatto's anecdote of Fat Stanley.

[GA-ME]

Yikes - I don't remember Fat Stanley - now I'm going to have to go back and re-read (with an added twist that Paul Simon's melody is now stuck in my head: Fat Charlie the archangel sloped into the room . . .[/b]

There were two primary Fat Stanley anecdotes I remember from the book. One involved Gatto's investigation concerning the reason that Stanley missed so much time from school. Stanley informed Gatto that he had several Aunts and Uncles that all were engaged in various business pursuits prior to reaching the age of 21. Stanley informed Gatto that  he would read whatever assignments Gatto gave him, but that he didn't have time to spend wasting in classrooms, because he was working for free in several of his relative's businesses in exchange for learning the businesses inside and out. He told Gatto that he didn't want to waste his time on pointless classroom endeavors because he would  end up just like Gatto, working for someone else.

The other anecdote I recall about Fat Stanley was the one I was referring to in regards to bullying in my last post. Gatto described how, because of Fat Stanley's obvious ample physical features, he would often end up being taunted by some want to be bully. Gatto described Stanley's foolproof method for dealing with such situations: Stanley would promptly hit the bully so hard in the nose that they never again made the mistake of taunting him, which, is exactly how most from my generation were taught to deal with bullies. However, sometime between my high school graduation in 1986, and the present time, the idiot education  "experts" enacted "zero tolerance" for physical altercations, rather than actually investigating who initiated the altercation and who was merely defending one's self. Then, the same education "experts" sit and wring their hands over the sudden "bullying epidemic."

[ducktrapper]

Weaver definitely hits his stride faster.

The Road to Serfdom and Ideas Have Consequences were published at pretty much the same time and cover many of the same ideas. I find Weaver more readable - he has more of the classic 20th century American "just the facts" style, where Hayek is more of the 19th century Euro "we have all the time in the world to blather about this" approach. Weaver takes a stand, Hayek dithers. Weaver makes a better effort to remind people that they should be part of the solution, Hayek focuses more on pinning the blame.

Thanks, I'll have a look for it. Sometimes pinning the blame is necessary, however. I know they say, "sh*t happens" but I always respond, "Yeah but mostly it's manufactured by *** holes." Heh.   

[ducktrapper]

THE Calvin and Hobbes TENTH ANNIVERSARY BOOK  by Bill Watterson


This particular book has a lot of information in the opening pages from Bill Watterson. If you are a fan of Calvin & Hobbes this one is a good one to find. I have bought all his books over the years and my children read them and now my grandchildren read them.
     A few of the books are well worn now. I wish Bill Watterson was still putting out his bits of wisdom and humor through the eyes of a child and his imaginary (stuffed toy) tiger.

I'm going to have to buy it. I used to get my fix from a website that has recently been shut down. I wonder what Calvin would have to say about that? 


"You know, sometimes the world seems like a pretty mean place.'

'That's why animals are so soft and huggy."
― Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes:

[LawDogStrgsAttach]

"Gypsy Boy" by Mikey Walsh - interesting auto bio sketch.

Just finished "A Sport and A Pastime," by James Salter.  wow for 1967

I just read Salter's "All That Is."

Plowing through Michael Polanyi's "Personal Knowledge."

Loved Road to Surfdom.  Should be required college reading.

[LawDogStrgsAttach]

(Assuming you mean Hayek's tome, not some un-released Beach Boys album?)  

Ashamed to admit I only knew of his brother Karl!

I was hoping someone would notice that!

[datdaddy]

I just read Salter's "All That Is."

Plowing through Michael Polanyi's "Personal Knowledge."

Loved Road to Surfdom.  Should be required college reading.

Interesting reading Salter -- did you know of him before the recent New Yorker profile/bio on him?  I had never heard of him, but did just finish "A Sport and a Pastime," which was pretty racy and sad to me. 
Polanyi is still at it, or is he dead? Had to read his "Tacit Dimension" in seminary!

Also tried to read "Gypsy Boy" recently, but found it so tiresome I gave it up.  The guy needed a real ghost writer.

Am now on "Cooked" by Michael Pollan.

[GA-ME]

Am now on "Cooked" by Michael Pollan.

I'll have to give that a read. I quite enjoyed Botany of Desire and The Omnivore's Dilemma.

[ducktrapper]

I hear you . . . but as time goes by, I seem to find more and more people willing to sit back and lay blame, while far fewer are willing to take up the torch and search out the way. I think this is why Hayek is popular with the Glenn Beck lovers: he's 100% about finger pointing and 0% about pitching in on the heavy lifting. Weaver is far more succinct - though still often vague - and much more logically focused on responsibility and personal effort.

Glen Beck lovers? Somehow, I don't think that's fair or accurate to either Hayek or those who have gotten inspiration from Hayek. Identifying the problem is an important part of solving it. I'll finish the book and decide for myself, however.

Surfdom? Karl and the Passions is good though. 

[ducktrapper]

Sorry - I certainly didn't mean to saddle Hayek with Beck! The efforts that Hayek makes to dig, delve, and comprehend are the very anti-thesis of Beck - an irony deficiency that Beckians probably can't appreciate. I was being too offhand: like many people, Beck cherry-picks things from Hayek, ignoring most of the implications of Hayek's arguments to snag little sound bites that suit his odd point of view.

Oh no problem. I did read a novel by Glen Beck and it was a gigantic waste of paper. As for his political show, views and such, as a Canadian, I wouldn't know Glen Beck from I'm a Loser  Beck. I can't defend him or condemn him apart from being a terrible novelist along the lines of Dan Brown whose popularity is as much a mystery to me as Beck's appears to be to you. 

[rockstar_not]

Just started "The Path to Rome" by Hillaire Belloc.  Great travel account of the author's pilgramage trip for
France to Rome.

[Caleb]

Just started "The Path to Rome" by Hillaire Belloc.  Great travel account of the author's pilgramage trip for
France to Rome.

I've wanted to read that book for years.  He was a personal friend of GK Chesterton and a brilliant man.  Please post a review when you're done. 

[rockstar_not]

I've wanted to read that book for years.  He was a personal friend of GK Chesterton and a brilliant man.  Please post a review when you're done. 

It's a free e-book. 

http://manybooks.net/titles/bellochietext058tptr10.html

I'll just say that I'm about 30 pages in to a book of about 200 pages or so, and I don't like putting it down.  Right now it's my night-time; put me to sleep pleasantly - book.

Could easily be written by Chesterton.  I like it particularly because I've traveled many of the same routes via automobile back in 1993, so in a way, I'm revisiting a past trip through the words of this book.

-Scott

[Denis]

I'm really not much of a reader but some books I can read more than once.  I've read On The Road a few times already and the last time was about 10 years ago, but recently picked up the Original Scroll version and I'm about 80-90 pages in now.  None of the names have been changed, no editing whatsoever really.  It's a whole new book and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. 

[redwards]

Denis,

Check out "Dharma Bums". It's a little different than "On the Road". Kerouac is in a different frame of mind.

[Denis]

Denis,

Check out "Dharma Bums". It's a little different than "On the Road". Kerouac is in a different frame of mind.

I've read that one as well, many years ago.  Excellent book.  I've also read several other Kerouac novels.  Most were pretty good but On the Road is definitely his best. 

[rockstar_not]

I just finished reading Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years".  Fans of Donald Miller will find this a bit more deep than some of his other material.  I've read just about everything by him and this one so far is my favorite as it posits an interesting take, though not necessarily new, look at destiny and the output of one's day-to-day in the form of writing one's story.

[Caleb]

I just finished reading Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years".  Fans of Donald Miller will find this a bit more deep than some of his other material.  I've read just about everything by him and this one so far is my favorite as it posits an interesting take, though not necessarily new, look at destiny and the output of one's day-to-day in the form of writing one's story.

He's a very good writer, even if one doesn't particularly like what he says.

[ryler]

I loved Look Homeward Angel.  Now I'll take Kesey's book as a recommendation.  Thanks.