Monday, October 19, 2009

Books

Reading books is one of only two ways to learn anything serious or important about the past or present world and human cultures. The other way is intensive travel. Travel plus reading books is optimal. I'll write about travel later, but I'm going to start a new "Book of the Week" feature for the blog today. Each book will be one that I've actually read or listened to on CD in its unabridged entirety.

Today I feature a fun and useful book: "The Secret Life of France" by Lucy Wadham. This book was just published. Here is the "Publisher's Description" from www.amazon.com - "In this candid and funny account of her escape from English boys and her love affair with a Frenchman, Lucy Wadham describes the mutual bafflement and fascination that characterised both their subsequent marriage and her unfolding relationship with France. Using her own personal experiences over 25 years, Lucy offers a rare, insider's view of a nation that may be deeply incompatible with ours but is also, she thinks, chronically misunderstood. In "The Secret Life of France", Lucy leads us on a journey through the French moral maze, and examines French attitudes to a range of subjects from marriage and adultery to work and race relations. By taking apart the cliches she helps us gain a better understanding of this nearest and most alien of neighbours, and suggests that on some matters we have much to learn from them. "

I concur. And two reviews in Financial Times concur as well - that's where I discovered it. The book was a very enjoyable read. I learned a lot about France and French culture. The author's perspective is British, but the American perspective is rather easy to extract as she makes British cultural comparisons explicit. France and the US have a mutual love-hate relationship going back 350 years to colonial times. Modern cliches really do France and the French a disservice. Reading this book helps one understand both much better.

By the way, since I read only about one book per 2-3 weeks as I spend lots of time learning languages and listening to lectures, many of my books covered here will be past reads. I have a 700 square foot library full of books, many that I've read.

Actions

I checked Krypto Fund over the weekend; it's doing very well. Some asset classes are probing re-allocation checkpoints, but not quite there. I'll wait.

Otherwise: Je ne fais rien ... Ich machte nichts ... Nic nie robiÄ™ ... Estoy haciendo nada ... Non faccio nulla ... Nihil facio ... I am doing nothing.

Word of the Day

"Epigone" - noun [$10]; also "Epigonous" - adjective [$10] and "Epigonic" - adjective [$10]
Epigone means an imitiative follower especially an inferior imitation of a creative thinker or artist.
Sentence: For serious learning, the Internet is a mere epigone to books and travel. In a more complete sense, it's analogous to a visual, searchable card catalog that can help one find where to obtain reliable knowledge, but not actually obtain it directly.

38 comments:

Frosty said...

great post Bunky.

Frosty said...

Bunky...can you suggest some nice picture books for Sal...thanks in advance.

Bunkerman said...

lololol

surely he can read - I don't think one can get thru Iowa State without reading ability. Those hog care and feeding instructions are written. The mating ones "might" have photos ...

;)

Bud said...

CGA



nailed it !!!!.........looks like 2 bux in 2 days........stockofthe week on a tear.........wonder how i got into that stock...........ya'know...........since i 'can't read'




danke vielmals jim !!!!!!!!!!!!

Bud said...

that's really funny Bman...............hahahahaha !!!!


what an elite phony you are.............always defending the common man..........yet takin a shot at a state school..............typical ivy league arrogant snob...............more like beefer university prick............always lookin down on state schools





epicuderan anachronist ( or whatever) my ass

Bud said...

picture book ????

here's a picture book.............. "The Secret Life of Frosty"


nuthin but pictures of young english boys





PS..............still wanna be friends ????

Bud said...

hog care and feeding ???


Bman aren't you the one always accusing me of bein a 'city slicker'..........what a phony you are



iowa state great agricultural school............beefer university??............great beefer school

Bunkerman said...

Actually I like the State schools, my father went to Ohio U and Ohio State;

Many relatives attended and are attending them. I have a nephew attending Univ. of Iowa now.

Uh ... I was poking fun at "vous", bud, not the state schools.

;)

Bud said...

i can't read frosty ????


well..........you know what i can read..............mern's emails to me crying about the QID you put him into...........almost bankrupted him..........i still got those emails saved


hey read this............you're a douche!!!





PS...........still wanna be friends ??????

Bud said...

oh ok Bman...........it's not your fault anyway ..................f'ng frosty got under my skin with that picture book post



'knock your f'ng teeth out'

Bunkerman said...

Nothing wrong with hog feeding ... I have a relative who is a professor at Nebraska teaching hog related sciences. I had a cousin who raised hogs in Ohio.

Again, Bud, you miss-identified the target ...

;)

Spin-em said...

Monday Bookclub?????

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!


" WE'RE BNIZMEN!!!"

"700 sq ft" was that really needed??...lool...is bookclub monday about books or you sir??

Bunkerman said...

well, true, frosty did throw a slow, fat on down the pipe.

Over the wall ... rounding the bases ... doffing my cap ...

Merci, frosty ...

Bunkerman said...

no, I wanted readers to believe me as I post these weekly, that I actually bought, own and read them.

Bud said...

well ace................i need your help finding me a new bookie


knocked out 2 bookies this weekend..........5for5 in college football on saturday...........was locked and loaded oklahoma +3.5 .......... which i posted here..........hope y'all 'can read' ...............covered by the 'hook'.......when you're hot .......you're hot





"will this damn kid ever lose a bet"

mfl59 said...

"When will this kid lose a bet?"

Did you hang your ARod poster yet?

Bud said...

oh ace............and my second biggest play was iowa state -1 over baylor..............broke an 11 game big12 losing streak...........i shud really become a professional college football gambler




skip bayless indeed

Bunkerman said...

uh Bud, remember the story about the slave in the chariot ... sounds like you need one, too.

The gods punish hubris.

;)

Bud said...

oh wait.............just realized............iowa state wasn't posted here..........that was the 'other place'.........doesn't matter............you guys 'monitor ' that


skip bayless indeed

mfl59 said...

"skip bayless indeed"


lmaoooooo touche....

Spin-em said...

Arod new man..Kate Tang...not the astronaut drink ..merny style

Bunkerman said...

going to the MG range this PM ... need to stay in top form on the M1 Thompson, Uzi.

Bud said...

frosty has a slave in his basement............y'know..........'pulp fiction' style


PS.............have u seen that flic Bman......you shud....... i watch alot of movies.......ya'know...since i 'can't read'

Bunkerman said...

sure I've seen it ... one of my favorites - have the DVD.

Spin-em said...

pulp fiction.....that movie blew

Bud said...

alright ace.............lemme educate you on how i operate...........and put some money in your pocket



loaded california angels -130 in game3 today............i'm takin the winings from game1 ..........and riskin it here..........if they lose........the series is over...........and we collect our yankee series wager


also if the angels win..........i am putting it on the phillies tonite -120


if my angels wager loses...........i pass on the nlcs





you follow me ace ??? it ain't that hard to understand.................you can thank me tomorrow

Bud said...

california angels ??? uhhhhhh............los angeles angels of anaheim

mfl59 said...

Bud that actually sounds smart....imagine how much "smarter" you'd be if you didn't have jim in your ear all day....

Spin-em said...

pffttt..how do we know he didnt use that strateegery for game 2? trust??..sorry pal..In God we trust..all others post first and pay cash.....

Frosty said...

searching the yellow pages for my third bookie this month...up a 1500000%..."see dick run" book of the month club fav.

Bud said...

yellow pages


LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


listen you prick.............i don't need to lie.......i have nuthin to gain...........i am on fire in college football...........and when i turn cold...........i will acknowledge it .............and the time will come when i get ice cold...........what a f'ng douchebag




PS............still wanna be friends ???

Bud said...

and btw..................i don't give an F ....and i mean F...............whether anyone here believes me or not


i could care F'ng less...............in god we trust???......i don't give an F about god and i don't give an F about trust



you don't like my F'ng stategy..............don't F'ng do it...........you like it enuff to do it............thank me later

Bud said...

hey ace...................how's my phil ivey today ????

Frosty said...

shamwow...wash the prowler in half the time plus mop those tears in a jiff...you welcome in advance.

Spin-em said...

betting on baseball..football..ROFLLLLL

kinda sad....nonono..im sure its fine for youuu

mfl59 said...

looks look Bob got you to go on tilt.....get a hold of yourself man

Spin-em said...

GREAT NEWS!!...JASON BAY SHOT A 76 today!!!

HAD THE UNDER 80...HOPE YOU GUYS LISTENED

We're in the money, we're in the money;
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along!
We're in the money, that sky is sunny,
Old Man Depression you are through, you done us wrong.
We never see a headline about breadlines today.
And when we see the landlord we can look that guy right in the eye
We're in the money, come on, my honey,
Let's lend it, spend it, send it rolling along!

Oh, yes we're in the money, you bet we're in the money,
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along!
Let's go we're in the money, Look up the skies are sunny,
Old Man Depression you are through, you done us wrong.
We never see a headline about breadlines today.
And when we see the landlord we can look that guy right in the eye
We're in the money, come on, my honey,
Let's lend it, spend it, send it rolling along!

Bunkerman said...

yup, Spin ... enjoy life !

A great song