Open Thread - Thurs 24 Nov 2022 - Whatcha Reading?
Things are getting more and more tense, stressful, and frightening out there in the world. I want to calm down a bit, if possible, before signing up for my next anti-war protest. Therefore, I've a question for everyone for today, what are you reading right now? In book form, or online, or ebook, or magazine, or, I dunno, back of cereal box...
Me? I'm reading several archaeological things (an excavation report, yet another theory in archaeology book) and I'm reading Food, Dispossession and Dependency. Resisting the New World Order by Colin Todhunter. This short, freely available book (you can read the e-book at the link above) is about food and food production in the modern world. It's scary, I gotta admit.
The book goes into all sorts of aspects of modern corporate, industrial agriculture. Agriculture has been captured over the past 60 or more years by monopolies and first world companies like Bayer, Monsanto, Cargill and so on. Non-profits like the Bill and Melinda (is that still a thing since she divorced him?) Gates Foundation are just as destroying and controlling. Many modern studies have been done showing that small scale and local agriculture is better for the environment, better for the local inhabitants, produces more and helps more. And yet... we can't have locals controlling their food production, can we?? But we can, and the book explores the studies that show it can be done, how it can be done, and why it should be done.
GMO's, chemicals, control of seed stocks, politics, centralized control, all these and more contribute to the destruction of local food production. I know this from my own experiences in owning and running a small farm which grew vegetables, herbs and flowers, bred Nigerian Dwarf milk goats, and produced and sold truly free-range eggs. I'm glad to be retired from the selling parts of this, the rules were getting to be too much as the big guys try to knock down the microscopic farmers. Hopefully modern agriculture can be changed to make industrial agriculture go away. I have my doubts, but there's still hope.
So, thanks for reading and here's the open thread - and remember, everything is interesting if you dive deep enough, so post about anything you want!
Comments
Hi everyone!
I finally got the first planting in the greenhouse done. Just as well, it's terribly cold here, record-breaking in fact. So the greenhouse is where things are growing right now! Hope everyone has a great day!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Good morning
Thanks for hosting the OT! I think many will be reading the tea leaves of the Ukrainian
disinformation campaign. I'm having trouble believing any of the western media hype.
So my antidote is reading a fantasy novel, suggested by our friendly local librarian. It is about
a girl cured of blindness by the bite from a giant bat. Two other parallel stories are unfolding
within the context of a fateful expanding moon.
Enjoy your green housing!
That looks like
a great read. I used to read fantasy/sci fi all the time, but quit about 15 years ago. Dunno why. I need to start again, and this might be the series to do it with! Thanks!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Here's a light entertaining read...
The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People
Rick Bragg (one of my favorite southern writers)
Rick writes with great humor and humanity.
Thanks for the OT! We've got starts going in the water heater room. Put out a few cabbage and parsley plants in the garden. Collards and purple cabbage were babied through the winter with row covers. I've got onions ready to set out soon. Happy growing Sima!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Woo hoo!
Onions ready to go! This year I'm trying something different. For our whole growing 'lifetime' we've ordered onion starts. They work great when it's the Walla Walla onions (after all, we are in WA state), but everything else? Seems like half or more of the starts bolt. So this year, I decided to do it myself. Onions are being started from seed. I think the starts have bolted because we are so far north, and they are grown in Texas. Heh.
Out in the garden we have some collards and kale that have overwintered not one, but TWO winters. And they just keep going, so we just keep letting them. Why not?
The book you are reading sounds wonderful. Just perusing the summary here and on goodreads made me tear up. The relationship between the man and the dog sounds like mine with my dog, Jaska. Although, she's much better behaved (than me, and the dog in the book!). Maybe that relationship happens for anyone who is willing to be open to the dog? I don't know.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Noticed the site went down for awhile
now there are funny little blue blobs with white eyes on the tabs.
I will not jump to conclusions just yet.
I was a bit worried because
the post schedulings were about an hour late! I think they are watching us...
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Good morning!
I am starting on a trilogy, the life and times of LBJ, written by Robert Caro. Anyone would be very disdainful of the man by reading the forward/introduction in the first volume, and I expect it to get worse.
I scored 2 used books in a museum dedicated to the Pacific Theater of WWII. One is "Napolean",the other is a complete history of WWII.
Nimits was quite a strong and intelligent Admiral.
Meanwhile, we are tilling up a garden. It will supply vegetables for 2 households. That is a start.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I've read all the
Caro vols, except a partial read on the last one. I recall the first volume, which wasn't entirely flattering to Johnson though not completely, and recall hearing that as a result, some in the Johnson camp refused to take interviews with Caro. Among them Lady Bird and Bill Moyers, who, last I heard, still hadn't sat down with Caro, supposedly bc he wanted to save it all for his memoirs of his time with LBJ, which still has yet to be written.
My view of Caro is that after the mixed reaction from some in the establishment, or Johnson wing of it, following vol 1, he made the decision to temper things a bit and begin to lean more towards a depiction of a myth making legislative and political genius, or "mastermind", overstating the situation in the other direction to curry favor with some LBJ loyalists. An author friend who knew Caro way back at vol 1 believes he changed attitude and decided to do what it takes basically -- including avoiding interviewing some notorious Johnson insiders -- in order to be fully acceptable by the establishment. Going for the Pulitzers she says. So, for instance, in his latest vol published a few yrs ago, he is fully in line with the Warren Report. It is absurd on a factual and logical level, but espousing a conspiracy is what gets you kicked out of Pulitzer consideration and other polite NY/Beltway society.
On the other hand, slightly, he does assert interestingly in the last volume that JFK was probably going to dump LBJ from the '64 ticket, which until very recently most establishment authors had declined to assert, despite good evidence to the contrary. So occasionally he can get it right and write the truth.
Anyway, enjoy the read as Caro is unquestionably an outstanding writer. But in my very opinionated opinion, the most honest bio or "study in power" of LBJ has yet to be written, despite 40 yrs of Caro.
A pal sent me these books.
Thanks for your impression.
Too bad Cory was more interested in his popularity than the truth.
I am both shocked and dismayed. (/s to spare, right there, pal.)
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
LBJ, I dunno
you are braver than me, reading about him. Some aspects of him were quite good, others... bleh.
Nimitz was a good admiral, definitely. I've read several books about him and tons of books about WWII. But that reading was long, long ago. Maybe I should stop reading 'new' books and refresh my brain by reading the books I've got in my library :).
Suppying two households with garden produce? That's a great thing to do! I hope it goes great!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Well, sitting on my desktop here
is my good old dogeared copy of "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons", 2nd edition, 1963, compiled and edited by Samuel Glasstone and Philip J. Dolan. It is better than the third edition (1977), because it still had that beautiful formerly-classified full-color lithograph of Minuteman warheads MIRVing over Kwajalein at sunset. Similar to the Peacekeeper picture below, but much more colorful. The one below was never classified, so it'll have to do.
Got that book at a used book sale, long, long ago. You have to understand what you fear to try to conquer that fear, right? So much for conventional wisdom: this one has proven to be non-understandable, and therefore unconquerable...
-2degF this morning. Just replanted parsley and chives for our little indoor herb garden- those have been struggling this winter, and I don't know why. Ah, well, hope springs eternal...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
I think the effects
of nuclear weapons are so extreme and outside of our general experiences that those effects just aren't understandable for most people. Most of the USA (and probably most of the world) will never, and has never, looked at what actually happened at Heroshima and Nagasaki. It's too shaming, too difficult.
I'm glad you've got that dog-eared book. I dimly remember having to learn about the effects of nukes when I was an under-grad. That learning has stuck with me.
Parsley and Chives... are they struggling due to light changes? Some of the things we grow outside here, just can't do well in the winter even inside because there's not enough sunlight. On the other hand, most everything is going nuts outside here as the days grow longer now, even though we had a record low temp a day or so ago, at 19F. Heh.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Well, the PDF
I linked to has a number of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki still images reproduced in poor quality black and white, treating them as clinically as you'd expect from a DoD monograph.
I can highly recommend the films "The Prophecy", "Hiroshima-Nagasaki August 1945", and very recently "Atomic Cover-up". The making of those is discussed in detail here and here. The US Government strictly and vigorously suppressed the footage made by their own filmmakers, as well as that produced in Japan. Lt. Col. Daniel A. McGovern led the US Army team, and a Japanese team from Toho Studios with Harry Mimura (among others) filmed it from the Japanese perspective. All of that footage was seized and classified Top Secret, and basically buried. That is, until it was *very* quietly declassified in the late 70s, probably in a Friday news dump. The government probably hoped that nobody would notice.
There is no tinfoil here: this is historical fact. The reason most people have no idea what is entailed in a nuclear exchange is because our government explicitly did not want us to know.
I think everyone should see those films, as well as somehow being transported back to their 8 year old selves and being and shown "Duck and Cover" in school, and then drilling on the response, by people wearing CD helmets and serious frowns. That might have an impact on the current crop of young people who think that the whole thing was CGI, or some other such fallacy.
I understand the physics behind the process from my education- I even took lectures from a number of people directly involved in the development of the gadget and Trinity shot. What I will never be able to understand is man's utter inhumanity to man. Knowing what I know, it is completely beyond my understanding that any human could even consider unleashing those demons upon the world yet again, let alone also believing that they themselves will somehow emerge unscathed. That is madness, pure and simple.
And yet I continue to study, and occasionally to try and educate. There's nothing else I can do. Except, perhaps, planting some chives and parsley...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
I'm trying to read this and assorted other sites
via an internet that is beyond intermittent. Had to cover the outdoor plants last night, having a cold spell this week. Will make pizza tonight. Crazy and chaotic several days here, so might just go read magazines or, gasp, even fiction.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Pizza!
Yum! My husband makes pizza for us fairly often. He loves to make bread, has his own sourdough starter and so makes pizza from it. It's heaven :).
Hope the interwebs, and the recent days, settle down for you, and that it gets warm enough to take off the row covers.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
My crust is also sourdough.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Began reading
"Disintegration" by Andrei Martyanov. But can see it in real time apparently, as the cleaning action in Ukraine continues.
Will wait a few days before proceeding.
So I'm reviewing "1491" by Charles Mann before forwarding to my brother for his perusal.
Couple of inches of snow this morning. Will wait a bit before starting some seedlings.
Cold nap seems to be over here in the Portland, Oregon metro area.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Disintegration
sounds like a sober read. I would like to give it a go, but maybe not right now. Heck even reading the stuff I am recently about agriculture is hard to take. Why are we humans so stupid, so short-sighted?
1491 looks like a good book as well. I will have to check into it!
The cold snap ended up here in the Puget Sound today. It's 38 right now, better than the 31 it was yesterday! I think by the weekend we are supposed to be more normal with temps in the mid to high 40s or more. Phewww.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
In 1491
about halfway in I came to a rather astonishing description of the giant Cahokia mound pyramid in So Illinois, consisting of 6 million (estimated) bushels of tightly compacted earth covered w grass, most of which still stands today. There, matter of factly, was an explanation of how the builders managed to make a stable structure of dirt that sits in a flood plain that wouldn't get washed away in the next heavy rain or flood. Extraordinary genius in the design and quite an engineering feat, using only local soil materials. Gave me the chills reading about it.
I'll have to check that out.
When I started in archaeology I learned, and did, some archaeology on Native American sites. But, I was on the west coast. Only read about Cahokia. It sounds fascinating!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
I’ve read it a few times before but I can read the same book a few times and find things I’ve forgotten. Heh..usually lots of things. But it’s an amazing book that stretches from the 1700 to 1990 following one family of witches and their spook, Lasher. It’s beautifully written like most of her books and one thing that struck me was how we are only here for a short time the things that we do leave a lasting impression. If you’re looking for something fun to get lost in then you’ll like this book. Series actually. Close to 100 hours. I’m actually listening to it and the narrator is quite good. She doesn’t just read it, she performs it.
It also covers not only the technology that has changed during this time, but also the social mores.
It’s been very cold here too all week but hopefully it warms up tomorrow.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Voting is like driving with a toy steering wheel.
I've read some Anne Rice
and quite enjoyed it. I will have to check into the Witching Hour series.
I've never listened to a book before. I supposed I should try it. I've started to listen to the readings of Taibbi's articles that are on his substack site. So I'm slowly, at my old age, getting into listening to readings!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
The vampire series?
I started with them and read interview first I think. Loved them. She did the same thing with them by taking us through the years and decades. The witches aren’t obvious ones it’s just that they have little powers, but the main thing is that they see the spirit that attached himself to the family way back when.
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Witching-Hour-Audiobook/B015WVQUBO?qid=16...
I’ve been a member of audible since it started and I got my first iPod. I listen on my walks or when doing chores and driving. I rarely listen to music anymore cuz I’d rather hear a book. You can start a free trial and see if you like it. If you do then I advise always reading the reviews before buying so you don’t get stuck with a horrible narrator. I’d start with this one. Just lots of fun.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Voting is like driving with a toy steering wheel.
Yes, it was.
I should have remembered, there was a time when I explored anything vampire. That series was great. I'm gonna haveta check out the witches series now for sure!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
nothing anyone else would read...
Hi Sima, and all,
For books, I don't think I read anything that others here would be very much interested in, save maybe bird books. A current one of those is Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Another on the desk now is Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. As in a field guide to all of them. Awesome. They best one for Captains to carry, anywhere in the world. You see it on the book shelves in sailing videos on utube all over the world.
My idea of fun titles from the fish shelves...
Textbook of Fish Diseases - great microscopic photography
Rivulins of the Old World - spectacular photos of African killifish
Rainbowfishes - Aussie endemic family of beautiful 'minnows'
Giant Clams - the definitive work on Tridacna and such
Shore Fishes of Hawai'i - photos of all their endemic reef fish
Parasites of Freshwater Fishes (not before bed or meal time, for most)
keep on readin'
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
I have quite a few
field guides in my library. Mostly about birds, and the plants and animals of the PacNW and so on. I think I even have one on fish! But only one. I still really enjoy the field guides, although I think the interwebs have replaced a lot of those for identification purposes. Makes me kind of sad.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Halfway through volume three
(for about the third time) of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle trilogy -
Volume 1: Quicksilver
Volume 2: The Confusion
Volume 3: The System of the World
Not only is the content worthwhile but have these big tomes in hardcover and there's a certain tactile reward...
The trilogy about a whole lot of stuff taking place in the Age of Enlightenment from about 1640 to 1714 involving a whole lot of people in a whole lot of places. My favorite *complete* historical trilogy - Louis L'Amour unfortunately only completed volume one of an intended three "The Walking Drum"
prior to his death - also a favorite.
Too late here to go into detail on these - highly recommend them all.
Baroque Cycle
Walking Drum
Also slowly making my way through Plant and Planet by Anthony Huxley - can't seem to find any reviews on that...
Those books sound wonderful!
I used to read Louis L'Amour a lot when I was younger. Had no idea he wrote an historical novel about the Middle Ages. I have to check that out. The Stephenson books sound great too. I checked out the amazon summary of Plant and Planet. It seems to be very interesting too, right up my alley. Thanks for the book recommendations. Hope you are doing well!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so