Marian

The More Things Change. . .

Revisado: 05-26-19

If "the more things change, the more they remain the same" holds currency, this book proves it. Yes, we have better Worker's Compensation laws now. Yes, we can see progress, but also the lack of progress from yesteryear. The Radium Girls is well detailed, thorough, and instructive. At times, the detail is perhaps a bit more specific than necessary, but I would not edit it much. Sections on the courtroom interfaces are very instructive, as are the denials of problems by the employer. Medical care remains a problem now as it was then. Judicial and corporate failures reign for years, and technicalities can destroy the logic and humanity of urgent remedies, even today. This book is not irrelevant ancient history; precedent-based judicial logic without compassion, capitalist abuses, corruption, legal representation pitfalls, issues of settlement and swindling, all of these crimes happen still. Look to this volume as not a finished story. We have more to do, and the old way of doing things is too slow, too fraught with injustice, and has too many loopholes. Read this book and think about modern problems - from rainforest protection to health policies to family law. The narration is a comfortable listening experience on Audible. I recommend this book for policy-makers, judges, human rights activists, those concerned about health care reform, and I think it is required reading for hard-core capitalists to read but the blind will not see the meaning. The health impact of the radium painted products and product liability was not developed in the book. Perhaps that is another story.

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Inspiring Book for a General Audience

Revisado: 05-22-19

Very entertaining light genetics book for a general audience telling about both scientific imagination and determination in an inspiring way. I listened on Audible. I am very glad the research continued and am happy to have read the book. If any edits in the future were to be made, I would encourage the authors to stick with their core knowledge and stories, avoid language that is overly sweet, dig deeper into their anecdotes, tell more about the science, and include photographic support on Audible. Maybe the print version has photographs? I found myself dreaming of raising an elite fox one day, though the price tags in the United States for pet foxes seems to be well over $5000.

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Dense and Scary Information

Revisado: 05-22-19

This is an intelligent author, one of the most comprehensive thinkers I have encountered in my readings, who presents important information that is discouraging to me. The sections on algorithms and the future of humanity identifies and describes problems but solutions are not present. I found myself making lots of notes for the Audible copy, so I recommend a hard copy or a Kindle to accompany this book. Tread with caution if you are prone to depression. My internal motivation was negatively impacted by the content.

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Big Reasons to Redefine What Belongs to Whom

Revisado: 05-21-19

I highly recommend this book both a timeless, placeless testament to cultural misappropriation and, additionally, to the specific story of tenacity and will during lifetimes of cultural wrongs. If you are not generally a reader of “Holocaust era” memoirs, be advised the lessons of minority cultures and their efforts to preserve their histories and cultures as regimes change, wars pass through, leaders issue foolish and shameful dictates, borders for legal entities alter, and power centers shift are not restricted to Jewish experience. Through the extremes, and this book provides extreme examples, we can create global policies for cultural rights. As an American raised in the diversity of southern California, I cannot comprehend and hope never to comprehend politics of exclusion and genocide. Our miscellanies give depth, interest, strength, and mutual relevance.

This is not a “spy thriller,” but anxiety rivers through the telling. The first few chapters do a gentle, slow launch of the book. As the book proceeds, you’ll hear great poetry, see images crafted with words long ago, sicken from the losses, feel the hope in despair, and understand human desperation to control what you can influence.

There were some personal relationships sentences here and there that I felt should have been under the editor’s Sharpie, but the scope of the scholarship seems to otherwise be significant and strong. At other times, I found personal life applications for some of the homily-style wisdom in these pages.

I listened on Audible. This was a slight disadvantage as I do not have a visual to spell some Yiddish names or phrases in the book. A Kindle/paper copy to accompany Audible might be a good idea, especially for people who are reading this book for school/university/research purposes. The Audible delivery, was, otherwise, without deficit.

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Chernobyl: A Sarcophagus for "Cheap" Power?

Revisado: 05-19-19

I have begun other books on Chernobyl. This historical and current events reporting is engaging and, I believe, definitive. I lost sleep to finish this book on Audible as a nearly continuous reading. The foolishness and irresponsibility of politicians, the fears of humans to record data and be accountable, the powerlessness of those whose training, resources, circumstances, and missions, and the wishful thinking of those who attempt to “solve” a problem transect all cultures and times. Playing with nuclear energy is medieval; we try to harness the energy of the sun with such audacity that we might as well redraw maps of the solar system with flat Earths around which everything else rotate. What are our options? Rather than forcing ourselves to always obtain more and more energy to feed “modern” lifestyles, let’s redefine needs and truly promote smaller energy footprints as advancement. All parts of this book were well-told. For me, a measure of a good scientific book is whether it provokes thought and deeper research. One thought I had: how the USSR wanted very badly to show its scientific virtue and prowess by rushing to build nuclear power generation as part of the polarization of the Cold War . . . there is something deeply human about wanting to take the shock and awe of nuclear bomb use in Japan and flip it to something useful. Are both power generators and bombs the forbidden zone for man? Items I would like to explore further - - types of radiation, types of nuclear generators and their current plans, deeper comparisons of Fukushima and Chernobyl, what and how is the sarcophagus for Chernobyl maintained. I also want to know more about the Elephant’s Foot, and I will seek out photos of some of the scientific anomalies. DNA research is booming right now - - -I would like to see more information about the DNA genome changes for people, flora, fauna in the area. Highly recommend!

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Important Exposé on Lyme Disease and Bio-Weapons

Revisado: 05-19-19

Bitten! This is a quick, courageous, and intense book. International intrigue, compelling details, scientifically relevant, politically meaningful. The author did her homework. She does not have all the answers, and she admits that. I appreciate that she did not pad the book with more details just to make a longer book. That is respectful for readers. Governmental crimes, stupidity, diversion of funds, diversion of biological weapons, the Cold War mindset, cover-ups, Cuba, the Kennedys, Russia, Switzerland, the United States, and scientists who find themselves working on weapons without specifically seeking out such work. . . . all of this is in Bitten! The density of the book is light-medium. I took only a handful of notes. Jargon was minimal - I did not need to look up unusual words or learn a new vocabulary. I listened on Audible, and the recording was clear and well-read; I listened to the whole book in one session. I highly recommend this book; the medical insurance crimes and interference from the government with medical care for Lyme Disease victims astonished me. I was not clear if that is yet fully resolved. Thank you for writing this brave book

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A Call to Action - Citizens Awake!

Revisado: 05-16-19

Here is an important, easily read, current book with essential information we collectively need to prioritize rethinking of pharmaceutical ethics, manufacturing, delivery, politics, guidelines, and economics worldwide. I strongly encourage those interested in public health, policy-making, regulatory affairs, and global vision to hear Eban’s story. I also encourage all involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing to learn about integrity, the health consequences of short-cuts, and ethical problem-solving. The term, “ethical drug,” traditionally means a pharmaceutical requiring a prescription. The people who make medicines must have accountability and ethics, yet this is not the default case. Many ethical drugs are not ethically made at all. Money, greed, societal pressures, and ignorance all contribute. Some generic medicines may be very weak, may contain contaminants, may be bogus, may be toxic, may have undergone dangerous processing errors. The lack of consistent, uniform regulations worldwide results in potentially dramatic variations between a trademarked medicine and any given batch of a generic substitute. What's in a name! Not all items with the same small print name are equals. Eban emphasizes the generics, but we have big problems with Big Pharma trademarked medicines, too, including affordability. Many of the problems detailed in this book are about dirty factories, unscrupulous manufacturing, unconscionable pursuits of profits, system failures, regulatory goofs, untrained help, and the resistance of politicians to protect the public. One whistleblower is particularly featured with his tale interwoven in the story. With Eban’s highlighted tales from primarily Indian manufacturing, we can clearly see how the potential benefits of generic drugs can work against health promotion goals. Our needs for a global vision of integrity, incentives, responsibility, liability, and affordability is past due. Bottle of Lies is a call for action, not a history book.

The general reader might not benefit as much as the more involved stakeholder from the reading, and this book does not read like a cliff-hanger. I worry that all generic substitutes might be tarred and feathered in the minds of some readers. There are conscientiously manufactured generics. And then there are products that India has made that could not legally be sold in India or the United States but were sent to Africa. Shameful!

My interest was easily maintained. I listened on Audible. Two measures I use to assess a book: how many times I stop to take notes, and how many times I find myself doing extra internet research on new on new concepts. I took notes on all sections, but the content never required me look up strange technical words or to do extra Google work. If read by Kindle or paper, the density is light enough for speed reading.

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The Urine of the Earth in a Teacup

Revisado: 05-12-19

Please read this book!

I remember hearing the term, “Historical Theory” as an undergraduate in the 1980’s, and I wondered how a “factual” subject like history could possibly have a theoretical component. Over time, I learned that our operating theories, our perspectives, our frames, our expectations, and our programming matter more to every human activity than the facts. Facts are important, but authors pick facts selectively, choose words purposefully, and express findings based on internalized models. Every academic discipline has a theory. Every human has an operating system, an internal theory, too.

Here you have metatheory, theory, and eggs of theory essential to human discourse. Jared Diamond is a polymath; he communicates the emotional fight or flight syndrome of the tortured whale swimming in the ocean of human fireworks while his heart beats on the drum of experimental thinking in the manner of Jonas Salk; he links together his conversations with the prejudiced German or Australian with the nose to smell our common survival fears; his touch is not just the handshake of the Lebanese bird watcher, but also that of the economist seated near the tinderbox anger of modern serfs sick of “rags to riches” myths. He tasted the urine of earth, found it sugary, and gives us his best treatment theories in a world still to invent insulin.

Is it dull? Not at all. I did not want to miss a single word. Is it important or relevant, this history book? Absolutely. Diamond’s inner political scientist and inner psychologist informs us of our warts and beauty marks here in the United States within the context of selected global comparisons and contrast. Our leaders, entrepreneurs, monied classes, and citizens must open their hearts, brains, and stomachs to the warnings and potentials provided by Diamond. I want more, Professor. Please continue! Diamond’s discussions of the warts and beauty marks of other countries, such as modern Japan, should be “Eureka” moments for other countries, too. We have only one planet, and, as Diamond points out, we cannot look to the galaxy of other known Earths for ideas.

Diamond’s style is intuitive; almost each time I thought, “but what about xyz?” he soon addressed my concern as if he had anticipated my question. This book is easy to follow, but it is not overly simplistic. Is this a book any academic with access to a research library could write? Not a chance. Personal experiences and ponderings across decades inform the results. Is the book contrary to academic research? Very few passages seem to cross the line of unsubstantiated opinion or Diamond’s personal bias. Is it a book of solutions? No. It is a book that gifts verbal concepts to test. It is a book that highlights both incremental change and paradigm shift. It is a book about the medicine of sustainability and the “chronic, incurable, hard to cure diseases” of the political man. It is a book about crimes, failures, lessons, guilts, lack of introspection, mistakes, successes, social responsibilities, democracies, stratifications, social liberalisms, sacrifices, survivals, threats, random chances, plans, and our daily bread. Is your urine sugary? We fix the Earth’s diabetes one operating system at a time.

I enjoyed this reading on Audible, but I felt disadvantaged because Audible does not provide access to the charts and tables referenced by Diamond. I will complain to Audible about the need for a pdf companion. If that fails, I will consider buying a companion Kindle version of this book; it is important and essential information. I do not mind investing in two versions of this Diamond book.

I repeat: Please read this book, and let’s make the future better.

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Not Very Meaty Collection of Shallow Biographies

Revisado: 05-11-19

I read as far as Eleanor Roosevelt and decided there was not enough new substance or analysis to inspire me to go on. I wrote down a few insights from the earlier chapters, but this book is primarily a collection of introductory biographies on the included persons.

Audible speaker is fine, but the delivery and content is somewhat flat. There are other books I would rather read. Disappointed as I am a long-term fan of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

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Mongongo Nuts and Chinese Math

Revisado: 05-09-19

After reading this book, I am ready to learn about Mongongo Nuts. They are available but I must also find cultivation information.

After reading this book, I am ready to ditch the words we use for our number system in English. I love the explanation he provides about numbers, memory, and the superiority of the Chinese words for numbers.

This is a quality book with useful, thoughtful insights. How many times do I stop the book to make notes regarding my own experiences, to do my own background work or to otherwise dig deeper. In most chapters, I found that I stopped one time to either make . Examples of items I found to be new - - the community of Roseto and their mystery and the main food source of the ǃKung people. I developed better insight into myself and my child-rearing practices as well.

I would call this book a light reading product; concepts are easily grasped while multitasking. Even though it is light and short, it has meaning.

My reading was on Audible, and the narration was without any ear thorns. I am interested in other works by Malcolm Gladwell. I read the book twice because I thought I had missed some content. I was right; I had missed some information. Any repeats I heard on round two were pleasant.

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