Maine Dave

A bit academic with a novel perspective

Revisado: 12-21-22

This book attempts to answer the questions: What role did alcohol play in human evolution and the development of human civilization? What role should alcohol play in modern cultures? If these questions interests you, this book may be for you.

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Way over my head

Revisado: 05-15-21

I'm reasonably sure that those with a strong background in theoretical physics would find these articles interesting. Indeed, the editor's of Quanta claim that these are their most receptive readers. For myself, with only two college courses in Physics and an active interest in the subject, the articles presented are very unsatisfactory, both because they seem to be highly speculative and poorly grounded due to the need to skip the math -- most of which, I suspect, would also be over my head. While the articles come across as presenting speculative bombshells, they sound to my ears more like the interminable gossip of two pros discussing the recent activities of Person X.

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Too much repetition

Revisado: 04-18-21

Repeating the main points is a common failure of many authors. When reading a book, repetition can be skipped over, but when listening to the reading of the book, one is dragged along whether one likes it or not. The main point of the opening chapters of the book is that "gun grabbers" must give up on the idea of eliminating guns and must allow that individual self-defense is a common and perfectly good reason to own a gun, while the "gun-rights" crowd must give up on the idea that any regulation of the ownership and use of guns is just the initial step on a master plan to take away the guns. Until the two sides agree on the need for gun ownership and gun regulation, little progress can be expected. So a perfectly good thesis, which I have no reason to doubt that the author will support with evidence and anecdote. However, he repeats the point so many times, that at times, I wondered whether I had inadvertently wound back the tape. I got the point, the first four times, and I won't stand listening to it again.

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Lots of killing, no justice

Revisado: 01-13-21

Perhaps I'm old fashion, but I think the perps should meet up with justice. Essentially a noir MM is street justice with a touch or even a healthy dose of class. Throw in la femme, the cash, a cast of characters drawn from a cross section of society, and, of course, our hero the crusader, and you have an inebriating tale of intrigue, human vices, and an ambience of temptation where virtue is not so innocent anymore. All this without a hangover or the need to lie low for a while.

This story is well written and very competently read, but justice never comes. Essentially, the plot is not complete, and the abrupt ending makes me suspect the author needed to pay his rent.

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Should be entitled, "Medical history before 1918"

Revisado: 04-17-20

I am somewhat confident that the author gets around to the subject of his book sometime after the sixth chapter where I gave up on him. A historian's job is to focus what he thinks is relevant. Given the title, I expected a history of the impact of and response to the Spanish flu. He probably gets around to it at some point, but not before wandering off into the hinterlands of any subject that he uncovered during his research. He'll spend precious words telling us that the great grandfather of a minor character traced his lineage to the Mayflower, or some such trivia. He'll spend a chapter detailing the theory of medicine of Hippocrates and Galen, as well as of its twists and turns throughout 2,000 years of history. Bombasting his way through the preliminaries, he fails to grab his subject by the throat. A reader can skip ahead, while a listener is dragged through all of it.

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Needs severe editing

Revisado: 02-18-20

The book's central points are valid, in my opinion, and very interesting, but a red pencil should have been applied to remove one-half to two-thirds of the text. The repetition is enormous and very tiring. A reader can skip ahead, a listener is held captive to the droning.

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An extraordinarily successful man of his times

Revisado: 12-11-19

This is a sympathetic portrait of a 19th century man who lived into the 20th century, and whose principles, influence, and money has been felt well into the present day. His success was due to luck, pluck, focused attention, faith in the future and providence, a strong desire to succeed, and his considerable talents. The story is well told and well read.

What surprised me was the extent and length of his philantropy prior to the passing of the family fortune to his only son. What sadden me was the extent to which his wealth infantized and essentially disabled some of his children and his other relatives. He was frugal and careful himself, and he expected the same in others, but he never abandoned his friends, his causes, or members of his family in times of need that arose from their own foolishness and carelessness. In many ways, this is the curse of wealth that others come to depend on one's wealth rather than their own efforts to get along in this world. Tough love is particularly tough when one has the means to relieve the distress of loved ones but doing so only perpetuates a pattern of dependency in those who ought and are able to fend for themselves.

Overall, John D gave more to charitable causes than all his fellow "robber barons" combined, both because he was richer than them, and because he was more generous. In addition, he paid great attention to obtaining excellent results from his charities.

In spite of his many faults, in spite of the downside of the life altering carbon based economy that he did so much to create, we can be proud to call him an American icon.

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Trump's Corruption and Incompetence Exposed

Revisado: 08-18-19

Two important points form the bottom line of the Mueller report: One, there is insufficient, even scant, evidence for collusion between the Trump 2016 campaign and the Russian government. Two, there is overwhelming evidence that Trump obstructed justice in the investigation on whether there was collusion. The inescapable conclusion: if Trump had kept his trap shut and declined to use the levers of power at his command to impede the investigation, he'd be home free now on the Mueller investigation.

I believe the core reason for the lack of conspiracy is that the Russians did not think Trump was a reliable tool and, like everyone else, did not think that Trump was a creditable candidate. Had they thought that he could get elected, they would have been all over him, and it seems very likely he would have welcomed their help and assisted them in their work. But they didn't, and although he advertised his willingness, they never asked him to dance.

On the other hand, his innate corruption led him to attempt obstruction of the investigation at every turn. Although the Mueller Report does not document ways that his efforts ultimately hurt the investigation, the important legal point is simply this: Attempting to impede an investigation even if ineffectual and even if the underlying crimes being investigated are not substantiated is obstruction. Obstruction that fits this description is a crime for which many people have served time. If you listen to this report or read it, you will be persuaded, as some thousand current and former prosecutors have been, that the evidence is there to warrant an indictment. One can only marvel that Trump would be so incompetent as to get himself in the position of being indictable for obstructing an investigation into a crime that didn't happen.

Although the aid and outreach from the Russian government to the Trump campaign failed to establish a conspiracy, new laws should be enacted to make the reporting of such aid and outreach mandatory, and those engaging in it or encouraging it, criminals under U.S. law. We cannot allow other nations to meddle in our elections if we want to keep our democracy.

Finally, a word to the impatient. The report is a legal document. Some parts are tedious. Its subject matter, on the other hand, couldn't be more important.

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Journalistic gossip, much of it likely true

Revisado: 08-18-19

Journalists don't publish without multiple independent confirming sources. Unfortunately, that leaves much of what makes the rounds in journalistic circles unreported. Wolff holds himself to a lower standard. If he hears it from a generally credible source, and it sounds believable, and it is interesting, he'll publish it. Some of what he reports is undoubtedly false in whole or part. But, his reporting puts you in the loop privy to the inside skinny. So, if you loath Trump, you'll love this book. Just remember that it is not all true. Also, Fire and Fury had more inside info.

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Abe's Sharp Steel Blade

Revisado: 08-18-19

War is always a gamble. To win, some risks must be run and others must be avoided. Sherman, who always saw himself in uniform as an instrument of the State, welded the legions the Union assembled to crush the South. Along with Lee and possibly Grant, he was one of the three great generals of that conflict. This book tells the story of Sherman as a youth, West Point cadet, a business man, an officer and a general, and a family man. While generally flattering, it is also mildly critical in some respects. Unlike Lee and Grant, he continued to lead the U.S. Army long after the war, overseeing its downsizing, but husbanding its core competencies. The authors credits him with fathering the army that was later able to enter decisively into two world wars. Well written and well read, history buffs with scant knowledge of Sherman will appreciate its comprehensive and lucid style.

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