The best way to sum up Stigler’s memoir is a quote from the book: a scholar is an evangelist seeking to convert his learned brethren to the new enlighThe best way to sum up Stigler’s memoir is a quote from the book: a scholar is an evangelist seeking to convert his learned brethren to the new enlightenment he is preaching. The beginning is spent chronicling Stigler’s life, my general conclusion after reading the beginning was:
1. If I decide to seek my master’s in economics, I will most definitely apply to Chicago, and be sorely disappointed if it doesn’t live up to all of his lavish praise. 2. More name dropping than even “Howl,” which did a lot of name-dropping. 3. In regards to the voracious name-dropping, more explanation would have been helpful! The only ones I can remember and attribute things to are Frank Knight and Milton Friedman, who was his BFF. 4. Lots of book titles too. Can’t say I recall any offhand, but I’m sure they were thrillingly important! 5. He tries to be modest and say things like: my role in our work was so modest that my claim must be that I did not aid the enemy. But later on he has a page where he lists positions he’s held in the government. Plus he has won a Noble Prize. Granted the giant list of positions is later but, it wasn’t as though the arrogance wasn’t apparent in his cutting remarks about Leon Henderson. Henderson had garnered some acclaim for predicting the Great Depression. Stigler continues to say that an “indulgent public had forgiven or forgotten his identical but mistaken predictions in previous years,” thereby terming the “repetition of a prediction until it comes to pass the ‘Henderson method.’”
Once he delves into actual economic theory, however, he is much more interesting. Near the end of the memoir Stigler covers some examples of economics applied to things other than just markets. One example is Gary Becker who wrote a doctoral thesis entitled The Economics of Discrimination. He “employed the theory of international trade in studying discrimination” and reached two conclusions:
1. a small minority loses heavily by discrimination but a large majority loses a little 2. yet when a minority discriminates against the majority, discrimination against the minority increases.
He also goes on to analyze childbirth and marriage in economic terms and it is absolutely fascinating.
It’s interesting that Stigler never really concretely espouses his own philosophies, you can only infer what they are based on what he writes about the thoughts of others. He talks about how the regulation of utilities companies does not affect how much they charge their customers and how the Clean Air Act is an example of a small self-serving lobby passing legislation to benefit itself. The self-serving lobby being the Appalachian miners. The legislation prevents the building of factories that would reduce air quality in an area, regardless of what its current air quality is. Therefore, the building of new factories is very difficult. Which is good, until Stigler points out that most factories are in the North or Northeastern United States and burn Appalachian coal, which is high-sulfur. If these factories were to relocate to the South or West they could burn the local low-sulfur coal. But instead, scrubbers must be installed in the chimneys of preexisting factories, which will continue to burn the more destructive fuel, keeping the miners in business.
In conclusion, I have much higher hopes for my other Nobel (auto)biography about Marie Curie but do appreciate Stigler’s introduction to applied economics and the various applications thereof. And also for his glowing recommendation of the University of Chicago. He was also able to succinctly summarize quite a few important theories, which I appreciated, and made me rethink my ideas on the role government should play in economics. Because, like he quotes Friedrich Hayek as saying, voting on the different parts of an economic policy so that each portion is the majority consensus is about as effective as doing the same for a military strategy....more
Overall I found it a pretty well written book. More pictures would’ve been nice, because I must admit to being a rather superficial person who likes tOverall I found it a pretty well written book. More pictures would’ve been nice, because I must admit to being a rather superficial person who likes to “put a face to the story.” There are a few snapshots but they are scattered throughout the biography and probably number less than 10. That is truly depressing for the visual learners. You’re better off just looking at the cover jacket to remind yourself what Curie looked liked.
It was interesting how Goldsmith did not just write about Curie either. Obviously the other characters were related, in some way, to her, but their stories were told as well. We learned what sort of man Pierre was, and how their relationship went along. We learned what it was like to have the Marie Curie for a mother, and how it influenced her two daughters in two different ways. Relying heavily on interviews with her granddaughter and facts gleaned from the Curie papers, professional and personal, it presents a pretty full-bodied portrait of the famous scientist. There is also some commentary from Goldsmith, towards the end, about what drew her to Marie Curie in the first place. This was interesting because, well, it’s a valid question! Also explains a lot about how she formatted the book and why she wrote it the way she did.
It did not ring as terribly biased; even the French government which is criticized must accept that criticism isn’t unwarranted. Knowing that the book was written primarily from words Curie herself had written in letters and diaries also helped ground the book more. I feel that it is more credible because it got its facts from the woman herself. Of course, that isn’t to say Goldsmith could not have “read” the works in a certain light. But at least the works themselves were true. Her addressing the “myth of Madame Curie,” mostly self-fabricated for financial reasons, was also important. It’s hard to understand a woman who does not want to be understood or scrutinized. Her death probably makes it easier. ...more
This was originally read as extra credit for my Intro to Macroeconomics class, but the question list was far too long and I got an A regardless. ;) AlThis was originally read as extra credit for my Intro to Macroeconomics class, but the question list was far too long and I got an A regardless. ;) All modestly, all the time, I know. But Maestro : Greenspan’s Fed and the American Boom was actually really good, and it generated within me a giant crush on former Fed Chairman Greenspan, so much so that for the rest of this I’m going to refer to him as “Ali G,” like Da Sacha Baron Cohen series. Kidding, Mr. Greenspan is far too dour-faced for that to fly.
The timespan covered by Woodward’s book stops around 2000, which is before Greenspan stops being Chairman, so there is some uncovered time. But, after reading the book you have a fair idea what happens: Greenspan gets a LOT of data; he sifts through it in the office, at home, everywhere; things seem to be getting better/worse/not changing but he’s not sure; everyone else is and talks to Greenspan; he gives “opaque” commentary that everyone interprets according to his/her specifications; there’s a meeting of the FOMC and he asks for an asymmetric directive (meaning one where he can change the rates between meetings); there’s hemming and hawing and a few token Liberals/Conservatives don’t think it’s a good idea BUT in the end the vote is ratified; and REPEAT.
Occasionally there are economic catastrophes, or almost catastrophes, where everyone is tense and you, as the reader, actually feel your heart palpitating a little. Woodward does a pretty good job of making the economics jargon accessible, although taking a macroeconomics class (or having a dictionary/glossary nearby) is not a bad idea. It’s applied economics! And that’s always rather exciting—significantly more so than shifting aggregated supply and demand curves.
It was interesting to see the “behind the scenes” events that occurred, without my knowledge, during my youth. The stock market almost collapsed? Why didn’t I know?! And then there was a near global economic collapse too, and the true size of some banks is exposed. The fact that that global collapse was averted by a handful of banks agreeing to extend loans illustrates it much more clearly than anything else could.
This book is a good introduction to what the Federal Reserve does, especially it’s most famous Chairman, as well as the impact of economics on America as well as the global community. It was also infinitely more interesting to read than Stigler’s. ...more
I need to preface this review with the following statement: THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE DEVOURED IN AN OBSCENELY LONG TIME. And it was great!
Part ofI need to preface this review with the following statement: THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE DEVOURED IN AN OBSCENELY LONG TIME. And it was great!
Part of me has always liked fantasy and sci-fi because there is no pretense of “this is Real Life, but better” because, quite frankly, it can make you think and draw metaphoric critiques but it never makes point-blank critiques about the pathetic nature of your unexciting existence. Or maybe I’m just too sensitive.
American Gods is about . . . gods in America and how America is not a good place for gods. We do not believe. The emphasis is on the non-Abrahamic gods, so basically anything except Jesus (depending on your branch of Christianity) and the God of the Torah, Bible, and Q’ran (in that order!) qualifies. Gaiman’s got Norse gods, Egyptian gods, Indian gods, demons from the Middle East before Muhammad was spoken to by Allah, African gods brought over on slave ships, and more. And they’re all here, in America, languishing because people don’t believe. Gods need worship or they wither and they become almost mortal, in that you can kill them then and they won’t come back.
This is interesting because, as I’ve mentioned, most of the gods are imports, brought over by immigrants both voluntary immigrants and involuntary ones. There are a few purely American gods discussed, but they’re not so much gods as folk heroes. We don’t have indigenous gods, unless you’re counting any Native American spirits which, as is discussed at one point, not the same as a god. Trickster Coyote wasn’t worshiped; Native American gods, like Greek gods, were rather temperamental and fallible in the same way we, as people are. But, even then, there weren’t any all-powerful figures to whom respect had to be paid. They were more semi-powerful imps to be tolerated, not even feared.
So Gaiman proposes gods of technology such as Media who looks beautifully familiar and gives of a faint phosphorous glow. There is a fat kid, socially awkward but technologically brilliant, to whom the dot-com entrepreneurs obviously worshiped. And then, Gaiman proposes war on the basis of a too-short American attention span. Fringe gods risk being pushed out of the way entirely, and new gods, seeing the fate of the predecessors, aspire to maintain their presence in our minds.
It is at this point that my comfort in faraway fantasy is rattled. Because, isn’t it true? Raised without religion in the traditional sense, I have to admit that I don’t really pray and if I do the hardest part is figuring to whom. I’ve sent thoughts do my deceased grandparents, but they’re not gods just protective figures who protect in spirit (harhar) and not body. I don’t have a god to pray to, and if what he’s theorizing has truth (because don’t gods “disappear” when no one believes? so wouldn’t it make sense that our belief is crucial for their existence in an analogous way to food in ours)? I could be the reason that gods die!
There’s one memorable scene where Easter argues that she’s still celebrated. So Wednesday asks the waitress if she celebrates Easter, to which she retorts angrily that she’s a Pagan and doesn’t do any of that Christian stuff. Except, Easter’s got it’s oldest roots in Paganism! The fact that she, as a modern day Pagan, doesn’t know that, means that there is definitely some sort of a gap between what religions once were in the Old World and what they’ve become after crossing the Atlantic.
Aside from the metaphysical and theological implications, Gaiman also explores life vs. death and morality—without turning it into one of the papers I read for my philosophy seminar on God, Freedom, Evil and the co-existence or lack thereof of the three. It was engaging! And Shadow was a good protagonist. Overall, a great reintroduction into fiction....more
I must have read this book two or three weeks ago, the bulk of it at the mechanics where I was so engrossed I hadn’t realized they were done changing I must have read this book two or three weeks ago, the bulk of it at the mechanics where I was so engrossed I hadn’t realized they were done changing my oil, whoops. This book is multi-generational. I say that because I know Alda from his great series with PBS Scientific American Frontiers and my parents know him from his rather famous tv series M*A*S*H.
Never have your dog stuffed is an interesting memoir, at least compared to the last one I read, but what wouldn’t be? Again, Alda is rather self-effacing and modest, but he does talk about his wife and family. Heck, he talks a lot about how wonderful his wife is. I’d rather like to meet her. And he talks about his parents, how it took him a long time to accept his mother’s illness and his own feelings about his father. By the last bit I mean that it took him a while to understand he was seeing his father both as a role model and aspiration, but also as a competitor and, at certain points, a man with only one “shtick.” Don’t we all get that feeling sometimes about our parents? We can’t blindly admire them forever, but once we see faults it becomes overwhelmingly difficult to regain that sense of pride and envy.
Alda’s got a brilliant sense of humor and this book is filled with it. He’s frank, a little silly, and shares without oversharing. It was a good read. ...more
I want to love the protagonist for something other than her beauty, Ms. Brown. I think you’ve tried that one already, see her last novel Legally BlondI want to love the protagonist for something other than her beauty, Ms. Brown. I think you’ve tried that one already, see her last novel Legally Blonde. You learn later that Becca is accomplished, super accomplished in an antithesis of Elle Woods-style accomplished. But male protagonist is not. He is rich, cultured, and utterly at ease doing nothing other than his social obligations that are resultant of the first two attributes. He’s the Elle Woods of the novel. And, of course, they fall in love.
Basically, it’s a reversal of her last novel with a few tweaks and a lovable Jewish grandma and a wee toddler girl that the protagonists get joint-custody of after her parents die in an accident. There are stalwart “old world,” in this case it’s the rich New England society, types that are disapproving, there is a lower-classed supporting figure or two, some silly gay men, a rich pampered ice queen that is romantically (or just marriage-wise) interested in the Man, and in place of her dog there is a small child.
Of course, I’m saying all this without reading Legally Blonde; I saw the movie. :P
That’s not to say this book was entirely without merit. I did read it all in one day after all. It is engrossing, it’s light on the romance, heavy on the cute children and the supporting cast is great. Brown has, despite my rather harsh criticism, created some great characters. Male lead could’ve used some more work, but then again, he is described as somewhat shallow. I guess not everyone needs hidden depths.
My biggest complaint was what she didn’t write. There were hints that the relationship between orphan girl’s parents wasn’t as great as it seemed, and the fact that Male and Female lead were friends with Father and Mother respectively, without every meeting the other parent, says something. It would’ve been interesting to explore that further, although it would be correct to say it was outside the scope of this novel. She just made me so curious with her little dropped comments that a little elaboration would’ve been good!
This would be a good beach read, it’s relatively quick and brainless. Just some awkward diction and a love affair with name-dropping and glossy magazine terminology stand in your way of a quick, silly read....more
There's an American Regency England, and he's got uniquely American baggage! I'll admit that I've obviously been away from my history texts far too loThere's an American Regency England, and he's got uniquely American baggage! I'll admit that I've obviously been away from my history texts far too long and got confused thinking "this isn't quite what England during the (American) Revolution was like..." and that's because it WASN'T. This was England post war of 1812, big difference! It was interesting to see this being incorporated into the novel.
This heroine was also very interestingly saucy, in that dirty sort of way, although, of course, the obligatory virgin who finds true love (what would we do if she wasn't?? or, not a window who finds true love). But this makes the dialogue between her and her American Major quite fun!...more
This one has a very interesting plot, complete with requisite mystery/crime, but the part that really pleased me most was the author's willingness to This one has a very interesting plot, complete with requisite mystery/crime, but the part that really pleased me most was the author's willingness to look at the rest of the English Empire, and not just as somewhere to be shipping of all the handsome young men/dastardly craven but poor. She also brings in some other typically overlooked things of the era, such as their bizarre obsession with botany, which lends this story a bit of spunk. Plus, the sex scenes are properly sexy, which is always fabulous, AND protection is employed....more
There was a surprisingly sedentary plot (nobody dies or narrowly escapes death) which actually makes it even *more* romantic because...aren't we all vThere was a surprisingly sedentary plot (nobody dies or narrowly escapes death) which actually makes it even *more* romantic because...aren't we all very familiar with the mundane? The back cover states that this is a "witty, passionate story of a woman's seduction, and a gentleman's surrender," which readers of this genre know NEVER happens. That being said, she is relatively forward and arguably an unwitting seducer, which is close. They have lots of fun banter and the supporting cast is superb.
There is a short story attached to the end (a rather long one, for the record) that is less good but still a nice read. My main complaint with that was that the author did not reveal the complexities of her plot in a very convincing manner, leaving the reader more confused than touched--although I was inextricably weepy for *both* of her stories. That I'm just going to chalk up to feminine hysterics. ;)...more
My reasoning for reading this book are three-fold: - I'd tried once and gotten about 3/4 of the way through, but never finished - It is by Virginia WoolMy reasoning for reading this book are three-fold: - I'd tried once and gotten about 3/4 of the way through, but never finished - It is by Virginia Woolf, who was discussed in Ursula LeGuin's Steering the Craft, a book about writing, as an example of great use of sentence length and complex syntax - Woolf's A Room of One's Own was discussed in my literary theory class as one of the seminal books of Feminist theory, and Mrs. Dalloway is very much a women's novel focusing in on a singular day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway
What I've that it contains all of the above, and more. It's actually one long continuous piece with only a few section breaks. There are no chapters and nothing to separate one passage from another, save the occasional double line break and corresponding half-inch of blank space between two paragraphs. In such a way all the different narratives, all the different points of view, all the different characters, are brought together as a seemingly endless thought--punctuated by momentary breaths of air. In the introduction Maureen Howard mentions a metaphor employed at the beginning of the book: the metaphor of water, of swimming, of "taking a plunge."
That is precisely what the reader does: you plunge into one June day in the lives of all these characters, the day Clarissa Dalloway is to give her party, and follow them through their thoughts and actions, both the mundane and extraordinary. Woolf's epic sentences, containing semi-colon sandwiched fragments, force you to take a big breath before plunging in, because often times you forget what she's said at the beginning far before the period is within sight. We're swimmers not quite prepared for the strength her literary tide. Those half-inches serve as helpful intermissions for us to gather our thoughts and catch our breaths before continuing.
That being said, at the end of this marathon I find myself both connected to and disconnected from the story of these characters. I will have to read it again to better understand, but from what I've gleaned first read-through her fame is not undeserved. There is a brilliant understated passion to her descriptions and word choices. Woolf is absolutely deliberate in her gestures, forcing us, as readers, to be more perceptive of subtle nuances and to consider each critically. This isn't a casual stroll, or shouldn't if you really want to experience the complete story....more
Gossip columnist, definitely an interesting premise. But the rest of it is exactly as we expected, for the followers of this genre. The usual Regency Gossip columnist, definitely an interesting premise. But the rest of it is exactly as we expected, for the followers of this genre. The usual Regency romance....more
First, I would like to say that a. I did not purchase this book b. I am suffering from jet lag induced insomnia and c. as a result of this insomnia I First, I would like to say that a. I did not purchase this book b. I am suffering from jet lag induced insomnia and c. as a result of this insomnia I wasn't up to anything super intellectual at 4 AM so I thought I'd try the book my mom got for free at her company picnic in July.
Obviously I wasn't thinking properly, period.
I saw how bad this book was by page two (gratuitous descriptions of characters? CHECK over exposition CHECK fantastical plot/characters? CHECK) but kept going. I figured, it's book twelve of a series, there must be something redeeming or else she couldn't have gotten so far, plus it's set in Jersey (Trenton area) and that's always great. :)
There were some interesting characters, such as Lula the former "'ho" (her spelling, not min) and the other employees of the bond agency were main character, Stephanie Plum, works, but the tantalizing men in her life? I'd take Morelli's (who she disconcertingly refers to as Joe TWICE, but that might be because she is on book 12 of this bizarre crime-laden love triangle) dog, Bob, over him. Bad boy Ranger isn't particularly exciting either (not just saying this because she gyps on sex scenes and has painfully not-sexy banter). Thanks to Evanovich's extraordinarily detailed fantasy life, however, I can picture exactly what he looks like.
Now that I see what all the fuss is about, I can assure you that I won't be reading any more of her novels. The mystery of who Stephanie finally settles down with will just remain unsolved for me. ...more
Thought it was all right, got a got hunk of it down in one go and was sure it'd be an easy-peasy read but it turns out there's a reason Voltaire is coThought it was all right, got a got hunk of it down in one go and was sure it'd be an easy-peasy read but it turns out there's a reason Voltaire is considered a great philosopher: it's actually not *that* easy. But it was readable and knowing a bit about the philosophies of that time is recommended, especially the religious controversies. Shades of my philosophy class kept coming to me in snatches but, since I wasn't that great at it to begin with, sitting there trying to remember the other bits AND keep my mind on the plot was tricky.
Definitely worth a read though and I will have to revisit it at some point....more
This is arguably my favorite of the series because I feel like it was in this one that JK Rowling was best able to convey what she wanted. There was aThis is arguably my favorite of the series because I feel like it was in this one that JK Rowling was best able to convey what she wanted. There was also a lot of instrumental character development and overall I felt satisfied at this conclusion to a series that has followed my childhood....more