A Use for History

Sir Nigel Bagnall's book, The Pelopennesian War: Athens. Sparta, and the Struggle for Greece, presents an interesting look and an even more interesting analysis of the reasons for the decisions taken and the outcome they had in one of the most important events from antiquity. At the beginning of the book, there is a chapter devoted entirely to explaining the principle characters from history. Due to Greece's political structure at the time, another area explaining the locations, as well as the history and influence of the various city states was also included. In each chapter, there is a section devoted to three main ideas, the strategic, operational, and tactical doctrine and decisions made by the various commanders. These sections give insight into the reasons why various decisions were taken, why cities where left to burn and why entire arrmies were sent into near certain defeat for what seemed a paltry gain. Another interesting concept the author plays with but never really fully develops is the connection of the war to things in our time such as the function of NATO and other alliance systems from various time periods. While these sections are interesting, since they really do not advance the idea of the book in any discernable level, they should probably have just been left out.

A Venture into Alternate History

Harry Turtledove is proclaimed by some to be the master of alternate history. After reading The War that Came Early: East and West, I couldn't agree more. As with most of his many many books, the overarching story is told through a number of smaller stories from different viewpoint characters. From an American socialite trapped in Nazi Germany to a Czech sniper who learns to snipe with an antitank rifle, all of his characters are interesting, if not always believable. The whole premice of the book is that at the Munich Conference, Britain and France did not yield to Germany's demand of German takeover of the Sudentenland. From there, small changes here and there begin until this worlds version of the Second World War has very little in common with what happened in our history. Poland instead of being split between the Soviet Union and Germany, allies itself with Germany when the Soviet Union sends troops into Poland to attack Germany when Germany invades Czechoslovakia. The book ends in 1940 with German troops fighting in both France and Poland. I cannot wait to see just what other twists and turns come in the next volume of the series.

Somewhat Failed Night

Well what I had planned on doing tonight and what actually happened, they were two very different things. I had planned on having a bunch of people over to eat pizza, talk, mess around, and attempt to continue our “glorious” and “adventuresome Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Usually our so called campaigns degenerate into me fudging dice rolls so our embattled heroes and heroines won’t die on the end of an orc’s spear or under the foot of a golem, or in an especially entertaining case in the belly of a dragon. Instead of that however, I surfed the web, set up this very Tumblr account and looked over psychology notes. Which by the way for anyone who is actually going to READ this, is probably my chosen minor to accompany Mechanical Engineering. It’s kind of sad how the highlight of my week is playing a pen and paper roleplaying game but hey I’m a geek and I truly and freely admit that.

Newspapers Throughout Time

When I was at the Allen County branch library about a week ago, I decided to pick up another nonfiction book to help fill my quota for the semester. I decided to go with a book on the second world war and so I picked up one by the New York Times. Reading through it, it gave me a sense that newspapers were different back than. Instead of trying to come from an at least partially unbiased approach, the Times back then seems to have been more focused on giant headlines and bold print. Which I can sympathize with since that was probably what enabled them to sell large numbers of papers. It also felt like the world back than was much more cut and dry, black and white, instead of the gray all over with which news organizations must contend with today.

Currently

Page Numbers

The New York Times Living History World War II : The Axis Assault
Pages 1-50

WWW Watch
1-215

I found the New York Times one to be rather interesting as it was a collection of newspaper articles during the time period of 1939 to 1942. Seeing the tone of the authors and the sides they seem to take from the onset of war in 1939 to the middle in 1942, was often dramatic and sometimes quite unexpected.

WWW Watch continues the story of the growth of Webmind the sentient consciousness throughout the internet. This one however focuses more on humanities response to the first true artificial intelligence in human history.

Etymology words

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/28/iran_assassination_plot_plausible_culpability?page=0,1
derring do

From Russia With Love

Well while waiting for the next book in my series to arrive, I've decided to read something else. over the summer, I'd wanted to read all the original james bond books. Sadly I only got through three. So now I'm reading From Russia With Love by Ian Flemming, who as I just found out was a secret agent during the second world war. So far I like the book better than the other ones I read over the summer, her Majesties Secret Service, I found drab and boorish. Having seen the movie, I know how the book ends. getting there however has had many changes.

Wake

Well I'm now starting a new series and I thought that I'd write about my impressions thus far. WWW: Wake is sort of a science fiction novel and sort of not. The basic premise of the book is that a girl who has been blind since birth is given an ocular implant and with that meets and helps form a sentient being that exists entirely on the internet. Named Webmind, it is the internet given consciousness. The book so far has revolved around the actions and consequences of the internet suddenly gaining the ability to think for itself. I find the entire thing quite intriguing in a way. Its not as if I would want the internet to actually gain sentience, but I find the idea of a being existing entirely on the internet interesting to say the least. Another subplot that links in with the rest of the novel is the emergence of a bird flu epidemic in China and its cover-up. The quest of a few Chinese bloggers and hackers to break through the so called, "Great Firewall of China" links directly to Webmind when their efforts to breakdown the wall between China's internet and the rest of the worlds result in an increasingly intelligent internet that because of their efforts has seemed to have gained sentience. I'm really looking forward to the next two books, more than I have of any series in quite a long time. I'll be back with a post when I get my hands on WWW: Watch and WWW: Wonder in the near future.

Diction Bingo thing

Rule 2
“I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything” is an ideal example of the childish and disheartened diction of Salinger. 

Rule 1

He says whatever comes to mind, saying that his parents "would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them," shows that he doesn't really care what he says, just wants to get his point across.

 
Rule 6
the author uses high language to describe the lobby of his office building along with his over the top apperance.

Rule 2
"Turned toward the escalators, carrying a black Penguin paperback and a small white CVS bag, its receipt stapled over the top," describes the harsh clattering of the setting.

Rule 6
The exert The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker uses high language as he decribes the lobby and escalators as, "area of shine where it fell against their brushed steel side panels."


Best overall
http://ascrapofparchment.blogspot.com/2011/10/teenage-angst-in-literature.html

Practice Diction Analysis

In the excerpt from Catcher in the Rye, the conversational and common language and tone of the narrator helps to emphasize his apathetic views of life and the period of rebellion he has gone through. The narrator describes his parents as "quite touchy," before going right back and calling them "nice." Together his words help to show off his conflicting opinions about his parents and the period of growing that he seems to either be in the middle of or about to finish. His allusion to "all that David Copperfield kind of crap," display that while his words and phrases don't do well to portray his maturity, the fact that he pulls an allusion like that out of his hat alludes to him being more intelligent or more mature than he lets on in the first part of the book.

Currently

Second Foundation- 1-150
War and Peace 1-50

Style Mapping Picks

In contrast to Stardust, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian suggest a low energy, and expressively depicts an open prairie during the night. http://kaylaepicblogger.blogspot.com/2011/10/style-mapping.html

Cormac McCarthy's figurative-language-heavy introduction to Blood Meridian balances both an earthy grittiness and an elevated vocabulary as McCarthy describes the surroundings. http://academiczengerine.blogspot.com/

Dostoevsky's course, grating diction highlights his wrathful Russian background. He refers to an apartment as a "garret in which he lodged" and transitions with phrases like "quite the contrary."  http://laughapalooza22.blogspot.com/

Dissimilare to Stardust, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian demonstrates a thorough understanding of classy, picturesque language. http://skullandglossbones3.blogspot.com/

The reason I picked these excerts was that I thought that they were all the most credible sounding sentences. They were also some of the only ones I could find, maybe not everyone labeled their's under a style mapping title, even so these were some of the only ones I could find.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

            “War hero killed in Faslane! Navy headquarters burned to the ground. Read all about it! German involvement suspected!” shouted numerous newsboys as Mortimer Wolff walked to work. While he walked he tossed a newsboy a shilling and received a paper in return. Ignoring the paperboy’s thanks, he walked off and sat on a street bench to read the paper. Reading it however was at the moment beyond him. The pounding in the back of his head increased as he tried to read. Sighing in disgust Mortimer pulled his hat lower to block out the sun, tucked the paper under his arm, and trudged along to his work.

            The son of a minister at Whitehall, Mortimer had for the past 5 years worked as a police officer in London. At the beginning of his career, Mortimer had quickly risen through the ranks. However according to some a divorce and the pressures of work caused his drinking problem which had always been there to skyrocket. In what seemed to his hung over brain as much too long, Mortimer finally arrived at the headquarters of the London police force. As he walked in, the various secretaries and officers he passed looked up from their work and shook their heads. The office workers and especially his fellow police officers treated him with contempt and disdain. He liked few of them and trusted none of them. All would like to see him fall, albeit for different reasons. The officers thought of him as a stain upon their honor while the office workers disliked him for the many reports his activities made them file and the contempt with which he treated those under him. The office was a whitewashed building of three stories. It was usually bustling with activity as Glasgow’s crime rate was among the highest in Britain. As he walked in Mortimer hung his coat on the rack and walked toward his desk at the back of the first floor nearest to the window with the draft. As he began to get set up for work as best he could when hung over, he heard the shuffle of footsteps toward his desk. Mortimer looked up with a grimace at the light and than groaned in his head as he noticed who had come to visit, Rupert Makepeace, Chief of Police.

Makepeace was in Mortimer’s eyes an idiot. His preoccupation with rules, regulations, and other forms of red tape had chafed with Mortimer’s pragmatism. After one case when Rupert had gotten Mortimer demoted because he had not waited for a warrant to arrest a man who they both knew was guilty of murder, and who later went on to terrorize Glasgow for the next month before being caught. After that incident Mortimer and Rupert’s relationship which had never been very stable became utterly abysmal. Rupert made Mortimer’s life a living hell while Mortimer used his contacts in the government to put continuous pressure on Rupert. It was a game the two of them played, sadly the favors Mortimer could call in lessened over time, while Rupert’s influence in Scotland Yard remained as strong as ever. They rarely ever exchanged more than a glare and some sharp biting comment today however was different.

            “Good morning Mortimer. How have you been? Good I hope.” said Rupert, although his expression and tone made it obvious that he most definitely hoped otherwise. Rupert sniffed the air and his face lit up, “Drinking before work again Mortimer?” He looked as if he was going to continue with some other smart remark but Mortimer; tired of Rupert’s games, cut him off.

“Yes,” said Mortimer, “I do it to celebrate that I’m not a useless pencil pusher who sits behind a desk all day.”  He wasn’t usually that blunt with Rupert but his throbbing headache overrode what little common sense he had left this morning. However it didn’t produce result Mortimer had been expecting. Instead of anger, Rupert just smiled and continued on.

            “We’ll see who’s so smug Wolff when you look at the report I’ve had drafted. I have decided that you deserve one more chance. If you can catch the man who killed Colonel Cathcart you’ll remain on the force if not….” Rupert let it hang in the air before handing Mortimer the case file and walking off whistling a cheery tune.

            “But..but..but you can’t do that!” Mortimer yelled not caring about who in the little office he disturbed.

            “Can’t I?” said Makepeace, “I was under the assumption that drinking on the job as well as that mess in east side a few weeks ago would be more than enough evidence to throw you out? Was I wrong?!” He slammed his fist down on the desk making it shake, he then let the comment hang, and as usual had the last word. The look of contempt on Makepeace’s face combined with the shock of his words was almost a physical blow in Mortimer’s mind he took a step back.

            “You’re a disgrace to the force Mortimer,” said a fellow officer from across the room. His name if Mortimer remembered right was Gary. He was the son of some higher up in the government. He’d been on the force for only six months, and in those months had made himself a nuisance to Mortimer by reporting Mortimer’s violations to Makepeace whenever Mortimer crossed the line, “You’ve had this coming for a long time.”

            “Gary you bastard, you haven’t been working here long enough to say a “long time”. You’re just a kid in an adult’s world. You’ll be lucky to survive another year. I’ll be lucky if you don’t.”

            “That’s funny coming from a drunkard about to be fired,” replied the younger man savagely. His features took on a look of grim satisfaction as he smiled. He got up from his chair and walked over to where Mortimer and Makepeace were standing. He looked as if he were going to continue that thought, but he never got the chance.

As the younger man smiled, Mortimer, driven into a rage, threw his coffee still piping hot from the machine into the younger man’s face. He than turned around and stormed out of the office. Gary screamed and fell back onto his desk while trying to keep the coffee out of his eyes. Rupert reached for his .45 and nearly got it clear of the hoister before his second in command Quentin said, “He’s not worth it Rupert!”

 After walking the short distance between the station and the small apartment he was renting.For the rest of the day Mortimer looked over the report that his career now rested on. After the first few minutes he realized why Rupert and his cohorts had chosen this case. The evidence was minimal at best. The bullet was a.32 caliber likely fired from a pistol. However because .32 caliber guns were so widely available, it was almost impossible to determine the model of the firearm that had killed Cathcart, though the model of the bullet was Russian in manufacture. With no evidence found by the squad, there was very little to go on.

The only lead was the dead man, Cathcart. After calling a few men who had worked with Cathcart Mortimer found that the man had had very few friends outside the military, and even in it, he was known for his anger issues and his intolerance for any failures that weren’t his own. He was universally disliked by all of lower rank, and even those of higher rank were found to not be very fond of the man. Cathcart had frequented a bar on the west side of London, and so without any leads Mortimer headed there. As he approached the bar, The Iron Horse  he noticed that it was a place frequented by very few. As he walked inside he saw that the place was a relatively fancy establishment with a man in a boiled shirt serving brandy, scotch, and sipping whiskey. There were only a few people there a half a dozen at the bar and one table in a far corner. It was a place that men of means went to get drunk and forget how they achieved their status. As he approached the bar, the bartender gave him a look that told him he wasn’t the type of patron that usually frequented the bar. With his unshaven face, greasy hair, and patched trench coat, he stood out among the other patrons, many of whom were in military uniforms.

“I’m an officer investigating the murder of Colonel Cathcart,” he told the bartender as he sat down at the bar. Putting his dirty hands on the well polished glass surface of the bar, he continued, “Anything interesting you’d like to add?”

“No sir,” said the barkeep though the tone of voice said that he used the term sir lightly. He continued, “The man hadn’t been here for the past two months.” He raised a hand to stop Mortimer’s question, and answered it. “And no, I don’t know why. He just stopped coming. If you really wanted to know I’d talk to that man over there. He was Cathcart’s adjacent.” The bartender pointed to quite a large man sitting over at the far most table talking and laughing with a couple of friends. One was a tall man with copper colored hair; the other was a relatively short man in a fancy suit. Their thick accents left no doubt of their countries of origin, well that and their drink of choice. Mortimer had never known many Englishmen or Scotts who favored Guinness, and vodka was also easy to place and just as unpopular as the national Irish drink. As he approached the table the tall read headed man pushed himself away from the table and stood up. In a thick Irish accent he said, “Hands where I can see them.” In the same motion he drew a military issue .45 from inside his jacket and aimed it at Mortimer. Mortimer stopped as if he had hit a brick wall. Instinctively he reached for his own weapon a .44 magnum, however his brain overrode his instincts this time and he slowly withdrew his hand from inside his coat where his .44 rested.

“I don’t want any trouble,” he said as he slowly edged toward the nearest exit, which at the moment was too far away for his liking. The Irishman’s gun tracked him the whole time. The man had had training that was plain to see. Mortimer looked into the deep dark blackness of the gun’s barrel and began to sweat.

“Put the gun away Ross,” said the man in the trench coat. Unlike his companions, the man had a quiet voice also unlike his compatriots his accent was Russian. When the man didn’t move fast enough to suit him he repeated himself very deliberately. “I said put it away Ross.” Slowly, reluctantly, and with hatred in his eyes Ross lowered the gun and set it on the table.

“I am sorry for the unpleasantness,” said the Russian, “Ross takes my personal safety very seriously. My name is Nicholas Gavrikov. I’m a businessman.” As Mortimer opened his mouth to question Nicholas, the Russian interrupted. “And my business here is my business. No one elses.” Although his voice was friendly, Mortimer sensed iron in the man and decided not to press him. There were some men who had that kind of look. It didn’t convey any particular emotion,  only that he was perfectly willing to resort to violence if he was challenged. Mortimer paused to sit down at the table before responding. “I’m not here to question your business legitimate or otherwise.” That got a growl from Ross and a slight smile and raised eyebrows from the Russian. While he had decided not to press the Russian on his business affairs, Mortimer needed information and decided to get straight to the point. “Do any of you know anything about the murder of Cathcart? I know the bullet that killed the colonel was Russian made Nicholas, and I want to know if you had anything to do with it.” After saying this he wondered how much of a mistake pressing the Russian hard for information. He had very few cards at the moment, and although he didn’t know what the Russian had, it was probably more than him.

“No on both counts,” responded Nicholas curtly he than coughed as if it was a signal before continuing, “This conversation is over.” The Russian stood up and gestured toward Mortimer before saying, “Ross, Avery remove the detective from the premises would you.”

Mortimer than realized that someone was behind him. He looked around just as a bar stool came swinging for his head. On a normal day his reflexes were more than satisfactory to deal with such a threat. However hung over, angry, and low on sleep Mortimer was unable to dodge the stool; it made a solid ‘thud’ against his head. He fell to the ground in astonishing pain. The last thing he remembered before unconsciousness took him was Nicholas standing over him and smiling while he said. “Your investigation is over detective.”

Bloggin Assignment

The first excerpt , from Neil Gaiman's Stardust, makes use of a literal scholarly tone, with the words flowing together harmoniously. The purpose of the excerpt is to describe, literally what the town is, "below Wall on the west is the forest to the south is a treacherously placid lake," while he does this he uses a high, scholarly, and elevated words. In comparison, Annie Phoulx's The Mud Below, the author makes use of a much lower style, a coloquial and vulgar kind of speech, with a picturesque and figurative language. Atlas Shrugged on the other hand, has a high intricate and ornate elevation, but has a figurative and almost picturesque meaning. In this excerpt, the language and style become apparent, "The light was ebbing, and Eddie Willers could not distinguish tthe bum's face. The bum had said it simply withougt expression but from the sunset far at the end of the street, yellow glints caught his eyes," its use of somewhat symbolic and an almost flowery tone give it a feel of figurative high literature.

Quarterly

Well so far I've actually surprised myself. I've expanded the types of books I tend to read. While yes there still are the fantasy novels and science fiction books that I've read for a long time, I've now expanded into history books and books on social commentary. I will say that the book that challenged me the most this quarter was Dune. For nearly the first six chapters, I didn't see the book going anywhere. There was no action, no exciting bits. It was all characterization, of characters that really, I wasn't all that interested in to begin with. The book that I found the easiest to read this quarter was surprisingly European History from a World Perspective. While I had to divide the book into sections and read it in chapters stopping for days or weeks at a time, when I was reading it, I found its inferences and ideas intriguing and its commentary on certain events to be quite a departure from what I'd read in other places. I found that I spent a majority of my reading time either lying in bed or outside on the porch overlooking the pond in my backyard. In the next quarter I hope to see myself expanding my reading variety even more.

My Try at Historical Fiction

Prologue

            It was nearly midnight when Cathcart finally finished his report. The rooms were cold as the colonel left his office, he shivered as he slipped on his old duster. No one appreciates me, he thought as he walked through the hallways to the stairwell. I’m more qualified to command than any generals on staff. Like usual, his complaint was his lack of promotion. He’d been a colonel for the past three years, and was itching for advancement. Cathcart was ambitious; no one could deny that, however his ambition had had a way of getting him into problems with superiors. As the son of a commoner, he often conflicted with the rest of the officer class many of whom were noble born. One notable example was during his first active command in South Africa during the rebellion.

 On one of his first missions, during the Boer War in South Africa, he had been court marshaled for blatantly disagreeing with his commanding officer on the fact that the Boers would engage in a conventional battle with their British counterparts. After being proved right in the following campaigns he was given a commendation and his court marshalling was removed. However his disagreement’s to put it lightly with the army’s higher ups continued to get him into trouble regardless of his raw talent. His arrogance and contempt pointed mostly at officers above his rank unsurprisingly were not very popular with his superiors. Instead of only a fraction of the officer class being his enemy, nearly all were. The officers grew tired of Cathcart’s blatant disregard for their authority and he was sent back to Glasgow, operational Siberia for a British officer. That had been three years ago. I’ll get the last laugh you bastards, he thought, just see if I don’t. As he went down the stairwell, he passed the office of Glasgow’s naval commander, however unexpectedly, he saw light coming from the room and voices coming from the room. Cathcart crept closer to listen in.w

            “You told me they would be here Realer, now where are they?” The voice was a man’s voice sure enough. He talked as if to a small child slow and deliberate, however behind the voice there was a sense of anger.

            “I told you the admiral might have them, I never told you he had them for sure.” Now this voice this voice Cathcart thought was also slow, but instead of deliberate the second man’s voice was reasoning, as though to try to calm the other one down. “If he doesn’t have them than our colleague’s documents are probably in Edinburgh.”

            Our colleague’s documents? Thought Cathcart, Very secretive, Cathcart thought again, If I can get this to the Commander I might finally get the promotion I deserve. Happier than a conspiracy inside the military should have made a member of said military Cathcart began to sneak away.. As he crept toward the exit he accidentally tripped over the coat rack that sat in the entryway.

            “What was that?” said the angry man. Just a few more feet, thought Cathcart as he dragged himself to his feet. His heart began to race as fear and adrenaline began to affect him.

            “I don’t know,” said his companion, he than continued, “Come on let’s go find out. The boss wouldn’t be very happy if we let something slip not at this stage,” Cathcart than decided to throw stealth and guile out the window as he began to run full tilt toward the exit. As if he was back in Africa fighting the rebellion. That was probably his mistake, if he had continued to walk silently the vast complex of the building would have hidden him, as was it was easy for his pursuers to hear him running.

            “Stop!” yelled the two men. When Cathcart kept running, the angry man pulled out a pistol from inside his jacket. Cathcart saw it and began to reach for his .45. Before he could level the weapon his assailant pulled the trigger three times. Three thunderclaps later Cathcart fell limp like a rag doll.

            “N-n-no not like this!” he moaned almost as much because of his fury as because of the pain of the almost surely fatal gunshots. From the amount of blood on the floor he knew he was dying, it was just a matter of time. Than Cathcart’s vision started to go black. “That’s not right,” he muttered delirious, “There’s supposed..to..be..a.light”

  After that Cathcart never got the promotion he had wanted. He never got anything ever again.

Animal Farm

Well the book I chose to read this week was Animal Farm. I have to say that for such a short book, it was a really interesting and thought provoking read. Portraying the Russian Revolution and subsequent events as a revolt of farm animals against their human overlords was a very radical and just plain weird idea. I have to say though that for all its weirdness, it succeeds in showing the weakness and the corruption that can happen to anyone or in this book anything. The conversion of the pigs from animals to their almost human-like caricatures is one of the books major points, as the animals become just like the humans who they overthrew. The passivity with which the other animals accept this change is also startling. No matter what Napoleon, the leader of the pigs does, the other animals accept it since it seems better than it was under human rule, even when the two situations become nearly the same. Their great Utopia where all animals are equal and humans are not allowed, becomes indistinguishable from before, the only change is who rules. Animal Farm, a short read, numbering only 112 pages, is a book that everyone should read.

Currently

Sentences of the Week

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."
Foundation

I picked this sentence because I thought that it summed up the whole idea of the novel, that the farther and farther away that the foundation gets from the morals of its founders the more prone to violence they become.

"Four legs good two legs bad."
Animal Farm

I chose this quote because I thought that it represented the very idea of the book. The rulers in the end become just like those they overthrew.

Foundation Update

Now with the entire first book of Foundation finished, and the second one started, I think I now see the deep meaning that I just couldn't find in the middle of the first book. I've decided that instead of just being a science fiction knock off of Gibbon's Fall of the Roman Empire. Instead of just being a boring and monotonous history lesson, I think that it is instead a story about human nature and the idea that humanity has a tendency to follow several types of often self destructive paths. In the book a group of historians use some sort of psychoanalytic technique to predict that the current Galactic Empire would collapse soon and that it would lead to a period of 30,000 years of barbarism and warfare. In order to prevent this, they build a foundation, a place where human knowledge and culture are kept safe. However things begin to go badly once the foundation is set up. Their idealistic goals are floundered and their small society that began as a hope to stave off barbarism and despotism begins to show just the same signs of corruption and degredation that the original scientists and historians had seen in the empire, the same ones that had prompted them to make the foundation in the first place. I think that what the book is trying to say is that no one is above corruption and that human nature is indeed human nature.

Foundation: What's with all the fuss?

This week I've decided to focus on finishing Issac Asimov's Foundation.Now that I'm about done with the book,  it's left me more confused than ever about the books meaning. While yes, I know that not every book has meaning, and that some people who will read this will say the same thing, "why does it have to have a meaning? Can't it just be just because?", and yes I agree when you talk about popular fiction made for the masses. What I've always heard about Asimov though, was that his books had meaning and that there was a deeper meaning to  his novels, and even years after they're supposed to be profound and meaningful. What I don't understand is, "what is all the fuss about?" In my opinion, the first novel was no more than classy science fiction. I see very little deep meaning in Foundation, it seems to be a replaying of the process by which many claim that all civilizations rise and fall, in this place, the galactic empire takes the place of whatever historical civilization you choose. Is it a lesson to his adopted country America, or one on his native Russia? It's not as if I don't see the parallels the book states. Corruption, over-expansion, and moral degradation, however I fail to see how this guarantees the books position as a highlight of American literature. Maybe its because I haven't read the entire series. Once I finish Second Foundation I'll get back to you all with my impressions of the series as a whole.

Project

Well for the project, I have decided to examine the elements in chase scenes. I'm have three specific chase scenes in mind at the moment. The first one is from the Matrix Reloaded and involves the chase atop a speeding train. Another that I plan on using is the chase scene between the Nazgul and Arwen in the Fellowship of the Ring. The last scene I plan on using is the scene in one of the James Bond movies. If anyone can think of any more I can use could you please comment below?

Currently

Pages Read

Foundation- 1-118
Fatal Alliance 76-210

Sentences of the Week
The cantina was as bad as he had anticipated, with alien and human lowlifes clustered in twos and threes over pots of dense looking brown beverages.
Fatal Alliance

I picked this sentence because it was one sentence that I could truly visualize in my head. I could picture it well and in my opinion accurately.

Update

Well since I can't think of anything to write about at the moment I've chosen to write about which books I am currently reading. At the moment I am in the middle of reading Children of Dune, Foundation, and Game of Thrones. Its not that I don't like these three books, its that I can't focus enough on one of them to actually finish one. I also often have to go back and read parts I have already read in order to remember what I read a week ago. I've decided to finish Foundation first since its the closest to being done. Than I'll work on the two others. If anyone has any suggestions on good books to read I'd be open to suggestions though.

Claims of the Day

Claim: On the album cover of Titus Andronicus's "The Airing of Grievances," the commanding, classic font and layout of the cover, as well as the cluttered and colorful use of space in the photograph convey the band's homely practice environment and admiration for the old-fashioned symbols of history.   

In Todrick Hall's "I Wanna Be On Glee," Hall's plea to Glee creator Ryan Murphy shows Hall's inventiveness and artistic talents through the music video's cleverly pariodistic lyrics, assertive instrumentals, and effervescent choreography.

The soothing, cheerful melodies and harmonies, light vocal instrumentation, and playful, relaxed rhythms in McFerrin's song, depicts a mood of lighthearted cheerfulness and soothing rejuvenation.

In this flash mob by Todrick Hall, the mischievous and adventurous expressions, jubilant sounds, and bustling moves, show the explosive creativity and confident energy of the dancers.

Link

The Average Life of a Teenage Bookworm

 

 

Sentencess of the Month

Paranoia is a survival trait in my circles.
Changes

 Clarence Potter walked through the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, like a man caught in a city occupied by the enemy
The Center Cannot Hold



"Humming tunelessly the RagPicker walked the barren, empty wasteland in the aftermath of a rainstorm."
The Measure of the Magic


My favorite sentence of the month would probably have to be the first one, as it still seems profound to me even though it has been two weeks since I last read it.

Game of Thrones not just another Fantasy novel

Game of Thrones was a book that I'd been wanting to read for a long time. When i saw it sitting on the side in the Etymology room, I decided that with nothing else to read, I would finally get around to reading it. I am very glad that I made that decision. Game of Thrones is an intriguing political thriller as well as a fantasy novel. However unlike other sword and fantasy novels that use humor and romance to lighten the mood, Game of Thrones just soliders right on through as a thoroughly dark fantasy novel. The other thing that it does is it adds a human face to the villain, no more is the villain some high over the top evil spirit, or demon, or the like. With human qualities, the villains and heroes are all much more realistic and in a sense more meaningful. The humanizing of fantasy and science fiction has been ongoing for a while, I think this is one of the most successful books in that area that I have read for a long time. For all fans of fantasy I highly recommend this book

Fatal Alliance

I have something to admit. Ok here goes, I'm a massive Star Wars fan. Finally said it, now we can get on to the book. Star Wars Fatal Alliance is a book based on the upcoming game Star Wars the Old Republic. Now as a star wars fan and a gamer, I've been excited for this book for a long time. When I heard there was a book however, I was apprehensive. Usually books based on games were total pieces of crap. Written in a short time frame by a person paid for the quantity instead of the quality of the thing they were writing. This one however was different, it was exciting action packed, and its dialogue did not feel in the least bit canned. The story revolves from perspective to perspective based on the chapter. Usually this can give a book a bit of a whirlwind feeling, and confuse the reader. However the different stories were closely intertwined here to create a mesmerizing experience. The other thing about the book that I loved was that since it takes place 3500 years before the movies, it gives itself a bit of breathing space. Giving itself the freedom from reliance on continuity. Introducing us to characters that don't have to be chained by the fact that they have to resemble people and personalities created in the trilogy that started it all. A thoroughly enjoying read, while not quality literature on par with Dickens or Shakespeare, it is still a book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed the movies or like me is a fan of everything Star Wars.

Favorite Poet so Far.

Gary Snyder


Once Only almost at the equator almost at the equinox exactly at midnight from a ship the full moon in the center of the sky.


After Work

The shack and a few trees
float in the blowing fog

I pull out your blouse,
warm my cold hands
     on your breasts.
you laugh and shudder
peeling garlic by the 
     hot iron stove.
bring in the axe, the rake,
the wood

we'll lean on the wall
against each other
stew simmering on the fire
as it grows dark 

drinking wine.

Live It Out

http://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1578-metric-live-it-out.php

Observations

Color- Bright, Contrasting
Movement- fluid, alive
Text- Exaggerated, memorable


Infer
Rebellious
Defiant
Wry
Assertive

Sentence

The album art to Metric's Live it Out conveys a since of rebellious defiance through its bright and contrasting colors, its fluid movement, and its exaggerated and memorable text.

Currently

Pages
This Week:918
Pages Total: 3516

Books Read
The Measure of the Magic
Game of Thrones
European History From a Global Perspective

Sentences of the Week

"Humming tunelessly the RagPicker walked the barren, empty wasteland in the aftermath of a rainstorm." The Measure of the Magic

I picked this one because it really sets the tone for the remainder of the novel, dark and brooding. It lets the reader know what to expect from the rest of the novel.

"But they were defending an ideal that was no longer viable." European History in a World Perspective.

This one takes some perspective. It concludes a chapter about the fall of the Greek Cities and the freedom they represented to the tyranny of Macedon. It ends like most David Goliath stories almost always ending with Goliath inevitable crushing David.

The Measure of the Magic

The Measure of the Magic is a book that blends fantasy with science fiction. In a world that was devastated by nuclear war, a small enclave of survivors was saved by the creation of a barrier between the valley where life was saved and the nuclear hell that was outside. The Measure of the Magic like its predecessor Bearers of the Black Staff, takes place 500 years after the barrier was first erected, and it is now tumbling down. The main conflict centers on the confrontation between a demon known as the Ragman, and the current bearer of the black staff Panterra after the death of the last bearer at the end of the first book. I find it interesting the way that Brooks drew a world 500 years after a nuclear war. Technology is seen as either a priceless relic or a rusted piece of junk, a tribal society has arisen in most of the world, while technology has gone back to a time last seen during the medieval period. For me, who read all the Shannara books starting with the first one published in 1973, it is strange to find out that what I thought was just a world built from scratch, was actually supposed to be our world made unrecognizable by nuclear Armageddon. The book is action packed, and full of interesting and memorable characters. Though the most interesting would probably have to be the demon, and his or its view of the world and the people in it. Having not yet finished the book, I cannot tell you how it ends, or even if it ends, Brooks has always had a love for trilogies and this is only book two, but I would highly recommend, if not this book than this series to anyone who considers themselves into the fantasy genre,

Live It Out (Metric)

On the day we were supposed to leave
You changed your mind at the station
You had a nice apartment
There was a good bar downstairs
Your old friend worked there

I'll go anyway, I'll go anyway
They won't refund the ticket
It's a good story

But I don't want to live it alone
Crash to take a chance
I wanna live it out
Look at you, I know I'm already dead
No concrete adversity
Only traps of our own actions
How we wanted it to be
Now I'm never gonna see you again
You turned off

Vertabrae by vertebrae
Roll your way out of a coma
Look up, the nurse is smiling
What luck, the nurse is me
Your old body is dead
Your body's dead, you're a word instead
In my sleep I repeat it
It's a good story

But I don't want to live it alone
Crash to take a chance
We were gonna live it out
Look at you, you're already dead
How will you remember me
Digging ditches out of boredom
Said you would never leave
Now you're never gonna be here again
You checked out

Dum dum dum dum dum
Sha la la la la
Dum dum dum dum dum

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice. 




My Favorite Poem of All Time

Diving Headfirst into Nonfiction......Not so Bad After All

For the nonfiction portion of the reading, I chose to start with a history book. I chose European History from a Global Perspective. I'd always had more than a passing interest in European History. I was probably one of the only people who was sad when they took away the class and added in the more global but much less interesting field of World History. The book covers ancient times up to the beginning of the age of revolution in 1775. From  the Classical Era of the Greek City States and their wars, revolutions, and intrigues, to the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the book explains not only the effect of certain events on their local areas, but explains how events effected on a global scale. The book made me realize the intricate nature of the history of the world, how events in one part of the world can have a profound impact on the globe. The fact that a war over hegemony in Greece could effect revolutions in France nearly 2100 years later is in my opinion mind blowing. While many in the world think of history as among the most boring topics ever to be taught in a high school, a bit of outside reading may change their minds, like it changed mine.

Review of the Accidental Billionaires

The Accidental Billionaires is in my opinion a work of fiction. While it claims to be the story of the reality behind the founding of arguable one of the most important websites in the history of the internet. I was at first surprised at the format of the book. A narrative form focusing on the view almost exclusively of Eduardo Saverin, Facebooks co-founder, was in my opinion not the most unbiased form that could have been used. In the book described by the author as not a work of fiction, we hear one side of the story. One side in one of the messiest legal battles that the world of high technology has seen in recent years, cannot in any scope be considered fact. Especially since while the book was being written, Saverin and Zuckerberg were engaged in a protracted legal battle. How anything coming from either of them during that time could be considered usable for writing anything other than glorified fiction. The book like the movie portrays Zuckerberg as the villain, the punk college kid who sold his friends and his soul to Big Business in order to gain himself wealth and fame. Now in any story there are at least two sides. In this one the number could go higher much much higher. What about Parker, the Winklevosses, and of course the proverbial black sheep in the room Mark Zuckerberg. For his part, Mezrich has tried to keep the book as neutral as possible, however with the subject matter and the situations involved, his best is not nearly good enough to give everyone a fair shake. The only thing I can say for this book is that for its worth it is entertaining in a dark kind of way. For anyone who really wanted to know what happened with the founding of Facebook this book does not clear the smoke in any way. It only adds its own smoke and places mirrors into the mix.

Currently

Currently I've been on a sort eclectic reading schedule. The two books I read this week were Harshini by Jennifer Fallon and Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. Harshini is the conclusion of the Hythrun chronicles a series that I picked up a while back but never got around to finishing. Accidental Billionaires the book about the rise of Facebook and the basis for the move The Social Network, was a book that I'd heard was good, but one that I never took the time to check out.

For the page numbers I'm not really certain, since I left the paper with the page #s in my locker. I'll update them when I get back

Reading
The Accidental Billionaires- 1-187
Harshini ???

Total???

Dune: Beware of Heroes

Dune is a book that has one main message. Beware of heroes. The book chronicles the rise of one such hero. Paul Atreides, the heir to one of the noble houses that make up the empire. Throughout the novel, Paul is raised to an almost messianic position within the desert world where he and his mother escape to in the aftermath of a deadly political game that engulfed his house. He later leads the people of the planet Arrakis into a war against House Harkonen the group that killed his father. Throughout the book Paul uses evermore stringent and costly measures to gain control. Using his almost godlike status among the fremen, the inhabitants of Arrakis, he defeats House Harkonen killing its baron, and with the threat of destroying the only means of space travel forces the abdication of the current emperor. He then becomes Emperor of the Known Universe. The book ends with Paul in control of the galaxy and with an army of men who follow him as their god. The books end begs the question of what will happen now, during the campaign Paul makes several mistakes costing many people their lives. Now that he has control of an entire galaxy what will his mistakes as a god king cost humanity as a whole.

The Victorious Opposition: A Look at what Might have Been

The Victorious Opposition by Harry Turtledove is a book that I started a while back but never got around to finishing. I found it laying under one of my magazines in my closet last week and decided that I'd give the book another try. The book revolves around a future in which the South won its independence from the North in a war not known as the Civil War but the War of Secession. The Victorious Opposition takes place nearly 70 years after that event. Seen threw many eyes is a post war Confederate States of America reminiscent of our time lines Germany after the Great War, which happened not only in Europe but in North America as well. The books main draw is its characters. From military men, to waitresses, to the Southern analogue to Adolf Hitler, Jake Featherston, all are important in some way and since the book takes place over many years, they change like real people and have time to develop. As a novel of alternate history, it shows us what might have been, were conditions like those in 1930 Germany placed on the people of the Southern United States. The realization that any people put under pressure like that would accept help from almost any place. To represent the Nazi Party comes the Freedom Party, an authoritarian "fascist" party who draws its strength from the peoples fear of communism which instead of being tied to Jews is tied to people of African descent. It was particularly uncomfortable to read the logic behind the events, and how Union victory in the Civil War really was one of the defining moments in the history of the modern world.

Currently

Sentences of the Week

Dune

Running With the Demon

The Road to War

Changes

Pages this week 1009

Pages this Semester 2043

Susan smiled at me, giving Molly the Female Once-Over a process by which one woman creates a detailed profile of another woman based upon a million subtle details of clothing, jewelry, makeup, and body type, and than decides how much of a social threat she might be. Men have a similar process but it's binary: Does he have beer? If so will he share it with me
Changes

Paranoia is a survival trait in my circles.
Changes

I picked the first quote because I thought it was one of the funniest things I'd read this week. I picked the second because I thought it was profound in some way. Don't ask me why but I thought so.

A History Lesson: Road to War

Road to War is on its surface a history,but instead of just relaying facts, it goes farther. In it, the author makes some startling conclusions. A complex and ultimately controversial book, Road to War is a different look at the Second World War. It examines the years prior to the conflict through the eyes of each of the belligerent nations.  Germany, the British Empire, France, Italy, the Soviet Union, Japan, and the United States are all analyzed, their motives contemplated, and there involvement in the antebellum period explained. The reasons for the conflict, and how after the debacle that was the Versailles Treaty, war was nearly inevitable. The clash that many consider to have begun with the conflict over Danzig, and the subsequent German invasion and occupation of Poland, is shown to have had much deeper roots than a small German minority living in the Polish Corridor. The book also goes out of its way in order to debunk many myths that have been attached to it since, such as the idea of an advanced warning of Pearl Harbor. All in all, Road to War is a great book for anyone interested in the background to the Second World War.

The Rebirth of a Series

Terry Brooks' Running with the Demon represents in its entirety a rebirth of a world he began with the publishing of The Sword of Shannara in 1977. Two decades after the publishing of the original, Brooks' finally answers the questions that had dogged readers minds for ages, the idea of, "what came before?" All throughout the series, references to a "great conflict" appear quite frequently. Running with the Demon represents the beginning of a new trilogy that seeks to answer that very question. Unlike the Shannara novels that took place in a fantasy world, Brooks' series now takes place in a carbon copy of our world, with a light sprinkling of magic to go along with, and tie it with the older books. The central conflict of the book revolves around the discovery a teenage girl named Nest Freemark, who possesses a knack for wild magic. She becomes the central figure in a conflict between the "Word" who represent the forces of good, and the "Void" who represent the forces of darkness. Throughout the novel, it becomes increasingly clear that things are much more complex than they seem. With the publishing of Running with the Demon, Brooks took an almost ended series and breathed into it new life. It is a fantastic book, and should be read by anyone who considers themselves a lover of epic fantasy.

Currently and Quiz Reaction

Sentences of the Week

I was supposed to be at peace, or merging with the holy light, or in line for my next turn on the roller coaster, or maybe burning in an oven equipped with a stereo that played nothing but Manilow (Ghost Story.)

Clarence Potter walked through the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, like a man caught in a city occupied by the enemy (The Center Cannot Hold)

These are my favorite sentences because one embodies the weakness of expecting something that we have no idea about. The other shows just how being different can isolate you even in your own home town.

The personality quiz was right on some points like that I take a long time to make a decision and that I like to know the background of  things before charging in. However I disagree on the idea that I have a domineering personality. I've taken many of these things before and they all say about the same thing. So maybe its me thinking wrong about my own personality. Thoughts anyone?

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Overview/Review

Now that I've finished the book, which was the third in the series, I've become more satisfied with the series overall. In the first two books, the heroine of the series Lisbeth Salander is seen overcoming obstacles because she is smarter, more unorthodox, and vicious than just about anyone. In the third book, which not to spoil the plot, revolves around the resolution and aftermath of the kicking of the "hornet's nest" that Salander unknowingly created. The books long complex plot follows the course of the books three main characters with some side chapters devoted to the books other characters. The side plot revolving around the relationship between Mikhael Blomkvist and Salander is also continued, and ultimately resolved. The book like it's two predecessors, revolves around a situation of inequality and violence that Stieg Larson, the late author of the trilogy said inspired him when he was 15. The book, as the last in a series assumes that the audience knows who the characters are, their relationships, quirks, and motivations are already in place, and have been since the buildup of the previous novel. The novel which revolves around the trial of Lisbeth, and in it brings to light nearly all the conflicts and wrongdoings in the previous books. While not as innovative and shocking as the first book, nor with as good a plot as the second, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest serves as an excellent swan song to a series that will serve as an epitome to the thriller genre for years to come.

Ghost Story Overview

Ghost Story is the latest in the critically acclaimed series the Dresden Files, a series that combines the magic and fantasy of the Harry Potter genre to the "hardboiled" detective. or Noir genre. After the massive cliffhanger that ended the last book, Ghost story picks up the moment the previous novel ended, Harry Dresden, the books protagonist has been killed, as the title implies, Ghost Story follows Dresden as he attempts to find out the identity of his killer. The book also reintroduces many older characters, and shows how Harry's actions in the previous novels have effected there lives. With one of the most shocking twists that I have ever read in a novel. Definitely not a novel for newcomers to the series, the countless references to events in prior books, is probably the greatest criticism I have for the book. While by the 13th book in the series, it comes to be expected that the series would reference itself, the overuse of references does get kind of annoying. It is also very interesting to see how some of the characters introduced in the earlier novels have evolved over time. While not eclipsing Changes, the previous novel, as my favorite in the series, Ghost Story and indeed the entire Dresden Files are a must read for anyone interested in either a darker urban fantasy, or a gripping detective novel.