What books are you reading ?

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fos
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Post by fos » 12-09-2013 05:34 PM

I'm in the middle of "The Third Bullet" a Bob Lee Swagger book about the JFK assassination. It is OK but not one of the better Swagger books.

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Post by kbot » 01-12-2014 07:15 PM

Been reading the Complete Works of Philo of Alexandria and started re-reading the late Senator Paul Wellstone's The Conscience of a Liberal. Reading Wellstone, I'm wondering what happened........ :( His death was truly a tragic loss......
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Post by Bobbi Snow » 01-13-2014 01:08 AM

Missing:411 - the Eastern Seaboard mysteries
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Post by kbot » 03-24-2014 07:37 AM

Picked up Edwin Black's IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation where I had left off and started reading again last night. Currently I am on the part where Germany opens the invasion of Poland - with IBMs help.

Moving beyond the intial invasion and subjucation of the Polish military (such as it was at that time...) the Nazis moved-in (with the information provided by IBMs census tabulation punchcard system) to round-up and annihilate the Jewish population. After the initial invasion, shock troops fanned out throughout the country armed with the information provided to them by IBM and began a methodical, systematic program to eliminate 1/3rd of Poland's population.

Reading the following article this morning (in light of the book) sent chills up my spine....... "Watson", btw, not only is IBMs cutsey name for their product line, but also the name of the individual who headed IBM during the 20s, 30s and 40s when IBM worked with the Nazis to generate multi-year detailed census returns that allowed the Nazis to quickly and efficiently locate, identify, round-up and exterminate millions of Jews, Eastern Europeans, Gypsies, gays and other "non-desirables" in Central and Eastern Europe. Untold millions died whiel IBM racked-up record profits.

Reading the article below, keep in mind that IBMs technology in the 1930s, allowed the Nazis to backtrack German and Polish genetic lines going backwards over 100 years. This allowed them to identify recent "converts" to Christianity and send these individuals to the camps anyway.

IBMs marketing strategy in the 20s and 30s atempted to portray (to the public) the wonders that such statistical models would render mankind. Documents obtained by author Edwin Black showed a much darker sinister goal as detailed in letters and other corporate correspondance between Watson, IBM New York and Geneva offices, the German IBM subsidiaries and members of Germany's Nazi government.

In this age of electronic medical records and data compiling capabilities, we might want to recall our country's past in assisting those who sought to round-up and systematically exterminate those who were seen by some as worthless and undesirable.......

Hisotyr has a way of repeating itself.

Watson dives into genomics data

Will uncover patterns in sequencing and medical data, help speed cancer research
NEW YORK | March 24, 2014

latest deployment of IBM's cognitive computing technology is at the New York Genome Center, where Watson will help oncologists speed their research for personalized cancer care.


In Watson's first foray into genomic research, the initiative will focus on glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer that kills more than 13,000 people in the U.S. each year.

Specifically, the project seeks to help clinicians bring faster DNA-based treatment options to their patients -- a process that's severely slowed by the need to correlate data from genome sequencing to medical journals, research studies and clinical records.

[See also: Watson joins the fight against cancer]

NYGC is a consortium of academic, medical and industry leaders including Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Columbia University, Cornell University/Weill Cornell Medical College, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and others.


At a time when medical information is doubling every five years, the NYGC will deploy Watson to help speed up this complex process, identifying patterns in genome sequencing and medical data to unlock insights that will help clinicians bring the promise of genomic medicine to their patients.

"Since the human genome was first mapped more than a decade ago, we've made tremendous progress in understanding the genetic drivers of disease," said Robert Darnell, MD, president and scientific director of the NYGC, in a press statement. "The real challenge before us is how to make sense of massive quantities of genetic data and translate that information into better treatments for patients.

Watson, he said, could help "revolutionize genomics and accelerate the opportunity to improve outcomes for patients with deadly diseases by providing personalized treatment."

The cloud-based technology will analyze genetic data along with comprehensive biomedical literature and drug databases, say IBM officials. Able to "learn" as it encounters new patient scenarios, and as more information becomes available through research and clinical studies, Watson will complement rapid genome sequencing and is expected to dramatically reduce the time it takes to correlate an individual's genetic mutations with medical literature, study findings, and therapeutic indications.

"As genomic research progresses and information becomes more available, we aim to make the process of analysis much more practical and accessible through cloud-based, cognitive innovations like Watson," said John E. Kelly III, senior vice president and director of IBM Research, in a statement.

"With this knowledge, doctors will be able to attack cancer and other devastating diseases with treatments that are tailored to the patient's and disease's own DNA profiles," he said. "If successful, this will be a major transformation that will help improve the lives of millions of patients around the world."

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/wa ... -page=true
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Post by Raggedyann » 05-30-2014 01:38 AM

I'm currently reading a book called "Grogan's Cafe". This is a fictional story about logging in Knights Inlet on the North end of Vancouver Island. The author, Peter Trowel, has based the story on true characters and events, so I am having fun trying to guess who the fictional characters represent in real life. It's a well written book and the main character is funny and truly endearing.
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Post by Fan » 05-30-2014 08:27 AM

Raggedyann wrote: I'm currently reading a book called "Grogan's Cafe". This is a fictional story about logging in Knights Inlet on the North end of Vancouver Island. The author, Peter Trowel, has based the story on true characters and events, so I am having fun trying to guess who the fictional characters represent in real life. It's a well written book and the main character is funny and truly endearing.


Huh, that is a cool idea.
The heartbreaking necessity of lying about reality and the heartbreaking impossibility of lying about it.

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Post by kbot » 05-30-2014 07:13 PM

Started reading King Arthur: The Man and the Legend Revealed by Mike Ashley. For people into this sorta thing, it's a good book staring out with the Roman-occupied Britain and moving through the various historical records looking for "evidence" of whether Arthur really existed, was an amalgamation of a few individuals, or mostly myth.

Also picked up The Men Who Stare at Goats. Haven't started reading it yet though
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Post by Raggedyann » 05-30-2014 11:53 PM

kbot wrote: Started reading King Arthur: The Man and the Legend Revealed by Mike Ashley. For people into this sorta thing, it's a good book staring out with the Roman-occupied Britain and moving through the various historical records looking for "evidence" of whether Arthur really existed, was an amalgamation of a few individuals, or mostly myth.

Also picked up The Men Who Stare at Goats. Haven't started reading it yet though

King Arthur sounds like a good book and one I would enjoy. I'll have to look for it at my library.
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” Simon Wiesenthal

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Post by Diogenes » 07-03-2014 02:23 PM

Just finished "Blood Feud" by Ed Klein.

This is about the relationship between the Obama's and Clinton's.

Pretty insightful (in case one could not already read between the lines and observe).

As Hillary says "there is no one's hand on the tiller" Even the Presdent's wife understands he cannot make a decision.

Reading this book and being aware of and following all which is falling apart gives further meaning to those chickens coming home to roost.
A man's character is his fate

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Post by kbot » 07-04-2014 08:53 AM

Raggedyann wrote: King Arthur sounds like a good book and one I would enjoy. I'll have to look for it at my library.


While reading this book, the author cites a number of ancient Welsh and British texts, so I ordered some from Amazon. I started reading a book called The Four Ancient Books of Wales and also bought The Gododdin Poems.

Both treat with the final years of Roman rule in what is now England, Scotland and Wales, and the history of the Celts in their battles against the Anglo-Saxon incursions. Much of Arthurian legends come fro these and other older texts - so mixed-in with the history and battles, you run across the stories of a number of people called "Arthur" (or some variant), as well as the Merlin stories.

There is a company called Forgotten Books http://www.forgottenbooks.com/ where you can get hundred of thousands of old books for free (such as these two. I would just rather have the hard copy version, rather than download a digital copy.......

It used to be that my local library had all kinds of old books form the 1800s, but these were sold-off over time and I used to over to read them - mostly the "antiquities" sort. Now many are freely available.
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Post by kbot » 07-20-2014 08:23 AM

Recently bought three old books dealing with alchemy. The symbolism is amazing........

The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz

Splendor Solis

A Commentary on the Mutus Liber

All were originally written centuries ago, and while most "pure" scientists will invariably scoff at the topic, it must be remember that (a) not only the field of pharmacology, but also the scientific method derived from alchemy, it also (b) is a spiritual pursuit, with many woks taking months to complete.

Completely different world.......
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Post by Fan » 07-21-2014 10:53 AM

kbot wrote: Recently bought three old books dealing with alchemy. The symbolism is amazing........

The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz

Splendor Solis

A Commentary on the Mutus Liber

All were originally written centuries ago, and while most "pure" scientists will invariably scoff at the topic, it must be remember that (a) not only the field of pharmacology, but also the scientific method derived from alchemy, it also (b) is a spiritual pursuit, with many woks taking months to complete.

Completely different world.......


Sounds great.
The heartbreaking necessity of lying about reality and the heartbreaking impossibility of lying about it.

― Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

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Post by kbot » 07-21-2014 08:03 PM

I started reading some books on the subject a few years back - one general, and one on Paracelsus. And then I kept running across some copies of the pictures that are in the books and - I wish I could make out the symbolism behind them but then I guess that that is one issue that has fascinated people for centuries.......
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Post by kbot » 09-03-2014 08:02 PM

Been reading a classic in Japanese philosophy - don't know if anyone else has ever read it. The book's been out for over a century now....


Bushido: The Soul of Japan Hardcover – September 7, 2012
by Inazo Nitobe (Author)

A century ago, when Japan was transforming itself from an isolated feudal society into a modern nation, a Japanese educator queried about the ethos of his people composed this seminal work, which with his numerous other writings in English made him the best, known Japanese writer in the West during his lifetime.

He found in Bushido, the Way of the Warrior, the sources of the virtues most admired by his people: rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty and self-control. His approach to his task was eclectic and far-reaching. On the one hand, he delved into the indigenous traditions, into Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism and the moral guidelines handed down over hundreds of years by Japan's samurai and sages. On the other hand, he sought similarities and contrasts by citing not only Western philosophers and statesmen, but also the shapers of European and American thought and civilization going back to the Romans, the Greeks and Biblical times.

This book is a classic to which generations of scholars and laymen alike have long referred for insights into the character of the Japanese people. And all of its many readers in the past have been amply rewarded, as will be all those who turn to its pages in the next and future decades.

http://www.amazon.com/Bushido-Soul-Japa ... ds=bushido

I read an editorial yesterday where the author attempted to fuse samurai thought with today's Middle Eastern terrorists, and I don't think that he did the topic justice. True, the samurai culture did have a heavy reliance on violence, as did all al feudal societies with a warrior system - see Western Europe for perfect examples.

But, reading this has opened my eyes to the writings of Confucius as well as Mencius. Actually, this started as a result of seeing a story on the Military Channel about a samurai named Miyamoto Musashi, and how, as a very young person - teenager, defeated the best swordsmen in Japan and developed a two-handed fighting system - which should appeal to pirates generally!!!! :D

Despite spending decades fighting, he eventually retired and wrote even more on more esoteric subjects. His more famous work is The Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho), which is freely available online

Something different.........
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Post by Doka » 01-04-2015 01:04 PM

I had a friend suggest the books of Louise Penny to me, and I'm so glad they did!

Louise lives in Canada and writes delicious mysteries. Her main character is Inspector Armand Gamache and sidekick Jean-Guy Beauvoir. The other characters are totally awsome , most live in place called Three Pines, that I would love to live in , If it where real. As you read you get to know all of them ,in depth. And Louise sprinkles in a bit of Canadian history, as well as some beautiful places to visit. I'm sure I did not appreciate how beautiful Canada is, untill reading her books and looking places up, I had to see!

If interested, try to read the books in order that they where written, there are 10 of them! The first is "Sill Life". I just about drove my library people nuts, getting all of them in for me, but well worth the effort. I believe she was on Amazon's best book of the year (mystery fiction) for 2014.


http://www.louisepenny.com
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Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities, Can Make You Commit Atrocities': Voltaire

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