The author, Mark Edward Jabbour, age nineteen, crossing East Maroon Creek, fifty years ago today. It was August of 1969 and I was camped on the east fork, across the water from the paved road, via my 1946 Willy's Jeep. I was spear fishing wild trout. It was summer break between my freshman and sophomore … Continue reading Set yourself free
CHIMP EMPIRE: Who Are We?
is the way James Reed's Netflix documentary (April 2023) begins, and ends. Does the four-hour series answer the question? That depends on who and what you believe. For me it does a very good job. We are the The Naked Ape (1967); or as Jared Diamond wrote, The Third Chimpanzee (1992). Robert Wright called us The Moral … Continue reading CHIMP EMPIRE: Who Are We?
Marianne Williamson’s “Return to Love” Platform.
I'm re-reading Democrat POTUS candidate Marianne Williamson's 1992 bestseller A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A COURSE IN MIRACLES. Because, why not? It's on my bookshelf and I'm a believer in first principles, or rewarded behaviors being foundational for a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The Platform I'm surmising from declarations from the … Continue reading Marianne Williamson’s “Return to Love” Platform.
ChatGPT: Smash or Pass?
ChatGPT is a computer program(s) at the current apex of artificial intelligence. There are several versions. I heard of it four weeks ago and decided to check it out. They are Large Language Models that can read the entire Internet in seconds and answer questions or "prompts". In addition, you can have conversations with the … Continue reading ChatGPT: Smash or Pass?
Men Without Work
is a book by Nicholas Eberstadt, an American political economist, written in 2016 and updated in 2022. I haven't read the books but have listened to him talk about them on YouTube podcasts. The premise is that the documented 7.2 million men, aged 21 to 54, that have quit the workforce is a problem. For … Continue reading Men Without Work
One Great Timeless Novel
Sometimes A Great Notion (1963) Ken Kesey. I’ve read it 6 times. The same paperback. One of the best ever character studies ever written. As true today as when it was written. Here's a review I wrote for my Goodreads bookshelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8014925 My opening: This is the sixth time I’ve read this novel. The … Continue reading One Great Timeless Novel
The Time Bind: Work-family balance
This is a review of the 1997 book The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work. It was written by professor Arlie Russell Hochschild over the course of seven years, based on her research of a Fortune 500 company in the rural midwest in the early nineties. What I want to do here … Continue reading The Time Bind: Work-family balance
You Are What You Read
is a quote from the 1998 movie You've Got Mail. Is that true? Joe Fox (corporate big box bookseller) says that to Kathleen Kelly (independent bookstore owner) as they banter in this RomCom that is now historical fiction. [It describes the incipient impact of the internet.] The film was an adaptation of an earlier film (1940) … Continue reading You Are What You Read
Thinking About Fear
Fear was a poem written by Kahlil Gibran and published in 1923 in his widely acclaimed book The Prophet. One of my WordPress 'friends/followers' recently posted it as inspiration. Well, Gibran got it wrong. But, don't get me wrong - I loved Gibran's book of poems. It was all the rage back in the day. However, … Continue reading Thinking About Fear
Time Bind 2023 update
Time Bind is a book I'm currently reading (when I can find the time). The book was written by Arlie Russell Hochschild published in 1997. It's a sociological study of the then demand characteristics of work/home/life balance. It's fantastic, real journalism that foreshadows, but doesn't come close to realizing the bind we're in now. We … Continue reading Time Bind 2023 update
Ally McBeal: Smash or pass? Love it or leave it?
Ally McBeal was a serial TV show on Fox from 1998 to 2002. Do you love it or leave it? Is it a smash or pass? Each season was 20+, one-hour stories, with a regular cast of characters, mostly. Some characters would 'disappear' over the course of years, and be replaced by new ones. In … Continue reading Ally McBeal: Smash or pass? Love it or leave it?