THE STORY SO FAR: PART 213

A SMALL GROUP OF READING FANATICS KEEP THE BOOK MARKET GOING

I AM (MODESTLY, OF COURSE) PROUD TO SAY I AM ONE OF THEM

The Atlantic is an amazingly well written, intelligent and relevant magazine. If there is an issue of importance around—and, life being the way it is, there tends to be—it will cover it with expertise, insight, and humor. Not only is its coverage timely, but it is intelligent.

I was introduced to it by Jim Fallows. He wanted to interview me and offered a compelling bribe—a free subscription to The Atlantic for a year plus a flight for me and my children in his Cirrus aircraft. Since I love flying in small planes, I folded immediately—and Jim, as is his way, was good to his word. If he was Japanese, he would be dubbed a National Living Treasure. Leaving aside his talents as a journalist—which are widely recognized—he is a commendable human being. Better yet, let me award him the ultimate Irish accolade: He is a decent man.

I have read The Atlantic ever since. These days I mostly read it on the web where stories are updated with the speed of a daily newspaper.

The Atlantic story was prompted by Amazon’s purchase of Goodreads. Now the latter is where you go if you want your fellow readers to recommend good books. The site is a form of specialist Social Media—but is more functional than most in my opinion. It is accessible, easy to use, extremely helpful—and its members seem to be reading fanatics, text oriented Taliban.

What more could Amazon want! Why so?

Because, according to Codex Group (about whom I know nothing) 19 percent of Americans did/do 79 percent of all our book reading.

This is a near literal example of the 80/20 rule. Do I believe it?

Absolutely. For years, my ration has been two or three books a week—and I have long known I have company.

Good grief, why face up to real life if you can read!

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 212

APRIL FOOL—AND THE FOOL WAS ME

I tend to get up and go straight to the computer without even making a mug of tea. Barbaric behavior? I won’t give you an argument. One really should treat time—and one’s lifestyle—with more grace.

But it gets worse. Once at the computer, I have a tendency to get drawn into writing—and then hours can pass before I realize there are other things to be done too: Like having breakfast.

On Monday—I’m writing this a day late—I wrote until midday, and then decided the time had come to sort the boxes which were in the garage. I put on a warmish top—because garages tend to be unheated and chilly—and locked myself out. A squirrel scuttled by, and I swear it chuckled.

I shall say no more about the rest of the day except to say that my eventual homecoming was a thing of wonder.

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 211

A NEW HOME, SETTLING-IN—AND EASTER SUNDAY

Thanks to a completely marvelous family, the Sammons, the move was conducted with impressive speed and efficiency. Two cars and a truck arrived—and I was loaded and out of there. These guys (and one is very much a gal) are singularly impressive on a host of fronts.

I’d got up at 4.00 am to try and make sure I was on top of things, but ended up practically catatonic with fatigue. I sat in my chair in the middle of the chaos that is moving—felt hugely happy—and then fell asleep. Later, I wrapped myself in my duvet and fell asleep on the carpet. There was stuff I could have used to soften the experience, but I was too tired.

I don’t yet have a bed. I awoke somewhat stiff and store, feeling a little old for this kind of caper. Nonetheless, I am completely thrilled. I am delighted with my new home.

The Sammons invited me to dinner that evening—Easter Sunday. It was one of most enjoyable few hours I have ever experienced.

I will write more about this some other time. Right now I’m just more thrilled than I know how to express.

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 210

ONE OF MY HOBBIES IS COLLECTING ECONOMISTS—AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS BEING ATTACKED

I’M IN SHOCK!

“Collecting economists” sounds rather as if I have a bunch of them, stuffed and mounted, in my trophy room.

While the concept is not without appeal as far as some economists are concerned, my approach is rather more benign.

Instead, I list and track economists (I include economic commentators) who seem to get it right much of the time—or who present arguments which seem worth exploring even if they are not yet proven. I do this because I’m interested in discovering an economic system which works for the benefit of an entire population—such as this one—not merely a privileged elite. Here, I’m not looking for perfection, but more for one that is good enough. I expect it will have to be assembled from the carcasses of other economic systems so I guess you could regard my goal as ‘Frankenstein Capitalism.’ Not sure a more appealing title might not be an idea.

But the U.S. economic system, based on free market capitalism, is the best in the world, I hear you cry.

I respectfully disagree. Aspects of it work brilliantly, but others do not. Let me list a few of its flaws:

• Massive debt from personal to federal.
• A decline in the earning power of the majority of the population.
• An economy which favors only the few.
• Where children are concerned, hunger (food insufficiency) on a massive scale.
• An alarming number of people withdrawing from the workforce because they can’t find jobs.
• Pervasive unemployment.

But this not the time to debate this particular argument. Instead, I’m in shock—in the manner of the movie, CASABLANCA—because  economist Paul Krugman, who mostly seems to get it right (or has for the period I have been reading him) is being attacked by a social commentator, William Greider, whom I hold in high regard.

Woe is me! My loyalties are divided.

The focus of Greider’s attack is that Krugman was an unquestioning advocate of globalization while refusing to address the issues of the dark side (which were, and are, many—and include massive job losses, the destruction of communities, the exporting of expertise, and the depression of wage rates. One might also add the exploitation of foreign labor, and massive tax avoidance under frequently dubious circumstances).

The trouble with labels like “Free Trade” is that they disguise all kinds of deals made on behalf of corporate interests—and which never see the light of day because who reads all the fine print in a trade treaty. Should the media do this? Of course they should, but such research is hard work and time consuming, so they seldom do. Beyond that, editors frown on such work because it may result in criticism of specific corporations—and corporate advertising is what pays for the media.

Here, one might ask the question: Do we have a free press? If media owners self-censor as much as they do—just look at the Wall street Journal under Rupert Murdoch—no, we do not.

But, I digress. Back to Greider versus Krugman. Frankly, I haven’t read enough of Krugman on globalization to have an informed opinion, but I guess the moral of the story is to read much from a variety of sources, to read critically, and—above all—to form your own opinions.

You know, “Frankenstein Capitalism” has a certain ring to it.

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 209

A CONFESSION: I HATE MOVING—BUT I LOVE NEW ADVENTURES…

According to my creed, a writer should be open to—and learn from—every new experience (within reason). “Everything is material” is, pretty much, the writer’s gospel.

To that end I should embrace change. Instead, I have found myself remarkably reluctant to face change. At heart, I seem to be a homebody.

In truth, I don’t need a great deal—I am not that interested in physical possessions—but I do like a quiet place where I can write, and otherwise potter around.

Thanks to the efforts of others—of which more anon—I seem to have found another one, so I am in the process of moving. I have transitioned from reluctance to enthusiasm.

This is a great adventure—but then most of life is.

You know I craved adventure when I was a child—after reading innumerable adventure stories—and life has not disappointed.

I’m pretty thrilled.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 208

EIGHT YEARS OF YOUR LIFE ARE GOING TO BE MISSING—AND SOCIETY DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN

Without question, there is a fatalistic aspect to the U.S. way of life which I absolutely do not understand.

Somehow the indignation factor seems to be missing. Truly terrible things are uncovered, and yet virtually nothing seems to be done.

A recent example concerns the 98108 ZIP code in Seattle. Just read the following taken from a Seattle Times article of March 28 2013—and feel free to be appalled. Better still, do something!

One might think this should be headline news, and yet the piece is positioned as just another feature. Where are society’s values if the loss of eight years of one’s life through preventable pollution are considered to be of scant consequence?

I confess I am completely stunned:

Some Duwamish Valley residents are sicker and die younger than their neighbors just a scant 10 miles away, a new EPA-funded study has found. Residents of ZIP code 98108, in Seattle’s South Park, Georgetown and parts of Beacon Hill in the Duwamish Valley, are most likely to get sick and be exposed to environmental stresses, from pollution to lack of green space, the study found.

In the neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown in particular, the cumulative effect was a shorter life — eight years shorter than other residents on average in Seattle and King County and 13 years shorter than the well-off neighborhood of Laurelhurst, according to the study.

The assessment took into account a wide range of factors, from exposure to diesel particulates and benzene in the air to childhood-asthma hospitalization rates.

“This should have been done years ago. We have always believed there was an unfair burden on the communities of South Park and Georgetown,” said James Rasmussen, coordinator of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, one of two Seattle nonprofits that released the $50,000 study.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 207

DEFINITELY A ROCK-STAR—AS FAR AS HER FAMILY IS CONCERNED

I have talked about my much loved sister Lucy on various occasions, but haven’t yet shown a photo of her. Well, it is time I remedied that deficiency. I have chosen this photo because it brings out Lucy’s sense of fun. Let me stress that she is dressed up for an event; she does not normally present herself in this way.

The photo was posted by her daughter, Victoria—who is drop-dead gorgeous. I have to wonder about the genes in my family. Lucy and family seem to have been disproportionately blessed,

But there is more: Not only is Lucy the youngest member of the family—no less than 12 siblings are involved and I am the eldest—but she also has five truly gorgeous children of her own (and most are grown up). How does she do this—and still look so ridiculously young?

It’s unfair, I tell you!

I have absolutely no clear idea—though her positive attitude may give some clue—but am lost in admiration. Leaving her physical attributes aside (Lucy won’t thank me for saying this) the essence of Lucy is an extraordinary cast of mind.