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About two weeks ago, I was writing about the philosophy of Libertarianism when, out of the blue, my computer went to heaven or hell. I plan to continue with my discussion of this subject now that I have a new computer, but I'll not resume until I've posted a few comments on a myriad of subjects. 

BOOKS I'VE RECENTLY FINISHED READING :

1. 1Q84, by Haruki Murakami : This is a long one (1141 pages, or so) and it moves along at a steady pace that's not calculated to excite, yet it can keep the reader's attention, assuming the reader has plenty of time for pleasure reading. Unlike Orwell's 1984 world, Murakami's 1Q84 world has "Little People" who communicate with a select few, has two moons, and has mazas and dohtas. The main characters, Aomame and Tengo, met in elementary school at age 10, held hands momentarily, but never forgot the moment for the next 20 years. Aomame and Tengo move between the two worlds of 1984 and 1Q84, and, in the process, experience two totally different life experiences. The book entertains and even provokes the reader to do a little thinking. I came away with a good feeling, but doubt I'll ever reread this monster. 

2. The Big Short, by Michael Lewis. This one tells much of the story of the subprime mortgage debacle of the late 1990s and 2000s, culminating in the financial collapse of 2008. I first became acquainted with Michael Lewis when I read his book about the U.S. economy of the 1980s [ hostile takeovers, insider trading galore, and junk bonds, etc ] , and I loved his Liar's Poker. In The Big Short, Lewis tells his story through the minds and eyes of several investors who recognized what was coming when the real estate market topped-out, and took advantage of credit default swaps, collateralized debt obligations, and other exotic forms of derivative securities. The story of these investors who made their fortunes from the collapse of the U.S. financial system had lots of funny bits to it, but it was, at heart, a tragedy. This is a GREAT book and I hope everyone of you reads it. 

3. We Learn Nothing, by Tim Kreider. This is a collection of wonderful essays by a writer whom David Foster Wallace described this way :"Kreider rules." On page 59 of the book, Kreider wrote the following footnote : 

     "Throughout this essay I'm afraid I'll be using the terms liberal, progressive, and the left not quite interchangeably but pretty indistinctly, since they all now denote extinct or hypothetical entities rather than active political factions. Liberal is a term used almost exclusively by conservatives, and is loosely synonymous with queerbait ; progressives are what liberals call themselves now that liberal is a slur ( it's what developmentally delayed is to retarded ) ; and as far as I can tell leftists are liberals who get mad if you call them liberals because liberals are all bourgeois patsies of The Man." 

   I thank Trish Hammond for giving me the Krieder book and Michael Lewis's book as birthday gifts.  Both are great books to be read by folks who think and also have a sense of humor. 

4. All the Little Live Things, by Wallace Stegner. I'm only on page 117 but I can assure you that this is a great one. In particular, you folks who live in the Bay Area of Northern California should read this. 


NETFLIX I MISSED WHILE I HAD NO COMPUTER.

   I returned last night to "West Wing" and got my fix. Love that program.