Sunday, February 26, 2006

coming up ... MARCH OF FOLLY

We'll discuss The March of Folly by Barbara Tuchman on April 8. Larry has books to lend. Here are some links to get you thinking:

An octogenarian blogs on Iraq and The March of Folly

Christoper Lehman-Haupt's review in the NYT from March 7, 1984 (from the WPL via ProQuest - I'm not sure the link will work).

John Keenan's review in the NYT from March 11, 1984 (same issues with the link).

Your suggestions? What strikes you in the book? Make a comment.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Meeting Report "Tragedy of the Commons" on Saturday February 25

Larry's opening question was, name a favorite place, and if possible connect it to the ideas of "The Tragedy of the Commons." Here are some answers:
We got started talking about the tax base being a common and governmental projects being the sheep.

Don contributed his concerns that the minimum school expenditure per pupil in Illinois is too low. Here's a scholarly work on the experience in Michigan. National Center for Educational Statistics.

Myspace.com and craigslist.com were mentioned as examples of web "sites" with elements of the common phenomenon.

Old copies of Horticulture magazine (1984-2000) are offered for donation to a good home.

Larry wound up the discussion with the connection of "The Prisoner's Dilemma" to our theme. And, also it is an example of more complex use of gaming (than the bunny game). Game on-line.

Larry distributed copies of March of Folly from the library system to be read for our next meeting - no wonder you can't check one out! Ask Larry for a copy or you can get one cheap.

Ev was concerned about bicycle safety - in light of the recent death of a cyclist (and friend of ours) in Wilmette, and the serious accident last week in Evanston. Pioneer Press article.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Next Meeting, Feb 25, 2006 9 am

Let me not confuse you with enclosures and a fiction story recommendation (or [2/9] condemnation) [ All of these are below.]. Our discussion on February 25th will be stimulated, or initiated, by the essay by Garrett Hardin: THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS. You can download a free copy by clicking on the link in our very own BLOG at http://aggens.blogspot.com (courtesy webmaster Chuck Jameson) —or call me if you want to buy a copy (for $5)

Who will volunteer to bring munchables on February 25?

The first person to call me gets the honor.


[Larry continues ...]

I was wondering, as I walked into the multiplex (the 20 screen theater), what a single-plex might be—and how many plexes it takes to make something, like our world, com-plex. So I went to an old fashioned dictionary (instead of Google) and I found this:

plexere = to plait or interweave plexus = a complication of parts com together

complex a whole consisting of intricate or interconnected parts


As I was muttering my way through today’s newspaper I found several articles that make me wonder what understanding might mean when it comes to understanding our complex world. I made copies of a couple of these articles that were listed as among the “top ten” news stories for this day. All of these news clips come from the February 8th edition of The New York Times. I offer them to you for your plexication. Perhaps they will be worth some discussion when we meet on February 25th.

One of the stories is entitled: “Evangelical Leaders Join Global Warming Initiativewhich might raise your eyebrow if you think that the globe doesn’t need any more help in warming. Joe Stoker has been calling our attention to writings that present the other side of the debate about global warming. He recommends the book: Hard Green—SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS” by Peter Huber.

This book is listed among 170 books, reports, and journal articles in the Bibliography of Michael Crichton’s novel: “State of Fear,” A novel with a Bibliography? Yes—and a novel that is characterized as “serious entertainment” by the Chicago Tribune; “Nothing short of spellbinding” by the Pittsburg Post-Gazette; and “Fierce and Compelling” by theLos Angeles Times. Crichton (of Jurassic Park fame) believes there is a lot of scientific evidence to support the hypothesis that the Earth is cooling down, rather than warming up. His thesis is that “global warming” has become “politicized science.” He cautions that “. . .the intermixing of science and politics is a bad combination, with a bad history.” STATE OF FEAR presents his views On science, politics, and history in Edge of Your Seat Storytellingas the USA Today reviewer puts it. It’s a murder mystery and adventure tale that I found thought provoking.

(February 9th Note: I wrote the paragraph above yesterday. Today’s newspaper had this article "Truth? Fiction? Journalism?" —which leaves me per-plexed.)

Other attachments:

A startling new lesson in the Power of Imagery - NYT, 8 February 2006
West Beginning to See Islamic Protests as Sign of Deep Gulf - NYT, 8 February 2006

The NYT content goes behind a toll booth after 7 days. You may be able to access it through the good offices of the Wilmette Public Library.