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The Battle for Investment Survival: A straight-forward, uncompromising revelation of stock-market technique and philosophy that you can apply profitably to your own investment thinking, by G. M. Loeb (HC, 1952 edition of 1935 work, enlarged by 18 additional chapters, $59, which is a steal, because the listed internet price is $505!)
Writes Loeb, "When I started investing about 1921, it seemed a peaceful enough occupation. By 1943, I started calling it a 'battle', though a lot of people might have used that term much earlier during 1929 to 1932. But now in 1952 it seems to me a 'war'.
The person who studies a problem from every angle and defines the risks, aims and possibilities correctly before he starts is more than half-way to his goal.
Atom bomb or no, there is nothing really new in 1952's investment hazards, though they seem so novel and terrifying. Inflation and deflation, taxation, social reform, regulation, war, rationing, confiscation, even revolution all have played their parts regularly in the past. It is only that at times these forces seem to be quiescent, and at other times dynamic."
What would he say about today's stock market? Do his techniques still work?
Be sure to catch the table on changes in the Dow Jones Industrials- a wild swing down from 1929 to 1930 (381 to 41), and then up and down but generally upward until this book was released (41 to 280). Hey, you mathematically inclined, how much of drop is it anyway when you go from 381 to 41 in one year? And we complain when the market drops a few percentage points!
You can find this book in the front glass case.
11 Aralık 2012 Salı
James White's 384-level hospital in the sky!
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3 "Sector General" Omnibuses by James White (HC, 2001, 2002, and 2003, $2.50 each)
1. Beginning Operations-
which includes:
Hospital Station, Star Surgeon, and Major Operation.
2. Alien Emergencies-
which includes:
Ambulance Ship, Sector General, and Star Healer.
3. General Practice-
which includes:
Code Blue-Emergency and The Genocidal Healer.
I read my way through the three novels of this first book in only two days. I don't usually read science fiction, but for these stories I made an exception. The weirdest part was realizing afterwards that I had read two of them before, one in the 1970s when I was in high school, and one more recently. I loved them then, and I love them now. Try 'em, and you'll love 'em too!
3 "Sector General" Omnibuses by James White (HC, 2001, 2002, and 2003, $2.50 each)
1. Beginning Operations-
which includes:
Hospital Station, Star Surgeon, and Major Operation.
2. Alien Emergencies-
which includes:
Ambulance Ship, Sector General, and Star Healer.
3. General Practice-
which includes:
Code Blue-Emergency and The Genocidal Healer.
I read my way through the three novels of this first book in only two days. I don't usually read science fiction, but for these stories I made an exception. The weirdest part was realizing afterwards that I had read two of them before, one in the 1970s when I was in high school, and one more recently. I loved them then, and I love them now. Try 'em, and you'll love 'em too!
Sue's memorial. The future of the store.
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Sue's memorial service was Friday. There were sure a lot of people there: her cousins from out-of-state, plus people from the college, the bookstore, and her church.
When there was a time to share I spoke about how Sue had pushed me out of my comfort zone. Many of you may not know that it was Sue who got me to blog. She wanted us all to blog, but I was new to computers, and wanted no part of this blogging stuff. I stormed in the next day announcing to all that if I was forced to write a single blog I would no longer work at the store. Somehow, though, by the end of the day I had written two blogs, and the rest, as they say, is history.
You will have noticed that lately we have rarely blogged. Partly, it is because of Sue's death, and partly because the future of the store is uncertain. It turns out that the store is owned by the Houghton Foundation, and they have yet to make the decision to continue the store, or not. You will not be surprised to know that all of us who volunteer at the store hope the Foundation does let us continue.
When I know anything, I will let you know
Karen Sue
When there was a time to share I spoke about how Sue had pushed me out of my comfort zone. Many of you may not know that it was Sue who got me to blog. She wanted us all to blog, but I was new to computers, and wanted no part of this blogging stuff. I stormed in the next day announcing to all that if I was forced to write a single blog I would no longer work at the store. Somehow, though, by the end of the day I had written two blogs, and the rest, as they say, is history.
You will have noticed that lately we have rarely blogged. Partly, it is because of Sue's death, and partly because the future of the store is uncertain. It turns out that the store is owned by the Houghton Foundation, and they have yet to make the decision to continue the store, or not. You will not be surprised to know that all of us who volunteer at the store hope the Foundation does let us continue.
When I know anything, I will let you know
Karen Sue
tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a' (Do you speak Klingon?)
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Do you speak Klingon?
Or do you want to?
If so, this is the book for you. Apparently some people actually do speak this nonsense. At least they do on The Big Bang Theory.
So, here you are:
The Klingon Dictionary: English/Klingon and Klingon/English (Star Trek, The Official Guide to Klingon Words and Phrases), by Marc Okrand (PB, 1985, $5, has a weak binding, and yellowed pages) Look for it on the new non-fiction table (L. sci. fi. )
(I just looked this book up on Amazon. It is amazingly rare. There is a more recent edition still in print. It is even available in e-book format. There are also entire books entirely in Klingon! Amazing, aint it.)
Or do you want to?
If so, this is the book for you. Apparently some people actually do speak this nonsense. At least they do on The Big Bang Theory.
So, here you are:
The Klingon Dictionary: English/Klingon and Klingon/English (Star Trek, The Official Guide to Klingon Words and Phrases), by Marc Okrand (PB, 1985, $5, has a weak binding, and yellowed pages) Look for it on the new non-fiction table (L. sci. fi. )
(I just looked this book up on Amazon. It is amazingly rare. There is a more recent edition still in print. It is even available in e-book format. There are also entire books entirely in Klingon! Amazing, aint it.)
Jim Thompson, hero of Thailand's silk industry
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Jim Thompson: The Legendary American of Thailand, by William Warren (TPB, 1970, $2)
One year in high school I read The Ugly American. It was the first time I had ever considered that Americans could be greedy, selfish, arrogant, or stupid. Well, I was pretty naive back then.
Jim Thompson is an example of the best America can offer. He was from wealth, graduated from Princeton, and then designed homes for the rich. During WWII the OSS sent him to Thailand. After the war he returned to the private sector but stayed in Thailand. He was amazed by the indigenous woven silk, but the industry was dying. Local vegetable dyes were unpredictable and often faded with use. Silk, in general, was seen as either too old fashioned, or too expensive. Few people in Thailand wanted it. Enter our Mr. Thompson, who was fascinated by everything Thai: their people, architecture, art, and textiles.
He started his silk company in the 1950s. He insisted his weavers use color-fast dyes, and that the silk fibers be of the best quality. He had a spectacular eye for color, and an amazing ability to combine colors and patterns, so his fabrics were different from anything anyone had ever seen before, even in Japan.
Thompson believed strongly in helping the Thai people. First he insisted his weavers work out of their own homes and not in factories, so they could maintain their culture. He also insisted that 51% of his silk company's owners be Thai citizens. He made sure profits went to his workers and the people of Thailand. His board of directors kept trying to raise his salary, and he kept saying he made enough.
He was lucky. Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I dressed its performers in Thompson's silk. Now everyone wanted it. Queen Elizabeth redecorated a room in Windsor Castle with it. Movie stars wore it, both when they were filming, and when they were not. Other companies tried to compete, but Thompson's silk was always the best.
Eventually he wanted a place to display the art he had collected over the years. He designed a "museum" he could also live in. He moved 6 antique Thai dwellings onto his property, and connected them. Then he started to entertain. Anyone who was anyone could be found there, as well as a lot of just regular people that Thompson thought interesting.
Tragedy struck in 1967. He went for an "evening stroll" in the jungle and never returned. Was it murder? Did he stage his own disappearance? Had he been injured, or gotten lost? Everyone looked for him. Nobody found him.
Reading about Thompson's disappearance is fascinating, but this book drags it out for too long, and keeps coming back to it, again and again. Otherwise, I really liked this book, and this man. Now he would have been someone to meet!
Look for the book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Th)
According to the internet, some bones were found in 2007 that might be his, but tests to determine if they were have not been done. Apparently the bones "are in a safe place", whatever that means.
One year in high school I read The Ugly American. It was the first time I had ever considered that Americans could be greedy, selfish, arrogant, or stupid. Well, I was pretty naive back then.
Jim Thompson is an example of the best America can offer. He was from wealth, graduated from Princeton, and then designed homes for the rich. During WWII the OSS sent him to Thailand. After the war he returned to the private sector but stayed in Thailand. He was amazed by the indigenous woven silk, but the industry was dying. Local vegetable dyes were unpredictable and often faded with use. Silk, in general, was seen as either too old fashioned, or too expensive. Few people in Thailand wanted it. Enter our Mr. Thompson, who was fascinated by everything Thai: their people, architecture, art, and textiles.
He started his silk company in the 1950s. He insisted his weavers use color-fast dyes, and that the silk fibers be of the best quality. He had a spectacular eye for color, and an amazing ability to combine colors and patterns, so his fabrics were different from anything anyone had ever seen before, even in Japan.
Thompson believed strongly in helping the Thai people. First he insisted his weavers work out of their own homes and not in factories, so they could maintain their culture. He also insisted that 51% of his silk company's owners be Thai citizens. He made sure profits went to his workers and the people of Thailand. His board of directors kept trying to raise his salary, and he kept saying he made enough.
He was lucky. Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I dressed its performers in Thompson's silk. Now everyone wanted it. Queen Elizabeth redecorated a room in Windsor Castle with it. Movie stars wore it, both when they were filming, and when they were not. Other companies tried to compete, but Thompson's silk was always the best.
Eventually he wanted a place to display the art he had collected over the years. He designed a "museum" he could also live in. He moved 6 antique Thai dwellings onto his property, and connected them. Then he started to entertain. Anyone who was anyone could be found there, as well as a lot of just regular people that Thompson thought interesting.
Tragedy struck in 1967. He went for an "evening stroll" in the jungle and never returned. Was it murder? Did he stage his own disappearance? Had he been injured, or gotten lost? Everyone looked for him. Nobody found him.
Reading about Thompson's disappearance is fascinating, but this book drags it out for too long, and keeps coming back to it, again and again. Otherwise, I really liked this book, and this man. Now he would have been someone to meet!
Look for the book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Th)
According to the internet, some bones were found in 2007 that might be his, but tests to determine if they were have not been done. Apparently the bones "are in a safe place", whatever that means.
8 Aralık 2012 Cumartesi
Mother's Milk
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My mother-in-law forwarded this along to me a few weeks back. It gave me a good chuckle and I thought perhaps some fellow moms may get a good laugh as well. Enjoy!
Studentsin an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last questionwas, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk.’ The question was worth 70 pointsor none at all.
One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. However, he wrote:
1) It is perfect formula for the child.
2) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3) It is always the right temperature.
4) It is inexpensive.
5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6) It is always available as needed.
And then the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bellrang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:
7) It comes in two attractive containers and it's high enough off the groundwhere the cat can't get it.
He got an A.
Studentsin an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last questionwas, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk.’ The question was worth 70 pointsor none at all.
One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. However, he wrote:
1) It is perfect formula for the child.
2) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3) It is always the right temperature.
4) It is inexpensive.
5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6) It is always available as needed.
And then the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bellrang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:
7) It comes in two attractive containers and it's high enough off the groundwhere the cat can't get it.
He got an A.
C.S. Lewis, Kids' Book Clubs, and Christ
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I run a children's homeschooling book club and haverecently had the honor or leading the discussion of C.S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew. Some members ofour club are not Christian, so I felt I must keep away from Christian themesand symbolism. Easier said than done.
The more I struggled to see past the Christian themes,the more they stood out for me. You have the struggle of good vs. evil, a manseeking power for power's sake who can't recognize God when he's standing infront of him, a Genesis creation story, temptation in the garden, a forbiddenapple, and the promise of a savior. I'll tell you how I skirted these topics ina moment.
I know neo-pagans, new agers, atheists, and even anti-Christianatheists who love the Narnia books. Why would they be drawn to them when thebooks so obviously deal with Christian themes? Sure, they are good stories. Butthey're only great stories if you seethe deeper meaning that is hidden (or at times, not so well hidden) within them.A child unaware of the Christian elements might enjoy them, but a grownup who'snot only non-Christian, but anti-Christian?
I have a theory. Thoughsociety tells us to love self, in ourhearts, we want to love God and imitate Him by loving our fellow human beingsin a selfless manner. We are made to love and know God. This is why Narnia ispopular. It's why we admire self-sacrificing heroes in books and films. It'swhy we grow disgusted at villains using power to step on others as they striveto rule the world. It may be why mynon-Christian friends and family celebrate Christmas. I'd thought it was acultural tradition thing; now I'm not so sure.
Still, the loving selfthing pops up in a couple of ways in our society. One has a bad reputation--theover consumption of goods, such as expensive cars, jewelry, and other luxuryitems. The one that is gaining in popularity (at least in my sphere) is themore new-agey idea that you are your own god or goddess. An atheist relative ofmine posted on Facebook, "Be your own savior."
Of course we should love and respect ourselves. Godcreated each of us as unique human beings. We have an inherent dignity as hischildren. But when self-centeredness gets in the way of loving God and others,there's a problem.
But back to the topic. What did we discuss at book club? Good and evil (because everybody understandthat dichotomy), the similarities between Uncle Andrew and the witch and whatmakes them villains, the nature of the Cabby (aka King Frank), the children, thehorse, and we also touched on Aslan. We discussed the similarities between theWood Between the World and the attic tunnel (both being in-between places, notreally places where things happen), and the similarities of Charn and how thecharacters feel about London. Both were described as hard, cold places.
So, I thank the Lord for the works of C.S. Lewis. Theirpopularity fills me with hope for our society.
BTW IMDb says the film The Magician's Nephew is in production and might not be out until 2014.
If you enjoyed this post, you might like the post I wrote on self-sacrificing mothers in books and film.
I run a children's homeschooling book club and haverecently had the honor or leading the discussion of C.S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew. Some members ofour club are not Christian, so I felt I must keep away from Christian themesand symbolism. Easier said than done.
The more I struggled to see past the Christian themes,the more they stood out for me. You have the struggle of good vs. evil, a manseeking power for power's sake who can't recognize God when he's standing infront of him, a Genesis creation story, temptation in the garden, a forbiddenapple, and the promise of a savior. I'll tell you how I skirted these topics ina moment.
I know neo-pagans, new agers, atheists, and even anti-Christianatheists who love the Narnia books. Why would they be drawn to them when thebooks so obviously deal with Christian themes? Sure, they are good stories. Butthey're only great stories if you seethe deeper meaning that is hidden (or at times, not so well hidden) within them.A child unaware of the Christian elements might enjoy them, but a grownup who'snot only non-Christian, but anti-Christian?
I have a theory. Thoughsociety tells us to love self, in ourhearts, we want to love God and imitate Him by loving our fellow human beingsin a selfless manner. We are made to love and know God. This is why Narnia ispopular. It's why we admire self-sacrificing heroes in books and films. It'swhy we grow disgusted at villains using power to step on others as they striveto rule the world. It may be why mynon-Christian friends and family celebrate Christmas. I'd thought it was acultural tradition thing; now I'm not so sure.
Still, the loving selfthing pops up in a couple of ways in our society. One has a bad reputation--theover consumption of goods, such as expensive cars, jewelry, and other luxuryitems. The one that is gaining in popularity (at least in my sphere) is themore new-agey idea that you are your own god or goddess. An atheist relative ofmine posted on Facebook, "Be your own savior."
Of course we should love and respect ourselves. Godcreated each of us as unique human beings. We have an inherent dignity as hischildren. But when self-centeredness gets in the way of loving God and others,there's a problem.
But back to the topic. What did we discuss at book club? Good and evil (because everybody understandthat dichotomy), the similarities between Uncle Andrew and the witch and whatmakes them villains, the nature of the Cabby (aka King Frank), the children, thehorse, and we also touched on Aslan. We discussed the similarities between theWood Between the World and the attic tunnel (both being in-between places, notreally places where things happen), and the similarities of Charn and how thecharacters feel about London. Both were described as hard, cold places.
So, I thank the Lord for the works of C.S. Lewis. Theirpopularity fills me with hope for our society.
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