The Filter^

Writing an index

I find the index of a book to be immensely helpful (but infuriatingly complicated to create). If I want to get a quick impression of a text, a skim through of the index is often quite helpful. But the "art" of construction is often lost. Hence: it's refreshing to see this (via Tyler Cowen).

Barracuda, compared with surtax, 148
Big Ben, lying, a bad thing, 193. See also ‘Summer Time’
Blackmail, defined, 73. See also ‘Collector of Taxes’
Burglar: how much can a, be killed?, 165, 168, 169; use of garden fork against, commended, 165
…
Eggs: as negotiable instruments, 67; correct handling of, 71
Eton, regrettable incident at, traced to study of classics, 57
…
Haddock, Albert: [a full column of close-set type]
Intoxication, premature, attributed to Summer Time, 199
Jonah, wife of, her comments, unrecorded, 87
Lying, everyone presumed to be, in divorce court, 85
…
Right, first time: British Courts have little hope of being, 92
Rylands v. Fletcher: applies to computer, 209; does not apply to snails, 35
Swan, deplorable episode, 56. See also Leda
Thermometers, why not falsify? See ‘Summer Time’
Ultra Vires, to be pronounced in the good old English fashion, 128
Virtue, tax on, 97. See also Income Tax Acts
Wedding guests, harsh lot, 16

Tristram Shandy

Searching for the perfect library

I’ve yet to find a perfect library to study in, one that possess the following characteristics: a sufficient collection; a social layout; electrical sockets for laptops; easy printing services; inspirational architecture; available food and drink; convenient toilets; and an atmosphere that makes you happy about leaving equipment unattended. Most impressive libraries are bookish and dusty, but I don’t think that modern should imply clinical. Currently, my own study comes closest to the above and this explains my preference for working from home. Any suggestions?

Beach reading in Crete

I've just returned from a week in Greece, and took the chance to read some fiction (or, at least, a break from economics). Here's what I enjoyed:

• "Bright Lights, Big City", Jay McInery. This is something I should have read a long time ago, and I'm not sure if it's a good thing that I still enjoyed it. Having been exposed to television shows like 'Sex in the City' or 'The City' plus the scores of films set in NYC, it is nice to feel that you're seeing a cliche develop. A tight, well constructed novel that delivers
• "Dirt Music", Tim Winton. I'm getting to like Winton a lot, and enjoy the Western Australian landscapes. The combination of shore (leisure=surfing, industry=fishing) and outback (self-dependency, individualism, walkabout) provides an excellent stage upon which to develop distinctly Australian characters. 'Breath' is his best, whilst 'The Riders' was let down - I think - by a confusing ending. 'Dirt Music' is a combination of both - it has all the nihilism and naturalism of 'Breath' without the awkward legends of 'The Riders'. Again, the end was disappointing, but it sucks you in
• "Eucalyptus" by Murray Bail. This seems to have been well-received, althout I saw the plot and delivery as being slightly annoying. One man plants some trees. Others try to name them. Combined with a narrative that regularly slips into asides and speaking directly to the reader, this seemed a book I'd enjoy having read (as opposed to a book I'd enjoy reading). However, once I realised that this is a fairy tale - in every sense (i.e. not really a "modern" fairy tale), I lapped it up. Beautifully constructed, using an innovative (but obviously incredulous) plot device to explore human relationships and human development
• "Engleby" by Sebastian Faulks. Wow. Not since Donna Tartt's 'A Secret History' have I been so captivated by a collegiate exploration of adolescence and morality. Engleby is one of the most believable characters I've encountered in literature. This is completely engaging, and Faulks does very well to build gradually rather than opt for any cheap plot twists. Having said that, there is (what I experienced as) a plot twist fairly early in the book, and from then on everything was coming, but majestically delivered. Faulks also provides a wonderful social history, since the book brings us from the early 70s to the modern day. Thunderous stuff
• "Hermits" by Peter France. A nice overview of some of the key hermits from history. Could have done with editing properly (at times it's simply a collection of quotes), and lacks a proper delineation between secular hermits and those motivated through religious calling. If you've never heard of Charles de Foucauld, or Thomas Merton, this is a fair place to start
• "Minoan Crete" by Litsa Hatzifoti. We bought this after visiting Knossos, to get a little more perspective on this pheonomenal place. There is something haunting and incredulous about touring the ruins of what's possibly the first city in Europe, the site of the legend of the labyrinth, that has since been partially rebuilt using concrete slabs by a Victorian gentleman. I know nothing about archeology, but Arthur Evans must surely be the source of perennial arguments!
• "Greek Mythology". Why didn't I get taught this at school? Great stuff. Dogs with 2 heads and the tail of the snake? Check. Animals with the heads of 3 dogs and a normal tail with a snake's head at the tip? Check. Creatures with 100 bodies? Check. If only people treated the myths of Christianity with as much tongue-in-cheek enjoyment

P.S. Photos are up on my flickr site if anyone's interested. I recommend Crete strongly.

Stop Voyeur

You know that feeling when the girl across the street starts to take her bra off at her bedroom window, and you watch intently because it's the nearest you'll get to flesh... but after she's turned away you reflect tinged with guilt, ashamed at being such a pathetic lonely squid?
I don't, but I imagine it feels somewhat like I do now, having read an article on Harper Lee in The Independent, and a piece on Lucien Freud in The Sunday Times Magazine. Last week I visited my god-daughter, and brought her a copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. I also gave her a Children's version of the New Testament, and will enjoy seeing which she prefers. Even though it was on my school curriculum I managed to enjoy it, and quite rightly it's considered to be one of the classic American novels. Of course Lee never wrote another novel, as is her right.

In contrast to Lee, Lucien Freud is an engine of creativity very much in the cobweb of contemporary culture. Yet like Lee he shuns the exclusive interviews, leading a rich and veiled life of mystery. This is his right.

Neither creator owes us anything. And I feel very uneasy writing my own speculative mumblings now. If you are the sort who can't resist an ogle through the curtains then I'm sure you can track down the links. But as best as I can, I hope to convey the irrespectability of trampling through the allure of greatness.

Three Orange Books

• Liberals: A History of the Liberal and Liberal Democrat Parties

Roy Douglas
March 2005
Hambledon & London (1852853530)
amazon.co.uk

• Against the Flow

Samuel Brittan
January 2005
Atlantic Books (184354377X)
amazon.co.uk
Samuel Brittan's columns
The Economist review

• Liberal Lion: Jo Grimond - A Political Life

Peter Barbaris
January 2005
I.B. Tauris (1850436274)
amazon.co.uk

Free Market = Pro War??

My results, from the popular Political Survey. As with the Political Compass I have some issues with the reasoning, and don't feel adequately represented.
For example, look at the vertical axis: free market/pro-war vs socialist/anti-war.
No, sorry, I'm not going to have that.

Globalization - that glorious manifestation of free people, free markets and free minds - ties the economic interests of countries together, breeding cooperation and preventing war. In this regard I am firmly a Cobdenite, who sought to develop international peace via free trade. He knew that no major wars have been fought between liberal democracies, and that it is authoritarian states, not private enterprise, that turn to war to get what they want.

This idea is often known as the McDonald's Rule, since no two countries with a McDonald's has ever gone to war. Whatever our personal tastes regarding the nutritional value of a Big Mac I think we can all wonder at such a fact. It should help expose the sickening ignorance of those who claim McDonald's is some kind of imperial force.

In his new book The World is Flat, NYT columnist Thomas Friedman introduces The Dell Theory.
In an interview with Yale Global he says:

The Dell Theory says that no two countries that are part of the same global supply chain will ever fight a war as long as they're each still part of that supply chain.

He traced parts from his computer to some of the nations that supplied them, and  points out that such mutual dependence drastically raised the costs of any military engagement:

If you do go to war and you're part of one these supply-chains, whatever price you think you're going to pay, you're going to pay ten times more.  Once you lose your spot in the supply chain because you've gone to war, the supply chain doesn't come back real soon.They're not going to.

The survey categorizes me "pro-war" even though I answered "The UK was right to go to war in Iraq" as "Strongly disagree". It is they who are being oxyMORONS, not me.

Addendum:
Witty review from New York Press

Freakonomics

Last week Freakonomics went on sale. The subtitle is: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything and it's a collaboration between Chicago Economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner.

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter?

Although the claims to be "rogue" are accurate, that says more about the state of modern economics than it does about Mr Levitt. For non-economists who desire an entertaining and stylish example of top tier economic reasoning, this is the book for you. It might not be perfect, but until I finish writing Krupnikonomics you'll just have to make do!

Buy it from Amazon here, here, and check out the blog.   

Saul Bellow (1915-2005)

 

"In the greatest confusion there is still an open channel to the soul. It may be difficult to find because by midlife it is overgrown, and some of the wildest thickets that surround it grow out of what we describe as our education. But the channel is always there, and it is our business to keep it open, to have access to the deepest part of ourselves"

The Bellowing Soul of an American Master, courtesy of Tom Sperlinger.

Thomas Sowell on Writing

Well, British   editors aren’t supposed to be as officious as American editors, but some bold   genius at the well-known British publishing house Allen & Unwin changed   “capitalists” to “workers” at one point in the British version of a book of   mine—and published it that way, without even bothering to check with me. That’s   not a small change, especially in a book on Marxism.

Some Thoughts about Writing is an entertaining read. The author, Thomas Sowell is a highly respected Conservative columnist, and wrote a superb textbook for the "citizen".

He also dabbles in photography.