The Eichmann Trial, by Deborah E. Lipstadt (2011)
Read: April 2, 2011
Showing posts with label Global Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Global Environment. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Books Set in a Global Environment
A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage (2005)
A History of the World in 6 Glasses is a mildly interesting book, not a great read. The author attempts to provide a sketch of the world through the “history” of six beverages: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Coffee, Tea, and Coca-Cola. In the book, each drink merits two chapters. With the exception of Coca-Cola, which has a well defined origin, the history of the beverages enumerated in the book is rather dull. Probably because the actual origins are unknown.
The first three drinks are alcoholic; the final three are not.
Evidence of beer can be found in archeological findings in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Wine probably began in the ancient Greek culture. One could easily believe that America became the nation it is because of the spirits, including rum and whiskey, distilled in the early settlements.
The author discusses as becoming a global drink originating with the Arabs, whose trading with Europe brought it to a wider audience. The author claims that the advent of coffee in Europe aided in the Enlightenment, since the beverage gave one a “clear mind” and gave one alertness.
The section on Tea was the weakest part of the book. As with the preceding beverages, the origins of the tea is not clear. Still, the author attempts to explain the popularity of the drink throughout Asia and how it became the “national” beverage of England.
The final segment of the book focused on Coca-Cola, which was the book’s strength. Coca-Cola has very definite origins. In addition to discussing how the mixture of Coke came into being, the author also goes into detail of how the company manipulated advertising to encourage Americans to need the refreshment that Coke could bring. This ultimately lead to global advertising. In addition, the book discusses the Coke/Pepsi rivalry. After reading this section of the book, one will never look at Coke the same way again.
The History of the World in 6 Glasses is light reading and would make a great beach read. It is light non-fiction, but the reader won’t come away with a feeling that he really learned a lot about either the beverages discussed or world history.
Read: February 17, 2010
A History of the World in 6 Glasses is a mildly interesting book, not a great read. The author attempts to provide a sketch of the world through the “history” of six beverages: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Coffee, Tea, and Coca-Cola. In the book, each drink merits two chapters. With the exception of Coca-Cola, which has a well defined origin, the history of the beverages enumerated in the book is rather dull. Probably because the actual origins are unknown.
The first three drinks are alcoholic; the final three are not.
Evidence of beer can be found in archeological findings in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Wine probably began in the ancient Greek culture. One could easily believe that America became the nation it is because of the spirits, including rum and whiskey, distilled in the early settlements.
The author discusses as becoming a global drink originating with the Arabs, whose trading with Europe brought it to a wider audience. The author claims that the advent of coffee in Europe aided in the Enlightenment, since the beverage gave one a “clear mind” and gave one alertness.
The section on Tea was the weakest part of the book. As with the preceding beverages, the origins of the tea is not clear. Still, the author attempts to explain the popularity of the drink throughout Asia and how it became the “national” beverage of England.
The final segment of the book focused on Coca-Cola, which was the book’s strength. Coca-Cola has very definite origins. In addition to discussing how the mixture of Coke came into being, the author also goes into detail of how the company manipulated advertising to encourage Americans to need the refreshment that Coke could bring. This ultimately lead to global advertising. In addition, the book discusses the Coke/Pepsi rivalry. After reading this section of the book, one will never look at Coke the same way again.
The History of the World in 6 Glasses is light reading and would make a great beach read. It is light non-fiction, but the reader won’t come away with a feeling that he really learned a lot about either the beverages discussed or world history.
Read: February 17, 2010
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Books Set in a Global Environment
The Book of Names by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori (2007)
The Book of Names is the Jewish answer to Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code.
According to Jewish tradition, within each generation, there are thirty-six righteous souls. No one knows who they are, but they are essential to the existence of the world. If they all die, the world as we know it ceases to exist. This book plays on this theme.
The main character is David Shepherd, a political science professor who is also the son of a senator. When he was a young teenager, he, along with two teens, was in a tragic fall from a roof-top. He survived, but one of his companions, Crispin Mueller, was in a coma for months. David has lost track of Crispin, but assumes that he ultimately died from his injuries.
Years later, David remembers his near death experience and recalls voices and names being called out to him. He records these memories in a notebook. He later becomes involves in the hunt for the Book of Names ~ an ancient text that legend has originated with Adam and Eve. By Kabbalistic tradition, this book contains the names of each generation thirty-six righteous individuals, known as the Hidden Ones.
David discovers that most of the names that he has “remembered” are actual people who have recently died under mysterious causes. At the same time, world events start to escalate that could be interpreted as the beginning of the end ~ war in Afghanistan, tsunamis in the Pacific, terrorist attacks …
As David seeks to identify the Hidden Ones, he finds himself face-to-face with the Hidden Ones mortal enemies, the Gnoseos, a secret anti-religious cult whose goal is to kill all the righteous ones, thereby destroying the world. David’s quest becomes personal when he realizes that one of the surviving thirty-six in his generation is his beloved stepdaughter, Stacy.
Of course, there is a love interest, as sabre Yael HarPaz joins in the search for the Gnoseos.
The book is a page-turner, but not of any real substance. It seems like it was written with a movie in mind. Not a bad book, but not intellectually stimulating, either.
Read: November 18, 2009
The Book of Names is the Jewish answer to Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code.
According to Jewish tradition, within each generation, there are thirty-six righteous souls. No one knows who they are, but they are essential to the existence of the world. If they all die, the world as we know it ceases to exist. This book plays on this theme.
The main character is David Shepherd, a political science professor who is also the son of a senator. When he was a young teenager, he, along with two teens, was in a tragic fall from a roof-top. He survived, but one of his companions, Crispin Mueller, was in a coma for months. David has lost track of Crispin, but assumes that he ultimately died from his injuries.
Years later, David remembers his near death experience and recalls voices and names being called out to him. He records these memories in a notebook. He later becomes involves in the hunt for the Book of Names ~ an ancient text that legend has originated with Adam and Eve. By Kabbalistic tradition, this book contains the names of each generation thirty-six righteous individuals, known as the Hidden Ones.
David discovers that most of the names that he has “remembered” are actual people who have recently died under mysterious causes. At the same time, world events start to escalate that could be interpreted as the beginning of the end ~ war in Afghanistan, tsunamis in the Pacific, terrorist attacks …
As David seeks to identify the Hidden Ones, he finds himself face-to-face with the Hidden Ones mortal enemies, the Gnoseos, a secret anti-religious cult whose goal is to kill all the righteous ones, thereby destroying the world. David’s quest becomes personal when he realizes that one of the surviving thirty-six in his generation is his beloved stepdaughter, Stacy.
Of course, there is a love interest, as sabre Yael HarPaz joins in the search for the Gnoseos.
The book is a page-turner, but not of any real substance. It seems like it was written with a movie in mind. Not a bad book, but not intellectually stimulating, either.
Read: November 18, 2009
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