Monday, August 06, 2007

Catching up

Haven't checked in in a few days as I have been in NYC on vacation. It was my first time there and it was a good time. The only thing I am bummed about is that I didn't get to check out any music shops, but you can read about the rest of Liane and my adventures here

In other news I finally finished The End of Poverty and within a couple days finished The Polysyllabic Spree

The End of Poverty is a great book that makes a good case for the reasons certain countries cannot get out of the trap of extreme poverty (living with less than $1 a day). Jeffrey Sachs make some very good arguments for what needs to be done to solve these issues and why the west, and especially the US, needs to make the investments he calls for. He is a firm advocate in the idea that capitalism can help everyone provided they are helped onto the lower rungs of the ladder that leads upwards out of poverty.

The Polysyllabic Spree is a completely different kind of book but that should go without saying. It is a collection of Nick Hornby's monthly essays for Believer Magazine which were an influence in my checking out the magazine in the first place. I have found that I tend to like his prose a little better than his fiction but I will be giving High Fidelity a chance here in the upcoming months (provided it doesn't keep getting bumped down the list).

On the nightstand currently
The Art of Cycling (in progress)
Book of Dave
Essays – George Orwell
Ulysses

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