Edward F. Goljan
since H has been complaining that i have not written in this blog for a year or whatever, i will write about the book i am currently reading and will be for many more months.
the rapid review series are a "must have" for any medical student. i own most of the subject books...i prefer them to BRS (board review series) because i like the font and the layout better. they also come with board exam practice questions...perfect for the standardized tests that we have to take to pass our classes. there's also a wonderfully easy to navigate online component. (the online component to the BRS series is quite lacking and difficult to click through to say the least.)
the pathology book is the big boss of all the RR series...at a full 1-inch thickness, it sure does pack a ton of information. the chapters are divided into diseases of different organ systems. the info is in an outline format with "high yield" notes in the margins. it comes with full color photographs that will embarrass you in public if you turn the page and there is a "private part" staring at you. alas, the knowledge i must learn.
the current chapter i am reading, "hepatobiliary and pancreatic disorders", has proven itself to be delightfully charming, yet tasteful. the illustration of the nutmeg liver captivated my senses, and the fine detailing of alcohol-related liver disorders is quite touching. i highly recommend this book to all med students and pathology enthusiasts.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
a people's history of the united states
howard zinn
having recently gotten a typical history degree from a typical university, i felt i needed a little more radical education before being proud of my degree. in fact, how could one get such a degree without ever having considered american history told from the perspective of the unpriviledged (the lower 99% of the population as zinn says)?
eight years turned out to be the perfect amount of time between readings. i picked the book up again when i realized i could not explain how the electoral college worked or how a president could be elected with only 45% of the votes in the country, or how mississippi could elect a governor who got only 49% of the votes, or why ralph nader constantly had to defend himself from those who said he was the "spoiler".
i can answer these questions now and i am ashamed that our system has been contorted such that the solutions to each of these situations are not the logical but the more bizarre of the possible solutions.
while i have not yet written "my congressman", this book leaves me with the feeling that there are actions i can take besides voting to express my content/discontent with governmental policies and that while my individual actions may be ignored, enough actions by enough folks cannot.
and not to be too vague or too "jaded", i have already started my list of policies that i believe should change and actions that i think should be encouraged, funded, implemented, etc for the betterment of the folks in our society...
anyone interested?
having recently gotten a typical history degree from a typical university, i felt i needed a little more radical education before being proud of my degree. in fact, how could one get such a degree without ever having considered american history told from the perspective of the unpriviledged (the lower 99% of the population as zinn says)?
eight years turned out to be the perfect amount of time between readings. i picked the book up again when i realized i could not explain how the electoral college worked or how a president could be elected with only 45% of the votes in the country, or how mississippi could elect a governor who got only 49% of the votes, or why ralph nader constantly had to defend himself from those who said he was the "spoiler".
i can answer these questions now and i am ashamed that our system has been contorted such that the solutions to each of these situations are not the logical but the more bizarre of the possible solutions.
while i have not yet written "my congressman", this book leaves me with the feeling that there are actions i can take besides voting to express my content/discontent with governmental policies and that while my individual actions may be ignored, enough actions by enough folks cannot.
and not to be too vague or too "jaded", i have already started my list of policies that i believe should change and actions that i think should be encouraged, funded, implemented, etc for the betterment of the folks in our society...
anyone interested?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
how to build a house
larry haun (habitat for humanity)
for probably about six years i have been looking for a book that describes how a typical house is built. these are surprisingly hard to find (i had to travel to portland). many treat specific niches: pole-construction, energy-efficient housing, etc. since HFH builds solid houses cheaply and uses unskilled, voluntary labor, it makes sense that they would publish a guide that could be used by potential workers and that deals with the materials and methods they use. and this is as close to a general house construction book as you can get.
during the months i read this (because of information density, i would only read 3 or 4 pages a day), i found myself studying the techniques work crews used on buildings going up on the way to work and studying the interior trim work in friends' houses and apartments. when a book can induce heightened awareness in the reader even when not being read, its worth multiplies.
a few other points:
an interesting read for old-timers since this guy talks about the techniques used in the past, their inadequacies, the current techniques that replaced the old, and their advantages.
applicable in all parts of the country (usa) since the guy discusses regional differences in materials and techniques.
nicely complements actually doing HFH work because the book explains the why's and how's that folks on the job site don't have the time or will or knowledge to explain.
interestingly (to me) this guy shares a surname with family of mine that also practice carpentry. part of the great german haun diaspora i reckon.
for probably about six years i have been looking for a book that describes how a typical house is built. these are surprisingly hard to find (i had to travel to portland). many treat specific niches: pole-construction, energy-efficient housing, etc. since HFH builds solid houses cheaply and uses unskilled, voluntary labor, it makes sense that they would publish a guide that could be used by potential workers and that deals with the materials and methods they use. and this is as close to a general house construction book as you can get.
during the months i read this (because of information density, i would only read 3 or 4 pages a day), i found myself studying the techniques work crews used on buildings going up on the way to work and studying the interior trim work in friends' houses and apartments. when a book can induce heightened awareness in the reader even when not being read, its worth multiplies.
a few other points:
an interesting read for old-timers since this guy talks about the techniques used in the past, their inadequacies, the current techniques that replaced the old, and their advantages.
applicable in all parts of the country (usa) since the guy discusses regional differences in materials and techniques.
nicely complements actually doing HFH work because the book explains the why's and how's that folks on the job site don't have the time or will or knowledge to explain.
interestingly (to me) this guy shares a surname with family of mine that also practice carpentry. part of the great german haun diaspora i reckon.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
the history to me it will absolve
fidel castro
as any occassional student of latin american history, politics, philosophy, culture, etc or, of course, any resident of latin america could tell you, the influence of the cuban revolution and of the ideology castro espouses on the continent has been great.
how an ideology inspires a person and how that person acts either truly in accord with the ideas or hypocritically (which may not be apparent to them) has always interested me. to better understand the results of castro's thinking in broad terms and on the level of the individual, i decided to read this book as well as listen to what others had to say.
recently i traveled to latin america and found myself the sole representative of the "imperio" in a talk given by the publishers of some books dealing with castro and the che.
the manner in which the talks were given and the substance of them were telling. fifty years later and out of context, that is, outside of the cuban situaion, what stays with people seems to be the confidence with which castro gave the trial defense which is recorded in this book as well as his belief that his group would come to power (as they did). these talks were given reverently and with machismo. this is to say it seemed that the speakers were awed by the fact that someone had an ideology and acted on it.
but what of the substance? the speakers did not get into details. in the book itself (or in the defense, better stated), castro enumerates 5 laws that will be enacted when his group inevitably takes power. reinstitution of the constitution, expropriation of foreign-owned lands, part ownership of the utilities by the workers, better payment for work in the sugar production, and confiscation of the lands of cohorts of the then government. only three pages contain the details out of the 150 page transcript.
much of the transcript is a rehash of the military events which occurred when castro's band of 150 or so ( i cannot remember the number) men attempted to wrest control of several towns from the cuban army of the dictator batista. denunciations of the treatment of castro's men when captured (most of the prisoners were tortured and killed) also makes up much of the transcript. this being the defense at his trial, this makes sense. if you want to know what castro's plans at that pre-revolutionary time for transforming cuban society were, you have to look elsewhere.
as any occassional student of latin american history, politics, philosophy, culture, etc or, of course, any resident of latin america could tell you, the influence of the cuban revolution and of the ideology castro espouses on the continent has been great.
how an ideology inspires a person and how that person acts either truly in accord with the ideas or hypocritically (which may not be apparent to them) has always interested me. to better understand the results of castro's thinking in broad terms and on the level of the individual, i decided to read this book as well as listen to what others had to say.
recently i traveled to latin america and found myself the sole representative of the "imperio" in a talk given by the publishers of some books dealing with castro and the che.
the manner in which the talks were given and the substance of them were telling. fifty years later and out of context, that is, outside of the cuban situaion, what stays with people seems to be the confidence with which castro gave the trial defense which is recorded in this book as well as his belief that his group would come to power (as they did). these talks were given reverently and with machismo. this is to say it seemed that the speakers were awed by the fact that someone had an ideology and acted on it.
but what of the substance? the speakers did not get into details. in the book itself (or in the defense, better stated), castro enumerates 5 laws that will be enacted when his group inevitably takes power. reinstitution of the constitution, expropriation of foreign-owned lands, part ownership of the utilities by the workers, better payment for work in the sugar production, and confiscation of the lands of cohorts of the then government. only three pages contain the details out of the 150 page transcript.
much of the transcript is a rehash of the military events which occurred when castro's band of 150 or so ( i cannot remember the number) men attempted to wrest control of several towns from the cuban army of the dictator batista. denunciations of the treatment of castro's men when captured (most of the prisoners were tortured and killed) also makes up much of the transcript. this being the defense at his trial, this makes sense. if you want to know what castro's plans at that pre-revolutionary time for transforming cuban society were, you have to look elsewhere.
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