![]() ![]() Plagued by a mysterious, debilitating illness and besieged by the monotony of their days, the crew deteriorated as their confinement in suffocating close quarters wore on and their hope of escape dwindled daily. He sailed on, and the Belgica soon found itself stuck fast in the icy hold of the Antarctic continent. ![]() Before the ship cleared South America, it had already broken down, run aground, and lost several key crew members, leaving behind a group with dubious experience for such an ambitious voyage.Īs the ship progressed into the freezing waters, the captain had to make a choice: turn back and spare his men the potentially devastating consequences of getting stuck, or recklessly sail deeper into the ice pack to chase glory and fame. But the commandant's plans for a three-year expedition to reach the magnetic South Pole would be thwarted at each turn. ![]() His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. In August 1897, thirty-one-year-old commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail aboard the Belgica, fueled by a profound sense of adventure and dreams of claiming glory for his native Belgium. ![]() The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry-with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter-in the tradition of David Grann, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Hampton Sides ![]()
0 Comments
6/8/2023 0 Comments Taleb randomness![]() ![]() Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill-the world of trading- Fooled by Randomness provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. This book is about luck-or more precisely, about how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. Nassim Nicholas Taleb-veteran trader, renowned risk expert, polymathic scholar, erudite raconteur, and New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan-has written a modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill. The other books in the series are The Black Swan, Antifragile, Skin in the Game, and The Bed of Procrustes.įooled by Randomness is the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about business and the world. Fooled by Randomness is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb's landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don't understand. ![]() 6/8/2023 0 Comments The collapsing empire![]() ![]() His writing was completely accessible, yet there was still enough “hard science” in the story to make a newcomer like me feel like I was immersed in a bonafide space opera. Turned out, Scalzi’s storytelling was exactly what I needed at the time-the riveting drama of interplanetary politics combined with the violent thrills and action in space, presented alongside a sense of casual, easy humor. It wasn’t until the moment I picked up the first Old Man’s War book that I realized the element I’d been missing: FUN. Years ago when I was still mostly reading fantasy and wanted to get into science fiction, I’d made the initial mistake of starting my journey with a couple of “classic” titles that nonetheless made me feel like I was in way over my head. Let me start by saying I’m a huge fan of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s Warseries. ![]() This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own. I received a review copy from the publisher. Book Review: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi ![]() 6/7/2023 0 Comments Hard boiled egg murakami![]() ![]() ![]() In contrast to his earlier social detachment (Murakami, Murakami Haruki, Kawai Hayao ni ai ni iku, 1996), the Jerusalem speech now unveiled Murakami’s cosmopolitan qualities. ![]() Despite such criticism Murakami’s speech in Jerusalem expresses the author’s political position, both as a writer and an individual, probably for the first time in his career. And in fact, he was publicly criticized by anti-Israeli organizations, who protested that his acceptance of the Jerusalem Prize would be understood as the author’s support for Israel. While there was much controversy over Murakami’s acceptance of the award, the writer decided to visit Jerusalem despite being advised by many to stay away from such international political conflict. Entitled “Of Walls and Eggs,” the speech was delivered by Murakami in the city of Jerusalem amid a political conflict in the Middle East that led to violent confrontation in the West Bank. His acceptance speech, which became widely known as the “Jerusalem speech” was significant both in terms of the occasion and content that marked a special moment manifesting Murakami’s cosmopolitan individuality. In February of 2009 Haruki Murakami was awarded the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society. ![]() ![]() ![]() Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier (Pre-Owned Hardcover 9780446531641) by J Randy Taraborrelli at. Grace Kelly was swept away when the handsome Prince Rainier, a man she barely knew, asked for her hand in marriage. ![]() If she married Rainier, she would be more than just a movie star, she would be Her Serene Royal Highness Princess Grace. Actress Grace Kelly was swept away when the handsome Price Rainier, a man she barely knew, asked for her hand in marriage. After a series of relationships with married co-stars, she was exhausted by the show-business lifestyle. Check out this great listen on Audible.ca. Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, Warner. If she married Rainier, she would be more than just a movie star, she would be Her Serene Royal Highness Princess Grace. Madonna: An Intimate Biography, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001. ![]() Once in the palace, however, Grace found herself trapped in a fairy tale of her own making. Forced to make sacrifices that cut deeply into the core of who she was as a woman, she would then surrender her desires and ambitions for her spouse and her children. Grace and Rainier may have been royalty, but they were also husband and wife, and parents-and, as such, just as vulnerable to the conflicts that can contaminate any household. ![]() Drawing upon hundreds of exclusive interviews with family and friends, Once Upon a Time portrays its subjects with passion and sympathy, revealing Grace, Rainier, Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie in ways both startling and compelling. ![]() ![]() ![]() A doctor summoned to attend Stevenson in his final hours couldn’t believe that a man so frail had done so much. “Imagine a man so thin and emaciated that he looked like a bundle of sticks in a bag, with a head and eyes morbidly intelligent and restless,” historian Henry Adams remarked after visiting Stevenson in Samoa. People were often shocked by how skinny he was. In John Singer Sargent’s painting of Stevenson, he looks stretched to distortion, like a reflection from a fun-house mirror. In Samoa, he made his last great attempt to regain his health, although a look at any of Stevenson’s portraits underscores how tenaciously illness shadowed him. He’d come near death several times, and had traveled much of the world in an odyssey to find a climate ideal for his health. Whatever the root of Stevenson’s health problems, the result was essentially the same. ![]() Some commentators have speculated that Stevenson didn’t have tuberculosis, but a rarer pulmonary condition such as bronchiectasis or Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome. Frequently ill since childhood, he’d suffered from a chronic lung ailment with symptoms typical of tuberculosis, including breathing problems and spitting up blood. Stevenson had many occasions to think about his own mortality. ![]() ![]() ![]() Athena remains on the banks of the underworld, where Odysseus hovers between life and death. Hermes is trying to lead and protect Andie and Henry. ![]() Gr 7 Up-The final book in the modern, Greek myth-based "Goddess War" trilogy (Tor Teen) finds the group scattered after their failed attack on Olympus. ![]() "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. Just because things haven't gone exactly according to plan, it doesn't mean they've lost. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.īut Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and dies, or the Fates arrive to eat their faces.Īnd Cassandra is up there somewhere too. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods' illness. So the assault on Olympus left them beaten and scattered and possibly dead. As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers in Ungodly, the final Goddess War novel by Kendare Blake, the acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood.įor the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn't know could fill a book. ![]() ![]() ![]() That’s a problem, one made even more apparent when he drinks himself into a coma. The narrative would have readers believe that Jesse doesn’t “need” alcohol, ignoring the fact that it was made clear, on more than one occasion, that he can’t stop once he starts. It doesn't just simply go away on its own. Jesse’s not an alcoholic.Īlcoholism, or any addiction, really, is a life-long recovery, and something a person has to work hard at every day. On the other hand, Ava has the backbone of a spineless chicken, so it’s no wonder Jesse tramples all over her. As usual, however, Jesse has absolutely no regard for Ava’s feelings. She doesn’t need this man-child correcting her language. Jesse treats Ava as if she were a misbehaving child. She’s a possession, a toy that he refuses to share. He continually wants all of Ava’s time and attention, wanting her to spend every second with him all day, every day. Jesse is still a domineering, overly possessive, control freak…times infinity. Of course, this being only the second book, it stands to reason that their separation won’t last long, and, just like that, they’re back together. She’s depressed and having a meltdown, reminiscing about her epic love-you know, her month-long relationship with Jesse. Only five short days have passed since Ava left Jesse, and her entire world has ended. It's like a train wreck-I don't want to look, but can't stop myself. Me and this book/trilogy are not friends. Apparently, I’m a glutton for punishment. ![]() 6/6/2023 0 Comments Drive book by kate stewart![]() ![]() “No way is Fernando Alonso watching the race on the screens whilst driving in P3,” one fan wrote on social media. Read More: Martin Brundle 'banned' from speaking to Tom Cruise on Miami F1 Grand Prix grid walk And after seeing this, the motorsport world seem to think he may have been trying to watch the race on the screen. ![]() ![]() However, there were times when his focus seemingly began to drift, despite the fact he was hurtling down the Miami International Autodrome at speeds of around 200mph. The Spaniard started the race very brightly, sliding into the top three and defending his position very effectively. F1 fans think Fernando Alonso was watching the Miami Grand Prix on the big screens - despite driving at speeds of up to 200mph.Īlonso recorded a very impressive third placed finish and was right in the mix from the very beginning. ![]() ![]() ![]() On August 30, 1936, they had their second son, Michael Burton Demetrios.īurton started writing children’s books as a way to entertain her sons. The family settled in Folly Cove, Gloucester, Massachusetts. They had their first son named Aristides Burton Demetrios on February 17, 1932. She enrolled in a drawing class at the Boston Museum School in 1930 and married her professor, George Demetrios, less than a year later, on March 28, 1931. In Boston, Virginia Lee Burton landed a position as a “sketcher” for the Boston Transcript, where she completed sketches of dancers and actors to accompany articles written by the drama and music critic. ![]() Burton’s father broke his leg, and she decided to move back to Massachusetts to take care of him. She hoped to become a dancer and had just signed a contract to be in her sister’s travelling dance troupe when, in 1928, her ballet career ended. Following high school, Burton studied dance in San Francisco. ![]() Her parents, Alfred Burton, an engineer, and Dalkeith Yates, a poet and artist, moved the family to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in 1920. Virginia Lee Burton (1909-1968) was born in Newton Centre, Massachusetts on August 20, 1909. Home > Artists > Virginia Lee Burton Virginia Lee Burton Born: Aug| Died: OctoBiography ![]() |