Churchill Rufus J. Fears

I am in awe of the late Rufus J. Fears ability to deliver well crafted informative talks on history. In the Great Courses lecture Churchill. He describes Churchill as a statesman with remarkable foresight and bedrock principles. He differentiates that from a politician who focuses not on doing the right thing but to do what is necessary to get reelected.

The remarkable career of Churchill shows that failure in high school academics is not a prediction of future success in life. People pick up learning at their own pace and not that of a regimented society focused on turning out well rounded employable people. Churchill found success in the military as a soldier and a correspondent. His military success is similar to Harry S. Truman.

Churchill experienced first hand the awfulness but the occasional necessity of war. A country must have the will to fight. France lost it after WWI. Churchill did his best to instill the will to fight in his British countryman fighting against politicians who wanted negotiated peace with Hitler.

Churchill's vision was more interventionist than passive acceptance. He fought vigorously against the passive acquiescence to Communism in the eastern block of the Soviet Union. Soviet communism resulted in more deaths than Hitler caused in WWII. Harry Truman previewed his iron curtain speech and approved it before Churchill delivered it. However, when the press questioned him after the speech, Truman caved and left Churchill out to dry. Truman disavowed prior knowledge of the speech. 

This pattern of hanging Churchill out to dry for a wide range of incidents including the Dardanelles in WWI made his success in life even more remarkable.  He made millions off of his books receiving the Nobel Prize for literature. He was an accomplished painter. He was in charge of the British Treasury, the British Navy, twice Prime Minister. He received the iron cross for bravery in combat. He did all this while the people he thought were his friends continually set him up for what they hoped would be his failure.

True friends celebrate the success of others. Mediocre people live to bring others down to their level of misery. The legions of biographers and academics who view all of Churchill's accomplishments in the most negative light possible fall into this category. Paraphrasing the general thinking of Nassim Nicholas Taleb - If success is based on acceptance by peers and not by measurable accomplishment than this success is built on sand. The long view of history will judge these people harshly while the daily newspapers praise them.

Heritage and Destiny Churchill - 31 minutes.

Churchill - 2 minutes.

Caesar's Last Breath by Sam Kean

After reading the Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist Thumb, the latest book by Sam Kean,
Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us filled me with the expectation of another good read about the world of science. I was not disappointed.

This time Sam Kean tackles the chemistry of gases. To introduce each chapter, he lists the level of gas in the outside air in parts per million then give the number of molecules that each of us breath in with each breath. That number impressed me. It is amazing how many molecules of a chemical are contained in concentrations of less than a part per million.

The story of the people involved with discovering and developing uses for the chemical reminds me of Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story radio show.  Alfred Nobel's work to develop dynamite to stabilize nitroglycerin and gun powder resulted in many deaths during development and other uses. These chemicals produce energy by the rapid liberation of gas molecules liberated when the chemical solids react.

The chapter on Joseph Pujol (Le Petomane -wikipedia) describes unique ability of the early 20th century star of Mulan Rouge to pull in air through his backside and produce auditory vocalizations on the way out.

The author clearly explains the gases that regulate temperatures on earth and nearby planets. He is pessimistic that people will engage in behaviors to reduce greenhouse gas emission but optimism that we will engage in the difficult task of "coming up with a technological fix for the problem... [that]...exploits what humans do well - rally around a cause when things get desperate, then start building sh*t."

Sam Kean - Caesar's Last Breath - 50 minutes

The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works by Robert Greenberg

The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works by Robert Greenberg takes you into the life of each composer. He breaks down the section of the orchestral work into the components.  Many of the orchestral works are concertos, a solo instrument accompanied by and orchestra.

Beethoven worked to get the most out of his piano, which was a relatively new instrument at the time. His strong playing resulted in the physical destruction of the instrument. Piano wires breaking, pads wedged among the wires. His page turner worked hard, repairing the piano on the fly, racing back to turn the page and then back to the instrument.

After Beethoven died Professor Greenberg asks the question: "What do you do with the 400 pound silver back Gorilla sitting in your living room?"  This was his way of asking - How would later composers react to Beethoven's style of music, would they ignore it, imitate it, or integrate it?

The information on each symphony covers the technical details and the history behind it. The experience is edifying and enjoyable. I'll be taking more of his courses.

30 Greatest Orchestral Works - 2 minutes

Robert Greenberg Stravinski - 6 min. 

Robert Greenberg - The Planets - 8 min. 

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

I stopped by a thrift store and purchased The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. This book was on my bucket list and there are many cultural references to it.

The current wellness and mindfulness focus owes a debt to the ideas put forward in this book. For example his advice to control anger, let your body go limp, unclench your fist, relax your muscles. Anger is felt by the whole body. Relaxing the body reduces the intensity of anger and allows for control.

Take your worries and your troubles of the day and toss them in a file or wastebasket before you go home. If it has been a bad day consider tossing it into an imaginary dumpster fire. Some days are like that. There is a temptation to hold onto the bad experience and take it home to stew over it. This negatively affect everyone. Holding onto this anger produces self destructive effects on the body.

The book has a strong Christian focus. This may offer comfort to those with that religious background. Individuals of other faiths or no faith can still gain from the wisdom in this book. It was published in the middle of the 20th century but the advice applies to our current situation.

Summary of the Power of Positive Thinking - 45 minutes

Decide to be happy - 4 minutes

Famous Quotes from Norman Vincent Peale - 4 minutes

The Ottoman Empire - Great Courses

The detailed history of the The Ottoman Empire is ably described by Professor Kenneth W. Harl Ph. D. of Tulane University. I watched this 36 part series as background information to better understand the biography on Ataturk by Andrew Mango.

Considering the location in the middle east and Central Asia its amazing the Ottoman Empire lasted as long as it did. The Hapsburg's were fighting them on the west. The Venetians and Knights of St. Johns pirates interrupted their sea shipping and the Tamerlane attacked them from the east. The periodic appearance by crusaders.

The sultans had to manage a diverse population with the Jews and Christians in the empire. These people were protected members of the empire performing specific skills needed, They did not have the full rights accorded Muslims but they were not persecuted.

The Empire started to decay in the 19th century went Russia pressured them and the Ottoman's failed to update the technology of their army after Europe made innovations during their long protracted wars.

The transition to modern day Turkey was deftly orchestrated by Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and his associates.

The Ottoman Empire - 2 minutes

How the Turks ended up in the Middle East - 3 minutes

Ataturk by Andrew Mango

Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey by Andrew Mango describes Mustafa Kemal's quest to become the leader of the country he founded. He had a vision for the country and let it unfold at a pace that the country was ready to accept. He was Turkey's George Washington. He worked to develop the pride in Turkish culture through speeches and the cultivation of a friendly press.

The author carefully sifts through alternative interpretations of events. Ataturk would often present his role in history in a favorable light and he refers to other sources to dig out the truth.

Mustafa Kemal was not a strict practicing Muslim and had a taste for liquor, cigarettes and staying out late. He had open disdain for the madrasas. He found the information taught to be useless. He found the teachers to be ill informed speaking Arabic to Turkish students who did not understand the language. He thought the students in the madrasa to use that place to hide from military service. This helped form his vision of a secular Turkish state. He turned to Europe for ideas on how to set up the country.

Ataturk's military experience served him well leading the country. He developed a network of supporters in the Military and also gained knowledge about the people that opposed him. Some of the rougher elements he associated with ended up making opponents disappear. It was unclear if he directed this activity or if it happened outside his control.

This is a paraphrase of the book summary: The founders of modern Turkey were people of the enlightenment. The people of the enlightenment were no saints.

Brother Malik reviews Ataturk - 7 minutes

Medical School for Everyone - Emergency Medicine - Great Courses

The Great Courses Medical School for Everyone: Emergency Medicine In each lesson, the viewer tries to figure out what is wrong with each person while attempting to triage multiple patients. The course is a good guide to practical problems solving and challenging initial assumptions. The tunnel vision that can result from making a diagnosis to early can have negative consequences for patient outcomes. 

People in the ER will lie or not tell the whole truth.  This makes it difficult for the doctor and nursing staff to properly diagnose and treat their patient.  The ER doctor does not usually have a long term relationship with the ER patient. They therefore need to follow a general protocol to assess the patient to assure that they get proper medical care.  

Medical School for Everyone: Emergency Medicine overview - 2 min. 

Crisis and Crashes: Lessons from a History of Financial Disasters

Crashes and Crises: Lessons from a History of Financial Disasters by professor Connel Fullenkamp Phd provides a detailed description of the most problematic financial disasters from the tulip mania of 1637 to the present. His background with the International Monetary Fund and finance allows him to give detailed descriptions of the financial missteps. His description of the conditions leading up to the sub-prime mortgage crisis is very lucid.

According to him all rogue traders are the same. Each one starts in the back office or oversight and then moves into the front office where the trading is initiated.  The trader uses their knowledge of the audit and oversight function to circumvent the safety features set up to reduce the risk of loss to the company. They all have hubris. They start out well and eventually flame out when a flaw is revealed in their strategy.

I am amazed at one common problem that many of these investment firms keep repeating. They will continue to follow the same investment strategy that usually works very well for a few years and then conditions change and and the losses are huge. I am also surprised that firms will adopt a single investment strategy and not diversify.

Leveraging (borrowing money to buy any investment product) increases the volatility of the investment. Its great when the status quo or things go as predicted but it multiplies the downside when the unpredicted happens.

People often have too much faith in risk assessment or quantitative models that predict the stock market movements.

Excerpt from Audiobook on Financial Disasters - 5 minutes

Mirrored Meditations by N.G. Carlson

The latest in a series of mirror image photography books from N.G. Carlson is now available in Mirrored Meditations -paperback and  Mirrored Meditations- Kindle from Amazon.

These indoor and outdoor mirrored photos from the cold and snowy Minnesota Winter of 2019 provide a visual guide for meditation. This includes outdoor images images from decks and parks and inside buildings with frozen pipes that burst when the polar vortex moved north. The New Bell Museum provides a visual delight with wholly mammoths and a close encounter with the sun. A brief trip to Walt Disney World in Florida provides a warm respite and a welcome change of scenery.

The video below uses some if the images from the book with further images inspired by the book.

Mirrored Meditations - 1 minute 46 seconds