What Are You Reading?

[dunlopp9987]

16 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Liverpool's not alone in that, in my neck of the woods Bristol profited massively as well, Clifton (most affluent area and actually where my wife was brought up) was built on it and lots of local places (eg concert hall) were named after a leading local slave trader called Edward Colston. Statue of him was pulled down and thrown into the harbour by protesters last year. There are still streets there called "Whiteladies Road" and "Blackboy Hill."

Yeesh that last part is bleak. And yeah, they mentioned Bristol in the chapter with Liverpool as well. 

[pete0]

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/international-slavery-museum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-53892675

[MikeO]

Going back to my second favourite book ever for the first time in a while, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes, very clever stuff.

[Cornish Steve]

30 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Going back to my second favourite book ever for the first time in a while, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes, very clever stuff.

I see there's an Audible version, so I shall add it to my list.

[MikeO]

1 minute ago, Cornish Steve said:

I see there's an Audible version, so I shall add it to my list.

Do so Steve, it jumps around madly and seems like a collection of short stories but there are interconnecting threads all over the place. 

[Palfy]

41 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

I see there's an Audible version, so I shall add it to my list.

Steve as you are a published author I’m curious to know about your book if you don’t mind telling me.  

[MikeO]

8 minutes ago, Palfy said:

Steve as you are a published author I’m curious to know about your book if you don’t mind telling me.  

I've read it, and it's really quite a remarkable and thought provoking piece of work, but I'll leave it to the man himself to elaborate either publicly or privately.

[Cornish Steve]

2 hours ago, Palfy said:

Steve as you are a published author I’m curious to know about your book if you don’t mind telling me.  

There's some background to it, Palfy. After belonging to a particular church for over twenty years, I became frustrated, indeed angry, at the increasingly anti-gay stance of most attendees. Our family has many gay and transgender friends, and we refuse to treat them any differently than other people. Not only did my wife and I leave the church, but I researched the topic in depth and published a book based on my research. I've been meaning to update it to address in more depth the issue of transgenderism; maybe I'll get around to it before the end of the year.

Also, I used a pseudonym to avoid hate mail (the English meaning of my Cornish last name). Sad but true in this day and age.

https://www.amazon.com/Thoroughly-Christian-Study-Homosexuality-ebook/dp/B016WUQM4O/

[Cornish Steve]

2 hours ago, Palfy said:

Steve as you are a published author I’m curious to know about your book if you don’t mind telling me.  

There's another book in the works, by the way - something completely different. It will tell the tale of some extraordinary discoveries I've made, and friends I've made, while uncovering the family tree of the grandfather I never knew. In part, it will explain how these discoveries came about (given the increasing popularity of genealogy); also in part, it will retell the story of that family line. So, in part real-life detective story, and in part the remarkable story that came to light.

[Cornish Steve]

2 hours ago, MikeO said:

I've read it, and it's really quite a remarkable and thought provoking piece of work, but I'll leave it to the man himself to elaborate either publicly or privately.

Many thanks for the kind words. The cheque is in the mail.  Given that the book touches on a sensitive topic, most reviews are either 5-star or 1-star.

[Palfy]

4 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

There's some background to it, Palfy. After belonging to a particular church for over twenty years, I became frustrated, indeed angry, at the increasingly anti-gay stance of most attendees. Our family has many gay and transgender friends, and we refuse to treat them any differently than other people. Not only did my wife and I leave the church, but I researched the topic in depth and published a book based on my research. I've been meaning to update it to address in more depth the issue of transgenderism; maybe I'll get around to it before the end of the year.

Also, I used a pseudonym to avoid hate mail (the English meaning of my Cornish last name). Sad but true in this day and age.

https://www.amazon.com/Thoroughly-Christian-Study-Homosexuality-ebook/dp/B016WUQM4O/

Thanks for the introduction Steve I look forward to reading that, it will be more poignant and meaningful for me that I have small insight to the person who wrote it I’m sure.  

[Sibdane]

On 15/08/2021 at 20:25, Cornish Steve said:

Many thanks for the kind words. The cheque is in the mail.  Given that the book touches on a sensitive topic, most reviews are either 5-star or 1-star.

"He has a PhD in Physics, an MBA, and has been a lifelong student of the Bible." 

Question that I need to ask that I may already know the answer to: What made you decide to pursue an MBA after getting a doctorate in Physics. Or do I have that backwards? 

I have an MBA myself but come from an economics background. I've noticed that a lot of engineers/mathematicians/etc. have been getting MBA's lately though. 

[Cornish Steve]

48 minutes ago, Sibdane said:

"He has a PhD in Physics, an MBA, and has been a lifelong student of the Bible." 

Question that I need to ask that I may already know the answer to: What made you decide to pursue an MBA after getting a doctorate in Physics. Or do I have that backwards? 

I have an MBA myself but come from an economics background. I've noticed that a lot of engineers/mathematicians/etc. have been getting MBA's lately though. 

First off, I'm an inveterate student and always need to be learning. Indeed, the more I study, the more I realize I don't know.

Second, while I had considerable business experience, especially internationally, I didn't feel I was well-rounded. When you learn a lot through experience, you tend to overlook some things, and classes helped me to fill in the gaps.

Third, I wanted to learn from others. The MBA was something of a pilot program, being delivered 100 percent online. Ironically, this meant a lot more meaningful interaction with others in the program.

Finally, my doctorate in physics is really a way of thinking. The research was great fun - and it encouraged creativity, perseverance, and teamwork - but physics is really a different way of thinking about the world. It's been quite useful in life, I have to say, but I confess to being something of a nerd. An MBA is, by its very nature, quite different. It's more focused on the practical aspects of succeeding in business. You can think like a physicist or an artist, it doesn't matter in business.

Probably not what you expected, but there you are.

I thought someone might ask how a physicist can seriously study the Bible. That's another topic, but let me say that together they provide a stereo view of the world. Sir John Polkinghorne, who sadly passed away earlier this year, was an acquaintance of mine, and our minds thought alike. It's worth looking him up on YouTube.

[Gwlad]

A Grand Old Team by David Prentice.

Last few chapters covered last games of 93/94 and 97/98. Players were busting a gut to avoid the drop.

[Palfy]

34 minutes ago, Gwlad all over said:

A Grand Old Team by David Prentice.

Last few chapters covered last games of 93/94 and 97/98. Players were busting a gut to avoid the drop.

Let’s hope there’s a forthcoming book on how the players busted a gut and avoided this season’s drop.