Chapter and Verse: New Order, Joy Division and Me

Chapter and Verse: New Order, Joy Division and Me by Bernard Sumner

Bernard Sumner is the lead singer of New Order and guitarist for Joy Division. This book is his contribution to the history of Joy Division and New Order. The narrative is much different than Peter Hook's. It feels much more polished than Peter Hook's. Sumner has had a more significant role in New Order and the book shows it. The book starts with his early life and quickly goes through time with Joy Division. Ian Curtis's suicide is a small blip. It gets about as much coverage as the death of others associated with the band (such as managers.) While this book is polished, it is easy to see the roots of the falling out between Sumner and Peter Hook. It feels that he is trying to paper over some of the bitterness and anger the two had. It also becomes clear that Sumner had been exerting more control though he appears to feel somewhat oblivious. (He feels his side project was a nice outlet, but is critical of a bandmate DJing.) There seem to be some interesting communication issues.

The narrative is primarily chronological and focuses more on the personal experiences than detailing all parts of the band. There are extensive details of recordings of certain albums, while others are skipped over. There is very little discussion of individual songs. More of the focus is on process and life events. It feels different than typical rock memoirs, but New Order has always been a little bit of different band.

Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain

Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain by Marc Morris

What are castles? Why we seem to understand what castles are, defining one can be challenging. The book attempts to define castles and trace their history in England. British castles were heavily influenced by the French. William the Conqueror has a giant castle in Normandy. He later conquered England. Many minor nobles had their castles which were used for both defense and display of wealth and power. Castles eventually fell out of popularity as the rich created country estates instead. In addition to the history of the buildings, this book details some of the key castle owners and interesting events that occurred in British castles.

Mahabharata Stories

Mahabharata Stories by Deepa Agarwal

The Mahābhārata is one of the major texts in Hinduism. This book is a selection stories geared towards children. The individual stories are all short and somewhat tied together. There are some with gods interacting with humans and others that seem to focus more on the human activities. These are easily understandable and well presented.

Essays Two: On Proust, Translation, Foreign Languages, and the City of Arles

Essays Two: On Proust, Translation, Foreign Languages, and the City of Arles by Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis got bit by the language bug when she lived in Germany as a young child. Since then, she has gone on to learn other languages and translated many works into English as well as written her own works in English. The essays in the book cover a number of different types of translation. A traditional example is translation of a French work into English. Other forms of translation include translating English into more modern English and translating for herself as she reads Norwegian.

There is some long discussion on Proust. The work has already been translated and updated before. This gives many opportunities to look at the original and the various translations. There are a variety of tradeoffs in the translation. Sometimes there may not be a single word that matches what was in the other languages. Trying to get the flow from language to another can be challenging. Looking at previous translations also provides insight.

She finds translating a good way to "wake up" or break out of a rut. I see it as a creative endeavor that has some tight bounds. This provides a joy of understanding multiple languages and the comparison. She enjoyed reading a non-traditional Norwegian novel by Dag Solstad as a way of familiarizing herself with Norwegian.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun

Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore

This book has it all: Cannibals, Cargo Cults and a stolen 747. A pilot tries to go for a job on an island. Things don't go exactly as planned. He discovers that they are a "cargo cult" that worships a pilot and a "goddess" (who was originally a pinup painted on a plane.) A Japanese group has discovered that they are a great source for organ harvesting, and has used their "religion" to help harvest the organs. The pilot manages to still an airplane and fly them away. It is some zany comedy set in some obscure islands.

Number: The Language of Science

Number: The Language of Science by tobias dantzig

Numbers are a basic part of our lives today. Where did they come from? This book was originally written almost a century ago. However, many of the topics covered date back millenia. Numbers and language evolved and became more complex. While people have some innate number sense, the adoption of linguistic numbers was a significant breakthrough. We still use base-10 today because we have 10 fingers. Concepts like 0 and the use of algebraic variables had a significant impact on the use of numbers, but didn't come into place until much later. Rational, irrational and imaginary numbers came about only after significant work. Infinity was an interesting concept that took a while to come about. Primes and other components also played a key role and gradually came about. Many of the basic concepts we think of today were centuries in the making.

Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever

Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever by John McWhorter

What makes a word profane? It is not easy. Often a word will have fairly innocent origins, then gradually morph into an "unspeakable". The mores of the time strongly influence what is considered a "nasty" word. Deity, reproduction and excrement have been sources of profanity. Today, identity has become the primary taboo, with racial, ethnic and sexual orientation slurs being most "extreme". Words will often start innocent, and then morph through associated meanings and sound changes. Then the "obscenity" will change. The times will also influence the words. Euphemisms will then appear for the obscene words. These will continue to evolve. Innocent words of today may have come from this evolution, while the most extreme words today may have been innocent in the past.

Information Hunters: When Librarians, Soldiers, and Spies Banded Together in World War II Europe

Information Hunters: When Librarians, Soldiers, and Spies Banded Together in World War II Europe by Kathy Peiss

Hunting for a preserving books and records was a key part of World War II and the post war experience. It is interesting that there were serious efforts to ban all Nazi works. Isn't that just a repeat of what the Nazis did, but in reverse?

The Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism

The Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism by Kyle Chayka

People often go to great extremes to adopt a minimalist lifestyle. On the surface, minimalism may appear to shun materialism. However, minimalists often purchase many material objects to adopt their style. The minimalist aesthetic can be costly and very material. Even big corporations are out there trying to sell "minimalist" things. Minimalist design may not be the most practical, further driving up the cost. This book provides background and critique of minimalism. Steve Jobs can be the poster of child of "highbrow minimalism". Both his life and company adhered to minimalist aesthetic - at a price.  

Hilma af Klint: A Biography

Hilma af Klint: A Biography by Julia Voss

Hilma af Klint was a Swedish abstract artist who was deemed by the Nazis to produce degenerate art. She had ordered the bulk of her works to remain outside the public view for decades after she died. Her greatest fame has come after the works have recently come into view. She lived in a patriarchal time in Sweden and adopted strong counter-cultural views. She was one of the few women to persist in getting an appropriate education and doing things that were thought to be reserved for men. She had views of fluid sexuality and spiritualism. She was willing to tackle taboo subject matter. The bulk of her well known works were abstract. The biography presents her from a distance, and portrays an original, "different" artist.

Red Sparrow: A Novel

Red Sparrow: A Novel by Jason Matthews

The Soviet Union is gone, but the Russian intelligence aparatus lives on - just in a different form. Those that are out of favor with the government have a habit of dying from mysterious causes. There are also international matters to attend to. Sparrows are women trained in the art of seduction. They use their talents to reach vulnerabilities and attract information. The book focuses on a reluctant Sparrow that wanted to be a "real spy". She ends up in a relationship with an American Spy. They seem to know what is going on, yet want to continue. Yet, they still want to complete their tasks. It can become one confusing mess.

Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division

Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook

The surviving members of Joy Division have each written their story of the band. Peter Hook's was the first and one of the most popular. Stylistically it is a very much an unfiltered view of a young kids in band. This may be authentic, but it does not make for a great read. The combination of his accent and vernacular language makes it difficult to follow the audiobook. There were also numerous chronologies interspersed. These were easier to understand, but did not do much for the story. For most of the book, these were young kids messing around and gradually being able to live as musicians. 

The end covers the final days of the band and the death of Ian Curtis. It felt easier to understand. Now the inner feelings came out. The event was devastating and difficult for everybody involved. The band did regroup to form New Order. Hook seems to feel that the peak was reached with New Order. (Though there may be some revisionist history as he came to clash with his bandmates.) I had listened to an excerpts of Stephen Morris's book and found it easier on the ears. While hook is unfiltered and has a grudge, Morris is a better story.

Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography

Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography by Bear Grylls

From a young age, Bear Grylls had a adventurous spirit. He was willing to persist in activities, even to the extent of foolishness. He decided he wanted to be a British Spy. After receiving a rejection letter, he sought to contact the sender. After learning it was a fictitious name, he became more persistent until he finally had an audience with somebody. He didn't get the job, but was inspired to try to join an elite British military force. Here he had to persist against gruelling odds. On one mission, his parachute malfunctioned. He ended up landing on the ground without a chute - and somehow survived. Alas, his injured state did not allow him to continue the training.

He did not give up on adventure. Instead, he decided to lead an expedition to Everest. Here he also persisted in trying to get funding. He made multiple attempts to reach richard Branson, even ending up in the house. He didn't get sponsored by him, but he did notice an "Everest" firm that he was willing to sponsor his crew. They later reached the summit via a mixture of determination and experience in the best practices of mountaineering.

The denomont touches briefly on his experience as a television personality. His show has become quite popular throughout the world. Luckily for him, he is less well known at home and can continue to live a somewhat normal life.

The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age

The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age by Claudia Hammond

What is rest? How does it help us? What can we do to rest? This book tries to answer some of these questions via the results of the study. The top 10 reported means of rest were detailed and analyzed. This is mixed with some analysis of the various means of rest. Alas, the results appear somewhat flat. What are people trying to achieve when the rest? What do they achieve?

Some people say reading is restful. Others report watching television. Working out is a means of rest for some (while it is the opposite for others.) Daydreaming can be restful. Time alone is often restful, but aren't social experiences good? Or are they stressful. Things seem to differ significantly from person to person that it is difficult to make generations.

Hype: A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice - How to Tell What's Real and What's Not

Hype: A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice - How to Tell What's Real and What's Not by Nina Shapiro and Kristin Loberg

Healthcare is filled with hyped up fads. Many of these are based on the flimsiest of evidence. It can be hard to distinguish hype from valuable practices. This book mentions a number of not so good medical practices, and has a few general guidelines. One positive from the book is acknowledgment of the placebo effect. Placebos can provide benefit - even if you know they are only placebos. As long as it doesn't cause harm, we can still use it. For others, it gets complicated. Smoking was once argued as beneficial by doctors, while drinking was condemned. Now smoking is universally identified as bad, while moderate drinking is sometimes seen as beneficial.

People can be a little stupid when it comes to probabilities. A parent may drive a long distance to get organic produce. The driving has a greater probability of harm than the possible organic benefit. There are many other cases where we are drawn into hype. Many processed foods start with healthy ingredients, but process much of the benefit out of it. Screenings such as Mammograms and X Rays may identify conditions, but they also cause harm in themselves and can result in false positives that result in harmful treatments.

Medical treatments can be trickier. We can try to identify the current best practices. However, these may change. How do we know if our "alternative" treatment is quackery or the future of medicine?  Perhaps the best bet is to take it all. "Complementary" medicine can be helpful. Traditional medicine can also be helpful. If we can easily identify the expected benefits and harms of both we can make good decisions. Alas, getting the data can be challenging. The book did point to a source for probabilities, but finding it is challenge.

Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire

Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone

Amazon started out as a bookseller that gradually expanded to other areas as it rode the dot com wave. After the bust Amazon's public visibility waned. Revenues went up, but profits were small if they existed at all. In the last decade it has had a coming out party. Amazon created AWS and launched cloud computing. Prime Video took a page from Netflix and jumped into Hollywood and produced its own shows. The online marketplace took off, while Amazon also launched "store brands". Amazon took on much of its own logistics and provided one day and same day delivery. It manufactured devices such as Echos and Kindles. Amazon also went into the physical stores business with the purchase of Whole Foods and the launch of various other stores like Amazon Fresh.

As Amazon rose up, Jeff Bezos increased his profile. He smoozed with Hollywood. He had a messy divorce and became tabloid fodder. He was also asked to appear before congress. And now Amazon was under heavy scrutiny. It was hurting small sellers, possibly illegally. It was allowing counterfeits. Warehouse workers were not being treated well. Even the corporate culture was called into question. The reliance on "data" did not eliminate subjectivity. The company was having a negative impact on Seattle. In the process of all this, government relations became more important. Amazon had to pick its battles. It opted to support collection of sales tax. (This made it easier to support last-mile delivery - and helped even the playing field with others.) It fought unionization and head taxes in Seattle. Bezos turned the company over to a new CEO, but still has a presence. Amazon feels like a "big company" rather than an innovator.

The Great Stagnation: How America Ate All the Low-Hanging Fruit of Modern History, Got Sick, and Will (Eventually) Feel Better

The Great Stagnation: How America Ate All the Low-Hanging Fruit of Modern History, Got Sick, and Will (Eventually) Feel Better by Tyler Cowen

America has experienced a couple centuries of great economic growth. This was enabled by picking the "low hanging fruit" of land, immigrants and technology. However, this has slowed significantly in the past few decades. Politicians try to boost the economy via tax cuts or spending increases. With either approach, the party enjoys touting the benefits, but is reluctant to actually pick up the tab. 

Today, the government spending as a portion of the economy is much higher than it has been in the past. The government does provide more. However, government expenditures tend to decrease in value. (The expenditures with a greatest value are quickly adopted. Additional expenditures tend to be decrease in efficiency and economic value.) The decreasing marginal value of government results in less overall economic benefit.

The private sector is not necessarily better. Much of the "growth" in the economy has been in finance. While there is some financial activity the provides general economic benefit, much of the modern innovation has just served to enrich the practitioners. Complex financial products were behind the great recession of the early 2000s.

What should we do? The author proposes attaching greater value to scientists. They provide much of the research that helps fuel the economy. They have a respectable place in society, but are not deemed as one of the top professions. They need to have a more important role to help economy regain its mojo. 

Some Principles of Maritime Strategy

Some Principles of Maritime Strategy by Julian Corbett

Naval warfare is distinct from land battles. On land, you can aim to take and control certain swaths of land. In the seas, there is little "controlling" open seas. Instead, the goal is to use a navy to defend key areas and support land warfare. Spreading the navy too wide can be a recipe for disaster. Chasing after the enemy may occasionally succeed, but this may be more due to accident. 

Having a greater dependence on maritime trade does not make one more vulnerable to naval attack. By the contrary, that can make an attack on ship as less critical. Offense also poses advantages over defence.

This book was written over 100 years ago. Naval warfare was changing. Wireless contact made attacks by privateers and pirates less beneficial. The use of convoys was also fading. Japan had already introduced itself to the world stage. World War I had yet to start. It was an interesting time shortly before the dawn of the air age. Despite the technological innovations, maritime transport is still important today and there are many 100-year old concepts that still apply.

The Rise of the Virtual Athlete: How E-Sports are Revolutionizing Competition

The Rise of the Virtual Athlete: How E-Sports are Revolutionizing Competition by Jackson Dille and Flint Carter

This audiobook doesn't seem to be available on Amazon and thus doesn't appear on Goodreads (but is available at the library.) It does have a lot of history of the rise of esports, but panders a bit too much to a young audience. eSports are popular. Certain games are popular. Schools are even creating teams and offering scholarships. However, like with other sports, there are demands on participants, with extensive practice needed for success, yet too much can lead to injuries.

Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It

Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It by Gabriel Wyner

Why can toddlers easily pick up a language, why adults struggle? Partially because we are doing it wrong. Toddlers are exposed to huge amounts of language. They are willing to try to make many mistakes. They try a lot. They learn the most common words and grammatical structures first. They don't have preconceived notions of sounds. As adults (or teens) we are often "too smart" for our own good and don't spend enough time practicing.

How can we resolve this? We have many tools available. Google image search and youtube videos can be helpful for informal exploration. RhinoSpike, Forvo and Foreign Service Institute are all useful free resources. The author also pitched his own Fluent Forever as a pay site. There is abundant media available in multiple languages. (Harry Potter was mentioned as a good example.) TV series are great because you get some familiarity. Music is not as good. (We often sing incorrect version of lyrics in our native language.)

Even with the best tools, we need to devote work and practice. It does take time. Full immersion is the best way to learn. Learning the most frequent vocabulary first is the best way to go. It lets us gradually build on that as we learn more. Speaking without an accent requires some "unlearning". Each language has its own phonemes that may differentiate in ways your mind is not used to. Practice and experience help. The author also encourages flash cards as well as some memory associations. Learning a language takes time and exposure.

America's Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System

America's Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System by Steven Brill

The United States spends significantly more on health care than other countries, yet does not have better health outcomes. One way to look at this is a subsidy from the rich to the poor. Americans pay high prices for drugs to support research that benefits all the world. This could explain a small part of the problem. However, it gets much worse than that.

The roots of the American disfunction dates back to World War II. There were strict wage and price controls. To counter this, unions negotiated additional benefits, such as health insurance. This benefit was tax-free thus adding value. After the war, much of the world introduced government-run health care. However, the unions did not want to give up their health-care perk, and the government was loathe to offend one of their key bases. Eventually, the government did step in with Medicare and Medicaid. These programs were targeted to the poor and elderly and thus didn't interfere with union perks.

Then things got worse. The government health plans set low payment rates. Health care providers made up for this by setting ridiculously high list prices.set up ridiculously high list prices. Most people with insurance paid a lower "negotiated rate" that was still higher than Medicare rates. However, the only way to really get insurance is through an employer. Employer-provided insurance is tax free, while self-paid insurance is after tax. Self-paid insurance is also difficult to obtain as it requires individual underwriting, while employer provided insurance is a group policy for everyone. This leaves a number of intermediaries between the patient and the payment. For most people, this system worked relatively well. However, for those without employer-provided insurance could often be hit with ridiculous bills.

The many players makes reforming the health care system difficult. There are doctors, hospitals, health plans, companies, drug companies, medical device manufacturers, health laboratories and more. While it would be great to remove the "fat" from the system, attempts can often be passed on. Attempts to squeeze insurer profits may instead result in doctors getting paid less. Health care also suffers from the "crisis" mentality. Abstractly, it sounds great to reduce spending when somebody is near death. However, when your loved one is near death, you are willing to spend whatever is needed to possibly prolong the life even a short amount of time. 95% of the expense may be wasted, but how do you make sure you don't cut into the important 5% that will help?

This is the background for the quest for Obamacare that is detailed here. There had been a few tries before. Hillary Clinton tried a reform during Bill's term, but failed miserably. In Massachusetts, Mitt Romney led a successful health care reform effort with mandatory insurance. Obama campaigned against Hillary's failed effort. Yet, he set out a priority of reforming health care along the Romney model. This proved quite challenging. There were twin desires to expand health care and reduce costs that had to be balanced against impacting current care and companies. How can fat be reduced while still maintaining a robust system?

There was a lot of back-room wheeling and dealing involved. A lot of shenanigans were needed to get it into place. Unions didn't want "cadillac taxes" on expensive plans. Drug manufacturers rejected price controls. Reduced reimbursements were off the table. Eliminating the tax break for employer-provided insurance was also dropped. The primary benefit was an "exchange" to provide health care for individuals to purchase insurance. This included income-based subsidies as well as eliminated pre-existing condition restrictions. The insurance was better than what could have been obtained previously, however, still not nearly as good as what could be obtained by an employer.

The roll out of Obamacare was less than ideal. The web site was implemented by people that were more experienced in politics than software development. It essentially went through a "public QA" process for the first months after rolling out. The law was complex and contained numerous drafting errors. This left it vulnerable to lawsuits. Some of the regulations were not defined for years after the law passed. Is are health care system better than it was before then? Possibly. Is it cheaper? Probably not.

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund, Ola Rosling

As humans, we often get stuck in our beliefs and confuse relative differences with absolute change. We are drawn to the urgent, and often fail to notice the slow, long term changes. Activists use these tendencies to entice us to donate to their cause via the urgency. This all combines us to view the world as a horrible place that is getting worse. 

The facts tell a different story.

Child mortality is a simple measure that is difficult to fudge. It has been improving throughout the world. Even the least developed countries in Africa tend to be better off than European countries were a few centuries ago. Though we often get caught comparing them to Europe today. 

One way to look at development is to divide people into 4 groups. Most of Europe and North America are in Group 4, though there are pockets in lower groups. Just about every country has some Group 4 citizens. Group 1 is the lowest group and what we think of as living in poverty and often on the brink of starvation. The other groups are in between. It is a significant step up from one group to the other. More and more people throughout the world have been moving to higher groups. This is typically accompanied by reduced birthrates, increased consumption and increased standards of living. Many of the countries that are "developing" are also increasing the carbon emissions - but still emit much lower per person than developed countries.

Today we see climate change advocates try to tie every extreme weather event to climate change. This may be a good way of advancing their cause today. Unfortunately, it damages long term credibility. The facts are not as dire and extreme as they would make them out. Humans are just not wired to pay attention to something that happens slowly. 

We can use statistics to help us to take a step back and make wise decisions. We may be missing opportunities due to preconceived notions. Slow change can gradually trick us into making changes that we would otherwise not make all at once. This can be used for both good and bad.

To Marry, Or Not To Marry; A Comedy, In Five Acts

To Marry, Or Not To Marry; A Comedy, In Five Acts by Elizabeth Inchbald

This short play seems to revolve around men questioning the benefits of marriage. They have status and the ability to live their life as they desire. Why would they want to get married? It has a light comedic touch that feels like a cross between Vaudeville and Jane Austen.

Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything

Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything by James Gleick

Faster details how everything is moving faster and faster. Jobs, communications, entertainment, meals, and just about every aspect of people's lives moves at a more hectic pace. What was seen as a great technological innovation of yesterday is already slow and outdated today. This is inadvertently drilled home by the examples given in this 25 year old book. There are complaints about the time required to download a web page and the time needed to wait for a computer to boot up. How quaint! Now the only annoyance is when a phone takes two tries to unlock. Common internet speeds are a few orders of magnitude faster than what they were a quarter century ago. Yet, the complexity of websites has also increased - thus only giving us a small fraction of the speed increase. Advertisers have continued to find ways to suck our time and distract us from what we are looking for. The 500 cable channels are no longer a problem - instead there are a multitude of streaming services vying for out attention - from Youtube and Netflix down to every small studio. 

With so many demands for our attention we seek many "time savers". We have appliances that help us wash and dry out clothes. We have food delivered to our house. We hire people to do things we can't do on our own. However, what do we do with all the time we "save"? Mostly just watch screens. Lovely accomplishments. Is there much advantage to "faster"?

Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups

Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups by Andrew Fisher

The author of Big Hunger wants food banks to drop their focus on general-purpose progressive advocacy. He totally misses the point. Food banks succeed because they provide something valuable with minimal "baggage". You have a momentary crisis and need food? You go to the food bank. You are struggling long-term? You go to the food bank. It does not require asking questions are filling out forms. Involving the government and programs makes things more complicated and accidentally chases off people that really need programs. There is already a stigma involved in reaching out for food. We don't need to make it worse. 

There is a place for social advocacy and programs attacking root causes of conditions. There is also a need for highly targeted interventions that can be easily accessed. These should not be confused. Some food users would benefit from higher minimum wage. Others may lose their job if minimum wage is raised. Some others may not even be capable of working.

Other critiques in the book are more valuable, but also disjointed. People consuming food aid tend to eat more unhealthy diets. Some food benefits (like SNAP) are limited in what they can be used for. Should we replace food aid with cash aid that can be used for anything? Or should we tie down food aid so that it can only be used for the most healthy foods? How should the existing food programs be reformed?

Corporations currently are major donors to food programs. Do they exercise too much influence? Are we afraid of clamping down on sugary drinks because the drink producer may stop providing orange juice? Are the companies just dumping food that would not sell? Is that a problem? What do we do about food waste? When hungry, any food is better than none.

Overall this book was a disappointment. It had detailed citations, but was jumbled in its argument. The author would clearly like all social organizations to rally behind a single progressive agenda. Luckily, we continue to have diverse group of organizations and programs.