Updated book list #7

  Completed:

• The 9/11 Commission Report
• Columbine by Dave Cullen
• Caught in the Revolution: Witnesses to the Fall of Imperial Russia by Helen Rappaport
• World War I: The Definitive Visual History
• World War II: The Definitive Visual History
• The Romanovs 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore
• The Vietnam War: The Definitive Illustrated History
• The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
• The Race to Save the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport
• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg by Helen Rappaport
• What If? and What If? 2 - A series of essays by historians on what might have been.
• Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose
• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
• America Before by Graham Hancock
• All the Gallant Men by Donald Stratton
• Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
• The Cay by Theodore Taylor
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
• When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
• 1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West by Roger Crowley
• Creature by John Saul
• The Civil War: A Visual History

In progress:

• The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
• The American Revolution: A Visual History

On the docket:

• The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power by Max Boot (A book I bought between 8th and 9th grades in July 2003 but never actually read.)
• Dark History of Russia by Michael Kerrigan
• War and Peace (abridged) by Leo Tolstoy

Lazarus the Mulberry

    Just posting some photos of Lazarus. For before photos just imagine a stick with crunchy, brown leaves attached to it.

The three mulberries. I haven't decided which one to keep yet.

The tallest one had its top snipped off by a rabbit.

I also happened upon a mantis lurking on some Sedum, waiting for a bee or wasp to come close.

Photo(s) of the Week: OTMA and the Polar Star, circa 1907

 

Olga

Tatiana

Maria

Anastasia

Bonus photo of Tatiana

The Iron Law of Oligarchy and Republicanism Part 1

    I was reading a political discussion a few days ago when a commenter posted a link to the Wikipedia page for something called the "Iron Law of Oligarchy". I had never heard about this before so I read into it and the first paragraph of the article states that:

"rule by an elite, or oligarchy, is inevitable as an "iron law" within any democratic organization as part of the "tactical and technical necessities" of organization"

     The article goes on to state that:

"all complex organizations, regardless of how democratic they are when started, eventually develop into oligarchies"

and

"since no sufficiently large and complex organization can function purely as a direct democracy, power within an organization will always get delegated to individuals within that group, elected or otherwise."

    I developed a similar thought to this a few years ago. I came to the conclusion that democracy can not work at a national level, especially in a country as large as the United States, and thus it should not exist beyond the city-level. I guess it goes with the saying the people should care more about local elections than national as they have a more direct effect on their lives.

    The article includes the line:

"Michels stated that the official goal of representative democracy of eliminating elite rule was impossible, that representative democracy is a façade legitimizing the rule of a particular elite, and that elite rule, which he refers to as oligarchy, is inevitable."

    I had a similar thought that mirrored this, that democracy was little more than a way to get people to consent to oligarchy. The fact that political dynasties can exist in a democracy is proof of this, ranging from the Clinton and Bush families of today all the way back to the Washington and Adams families at America's founding in the 18th century.

Lazarus the Mulberry

     A very brief update about some plantings. A while ago I tore up (literally yanked them out of the ground) two mulberry saplings less than a foot tall and transplanted them to a more preferable growing location. Very quickly their leaves turned brown and dried up. I thought I had killed them. Despite that I continued to water them everyday since then and when I went to water them today I noticed that both had small leaf buds sprouting up and down the length of their stems.

    To say I'm thrilled is an understatement and because of that I've decided to name one of them Lazarus (I'll have to kill or relocate the other since they are growing six inches from each other).

Photo(s) of the Week: The Ipatiev House in color

    Like many of the photos saved on my computer I don't remember where I found these. The four color photos depict the Ipatiev House or House of Special Purpose where the Tsar and his family were killed in 1918. The photos were likely taken sometime in the 1970's, shortly before the house was torn down.

    In gardening news a squirrel gifted me the seed of a Juglans nigra or eastern American black walnut this past Saturday. It even helpfully removed the husk so I didn't have to stain my hands brown. I planted this in the front yard, almost in a straight line from the front door. As for my cedars, the backyard tree is still green as far as I can tell, one front yard and one north side windbreak have started turning brown/yellow, the other front yard and second north side windbreak are still green but haven't grown much at all, and the third north side windbreak is not only deep green but seems to actually be growing.

    Also in the front yard are three small plants that have sprouted up. I assume they are mulberry trees but at this stage they are far too young for me to accurately identify.

    To wrap things up my potted maple is doing well although it has dropped some of its lower leaves while every last one of my cottonwoods has shriveled and died. I'm also planning on sowing my apple and cherry seeds starting this week.

Intrusive Thoughts

    A thing happened today while I was sitting in my home passing time until my shift at work began. My neighbor across the street, a young woman, happened to walk around the front of her house with her two dogs. A completely innocent, harmless act. And yet a thought popped into my head. Of her. Of her husband (or partner, I don't know if they're married). Of them being intimate together. This made me angry. Not at her, or them, or anyone or anything in particular, just a general anger and resentment. It wasn't the first time I've felt this, just the most recent.

    I don't know if it's because I'm a 31 year old kissless virgin or not. This feeling was overwhelming when I was in college. It could be that since I am an only child I'm feeling the pressure to produce grandkids for my parents. A few years ago I began to wonder if I really wanted a girlfriend/wife or if it was just my parents' expectations rattling around in my head. I manage to suppress those feelings for the most part but they still pop up from time to time.

    Anyway, I'm going to make a short post tomorrow updating my gardening adventures as well as the photo of the week.

Photo of the Week: The Little Pair

Tree-mania

    I've recently become obsessed with planting and growing trees. I want them for fruit, for shade, and for windbreaks. I'm trying to cultivate a diverse 'forest' but locating seeds or seedlings from anything other than mulberries and cedars is difficult. I pulled what I think is a maple that was growing in a crack in the pavement near the shipping dock at my place of employment and put it in a pot.

    It's been about a week and it seems to be surviving. I hope to transplant it outside next spring. I also pulled up three small plants again growing in the pavement at work. I think they're cottonwoods or aspens but I'm less sure than the maple.

    Unfortunately when I got them home I immediately put them in direct sunlight outdoors and they have since shriveled up and died.

    Today I tried my hand at cuttings. I took two mulberries, one small and one big, and a mystery plant whose leaves and stem resemble a branch from the crabapple in my backyard. I put the small mulberry in a cup of water and placed it on my dining room table. The large mulberry and mystery plant are in a jug of water sitting on a patio table outside. Time will tell if they survive and root.

    Later this year I plan to walk around my town collecting seeds from various trees, primarily oak acorns and sycamore seeds. I know of two locations in my town where there are sycamores and there should be plenty of oaks in the town parks.

Hope