**spoiler alert** Romanul de fata isi propune sa ilustreze viata unei femei virtuoase in Franta primei jumatati a secolului XIX.
Inceputul este repreze**spoiler alert** Romanul de fata isi propune sa ilustreze viata unei femei virtuoase in Franta primei jumatati a secolului XIX.
Inceputul este reprezentat de scena fetei naive , care, lasandu-se in mrejele infatuarii , se casatoreste cu un colonel de cavalerie din armata lui Napoleon ( in ciuda rugamintilor si pledoariei blandului si batranului sau tata) colonel a carui mediocritate respectiv moravuri usoare ii vor fura anii tineretii , si destin al copilului zamislit , o va urmari toata viata ca un efect de bumerang l
Ca cititori o vom urma in calatoria sa prin viata de-a lungul primei jumatati a secolului XIX , plina de suferinta , durere , melancolie dar si dragoste , iubire , virtute si compasiune.
Mi-se pare fenomenal modul in care autorul zugraveste universul interior al acestei femei , si tulburarile launtrice la care este supusa , precum si numeroasele portrete ale ei si ale tuturor celor ce intra in contact cu aceasta fiinta de o noblete rara.
Din cartea aceasta , ideea cu care am ramas este ca profunzimea si complexitatea femeii sub toate aspectele se naste abia la varsta de 30 de ani , moment , cand a carei existenta a fost marcata deja de marile drame respectiv bucurii ale vietii.
Recomand cu caldura !
P.S E primul meu roman de Balzac si clar voi mai servi !...more
**spoiler alert** Acest Steinhardt...mare om. O expunere superba a vietii de parnaie , a modului in care omul incarcerat incearca sa isi pastreze mint**spoiler alert** Acest Steinhardt...mare om. O expunere superba a vietii de parnaie , a modului in care omul incarcerat incearca sa isi pastreze mintea netulburata impotriva celui mai de temut dusman , dusman ce nu este reprezentat de bataile sau torturile gardienilor , nici de frig, malnutritie , mizerie , boala, accidente sau ci de timp !
Este de-a dreptul fascinant sa citesti cum oameni cat se poate de diversi din punct de vedere social/moral/religios..etc precum tarani, bancheri , directori, fosti militari, profesori , figuri monahale, legionari , evrei ,reactionari ,unguri , regalisti, jurnalisti, ... oameni care in oricare alte imprejurari nu ar fi avut cum sa se intalneasca, ajung tovarasi de celula si cum reusesc , sau nu, sa coabiteze, cum se toarna unul pe altul, cum se jignesc, cum se mascaresc, sau, dimpotriva, cum invata unul de la altul, cum gasesc raspunsurile la interbarile vietii in religie , filosofie , istorie...., cum improvizeaza adevarate cenacluri literare in care discuta, dezbat, argumenteaza sau pur si simplu se educa in literatura romana si universala. Fabulos !
As minti daca as spune ca a fost o calatorie lina. Pe alocuri cartea m-a plictisit deoarece unele crampeie nu erau de interes pentru mine, dar am continuat pentru ca la fel ca la pacanele, stiam ca urmeaza va urma la scurt timp o victorie, o runda castigata, ceva interesant.
**spoiler alert** The reason this one gets such a low score is me rising the bar very high for Horrible Histories books.
I know what and how Terry Dear**spoiler alert** The reason this one gets such a low score is me rising the bar very high for Horrible Histories books.
I know what and how Terry Deary writes and and i am really big fan of him , however as a critical reader i consider this volume below par ; though it probides valuable ideas and gimmicks from WW2 i just felt it was hollow compared to oher titles.
I felt like this book just tip toed around such a huge event in the history of man kind....more
**spoiler alert** This is a must read for anyone intrested or suffering from any kind of obsessive compulsive behaviour (OCD) .
I loved the way this di**spoiler alert** This is a must read for anyone intrested or suffering from any kind of obsessive compulsive behaviour (OCD) .
I loved the way this disease is presented somewhere along the lines:
Your front part of the brain is constantly producing messages. In the center of your brain there are two little components that act as a transmission to the cortex : the Caudate Nucleus and the Putamen. In a healthy brain they receive a message like "wash your hands" , they let it pass through , the cortex enables the behaviour of washing. Now when another message similar to the first is produced the Caudate Nucleus acts as a filter/gateway. ("dont let this trash message pass since we have alrdy washed hands"). In a OCD brain there is an imbalance of chemicals hence the filter is not working properly , it lets all (repeated) messages go through and the sufferer repeats the same behaviour over and over while knowing something is wrong. Add to this the Cygnus that controls your heart and you have a recipe for panic attacks.
As the author puts it , an OCD sufferer gets his brain locked in the same behaviour over and over again. Its like instead of an automatic transmision , the one he has is manual , he has to do manual effort -mindful effort to get out of brainlock.
The main focus of this book is how to unlock your brain from this compulsive behaviour , basically identifying the disease , attributing your behaviour to it and then refocusing your attention to something else.
While at the begining this constant battle is hard , in time it becomes automatic and your gears will begin to shift properly in your brain.
OCD is not curable , its an ongoing battle , your mind vs your brain.
The clinical cases presented in this book are humbling , people performing multi hour cleaning rituals , filling houses with trash , phobias etc ...people losing decades of their lives up until the point this disease started getting attention.
On the bright side , most of these people got alot better and live normal lives after following this routine , without ever relapsing.
**spoiler alert** Ce stiam despre ceceni apriori: - popor mandru , dur , darz aflat la periferia Federatiei Ruse in Caucaz - luptatori deosebit de iscus**spoiler alert** Ce stiam despre ceceni apriori: - popor mandru , dur , darz aflat la periferia Federatiei Ruse in Caucaz - luptatori deosebit de iscusiti , cu doar cateva mii din randurile lor , ISIS aproape reusise sa il invinga pe Assad in Siria pana sa intervenina Putin in 2015 - teroristi de meserie , nemernici ce au omorat o gramada de nevinovati in multiple atentate incepand cu anii '90 si pana in ziua de azi (scoala din Beslan din 2004 in care au murit sute de copii imi vine in minte). - Rusia ii vede ca pe o leziune canceroasa la periferia sa , un popor de rang inferior ce trebuie izolat si ideal inlaturat.
Totul incepe cu Boris Yeltsin care castiga alegerile prezidentiale in anii 90 promitand independenta /autonomie pentru multiple foste republici sovietice. Printre acestea se afla si Cecenia al carei lider Dudayev a fost un fervent sustinator al lui Boris. In 1995 cand Cecenia isi cere dreptul la autodeterminare , Yeltsin trimite armata in Caucaz sa le scoata din cap "gargaunii".
Asaltul asupra provinciei dintr-o victorie sigura pentru rusi , se transforma repede intr-un razboi de uzura , razboi ce scoate la suprafata bestialitatea umana de ambele parti.
Autoarea da dovada de un curaj iesit din comun cand pleaca ca jurnalist al armatei in Cecenia. Acolo printre rafale de mitraliera ploi de obuze , sosele pline de mine , ea se strecoara dintr-o tabara in alta luand interviuri atat soldatilor rusi , a populatiei cecene , a liderilor rezistentei.
Acest demers continua pe parcursul a mai multor ani incluzand al doilea razboi cecen, ascensiunea lui Putin , reconstructia provinciei , viata distrusa a supravietuitorilor , patrunderea Wahabismului - forma cea mai extrema a islamului in randul tineretului , provenita din Arabia Saudita , abuzurile , torturile oamenilor liderului marioneta Razman Kadyrov si in general nimicnicia vietii.
Este o lume deosebit de dura , o lume in care familii intregi invinuite de apartenenta la o anumita tabara/secta religioasa sunt executate fara probe substantiale , copii care sunt luati noaptea din casele parintilor si nu se mai intorc niciodata , soldati raniti care sunt efectiv aruncati la gunoi de statul rus .
Pe langa faptul ca ni-se ofera o buna lectie de istorie a regiunii , cartea ofera o cronologie deosebit de solida , suprinde latura groteasca a umanului , precum si implicatiile social-economice , demografice , financiare si religioase ale conflictului.
O lucrare jurnalistica ce , clar , merita citita !...more
This is not a self help book but more like an outside perspective on the flawed human nature.
It provides a cynical framework on how humans fool themseThis is not a self help book but more like an outside perspective on the flawed human nature.
It provides a cynical framework on how humans fool themselves and others thinking they are their own masters , and their will, long term and short term goals , and aspirations are their own , when in fact we can not even trust our senses and we let our emotions have the better of us without even having the chance to procees the "outside signals" .
We are slaves of our lizard brain , the one that knows only two states (drawers as the author puts it) : fight or flight , winner or loser , and everytime something uncomfortable happens in our lives we go into survival mode and that happens even to millionaires.
Pretty shocking that even long term goals and careers can be a byproduct of a frustration or a repressed emotion for example:
A guy finishes college and feels a need to move out of the parents house motivating that he needs freedom e feels a calling to explore the world . So he moves to thousands of miles from his parents , without realising that in fact he does it because he is jealous that his parents offered more attention to his sister during childhood.
**spoiler alert** Este drept ca am fost informat cu privire la tematica cartii , cu toate acestea , mi-a cam iesit pe nas citind primele o suta dr de **spoiler alert** Este drept ca am fost informat cu privire la tematica cartii , cu toate acestea , mi-a cam iesit pe nas citind primele o suta dr de pagini in care se vorbeste aproape exclusiv despre moarte , chimioterapie , tratamente paliative , sinucidere asistata , boli ale batranetii care aduc moartea , infarcturi , cancer , precum si prieteni , colegi , rude moarte.
As putea spune , ca , continutul acestei carti se prezinta asemenea pulsului unui muribund...plat , si rar , cate o pulsatie.
Acestea fiind spuse , odata ce trecem de jumatate (nevasta se prapadeste)cartea incepe sa devina deosebit de interesanta.
Asistam la toate starile tranzitorii , angoasele si bineinteles durerea prin care trece Irvin Yalom in varsta de 88 ani , somitate in psihologie , odata cu moartea sotiei dupa o casnicie 50 de ani ; mai mult decat atat , suntem martori si la procesul sau de ... ameliorare , caci , de vindecare nu ar putea fi vorba !...more
**spoiler alert** The amount of knowledge , facts , curiosities and events in this book is maddening.
I didn't know shit about late XIX century america**spoiler alert** The amount of knowledge , facts , curiosities and events in this book is maddening.
I didn't know shit about late XIX century american foreign policy , nor could i have imagined the race to claim islands full of Guano (crystalized bird shit used as fertilizer) , the wars fought on foreign soil with the Spanish and then the Philippines, the continous usage of Puerto Ricans as Guinea Pigs especially in experiments with mustard gas and later chemotherapy or sterilization and planned parenthood.
The book shines on world war 2 , in regards to the massive global transport infrastructure built by USA around the globe (Egypt airbases , Iran , Lebanon) , the continous airbridge over the Himalayas in keeping the chinese resistance strong against the japanesse , the complete bomb and napalm pounding of Manilla in the later stages of the war resulting in millions of deaths.
The book continues with the post war order , the standardization across all industries and domains imposed by the USA , the way it built bases all over the world on areas which were given as 90 year leases , the rapid growth of countries that had these bases withing their local communities
We also get into the dirty stuff of the 90's and 2000 s with Osama Bin Laden , Afghanistan , Iraq , Guantanamo etc.
This guy is terrific , i recommend the book wholeheartedly to any history , geopolitic lover and not only !...more
This is a starting resource if one wants to understand city planning , better said , why entire cities lose their identity through gentrification due This is a starting resource if one wants to understand city planning , better said , why entire cities lose their identity through gentrification due to big real estate companies seizing any parcel of land they can take and building large high luxury buildings thus making landlords raise rent and dilocating medium and low wage families ; we also see how the city councils , planners , police influence these predatorial tendencies.
Though i didn't like that the book gets somewhat political by the end , condemning Trump , it does a good job portraying his family and the way they raised an empire through real estate constantly leeching people and cities....more
**spoiler alert** While I like Llosa due to his multiple chronological threading writing style and the strain it puts on the reader's brain when tryin**spoiler alert** While I like Llosa due to his multiple chronological threading writing style and the strain it puts on the reader's brain when trying to figure out who does what and when , this book is not like that .
This book is about a religious fanatic that uses his assertiveness to draw people from all walks of life including thieves, murderers, rapists , sick , orphans and old from all over Brazil mainland villages and bring them together on a mountain to build a civilisation which opposes the newly formed Brazilian republic , politics , imperial units of measurement.
The gonverment sends 3 military expeditions (20 ,100 and then 1000 people) to.cull this cult each with the same disastrous result. The soldiers are massacred , cut to pieces , their heads hung on spikes.
In this place and under the leader's influence , the murderers turn to generals that protect the place , the thieves to scouts , a baby killer female becomes the nun etc....
Under the leader's influence these broken people start to show solidarity , love , kindness and compassion for themselves.
Looking from an outside perspective , these same people including young teens , show no remorse to anybody that tries to.interfere with their community. They fight gonverment forces , burn army supply locations , go onto suicidal errands. Mothers jump.with their babies in the fires then be caught by army forces.
My dilemma: Is it moral to fix a broken man , give him a sense of purpose in life , make him a valuable part of society given the fact that that society harms anybody not belonging to it ?...more
**spoiler alert** Interesting perspective on how to tackle management dilemmas which are in most cases social skills and persuasion problems or better**spoiler alert** Interesting perspective on how to tackle management dilemmas which are in most cases social skills and persuasion problems or better said , the lack of them.
While the book sets a strong foundation defining the 4 pillars of effective managment : knowing your directs, providing feedback, asking for more of your directs and delegating , i found the book repeating itself too much on these ideas after some point.
The book is written in a depth first manner , and the breadth is lacking in some aspects.
Would have been a solid book with more examples and more ideas put in the spotlight....more
When you think about it, its a marvel that you living in 2000AC can read something dated 2000BC. The story is actually older and the pieces were put toWhen you think about it, its a marvel that you living in 2000AC can read something dated 2000BC. The story is actually older and the pieces were put together by an antic unknown benefactor.
The story of Ggilgames is humbling in that not even the greatest of the greatest kings can escape death. The descriptive passages regarding the sourroundings , characters and actions are vivid , easy to grasp.
I loved the parallels between Sumerian religion/legends the and ancient Greek/Christian ones.
One cannot stand idle but ask : Could all religions and legends have one true source ?...more
**spoiler alert** While the book started really strong and interesting explaining historical modelling , around the 30% mark it gets nasty , confusing**spoiler alert** While the book started really strong and interesting explaining historical modelling , around the 30% mark it gets nasty , confusing and you don't really understand how the pieces fit together.
The author while most certainly knows alot of &$it about distributed systems and immutable architecture , he certainly didn't give much thought on how to put it all together and create some damn coherence for the reader.
Ex: we are discussing historical modelling on the first 5 chapters , then out of friggin nowhere i'm cramped in a chapter about security - assymetric keys/hashes. Down the road another chapter is.about sql databases. The chapters are tackled somehow relating to immutable architecture but there is no damn structure , no order and definetly no logic as to why they were pushed there and in that order , its more like reading a memo.
Minusuri : Atentia mea de-a lungul cartii a fost similara unei sinusoide. Zeci de pagini plictisitoare in**spoiler alert** Voi incerca sa fiu obiectiv :
Minusuri : Atentia mea de-a lungul cartii a fost similara unei sinusoide. Zeci de pagini plictisitoare in care nu se intampla nimic , autorul incercand sa para istet , integrand explicatii , adaugiri si exemple "moderne" care de multe ori mi s-au parut la limita penibilului , pagini ce au fost scrise de dragul scrisului ca sa se ajunga 400 si ceva de pagini. Am stat zeci de pagini pe visele lui Iosif , framantarile Mariei , pustiul Isus , dar , partea cea mai importanta a vietii lui Isus si anume ultimele sale clipe au fost tratate pe repede inainte in ultimele zece pagini.
Nu am aflat mai nimic despre parerea Romei , nu am asistat la modul in care iudeii au vazut amenintarea unei noi religii , mai mult decat atat , am fost serviti cu pareri personale , interpretari despre mai tot ce e in luna si in stele (sandalele lui Iosif , visul repetitiv , strachina lui Isus) mai putin momentele cheie despre care se vorbeste si in Noul Testament. Putea fi lejer o carte de maxim 250 pagini.
Ce m-a impreisonat: Modul in care Isus afla de la Dumnezeu cum va prinde radacini noua religie ; pagini intregi dedicate martirilor din secolele care il vor succeda pe acesta , o lista imensa de nume din tot bazinul Marii Mediterane impreuna cu modurile brutale in care au sfarsit.
Aici chiar am apreciat faptul ca autorul a cercetat acest aspect , si a reusit sa ofere cititorului magnitudinea in sacrificii de vieti omenesti a religiei ce avea sa rasara.
O lectura precum drumurile de la noi din tara, 10 m drum drept apoi 3 gropi etc....more
Short book focusing on fundamentals of accounting valuation with some key points: - income from operating assets , return on operating assets and , assShort book focusing on fundamentals of accounting valuation with some key points: - income from operating assets , return on operating assets and , asset turnover should be paramount in any valuation - never include price of stock in valuation - use redidual income in order to challenge market price when assesing a company - make sure to include YOUR required return when assesing if you want to buy a stock or not - discard write-downs, one time payments , income generated from sale of property and equipment , deferred revenue from the balance sheet - beware of inventory dipping , back-bleeding and other shenaningans used in accounting
Overall a pretty hard read , with a limited number of ideas , but really really solid ones.
I marked it 4/5 because i think some explanations would have been required when presenting some data samples....more
Mika Waltari describes the last months before the fall and the Ottoman siege of Constatinople of 1453 so vivdly that you might think he lived in that Mika Waltari describes the last months before the fall and the Ottoman siege of Constatinople of 1453 so vivdly that you might think he lived in that period and interviewed the survivors.
A story of true love ending in tragedy between an outcast emperor that returns from the west to his beloved city right before its fall and the daughter of the highest noble.
I am still amazed by the amount of hate between orthodoxy and catholicism at that point in time. Despite the desperate calls for help of the greeks towards the pope ,only two mercenary companies totalling ~1000 men ,one genovese the other venetian , heed the call and defend the city. The fact that most greeks view the 'damn latins' worse then the turks and would rather open the gates (which they do) to the latter is also compelling.
Though i refuse to believe it to be true , Transilvanian John Hunyadi is depicted as giving the turks advice on how to storm the city.
Another amzing fact is that there are large numbers of christians in the turkish army including serbian sappers.
The siege is described in a journal-like manner , for me , with an unprecedented level of detail including : Cannons , their operators , the damage inflicted upon stone infrastructure and inhabitants , repair and molding processes , assaults on the castle walls, underground sapper warfare , hand to hand combat and also naval battles.
The author does not sugarcoat the events even one bit - we are also shown the grim fate of the defenders and also non combatants after the fall of the city.
For a history lover (or a romance fan) this book is pure gold. Looking forward to read more of Waltari's books !...more
**spoiler alert** Unique book , in that it approaches management in tech companies as some kind of systems engineering. Topics include but are not limi**spoiler alert** Unique book , in that it approaches management in tech companies as some kind of systems engineering. Topics include but are not limited to : - management styles , team sizing , providing feedback and help to your team, task splitting , career progression , feedback , promotions , interviewing. The book provides tips and strategies that you can approach in order to becomr sucessful in your organization....more
Highly interesting book treating drug trafficking as a corporate business. Escobar, Guzman and Lazcano are CEO's , prisons are HR departments for new hHighly interesting book treating drug trafficking as a corporate business. Escobar, Guzman and Lazcano are CEO's , prisons are HR departments for new hires , bringing crack from abroad is basically shipping with added costs , mass murders are PR campaigns against the competition and human trafficking and extortion are seen as diversification of business. Good read , innformative , author is well documented , and, above all , a humourous style of writing....more
**spoiler alert** O nuvela interesanta din punct de vedere istoric precum si al spatiului geografic- Sfantul Imperiu Romano-German in secolul XV. Asist**spoiler alert** O nuvela interesanta din punct de vedere istoric precum si al spatiului geografic- Sfantul Imperiu Romano-German in secolul XV. Asistam la tragedia unui om , un om caruia i-a fost facuta o nedreptate; un om care a incercat prin toate mijlocele legale , apeland la stapanire de nenumearate ori( jalbe )sa repare raul suferit , de fiecare data fiind in zadar. Omul nostru isi ia dreptatea in maini si provoaca multa dauna si distrugerii stapanirii.
O nuvela un pic prea lunga.Cred ca s-ar fi putut incheia mai elegant si mai scurt....more
This is indeed the work of a titan. While i started the book thinking it would be mostly about these particular types **spoiler alert** Stellar work !
This is indeed the work of a titan. While i started the book thinking it would be mostly about these particular types of securities and how to invest in them.... i was in for a treat.
The book covers in depth topics that could benefit a multitude of categories of readers starting from fund managers, company officers , accountants , lawyers in the financial domain as well as investors.
The book starts with the definition of distressed investing. Very interesting , it builds up on the reasons companies get distressed ; it follows with the not-known process of bankruptcy and liquidation and how all the parties fit in together and how the process moves forward, dividing the "pie" of assets.
The phrase that should stick with you regarding a bankruptcy process is: "It is a zero sum game" where a category of parties benefit on the lose of another.
Next we get a deep lesson on company health indicators such as EBIT(A) , EV , Debt , cash flows , how to measure them and how to spot red flags based on these indicators or , why not , investing opportunities.
We are then taken into the realm of capital structures , debt , equity , notes and all other kinds of securities , their sizing and most importantly their priority in the case of a default.
Next thing we get in the shoes of company management and their available moves in case the company ia going southward.
We then get in the shoes of the different types of creditors /stakeholders in a distressed firm and their moves.
Very interesting is the fact that the book also presents hypothetical as well as real cases of distressed conpanies.We are presented on how real companies acted when in unfavourable situations as well as how a hypothetical scenario might play out.
By the end we are also presented how a reorganization plays out and how each creditor is affected by the new capital structure, and also what to expect as a stakeholder with an interest in the new company.
Topics such as secured/unsecured debt , convenants , pledge provisions , trade claims , very interesting - tax returns , carryforwards and NOL's are also tackled !
My favourite part by far was chapter 6 , discussing leverage , which when taking a loan represents X times the EBIT.(e.g: my EBIT is 200, if i burrow 500 , the leverage is 2.5). It showed clearly based on a company EBIT what kind of debt it can sustain and manage to pay in a 5 year interval without going bankrupt. The author did an astounding job in proving through real data based charts and calculaltions that a leverage of more than 2.5 makes a company unable to ammortize the loan in a 5 year gap. In fact even a company that grows 8%/year can't do it and that considering a constant cash flow ! When the cash flow fluctuates it gets a lot worse. Even though i do not own a company this example sticked to me and i am planning to follow it on myself as if i am if i will ever consider taking a loan. Why are there people using leverages of 10 and more to buy houses/cars/stuff to show off is beyond my imagination !
This book is an enciclopedia in the fields of finance, investing and securities and i wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in the aforementioned topics....more
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