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On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:19:28 -0400, Ruby Vee
wrote:

On 2007-08-16 07:56:08 -0400, said:

Probably in self defense, my mother introduced me to the public
library as soon as I could read. My Goodness, there was a lot of
information in that building and right on the way home from school --
if I took a bit of a detour. At one time I was the youngest person in
my home town to possess a "library card".

My father introduced me to the public library -- after I read
everything in the children's library and was too young to get a library
car in the adult library, he gave me his library card to use. Then he
walked me to the library, introduced me to the head librarian and told
her "Let Ruby read anything she wants to read. If she has questions,
or if you're really concerned about whether it's appropriate for her,
call me." It was a small town. I think the only call my father ever
received wasn't from the librarian, but from my high school English
teacher who had a problem with me doing a book report on "The
Godfather." He threatened me with detention (and I had a job to get
to!) and demanded to know what my parents would think of me reading
such trash. (It was in the early 70s.) My father had given me the
book! The English teacher called my father, and it was the last time
he ever questioned my reading choices!

I guess I have read D.H. Lawrence, at least the more lurid parts of
Lady Chatterly. Really hard core stuff in my youth

Hemingway, is good and bad. Most of the bull fighting books were great
on detail but dwelled, and dwelled, and dwelled, and dwelled on the
tension and fear building up before the matador enters the ring. I
found them tedious. On the other hand the old man and the sea, was, I
believe, one of the best books about small time commercial fishing
that has been written.

I feel the same way about much of Hemingway's work. But the old man
and the sea was good. And Lady Chatterly was quite interesting -- at
least the lurid bits. I was too young when I read it to really
understand the story, though. I ought to give it another try.

Mark Twain (which, by the way, is 12 feet) is a writer that I enjoy as
I do Kipling. Neither of them would be published in the present day of
"political correctness" which seems a puzzle as it is neither
political nor correct, but that is another story. I keep a copy of Kim
and re-read it at least once a year.

I enjoyed Mark Twain. And Kipling, but I loved Jack London. And Steinbeck.

Most of my reading lately is trash. I work on the boat; I eat supper;
it's too early to go to bed; I read a book, the last thing I want to
do is read a good book because I've got to get up tomorrow and do it
all again, so I read trash. Science Fiction; Fantasy; Detective
stories, etc.

It's hard not to enjoy trash like sci fi, fantasy and detective
stories. That makes up the majority of my reading these days, and for
the same reasons. (Not working on a boat, per se, but working.) I
read to relax, and I don't want to have to work at it.

Well, given that you have a boy in high school it might have been
correct, when you were ten, that Americans read, but it certainly
isn't true now. I have no contact with the U.S. except for the
internet so can't say from experience but when I read some idiot's
remarks about something he saw on TV that is physically impossible it
really makes me wonder.

Americans do read -- although I think that it's the women reading while
the men control the TV remote and watch one idiotic thing after the
next.

But then have political leaders who are old enough to remember the
last time we got ourselves into a situation where we didn' know how to
get out of it and did it again. Truly, Those who cannot learn from
history are doomed to repeat it.

Ruby Vee, in the US working to build up a cruising kitty.

An old Australian told me, "you don't need it, just go." He was
actually talking about equipment but equipment costs money. You really
don't need as much as West Marine implies that you do.

You do need an accurate voltage gauge to monitor your batteries but if
you do some research (Trojan is a good site to start with) you'll find
that you can get along perfectly well with a auto battery charger. If
your solar panels and/or wind generator don't get your batteries over
13.5 volts then you don't need a regulator for them since 13.5 is
about what an expensive three stage battery charger will hold your
batteries at anyway.

I could go on and on but the secret is to research the system until
you really do understand it and then buy what you need.

I'll see you when you pass through.

Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom)

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