On (not) getting by in America
By Barbara Ehrenreich.
This book provided me with a powerful insight into a part of America I dont really experience, except as a consumer. Here are a few quotes that stayed with me:
“No job, no matter how lowly, is truely ‘unskilled’“ As Barbara tries out different jobs, through cleaner to waitress to big store assistant (Walmart), she takes us through the different things she learns to be effective in that job and paints sympathetic pictures of her colleagues.
One of Barbara’s most powerful conclusions that she backs with formal data is that
“Something is wrong, very wrong, when a single person in good health, a person who in addition posseses a working car can barelt support herself by the sweat of her brow. You dont need a dregree in econonomics to see that wages are too low and rents too high“
Barbara had no problem finding work, one and sometimes two jobs. Her major challenge included finding affordable accomodation, arranging transport to and from work. Any money left over after that was used for food. Often she was simply unable to balance her income and outgoings.
I would highly recommend this book, it provides many subtle and vaired descriptions of the forces that together constrain the poor to remaining poor and implies potential solution routes. All this is wrapped within readable stories of the authors own experiences and challenges.
W
Stories from the Hague #2
The “Het Palais” is a museum dedicated to the life and work of MC Escher. I happily spent hours looking at his wonderful prints, reading about his life, looking at photographs he’d taken of his inspirations, objects he’d owned, watching videos, playing in the virtual reality and with the optical illusions. I’ve always admised Escher’s work. Being able to visit a museum dedicated to him was a real treat.
I learned that Escher had designed a version of “Metamorphose” for the Hague Post Office.
A short walk from Het Palais is the “Maurithuis”. Another compact palacial gallery. The contents of this Gallery were exquisit: Rembrandt, Ruebens, Van Dyjck, Vermeer, Frans Hals and others I’ve forgotten how to spell. As with Het Palais, the Palais itself is a fabulous place worht visiting. The paintings were awe inspiring. As a novice, I paid particular attention to the brush storkes and techniques used.
I thought that I would never see “girl with a pearl earing” in my lifetime. I shed a little tear of joy.
I’ll be visiting ‘The Hague’ this week. Mainly working. I hope to sneak out early one day to check out the Peace Palace: http://www.vredespaleis.nl/showpage.asp?pag_id=220
Swindon, home of the infamous ‘Magic Roundabout’ also lays claim to the dubious virtue of “Britain’s most dangerous bridge“.
“it was hit by over 130 vehicles in the 1990s alone. That includes one double-decker on 15 October, 1996 which Railtrack deliberately rammed into the structure at 40 mph to publicize the danger of this bridge in particular and low bridges in general”
The site contains an impressive photograph of the double-decker hitting the bridge.
Wendy
