Many hoorahs for the return of Robyn's tasks.
Today, it is the classic Book Meme:
1. grab the nearest book. no cheating! the nearest book.
2. open the book to page 123.
3. find the fifth sentence
4. post the text of the next four sentences on your blog, along with these instructions.
5. don't you dare dig for a cool or intellectual book on your shelf. pick out whatever is closest!
Righto!
Sorry, Robyn, but the nearest book, perched on top of the usual pile next to my computers (consisting of Roget's Thesaurus; A Dictionary of Classical & Foreign Words & Phrases; The Oxford Dictionary For Writers And Editors; The Oxford English Grammar and the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations - pedant that I am) happens to be Richard Gott's "Cuba. A New History", which I just used for checking the Spanish spellings in my last post and haven't yet put back in its anally retentive slot in my library.
So … p.123; sentences 6,7,8 & 9:
The so-called 'Morúa Law' was put forward by the reformist black senator, who claimed that since Estenoz's party represented only the interests of black Cubans, it would inevitably discriminate against whites - which would violate the constitution. The Independent Party of Colour was banned.
Estenoz had two possible courses of action. He could make common cause with José Miguel Gómez and try to persuade him, given the size of the potential vote his black supporters would normally supply to the Liberals, to lift the ban and provide them with secure jobs.
… Aha!
That's your requisite four sentences over and done with.
Left you hanging a bit, didn't they?
Wouldn't you just like to know what Estenoz's second course of action might be?
Eh?
No?
Well bugger you; I'm going to tell you anyway:
Your bonus fifth sentence is:
Alternatively, he could play the Platt Amendment card and make fresh overtures to the United States, the self-appointed guarantor of Cuban liberties.
So there you go. If you want to read further (and it's a great book), you can order a copy from Cuba Connect's bookshop, along with many of Fidel's greatest (and longest) speeches. And yes, I have copies of them; you should know me that well by now …
So many thanks to Robyn for returning her tasks to us. Now let's see what the rest of you have as a "nearest book to hand" … and NO CHEATING!
11 comments:
This is great. Not my top choice for reading, but it shows what is important to you, which is part of the point, I think.
I have not posted a "task" for quite some time because I have been feeling a little drained lately. That happens, I guess. Today's task was just a fluke because I stopped by a newly-discovered site and found something I liked. Heck, at least it's not a quiz.
Waaaay better than a quiz.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Apologies for the dryness of the material. I could have cheated and reached across to an Edward Gorey book or, in the other direction, a history of pre-Meiji Japan.
There's no such thing as too many books.
You sure have interesting things happening on your blog. I stole this one from you. Check my personal blog if you want to read mine- if it's even remotely interesting to you :)
Great find, Robyn!
Hi, Utsav.
I hope that's a textbook you're reading and not someting you would read for pleasure … though it does sound cool.
I'm fascinated by your Bhutan photoblog. I've put a link to it on my sidebar, together with a Bangalore photoblog so I can see where you are living.
They've posted a photo of biryani that's so tempting I'm going to make one for tomorrow's dinner.
Oh trust me it's not cool at all- one of the most boring subjects I've had to study the last four years. Sometimes I wish I was a literature student instead- at least I'd enjoy reading my texts. Then again I'd probably be wishing I was into technical stuff- that's the problem with having multiple interests, I guess.
Your fascination for Bhutan inspires me. Think I'll update tonight. And that link in your sidebar is infinitely flattering. I'm linking back to your blog- it's very interesting and a lot of fun.
Oh and good luck with the biryani! It's quite a treat (albeit a rather spicy one), when made right.
This is sad. I wanted to complete this task, but all my books had fallen into the crack between the bed and the wall (i tend to sleep with them) and i was too lazy to scrounge for one. thats pretty damn lazy.
Dive burn yer boring books and get some dvds----please.
Thanks, Utsav.
Bhutan has fascinated me since I was a little kid, reading all my uncle's old Victorian books about the Himalayas and India and explorers and stuff.
We hear so little about it here and your photoblog promises to clear away the mist, as it were.
As for biryani, my old friend Lady Caroline Egerton grew up in Northern India in the twenties and thirties and taught me how to make many regional dishes. Any excuse to make one is welcome.
And Tai and Old K: I'm kinda glad you didn't do the book challenge. I dread to think what would have emerged. A Taschen book, perhaps, with lots of fetish pictures, but not the Brontes … (yes I have both) …
I don't read ahead in fiction, so I will do this for my nonfiction read.
The fact that I have drwan on Darby's own attitutdes raises the question of his personality. It is a distraction to this discussion to sugest that persecution feelings and a capacity to identify one's own views with those of the Almighty, and so to magnify the personal conflicts t oa cosmic scale, are psycohpathic manifestations. So they may be, and Darby may well have had these tendencies to an abnormal degree. So also, possibly, many of his followers.
This is from Mary Douglas's Natural Symbols, a groundbreaking work in cultural antropology. Sorry, I'm a nerd.
When I think of the Platt Amendment, I often also think about Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Poor Mr. Hand, trying to teach history to a bunch of people (like Sean Penn) on dope.
Not nerdy, Sassy; fascinating. Though other than Ruth Benedict, I can't lay my hands on any cultural anthropology books (in this room, anyway).
I'll add that one to my list.
And Fast Times? Hee hee.
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