Jack Ewing

In this still on-going tale of corporate malfeasance one keeps returning to the introverted and authoritarian corporate culture of Volkswagen, in that the ultimate issue is that warnings were already in place that the firm would be hammered if their new range of diesel-powered cars did not meet the environmental standards required but the firm still convinced itself that it could flaunt those rules in pursuit of its growth agenda. There is little reason to believe that chief executive Martin show more Winterkorn and, ultimately, his mentor Ferdinand Piech did not demand that Volkswagen's engineers use every means possible to advance their vision. The question is what will eventually happen to the corporate governance of Volkswagen and whether the Porsche & Piech clans will retain their current level of power; they've certainly done enough to deserve losing their control. show less

I really enjoyed reading the history of the development of the southwestern part of Costa Rica. It’s a fascinating account of transitioning from farming/ranching to ecotourism including the requisite change in valuing of biodiversity. The writing is not the best but the personal stories that would otherwise be lost more than make up for it. It is a fascinating personal history of the place around Haceinda Baru near Dominical.

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

One night a homeless man camping out under a bridge sees a garbage bag floating down the river. After pulling the bag to shore he discovers a dead naked woman inside. He sits there stunned for a bit then spends some time wondering who she is and what happened to her, but when a car comes along he grabs his stuff, erases the evidence of his having been there and takes the woman with him to show more hide beside the river. What he overhears changes something inside him.

This is a great short story about someone who has lost his way. Sometimes it takes a simple thing to get someone back to a ‘normal’ way of life and sometimes it takes a dead body. I hope that for most people who find themselves like this guy that it would take something simple and not something extreme like a murdered person to get them to rejoin the rest of the world. Take a few minutes and read this. You won’t regret it. show less

Travis is 11 years old and has been a door-to-door salesman for his mother for a few years. No matter what weird object she produces for him to sell he manages to unload everything. He has a knack for getting people to part with their money in exchange for crocheted, knitted or sewn items, painted rocks or homemade foodstuffs. This time it is chocolate chip cookies.

Travis just wants to read his comic book. He doesn’t want to go out and hawk wares to people who don’t want them. But his show more mother insists and off they go, this time to a more affluent neighborhood a little distance from their usual stomping grounds. The very first fancy house Travis goes to has a surprise inside though and Travis learns more than he needs to know about the rich.

This a short well-written story. I really felt for Travis, having to sell stuff to help his family make ends meet when he just wants to be a normal kid. What he discovers at the Lamberts is interesting, to say the least. But I have a feeling the money he made from that one sale will only spur his mother on to new and weirder ideas. Then what will he do?

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing a review copy. Please see disclaimer page on my blog. show less