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“Mining might convey an image of industry or technology, but I found this was not the case in the Congo. In the so-called ‘mines’, a brutally primitive process was in place involving what was effectively slave labour clawing minerals from the earth so that they could be shipped to eager cash buyers in the developed world. President Kabila headed what was effectively a cobalt and diamond cartel, while two rival factions (one backed by neighbouring Uganda, the other by Rwanda) divided up the rest of the country’s resources. Crudely, Uganda got gold and timber, and Rwanda got tin and coltan – a mineral used in mobile telephones.”
― Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
― Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
“I ricordi d'infanzia, ciò che costituisce il loro potere, è che contengono una parte di mistero. Gli avvenimenti e i personaggi del passato sembrano avere un doppio fondo; credevamo di conoscerli; ci accorgiamo anni più tardi, che ci siamo sbagliati. Quello che sembrava semplice si maschera di ombra e di segreto. Al contrario, quello che allora ci intrigava si riduce a storielle di eredità o di adulterio. L'ignoranza e la sventura del bambino creano così un mondo soltanto per metà rilevato, e per metà dissimulato. E' per questa ragione, forse, che quel mondo resta nella memoria con colori così vivaci.”
― L'incendio e altri racconti
― L'incendio e altri racconti
“When I was young, I asked my priest how to get to heaven and still protect yourself from all the evil in the world. He told me what God told His children;'You are sheep among wolves, be wise as the serpent, yet innocent as doves.”
― Gone, Baby, Gone
― Gone, Baby, Gone
“When people grow up in a home where extramarital sex is condoned, they’re much less likely to regard it as a deal-breaker. Jacqueline Bouvier’s father, ‘Black Jack,’ confided in her about his female conquests, even going so far as to play a game with Jackie when he visited her at boarding school. She would point to a classmate’s mother, and Jack would respond, ‘Yes’ or ‘Not yet’ — answering the silent question, had he slept with that one?”
― Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Eight Political Wives
― Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Eight Political Wives
“Individual Desirability / Aggregate Desirability = Your Desirability Ratio
The higher a relationship’s Desirability Ratio, the more stable a relationship will be. If a relationship’s Desirability Ratio drops below one for either partner, the relationship becomes very likely to dissolve.
To put that in other words: When your partner is much more desirable to you than their “league” would suggest, and when this dynamic is mutual (i.e., each partner values the other more than society on average values that other partner), your relationship will be uniquely stable. However, if either partner values the other less than that person would be valued on an open market, the relationship becomes unstable.”
― The Pragmatist's Guide to Relationships
The higher a relationship’s Desirability Ratio, the more stable a relationship will be. If a relationship’s Desirability Ratio drops below one for either partner, the relationship becomes very likely to dissolve.
To put that in other words: When your partner is much more desirable to you than their “league” would suggest, and when this dynamic is mutual (i.e., each partner values the other more than society on average values that other partner), your relationship will be uniquely stable. However, if either partner values the other less than that person would be valued on an open market, the relationship becomes unstable.”
― The Pragmatist's Guide to Relationships
Gretchen’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Gretchen’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
71 books
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28 friends
434 books
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20 friends
69 books
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43 friends
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Gretchen
Lists liked by Gretchen
