I really enjoyed this, and would recommend it.
I was (and am) a big Star Trek fan, and I knew Shatner mostly from that. In fact though, as my well informed readers know, he’s done a lot of other things, many of them since the show. Some of these things were less known to me. Also, he’s lived a very interesting life.
In the book he uses all of this as great raw material. He discusses his triumphs such winning an Emmy for Boston Legal. He spends a lot of time on Star Trek of course, and you learn some things you may not have known about Leonard Nimoy as well, such as his growing up as a Jew in Boston and struggling with Alcoholism. He also discusses his four marriages, including his third that ended with his wife’s death by drowning in their pool.
The book is very honest. He is shamelessly, but with a wink engages in self promotion, à la price line. But he also, discusses his failures and some regrets. Regrets such as hunting down a bear with a bow and arrow, only to realize why kill such a noble creature.
Finally, William Shatner is a very funny guy. Read the first chapter if you can and you’ll see what I mean. If you can get the audio book. Shatner reads it in his “Shatnerian” style.
Thumbs up.
I loved him in the Twilight Zone. He’s great in that “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” episode. There is another one called “The One Armed Bandit” (I believe) about gambling that is pretty good in as well.
He has one of two interview shows on now that I’ve seen and been impressed. A few months ago he had Rush Limbaugh saying that health care is like a beach house (meaning I assume that it should be most available for those with money). I also saw him interview Bernard Goetz, the subway shooter, he did a great job in letting Goetz tell his story.
Hey, I have an economics question for you. I am trying to learn more about David Ricardo’s ideas on rent for an article I am trying to put together. I have read some of Robert Heilbronner’s stuff on him in “The Worldly Philosophers” and a few other things here and there. I’d like to find some writing that gets into that idea and Ricardo’s perspective on it. Keep in mind, I am am econ layman. Any thoughts? Also, could you recommend me anything to help understand Malthus a bit better? Thanks.
I’d recommend that you find a good history of thought text.
I think you can access this search:
https://catalog.multcolib.org/search/a?searchtype=Y&searcharg=History+of+Economic+Thought&SORT=D&searchscope=1&submit=Search
though I doubt you’ll want to come to Portland. The same books are likely in your local library. You might also look up Henry George, who advocated heavy taxes on land as a way to capture value that owner didn’t arguably create.
Usually “rent” is thought of the component of a price that is beyond that needed to provide incentive for the producer to produce, that serves the purpose of allocating the scare product to the consumers who value it most.
Great stuff!!! Thanks for all your help! Love the new design, by the way.