Why go to Turkey? For us this became the trip of a lifetime.

Its a part of our heritage which I  studied then forgot about.
You are walking in a lived-in museum pretty well everywhere.
The scenery and vistas are amazing.
The food is healthy and fantastic.
The Turks could not be friendlier people.
The accommodations are right up there, super comfortable.
The visit is affordable and rewarding.

Put this on your bucket list and make it happen. Read on.  Lots of pics at Google plus and my Facebook page. Even more on Amanda’s Savvy Travels

Their are seven follow on blog posts on Turkey., with pics.

• Significance
• Geography
• Turkey Today
• Food
• Shopping
• Weather – when to go
• Getting there.

David and Goliath. Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants. Malcolm Gladwell. 2013. ISBN 9780316204385. Always a treat to read any book by Gladwell. He is a good writer  but who challenges your beliefs in a very amiable way. He starts by blowing a hole in my childhood’s simplistic memory of David and Goliath – and then he  goes on and cuts the feet out from under of the “troubles’ in Ireland (It was all the fault of the British commander)  and  California’s three strikes law.  Its a lot of fun and my only regret is that the book is too short!  You could read most of it while waiting for your flight to be called.

Related articles

• Malcolm Gladwell Overdose
• David And Goliath : A New Book By Bestselling Author #MalcolmGladwell. I’m So Excited!!!!
• Longform Podcast #62: Malcolm Gladwell
• David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
• Malcolm Gladwell’s Latest Work
• [PDF] Malcolm Gladwell – David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
• David, Goliath and the appeal of the underdog: A Q&A with Malcolm Gladwell on this often-misunderstood story
• Who is the Real Underdog in the David & Goliath Story?

How They Started. How 25 good ideas became great companies. Carol Tice & David Lester. 2012. ISBN 9781780591216.  A pretty comprehensive list of all-star companies ( Zipcar, Spanx, Dropbox, Microsoft,  EA, Pixar, Chipotle, IBM eg) . The authors interviewed the founders and were able to drill down to the core of their stories. I wonder if they ever validated the founders “view of the world” ?  This can sometimes be at odds with “what really happened”. E.g.  at Rocket Builders we know quite a bit about the EA and RIM stories – and the details here seem to differ.  That said the premise of a good idea leading to  a great company is still true,  although it is tough to stay on top , once you get there.

Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed.Ohanian, Alexis. . Grand Central Publishing. Kindle Edition. 2013. ISBN 978-1-4555-2003-9.  The co founder of Reddit , then Hipmunk and now Breadpig, the author is a self taught coder , entrepreneur and Angel investor. He is also a strong supporter of the Free Internet and participated in the anti SOPA activities in the US.  An uplifting book as it really pushes today’s youth to get out there and just do it. His musings on what could happen to freedom of speech and the Internet is worth the price of the book.

Related articles

• Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian: Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something
• Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed by Alexis Ohanian
• Reddit Co-founder To Future Internet Entrepreneurs: ‘Just launch’
• Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian: There will always be ‘haters’
• How to Get National Press With No Budget (Plus: One Year of Mentorship from Alexis Ohanian)
• How I Would Do SEO for Hipmunk.com
• Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Explains How He Built A Web Empire
• Reddit Founder on Startup Success: Identify a Genuine Need and Fill It
• Q&A: Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, on his new book

Cover of Too Much Happiness

Too much Happiness. Alice Munro. 2009. ISBN 9780307273239. In respect of our newest Nobel prize winner I decided I  needed to read at least one of her books. The title called out to me.  I guess I was looking for a happy book.  From the first short story on, you quickly find out that it is not happiness but something dark that lurks in every tale.  I listened to a Peter Gzowski interview with her on CBC radio and found the author to be a perfectly delightful humble Canadian. Despite my illogical antipathy to short stories ( if this was so good , why not make a real story out of it), I have to say I read this book with relish, being able to put my latent misogyny well away, replacing it with a delight in skillful prose.

Related articles

• Facing health woes, Alice Munro to skip Nobel Prize ceremony
• A thank you note for Alice Munro
• Alice Munro Wins the Nobel Prize for Literature!
• How To Fact-Check Alice Munro
• Dear Life – Stories by Alice Munro