Do I need to upgrade my Macbook to Snow Leopard before Lion?

You own the software and its license says for use on 1 Mac. (at a time) You are absolutely legal using it on your other Mac. Most people don't worry about the legalities when using a single license OS on multiple Macs and Apple doesn't enforce it.

They don't use "call home" programming like MS.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.