winter reading guide (for summer)

My, hasn't time flown! I thought my last blog was only a couple of days ago, but it’s been a couple of weeks. Well, whilst i think of something to do, so i can write a blog about it, here’s some more reading ideas to distract you. Oh and also some music. And don’t forget the DVDs. All good.

Books.

NON-FICTION

Nelson Mandela. Conversations with Myself. Mandela tells his story through his correspondences, journals, speeches, diaries and various drafts. He even mentions Luis Taruc's 'Born of the people' when he (Mandela) was training as a guerilla leader in Ethiopia.

Margaret Atwood. Curious Pursuits is non-fiction. And so is A Critical Companion. For her fiction check out below.

Paul Kelly. Makes some mean gravy, i mean music.

Brian Greene. The Fabric of the Cosmos (the dark-spined book in the pile) is the follow-up to The Elegant Universe. The book zeroes in on space and time, and reality. It is written with the general reader in mind. It has lots of interesting stuff to help understand the various concepts of cosmology and the universe.

Tony Blair writes his memoir in A Journey. It is honest and candid but he spends too much time defending the actions of his government especially on Iraq. There’s some porky pies in there too.

It is said that retired politicians are more concerned with keeping secrets than with telling them, as in Tony Blair above. This is quite true with Australia's John Howard. Lazarus rising. 'Lazarus' in the title is reference to his political cunning coming back from electoral defeat three times as opposition leader, to becoming the second-longest PM of Australia. He is a realist but very hardnosed to see where he got things wrong. He is always quick to take credit and to bask in glory, but reticent and slow to acknowledge responsibility for wrong decisions. He advised against his MPs indulging in hubris and arrogance, but that's exactly what led to him becoming the second sitting Australian Prime Minister, to lose his seat in an election duly won by Labor under Kevin Rudd.

In Confessions of a Faceless Man. AWU (Australian Workers' Union) head Paul Howes relates his role in the the fall of Kevin Rudd as Labor leader and PM.

Leaving Politics behind...

The Grand Design. Stephen Hawking (with Leonard Mlodinow) continues to seek answers for the questions that humans still don’t know, and presents the most recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe.

More Good News. David Suzuki and Holly Dressel provide inspiring stories of real solutions to the problems besetting the planet. They write about the many people and organisations (and cooperatives) that promote and enact real green change everyday.

Sean Wilentz. How various events such as the assassination of President McKinley and McCarthyism, helped mold Bob Dylan in America and turn him into such a significant cultural and literary figure.

FICTION

Luka and the fire of life. This book is for younger readers. It is more thrilling than a harry potter or the lord of the rings. It is also instructional in the sciences and is populated with delightful wordplay from the witty and great storyteller Salman Rushdie. Here’s a passage-

The big bang? Or some other bang i don’t know about? There was only one Bang, so the adjective big is redundant and meaningless. The Bang would only be Big if there was at least one other Little or Medium-Sized or even Bigger Bang to compare it with, and to differentiate it from.

I am now on the hunt for the previous book Haroun And The Sea Of Stories. How I missed this I don't really know.

Margaret Atwood is also in the pile with The year of the flood and The Blind Assassin.

And then there’s the latest of Lustbader’s continuation of Ludlum’s The Bourne (fill-in-the-blank). Christopher Hitchens in Hitch-22 relates an anecdote about a  gathering where he and Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis and others, played some game about book titles, naming the Bourne books with Ludlum as the Bard eg The Elsinore Vacillation (referencing Hamlet).

David Baldacci’s Deliver us From Evil is not a prayer book, but a filler.


MAGAZINES

Some older issues of Blitz, Uncut and Mojo. Featured artists include Kings of Leon, Dylan, Neil Young, Graham Nash, Nick Cave, and reviews of albums by Robert Plant, Clapton etc.

The latest issues of Uncut and Mojo feature Neil Young with 'Le Noise', and Dylan with the latest of 'The Bootleg Series (Vol 9)'. These magazines also have free CDs.

MUSIC
The Moonshine Sessions.
Easy Listening Hits.
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
Perfecting Sound. This is a 14-CD cd-book.

DVDs.


Some viewing over Christmas, if you’re somehow bored of watching Santa Claus movies.

Darwin’s Brave New World
Richard Dawkins presents The Genius of Charles Darwin.

And when you’ve gone through the lot, you can settle down again and enjoy the choice selections and relax to the Leonard Cohen tribute I’m Your Man soundtrack. Or maybe put on Mojo's CD on Dylan’s Greenwich Village scene in the 60s, while reading about it all in Sean Wilentz’s Bob Dylan in America.

Now, all that remains is to tell the 'new year' to take its time - that there's no rush in coming.

summer reading guide (for winter)

It's Summer. Time to pull out a chair, find a shady spot, and read away the hot muggy days.

If only life was that simple.

One of the books in the pile is called 'the long thaw'. This may be so in the northern hemisphere, but i fear it's more the long slow roast, this season of the heat down under.

The thunderbolt kid. Bill Bryson. I’d rather read his other books. Such as-

Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society. Bill Bryson (ed) has done a lot to bring the story of science to a popular audience. The list of authors here is impressive and eclectic: novelists such as Margaret Atwood; historians including James Gleick; and some of the most recognisable faces in modern British science: Richard Dawkins. These distinguished writers offer their take on the achievements of science.

In The Elegant Universe Brian Greene writes a book to explain in simple, non-mathematical terms what superstring theory is or what is known so far. It goes through the history of modern physics and cosmology, and comes highly recommended to anyone who has ever gazed at the heavens and wondered. Just don't expect to read it in a weekend. (What’s ‘superstring’? I thought it was a kind of shoe lace that does not come loose while running. But you learn something new everyday).

In The Long Thaw, David Archer, one of the world's leading climatologists, shows how, burning our planet's carbon, impacts on our climate for millennia. Archer argues that it is not too late to avert dangerous climate change--if humans can find a way to cooperate as never before.

On its release in 2007, Mark Bowen’s Censoring Science caused a bit of a stir. The book is about the gagging of NASA climate scientist James Hansen and his foiled attempts to warn the public about the dangers of global warming. It exposes the U.S. government’s resistance to adopt meaningful environmental policy. This book is a must-read for environmentally and politically conscientious readers. To date Hansen despairs that no real progress is being made on global warming.

Eaarth. Bill McKibben has spearheaded a global campaign to put the latest science at the heart of the global talks on climate change. He proposes 'maintenance' over 'growth' or 'expansion' as a guiding principle, but is not optimistic of the role of government in an economically broke, climate-changed world. McKibben’s solutions are mainly community-based and focused on meeting our top-line needs: food and energy; and small, smart, labour-intensive natural systems.

Eureka!: Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed the World. In this collection of twelve scientific stories, Leslie Horvitz describes the drama of sudden insight as experienced by twelve great minds, from Darwin, Einstein, the team of Watson and Crick, and to lesser known luminaries.

Rainbow Pie: A Redneck Memoir. Joe Bageant is a commentator on the politics of class in America. He reminds that everything exists within a wider political context and his memoir is peppered with monologues on the politics of class, economics and religion in his beloved USA. Rainbow Pie is a social history of a class of America, a testimonial to how America has lost its way. He is not subtle in his harangue of corporate America. This follows his 2007 book, Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War.

The Age of the Warrior. Robert Fisk is probably the most celebrated foreign correspondent in Britain, and rightly so. This selection of his journalism finds him at full throttle against a host of familiar deserving targets: Bush, Blair, the Iraq war, Western policy towards the Middle East. Fisk's pessimism is not even tempered when he regards his own colleagues. Fisk is accused of going over the top in his indignation. This book has 500 pages of truthful scorn. If only there was more journos like him.

Curious Pursuits. Margaret Atwood is my latest favorite writer. She said:
          "You learn to write by reading and writing, writing and reading."
This selection of reviews, speeches, essays and obituaries - dating from 1970 to 2005 is a joy to read. In some ways this book is a sketch of the writer's life and foregrounds. She was also a dedicated and voracious reader, finding shelves of classics in the family cellar and freely working her way through them. Atwood explains that if she doesn't like a book she doesn't review it. I wish i could do the same.

True Blue. David Baldacci’s books have worn out their welcome.

The Essential Dixie Chicks. ‘Mississippi’ did not make the cut, but ‘Not ready to make nice’ did.

1001 songs you must hear before you die. The editor says it himself: "preferences can be hopelessly subjective". I agree with maybe 10.01% of the songs here. Or is that 1.001%? I was never good at music, let alone Maths.

How To Make Gravy. Paul Kelly. The Bob Dylan of Australia writes the stories about his songs and his music. Kelly muses about the places, characters and musicians that inspired him.

Our Kind of Traitor. John le Carre. An English couple on holidays in the Caribbean meets a Russian millionaire who is fanatical about tennis. The Russian has a hidden agenda which becomes apparent to the lovers. Another enjoyable thriller about espionage that le Carre has been producing since the 1960s.

Downunder: Live In Australia is a live album by Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch. The concert was recorded over two nights at the Continental Café in Melbourne.

Wellsprings. Mario Vargas Llosa. The 2010 nobel prize winner writes about his inspirations.

Solar. Ian McEwan. A novel about when human frailty contends with the times.

The Reversal. Michael Connelly. The DA of The Lincoln Lawyer and The Brass Verdict teams up with his detective half-brother, and ex-wife, to prosecute the retrial of a child murder. My patience has about ran out with Connelly.

mo'vember books of the month

Some notes (mostly cut 'n paste) on some books and some other stuff.

Richard Feynman: A life in science, by Mary and John Gribbin, is a book about one of the important physicists of the 20th century. Feynman himself wrote or related stories about his personal experiences and adventures in the humorous auto-biographical books Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think? (with Ralph Leighton). This biography by the Gribbins is an excellent companion book to the other two, capturing Feynman's life and also discusses some of his physics.

Paul Krugman. The conscience of a liberal. A brilliant history of the rise and fall of middle class America.

In Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America’s Class War, Joe Bageant offers an enlightening, humorous, sad, and often scary look at the rural white working class. The key difference between Bageant and “his people” is that he left and got an education. Access to quality education apparently liberalizes society. Indeed knowledge liberates the mind.

A life in letters. George Orwell, despite his commitment to intellectual honesty, was a habitual self-mythologist. This is a choice volume for readers wanting a vivid self-portrait of the man behind Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal farm and other classics.

James Hansen Storms of My Grandchildren This is a whistle-blower's account, of how political systems are so willfully and deliberately blind to environmental realities that we have now no choice but to take direct physical action against the polluters. Hansen explains the basic science that the burning of oil and coal is emitting so many warming gases into the atmosphere that we are now at the point of triggering a series of catastrophes we won't be able to stop. He has advised that if the leaders weren't going to act:
"they should spend a small amount of time composing a letter to be left for future generations. The letter should explain that the leaders realized their failure would cause our descendants to inherit a planet with a warming ocean, disintegrating ice sheets, rising sea level, increasing climate extremes, and vanishing species, but it would have been too much trouble to oppose business interests who insisted on burning every last bit of fossil fuels. By composing this letter, the leaders will at least achieve an accurate view of their place in history."

Editors James Gleick and Jesse Cohen have selected 19 choice eclectic pieces for The Best American Science Writing 2000, resulting in this engrossing enjoyable volume with something for nearly every reader. The scope of topics is broad: a stellar collection of accessible scientific papers, science-related essays and prose about evolutionary biology, medicine, paleoanthropology, particle physics and more.  

Kasey Chambers Poppa Bill and the Little Hillbillies is an album made up of 16 of family friendly songs recorded by Kasey and Bill Chambers and the Chambers family.

Valleys of Neptune — a collection of more-or-less previously unreleased tracks recorded with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1969.

Bryan Ferry. Dylanesque. There is nothing here to rave about or as potent as his 1973 cover of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." Ferry’s choice of the usual covers rather than the less obvious cuts is the main gripe here, but this just highlights once again Dylan's class-above-the-rest as a songwriter.

 Jamie Buchanan. As Easy as Pi. In this book you’ll find what makes "seventh heaven" and "cloud nine" so blissful and the number 13 so unlucky. Or why "fourth-dimensional" thinking is really out of this world.

 John Brockman (ed). This will change everything. "What game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?" This is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to more than 100 of the world's most influential minds. Read the thoughts of: Ian McEwan, Frank Wilczek, Brian Eno, Alan Alda, Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, Lisa Randall, etal.

The economist. Style guide. This new edition of the best-selling guide to style is based on "The Economist"'s updated house style manual, and is an invaluable companion for everyone who wants to communicate with clarity, style and precision.

Philip Roth's latest book, The Humbling, is his third in as many years and he apparently has already completed another. Defying the concept of retirement, Roth is speeding up instead of slowing down with age.

Lustbader. Ludlum’s the Bourne objective.

Mungo MacCallum. Quarterly essay - In Australian Story, Mungo MacCallum investigates the political success of Kevin Rudd. The book argues that Rudd overlooked the concerns of Australia’s very fickle swing voters, that his predecessor Howard chose to ignore in his final term. To their regret, the conservatives kept Howard as PM for too long, but alas for Rudd, Labor panicked and subsequently chose Julia Gillard to lead them into the next election.

David Marr. Quarterly essay - Power Trip shows the making of Kevin Rudd, prime minister. In Rudd’s formative years in governance, Marr found recurring patterns: a tendency to chaos, a mania for control and a strange mix of heady ambition and retreat. Marr sought to discover what makes an extraordinarily driven man tick, and duly finds that what led to Rudd’s rise also causes his subsequent swift fall.

Backstage Politics. Phillip Adams has been close to governments of various persuasions for over fifty years and has built up an unparalleled collection of anecdotes about Australian political and cultural leaders. Backstage Politics is a funny, insightful and revealing journey through the Australian political landscape.

Tim Flannery is a distinguished biologist, environmentalist and global warming activist. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of the unique biota of Australia and New Zealand. This is a very good book exploring evolution and sustainability. Here on Earth is not just a dazzling account of life on our planet; it will change the way you live. Jared Diamond and Bill Bryson (among others) endorsed this book.

In An Explorer's Notebook is a selection of essays and articles written over a period of twenty-five years. Tim Flannery, the Australian of the Year (2007), writes about the challenges of the climate crisis that is now upon us. This traces his evolution from the young scientist doing fieldwork in remote locations to the major thinker about climate and global warming.

Alistair Wisker. TS Eliot a beginner’s guide. The Complete Poems and Plays of TS Eliot.

Sean Wilentz. The age of Reagan. Strange that Wilentz, a professor of history at Princeton University, would write about Ronald Reagan as the historic alpha dog of postmodern American politics. In 1998, Wilentz testified that the impeachment of Bill Clinton was an abomination. He also endorsed Al Gore in 2000 and Hillary Clinton in 2008.

The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln. Sean Wilentz traces the checkered history of American democracy from the Revolution to the Civil War.

I enjoy reading Wilentz's writings on music and shorter articles and columns, more than his books on history, but i can't wait to read his latest book (on Bob Dylan).

October reads and listens 2

This selection is a mixed set. Some fiction with music CDs. Not quite strange bedfellows. What could be better on a rainy day, week or month eh?

Books.

There are three books by Joyce Carol Oates here. The latest of her novels A Fair Maiden involves a 16-year-old girl and an old man. It's a little unsettling and there are creepy undertones in a book touching on stereotypes. It references the traditional folk ballad 'Barbara Allen', but I fail to see the link.

Oates's most recently published book Wild Nights, is a collection of short stories about the last days of Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Henry James and Ernest Hemingway. These are not true stories. Instead, she uses her imagination to invent what could be called fictional memoirs. 

The Gravedigger's Daughter made the New York Times' "10 Most Notable Books of the Year" list. Oates is one of those "everyone has read at least one book by her" authors. I read a couple of the books by her. Oates (a lit professor at Princeton) has won and been a multiple nominee of various awards and prizes. This is my pick of her work i've read so far.

Lisa Scottoline’s latest book, Look Again is apparently intriguing. Supposedly a dilemma between love and morality – between what society and your brain say are right and good, against what you feel. I made it to page 10, and then didn't look again.

The Sleeping Doll is one of Jeffrey Deaver's recent books. Kathryn Dance leads a manhunt for the 'Son of Manson'. I let the sleeping doll lie.

Music CDs.

Willie Nelson’s Collections is a compilation only CD that provides a brief introduction to his music. This includes many of his popular songs and a duet with Merle Haggard (Townes Van Zandt’s Pancho and Lefty).

‘Calling Me Home’ is Sara Storer’s first Greatest Hits collection. The two disc package includes her biggest hits, new recordings plus live tracks and rarities, cover versions and various duets.

Merle Haggard is one of the living legends of country music. I Am What I Am delivers a collection of tunes exploring life (and love). It’s not much different from the Hag of old, still possessed of his trademark ornery streak.

(On the road again) Music For Cruisin’ - is a series of compilations of classic songs - intended as a soundtrack to travelling the great outdoors of Australia. This includes selections from Willie Nelson, Dr. Hook, Simon and Garfunkel, Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison, and Johnny Cash amongst others.

Two men and the blues. In 2007 two musicians (Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis) from different corners of the music world collaborated for two days of concerts, and this album (released in 2008) is the harvest. This record is much more interesting than just country and jazz.

The movie Valentine's Day tracks the intertwining romantic story lines of a group of LA denizens over the course of a Valentine's Day. The Soundtrack is packed with 18 songs from Michael Franti, Willie Nelson, Ben E King, Nat King Cole, etal.

More books.

I think I may have noted these books elsewhere. Maybe. It's been a few blogs ago. Do check them out.

True Grit DVD. A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer. Yes it's a cowboy flick with John Wayne and Glen Campbell (the rhinestone cowboy) - on the waste lands of the old American west.
Or maybe look up "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot.

Magazines.
Uncut fittingly features Merle Haggard, while Mojo does Dylan again, and then Tom Waits in another issue.

In July to read is to fly

Reads on the fly as July flies by... It has flown.
You can play the music CDs in the background.

Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen (Economics 1998) has books translated into thirty languages. Identity and Violence is a departure from his usual topics of welfare and development economics. The book discusses issues of identity including religion, culture, globalisation, 'East' and 'West', Muslim history and multiculturalism. Sen witnessed the communal conflict that marked India's independence in 1947, and is in a position to ask his reader to rise above the narrow-mindedness of those who are not prepared to think beyond simple categories. Sen is among the great intellectuals of modern times and is worth heeding.

In Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics, Paul Street chronicles the rise of Obama. He deconstructs many of the myths surrounding the President including, grassroots funding, progressive politics, stance on war and health care. The book offers a broad and well-informed understanding on the meaning of the “Obama phenomenon”. Street looks at Obama in relation to contemporary issues of class, race, war, and empire. He considers Obama in the context of America’s political history. He concludes that Obama is no exception to the electoral system and ideological culture of the true American political tradition. This book offers a balanced assessment, is deeply researched and draws from the author’s direct experience as a civil rights advocate. It remains to be seen if, as Street concludes, Obama is a “neo-liberal fraud.”

The Chomsky Effect A Radical Works Beyond the Ivory Tower Robert F. Barsky

"People are dangerous. If they're able to involve themselves in issues that matter, they may change the distribution of power, to the detriment of those who are rich and privileged."

—Noam Chomsky (voted "most important public intellectual in the world today" in a 2005 magazine poll)

Barsky writes about Chomsky, the inspiration, catalyst, analyst and advocate. Chomsky encourages people to become engaged—to be "dangerous" and challenge power and privilege. The actions and reactions of Chomsky supporters and detractors result in what is termed "the Chomsky effect.

he is “the most important intellectual in the world” and “the great American crackpot”; his intellectual status is “on a par with that of Darwin or Descartes,” but “everything he says is false.” These conflicting judgements cover all domains: linguistics, philosophy, literary theory, psychology ... but above all politics and international affairs.

Barsky also discusses why Noam Chomsky has come to mean so much to so many—and what he may mean to generations to come.

What’s the Hitch? Christopher Hitchens’ new book, Hitch-22, is a mixture of memoirs and essays. Hitchens was a left-wing, anti-imperialist, scourge of American hubris, erstwhile booster of Vietcong and Sandinistas, ex-Trot who ended up a drummer boy for Dubya Bush’s war in Iraq, a tub-thumper for neoconservatism, and a strident American patriot. Paul Wolfowitz became his new comrade. A reviewer notes ‘...how typical of Hitch the maverick, the contrarian: another day, another prank. .. not easy to take this consummate entertainer entirely seriously’. On the serious side, Hitchens writes very sentimentally about his mother, and shows sincere devotion to his friends. All in all Hitch-22: A Memoir, like most of his books, is straight-shooting, deeply interesting, often witty.

The March of Patriots, is a book by Paul Kelly of Australian political history, of the fall of Keating, and the first two terms of the Howard government, kind of like a tale of two PMs.
The book is described thus by crikey.com: ‘...it makes the reading of it dull but dutiful work. It’s the literary equivalent of cleaning out the garage on a grey Saturday afternoon.’
My prose is very inadequate and nowhere this height or depth. But Kelly did fail to probe the deeper traits of his subjects for context, e.g. John Howard who is aptly described by a book review as ‘a mild racial chauvinist, xenophobe and nostalgist. These two tendencies, mild in themselves, become noxious when combined, as they did in the Tampa period, producing an utter indifference and disdain for people of a different race.’
Crikey.com has reviewed the book and christened the author “Oracle of the obvious”. All of the 36 comments of the review of the book have rubbished not just the book but Kelly the author, who at least had the dignity not to respond to the critics. Begs the question why these critics - considering their negative comments – even bothered putting pen to paper, to comment on someone who apparently they do not rate. Maybe just a bit of envy of their oracle there.
All these detracts from my take which is that Keating, who served as PM for less than half that of Howard, has left a longer-lasting and more important legacy. Howard shamelessly exploited asylum seekers for political gain and, along with Dubya and Blair invaded Iraq.

long May you read

A mixed bunch this fortnight, or is this the monthly set? It’s all blurred. Taking leave from work, travelling home – these somehow disrupt routines. I took some time off to rejuvenate and ended up getting depressed. Now i need a break from writing about the depressing things i saw during my break.

First to the AV set.

Top of the pile is some blues from John Hammond. 'Push comes to shove' i'll take this with me to that hypothetical deserted island.

Then some great Aussie selections from Redgum. 'Caught in the act' is their only live album. Check out "I was only 19" and "diamantina drover".

Tom Petty & the heartbreakers rock with some concert offerings.

There is a book on the songs of Neil Young if you dig Neil Young. Otherwise don’t waste your time.

Then to some videos.

‘We were Soldiers’ is another of those patriotic flicks from hollywood. To be fair it accords equal treatment to both sides of the war in Vietnam. I only borrowed it for a couple of songs on the soundtrack, but it’s okay if there’s nothing else around. Just watch it objectively.

The Oscar-winning film ‘Midnight Cowboy’ is another to watch when there’s not much on TV. I haven’t seen this before and I do like Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Although their character roles here are not to be admired, their acting certainly is top shelf. I also borrowed it for the soundtrack which has 'everybody talkin'. This was way back in the early 70s.

To the read list.

The novels. McCarthy’s ‘The Road’ has been both panned and praised. I must have got some bias elsewhere before I read it. Even then i could not find myself enjoying the book. It is way unrealistic.

I read ‘The brothers Karamazov’ before or so i thought. If i did it must have been in another life. Ideal for a holiday getaway. I thought of bringing it to Mainit. Good i didn’t because it would have remained unread.

I picked up Chess champion Kasparov’s book just out of curiosity. I actually enjoyed it. It’s a bit more fun if you know a little chess, but even non-chess players could find some lessons here.

The other items include books on TS Eliot’s works and a biography of Kahlil Gibran. I’d get into them first before reading these books. One of them's fighting in the captain's tower.

More music suggestions.

Oops most are in the first photo too.

Do check out Grant-Lee Phillips. He’s got some good songs.

Then there’s a compilation from The Who.

The who? Yeah you may not have heard of them. They’re of ‘my generation’. He he.

March marched on, and April came – she didn’t.

This set sat unopened for weeks. Am not sure if my time was better spent away.
I have much to say but not right now, cause i can't think. It's either too quiet - or too noisy.
depends on how you look at it...
So most of the notes are extracts, 'cut n paste' from various reviews.
you get the message.

Philip Roth. Indignation is a good though sometimes confounding read with the odd subtle turn, as a reviewer wrote: "Indignation is a deceptively short book, written in a style in which limpidity conceals darkness."

Jonathan Lethem. Chronic City. From a review: “The acclaimed author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude returns with a roar with this gorgeous, searing portrayal of Manhattanites wrapped in their own delusions, desires, and lies.” I pretty much prefer Lethem’s earlier books.

Herman Wouk. A hole in texas. I take this to be Wouk’s attempt at mainstream fiction. The New York Times says the 88-year old Wouk "spins it into a crackling yarn and writes with an enduring vigor that whippersnappers might envy."

Allan Massie. Charlemagne and Roland. Third in Dark Ages series. As in the previous books, the story is told by a narrator, instructing a young emperor in the ideals of kingship by telling him tales of the great men of the past and their adversities. Massie is a mighty story teller who with his knowledge plays fast with both fact and fiction, but he never plays loose. He displays so much learning and sympathy that one seeks the wisdom that lies beneath.

Toni Morrison. Sula. ‘Sula’ another acclaimed Morrison book, is described as "...a satire on binary thinking, which glories in paradox and ambiguity." I think I’ll leave it there.

Dostoevsky. The house of the dead. about a man serving a prison sentence for murder. It is not an account of imprisonment and system of law but the author's own experiences. on his fellow inmates their personalities, their culture, their way of life and way of thinking to great effect, Its a story of love for humanity, of resurrection from despair, and of a man's final reconciliation with his own life

Martin Amis. Yellow Dog is described as “...readable, amusing and clever, which gives it a head start on the majority of modern novels.” Another reviewer wrote: “...contains moments of comedy aimed at generating discomfort as well as laughter. a tightly constructed novel, bristling with ideas and allusions. Overall the flaws are frequently eclipsed by moments of brilliance.” Still another reviewer: “it is a bad book in the most ordinary of terms. Poorly integrated, pointless, and, for a satire, not very funny, ...Yellow Dog isn't a scandal; it's just kind of crummy.”

John Updike. My father’s tears. Updike’s distinguished writing career spanned more than half a century. It's only fitting that in My Father's Tears, his final, posthumously published collection of short stories, he turns that gaze — bent upon both precision and beauty — to death. not his best, but they are a lesson in love.

Previous notes:
Don DeLillo's 'Underworld' is a bit disjointed but this acclaimed book is a snapshot of american culture and needs a bit of patience to enjoy.

Stephen Mitchell. Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was written a thousand years before the Iliad and the Bible. This is a very readable and entertaining version that one can finish in one sitting (or one lie-down in my case). The author uses “a loose, non-iambic, non-alliterative tetrametre...”, which I like. I also like that it refers to existing translations. The biblical story of Noah and the flood is very similar to one in this ancient Babylonian tale. This has apparently disturbed some Christians.

Music guide.

 
I dig Neil Young
I dig Bonnie Raitt
I think the dirt band is grand...
as Kristofferson said:
If you don't like Hank Williams...
you can kiss my ----ocks...
('you can kiss my donkey' i think he said).

Some notes on "The New Asian Hemisphere"

The New Asian Hemisphere is a book by Kishore Mahbubani.

Mahbubani gives an Asian viewpoint of the current economic and political balance or imbalance and posits the thesis that Asia has risen to take control of half the globe away from the hold of the West headed by Imperial America. He contends that the struggle between supposedly two main protagonists Asia and the West (America/EU & allies) will shape global relations and policy in this next decade and into a new Age (of Asia).

The book glosses over a few issues such as human rights, political oppression and economic exploitation. It also chooses to ignore the fact that the success of the Asian tigers is owed mainly to the principles of free market and the current economic order effected through globalization.

Mahbubani does advance the positive Asian values of meritocracy, pragmatism and open-mindedness that are the ingredients to global leadership. He is optimistic that these Asian traits will lead them to prevail.
Mahbubani thinks the Asian hemisphere is inevitable, although many consider his arguments debatable.

I have compiled some notes from the book of the positive aspects of the Asian tigers:
• Asian domination in research in science and technology. It is predicted that soon 90% of all PhD scientists and engineers will be based in Asia.
• Massive increases in funding, investments and spending in research and development.
• In India, they are reaping the rewards of decisions made decades ago by Nehru who founded Indian Institutes of Technology. These IITs collect the best talent pool in India and are very successful in churning out very talented and internationally renowned graduates. This fact led a TV host in America (CBS’ 60 Minutes) to state that the status of IITs is comparable to Harvard, MIT and Princeton put together.
• China’s gains in science and technology match that of India.
• The World Bank has reported that from 1983-2003 more than 50% of US PhD degrees (nearly 90,000) in science and engineering were awarded to students from Asia (China, Taiwan, India and South Korea). This is four times more than those from Europe (23,000).
• Japan successfully modernized by applying Western best practices. They learned from the French and American education systems and implemented them. They also adopted Western civil service and jurisprudence systems.
• Singapore has the most meritocratic civil service in the world. Pay scales of senior government officials almost match the private sector. Department heads earn as much as US$1.5M a year, more than President Obama ($400K). Singapore also applied Western techniques in its fledgling years of independence after 1965.
• The principle of meritocracy rigidly applied in Harvard and a few other organisations, has been adapted and applied ruthlessly and systematically in China’s government structures. China also gained from following the success of Singapore after Deng Xiaoping visited there in 1978.
• Malaysian leader Dr Mahathir implemented economic policies by “looking east” and learning from Japan and South Korea.

What of the Philippines? Has it missed the boat?
Mentions of the Philippines in the book highlight Asian non-achievement. The Philippines is noted as an example of where meritocracy has failed:
• The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism PCIJ (2007) shows that two-thirds of congress are traditional politicians (second- and third- generation).
• The Makati Business Club showed that only one-third of 86 bills passed in 2007 were of national import.
• Roger Olivares found that political dynasties control 75% of provinces and 100% of cities. This hold on power by the traditional elite, and by extension their grip on the economic wealth of the Philippines has resulted in what the late Fr Miguel Bernad described in a review of Olivares’ Noli... 2,

the degradation of the Filipino people who must export one million persons every year, because the leaders have neglected to develop the agricultural and the industrial resources which might have provided them with decent jobs at home. A total of eight million Filipinos are now abroad, most of them in menial jobs. ... Government officials gloat over the number of Overseas Workers (OFW) and the amount of dollars coming in from them – not realizing that this situation is an indictment of their neglect: they should have been doing something to improve the economy so that people need not seek a better life abroad (underscoring mine).

Mahbubani states the obvious that the Philippines is still very much crippled by feudal mindset.

The Philippines is an Asian country and yet likes to adopt the Western mindset and cultures of its former colonial masters, including the Christian religion. The Philippines proudly boasts to be the only Christian nation in Asia. It’s motto is: Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan, at Makabansa ("For God, People, Nature, and Country").

The Philippines is indeed a Christian nation. People go to their churches and absorb christian values which inform their politics. Come election time, influential people, including the clergy apparently hear voices from God to endorse this or that candidate. How many Christian gods are there though? How come he endorses so many? Politicians themselves claim to have divine approval. So then may we ask - with God on their side - why have they abandoned their fellow Filipinos by the wayside? I read that the Philippines became a Christian nation in 1521. Being a Christian must be so hard to do. I’ll just be an Igorot, tend to my fields, and thank the anitos for the palay and camote that sustain me. I’d be very afraid to face God in the other life if I were or profess to be a Christian.

And therein lies the paradox. The Philippines is the most professedly Christian of the developing countries in the world, and yet is the most un-Christian in its standing. How does one reconcile that?
The Philippines is going backward because of corruption and all sorts of unchristian practices not least  hypocrisy. And going back to meritocracy - the principle of equality somehow goes against the grain, in the minds of the Filipino ruling class.
The above shows that traditional Politicians are not the solution, they are the problem. The journalist Sheila Coronel also stated an obvious 'known known' (thanks rummy):

“I think our problem is we ask the politicians to save us from our misery when they are the cause of our misery.”

So back to the question: has the Philippines missed the boat?
Well bet your house on it (i would if i owned one) - that the Philippines has missed the boat. The ship has nearly arrived at its destination, and we haven’t even got to the port yet.
Is it too late? Hey we're Christians aren't we? We believe in miracles. But we need to find a catapult to breach that ocean and hope for that divine intervention to delay the ship “The New Asian Hemisphere” so we can swim along in its wash.
Where to start?
First we need to learn to swim or we’ll just sink.
Let us start from the basics: that democracy is best practised in the grassroots and thus must emanate from the grassroots. As the notes above show, it is time for a change. Get rid of the traditional politics that have been an albatross around our necks. The huge majority of Filipinos are morally upright citizens with enough intelligence to run national affairs capably and well.

It is time for us to change our culture of popular politics and look to those acclaimed in the community for leadership. Our tradition of the ato where the Council of elders is formed not through wealth or name or connections, but by virtue of one’s standing, may be the key. This is the egalitarian philosophy at work.
It may be a schoolteacher, a government official, a local Councillor, or just someone with enough experience that the people can entrust their confidence in. If there is someone who combines some of these and is willing to be drafted to serve, that would be ideal.

Wikipedia has attributed part of the success of the Asian tigers to the role of traditional philosophies:

• In Japan the existence of harmonious labor-management relations resulting in an "invented" tradition that has played an important role in the evolution and character of Japanese economic values and behavior of social peace for economic development. Thereaffirmation of ancient Confucian values and native Japanese traditions of harmony, self-sacrifice and non-individualistic group striving in pursuit of a common cause. The emphasis on long-term growth, scrupulous market evaluation, and process engineering are all well regarded as important components of its economic development.
• These "Asian values" are the foundations ("Grund" as it used to be) of "Asian political economy". Abandoning import substitution, the model advocated in the developing world following the two world wars, the Four Asian Tigers pursued an export-driven model of economic development with the exportation of goods to highly-industrialized nations. Domestic consumption was discouraged through government policies such as high tariffs. The Four Asian Tigers singled out education as a means of improving productivity; these territories focused on improving the education system at all levels; heavy emphasis was placed on ensuring that all children attended elementary education and compulsory high school education. Money was also spent on improving the college and university system.
• Since the Four Asian Tigers were relatively poor during the 1960s, these nations had an abundance of cheap labor. Coupled with educational reform, they were able to leverage this combination into a cheap, yet productive workforce. The Four Asian Tigers committed to egalitarianism in the form of land reform, to promote property rights and to ensure that agricultural workers would not become disgruntled. Also, policies of agricultural subsidies and tariffs on agricultural products were implemented as well. (underscoring mine).
• These places had strong industrial economies which set them apart from all other places in Asia.

Indeed we could do worse than to be 'looking East' and learning from our Asian tigers.