MEN'S STUDIES
A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul by Wayne Kritsberg, John Lee, and Shephard Bliss
Written by three veterans of the men's movement, this wonderful book contains daily readings and meditations on a variety of issues, including recovery, personal growth, relationships and environmental concerns. A brief quotation from the masters of world literature, philosophy or religion is followed by nicely written commentaries and inspirational messages. Written at the time when men's mythopoetic movement was at its highest, it's still a great resource.
FICTION
The Reconstructionist by Josephine Hart
Beautifully written tale of coping with one's dysfunctional family and personal history, real and fabricated - and why we all fall prey to coming up with personal history narrative(s) in the first place. Simple language, great style. Two thumbs up!
RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY
The Eternal Promise by Thomas Kelly
Better known for his Quaker classic "A Testament of Devotion", Thomas Kelly's essays in this small but powerful volume include such gems as "Christians and Decided Christians", "Hasten unto God" and "The Gathered Meeting." Appealing to Quakers and non-Quakers alike, his essays are a great introduction to the rich world of Friends' spirituality.
FICTION
The Remorseful Day by Colin Dexter
I enjoyed reading this final Inspector Morse novel. However, I found the author's language and style a bit tedious and patronizing at times (only Dexter could come up with expressions such as vespertinal divertissments or transmensal exchanges). Also, the characters seem somewhat underdeveloped. Page turner it is, but that's just about all it is.
FICTION
The Crow Road by Iain Banks
Absolutely brilliant, pleasure to read! Contemporary Scottish lit at its best. It's one of those books you'd wish to just go on and on, without ever coming to an end. It was only recently that I read somewhere that the BBC Scotland turned it into a mini series back in the mid-90s to much acclaim. Would be worth watching.
FICTION
Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb
Having never read any of Ms Nothomb's books before, I bought this book at a Christmas sale in one of the local bookstores led by nothing more than a positive review from O: The Oprah Magazine at the back cover. It turned out to be one the best books I've read in '07. It's been a while since a book made me laugh quite so hard. Funny and nightmarish at almost the same time, this slender volume describes working atmosphere in a Japanese corporation and a Westerner's coping with modern yet ancient Japanese social mores. Thanks for the tip, Oprah!
Monday, 31 December 2007
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Spam as postmodern cult lit?
Most people simply delete spam messages like the one below without ever reading them. And yet, with their elaborate plots involving international crime, human trafficking, political oppression and a host of other problems in various nondescript third world countries, they have approached the status of a literary genre of sorts.
I can't stop wondering, who comes up with these emails? Where do these people draw inspiration from? Action movies, whodunits, international news, real life? Do they honestly expect anyone in their right mind to follow through their instructions, involving money transfer and travelling to the far reaches of the world? Has anyone ever bought into that?
One can understand the logic behind those brief emails promising instant relief from insomnia, depression or erectile dysfunction, but this sort of spam is too sophisticated and elaborate for something that makes no sense at all. There's got to be more to it.
My dear, I am miss Angela from Asmara, Eritrea, single and 21 years old. After accessing your details in the internet i copied out only your email address. Immediately after going through your information i made up my mind to contact you for long term relationship, because you are my choice of trust and i see nothing wrong with the choice that i have made in you. Now that i am in a state of absolute confusion I must let you know that my daddy was the Financial controler to the Common Wealth North African Region.
About my parents; My mummy died in labour when she was giving birth to a baby in the hospital in Asmara, and both my mummy and the baby died together, then i was only 11 years of age. My daddy died in a car accident and the car driver that jamed my daddy's car ran away and my daddy's lawyer and my daddy's brother are among the suspects, and they are all against me because of my daddy's properties in Eritrea.The following information is my purpose of choosing you. Before my daddy died he made me the beneficiary of the amount of 14.5 Million gbp£ in his account with citi bank in oxford street, London, i have the bank certificate of account in my travelling bag in this prison. on my way travelling to London, England i arrived this Dakar city on transit, on the same night i arrived Dakar i was attacked by 2 big boys in my guest house (hotel) room, they robbed me, collected my hand bag that contained all my travelling money (390,200$) and travelling documents, as if that was not enough, they tried to rape me so i collected the nearest object in the room and hited one of them on the head and screamed to the hearing of the neighbouring compounds and people came out and descended on the criminals, the next morning the police came to the guest house and arrested me, since then i have been kept under awaiting trial here in this central prison of Dakar because the criminal i heated got paralyzed as a result of the severe beating given to him by the neighborhood.
I am among the girls newly appointed to head the girls sector in this prison, hence i have the advantage to use the prison computer to communicate with you, and i will be very glad to also have a detailed information about you. From here i communicated with citi bank and they said that because of the written agreement that my daddy signed with them that i must be present in their bank to withdraw the money by myself OR that i should ask my foreign partner to claim and receive the money on my behalf, but the problem is that i dont have a foreign partner, so i want you to be my foreign partner and also be my financial and investment manager. i know that i am taking a big risk but there is nothing else i can do than to trust someone and to trust someone is by choice and you are my choice of trust. I want to know what is your name and your present occupation and your house address.
The money is my only hope in life. as soon as citi bank send the money to you, you will use some of the money to get me a Dakar lawyer/s to fight for my case and get me out of here, then the same week of my release you will fly down here in Dakar City and i and you will depart to your home in your country together.
Reply me only on email ONLY.
I am waiting for your reply
Miss Angela Kennedy
I can't stop wondering, who comes up with these emails? Where do these people draw inspiration from? Action movies, whodunits, international news, real life? Do they honestly expect anyone in their right mind to follow through their instructions, involving money transfer and travelling to the far reaches of the world? Has anyone ever bought into that?
One can understand the logic behind those brief emails promising instant relief from insomnia, depression or erectile dysfunction, but this sort of spam is too sophisticated and elaborate for something that makes no sense at all. There's got to be more to it.
My dear, I am miss Angela from Asmara, Eritrea, single and 21 years old. After accessing your details in the internet i copied out only your email address. Immediately after going through your information i made up my mind to contact you for long term relationship, because you are my choice of trust and i see nothing wrong with the choice that i have made in you. Now that i am in a state of absolute confusion I must let you know that my daddy was the Financial controler to the Common Wealth North African Region.
About my parents; My mummy died in labour when she was giving birth to a baby in the hospital in Asmara, and both my mummy and the baby died together, then i was only 11 years of age. My daddy died in a car accident and the car driver that jamed my daddy's car ran away and my daddy's lawyer and my daddy's brother are among the suspects, and they are all against me because of my daddy's properties in Eritrea.The following information is my purpose of choosing you. Before my daddy died he made me the beneficiary of the amount of 14.5 Million gbp£ in his account with citi bank in oxford street, London, i have the bank certificate of account in my travelling bag in this prison. on my way travelling to London, England i arrived this Dakar city on transit, on the same night i arrived Dakar i was attacked by 2 big boys in my guest house (hotel) room, they robbed me, collected my hand bag that contained all my travelling money (390,200$) and travelling documents, as if that was not enough, they tried to rape me so i collected the nearest object in the room and hited one of them on the head and screamed to the hearing of the neighbouring compounds and people came out and descended on the criminals, the next morning the police came to the guest house and arrested me, since then i have been kept under awaiting trial here in this central prison of Dakar because the criminal i heated got paralyzed as a result of the severe beating given to him by the neighborhood.
I am among the girls newly appointed to head the girls sector in this prison, hence i have the advantage to use the prison computer to communicate with you, and i will be very glad to also have a detailed information about you. From here i communicated with citi bank and they said that because of the written agreement that my daddy signed with them that i must be present in their bank to withdraw the money by myself OR that i should ask my foreign partner to claim and receive the money on my behalf, but the problem is that i dont have a foreign partner, so i want you to be my foreign partner and also be my financial and investment manager. i know that i am taking a big risk but there is nothing else i can do than to trust someone and to trust someone is by choice and you are my choice of trust. I want to know what is your name and your present occupation and your house address.
The money is my only hope in life. as soon as citi bank send the money to you, you will use some of the money to get me a Dakar lawyer/s to fight for my case and get me out of here, then the same week of my release you will fly down here in Dakar City and i and you will depart to your home in your country together.
Reply me only on email ONLY.
I am waiting for your reply
Miss Angela Kennedy
Saturday, 17 November 2007
First snow in Belgrade
I woke up at 5.30 this morning, with a sore throat and a head manically producing lists of things that need to be dealt with over the weekend.
The cat is ill again and needs to be taken to the vet, pronto; my students' test books and homework are waiting on the desk and need to be marked by Monday morning; it's grandpa's birthday on Sunday - I need to think of something more creative for a present than yet another pair of socks; a dear childhood friend from my hometown in Croatia found me on Facebook and emailed me last weekend, and I haven't had any time to write her back; I've got two hours of Latin & Greek to teach from 2 pm, and I haven't prepared anything in advance.
The cacophony went on and on like that for what seemed like half an hour, but it turned out to be no longer than a minute or two. Time seems to run at a different pace when you're in that semi-awake state in the wee hours of morning.
All of a sudden the mental clatter disappeared as I realised that the trees outside were covered with a thick layer of snow. Instantly I felt like a child with no worries on his mind, none whatsoever. Hey, it's snowing! What could possibly be more relevant or important than that?
The cat is ill again and needs to be taken to the vet, pronto; my students' test books and homework are waiting on the desk and need to be marked by Monday morning; it's grandpa's birthday on Sunday - I need to think of something more creative for a present than yet another pair of socks; a dear childhood friend from my hometown in Croatia found me on Facebook and emailed me last weekend, and I haven't had any time to write her back; I've got two hours of Latin & Greek to teach from 2 pm, and I haven't prepared anything in advance.
The cacophony went on and on like that for what seemed like half an hour, but it turned out to be no longer than a minute or two. Time seems to run at a different pace when you're in that semi-awake state in the wee hours of morning.
All of a sudden the mental clatter disappeared as I realised that the trees outside were covered with a thick layer of snow. Instantly I felt like a child with no worries on his mind, none whatsoever. Hey, it's snowing! What could possibly be more relevant or important than that?
Friday, 16 November 2007
Peanuts
Who would've thought that there's a connection between Peanuts and Mormonism. Admittedly, not an obvious one.
There's been a debate over a recently published biography of Charles M. Schulz (Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography), in which he was apparently portrayed as a cold, depressed and melancholy person. Contrary to otherwise positive reviews the book got, Charles' son Monte called it "stupid" while referring to its author, David Michaelis, as "an idiot".
But it was Schulz' daughter Amy's recent post that I found most interesting. In it she describes how her father, a Bible-believing Church of God member, responded to her conversion to Mormonism. It's a different take on Schulz' personality and character, one too intimate and first-hand to be found in any of the biographies.
In any case, it's an interesting piece of trivia for any Charles M. Schulz fans out there.
There's been a debate over a recently published biography of Charles M. Schulz (Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography), in which he was apparently portrayed as a cold, depressed and melancholy person. Contrary to otherwise positive reviews the book got, Charles' son Monte called it "stupid" while referring to its author, David Michaelis, as "an idiot".
But it was Schulz' daughter Amy's recent post that I found most interesting. In it she describes how her father, a Bible-believing Church of God member, responded to her conversion to Mormonism. It's a different take on Schulz' personality and character, one too intimate and first-hand to be found in any of the biographies.
In any case, it's an interesting piece of trivia for any Charles M. Schulz fans out there.
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Belgrade Book Fair
This is the cultural event in Belgrade that I love to hate, generating more pet peeves for me than any other.
It never fails to turn into an ordeal. First off, it's too crowded and there are way too many stalls. Naturally, you don't want to miss anything, because it's such a huge and important event and all, so you elbow your way to literary delights until you're dehydrated, dizzy, with a massive headache and too many bags to carry around. About as hectic as like last-minute Christmas shopping.
On the other hand, I love it because I always find great stuff there. This year I went with a list of desiderata with Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood among the top five (thanks for the tip, Dragana!). Not that they're difficult to find in local bookshops, but the discounts were really amazing. I got home with a supply of books that is bound to last until spring.
One thing I was really sorry about was not saying hello to one of my favourite authors, Croatian novelist Miljenko Jergovic. I kept bumping into him all the time (I hope he didn't think I was stalking him!). It was only days after I finished reading his Mama Leone. The book really touched me; excellent piece of writing. I'm certain to blog about it in the next instalment of my book reviews some time in December. I hope he'll be at the Fair next year.
There was one notable change that I feel I should mention: the removal of most of the fast food kiosks from the grounds. No as much smoke from all the kebabs and burgers... Although I'm left wondering whether it's a case of a new cultural policy or perhaps of giving monopoly on feeding the starved masses of Serbian bookworms to that one lone strategically positioned burger joint.
P.S. And the Zen award goes to the British Council for their quite unusual presence. They went minimalist this year, with nothing but a tiny information desk in the middle of a large and totally empty space. Go figure.
It never fails to turn into an ordeal. First off, it's too crowded and there are way too many stalls. Naturally, you don't want to miss anything, because it's such a huge and important event and all, so you elbow your way to literary delights until you're dehydrated, dizzy, with a massive headache and too many bags to carry around. About as hectic as like last-minute Christmas shopping.
On the other hand, I love it because I always find great stuff there. This year I went with a list of desiderata with Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood among the top five (thanks for the tip, Dragana!). Not that they're difficult to find in local bookshops, but the discounts were really amazing. I got home with a supply of books that is bound to last until spring.
One thing I was really sorry about was not saying hello to one of my favourite authors, Croatian novelist Miljenko Jergovic. I kept bumping into him all the time (I hope he didn't think I was stalking him!). It was only days after I finished reading his Mama Leone. The book really touched me; excellent piece of writing. I'm certain to blog about it in the next instalment of my book reviews some time in December. I hope he'll be at the Fair next year.
There was one notable change that I feel I should mention: the removal of most of the fast food kiosks from the grounds. No as much smoke from all the kebabs and burgers... Although I'm left wondering whether it's a case of a new cultural policy or perhaps of giving monopoly on feeding the starved masses of Serbian bookworms to that one lone strategically positioned burger joint.
P.S. And the Zen award goes to the British Council for their quite unusual presence. They went minimalist this year, with nothing but a tiny information desk in the middle of a large and totally empty space. Go figure.
Friday, 26 October 2007
The dread of giving presentations
I'm doing a presentation on blogging in English language teaching tomorrow morning.
The last time I did a presentation on anything was back in high school when I shared my long-forgotten passion for the German art scene of the 1920s in a History of Art class. Seems so long ago.
An important note for the Saturday morning crowd (who will be inspecting Saunterer's as a case in point): please answer the poll question found at the bottom of the right sidebar with brutal honesty. No sugar coatin'. And if the poll doesn't work (there were some problems earlier today), please post a brief comment. Thanks!
P.S. This brings back memory: Otto Dix, Meine Eltern. Just look at those hands...
The last time I did a presentation on anything was back in high school when I shared my long-forgotten passion for the German art scene of the 1920s in a History of Art class. Seems so long ago.
An important note for the Saturday morning crowd (who will be inspecting Saunterer's as a case in point): please answer the poll question found at the bottom of the right sidebar with brutal honesty. No sugar coatin'. And if the poll doesn't work (there were some problems earlier today), please post a brief comment. Thanks!
P.S. This brings back memory: Otto Dix, Meine Eltern. Just look at those hands...
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Saluton!
As if I didn't have too much on my plate already, I took up learning Esperanto. By learning I mean doing online exercises powered by Lernu!, the leading free Esperanto website. That and downloading mp3 audios for the listen-and-repeat tasks.
It's weird and it definitely sounds funny, but it doesn't strike me as easy as people generally assume. Which is why I'm wondering why would anyone put so much time and effort into learning an artificial language, when there are easy to learn natural languages like Spanish, with far more speakers than Esperanto? Not to mention cultural background, literature etc.
I guess it's about the idea of having one common language for all of humanity, not any one national language with its baggage and issues of cultural imperialism, but a politically, nationally and culturally neutral one that everyone could claim as their own, simply on account of being able to learn its vocabulary and syntax. No strings attached.
But Esperanto, too, has its share of ideological baggage. Most of its vocabulary is taken from Romance and Germanic languages, which makes it easily understandable, but also very eurocentric. Also, it seems to be prospering in countries like China and Iran, where it's used for ideological and propaganda purposes. There are also various Esperanto offshoots, new artificial languages relentlessly competing with each other in an atmosphere that can be described as sectarian.
As far as I'm concerned, it's all part of the fun, language itself and all the bickering about it. And if the worst thing that could happen to me is meeting a Chinese communist Esperanto enthusiast, I think I'll survive.
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