Whatcha Reading?

[Mark]

Yesterday I noticed in one of his comments on COTO that Waldo is reading, Family of Secrets. I got that book from the library the other day and just started reading it myself.

Come across any good books lately?

I want to read Eva Golinger's recent book, The Empire's Web: Encyclopedia of Interventionism and Subversion, but it was published in Venezuela in Spanish and I don't know if it is out in English yet.

[Cal]

I don't know if it speaks more about my own line of questioning than the book but I am finding "What Matters Most - Living a more considered life' by James Hollis an excellent read.

One of the quotes at the beginning of a chapter from Woody Allen :
"The universe is a fleeting idea in God's mind ... a pretty uncomfortable thought when you've just made a down payment on a house."

It's not a book of answers but it nails the questions right on the head.

[waldopaper]

I am a Strange Loop
Ecopreneuring; Putting Purpose and Planet Before Profits
Everyday Zen by Joko Beck

The Ecopreneuring link goes to the Amazon review page. The first and last are wiki links. I've been criticized for using wikipedia... first at COTO because it's "run by Zionists," and in academia for all the usual reasons... mostly because they feel it undermines use of their expensive libraries. Whatever- wiki writing and structure is here to stay... and I think that's a good thing. Beyond that, it offers a conceptual model of "self," which as Bother Dave sez "...is a work of fiction we write in our heads about our 'self.'" I am getting into that "self" concept can a lot more than I'd really like to-- but believe it has to be done... mostly from the "fiction" and "educational" perspective. I use this in some classes: The Pinky Show- Structure Power and Agency.

Gotta be careful to dance around the poo-stacks of "Liberal" and "Politically Correct" ...yecch- I REALLY get annoyed by THAT ONE... and take the trouble to deconstruct it sometimes. For example... when being critical of the "war on terror" you catch a ration of shit for- among other things- "not supporting the troops," or in other words... NOT being "politically correct" ...although the "war" dupes would NEVER use that term. It only applies to STANDARD criticism of what YOU consider to be "politically correct," like- "supporting the troops" or "national unity."

Here's the latest lte:

"There seems to be a great deal of angst over “government” spending, “government” this and that. Let’s see… about nine years ago, it was all about flags, yellow ribbons and boosterism for the invasion of Afghanistan. Many of us wanted to see some evidence. We were accused of undermining “national unity.” Shut up. There’s a war going on.

Then there was the insane invasion of Iraq. Tens of millions of us protested all over the world, and we dissent to this day. It has changed nothing. Ari Fleicher warned that critics “…need to watch what they say, watch what they do." The president did not need a “permission slip” to “protect America.” Shut up. There’s a war going on.

Now we are worried about our miserable little “jobs” and our wretched big “taxes.” We fear the “banksters” may take our silly old house. We are appalled that our “representatives” no longer represent us. We are shocked; shocked, we say, that the “government” is so incompetent and unresponsive. Do you want to know the answer?

Shut up. There’s a war going on."

I doubt if "shut up...etc." will be said overtly to the peeps peeping about their job/house/etc. Only the usual sludge about ending "entitlement programs." An "entitlement program" is something that goes to the OTHER guy. Ain't it strange how language works?

Oh yeah... and The Unfolding of Language by Guy Deutscher ...who I suppose is a "Zionist" because he was born in Tel Aviv. It's a thing I have slogged thru multiple times... like I gotta do with Stephen Hawking's stuff... even though I know a tiny bit more about language than I do about quantum physics (whew).

This is still Mark's thread... altho I suspect he will be sulking in his tent forever.

[pan]

Dancing with the Dead: Memory, Performance, and Everyday Life in Postwar Okinawa by Christopher Nelson

Especially interesting in light of the recent anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing.

[waldopaper]

gonna have to check that one out, brother pan.

with all the bullet-head flapjack about the "mosque" at "ground zero," at least somebody has pointed out the sheer butt-headed arrogance of calling our wah-wah broken-nail "ground zero" in light of our own nuclear holocaust released at the REAL "ground zero."

[waldopaper]

"Submitted for your approval..." says Rod, stepping out the shadows with his smoking Lucky. A freshly-writ ditty for the folk over at Cotoworld:

RED STORM RISING

The East is Red King is dead
A bloody son arises in a
Long March along derailed
Crunch boot head impaled
And rattling hail surprises

Power in a barrel in a land and groove
And a tryst of a witness matter …
In a Cracker Barrel Hog room
Gobbling biscuits in a gravy of
Foxes’ chatter.

Where are the Brave Boys?
Fat toys hear the noise…
Eight figure butts all scatter
To a cash-crop parking lot twilight
Too hot sweating in Suburban batter.

Where are our Brave Boys?
Over there four deploys
Horseman swinging sickles…
Conquest (or Pestilence) War and Death
Famine served grease and pickles.

Trembling in their pulled-pork diarrhea
Running down their faux-leather seats
Cream-Puff Fatties in starched white shirts
Blubber in their “isms” and tweets
And a Blood Son dies their starters and lies.

Would you like that, sir, with fries?

[pan]

Extremely visceral - had a kinesthetic response to reading it.

When I use text as catalyst for movement I go through and find the "juicy" words that are rich with imagery and depth of meaning - almost every word in your poem is all juice.

[waldopaper]

thanky brother pan.

Is it too late to get together on the "Pullman Strike" thing? I think this is a brilliant extension of "Train." It would take many hours of head-busting effort to write any kind of blather-text worthy of your holistic idea... but I'll sure-ass try if there's still time!

[pan]

We submitted our proposal and we won't hear until sometime in September.

One of the things that I didn't know about my so-called career when I was young and exuberantly defying my parents and the economic structure of our society was how much time and energy would be put into trying to get people to fund my little projects......and the many, many, many rejections that leads to.

[Mouse]

Casting an eye over Induced Delusions

No applications here, no more forms, no more straight lines. They can collaborate with themselves. Hah.

[waldopaper]

Don't know it Mousie... is it this one?

I just had a flame-out at the "conspiracy site" about Jooz and"Zionism" the NWO... and all that shite. And Siggy Freud would easily slide into that envelope.

Now... I get as pissed off at "Israeli" atrocities as anybody... but kee-rhist. When it comes to blaming the "Zionists" for flaking paint and falling hair... give OVER will ya? And we got Siggy and Bernays to thank for a lot of the "Century of Self." Triumph of the Shill and all that.

BUT... among the Pallista "libertarians," this smells a lot like not-sees to me.

Švejk 'em, sezzeye.

[pan]

Freud's "theories" are insightful about the human condition because he based them upon Greek myths. Ultimately they are most useful as fodder for modern artists.

I have been attempting a new tact with Israel Firsters - by acknowledging security concerns about terrorists and to point out that Israel's security will be improved by a viable two state solution. It seems to let them allow that Israel may be somewhat culpable on one or two occasions.

With my Bohemian, German and Irish heritage I appreciate this joke:

The City posted "Keep off the Grass" signs in all of the public parks.

A German saw the sign and, rather than cancel his picnic decided to march up and down the sidewalk next to the park, munching his sandwich and exhorting other citizens to follow his example to benefit the City.

An Irishman pulled the sign out and used it as a serving plate for his wine and cheese as he played in the newly planted sod.

The Czech enjoyed the park as he danced between the individual blades of grass without touching any of them.

[Mouse]

Yes it is that book. I made the mistake of reading The Interpretation of Dreams when I was 14, in the convent.
Then when I was 21 I had an affair with one of Sigmund Freud's grandson's. Another mistake.
Not to mention mentioning anything. Put a sock in it. Just a fool. Just a fool.