Liber_vermis
Burnaby Public Library
Liber_vermis's Completed Shelf
Filter your results by...
21 Lessons for the 21st Century21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Book
by Harari, Yuval N.Book - 2018Book, 2018
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 27, 2024
Quotations
- “The state has stressed many times that it will not tolerate political violence within its borders. The citizens, for their part, have become used to zero political violence. That is why the theater of terror generates visceral fears of anarchy, making people feel as if the social order is about to collapse. After centuries of bloody struggles we have crawled out of the black hole of violence, but we sense that the black hole is still there, patiently waiting to swallow us up again. A few gruesome atrocities, and we imagine that we are falling back in.” (p. 168)“The state has stressed many times that it will not tolerate political violence within its borders. The citizens, for their part, have become used to zero political violence. That is why the theater of terror generates visceral fears of anarchy,…
- “In this respect, terrorists resemble a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot move even a single teacup. So how does a fly destroy a china shop? It finds a bull, gets inside its ear, and starts buzzing. The bull goes wild with fear and anger, and destroys the china shop. This is what happened after 9/11, as Islamic fundamentalists incited the American bull to destroy the Middle East china shop. Now they flourish in the wreckage. And there is no shortage of short-tempered bulls in the world.” (p. 163)“In this respect, terrorists resemble a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot move even a single teacup. So how does a fly destroy a china shop? It finds a bull, gets inside its ear, and starts buzzing. The…
- “The problem starts when benign patriotism morphs into chauvanistic ultra-nationalism. … this is fertile ground for violent conflicts. … each nation justified its own military expansion by the need to protect itself against the machinations of its neighbors. As long as the nation provided most of its citizens with unprecedented levels of security and prosperity, they were willing to pay the price in blood. In the 19th and 20th centuries … [as] nationalism was leading to horrendous conflicts on an unprecedented scale, modern nation-states also built massive systems of healthcare, education, and welfare. National health services made Passchendaele and Verdun seem worthwhile.” (p. 112)“The problem starts when benign patriotism morphs into chauvanistic ultra-nationalism. … this is fertile ground for violent conflicts. … each nation justified its own military expansion by the need to protect itself against the machinations of its…
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 23, 2024
Comment:
A collection of atmospheric, minimalist tunes drawn from a wide variety of composers from the 12th to the 21st centuries. This album has thorough liner notes with interesting illustrations.
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 21, 2024
Comment:
A page-turner of a murder mystery in the unusual and unique setting of a prisoner-of-war camp. In addition to the suggested reading in the afterword by the author, other historical books on POW experience in North America are "The Little Third Reich on Lake Superior" by E. R. Zimmerman, and "The Faustball Tunnel" by J. H. Moore.A page-turner of a murder mystery in the unusual and unique setting of a prisoner-of-war camp. In addition to the suggested reading in the afterword by the author, other historical books on POW experience in North America are "The Little Third…
Quotations
- By this time, Hans had scrambled to his feet and rushed towards Neumann, roaring like an animal. The sergeant had no time to move out of the way ... so he let is body go loose as Hans drove his shoulder and head into his stomach. As he flew backwards with the large legionnaire jammed into his torso, Neumann wrapped his left arm around Hans's head and jerked it over so it was nestled near his ribs. And when Neumann's back slammed against the wall ... so did the top of Hans's head. The Legionnaire went limp ... Neumann landed on the balls of his feet, still gripping Hans's head. With his right hand, he threw two upper cuts into the legionnaire's side." (p. 127-8)By this time, Hans had scrambled to his feet and rushed towards Neumann, roaring like an animal. The sergeant had no time to move out of the way ... so he let is body go loose as Hans drove his shoulder and head into his stomach. As he flew…
Similar Titles (1)
The Little Third Reich on Lake SuperiorThe Little Third Reich on Lake Superior, BookA History of Canadian Internment Camp R
by Zimmermann, Ernest RobertBook - 2015Book, 2015
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf DieselThe Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel, BookGenius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I
by Brunt, DouglasBook - 2023Book, 2023
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 19, 2024
Comment:
Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the revolutionary engine, disappeared from a English Channel ferry in late September 1913. This breathless and occasionally fawning account of Diesel's life and puzzling death is page-turning reading. The author's startling conclusion is that Diesel may have been spirited away to guide a British submarine manufacturing program in Montreal, Canada. The author provides a timeline of Diesel's life (in an appendix), endnotes, a bibliography, and an index. Unfortunately, a number of books referenced in the text were, mysteriously, not included in the bibliography. The author may be weak on some technical details; and the table on p. 230 may have a serious number transposition error. The supposition by the author that the American oil tycoon, John Rockefeller, may have had a hand in Diesel's death seems far fetched ... but useful for adding content and complexity in typical 'who done it' style. Finally, the author's repeated praise of the Diesel engine for its low smoke, clean exhaust raised this reader's eyebrows with skepticism.Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the revolutionary engine, disappeared from a English Channel ferry in late September 1913. This breathless and occasionally fawning account of Diesel's life and puzzling death is page-turning reading. The author's…
Quotations
- “[Diesel] predicted that the noxious, polluting effects of coal and oil engines would eventually surpass what the earth could absorb, but that ‘motive power can still be produced from the heat of the sun, always available, even when the natural stores of solid and liquid fuels are exhausted.’” (p. 235)“[Diesel] predicted that the noxious, polluting effects of coal and oil engines would eventually surpass what the earth could absorb, but that ‘motive power can still be produced from the heat of the sun, always available, even when the natural…
- “On February 17, 1897, Diesel’s engine purred to life. … As a smiling [Professor Moritz] Schröter stood by the engine, he turned to see his former engineering student, Rudolf Diesel, one month shy of his 39th birthday, about to become a historic figure in the age of power. … All looked to Schröter as he turned the air pressure valve to start the machine, which immediately sprung to life, then held a steady hum of quiet work, the exhaust almost invisible and odorless. … All awaited Schröter’s calculations. … He verified 26.2 percent thermal efficiency … [that] far surpassed that of every other mode of power. This was the birth of the Diesel engine and marked a new age of industry.” (p. 104-5)“On February 17, 1897, Diesel’s engine purred to life. … As a smiling [Professor Moritz] Schröter stood by the engine, he turned to see his former engineering student, Rudolf Diesel, one month shy of his 39th birthday, about to become a historic…
- “Rudolf extended his discussion to the use of alternative fuels, explaining that his engine could ably burn coal tar or vegetable and nut oils in addition to petroleum-derived fuel. He declared, ‘The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time.’” (p. 233) … To conclude his speech [at the Engineer’s Club of St. Louis] … Diesel made 3 predictions. First, he insisted that pollution … would become an important consideration in engine design. Second … he believed America would come to utilize the Diesel-powered locomotive more than any other nation … Third, while America was presently ‘monstrously’ rich in its domestic supplies of fuels, eventually economic efficiencies would transcend wasteful habits. His predictions proved to be prophetic.” (p. 234)“Rudolf extended his discussion to the use of alternative fuels, explaining that his engine could ably burn coal tar or vegetable and nut oils in addition to petroleum-derived fuel. He declared, ‘The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem…
- “… at the Engineer’s Club of St. Louis … [Rudolf Diesel] touted his engine’s proved efficiency. Of the 365 commercial and military Diesel-powered ships in service around the world per statistics as of November 1911 (approximately 140 submarines, 40 warships, 60 passenger or freight merchant vessels, 30 oil tankers, and the rest a mix of smaller crafts), Rudolf relayed that the average improvement over prior engines were an operational range that was four times greater, a reduction in fuel weight of 80 percent, and a reduction in the engine crew of 75 percent.” (p. 228-9)“… at the Engineer’s Club of St. Louis … [Rudolf Diesel] touted his engine’s proved efficiency. Of the 365 commercial and military Diesel-powered ships in service around the world per statistics as of November 1911 (approximately 140 submarines, 40…
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
I found this magical-reality story lost me when it ventured into the realm of the ethereal. Did Rudolfo murder his brother Marco? Was the man who rescued Hector, at the conclusion, the only civilian survivor of the church massacre? Otherwise, McBride presents a moving story of the experiences and attitudes of Black American GIs in the Italian Campaign.I found this magical-reality story lost me when it ventured into the realm of the ethereal. Did Rudolfo murder his brother Marco? Was the man who rescued Hector, at the conclusion, the only civilian survivor of the church massacre? Otherwise,…
Quotations
- “Lying on the floor, the boy reached up and motioned for [the huge Black GI] Train to come closer. Train complied ...the boy … gently ran a hand across Train’s face, then through the rough texture of Train’s wooly hair. ‘If I turn your head,’ the boy said softly, ‘it will be my birthday.’ Train didn’t understand. He felt the little hands pulling at his head, the innocent young eyes searching his face, and shame washed over him like water. A white person had never touched his face before. Never reached out and stroked him with love, and the force of it, the force of the child’s innocence, trust, and purity drew tears to his eyes. … he felt mercy, he felt humanity, he felt love, harmony, longing, thirst for kindness, yearnings for peace – qualities he’d never know existed in the white man. … He stared at the boy, transfixed.” (p. 68)“Lying on the floor, the boy reached up and motioned for [the huge Black GI] Train to come closer. Train complied ...the boy … gently ran a hand across Train’s face, then through the rough texture of Train’s wooly hair. ‘If I turn your head,’ the…
- “… The whole business disgusted him. He was alarmed by the hoops the division commanders leaped through so that poorly qualified white officers would always outrank black officers, because of the unwritten law that no colored should ever be able to tell a white man what to do. The policy had created all kinds of problems in the field … [white] Captain Nokes didn’t know shit about artillery, and everybody knew it. … If Nokes had fired that fuckin’ eighty-millimeter, the Krauts would have vacated his squad’s sector … and they’d be at base now … It was a mistake, he decide, for the Army to allow the colored to fight as combat soldiers. For what? To fight the enemy? Which enemy? The Germans? The Italians? The enemy was irony and truth and hypocrisy, that was the real enemy … that was killing him.” (p. 166)“… The whole business disgusted him. He was alarmed by the hoops the division commanders leaped through so that poorly qualified white officers would always outrank black officers, because of the unwritten law that no colored should ever be able to…
- “’… The Negro don’t have doodleysquat to do with this … this devilment, this war-to-free-the-world shit.’ Bishop stubbed out his cigarette. ‘… White folks own the world, god-dammit. We just rentin’.’ Stamps was amused by Bishop’s rancor. He was surprised that Bishop was so insightful. ‘This is about progress for the Negro, Bishop, that’s what this is about. They said the Negro couldn’t fight. We’re proving he can. That’s progress.’ Bishop snorted. ‘Progress? How ‘bout that time we was on training maneuvers back in Arizona and we stopped at that restaurant for lunch, and them German POWs was … served … inside the restaurant while we had to stand outside at attention in 110 degree heat. And only after the so-called enemy ate inside did they serve use – from the back door, by the outhouse, on paper plates. You forget that?’” (p. 149)“’… The Negro don’t have doodleysquat to do with this … this devilment, this war-to-free-the-world shit.’ Bishop stubbed out his cigarette. ‘… White folks own the world, god-dammit. We just rentin’.’ Stamps was amused by Bishop’s rancor. He was…
- “The American ground campaign in central Italy in December 1944 was unlike any other war fought in Europe during World War II. … in central Italy, the war was fought out of the public eye, at night, in winter, in cold, chaotic blackness, by Gurkhas, Italians, Brazilians, British, [Canadians], Africans, even Russian defectors, and most of all, by American Negroes, who were convinced that the white man was trying to kill them, in mountainous terrain where icy winter rains and high winds lashed … with hurricane force, pushing aside sanity and loosing all the ghosts and goblins of Italy’s past. …” (p. 31)“The American ground campaign in central Italy in December 1944 was unlike any other war fought in Europe during World War II. … in central Italy, the war was fought out of the public eye, at night, in winter, in cold, chaotic blackness, by Gurkhas,…
Embracing Israel/PalestineEmbracing Israel/Palestine, BookA Strategy to Heal and Transform the Middle East
by Lerner, MichaelBook - 2012Book, 2012
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 07, 2024
Comment:
For many years Western political leaders have talked about "the two-state solution" to the Israel-Palestine conflict but repeated 'peace talks' have been a succession of failures. As usual 'the devil is in the details', so Rabbi Michael Lerner presents his deeply considered thoughts on how a workable two-state solution may be established. Also, Rabbi Lerner considers the pragmatics of a one-state solution; and a no state solution which he admits are longer term goals. The text is complimented with some black and white photographs and a map; a list of 'Resources for Peace', a list of Recommended Reading, and an index.For many years Western political leaders have talked about "the two-state solution" to the Israel-Palestine conflict but repeated 'peace talks' have been a succession of failures. As usual 'the devil is in the details', so Rabbi Michael Lerner…
Quotations
- “Some will object: ‘But won’t such a [bi-national] state soon have a majority of Palestinians? What about Israel as the place of refuge for the Jewish people?’ The one-staters have a possible response: … We can honor those Zionists who sought to create a place of safety and an army to defend Jews. But by trying to be a Jewish state that discriminates against its own Arab minority and occupies and oppresses Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, Israel has done more in the past 30 years to endanger Jews around the world than anything anti-Semites could possibly accomplished on their own. And Israel is not a safe place for Jews … they’d be better off in New York and California than in a Middle East still angry … for what the self-proclaimed Jewish State is doing to Arabs.’” (p. 301)“Some will object: ‘But won’t such a [bi-national] state soon have a majority of Palestinians? What about Israel as the place of refuge for the Jewish people?’ The one-staters have a possible response: … We can honor those Zionists who sought to…
- “In response to the [1988 First] Intifada, IDF general and then Israeli defense chief Yitzhak Rabin ordered his forces to ‘break the bones’ of the teenagers throwing rocks. … (p. 162) [This directive is captured in a scene in the 2002 video “Palestine is Still the Issue” by the late Australian journalist John Pilger, view on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39EjqBrJBAc ]“In response to the [1988 First] Intifada, IDF general and then Israeli defense chief Yitzhak Rabin ordered his forces to ‘break the bones’ of the teenagers throwing rocks. … (p. 162) [This directive is captured in a scene in the 2002 video…
- “Facing the growing upsurge of support for the PLO and its secular nationalist vision of Palestinian independence, Israel decided in the 1980s to support the newly emerging Islamic fundamentalist movement in Gaza called Hamas. While Hamas is best known [later in the Second Intifada] … for its acts of horrific terror against Israeli civilians, its large base was built by providing the social services to the Palestinian population that international law requires of all occupying forces but that Israel was unwilling to provide … Imagining that Hamas would be a counter weight to the PLO, Israeli agents worked with … the development of the Hamas infrastructure – even though Hamas was 100 per cent clear in its total opposition to the existence of a Jewish state in any part of Palestine at any time. In supporting the development of Hamas, Israel followed a path that had also been followed by the United States when it funded Osama Bin Laden to organize Afghan ‘freedom fighters’ …”. (p 164-5)“Facing the growing upsurge of support for the PLO and its secular nationalist vision of Palestinian independence, Israel decided in the 1980s to support the newly emerging Islamic fundamentalist movement in Gaza called Hamas. While Hamas is best…
- “Advocates for the one-state solution point out that Israel is rapidly creating the infrastructure and reality of one state. With settlers and Palestinians living next to each other throughout the area that the British once defined as Palestine, Israel has crated this de facto reality on the ground. …” (p. 298)“Advocates for the one-state solution point out that Israel is rapidly creating the infrastructure and reality of one state. With settlers and Palestinians living next to each other throughout the area that the British once defined as Palestine,…
Summary:
“A major contribution to the needed healing can occur when people begin to tell the story of the Middle East in ways that validate both sides’ truth, pain, and suffering and affirm the fundamental decency of the people caught in this struggle. In this way, I am both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, and this book will show you how that can be possible. (p. 18) … In the final four chapters of the book, you will find a psychological and spiritual vision and an explanation of how it ties to a specific political program for resolving the Middle East conflict. More than that, you’ll find ideas on how to deal with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSDs) when they manifest for an entire society, not just for Israeli and Palestinian societies, but also for the United States and other Western societies. … And, speaking as a Jewish spiritual leader, I’ll also present what I’m calling a love-oriented Emancipatory Judaism that can become an effective counter to the kind of Settler Judaism that increasingly dominates most of the existing denominations of Jewish life in the United States and Israel. …” (p. 19-20)“A major contribution to the needed healing can occur when people begin to tell the story of the Middle East in ways that validate both sides’ truth, pain, and suffering and affirm the fundamental decency of the people caught in this struggle. In…
The Absolutely Essential 3 CD CollectionThe Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection, Music CD
by Reinhardt, DjangoMusic CD - 2010Music CD, 2010
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 06, 2024
Comment:
Three CDs of very pleasant listening of gypsy-swing music spanning the period 1934-1950 by the masters of the genre Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. A weakness of this package is the complete lack of liner notes. The playlist gives the composer for each tune but is silent on the names of the musicians!Three CDs of very pleasant listening of gypsy-swing music spanning the period 1934-1950 by the masters of the genre Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. A weakness of this package is the complete lack of liner notes. The playlist gives the…
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 06, 2024
Comment:
Another page-turner story of family secrets, guilt following tragedies; racial, gender and homophobic prejudices, and financial crime are entwined by author Allen Eskens. Set in rural America in 1975-6, this tale is narrated by the 15-year old character Boady. This tale is more about personal relationships than crime ... although it culminates in a tumultuous shoot-out. Eskens is skillful in building psychological foreboding in the reader's mind by 'taken-for-granted' character actions and the subtle revealing of crime-related clues. The 'reveal all' ending by the Missouri State Patrol detective reduced the star rating from 4-1/2 or perhaps 5.Another page-turner story of family secrets, guilt following tragedies; racial, gender and homophobic prejudices, and financial crime are entwined by author Allen Eskens. Set in rural America in 1975-6, this tale is narrated by the 15-year old…
Quotations
- “When I came to the clearing … two deputies knelt at the grave … beneath the men laid what remained of Lida Poe’s face: hollowed eyes, sunken cheeks, her gray skin stretched tight … And there, between her eyes, I saw a bullet hole, small and round and perfectly centered. … I looked away, but it was too late. I had already seen more than I wanted. … I walked back out of the woods, the image of Lida Poe flashing on the back of my eyelids. … Every time I blinked, it seemed to burrow its way deeper into my brain. I tried to conjure up the picture of Lida Poe that I’d seen in the newspaper, pretty and smiling. That’s the way I wanted to remember her, but memories aren’t the kind of things that you can pick and choose for yourself.” (p. 146-7)“When I came to the clearing … two deputies knelt at the grave … beneath the men laid what remained of Lida Poe’s face: hollowed eyes, sunken cheeks, her gray skin stretched tight … And there, between her eyes, I saw a bullet hole, small and round…
Finding W. H. HudsonFinding W. H. Hudson, BookThe Writer Who Came to Britain to Save the Birds / Conor Mark Jameson
by Jameson, Conor MarkBook - 2023Book, 2023
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 04, 2024
Comment:
About a decade ago I came upon a glowing reference to W.H. Hudson, and was subsequently delighted to read his memoir "Far Away and Long Ago" about his childhood in Argentina; and "Tales of the Pampas". This book by Conor Jameson takes up Hudson's life story from when he emigrates from Argentina to England in May 1874. After a rough start, Hudson was hired to be secretary of the new Bird Protection Society of England. He worked tirelessly for the next 45 years to educate on birds of England, to gain legal protections from rampant bird hunting and the international trade in plumes and bird skins, and to protect bird habitat. The author worked for 25 years for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds so this book is also a history of the early years of the RSPB and the key participants. The author provides some black and white photos of people and places, endnotes, a list of William H. Hudson's publications, and an index. I would have given 5 stars if Jameson had provided an introductory chapter outlining Hudson's early life in Argentina.About a decade ago I came upon a glowing reference to W.H. Hudson, and was subsequently delighted to read his memoir "Far Away and Long Ago" about his childhood in Argentina; and "Tales of the Pampas". This book by Conor Jameson takes up Hudson's…
Quotations
- [Excerpt from Hudson's ‘Afoot in England’, p. 67] “When [the geese] rose and floated away they were no longer shining and white, but like pale shadows of winged forms faintly visible in the haze. They were not birds but spirits – beings that lived in or were passing through the world and now, like the heat, made visible; and I, standing far out on the sparkling sands, with the sparkling sea on one side and the line of dunes … on the other, was one of them; and if any person had looked at me from a distance he would have seen me as a formless shining white being standing by the sea, and then perhaps as a winged shadow floating in the haze. It was only necessary to put out one’s arms to float. That was the effect on my mind: this natural world was changed to a supernatural, and there was no matter or force in sea or land nor in the heavens above, but only spirit.” (p. 210)[Excerpt from Hudson's ‘Afoot in England’, p. 67] “When [the geese] rose and floated away they were no longer shining and white, but like pale shadows of winged forms faintly visible in the haze. They were not birds but spirits – beings that lived…
- “The Bird Society was continuing to attract new friends in high places. [Activist & co-founder] Eliza Phillips sought Hudson’s advice on behalf of a wealthy, titled acquaintance on the care of captive lovebirds. [But] she forgot the limits on his expertise. ‘Alas I am the last person … to advise you about the ailments of love birds, or any other feathered creature in a cage’, he replied. … He reminded her that, where birds are concerned, he preferred ‘to look on them in their own vast sun-lit forests, tumbling down, a shiny green rain out of a hot blue sky, making the air ring with their shrill glad multitudinous cries … I know that caged birds scratch and pull each other’s feathers out … poor caged birds, infested with mites and other parasites … it makes me shiver to see them … I should prefer to see them dead and at peace – poor little man-tortured beings. …’. It is not recorded whether Phillips passed on his points to her friend.” (p. 116-117)“The Bird Society was continuing to attract new friends in high places. [Activist & co-founder] Eliza Phillips sought Hudson’s advice on behalf of a wealthy, titled acquaintance on the care of captive lovebirds. [But] she forgot the limits on his…
- “Hudson recalled a triggering moment and turning point in his life [to become a bird protection activist] as being that warm, sunny morning in October [1880] when he set out to walk from his Tower House the mile and a half miles to Kensington Gardens ‘thinking how pleasant my favourite green and wooded haunt would look in the sunshine’. This was the place that had so inspired him when he first arrived in … London two decades earlier. But a terrible shock awaited him. ‘Then I first saw the great destruction … where the grove [of 700 elm trees] had stood there was now a vast vacant space, many scores of felled trees … and all the ground trodden and black, and [dotted] with innumerable yellow chips.’ (p. 76) … These same trees, I believe, were the place … which so impressed his fresh visitor’s senses, with their huge rookery in full cry. … He never go over returning there for solace [until] finding it town down. (p. 87)“Hudson recalled a triggering moment and turning point in his life [to become a bird protection activist] as being that warm, sunny morning in October [1880] when he set out to walk from his Tower House the mile and a half miles to Kensington…
- “Don Roberto [Robert Cunninghame Graham] had inherited his mother’s corvid love and had long wished to know how he might encourage these birds to establish a rookery on his own land [in Scotland]. He had written to an eminent Scots ornithologist on the matter, who had replied … saying nothing about rooks but ‘pointing out the fallacies of [RCG’s] socialism as a political creed’. Hudson later recounted this story in his book ‘Birds in London’. … Hudson, more helpfully, was able to cite the example set by [a] parson [in Cornwall] who got his rooks by praying for them – every day for 3 years. The birds adopted the very trees where they were wanted. It is not recorded whether Don Roberto wanted rooks badly enough to emulate this approach.” (p. 43-4)“Don Roberto [Robert Cunninghame Graham] had inherited his mother’s corvid love and had long wished to know how he might encourage these birds to establish a rookery on his own land [in Scotland]. He had written to an eminent Scots ornithologist on…
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Mar 03, 2024
Comment:
Although Pat Metheny's name is prominent on the CD jacket, he is not among the main performers of two minimal techno compositions by Metheny and another ambient composition by Arvo Part.
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Feb 26, 2024
Comment:
Having been weened on the Scottish "Oor Wullie" cartoon books, I was upset that the author would besmirch it by association with murder; and its usage detracts from the seriousness of the plot. It really wasn't necessary except for the name association. Otherwise, the plot seemed contrived and this amateur 'detective' procedural required a confessional "reveal all" in the end to reach the resolution. The biggest insult was Hector, the pony-tailed Pekinese dog, in a Scottish bookstore that should have a true Scottish terrier for its guard dog. Auch! Too many coincidences in the plot.Having been weened on the Scottish "Oor Wullie" cartoon books, I was upset that the author would besmirch it by association with murder; and its usage detracts from the seriousness of the plot. It really wasn't necessary except for the name…
Between River and SeaBetween River and Sea, BookEncounters in Israel and Palestine
by Murphy, DervlaBook - 2015Book, 2015
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Feb 20, 2024
Comment:
The late, peripatetic Irish traveler, Dervla Murphy, doesn't mince her words as she observes the situation in north and south Israel and the occupied West Bank during 8 months spread over 2008-2010. During her initial visit, the Israeli Defence Forces initiated Operation Cast Lead on the Gaza Strip. Traveling by bus, taxi, train, and foot, Murphy meets people to learn about their daily lives, hopes and hardships. While many world leaders are pressing the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a 'two-state resolution', Murphy concludes, based on her reading and conversations, that a one-state solution offers the best hope for lasting peace and reconciliation. The text is complimented with two maps but no photographs. A helpful Timeline of Holy Land Conflict (1897-2014), a (partial) glossary of Hebrew and Arabic words, a list of abbreviations, a lengthy Bibliography, and an (incomplete) index conclude the book. The travelogue would have warranted 5 stars if Murphy's editor had reduced the text to 250-300 pages by eliminating much of the ancient Levant history.The late, peripatetic Irish traveler, Dervla Murphy, doesn't mince her words as she observes the situation in north and south Israel and the occupied West Bank during 8 months spread over 2008-2010. During her initial visit, the Israeli Defence…
Quotations
- “’How come all these sects in such a small population?’ I asked. ‘ It goes with the territory!’ said Gordon. ‘Literally, so you get Bratslaver Hassidim, Belzer Hassidim, Gerr Hassidim and so on – depending on where their hereditary rebbes [a religious leader of the Hasidic sect] come from. … It does seem unlikely that our civil disturbances can have their roots in ... Eastern European urban rivalries. But so it is.’ ‘Scary!’, I said. ‘To think such people now hold the balance in the Knesset!’ ‘Yes,’ said Gordon, ‘where they can and do dictate to the secular majority. You have to wonder, when all these … politicians, diplomats, UN Representatives come here to negotiate, do they have any idea what they’re dealing with? Do they realise Kabbalistic spells are being laid on them as they fly towards Ben-Gurion airport?’ … You can’t deal with Israel’s political right if you don’t understand the essence of Haredi politics.’ (p. 394)“’How come all these sects in such a small population?’ I asked. ‘ It goes with the territory!’ said Gordon. ‘Literally, so you get Bratslaver Hassidim, Belzer Hassidim, Gerr Hassidim and so on – depending on where their hereditary rebbes [a…
- “... eight of my fellow-guests were Christian Zionists from the [American] Bible Belt who make an annual pilgrimage to check out that all is shipshape for Rapture time. … Joseph and his wife and adult son belonged to the ‘Christian Friends of Israeli Communities’ (code for ‘settlements’) ... ‘We’ve funded more than 50 communities in Samaria and Judea,’ boasted Joseph. ‘It’s our duty to fund others here in Jerusalem, the venue for the Second Coming. The presence of Islamic elements could delay The Coming.’ … It alarmed me to learn that there are millions of [Christian Zionists] ... Moreover, they have many powerful representatives in the US Congress; here is an under-emphasised factor in the Palestinian/Israel equation. … their contribution to nourishing Islamophobia in their ‘homeland’ is valued by maniacal militarists, men in positions of power … vehemently asserting that Islamists are plotting to take over the US, to impose Sharia law …, to obliterate Israel …”. (p. 340-341)“... eight of my fellow-guests were Christian Zionists from the [American] Bible Belt who make an annual pilgrimage to check out that all is shipshape for Rapture time. … Joseph and his wife and adult son belonged to the ‘Christian Friends of…
- “’People forget,’ continued Musa, ‘that before Zionism Jews lived safe in Palestine. They were few but they belonged, like us and the Christians. Saying religion is the problem is wrong. Politicians made it the problem. Before Zionism, Jews were nobody’s enemy.’ … Hasan added, ‘Did you notice [Musa’s] like me? Not a simple old-style nationalist! It’s true Palestine wasn’t a nation taken from us. Under the Ottomans it was part of Syria. I go crazy thinking about how it might have been if only Jews really needing a home were let in. It could have been peaceful, funded by the billionaire Jews who wouldn’t live here for diamonds – even now! We could have settled together, us gaining from the refugees’ know-how about farming, finance, science and so on. But Zionism was never about sharing.’” (p. 14-15)“’People forget,’ continued Musa, ‘that before Zionism Jews lived safe in Palestine. They were few but they belonged, like us and the Christians. Saying religion is the problem is wrong. Politicians made it the problem. Before Zionism, Jews were…
- “… While I daydreamed about the one-state solution, Raja looked ahead to a 21st century federation of Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, an entity bearing some family resemblance to the 2nd century AD Roman province of Syria-Palaestina. To me this was a new idea and immediately I liked it … Such a federation would certainly be less artificial than the imperialists’ imposition of ‘statehood’ on Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Transjordan and Libya.” (p. 193-4)“… While I daydreamed about the one-state solution, Raja looked ahead to a 21st century federation of Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, an entity bearing some family resemblance to the 2nd century AD Roman province of Syria-Palaestina. …
- “… Several newspapers, including the London Observer, showed photographs of T-shirts designed for the Givati Brigade to commemorate their achievements in Gaza [following Operation Cast Lead, Dec. 2008-Jan. 2009]. These depicted … a pregnant woman with a bull’s-eye superimposed on her bulge. The English slogan read ‘1 shot, 2 kills’. That last photograph is in my IDF file, tangible proof that the greatest threat to Israel’s survival comes from within rather than without. The damage done to the Palestinians is obvious. But what of the damage done to the Israelis by the convergence of brutalising militarism and manic Judaism?” (p. 153)“… Several newspapers, including the London Observer, showed photographs of T-shirts designed for the Givati Brigade to commemorate their achievements in Gaza [following Operation Cast Lead, Dec. 2008-Jan. 2009]. These depicted … a pregnant woman…
- “My return to the hostel [in Mitzpe Ramon] coincided with the arrival of two coachloads of teenagers on a 3-day expedition to hone their appreciation of Eretz Israel. … Their four armed guards, wearing scarlet private security company uniforms, remained on duty throughout the evening … Even primary school children, on brief outings to local parks, are similarly guarded. Most children take life as it comes and won’t register the significance of this abnormality. Yet some, as they grow up, must recognise the irony that Jews are less safe in their ‘homeland’ than anywhere else on earth. I remember Mitzpe Ramon as the place where I realised, for the first time, that the Zionist State of Israel cannot survive. That was a revelatory and rather shocking moment …”. (p. 85-6)“My return to the hostel [in Mitzpe Ramon] coincided with the arrival of two coachloads of teenagers on a 3-day expedition to hone their appreciation of Eretz Israel. … Their four armed guards, wearing scarlet private security company uniforms,…
The Case for Basic IncomeThe Case for Basic Income, BookFreedom, Security, Justice
by Swift, JamieBook - 2021Book, 2021
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Feb 20, 2024
Comment:
With under-employment, homelessness, drug addiction and mental health sufferers becoming more prominent in all communities, this polemic makes a strong, contemporary argument for a new direction with a Basic Income in Canada. The authors provide end notes and a helpful index. The authors make many references to related sources in this book but, alas, these have not been consolidated into a List of Further Reading. Read this forceful argument and then text your Member of Parliament to support a Basic Income.With under-employment, homelessness, drug addiction and mental health sufferers becoming more prominent in all communities, this polemic makes a strong, contemporary argument for a new direction with a Basic Income in Canada. The authors provide…
Quotations
- “[University of Manitoba health economist] Evelyn Forget and [former Senator] Hugh Segal teamed up with veteran policy analyst Keith Banting to issue a report of their own, published by the prestigious Royal Society of Canada. It was another addition to the Basic Income chorus. In it they showed that from 1990 to 2018, Canada’s spending on social protection as a percentage of GDP had flatlined, the lowest of a dozen OECD countries – even the United States had seen an increase.” (p. 36) ... “[University of Manitoba health economist Evelyn] Forget outlined the advantages of Basic Income in plainspoken terms, explaining that it ‘addresses deprivation at its source, while the current system waits to address the consequences of poverty by spending more on our health services, special education, and the judicial system.” (p. 52)“[University of Manitoba health economist] Evelyn Forget and [former Senator] Hugh Segal teamed up with veteran policy analyst Keith Banting to issue a report of their own, published by the prestigious Royal Society of Canada. It was another…
- “’When you live on social assistance, you live in Stalinist Russia,’ [Josephine Grey a Basic Income advocate] told a 1991 York University conference on democracy. ‘Your neighbor, your [social] worker, even your friend might report you. You live with all kinds of terrorist fears.’” (p. 23) … She described Basic Income not just as a solid foundation of individual and collective security that would get rid of the welfare system that creates ‘paper tigers to chase you through jungles of red tape.’” (p. 25)“’When you live on social assistance, you live in Stalinist Russia,’ [Josephine Grey a Basic Income advocate] told a 1991 York University conference on democracy. ‘Your neighbor, your [social] worker, even your friend might report you. You live…
- “… a small team of Basic Income activists, used Statistics Canada’s Social Policy Simulation Database and Model to develop three policy options. … All three options were based on an annual benefit of $22,000 for a single person, $31,113 for a couple. The level was below the up-to-$24,000 [that] the 8.75 million Canadians eligible for the CERB could receive. Canada has 7 million people living in poverty … The BICN plan would virtually eliminate poverty … with the entire lower half of the income distribution seeing an increase in disposable incomes. For the lowest income families there would be an increase of more than 350 percent.” (p. 27)“… a small team of Basic Income activists, used Statistics Canada’s Social Policy Simulation Database and Model to develop three policy options. … All three options were based on an annual benefit of $22,000 for a single person, $31,113 for a…
Summary:
“As we started to write this manuscript in early 2020, the pandemic arrived. Suddenly the overwhelming need for a Basic Income floor became obvious to most Canadians. Millions of jobs melted away, leaving workers with no income. Canada’s employment Insurance system, decimated by years of cuts, its surpluses diverted to pay down debt, was exposed as a sham. … Perhaps the sweeping wave of insecurity would lead to a widespread recognition that, for so many, insecurity had long been a way of life? Perhaps the democratization of insecurity would at last lead to the democratization of income security in the form of a Basic Income? Sure enough, Ottawa implemented the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. [CERB]. … The tired old ‘social safety net’ … now suggests people falling into an abyss. Maybe it is time for a firm Basic Income – a solid floor below which no one can fall. (p. 6)“As we started to write this manuscript in early 2020, the pandemic arrived. Suddenly the overwhelming need for a Basic Income floor became obvious to most Canadians. Millions of jobs melted away, leaving workers with no income. Canada’s…
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Feb 20, 2024
Comment:
Thirty years before the author attended Queen's University, I lived in a house with three Chinese students; and a faculty professor was a brown Caribbean, so the author's claim that the contemporary campus is too white is incredible (Aziz acknowledges the Muslim Students Association on campus too.) Similarly I worked as a summer student with a brown Caribbean architect in a federal government agency in Ottawa, at that time, so I think Aziz exaggerates over the whiteness of contemporary government employees too. He needs to keep seeing his psychiatrist.Thirty years before the author attended Queen's University, I lived in a house with three Chinese students; and a faculty professor was a brown Caribbean, so the author's claim that the contemporary campus is too white is incredible (Aziz…
Quotations
- “… From what I heard [while working in the Foreign Affairs office in Ottawa], Trump and Trudeau had a warm personal relationship. Trump even took a liking to Trudeau, probably because when Trump looked at Trudeau, the president saw a younger version of himself. Good looks and money were all that mattered in his world.” (p. 282)“… From what I heard [while working in the Foreign Affairs office in Ottawa], Trump and Trudeau had a warm personal relationship. Trump even took a liking to Trudeau, probably because when Trump looked at Trudeau, the president saw a younger…
- “… Everyone around me at school frowned upon academic excellence – and I had come to accept, with alarming ease, that I was simply a dumb kid … The wider world was alien to me. I saw no one in my [suburban Toronto] neighbourhood who I might emulate, saw no role models I wished to follow. … That September, after turning 17, I got home from school early and walked to the living room to check on Dadiye [his grandmother] and what she was doing. … She switched the channel from … Oprah and Dr. Phil and put on CNN. … there was someone on the screen. He was tall with an angular frame, dark brown skin, a deep voice, talking about his father’s journey to America, a country where all things were possible. ‘Who’s that?’ I asked Dadiye in Urdu. ‘That is Barack Obama. He is standing up for president of the United States. His full name is Barack Hussein Obama.’ … Never before had I seen a man who resembled someone from my community speaking with such eloquence and purpose.” (p. 97-101)“… Everyone around me at school frowned upon academic excellence – and I had come to accept, with alarming ease, that I was simply a dumb kid … The wider world was alien to me. I saw no one in my [suburban Toronto] neighbourhood who I might…
- “[Elementary school classmate] Kyle kept smiling, laughing, a laughter I was to know well. ‘Let me ask you something,’ he said. ‘What are you?’ … But before I could answer, he said, ‘You aren’t white. No matter how hard you try, you’ll always be a Paki.’ The word slashed through me. Paki, Paki, Paki, Paki, Paki. I saw the white girls laughing. I saw the Black kids looking away as if they wanted no part in this game. … Suddenly, I began to feel angry. … When I got home, I was cut and bleeding … My shirt was ripped. Even after fighting that boy, I felt sick to my stomach. I had caused pain to another human being and I wanted no part in the violence. Amma [the author’s mother] was mortified. … Amma tried to soothe me. But I hated her in that moment – hated how she prayed, hated how she spoke English, hated the fact that her and my father’s origins gave the white kids ammunition against me. …”. (p. 34-5)“[Elementary school classmate] Kyle kept smiling, laughing, a laughter I was to know well. ‘Let me ask you something,’ he said. ‘What are you?’ … But before I could answer, he said, ‘You aren’t white. No matter how hard you try, you’ll always be a…
- “Yet as I grew older, the narrative of these men [the Toronto 18] and their brethren in other suburbs in America and Europe who would seek to conduct similar acts of criminal violence was demystified. The young men had dreamt up a fantastical plot that transformed a video game brutality into real life. For once they were to become heroes of their own stories, protagonists seeking vengeance on behalf of Muslims they would never know. Mimicking the glory of conquerors, they had replaced our meaningless reality with a life of purpose … and they would transcend the daily drudgeries of nothingness that our [suburban] world laid out for us. Why be just another aimless immigrant son when you could be a holy warrior? I quietly asked myself that sort of reality these boys had been living. The answer came later: they had been living mine.” (p. 93)“Yet as I grew older, the narrative of these men [the Toronto 18] and their brethren in other suburbs in America and Europe who would seek to conduct similar acts of criminal violence was demystified. The young men had dreamt up a fantastical plot…
Pacific Northwest Coast Aboriginal ArtPacific Northwest Coast Aboriginal Art, BookWhat Am I Seeing?
by Clark, KarinBook - 2007Book, 2007
Added Feb 19, 2024
Northwest Coast Indian ArtNorthwest Coast Indian Art, BookAn Analysis of Form
by Holm, BillBook - 2015Book, 2015
Added Feb 19, 2024
Face For Picasso : Coming Of Age With Crouzon SyndromeFace For Picasso : Coming Of Age With Crouzon Syndrome, Book
by Henley, ArielBook - 2021/11/02Book, 2021/11/02
Added Feb 19, 2024
Added Feb 19, 2024
Heart Health for CanadiansHeart Health for Canadians, BookThe Definitive Guide
by Abramson, Beth L.Book - 2013Book, 2013
Added Feb 19, 2024
Added Feb 19, 2024
Added Feb 19, 2024
Liber_vermis's rating:
Added Feb 19, 2024
Added Feb 19, 2024
Added Feb 19, 2024
KaleidoscopeKaleidoscope, Music CDmusic for mallet instruments
by Brennan, BillMusic CD - 2022Music CD, 2022
Added Feb 19, 2024
Comment: