 New Article: "42, Childless, and ... Selfish"My new article, "42, Childless, and ... Selfish" has been published by BrooWaha New York. Is having children a duty? New Article: "Happy New Year!"My new article, "Happy New Year!" has been published by BrooWaha New York. Whatever year that actually is, anyway. Good Reads: For the Book LoversKeeping up with my annual list of good reads, here is some info on the books I read for 2008. Maybe some of you will find them interesting as well:
Or I’ll Dress You In Mourning” - Larry Collins & Dominique LaPierre The biography of Spanish bullfighter “El Cordobes”. Not only does this book follow the life of an Andalusian peasant from poverty to becoming a very wealthy superstar but also reflects what he symbolized for a changing Spain during the late Franco period. Guernica: A Biography of A 20th Century Icon - Gijs Van Hensbergen A short biography of one of Picasso’s most famous paintings, from creation to the present day. Also, a fine history book of the carnage that took place at Guernica during World War II and the effect it had not only on Spanish society but of the world as a whole. Leo Africanus - Amin Maalouf A novel about a Moor in the last days of the Kingdom of Granada and his subsequent exile. A beautiful novel by this Lebanese author about exile and it’s effects on one’s life. A great read for those interested in this part of world history. Moorish Spain - Richard Fletcher A short but informative history of Arab rule in Spain from 711-1492. A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle Not a book I would normally read these days but I have to say it was interesting and enjoyable. Tolle has some interesting insights here, although his world view seems to be an amalgam of all three major religions, mixed with existential philosophy as well as Eastern thought. It’s this mixed bag of ideas that makes this book an interesting read. Yet another “answer” to the problems of mankind. Siciliana - Gaetano Cipolla Examines the Sicilian ethos through history, literature and art. A great book for those interested in a concise history of the island and it’s people and attitudes. Pagan Spain - Richard Wright A fantastic book by this great American writer. Wright travels to Spain in the 1950s, during the height of Franco’s power and reports on the life of every day people and how this regime effects their daily lives. It also shows how ancient Pagan ideas and rituals carry on into this supposedly then “strictly Catholic” nation. Ghosts of Spain - Giles Tremlett Examines post-Franco Spain and it’s struggle to shake off it’s fascist legacy through democracy not only in politics but in it’s art, films and literature as well. It is a story of a nation trying to find it’s way in the modern world. Island of My Hunger - Various An anthology of Cuban poetry by some of the island’s greatest writers. Very powerful poetry here, most of which was previously unknown to an American readership. The Insatiable Spiderman - Pedro Juan Gutierrez The third novel from one of Cuba’s best known contemporary writers. This novel follows both “Dirty Havana Trilogy” and “Tropical Animal”, following the exploits of “Pedro Juan” through the seedier side of Havana. A remarkably candid portrait of modern Havana in the late 20th century. Gutierrez is Cuba’s answer to Henry Miller and Charles Bukowski. Fans of these writers should definitely check him out. Liberation Theology - Philip Berryman An examination of this strictly Latin American spin on Catholicism that grew in the late 1970s and early 1980s and it’s effect on the lives of the ordinary person in Latin American nations faced with corrupt governments, dictatorships and civil wars. The book tries to diffuse the idea from the Vatican that Liberation Theology is closely linked with Marxism and shows how the ideas behind it are meant to follow the original teachings of Christ. The idea of Christ not only as ‘redeemer’ but as ‘liberator’ as well. Sea of Faith - Stephen O’Shea A history book examining the close ties between the three major religions -- Christianity, Judaism and Islam --- in the Mediterranean world and how this long history of interaction, cooperation and conflict affect the world we are living in today. A Sultan in Palermo - Tariq Ali A fictionalized account of Sicilian explorer and mapmaker Al-Idrisi and his relationship with the Norman king Roger. The story takes place in the last days of Islam’s presence in Sicily in the 11th century. A must for those interested in Italian and/or Sicilian history. Goya - Edwin O’Connor A short but fascinating biography of one of Spain’s most celebrated artists. It examines his life as well as his work and also gives a great historical account of the period of Spanish history in which he lived. Modern Arab Art - A great survey of modern artists in the Arab world, a segment of the modern period which is completely ignored by art historians and many western museums and institutions. Concentrates mostly on those artists from “The Levant”: Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine. Many unique and interesting works here that deserve wider attention. The Arts of Spain - John Moffitt An examination of Spanish art from the ancient Iberians through the modern day. A great albeit short book but informative nevertheless. The Mule - Juan Galan A novel about a peasant mule driver during the Spanish Civil War who finds himself a victim of circumstance and becomes an accidental war hero. Another great novel of this period of Spanish history but with a humorous, light hearted approach, the kind of thing you could see an “indie” film being made of one day. A great novel over all. The Clash of Fundamentalisms - Tariq Ali A very dense historical analysis of the conflict between the western and Islamic worlds and how decisions made in the past have a direct effect on the conflicts we are facing today. Ali’s approach is objective, finding faults on both sides of the spectrum. Doesn’t offer any solutions as it does point out the reasons for the current climate in today’s world. Essential if you want a better understanding of it. Castro’s Cuba, Cuba’s Fidel - Lee Lockwood Lockwood travels to Cuba in the 1960s in order to interview Fidel Castro to get the story from his own words. The result is this book, a collection of interviews with the Cuban leader discussing the Revolution and the change he intended to make for Cuba. The book does not judge Castro but it’s interesting to see it all from his own perspective. It also gives insight into the circle surrounding Castro and their attitudes as well. The one thing that this also shows is that Castro certainly loves to talk for some of these interviews are very very long. Revolutionary Latin American Poetry - Various A great book packed with some of the best poetry to come out of Latin America from the 19th century through the mid-20th century. “Revolutionary” in form more so than in content, since many of these poems do not concern themselves with politics though a great many do. By far one of the best books of Latin American poetry I have found thus far, featuring many of the greats from all the nations of Latin America and also shows that a literary revolution was also taking place in “the other America” as well as the United States during the 50s and 60s. This book showed me that there are many wonderful artists out there who simply do not get the attention they deserve in this country. Child of The Revolution - Luis M. Garcia Anyone who thinks Castro is a hero should read this book. A story of a young boy growing up in Cuba before and during the Revolution and the real effect it had on his family as well as other families just like the author’s. Should dispel any notion of Castro’s Revolution being “noble”. Memoirs of an Italian Terrorist - Giorgio Allegedly written by a member of Italy’s “Red Brigades”. A harrowing account of what this terrorist group did and how they functioned, how they chose their targets and why they were doing what they were doing. Seemingly the last gasp of revolutionary communist organizations during the 1970s and 1980s. Gives good insight into the mind of a terrorist and what motivates them. A great read, albeit disturbing. Country Under My Skin - Giaconda Belli The memoirs of Nicaraguan writer Giaconda Belli and how this woman from a very upper middle class family found herself involved with the Sandinista movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A very detailed account of how they operated and how they eventually succeeded in overthrowing the Samoza dictatorship and how they attempted to bring revolutionary change to Nicaragua. Negri on Negri - Antonio Negri Interviews with Italian philosopher Antonio Negri ranging in topic from the 1968 rebellions in Europe through the Red Brigade period all the way through today’s geopolitical concerns. Very dense and not always easily understood but still a fascinating read. Fascist Italy: A Concise Historical Narrative - Cristogianni Borsella A short, compact, very well written account of the birth of Fascism in Italy. Essential for those interested in the period in Italian history for anyone who does not want to read the numerous tomes published on this same subject. Goodbye, Mr. Socialism - Antonio Negri Another interview book of the Italian philosopher, this book concerning itself with the fall of communism and the future of the Left in Europe specifically and the rest of the world peripherally. Discusses many modern conflicts as well, from Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq but mostly concentrates on the political climate of Berlusconi’s Italy. Introduction to 20th Century Italian Literature - A survey and study of modern Italian literature. A great read focusing on many authors not widely known in the United States. Travels in Hyperreality - Umberto Eco An immensely enjoyable book of essays discussing many varying topics in the Post-Modern world. Many of these essays appeared in Italian newspapers throughout the 1980s through the current day. Eco’s essays are a great read for not only their content but for the humor infused in them as well. On Literature - Umberto Eco A collection of essays discussing various forms of literature, particularly Italian literature. Turning Back The Clock - Umberto Eco More essays, these more concerned with modern day concerns such was “the War on Terror” as well as the recurring conflict between Islam and the West, drawing on historical accounts to show that since the fall of the Berlin Wall, we are actually heading backward and not forward, reliving conflicts and embracing attitudes that are actually very old indeed. Serendipities - Umberto Eco Essays examining language and the many quests of those in search of humanity’s “original language of Adam and Eve”. Post-Modern Theory - Steven Best & Douglas Killner A study of various post-modern theories and philosophers such as Lacan, Baudrillard, Foucault, etc. Interesting to say the least. Gypsies and Flamenco - Bernard Leblon A very short book on the history of Spanish Gypsies and their position on Spanish society throughout the ages. Also examines Flamenco music and it’s roots but mainly focuses on Gypsy life and history. The Red Virgin - Fernando Arrabal A very interesting novel about a woman trying to mold her daughter into brilliance, told from the point of view of the mother. The novel is an allegorical tale about exile and estrangement from both family and nation. From one of Spain’s most celebrated modern authors and playwrights. Vedette - Stephen Siciliano A story about an Andalusian peasant girl and her effect on all those around her. The novel is a great account of the Spanish Civil War through the eyes of a young girl and those around her, mostly peasants from Andalusia as well as through the eyes of those who suffered on the other side. It’s a fantastic read and another example of how self-published novels can also be as powerful as “real” novels. This book should dispel any notion that one must need a “real” publisher in order to turn out a very well written and inspiring work. The Romantic Dogs - Roberto Bolaño As far as I know, the only poetry collection by this Chilean author available in English. It’s a great read. Powerful poetry collected from the early 1980s through the late 1990s. If you’ve read his fiction, you must read his poetry. Hopefully, more will be released in the coming years. Deep Song & Other Prose - Federico Garcia Lorca A collection of essays from Spain's greatest poet. A very interesting read on various subjects but mainly Andalusian culture and Gypsy life. Worth seeking out, especially if you are a Garcia Lorca fan. Merry Christmas! Afrikaans: Gesëende Kersfees
Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden Arabic: Milad Majid Argentine: Feliz Navidad Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On! Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce Brazilian: Feliz Natal Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou! Chile: Feliz Navidad Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth Corsian: Pace e salute Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi Croatian: Sretan Bozic Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok Danish: Glædelig Jul Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast English: Merry Christmas Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo! Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon Estonian: Ruumsaid juulup|hi Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar! Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad Finnish: Hyvaa joulua Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar French: Joyeux Noel Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier! Galician: Bo Nada Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr! German: Froehliche Weihnachten Greek: Kala Christouyenna! Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara! Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova Hindi: Shub Naya Baras Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara! Hawaian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou! Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket Icelandic: Gledileg Jol Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay. Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha Lao: souksan van Christmas Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum! Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu! Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa Maori: Meri Kirihimete Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh Navajo: Merry Keshmish Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado Papiamento: Bon Pasco Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr! Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo Philipines: Maligayan Pasko! Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie Portuguese:Feliz Natal Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn! Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom Sami: Buorrit Juovllat Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou Serbian: Hristos se rodi Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce Sami: Buorrit Juovllat Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh Serb-Croatian: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina Serbian: Hristos se rodi. Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto Spanish: Feliz Navidad Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon Tami: Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech! Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho Vietnamese: Chung Mung Giang Sinh Welsh: Nadolig Llawen Yugoslavian: Cestitamo Bozic Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun! Here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! New Article: "Way Beyond The Da Vinci Code"My new article, "Way Beyond The Da Vinci Code" has been published by BrooWaha New York. A much older story makes Dan Brown's look positively quaint. New Article: "The Light Of The World"My new article, "The Light of The World" has been published by BrooWaha New York. Yes, an atheist can celebrate Christmas. New Article: "Viva La Revolucion!"My new article, "Viva La Revolucion!" has been published by BrooWaha New York. In today's upside down world, politics sure does make strange bedfellows. This is Truly UnrealFrom an article in a Minneapolis newspaper concerning a California county's banning of an American classic.
How Surreal Is This?I just happened to stumble across this today while surfing the web. Apparently, my article “Not Better But Different”, which was a look at the idea of multiculturalism, was picked up by a reader named Brigitta, apparently an Israeli woman, and posted on the forum pages for Pravda of all places. That’s right. Pravda. The Russian newspaper. It’s not actually in the news sections, but the forum pages they apparently have. I don’t know who this Brigitta is---and of course I don’t mind that she posted it, the more readers the better, I say----but it would have been nice if she would have at the very least told me about it. I would have liked to get her thoughts on it. She just posted the entire article on the forum page. No comments. Nothing. She did note the source of the article, though. Strange things happen on the internet. This has got to be one of the strangest things to happen to me yet. So my article can also be read at Pravda, apparently. New Article: "Fragments of A Shattered Mirror"My new article, "Fragments of A Shattered Mirror" has been published by BrooWaha New York. It examines the poetry of d.a. levy. New Article: "Great Expectations"My new article, "Great Expectations" has been published by BrooWaha New York. Are our expectations in American culture unrealistically high? Happy Black FridayI hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. I know I did. I had a pretty low key Thanksgiving this year, spending it with my mother and my sister out on Long Island at a very nice restaurant with some really good food. (Since it was only the three of us, what was the point in cooking?) On the ride out there yesterday morning, I couldn’t help feel that some people were already getting ready for today, the day known as “Black Friday” due to the stampede of people ready to snatch and grab any consumer good they can get their hands on. Since I don’t drive, I have to take the Long Island Railroad all the way out to Suffolk County. What absolute madness, let me tell you. The train was packed to the gills, kids were running around all over the place, adults were whining that they had to stand…it felt like Rush Hour on the Subway. There was even a minor tiff between two middle aged men due to one accidentally stepping on another’s foot. Ah, yes, the beauty of a day of giving thanks. But that’s New York for you. While I was out there I couldn’t help notice one thing. At a Best Buy, at around 5:30pm, I noticed a growing line of people camped out, huddled under blankets, drinking coffee or hot chocolate out of thermoses, all of them waiting for the doors to open….at Midnight. I realize that the day after Thanksgiving is the traditional day for Christmas shopping to begin but I had to ask myself why anyone would sit around in the freezing cold for nearly 8 hours in front of a closed store. Deals, I am told. Screw that. If that’s what you want to do, by all means, enjoy, but I’ll be damned if I ever would do that. If there is any day of the year in which I don’t Christmas shop, that day is “Black Friday”. Thanks but no thanks. I don’t need the aggravation. I’ll forgo the stampede for consumer goods for yet another year and wait until a little later. Happy Black Friday everyone! :-) Posts 1 - 12 of 412
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