Maison Gauche

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. le Guin Some people may be put off about reading a science fiction novel, but there are many books within this genre that are well worth reading - The Dispossessed is one. Having said that, however, I can't say that it's a great novel, but I do believe it is worth reading. Why? Fist a little synopsis. The subtitle (or additional title?) is "An Ambiguous Utopia." The ambiguous utopia is a world to which anarchists have moved in order to live on their own apart from a world much like our own. What makes the story most interesting is how people might come to think, relate, live - that is, in a manner totally different than that which we are accustomed to. The ideas of community, sharing, non-violence are encouraged from birth and are completely natural, especially given the fact that many generations have now lived on this world. Such behavior is considered the norm, and to act otherwise is foreign. Ursula le Guin obviously put a lot of thou...

Yet another review. This time of a movie - Paradise Now. It's difficult to review a movie without giving anything away. In my case, I didn't really know what the movie was about. I had only heard or read somewhere a good review. I was rather shocked by the paths taken by the heros (antiheros?). If I say anymore, however, I fear I will give too much away. Suffice to say that the events take place primarily in occupied Palestine. So, it is about the occupation, as well as about the resistance. Again, I was going to write more, but realized I would give some of the movie away. Definitely worth watching!

Masks of God, Joseph Campbell This is a four-volume set comprised of the following books: The Masks of God Occidental Mythology Oriental Mythology Creative Mythology This series I would count as required reading for anyone. However, my personal opinion is that you can skip the last book ( Creative Mythology ). Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post-Communist Russia, Stephen F. Cohen The Raw Deal, Ellen Frank A Small Corner of Hell : Dispatches from Chechnya, Anna Politkovskaya The Good Fight, Ralph Nader Here Ralph Nader points out every reason why one should vote for Anyone But the Two Parties! A great eye opener to the hypocricy of our democracy while showing the way forward to establishing a more democractic, egalitarian and just society. Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood Another vision from Atwood of an apocalyptic future. In this future, however, the combination of global warming and out-of-control genetic engineering has led to the virtual extinction of the human species...

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