This Book, Book 16 took about 3-4 days to ‘read’. Even using Audiobooks is challenging hence my decision to archive all Audiobook Material which is also useful for bumping up total so I head towards the 24 Books mark which is 2 books a month; a pathetic total.

What have I learn’t from Machievelli? he uses Cesare Borgia and other chap to craft a political theory for the young upstart who wishes to get ahead in politics (or elsewhere one might reason). For this to happen cruelty etc is fine. All long our heros have desired results at the dreadful cost to their subjects.

If I have Lecture material on and or other podcast material this can be used as well. All in all Machievelli is the Barstards Guide to getting on in politics hence its popularity and reknown amongst various general publics.

This is Book 11 this Year making Martha Nussbaum ‘Upheaval of Emotions The Intelligence of the Emotions’ is Book 12 a work in progress.

I noticed this book in Tesco and decided to buy it as the Storyline looked interesting and pertinent and she also won the Nobel Prize for Literature making this the first Nobel Winner I have ever read.

This book  like the Taylor weighed in at a spectacular 576 pages. Taylor 601 pages and the Cultural Locations of Disability another tome a more modest 245 pages.

Now to the story line. Meet Anna Wulf a single divorced mum who has an number of unending bad sexaul relationships and to add to her woes suffers from Writers Block. That along with Film offers from Directors who wish to change the plot means her Notebooks Red for Political life (how appropriate!) a Black Notebook for Writing Life (given the parlous state of her writing life this colour does not surprise me and is, I think a reflection of her moods); Yellow Notebook her emotional life where she wishes to see the sunshine but doesn’t having lost Paul the beloved Psychiatrist who ends up in foreign climes away from his wife in a notional separation. Blue Notebook for everyday events this would stand for the sky Blue Sky = Day so we have some logic coming on here.

Finally and unexpectedly we get the Lover who mistreats her but who unlocks the Book resulting from the scribblings in the Golden Notebook. This book ends up selling solving the problem but we are still ended up with the bleakness that is characteristic over every aspect of her notebooked life.

Criticisms are unending bleakness.Philosophical bleakness? in the name of what I heard is ‘realism’ no bright lights only constant sadness. There are no light moments.

Surely in the most miserable fo lives there are light moments.

To conclude all in all a well written book from a Writer who definitely shows that portraying life is a skill to be learned in both philosophy and writing (but with it’s lighter moments)

342 words

This is a shocking account of Shock Therapy which tells how Milton Friedman. Chicago School Economists one size fits all Policies . Resulted in gross inequalities and poverty for many Nations round the World.

She shows us how . Shock Therapy Regimes are imposed to circumvent grassroots resistance which is an eye opener into pervasive corporatism which is deliberately seeking to avoid Governance and the Government ; and in effect run their own Mini-States within a weakened dis-empowered State.

(US Military Provision using Private Companies which famous Politicans such as Donald Rumsfeld benefited from financially). This has implications for Democracy and the Democratic Process. Dahl a famous Democracy Theorist at the University of Chicago says quite plainly that the Capitalist System is best served by Democracy. Naomi Kleins courageous honest well researched and thorough analysis is yet another example of what good research is. Her intellectual honesty is refreshing too.

The books begins with the disturbing accounts of Psychic Driving as done by Dr Ewen Cameron whose methods were later utilised as Torture methods. You see the poor woman whose life has been ruined by psychic driving, without any legal recompense or compensation. Others of course have suffered a similar fate. Then she develops her account of how the Chicago School of Free Market Economists have used Shock Therapy to force Free Market Ideologies WHICH THEY KNOW WILL BE DEMOCRATICALLY OPPOSED to an unwilling populace with devastating consequences. As a result the word ‘controversial’ is the only word that can be applied to this book hence every human being in the world should attempt to grab a copy.

Klein rightly defends the Market but within a socially just framework which the Shock Doctors of Chicago have not done.

All in all this is a balanced and truly controversial account which ought to be sky high in Bestseller lists all over the world.

335 words

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Posted in 2000 Book Reading Programme, 2009 Reading List Novels and Academic, 50 Book Reading List 2009 Tagged: 2000 Book Programme, academic fluency, academic inspiration ]]> http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/book-10-naomi-klein-the-shock-doctrine-or-watch-a-new-phenomenon-at-work/feed/ 0 katesjc6189 http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/book-9-charles-taylor-sources-of-the-self-the-making-of-modern-identity-a-six-month-read-into-my-first-adventures-into-selves/ http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/book-9-charles-taylor-sources-of-the-self-the-making-of-modern-identity-a-six-month-read-into-my-first-adventures-into-selves/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:33:59 +0000 katesjc6189 http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/?p=957 ]]>

This book is the start of me formally attempting to reply to the Research Draft Proposal Draft with something pertaining to a sensible answer without of course having the elementary qualifications those in Academia are blessed to have Charles Taylor is part of two Philosophers I am reading that attempt to go beyond the ISMS and Ideologies as fundamental explanations. (As I stand I think both sides need listening too ). This is to discover the subtleties and nauced explanations and theories and range of explanations that give a deeper picture than just the ISM’s and Continental Philosophy which have influenced Literature and the Arts so much. These voices deserve to be heard and one must remain open. Just like Chritchley defends the right of Continental Philosophers to be heard alongside Analytic Philosophers. So I am defending my right to read both sides and see value in opposing sides. This book took me SIX MONTHS to read but by persevering even when I may have lost hold of the Books Plot. Taylor I discover does NOT like Marxism. But he employs a wide ranges of Philosophers to account for the Philosopher-leading accounts of PHILOSOPHERS and their respective theories and ideologies as accounting for the types of person in Society. This is I think very Philosopher Kings of Plato. Taylor does not think philosophical insights should come from the populace but rather the experts which must make him a Platonist. However in additon to this I have seen Taylor quoted as an Hegelian Nietzschean which means I have had to plough thorough ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ on Librivox (not finished yet) and look into Hegel. I have downloaded his History of Philosophy just to get a taste of a man I believe to espouse transcendental modes of philosophy. The extra work means audiobooks are coming into their own and more scans if you like are in order just to get a flavour or try too, of where he is coming from. So this is my take: I think he is an Orthodox Platonist (?) ( I am ignorant of Philosophy per se but read Philosphy books which means I am learning loads), who favours the Experts Philosopher Kings of the Academy as central connoters of identities on the ground. This is shown in the analysis of various Philosopher viewpoints: the Humean Self, The Punctual Self of Locke, the Homeric Self, The Self of Rational Reason (Plato highly influential). IN THEORY his rationale could be extended to any and every Philosopher under the sun-including Marx to generate a database of ’selves’. This could be a useful instrument to both Philosphers and preferably people at the bottom who end up niavely taking on these ’selves’.. An interesting well written clear book with a couple of niggle points which I believe has greater challenges in terms of inspiring agenda setting ideas in terms of the philosophy of the various selves around the world. 537 words

I am drawing towards the end of that massive tome that is Charles Taylor ‘Sources of the Self’ which from what I have seen may bear similarities to Bertrand Russell ‘History of Western Philosophy’ another unknown tome from another as yet unknown Philosopher  in the Analytic tradition; which as you might expect if you are a Professional of some sort, is quite a few.

I am discovering that I, like the other Volumes I have read will need to read long far and deep into unhithertoo unchartered areas. Like French Literature (English Translation)  French and German Poets like Rainer Rilke, and the good and the great of the European Literary Tradition such as Proust (looks insightful but is a mega read something of an understatement),  Not to mention the whole panoply of Philosophers such as Habermas, Bernard Williams, Hutcheson, Malenbranche which means a lot reading; especially as this is all so totally new to me.

High Culture and High Literary and Artistic Culture therefore seems like a must and not some optional extra that I can take as and when I like.

I don’t know what my Philosophy Book Agenda is like in terms of generating the NEW, but enormous tomes are certainly on the List. I have got to get used to it instead of moaning and favouring smaller books. After all just as the early bird catches the worm, so  this bird needs to grapple with some rather large loaves and break it up into tiny portions. I have chosen what appears to be a logical sequence: next is ‘Upheaval of Emotions’ Nussbaum, follow with (how appropriate) more Nussbaum in ‘Hiding from Humanity’ then it’s back to Taylor with ‘Social Imaginaries’ (small book) and the Ethics of Authenticity. I imagine all books to be demanding with plenty of googling to be done and many new paths to be chartered. But my Professor rellie is right to recomend Taylor as he without a doubt puts into place some key philosophical concepts by way of that little problematic word ‘ Emancipation’

Oh I wrote 3,662 words today including this post! (Diary, Patchwork with first ever Edit to tidy it up) and took in an LSE Public Lecture on ‘Religion and the Market:’[system] are they in conflict? as part of the Secularization of High Social Science Theorizing ( LSE Public Lecture ‘Religion and the Market: are they in conflict? John Gray and Mickelwaite of the Economist today 2009). In addition because of the copious amounts of French and German in the above book, I have now taken to regulary listen to French Radio and attempt to surf French Google and see how far I can go, without resorting to translation. (Philosophy books are prone to french excepts making this a necessity)

Words 354 words

Clare Boylan’s Book ‘The Agony and Ego’ could be happily read alongside my other Bible’ ‘Becoming a Writer’ by Dorothea Brand. It is basically an edited Compilation that theoretically could be re done in cycle, every now and then by a well known Author who has contacts with the great and the good of the Literary World. The Author selection is of impeccable pedigree: Marina Warner, Patricia Highsmith, Malcolm Bradbury, Marilyn French, Graham Swift, Fay Weldon ‘and many others’ to qoute the cover.

Some Authors namely Marina Warner will have one, once again needing to go backwards in reading Authors redolent of a Classical Education: Homer, Virgil, Marcus Aurelius etc.

Backwards Reading should therefore BE ASSUMED as necessary and desirable in order to access the full panoply of an Authors Reading.

Although we can assume that the other Authors cited are well read. It is Marina Warner that amplifies the absolute need for meaning to be gained from reading these texts. (Admin has Homer’s Odyssey book, Illiad Plain Vanilla, Marcus Aurelius Meditations on MP3 on Desktop just as an wayward example of the Reading that needs to happen as a result of encountering such Authors on the innocuous looking pages)

Reading wise this was yet another addition which was read alongside ‘Sources of the Self’ Charles Taylor (with a few heavyweight Philosophy volumes to come) and now Naomi Klein’s ‘The Shock Doctrine’ Five is a bit of a maximum for me so I have had to prioritize Taylor and Klein with only 200 pages to read of each. So one needs books of known quality and authority.

The length 257 pages which took me longer to read than is usaul ( I still have not got reading habit under my belt despite being a lifelong Reader in a Family of devoted Library Lovers).

Because of the Authorial pedigrees, the Articles are authoritative, reliable, helpful, teaching, imparting which is just what you want if you wish to circumnavigate this World called ‘Creative Writing’ preferably with it’s Companion Lots of Literature; so one has the broadest possible basis for ones attempts at fluency in all types of genre as and when, and according to one’s inclination (Dorothea Brand ‘How to become a Writer’). So as a result I thoroughly commend this volume and I am glad I went through all the aggro to get my little mits on one.A mass of ideas to use as a Reference book alongside Dorothea Brands classic.

Length 257 pages

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Tags 2000 Book Reading Programme, 2009 Reading List,

Sexuality, infidelities contradiction love of Tereza. Tomas Surgeon Six fortuities that brought them together reeled off factoid style. Sabina, long term Mistress. The Prague Spring, The juxtaposition of sexuality and the Prague Spring. Educated philosophical, philosophers used to make a point, well written, clear, love life, male sexual appetite, frequent sex references, lots and lots of sex.(which I believe is atypically male from a specifically male perspective) Kundera uses French Revolution which prefigures Prague Spring, use of metaphors surgery and sex, cutting open a woman, and mounting a woman.

Kundera charts the life of married Love with Tereza who comes to him via six fortuities their ups and their downs and his constant adultery including Karenin their little dog named after the surname of Anna Karenina who committed marital suicide under the rails in Russia. Suicide metaphor for Tereza’s despair but clinging onto Tomas none the less, she is guilty when she has a brief fling with an artist in a shabby flat.

Kundera logs the genocide of Intellectuals (like Cambodia but that is another matter) and major life changes from high status Surgeon to low status Collective Farm, relationship Tereza and Tomas is followed throughout and Sexual dynamics, pepper the whole tests. Contrast sexaulity and Tereza and Tomas not being able to stay together and rupture of Russian invasion not keeping nation together with ability of Russians to tear Czechoslovakia .

Lightness heaviness. Lightness of commitments Heavy weight of male bearing down on a woman or woman on a man’s face. Heaviness heavy oppression of Soviet invaders. Lightness, dialectic.Lightness nation torn apart by Russian Invasion. Lightness of commitments. Burdens Philandering, career concerns, ability of Russian to impose an unbearable burden.

All this adds up to yet another book that one can use to influence one’s writing in the right direction.

313 words for word count purposes.

KT

Casey Stengel – “There comes a time in every man’s life, and I’ve had plenty of them.”

Books Five and Six David Pytches ‘Some said it thundered’ and Synder and Mitchell ‘Cultural Locations of Disability’

First David Pytches ‘Some said it thundered’

Coming from a man of God with an established Ministry built on godly integrity, David Pytches like others in the Vineyard and Anglican Communion such as Stibbe have let us down.

Revelation captures their souls rather than the deeper stories lying beneath. In wishing not to dismiss the Kansas City Prophets who were later exposed as scandal ridden, Pytches has fallen into classic errors of niavete thus giving ground where no ground was warranted. Hence the proliferation of bloggers blogging the various well known documented errors of the above Community.

Pytches uses the !!! with alarming frequency, this is a new toy, (there is history of genuine prophetic coming from those such as the Desert Fathers and one’s such as Hildegard of Bilgen) he does not discern the nature of the prophetic he is encountering. He does not percieve the hatred of the Pastoral and Healing Ministries that would so expose their actions; he does not recognise the US-centric imperialistic emphasis or discern global and movement speech. He does not see the attachement to prophetic TO THE EXCLUSION of other aspects of the Fivefold: pastoral, healing, . His thinking is clouded by the phenomena he is encountering, deluded by a mess of words spouted at him willy nilly.

For all those damaged by the above this book represents a disapointment to all of us who hoped our undershepherds would truly heed the love and care of the Good Shepherd.

Synder and Mitchell The Cultural Locations of Disability 2006

I brought this to provide some particularities data to the thinking I am having around exploring the peculiar circumstances regarding the word ‘emancipation’ and the problem it poses to us who are effectively institutionalized by a variety of practices designed ostensibly for our good good..

And particularities it does. Synder and Mitchell are one of the few Academics providing for us a radical account of the actualites of disabled peoples lives as a source of a ‘never ending research machine’. The research machine also provides rehabilitation and taxomonies based on medical need. But instead of heed it’s emancipatory arms ie critical theory and ethical philosophy, it imposes a whole infrastruture of control where the disabled lose rights by very right of their being disabled.

(Phamaceutical companies in this instance institute open season on such disabilies by chemical Coshes, and medicalisation of deviant behaviours separate from actual medical need). It is US based but despite of the analysis being based on US eugencics practices it is useful for all disabilies studies-especially those of service users who are the benefactors of the researcher machine whose knowledge is not needed as phenomenological experts.

Synder and Mitchell couragously in my humble opinion describe the assumption that disabled people don’t have rights by right of them being institutionalized and the practices therein. The Service users are powerless to resist the movements of the Superior Body on account of their inarticulacy* (charles taylor as yet unexplored concept and critcal one at that). Control of their inmates is top priority.

Foucaldian analysis is used to explicate the circumstances of the above in an acount that will both disturb and enlighten and once again make angry any who are concerned for this group.

Posted in 2000 Book Reading Programme, Personal Project Progress Report: Reading 75pp a day, Research Draft Bid Reading List 2008 Tagged: 2000 Book Programme, Research Draft Bid Reading List 2008 ]]> http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/book-5-some-said-it-thundered-and-book-6-cultural-locations-of-disability-mitchell-and-synder-2006/feed/ 0 katesjc6189 http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/book-no-2-the-broken-window-jeffrey-deaver/ http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/book-no-2-the-broken-window-jeffrey-deaver/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:15:14 +0000 katesjc6189 http://katesjc6189.wordpress.com/?p=900 ]]>

Another book to get me wondering if I am doing the right thing but too much operating online.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am in love with my Computer (Desktop) and I am now a committed Laptop fan. (My family wonder if they did the right thing referring me to Laptop Land but). This book is for people like me who find technology indispensable (Lincoln Rhyme gets power cut caused by perp that stops him functioning both professionally and personally per se, yet be grappling with the ginormous issues of datamining by Governments and Big Business.

I feel nothing but dread and not know how to overcome /circumvent the dreaded issue of Privacy; which according to Academic papers we no longer have. (dreams of ways to do this without the horrors of above). It seems an unsurmountable problem given that that data also has an commercial end.

If ever one had an excuse to worry about Data Mining as a result of reading a book, then this book  is it. Like the first book I read ‘John Grisham ‘The Jury’ this is another one to get the hackles up about corporate power, government co-towing to Big Business, lack of checks and balances in the various areas of power because Big Business and Government have too much information about you.

One might end up changing one’s habits as a result of  reading this book which is highly recommended, well written, scary in parts (the perps power is scary) but from an author who I will definitely read again.

259word count

3000 + words done today one thousand at a time, phase by phase.

I have not always reported back when I have done the work so I do myself an disservice.

Book 2 Gang Leader for a Day is read so TWO BOOKS this year! I think I may have Curse of Philosophy books that even if i read the book just read rather than study, it is still a time consuming exercise.

Reading Programme is posted up on Pages of this blog.

I am doing Research Draft Reply (that is if she has money it still counts) and now my Reading has a focus which will be Reply based until and as and when I may do ‘normal reading’ [academic that is] or it may mean further Reading taking me deeper and deeper in where this Project is leading me.

Todays Notes Verbatim, Blog posts copy and pasted into Google Docs, God TV commentary In our Time and odds and ends I think today was attempt to see if 3000 words was in fact easy. I guess it depends on the content as unfamiliar content slows me down, whereas familiar content speeds me up as I get used to writing in a particular fashion.

201 words

Grand Total 3,239 words to count