(no subject)
Listed below are the 20 books I've read most recently.
1. Terrorism: Theirs and Ours by Eqbal Ahmad
2. Conversations with Edward Said by Tariq Ali
3. Louder than Bombs: Interviews from The Progressive Magazine by David Barsamian
4. I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight by Margaret Cho
5. At War with Asia: Essays on Indochina by Noam Chomsky
6. Middle East Illusions: Including Peace in the Middle East? Reflections on Justice and Nationhood by Noam Chomsky
7. Rethinking Camelot: JFK, the Vietnam War, and U.S. Political Culture by Noam Chomsky
8. The United States and Biological Warfare: Secrets from the Early Cold War and Korea by Stephen Endicott and Edward Hagerman
9. The Rise and Fall of Palestine: A Personal Account of the Intifada Years by Norman G. Finkelstein
10. Oil by James Laxer
11. Angels for the Burning by David Mura
12. Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts
13. The Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy by Arundhati Roy
14. Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge by Vandana Shiva
15. Light in the Crevice Never Seen by Haunani-Kay Trask
16. The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
17. Six Kinds of Sky: A Collection of Short Fiction by Luis Alberto Urrea
18. Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America by Kristian Williams
19. My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices by Lila Azam Zanganeh (ed.)
20. The Future of History: Interviews with David Barsamian by Howard Zinn
I have to hand it to Canadians. Before my trip there, I always thought potato salad was the worst-looking food that could be made with potatoes. Then I learned about a Canadian abomination called poutine. It's French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It either looks like diarrhea or vomit, depending on how it's prepared.
But the sight of poutine wasn't nearly as nauseating as the experience I had one morning at the Holiday Inn. I was waiting behind a woman at the front desk, listening to her ask for directions to Costco. She explained that she wasn't from the area--as if hotel staff would need to have that explained to them--and then added, "I'm American. But don't worry--we'll protect you." I noticed that the woman at the front desk didn't laugh or smile, but managed to politely proceed to give her directions. I'm not sure if I would have handled it that well. Considering Canada's oil reserves, and the way the U.S. has "protected" or "liberated" or delivered "freedom" to other nations with large oil reserves, I don't think any Canadian should want to hear the words "we'll protect you" from an American. Besides, it sounded arrogant.
At that moment, I didn't want to be associated with the United States, but since my sister had sent me down to the lobby to exchange some currency, I had little choice in the matter. I conducted my transaction and quickly expressed my thanks and walked away, embarrassed to be from the same country as the woman who had been at the front desk before me.
1. Terrorism: Theirs and Ours by Eqbal Ahmad
2. Conversations with Edward Said by Tariq Ali
3. Louder than Bombs: Interviews from The Progressive Magazine by David Barsamian
4. I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight by Margaret Cho
5. At War with Asia: Essays on Indochina by Noam Chomsky
6. Middle East Illusions: Including Peace in the Middle East? Reflections on Justice and Nationhood by Noam Chomsky
7. Rethinking Camelot: JFK, the Vietnam War, and U.S. Political Culture by Noam Chomsky
8. The United States and Biological Warfare: Secrets from the Early Cold War and Korea by Stephen Endicott and Edward Hagerman
9. The Rise and Fall of Palestine: A Personal Account of the Intifada Years by Norman G. Finkelstein
10. Oil by James Laxer
11. Angels for the Burning by David Mura
12. Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts
13. The Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy by Arundhati Roy
14. Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge by Vandana Shiva
15. Light in the Crevice Never Seen by Haunani-Kay Trask
16. The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
17. Six Kinds of Sky: A Collection of Short Fiction by Luis Alberto Urrea
18. Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America by Kristian Williams
19. My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices by Lila Azam Zanganeh (ed.)
20. The Future of History: Interviews with David Barsamian by Howard Zinn
I have to hand it to Canadians. Before my trip there, I always thought potato salad was the worst-looking food that could be made with potatoes. Then I learned about a Canadian abomination called poutine. It's French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It either looks like diarrhea or vomit, depending on how it's prepared.
But the sight of poutine wasn't nearly as nauseating as the experience I had one morning at the Holiday Inn. I was waiting behind a woman at the front desk, listening to her ask for directions to Costco. She explained that she wasn't from the area--as if hotel staff would need to have that explained to them--and then added, "I'm American. But don't worry--we'll protect you." I noticed that the woman at the front desk didn't laugh or smile, but managed to politely proceed to give her directions. I'm not sure if I would have handled it that well. Considering Canada's oil reserves, and the way the U.S. has "protected" or "liberated" or delivered "freedom" to other nations with large oil reserves, I don't think any Canadian should want to hear the words "we'll protect you" from an American. Besides, it sounded arrogant.
At that moment, I didn't want to be associated with the United States, but since my sister had sent me down to the lobby to exchange some currency, I had little choice in the matter. I conducted my transaction and quickly expressed my thanks and walked away, embarrassed to be from the same country as the woman who had been at the front desk before me.