Too many things happened last week
My big plushy tom cat, Perky, developed a huge abscess on his jaw that was dripping pus. Fortunately the vet was able to see him at short notice on a day when the dentist was in and he had major oral surgery (8 teeth gone!) for a cost of almost $1k. He came home with one of those cone of shame things and a drain in his cheek that looked kind of like a corncob pipe. He swiftly managed to remove the cone but the drain stayed in till the dentist removed it 5 days later. Now, a week after that, he looks fine except for a scab and a shaved spot on his foreleg for the IV/anesthetic. And, poor thing, they cut off half his whiskers :-( though it doesn't seem to bother him.
Then the day after that was 9/11, and last Sunday was my birthday. In between, I had a high fever for about 3 days. I don't know if it was stress or if I had a virus, but I just took off from work and spent most of the time sleeping.
This week has been much less eventful, except for abruptly deciding to pre-order the new iPhone (I haven't had a smartphone before). I probably not get it until sometime next week, or maybe even the beginning of October, by which point I expect it will be something of an anticlimax.
Today I finally wrote up the last of my Banned Book Week blurbs, on The Anarchist Cookbook. Here's the text:
The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell, first published in 1971, has very little to do with anarchy as a political philosophy, nor does it contain menus suitable for dinner parties. Author Powell, a 19-year-old college student at the time and facing the threat of being drafted, wrote the book as a protest against the Vietnam War and it is very much the product of an era when violent revolutionary protest briefly seemed a viable way to bring about political change and solve social ills. The book is filled with “recipes” for explosives, advice on the production, use and effects of illegal drugs and other mind-altering substances, and instructions on sabotage and surveillance, as well as descriptions of weapons and fighting techniques. The book’s preface, written by Peter M. Bergman, describes it as a “survival manual,” going on to state,
“This book... is not written for the members of fringe political groups, such as the Weatherman, or The Minutemen. Those radical groups don't need this book. They already know everything that's in here. If the real people of America, the silent majority, are going to survive, they must educate themselves. That is the purpose of this book."
Described by Newsweek magazine as “the original guide to ‘everything illegal,’” that “… democratized the nuts and bolts of terror,” the book has been challenged many times on the basis of its encouragement of violence. During the 1980s and 1990s, incidents of domestic terrorism such as the Unabomber, the Centennial Olympic Park bombings, and Oklahoma City lent urgency to demands that the book be banned. Since its publication, both chain and independent book stores have opted not to carry the title, though it has been readily available via special order and now, of course, on-line. The late Lyle Stuart, the original publisher and First Amendment activist, noted, “I’ve done a lot of controversial things but nothing so much as this book.” The book is banned in Australia and was formerly banned in the U.K. The original Anarchist Cookbook should not be confused with the many copycat versions downloadable from the internet.
There is some disagreement as to exactly how dangerous The Anarchist Cookbook is, however. Many reviews of the book have pointed out the inaccuracy and lack of detail in its bomb-making instructions. The FBI file on the book, released in 2011, describes it as “one of the crudest, low-brow, paranoiac writing efforts ever attempted."
Author Powell underwent a religious conversion in the mid-1970s and now repudiates the book. He has posted statements to this effect on several book-selling sites, including Amazon.com, writing
I want to state categorically that I am not in agreement with the contents of The Anarchist Cookbook and I would be very pleased (and relieved) to see its publication discontinued. I consider it to be a misguided and potentially dangerous publication which should be taken out of print.
The whole thing will be available on Pinterest and Facebook, I have been told. Once I get a link I'll post it.
Right now I want to watch something but can't decide whether to start with the latest episodes of Nice Guy or Arang. Oh, first world problems ...
Then the day after that was 9/11, and last Sunday was my birthday. In between, I had a high fever for about 3 days. I don't know if it was stress or if I had a virus, but I just took off from work and spent most of the time sleeping.
This week has been much less eventful, except for abruptly deciding to pre-order the new iPhone (I haven't had a smartphone before). I probably not get it until sometime next week, or maybe even the beginning of October, by which point I expect it will be something of an anticlimax.
Today I finally wrote up the last of my Banned Book Week blurbs, on The Anarchist Cookbook. Here's the text:
The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell, first published in 1971, has very little to do with anarchy as a political philosophy, nor does it contain menus suitable for dinner parties. Author Powell, a 19-year-old college student at the time and facing the threat of being drafted, wrote the book as a protest against the Vietnam War and it is very much the product of an era when violent revolutionary protest briefly seemed a viable way to bring about political change and solve social ills. The book is filled with “recipes” for explosives, advice on the production, use and effects of illegal drugs and other mind-altering substances, and instructions on sabotage and surveillance, as well as descriptions of weapons and fighting techniques. The book’s preface, written by Peter M. Bergman, describes it as a “survival manual,” going on to state,
“This book... is not written for the members of fringe political groups, such as the Weatherman, or The Minutemen. Those radical groups don't need this book. They already know everything that's in here. If the real people of America, the silent majority, are going to survive, they must educate themselves. That is the purpose of this book."
Described by Newsweek magazine as “the original guide to ‘everything illegal,’” that “… democratized the nuts and bolts of terror,” the book has been challenged many times on the basis of its encouragement of violence. During the 1980s and 1990s, incidents of domestic terrorism such as the Unabomber, the Centennial Olympic Park bombings, and Oklahoma City lent urgency to demands that the book be banned. Since its publication, both chain and independent book stores have opted not to carry the title, though it has been readily available via special order and now, of course, on-line. The late Lyle Stuart, the original publisher and First Amendment activist, noted, “I’ve done a lot of controversial things but nothing so much as this book.” The book is banned in Australia and was formerly banned in the U.K. The original Anarchist Cookbook should not be confused with the many copycat versions downloadable from the internet.
There is some disagreement as to exactly how dangerous The Anarchist Cookbook is, however. Many reviews of the book have pointed out the inaccuracy and lack of detail in its bomb-making instructions. The FBI file on the book, released in 2011, describes it as “one of the crudest, low-brow, paranoiac writing efforts ever attempted."
Author Powell underwent a religious conversion in the mid-1970s and now repudiates the book. He has posted statements to this effect on several book-selling sites, including Amazon.com, writing
I want to state categorically that I am not in agreement with the contents of The Anarchist Cookbook and I would be very pleased (and relieved) to see its publication discontinued. I consider it to be a misguided and potentially dangerous publication which should be taken out of print.
The whole thing will be available on Pinterest and Facebook, I have been told. Once I get a link I'll post it.
Right now I want to watch something but can't decide whether to start with the latest episodes of Nice Guy or Arang. Oh, first world problems ...