The internet, computers have been a boon to essayists like Edward Curtin (and me!). He/you/we can publish at online sites (DissidentVoice.org is a favorite for us) and then publish our screeds in book form if we are prolific and eloquent enough. Curtin was a philosophy/social theory prof at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. This collection of Curtin's articles, At the Lost and Found (2025), is a case in point. There are some fine ones, certainly his introduction and his opening ones are challenging postmodern forays for the uninitiated and still readable. His students were very lucky.

As Trump-Musk take a hatchet to American higher education, I marvel at the thought that there are hundreds if not thousands of Curtins (maybe not as good)

Jerusalem's hard-fought liberation, now in process, is a recapitulation of the Christian Crusades of the 11th—13th cc, this time, not by the knight on a white horse of legend, but through the long march of guerilla warfare by the much maligned Shia. This follows on the liberation of Iran from its Judeo-Christian yoke in 1979 and Iraq 25 years later, ironically by the US, forming the second Shia majority state. But it is the Shia minority of Lebanon that holds the keys to Jerusalem. Their 40% of the Lebanese population punches well above their weight in a fractious country split among Christians, and Sunni and Shia Muslims.

 

Yes, sacred transport, even sacred ping pong. But can a card game have a spiritual grounding?* 

There's no question in my mind that bridge is the king of card games. It pushes the mind to the limit.

Ramadan 2025: Islam in Canada -- unity through diversity

Review: Dan Steinbock, The Fall of Israel: The Degradation of Israel’s Politics, Economy & Military, 2025.

Interview with Opperman Report July 2024 -- Ames and Cold War then and now

Review: Scott Anderson, Four CIA spies at the dawn of the Cold War -- a tragedy in three acts (2021) 

Review: Diana Johnstone, Circle in the Darkness: Memoir of a World Watcher (2020) 

Review: Richard Falk, Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim, Clarity Press (2021)

Walberg's bike adventures in and around Toronto (ok, walking around Gaspe and some religion too)

Peterborough-Oshawa-Toronto by bike 14 July 2024

Biking the Grand: Reinventing tourism 06 July 2023

Shakespeare by bike 25 June 2022

Sign of democracy?  The cauldron US-Israel prepared after 14 years of bombing and sanctions is bubbling over. Israel now turning occupier. Good luck.

https://www.urmedium.net/c/presstv/132913 

hi readers, I have just let AI write a book for me. I haven't read it yet. how's that for irony. I'm publishing my book which I haven't yet read, let alone written! it cites books i haven't heard of and seems to be crazily formatted. i tried to clean it up. a quick glance suggested it was thrown together without much actual use of my writing. i will write a review of it. lol

Twilight of Hegemony: A Multipolar Dawn
youbooks.com & Based on content by Eric Walberg

Twilight of Hegemony: A Multipolar Dawn

Chapter I. Twilight of Hegemony: A Multipolar Dawn

Chapter II. Introduction: A Critical Eye on a World in Crisis
Section 1. My Journey of Understanding
1. Early experiences and influences shaping the author's worldview.
2. The author's background in journalism and international relations.
3. The author's personal experiences in the Soviet Union and their impact on his views.

Section 2. A Methodology of Critique
1. The author's approach to analyzing global events: critical analysis, historical context, and nuanced perspectives.

2. Deconstructing dominant narratives and challenging established power structures.

3. A commitment to truth-telling and exposing hidden agendas.
Section 3. Setting the Stage: Key Themes and Questions
1. Introduction to the core themes that will be explored in the book: imperialism, conflict, alternative visions, and the search for meaning.
2. Preview of the structure and argument of the book.

Внезапно президент Трамп перестал быть дураком, марионеткой своих генералов. Его последние, исторические твиты взорвались как настоящие бомбы. «Уход из Сирии не был сюрпризом. Я выступал за это годами, и шесть месяцев назад, когда я об этом говорил публично, то согласился подождать. Россия, Иран, Сирия и другие — это локальные враги ИГИЛ. Мы выполняли там (так! опечатка, должно быть «их». — Э.В.) работу».