Head down reading Michael Ignatieff’s ‘Blood and Belonging’: an easy read but depressing. Poor Michael. He trails round the pre-9/11 world getting depressed about the way the world is going: Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, Germany, Quebec… The book was originally published in 1993 and has have become a bit of a classic. My, but how things change. War in the 90s was all about ‘ethnicity’ and ‘identity’. What is it all about in the 00’s? Fantasy and reprisal?
I’m all stacked up with books now. It’s funny I read all the time, but now I’m meant to read I’m finding it harder. I have to do a book review assignment in a couple of weeks. Probably going to write about ‘Culture and Resistance – Interviews with Edward Said’. His analysis of the Palestinians’ situation has a certain authority, though not representative of Palestinians as a whole, I think. Most of all I like his rant against post-modernist abandonment of the Enlightenment. Also his discussion about the opening of the first Palestinian casino.
Finally for today I have composed a reply for our Chinese friend who was advocating the building of 20 aircraft carriers. I am trying to navigate the Chinese language sign-up screen so that I can post it:
The young heir proudly claims his birthright.
Fearing the bandits will return,
He sharpens his weapons.
Fire consumes his barns and store houses,
The joy of springtime turns to the bitterness of winter.
Back soon.
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