Fri, 06 Apr 2007
Soros - the age of anti-Bush
George Soros, The Age of Fallibility: the concequences
of the War on Terror, Phoenix
George Soros will be known to some as an-ultra
successful financial speculator - one who made several fortunes
in one go when he took on the Brit pound - that being just one
example. These days he spends a lot of money through his
foundation and one of the things he's been spending on has been
getting rid of George W. Bush.
We know now that he didn't make it in the last election and
we also know that it is highly likely that GWB didn't actually
win anything: more like he stole it and the one before... and
the lessons learned from those events seem not to have
penetrated the US political mind - if that's not a contradiction
in terms.
So this book is still, one year later, very relevant.
Soros tkes us through his own philosophy and posits that the
current age of relativism has gone so far from the Age of
Enlightenment as to be fairly useless as any kind of guide. This
ties in nicely with a USA which is similarly lost, and as the
US is the one superpower of the moment, it can also make us
fearful.
The book also refers to some of his money 'sploits which
should appeal to the funds-punks out there.
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Malice Box
Martin Langfield, The Malice Box,
Penguin/Michael Joseph
Just the thing for one of those weekends where swirling
rain sets in after we've been teased by a glimmer of
spring. This is an action/adventure yarn set in NYC in the
recent post 9/11 past. It involves a plot to take over the
planet by the forces of evil - and no, it's not a
political thriller. Blair and Bush do not feature.
Rather, it involves supernatural forces and people who,
somewhat digitally, are either very, very good, or very,
very bad or, in one case, both.. This much might make you
think you're much too
mature for this sort of thing but actually it's quite a
good story with links into the ancient past, modern
alchemists, and a trail through Manhatten that might serve
as a tourist route. It also has an everyman heroe who
discovers in himself all sorts of interesting powers even
though he gets regularly flattened as the story progresses.
There is also a game to be played online with a
variety of prizes on offer .. maliceboxquest.com
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In the Mood for Food
Jo Pratt, In the Mood for Food,
Penguin/Michael Joseph
Is this our first cookbook? Could be. Don't expect an
expert disection of the recipes from us as our expertise
is limited. However, you can't eat out all the time so
a little cooking seems a good idea and if there are ideas
which are largely fuss-free but look and sound nice then
this also seems a good idea.
And that's what this book is about. It even has a
section on meals for one which are interesting and
different and are quick to make. One such is honey-seared
salmon with noodles. Jo is invited right over to make
some. Jo is pretty, by the way, and graces the cover
holding two plates with a Gordon Ramsay quote saying 'Jo's
food is vibrant and fun'. But don't let that put you off.
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pre Dec 04 reviews are here