“Can forests think? Do dogs dream? In this astonishing book, Eduardo Kohn challenges the very foundation of anthropology, calling into question our very assumptions on what it means to be human – and thus distinct from all other lifeforms. Drawing on four years of ethnographic fieldwork among the Runa of Ecuador’s upper Amazon, Kohn explores how Amazonians interact with the many creatures that inhabit one of the world’s most complex ecosystems.”

A smashing debut from Scottish observer, pundit, commentator, rapper & social-activist Darren McGarvey (also known as Loki). His sphere? Let’s contract it to poverty-class-community, in which ever order you so desire. Growing up in Pollok, in south Glasgow with a whole heap of hard-knocks, Darren’s authority & experience outstands pretty much everybody in the spectrum at an elevated level (I can only really think of Stafford Scott, who actually doesn’t have as much access to established platforms).

“The black movement had made it clear that all authority was the enemy. And they were giving even the real peace-loving-hippies ideas – and that was scary. It was a loose joining together, a sort of convergence, however tenuous, and that was the real problem in those days. We had to get that rabbit back in the hat. It became an us and them thing.” – officer Len Colsky

”-particularly when they see how former high-ranking Bush administration officials who had advocated for overthrow of Saddam leveraged their government positions, contacts and insider knowledge to make huge fortunes from Iraqi and Kurdistan oil investments. Today, some of these very people continue to sit on the boards of, or have lucrative jobs as advisors to, the very same multinational oil firms.” Continue reading Pipe Dreams-the plundering of Iraq’s oil wealth (Erin Banco): →

By chance rather than choice, I came across Ma Jian sometime in early 2017, settling on Red Dust, which sounded like a rollicking document of a largely lost China through the eyes of a wayward humanitarian, much like Gao Xingjian’s staggering Soul Mountain (a book of great importance to me). Continue reading China Dream (Ma Jian): →

An absolute smasher here. Surfeit, vigorously meticulous & painstakingly crammed, this is a resoundingly impressive repository on these two somewhat exceptional countries & their historic rivalry. Continue reading Cold War in the Islamic World-Saudi Arabia, Iran and the struggle for supremacy (Dilip Hiro): →

“candidly speaking, we are not interested in peace, as this concept is understood by the general public. As the ultimate of right-wing messianists, we look forward to the Redemption, to [ruling over the] true Whole Land of Israel, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates … [and] this integrity will undoubtedly be attained through conquest and wars.” – Noam Livnat Continue reading Murder in the Name of God-the plot to kill Yitzhak Rabin (Michael Karpin & Ina Friedman): →

ho ho & ha ha. We insist on dystopia. Decline, deterioration, invalidation & expanding disability. Less capable, able, cognizant human beings, but faster & more powerful machines with a continually pervading reliance & prevalence that becomes despotic, as abstaining or avoiding technological/computerized participation becomes practically impossible. Continue reading New Dark Age-technology and the end of the future (James Bridle): →

“The real catalyst for the shale revolution was… the 2008 financial crisis and the era of unpredictably low interest rates it ushered in.”

“if companies were forced to live within the cash flow they produce, U.S. oil would have grown at a quarter to half the rate that it has.”

“You can make the argument that the federal reserve is entirely responsible for the fracking boom.” Continue reading Saudi America-the truth about fracking and how it’s changing the world (Bethany McLean): →

Not since 2011’s landmark Broken Republic publication by author & activist Arundhati Roy have we had such an acute insight into India’s Naxalite guerrillas, brought to us now from anthropologist Alpa Shah. This is the world’s longest running ‘armed revolutionary movement’, having over half a century of activity/resistance (I think becoming operational officially in 1967). Continue reading Night March-among India’s revolutionary guerrillas (Alpa Shah): →