Books

The Battle For Home – The Memoirs of a Syrian Architect (Marwa Al-Sabouni)

battle

A wayward & quaint-laden angle on the tragic Syrian conflict from the perspective of architect & writer Marwa Al-Soubani. A native Syrian, Marwa has a PHD in Islamic architecture, manages a private studio in Homs & has also written a plethora of articles for various municipal/architectural publications. Thus sets the excursion for a differing & more gentle perspective on the Syrian catastrophe than the blitzed & haggard bitterness of front-line reporters & warzone residents (The Battle For Home also contains a withal of sub-topics that may even become the books ultimate priority). Continue reading The Battle For Home – The Memoirs of a Syrian Architect (Marwa Al-Sabouni) →

Books

Nemesis – The Hunt for Brazil’s Most Wanted Criminal (Misha Glenny)

nemesis

Another strenuously researched cramming of expert investigative journalism from Misha Glenny. Perhaps as an extension or off-shoot of his 2008 classic McMafia, which demonstrated organised crimes close co-action & mutual stimulus with Globalisation & Capitalism, Nemesis plunges into Brazil’s unique demographic & history at the table of modern illicit-empires in this socio-poverty-criminal epic. Continue reading Nemesis – The Hunt for Brazil’s Most Wanted Criminal (Misha Glenny) →

Books

The Corporate Criminal – Why Corporations Must Be Abolished (Steve Tombs & David Whyte)

The Corporate Criminal

An extraordinary book. Issued under the “key ideas in criminology series” & inscribed as Business Studies/Criminology/Governance it provides one of the most detailed, definitive & damning disclosures & investigations on the somewhat silent mega crisis of abject corporate & political criminality/corruption reigning rampant from the First World. One would expect both writers to have a weekly column in a publication such as the Guardian considering the vital & brilliant research & analysis they render on this emergency subject. Continue reading The Corporate Criminal – Why Corporations Must Be Abolished (Steve Tombs & David Whyte) →

Books

Break Up The Banks! – A Practical Guide to Stopping the Next Global Financial Meltdown (David Shirreff)

Break Up The Banks

An excellent, short, plausible & lucid solution-based remedy on the fiscal villainy & mega malfeasance thats spiralling towards ever greater disaster in the banking & financial sectors. Written by a veteran of the field – David Shireff, who has been reporting on the finical world since the early 80’s, co-founded Risk magazine & also authored numerous books on the subject. David prefaces the book with – “this is not a radical book. At least, it shouldn’t be: Break Up The Banks! Is concerned with pragmatic ideas-not punitive or utopian ones. Still, for many, the measures that I am proposing might appear somehow beyond the pale. What I would argue, in response, is that fear of being radical has led to the situation we are in today.”

Continue reading Break Up The Banks! – A Practical Guide to Stopping the Next Global Financial Meltdown (David Shirreff) →

Reviews

Dan Burke & Thomas Demuzio – Upcoming Events CD:

Upcoming Events

A saturnine piece of slithering tenebrae oozing ominous Industrial, Noise, Dark Ambient & Avant Electronics with Field Recording fragments from two old-guard mandarins from the Industrial radix, Dan Burke (Illusion Of Safety) & Thomas Demuzio. We are portioned fifteen tracks, extracted from three live performances that were executed in CA during 2004. Predictably from these experienced heavy-weights, the material is excellent & varied with considerable expertise expended on track-to-track expansion, succession & mood modification. Continue reading Dan Burke & Thomas Demuzio – Upcoming Events CD: →

Interviews

Weasel on weasel worm-holes!

weasel by jen crayWeasel on weasel worm-holes! A scud-missile of the underground/alt/huh? – multiple genres, multi instrumentalist & multiple-personality basket-case in the first degree unt No Wave royalty with heaps of history trailing back over three states (Chicago, California & now New York) wit’ nare-near three decades dirt-doing & plenty douching all over the temple interior! louts & scouts – it’s tha Weasel to tha ferkin’ Walter:

hiya Weasel! so what on earths going on? come on! lets have the full multiplicitude-force-feed! swish the dirt! bean spillage! Continue reading Weasel on weasel worm-holes! →

Reviews

Kero – 2ADVANCD4U 12” LP

Kero LP

It’s that sumbitch’ from Detroit! One of em’ anyway. Actually, there is quite a few, as Detroit is a percolating pluripotent of off-grid awesomeness. They don’t get the reputation that they have so clearly earned, as do other microcosms of musically deviant brilliance such as Chicago, Miami & New Orleans. Anyway, back to the man of Kero. Continue reading Kero – 2ADVANCD4U 12” LP →

Books

Syrian Dust – Reporting from the Heart of the Battle for Aleppo (Francesca Borri)

BorriA seminal clarion to the obliteration of Syria. This is a very powerful, distressing & extreme account of an unbearable conflict from ground-zero. This awful internecine catastrophe churns on without abatement to the tune of external entities and their ongoing intervention & incursion… with the Syrian people suffering at the centre of this multi-faceted proxy tussling and the Assad regimes barely discriminating (if at all) butchery & besiegement of the Syrian people. Continue reading Syrian Dust – Reporting from the Heart of the Battle for Aleppo (Francesca Borri) →

Books

Syria Speaks – Art and Culture from The Frontline (multiple contributors)

Syria SpeaksI dusted this magnificent book about two years ago. It’s impression remains very profound & I am writing this review after re-consulting all notes & rereading multiple marked sections that were designated during the first engagement. Published by one of the absolute greats in independent Middle-Eastern publishing – Al Saqi Books, these writings & their visual companions confront the Syrian tragedy head-on through an incredible inventory of artistic mediums comprising over fifty Syrian contributors, with examples of the Continue reading Syria Speaks – Art and Culture from The Frontline (multiple contributors) →