Books

I'm madly trying to get some reading done before I leave. Books are too heavy to bring too many.

After a brief shopping spree at Chapters, I bought:
(a) A Bed for the Night : Humanitarianism in Crisis, by David Rieff
(b) The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War , by Robert D. Kaplan
(c) The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, by Samuel P. Huntington
(d)Dude, Where's my Country? by Michael Moore

Most can be applied to human rights work in the Balkans. I wonder if I can write them off as a business expense?

I flipped through the Michael Moore book. It's not as good as Stupid White Men. Actually, I found it tedious, put it down on page 46 and haven't touched it since. I'm glad he's getting people to question their government (as everyone should) but he should just lay low for a while.

The Coming Anarchy seems quite good. I ordered the author's Balkan Ghosts last week, which hopefully should be arriving any day now. Part travel log, part journalism and part internationalo relations commentary, I've found it impossible to put down. Makes me feel guilty for ignoring Africa all this time.

I have also acquired (e)What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News by Eric Alterman. I got it for my stepfather, thinking it would be an antidote to Fox News. He didn't want it so it migrated to my collection.

On another point, Britney Spear's new perfume/ad campaign is being released soon. It's called 'Curious'. According to my friend Greg, she wouldn't be so curious if she had finished school. Or read these books.