So, graphic novels. The last few books I’ve read were all funny books. Expect the reviews over the next week or so to be focused on that area. Yeah, it’s hard for me to say much without spoiling this, but then again, I don’t think there are many surprises in this book, and it’s been out for ages (since June 2007), so I’m going to just go ahead and talk about it. Well: this is a horror comic that was published by Virgin Comics, one that, according to a tiny note on the cover, is “Suggested for Mature Readers.” The …
Month: February 2010
I’d Rather Die Than Give a Speech!: The Comprehensive Guide for Public Speaking by Michael M. Klepper
This is a book I picked up in a used book section in Depok, a small suburb of Jakarta. I was amazed to find, upon leafing through it, that it covers a lot of the same issues I cover in my undergraduate Public Speaking course. What’s more, since it is written for the average businessperson — it was, indeed, an Alternate Selection of the Executive Program, says the dustjacket — it’s basically at an appropriate reading level for my English Language & Culture major students, as well as many of the non-majors who seem to want to take the class. …
I’m Teaching What?
Update (a few months later): Well, surprisingly this turned out to be one of the better classes of the semester, and in fact I rather enjoyed it. We read Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” excerpts from Ha-Joon Chang’s Bad Samaritans, organized crime, and the massive documentary film The Corporation; not that it was a massive propaganda session, of course: I just played devil’s advocate, presenting materials that challenged a lot of the more common beliefs and attitudes among students. We had plenty of thoughtful discussions about cultural and economic imperialism, the relationships between government, the press, businesses, …
The Cleanest Race by B.R. Myers
I include the title of this book here for record-keeping only. I am writing a review of the book for The Kyoto Journal, so I will not be posting a review here. I will, however, note that it is quite an interesting book, and despite its shortcomings, I do think it’s worth your while to read it if you would like to know more about the mythic components of the North Korean ideology. Once it sees print, I’ll announce it here.
On a Bunch of 2009 SF films
I’ve been sorting through random files on my netbook, and just discovered a half-written post on District 9, which I never finished and never posted. (The post sucked, so it’s good I didn’t get around to putting it online, but still…) Having just seen Avatar a few weeks ago, and The Box just a few days ago, and Moon and the Korean vampire flick Thirst a long time ago, I thought I’d put up my opinion on all of them (and a few more that come to mind), as they’re the last few SF films I’ve seen (aside from the …