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pdotb finished reading Hollywood Gothic by David J. Skal

David J. Skal: Hollywood Gothic (2004, Faber and Faber)

Hollywood Gothic by David J. Skal

pdotb reviewed Hollywood Gothic by David J. Skal

Comprehensive, perhaps a little too much?

4 stars

Bit of a kitchen sink feeling to this, as it covers in (sometimes excruciating) detail the history of Dracula, first the novel and then the various stage and film adaptations. Some interesting highlights, such as a description of where the title of 'Nosferatu' came from, but too much of the book felt like it was bogged down in the back and forth of negotiations over stage and film rights.

pdotb started reading An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy by Stephen J. Laumakis (Cambridge introductions to philosophy)

Stephen J. Laumakis: An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy (Paperback, 2008, Cambridge University Press)

An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy by Stephen J. Laumakis (Cambridge introductions to philosophy)

In this clearly written undergraduate textbook, Stephen Laumakis explains the origin and development of Buddhist ideas and concepts, focusing on …

pdotb finished reading Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida

Katsuki Sekida: Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy (1975)

Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida

Zen Training is a comprehensive handbook for zazen, seated meditation practice, and an authoritative presentation of the Zen path. The …

pdotb started reading The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, #1)

Seishi Yokomizo, Louise Heal Kawai: The Honjin Murders (Paperback, 2020, Pushkin Vertigo)

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo, Louise Heal Kawai (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, #1)

In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son …

pdotb started reading Canada As a Settler Colony on the Question of Palestine by Jeremy Wildeman

Jeremy Wildeman, Mark Muhannad Ayyash: Canada As a Settler Colony on the Question of Palestine (2023, University of Alberta Press)

Canada As a Settler Colony on the Question of Palestine by Jeremy Wildeman, Mark Muhannad Ayyash

pdotb finished reading House of Mirrors by Yves Engler

Yves Engler: House of Mirrors (Paperback, 2020, Black Rose Books)

House of Mirrors by Yves Engler

pdotb reviewed House of Mirrors by Yves Engler

Nothing changed

4 stars

I was aware that Trudeau's Liberals had done precious little to improve on the dismal environmental performance of the Harper government, but Engler's book covers the many other ways that the Liberals created the illusion of being more progressive, while largely continuing (or, in some cases, worsening) Canada's foreign policy. The same underlying principle -- support authoritarian governments as long as they represent Canadian/US interests, and especially support the mining sector -- was just given a more appealing face.

pdotb quoted House of Mirrors by Yves Engler

Similarly, the Liberals released a letter about the mining sector during the 2015 election that noted, "a Liberal government will set up an independent ombudsman office to advise Canadian companies, consider complaints made against them and investigate those complaints where it is deemed warranted." Trudeau's government waited nearly four years to set up Canada's Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) to supervise Canadian mining companies' international operations. The ombudsperson had yet to take on a single case by the end of 2019. CORE's initial six-year budget was slightly more than one million dollars annually and the Liberals appointed a former oil lobbyist, Sheri Meyerhoffer, as the initial ombudsperson. All 14 union and NGO representatives on the government's "multi-stakeholder advisory body on responsible business conduct" resigned in May 2019 after their concerns about the ombudsperson were disregarded.

— House of Mirrors by Yves Engler (Page 157)