As I've commented in the past, one of my favorite places is a good bookstore. The used bookstore here in our county, impressively stocked considering that its host city has less than 50K people, is a great place to spend hours, even if I don't end up buying anything.
Some "big bookstore" experiences stick in my mind. One is Brentano's in NYC, where I spent half a day back in the 70s. I'm sure it has changed since then, but at the time, I'd never been so overwhelmed by the sheer size of a bookstore.
Another is Powell's in Portland OR, which I visited for the first time in the '90s. It is especially cool because they shelve used books right along with new ones. Although we travel to Portland every year to visit friends and family, I don't go there any more--downtown Portland has gotten to be too sketchy a place, and with all the boarded-up storefronts, it's a bit spooky now. It's ironic that a century ago, Portland was referred to as "Stump City", and it has now become "Plywood City". A boon for their dying lumber industry, no doubt.
Regarding Israel, I read a very interesting piece just the other day right here on Substack, which spins a pretty alarming tale about the state of things there, and seems to predict Israel's coming extinction if trends do not change. I could not find much to fault in the blogger's conclusions:
Chào quý ngài, it is unfortunate that you have gone healthy. Your descriptions of eateries and meals, along with the prices, were enjoyable as well as being useful to travelers. Perhaps you could include examples of items even if you are restricted from eating them now. Or the healthy-type items you are able to indulge in. The beer descriptions are also missed.
Regards, Expatrader your longtime reader (from the Counterpunch days)
When and if you can grasp how there's never been any way for anyone to tell who is, or is not, any of those fake, man-made religion labels, please let your readers know. Also let them know that the fake word "Nazi" is an epithet which came from "Ignatz" which was commonly given to peasant boys in Bavaria and Austria. In reality, Ig "natz" or "Nazi" is just the equivalent of "bumpkin" or "simpleton." There is no such thing as "Jews," or any of the also-fake, branched-off versions of that label. There never has been anything such as "Nazis" or any "Nazi Party" as promoted by adult scam artists. Nazi has never been an acronym for National Socialism. The word holocaust has always just meant a burnt offering or sacrifice completely consumed by fire. Touché.
"Nations without nationalism die."
__
Another Linh Dinh quote to be etched in stone at the base of the Statue of Liberty? Do you think Governor Hochul would go for it?
Hmmm
Here's the Bellows painting, 42 Kids, that was scandalous at the time and perhaps still politically incorrect in 2024. I'd rate it PG.
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.134485.html
Seems pretty tame to me, especially when I like Balthus, definitely R. https://marketsharegroup.com/most-scandalous-paintings-created-by-balthus/
As I've commented in the past, one of my favorite places is a good bookstore. The used bookstore here in our county, impressively stocked considering that its host city has less than 50K people, is a great place to spend hours, even if I don't end up buying anything.
Some "big bookstore" experiences stick in my mind. One is Brentano's in NYC, where I spent half a day back in the 70s. I'm sure it has changed since then, but at the time, I'd never been so overwhelmed by the sheer size of a bookstore.
Another is Powell's in Portland OR, which I visited for the first time in the '90s. It is especially cool because they shelve used books right along with new ones. Although we travel to Portland every year to visit friends and family, I don't go there any more--downtown Portland has gotten to be too sketchy a place, and with all the boarded-up storefronts, it's a bit spooky now. It's ironic that a century ago, Portland was referred to as "Stump City", and it has now become "Plywood City". A boon for their dying lumber industry, no doubt.
Regarding Israel, I read a very interesting piece just the other day right here on Substack, which spins a pretty alarming tale about the state of things there, and seems to predict Israel's coming extinction if trends do not change. I could not find much to fault in the blogger's conclusions:
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/israels-path-of-peril
The prediction is obviously rather subjective. What I found most disturbing is how badly the takeover by "settlers" has progressed.
That's just a few hours from here--I may have to give it a try the next time I'm up that way.
Chào quý ngài, it is unfortunate that you have gone healthy. Your descriptions of eateries and meals, along with the prices, were enjoyable as well as being useful to travelers. Perhaps you could include examples of items even if you are restricted from eating them now. Or the healthy-type items you are able to indulge in. The beer descriptions are also missed.
Regards, Expatrader your longtime reader (from the Counterpunch days)
Hi Dr. MDL,
Here's today's lunch. $8.04 for out of this world smoked veal [bê thui], the best version of this I've ever had. This was enough for two people:
http://linhdinhphotos.blogspot.com/2024/08/8.html
Linh
P.S. And here's a $2 dinner of boiled pork with assorted vegetables and herbs, wrapped in rice paper and dipped in fermented fish paste:
https://linhdinhphotos.blogspot.com/2024/08/tonights-2-dinner-of-boiled-pork-with.html
I think the imprinting of Nazi on the American mind had more to do w/ Winston Churchill's pronunciation "Na-si" than the name Ignatz.
Dear Linh,
When and if you can grasp how there's never been any way for anyone to tell who is, or is not, any of those fake, man-made religion labels, please let your readers know. Also let them know that the fake word "Nazi" is an epithet which came from "Ignatz" which was commonly given to peasant boys in Bavaria and Austria. In reality, Ig "natz" or "Nazi" is just the equivalent of "bumpkin" or "simpleton." There is no such thing as "Jews," or any of the also-fake, branched-off versions of that label. There never has been anything such as "Nazis" or any "Nazi Party" as promoted by adult scam artists. Nazi has never been an acronym for National Socialism. The word holocaust has always just meant a burnt offering or sacrifice completely consumed by fire. Touché.
https://michaelatkinson.substack.com/
Sincerely,
Michael
🦖
The mouse in Krazy Kat, Ignatz, threw bricks at the inoffensive cat out of irritation with its naivety.
That is very profound--thank you for sharing!
"We are the people
Who do not know how to die peacefully and at ease..."
https://youtu.be/Yd7Pughcb_4?si=vVAqExU5IXPfKKoa