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Sunday, May 13, 2007 |
TPMCafe: "Even with few details released, the one thing that has come out of the announcement of the trade deal between Dem leadership and Bush is an admission by US corporate leadership that US law does not meet minimum international human rights standards, as embodied by the International Labor Organization (ILO):
'The US Chamber of Commerce welcomed the bipartisan deal, saying it would secure support for Congressional approval of the four pending bilateral trade agreements... [Said Tom Donohue, president and chief executive of the world's largest business federation.] "we are encouraged by assurances that the labor provisions cannot be read to require compliance with ILO Conventions."'
It's almost nice to see the business elite admitting that the US is an international law violator, but pathetic that the Democratic leadership have signed onto a deal that doesn't even require the US to meet the minimum international rules for protecting labor rights."
11:33:45 AM 
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ABCNews: "On the eve of a hearing that promises to be more about dry science than sensationalism, Floyd Landis escalated hostilities by launching one more missile aimed at the credibility of the authorities prosecuting him on doping charges.
Landis, addressing reporters at a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, said U.S. Anti-Doping Agency general counsel Travis Tygart offered to reduce his potential suspension in exchange for incriminating information about seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong 'or anyone more important than me'.
Tygart made the offer to Landis' lawyer Howard Jacobs shortly after the cyclist's positive test for testosterone was confirmed last August, according to Landis. He said the conversation Jacobs related to him convinced him that USADA's motivation in his case was suspect and the agency was willing 'to do harm to my reputation in order to get to Lance'."
That is typical of the American system of justice, or rather 'injustice'.
But we can safely assume that Landis cheated and used doping. It is also highly probably that Armstrong used doping. Armstrong's tactics were worked out to the minutest detail, the physical side, the technical side, the group tactics. But Armstrong must have been careful enough to avoid detection. If he used doping in such small amounts or in such a way to be untraceable, then he is within regulations and in that case he can't be accused of any malpractice.
But if you ask me if I think Armstrong used doping, I have to say 'yes'.
When this summer I'll be watching the Tour it'll be without any attention to the big shots. I'll enjoy the ride through la douce France, but that's all.
11:29:16 AM
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I have just finished reading A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami. An amazing book. It gives you the feeling of being taken apart bit by bit and then put together again with each part cleaned. You are left with a knowledge of the state of all your parts. In short, Murakami writes literature that doesn't leave you cold.
It is said that Murakami is unJapanese. Well, stuffing your books with references to Western literature and music does not make them unJapanese. Murakami is firmly lodged in the Japanese tradition of storytelling. He is a master storyteller. He tells us stories, that is he makes the unreal look real. If you can turn totally unrealistic things into almost palpable stuff, you are a master.
His craftsmanship is in line with the Japanese tradition of storytelling as well as the Western tradition of the dream allegory. The Wikipedia entry for Pinball 1973 says: "the plot is not intended to be interpreted allegorically". Ah, but in really good literature, things are more complicated than this.
Murakami works a lot with things that can be interpreted allegorically, the well pops up in many of his books, there are the dreams or surreal happenings. If anything is allegorical, it's a dream. Of course, when you start naming things as an allegory with a specific meaning, you are overstepping the boundaries. Great literature manages to bring across something of the mystery, the secret behind our own being. Murakami does that.
So even when there is no intention of producing allegories, there is something present that gets at the bottom of things (the well again). Even when Murakami says he hasn't put any meaning in his works, it is there. How can this be?
Simply because when Murakami writes and is not consciously making plans, schemes, and doesn't force his inspiration through his conscious intentions, he - as a talented writer - cannot but bring those things to the surface that are already deeply embedded in his subconscious. And we know that our dreams do have a relation to our deepest anxieties, wishes and situations. His stories seem to pop up like the bubbles in a bottle of fizz when you pop the cork.
Murakami's works come from deep down and like every good story they tell us something. It's not always easy to pinpoint exactly what, but like every work of art it skims that which lies beneath the surface.
His books are a coming to terms with his own life, his Japaneseness, his anxieties, his wishes. He is rooted in Japanese history, as a writer, but also essentially writes about modern Japan, its anxieties, its cutting loose from the restraints of feudalism and militarism, its search for individualism in a very group-oriented culture. His many references to Western culture are a sign of breaking loose, which may make him less popular among the Japanese literati steeped in tradition. But the well from which his stories pop up is essentially Japanese. However, his appeal is universal. Maybe that's because he is writing about 'la condition humaine'. He is a master storyteller, tout court.
Getting a copy of the English translation of Pinball 1973 will cost you hundreds of dollars, some ask $800 for it. Which is ridiculous of course, it's just because the translation is out of print. But you can buy the Japanese book new for Yen 420 (US$ 3.50), and used copies for Yen 204 ($ 1.70). You only have to learn Japanese.
What do you think is worse? Asking $800 for this book or ...this copy?
Haruki Murakami website.
11:18:48 AM
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