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1.1.20

REVIEW OF 2019


MY WORD OF 2019  RE-BALANCE
BOOKS READ IN 2019  
FOCUS:  THE SCIENCE FICTION OF H G WELLS
H G WELLS-  THE TIME MACHINE/  THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON/  WAR OF THE WORLDS/  THE ISLAND OF DR MOREAU
CAPITALIST REALISM- Mark Fisher
THE OVERSTORY- Richard Powers
THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM- Shoshanna Zuboff
HOW MUSIC WORKS-  David Byrne
NIGHT BOAT TO TANGIER- Kevin Barry
SONG AND DANCE MAN-Michael Gray
TEAM HUMAN- Douglas Rushkoff
NO ONE BELONGS HERE MORE THAN YOU- Miranda July
ON FIRE- Naomi Klein
WILLIAM BLAKE NOW- John Higgs
WHO IS THAT MAN?- David Dalton
BOB DYLAN:  BEHIND THE SHADES TAKE 2- Clinton Heylin 
REVOLUTION IN THE HEAD- Ian MacDonald
A FABULOUS CREATION- David Hepworth
CHRONICLES- Bob Dylan
STAYING WITH THE TROUBLE- Donna J Haraway
CLEAR BRIGHT FUTURE- Paul Mason
THIN AIR- Richard Morgan
POSTER BOY- N.J. Crossley
THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH- David Wallace-Wells
THE WAR THAT ENDED PEACE- Margaret MacMillan
I AM DYNAMITE  A LIFE OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE- Sue Prideaux
SILENT SPRING- Rachel Carson
THE VORRH- B. Catling


MY RE-READS
OLAF STAPLEDON- Last and First Men
HOMER  THE ODYSSEY  (Emily Wilson’s Trans)
OSCAR WILDE  LETTERS AND ESSAYS  (Vol 3 Folio Collected Works)
THE COMPLETE SHERLOCK HOLMES-  Arthur Conan Doyle
THE SONNETS- William Shakespeare

MUSIC OF 2019 
FOCUS: THE REDISCOVERY OF BOB DYLAN
HIGHLIGHTS
BOB DYLAN
THE MOBILE FIDELITY REMASTER OF BLOOD ON THE TRACKS  LIMITED EDITION
THE MOBILE FIDELITY REMASTER OF BLONDE ON BLONDE  LIMITED EDITION
NEW MORNING (Mobile Fidlity)
TIME OUT OF MIND
MODERN TIMES
MORE BLOOD MORE TRACKS
OH MERCY
LOVE AND THEFT
TRAVELLIN’ THRU
THE BEATLES
THE BEATLES  5OTH ANNIVERSARY RE-ISSUE  ABBEY ROAD
ANGEL OHLSON 
ALL MIRRORS
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS 
GHOSTEEN
BRIAN ENO AND DAVID BYRNE
MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOSTS  ENO AND DAVID BYRNE
MY PODCAST OF 2019  
HOW’S IT ROLLING BOB?
MY GREATEST TRIUMPHS OF 2019  
·       I WROTE MY FIRST SCREENPLAY AFTER COMPLETING A SCREENWRITING COURSE  (BUT SEE GREATEST REGRET)
·       I wrote an entire training programme for social workers working with Looked After Children and personally delivered it.
·       I successfully interviewed for a position with the Social Work Regulator for England
MY GREATEST REGRET OF 2019  

NOT FINISHING A SINGLE PIECE OF WRITING

MY BIGGEST LEARNINGS OF 2019  

·       THE UTTER USELESSNESS OF BINARY POLITICS.  Politically, 2019 was a monstrosity of division. There appeared to me to be a complete lack of any sense of respectful discourse or willingness to listen to different views.  This boorishness was echoed by social media and reflected in politician’s behaviour with the single honourable exception of Jeremy Corbyn who, whatever your political views about him might be, behaved with courtesy and grace throughout, while being subjected to the most vicious and vitriolic lies and accusations, I have ever seen.  The entire media were a disgrace.  The publically funded BBC came across as biased and in the service of the right wing of the UK.  There should be an enquiry into its behaviour and its leadership.
·       The growth of far right nationalism and the increasingly open behaviour of racist thugs in our society is a warning from history.  An Islamophobe is now our Prime Minister who has openly insulted Muslim women.
·       If democracy is only as good as our education system, then our education system must be broken.

·       THE IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGY TO EVERYTHING.  There has to be a better way to do this.  It begins with the study of history, particularly military history.  How to make the best decisions in extreme circumstances is an essential skill.  Decision making in war is the example.  We are not seeing any world leaders with a strategic mindset.  Possibly with the exception of Jacintha in New Zealand.  But there is also AOC and Bernie in the US and Gina Miller.  There’s Edward Luttwak. 

·       MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH IS LIKE A GARDEN; YOU MUST TEND THEM!

MY MAN OF 2019 
JEREMY CORBYN

 
MY WOMAN OF 2019 
GRETA THUNBERG.  
 
But also a shout out for AOC who has burst into the US Congress like a stunningly beautiful thunderbolt.

MY FOCUS FOR 2020

STRATEGY/ MILITARY HISTORY/  NAPOLEON/ POLITICAL THEORY/ CHESS/  GUITAR/  SOCIAL WORK THEORY AND STRATEGY/  LEADERSHIP/ PHYSICAL FITNESS/ CYCLING ON THE BROMPTON-WHAT IS POSSIBLE?/MORE BOB DYLAN/ THE ISSUE OF ISRAEL
MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY WIFE AND CHILDREN AND FRIENDS
CONTACT
MONEY
ONE WRITING PROJECT A MONTH - MINIMUM-COMPLETED AND SENT OFF

MAY 2020 BE A YEAR OF PEACE AND JOY FOR YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES

 

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