Episode 177 - Copy of a Copy
You Can't Win
We talk about Tom leaving his job, the schizophrenia of Long 2026 and frustration over how politics works, trolling by competing in good deeds, and some mini reviews. Mentioned: The Time that Remains. The Worst Person in the World. Fistful of Dollars. Following. Eephus. This is Spinal Tap. Ralph Waldo Emerson essays. Masnavi by Rumi. Me & Rumi by Shams Tabrizi.
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Episode 176 - AOR3E1 Happy New Year
You Can't Win
After our resolutions we jump into Aesthetics of Resistance by Peter Weiss, volume 3, a novel about art and fighting fascism in Europe during 1930s and 40s. We get up to page 44 in our first episode in this series. Next time (in a few weeks) we will do up to page 90. Book talk starts at 16m48s.
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Episode 175 - Best of a Bad Year 2025
You Can't Win
We chat about our favourite movies, podcasts, games, moments and books of 2025 as we get ready to say goodbye to a pretty bad year. Tom's Top Five Books: 5 Poetry of Rilke (Ed Snow trans.) 4 Aesthetics of Resistance vol II by Peter Weiss 3 Autobiography by John Cowper Powys 2 Terra Nostra by Carlos Fuentes 1 Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort by Roger Martin du Gard Don's favourites were Aesthetics of Resistance Vol I and II by Peter Weiss and Correction by Thomas Bernhard.
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Episode 174 - Negative Theology
You Can't Win
We chat about whether prediction markets are forbidden, Herbert McCabe on the goodness of God, some Mubis and some books. Faith Within Reason by Herbert McCabe, OP. Oslo, August 31st. Wendy and Lucy. Bring them Down. The Smashing Machine. Frost by Thomas Bernhard. Austerlitz by WG Sebald. Selected Writings of Walter Benjamin, Vol 2, Part One. What Maisie Knew by Henry James. Don also briefly mentions the podcasts Age of Napoleon and The Siècle.
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Episode 173 - Old Fat Guy Updates
You Can't Win
We chat about the beginning of the end of the year, Herbert McCabe and the relationship between faith and reason, the movie Post Tenebras Lux and that show with Mussolini, and some stories out of Quebec. Mentioned: Faith Within Reason by Herbert McCabe. --- We're going to start reading Aesthetics of Resistance: Volume III by Peter Weiss in January, probably in 30-40 page chunks. Your heads up to get a copy. The AOR wikipedia page Don mentions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_of_art_in_The_Aesthetics_of_Resistance
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Episode 172 - Green Grass Target Emissions Reductions
You Can't Win
What the heck are Green Gras Target Emissions Reductions. Okay, I was tired. This ep' we talk about some recent newsy stuff (Canada, Epstein) and then get into books, including the awful new print-on-demand by big publishers. Mentioned: Ottawa Citizen article about mobilization: https://ottawacitizen.com/public-service/defence-watch/canadian-military-public-servants Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition by Francis A. Yates The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World by G. E. M. Ste. Croix Alone with the Alone by Henry Corbin Stone Age Economics by Marshall Sahlins The Notebooks of...
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Episode 171 - Making Popcorn
You Can't Win
We chat about baseball, our new kawaii (cute) mini-PCs, politricks and a bunch of books. Mentioned (mostly book hauls): The Mass Psychology of Fascism by Wilhelm Reich Listen, Little Man! by Wilhelm Reich Marcel Proust by William Carter The Poetry of Rilke, trans. Ed Snow Europe: A History by Norman Davies Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 by Tony Judt Religion and Nothingness by Keiji Nishitani The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han by Mark Edward Lewis A History of China by Wolfram Eberhard The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau Interesting Times by Eric Hobsbawm Les grands textes...
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Episode 170 - Time Share Politics
You Can't Win
We chat about baseball, health, One Battle After Another and some recent adventures in populism.
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Episode 169 - Himmler in the Sauna
You Can't Win
We chat about da yankees losing, (temporary) peace in Gaza, European gunners and AI, and a few books. Mentioned: Listen, Little Man! by Wilhelm Reich (thanks to Hermitix podcast) Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte
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Episode 168 - AOR2E10 The Empire Strikes Back
You Can't Win
We wrap up our discussion of Aesthetics of Resistance Volume 2 by Peter Weiss. Most of the other, older episodes of this series are available through the Patreon.
info_outlineWe are joined by Mike from the YouTube channel Mike Reads the World to chat about his reading project and our year in reading.
Mike's channel is at https://www.youtube.com/@mikereadstheworld
His "favorite books" video we mention is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6aH-YHa_y4
His "Magic Mountain" essay is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyA6Oc6_pIU
Mike's books mentioned:
Sei Shonagon - The Pillow Book
The I-Ching
Fariduddin Attar - Conference of the Birds
Ovid- Metamorphoses
Ngugi wa Thiong'o - The Wizard of the Crow
Thomas Mann - The Magic Mountain
Anna Comnena - The Alexiad
We also proposed a read-long for Correction by Thomas Bernhard.