Some Personal Notes

I will be joining AOW in DC on Sunday. TMW is there and it will be fun to get together.
I will be bringing books for her students.

I am reading Walter Laquer's End of Europe. At some point I will probably discuss some of the oddities with the Editrix. Perhaps she can shed some light on exactly who Cemmaldin Kaplan is what the Khalifate group is. Maybe the translator was describing a Caliphate group and used the German version of the word. I have seen odd claims by some that the father of Turkey was descended from the followers of Shabetai Zvi or the Doenme. The Doenme were somewhat secretive and allegedly lived covertly in much the same manner as Jews did after the Spanish Inquisition. If it is true than it would seem that the false messiah may have had the last laugh. Generally, I do not spend much time on conspiracies and secret societies. This one appears interesting in that Muslims apparently take this seriously.

I will be trying to locate books on the subject of the Donme as this is a subject that is more of a curiosity than deserving major scrutiny. We do read some odd books that you do not encounter elsewhere. We still get hits from people looking for information of some of the odd readings.

One of the secrets about this blog is that we are generally more well rounded than our critics presume. I do not waste time on reading books by mendicant failed philosophers and psycho war criminal ice pick catchers. Like well adjusted people elswhere I attach meaning in my life to the loved ones and community around me. Oddly verbose elitist mazzola Marxists talk about the family life of Hunter Gathers,
but need look no further than your non Marxist house of worship down the block for these qualities. Those congregations that actually attempt to follow the scripture do a solid job of keeping those values in tact. I would add that my contacts within
the West Indian Hindu community do a great job of this as well. Of course this is hardly an insight to those who look at local matters without the gassy prism of mendicant failed philosophers and death cult religions.

I have been enjoying rock instrumentals from the 60's. The surfer rock music is quite catchy and some of the classical crossovers are fun. It seems purer for now and if my nephew ever gives me the car back it is probably the next best driving music behind standard classic rock. Nothing is more soothing than taking your car out for a spin after a tune up than a nice drive in the Northeast Kingdom with a loved one and classic rock on the radio. I have been buying up compilation CD's and I wonder at music that has been off the radio so long it seems fresh. It is interesting to listen to the same song being played by different bands. The Ventures were a rare band in that their versions of other bands classics were actually better than the original.