Book review: The iPINIONS Journal – Commentaries on the Global Events of 2015
by Anthony L. Hall
Reprinted from Caribbean News Now!
Published on April 15, 2016
Anthony Hall embarks on his eleventh annual retrospective compendium of insights and observations on the major events of our times with the publication of his latest edition – The iPINIONS Journal – Commentaries on the Global Events 2015 – which covers his usual wide range of subjects, conveniently ordered by region and topic.
His topics are as eclectic as ever, including the tower-of-Babel efforts to defeat ISIS; the downfall of FIFA, soccer’s governing body; the outing of Bill Cosby as America’s most prolific rapist; the historic deal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons; the Republican presidential nomination featuring ringmaster Donald J. Trump; the race for sports story of the year between American Pharoah and Serena Williams; the Syrian refugees swarming Europe; the Black Lives Matter protesters leading a new civil rights movement; the growing fallout from Snowden’s NSA leaks; the peddling of discarded manuscripts by Harper Lee and others as newly discovered masterpieces; the NFL’s Deflategate; and the death of notable people, to name a few.
As Hall says in his introduction, “I quote extensively from previous commentaries. I do so not just to show how current events vindicate them, but also to distinguish myself from commentators whose opinions seem no more rooted than the trending topic of the day.”
The latest volume also includes such geo-political topics as:
Africa and the Middle East: Mocking al-Qaeda, fighting ISIS; and Israel: trolling Iran, goading US.
Asia: The search for MH370: one year on; and Buddhists religiously cleansing Myanmar of Muslims.
Europe: Catholic Ireland becomes trailblazer for gay rights; and Jeremy Corbyn – the Bernie Sanders of British politics.
United States: Republicans and sex; and race still matters.
Of particular interest to the Caribbean are topics such as UN peacekeepers preying on helpless Haitians; Cuba reopens embassy in Washington; rebuttal to demands for reparations; and Venezuela finally awakens from Chavismo nightmare.
Other major topics are the Globalsphere, Sports, Entertainment, Potpourri, and In Memoriam.
As always, Hall tackles all of these topics and many more in his latest volume with his trademark confidence, flair and humour as a regional iconoclast.
“I hope that, for posterity, this volume proves a reliable source for reflection on the most important and noteworthy events of 2015. And I hope these commentaries serve as a provocative, informative, and even entertaining antidote to the 140-character tweets that pass for public debate these days.” Hall says, noting that Twitter is now considering 10,000-character tweets.
“Perhaps its CEO has become conscience-stricken over the way his network is facilitating the dumbing down of public discourse, worldwide. Whatever the case, I consider this change a vindication of my long-form commentaries,” he says.
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The iPINIONS Journal – Commentaries on the Global Events of Our Times: Volume XI, 614pp, is now available at Amazon (including an e-book version for just $3.99) and all other major booksellers.