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Idrees Ahmad Profile picture
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22 Nov, 10 tweets, 4 min read
A thread for book lovers: Some stories and photos about the best bookshops and libraries. Which ones are yours?

#Bibliophilia
This one I haven't visited, but I've marked it as a post-pandemic must-see.

truththeory.com/turkish-garbag…
I loved this story by my friend @kshaheen. Loved the idea of a bookshop run by a Syrian for Syrians in exile. Loved the photos. Alas, by the time I visited, the bookshop had closed down.

theguardian.com/world/2017/jan… Image
A student in Vietnam introduced me to this place. This is The Hidden Elephant, a reading room and cafe in Saigon that serves the most delicious cupcakes (the avocado cupcake was my favourite). It’s really hidden, so you really have to search fir the entrance. Image
Another shot from the Hidden Elephant balcony. Image
Preparing my evening lecture at the Book Street in Saigon. Image
Voltaire & Rousseau in Glasgow ImageImage
And of course there is always the wonderful Shakespeare and Co in Paris with its lovely cafe (This is the cafe. For good reason the bookshop doesn't allow photography inside) Image
It's been more than decade since I visited this bookshop in the Botafogo neighbourhood of Rio, but I have a very pleasant memory of browsing for books and coffee and cake at the mezzanine cafe. percursosliterariosblog.com/2019/05/20/liv…
And this is @thelifeofspice1 outside the @Innerpeffray library in Crieff, Scotland's oldest (founded 1680) Image

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More from @im_PULSE

Idrees Ahmad Profile picture
24 Nov
There are few people more predictable and boring than the professional contrarian.

This made me think about all the other types of people I find insufferable. So here's a thread.
The social media ironist: this person is invincible because nothing means anything and everything is permissible because its "mere irony". Opinions without the burden of responsibility.

Irony is a potent rhetorical tool used in moderation, not when it becomes the default mode.
The "free speech" liberal.

Doesn't have any strong opinions on more fundamental rights, but is an absolutist on free speech and thinks the only measure of its vitality is if you can test it against the sensitivities of people in inferior positions.
Read 9 tweets
Idrees Ahmad Profile picture
23 Nov
I'm reading Barack Obama's memoir and appreciating his skill as a writer in making tedious details about his life during his political ascent readable. The book is an indulgent humblebrag about a presidency that would be viewed dimly if weren't for the horror of what followed.
He is a likeable person and his personally story is certainly compelling. But the book also reveals all the character flaws that led to a presidency lacking in boldness and imagination. The description of how he chose his economic team is particularly grating.
Obama wanted to appear "responsible" so he thought he'll go with the safe choice, so he went with the Bill Clinton team, the same guys who had championed the Glass-Steagall Act that contributed to the financial crisis. He describes Larry Summers misogyny as an endearing trait.
Read 5 tweets
Idrees Ahmad Profile picture
30 Sep
Tonight's debate was a horrible but revealing spectacle. If anyone is undecided after tonight, it's because they are indifferent to the issues. The contrast on stage could not have been starker. There was only one bully, liar, and opportunist on stage. #debates
I doubt anyone who watched today's debate switched from Biden to Trump. But it's very likely the less rabid of Trump's supporters rethought their choice. @JoeBiden came across as dignified, reasonable, substantive, and, where necessary, cutting. #Debate2020
Biden had some good lines. "It is what it is because he is who he is" was good. And "Law and order, with justice" was the best. #Debate2020
Read 4 tweets
Idrees Ahmad Profile picture
29 Sep
A short thread in praise of @Showtime's "The Comey Rule". As a political sociologist and a film geek, I watched with a critical eye, but I think @BillyRay5229 has created an outstanding political drama.

I have read the memoirs that have come out of the Trump administration. I have read Comey, McCabe, Bolton, the Mueller report, and also investigative works including the two Woodward books, the two Michael Wolff books, Greg Miller, Corn and Isikoff, and Leonig and Rucker.
When you are that immersed in a political period, it generally sets you up for disappointment when it comes to fictional portraits. Everyone film or drama about the Bush administration was underwhelming or awful.
Read 5 tweets
Idrees Ahmad Profile picture
29 Sep
You won't be surprised that Bashar al Assad's leading American apologists is now sharing material from the far right dirty tricks outfit Project Veritas (see Washington Posts expose on this nasty group)
Yes, the former Democratic presidential candidate is promoting information from this group: politico.com/story/2017/11/…
And of course what she is sharing is another one of James O'Keefe's dirty tricks.
Read 4 tweets
Idrees Ahmad Profile picture
25 Sep
Dear @tmorello: I love you very much but I hope you realise how offensive it is to the victims of genocide when you amplify a professional propagandist for a fascist regime that the UN has charged with the "crime of extermination". Image
Don't you think its ironic to be using the mouthpiece for a regime that executed 13,000 unarmed protestors at just one prison over a period of 5 years to make some point about injustice? bbc.com/news/world-mid…
We are talking about a regime that practices torture on industrial scale. How insular does one's politics have to get to start seeing a mouthpiece for such a regime as an ally? hrw.org/news/2015/12/1…
Read 9 tweets

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