How to re-evaluate the world and your position in it.

a Book Review: "Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer

At the risk of losing many of you at the first part of this review, I will tell you this book was recommended by PETA. I have recently had my stomach and life turned by a few books about the meat processing system, and was eager to find more information. Those books were "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair (See previous review), "Don't Eat This Book" by Morgan Spurlock, and "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. At first I thought it would only be fast food that I'd be turned away from. But then I realized the meat packing plants don't care if they are slaughtering for home use or fast food use, all the same abuses happen.

In "Animal Liberation," Peter Singer takes us on a journey of the mind, ethics and morality. The book is broken down into 6 chapters, each independent of each other yet building on one another, so I will break this review down to a chapter by chapter review/summary.

Chapter 1. All Animals are equal...or why the ethical principle on which human equality rests requires us to extend equal consideration to animals too.

In this chapter the author presents the idea of "speciesism." This is along the lines of racism, sexism, etc. This argument is presented with simple, straightforward facts and ideas with no emotion tied to them. In fact throughout the book the author does not attempt to influence the readers way of thinking only to spur (pun intended) the thinking process. On the idea of human equality, The principle of equality is not a description of an alleged actual equality among humans: it is a prescription of how we SHOULD treat human beings. This equality should and could be carried over to "non-human" animals. Why should animals be forced to live in conditions we would not allow the lowliest of humans live in? Why should we as humans claim the right to slaughter and eat animals. Why should we as humans think that animals are there for us to pour chemicals on just to see how they react, or "condition" through painful electric shock? The author answers these questions, by saying simply. We shouldn't.

Chapter 2. Tools For Research...your taxes at work.

This chapter is one of the 2 extremely disturbing chapters which the squeamish should not only read but ask why we do these things. Or better yet allow these things to happen. I'm talking about using animals for cruel research projects. From shocking monkeys to learn how to fly a plane and then inducing radiation sickness on them to see if they can still fly with little electric shock "reminders" to pouring chemicals into bunnies eyes that we already know are irritants. In this chapter a European scientist after viewing several psychological animal experiments is quoted as calling American Scientists barbarians. The ironic part is that really, European scientists are cruel...just not as cruel as Americans. One quote that I love is that in experiments still going on now to find how much smoking contributes to lung cancer the author asks, "If people continue to smoke, knowing that by doing so they risk lung cancer, is it right to make animals suffer the cost of this decision?" The final outcome of this chapter is that animal research is completely unnecessary. For example, in guinea pigs pennicillin causes adverse effects, if we had accepted this animal research we would never had the use of that extremely useful medicine for humans.

Chapter 3. Down on the Factory Farm...or what happened to your dinner when it was still an animal.

One of the cruelest things discussed in this book is the treatment of veal cattle. These young calves are taken from their mothers (usually machine siphoned dairy cows) and kept in cages/pens which they cannot move because if they did move...the meat would not have that tender veal quality. They are also kept from having the proper nutrients because the nutrients would darken the meat. All for some snobby rich person to have their unique meat. That is just useless waste. The atrocities to other animals are also discussed. (For more on this go to my myspace site and watch the "Meet Your Meat" Video. http://www.myspace.com/gilwilson)

Chapter 4. Becoming a vegetarian...or how to produce less suffering and more food at a reduced cost to the environment.

Finally someone not only tells you why but how. And really it is just as easy as saying...leave off the meat. The main idea behind becoming a vegetarian is that in becoming a vegetarian a person would increase the amount of grain available to feed people elsewhere, reduce pollution, save water and energy, and cease contributing to the clearing of forests; moreover, since a vegetarian diet is cheaper than one based on meat dishes, they would have more money available to devote to famine relief, population control, or whatever social or political cause they thought most urgent. That's it in a nutshell. Now, keep in mind I'm not a full fledged vegetarian, but I'm working on it. I was back in college and never felt better.

Chapter 5. Man's Dominion... a history of Speciesism.

Here we go off on a tangent of how throughout times (from biblical to modern) we have denied the "non-human" animal freedom. I found this chapter to be dull but informative. It shows how throughout times humans have been cruel...but in an optimistic turn shows how views have slowly changed.

And Finally
Chapter 6. Speciesism today

Basically this shows the progress we are making...and have made in the be nice to animals campaign. Really folks it isn't hard stuff here. Why should we hunt animals for mere trophies? Why should we wear fur when synthetics are just as easily available and look just as nice?

Well what do you think?

Book Review: "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair

I read a couple of books recently that kept referring to Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle." Those books were "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser and "Don't Eat this Book" by Morgan Spurlock. These books were mainly books about the corruption and "unhealthiness" of the fast food industry. They all referred to the Meat packing industry where corruption still runs unchecked. "The Jungle" spurred some reaction from government when it was written because of the exposing of corruption and "unhealthiness" of the meat packing industry. The public outcry that resulted from this novel led to the 1906 Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. It also, however, led to a report issued the same year by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Husbandry that refuted the worst of Sinclair’s allegations. The public’s perception at this time was that the meatpacking industry feared these Acts. What was unrecognized, however, was the fact that meatpackers knew they were viewed with contempt, and facing substantial losses, the industry actually supported the Acts. They just did not want to be the ones to pay for the implementation. These Acts allayed most fears, and ironically, actually favored big business, which was the opposite of Sinclair’s intention.



Knowing that a novel could have such an impact, I had to read the book.



In "The Jungle" we follow a family of Lithuanian immigrants as they leave their country and set out to live the American Dream. Soon that dream is realized to be a nightmare. They are robbed by corrupt police upon their arrival in New York City and finally make their way to Chicago and to the stockyards where the main Character, Jurgis Rudkus has a friend that he has heard has "made it" in America. The friend runs a deli just outside of the stockyards where the families in the area all work at the stockyards. In order for any family to survive, as Jurgis finds out, all members must work, including children. They are taken on a tour of the stockyards all the way from the killing floors to the packing rooms. At first Jurgis is impressed by the speed and efficiency of the process. But once he begins work on the killing floor he sees and experiences all forms of corruption.



Jurgis and family are constantly followed by disaster, from Jurgis hurting his back and missing work to the death and disappearance of several family members. We follow Jurgis's plight as he is optimistic and willing to work to support the family, to being blacklisted from the stockyards, to "hoboing it," to a life of crime, to assisting in political graft and finally to becoming a voice for socialism.



Throughout the book nothing good ever seems to happen to Jurgis until (spoiler alert) he discovers Socialism. At this point the book becomes more of primer on Socialism and starts to become a series of philosophical discussions on the same.



Up until the discovery of Socialism the book is a heartstring tugging insight to the working man's world of the turn of the 20th century. The constant battles, struggles and disasters are enough to make the reader want to give all his earnings to the poor man. And serve as a great reminder of where this nation was 100 years ago.



I would normally tell you at this point to either enjoy the book or not to bother. It's hard to enjoy the hardships, but I think this should be a book to include in your must read list.

Book Review: "Abadazad: Book 1 -The Road to Inconceivable" by J.M. DeMatteis Illustrated by Mike Ploog.

What do you get when you cross a couple of comic book guys with a great idea for juvenile fiction? You get the latest series based book craze that'll keep the kids reading, the Abadazad series.

Before the Abadazad series found its way to book format, it had a cult following as a comic book in the comic book world. The comic that told the story of 14-year-old Kate and her search for Matty, her missing little brother who is trapped in a world with a queen with three eyes and a dream thief.

The publishers of the original comic book—CrossGen—went bankrupt and the Abadazad saga came to an end. But that ending didn't last long! Disney Publishing brought Abadazad back to life. The first two books in the series—The Road to Inconceivable and The Dream Thief—cover the original story told in the comic, but in book form.

The new Abadazad book series stays true to the original vision of the writer/artist team, D.C. Comics' J.M. DeMatteis and Shrek illustrator Mike Ploog. The first book in this series, The Road to Inconceivable, opens with Kate trying to come to terms with the disappearance of her little brother, Matty. After 5 years she still misses him, and her relationship with her mother offers no comfort. Just when Kate's about to accept that she will never see him again, meets the neighbor across the hall who has some strange stories and and "artifacts" from a mysterious world called Abadazad. After The death of her neighbor Kate receives a strange package which contains a glowing crystal ball. This ball then stransports her to Abadazad, where she finds out that her brother is being held captive. Now Kate has to make a brave choice: Risk everything she's ever known to try and find him or ... For Kate, there is no "or." The choice is easy. What follows is anything but.

I will tell you that the ages listed on the book are for 9 to 14...but since there is no time in Abadazad, I recommend you read it with your kids. I thought it was a great read. In fact, I could not put this book down and read it in one night. Now where is book 2.

To know the book it is great to know the author and illustrator. At least in this case. I'm a huge comic books fan and J.M. DeMatteis has worked on my favorite, Spider-Man, so I was drawn (pardon the pun) to this book.

Eisner Award winner J.M. DeMatteis was a professional musician and rock music journalist before entering the comic book field. He has extensive experience writing comic books where his work has won both popular and critical acclaim. His projects have ranged from Spider-Man and Superman to The Justice League. He has also received great acclaim for his groundbreaking personal visions, such as Moonshadow, Seekers Into the Mystery and the autobiographical Brooklyn Dreams. He lives with his family in upstate New York.

Mike Ploog has created art for a wide variety of comics, books and movies. He began drawing for Marvel, where he was involved in many of their best-known titles and cult favorites such as Ghost Rider, Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing. He was a designer and storyboard artist on dozens of major motion pictures—both animated and live-action—including Shrek, The Lord of the Rings, Disney's The Black Cauldron and Little Shop of Horrors. He lives and works in Devon, England.

Books #1 and #2, The Road to Inconceivable and The Dream Thief, are the first two books in this series. Book #3: The Puppet, the Professor, and the Prophet will be available March 2007. Book #4: Historcery will be available Summer 2007.

Check out their cool website abadazad.com

Book Review: "The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness" by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval

The idea for individuals to be nice to each other and the rewards will come has been out there for a while. There's the "teachings" of Deepak Chopra, the movie "Pay it Forward," "The Power of Positive Thinking" (although this one is more on an individual level), Chicken Soup for the Soul and Random Acts of Kindness. These are simple ways of living in which we can be nice to one another and "karma" or the universe will see to it we get our just rewards.



Well now the business world can take heed. "The Power of Nice" has a business approach to being nice that can help your business grow faster than dog-eat-dog. The authors have cited their own examples of how this has worked for them and have gathered real-life examples from others in the business world. You will read examples from Donald Trump (yes he can actually be nice) to Jay Leno.



Now, the really interesting part of this book is not the examples but they have exercises at the end of the chapters, which they call "Nice Cubes" that can help you actually put it into practice. They have also created "The Six Power of Nice Principles" which are a great way to refresh your self and your co-workers on how to be nice in the business world.



Here are the 6 Principles:


1. Positive Impressions are like seeds.

2. You never know.

3. People change.

4. Nice must be Automatic.

5. Negative Impressions are like germs.

6. You will know.




For further explanation of the principles check out this great book. You might even do good giving your boss or sales force gifts of the book.



Also check-out their Website. thepowerofnice.com

ONE

This Friday, ONE and EDUN will launch a special edition ONE T-shirt, made by local artisans in Lesotho -- one of the poorest nations in the world. The workers who produce these shirts can earn enough to provide for their entire family. In part, this factory, along with others just like it, is the result of a historic bi-partisan effort by the United States to help 37 African nations develop their industries and rise out of poverty.

But this amazing accomplishment is now in serious danger. If Congress doesn't act in the next few weeks, a critical provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will expire -- jeopardizing tens of thousands of jobs and the future of the entire African clothing industry.

If we act quickly, we have the power to stop this. That's why today we're calling on Congress to renew this provision without delay. To really turn up the heat, we'll publish the name of ONE members who support this extension in a full page ad in Roll Call -- the Capitol Hill newspaper that every member of Congress reads.

Please add your name to ONE's full page ad in the Capitol Hill Newspaper, Roll Call.
http://one.org/MadeInAfrica2

AGOA is a win-win agreement where American businesses invest in developing African industry. In return, African industry provides American consumers with high-quality low-priced goods. It would be crazy for Congress to let this important provision expire.

Failing to renew it would be disastrous. As the Wall Street Journal put it, "The bottom line is that if the provision on using outside fabric dies, so will Africa's assembly industry, which is a particularly important source of jobs for women."

When it comes down to it, for these workers voices to be heard in American politics, they need your voice. And this is a moment when they simply cannot afford for any of us to remain silent. When you see the ONE T-shirt on Friday, you'll know you did your part to ensure apparel workers in Africa can keep right on working.

Please add your name to ONE's full page ad in the Capitol Hill Newspaper, Roll Call.
http://one.org/MadeInAfrica2

Thanks for your voice.

P.S. Learn more about AGOA and the provision that will expire if Congress doesn't act.
http://action.one.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=49


Take action now at http://one.org/MadeInAfrica2

Review: "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen

"Water for Elephants" has got to be one of the most beautifully and creatively written books from this century. Sara Gruen introduces us to Jacob Jankowski at the age of 90 (or is it 93?, he's not sure) and Jacob at the age of 23. The book is written as though the elder Jacob's memories are jostled back as a circus is setting up the big top next to the nursing home where Jacob now lives.

The flashbacks happen throughout the book as Jacob is sleeping or rambling to a nurse. The book opens with a stampede in a menagerie of a circus and some man with a top hat and cane is either trampled or beaten to death. It only comes clear in the unraveling of the story. And the rest of the book we spend jumping back and forth from the nursing home to Jacob's life during the early years of the depression.

The young Jacob is about to graduate from Cornell with a degree in Veternary Science. He will then go home and go into practice with his dad as the town's Vet. Then the bad news hits. Jacob's parents are killed as their car is run off a bridge. He then has to go back and identify the bodies and put things in order. When he arrives at his home he finds out his parents mortgaged the home to pay for his college. Being the Great Depression, Jacob's parents owe more than their estate is worth and the bank possesses the home and family practice. Jacob returns to school just in time to take his final exams but walks out when he realizes he has no home, no parents nothing. He ends up jumping a train just to leave.

The train he jumps on is a circus train. The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth is a roving fleabag ensemble of "cooch tents," "kinkers," and "hay burners," whose tyrannical m.c, Uncle Al is always on the lookout for "born freaks." Uncle Al is also wanting to be the next Ringling Brothers. After some wrangling Jacob becomes the circus's veternarian, after all Ringling has their own vet. Jacob falls in love with Marlena the Horse Trainer/Performer. The problem is Marlena is married to August the paranoid schizophrenic. August is the circus's animal handler. And is often prone to outbursts of violence which most of the time he takes out on the animals. Especially when the circus gains ownership of Rosie, the elephant. Jacob's love of Marlena and the animals gets him to hate August, but needing the job he stays out of August's way. The anger of August and the love between Jacob and Marlena bring this book to a very exciting climax.

One of the best parts of the book is when we are with Jacob 90 (or is it 93?), the wry look at life and humor in the character creates some really great "comic relief."

Enjoy this book, I did.

Review: "Deception Point" by Dan Brown

WOW just wow. I have just completed reading my 3rd book by Dan Brown, and I am still out of breath. "Deception Point" is a thrill a minute. It is like watching a season of "24" but all at one sitting.

I guess I should tell you about the book. First you have a very close presidential campaign. One candidate, the incumbent,President Hearny, is a huge NASA supporter. His opponent, Senator Sedgwick Sexton, bases his campaign on the issue that NASA is a losing venture and should be privatized so taxpayer money could be used for other endeavors like public schools. Senator Sexton, may be ahead in the polls and could win the election hands down, isn't playing fair. First he is under suspicion of accepting enormous illegal campaign contributions from private aerospace companies who have billions to gain from the privatization of NASA. And has already been under the thumb of the press of a sex scandal with his lead campaign aid.

Then the world changes. A NASA satellite detects a large, high-density rock buried 200 feet below the Milne Ice Shelf on Ellesmere Island, high in the Arctic Circle. NASA scientists determine the rock to be a meteor containing fossils proving that life exists elsewhere in the universe. This looks great for the President, but he even finds it a little "convenient" in the timing. So he brings on 4 independent, civilian scientists to prove the meteor is for real. And to help further the proof, he brings on intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton, the daughter of Senator Sedgewick Sexton.

The excitement begins when the scientists start to doubt the authenticity and then start dying. The race begins back to Washington D.C. from the Arctic Circle to stop the President from announcing the meteor to the world. And all along finding further proof the meteor has been faked. The scientists will "parasail" across a glacier in the Arctic Circle, ride an ice berg and then ride a submarine in the Arctic Ocean. Then fly by helicopter to a research vessel sitting on top of a volcano about to blow off the New Jersey coast. Oh yeah, and this vessel is surrounded by deadly hammerhead sharks. All this time being chased by the military elite "Delta Force." Oh, wait, did I tell you that before all this Rachel rides an f-14 to the Arctic Circle?

It's non-stop action and science and espionage in "Deception Point." Make sure you have some time set aside for this page turner you won't be able to put down.

Review: "The Frog King" by Adam Davies

"The Frog King" by Adam Davies

Harry Driscoll is "The Frog King." This freshman book by Adam Davies is yet another one of those young guy having a rough times trying to succeed in NYC stories. Once I started reading this book I had to go out and rent that 80's movie with Michael J. Fox, no not "Back to the Future", "Bright Lights, Big City." "The Frog King" is the same sans wild cocaine use and sans Michael J. Fox. Okay I guess it is only similar in that both main characters are assistant editors for a publishing company and both characters have a love interest that was the greatest thing in the world but they both are selfish "smart asses" and lose the girl.

Okay "The Frog King" is actually no comparison. This book while having some similarities to the movie & book "Bright Lights, Big City" it presents a new fresh view. Harry, or "Hairball" to his girlfriend Evie Goddard, is struggling to make ends meet. He has a low salary despite his Ivy League education and has to share an apartment with a strange roommate that has strange affinity toward knives and says never let the superintendent see you. So as you can see, that's a bit sneaky. As an assistant editor he has taken it upon himself to rid the world of cliches. And In relationships he's a typical guy unable to make a commitment and cannot allow himself to use the word love. Oh yeah and he has this manuscript that he just can't seem to write.

Enter his "E" girlfriend, Evie. Harry claims to have problems with "E" girls like; Candi, Jenny, Laurie, or any other girl whose name ends in the "E" sound. And now he has Evie. Evie and Harry have a very intellectual relationship and at the same time very childlike. Evie has endometriosis and has lived with the pain all her life. She cannot have sex due to the pain. But for Harry, she has a very risky surgery so they can share that experience. Throughout this book Harry, talks about her as if she is the only thing in his life. With one exception, he cannot use the word love. Harry in order to further his career starts sleeping with a famous editor, he thinks he's keeping it from Evie but she knows.

So there we have the ongoing battle between a man and his love. Throughout the book we are introduced to some of the book's side characters. There is Keeno, an artist that is Harry's voice of reason. Birdie a homeless girl, that pops up to show Harry's "human" side. And Jordie, the dictionary editor, who Harry wishes he had Jordie's life of a loving wife and family. All the characters in this book are beautifully written and definitely multi-dimensional. Although we learn to love/hate Harry at least we know why.

Although Harry is selfish and never tells Evie he loves her he does come up with some very romantic ways of showing his affection. Like when they couldn't afford to go to Jamaica for vacation, Harry decorates his apartment in a Rasta fashion, although the sand is simulated by the dirt & grit on the linoleum floor. Hey, he tries.

I will warn you this book does not have a happy ending, nor does it have a sad ending. It's is a very real book in that it really doesn't have an ending. In this book the ending is not what the reader seeks, in fact I didn't want it to end. The storytelling is captivating. Another feature is the constant wordplay and even the logomachy between Harry and Jordie. If you don't know what logomachy is read the book and it'll be fun.

Keep Propaganda Off The Airwaves

Hi,

The ABC television network -- a cog in the Walt Disney empire -- unleashed a promotional blitz in the last week for a new "docudrama" called "The Path to 9/11". ABC has thrown its corporate might behind the two-night production, and bills it as a public service: a TV event, to quote the ABC tagline, "based on the 9/11 Commission Report".

That's false. "The Path to 9/11" is actually a bald-faced attempt to slander Democrats and revise history right before Americans vote in a major election.

The miniseries, which was put together by right-wing conservative writers, relies on the old GOP playbook of using terrorism to scare Americans. "The Path to 9/11" mocks the truth and dishonors the memory of 9/11 victims to serve a cheap, callous political agenda. It irresponsibly misrepresents the facts and completely distorts the truth.

Join me in telling Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger to keep this propaganda off the air.

http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/pathto911/ftsozm

Thanks!

Book Review: "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Danny Sugarman & Jerry Hopkins.

Book Review: "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Danny Sugarman & Jerry Hopkins.

For many people the 60's died in 1971 with the final death in the "Holy Trinity of Rock," Jim Morrison. The other 2 being Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix who died the year prior. In fact after Janis's death Jim was known to say "You are with number 3."

The times were wild and experimental to say the least and Jim Morrison was one of the most experimental. Calling himself more of a poet than a rock star Jim Morrison would create social experiments at each of the Door's concerts. The book, "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Danny Sugarman & Jerry Hopkins, chronicles the life of Jim Morrison as seen through the eyes of Danny Sugarman and Jerry Hopkins. As far as biographies go, there is nothing really revealing in this one. Jim Morrison's life remains a mystery even after reading this book. I think what the authors tried to do with this book is to immortalize Morrison by making him some sort of god, maybe a Dionysus of the 60s. The book is full of anecdotes that just perpetuate that myth. Nothing about the man himself or what made him create what he did.

Even when they talk about the death of Morrison they perpetuate the myth by giving several possibilities of how Morrison died or even that he may still be alive. Maybe a little resurrection story going on here?

So, if you are looking for an interesting chronicle with no substance this is the book to check out the book. What it lacks in real substance, it does give the reader a nice brief history of The Doors and Jim Morrison.
If you are looking for a GOOD biography of Jim Morrison, one that has some substance and emotion, a better read would be "Light My Fire, My Life with the Doors" by Ray Manzarek. Now that's a good informative and emotional book.

Books I am currently reading (and will be reviewing soon):

"Deception Point" by Dan Brown

"Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen

"The Frog King" by Adam Davies

You won't believe this

Hi,

Hundreds of billions of tax dollars go to private contractors every year -- a lot of it needless pork barrel spending. There's a bill to create a public database of every federal contract, but a Senator who famously fought for a "bridge to nowhere" won't let it come up for a vote. Demand accountability now and we'll deliver your message to Republican Sen. Ted Stevens.

With your help, we can make real change. Please join me by signing this petition:

http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/accountability/ftqnql

Thanks!

CDF Katrina Project Needs Books

Democrats.org has a post called "CDF Katrina Project Needs Books" that's worth checking out...

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools Katrina Project partners with community based organizations, service agencies and universities in the Cleveland, Columbia and Jackson, MS areas to provide after-school programming each day public schools are in session for children in families affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Book Review "Bushwhacked, Life in George W. Bush's America" by Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose

Okay, if you are a corporation or support corporations not having to pay taxes or to clean up their own toxic messes, this book is not for you, because you are already receiving all the good stuff you paid the President to do for you. Now if you are a concerned American that believes that the people govern and not the corporations, then this book will let you know the error in your ways. Now before I get into the review I should start by telling you that the authors, Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose, wrote a book exposing "Dubya" back when he was Governor of Texas. That book was called "Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush." The opening to the book "Bushwhacked" pretty much says If you would have read "Shrub" they wouldn't have to write "Bushwhacked."

The first half of this book is about how big business bought and paid for the presidency. No, It wasn't hanging chads that determined our fate it was Enron, Harken, Baker Botts and many more. Before I go any further I want to point out 2 things: 1.) The authors have cited all their sources and have them listed in the book if you want to check the facts. 2.) Not until this book, and some research of my own, did I realize how Enron's Kenneth Lay and George W. were such good friends. You wouldn't have known it after Enron was exposed.

"Bushwhacked" then goes on to point out how all of what "Dubya" is doing now in the White House, he tried and failed in Texas. Everything from poor environmental policy to destroying children's lives through budget cuts and faith based intitiatives. It's amazing that I even still eat meat after reading this book and the Eric Schlosser book "Fast Food Nation." Yep, "Dubya" even has his hands in the tainted meat industry.

Then we get to the really fun stuff the bait and switch of getting us into Gulf War II. The authors provide a section listing all of the reasons "Dubya" cited when getting us into the war. This section leads to my "favoritist" quote in the book. The quote is from Paul Freundlich: "All right, let me see if I understand the logic of this correctly. We are going to ignore the United Nations in order to make clear to Saddam Hussein that the United Nations cannot be ignored. WE're going to wage war to preserve the U.N.'s ability to avert war. The paramount principle is that the U.N.'s word must be taken seriously, and if we have to subvert its word to guarantee that it is, then , by gum, we will. Peace is too important not to take up arms to defend. Am I getting this right?"

So no matter where you stand on the Gulf War II or the Bush Presidency you need to read this book. It will either open up your eyes to let you know what you may be getting screwed out of.

It is hard to read this book, for one reason, I kept having to retreive it from across the room. After many chapters it would go flying.

Let me know what you think of the book...and oh yeah, go out and vote.


Books I am currently reading (and will be reviewing soon):

"Deception Point" by Dan Brown

"No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Danny Sugerman and Jerry Hopkins

"The Frog King" by Adam Davies

Review: "A Series of Unfortunate Events,Book the Second: The Reptile Room" by Lemony Snicket.

Lemony Snicket got better. This second book in the 13 book series seems to be a lot funnier than the first. I guess with the first book he had some introductions and got those out of the way. Now, I do have the advantage of reading these books one after another and have that advantage of fresh knowledge of the previous book, but I'm taking a short break away from the series after this one. I just have some other books to get to.

Anyhow, back to the Reptile Room. Here we find the Baudelaire children or rather Baudelaire orphans being shuffled off to their next next-of-kin. This "uncle" is a herpetologist (studies snakes) and is a fun character. Too bad he gets killed off. Oh, come on now, I didn't give anything away. In fact all throughout the first part of the book the author is telling us that "uncle" Montgomery Montgomery will not live. So now that you have that oh-my-gawd-he-spoiled-the-ending look off your face, let's talk about the book.

Mr. Snicket, or as we learned in the first review Mr. Handler, continues with his defining of words that are not used in normal speech or that may be advanced vocabulary, but this time around he has a lot more humor in the definitions. Because of this fact alone this book was alot more fun to read. Another fun part of the read is the section when he talks about morals in stories, like the boy who cried wolf or little red riding hood. He comes up with the morals of those stories (something I deduced when I was 10 years old) is don't live near wolves. I laughed out loud and had to look around and make sure someone wasn't looking at me.

This book was filled with fun moments like the names of many of the snakes. My favorite was the Virginia Wolf-snake, which you should never, under any circumstance, let near a typewriter. Now with all the fun for the reader keep in mind the Baudelaire orphans still don't have anything good going for them, at least not for too long. "Uncle" Monty's assistant has mysteriously quit and disappeared so he gets a new assistant. Well the orphans and the reader know immediately it's Count Olaf. Yes, he's back to steal the Baudelaire fortune. I won't tell you what happens, other than "uncle" Monty dies. But I will give you a hint: This is only book 2 of a 13 book series.

Happy reading.




Books I am currently reading (and will be reviewing soon):

"Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose

"Deception Point" by Dan Brown

"No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Danny Sugerman and Jerry Hopkins

Review of "The Accidental" by Ali Smith

"The Accidental" is a very creatively written book. Each chapter or section is written by a different point of view of the characters involved. And they are written as stream of thought, to clarify this, stop for a second and examine all the thoughts going on in your head and the interruptions that occur and then what thought(s) you go back to and start again. This is the way this book is written. At first I thought this might have been too gimmicky...but I easily lost myself in the book and the style, so it definitely worked.

The story follows a British family on holiday for the summer. Eve Smart, a writer of a series of historical-fiction what-if books that are making her and her publisher some pretty good money, but she has hit the wall with ideas and whether or not to keep writing these books. Her 2 children; Astrid, a twelve year old who I think is the wisest in this book is obsessed with video, Magnus the 17-year-old son, who has a guilty conscious after he showed some guys in school how to crop a picture of a fellow girl student's head on the body of a nude model, the girl committed suicide after the picture was e-mailed out to all the classmates. Then we have Eve's Husband Michael (step-father to Astrid and Magnus). Michael is a professor who along with teaching English, has extra-curricular activities with his female college students and a few others he meets along the way. By the way, Eve knows this, but Michael doesn't know she knows.

Now with this much dysfunction, you would think that would be enough for a good story. But in comes the catalyst, Amber. Amber is a free-spirited 30ish woman that shows up and everyone in the house thinks she's there for someone else. For example, Eve thinks she's one of Michaels "girls," but wonders why she's so much older than the rest. Michael thinks she's helping with Eve's book. So Amber gets free reign over the house with great hospitality. We soon discover Amber has some strange motives. She's constantly pointing out where Eve's life went wrong, she does everything to not be "picked up" by Michael, has sexual relations with Magnus, and shows Astrid that life is not what you record and remember, but what it could be.

And this is really only the beginning of the story. The point-of-view storytelling works great, especially when pointing out how each family member sees the same scene. While the reader has to relive the same scenes over and over the point-of-view is so different it makes for separate stories.

There is some great literature in this book. I call this one my newest Classic. I'll have to check out the other books by Ali Smith.




Books I am currently reading (and will be reviewing soon):

"Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose

"A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book The Second: The Reptile Room" by Lemony Snicket.

"No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Danny Sugerman and Jerry Hopkins

"Deception Point" by Dan Brown

Review: "A Series of Unfortunate Events,Book the First: A Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket.

Okay I sat down and decided to read the "Series of Unfortunate events" Books. (I make my best decisions sitting down.) After all I got the books once for my step-son to read, and then my step-daughter started reading them and they weren't wrong about Harry Potter, so I'm giving this series a chance. Besides, this October Mr. Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler author of "Watch Your Mouth","The Basic Eight" & "Adverbs") will be ending the series with book 13.

Okay first of all if you've seen the movie...you should have read the books first, at least, that's what I'm finding out. The movie has bits and pieces of the first 3 books all scrambled to make the movie.

In this first book we find the unfortunate Baudelaire children, who once led happy lives, have lost their parents and their home. They are then shuffled off to live with some distant relative they had never heard of, Count Olaf. Well the Count is only after their fortune. So he comes up with a brilliant plan to marry the 14 year old violet, thus giving him control over the fortune. Hmmmm something strange about an old man marrying a 14 year old girl. But they have many unfortunate encounters...notice they are never bad...just unfortunate.

Without just retelling the story, I'll just say this that anything good that happens to these kids doesn't last.

Now the storytelling in this book and I'm sure like the rest of the books in the series, is written in a very cynical/ironic voice. When something bad happens the author will say, or rather ask you to stop reading and constantly tell you nothing good happens to the orphans. At the same time these books are great for children ages 8 - 16, not only for great reading but also because the author teaches with his writing. In a unique tool, which allows for several asides to the reader, the author also defines some words that definitely help to increase a young reader's vocabulary. Now as an adult I found some of this irritating...defining words I already knew the meaning of, however he found ways to define some of the words to fit within the story.

Get those kids to reading. There are 12 and soon to be 13 books in this series, so they can stay interested for a while.

I'm cutting this review short because I'm going to start on the next book in the series "The Reptile Room" and may provide some more info in that review.


Books I am currently reading (and will be reviewing soon):

"Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose

"The Accidental" by Ali Smith

"A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book The Second: The Reptile Room" by Lemony Snicket.

"No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Danny Sugerman and Jerry Hopkins

Review "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown.

I decided to go back and read an earlier book by Dan Brown after Reading "The DaVinci Code." And Mr. Brown did not let me down. (Hmmm, maybe I should write poetry.)

Anyhow if you've read "The DaVinci Code" or even saw the movie,(after all there were millions of you)then you know of the treasure hunting adventure Robert Langdon is capable of leading. "Angels & Demons" is no exception.

In this earlier story of Robert Langdon, we go on a great tour of Rome, especially Vatican City. But before that we find out that a top scientist and his beautiful physicist daughter (there has to be some sort of love interest for Mr. Langdon right?)have discovered how to create a universe in a lab and the side product is anti-matter. Thus possibly combining science and religion. When that scientist is murdered and a container of anti-matter is stolen the adventure begins.

Oh by the way, at the same time the Pope has died and the college of cardinals must elect a new pope. But the antimatter is somewhere around the Sistine Chapel and the battery powered cannister is losing power. What that means is; when the power that is keeping the anti-matter from touching matter a great explosion will occur destroying most of Vatican City. While all the "top" cardinals are voting. Thus destroying the Catholic church.

And who is doing this? Well Dan Brown introduces to us yet another secret order "the Illuminati." And the adventure begins. 4 Cardinals are to be murdered in 4 different churches through Rome. Robert Langdon must solve puzzles and historical riddles from the likes of Galileo, artist Bernini and the path of enlightenment.

The great thing about Dan Brown's writing is that you can trace the steps on a map. In fact the writing pretty much compels you to look up a map of Rome and trace the path, and use Google find the actual statues with the clues. (btw, on the author's website he has done this for you.) This page turner is a really great read and has the constant twists and turns of a great mystery. I will not give away everything but there is a great twist at the end.

This book was yet another exciting adventure. Check it out. Let's hope for more from this great adventure/mystery writer. Eventually I'll get to "Digital Fortress" and "Deception Point."

How many cults can Dan Brown come up with? As long as there are conspiracy theorists I think Mr. Brown will have more material to write from.

okay a preview of upcoming reviews:
Now reading:

"Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose (Still going on this one, It's one you read, get mad, put down and then like an accident on the highway, you have to look, so you pick up again.)

"The Accidental" by Ali Smith (So far it is a realy good read, the writer has a great skill with writing in train of thought of a character)

"A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book The First: The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket. (I bought this series for one of my kids a few years ago and they loved it. Well they were right about Harry Potter so I'm gonna check these books out. Besides, it's good to find out what your kids are reading.)

Book Review "The Bad Place" By Dean Koontz and more

Okay I said after reading "Velocity" I would give Mr. Koontz another chance. (In case you missed it: Velocity is a let down.)

Anyhow I went back to an older book by him "The Bad Place" This is some good stuff. It's got teleporting brothers, hermaphrodites, anti-hermaphrodites, psychic Downs-syndrome patients, erotic twins that invade the minds of animals, someone who can blow up inanimate objects with their hands, serial killers who drink blood and a husband and wife detective agency.

Now I know Stephen King wrote about a psychic Downs-syndrome patient in the book "Dreamcatcher" and I forget which Clive Barker book had a serial killing hermaphrodite, but Koontz blends them all.

Dakota and Dakota detective agency take on the case of a man that can't remember anything about himself other than his name and that when he goes to sleep he wakes up with bags of cash, rare red diamonds and a bug that is genetically engineered. The case becomes more mysterious when it is observed that their client, Frank Pollard, teleports in his sleep...but doesn't seem to be putting himself back together the right way.

Now this book has velocity. Not only did I stay interested and couldn't put it down, but it had a twist and turn every 5 minutes. (or should that be 5 pages). Plus Mr. Koontz created characters that in the totally unreal setting seemed real. My favorite is the employee of Dakota and Dakota, Clint. He's rugged and has a hidden since of humor. I could see Vin Diesel playing him in the movie. Not too bad of a book. If you like adventure and the paranormal this is your book.


Okay that was short...but I didn't want to give away any of the twists / turns or the end.


Here are the books I'm reading now:

"Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose (As if I weren't pissed of at the gubmint enough)

"The Accidental" by Ali Smith (Should be interesting)

"Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown ( I loved "The DaVinci Code" it was a great adventure story...so I had to go and read an earlier Dan Brown book.)

As soon as I finish each book I will post a review. And I promise that the review will be longer. It's just so hard to review a book without giving away the mysteries :)

Reading and audio books.

Well once again I'm reading, oh wait I never stop.

I finished reading:
1.  "Velocity" by Dean Koontz  If you are a Dean Koontz fan you'll probably like this one.  I found it very much of a let down.  It was advertised as being a high paced book.  Well actually it was quite boring in some parts.  This is a Koontz book that doesn't involve the paranormal so a little different from the few I have read.  It is a good whodunit novel..but remember not as intense as advertised.

2.  "The World As I See It" by Albert Einstein.  This is a collection of lectures, essays and letters from the ole E=MC2 guy himself.  Some were boring, to put it bluntly.  I did find his politics surprising.  I was hoping for more physics, though.




I'm now reading:
1.  "The Bad Place" by Dean Koontz...yeah I'm giving him another chance.  when he writes about supernatural/paranormal it's good.

2.  "Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins....as if I weren't pissed of at the gubmint enough.

I'm getting ready to listen to an audio book of "No One Here Gets out alive"  by Jim Morrison.  When I was in Kansas City, I used to take the bus to work and listen to books all the time...but have slacked off.  If you can get the unabridged works on tape/cd or mp3 it makes for great reads/listens.  And yes I believe that and audio book is the same as reading...I dare you to defy me on that one.  Any how I have also found a cool service online AUDIBLE.COM you can download books and listen on your computer or transfer to your mp3 player (wow, they are even compatible with my old Rio mp3 player.) or you can burn to cd.  They have a great selection of books and stuff.  They even have free downloads of radio shows and presidential speeches.  
If you click on the link I have provided below you can receive a trial membership and 1 free download.  It's really cool check it out.
http://www.audible.com/bzz

Movies & Books

Let's start out with the books.
Finished
"Don't Eat This Book" by Morgan Spurlock...well you have to read this book.  But I recommend doing it in a specific timeline.
First read "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser
 

This will give you the inside skinny (no pun intended{besides, it wouldn't work here} on the fast food industry and the food processing industry.  WARNING: you may not ever touch meat again after reading it. 

Then rent/buy the dvd "Supersize Me"


Don't forget to check out the extras.  

Then read "Don't Eat This book"



And you may become the healthiest person on the planet.  Better than the Atkin's diet.  I think I've lost about 20 pounds thanks to Mr. Schlosser and Mr. Spurlock.


Also finished reading:
"How to Know God"  by Deepak Chopra. 

This book talks about the stages of spirituality and self enlightenment.  It's weird how Physics and religion are both right...They just need to get together.

Okay for movies this week  is saw:

Batman Begins.  You know Christian Bale ain't so bad as Batman.  This movie explains how and why Bruce Wayne became and is Batman.  And the really cool part is that it makes sense and fits...in fact it seems obvious. 

Mighty Aphrodite.  A Woody Allen movie that could have been better.  The use of the Greek Tragedy Chorus is a very neat tool.

The Accidental Tourist.  This movie was good but the quirkiness of Geena Davis' character seemed too quirky.

Made In Heaven.  Very neat idea of heaven and death.  I'll warn you: it is a very 80's movie.  But the cameos by Neil Young, Tom Petty and Rick Ocasek are fun....here's an added test see if you can tell me which character is played by Debra Winger.

Well that's enough for now....get to reading...share your comments and ideas.


Right now I'm reading "Velocity" by Dean Koontz...so far it's pretty good. Not as intense as I'd hoped.



and "The World As I See It" by Albert Einstein. I never realized how politically oriented he was until this book.

Rules of the Blues

1. Most Blues begin "woke up this morning."

2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you
stick something nasty in right away: I got a good woman"with the meanest face in town.

3. Blues are simple. After you have the first line right, repeat it.
Then find something that rhymes. Sort of.
I got a good woman"with the meanest face in town.
I got a good woman"with the meanest face in town.
She got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and she weighs 500 pounds.

4. The Blues are not about limitless choice. You stuck in a ditch, you
stuck in a ditch; ain't no way out.

5. Blues cars are Chevies, Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Other
acceptable Blues transportation modes include Greyhound buses and
southbound trains. Walkin" plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does
fixin" to die. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or SUVs. Jet aircraft and
state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running.

6. Adults sing the Blues. Teenagers can"t sing the Blues. They ain't
fixin' to die yet. In the Blues, "adulthood" means old enough to get the
electric chair when you shoot that man in Memphis.

7. You can have the Blues in New York City, but not in Brooklyn or
Queens. Hard times in Vermont, Tucson, or North Dakota are just depression. The
best places to have the Blues are still Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City.
You cannot have the blues in any place that don't get rain.

8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the blues. A woman with male
pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg while skiing is not the blues.
Breaking your leg when your broken-down pickup truck rolled over on it
is.

9. The following colors do not belong in the Blues: violet, beige,
mauve (unless you"re truly desperate for a rhyme).

9. You can"t have the Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The
lighting is just plain wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.

10. Good places to have the Blues: the highway, a jailhouse, an empty
bed, the bottom of a whiskey glass. Bad places to have the Blues: ashrams,
gallery openings, weekends in the Hamptons, golf courses, Tiffany's,
and Ivy League institutions.

11. No one will believe it"s the Blues if you wear a suit, unless you
happen to be an old black man"and it"s an old black suit.

12. Do you have the right to sing the Blues?
Answer "Yes" if:
a. your first name is a southern state"like Georgia
b. you"re blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis.
d. you can"t be satisfied.
e. you're older than dirt
Answer "No" if:
a. you once were blind but now can see.
b. you"re deaf
c. the man in Memphis lived.
d. you have a trust fund or an IRA.
e. you have all your teeth
f. you were once blind but now can see

13. Blues is not about color, it's about bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot
sing the blues; Gary Coleman could. Ugly old white people got a leg up on
the blues. Julio Iglesias and Barbra Streisand will never sing the Blues.

14. If you ask for water and baby gives you gasoline, it"s the Blues.
Other acceptable Blues beverages are: wine, whiskey, muddy water, beer, black
coffee. Blues beverages are NOT: mixed drinks, kosher wine, sparkling
water, Snapple, Starbucks Frappuccino, or Slim Fast. Although Rubber Biscuits
and the Wish Sandwich are famous blues snacks, better stick to common blues
grub like Greasy Bar-b-que, Fatback and beans, and Government cheeze. Blues
food is never: Club sandwich, Sushi, or Cr"me brule.

15. If it occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it"s a Blues
death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is a Blues death. So is
substance abuse, the electric chair, or being denied treatment in an emergency
room. It is not a Blues death to die during liposuction or from tennis elbow.

16. Excellent names for female Blues singers: Sadie, Big Momma, Bessie,
or Fat River Dumpling. Excellent names for male Blues singers: Willie,
Joe, Little Willie, Lightning, or Big Willie. Singers with names like Muffy,
Sierra, Auburn, Alexis, Gwenyth, Sequoiz, Brittany or Rainbow are not
permitted to sing the Blues, no matter how many men they shoot in
Memphis.

17. The Build Your Own Blues Singer Name Starter Kit:
a. Name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, Asthmatic)
b. First name (from above lists) or name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi)
c. Last name of a U. S. president (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.)
Examples: Blind Lime Jefferson, Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. (Okay,
maybe not "Kiwi"")

18. I don't care how tragic your life; if you own a computer, you
cannot sing the Blues. You'd best destroy it. Fire, a spilled bottle of Mad Dog, or shotgun. Maybe your big ass woman just done sit on it. I don't care

19. Hey there, you can READ! This too be a big ol' problem. Most folks
singin' the Blues ain't never had much a chance for education. In the Blues" the three R's stand for Railroads, Runnin' and Rehab.

20. It gots to be dark to sing the blues, preferably after midnight.
Singin' da blues at noon is forbidden.

21. If none of the above works, try one last, pathetic stab at
authenticity: name your guitar. Remember, Lucille is taken.

22. Epitaph on a blues musician's tombstone: "I didn't wake up this
morning"

Reading Redux and some movies

Just posting more of what I'm reading

Finished:
"My Friend Leonard" by James Frey. Once again I read another James Frey book and I say to you who cares if he elaborated. (that is not a question). It is a good read great look at the struggles of people. This book is the continuation of "A Million Little Pieces," when we join James this time he is in county jail doing his time for the crimes and waiting to get out and meet Lilly and start his life. Now, if you read the end of "Pieces" you would know that Lilly committed suicide before James got to get back with her. This book shows how he dealt with her death and what he needs to move on. He becomes a delivery person for Leonard. And their friendship blooms. He really knows how to describe the emotions of a moment no matter how large or small. READ IT.

"7 Spiritual Laws of Success" Deepak Chopra. Some great lessons here also. This is a feel good book that the entire population of Earth should learn and practice.

Still Reading:
"Don't Eat This Book" by Morgan Spurlock...this book makes me sad...It's amazing how the fast food industry has bamboozled us.

New Read:
"7 Spiritual Laws for Parents" by Deepak Chopra. This book takes the 7 spiritual laws and applies them to raising children.

I think I will also start blogging the movies I've watched ...I watch a lot of movies as well as read.
Within the last 7 days
"Amelie" This movie is hilarious and poignant. Amelie starts to change peoples lives to make them better but when it comes to her own...well that's the hard part. If you've seen the Gordon the Garden Gnome commercials for Travelocity, then you'll have had seen an idea stolen from "Amelie"

"La Dolce Vita" I kept hearing it's a classic and a must see. Well, ...I could have gone without. Basically a gossip columnist type reporter hanging out w/ paparazzi and getting the type of stories that reflect what we would have seen today w/ Britney and company. Anyhow he wants to become more cultured but sees that the cultured even have problems.

I'll be telling you more later.

Awright, back to readin'

Well, I finished the "Tao Te Ching" but I will always be carrying a copy w/ me. Basically you get everything you want, or rather, need by not doing anything.
COOL!

Right now I'm reading:

1. "Don't Eat This Book" by Morgan Spurlock. Hopefully you all have seen the movie "Supersize Me" In which Morgan subjects his body to McTorture by eating only McDonald's for one month. Well, this book is the follow up to that movie. It has some more inside scoop on the most dangerous industry in America; FAST FOOD. If you have read "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser then this would be a great follow up.

2. "My Friend Leonard" by James Frey. This is the "sequel" to "A Million Little Pieces." I'll let you know how it is when I'm done.

So, WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Life Lessons

Finished:
"Kiss & Makeup" by Gene Simmons. Yep Gene's biography and the formation of the "hottest band in the land.....KISS!!!" You find out that Gene is arrogant and cocky...but you get to find out why and that, well believe it or not there's a humble side to him.

"The Frenchman" by Elizabeth Hand. This is a novelization of an episode of Millennium. I never did get to watch much of the series. But this "novelization" was a thriller.

Now Reading:
"Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tsu translated by David Hinton.. I guess if you were to ask me what religion I am, I would have to say Taoist. At least the Taoists aren't responsible for the Dark Ages, the Inquisition, the Crusades or any other "holocaust" destroying anyone different from themselves. And best of all the Taoists aren't protesting "The DaVinci Code".

I've also started listening to a couple of tape series by Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer. Not sure if these count as reading a book ...but counts as attending a lecture.

So, what are you doing in your spare time?

Now reading:

Now reading:

"Kiss & Makeup"  by Gene Simmons.  Yep Gene's biography and the formation of the "hottest band in the land.....KISS!!!"



"The Frenchman" by Elizabeth Hand.  I was looking for another book by her, I forget which one now, and found this one it's a story written as a side from the TV series Millennium.  It looked interesting.





Finished

"Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris.  This book is great.  It's hilarious the different stories will make you laugh outloud.  He talks of his life experiences from getting speech therapy at school to finding a large turd in a toilet at a party.  I found myself laughing out loud several times reading this book.





"The Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoffs.  I had to follow up "The Tao of Pooh".  This book gets a little more preachy compared to the "Tao of Pooh"  but in a good way, kind of a save the planet thing.  





also still reading the "World of Pooh" this is on my son's time.

Michael Hayden

After yesterday's hearings, it's obvious that Michael Hayden's involvement in the NSA's domestic spying program disqualifies him from heading the CIA. His answers to questions from Congress and from the press have been evasive at best and downright false at worst. The Bush administration's chronic pattern of misleading the American people about the full extent of its domestic spying activities was on full display yesterday, and the American people deserve better.

When the Senators meet to decide on Hayden's confirmation, they must hear the voices of their constituents. We want to deliver the voices of 100,000 Americans who oppose this nomination. Add your name now...

http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/hayden/fqqifg

With your voice, we all can be heard.

C'mon, Am I the only one reading?!?

Finished

-"Gil's All Fright Diner" ...the sad part is that Gil Wilson dies...the good part is that you get to read about 2 rednecks...one is a vampire and the other a werewolf.



-"The Tao of Pooh" It is so cool to have read this at the same time I'm reading "The World of Pooh" to my son.

Now Reading:

"Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. Someone recommended this to me. It seems so far to be a collection of essays in memoir style...and some are quite funny.

"The Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoffs. I had to follow up "The Tao of Pooh".
also still reading the "World of Pooh" this is on my son's time.

What are you reading?

Yet another reading blog

Finished:

"Moby Dick" I DID IT!!! That was pretty much why I read it ....just to say i did. It was fun at times.

"Feast of All Saints" by Anne Rice. Ok, it's not a vampire or witch book and in my opinion kinda boring. Now if you are interested in bi-racial "copper-skinned" folks in New Orleans during the slavery era, it may interest you.

Now Reading:
"Gil's All Fright Diner" by A. Lee Martinez I had to read this, the "main character" is named Gil Wilson.

I'm also revisiting "The Tao of Pooh" By Benjamin Hoff. I read this 10 years ago and figured I need a refresher. It explains a simple way of life "Taoism" in fun terms...through Winnie The Pooh.

What are you reading?

ONE

Within the next 2 weeks the U.S. Senate is poised to slash billions of dollars from President Bush's plan to fight AIDS and poverty. This is an outrage - and it can be stopped. Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) have written a letter to their colleagues in the Senate asking them to stop these devastating cuts in funding for the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty.



With just 30 seconds of your time, you can send a quick note to your Senators asking them to support this funding and add their signature to this important letter. Please join us in speaking out right now.



Click Here to send your message

Saturday, May 06, 2006

I finished "the Shadow Over Innsmouth" by H.P. Lovecraft.
If you never have go out and pick this one up. He should have written for the "Twilight Zone" (okay there's a time difference, I know) and his use of language just sucks you in.

Now reading "The Feast of All Saints" by Anne Rice. I've read all her Vampire and Witches books now trying out her other stuff.

Oh yeah still reading "Moby Dick" The story is good but a very long read. You've got the language to get through, the history to learn and of course Melville intersperses with more whale knowledge than is in most studies of Physeter macrocephalus (the Sperm Whale). But I'm only 50 pages or so from being finished. Ahab is still crazy. Ishmael is still observant. And Queequeg is still a crazy native.

Well, what are you reading?

Thursday, May 04, 2006

I finally finished "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand...it took me 7 years (long story) but i did it.

I finished "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. Wow what a great book. I felt exhausted after reading it...I mean mentally drained. He makes you feel you are going through the process with him. And I will reiterate....SO WHAT IF HE MADE UP SOME OF THE STUFF...it's got a great "lesson" and great human values to learn...and it's a good read.

Now I'm revisiting "Shadow over Innsmouth" by H.P. Lovecraft
and still reading "Moby Dick"

What are you reading?

Reblogging. This blog originally appeared Thursday, April 20, 2006.

Books now
Still reading:
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey (this book is really good)

Finished:
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

Just Started:
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

What about you? Let me know what you are reading. List your books in the comments.

Reading Blog pt. 1

Every so often I will update you as to what books I'm reading...I usually read 2 or 3 at a time...something about a knowledge dependency.

Right now reading 3 books:

1. Moby Dick - Herman Melville (I was supposed to read it in High School but I read an essay about it instead and sounded intelligent when taking the test. So now I'm making up for it.)

2. The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand (oh my gawd her books are so hard to stay focused on.)

3. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey ( I don't care what anyone says, so what if there was no such law on the books at such and such date, It was his life and he can flourish a little. I mean jeez look at your resume and tell me everything there is exact. Besides he was addicted to mind altering chemicals and that can distort some. I think if read this book could help a lot of people. All that and I'm only halfway through the book)

Withdrawal from Iraq

I support John Kerry’s Senate resolution for a timely withdrawal from Iraq.


I believe that American combat troops should come home from Iraq in 2006 - not the distant future as President Bush does. Furthermore, I believe we must set a May 15th deadline for the Iraqis to form an effective unity government. And, if the Iraqi politicians choose to ignore that deadline, then I believe things will only get worse and we will have no choice but to withdraw immediately.


We want democracy in Iraq, but it’s now the job of Iraqis to build it. Our troops have performed gallantly and heroically. The best way to keep faith with them is to set deadlines for bringing our troops home and getting Iraq on its own two feet. That’s the only way to give their sacrifice its best chance of resulting in success.


If you also support this please click on the link below and sign the petition.


http://www.johnkerry.com/action/deadline/

Myspace

Okay I had to find out what all the fuss was about, so I signed up for myspace. Have you heard about this? It's basically a good way to network (at least for adults/and especially folks in the music biz). But the reality of it is, that it's a place for teenagers to post photos of themselves doing all sorts of illegal things. It's really weird. You can browse for all folks within 5 miles of your zipcode and click on someone you know and through 6 degrees of separation you will find everyone in your neighborhood. The sad part is when they post photos of themselves drinking alcohol and blogging about their exploits. I used to think that today's youth were very internet savvy. After browsing the myspace sites I realize they are idiots. Do they not think that anyone other than their friends read this pablum? Okay I take that back some of it can be fun to read...I mean, I don't care what kind of partying some 16 year old in my home town does...but when I know their parents, I realize the apple don't fall too far from the tree, or in the case of some of these rednecks: the cracker don't fall too far from the box, and I do get a good laugh, sometimes.

Everyone has a right to be stupid. Some just abuse the privilege.


Well you can check out my myspace but don't expect much.
http://www.myspace.com/gilwilson

My 3 Songs 02/22/06

Sometime after the game will be the contest.

Here are the songs:

1. Twice as Hard - Black Crowes
2. hanginaround - Counting Crows
3. Every Day is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow

easy enough?

My 3 Songs 02/08/06

In honor of the censored one himself.

Here are the songs:

1. You're So Vain - Carly Simon
2. State of Shock - The Jacksons
3. Dancin' In the Streets - David Bowie & Mick Jagger

Yep, that's right they all have Mick on vocals.

Where has the creativity gone in America?

Okay, I'm going to go on a rant here...but I think this stuff needs to be said. At least, I feel I need to say it.

Why have we lost our creativity and appreciation for creativity? There are numerous examples of this all over this crazy country. The one that bugs me most is the new concept car from GM, which I'll get to in a moment...but first I think we need a little background first.

We are in an energy crunch here in the U.S. Now, don't get me wrong, we still pay less per gallon for fuel than most other countries...but I think that is because we have a president that sleeps with the enemy...but that's another blog. Yes fossil fuel prices are at an all time high and go back and forth more than the Sea Dragon at Worlds of Fun. And yes we are all puking our dollars out to fill up those SUV's. Okay not all of us..just those that feel they have to compensate for something small with something so large that guzzles gas. So with fuel costs so high the powers that be say we should be looking into alternative fuels, yes even George W. said this. And you know what, there are many alternatives out there. One that grabs my attention immediately and should yours is this Bio-Diesel. It can be made from dirty old fast food fry bin grease. And it IS being made by many entrepeneurial folks. I've seen the whole process and really it doesn't take much. In fact there is supposed to be a "refinery" close to where I live that makes it from soy beans...and if you have driven through Illinois lately, you know that soy beans are plentiful. But the problem lies with the folks manufacturing automobiles. There are only a few making hybrid cars and even those have price-ranges so out of range from the average consumer (the ones who would benefit and would create more benefits from) cannot even think of purchasing them. (something to do with, wanting to feed their families and some such nonesense) So these automobile manufacturers continue to churn out the gas guzzling suv's and autos at a sickening pace. (A side note here...with bio-diesel it can eat/disinegrate rubber so pvc type hoses need to replace the auto's rubber parts...really this is minor) The auto industry does not even look at such answers.

Instead of planning for the future the auto industries look to the past. Okay here's where the creativity part comes in. Yes it would take a smidgen of creativity to create some new cars that are affordable and can run on the many alternative fuels out there. (hydrogen, bio-diesel, electricity, et. al.) But instead at the big auto show in Detroit in early January of this year, GM rolled out their CONCEPT car. Okay a concept car is (at least in the past it was) something new and daring and will project the future of automobiles. So what does GM do? The introduce their CONCEPT of the Future auto as.....are you ready?.....introducing....a car...never before dreamed of.....the amazing.....CAMARO. WHAT!?!?!? Didn't GM retire that freaking gas guzzling muscle car leftover after 30 years of production? What is so new about that? I'll tell you what's new.........NOTHING. What happened is the lazy creators and managers said "well we need a concept car this year what do you have?" And those guys thought WE AMERICANS were soooo stupid we wouldn't see the wool brought over our eyes (again). They said we could take an old car that we haven't manufactured in a few years and re-paint it. So the designers said good because I just want to collect my 6 figure paycheck and not have to lift a finger...besides they have the old drawings on computer and can just click on the print button. So where is the creativity? It ain't there my friends.

Okay, that said let's look at TV. REALITY FREAKING TV, is not creative. You know, it has always been the epitome of laziness to program television. One network does something that works and the rest copy. Then along came FOX and well they tried something new. And TV got creative for a little while. Then Reality TV came along....and now everybody is doing it. even TVLand, jeez. However you can still look at FOX and still see some creativity. Yes they do have a couple of reality shows now and then ...but their Sunday night lineup consists of some nice writing and creativity...btw FOX is owned by Rupert Murdoch....an Australian.

Now let's get to literature....Thank God, that when Stephen King said he was retiring he didn't/couldn't. Since his "retirement" he's written 3 or 4 books. And each one as great as ever...But the recent trend in literature has taken a cue from TV...REALITY literature. I'm talking about the recent trend of memoirs. I did a search on amazon.com for "memoir" and in books there were 36,000 + titles available. Now don't get me wrong, they are good to read and very informational...and sometimes "good for you." But, this trend turns to the scary side. I think though this may subside due to the recent James Frey "fiasco." Which brings me to something about creativity. James Frey took some artistic license in a book about his own life. SO WHAT!! Yes, sure the authors that write reality are now being looked at with a skeptical eye, but c'mon...did the world end? I can't believe there are idiots suing him. Did his book make you look at your life different? Well good ...take it and grow. I mean Mark Twain changed some folks lives with his views in Huckleberry Finn...but it was fiction...heck Mark Twain wasn't even his REAL name. What does it hurt? I do understand there are writers out there that are upset...but that should just be your cue to write better and not try to fool anyone.

If anything I think James Frey may help to bring back creativity in America...although I know that was never his intention. Now we can see more fiction, more creativity and maybe this creativity can help us get out of the rut we are in economically and politically. Believe me the reality of it isn't working...it's gonna take some creativity.

My Three Songs 02/01/06

I'm not going to type the answer...but it should be obvious.

1. Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel
2. All I Need Is a Miracle - Mike + the Mechanics
3. In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins

(I could throw in When the Heart Rules the Mind - GTR, but won't)

Remember there is a free pizza and a Howie Day sticker at stake here. Listen in tonight and be the first caller with the correct answer.

My Three Songs 01/25/06

Well, tonight's "My 3 Songs" is gonna be one to make your thought box work overtime.

First here are the songs:

1. Angie - The Rolling Stones
2. Layla - Eric Clapton or Derek & the Dominoes (either version)
3. Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly

Now I know exactly what you're thinking...and no it's not just girls names.

Let me break it down:

1. Angie - The Rolling Stones (about David Bowie's wife/girlfriend)
   
2. Layla - Eric Clapton or Derek & the Dominoes (either version) (about George Harrison's girlfriend)
   
3. Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly (about the Cricket's Drummer, Jerry Allison's girlfriend)

See they are songs about someone other than the lead singer's girlfriend. (2 of these were extra-marital affairs between singer and said girlfriend. but we won't go there.)

Our Frog

The picture you see above is my pet African Clawed Frog. My son calls him Froggy. Anyway we've had many of these frogs before learning our lesson that you don't put them in as babies in the same tank as a crab or crawfish. We had an Albino African Clawed Frog but he lived his life span at least that's our guess. He was huge, about 12 inches from nose to toe. The one you see above is only about 6 inches from nose to toe. He loves worms and other fish. I've had to move him to a tank of his own because he keeps trying to eat my dragon fish.
Well I just thought I'd share.

My 3 Songs 01/18/06

Well I was planning on doing this one before our answer to tonight's My 3 Songs was admitted to a hospital for exhaustion today.

So, I think it's even more appropriate.

Here are tonight's songs:]

1. Hold On I'm Comin' - Sam & Dave
2. Soul Man - Blues Brothers
3. Theme From 'Shaft' - Isaac Hayes.

The answer is in the pictures.

Howie Day Stickers @ WAKO

For the next few weeks, when you win a pizza on My 3 Songs or Classic Tracks, I'm throwing in a Howie Day sticker.

If you want a Howie Day sticker and didn't win. Just stop by WAKO in the evenings when I'm there. All I ask is that you be nice to me, mention you saw this on the website and I'll give you the sticker.

I just don't like rude people. :)

So if you want a Howie Day sticker come on by.

Also check out Howie's new EP/CD "Live From..." Just click on Howie's Picture above to find out more.

My 3 Songs 01/11/06

HINT
HINT
HINT





Okay so what is tonight's My 3 songs about well with the graphics here I've given you some really good hints.

But Here are the songs:

1. Travelling Wilburys - Handle Me With Care
2. Electric Light Orchestra - Turn To Stone
3. George Harrison - Got My Mind Set On You.

Not so easy is it?

Wait until next week...next week's will be even harder....I'm going to hook you up with a hint or two in advance so you will have no excuses.

Promosquad

Are you like me and love to hear new music?
Well then I've found the place for you.
Promosquad
Here you can hear new music and rate it and even make a difference in some careers. You can promote your band or if you know of a band that needs discovered you can give them a boost.

So, whether it's an artist signed to a major record label looking for their next hit, or an unsigned newcomer looking for their big break...they want your opinion! You Can Make a Difference!

Oh, and one other thing...you earn points for prizes as you do so. Which ain't too shabby. Just click on the links I've provided and check it out.

Promosquad

Howie Day EP out now

Howie's new EP, "Live From...", came out. If you're not yet familiar with it, the EP is a compilation of live tracks from this past summer's tour. It sounds really great, and I would recommend picking up a copy.

Since Howie won't be touring for the next few months, Pick up the EP and find out what one of the shows are like.
As soon as he does start touring I'll keep you posted on air and here on the blog as to where he'll be.

btw, you can click on the picture above to visit the Howie Day Website.

My 3 songs 12/28/05

Stan Lee Is 83 today. So my three songs tonight are all songs from Marvel Comics Superhero Movies soundtracks.

1. Hero - Chad Kroger & Josey Scott - Spider-Man
2. Everything Burns - Anastacia & Ben Moody - Fantastic 4
3. Broken - Seether & Amy Lee - The Punisher

and I'll throw in Bring Me To Life - Evanascence - Daredevil

Enjoy

My 3 Songs 12/21/05

Here are the songs:

1. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
2. Little Red Corvette - Prince
3. Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
   

Christmas Songs

So, what's your favorite Christmas song?
Sure there are the traditional songs but there are new ones to choose from each year. Here are my 6 favorites (at least for this year and in no specific order):

1. We Burned The Christmas Tree - Chaston & Groditski
2. White Trash Christmas - Lurlene the Trailer Court Queen
3. I Believe in Father Christmas - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4. I Am Santa Claus - Bob Rivers
5. Posada - Santana
6. Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo - South Park
   

Feel free to comment and list your favorites.

My 3 Songs 12/14/05

Well here we go again another My 3 songs.
This one was suggested by a listener and he got a free pizza for the great idea.
Here are the songs:

1. My Generation - The Who
2. Sussudio - Phil Collins
3. Bad To the Bone - George Thorogood.

Would you like the answer? Okay, but first let me explain the smiley you see at the right. This is the Bon Jovi "Have a Nice Day" smily/smirk. It has absolutely nothing to do with tonight's contest, I just like the idea behind the smiley and the song just proves that Bon Jovi are still rocking. Plus, I dig a little sarcasm, okay a lot of sarcasm.

Okay now for the answer....the songs all have some sort of stuttering going on.
So stuttering is the answer.

Chaston/Groditski

Okay...the weirdness has been unleashed. My friend, Pete Chaston, and his cousin Walt Groditski have been recording some of the weirdest sounding stuff for a few years and, well, let's just say the last time this was unleashed on the Earth a meteor struck. Anyhow, it is extremely fun music. They have a Dr. Demento holiday favorite with "We Burned the Christmas Tree" and that song was recently like the #4 most downloaded song on amazon.com. Thus proving that the world is just like me, getting weirder with age.
Honestly you must have all their cd's in your collection, they are fun at parties and great ways to get rid of those in-laws.
Check them out:
http://www.chastongroditski.com

My 3 Songs 11/23/05

This is going to be a tough one...so I'll give the answer.

1. Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John (yeah, I like this song, so what?)
2. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
3. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Wanna know the answer?


Do you really?

Of course this is kinda cheatin'.




Okay the answer is:




They are all title tracks from the albums.

Just a few questions

1. Why all this uproar about bird flu?

2. Why is this Tamiflu product being touted as a panacaea? (especially when it doesn't fight bird/avian flu)

3. Why is it that Donald Rumsfeld owns millions of dollars worth of stock in Gilead Sciences (the makers of Tamiflu)?

4. Why is George Bush ready to declare marshall law to fight a flu that has yet to be proven to infect humans?

5. Where is the media/press when they should be revealing these things and not scaring the public about a fake pandemic?

My 3 Songs 11/16/05

Well only 4 days until my birthday and that has nothing to do with tonight's my 3 songs. So......

Here are the songs:

1. Every Time I Think of You - The Babys
2. Possession - Bad English
3. Missing You - John Waite

the hint is the photo...who is it?

My 3 Songs 11/09/05

Okay here are the songs:

1. Cover of the Rolling Stone - Dr. Hook
2. Spirit in the Sky - Doctor & The Medics
3. Right Place, Wrong Time - Dr. John

Once again I don't need to give a hint :)

New Spider-Man Villain

Sony Pictures has officially announced the new Villain in the upcoming Spider-Man 3 movie.

Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko aka The Sandman.

He was Ned in TV's Ned & Stacy, but my favorite church role on TV was that of Lowell Mather on "Wings"

He was death's assistant in "Monkeybone" a movie that could have been sooo much more.

So look out for the next Spider-man movie.

Actually the best part of the movie, in my opinion, will be the introduction of Venom, portrayed by "That '70's Show" lead actor Topher Grace. Also Dylan Baker will be back portraying Dr. Curt Connors, whom we all know is destined to be The Lizard.