"Read all about it!"

I know you're dying to talk about  Robert Gates' new book......

FIRE AWAY!!!    I have my own opinions which might surprise you............will try to chime in some time soon...but you go first!

By the way, did you know that when a student gets accepted to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, a lieutenant comes in full uniform and presents the student with a welcoming certificate?   I saw one Wednesday and it made me cry.  The students in the classrooms around were cheering, and our (very liberal) College Counselor, after all had died down, said "And it's FREE!"   I chimed in with "Oh, no it ISN'T, the government does pay!"   heh heh
Funnily enough, the kids roared with my remark!   Maybe they got it?  naaaaaaaaaaa

Z
(oh, and happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeee :-))

DON'T MESS WITH TRAVIS

The book DON'T MESS WITH TRAVIS is getting great reviews in all sorts of outlets.  The author, Bob Smiley, and I share a good friend......This book is supposed to be great!  I included the plot down below the glowing reviews below; Sounds like most of us would love it!   Here's one review HERE........

"If there were a Nobel Prize for political wit, Bob Smiley’s novel Don’t Mess With Travis would win it in a landslide. Much needed in this angry political season!"

-- Steve Forbes

"A freewheeling satire that does for politics what Texan Dan Jenkins' antic fictions did for golf and football. Smiley's first novel disproves the notion that conservatives can't be really funny." -- Kirkus Reviews

"One of the year's best, and arguably the most stinging work of political satire since Christopher Buckley's Boomsday. Sacred cows on the left... beware." -- Breitbart.com

"Smiley's incisive and derisive view of the political process makes this razor-sharp debut novel a timely and entertaining read."

-- Booklist

"The world of politics is anything but funny these days. That's why Bob Smiley's new book Don't Mess With Travis is so refreshing. If you need an escape and your politics lean to the right, put away the Wall Street Journal, crack open an ice cold beer, and prepare to laugh and cheer for a not so unlikely political hero."

-- Mark Meckler, co-founder Tea Party Patriots

"Some people might say that Don't Mess with Travis is a mix of Carl Hiaasen and George Will. But it's more than just a witty blend of larger-than-life characters and a prescient political narrative: It's intelligent satire - true on both the human and policy dimensions... Smiley is this generation's Christopher Buckley."

-- Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute

"Bob Smiley gives us two things we really need: 1) a funny book about politics and 2) a Texas governor we can all get behind."

-- Steve Hely, author of How I Became a Famous Novelist and The Ridiculous Race

"A terrific read for the 2012 campaign season... funny for folks on either side of the aisle." -- Jeremy Blachman, author of Anonymous Lawyer

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Written with the comedic mastery of Christopher Buckley, Don't Mess with Travis tells the story of Ben Travis, a no-name Texas senator who becomes governor after a late-night accident takes the lives of the men ahead of him in the chain of command.

Before the paint has even dried on his parking spot, the recently divorced Travis uncovers the latest Washington power grab and decides there's only one solution: secession.

The stunt pits Travis (and Texas) against the president, a golf-obsessed, progressive egomaniac with spotty leadership skills, and the liberal elites behind him, who will try every dirty trick to derail the new governor and hold on to the most prosperous state in the Union.

Despite the doomsday threats from D.C., Travis forges ahead in a thrilling and hysterical quest to fight big government tyranny and restore sanity to the nation.

In the tradition of Advise and Consent and Primary Colors, Don't Mess with Travis brilliantly lampoons all that's wrong with present-day politics while waving the flag behind everything that's right.

 

 (and don't miss my post below about more Obama hypocrisy...amazing!)
z

GREAT BOOK....."CURIOSITY KILLED THE HEDONIST"

You will want to get THIS BOOK, believe me.  Here's a review of..........

Curiosity Killed the Hedonist by Gregory D.B. Holt.........

"Curiosity Killed the Hedonist brings you 20 sarcastic adventure stories which give a glimpse of life on the wrong side of the global railroad tracks.  Take a journey through the shanty towns of South America, the mega-cities of Africa, the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, the dark neighborhoods of Siberia, the mysterious palaces of India, and the revolutionary streets of Egypt.  If you’re looking for a critically acclaimed, politically correct, wine tasting sojourn through the South of France, then please don’t buy this book.  But if you’re ready for candid, witty travel writing which blitzkriegs across six continents of chaos, then Curiosity Killed the Hedonist is the book for you."

About the Author:

"Gregory D.B. Holt has been a construction worker, a fish gut scooper, a pool lifeguard, a business consultant, an American soldier, and a traveling philosopher. He has earned degrees from MIT, Pepperdine University, and West Point. He is currently conducting research for his next book in the proletariat neighborhoods of a Ukrainian industrial steel town."

To say Greg has been "an American soldier" puts it mildly, but from what I know of Greg, that'd be all he felt important for anybody to know.  He's traveled all over, to places you and I probably won't go, and apparently has great stories to relate........

Please get the book for yourself or friends.......I'm getting my copy Wednesday and will report again as soon as I can.  Greg would hate for me to say this, but I'm going to;  if you'd like to support an amazing patriot with a long, well recognized career in the military, buying this book might be a great way to show your appreciation.  Plus, it's supposed to be terrific!  Buy one for those men in your life who sit around and just watch TV; a book like this just might be a shot in the arm!  What do you get your husband or father, son or brother for his birthday, or Father's Day?  This is such a good idea!  Thanks.

By the way....if you'd like to leave a comment, a Happy Birthday would be much appreciated by this blog owner!   Hint hint!   Thanks,

Your old(er) pal, Z

z

Bookish...................are you?

I thought I'd take a turn away from politics and culture and do a post like I used to do quite a lot:

BOOKS:  The President, on vacation, bought two books for himself: “The Bayou Trilogy,” a collection by Daniel Woodrell, and “Rodin's Debutante” by Ward Just.   With him, he brought three books: “Cutting for Stone,” a novel by Abraham Verghese; “To the End of the Land,” a novel by David Grossman; and “The Warmth of Other Suns,” which was described as the "epic" story of America's Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson.    I heard a Republican pundit criticize Obama for reading crime stories and other novels.  I figure vacations are vacations and that's when we ought to be reading fiction for a change, don't you?

Have you read any of the books he read?  If so, how'd you like it?  But, most importantly:

WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW?   Do you keep one book going at a time, or do you read two or three at the same time?  (so to speak)

I'm reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.. the Lutheran Pastor who stood up to the NAZIs and lost his life for it, as so many Germans did at the time.  I highly recommend it, especially for the amazing accounting of the times before and during WWII.   I also am surprised to have got caught up in a book called Michael Vey  The Prisoner of Cell 25 (a friend had bought 2 copies and they arrived when I was at her home and she said "Here, you read this copy!" and here I am reading it)   And, I'm also enjoying The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, a charming book about Chanel, France and fashion.    (but, there's NOTHING like a Martha Grimes murder mystery....sadly, I've read them ALL :-(  )

So, how about you?  Thanks!

By the way...today would have been Mr. Z's birthday.......if you have the time, please read THIS, in his honor!  Thanks.
Z

"Cash Under The Mattress"

Dear friends of mine, Sally and Philip, have written a book called "Cash Under The Mattress".........Please check it out HERE!    Amazon.com says this about it:

Yes, you can be prepared to handle potential disasters for yourself, your kids, and your aging parents.

• Your vital records in one "Grab and Run" book.
• Easy fill-in checklists including:
• Who to Call
• Care for Your Pets
• Where's Your "Stuff"?
• Funeral Checklist
• Medical / Long Term Care
• Gifts and Heirlooms
• Save time in an emergency when minutes count.
• Learn ways to dispense of family heirlooms.
• Learn ways to avoid inheritance conflicts.
• Write down the wishes of your aging parents while you still can.
• Gain the positive feelings that come from knowing you have handled unavoidable issues in a straightforward manner.

I think it's a fabulous Christmas present......STOCK UP!   Everyone needs a place to write in all the important things about heirlooms, last wishes, information from aging parents about how they'd like their estates or last days handled, etc, etc.    Please check it out and consider buying some.   I really think it's a grand idea. 
My friends have gone through loss and I believe they experienced the reality that they were not quite as prepared as they'd thought;  it's an important subject and one we should all consider.........all wrapped up in one book of great suggestions, etc.

Put your CASH under your MATTRESS into something that'll make your life easier in difficult times!

Thanks!
z

Hitler stays, Coulter goes...choice of banned books?

Very interesting video here....kind of sad because I know that those who signed the poster didn't say "No thanks, I believe in free speech, I wouldn't participate in this if my life depended on it." Although, to update my original post here, after having read the blogger who produced this video's site (and you should, too) a few did come back and say they were sorry they signed anything that promoted censorship!  His site's called Rebelpundit...and it's a Chicago Conservative exposing the Chicago media's lack of fairness and balance...you'll like it, I'm sure.

Any thoughts?

z

Money, Greed and God

HERE is a review of a book I recommend.  I posted two years ago that I thought capitalism can't survive without traits like morality and goodness and how I thought faith (God) was a major contributor to those characteristics.

Jay W. Richards, the author of the book, obviously goes far more into the subject than I did, but I find it intriguing and hope you do, too.  Here's a paragraph from the review:

The book divides into eight chapters, with each chapter discussing a common held economic myth like the “piety myth” or “nirvana myth.” Richards says the piety myth pertains to “focusing on our good intentions rather than on the unintended consequences of our actions.” The nirvana myth characterizes the act of “contrasting capitalism with an unrealizable ideal rather than with its live alternatives.” Richards himself states, “The question isn’t whether capitalism measures up to the kingdom of God. The question is whether there’s a better alternative in this life.”

What do you think?   I was pleased to see someone's devoted a lot of time and thinking to this subject and hope you weigh in on my hypothesis (above in red), too.

Thanks!
z

Do you have one special book?

... a book you couldn't give away or sell if someone paid you BIG BUCKS?
I'm going through shelf after shelf after shelf in our office and packing book boxes and throwing some books away.....I have a lot of German books and most of those are leaving Chez Z........They must.  I need the room and there's no sense in my keeping them. (Mr Z's kids already went through the books and took what they wanted, which wasn't much)


I was SO BLESSED that something made me open one of the thicker books before I tossed it:  It says, in tiny penciled words next to the inked and rather young signature of my husband, "First book I bought with my own money."
Think I could give THAT away?  NOOOO way. By the way, it seems like it's a history of the world kind of book, Auszug aus der Geshichte..Mr. Z always did love reference books, etc etc.

Is there one book you absolutely will never let go of, whether it's got sentimental value like this one does for me, or you just love having it, or you read it again and again (Something I don't really understand;  my British business partner told me he'd read DAY OF THE JACKAL thirty times and was reading it again once when I was at his home!)....?

What do you think?  GOT A BOOK LIKE THAT?

zx

"Negrophilia?" What IS that? And why does it matter?

What Is "Negrophilia" and Why Does It Matter?

By Sylvia Thompson | Published 06/25/2010 | Unrated

(Sylvia Thompson is a black conservative writer whose aim is to counter the liberal spin on issues pertaining to race and culture. She is a copy editor by trade currently residing in Tennessee.) BOOK REVIEW: I recently finished reading the book "Negrophilia: From Slave Block to Pedestal--America's Racial Obsession," by Erik Rush, a black American author whose articles sometimes appear on ChronWatch. I thought it worth sharing what this term means in the context of what is happening in America. The information in Rush’s book needs to be disseminated throughout the country if we are to survive Barack Hussein Obama. If I may paraphrase, the condition of negrophilia, spawned from political correctness (PC), is the irrational state of refusing to see evil in some blacks and attributing to all blacks a mythical “holiness*.” Sort of a twisted reasoning that blacks can do no wrong because they have suffered so much. Never mind that other races and groups have suffered as much or more, whites (even the sane ones) have been so indoctrinated through PC that they can’t see the idiocy in this thinking. That is deadly. Consider these examples. Obama has tried as best he can to put obstacles in the way of efforts to protect the Gulf coastline from the oil spill. He literally denied state officials the resources that they needed and requested. Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana went around him. Equipment is now being employed to dredge the oil away from the shore. Obama (through the Coast Guard) recently stopped the dredging. The excuse is that moving the sand harms the environment. The oil, of course, will do more damage to the environment and the economies of the states affected. Why then would conservative leaders, such as Newt Gingrich, still be attributing the abysmal responses on Obama’s part to “incompetence.” Any right-minded person can see that these actions are by design. They are to destroy the oil industry and eventually the nation. Why can’t a man as intelligent as Gingrich grasp this fact? I think negrophilia fits here. Gingrich can’t bring himself to admit that Obama is an evil, disturbed man, because Obama is half-black. Obama and his sycophants posed a six-month drilling moratorium until they can determine how to prevent another spill of this magnitude. Newsflash: As long as humans run an endeavor, there will always be accidents and mishaps. The evil in this move is glaring. Thousands of Americans will lose their jobs. If they do receive the shakedown money stolen from British Petroleum (BP), what are they to do after six months? The jobs won’t be there; they will go to foreign countries. These people are self-sufficient workers; welfare does not work for them. Why won’t the Republican conservative leadership get behind the people taking legal action against Obama on this issue? Why aren’t they announcing broadly that the behavior is not against BP but against average Americans? What besides a disorder such as negrophilia can possibly account for this craven weakness in the opponents of Barack Obama? Governor Jan Brewer and the citizens of Arizona decided that they would take action to protect themselves against the incursion of illegal aliens. Attorney General Eric Holder and Obama (both black men) immediately attacked their actions, without first having read the law that Arizona citizens proposed. Why was there such a tepid response from Republican leaders on this behavior? As an American, it shamed me that there was not more damaging outcry from so-called leaders. Further, why is there not an actionable response to Obama’s disrespectful treatment of Governor Brewer? He simply ignored her as she pleaded for assistance. What white president could get away with that kind of crap? Not one. Yet the fear of Obama’s blackness, the disorder of negrophilia in play, ensured that the airwaves would be silent of people who could actually do something about the behavior: political leaders. I am livid witnessing the degree of spinelessness in face of such unprecedented lawlessness from Obama. It’s enough to make a sane person do something drastic--like join a militia. And more, a general and his staff have made statements that reflect their true disgust toward a weak, pansy of a commander-in-chief, who despises them all. Obama has done more to cripple the American military than any enemy past or present could ever have hoped to accomplish. He is set on corrupting unit cohesion with open homosexual behavior in the ranks; he shows disdain for the fighting forces by rubbing his affinity for Muslims in their face, when Muslim Islamists are the very people they are fighting; and he despises the Judeo-Christian faith to which the majority of the soldiers adhere. That all Americans who oppose this miscreant Barack Obama are not standing before the White House gates with pitchforks and flaming torches (or the 21stt Century equivalents) is a sickening travesty. How much more will Americans allow this despicable person to do before they get in his face and say “No More!”? Sadly, the only outcome that I can foresee (barring a real game changer at the polls in November 2010) is that the vast majority of Americans--the non-elites, the non-talking heads, and particularly, those who are not afflicted with negrophilia--will revolt. Whichever side wins that confrontation, Americans or Obama and the left, will face the task of rebuilding the nation, either in the image that the Founders relying on Judeo-Christian principles intended or the image that Obama and the left intend. If the left wins, there will be no America, as we once knew it. Z: WELL! This book's quite something, isn't it........At least two Black Americans aren't afraid of saying what they think of Obama and NEGROPHILIA. By the way, Eric Rush is the Black musician/author who broke the Jeremiah Wright story. What do you think of the ideas presented in the book review? It's pretty 'hot' stuff. I'm curious. Pictures are Astronaut Higgenbotham, Lena Horne, Booker T Washington, and Thomas Sowell.......bright, independent, talented and self-made. They didn't rely on anybody thinking there's anything 'holy*' about them because of their skin color, did they. (thanks, HAM..xxx) z

THE PROMISE...about Obama's first year, by Jonathan Alter

I don't tend to do book reports at all here, and I certainly don't do book reports on books I haven't read, but I heard Jonathan Alter on Don Imus' show and was so struck by his bias just in the interview alone that I had to go to Amazon.com and read the reviews of THE PROMISE, his new book about Obama. The reviews range from five star ("He explains the intensity, courage, means of clear thinking, and most especially how Obama used (and uses) politics to advance the necessary future of the American people " Z: "to advance the NECESSARY FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?? imagine?) to a review like the one below, which so well describes the sense I got from hearing Alter talk that I decided printing this was better than my going on about what I'd heard in the interview and I want to share it with you: (my comments are italicized from here on...red emphasis is, of course, mine)

The title of this review is : Biased account, but with inside access, May 19, 2010

By

D. J. Nardi "TurtleDom" (Washington, DC) -

This review is from: The Promise: President Obama, Year One (Hardcover)

I am an independent who voted for Obama in 2008 and don't regret it (although I am somewhat disappointed in his first year). However, in writing books about politicians, the political scientist in me believes it is crucial to remain objective and try to separate the spin from the reality. For whatever reason, all too often the journalists with the best access in political circles also tend to be the most biased or least analytical. Unfortunately, Jonathan Alter's The Promise: President Obama, Year One is no exception. This book is, to put it kindly, very sympathetic toward the administration. (Z: it was an unbelievable interview between Imus and Alter, whom Imus seems to like very much. Alter has always been hugely sympathetic toward Obama, and is a liberal who writes for Newsweek....but he tells us that he 'had access' to 200 people surrounding Obama as if he could have had trouble obtaining access with the way he glows over Obama and as if they are the people who'll be unbiased and tell him the truth. I mean, you can't make this naivite up, and Imus fell for it, which surprised me.) The reviewer goes on:........
What do I mean by "sympathetic"? I don't certainly mind if an author admires his subject or favors his policy choices. However, Alter seems determined to find no fault with Obama and dismiss all of his failures as the fault of others. In the introduction, Alter seems to blame Obama's first-year woes on the president's overconfidence in the - get this - the American people. Too often, voters are portrayed as dumb, Republicans as devious, and Obama's policy choices as all brilliant, if misunderstood. However, let's be honest - there are many people who have honest concerns about Obama's policies. I myself agree with some (foreign policy), but not others (healthcare). This sort of bias in The Promise: President Obama, Year One is simply unacceptable in real a history. (Z: the cheapest part of the Imus interview was Alter mentioning that Carla Bruni, Sarkozy's wife, told Michelle Obama that sometimes her husband's being president limits their time for love making...Alter tries to act as if Imus had got him to spill the beans as he admits it was the Queen of England Bruni told Michelle they made wait while they had sex, but when Alter promises a few other hot little items like that you know this was a contrived 'teaser'; any cheap come-on to sell a book is what this sounded like. As for "Republicans as devious," as it says above, I had to laugh when I found this review because that was the exact impression I got when Alter included in his interview, in his always-disparaging treatment toward Republicans, that Conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt loves this book...... "because he can exploit it.") This type of "journalistic history" book is really built around a few revealing anecdotes, without much substance or depth. Probably the biggest reveal is that Greg Craig was offered a judgeship in an attempt to get him to leave the White House quietly. Of course, if you live outside the Beltway, you probably don't know who Greg Craig even is. There are also some interesting comparisons between Obama and Bill Clinton by staffers who worked for both. However, frankly, you could probably read about the most interesting tidbits on Politico's or other political blogs. I wouldn't recommend buying the book unless you're a political junkie. (Z: another point Alter enjoyed driving home was the amount of bad language used by Obama and the rest at the White House staff, which he seemed highly favorable towards...like it was some badge of honor and fun information we don't already know) The reviewer goes on....
Overall, this is a 3-star book - with that third star added in recognition of Alter's hard work getting access and anecdotes. As a study of Obama's first year, it falls short (end of review). (Z: I'd say that the whole Obama first year falls short, not just in this "study", but to say Alter had to work hard at getting access when they love him at the White House for all the pro Obama pieces he writes at Newsweek is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? I mean, really...how hard is it to give access to someone they know will paint their hero in a favorable light?? Wikipedia says about Alter that he views FDR as the "savior of American democracy and capitalism"...I rest my case.)

Unsurprisingly, Amazon's "editorial review" (non-biased?!) said this!: "This brilliant blend of journalism and history offers the freshest reporting and most acute perspective on the biggest story of our time. It will shape impressions of the Obama presidency and of the man himself for years to come." Oh, and here was an interesting review:
"Could only stomach a few pages of this book. Thank God it was given to me versus buying it. In fact they were giving them away by the hundreds. I guess that is one way to stay on the best seller list." (Z: that's true..hmmm).

Z

Please come back tomorrow morning to see my review of Jonathan Alter's "slobbering love affair" about Obama and his first year in office, entitled THE PROMISE.

The Shortest Book Review Ever...........

I've just been poking around some new blogs and I realized that many conservative bloggers list To Kill a Mockingbird as their Favorite Book on their Viewer Profile. If you haven't read this book, you won't be sorry. (Or see the film, the film is THAT good.)
What's your favorite thing about this story, or the film...?
There's almost nothing about the film I don't find absolutely perfect. To say nothing about the story, of course.