Sunday, August 16, 2020
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Monday, August 10, 2020
Saturday, August 08, 2020
Friday, August 07, 2020
Tuesday, August 04, 2020
Sunday, August 02, 2020
Saturday, August 01, 2020
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Don't Fall for It--Sucker!
The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time by Maria KonnikovaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating expose on con artists (men & women) down through the past century mainly. Well written with so many fascinating details on how these con artists achieved their cons--taking people & their money for a ride. Not by violence, or by the barrel of a gun, but by a slick, wily exploiting of human nature. As Konnikova so well points out, it's not just the con artist who has confidence in their game--it's those who are so masterfully swindled who are often brimming with confidence that they are know what's what and are above being cheated. Figures straight into self-deception and human hubris, pride, and blindness due to over-confidence, shame, and gullibility (implicit trust in the supposed overall "goodness" of other humans). Konnikova does an excellent job of outlining, step-by-step, how a con takes place--and how people willingly end up believing a lie and often giving away thousands/millions of dollars, as well as property and other possessions sometimes.
Masterfully told, very engaging, never a dull moment--with lots of research & studies to back up the insights into human nature and its weaknesses. Over & over again. Down through the ages. Watch for it--there's a sucker born every minute, someone said. It's true, unfortunately. Don't get sucked in. Borrowed from the library--read on my Kindle. Plan to read another Konnikova book soon.
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The Soloist in Life
The Soloist by Mark SalzmanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Mark Salzman is a good writer--this is my 3rd book by him, going way, way back to his first book recounting his days living in China in Iron & Silk (which was excellent). This novel was good, but not great, or, could have been better. Focused on a prodigy cello player who has sort of lost his way. He's teaching a young, up & coming Korean-American the cello and has also been called up for jury duty in a murder trial that includes a second phase to determine whether the accused was insane or not when he committed the crime. Some interesting characters and interactions, but the thread gets lost somewhere along the way. But, I did love it when the penny dropped and I realized why he titled the book The Soloist--ha, that was great and made the read all the more worth it! Go figure--or read the book to see when you get it. And what's that cat doing on the cover? Read aloud by my lovely wife from the paperback original. I do plan to read more Salzman--he's written a few other books more recently; another installment of his memoirs, I believe.
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Friday, July 24, 2020
13 Action-Packed Days at Camp David
Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David by Lawrence WrightMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another great historical book by Lawrence Wright. Loved it--I'm giving it 4-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. This helped to fill in some of my missing knowledge on Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East, specifically about the years of outright warring between Egypt & Israel. Conflicts that go back to the days of Moses. Also gave me some good insights into President Jimmy Carter & the crucial role he played in calling the Camp David Summit & in getting Sadat & Begin to sit down together long enough to step back, getting more perspective on their loggerhead situation. This reads like a suspense novel; Wright does such an excellent job in the back & forth parleys & ups/downs of the 13 days of the summit. So many times it seemed like it was over--people were preparing to leave the next morning. Carter never gave up and did have to exert friendly pressure on both of the parties, who were not wanting to give in an inch. Borrowed from the library--read on my Kindle.
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Thursday, July 23, 2020
The Sicilian -- The Godfather, Part II (not the movie)
The Sicilian by Mario PuzoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
My 2nd Puzo novel--this one being the 2nd volume in his Godfather Series. This book takes place completely in Sicily, and though it does include some of Michael Corleone's banishment to Sicily for his revenge on the attack on his father in NYC, that is not the focus of the book. This is about a "Robin Hood" character and his growing gang of dangerous gangsters--who live even outside the laws & protection of the Friends of the Family (or the Cosa Nostra or Mafia). Ultimately, it leads to their downfall. The eagle & the lion. I ended up having to borrow this one from the library twice--read it on my Kindle.
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Amusing Dispatches from a Global Citizen
Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad by Firoozeh DumasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another real good bunch of stories by the Iranian-American writer, Firoozeh Dumas. She's a sterling example of a true global citizen with a fresh, innovative, creative, and, at times, uproariously funny sense of humor. Having lived in Iran for 3 years and having visited it again 3x in the last 10 years, I find her writing very poignant, refreshing, and sometimes a trip down memory lane. I love Iranians and Iranian culture and food and history. The Bible has significant sections with connections to the great Iranian kings/people. Jews have been living in Iran since the days of King Cyrus, who began ruling over them following his defeat of the Babylonians who had carried thousands of them (with all the treasures from King Solomon's Temple) into exile. Biblical characters of epic proportions: Daniel & his 3 friends, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther & her uncle Mordecai, Cyrus & Darius & Xerxes & Artaxerxes, to name a few.
I loved Firoozeh's last chapter called "444 Days" chronicling her time spent with one of the 1979 Iranian hostages, Kathryn Koob. They spent some time together in Iowa, where Koob is a teacher, and hosted Firoozeh for a night in her home. Koob is another great example of a truly global citizen--one with a wonderful biblical worldview and a love for other people/cultures. Including, Firoozeh points out to her surprise, a love for Iranians and even for her former captors. Why? Because she really not only believes in Jesus & His words, but acts on them: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Ah, how refreshing! Firoozeh quotes her as saying that she believes that wars are mostly fought against people who don't know each other--because it's very hard to kill people you know and have come to respect & love. "Glimpses of shared humanity make it so hard to kill others." A world of wisdom in digest form. Thank you, Firoozeh.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Get & Stay out of the Box!
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger InstituteMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
My second time through this excellent book that focuses on a problem we all have--and that can have great negative impact in the area of leadership. I just taught a leadership course on book, using a PowerPoint I had developed back in 2012/13. Beware of the self-betrayal that leads to self-justifying images (+ blaming, excuses, resistance, & accusations against others) that leads one into the box, where you are ruled by self-deception. The box is a dark place which distorts one's vision & understanding of reality. Gotta get out of the box! And then be self-aware enough to stay out of the box! So much good stuff in here that parallels reality and the biblical viewpoint of our sin nature. It's not about you--get the focus off yourself!--and lift up your eyes, after opening & getting out of the box--to see, respect, properly treat, and help/support others.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Take Ownership & Keep Focused!
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko WillinkMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very practical, down-to-earth advice from veteran SEALs who put these leadership principles through their paces in the roughest of places (the Battle for Ramadi in Iraq). Jocko & another SEAL who was one of his platoon leaders do an excellent job of illustrating the leadership principles in the context of some scary urban battle situations--and then adapting them appropriately to post-SEAL career consulting situations in the business world. Bottom line: take ownership of everything you do as a leader; make no excuses, learn from your mistakes, empower your team/leaders, and keep things simple, clear, & focused. I liked the format of each chapter: SEAL scenario, principle, business adaptation. Not a dull minute in the whole book--very well done & engaging. Need to watch a long format interview with Jocko on Joe Rogan's podcast (YT). Borrowed this from the library; read it on my iPad.
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Monday, July 13, 2020
The dogs are doing what??
The Dogs are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan by Graeme SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a well-written & informative snapshot (2006-2009 was main focus, but some coverage also of the "Surge & Pull-out" phases, up through 2014 ) of the situation in Afghanistan, mainly from the Canadian perspective on the south of the country, in & around Kandahar. Smith was often embedded with Canadian troops on various missions, but also did independent reporting out of a small office near the center of Kandahar--until there was a break-in and heightened security concerns. Smith does a great job, I think, of tackling the issues of the on-going insurgency in Afghanistan, as well as the in-your-face corruption in the local police, governmental authorities, and military. One important area of negligence & corruption Smith exposes is the treatment of prisoners by Afghan authorities, complicated by the look-the-other-way complicity of the Canadian forces often making the initial arrests. Fascinating investigation into several of the prison breaks by Taliban prisoners in Kandahar.
Smith does a good job of articulating the complexities of the Afghan situation--and the various motives & strategies of the numerous main players. The author provides background & contextual
understanding for why it's not a simple matter of winning big battles and taking control of territory, which often then cannot be held properly, due to local police/military abuse, corruption & neglect, feeding discontent among the local populace towards the government and swelling the Taliban's recruits.
Got this for a birthday present; read on my Kindle.
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Sunday, July 12, 2020
No, nothing is too hard for God
Too Hard For God? by Charles R. MarshMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was an amazing window into the work of CR Marsh & his wife who worked among the Kabyle Berber people of Algeria. Oh my, to read of the miles of hiking that Marsh did almost every week in order to be up in isolated mountain regions was so challenging, so inspiring. He would often be on the move up in the mountains for 10+ hours/day + hours of driving from his city home into & out of the mountains. Harsh, difficult context--but amazing to see how God was at work through him--and his wife, among the women--and wonderful to see how open people were at times to hear the Word of God shared with them in their villages/mosques. I was very encouraged by their long-term work and committed focus. Also interesting to see how often their work went hand-in-hand with meeting human needs (usually of a simple medical nature). As Marsh makes so evident, no there is nothing too hard for God, nothing.
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Wednesday, July 08, 2020
A Long, Hard Journey
Cold Mountain by Charles FrazierMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very enjoyable read. Frazier has quite the way with words. In fact, there's a bunch I need to look up--usually something describing a particular thing in use back in the 1860s. Quite the journey by the wounded deserting soldier, Inman, who walks from somewhere up in northern Virginia down to a place in the Blue Ridge mountains southwest of Asheville. Chapters are interspersed with goings on back in Black Cove near Cold Mountain, where the beautiful & genteel Ada, his budding love, is learning a few lessons on survival herself, with the help of the inimitable Ruby. Can't wait to watch the film again.
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Discipling 101--good, solid stuff
Disciples Are Made Not Born: Helping Others Grow to Maturity in Christ by Walter A. HenrichsenMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
An older book--first published in 1974--but some good, solid basics on what discipleship means.
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Green on Blue in Afghanistan
Green on Blue by Elliot AckermanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Not bad, not great. I liked the setting & context--in modern-day Afghanistan--as well as the perspective the author chose to write the novel from, that of of a young Afghan who gets recruited into a special Afghan army unit. The author--who served in the US military on several tours in Afghanistan (those tours usually being 6 months or so)--tries hard & has learned some about Afghan, specifically Pashtun, culture, but there were things that just weren't completely accurate and were a little hard to swallow. The story & action seemed to drag at times. Read on my Kindle.
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A splendid Persian Pilgrimage
Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran by Terence WardMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating & very well-written book about a family who used to live in Tehran, Iran--back in the days of the Shah. Terence & his brothers attended the Community School and their father directed plays at the Iran-American Society. They never forgot about their house helper, Hassan, and his family, and on a whim in 1998 or so, decide to go to Iran to try to locate him. Ward does an excellent job of weaving in historical & cultural background into the story of their adventure, as it unfolds. From Shiraz, they head north, taking in Persepolis, Pasargade (King Cyrus' tomb), Yazd, Esfahan, and Qom--as well as the small town where they remember Hassan telling them he was originally from. Great story all-around. Read on my Kindle.
The spirit of the book is well captured by author Gelareh Asayesh in the Washington Post: “The trip back to Iran proves to be a new beginning in the saga of the Wards and Ghasemis. Something very unusual happened in that Persian garden many years ago: the family of an American Christian oil company executive and the family of an Iranian Muslim cook became one. And if they were able to bridge the great divide, perhaps there is hope for us all.”
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Tuesday, July 07, 2020
An Exodus, yes...but with "caveats"
The Exodus by Richard Elliott FriedmanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I thought this looked interesting and also hoped that a Jewish biblical scholar's insights would be insightful. Well...not really. At least not by a very liberal, Harvard Univ-trained "biblical" scholar. Sorry, I took issue with a lot of things in this book. Lots of liberal, German-inspired interpretation going on. There were some interesting archaeological notes, highlighting older & newer finds that *have* confirmed biblical characters and sites. Read on my iPad.
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Sunday, July 05, 2020
Life in the Big City & the civil rules
Rules of Civility by Amor TowlesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
My second Amor Towles book, after A Gentleman in Moscow. This one was an audiobook that had an excellent narrator. Borrowed from the library. Ah, the writing! The style! What prose! What an all-around pleasure! Towles knows how to weave a great story, with fully fleshed-out characters, and to draw the reader in & keep them engaged. This book is, for the most part, set in New York City in 1938 towards the end of the Great Depression. Its setting, though, is among the more generally well-to-do who have doorman in their apartment complexes. It has a very F. Scott Fitzgerald feel to it.
I had no idea that the title comes from a list of 110 rules of life that George Washington kept as a young man (they are included fully in the Appendix). Towles works some of them into the story in an interesting, if not surprising, manner. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to the rhythms of Towles' prose as they rolled off the narrator's tongue. Really, a thing of beauty; not all that common. His style seemed fit perfectly for portraying the age, the clothes, the ins & outs of big city life, the twists & turns of lives that are not perfect, but messy.
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Friday, July 03, 2020
Big Brother is Watching...You (now)!!
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George OrwellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I believe this is the 2nd time I've read this book, but the first time was some 30+ years ago; maybe in 1984 or 1985. What an amazing work Orwell conjured up way back before 1984. I think it's strongly anti-communist/ facist critique, one that hits the mark emphatically. Facism = "Fascism
a. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism."
But, there's maybe an even more sinister method that Big Brother plays out--and that's relevant to today and the surveillance that goes on through the siphoning-off of our daily digital data via the internet. Governments and businesses have been show to be complicit in this. Snowden is the whistleblower who exposed the most massive & powerful surveillance system (PRISM) the world has ever known that is **currently** working--and that by the land of the free & the brave, the good ole USA. All your & my data is known--and has been stored in computer warehouses, just in case it ever needs to be mined. Big Brother isn't far away, friends...and He is Watching. Will the info stored only be used when there is truly significant & criminal activities being committed?...
Really enjoyed the audiobook version--great narrator, very expressive--from the library; read it on my iPhone.
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Wednesday, July 01, 2020
Quite the journey--from Beirut to Jerusalem, in turbulent times
From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. FriedmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've had it in mind to read this book for a long time...thanks, pandemic, for giving me more reading time! Actually, ever since I made a short visit to Beirut with a colleague in 2013, I've been wanting to read up on the background of the Civil War that raged there for so many years--and on the political & religious background of the country. I knew there were many divisions--between traditional Christians & various Muslim groups (both Sunnis & Shiites)--but didn't know the details. And I knew the Syrian army had their fingers in the pie for a long time; same with the Israelis, and even the US at one time. As Friedman so eloquently puts it: "Funny country, Lebanon. The minute one army packed up and rushed out, another one swaggered in and took its place. There always seemed to be someone knocking on the door to get in—and someone inside dying to get out." Reminds me a bit of another country I'm more familiar with--and have lived in for a number of years: Afghanistan.
Here's another parallel with Afghanistan mentioned by Friedman, when looking at how the world came to regard the Palestinian people, due to to actions of the PLO: "...the PLO, in order to grab the attention of the world when it emerged in the late 1960s, engaged in some spectacular acts of terrorism and airplane hijacking. This gave the Israelis an opportunity to brand the entire Palestinian national movement and cause as a criminal “terrorist” phenomenon. Eventually, the two words “Palestinian” and “terrorist” became fused together in the minds of people the world over. Although 99 percent of the Palestinian people have never been involved in terrorist activity, this label—“terrorist”—became a heavy cross they all had to bear wherever they traveled." Eerily similar to how people think of the Afghan peoples, due to the actions of the Taliban (& their al Qaeda friends).
Friedman is a very good writer and I thought did a great job giving solid background to the mess of a situation for so many years, in both Beirut--where he was stationed as a reporter by the New York Times for some of the worst years of the Civil War--and in Israel--where he lived & reported for several years. I also wanted to learn more about the background & issues in the Jewish/Palestinian issue that has simmered for years and flares up again & again. I thought Friedman did a great job interviewing a fairly wide spectrum of people in both "Beirut & Jerusalem," helping the reader to get a fairly objective grasp on the various issues and "sides." It was very interesting to read about the 4 types of Israelis--from fanatically religious to culturally secular--and the changes that have occurred in Israel over the years since the 1948 establishing of the state of Israel up till the early 1990s.
I'm glad I read the book--I feel better informed about some of the underlying issues that continue to cause tensions in this part of the world. I thought Friedman's analysis at the end of how to best move things forward was insightful--and I think some of it has basically been implemented in the years since, with some self-rule autonomy given to the Palestinians in Gaza & the West Bank.
I borrowed this from the library and read it on my Kindle (after listening to the "audiobook"--which was a highly, highly condensed Reader's Digest version that left me wanting).
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Tuesday, June 23, 2020
You rented what?? on your Italian excursion??
My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ah, a *new* McCall Smith series--yeah! This is my first read in the new Paul Stewart series--he who is a food/wine writer. I like it a lot. Funny, touching, and filled with the usual interesting characters who have such interesting/engaging conversations. Paul takes a trip to Tuscany to complete a new book on Tuscan cuisine--and had some adventures along the way, including the unusual adventures of his, ahem, rental vehicle. What a hoot! And then there are all the women who end up descending on the little town where he's hole up doing his writing--and the drama that goes along with that. I won't spoil the fun--check it out. But, sometimes the very thing you're looking for has been right there, under your nose, for many years. A call to open our eyes & minds--to look at the world & people around us with clear vision.
Read on my Kindle--borrowed (thank you!) from the library. I'm ready soon to read #2 in the series.
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What a hunt--what a monster!
Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal BascombMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is my second Neal Bascomb book--both of them related to WWII. It was excellent--an engaging, informative, historical account that was a real joy to read. Well, parts of it were sickening, given the evil schemes hatched in the minds of the Nazi leaders who carried out the intended genocide of the Jews with a vengeance. Eichmann was at the very pinnacle of the so-called & horrific "Final Solution" plan to wipe out the Jews of Europe (though the plans ultimately even went further than that). What Eichmann engineered with tone-deaf & steeled precision against the Jews of Hungary is simply unconscionable. The families ripped apart; the lives of children and women extinguished without so much as a thought of their value as human beings with their lives before them. The plunder of their goods. Eichmann was Hamaan from the Book of Esther in the Old Testament resurrected.
It was so satisfying to read about those who never gave up searching for Nazi war criminals who had escaped justice at the end of WWII. So amazing to read of the intricate planning & man hours & resources involved in the mission of Israel's Mossad (with help from Shin Bet & others) to track down, capture, hold, and bring a monster killer like Eichmann to meet justice & the hangman in Israel. So many things that could have gone wrong; so many alternate plans that needed to be arranged--as well as ingenious ways that their presence & footsteps were deftly covered. The use of the first El Al flight from Israel to Argentina was carried off with aplomb and was amazing to read about. Overall--a well-written historical account of one of the biggest undercover missions ever carried out by a spy agency; which was kept secret for some 40+ afterwards. Bascomb does an excellent job in giving an account of this complex & superb mission.
Borrowed this from the library--read it on my Kindle. I had previously watched a film on Netflix based on the book that was also very well done--and adheres very closely to the book & historical account. Worth a watch--and this book well worth the read.
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Sunday, June 21, 2020
The Singer will appear--in The Finale
The Finale by Calvin MillerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The 3rd part of Calvin Miller's Singer Trilogy. This one is said to mirror Revelation; it chronicles a/the great last battle between Satan (World Hater) and the Singer or Troubadour who returns to wrap things up with Terra One--bringing with him a new Terra Two. The War of Fire ends with the World Hater bound & chained and pushed over the cliff's edge into the abyss--where he will spend eternity.
I'm giving this a 2-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. I didn't like it as much as The Singer or The Song; I sort of wished it had followed a little more of Revelation. But, it was creative and definitely fit in with the mood & characters & on-going conflict & plot of the previous volumes.
The cry echoes down through the ages:
"He comes in power,
Rejoice, the hour of
Jubilee is near.
Lift up the cry
Before we die,
our Singer will appear."
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Friday, June 19, 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Wake-up Call
Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs by Michael T. OsterholmMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is not my favorite kind of reading--it was lots of medical/scientific talk and focused lots on epidemiological research. Not fun, easy reading. But, given the COVID-19 pandemic--yes, a true pandemic of worldwide, shattering proportions, such as I've never experienced in my lifetime--this was a very relevant, insightful, and "frightening" book. The signs have all been there for years: a global pandemic has been set to break out any year--and the world was very, very unprepared for it. Not due to no warming signals; due to other priorities and lack of cooperative efforts that are needed--on a Marshall Plan (WWII) scale.
Osterholm should know--as he's been doing epidemiology work for 40+ years. And he's done his part in warning the US government, as well as others, for years. His clarion call gets summed up at the end of the book, and I'll include it here. These are issues, steps, goals that need to be heeded & taken soon--we've had fair warning. As Osterholm states, "Our ultimate goal should be to have a dose of game-changing influenza vaccine for every human being on earth."
"...Willis Towers Watson polls 3,000 insurance industry executives each year for what they consider the greatest risks to their industry...At the top of the list is “Pandemic: A new, highly infectious and fatal disease spreads through human, animal or plant populations worldwide.” That pandemic is most likely to come in the form of a deadly influenza strain. [ah, well, it's ALREADY come in 2020]
He declares that "we also have no illusions about what must be done if we are to make our world a safer and healthier place for our children and grandchildren, where pandemics do not threaten our way of life on every level imaginable, where infections caused by drug-resistant microbes do not kill for lack of an effective treatment, where drinking water does not become a vehicle of death, and where the emergence of new infectious diseases does not become a public health crisis because we are not prepared to rapidly stop them."
And here's the recap: "To review, our greatest threats are: 1. Pathogens of pandemic potential, which essentially means influenza and the downstream effects of antimicrobial resistance. 2. Pathogens of critical regional importance, which include Ebola, coronaviruses like SARS and MERS, other viruses such as Lassa and Nipah, and Aedes-transmitted diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. 3. Bioterrorism and dual-use research of concern (DURC), and gain-of-function research of concern (GOFRC). 4. Endemic diseases that continue to have a major impact on the world’s health, particularly among emerging nations, including malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, viral hepatitis, childhood diarrheal diseases, and bacterial pneumonia.
The Crisis Agenda:
Priority 1: Create a Manhattan Project–like program to secure a game-changing influenza vaccine and vaccinate the world. We would hope other national governments, philanthropic organizations, vaccine manufacturers, and the WHO would readily join the effort. Our best guess is that we would need to invest $1 billion per year for seven to ten years to make this happen.
Priority 2: Establish an international organization to urgently address all aspects of antimicrobial resistance.
Priority 3: Support and substantially expand the mission and scope of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI) to fast-track comprehensive public-private vaccine research, development, manufacturing, and distribution for diseases of current or potential critical regional importance.
Priority 4: Launch the Global Alliance for Control of Aedes-Transmitted Diseases (GAAD) and coordinate with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s malaria strategy, “Accelerate to Zero.”
Priority 5: Fully implement the recommendations of the bipartisan report of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense.
Priority 6: Establish an international organization similar to the National Scientific Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to minimize the use of DURC and GOFRC to transmit pathogens of pandemic potential.
Priority 7: Recognize that TB, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other life-threatening infectious diseases remain major global health problems.
Priority 8: Anticipate climate-change effects.
Priority 9: Adopt a One Health approach to human and animal diseases throughout the world.
Hopefully, the powers that be will get busy as a result of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to accomplish these priorities, ensuring a better world for our descendants. I borrowed this book from library; read it on my iPad.
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Thursday, June 18, 2020
Liked these Camino Winds better
Camino Winds by John GrishamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to say that I really enjoyed this sequel of Grisham's to his earlier Camino Island. I thought it was much better; more involved/complex plot, developed characters, interesting setting (what with the unexpected hurricane that blows in to wreak havoc--and become part of the plot). It pulled me along and keep me reading to find out how things were going to be solved--and what was going to come out and/or be revealed as Bruce the book man dug deeper & deeper. Borrowed it from the library (actually, my wife was the borrower on this one) and read it on my Kindle.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2020
The Actor's Life--by a likable working actor
The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna FischerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the journey that took an unknown midwestern girl to Hollywood stardom in the comedic hit series, The Office--which I loved. Pam was so good as Michael's secretary, especially the way she so sardonically put up with all his shenanigans. I loved her disapproving & quizzical looks.
This book was not exactly what I expected, though if I'd read the subtitle, I would have seen it was a practical manual for budding actors. It was pretty good overall. It did include interesting tidbits on Fischer's background and struggle to make it as a working actor. Mostly, though, it focused the nuts & bolts one needs to know to have a chance at making it in show biz--if that's what should happen (there's no guarantee, as Fischer makes clear--and it's a long, hard road to any kind of success). There were some funny stories of the struggle over her first eight years to land as an actor on a regular show that did more than pay the bills. And what a show & run it was on The Office! I enjoyed also the stories of the four other actors Fischer interviews and includes at the book's end. Making it as an actor--a working actor who makes their living from acting--is a tough row to hoe; not for the faint of heart, for sure. This book made me appreciate all that goes into getting to where those whom we think of successful finally get. I also enjoyed having Fischer herself narrating her story in this audiobook. Borrowed from the library; listened to it on my iPhone.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Invitation to a Journey of Spiritual Formation
Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Read this as a read-aloud devotional book each evening with my wife. Some very good insights into how to develop a more deeply spiritual life/walk. Mulholland focused on aspects of both personal spiritual formation, as well as community ones, including the importance of our corporate testimony to the world (Babylon). He discussed various personality types--using the Myers-Briggs assessment's terminologies/definitions--demonstrating how we all have inherent strengths, as well as weaknesses--which is why we so desperately need each other in The Church (the Body). I really liked his look at the book of Revelation and the various characteristics & issues of the Seven Churches, relating that to our current church situations--as well as to our testimony to the corrupt world around us. Mulholland had some good/powerful quotes from a guy named Leech--need to look him up & do some reading from him. We read this on my wife's iPad.
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Monday, June 15, 2020
Selections from the illuminable Thomas Howard (of Christ the Tiger fame)
The Night Is Far Spent by Thomas HowardMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thomas Howard is a treasure. A wordsmith like few others. His books were some of my early favorites, when I started reading again in my college days. He expanded my vocabulary like no other author and gave me wonderful insights into the likes of classic writers like C.S. Lewis & Charles Williams. His classic books--that all should read: Christ the Tiger; Chance or the Dance; Hallowed be This House; The Achievement of C.S. Lewis; The Novels of Charles Williams. Soak those up one of these days; you won't regret it. Howard used to teach at Gordon College--where a number of my family attended. I remember with righteous jealousy hearing from my mother that she was in a course taught by the illimitable & illuminable Tom Howard--and was getting his insights & lessons into C.S. Lewis' works on a weekly basis. If only I could have joined her, but alas, I was in college at the same time and only home on school breaks--when she was also out of class. After becoming a Roman Catholic--which I still don't completely understand and don't agree with--Howard left Gordon College and taught for many years at St. John's Seminary.
My parents did know his sister--the wonderful Elisabeth Elliot--and got to housesit for her one time, up along the beautiful North Shore of Boston. Alas, I wasn't around in those days to also enjoy that adventure. I would love to drop in on Thomas Howard one day; does he live on the North Shore as well? I recently have enjoyed some interviews that Eric Metaxas--also a huge Howard fan--did with Tom Howard (in his home!--which looked, from the short glimpses of it, like a classic New England structure) on his Socrates in the City program. Well worth watching.
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Very relevant to the COVID-19 Pandemic going on now
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura SpinneyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A well-written & documented history of the Spanish Flu of 1918--it's genesis, causes, effects, and the lessons we should be learning from it. Just in case there's another flu pandemic...oh, like the one we're in right now with COVID-19. Spinney is an engaging writer who takes what could be boring history and enlivens it with good stories, illustrations, historical insights, and also does a great job in then drawing out lessons that need to be learned.
Borrowed this from the library (had to borrow it 2x--there's a long line for it right now, go figure); read it on my Kindle.
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Och!--What a Read in Angela's Ashes
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourtMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Och, what a read! Had heard about this memoir for years (from my wife who'd read & enjoyed it)--finally got around to reading it. What a childhood--what a sad situation McCourt and his brothers (siblings who survived) find themselves in, not to mention his mother, Angela. Drunken father who basically abandons his family and drinks up his wages--leaving them nothing. Oh, he was a character and did have some decent interactions with his wife & kids. But, most of the time, it was after coming home in a drunken stupor, singing old N. Irish battle songs--and waking the kids up to teach them the songs, while marching them around the house in the middle of the night. He surely instilled a hard-nosed, daring-do mentality in the kids, as they had to basically fight for every scrap of food & coal to heat their miserable, flooded, cold tenement in the stinky lane in old Limerick, Ireland--where they'd had to return to after emigrating to the US (and then running out of money/job, when the Depression hit NYC & the US in 1929).
Amazing that McCourt made it as a kid. The stories/insights into the R.C. Church and its practices and folk religious beliefs are quite interesting, and, frankly, comical. Actually, there's a lot of comic relief in McCourt's attitude to all the horrible situations he finds himself in growing up so downtrodden and poor. You have to hand it to the R.C. Church for at least helping the family "on the dole" with food & clothing at various times. Not much, but better 'en nuthin' for sure. Och!--what a shame. What insight too into the not-so-underground hatred of the English--who had oppressed the Irish, as they loved to repeat to each other--"for eight hundred years."
McCourt has an enlivened & engaging writing style that grabs you from the first paragraph & doesn't let go til the last one, as he makes his way, finally at the age of 19, back to NYC. McCourt was obviously a smart kid, who, despite his atrocious--in many ways--upbringing, goes on to use his smarts & persistence & assiduousness to become a successful private school teacher in NYC. And, later, a world famous author--who wins the Pulitzer Prize, no less. Good on ya, lad! Let's lift a pint to toast your success--but, hey!, don't get too familiar with those pints (remember your father's terrible example). Yes, what a great city/country you made it back to in the end--'Tis!
I did something different with this book: I mostly read our old paperback copy of it, but then thought: ah, maybe there's an audiobook available from the library that's read in a real Irish accent? I checked--and, not only was there, but it was read by the author himself!--so I finished the book's last several chapters via the wonderful audiobook on my iPhone, with the lyrical Irish accent of the author himself (who passed away in 2009). Nice way to end the book.
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The Glacier Meets the Desert/Drought
The End of the Ocean: A Novel by Maja LundeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Read this book on the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Steve!)--he said he'd been reading a dystopian novel. Well, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I have felt I'm living in some version of a dystopian world, so I thought this might be a good read. Well, I was pleasantly surprised--and really enjoyed the book. There are 2 parallel story tracks--that for the longest time don't seem connected at all (alternating chapters), and they aren't...till they are and everything falls into place. I figured there was going to be some way the stories & characters converge--despite the radical differences in their contexts/situations, and yes, they did converge, but not in the way I'd thought they would. And, I think it was just a few pages before the "big reveal" that I finally realized how they had converged and how the actions of one of the parties turned out to be hugely influential in the lives of the other party of people. Interesting--and probably timely, as water & drought seems to be a growing issue in our world, as a result of growing climate change & global warming.
Very disparate contexts; very interesting character developments & life histories. It was engaging the whole way through. I borrowed this from the library and read it on my Kindle.
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Sunday, June 14, 2020
The Kept (boring...)
The Kept by James ScottMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
This was an Amazon First Reads book, so we got it for free. Well, you get what you pay for, right? This book had an interesting concept, but was poorly written & developed. It dragged & dragged, on & on, without much plot or really character development. At times, it would sputter and seem to come to life, only to fall flat again and become boring & dull. There were often sections that shifted imperceptibly from the present to the past, not always clearly, making for some confusion in the time/context. I think it could have used an editor and more rewriting. Read this aloud--well, my wife did, on her iPad, in the evenings. We both were anxious for it to end, which it finally did, rather disappointingly. What? That's it...after all that?
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Saturday, June 13, 2020
The Crucified Life -- A Paradox to be Lived Out
The Crucified Life: How To Live Out A Deeper Christian Experience by A.W. TozerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've always loved & appreciated A.W. Tozer's writings. He was a very thoughtful, powerful preacher/teacher in his day--and his insights & teachings based on the eternal Word of God still speak powerfully today. This was a cheap audiobook I got from chirp.com and listened to on my iPhone. It was refreshing & challenging--focused around Paul's seemingly paradoxical declaration in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (ESV) Tozer presciently points out problems evangelicals of his day were experiencing with the weakening of their faith--and the compartmentalizing of their walk into the "sacred" & "secular." The descent into the belief that people of faith didn't need to take any risks or need to be inconvenienced in any way on account of their faith and choices. A "giving into" the pressures of the culture around them; a "conforming to," rather than a "transforming of" lifestyle.
One of the things I loved about this audiobook was that at the end of each chapter, there was an audio selection from one of Tozer's actual sermons. Great to hear his voice of passion & clarity.
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Tools of Titans
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy FerrissMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
My second Tim Ferriss book-after Tribe of Mentors. More insightful & interesting advice & ruminations from a wide variety of people who have had some kind of impact. I liked the rather free-floating format of the book--mostly based around podcast interviews from the Tim Ferriss Show, but also including asides and/or background info & comments from Ferriss' personal perspective. Also included some extra info at the end from the various subjects that they had later submitted by email/text. Lots of good quotes, book recommendations, food & exercise likes/dos & don'ts. One of the most useful things was hearing from people who had done well in their chosen field on their struggles, victories, setbacks, persistence, etc.--on the real process of getting from nowhere to somewhere. I bought this book cheap; read it on my iPad.
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Tuesday, June 09, 2020
"Your end is a dead blue wren"
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent DaltonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I'm giving this debut novel 5 stars--I thought it was pretty brilliant overall. What a riotous, rockin', rambunctious affair--with so many colorful & memorable characters! I listened to the audiobook--borrowed from the library--and just couldn't get enough of the Aussie accents the narrator put into the characters. The story revolves around a Brisbane (Queensland) family with 2 sons--August (Gus) and Eli Bell. Their broken family has had its ups & downs--prison sentences, drug dealing, divorce, alcoholism, etc. Eli--the protagonist--is determined to get beyond his family's craziness & to become a journalist (and buy a nice house in the suburbs, where they have lots of cul-de-sacs). It's quite an adventure--including interactions with Brisbane's shady underground drug dealers and body guards, etc. Some shady deals and characters. But Eli wants to be get beyond that--and wants to be "good." He often asks characters in the book if they are "good people." His heart, from an early age, is set palpitating by a female crime-reporting journalist, who Eli longs to connect & work with. And you'll just have to see how the story turns out for the young whippersnapper..."Your end is a dead blue wren." Read it to find out how the mystery unfolds...
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Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do
Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do by Paul David TrippMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another very good book by one of my favorite writers--Paul David Tripp. He's so honest, down-to-earth, real. We all have a problem--we've got bad cases of "awe amnesia." We're not just law-breakers ("for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"--Rom. 3:23), we are all awe-breakers: we are too easily distracted and lose our sense of awe (fear) of the Almighty Creator God.
Here's the way Tripp nicely summarizes things at the end of the book:
"In this book, we have focused on a theology of awe, and here’s how that theology relates to you. Good theology doesn’t just define who God is; it also defines who we are as his children. It’s not just that God is in every way awesome in glory, but that he is all that he is for you by grace!...you forget who God is (i.e., you misdirect your awe), you will not know who you are as his child (i.e., you will lose your identity), and you will look horizontally for what you have already been given vertically. Now here’s the application to the topic of this chapter: because work is such a huge and significant dimension of our lives, it becomes very tempting for us to look for our identity there. And when you look to work for your identity, you will find it very hard to resist its challenges, demands, and promises of reward.
The Horizontal Identities of Work:
1. Identity in achievement/ success. “I am what I have accomplished” is a very tempting place to look for identity. Success makes you feel able and competent. A trail of achievement seems to make a statement about who you are and what you are able to do.
2. Identity in power/ control. “I am in control; therefore, I am” is a seductive place to look for identity. In a world where most of us have so little control and where our lives often seem out of control, control is a very powerful thing...it is tempting to see the “good life” as predictable and controlled . So how do you assure yourself that you will have the good life? The answer is easy: by working yourself into a position of power over people and things.
3. Identity in affluence/ possessions. “ I am the size of the pile of stuff I have accumulated” is a dangerous place to look for identity."
We need to intentionally cultivate our sense of awe--of God & His creations. Of His goodness & mercy. Of His sovereignty & His salvation--of which we are undeserving. No, we're not in control. No, we don't decide our fate or the end of things. God alone does. Here's another great reminder of these things from Tripp's insightful book:
"It’s important to humbly admit that all these things tempt us. I know they tempt me. I tend to be driven and tend to take too much personal credit for my achievements. I forget that every achievement points to God’s awesome glory. I could not achieve anything without the body that he has given me, the gifts he has bestowed upon me, the control he has over me and my world, and the grace that daily rescues me from me. My successes should depend on my awe of him rather than tempting me to be in awe of me...[I] become an awe amnesiac, and when I do , I tend to work way too hard at trying to get from the people, situations, and things around me what I can only get from the God of awesome glory, who is my Savior. Workaholism is not a need problem . It’s not a schedule problem, a gift problem, or an opportunity problem. It happens when the awe of God is replaced by the awe of something else. When I forget that God in all his awesome glory is all that he is for me by grace, I will look for life somewhere other than in him. When you require yourself to gaze upon and consider God’s awesome glory, it will teach you things that will help you put your work in its proper place.
1. The gifts that you employ in your work come from and belong to God.
2. The time that you invest in work belongs to the Lord. I must recognize that God, in his awesome glory, is the only being in the universe who exists in timelessness.
3. You are called to live for something bigger than yourself. Awe of God teaches me that my life is enormously bigger than merely my life. By grace, God has connected me to things that are huge and eternal.
4. Success is not about accruing power but about resting in God’s power. The most successful person is the person who knows his place. The most successful person is the person who humbly submits all that she has and all that she does to the power of One greater than her.
5. God is too wise and loving ever to call you to one area of responsibility that will necessitate you being irresponsible in another. Awe teaches me that I can never blame God for the consequences of my bad choices. God will never call me to a work life that makes biblical commitments to my family and my church impossible.
6. By grace, God welcomes you to rest in the knowledge that you will find everything you need in him. Awe of God teaches me that, by grace, my life of work can now be an expression of rest and not worry."
Yes, as C.S. Lewis so eloquently stated:
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
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The End of Copycat China
The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia by Shaun ReinMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I'm giving this book a 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. An interesting look at China's recent economic developments--especially at how various markets have advanced beyond the simple copying of established Western business models. It's incredible to read how fast & far China's economy has developed, especially since the late 1990s. It has taken off even more with the internet & smart phone economy--and in so many different sectors. A very different place from where China's economy was back when we lived there in the 80s-90s!
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Monday, June 08, 2020
Home to Holly Springs
Home to Holly Springs by Jan KaronMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's been awhile since I read my last Karon book in the much-loved Mitford series, and, this one turns out to be quite different overall, as it hardly takes place in Mitford at all. Instead, Father Tim heads south with his good ole friend, big-dog Barnabas, to visit his hometown & roots--from which he's been gone for 38 years. All this based on an anonymous note he receives saying "Come back." Quite an adventure; quite the meetings & catching up with old friends, and some very interesting real-life findings from his past family's life that come out of the blue and do a bit of upside-downing of Father Tim's life. I identify with this adventure, as I finally returned after 30+ years to places where I'd grown up, to find how things had changed and/or moved on since I'd been there.
Borrowed the book from the library; read on my Kindle (only to find out the day I finished it that we actually have a copy of it on our bookshelf!). Oh well.
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Saturday, June 06, 2020
Discontent and its Civilizations: Dispatches from Lahore, New York, and London by Mohsin HamidMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another Mohsin Hamid book in the log. I appreciated--for the most part--these insightful & enlightening essays by Hamid that were originally published in various magazines/newspapers around the world. Hamid is a multicultural Pakistani who grew up in Pakistan, was schooled in the US, worked/lived in the UK, and went back to live in Lahore, Pakistan with is family. Lots of these essays centered on or around the great pivot of 9/11 and the consequent impacts that have reverberated through Pakistan. While I appreciate Hamid's insights into the diversity of both Pakistani cultures and Islamic expressions--as well as his acknowledgment of the varieties of Islam in Pakistan, as well as its Christian & Hindu communities--I think Hamid downplays the mess that has taken place across Pakistan, as a result of its bent towards extremist expressions of Islam (intentionally pushed by former President/General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.
My biggest complaints with Hamid's presentation of Pakistan concerns its connection following 9/11 and the situation with Afghanistan--which, also, reverberated back onto Pakistan and its people. Yes, there is a complex relationship here connected with Pakistan's on-going serious tussles with its hated Hindu neighbor, India. But, I don't believe Hamid mentioned the all-powerful, shady/wily intelligence agency--ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)--one time by name, though near the end he obliquely referred to it; he mostly mentions Pakistan's military forces. Pakistan's governing powers--mostly through its shadowy ISI connections--have been duplicitous & complicit in actively & intentionally interfering in the post-9/11 situation in Afghanistan, both through the sanctuaries it has offered extremist Islamic terrorists (al Qaeda, Taliban, Haqqani, etc.) and its arming, training, and planning of terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan--against both the Afghan government & coalition forces.
I think Hamid also plays down the reasons behind the strategic drone attacks targeting the terrorist sanctuaries along the Pakistan/Afghan border (which, yes, was arbitrarily imposed on Afghanistan by the British prior to Pakistan's splintering from India). It's a complicated mess, for sure, with multiple factors behind why such sanctuaries even exist, but please don't minimize the duplicitous & weak ways Pakistan's government/military have handled this situation (for 70 years now). Hardly a mention made also of ISI's clear connections to the training of terrorist attacks on India--like on the Parliament & the city of Mumbai (especially horrific as it intentionally & brutally targeted civilians).
Though Hamid does recognize the need for Pakistan's government to severe its attachments to these extremist militants, he doesn't seem to recognize the direct connections between the fiery & extremist brands of Islam that are both encouraged & supported by that very government. And the fact that it's mostly the fault of that very same Pakistani government/military complex that has stirred up this hornet's nest inside its own home, to the detriment of all the peoples/ethnicities that make up the Pakistani nation.
Overall, I like Hamid's writing (and have enjoyed his novels) and think people in the West especially need to read him in order to get a truer/bigger picture of what makes up a complex country like Pakistan. I also agree that Islam is not a monolithic religion (though it tends that way--whether one likes it or not), but has a variety of expressions and, for the most part, should not automatically be equated with terrorism/terrorists. I also agree that Pakistan, with such a rich cultural heritage, has so much potential--but that it has, unfortunately, squandered so much of its potential.
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Wednesday, June 03, 2020
The Song by Calvin Miller
The Song by Calvin MillerMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I'm giving this 2-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. I was expecting it to be better and to have more connection to the book of The Acts of the Apostle. It didn't. Creative, for sure, and brought out more of a focus on the "clash of civilizations" (between Rome & its gods and Christianity & its God) and the persecution that entailed in the first 300 years after Jesus' ascension and the birth of the Church.
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