The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay: By Michael Chabon - A Review

"Houdini meets Two-Guys-in-a-Garret" could be a suitable subtitle for this novel which follows the heyday of the comic book industry in America.

Joe Kavalier is the tortured escape artist, a brilliant cartoon illustrator, who has studied magic and Houdini in his native Czechoslovakia, and who escapes to New York via a circuitous route in a coffin carrying the Prague Golem. Sam Clay is his New Yorker cousin who also worships Houdini and writes fantastic scripts and pulp novels. Put these two together and they come up with a series of comic books that rival the established superheroes of the day: Superman, Captain America, Batman et al.

Kavalier impotently fights the Nazis through his superheroes and dreams of helping his family escape the concentration camps to America, while Clay is trying hard to cover up his latent homosexuality. Both are trapped in metaphoric coffins, while their alter-ego hero, The Escapist, with his Hitler-bashing escapades, becomes a hit and makes them rich in the New World, and makes their unscrupulous bosses even richer.

The theme of entrapment and escape runs through the novel: Kavalier's escape from Prague, his enslavement in an observation station in the Antarctic in the company of dead crew and dogs, his later forced hiding inside the Empire State Building as he feverishly works on his new line of comic books, his desire to escape again by jumping off the said building. Clay too has his share entrapment: his sexual orientation, the marriage he falls into out of duty and as an escape from homosexuality, the dead-end jobs at various publishing houses after the magic of Kavalier & Clay has run out, the public inquisition into his sexual preferences for creating his superheroes with young male wards (even Batman and Robin are not spared here). In the end, the love of a good woman and her son conquers all, our two heroes find their niche, and there is a hint of the triumphant reincarnation of Kavalier & Clay.

I liked several aspects of this novel: the snippy and witty dialogue, the creativity of the young artists locked in a garret coming up with amazing storyboards, their self-deprecating humour, "I didn't know they were making detectives out of Jews," the footnotes in various sections which read like factoids and lend a sense reality to this work of fiction. There are bold extensions into the real world as well, when the legal wrangling of real-life competitors in the comic book industry is brought into the mix, and when the author comments on the personal grooming of Gala Dali or observes that Orson Welles smells like Dolores Del Rio - I guess one is allowed to take license with dead people!

What I did not like was the elaborate set-ups, the stories within stories that are "told" by a rather didactic and pompous omniscient narrator to bring us up to speed on what had taken place during a time gap. The prose is clunky and littered with heavy doses of information on the history and mechanics of the comic book industry. Much of this could have been cut out to create a tighter novel. The author himself sums up this vilified art form (which has re-emerged as the more dignified "graphic novel today) as "the inspirations and lucubrations of five hundred aging boys dreaming as hard as they could for fifteen years, transfiguring their insecurities and delusions, their wishes and their doubts, their public educations and their sexual perversions, into something that only the most purblind of societies would have denied the status of art" - need he have said more?

Excesses and digressions notwithstanding, I liked the story. This is story-telling at its peak; and in the end, great novelists are great story tellers.

Shane Joseph is the author of three novels and a collection of short stories. His work After the Flood won the best futuristic/fantasy novel award at the Canadian Christian Writing Awards in 2010. His short fiction has appeared in international literary journals and anthologies. His latest novel The Ulysses Man has just been released. For details see http://www.shanejoseph.com/

Book Review: Resisting the Green Dragon

I first encountered the Green Dragon on a blog post by Publius Redux where he introduced it with: "Now, here is a novel analysis of the undercurrent of urgency and irrationality characteristic of climate doomsayers' prophecy. This explains the haunting familiarity of the preaching and proselytizing we have endured from the climate change fearmongers." Curious, I tracked down an article about Resisting the Green Dragon by Dr. James Wanliss, Associate Professor of Physics at Presbyterian College. Finding no religious or scientific arguments that could possibly address the issues in the article, I wrote a play about what the future might hold for Dr. Wanliss, Publius and their followers.Sometime later I received a critique of my play from Dr. Wanliss and subsequently offered to write a proper review if Dr. Wanliss would send me a copy, which he did. Dr. Wanliss said he wrote the book in part because he had been bullied by environmentalists. That is certainly a very bad thing, however replying in kind is usually not the correct response and revenge often hurts others than its intended victims. If you identify with environmentalism, mainstream religions, or believe we should be good stewards of the Earth, you may feel bullied while reading the book.

The book claims not "to provide scientific or economic answers" as that is done by "multiple excellent resources that appear in the endnotes." However those resources and end notes do not accurately represent the views of scientists, economists, or environmentalists - but are carefully picked from extreme positions, as are his examples. Dr. Wanliss gives examples of vegetarians, PETA members, Eco terrorists, environmental extremists, and someone who thinks men are "useless breathers" - and tries to claim they are representative of the Christian stewardship movement. They are not. Environmentalists may want you to make responsible choices, but that does not mean they want to "control how you live, eat, drive, and even the light you use to read by." Environmentalists may have a goal of achieving balance in nature and sustainability, but Dr. Wanliss claims sustainability places "human life directly in the crosshairs of violent men." And, are those violent men found in the Christian stewardship movement?

The book was published by the Cornwall Alliance which has chosen the Green Dragon as a symbol of their opposition to the growth of environmentalism in Christian churches. The Cornwall Alliance describes itself as a grassroots Christian movement. It does not disclose its funding sources but many paths to it come from corporations and fossil fuel interests and its message is certainly favorable to them. Dr. Wanliss says that he did not receive an advance from the Alliance and profits only from the royalties on the book. The Alliance has produced a series of videos based upon Resisting the Green Dragon, assailing its hold on the churches. There is little truth to much of the propaganda in the videos. They seem designed more to protect the profits of the fossil fuel companies than to protect the Earth, or the people who depend on the Earth for survival.

It became apparent in the early 1980s that carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels was causing changes in the environment that would impact mankind, particularly those in poor and indigenous societies who do not have the resources to adjust to the changing climate. Many churches have adopted statements encouraging environmentalism based upon good stewardship, some specifically mentioning the threat of greenhouse gases. For example, the denomination sponsoring the Presbyterian University where Dr. Wanliss teaches stated in 1989 and reaffirmed in 2008, its "serious concern that the global atmospheric warming trend (the greenhouse effect) represents one of the most serious global environmental challenges to the health, security, and stability of human life and natural ecosystems."

The Green Dragon on the dust cover of the book is a very ugly Dragon, but Dr. Wanliss may have misjudged what is in its heart. Though some mythical dragons were portrayed as evil, Draco in Dragonheart and Sapphira in Aragon imparted their ancient wisdom to mankind and helped them in the times of crisis. And it was the flying dragons in Avatar who helped the Na'vi drive out the greedy corporation destroying their planet and their homes for the sake of ore. Perhaps the Green Dragon is being vilified by the Cornwall Alliance so that we will not heed its message.

Although Dr. Wanliss is a physicist, there is very little climate physics in the book. He seems to have arrived at many of his opinions about climate science, not from peer-reviewed literature, but by films made by Al Gore and Martin Durkin, neither of which are scientists. Dr. Wanliss points out the errors in The Inconvenient Truth, and rejects it entirely. However, Al Gore received a Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental work and his movie won an Oscar. The movie also had its day in court in Dimmock v Secretary of State for Education, a suit which sought to prevent the educational use of An Inconvenient Truth in England. The court ruled that, though the film had some errors, it was substantially founded upon scientific research and fact and could be shown. A 2010 Stanford University poll of 1,372 climate scientists found that 97-98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing in climate science agree that global warming is occurring and man activities are the main factor. There is a preponderance of scientific evidence of global warming

Dr. Wanliss embraces MartinDurkin's movie, The Great Global Warming Swindle, though it is based upon bad science and fraud. How do I know that? Mr. Durkin gives the impression he is a geophysicist but his degrees are in medieval history and financial journalism. The movie distorts the work of some of the scientists that appear in it. For example, Dr. Friis-Christensen, said, "parts of the graph were made up of fabricated data that were presented as genuine." He should know as it was his research that was distorted to support claims that recent climate change was the result of solar activity. Also, Dr. Carl Wunsch points out that the movie uses his data but distorts it. Ihe ocean would have had to release more CO2 than they had absorbed, so impossible that he calls it fraud. The movie also distorts NASA's temperature record, something that can be easily checked. Comparing NASA's graph with the screen shot from the movie shows that Durkin redrew the graph to support his claim that most of today's global warming occurred before 1940.

A 2010 StanfordUniversity poll of 1,372 climate scientists found that 97-98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing in climate science agree that global warming is occurring and man activities are the main factor. Research shows that global warming is causing many undesirable changes in the Earth and that no natural factors are significantly responsible.

Dr. Wanliss does not seem aware of the principles of ecology or the interrelation among species, as he says: "There has been, in past decades, a cosmic shift towards a social climate that begins to favor the environment - polar bears, trees, and bugs - over human beings." Well, where would we be without the bears, trees, the environment, and umm... bugs? He thinks that "destruction of one species can enormously benefit many others" and that man had a right to hunt sperm whales to extinction if we needed the oil. However, he does not seem aware that many species depend on the nutrients that the whales distribute throughout the ocean. Passenger pigeons, once an important source of food, were hunted to extinction. And whooping cranes and buffaloes almost disappeared forever, but were saved from extinction by chance and a tremendous effort on the part of conservationists. Would we have missed them? The book tells the story about the Canary being used to test the safety of coal mines, using it to point out that some bird lover may have objected, putting the bird's safety above that of the miners. Ecologists now tell us that many species are beginning to disappear from the Earth and many more are threatened by global warming. Would we want our grandchildren to go into a coal mine where the Canaries are dying?

Economics: Cap and trade is considered to be the free market solutions to reducing carbon emissions. It may not be the best, but it will help and it appears to be the way the nations are heading. Dr. Wanliss argues against it because he thinks it will lead to the creation of a world government and because of its high cost. We all share the same atmosphere and it is necessary that all industrialized and developing countries cooperate, but that is not the same as establishing a world government. Dr. Wanliss claims the cost of cap and trade regulations would amount to an annual cost of "$120,000 for the average family of four". That value is unrealistically high - and it also ignores the cost of not acting. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cost of the cap-and-trade program by 2020 would average about $175 annually per household.

It is possible to estimate the cost of inaction on global warming. The Stern Report, using the results from formal economic models, estimates the overall costs and risks of climate change is equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP each year. And unaddressed, the cost could rise to 20% of GDP or more by 2050 - and increase the risk of an environmental catastrophe. Using 5% of the US GDP for 2010 would give an environmental cost of $727 billion. Reducing carbon emissions would also reduce particulates which the American Lung Association cites as the primary cause 38,000 heart attacks and premature deaths each year as well as 1.5 million cases of acute bronchitis and aggravated asthma - which they estimate has an economic cost of $281 billion. Those two add up to about $1.01 trillion annually, and that is just for theUnited States. And what cost was should we put on premature death?

Dr. Wanliss' view of the relationship between man, other species, and the Earth's resources is based upon the doctrine of Dominionism. He bases this belief upon his interpretation of Genesis 1:28 "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." From there, he uses a number of carefully selected Scriptures to argue how " the humans' filling and ruling of the Earth can release it from bondage." It is his view this will bring about the Second Coming which will render efforts to protect and sustain the planet useless.

But, is the Earth not growing full? There are now 7 billion people on the planet and at our present birthrate, the population will double again this century. And have we not established dominion over the Earth? We now have fish and game laws, catch limits, and international treaties to protect other species as our needs have grown until we threaten their existence? The caveat in Dr. Wanliss' argument is that the Second Coming will not occur until man has established Christian dominion. There are many religions on the Earth, and even among Christians, there are many different interpretations of the Scriptures. What he believes is necessary is very unlikely to happen in the next 50 years, and even if it did, there is no assurance that Dominionism is the true religion.

Those who argue for Christian stewardship think that dominion means "benevolent rule". Does it seem reasonable that God would make the heavens and the Earth and all the species, proclaim them good, and then give man a license to destroy them if he wished? And do some men have the right to seek dominion if by doing so they damage the lives and resources of other men? Dr. Wanliss makes a special point that dominion is not domination; however, men who wish to dominate and exploit the environment for profit will certainly find his arguments useful.

The book claims that the environmental movement is" dreadfully harmful to the environment and humans, particularly the poor" and at one point claims that environmentalists may be responsible for millions of deaths. It is most cynical and wrong to claim that environmentalists are somehow responsible for deaths and damage in the poorer countries of the world. Global warming is changing the environment and increasing the probability of severe weather events, particularly droughts. Last year's drought on the Horn of Africa led to widespread famine and many deaths among the poor. The people ofKashmir are concerned that the glaciers that feed their streams in the summer are receding - making less water available. The Sherpa of Tibet worry that their villages may be flooded by lakes that now form each summer from melting glaciers, held back by unstable ice dams.

The Inuit inGreenlandcannot use their traditional hunting grounds at the ice is too thin for their dog slipped to traverse. Those in theArcticare having to move their coastal villages to keep them from being eroded away by wave action of open seas, which used to be ice year-round. Their inland villages are threatened because the permafrost upon which they are built now becomes a quagmire in the summer. They are being forced to change a way of life that sustained them for centuries. While some may adapt, their way of life and culture will be destroyed, and many will likely end up among the poor and unemployed.

Dr. Wanliss says God has commanded us to fill the Earth and that we should let God decide how many children we shall have. But do not men and women have free will and the right to decide such things? Rnd, what happens when the earth is full? The Earth's population has just surpassed 7 billion people and, at our present birthrate, will reach 14 billion sometime in the latter part of the 21st century. The Earth is finite and evidence suggests that the carrying capacity of the Earth is somewhere between 10 and 12 billion. When a population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, there is usually a massive die off of the population. For us, this might mean the deaths of billions of people through starvation and wars over resources.

Dr. Wanless believes that man has a remarkable ability to reason, and that is certainly true. God has given us science so that we may understand nature by observation and reason. Scientific research shows that carbon dioxide is a pollutant that is damaging the Earth and will do so even more in the future. The EPA has determined that CO2 is an endangerment that may be regulated under the Clean Air Act, and the Supreme Court has upheld that ruling. Dr. Wanliss opposes action to correct the problem and thinks that when the Earth is full and Christian dominion is achieved, God will make our problems disappear. What if he is wrong? We will have a very full and a very hot, inhospitable Earth through our own ignorance, and not through God's will. The Green Dragon, though a mythical creature created by Dr. Wanliss, would be a good symbol for Prudence.

Dr. Wanliss is advising us to resist the Green Dragon based upon his religious views and personal philosophy. His book would certainly encourage some interesting discussions about the meaning of Hebrew words, the interpretation of scriptures, the meaning of free will, and the responsibility Christians have toward mankind, other species, and the Earth itself. Those discussions should occur among scientist, theologians, and philosophers who have the knowledge to defend their ideas. However, it seems wrong to use the power and respect that people have for ministers and Scripture to criticize Christians who believe in good stewardship. The Cornwall Alliance does just that, as resisting the Green Dragon aligns with profit motives. The only time Jesus showed anger in the Bible was when he drove the money changers from the Temple. How might Jesus feel about the Cornwall Alliance using Dr. Wanliss' book to bring their corporate interests into places of worship? Perhaps Dr. Wanliss should rethink whether he wishes for his book to be used in that way.

(c) 2012 J.C. Moore

Dr. J.C. Moore is a physical chemist whose interests are spectroscopy,computational chemistry, professional ethics, and science education. He taught chemistry, physics, and general science at the college level for 38 years. Since retirement, he has established http://jcmooreonline.com/, a website that examines current events from a science and research perspective.

Four Gifts for Aria: Book Review

It happened in that August 2011, I needed to read an antique thriller. Searching, then I stumbled upon this beautifully illustrated cover, Four Gifts for Aria, Ebook written by Joshua Graham. Since, in my case I have learnt not to prejudge a book by its low price, I therefore latched onto it to satisfy my curiosity of the theme, that is, what gifts, by whom, and why? After reading, I was able to get the three answers. Below, I have tried to state them for your pleasure.

What gifts? On pages 13 and 14 of the book, Aria, a teenage girl, said she wanted a horse ride, a puppy, a sail and a dance with a prince.

Gifted by whom? If you followed from the above, then there appeared the next question, that is, who was she expecting them from? Pitiably, the task of bringing the gifts fell upon the shoulders of one stylishly funny sixteen-year-old boy called Nicholas. He really had much to bear. First, he needed to survive in Huntington Manor.

The narration began thus, "When first I arrived at Huntington Manor, I thought I was going to die...It wasn't until I ran into something that I lifted my eyes from the ground. Only, it wasn't something but someone...Please sir. Have you any bread or clear water...? I can do just about any chore. I wouldn't be askin' much-fare wages, a roof over my head, and some decent food."

Why the gifts? From the moment the author established Nicholas to the reader, the story blossomed expectedly and found a connection between the two most important characters, the hero and the protagonist. In this case, love, the thing that Aria has all along been denied. This was the premise for the gifts which helped in knowing that I was reading a romance-genre story.

Nicholas fell in love with Aria, daughter of Lord Huntington, who had first served her turn by giving Nicholas some sustenance twice a day. Understandably, his love for Aria became a sort of reciprocal obsession. Between them however, a sharp class-divide and antagonists await Nicholas.i Those were in the early chapters.

In later chapters, Nicholas would either die trying or, be able to get Aria on the altar of providing the gifts. Lord Huntington, Aria's father awaits Nicholas?"€even the man who had all along been magnanimous to house Nicholas. I don't envy him, really.

Just for purposes of saying that, I also read it with mindset of a writer, I remember coming across a slight narrative oversight, which states: "I... made a serious face..." But, in all the printed and digital books I have read, I have found one oversight or a typo.

Back to the gifts, all four of them impacted on the book's morals, sacrifice, which was easy to find while reading. Ironically, Aria ended up having an amended set of four gifts--one wrapped gift, a horse ride, a love, and a boat ride, where death befell her. In real life, such twisted expectations may happen.

The beauty of the book's noteworthy characterization and dialogue is that, like me, most readers might want to continue enjoying the piece without knowing the story had approached its end. In all, it ran over 35 pages. My favorite quote from this novel is, "The mind is its own place and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven." I enjoyed every bit and almost got involved.

The Hunger Games Series - Overview and Review of the Plot

The Hunger Games Series is set in the post-apocalyptic Panem. In it lays 12 districts and the city of Capitol, which holds control over Panem. Annually, an event called the Hunger Games is held by the Capitol to commemorate the rebellion set by the 12 districts against them before. Two participants, called the 'tributes', from 12-18 years old are chosen from each district to join the Hunger Games where they will kill each other off until one remains. This televised event is a punishment set by the Capitol to the 12 districts.

The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games Series begins in the coal mining district of Panem, District 12. The story starts with the introduction of Katniss Everdeen, a girl from a poor family who illegally hunts for food to feed her family. During the Reaping, the event where tributes are chosen from each district, a boy from a medium-class family, Peeta Mellark, and Katniss' sister Primrose, were chosen. Katniss volunteered herself to save her sister. Katniss and Peeta, guided with their mentor, embarked on the dangerous competition.

Catching Fire
Continuing with the Hunger Games Series, Peeta and Katniss won together on 74th Hunger Games. The two went back home where President Snow visited Katniss telling her he's with her for making the suicide attempt with Peeta during the end of the game. The act allowed both of them to win and caused rebellion talks. Snow threatened to kill her family unless she proves to the public that the act is only because of her love for Peeta. Peeta and Katniss went on a victory tour across Panem where they visited the districts and discovered how serious Snow is against any plan of rebellion.

Returning home, an announcement was made for the Quarter Quell where 24 champions from previous games will compete again to kill each other. Katniss and Peeta competed in the games. By teaming up with other contenders, Katniss discovered how the arena works and destroyed it. Katniss was rescued by the rebels, informed of the existence of District 13 where she is being transported, learned about the Capitol's capture of Peeta and the total destruction of her home, District 12.

Mockingjay
As 'Mockingjay', the symbol of rebellion against the Capitol, Katniss was given the right to kill Snow. District 13 made attacks to the Capitol rescuing Peeta and others successfully. Brainwashed Peeta came back hating and trying to kill Katniss. An assault was made to Capitol and Snow was captured. Many people died during the assault, including Prim, Katniss' sister who's part of the rebel medical team. Katniss killed District 13's President Coin. Snow was killed during a riot. Katniss and Peeta, who recovered from the brainwash, returned to live in the reconstructed District 12. The Hunger Games Series ends with an epilogue by Katniss 15 years after the war, married to Peeta with two children.

The Hunger Games Series

I review books that I read.

Organizing Groups Filled With Geniuses and Conquering Creative Collaboration - Book Review

As the coordinator for a think tank which happens to operate online, it is truly amazing the innovations, ideas, concepts, inventions, and business plans for start-ups I have the privilege of perusing and thinking about. Interestingly enough, a good bit of these originate from within my own mind and then are given to the group to expand upon - but, one thing you must know - having original thoughts even in high volume is not enough - heck, that's just the starting point.

You see, think tanks talk about stuff, which is nice, but talk is cheap, doing is grand. Okay so, how do you do? No, I'm not asking "how are you" what I mean to say is; How do you actually put together a group of creative geniuses that go out and do something rather than just talking about it? Well, easier said than done, and although there is no actual model for it, there are many examples of how great things were accomplished in groups of people with superior intellect in creative collaboration.

In fact, there is an a great book which I pulled off the shelf of my personal library recently and re-read after many years. Now as I've had new experiences in getting stuff done and running a think tank, I'm happy to say, I've gotten a lot more out of it this time around. And, I bet you might as well. The name of the book is;

Organizing Genius - The Secrets of Creative Collaboration," by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Bieferman (forward by Charles Handy), published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, New York, NY, (1997), 239 pages, ISBN: 0-201-57051-3.

There is a good bit in here about Apple Computers and Steve Jobs, well prior to his return and building the largest company in the world. It's a fascinating case study in hindsight. Also, are stories of Lockheed Skunk Works, Disney, Political Campaigns, Xerox PARC, the Manhattan Project, and several other notable groups that pioneered their field and changed the world.

The authors conclude the book after all their interviews with some words of wisdom - 15 take away points that all these case studies had in common, along with some warnings for those who dare. This is a must read for any corporate executive setting up an R&D department, or has the honor in organizing the very best minds focused on a single objective. Anyone who wants to work on such a collaborative team, or do something great should read this book. What you learn in this book will help you to greatness. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Innovation. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

Declutter Fast By Mimi Tanner - My Review

Have you just woken up to your treasured free weekend after a hard week at your job? Then as you walk to your kitchen, have you been depressed with the amount of clutter lying around your home? Instead of enjoying your free time, you feel you have to spend the time you need for yourself clearing clutter?

Well, you aren't the only one; there are lots of other people going through just what you are and it's a shame as your free time is treasured and should not be used up decluttering your home.

Believe it or not, there is real and useful help at hand through Mimi Tanner and her ebook "Declutter Fast" Mimi used to write an email column for women and their relationships, but ended up battling with her own clutter due to her busy lifestyle.

She tried all of the various cures in the form of books and articles but soon understood nothing really worked for her. This encouraged her to originate her own remedy to clutter, and if you go by the writing from delighted customers, then she without doubt knows what she is writing about.

Mimi understands that clutter can arise from many distinctive scenarios: a hectic working schedule, a mother with a busy family, adverse relationship problems, or losing a loved one. Any one of these can lead to allowing clutter to dominate your home. She also understands that you can be unjustly judged by having your home in a cluttered state.

Declutter Fast is exactly that. Mimi shows that an average level of a cluttered home can be cleared in 1-2 days. You don't have to toss everything away; you just have to organize it. For more serious disorder, she makes it clear that you can declutter on your own terms, fast or slow.

Mimi's 71 page ebook shows you how you can do an emergency declutter, for instance, when the in-laws are going to drop in for lunch! Because we all know our Mother-in-law's home is at all times spotless!

Mimi's concept is that there are 17 fundamental types of objects that require a spot in your home and practically everything in the world falls into one of these basics. She doesn't desire for you to feel ashamed about your clutter, but to just get it handled. It's no joy living in a home where you have to dig through piles of clothes on your bed just to be able to crawl in to sleep. Or having to clean off the couch before you can relax to read your book.

Clutter affects so many of us in a variety of distinctive ways but "Declutter Fast" is a very compassionate, sensible and easy answer to managing our homes.

How much more peaceful to awaken on your free weekend and just need to face the simple decision of what movie you want to look at or book to read. Not, "How am I going to deal with this Clutter?" Use 'Declutter Fast' and then you will have ample time to enjoy life!

I'm Jo Tempest. Do you need help to restore order to your life? I highly recommend Declutter Fast to help you regain control of your home, and your life. And you can download a free copy of my companion eBook Stress Free Clutter Cure here. Imagine the relief you will feel once you DeClutter Your Home!

The Angel Inside - Follow Your Passion - Book Review

When The Student is Ready, The Teacher Will Come

The Angel Inside, by Chris Widener.

How many times did you hear this saying and somehow thought you can prove this theory wrong. Well, I am a master, no I was a master of trying to beat the odds, bend the rules, and outsmart the world for a long time now. My thoughts were, since I have been sent to Earth, and I always felt there must have been a reason, I needed to "fix" it. No, it does not work like that. As we only can affect a little area of the time and space, thinking that I could have accomplished the work of Source, whom I elected to call Good, was - if nothing else - egoistic and infantile.

I like reading Chris's books for two reasons. First, he carries on the teachings of my idol, Mr. Jim Rohn and second - I love his style. Everything he writes feels like a breeze. While reading The Angel Inside, I was in Italy, I felt the breeze, I smelled the food and the flowers, I saw the atmosphere and the spirit of the moment. No, I never went to Italy (yet) but the picture of a young man looking for answers to his life questions woke up my imagination. I saw the ancient ruins, laid back European life style, warm and colorful fields of Italy. I felt that proximity of Thomas' (main character) to the past will help him understand the law of nature more than the busy streets of America.

The book represents a short story with a monumental, long-lasting and profound meaning, which I will try to bring up here. It will serve no justice to the book or the author, but I hope it will make you pick up the book and dive into the learning and indulge yourself in the mastery of life. Or maybe you will also decide to visit this hub of culture, Italy?

There is an Angel Inside of everyone. Just as a side note, there is size six in everyone, so for those who need help, find a parallel route and go for it. Every person has all what one needs in life. We brought it with us. What is important is the realization of our education day in day out. And I am not talking about a formal education. I am talking about listening with and to your heart and asking yourself - how will this day change my life?

A young student visiting Italy meets by chance a man who gives him life lessons.

1. Man looks on the outside, God looks on the inside. What are you good at? How do you use it?

2. You have the power to follow your passion. Do you follow your passion or do what others expect you to do? Create a life you desire. Your passion will lead you to success.

3. Be confident. If you wish to achieve, demonstrate confidence (self-faith).

4. Beauty is in the details. If you work in the area of your passion you work out the details, otherwise you don't care and ignore details.

5. Your hand creates what your mind conceives. People live in either mind or hand world. True accomplishment requires both.

6. Planning is important. Move fast, but not too fast to and do allow for preparation.

7. Action is a beginning of accomplishment. Every success starts with one swift swing.

Nothing happens overnight. Each process requires certain steps which Chris describes as chipping away, sculpturing, sanding and polishing. Success takes time. Find passion, Give it time. Life is a process and progress. One cannot just jump over, skip steps. Whatever you do, look at the nature. We are part of the nature. It takes four seasons to complete the nature life cycle, it takes nine months to develop a fetus. What makes us think we can do it better and quicker?

Enjoy the reading!

http://kindlefireforeveryone.com

Be am amazed with the value of experience that comes from a simple heart to heart conversation. Yes, when the words are missing, hearts talk. Breathe in the magnificence of life and breathe out the passion for love so others can be poisoned with it.

A Book Review: Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships Through the Unique Perspective of Autism

A Book Review: Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspective of Autism

By Dr. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron Edited by Veronica Zysk

Future Horizons, Inc 2005

One of the most difficult areas for individuals on the Autism Spectrum is to navigate social relationships. This is especially true for high-functioning autistic individuals and those with the more specific label of Aspergers. "Age appropriate" expectations are not met and anxiety and other emotions run rampant. Two well-known individuals on the autism spectrum have collaborated in this book addressing this important issue. While they do not come from the neurodevelopmental approach there is much that can be learned from this book. Dr. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron represent two different types of autistic individuals, thus reminding us that everyone is an individual even those who have been diagnosed with the same condition.

Grandin sees in pictures, maintaining an immense database of pictures that she has categorized as if on a well-organized hard drive. Therefore, the book has been arranged in Acts and Scenes as if in a play that she can visualize. On the other hand, as Barron grew up he developed his own a set of unwritten rules that he designed and expected everyone to follow. When people unknowingly broke the rules, he was angry. After telling their stories and introducing themselves to the readers, they give their ten main unwritten rules with personal examples and many sub-rules. Here are their ten main rules:

Rules are not absolute; they are situation-based and people-based.Not everything is equally important in the grand scheme of things.Everyone in the world makes mistakes; it doesn't have to ruin your day.Honesty is different from diplomacy.Being polite is appropriate in any situation.Not everyone who is nice to me is my friend.People act differently in public than they do in private.Know when you are turning people off."Fitting in" is often tied to looking and sounding like you fit in.People are responsible for their own behaviors.

Those who are not on the autistic spectrum are sometimes called "neuro-typicals." These rules are generally learned by neuro-typicals with little or no effort. How? I would say that it is a combination of being inherent, direct teaching as with parents and children and by observation. Those on the spectrum (ASD) think differently enough that they do not learn these rules at what is considered the "age-appropriate" time. It is hard for neuro-typicals to understand why those on the spectrum have not learned these rules. Grandin and Barron have produced a book that helps parents, teachers and friends to better understand and help those on the autism spectrum. Most importantly, Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships provides credible help for those on the spectrum.

Maggie and her husband, Ronnie operate the Center for Neuro Development in Lakewood, Washington. They offer local, on site services as well as some long distance consultation. They work with homeschoolers as well as those who attend school. While many of their clients are challenged with learning they offer products and services for a broad range of individuals. To learn how the neurodevelopmental approach unlocks learning potential in those on the autism spectrum and others visit: http://www.centerforneurodevelopment.com/

Available at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_10/180-7492675-4591208?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=unwritten+rules+of+social+relationships&sprefix=Unwritten+

Palace Walk (Cairo Trilogy 1) by Naguib Mahfouz - A Review

"Men have the right to anything they want and women have a duty to obey" is the philosophy upon which this cast of characters operates, and it sets the stage for moral outrage on the part of western readers, and self destruction on the part of some characters as their world is torn asunder with change.

Ahmad Abd al-Jawad, a successful shopkeeper living in the Cairo neighbourhood of Palace Walk, is literally the king of his domain, ruling his family with a fundamentalist fist, while living a profligate life outside of it by engaging in wine, women and song. He is out every evening boozing, partying and womanizing. Yet his wife, Amina, is only allowed to leave the house to visit her sick mother. His two grown-up daughters do not go to school and have to live in the same confined quarters with their mother. His three sons have greater freedom of movement (they get to go to school or to work) but dare not challenge their father on any issue, least of all on his choice of their future wives.

Understandably, this repression leads to combustion. Yasin the eldest son, takes on his father's taste for sexual intrigue but can only get it on with women of the lower classes; the middle son Fahmy joins the revolutionary movement sweeping Egypt at the culmination of WWI when the country wants to be free of being a British protectorate, and Kamal, the youngest, whom I thought could have been an semi-autobiographical clone of the writer, is the free spirit who roams about pouting indiscriminate and naive statements that get his older siblings into trouble with their father. The daughters, the unattractive and caustic Khadija, and the beautiful but vain Aisha, are solely pre-occupied with getting married to someone of their social class who can liberate them from their father's clutches even if to render them prisoners once more within their future husband's family. The interesting fact is that both the men and the women of the al-Jawad household are stable within this role-based life and no one is seen to be doing anything wrong, least of all Ahmad in the eyes of his women-folk.

In this insulated household, how does Amina conceal an accident that causes her injury when visiting a mosque she was forbidden to visit, how does Yasin deal with being caught sleeping with his wife's maid, how does Fahmy disguise 'handing out pamphlets' from his father, and how does Ahmad himself explain to the British military why he is out late at night during a curfew? The answer is to lie. Concealment becomes second nature within this family.

And then life intervenes into Ahmad's perfect world. Ahmad who is willing to support nationalism from a distance as long as it does not interfere with his lifestyle or family, is gradually drawn into the changes that are sweeping across his country and pays a huge price; and so does his family. The book leaves him suffering but enlightened and not yet out for the count (there are two more books in this trilogy) and one is curious to see where Ahmad and his way of life will end up as the country matures and goes through yet another world war and more upheaval in the Middle East. Not very far I would conclude, even after nearly a hundred years, considering that Egypt went through another convulsion to expel a dictatorial regime this year, and has launched a website called Harass Net to combat the sexual harassment of women.

I found the writing sensitively rendered but laboured. The omniscient narrator plumbs deep into the minds, hearts and motives of each of the principle characters, leaving little to the reader's imagination. There is dialogue followed by explanation of the dialogue, then more dialogue and more explanation and I wondered whether the English translation suffers due to the original text being in classical Arabic. And yet some scenes are diabolic (Ahmad expelling his injured wife from his house) and others hilarious (Ahmad seducing the actress Zubayda with a delicate mixture of poetry, innuendo and fawning).

Nevertheless, I continued through this very long book, engaged with this family, dysfunctional though it may appear by western standards, whose members, including our anti-hero Ahmad, have endearing sides to them. Ahmad emerges from the pages as a truly unforgettable literary character, warts and all. After all, how can you fault a benign sociopath who believes that he is doing the right thing?

Perhaps, in consenting to this English translation, Naguib Mahfouz was trying to caution westerners to beware of trying to bridge cultures with political interference, wars, education or trade. Perhaps each culture needs its own route to evolution and should be judged on its own merits.

Shane Joseph is the author of three novels and a collection of short stories. His work After the Flood won the best futuristic/fantasy novel award at the Canadian Christian Writing Awards in 2010. His short fiction has appeared in international literary journals and anthologies. His latest novel The Ulysses Man has just been released. For details see http://www.shanejoseph.com/