Framing the Dialogue

Archive for November, 2013

Ouch

imageJust when you thought Oblama was useless the media rescues him again. This from GQ magazine…

“He can blame Republicans in Congress all he likes and get away with it because congressional Republicans are the worst. But the fact remains that I have spent the majority of this man’s presidency watching bad things happen, then hearing a thoughtful speech about how we gotta make sure the bad things never happen again, and then watching as nothing gets done. Next time there’s an election, I want Nate Silver to analyze the data and tell me who to vote for so that I don’t end up casting my ballot for a very eloquent hat stand.”

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Bellman & Black

bellmanSo I may never look at crows (or rooks as they’re referred to in this novel) again.  My intrigue in this book start at the Costco checkout when the young lady who was packing my cart mentioned that she had read another novel by author Diane Setterfield .  She described that novel as “dark.”  I had heard that Bellman & Black was also a little dark.

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Aphorisms

AN APHORISM:

A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE THAT EXPRESSES A WISE, OR CLEVER OBSERVATION OR A GENERAL TRUTH.

 DSC_31511. The nicest thing about the future is…that it always starts tomorrow.

2. Money will buy a fine dog…but only kindness will make him wag his tail.

3. If you don’t have a sense of humor…you probably don’t have any sense at all.

4. Seat belts are not as confining…as wheelchairs.

5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is…when you’re in deep water.

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Ice Hunter

ice hunterIce Hunter is the first novel featuring the life of Michigan Conservation Officer Grady Service as he patrols his little portion of the Upper Peninsula.  Though the life of a CO or “Woods Cop” seems mild, but if you take a moment to think of it they, unlike most police officers, generally confront armed people.  Even folks out to fish have knives and hunters have a little more firepower.  You will find it interesting, as I have, to see how Grady Service is often pulled in different directions as part of his duties while battling politics both in and out of his agency.

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Iron House

iron houseThe best word to describe Iron House is “woven.”  Author John Hart took me on a journey on what seemed to be three separate destinations.  We have organized crime, rich privilege, and the system of how orphans are handled.  As the stories took form there were still open issues that kept me guessing.  At times I enjoyed the fast-paced drama worthy of top rate suspense novels then switched to heart ripping decisions between a loved woman and a long-absent brother.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip though another chapter would have been nice to see how Mr. Hart envisioned the end.

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News Briefs – No Joke?

obama jokeI am not sure how long the mainstream media will nip at the heals of President Obama so I’ll just enjoy the feeding frenzy as they seem to have remembered some sense of journalistic ability.  This cannot last as they fundamentally hate center and center-right America.  I am going to do this news brief a little differently as I’ll just post my favorite quote from the liberal writer’s article with a link to the full post.  I hope that you enjoy as much as I have!

Brief 1:

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David and Goliath

david and goliathI often like to start one of my book reviews with a quote from the book that may capture the essence of the work.  It doesn’t always work out that way, but I am glad to say that I found one near the end of the book;

“David has nothing to lose, and because he has nothing to lose, he has the freedom to thumb his nose at the rules set by others.  That’s how people with brains a little bit different from the rest of ours get jobs as options traders and Hollywood producers – and a small band of protesters armed with nothing but their wits have a chance against the likes of Bull Conner.”

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Measure Of Success

The following cartoon was sent to me by my son a while back.  It is a cartoon by Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame.  I was reminded of it recently when I was out in the “field” with a much younger colleague with a young son facing some of the tough decisions that I had many years ago…go for the money or go for the right decision.  The fact that one of my children saw this cartoon and thought of me emphasizes that I chose wisely. By the way I don’t think that I ever thanked Kevin for showing me the cartoon though I’ve never deleted the email. 

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