Book Collaborative Produces Extraordinary Book!

Joanne Simpson-Carter

Cat Sayings:
  Wit and Wisdom From  the Whiskered Ones

By Bradford G. Wheler


Bradford G. Wheler is a retired CEO, who, upon retirement, founded BookCollaborative. Cat Sayings is the latest in a series and I was fortunate to see the publicity for the one I would have naturally chosen. Somewhere along the line, you may have read that I collect cat-related books, especially mysteries...so, of course, I was anxious to add this one.

Immediately I realized that I got more than I imagined...The series may even be considered coffee-table books, though smaller than usual with a soft cover. However, the quality inside, including artwork and photographs from professionals, makes for close competition to the traditional hardback color that has been the norm, and may just be the upgraded definition for them given the changes being made in the publishing world...

I want to add a comment about the publisher's touches...Page-numbers are caricatures of cat faces, with the page number as eyes and then whiskers and mouth underneath...a truly creative addition! And on the majority of pages in the upper left corner is a small cat on a limb. I've always admired extra touches in the design of books and commend Wheler to contributing in this significant way to overall define continuity and imagination!

Next, I want to highlight that all of the color pictures are copies of original paintings or photographs... and those pictures/paintings represent the collaboration of the publisher with those professionals to produce each book. Each of the artists and photographers are listed together with their credentials.

And I haven't even gotten to the "sayings" that are included. Obviously I enjoyed them all since I'm a cat lover, but what was amazing was the merge of a saying together with an appropriate painting! For instance, with the beautiful painting by Joanne Simpson-Connor:

We read a quote from Carol Lawrence:

"They're the most graceful, sinuous, sexy, truly sensuous creatures in the world." 

Or, consider this one from Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953):

"There is not a man living who knows better than I that the four charms of a cat lie in its closed eyes, its long and lovely hair, its silence, and even its affected love."

Some of the sayings are even by famous people, including Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare, and Mark Twain--and although I have other books and have read "cat sayings," all of these were new to me! The book includes sections: Cats Rule, Wild Cats, Kittens, Humor, Of Cats and Dogs, The Cat Personality, Death of a Friend, Love Of, and Cats Vs. People.  Also included is an Index of Quotations, alphabetically listed. Of the sayings, I think this was my favorite:

A morning kiss, a discreet touch of his nose

landing somewhere on the middle of my face.

Because his long white whiskers tickled,

I began every day laughing.

--Janet F. Faure

Have a cat lover in your family or friends? Need a gift for them? This will work! I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading and studying the art, which, by the way, is not only traditional but modern, etc., as well as photography that has been manipulated. Highly recommended!

GABixlerReviews

Bradford G. Wheler author of "CAT SAYINGS: wit & wisdom from the whiskered ones" and President of BookCollaborative.com

Bradford G. Wheler is also the author of "HORSE SAYINGS: wit & wisdom straight from the horse's mouth", "DOG SAYINGS: wit & wisdom from man's best friend", "SNAPPY SAYINGS: wit & wisdom from the world's greatest minds" and "EIGHTEEN 6/10/71 The Poetry of John G. Hunter III"
Brad is the former CEO, President and Co-owner of Allan Electric Company. He sold the company to a New York Stock Exchange list utility company back when the stock market was hot. Brad retired after staying on as President during a transition period.
Brad's life long love of history, art, books and the humor in man's nature lead to this book and the founding of BookCollaborative.com.
His community involvements include being Chairmen of the Board Trustee of Cazenovia College, A former member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors and Alumni Association President of Sigma Phi Society at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
He played polo on Cornell University's men's polo team for 4 years and was a member or the Cazenovia Polo Club. Brad was inducted into the Manlius Pebble Hill School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
Brad hold's a BS and ME in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He has a MBA degree from Fordham University in New York, NY and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in New York and several other states. He is also a graduate of the Manlius Pebble Hill School.
Brad lives with his wife Julie and their golden retriever Quincy in Cazenovia, NY.

Book Collaborative.com, founded by Bradford G. Wheler, publishes books based on the content provided by Artists. The goal is a collaborative community of artists that promote art in general while at the same time having an opportunity to promote their own art. Artists provide digital images of their work along with any information they wish on themselves, the techniques they use, and the origins, and meaning of their art. From this collaborative effort books are compiled and published.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PICTURES INCLUDED HERE ARE THOSE SHARED ON FACEBOOK"S "CAT SAYINGS BOOK" BY THE ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS AND NOT NECESSARILY INCLUDED IN THE BOOK. THOSE WHO WISH TO COLLABORATE OR SEEK INFORMATION ON BOOKS SHOULD CONTACT THE SITE DIRECTLY...

Charles Anderson Shares Santa is Very Sick...

English: Thomas Nast's most famous drawing, "Merry Old Santa Claus", from the January 1, 1881 edition of Harper's Weekly. Thomas Nast immortalized Santa Claus' current look with an initial illustration in an 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly, as part of a large illustration titled "A Christmas Furlough" in which Nast set aside his regular news and political coverage to do a Santa Claus drawing. The popularity of that image prompted him to create another illustration in 1881. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BRH is helping to spread the word...but...YOU can help! To the right, you'll see Dr. Anderson's picture! Click on that picture and "start following" Dr. Anderson's blog and comment on one or more of his articles...Please leave contact info because 20 randomly selected individuals will receive a copy of one of his books! If you have a preference, ask for it! Don't forget he'll need an address where the book should be sent!

In the history of mankind, no nation with a fiat currency (a currency not backed by something of value, like gold) has been able to resist the temptation to inflate its currency to benefit certain parties. There is really no difference between the government stealing from future taxpayers to benefit corporations, or industries, or farmers, or green energy and stealing from taxpayers present and future to pay for entitlements. It is still stealing. 

The leaders in a democracy must derive their power continuously from the consent of the people. That is one of the purposes of having a budget, and for having our elected legislators vote on it in real time. Our founding fathers envisioned patriotic Americans rotating through Congress, keeping it honest. Instead we prefer that every Congressman and Senator stay in Washington for the longest possible time. Why? The longer you stay, the more Santa Claus money you can send back home. Santa Claus money allows governments to tax future taxpayers without their consent. Wasn’t taxation without representation the principle issue that our founding fathers found so intolerable that they organized a revolution?

This Santa Claus money has robbed our nation of its self-reliance and industriousness. It now encourages class warfare. When Obama says that taxes need to be dramatically raised on the rich to benefit the poor, he is ignoring the fact that even if he took every dime from the rich, he could not balance our budget and service our debt at the same time without drastically cutting existing entitlements. He does not say that the absorption of all that capital by the government hurts real businesses, which create real jobs, and pay real wages and taxes. We already have the highest corporate tax rates in the world, driving businesses to other countries and actually lowering total tax revenue collected. We are watching European countries even now come to grips with their addiction to borrowed money. We not only borrow money, we create it with a stroke of a computer and print some more when we need it. That’s one big reason we have been able to avoid disaster as long as we have. No other country in the world has the capacity or the gall of the U.S. government and the Federal Reserve to ignore all honest accounting practices and all checks and balances to manipulate markets, interest rates, and money supply.

The current president appeals to class warfare and envy in order to take everyone’s eye off of the basic systemic dishonesty in our government. I believe that inequality of income in America is shameful. The greediness of CEOs in America is egregious. All of this was made possible by a dishonest government giving handouts and tax breaks to its friends with Santa Claus money. But this is a side issue that, even if reversed tomorrow by paying every CEO $1 per year, we could not balance our budget or pay off our debt. I’m afraid I would be tossed out of a Republican rally or a Democratic rally.

Most Americans will gladly look away from Europe and believe that it can’t happen to us. They have forgotten that the mighty Soviet Union went down the same path that America is on until its currency was worthless. Did it matter that they spent printed money trying to keep up with Ronald Reagan’s defense buildup, or their war with Afghanistan, or for socialist programs? Of course not. The Soviet empire crashed. Americans, rich and poor, want to continue to game the system at the expense of taxpayers in the future and other countries using Santa Claus money. This is nothing new. It has ruined countries and civilizations for more than 2000 years. For example, I don’t care if you are a fireman or a teacher or a policeman or a garbage collector or a paramedic. You did not earn a pension that equals or exceeds your yearly salary when you retire early. If you have such a deal, you got it because governments and unions agreed to rip off those people who are not employed by some level of government. I put in 38 years of incredibly stressful work in trauma centers and emergency departments and the government never provided me with such benefits. I didn’t expect them to.

Whatever the government chooses to subsidize in the name of “help” creates a dependency class. Many middle class Americans would rather have two years of unemployment benefits than a job. So many Americans want to be paid for contributing nothing to society. Do you believe that the number of truly disabled Americans increased five-fold since 2008, or that many people will use any excuse to game the system if Santa Claus money is freely available? Since the war on poverty began in the 1960s, we have spent trillions of dollars subsidizing single mothers. What incentive does she have to get married or finish her education or get a job when she would lose eight different types of government aid by doing so?

Some say that having 47 per cent of Americans now on some type of government assistance is not doing enough. Others think that allowing families to earn up to $47,000 without paying any federal taxes is not enough help. Our president has already stated publicly that he did not care if taxing the rich produced any increase in government revenue. He knew that the rich would avoid the taxes with loopholes paid for by Santa Claus money. He wanted to do this out of “fairness.” He wanted to punish rich people because they are successful. It doesn’t matter to him how they earned their money, or that without these rich people, there would be no non-government employers.

In Obama’s view, the government should decide who is successful. This level of class warfare and abandonment of the family values of our past, as well as our Constitution, is unprecedented from a president of the United States. Of course big business and big banks and Wall Street are corrupt. Our government caused much of this corruption with Santa Claus money. Real capitalism, not adulterated by phony, stolen, borrowed, or created money from the government is the best system for prosperity that man has ever created. We are now more socialist than capitalist. Just look at where big government has brought us.

The fact is that the fifty-three per cent of Americans who do pay taxes are way overtaxed and over-regulated. The problem in America has never been the lack of taxation. It has always been a lack of control over spending. Of course Mr. Romney wants to keep his tax returns private. He has used every tax break and loophole financed by Santa Claus money to pay the least amount of taxes possible. Although Obama has a socialist agenda and Romney has a capitalist agenda, it no longer matters. They are both liars, neither one willing to tell America that recovery from addiction is going to be painful. Our creditors are not going to let us continue to turn out Santa Claus money much longer. If you follow this blog, I will tell you why.

I am a physician. In an ideal world without Santa Claus money I would like the concept of nationalized single-payer health insurance on one condition. We should pay for it as we go. Is it too much to ask that the government make the necessary decisions to balance our budget? When we pay as we go, we have to make those difficult decisions that Santa Claus money allows government and individuals and families to avoid indefinitely. We have avoided making any rules limiting the amount of money that can be spent on an elderly person who is dying. We spend more money on lost causes than any nation on this earth.

The government doesn’t want to be attacked by every person who wants to live to be 100. Families often want everything done for elderly parents and grandparents, no matter how futile it is. These kinds of decisions can be avoided by everybody if the government prints more money and pays for doctors, medications, nurses, mechanical ventilators, and dialysis for everyone to live the last three months of their life in an intensive care unit. Santa Claus money doesn’t require honest discussion about end of life issues. I’m not advocating euthanasia. I’m calling for a return to sanity in healthcare, spending the money we can afford where it will do the most good. I want an honest president to face the cameras and tell America that we cannot have all of the medical care we want at government expense using Santa Claus money.

All social programs would have to be drastically reduced to afford Obamacare as a pay as you go program. Adding another gigantic Santa Claus program now, without making the drastic cuts necessary in our bloated budget, simply increases the size and control of government over us all, and hastens our financial Armageddon.

How many addicts are going to vote for someone who pledges to cut off their Santa Claus money? What possible incentive due the 47% who pay no federal taxes have to vote for someone who pledges to cut taxes? There is no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats on the most critical issue of all, Santa Claus money. Neither wants the pain of withdrawal. Neither wants to tell Americans that we face gigantic cuts in all government programs once the election is over regardless of who is elected. Why?

It is impossible to borrow your way out of debt. We know that instinctively, but we keep doing it because we are addicts. Our government keeps throwing stolen money after stolen money. All of the bailouts in this country and all of the bailouts in Europe will ultimately fail, each bailout making the final collapse more painful. Nobody wants to hear this. I don’t know who will win this election, but the winner will be the man who organizes the most addicts of Santa Claus money. Obama has a real advantage here, since he can create dependency groups by decree.

Not only can he create new dependency classes, the Federal Reserve has long ago crossed every line of honesty to keep the country from crashing before the election. We have been in the twilight zone of corruption since 2008. There is no level of dishonesty and fraud that our government will not stoop to in order to keep the music going. Even the dying European countries are laughing at America’s creative financing. Countries in Europe would not sink to our level of deceit even to keep their country viable. We have been committed to continuous rounds of “stimulus” with Santa Claus money. Think of a dying patient who needs a larger shot of epinephrine every five minutes to stay alive. Not one American in a hundred could explain how our government could possibly buy its own bonds with money it printed in its own mint. Our Federal Reserve has been doing this since 2008, trillions of dollars of bonds, to manipulate the global bond market and lower long term interest rates. This is called quantitative easing. Since the FED cannot lower interest rates to less than zero, they can only try to hold them down by manipulating the bond market. Don’t you love Fed-speak?

In the Fed’s first round of QE (quantitative easing) in 2008 through early 2010, it bought $1.25 trillion worth of mortgage-backed securities and $300 billion of Treasury securities and debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Does it bother you that our Federal government “owns” the majority of all mortgages in America now? In the second round of QE in 2010 and 2011, the Fed bought $800 billion of U.S. treasury bonds. A third round of QE is planned for later this year, sooner if necessary. Wait, there’s more. If the stock market begins to falter, the FED has a plan to buy stocks and stimulate a “recovery.” As one person in a FED meeting commented, “Buying stocks during an election year would favor the incumbent President.”

Somebody recently pointed out to the FED that it was not authorized to buy stocks. No problemo. They buy them through “intermediaries,” says Bernanke. Imagine how much money the intermediary can make knowing in advance that he is going to buy billions of dollars of stocks with Santa Claus money. To minimize the profit to any one brokerage, they would buy indexed funds and raise the entire market. Of course, many index funds are weighted by capitalization. A novice would know which stock in any index would profit the most.

The most important thing to know about the stock market is when to buy and when to sell. If you are a Wall Street insider, you know exactly how to play this game with the Fed. Before TARP funds were handed out, the government reportedly told Goldman Sachs exactly what they planned to do in advance. Goldman Sachs executives reportedly pocketed millions of dollars from this advance information. Any bull market between now and the election would not be the first time the FED has created a bubble in the stock market, or the first time it has bought stocks through intermediaries. It is clear that our government does illegal things, and then quietly passes a law to make what they have already done legal. Wall Street banks don’t represent real capitalism. They represent crony capitalism and the rape of the American individual investor.

Every time the FED creates money and injects it into the world, it further devalues the dollar. Countries holding the dollar or dollar assets are screwed. Commodity prices worldwide are being driven up while the FED creates yet another bubble in the bond market by buying its own bonds. I’d be getting a little “fed-up” if I lived outside the United States. Why is it that almost all nations on earth continue to buy U.S. treasuries even though they yield one per cent or less? This is something you really need to understand because it is the source of much of our Santa Claus money. Do other nations really feel their money is safer in America than anywhere else? Do you know which country on this planet really holds the fate of the United States in its hands? This country could send America into a financial death spiral in one day if it wanted to. I’ll give you a hint. It’s not China. Let me explain. Next week.

Charles C. Anderson

Stan I. S. Law's Latest A Winner!

There is more on heaven and earth than meets the eye, more than our senses can detect. We, you and I, can walk through walls, visit other realities, past and present, make love on Greek Islands drenched in sunshine, all by an act of our will.  How? Let Ambrosia and Simon show you. The abilities lie dormant within us.

"Only the gods I've studied all my life weren't on my side.
Perhaps they didn't like anyone peeking into their private
business. The SJs hadn't told me that. The apartment is
still waiting to lose its virginity.
"For weeks after the Ambrosia incident, I'd lie staring at
the ceiling, trying to recall the goddess I'd fallen into. Onto?
She was tiny, a Dresden Figurine, dark long hair, dark
complexion, as though she'd just descended from
Olympus where she was basking in close proximity of
the sun. Icarus, eat your heart out...
"Some months later I ventured into hypnosis. Self-hypnosis
was the last hope for my ankle. If that didn't work, I'd be
destined to remain a virgin for life. I'm sure no goddess
would tolerate such grievous prostrarical imperfections in
mortals. Prostraria, remember?  Masculine hysteria."

Wall:
Love, Sex, and
 Immortality

By Stan I. S. Law


The thing that scares me most about reading books by Stan I. S. Law, is that I know he is brilliant and has written both fiction and nonfiction books in his fields of expertise--so that I don't know whether to think his fiction is fantasy or really reality! By the way, his real name is Stanislaw Kapuscinski... I think it is so cool that he has adopted an AKA  in order to help us better remember his name... It worked for me! And I've so enjoyed meeting Stan on line! 

I met him first through one of his other books--anybody that knows me would guess that my first choice was Cats and Dogs! After reading his thoughts on animals, I decided to risk his thoughts about love and sex! But it's the immortality issue that I'm just not sure about...LOL

Anyway, I'd like to say that Stan creates a wonderful love story! Reading Wall as Romantic Fiction is bound to please any lovers out there! Let me tell you a little about the couple...

Simon Jones attended a Jesuit school and was now an Associate Professor teaching Comparative Religion. We meet him as he is once again having problems with his ankle. In school all students had been required to play Rugby, but he was unable to continue because of his ankle...Yet no doctor or specialist had been able to find anything that would account for his ankle being painful or giving out on him... Now, you may think that is a strange way of starting a novel; however, it was very important to Simon for a major reason--he "believed" after the problem was finally discovered and cured...

I found while working on a university campus that professors of religion are not necessarily religious... Simon was, though, an expert in all religions across the world and could converse fluently about ancient as well as modern day beliefs... Whether Simon had faith or not is something you will need to discover in the book.

Stan Law has a droll sense of humor that I enjoy and readers, if they pick up on it, will find a small smile or smirk appearing as they read. It's still about that ankle, you see, because it seemed that often his ankle caused problems when he was on his way to be intimate with a girl! And so it was that, shhhh, don't tell anybody, but he was a virgin when he got married... Quite a quandary for a healthy young man who was able to find potential partners, but then have his own body betray him!

Until he met Ambrosia! Ambrosia--the nectar of the gods... And for Simon she was just that! "Right there and then, I'd be willing to drink anything she'd deign to offer me, a mere mortal..." he thought. Then he quickly shares that he hadn't met her actually, he had fallen down the stairs at her feet... (Now if it were me, I'd have thought that his ankle was being manipulated by God, fate...or whatever, don't you think?) But, no, that's not the answer with his ankle...

"For reasons I couldn't quite understand, I was referred to as
a 'looker'. Whether it was my six-one, my shoulders, which
must have developed during my Rugby days, or generally my
sporty appearance, I have no idea...
"Did you ever try to deliver a lecture when some hundred
and fifty young, attractive women are staring at you? Once
still at St. Ignatius, when I had to play my violin in front of
an audience of parents at the annual concert, my professor
told me to imagine the whole publish being naked. It was
funny, at the time. Now, the idea filled me with panic. One
hundred and fifty naked women. In front of me. Staring.
"HELP!"

And then there she was and Simon froze! She had raised her hand in his class!

Ambrosia Milos... And he later learned she was just as interested as he was...

Enough of the love stuff...

Anbrosia was also very intelligent and was a physicist--a scientist who had no real use of religion, especially since she was doing on-the-edge research that was so important that she and the college president had been required to sign a confidentiality statement for the government!

Her theoretical hypothesis was on tunneling...and that's all I'm going to say, because, frankly, I didn't understand enough to give you more information. LOL

Actually, I might also add not to get too excited when Professor Jones starts talking at the beginning of his own lecture... I promise that the book does not get into too much in-depth concepts/info in either physics or comparative religion, and readers will not need to totally understand all that is explained...LOL

The key, though, was that the merge of Simon and Ambrosia was not just love and sexually--it was also intellectually. Those two minds combined made "it" happen! What? Why walking through walls of course!

Now an interesting thing was that Ambrosia's mother had been doing that for years...

What this all means for readers is that there is a mystery to solve--there is danger because others want to learn and obtain the basis and use of Ambrosia's work, and, of course, there are the rich and powerful forever looking for immortality (Ok, I just can't figure out why...if I accept the Christian principle that it happens, then fine--if I accept the scientific fact that we all die, then why search for some fantasy, but anyway I digress...)

It is a great novel! Definitely not chick lit, a cozy mystery or anything similar. When two brilliant researchers get together you must know that you will be reading college-level subject material. It was deep, complex, and briefly over my head but not so much that I couldn't comprehend what was happening. In fact, I loved it!

What I don't know...though...is if this can be done in reality... That's where Stan leaves me...is he really teaching us about his principles of exploring human potential within his fiction? And should I get a book of self-hypnosis and study out-of-body experiences? Thanks, Stan, for continuing to make me think, even while I'm thoroughly enjoying learning about your, excuse me, Simon's virginity issues. Enjoy this one!


GABixlerReviews

Stanislaw Kapuscinski

An architect, sculptor and writer was educated in Poland and England. Since 1965 he has resided in Canada. His special interests cover a broad spectrum of arts, sciences and philosophy. His fiction and non-fiction attest to his particular passion for the scope and the development of Human Potential.

Under his real name he published six non-fiction books sharing his vision of reality. He also composed two collections of poems in his original native tongue in which he satirizes his view of the world while paying homage to Bozena Happach's sculptures.

As an architect [RIBA, MRAIC, OAQ ret.] he designed a number of high rise buildings in Montreal, including Regency Hyatt Hotel (now Delta), Place Mercantile, Headquarters for the Mutual Alliance, as well as a number of low and middle-rise structures for private clients. In the National Capital he was the associate in charge of design of Royal Bank Headquarters on Sparks Street.

BTW, Stan, I'd call you a looker, too...LOL

John S. Craig Brings Historical Heroes, Rogues and Spies to Life Again!

Ian Fleming's image of James Bond; commissioned to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Aristotle tutoring Alexander (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Heroes, Rogues, and 
  Spies

By John S. Craig

What I've found during my later years when I have more time to read, is that what we may have learned in our history books way back when may have been based upon faulty or outdated information...Not intentional, but when today's historian takes the time to put things together and update it through an analysis of further writings, any reader gains a new perspective at a minimum, and so much more information than from school texts. John S. Craig in Heroes, Rogues and Spies,  has once again provided us with this type of analysis, this time centering in on individuals who have gained recognition from either their noteworthy actions in earlier times or in recent past. I met John through his first research activities presented in Peculiar Liaisons in War, Espionage, and Terrorism of the Twentieth Century. I'm republishing that review since it's been awhile and warrants another sharing...

We all recognize the name Alexander The Great and his major role in history. Here's a couple of small tidbits that you may find as interesting as I did... Alexander believed he was the son of Zeus and immortal! Of course, that belief ended as he grew older and finally died. Though he routinely visited oracles and there were others who led him to believe his immortality, what we do know is that his actions did speak louder than his words, whether or not he was immortal. Also much more interesting was his working to begin a large, major library and that he was taught by Aristotle, as requested by his father, about Homer's works, and especially, The Iliad and The Odyssey, which Alexander used as literal war manuals...while, since his time, it has been questioned whether they were merely stories written by authors and poets of that time...

Imagine if you would, our own children believing Superman, Spiderman, et.al., were real and molded their actions based upon reading about them. Was that what really happened with Alexander--a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Urban_II

Pope Urban II encouraged Christian Crusaders to "recapture" the Holy Land in 1095... Soon Christians were killing Jews and Muslims. I wonder what would have happened if, upon finding that they were murdering people, that the Pope would have called all the Crusaders back home... Instead, readers of Craig will find an overview of the religious murders that continued through and up to Bush's declaring a "crusade against terrorism." And it continues...on and on...

With an anthology, reviewers can't possibly cover all that is within each book, so I've honed in on some of the "trivia" I learned, in addition to Craig's comprehensive analysis of his chosen characters. For instance, did you know that one of our well-known authors, Edgar Allan Poe, died under mysterious circumstances that are still not uncovered? And that he had just proposed marriage to the woman he loved? Wow, would I like to see that "cold case" solved!

And did you know that Fatima had secrets that may have surrounded an attempt on Pope John Paul II's life?!

Everybody supports Craig's choice of James Bond as a hero...And the ultimate question is always, which actor is your favorite...I've always picked the first one, but Pierce Brosnan "feels" more real to me, besides being good-looking...Ha! Admittedly I learned that Bond did not exist as one person, but that his career was much like the author, Ian Lancaster Fleming and many others involved with British naval intelligence. Interestingly, William Stephenson, Churchill's secret U.S. envoy proclaimed that Casino Royale, the first story "would not sell because the plot was based too much on realistic intelligence work -- 'truth is always too believable.'"

Actually, I think both Sean Connery more closely matches the author's original concept shown above? 

So I had to share about at least one woman among all of these historical figures! You may have seen information on her as a member of the Baader-Meinhof Gang...part of the Twentieth Century Terror Chapter covered by the author.

Here's the first paragraph of a 2007 BBC news article that announced the release of Clare Murphy, one of the last members of this group:

As a German court orders the release of one of the last members of the Baader-Meinhof gang remaining behind bars, Clare Murphy recalls the long terror campaign waged by the country's most notorious urban guerrilla group. - BBC 2007

But I, myself, was intrigued by the woman who was dubbed the "Gloria Steinem of the German Media" although, no matter your opinion of Gloria, I don't think there is a parallel with Ulrike Meinhog, who wrote for "a Hamburg magazine devoted to sex and leftist ideology--although admittedly Gloria did have some involvement with the former...

Actually, although I've taken a lighter look at these historical figures, I must quickly point out that James. S. Craig's book is a serious review of a motley group of people--ranging over hundreds of years. Yet most will at least recognize the names... (see below for book tags covered). The book represents the work of a true historian who has done his research, providing ample references, and creating an overview that is quick to read, timely and still very informative. However, with this type of book, I tend to read it over a period of weeks, keeping it handy so that you can pick it up and read each memorable story. It helps me to remember better, so I pass this suggestion on to you...As with Craig's first book, Peculiar Liaisons in War, Espionage, and Terrorism of the Twentieth Century, which I read and reviewed a number of years ago, and which I'm sharing on my blog at this time, these are both suggested as part of your permanent home library. Historians and writers of historical fiction will find these books, including their bibliographies, valuable resources. Highly recommended for those who want to see how history is formed and changed...updated into a new history...As you can see from the few references listed below...history is often today's news!


GABixlerReviews

John S. Craig was born and lives in Colorado. He has published and researched in the fields of history, communication, technology, crime, and travel. He is an instructor at the University of Colorado where he has taught writing and communication for twenty years. He is the author of Peculiar Liaisons in War, Espionage, and Terrorism in the Twentieth Century (Algora) and Heroes Rogues, and Spies. A collection of short stories, Blanket of Crickets and Other Stories, will be published in early 2013.

Book's Tags: Ancient History / The Vanishing of the Place of the Muses -- The Alexandrian Library / The Mentors of Alexander the Great / The Foundation and Legacy of the Medieval Crusades / American Wild West / The Search for General Custer -- The Kidder Massacre / The Battle of Beecher Island / The Battle of Summit Springs / Notorious / Edgar Allan Poe and His Mysterious Death / The Secrets of Fatima and the Plot to Kill Pope John Paul II / MK-Ultra and the Throw Away Assassins / Foreshadows of President Kennedy's Assassination / The Strange and Troubling Personal Life of Adolf Hitler / American Sports / The Legendary Lives of Hobey Baker and Byron “Whizzer” White / Whatever Happened to College Football's Flying Wedge? / Army's Greatest College Football Duo -- Blanchard and Davis / World War / The Legacy of the War to End All Wars / Celebrity Spies of the World Wars / Was General George S. Patton a Victim of an Assassination? / ColonelClaus Von Stauffenberg's Failed Assassination Attempt on Adolf Hitler / The Facts and Fiction of James Bond / Fiction and a Hero Based on Truth: James Bond / Ian Fleming's Black Ops of World War II/ Bond’s Villains and the Modern Terrorist / Twentieth Century Terror -- Baader-Meinhof Gang to Al Qaeda / The Playboy and the Blonde Marxist / Terrorist Training and Revolutionary Alliances / Japanese Red Army and Black September / Dead End to Terror and Promises to Keep

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Take A Look At John S. Craig's First Book...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Hari

Peculiar Liaisons in War,

Espionage, and Terrorism 

of the Twentieth Century

By John S. Craig

During a time when "war on terrorism" is a household word, many of us reflect on events that have touched our lives. The old questions of "who, what, when, and where" somehow have become more real as we ponder what would lead individuals to force the crash of planes into buildings. Why would young people become suicide bombers? To many of us, it's "not quite real." Many times, there are no answers.

http://www.fold3.com/page/83001112_us_president_john_f_kennedy/ 

The assassination of John F. Kennedy is one of those mysteries. He was murdered the year I started my career. We were all called into the boss' office and we stood, stunned, confused, and somehow, afraid. John S. Craig in Peculiar Liaisons: In War, Espionage, and Terrorism in the Twentieth Century brings back memories of that time. He provides no answers; however, he provides a consolidation of names beyond the one we all know-Lee Harvey Oswald. Many of us have been unsatisfied that one man was behind the assassination of Kennedy. Books have been written examining what happened and proposing alternatives to solve the mystery. Mr. Craig, however, has provided a major chapter bringing together facts-clues of those individuals who may have had ties to Oswald, highlighting, especially, David Ferrie, who may have been an accomplice. He's made a major effort to compile what factual information is available and present it for the reader's use-to consider or to research further.

Peculiar Liaisons reads almost like a novel. Indeed for those who buy this book to gain a deeper understanding of what may have brought about today's events, it captures our interest and provides sufficient narrative to satisfy our needs. However, historians will want to add this book to their personal library. By selecting personalities who have played major roles in the century's history, Craig has provided a significant research effort that pulls together important individuals who played roles, sometimes behind the scenes and with less notoriety.

Captain Dragutin Dimitrijevic, was the first highlighted in Peculiar Liaisons. Known as "The Bull" or "Apis," Dimitrijevic slaughtered the Serbian king and queen, and later formed The Black Hand (with the aim of uniting all Serbs). He recruited young men infected with tuberculosis and promised these men with terminal disease a way to "make a mark" for Serbia through assassinations of enemies. One of his liaisons, a teenager named Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Austria-Hungary's heir apparent, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This act helped trigger the nightmare of World War I.

Chapter Two provides an excellent overview of two historical legends, the "Queen and Ace of Spies." Mata Hari is one of the most famous spies, having been featured in several movies and books. About herself, she said, "she was a much better harlot than traitor." Her supposed liaisons included the Ace of Spies, Britain's Sidney Reilly, Admiral Wilmelm Canaris, as well as many other high-level officials during World War I. Interestingly, their legends may have become so complicated that their allegiance is still in question--for which countries did they spy and to which countries were they loyal? Even today, their lives remain mysteries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film)

Tactical Deception, a skill much used throughout history, dates back to times surrounding familiar stories such as the Trojan Horse and the Japanese Ninja who used their stealth techniques in the twelfth century to gather intelligence for warlords. Participants in both world wars used deception as a major weapon. Thomas Lawrence-also known as John Hume and T. E. Shaw-used even the minor deception of different names to further his exploits. Most of us automatically picture this man with his Arabian robes and headdress flying behind, as he races across the desert as Lawrence of Arabia. Indeed the chapter covering his exploits and other operations at this time provide an exciting read.

Discussions and actions surrounding the development of bombs began in the late 30's.

Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt, which helped impel the creation of the Manhattan Project. The race for the atomic bomb was on! In 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The role of Colonel James Doolittle and others highlight this dramatic time in Chapter Four.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Canaris

It turned out for me that I became intrigued with Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, who served as head of the German military intelligence bureau. We all remember Adolf Hitler and may also know about Reinhard Heydrich who carried out orders from Hitler and, on his own initiative, to cause the death of millions. Two excellent chapters report on involved individuals. It was a welcome note to me, of German descent, to learn that Admiral Canaris (and others) was anti-Hitler and worked to sabotage Hitler's plans as much as possible and was even willing to refuse direct orders to assassinate individuals.

Peculiar Liaisons, in focusing on involved individuals and their relationships, has provided a solid base of information beyond headlines and the average history text.

In addition to covering significant historical actions since the beginning of the century, including World Wars I and II, Craig includes small tidbits from his research that often bring a smile or cause one to ponder:

Zoroaster, a man born in the sixth century BC, in what is now Iran, claimed to be the spokesman of the one true God. Zoroastrianism was the principal religion in Persia for approximately one thousand years. Three major religions followed. Many wars have been fought, presumably based on religion.

The German government published an official statement that no proof of the guilt of Mata Hari, known as the Queen of Spies, could be found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Doolittle

Officials considered bringing Major T. E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, to provide a positive force to assist Hitler-that Lawrence was the kind of man who could have gotten Hitler on the right track. Lawrence was killed before this could occur.

Major R. Meinertzhagen, known as the Deception Master, once shared that when he met Hitler, Hitler came forward, threw up his arm and exclaimed "Heil Hitler." Thinking it odd to "heil" himself, he responded "Heil Meinertzhagen."

General Jimmy Doolittle led a volunteer group that was essentially a suicide mission, to exact retribution for the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Wernher von Braun, a captured Nazi, later became the chief designer of the rocket that sent Americans to the moon.

Fuchida, flight commander of the assault on Pearl Harbor, later was inspired by an American missionary, Jacob DeShazer, one of Doolittle's Raiders, and became a devout Christian and traveled the world teaching the message of forgiveness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien, British author, used what he experienced and witnessed in the trenches and battlefields for material that went into The Book of Lost Worlds, the foundation of The Lord of the Rings, one of the most read pieces of fiction of the twentieth century.

Henry Ford financially backed Adolf Hitler. Hitler told a reporter that he regarded Ford as his inspiration.

Ustasha administrator Vjekoslav Luboric moved hundreds of typhus-infected inmates to war camps that had been disease free in order to spread the disease.

General Heydrich was dishonorably discharged from the German Navy.

Madame Kitty, head of "Salon Kitty," a bordello, used her women to spy on fellow Nazi officers for 
General Heydrich. Please note the videos were added by BRH NOT the author and used purely to illustrate films based upon history and covered in this text. Be advised, R-Rated Trailer... Thankfully, the second trailer for a later movie is more G Rated, so somewhere along the way, people began to realize that trailers needed to be G rated because everybody could potentially see them... I must say, though, that the first trailer portrayed the story line much more effectively...Let me know what you think since I'm a fan of trailers almost as much as reading the book or seeing the movie!

Kerry Thornley, a fellow Marine of Lee Harvey Oswald, said Oswald made such an impression on him that he wrote the novel, The Idle Warriors, months before Oswald's involvement in the assassination was known.

And so it continues...

Peculiar Liaisons is a significant research effort. Are today's actions molded from history? Perhaps, more specifically, are individuals, who may be viewed as heroes or enemies, depending upon your perspective or background, actually who influences us? John Craig has pulled together facts. Interesting facts. Horrible facts. His book can stand alone from which to learn. But, his references and selected bibliography provide a solid basis for further study. In the midst of the "War on Terror," Peculiar Liaisons should be on your bookshelf.


GABixlerReviews

John S. Craig was born and lives in Colorado. He has published and researched in the fields of history, communication, technology, crime, and travel. He is an instructor at the University of Colorado where he has taught writing and communication for twenty years. He is the author of Peculiar Liaisons in War, Espionage, and Terrorism in the Twentieth Century (Algora) and Heroes Rogues, and Spies. A collection of short stories, Blanket of Crickets and Other Stories, will be published in early 2013.

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BRH Thanks Hillel Damron for Sharing Final Word...

Israeli soldiers coming back from the Lebanon war. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

IAF Roundel for the F-4E that attacked SAM batteries in 1982 Israel-Lebanon war (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

His Blood

His Blood Soaked a Land Not His.

       In the shadow of foreign groves, his body was chopped;

       his image was lost amidst the smoke of an alien war.

Farewell, my son

       In a struggle he wasn't born to fight, his beauty was destroyed;

       his eyes were blinded by visions he wasn't meant to see.

Farewell, my brother

       Over burning fields and darkening dunes, his spirit hovered;

        his soul towards different worlds ascended.

Farewell, my friend

       Not violent he was, not consumed by vengeance and hate.

       He was just a boy.

His blood soaked a land not his.

                                                                –Hillel F. Damron

The poem was published in the literary supplement

 of the Israeli newspaper On Guard, 

during the Lebanon War of 1982.

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