We're Moving!

I began writing another blog on wordpress about a month ago and I've really enjoyed the capabilities it provides you, especially compared to the diminished quality of Blogger. They've made some changes that make it difficult to include media in a way that I think would be convenient for my audience. So I decided to start another blog there for my book reviews and migrate the content. I fallen off the wagon with reading books and I hope to get back into it soon and do some more reviewing. The URL is http://bereketshelf.wordpress.com/ and I hope you'll be able to make it over there without any problem.

Who Writes The "About the Author" Section Of The Book?

In this video Christopher Buckley tells a funny story about what happened when he decided to have fun with the autobiography on the backflap of his books.

Christopher Buckley on advising Pres. Taft

Don't Double Cross Me: The Spies Who Made D-Day A Success

I find espionage a fascinating topic whether in real life or in Bond films. Of course, in real life the suspense and amazement is greater because you know it isn't a game-at least, not one you want to lose. The fact that the D-Day invasion was successful is astounding given the difficulty of keeping the operation secret and the multiple close calls when the secret almost got out. There's an interesting story about the codenames for some of the beaches finding their way into a newspaper crossword puzzle several months before the invasion.

Well, Ben Macintyre's book looks very interesting to me and in the video below explains what the book is about with passion and excitement. I only hope that his book is as well written. Macintyre focuses on the work that MI-5 did to keep the operation a secret, especially by tricking the Germans into believing that the invasion would happen at Pas de Calais. The reason why they were able to deceive the Germans was because they were certain that Patton would lead the invasion and so a fictitious army of plastic tanks, planes, vehicles, and other equipment was constructed in order to make it look so. For weeks after the landing the Germans still were convinced that the real invasion was yet to come. Macintyre has written a couple of books on espionage and seems to have a knack for it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/historybookreviews/9183328/Double-Cross-by-Ben-Macintyre-review.html

Richard Brookhiser's James Madison

I have for you a great writer and an interesting subject. Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor at National Review and has written several other books on the Founders. I always enjoy watching him in an interview because he really makes history come alive for me in eye-opening ways. He talks about men who lived 200 years ago as if they're alive today.

James Madison is an interesting figure whom people don't know much about. I find it interesting to read about men who today are remembered in history but who, at the time, probably did not seem to be destined for greatness. Madison wasn't a great speaker at all but he was very intelligent and passionate about his political beliefs. He was also very shy. He is known as the Father of the Constitution but Brookhiser says he is also the Father of Politics and was the first President to have a political First Lady. Madison lead the first party with Jefferson, the Anti-Federalists. He was also one of the first English speakers to use the phrase "public opinion."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/books/review/james-madison-by-richard-brookhiser-book-review.html

Groseclose on Media Bias

Tim Groseclose's  Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind is on my hopelessly long and growing reading list. I have had the privilege of enjoying his writings on Ricochet. I can tell from his posts that he is very rigorous and diligent in his work. He believes in the science part of political science and has worked to come up with a scientific way of measuring a person's political views and the media's bias. 


If you like some interaction then you'll like this book because there is a quiz you can take that will tell you what your PQ is, which stands for political quotient. Your PQ is where you are on the political spectrum. The average American's PQ score is 50.4 and your score is higher if more liberal and lower if more conservative. For the media he gives them an SQ (slant quotient) which is structured the same way and is based on 20 media outlets that Dr. Groseclose evaluated. The New York Times and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut both have an SQ and PQ, respectively, of 74. That means the paper has the same bias as a speech Sen. Lieberman gives on the floor. His research showed that 18 out of the 20 outlets were more liberal. His approach is to look at the facts that the media mention in order to determine where their bias lies. It's not really meant to show that one station or newspaper lies while another doesn't. 

You will have noticed by now that this book is for the analytic mind, especially quantitative analysis. This book is perfect for you if you like statistics, political science, or economics. However, he does write the book, and everything else for publication, in an accessible way and even the layman can find something useful and informative about in it. 


http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/12/can-math-prove-media-bias/?page=all

Ambassador Charles Hill, Fouad Ajami, and the World

I just got done watching the latest episode of UK with Fouad Ajami and Ambassador Charles Hill and my initial reaction: wow! Just wow.

That was absolutely the best discussion on foreign policy I've heard in a long time. My mind is still racing from what they've said. For enhanced visual effect they should have had a map of the world on the table-or a globe-because it was as if you were looking at the world i one glance and seeing how it all worked. A few thoughts I wanted to share:

I was struck by the connection between our foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan and the turmoil in other parts of the Middle East, namely Syria at the moment. Ajami sends it home when he says that it's not the tide of war that is receding (Obama's comment) but the tide of American power.

We had an opportunity to do something about Syria when Turkey's F-4 was shot down but there was no guidance from Washington. Again Ajami puts it pointedly when he describes an Erdogan stuck not knowing what to do because he wasn't getting any signals from Obama, much less a phone call.

I was struck by Ambassador Hill when he said that isolationist/anti-war rhetoric is not reading public opinion but feeding it. It is not leadership. The American people need to know the state of global affairs as discussed by these men and make an informed decision. It is up to the President or candidate to make that case.

The last thing I realized is that Obama is not so invulnerable on foreign policy as I fear I may have allowed. After watching this interview and looking at the world through a strategic lens there is no reason why Romney can't effectively challenge Obama on foreign policy.

My hope is that what was said makes it from their lips to Romney's ears. I think this is probably one of the best episodes of UK I've seen because of how relevant and insightful it is.

Michael Totten Goes To The Fatima Gate

I came across this interview that I first saw awhile back and it was one of those nice trips back in time with a video I forgot I enjoyed. Michael Totten seems like an interesting man and a unique journalist because of his talents and his personality. He seems to fit the stereotype of a foreign correspondent but says he's not the adrenaline junkie that some of his colleagues are. His time in the middle east gives depth and uniqueness to what he has to say and write. He knows what he's talking about. It's not an academic matter to him-it's real life.

His book The Road to Fatima Gate is an account of the events in Lebanon in the 2005-06 time period that involved the rise of Hezbollah and the proxy war between Iran and Israel. Given the events of the "Arab Spring" I think that anyone who has paid more attention to the region will find the book interesting since Lebanon was a predecessor to the revolutions that took place in other countries. Below is a link to the first part, of 5 parts, of the interview and, if you have 40 minutes available, a link to the entire interview.

Reviews:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/06/08/on_the_road_to_fatima_gate_110128.html

http://damianpenny.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/book-review-the-road-to-fatima-gate-by-michael-j-totten/

O'Reilly On Killing Lincoln

Most people think of Bill O'Reilly as the host of the primetime program The O'Reilly Factor but he does know a lot about history-much more than people recognize. He's written books on other topics but this is the first I've seen in recent years on history. I haven't read the book but it's on my "to-read list." O'Reilly knows how to cater to a broad audience and so I expect his book to be one that is accessible for the layman. He writes in a narrative style which I am coming to appreciate more and more. I think if you want to make history interesting there has to be some kind of a narrative. 

I think O'Reilly's most controversial claim is that Lincoln is the greatest president-before even Washington. He makes a legitimate case for him, pointing out that Washington's major successes came as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Well, that will start a debate that can go for hours into the night. In this interview with Glenn Beck, another history buff, you will learn a lot of interesting things about Lincoln and that period time. 

The Birth of Modern Chicago

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Luigi Zingales On Crony Capitalism

Luigi Zingales is the first crusader from Italy who is actually doing some good for the world. His book A Capitalism for the People: Recapturing the Lost Genius of American Prosperity is another in the defense of free enterprise. He rightly points out the difference between being pro markets and pro business, which too many people confuse. Over the last few years the idea of free markets has come under much assault from those who are outright against and from many others who have doubts in the wake of the recent financial crisis. It seems like this year, in particular, is seeing an intense debate over this topic with many books being published over the last few weeks on months. It could also be because we are in an election year and so more people are discussing it.

Many comparisons have been drawn between our future and what is going on in Greece due to the large amount of spending. But Zingales draws a comparison with his home country of Italy where there is rampant cronyism and corruption. Maybe our problem is that we are somewhere between Greece and Italy.