I get e-mails and texts all the time asking me ‘who exactly is Paul Bruin?’ and ‘what exactly is Bruin’s Wake?’ Most of the questions come from either my growing fan base or just curious individuals anxious to know why Paul Bruin wants to friend them on Facebook.  Well, to answer their inquiries, Paul Bruin is an amalgamation of several different individuals I grew up with in Memphis, TN.  Suffice to say, Paul Bruin is not an exact, cloned, carbon copy of myself but rather a mixture of several different characters, myself being one of them.  Many of the experiences Paul Bruin faces in the book, actually happened in the author’s life including, but not limited to, attending a private Catholic high school in Memphis, joining the Marine Corps at the age of 18, running a marathon, playing major college football, writing the Great American Novel and having been falsely accused and wrongly convicted of a crime.  Paul’s enemies are numerous, mean and vindictive.  The major players include Brian Gowan, a former high school friend of Paul’s who has inherited the beautiful gene from his mother and the stupid gene from his father and who can’t seem to find a way to stop disrupting Paul’s life in any way he can.  Next there’s Allison Tressle, the lie-mongering , local newswoman who fiends for sex and unearned money.  Under highly suspicious circumstances, she becomes Paul’s stepmother in the book by marrying Paul’s widower father, George Bruin, and is a non-stop schemer, much like her attention-seeking ,real-life counterparts.  Dick Cordella, the Germantown Police Officer, is the pistol-packing homosexual who has had it in for Paul ever since hacking into his wife’s e-mail account and discovering all the lurid  messages Paul has sent her.  Dick fulfills an important role throughout the book.  It is his specific actions, words and tomfoolery that will eventually absolve Paul and subsequently the author from any and all wrongdoing, supposed shenanigans and felonious behavior.   Finally, there is Clinton Weeks, the meth-addicted maniac who murders Paul Bruin’s beloved mother during Paul’s junior year of high school.   Clinton is arrested in Part 1 of Bruin’s Wake, only to escape in Part 2, reuniting with his mother, super-dyke Tura Weeks, in Part 3.  Clinton is about as stupid and senseless as they come, bragging non-stop about all the drugs he’s done in his lifetime and continuing to make meth even while on the lam.  He does however possess one burning passion.  To get even with the one person, both he and his cellmate back in federal prison, want dead: Paul Bruin.
So you see Bruin’s Wake really is the story of Paul Bruin, an enigmatic character who traipses from one adventure to the next.  Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas.  The ‘Mad’ County Jail. Florida State University.  Oxford, Mississippi.  They’re all the places Paul leaves a little bit of himself in his ‘wake’ and they’re all stops on the road leading back to Memphis as a Confederacy of Dunces aims to bring him down.  But will pride, his greatest nemesis of all, finally get the best of him?

Paul Bruin is not a real person, per se, but the things that befall him all are, or at least people can relate to them.
Now, Bruin’s Wake, is the story of Paul Bruin, again, an enigmatic character who traipses from one adventure to the next.

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Dan Agin: Book Review: Here Be Dragons (The Huffington Post)

This book is a grand time-and-space voyage of the imagination, the drift of continents, the appearance and rise and fall and extinction of new species, the human story with all its tragedy and complexity.

Book Review: A Country of Vast Designs by Robert W. Merry (Blogcritics.org)

An intriguing new history book is nearly ruined by a heavy-handed epilogue.

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snufukinlimbo posted a photo:

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Online Author And Book News

ISBN 978-0-9770866-8-9 is an e-book by Roland Hughes, published by Logical Solutions in 465 pages.

{mosimage} The story begins with a secret international team of al-Qaida fighters following and apprehending an offshore web master who is part of an al-Qaida cell, which, in turn, is part of a far-ranging network. From here, the scene shifts to the financial districts of the United States, and their never ending search for ways to save money. The CEO of a huge American bank, with large branches in France and Germany, is approached by a marketing company to offshore their operations. Such a move will save millions of dollars and, in the thoughts of the executive, produce a lucrative advancement. He is more concerned with this personal gain, and does not think through the proposition, even when given hints by his second in command, who is most knowledgeable. A software company becomes involved and contributes further to the maneuvers, and the story progresses to a horrendous financial debacle, and many associated reactions. A third element enters the picture – a group of traders who deal with insider information, have ties to Account Executives in Russia, with the Russian Mafia, with China, and with the coordinator of the occult al-Qaida fighters.

To provide more details would spoil, for the reader, a most interesting and thought-provoking proposal of a possible future American agenda.

With respect to the writing, Roland Hughes quite masterfully juggles the various elements, as they shift from one to the next. His characters are interesting, and the story’s progression is at a fine pace. I read an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book which contained spelling and grammar problems.  However, I understand the author has since had the manuscript fully edited and corrected. With removal of this jarring note, I should like to say that Roland Hughes has provided added enjoyment to a highly recommended read that presents some very serious thoughts to ponder, as well.

Purchase this exciting new book!

Roland Hughes is the president of Logikal Solutions, a business applications consulting firm specializing in VMS platforms. Hughes serves as a lead consultant with over two decades of experience using computers and operating systems originally created by Digital Equipment Corporation (now owned by Hewlett-Packard).

With a degree in Computer Information Systems, the author's experience is focused on OpenVMS systems across a variety of diverse industries including heavy equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, stock exchanges, tax accounting, and hardware value-added resellers, to name a few. Working throughout these industries has strengthened the author's unique skill set and given him a broad perspective on the role and value of OpenVMS in industry.

To read more:  http://www.infiniteexposure.net

This is a story of Alan F. Kay, a man who dared to do. Kay, 82, developed the idea for a shared information exchange for the financial services industry in 1968, well before the Internet and the Bloomsburg news services made it commonplace. His name might be confused with another man; Alan Curtis Kay who conceived the Dynabook, a 1970’s predecessor to today’s laptops, notebook computers and E-books as well as the graphical user interface that we use to work in a Mac or Windows environment. Alan F. Kay is no less inventive, nor his scientific contributions less important. But his contributions to the public interest may be more noteworthy.

{mosimage}In the early 1980’s after, leaving AutEx, a company he had co-founded and led for sixteen years, Kay became one of the national leaders in the nuclear arms freeze movement. While at odds with the Reagan Administration, Kay joined with billionaire Armand Hammer, among others, to found a non-profit institute for U.S.-Soviet relations. His more recent accomplishments are in public interest polling; those had the most interest to me. (Full disclosure: my wife is a programmer for a market research company that conducts public interest polls.)

Kay was trained as a theoretical mathematician, earning a bachelor’s degree from MIT and a doctorate from Harvard. From reading this memoir, Militant Millionaire Peacenik, Memoir of a Serial Entrepreneur, I got the impression that Kay tried to take a rational approach to survey research, at least to the point where questions were carefully designed, as not to be politically biased.

One of his surveys, conducted in 1991 through an entity he created called America Talks Issues (ATI), was quite relevant to today; it was a survey on solutions that could lead to energy independence. This survey asked respondents to consider eighteen proposals for improving the U.S. energy supply. These ranged from expanding fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to conservation measures. Each respondent was asked to determine if each proposal had the potential to improve the economy as well as the environment.

The ATI survey results revealed five “triple winners,” proposals that had more than fifty percent support as positive contributions to out energy supply, as well as the economy and the environment. The most popular proposal was for renewable-energy electric generating systems based on wind, solar, and hydro or water power. The next “triple winners” were fuel-efficient cars, trains and planes, new efficient systems for lighting, for pumping and mechanical processes, and for heating, refrigeration and air conditioning. The fifth was a new fuel—like hydrogen or alcohol—to begin to replace gasoline. And interestingly enough, one of the biggest losers was drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore—nothing close to majority support for a Republican mantra of the 2008 presidential election: Drill Baby Drill.

And I repeat, this survey was taken seventeen years ago. The solutions were available then, but political leadership was not. It is worth reading this book to see the results of the other surveys on such topics as the federal budget deficit, arms sales, and government reform. Kay’s point is that Americans, when surveyed fairly, will accept solutions that are different than the ones that have broad political support. He explains this thought better than academics do, but academics receive more credibility because they have the prestige of their university behind them.     

Alan F. Kay is, by any account, a very successful man and he continues to be a non-partisan advocate for numerous public policy solutions. I could not consider him to be a liberal or conservative as much as a policy wonk. If you have your own wonkish tendencies, then visit www.AlanFKay.com. You’ll learn more from the Web site than you will from the memoir.

Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com.

Investigative Insight into a Financial Meltdown

Reviewed by Stuart Nachbar

These days I have to ask myself if book publishers and Wall Street make connected decisions on the release of business profile books. Is it mere coincidence that stories about AIG and Bear Stearns have appeared scant weeks after their failures were fait accompli with the business press?

{mosimage}Investigative journalist and television producer Danny Schechter asked that very same question in a new book: Plunder, Investigating our Economic Calamity and the Subprime Scandal. He explained that only a small press was willing to take on the title because Plunder did not fit the template for traditional business books where, in his own words, story telling trumps analysis. While Schecter has been part of news establishment himself—he produced ABC News’ 20/20 for seven years, part of an extremely long resume of credits—he prides himself on being an independent thinker.

Schechter’s experience shines throughout Plunder. He takes you step-by-step not only through the debt crisis that brought on the most recent federally-backed bailout, but also shows how the regulators and the national business news media were tacit collaborators with Wall Street and the Bush Administration. He does a better job at posing the pointed questions than someone like Michael Moore, who does not have either the education or professional journalistic experience.  Nor does he take sides with the Democratic Party, as Moore does. Schechter holds them equally to blame, though he shows some hope for Barack Obama in this story. He does, however, show materials from academic allies, the CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition as well as the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who calls Schecter a “human rights activist.” And his writing style is less dry than Al Gore’s.

But Plunder is not so much a business profile as it is a populist consumer book, a warning about how the debt crisis and the federal bailout will affect working individuals, as opposed to Wall Street executives. The faults I see with Plunder are that there are too many attributions to other books. (I am one who likes to see more of the author’s opinions); too many repeated digs at offenders on the same point; Schecter’s “back-stepping” on his own credentials (he denies expertise in finance, but he is writing about the subject and challenging expert decisions); and, his referral to himself as “The News Dissector,” which makes appear to be a Jim Cramer wannabee.  Cramer, the host of CNBC’s  Mad Money makes his living screaming aloud about the prospects of stocks, or the lack thereof. Schecter reserves some digs for Creamer’s earlier (and sunnier) predictions before the meltdown, though he avoids the fact that the “Mad Man’s” books have become bestsellers. I’d love to watch these two men in a televised shouting match—Schechter might actually win in a tough fight—but I doubt CNBC would allow it.

Plunder is biased, but it is a worthwhile and easy read for someone who knows little about economics and finance, or does not have the time to get into the nitty gritty of those subjects. I have some schooling in business, and for the most part I agree with Schechter’s analysis conclusions. But I also wonder, with the tone of the writing, if he’s shooting himself in the foot.

Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com.

I was intrigued when I heard about this book and wanted to learn more. Over the years, I have come to have a fascination with vampires or “vampirs” with a little help from my husband. He loves horrors and especially vampires. This is a great book for Halloween! This book is geared towards those people who are interested in becoming a vampire and gives you specific exercises to that end. It also covers werewolves and other intriguing dark entities. If you are already, a vampire it will help you bring new members into the vampiric lifestyle. The book covers many truths, facts and roots of vampirism as well as some false information. For instance, many of us have come to believe you can stop a vampire with a cross or holy water. This is not true. This book is detailed, bold, and at times scary!

I have enjoyed the things I learned from this book. I did not know vampires could shape-shift. There were little humorous excerpts in the book such as-(a toad in a hole reveals the presence of a vampire). Of course, this is not as widely accepted as the white mare that can sense death! Neither of these are true but part of the long lineage of folklore about such creatures. It is said that vampires are simply witches, shaman or brujos. The Navajo call them “skin walkers”. That alone conjures up horrifying images for me, especially after watching the movie! Remember flesh is matter, and matter is dead! However, keep in mind that not all vampires are evil. Remember the wonderful Disney movie the “Sword and The Stone”! Well read the book and find out exactly who and what Merlin and Arthur were?

While there are many interesting areas covered in this book, it is not for everyone. I found some of the exercises and entries to be disturbing, scary and at times whimsical in nature. I do not know if these exercises would actually work and I would not want to be experimenting with them on others or myself for that matter! While the book is entertaining, it struck me as unconvincing. That is up to the reader to decide. While I find this kind of reading interesting, I want to go on record as saying I do not believe in vampires, demons or witches. I do in fact try to be a good person and try to live by my Christian roots. I think that this is leading up to something that may or may not interest the public.

 There would be some hesitation on my part in recommending this book but to each their own. I hope that people will take it for what it is. So if you if you are thinking of becoming undead or want others to join your group, or want to self-initiate then this book, will give you that information and lead you in the regeneration movement.

By Stuart Nachbar

After finishing this story, I was reminded of a line from All in the Family: people who live in communes are communists (the small c is mine—not Archie Bunker’s). It’s not that people who choose communal living want to overthrow the government; they prefer a society where everyone shares equally in the fun and the work, and no one person prospers more than the others. And everyone must join in to protect the commune when it is attacked by outsiders who don’t understand it or consider the place to be too different to be “acceptable.” Too many wars and vocal sparring matches have been fought over communities who desired to be different and left alone to be different.

{mosimage}SomeplacElse is a communal place in Arizona, founded by Michael Allen, a formerly homeless person who was allowed to win a $200 million lottery. The community is guided by a Biblical verse, First Timothy which says: “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you.” After 12 years, SomeplacElse has garnered incredible wealth, not only money, but in scientific knowledge. But the community has also reached critical mass, employing 12,000 people.

Norm Larson, the main character, is a computer systems engineer who has been down on his luck in the job market for some time. He comes onto a Web site: ConsiderSE.com and is invited to take part in an extremely unique interview process. He not only gets a lift to the interview in a Prius stretch limousine, he gets to interview the company. SomeplacElse guarantees life-long employment and health care, freedom to choose projects, paid relocation, an interest-free loan, and free food and housing. This all comes at a price—a fixed salary of $20,000 a year per family member and a requirement to change tasks every 10 years. Larson not only gets hired on at SomeplacElse, he gets the top job as Advocate—because 253 people in the commune know he’ll always do the right thing!

As Larson settles in as Advocate, Adam Wainwright, car mechanic turned race car builder turned hard-partying multi-millionaire is resting on a huge lead in his campaign to become governor of Arizona. Backed by a conservative political and business cadre, Wainright goes to bat to keep a major defense contractor in the state, even as the state’s department of labor and bureau of land management have found that the company is using undocumented workers to dump toxic chemicals into the ground water. The husband of the director of the bureau of land management works at SomeplacElse, a motivation for Wainwright to call for an investigation into the “Godless hippee commune.”

The major confrontation between the forces of SomeplacElse and Wainwright takes place on Cinco De Mayo, the May 5th Mexican festival holiday. Wainwright stages a rally at the commune gates; he’ll claim that the commune is backed by Chinese money and exploits Mexican laborers and hail “free enterprise and the Christian soldiers who defend it.” However, Wainwright dies the night before the rally: he is later judged in a spiritual sense and found wanting, while Larson’s wife is badly injured trying to get through the rally. Spiritual judging is used to resolve the story, though I wished there had been a real conflict at the gates instead.

Archie Bunker was never proven wrong about communal living, though Adam Wainwright and his loose-moral friends lost in the end of this story. The ingenuity of SomeplacElse by itself makes this read worthwhile if you like utopias in your science fiction—and on that score I learned a lot from the story. I prefer a little more conflict when a utopia is under attack, but then, I’ve been accused of reading too many super hero books.

Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com.