Book Reviews: Movie and DVD reviews here

The China Study - a review (T. Colin Campbell. Ph.D)

Damn! This book has had such a major impact on my life, that I have held off reviewing it here. I wanted to do it right - but since I can't seem to get the review "right" it has been sitting in limbo. So here goes a "late-night-off-the-cuff-after-a-couple-of-beers-review." Weighed down with statistics and data from decades of research and studies, this book is anything but an enjoyable read. Yet it is difficult to put down. The arguments are so tight, and the information so relevant to living the good life, that it is hard to not want to consume the whole laborious read in one sitting (my 13 year old son picked it up one morning and devoured the first fourteen chapters).
This book was an (unlikely) Christmas present from my parents, or I may never have read it. The information isn't really new. But the fact that it is backed up by mountains of research, and yet is being actively repressed by the powers it threatens makes it all the more powerful. Basically it says follow the same eating habits the hippies have been promoting for the last thirty years, and you can't get heart disease, cancer or auto-immune diseases. Can't get them. They can't prosper without animal protein. So keep the animal protein (particularly dairy) to a minimum, and eat only whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts...). For the past five weeks I have been doing the best (but not religiously) to follow the findings of the studies, without any expectations. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. I used to have the hardest time getting out of bed. When I exercised or walked, it felt like I was carrying my body around. Now I am hyper. I jump out of bed in the morning, I work out. I go on long hikes... daily. It is almost too much. My persona was built around being mellow. Being in love with being in bed. Being calm and consistent. It really has been a bit tough, on me and my friends (who IS this guy, and what happened to el Deano?). Highly recommended.Buy The China Study here

Better OffBy Eric Brende

Her reservations about clothes-washing notwithstanding, Mary was on the spot. Our relationship had heated up well beyond the level of friendship. Fortunately for me, she had never been emotionally attached to her job, and the potted plant in her office simply did not satisfy her hankering for the country. On the other hand, she had a list of unanswered questions: How heavy was the work? How long were the hours? What about refrigeration? What about food preparation? When I pointed out that people have been living without modern gadgetry for thousands of years, she finally gave in, brimming with curiosity to see how they did it.

We tied the knot at St. Paul's Church ten days before the scheduled arrival at our new home. To live in close quarters with a group like this, you had to be properly married. It would be premature to say, however, whether ours was a marriage of convenience.

We decided to shoot for an expedition of eighteen months—enough time to experience a full change of season. Mary agreed to go along on one condition: that she would get the deciding vote in the decision of where to live after we finished our "fieldwork."

And so, svelte assistant at my side, I set out in the general direction of a still-mysterious clique of manual laborers, imbued with one lone hope: that they might lend me a hand in my experiment. How hard and time-consuming was this life "without laborsaving machines"? And was it one Mary and I would consider leading ourselves? I dearly hoped the exercise would not amount to a sheer test of endurance. What I really wanted to discover was a balance between too much machinery and too little, or better yet, how to arrive at it wherever one found oneself. This knowledge was what modern society lacked and what I hoped my yet-unknown neighbors would provide some clue to.

 An Illuminating and enlightening book.  It made me crave my days of living "off-the-grid."
Some great deals on Better Off ($2.50 last I checked).

The Universe is Conspiring...

...to make your life BETTER. This concept is sometimes known as Pronoia (the opposite of Paranoia) a term floating around since the sixties, and the title of Rob Brezny's (Free Will Astrology) new book. 

"Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings"  is the elongated title of Free Will Astrology's Rob Brezsny new book.  It has been compared to Be Here Now (written by Ram Das over thirty years ago).  Brezsny is attempting to counteract cynicism and apocalyptical fantasies with "pronoia."

I am still reading this (as well as a dozen other books as per usual), here is my favorite quote at the moment from the book (but actually stated by Robert Anton Wilson)  - "You should view the world as a conspiracy run by a very close-knit group of nearly omnipotent people, and you should think of those people as yourself and your friends."

You can listen to Rob discuss Pronoia on the RU Sirius show here.
Some items from Rob's list of actions to build your pronoia;
6. Brag about yourself nonstop for 10 minutes. Record it so you can listen back to it later.
7. Perform a senseless act of altruism, for instance by giving an anonymous gift or providing some beauty or healing to a person who cannot do you any favors in return.
10. Build an altar devoted to beauty, truth, and love in one of the ugliest places you know.
12. Compose and perform a ceremony in which you get married to yourself. Click here to find your copy of Pronoia

Share a Secret 

 PostSecret is amazing. People mail in (like real snailmail) postcards with a secret written on them. Soul-bearing comments, some impressive artwork, and even stories to go along with some of them. And it is updated regularly. Becoming one of the top blogs. Check out the new PostSecret book.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill : A Love Story . . .with Wings by Mark Bittner

Suprisingly well written, although the latter parts get a bit weak.  A heartfelt account, that pulls no punches and lets you inside his mind and heart.  A true eccentric, but rare one, in that he lets you in... Click to buy The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill : A Love Story . . .with Wings

Freakonomics  by Steven Levitt and Dubner

A fun perspective on economics, easy to read, clear and entertaining, how economics boks can you say that about?.  Do Sumo Wrestlers cheat?  How about teachers?  And if so, HOW can you prove it?  Freakonomics describes how diverse theories can be proved, and problems solved with the analysis of statistics. Click to Buy Freakonomics