Review: The Bluegrass Conspiracy

The Bluegrass Conspiracy by Sally Denton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DEA agent running drugs for the Colombians while jumping out of planes, a female assassin, night vision and other materiel stolen from Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Calif., tricked out Cessna planes dodging radar from Central America to Kentucky ... whoa! All of this in a setting of bluegrass bluebloods and interesting cameos from the likes of clothing designer Suzy Creamcheese, judge-killing Charles Harrelson, an associate of the Dixie Mafia who also happened to be the father of the actor Woody Harrelson.

This has all the makings of an action drama!

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Review: The Bluegrass Conspiracy

The Bluegrass Conspiracy by Sally Denton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency

They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency by Malcolm W. Nance
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America

Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America by M. Stanton Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Black Like Me

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground by Michael Leigh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Magus

The Magus by John Fowles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Tangled Web: The Life and Death of Richard Cain - Chicago Cop and Mafia Hit Man

The Tangled Web: The Life and Death of Richard Cain - Chicago Cop and Mafia Hit Man by Michael J. Cain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: Tangled Webs: How False Statements Are Undermining America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff

Tangled Webs: How False Statements Are Undermining America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff by James B. Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: 2201 Fascinating Facts: 2 Vols. in One

2201 Fascinating Facts: 2 Vols. in One by David Louis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars



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Review: Medieval People

Medieval People by Eileen Power
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Dr. Hyde and Mr. Stevenson: The Life of the Rev. Dr. Charles McEwen Hyde, Including a Discussion of the Open Letter of Robert Louis Stevenson

Dr. Hyde and Mr. Stevenson: The Life of the Rev. Dr. Charles McEwen Hyde, Including a Discussion of the Open Letter of Robert Louis Stevenson by Harold Winfield Kent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What role did he play in the history of Hawaii? He was very influential in setting up of the Kamehameha Schools, the Bishop Museum, and various other institutions sponsored by the philanthropist Charles Reed Bishop. He was a major force behind the establishment of the Hawaiian Historical Society, a moving spirit in the development of the Library of Hawaii, and the founder of the Social Science Association in 1882 for which he served as secretary for seventeen years.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/281/2...

Dutton's Report on Father Damien

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Review: Kevin Smith: Silent But Deadly

Kevin Smith: Silent But Deadly by Kevin Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew

The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew by Alan Lightman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Beatles: The Biography

The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From my 2007 interview with Pat Kearns of Blue Skies For Black Hearts:

So, before I forget, when I was talking to your publicist , I happened to be in the middle of reading a John Lennon biography. We were talking about books and reading, and she said, I had to mention that when I spoke to you.

PK: That's awesome. Which one?

I think his name was… by, uh Spitz? It was a biography of The Beatles and then I had just read the biography by Cynthia Lennon by a guy named Spitz and I'd read them back-to-back. So, they had in common two different views, sometimes contradictory of John Lennon.

PK: Yeah, he's a complex individual. I like them a lot though. I mean, I like all the Beatles. You know, John and George as far as the songwriter. Well, I like Paul’s stuff. I don't know. I can't make a favorite. But yeah, I mean, they definitely rubbed off on me, big time. I think Lennon is such an interesting fella. So many contradictions, so much passion.

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Review: John

John by Cynthia Lennon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: You Must Go and Win: Essays

You Must Go and Win: Essays by Alina Simone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It's Too Late

Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It's Too Late by Deborah Birx
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

And then there was the surface sampling on the Diamond Princess. It was bad enough that not everyone on board her was tested every day, but after passengers disembarked, surfaces on the ship were swabbed for the virus. Of course, the PCR test showed SARS-CoV-2 everywhere. RNA fragments can survive on surfaces where the full-length infectious virus may not. What was left behind, therefore, couldn’t infect people. Experts should have understood this immediately, or investigated it quickly. By doing that, they would have eliminated the possibility that surface contamination was contributing to spread. Inadvertently this swabbing led to the “surface transmission” theory of Covid-19 spread, producing the run on disinfecting wipes across the globe, the religious quarantining of packages, and the habitual wiping down of all groceries for weeks. And it was another distraction from the true source of continued spread: the infected experiencing no symptoms and transmitting the virus to others.

Research News
COVID’s Catch-22: The paradox of masking and disease
There's a paradox at play in the dynamics between mask-wearing and the spread of disease: While masking reduces transmission rates and consequently disease prevalence, the reduction of disease inhibits mask-wearing — thereby promoting epidemic revival. A new study led by researchers at the University of Virginia, co-authored by SFI's Simon Levin and Stefani Crabtree, explores these dynamics.

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