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Content by Ian Gordon Mal...
Commentateur n° : 14
Votes Utiles:
616
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Reviews Written by
Ian Gordon Malcomson (Smithers, Canada)
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The World of an Obsessive-Compulsive P.I., Nov 27 2009
I am not going to take up a lot of space reviewing the contents of this light-hearted and amusing tale in the extraordinary life of one very unique private investigator other than to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a spin-off from the now-discontinued TV production by the same name, "Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse" and others in the novel series provide a delightfully satisfying read when it comes to following Adrian Monk's antics as he chases down the criminal and ties up all the loose ends. Besides being obsessive-compulsive by nature, which presents its own set of peculiar problems to his friends and acquaintances, Monk is man with an uncanny sense of drawing conclusions on the smallest of detail and the flimsiest of evidence. While the reader might be privy to Monk's very strong early hunches in the investigation of two very complex and interrelated murders in the Bay area, there is no way of avoiding being caught up in the excitement of his hunt for that last incontrovertible piece of evidence that will finally tag his suspect with the evil deed. Once again an enjoyable and humorous read of a writer who knows how to keep his reader's attention.
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India on the Cusp, Nov 27 2009
Business writer and commentator, Mira Kamadar, has written a very powerful expose on the awakening of the Indian economy in the 21st century. Her detailed study portrays a land that is starting to emerge as one of the key growth areas in global economy. For too long, India has been wiling its time away in living in the cultural grips of an anarchic and archaic past. Now that the world of leverage financing has hit the its shores, East Indians are now starting to assert themselves as economic forces to be reckoned with. While Kamdar makes a strong case for India becoming a giant in global markets, what with its rising middle-class, surplus capital, and natural creativity, she does sound some ominous warnings about its futue. One, there is a huge part of the country's population that threatens to be left behind - something in the neighbourhood of 700 million poor people - as India attempts to modernize through high tech and expanding markets. Two, while the potential for growth is there, India still is not ready to assume a greater global market share because it doesn't have the products or services quite ready to be truly competitive. To overcome these two hurdles, Kamdar higlights some of the strategies that Indian corporations and governments are presently adopting like the creation of more affordable products such as the Tata car and the Avenger scooter, the formation of microfinancing banks, the investing in better infrastructure, the production of cheaper household goods, and the reform of a very corrupt political system. Since all these efforts require a lot of time, money and patience to implement, the Indian model for modernization, while promising, is fraught with all kinds of perils, some of which Kamdar doesn't get around to discussing in great detail in the book. For instance, because "Planet India" was released just before the world recession of 2008, little attention is given to how a credit meltdown would affect its prospects for growth. Also, little mention is made of the fact that India is an environmental timebomb ready to explode, what with severe water shortages and wide-scale pollution plaguing its bulging cities. Overall, a very informative and well-written book about a country worth noting in the realm of geopolitics.
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A Journey Into Manhood, Nov 24 2009
Reading Chabon's latest collection of essays on the trials and tribulations of becoming a man serves as a powerful reminder that the process involved in such a transformation is anything but cut and dried. If his intimations about his personal upbringing are anything to go by, there are many subtle and not-so-subtle familial forces out there working to impede the ideal journey of discovery and maturation most boys should take on their way to manhood. Often, the end result of a fatherless boy struggling to become a man in a woman's world is a frighteningly dysfunctional messed-up adult who is emotionally immature, sexually confused and physically inept. Tack on the fact that many people automatically assume that such an individual is ready to take on the responsibilities of parenthood suddenly thrust on him. Emotional, physical and social maturity, as measures of growing up and making it a man's world, are really only fallacies visited on many of us by overanxious or maladjusted parents betraying our trust and spoiling our chance to enjoy life. The particular stories about Chabon's struggles as an often `inept' parent who needed to bond more effectively with his children stems from those moments in his past when he was forced to live as a boy growing up in a predominately female domain. Consequently, most of his early adolescent attitudes reflected a heavy reliance on the sexual influence of older women in his impressionable life. Many of his childhood fantasies were worked out through Captain Marvel comic book heroines who represented `women on fire' who passionately pursued their prey in the form of vulnerable men too weak to resist the temptress's power. Against this muddled and often comic environment that he was forced to grow up in, Chabon challenged himself to become a dependable and loving father to his children that he never had when he was a child. Yet, his candid confession of fatherly inadequacy still speaks to the reality of the world we males live in: a work in progress full of adventure and new beginnings. I recommend this inspiring book to any father who continues to be daunted by the demands of the future while haunted by the failings and inadequacies of a distant past. Realistically, we are all amateurs who are still learning to handle the demands of what it means to be fathers without taking ourselves too seriously.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Vintage Murphy, Nov 21 2009
Vintage Murphy, November 21, 2009
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Smithers, Canada) - See all my reviews
The reason why Rex Murphy is such a celebrated name in Canadian journalism is his unique ability to provide well-thought-out opinions on a variety of public issues that cover the diverse views of his readership. While Rex is his own master, his latest eclectic publication of views show that he is very much in touch with the big world out there. As a savvy public commentator, Murphy has that compelling need to take his thoughts to the next level where he expresses a moral certitude in a language that is graceful, charming, witty yet unforgiving. His enemies, to name a few, are religious bigots, political tyrants, and environmental wingnuts who claim to be speaking on behalf of a cause they know little or nothing about. It is Rex's job to share an intelligent opinion that exposes these very public figures and their ideas as bogus. Read any one of the articles in his latest collection, "Canada and Other Matters of Opinion" and you'll quickly appreciate that nothing stands in the way of Murphy attacking blatant ignorance and manipulation of what is decent and reasonable. To make sure the reader knows by which rational and moral standards Murphy employs his pen, there are a few greats singled out for praise in his postings. But on the whole, this book is pure polemics at its best as the man sizes up, pulls pulls apart and casts out. Numerous public policies and grand ideas receive Murphy's scrupulously critical attention as to their real human value. His commentaries are laid out in a well-organized fashion. The reader is first treated to an interesting problem, followed by a clearly defined argument which is topped off with a reasonable conclusion or judgment. In the space of three years, Murphy has passed comment on artwork, literature, public servants, hapless politicians, environmental concerns, national pastimes like hockey, financial investors, international controversies and popular theories like Global warming. At all times, his skill as a clever meister of words makes him delightful and challenging to read and ponder. I recommend this book to any Canadian who is seeking to get a stronger grasp of political, economic and social reality during these trying times.
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The Bishop's Man
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de Linden MacIntyre
Édition : Hardcover |
| Price: CDN$ 16.00 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The Sins of a Father Visited on His Children, Nov 20 2009
I would classify this novel as a thoughtful, fast-moving story that contains numerous undercurrents of human development leading to some eye-popping moments of illuminating truth. The main character, Father McAskill, has come home to the small town of Port Hood in lovely Cape Breton Island. His homecoming involves a mission to both counsel wayward clerics out of the priesthood and a time to address some personal needs. As the story unwinds, the reader is introduced to the complex world that McAskill lives in. Confronting him are the demands of the Church and his vows of celibacy which continually conflict with his very strong sense of justice and love for his family and friends. The writer portrays a man who wants to do the right thing when becoming spiritually involved in the lives of others, but deep and dark forces seem to conspire to make this calling problematic. He has to chase down and confront those former clergy who may not have been totally honorable in discharging their vows; in addition, he has to deal with the demons of alcholism in his own life resulting from a stressed-out life; and to cap it off, he has to pry into some of the devastating secrets that have daunted this sleepy little community for generations. What I found rewarding about the book is McIntyre's ability to maintain an involved plotline from start to finish while providing a fairly believable set of characters. The reader should have little problem getting involved in the lives people trying to live for the future while being daunted by blighted pasts. If there is any weakness in this novel it might lie in the fact that the story is too drawn out to bring about a measure of effective resolution at the end.
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Practical and Useful, Nov 19 2009
There isn't much in this book that hasn't appeared somewhere before in top-rated nutritional periodicals. What Kessler does, however, for his readers is to get to the heart of why we are constantly struggling to keep our weight in check. Once we understand how food in its various forms affects our body's natural drives, we, then, have the power to control its intake. The first part of the book is devoted to describing how the food industry has calculatedly endeavoured to profit from processing food in such a manner as to make it irresistable to the human palate. It is Kessler's belief that once we, as consumers of fattening foods, realize the full scope of stimulus-reward psychology being fobbed on them - cueing, priming, and addicting strategies - we will quickly find ways to avoid the urge to overeat. Knowledge as to what is harmful in food when overindulging takes place can lead us to adopting tactics that teach us the importance of self-control. Studies show that certain food intakes such as found in high fibre or vegetable protein diets slow down digestion and curb the 'deadly' reward factor that comes with absorbing fats and sugars. Hypereating is the problem; the solution involves getting one's mind set on how to control food's chemical allurements. At present, my wife and I employ this approach and have managed to keep our respective weight under control. Everytime we dine out, we use one of Kessler's tips that helps to curb our appetite: share a meal. We also plan our meals ahead, which according to Kessler, is helpful in preventing periods of gorging. Overall, a very interesting and informative book to read, which might form a good starting point for any serious self-directed weight-loss program.
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A Scathing Indictment, Nov 15 2009
In "Daydream Believers", The American journalist and foreign policy expert, Fred Kaplan, has come out with a no-holds-barred assessment of the George W. Bush years in the White House. His main focus in this very analytical study is what he cosntantly refers to as the naive and unwieldy nature of the Bush foreign policy on issues such as democratization and nation building. Bush and his neocon cronies in the White House deliberately set out to cash in on America's post-Cold War global influence by undertaking some very risky and foolhardy ventures in uncharted territories. This was a government that wasn't interested in promoting diplomacy to resolve issues. Instead, as Kaplan shows, Bush and company were a group of misguided ideologues who sought to achieve a vision of global greatness for America based on its capacity to finally slay all its enemies and promote the virtues of democracy. Lots of Texas swagger with these boys. Not unexpectedly, the dream eventually failed because it lacked a reasonable plan of execution, the long-term backing of the rest of the world, and most importantly the full-hearted support of the American people. Kaplan delves into the timeline of the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars to uncover what he believes were fundamental mistakes in the White House strategy to win big and quickly. One, Kaplan maintains that the Bush administration, through a painful lack of intelligence, formulated a plan that grossly underestimated the strength of the enemy. Two, Bush had no follow-through plan for consolidating victory. His neglect to allow for reconstruction plans that included the defeated Bath Party and the Taliban and his continued reliance on corrupt politicians to represent American interests proved to be his big undoing. Sectarian violence and a resurgence of terrorism became the hallmarks of America's presence in these two countries. Three, there is very little evidence that the White House and the National Security Council ever truly understood the full extent of what it meant to be engaged in two successive wars, with the US military seriously undermanned and underequipped for either of them. There are lots of interesting tidbits in the book that describe how really disconnected the White House was in developing a masterplan for securing American interests in the oilfields of the Middle East and promoting a more peaceful world. The heavy reliance on aerial bombing and smart technology to reach its military goals is just one of the many flaws that dogged Bush. In the end, its cavalier disregard for doing things through diplomatic channels has ended up wrecking for good America's reputation as a world leader who could peacefully intervene and restore peace. Unilateralism, as a foreign policy, has failed to produce a safer world in the here and now and has left behind in its wake the dangerous assumption that world peace will be forever illusive because of America's reckless fling with world hegemony and its loss of respect as a world leader.
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A Reasonable Facsimile, Nov 14 2009
While this movie, for the purists in our midst, probably doesn't do justice to the original story - they rarely do - it does succeed in making the point that drove Fitzgerald to write the story in the first place. As a fantasy, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" speaks to the terrible insecurity he felt in his life being trapped in a loveless, sottish marriage to the mentally-deranged Zelda. This movie captures that elusive essence of believing that somewhere out there in fantasyland there is a chance that circumstances will conspire to give you another chance of getting it right. Like "Forest Gump" before it, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is one such fairy tale that lends itself well to a Hollywood script where certain liberties can be taken in modernizing the story. With a little cinematic magic, a lot that is seemingly cruel and wrong in this old world gets put right in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The storyline is creative, the characters interact well, and there are some good one-liners. I was also taken with the notion that this production subtly promotes the notion that callow, immature men often seek the embrace of older women who remind them of their mothers. Overall, a pleasure to watch.
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Finally A Modern Primer for the Political Dissident, Nov 14 2009
The popular right-wing TV talkshow host, Glenn Beck, has finally come out with his rubric on what makes for sensible and effective government in the United States. In the space of three-hundred pages, Beck and an associate lay a blueprint by which America can survive quite handily with considerably less government. The book, while heavily encased in political rhetoric and polemic, does a thorough job in raising public awareness as to why 30-40% Americans feel that Washington - a euphemism for big government - continually gets in the way of progress and common sense with some of its heavy-handed approaches to problem solving. The basis for this argument is a straightforward question-and-answer format that probes why many people still cling to the notion that government is there to help them in their economic and social needs. In a nutshell, governments get in the way of progress and individual freedom of choice because they create dependency on badly-run programs, they discourage competition, they squander tax dollars on boondoggles, and, above all else, they manipulate the truth by not fully informing the public as to the true facts of the matter. For each of these contentions, Beck trots out some pretty-standard statistics that reveal in his mind the glaring truth that big government is patently incompetent. While he might be making a philosophical case on one hand for less government, he doesn't make strong case for how it might look in terms of greater deregulation. Conveniently, very little is mentioned as to how deregulation of the banking industry got us into this present fix. His only answer to overcoming a recession seems to lie along the lines of letting market forces do their thing in creating a stronger economy. For him, Washington's bailing out companies with TARP money is what has caused the present deficit crisis. This colorfully-presented book makes for interesting reading if only to present why a certain portion of the American public is sworn to defend the constitution in the interests of eliminating what they see as excessive and unwarranted interference in their personal lives. Read this book with the idea that reality lies somewhere in between too much and too little governmental presence.
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A Life Dedicated to Reconciliation, Nov 13 2009
As biography is one of my favourite forms of reading for ideally looking at the inner workings of human nature, Andre Brink's "A Fork in the Road" fits that description to a tee. Brink's memoir of his life as a teenager growing up in racially-segregated South Africa around World War II operates at a number of levels of understanding. The reader gets to see how children of a middle-class Afrikaner family were expected to conform to an unwritten morality that separated them from blacks and Brits. Brink's upbringing was one based on him learning to both conform to and rebel against this rigorous and intolerant Calvinist upbringing. With the freedom his parents gave him to explore his little world engulfed by a wide-ranging veld, Brink developed a curiosity for a natural world that included his own awakening sexuality and a desire to write. Brink shares some of the early signs of a very brutal society attempting to leave its indelible mark on his impressionable psyche. His story is rich in its description of the landmarks of small town South Africa and its deeply-divided culture. The key moment in the story that acts as the proverbial fork in the road comes when his parents's inexplicably decide to send him to Paris in the late 1940s for an extended holiday. He is already starting to feel uncomfortable with their values. It is here that Brink becomes introduced to a world of enlightenment that tolerates a wide diversity of interests and poltical views. This part of the book is full of some revealing incidents where the young Brink encountered the truth of his past and became a liberated and rebellious youth with a socialist bent. The biography concludes with yet another decisive moment of decision in Brink's life in the 1970s: whether to get swept up in the international socialist movement and its fight against international tyranny or return to his homeland to help liberate the blacks from the shackles of Apartheid. Interwoven in Brink's political and social adventures is a strand that covers the extended maturing process involved in becoming a famous novelist. The measure of his literary success is that he got up in the events of history as they inevitably led to a defining moment in the dismantling of Apartheid. Brink, in his efforts to peacefully bridge the deep racial divide that still exists in his native land, is definitely an important conscience for a new South Africa as it attempts to move beyond the dark, dirty days of Apartheid. Great read!
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