Opinion: New Work Visa, $100K
The New Colossus By Emma Lazarus Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMOTHER OF EXILES. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her […]
Book Talk: James Grippando, ‘The Informant’
After a lengthy hiatus from novels by James Grippando, whose many works are published in 27 languages, I recently “rediscovered” some of his earlier books. He’s always had a great sense of suspense, and his writing is crisp. “The Informant” (1996, 320 pages in hardback edition) opens with a phone call to the Sheriff’s Department […]
Opinion: China’s long game, part III — China in MENA
In a 2016 issue of Forbes magazine, Helen H. Wang wrote, “The new Silk Roads already have momentum. Earlier last year, Beijing announced $46 billion in investment in a planned China-Pakistan economic corridor, ending at the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar.”China’s interest in expanding its influence into MENA (Middle East and Northern Africa) is obvious. […]
Book Talk: Penner, ‘The David Brunelle Series’
In my continuing quest to discover new authors, I came across “Presumption of Innocence” (2012, 226 pages in paperback format), an interesting, mostly courthouse drama by Stephen Penner, an author, artist, and attorney from Seattle. It is the first of the “David Brunelle Legal Thriller” series. His books are all self-published through Amazon.com. When ordering […]
Opinion: China’s long game, part II — toward global hegemony
The Silk Road. It was the trade route that ran from China to the West during the days of the Roman Empire. In 2013, President Xi Jinping announced the opening of a new trade corridor between China and the world, notably Central and Southern Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Known as the […]
Book Talk: Paul Levine, ‘Early Grave’
This is the fifteenth novel in the court/thriller series, featuring Jake Lassiter. I’ve read most of the books over the years, not paying any attention to the order in which they were issued. Each was an interesting and enjoyable read. But for those of you who feel strongly about reading series in order, this one […]
Opinion: China’s long game, part I — buying America’s farmland
Several years ago, I wrote about the Four Tigers of Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. They were the countries that were emerging as economic powerhouses, and — in 2018 — they constituted almost 3.5 percent of entire world’s economy. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product, meaning the total value of goods and services […]
Book Talk: Atwood, The Testaments
Thirty-five years after Margaret Atwood’s blockbuster, The Handmaid’s Tale, was published, Ms. Atwood wrote the prequel/sequel, The Testaments (2019, 415 pages in softcover format). How can a book be both? The prequel is found in the secret notes and files of Aunt Lydia, a judge before a section of the United States became Gilead. She’s […]
Opinion: In the post-AI world — what will we do?
“I am a warrior so that my son may be a merchant so that his son may be a poet.” — John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States When people talk about artificial intelligence (AI), they generally take the attitude: “Well, people will have to deal with that in the future.” The problem […]
Book Talk: Atwood, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
During the past few months, I’ve seen many references to Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” (1984, 311 pages in softcover format). So, I ordered a copy. Wow! I’ve read a few novels about dystopian societies, and George Orwell’s “1984” as well as Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” were worrisome. But, “worrisome” does not apply to […]