Hi, Littens! I just picked up this book. I live in a poor Black neighborhood here in Albany, New York. This neighborhood has the highest crime rate in the city, but I have come to love it here, and I have come to love its people. But I've noticed the subtle warfare that exists between the gangs that blast their rap and Hip-Hop tunes from their cars. I do believe it's a form of warfare among the people here. That's why I picked up this book.

I'm not reading Tucker Carlson's latest book because I agree with his politics. I'm reading it for two reasons. First, I agree that he has a point about how this country is governed by elites. Second, I'm using non-fiction to inform my fiction, so my reading list has taken a turn towards non-fiction these days. I'm a big fan of the "New Journalism" movement of the 1960s - Mailer, Vidal, Capote, Wolfe, etc. I'll let you know how it goes...

"I've seen a similar look of panic on elderly people when they are temporarily confused or feel abandoned, but this was different. Bessie's fear was not that we had lost her and she would be alone. Rather, she was afraid she had lost us and had failed to do her job as protector. There is a big difference."

----Thomas W. Farmen

This gem of a book comes as needed relief for those who are approaching older age. An incredible teacher and Headmaster of a school in rural Connecticut, Farmen is able to do the impossible. He shows us how his blind dog actually teaches him the lessons about growing older. While the topic is a delicate one, Farmen uses a pedagogy of the highest order to comfort his readers. I recommend this book for anyone who is approaching older age.

Just to balance it out, there's a book with a much more sympathetic view towards the CIA and spy agencies in general. While it wasn't a very good book, it still deserves a read to see another side of the CIA. When it was released, it did become a national bestseller, by the way. It may be a good primer to other books about the CIA.

This amazing work of journalism has a major flaw. The writer uses the same CIA sources repetitively. These sources heighten their own value and contributions to the CIA. But after reading between the lines, how would a reader, after learning about what the CIA does, even trust them to be telling the writer of this book the truth? Is it great journalism, if the reader can't even trust the sources a journalist uses? Still worth the read, though.

I really want to read this. It builds on Herbert Burkholz's work.

"In this most sinister of institutions, the director and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts...If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don't, punishment is brutal...No one has ever escaped from the Institute."

---- Scott Wampler, News Editor, "Birth. Movies. Death.", Jan 31, 19

Books on 'to-read' list:
"Snark" by David Denby
"Playing in the Dark" by Toni Morrison
"The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Watchmen" (Graphic Novel)
"Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo
"The Art of Power" by Robert Greene
"The Art of War" by Robert Greene
"Maid" by Stephanie Land
"Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Culture" by Ismael Jones
"Sonic Warfare" by Steve Goodman
"Nouveau's Midnight Sun" by John Thomas Allen, ed.

I saw a solid interview with this young author this morning on an early NBC show hosted by Solidad O'Brien. The book is about a single mother who had been abused by her former husband and had to go through it alone in a valiant attempt to raise her only child. She had been through homeless shelters and a vast array of social services before this first book of hers finally hit the big time. A must read! I will surely read it one of these days.

Hello, Littens!
Now reading:
"Bessie's Story" by Thomas W. Farmen. He's a retired headmaster of a former school I went to many years ago. He wrote a lighthearted tale about his old dog who went blind over the years. Farmen discusses how his blind dog taught him how to age gracefully. He's an amazing man and wonderful teacher as well. I'll let you know how it turns out. Bye for now...

My God, why did I have to pick up this book? Amazing investigative journalism about the Cold War CIA against the Russian KGB and other intelligence services. The more you read, the more you realize what human filth these spies are. Very sad, but also very true. They live horrible and tragic lives. How they live with themselves is a mystery to me.

The first book in this series. The author has esoteric knowledge of many places in Europe that no one ever talks about these days. He used to live in Europe, and so he has first hand knowledge of places like Spain, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland. His writing is very specific about these places. Even if you have been there, you wouldn't know about these places like he knows them. He even knows a lot about the Eastern European gypsy population

I definitely recommend this series of books. This is the third book in the series. Very well written and fast paced. Kind of a brainy, espionage, and superheroic thriller. A great read.

Thanks for all of your support, Littens! I'm just learning how to use this, so hopefully, I'll get the hang of it soon. I look forward to getting to know all of you soon. Bye for now...Harvey.

"We are sensitives, with an inbred sensibility to the cares and woes of humankind. What else could we be, being privy to the hopes and despairs of everyone around us? We work with our brains, not our backs, and we leave the mechanics of the game, the sweat, the grime, and the inevitable violence to others." ---- Herbert Burkholz, 1992

I'm now reading a book titled "The Sensitives" by Herbert Burkholz. It was written in the late 80s, and it generally depicts a group of young telepathists who are hired by the intelligence services to thwart international criminal networks. I really found my home in "The Sensitives" series of books. There are three of them in all. They are fantastic, especially for those who see paranormal activities, like telepathy, as essential.