This animated movie came out in 2008, but I just got around to popping it into my Blu-ray player and viewing it. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll want to check this out. Yes, many critics dismissed Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a long commercial for the television series of the same name which debuted on October 3, 2008. Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano undertake a dangerous mission to rescue Jabba the Hutt’s son. But wait, there’s more! Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead an army of clones against the droid army while the forces of the Dark Side rise. I found Star Wars: The Clone Wars to be 98 minutes of fun! GRADE: B+
SPECIAL FEATURES:
A Creative Conversation video commentary by director Dave Filoni, producer Catherine Winder, writer Henry Gilroy, and editor Jason W.A. Tucker
The Clone Wars: Untold Stories: preview stories, vehicles, planets, and battles of season 1 of Star Wars: Clone Wars TV series (in high definition)
The Voices of the Clone Wars: voiceover actors and animated characters in split-screen performances (in high definition)
A New Score: composer Kevin Kiner establishing a new musical identity for the series (in high definition)
Gallery of Concept and Production Art (in high definition)

We’re still living with the effects of the Vietnam War. Max Boot’s The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam explores the possibility that the war in Vietnam could have been avoided if Edward Lansdale’s advice had been taken. Lansdale was a CIA operative who managed to stop a Communist group in the Philippines with an anti-insurgent strategy. Lansdale believed in political and social reform at the village level to build support for the Government.

Max Boot does a great job of setting the scene in the Philippines (including Lansdale’s long-term affair with a local woman) where Lansdale and the CIA learn how counter-insurgency techniques work. With that success, Lansdale and others are recruited for the effort to stop the Communist threat in Vietnam. Of course, Vietnam was an entirely different problem. Massive government corruption, political instability, and American military ineptness mixed with politics made the situation a giant mess. And Lansdale’s sound advice was ignored.

I’ve read a couple histories of the Vietnam War, but The Road Not Taken shows events through the activities of Lansdale and other operatives at the local level. Instead of the macro view, this book shows you the micro view of the events that lead to disaster after disaster. If you’re interested in a different approach to our involvement in Vietnam, I highly recommend The Road Not Taken. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Maps xii
Dramatis Personae xv
Prologue:The Day of the Dead: Saigon, November 1-2, 1963 xxiii

Introduction: The Misunderstood Man xli

Part 1 Ad Man (1908-1945)
1 In Terrific Flux 3
2 Enfant Terrible 16
3 An Institution Run by Its Inmates 33

Part 2 Colonel Landslide (1945-1954)
4 The Time of His Life 47
5 In Love and War 65
6 The Knights Templar 87
7 “A Most Difficult and Delicate Problem” 104
8 “All-Out Force or All-Out Friendship” 118
9 The Power Broker 136
10 “A Real Vindication” 157

Part 3 Nation Builder (1954-1956)
11 La Guerre sans Fronts 171
12 A Fortress Falls 185
13 “I Am Ngo Dinh Diem” 196
14 The Chopstick Torture 214
15 Pacification 233
16 The Viper’s Nest 254
17 “Stop Calling Me Papa!” 277

Part 4 Washington Warrior (1957-1963)
18 Heartbreak Hotel 301
19 Guerrilla Guru 311
20 A New War Begins 332
21 The Ambassador Who Never Was 347
22 “The X Factor” 363
23 “Worms of the World Unite” 376
24 “Washington at Its Nuttiest” 400

Part 5 Bastard Child (1964-1968)
25 “A Hell of a Mess” 419
26 “Concept for Victory” 433
27 Escalation 444
28 The Impossible Missions Force 457
29 Waging Peace in a Time of War 471
30 To Stay or to Go? 490
31 Waiting for the Second Coming 502
32 The Long Goodbye 515

Part 6 The Beaten Man (1968-1987)
33 The War at Home 533
34 A Defeat in Disguise 549
35 The Abandoned Ally 564
36 The Family Jewels 575
37 The End of the Road 586

Afterword: Lansdalism in the Twenty-First Century 599

Acknowledgments 607
Notes 611
Select Bibliography 661
Index 677

I’ll try to predict the OSCAR winners, but I found the 2017 movies nominated good, but not great. First, if I were voting I’d go with LADY BIRD for BEST PICTURE. I’m a sucker for “coming-of-age” movies. I’d go with Francis McDormand for BEST ACTRESS and Gary Oldman for BEST ACTOR. I’d vote for Sam Rockwell for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR and Laurie Metcalfe for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS. But, I’m pretty sure that’s not the way things are going to turn out.
OSCAR WINNING PREDICTIONS:
BEST ACTRESS: Francis McDormand for Three Billboards…
BEST ACTOR: Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Allison Janney for I, Tonya
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Richard Jenkins for The Shape of Water
BEST DIRECTOR: Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water
BEST MOVIE: The Shape of Water

Who do you think will win?

I’ve been enjoying Genevieve Cogman’s “The Invisible Library” series over the past few years. This new adventure features ultra-dimensional Librarian Irene Winters and her assistant Kai investigating the possibility of a corrupt Librarian in a world set in Prohibition New York City. Irene gets to play a woman gangster from England. There’s plenty of gunplay. But the crux of the plot involves the politics of the dragons.

If you’re looking for fun and frivolous reading, “The Invisible Library” series delivers. Who can’t enjoy the antics of a Librarian who acts like Modesty Blaise? You can read my review of The Invisible Library here. You can read my review of The Masked City here. You can read my review of The Burning Page here. GRADE: B

BAEN Books is in the middle of reprinting all of Poul Anderson’s Psychotechnic League stories. This second volume features mostly stories from the 1950s when Anderson was just formulating his projected Future. The third and final volume in THE COMPLETE PSYCHOTECHNIC LEAGUE series will be published in July 2018. If you’re a fan of Poul Anderson, you’ll love these stories. If you’re a fan of classic science fiction, it doesn’t get much better than this. My review of The Complete Psychotechnic League, Volume 1 can be found here. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Forward By Sandra Miesel 3
Quixote and the Windmill 7
Holmgang 19
Cold Victory 53
What Shall It Profit? 73
The Troublemakers 91
The Snows of Ganymede 141
Brake 217
Gypsy 255
Star Ship 273

Patti Abbott’s new book, I Bring Sorrow and Other Stories of Transgression will be published in the next few weeks. If you’re read Patti’s previous books, you’ll want to order this one RIGHT NOW! I asked Patti if she’d like to do a faux-By the Book post for you to enjoy. Patti graciously agreed. Here’s what she sent:

I am in Florida as I write this so the books on my nightstand are ones we have purchased here in the last three weeks. They include: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld, The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, The Burglar in the Closet, Lawrence Block, Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen and Trespass by Valerie Martin. I am sure by the end of our time here, the number will have doubled.

Offhand the books that have made me laugh the most over the years are the Hoke Moseley books by Charles Willeford, some Elmore Leonard, some Tom Perrotta, Lucky Jim, Kinglsey Amis, the work of David Sedaris, Jean Shepherd, David Lodge’s academic novels, some Kurt Vonnegut.

Books that have made me cry? Number one is the New York Times since November 2016. Also Mice and Men, Wuthering Heights, Room by Emma Donoghue, Atonement, Ian McEwan, Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee, Things Fall Apart, China Achebe, King Leopald’s Ghost, Adam Hochschild.

Three people who I’d invite to a dinner party? I have always found this a tough question because the writers you most admire or find interesting often seem inaccessible or intimidating. But if I could sit quietly and listen I would choose: Patricia Highsmith, Fran Leibowitz and Doris Lessing. I think these three women would be fun to watch have at it.

And don’t forget to go to http://pattinase.blogspot.com/ tomorrow for Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted each week by Patti Abbott!

For the past 20 years or so, I’ve used TURBOTAX to prepare my Federal and State taxes. The early versions were sometimes overly complicated and frustrating to use. But, as time went on, Intuit (the company that makes TURBOTAX) improved the product so today’s version is simple and easy to use. I was worried that because I prepared my taxes on my DELL (Windows) computer last year, the TURBOTAX file wouldn’t be read by my new Apple iMac computer. But, no problems. I just inserted my USB drive with my tax files and TURBOTAX transferred all the information. Easy peasy!

Sadly, we have pay the Feds about $500 and New York State about $1,500. I’ll have to adjust our Withholdings for next year. Of course, next year we’ll take the new higher Standard Deduction and forget about itemizing (you probably will, too). In the long run, we’ll all be paying more in taxes. Have you done your taxes yet?

I was seriously misled by the New York Times about Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. The article I read suggested that this film was worth watching. So I watched it. Big Mistake! Rooney Mara shoots a policeman and her boyfriend, Casey Affleck, takes the fall for her. After five unsuccessful prison escape attempts, Affleck finally succeeds in escaping and–predictably–heads to the Texas town where Rooney Mara lives. Meanwhile, Rooney has a baby and spends a lot of time babysitting. A “friendly” cop visits Rooney a lot while Rooney reads the letters Affleck sends her…every day.

Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck are on the screen together for about 5 minutes. What a waste of talent! The meandering plot and vast stretches of tedium sinks this movie. GRADE: F

We’ve been subscribers to TIME on and off for nearly 40 years. This latest issue of TIME explores the opioid crisis in America. It’s everywhere. Yes, the tragic events at the Parkland school in Florida dominated the news outlets for the past couple of weeks, but opioids have killed hundreds of people in that time span–more than guns. As TIME shows vividly in a series of black & white photos, drug addiction is growing out of control. It cuts across class and racial lines. It afflicts young and old.

My takeaway from this grim Special Issue of TIME is we need to do something now. Forget the military parades and hoopla. Concentrate on prevention and rehabilitation. And that increased effort should have started years ago. This country is in Deep Shit.

If there’s something you’ve been thinking of buying–a new 4K HDTV, a new car, a new kitchen set–buy it now!

The reason I’m offering this advice now is INFLATION. Inflation means prices go up. That new car you’ve been thinking of buying will cost thousands of dollars more six months from now. The same will happen with that new computer, new refrigerator, new air conditioner you’ve been considering purchasing. Gas prices will go up. Interest rates will go up. And up and up.

In 2004, Vice-President Dick Cheney famously stated: “Deficits don’t matter.” Well, we’re about to find out. The Republican Tax Reform plan triggered a trillion dollars (unfunded) of spending. Then, the budget deal added a few hundred billion dollars more spending (still unfunded). The Republicans used to believe in Balanced Budgets. That’s now gone and spend, spend, spend rules. As Government prints more money to pay for its bills, the value of those pieces of paper declines. Evenually, Governments who trigger inflation have to accept draconian austerity policies. And much higher interest rates.

The American Government is embarking on a fiscal spending binge which will fuel inflation. Abandoning safe budgeting principles has consequences. Act now!