Rustic Carpentry

Book Review: Rustic Carpentry
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With an introduction by master craftsman Ralph Kylloe, this manual on rustic carpentry is a superb resource for woodworkers, furniture makers, and carpenters of all skill levels.

Here are clear and concise instructions for creating beautiful pieces with unfinished timber, utilizing the unique texture and shape of tree branches, trunks, and shrubs. In addition, rustic woodworking requires few tools and relatively little skill to make decorative and practical flower stands, tables, chairs, gates, porches, aviaries, footbridges, verandas, tool sheds, and more.

All these projects are included here with detailed advice on collecting and drying sticks; what kind of wood works best for various items; how to varnish both indoor and outdoor pieces; using battens and mortises to secure furniture; and successfully employing a range of other techniques.

Mask of Command

Book Review: Mask of Command
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In The Mask of Command, John Keegan asks us to consider questions that are seldom asked:

What is the definition of leadership? What makes a great military leader?

Why is it that men, indeed sometimes entire nations, follow a single leader, often to victory, but with equal dedication also to defeat?

Dozens of names come to mind…Napoleon, Lee, Charlemagne, Hannibal, Castro, Hussein. From a wide array, Keegan chooses four commanders who profoundly influenced the course of history: Alexander the Great, the Duke of Wellington, Ulysses S. Grant and Adolph Hitler. All powerful leaders, each cast in a different mold, each with diverse results.

“The best military historian of our generation.” –Tom Clancy

“A brilliant treatise on the essence of military leadership.” –The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Fascinating and enlightening… marked by great intellectual liveliness… Mr. Keegan knows how to bring fighting alive on the page.” –The New York Times

The Mask of Command is a book for preppers, leaders, instructors, and managers.  If you deal with people – especially if you deal with people in crisis, then you will benefit from the lessons in this book.

I enjoyed this book and have used its lessons in training officers to work in dangerous environments.

Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers
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Starship Troopers
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In one of Robert Heinlein’s most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe–and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind’s most frightening enemy.

This book was made into a decent movie that was spun off into a terrible sequel.

I am not a fan of the movies, but I do love this book.

I like most of Heinlein’s books, but this is probably my favorite.  I like the idea that you have to serve to vote, but I am not so hard that I think that the service must be in the military.

Not everyone is cut out for Starship Troopers Mobile Infantry.

I disagree with the Amazon quote that this is Heinlein’s most controversial work – I think Farnham’s Freehold easily wins that title.  I also think that Freehold may be my favorite Heinlein book if Starship Troopers ever dropped in Status.

Interrogation

Interrogation
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The book Interrogation is used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to train interrogators, this manual details the insidious methods by which the “mounties” elicit confessions after all fair and legal tactics have been exhausted.

Must reading for every police officer, as well as for every citizen who might one day, innocent or guilty, sit across the table from an interrogator.This isn’t the best book on the subject, and the author is anonymous.  I can’t tell if this is an attempt by an outside to make a interrogation version of “The Anarchist Cookbook” or a tired cop fed up with games but too scared to sign their name.  It is useful, but not a standalone book.

Most of what is in this book is common sense.

Fix, Freeze, Feast

Book Review: Fix, Freeze, Feast
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Buy groceries in bulk, prepare family-friendly dishes, package in meal-sized freezer bags, then stock the freezer with ready-to-defrost-and-serve tasty homemade meals. This is the winning system of Fix, Freeze, Feast, a cookbook that has already attracted an enthusiastic following among busy families.

Millions of shoppers save money by buying groceries in bulk – trays of boneless chicken breasts, pairs of flank steaks, flats of ripe tomatoes. But savings can quickly turn to losses if those bulk quantities spoil in the refrigerator or lie forgotten – unlabeled and unrecognizable under lays of ice crystals – in the back of the freezer.

In the new paperback edition of Fix, Freeze, Feast, authors Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik offer a complete system for taking full advantage of bulk purchasing and advance preparation to ensure no food is ever wasted. They show how easy it is to get organized, prepare ahead, and be ready to put healthful, satisfying meals on the dinner table (or breakfast table, or even brunch table!) at a moment’s notice. Theirs is a cookbook price-conscious shoppers will love and warehouse club members shouldn’t be without.

Cooks will find 125 delicious, healthful recipes to choose from Each one includes directions for dividing, preparing, and storing raw ingredients; a second set of simple direction is included for thawing, cooking, and enjoying the food. Designed for the way people cook today, Fix, Freeze, Feast meals are lighter and fresher than traditional bulk-cooking recipes, with a focus on simple stews and stir-fries, quick grilled or broiled main courses, and popular ethnic meals such as Beef Fajitas and Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry. Fix, Freeze, Feast, also includes ready-to-bake cookie doughs, soups, side dishes, smoothies, and snacks. With these innovative techniques and recipes, dinner is always in the freezer!

My wife swears by making ahead meals, she does this for her lunch every Sunday, me, I’m stuck with leftovers.