A Review of “Utopia for Realists”

Hey everyone, a fellow blogger just posted a great read, and I thought you may enjoy it too. I don’t know how many of you know this blogger, he is intelligent, writes well and worth your time.

hankrules2011

Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World by Rutger Bregman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Yeah. Utopia for anything, any reason or topic always sounds good. Do you know how many descriptions like the one this book has here I’ve read over many decades from authors dating back centuries? Do you know how many were right or proven right? Yeah, I do. The answer would be NONE! Why? Cause no matter how brilliant they may seem or even be, these concepts and theories are little but pipe dreams. Fantasy. Let’s give the kids of the world some hope, some premise and promise, something to dedicate their lives too … and then not deliver. Again and again. Over and over.

An obvious example or two. One of the most obvious: Marx and Engels’ semi-brilliant (in theory) deconstruction of economic and political systems to even the playing field…

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Jack Goodwind – The Writer & Blogger

Jack Goodwind was born on the troubled island of Sicily, a place full of ancient treasures as well as modern contradictions. He has done many things throughout his life including, running the family’s furniture shop in his hometown, traveling around Europe as a sales agent, managing an insurance agency in a small town, and becoming an Internet Marketing specialist.

LINE OF BLOOD
Jack Goodwind

He is a sailor. He served his country both in the Navy and the Army. He has seen the amazing and the horrible. He sailed several Maxi Cups in Porto Cervo among the wealthiest and most unimaginable luxury, and he saw the horrors and the atrocity of the war first hand.
Everything he has done has made him who he is today, the same person as when he started, and a completely new person that his life has taught him to be.
Now, he has become a writer, because there are too many things he wants to say, too many things he needs to share. His first novel in the Line of Blood Saga, Ancient Truth, despite its obvious references to the worlds of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, is actually a journey inside something impalpable, yet very real; the human soul. We are not “part of the picture,” we are masters, keepers, lords of this universe. Our right is to choose, our responsibility is to do it wisely. This is the ultimate gift the supreme Intelligence gave us, this is why and what we are. The point, his point, is to not pretend to have all the answers, it is simply to have the will to look for them.
Find Him Online

WordPress
lineofblood.com http://lineofblood.com
Twitter
@JackGoodwind
Google+

Jack Goodwind is a writer. He has written a novel that is currently available at AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1RCZD0
Ancient Truth (Line of Blood Saga Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

Book One – Ancient Truth

It is an alternative vision of history based on the theories about an alien colonization of Earth even before the apparition of the Homo Sapiens.
In it, history, myths, religious tales and even urban legends are blended to create a new and original story.
Modern characters alternate with ancient ones, to guide the reader on a unique journey. Aside the original conquerors of Earth, the mythological deities called Anunnaki, other alien species take their place, forging the path of early man.
Together with aliens, various kinds of monsters and mythological beings are also present in the story. The events take place in legendary locations, with a large use of mythological artifacts and books.
Many of the character names are recognizable, important figures of mythology, religion and history.
Of course, they live and behave very differently than their namesakes.
Ancient Truth and the entire Line of Blood Saga are, in the end, works of fantasy, in which, the only “truth” is the introspection on the human soul, the interior struggle man faces, forced between the choice of good and evil.

Book Two – RED MOON by Jack Goodwind also available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RH3GM6Y
The Moon, our Moon.

Book Two – RED MOON
Jack Goodwind

 

Something that has always moved mankind’s imagination. Sometimes connected with divinity and mythology, even achievement as for the NASA missions, other times with curses and fear.

Something that once again will bring mankind to a disconcerting discovery.

For Major Joe Evans, life will never be the same.

For the rest of us, the new threat will remain secret.

Take the step…if you dare…

IT’S THE LIEBSTER AWARD!

 

 

 

Thank You For The Cool Trophy, Really!

Well looky here, I have been nominated for the prestigious, much coveted and fought over, LIEBSTER AWARD! I truly have to give my thanks and appreciation to Shruti of Shruti Insights, for offering me this unexpected and awkwardly wonderful opportunity. She has offered me a chance to experience a shot at the Golden Ring, the Kewpie Doll, the Final frontier of Fame and Glory in the ” Blogosphere “. I certainly would never have attempted, or volunteered for Honors such as these, on my own, so again Thank you for the inspiration, and privilege, only using my fear of shotguns or Wrathful, and thoroughly disappointed Friends, to make a man of me, and Accept this One Giant Leap For Mankind Test. Shruti, you’re the best!
So there are rules to all of this. Apparently in order to be a big shot around these parts, I have to play by THESE RULES.
Put the Liebster Award logo on your blog.
Thank and tag the blog who nominated you.
Answer their questions and come up with 10 new ones for you nominees.
Nominate 8 blogs with less than 200 followers, let them know you’ve nominated them and link them in your post.
No tag-back.

 

So Shruti, with much pounding of heart, I will under take this feat, and I Thank You sincerely for your having Faith and Belief in my abilities!

These are the Ten questions I get to answer!
1.Among your blog posts, which one is your favourite?
Well thank you for asking! My favorite post was a story I wrote a couple of years ago, called ” The Waiting Game”, and It was basically a true story about circumstances I had no control over. I only embellished it a tad.

2.At what time of the day do you usually write a blog post?
That is tricky because I post whenever I am either inspired by an idea, or feel like I’m not delivering enough, or not giving people what they want.

3.What is your favourite word in your native language?
Wow, I wish you hadn’t asked me that. I don’t believe I have a singular favorite word. My favorite phrase is ” Papa, I love you! ”

 

4.What do you like to eat in the morning?
That is an easy one, as I don’t eat in the early day. Usually I start getting hungry about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and I’m a guy so it really doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it can be wolfed down easily.

 

5.Choose one: tea, coffee, milk, hot chocolate. Why do you choose it?
Coffee with cream and sugar. But again, I drink freshly ground dark French Roast. Oh I’m sorry, you asked why? I grew up with good coffee in the S.F. bay area, and I’ve learned coffee really is the cheapest beverage, aside from water, and I don’t like water as fish do things in it.

 

6.Do you have a close friend? Is there one thing that you can only do with that friend?
I am married to my bestest, closest friend, and the thing we do together, I am not allowed to publicly speak about!

 

7.What is your favourite book and why do you like it?
That’s a hard one, but I can safely say my nearly favorite book, if I can only name one is BattleField Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard. I like that it’s long and involved, even though some of it is rather childish, I enjoy humanity taking back their home, and making a difference out in the cosmos.

 

8.What do you really want to learn but you haven’t got the time to do it?
Everything! I want my education to always continue. Right now I want to learn how to make my site work for me. The part about not enough time, unfortunately takes presidence over everything.

 

9.What do you miss from your childhood?
I miss my mommy! She died when I was 9, and I had to grow up because of that.

 

10.Where will you go if you just feel bored at home?
I am not at home at present. In December, I had to come down here to Reno Nevada to help take care of my family. I don’t get bored at home, as I live on 20 acres, in the mountains, and if the trailer feels cramped I just go outside.

 

Now it’s time to make my own nominations for the LIEBSTER AWARD, so I hope I don’t lose any friends over this!
Random Musings And Wanderlust 
Bittersweet Sensations  babyruthbeer
https://girlonstreamblog.wordpress.com/

Dr. J M Landin @ RedNewtGallery

LIZZIE BRIGHT  @  http://lizziebright.com/
Victoria Iskak   @  Raindrops & Fireflies
Margaret  @  Suds & Kisses
mboki_m  @  learning web development

 

And now, finally I get to ask my nominees their most dreaded and difficult to answer, questions.

1) Now that you are here in the magical realm of the blogosphere, what do you want?

2) What is your inner animal?

3) On your blog, are you public, or private, in regard to your personal self?

4) Are you happy in your present place in this life?

5) If I could give you one wish, what would that be?

6) What would be your ideal job?

7) Do you have a favorite kind of pet?

8) Are you able to discuss, religion, politics, or feelings openly, with strangers?

9) Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently, and of course, why?

10) How many fingers am I holding up?

I told you these would be formidable questions, even though I didn’t word it that way. I didn’t want to scare you away. And in advance, Thank You for playing, now take your dang football and go home!

The Book Of Mormon

What’s this you ask? I know you didn’t come here for a sermon, prayer meeting or any kind of religion. No one wants to be preached to, especially when they just stopped by for a cup of joe, and maybe a good read. How can a person feel comfortable with religion suddenly thrown in their face? Now I’ve made you uncomfortable, and that was not my intention. I had hoped to give you a background on a book most of you wouldn’t ever thinking about picking up, let alone actually read.
On my first post in this blog, I wrote about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly called Mormons. I am one, no, don’t get scared, I won’t try to convert you. I’m just not that kind of guy. A persons beliefs are personal, and really shouldn’t be brought up just anywhere. Maybe not here either, but now it’s too late because I already brought the subject up. Why would I do that to you?
You came here to see what I’m all about, and regardless of my affiliations, you want to know if I am worth knowing or just another waste of time and resources. I am conservative, with time, resources, power, water, and opinions. You don’t have to worry about the “Mormon” thing, you won’t go to Hell for not reading about this particular topic.
The Book Of Mormon is: Scriptures. Of course you already knew that, but did you know it was translated into the English language by Joseph Smith (no relation) in the early 1800’s? This particular book is more than, Thee’s Thou’s and Thy’s. It’s about a society of people, and their history. I didn’t read the Book Of Mormon for years when I was looking for a path in which to express myself in churchly ways. Because of the title, I refused to read it! It’s actual title is The Book Of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ.
Why would I want to read that, when I could read Doc Savage-The man of bronze, or The Incredible Journey, or Journey To The Center Of The Earth? So I didn’t read it for years after I first encountered it. Knowing a person can’t knock what they know nothing about, I had to check it out. I didn’t want to read it, but my daughter was going to be baptised and become a member of the L.D.S. church, so I gritted my few teeth and looked into it.
I read The Book Of Mormon as a novel. I just sat in a corner and read it. I pretended all of the scriptural advice wasn’t slapping me in the face, and just read it for what it was. It’s actually interesting. It’s the history of a group of people, a family who were out of their element in the mid-east. They were considered righteous and faithful to the commandments of God. Being so, they were told by an angel Jerusalem was to be destroyed, and they should leave the area. The family was told how to accomplish this, and what they needed to do to prepare for a journey to what was called “A Land Of Promise”. The promise was, if they were willing to follow all of God’s commandments, and live righteously, they would be a great people and prosper.
Their history was recorded on plates of brass in the mid-east, and on plates of gold in the new promised land. The idea of bringing this book up wasn’t to be all religious or to convert you, but to let you know what I discovered when I was younger. What’s that you ask?
Don’t judge a book by its title and don’t read one because it has a great cover with nice illustrations! I found the books with catchy titles and flashy covers were really not all that good, in fact usually the flashy covers and cool titles are the best content!
Sorry to have bored some of you, scared some of you, and freaked out the rest of you.

Book Of Mormon