Rick McBee's Writings
Explore the magic of new ideas and books to read as well as see what books I have written, my favorite photos, my opinions on may subjects, including Science, Africa, the Caribbean, the Civil War, my Book Reviews, and Much More!
Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson (A DCI Banks Novel)
Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I certainly enjoyed this mystery which shifts forward and backward to give us clues and hints as to the murderer of Alice Poole. My opinion of boyfriend Nick Hartley shifted back and forth as to whether he was smart or stupid in poking after a long dead trail of clues on this murder case. When a well decomposed skeleton is discovered in a field by archaeologists, the immediate conclusion is, that it is just another old Roman solder’s remains. But there are enough clues that it is not ancient to bring in DCI Alan Banks and a story of the past gradually unfolds as Nick chases after shadows of the past and is eventually connected with Banks in ferreting out the unusual sordid tale behind the whole affair. A fun read, well written and put together in a masterful manner.
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Book Review of “The Wager” by David Grann
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Author David Grann recounts a seafaring adventure like non other from the mid 1700’s. The British scheme to hijack and capture a Spanish galleon carrying a king’s ransom worth of Peruvian silver ingots and coins is to be carried out by a squadron of five British warships under the command of a Commodore Anson. One of these ships, HMS The Wager, is placed under the command of up-and-coming Captain Cheap who revels in the idea that he will have battles befitting his desire to become a war hero. When the flotilla departs Britain, they are hounded across a section of the Atlantic by warships under the command of Don Jose Pizarro. After typhus strikes the crew and they finally reach neutral Brazil for a respite, the fleet continues south to Cape Horn despite continued disease, scurvy and malcontent withing the sailors. Disaster strikes south of the Horn, separating the ships and leaving The Wager alone, damaged and essentially unable to sail, off the coast of southern Chile. When the weathered ship finally is blown into rocks off an uninhabited coastal island, she is abandoned, raided of her stores, lifeboats, weapons and gunpowder. The fragmented survivors set up camps for each faction on the island and try to survive on limpets and seaweed as summer ends and the cold Chilean winter sweeps in from the Antarctic south. What ensues is an adult real-life version of Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”, leading to near mutiny, death, starvation and feuding that eventually sends the few survivors off in tiny makeshift boats in different directions. Captain Cheap and his remaining followers headed North toward Chiloe Island governed by the Spanish. Meanwhile, the Gunner, Bulkeley and a larger group head south to weather Magellan’s Strait in hopes of reaching England. The few survivors who do make it back to Britain then must convince the Admiralty and public that they are not mutineers and subject to justice by being swung from a yardarm. The book is a masterful piece of British Naval history, and well worth the read for anyone interested in the human ability to survive under the most horrendous of conditions at sea.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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Brr! Dec. 1, 2023 – Winter Finally comes to Oregon!
Brr! It snowed five inches last night! 
The Swallows have all gone South! 
Snowbirds are back! 
The Giant Cottonwood is about to lose all It’s Leaves! 
Hurray! Winter is finally here!
Enjoy the Snow! 
Beachcomber Sea Shells of the Caribbean: Thank You for a Review on Amazon!
‘Occasionally I look at a Review of onew of my books and say “WOW, That person really likes my book and spent the time reviewing it!
Here’s what the reviewer says. She bemoans the fact that she couldn’t afford the paperback. If I had her address I would send her a copy. I’ve still got an interactive touch screen prototype which I built but never knew how to market.
The sales over the past 8 years of the e-book version make me happy!
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant idea, very reader-friendly!
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2022
Although the plain cover design of this book does not entice the reader, it is a master work for identification of shells of the Caribbean region. Formatted with the basic concept of a simple dichotomous key (choose A or B) and illustrated with quality photographs, the author has gone to the time-consuming but oh-so-helpful step of cross-referencing each shell with five of the standard shell identification guides, one or more of which most serious amateur collectors own. I am using the Kindle Unlimited version since regrettably the cost of the print copy is rather high. An excellent resource that I highly recommend for shell identification.
Thanks again for the great Review! Rick
Good Persons doing Nothing: Congress Kowtows to a Junta of 8
The Halls of Congress tilted! 
Losing a grip on Democracy is fairly easy. We saw it in action last week! Right here in our own country! As a paraphrase of John Stuart Mill’s 1867 inaugural address at St. Andrews University pointed out, “Bad persons need nothing more than that good persons to look on and do nothing in order to accomplish their ends.” Thus we have just seen this past week, how a small council or committee, a ‘Junta’ according to the Merriam-Webster definition, kicked out their leader for practicing a time honored facet of Democracy: Making a Compromise. Congress just tilted! This Junta is controlling the governmental processes of the United States of America by unilaterally taking control of the House of Representatives.
We ask ourselves: How can the 435 members of The House seemingly decide to abrogate their power of government and responsibility and kowtow to such a tiny group, instead of faithfully using the processes of open debate, compromise, and voting in order to in order arrive at solutions to our numerous national problems?
The whole body of The House is responsible for this breakdown of Government because there were things both sides could have done along the way to stop the Junta from taking control. The following are pertinent:
A. Why was there no large body of the majority party not willing to pressure the Speaker to compromise with the minority party to middle ground agendas in order to gain some votes for retaining the normal power structure?
B. Why has no group in the majority party come out and said that their party manifesto is less important than compromising with the minority party to keep the United States Government solvent and operating?
C. Why does Congress not have a legal mandate to automatically pay for all approved expenses which they have mandated through laws by using the power of taxation rather than play Russian Roulette with the operations of government which impact all of their constituents.
D. Why is Congress allowed by the Executive Branch to pay itself wages when it cannot pay its own employees in the military, civil service and mandated program personnel who are required to work without pay?
E. Why does Congress not get rid of some of its outdated archaic procedures?
I could go on….. But it’s more appropriate to ask CONGRESS –
WHEN will your 
to Preserve Democracy START!
Book Review: Brules by Author Harry Combs
Brules: A Novel by Harry Combs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Author Harry Combs has written a fine book with a couple of exceptions. What I like about the book is the perspective of old man Brules recounting his youth and adventures in the South West during the post-Civil War era. Author Combs has given us a really good vision of a young cowpuncher, straight off the trail coming into town looking for fun, a drink, a bath, a chance to scratch a few itches and thinking, as we all did back in that portion of our lives, that we were the “Cat’s Pajamas”. Of course, he runs afoul of his own desires when he crosses his trail boss, believes a bar girl’s attentions are for him alone and ends up with a crush on her that leads him to commit murder and go on the run. In all this preliminary section we see the picture of youth’s certainty that what they are doing is right, even though it is wrong. Kid Brules is saved several times through the fact that he is one of those truly fast gun prodigies, who can shoot from the hip with pistol or rifle and make it count. In addition, he’s got a trail buddy, Pedro Gonzales, who has a strong head on his shouders, and a great plan to rob a bank out in Taos, New Mexicao Territory. So this section of the book moved fast, has the looks of a really interesting story and kept me wondering where it would lead next. Moving into the next section of the book, the escape from Hays City with his girl Michele is a bit contrived, but once on the trail our protagonist shows his mettle in covering his trail, thus eluding possible pursuit. I enjoyed the trail section with the Brules’ managing to get his nightgown dressed girlfriend, Michele, some decent clothes and live off the land as they head toward, and then skirt, Dodge City. As all things appear to be headed toward an interesting relationship, the Comanches capture our two waifs and they end up in dire circumstances. After a dramatic escape, Brules turns to hunting Comanches for a living. in this section, I felt the author got into a repetition of sight quarry, stalk quarry, ambush quarry, hide, ambush, sight, stalk…. The scenarios all different, and the occasional buffalo hunt is good, but perhaps a hundred pages could have been cut out of this section to keep it a page turner. Loved the last section of the book, moving North into Shoshone country and the Grizzly Bear hunting and shades of Hugh Glass encounter which links Brules up with Wild Rose whom he courts, and eventually acquires a dowery sufficient for her father, Old Stoneface to agree to the wedding. A life in the wilderness then ensues, with it’s love, trials and tragedies and ends on a really good note. So go for it, you’ll have and enjoyable ride!
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Book Review: Warriors of God by James Reston, Jr.
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Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade by James Reston Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
James Reston Jr. has shown his expertise as an author in pulling together a plethora of factual information about the third crusade and it’s two battlefield opponents, Richard, The Lion Hearted, and Saladin, The Wise. The history of war so often sticks to only one side of the story or concentrates solely on one main character. In that telling, we see a skewed vision of the conflict from only one viewpoint and as Paul Harvey would so aptly have put it, know not “The Rest of the Story”. Author Reston has taken on the nearly impossible task of telling this particularly spectacular story of the Third Crusade from both Christian and Moslem viewpoints. These viewpoints alternate throughout the book. As a consequence, we gain a broad picture of the upbringing, lives, loves, strengths, weaknesses and peccadillos of both side’s heroic figures. The lives and histories of Saladin and Richard thus become an interwoven tale of Europe and the Middle East over nearly half a century. It’s a time of intrigue and cooperation, war and peace, as well as love-hate relationships between kings and nations. We see the pettiness, the brilliance, the petulance and bravado of both men as well as gain an understanding of their own inner turmoil brought on by years of conflict, leadership and warfare. It’s set during a time when England owned and coveted large sections of France, yet had trade, family and love relationships between the two reigning kingdoms. At this same time, the setting in the Moslem Empire of Bagdad shows how this Sunni nation coveted yet traded with the Shiite nation of Egypt which it was soon to conquer. Ultimately, we see that the Holy War between Richard and Saladin is actually a part of the larger power struggle between two of the world’s great religions as they attempt to extend their power over Palestine and the Holy City of Jerusalem, where Jesus of Nazereth was crucified, and The Profet Muhammed ascended to heaven. This is the history that has inspired and influenced bards, poets, hymns, plays, films, architecture, and civilizations for a thousand years. An exciting era of history told through an easily readable magnificent piece of scholarship.
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Book Review: King Leopold’s Ghost, by Adam Hochschild
King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the history of humankinds, courageous, idealistic and perfidious human behaviors, there are few stories that match the past 150 years of horror and heroism centered in the Congo of central Africa. Author Adam Hochschild takes us step by step through the plotting, scheming and conniving of King Leopold II of Belgium as he personally gains control of the vast area of South Central Africa which is today known as The Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as The Belgian Congo. In addition, Hochschild gives us insight into the peoples of the Congo who were some of the most artistic, musical, linguistically talented peoples of this continent and how the depredations of the colonial power of Belgium and the greed of later corporations, for the wealth of ivory, gold, diamonds and minerals of the country, led to genocidal behaviors by the European masters who essentially turned the Congo into a 900,000+ square mile slave colony to extract massive quantities of ivory, rubber, diamonds and most recently gold, copper and cobalt. Alongside of the terror, whippings, mutilations and chain-gangs, we see the quiet entry into the Congo of Protestant Missionaries who gradually document the crimes to humanity being committed throughout the country. Then over a period of 30 years there is a worldwide awakening to the atrocities being committed through the writing, speaking and lobbying actions of a number of brave American preachers such as George Washington Williams and William H, Sheppard, and British activists, Sir Roger Casement and E.D. Morel to attack the mass killings and mutilations that between 1870 and 1920 reduced the population of the Congo by 50% with the destruction of some ten million lives. The book is a tough read, but should be on the “must read” list for persons who want to understand how easily it is for societies, governments and individuals to descend into the brutality of plunder, murder and maiming for the simple sake of monetary gain. It took 50 years for the plotters, murders, slave drivers and thieves to rape the Congo of it’s wealth of Ivory and Rubber and for the heroes of the era to try to slow the genocidal-like terror that reigned under Leopold. Hochschild then carries the story into the present where much of the rape still continues under different corporate guises and gives us some analogies for modern America’s culpability in the continued exploitation of the Congo, Africa and elsewhere as our own empire scrambles greedily for some of the key minerals on our planet. Worthy of deep thought and discussion.
Book Review: Deception Point by Dan Brown
Deception Point by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Author Dan Brown has written a truely fascinating book which demonstrates the lengths to which persons in the highest levels of government power will go in order to be elected, stay in power, and collude across party lines at times to prevent scandalous situations from being made public. The scene, an arctic glacial study base which has come across some amazing fossil evidence for other life-forms in the universe. In order to make sure that there is no question about the veracity of the find, President Herney recruits a number of independent specialists to visit the site, review all the documentation, and scientific evidence so that when the time for release of this world-shaking news comes about, it will be both believable and authenticated to a degree that makes it beyond question. Rachael Sexton, daughter of one the President’s fiercest opponents in an upcoming election. His attacks on funding for NASA and scientific research have so undermined the President’s administration, that reelection may be impossible for Mr. Harney. Rachael has been picked as his special envoy to verify the accuracy of the arctic discovery because she will lend credence to any verification for two reasons: first, she is the star reviewer of top secret evidence based research done by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) which oversees NASA and scientific research, while also being seen as a person who would never undermine her own father’s political goal of defeating the administration, unless there was overwhelmingly strong evidence that NASA’s claim for finding interstellar fossils is absolutely bomb proof.
I was totally engrossed in all of the actual scientific research that author Dan Brown had done in order to put together this amazing and thrilling tale of investigation, death, infighting and power struggles between separate branches of our government. In this book, thrilling science fiction leads us through many of the truths behind the wheels of our own government and the lust for power that pervades, and often perverts, our nations highest offices. A great read from beginning to end.
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Keep your Eyes on the Tiger! “Russia’s Wagner Mercenaries”
The Current “Tiff” between Russia’s Leader, Vladimir Putin and the Wagner Mercenaries could very well be a very nicely orchestrated “Draw Play” in the Ukranian war. Look at the map Map below! Where is the “Tiger” Going? TO A COUNTRY FRIENDLY WITH RUSSIA AND ONLY A FEW HOURS NORTH OF KIEV, UKRAINE!
It’s a bit too much for me to believe that thieves fall apart so easily and make up so well as we have seen in the past week. Watch the Wagner fighters in the video of the capture of Rostov, Ministry of Defense.
Do you see running civilians? No way! Do you see three men with automatic rifles on tripods lie down in the plain open sidewalk and settle in as if they are going to shoot something in the building? Do you see the brief visual of the guy in brown uniform near the Ministry? Is he looking scared or taking cover? And the civilians all just casually watch and politely step out of the way for any attacking soldiers and sit down and watch? DUH! WORLD! WHAT ARE WE THINKING? THIS ISN’T A BATTLE TO TAKE OVER A MAJOR COUNTRY? WHERE ARE ALL THE TROOPS THAT WAGNER JUST HAD TO GET THROUGH TO BEGIN THE MARCH ON MOSCOW! THEN THEY DRIVE THERI TANKS HALF-WAY TO MOSCOW WITH NO OPPOSITION? BIG TIME DUH – WATCHING WORLD!
Now Mr. Putin has forgiven all, the Wagner guys can go to Belarus with their leader and then decide whether to join up with the Russian Army for get home to Russia free pass. Eh What?
No! Russia’s toughest Mercenaries will now be in a Pincher position to drive south into the long valley that will take them to where they join the southern troops and cut off 1/3 of Ukraine.
I don’t thing we better believe that the Leopard has lost his Spots!
Just my opinion, but we have been duped in war before and it will happen again!
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Rick McBee's Writings 