League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth by Mark Fainaru-Wada, Steve Fainaru

League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth by Mark Fainaru-Wada, Steve Fainaru

Completed: Feburary 2014
Length:399 Pages

Synopsis from Goodreads:

This book reveals how the NFL, over a period of nearly two decades, sought to cover up and deny mounting evidence of the connection between football and brain damage.
Comprehensively, and for the first time, award-winning ESPN investigative reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru tell the story of a public health crisis that emerged from the playing fields of our 21st century pastime. Everyone knew that football is violent and dangerous. But what the players who built the NFL into a $10 billion industry didn’t know – and what the league sought to shield from them – is that no amount of padding could protect the human brain from the force generated by modern football; that the very essence of the game could be exposing these players to brain damage.
In a fast-paced narrative that moves between the NFL trenches, America’s research labs and the boardrooms where the NFL went to war against science, League of Denial examines how the league used its power and resources to attack independent scientists and elevate its own flawed research -- a campaign with echoes of Big Tobacco’s fight to deny the connection between smoking and lung cancer. It chronicles the tragic fates of players like Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, who was so disturbed at the time of his death he fantasized about shooting NFL executives; and former Chargers great Junior Seau, whose diseased brain became the target of an unseemly scientific battle between researchers and the NFL. Based on exclusive interviews, previously undisclosed documents and private emails, this is the story of what the NFL knew and when it knew it – questions at the heart of crisis that threatens football, from the highest levels all the way down to Pop Warner.

Fiction or Non-Fiction? Genre? Non-fiction-sports

What lead you to pick up this book? I am a die-hard football fan(Vikings). I saw the Frontline special on this subject. I figured it would be a great read. I was not disappointed.

Summarize the Plot: In the League of Denial it traces the history of the battle over head injuries being suffered by NFL football players. It actually is impacting all football players. It has become a battle between scientists and those in the league who are denying the seriousness of the problem.

What did you like most about this book?

I liked the way that the authors went through to show the way the league tried to deny that football was not the cause for former player with brain damage. It was sad to read some of the cases at what the former players and their families went through.

What did you the least?

The man that discovered the link seemed that he did not get the amount of credit that he rightfully deserves.
What did you think of the writing style?
I thought this book was easy reading. I think that a non-football fan could easy pick this book up and read it with no issues whatsoever.
What did you think of the ending? The book ended on a high note, that the league is starting to take responsibility of a dangerous workplace.The league is starting to take some responsibility for they way the concussion crisis was handled.  

Boy Does Time Fly

Tonight my wife and I went out for a "date night." With a lil bundle on the way it seems we do not get many of those anymore considering all the preplanning and work for the arrival.

We will be technically married for 6 year, but we were hitched on leap day back in 2008, on February 29th...when life was simpler(is that a word). The journey we have had thus far has been a fun one. It is unreal how fast some things in life change with all the trials and difficulties that we had so far. It only make us stronger..right. It should be interesting to see what the future hold for us.

Anyway, we went out to a local restaurant and had some delicious steaks. My wife chose a etter cut. I knew I should have had the ribeye. Her steak was perfect and cut like butter. Overall, it was a great night. Now my wife is beat and ready for bed.

It will be interesting to see how different out lives will be by next year will you minions. Any hint will help.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Imagine for a second that you are a teen living in a world where at any moment your parents or guardians may choose to have you unwound. If you disobey them or are become unwanted in any way, they may sign the papers and have you shipped off to a “harvest camp” where you will be prepped and then taken piece by piece. If you’re born into the right religion you may even have the privilege of being tithed (aka unwound with an honorable connotation). Satisfying both pro-life and pro-choice advocates, the justification of unwinding is that the teens live on within the bodies of the people given their parts. Disturbing? Definitely. Unrealistic? A bit… But this story and the characters brought such life to the idea, that is quickly became real.

The concept behind this book was chilling and you(well at least I was) on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next.You travel through this book with 3 different teen that are set to be unwound. Yes they do go throught what a person is thinking and feeling  going through an unwinding. 

This is one of those book that I will never forget read and it will always stick with me. I am pro-life and this book make you think...what if abortion was illegal. What is a parent(s) did not want the child anymore? 

I recommend that everyone should read this book.

Interesting Weekend

This past weekend my wife and I attended a workshop for natural child birthing. We found it quite interesting. I learned so much in 7 hours. It was an eye opener to me, because before this workshop. I was not all that sure my wife could do this. After learning some relazation and pain management techniques, I know know my wife can do this. The Doula that taught the class was awesome.

.An eye opening documentry is: The Business of Being Born. I reveals that there is much to distrust behind hospital doors and follows several couples who decide to give birth on their own terms.

We are still going to be giving birth in the hospital, because we are over an 1hr either way. So no homebirth for this couple.

To make this a reality, I hope that this little stubborn bundle of joy flips out of the breach position. Or my wife will need Cesarean surgery...:( This is important to us with the unsatisfactory birthing experience we had with our daughter.

The Royal Road to Fotheringhay by Jean Plaidy

The Royal Road to Fotheringhay  by Jean Plaidy
 Series: Stuart Saga
Genre:Historical Fiction
Page: 337
My rating:Save It

Jean Plaidy reveals her steadfast grasp of historical storytelling in this engaging account of the first half of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Can you imagine being named a Queen at the age of a mere 6 days old. It's a short, eventful read with a large cast of sinister characters who'll do anything in their power to manipulate the queen for their own ends.

As I know next to nothing about Mary's story, I used this as a kind of educational novel to help teach me about her.I wanted to read this book because of Cw's Reign, in which I love this show. It works a treat in this respect, providing historical details and a real air of authenticity along with plenty of entertainment along the way. It shows not all history book are a bore.

Plaidy is particularly good at creating larger than life characters, from Mary's ultra-sleazy uncle, a Cardinal, to the swaggering Borderer, Bothwell. Such characters are hugely enjoyable to read about, and Plaidy's writing style makes them all the better. She has a way of writing that feels courtly and understated - it may be a product of the era in which she was working - so that even the most outrageous scandal takes place almost matter-of-factly.It was overall a great book.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Series: The Giver #1
Genres: Science Fiction
Pages: 179 
My rating: Save It

This is a great book. I wish everyone would read this book. There is are so many people that are missing out on a great piece of work. Its deceptively simplistic language reveals a rather horrifying dystopian world. Lois Lowry sure is craft with her words and action throughout this book.

This is a world where people are not given freedom to decide anything for themselves - their spouses, children, careers, future, even clothes or haircuts are all pre-planned and pre-selected for them. This futuristic world to me would suck. I sure hope that this is not what the future generations have to look forward to. They are not allowed to even own their feelings and dreams. I cannot imagine having everything in my life set out before me and having no choices..:( Of course, it is done for common good - to preserve peace and serenity, to avoid any disturbance, be that war, hunger, over-population, or simply personal discomfort of pain. Only two people in this community are able to understand what people miss out on. The main character Jonas is one of these people.

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared."

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell
My rating:Save It

After a speech by wise Old Major , the great pig (read Marx/Lenin), in which it is noted that the life of an animal is misery and slavery and than man is the only creature that consumes without producing, the animals rise up and throw off the yolk of their oppressive master Jones (read Romanov family). Two pigs Napoleon (Stalin) and Snowball (Trotsky) lead the Revolution.

Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." This 1945 satire addresses the socialist/ communist philosophy of Stalin in the Soviet Union.


Strengths:

• A deep book of a short read. I thought that animals rebellion against the farmer might be a good thing. In the end, I am not so sure.
• I found myself so wrapped up in this book that when the pigs that ruled and had all the privileges would change rules at random to suit their needs I was groaning and pitying these other animals who suffered because of it.
• Orwell shows how socialist ideals are corrupted by powerful people, how the uneducated masses are taken advantage of.  

Weaknesses: 
 For me it was my utter lack of Russian history that sometimes I had to sit back and think...what was George saying there.

Summary:
I am not sure what I was really expecting from Animal Farm. I will tell you this I was not envisioning in learning about Russian history. The symbolism that Orwell brought with the story what the story really meant. Orwell also shows corrupted by powerful people, how the uneducated masses are taken advantage of throughout this book. It just ticked me off. I was wondering if the working class animals were going to overtake the pig...no such luck. I am in the mood for some bacon now.