Thursday, September 30, 2021

Landslide - The Final Days of the Trump Presidency

                                                                                               


Jim's Review

Michael Wolff shared the chaos and mayhem that was happening inside the White House during the last days of the Trump Presidency.

It was looking good on election night and the information that  President Trump was getting and watching on TV was positive that would change drastically later into the night and early morning.

9 out of 10 stars


About book
An instant New York Times bestseller.

Critics agree: Michael Wolff’s Landslide is THE book on Trump.

Landslide . . . is the one to leap upon. Smart, vivid and intrepid . . .” ―The New York Times

“I inhaled Landslide, gobbled it up.” ―Slate

“Wow. Just wow . . .” ―Evening Standard

“Cruel, unforgiving, muckraking, scandalous. I couldn’t stop reading it.”―The Telegraph

We all witnessed some of the most shocking and confounding political events of our lifetime: the careening last stage of Donald J. Trump’s reelection campaign, the president’s audacious election challenge, the harrowing mayhem of January 6, the buffoonery of the second impeachment trial. But what was really going on in the inner sanctum of the White House during these calamitous events? What did the president and his dwindling cadre of loyalists actually believe? And what were they planning?

Michael Wolff pulled back the curtain on the Trump presidency with his #1 bestselling blockbuster Fire and Fury. Now, in Landslide, he closes the door on the presidency with a final, astonishingly candid account.

Wolff embedded himself in the White House in 2017 and gave us a vivid picture of the chaos that had descended on Washington. Almost four years later, Wolff finds the Oval Office even more chaotic and bizarre, a kind of Star Wars bar scene. At all times of the day, Trump, behind the Resolute desk, is surrounded by schemers and unqualified sycophants who spoon-feed him the “alternative facts” he hungers to hear―about COVID-19, Black Lives Matter protests, and, most of all, his chance of winning reelection. Once again, Wolff has gotten top-level access and takes us front row as Trump’s circle of plotters whittles down to the most enabling and the president reaches beyond the bounds of democracy as he entertains the idea of martial law and balks at calling off the insurrectionist mob that threatens the institution of democracy itself.

As the Trump presidency’s hold over the country spiraled out of control, an untold and human account of desperation, duplicity, and delusion was unfolding within the West Wing. Landslide is that story as only Michael Wolff can tell it. learn more and buy book

Give and Take: Book Review

                                                                                          


                                                                              Jim's Review

 An interesting read with stories of people who did the give and take effectively and for some who did it badly.

                                                                                7 out of 10 stars

                                                                          About book

         A groundbreaking look at why our interactions with others hold the key to success, from the bestselling author of Originals


For generations, we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But in today’s dramatically reconfigured world, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. In Give and Take, Adam Grant, an award-winning researcher and Wharton’s highest-rated professor, examines the surprising forces that shape why some people rise to the top of the success ladder while others sink to the bottom. Praised by social scientists, business theorists, and corporate leaders, Give and Take opens up an approach to work, interactions, and productivity that is nothing short of revolutionary  learn more and buy book

                                                                 

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

The Comey Rule (2021): Movie Review

                                                                            



Jim's Review

Riveting and shocking details of what happened behind the scenes as James Comey got tangled up with Hilary Clinton emails and President Elect Donald Trump

James Comey (Jeff Daniels) give a solid performance and  Donald Trump (Brendan Gleeson) is truly magical playing president elect

8 out of 10 stars



Movie Plot:
FBI director James Comey takes on challenges in politics and ethics as he serves under United States president, Donald Trump.



 

To End a Presidency - The Power of Impeachment: Book Review

                                                                       


Jim's Review

An amazing read with insights on the true meaning "high crimes and misdemeanors" through various presidencies in the United States

7 out of 10 stars

About book:
As Congress prepares articles of impeachment of President Trump, read the definitive book on presidential impeachment and how it should be used today.

Impeachment is our ultimate constitutional check against an out-of-control executive. But it is also a perilous and traumatic undertaking for the nation. In this authoritative examination, Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz rise above the daily clamor to illuminate impeachment's proper role in our age of broken politics.

To End a Presidency is an essential book for anyone seeking to understand how this fearsome power should be deployed. read more and buy book

Monday, September 27, 2021

Spiral (2021):Movie Review

                                                                                     


Jim's Review

Captivating performance by Chris Rock in the movie that has lots of twist and turns until the climatic gruesome end

9 out of 10 stars

Movie plot
Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city's gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer's morbid game.





Saturday, September 25, 2021

Rich Dad Poor Dad Small Hand Pocket Book: Book Review

                                                                                          


Jim's Review

Thin book with powerful message!

* I will be reading it daily

 About book:
Mini insights from Robert Kiyosaki 

How to do the Work: Book Review

                                                                              


Jim's Review

An amazing book to read with powerful strategies, tips and expert advice

9 out of 10 stars


About book

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ·  INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

From Dr. Nicole LePera, creator of "the holistic psychologist"—the online phenomenon with more than two million Instagram followers—comes a revolutionary approach to healing that harnesses the power of the self to produce lasting change.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Nicole LePera often found herself frustrated by the limitations of traditional psychotherapy. Wanting more for her patients—and for herself—she began a journey to develop a united philosophy of mental, physical and spiritual wellness that equips people with the interdisciplinary tools necessary to heal themselves. After experiencing the life-changing results herself, she began to share what she’d learned with others—and soon “The Holistic Psychologist” was born.

Now, Dr. LePera is ready to share her much-requested protocol with the world. In How to Do the Work, she offers both a manifesto for SelfHealing as well as an essential guide to creating a more vibrant, authentic, and joyful life. Drawing on the latest research from a diversity of scientific fields and healing modalities, Dr. LePera helps us recognize how adverse experiences and trauma in childhood live with us, resulting in whole body dysfunction—activating harmful stress responses that keep us stuck engaging in patterns of codependency, emotional immaturity, and trauma bonds. Unless addressed, these self-sabotaging behaviors can quickly become cyclical, leaving people feeling unhappy, unfulfilled, and unwell. 

In How to Do the Work, Dr. LePera offers readers the support and tools that will allow them to break free from destructive behaviors to reclaim and recreate their lives. Nothing short of a paradigm shift, this is a celebration of empowerment that will forever change the way we approach mental wellness and self-care.learn more and buy book


Friday, September 24, 2021

What IF.... (2021): Series Review

                                                                                                    


Jim's Review

All 7 episodes are amazing and worth watching!

10 out of 10 stars


About series
Reimagining noteworthy events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and creating a multiverse of infinite possibilities.


Thursday, September 23, 2021

Untold- Breaking Point: Movie Review (NETFLIX)

                                                                                              


Jim's Review

Fantastic movie on Mardy Fish and the journey he went to pursue his dream of playing tennis.

The pressure and torment he went through nearly ended his life

Courage, determination and support from his family gave him the confidence to come out about mental health struggle he went through and change how sport deals with it

10 out of 10 stars

About film
Untold: Breaking Point is a sports documentary film co-created, co-directed and executive produced Chapman Way and Maclain Way. This film documents the story of Mardy Fish, a rising tennis star of the 2010's who began to struggle with his anxiety and pulled out of the 2012 US Open as a result.



Your New Money Story: Book Review

                                                                                            


Jim's Review

Insightful book on how to change you money story.

6 out of 10 stars


About book
Neuroscientists estimate that over 90 percent of our operating systems—beliefs, behaviors, patterns—are unconscious. Since the surface story determines less than 10 percent of our decisions, how can we illuminate the shadow story responsible for over 90 percent of what we do each day? Once we systematically understand our relationship with money, can we overcome the mind and brain’s resistance to change? Especially when so many of the current popular strategies for change are contrary to the way the mind and brain work?



Each money story line contains unspoken assumptions, emotional agendas, and unconscious meanings. Money becomes a portal to the immaterial and the intangible, a Rorschach onto which we project our needs and hopes.



Your New Money Story: The Beliefs, Behaviors, and Brain Science to Rewire for Wealth combines twenty-five years of psychiatric and psychoanalytic practice and over a dozen years of professional and executive mentor coaching with groundbreaking research in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to show readers how to recognize money behaviors ghostwritten by hidden assumptions, overcome the brain’s patterned responses that lead to bad decisions, harness the power of regulating states of mind, develop the art and neuroscience of money strategies, and identify and remedy emotionally based money mistakes and financial fallacies. The ROADMAP System deconstructs the process of understanding a money story to systematically construct a new one to write new mind software and rewire the brain for wealth.  Learn more and buy book

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Prey (2021): Movie Review (NETFLIX)

                                                                                 


Jim's Review

Friends go on a hiking trip and run into trouble, it cause friction between them in many ways

6 out of 10 stars


about movie
Roman, his brother Albert and their friends go on a hiking trip into the wild. The group soon find themselves in a desperate bid for survival when they realize that they have fallen prey to a mysterious shooter.


The Power of Why: Book Review

                                                                                                     


Jim's Review

An insightful with case study which by the end of the book you will come to the conclusion that there is power in taking action against Why and the changes that can be made when you decided to challenge it

8 out of 10 stars

About book

The national bestseller, now in paperback!

The urge to question is natural for small children―just ask any parent. But few of us are aware that it is also one of the most vital tools for success. In The Power of Why, Amanda Lang shows how curiosity and the ability to ask the right questions fuels innovation and can drive change not just in business but also in our personal lives.

Weaving together the latest research with in-depth profiles of innovators from around the world, Lang explores how to harness and develop the power of curiosity. She reveals how a major retailer set out to discover what really makes men happy―and was stunned by the results. She finds out why, at one particular hospital, nurses think it’s better if they don’t wash their hands. She learns why the most common methods of brainstorming don’t actually work and discovers a new soccer ball that could change the world.

A book that challenges conventional wisdom and offers practical, inspiring advice, The Power of Why shows how it’s possible to reignite your innate curiosity and overcome long-standing barriers―leaving you more creative, productive and fulfilled in your job and happier in your relationships. learn more and buy book


The Bullet Journal Method - Track the Past Order the Present Design the Future: Book Review

                                                                                   


Jim's Review

A truly sensational book for beginning to end. Look forward to getting started!

10 out of 10 stars

About book:
New York Times bestseller! 

There’s a reason this system for time management, goal setting, and intentional living has been adopted by millions around the globe: it works. Not only will you get more done, but you’ll get the right things done. All you need is a pen, paper, and five spare minutes a day.

In The Bullet Journal Method, Ryder Carroll, the system’s founder, provides an essential guide to avoiding all-too-common beginner mistakes and building a core discipline from which you can personalize your practice. You’ll not only learn to organize your tasks, but to focus your time and energy in pursuit of what's truly meaningful to you by following three simple steps:

* Track the past. 
Create a clear and comprehensive record of your thoughts.

Order the present. Find daily calm and clarity by tackling your to-do list in a more mindful, systematic, and productive way.

* Design the future. Transform your vague curiosities into meaningful goals, and then break those goals into manageable action steps that lead to big change.

Whether you’re a frustrated list maker, an overwhelmed multitasker, or a creative who needs some structure, The Bullet Journal Method will help you go from passenger to pilot of your own life. learn more and buy book

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Tupac Resurrection (2003):Movie Review

                                                                                                    


Jim's Review

Spectacular film about Tupac Shakur journey of life on what he went through in his short and impactful life.

10 out of 10 stars

Movie Plot:
Using interviews, photographs and home movies, this documentary presents the life of rapper Tupac Shakur. His mother, Afeni, is a Black Panther who spends part of her pregnancy in jail. Growing up in a politicized atmosphere, Shakur attends a performing arts high school in Baltimore, where he begins rapping. Success comes early, as do a series of legal problems, with arrests and accusations of violence against women leading up to his meteoric rise to fame and still-unsolved 1996 murder.



Up in the Air (2009): Movie Review

                                                                                          


Jim's Review

Ryan (George Clooney) is corporate downsizing expert until new colleague Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) shows up to automate the process and Ryan world changes very quick!

8 out of 10 stars



Movie plot:
Ryan, a corporate downsizing expert, takes his new colleague on his office tour. On the way, he meets another flier and the two begin a casual relationship.


Old (2021): Movie Review

                                                                                  


Jim's Review

M. Night Shyamalan delivers one of the epic thrillers I have ever watched!

Family is on beach with some terrible secrets that will begin to affect everyone.

The climatic end will have you asking. I thought getting old was supposed be a journey to a gruesome destination.

7 out of 10 stars


Movie Plot
A thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly reducing their entire lives into a single day.



Tomorrow War (2021): Movie Review

                                                                                          


Jim's Review

Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) is picked to fight a war in the future. In a truly epic journey he battles aliens and also his own family drama at the same time.

By the time you get to the climatic end  you will be wondering what will survive the bond of his family or the extinction of the aliens who want to take over the earth in 2051

9 out of 10 stars

Movie plot
The world is stunned when a group of time travellers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: thirty years in the future, mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species.



Saturday, September 18, 2021

Loki (2021): Series Review

                                                                                           

Jim's Review

Loki (Tim Hiddelston) is on new adventure after the happening of Avenger Endgame he is thrown into the Time Variance Authority. This where he meets Mobious (Owen Wilson) where he is asked to seek out another Loki to fix the TVA before it gets destroyed

10 out of 10 stars

Series plot:
Loki, the God of Mischief, steps out of his brother's shadow to embark on an adventure that takes place after the events of "Avengers: Endgame."




Friday, September 17, 2021

Tupac Shakur Legacy: Book Review

          

                                                                       


                                                                                 

                                                                         Jim's Review

                             Insights on Tupac Shakur life through amazing reproductions

                                                                              10 out of 10 stars

Westgate Condominiums Project: Feature Article

                                                                                        


Westgate Condominium Project at Bloor and Bathurst
 

 

Barzula Coffe: Product Review

                                                                                             

                                                                                  Jim's Review

                                   An amazing tri-blend of coffee with a satisfying taste!

                                                                             About coffee:
          Barzula use quality''arabica'' coffee blended from specially selected coffee beans imported directly from Africa, Brazil, Central and South America.Sealed to keep those great tasting smells in. Fresher for longer too.

Kate (2021): Movie Review (NETFLIX)

                                                                            

                                                                          Jim's Review

        Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) only has 24 hours to live and one last mission to complete!

                                                                                  8 out of 10 stars


                                                                            Movie Plot:

     Slipped a fatal poison on her final job, a ruthless Tokyo assassin has less than 24 hours to find out who ordered the hit and exact revenge.

                                                                    

Somersby Apple Flavoured Cider: Product Review

                                                                                           

                                                                            Jim's Review


                                  If you like Apples as much as I do then you have to taste this drink!
                                                                                    10 out of 10 stars

Starbucks Doubleshot Energy + Coffee: Product Review

                                                                                        

                                                                              Jim's Review


                                                             An amazing drink that you have to taste!
                                                                                  10 out of 10 stars

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Basil Seed-Orange Juice: Product Review

                                                                                                


Jim's Review

An amazing drink with seeds!



The Guilty (2021): Movie Review (TIFF21)

                                                                                    


Jim's Review

Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhall) is 911 call centre operator with lots of personal and professional issues happening to him. Until he gets a phone call that get his attention and makes every effort to help

Not every is what it seem in the climatic end to a riveting and emotional film

10 out of 10 stars


About film

LAPD officer Joe Baylor is working the night shift at a 911 call center, which is overwhelmed with calls relating to a large wildfire in the Hollywood Hills. Joe is awaiting trial for an unspecified incident that occurred on shift eight months ago, and expects to return to active duty following a court hearing the following day. Joe fields emergency calls while being hounded by an LA Times reporter asking for a statement about tomorrow’s trial.

Joe receives a call from a young woman named Emily Lighton who cannot talk freely, but Joe deduces that she has been kidnapped and is in the car with her abductor. He learns that they are in a white van on the freeway, but the abductor catches on and Emily hangs up before she can provide any further info. Joe relays the information to CHP, but they are unable to locate the van with such little info.

Joe calls Emily’s home phone number and speaks to her young daughter, Abby, who tells him that Emily was taken by her ex-husband Henry Fisher. He manages to get Henry’s phone number from Abby, and uses it to get the license plate number of the van. He calls CHP to send a patrol car to check on Abby and her baby brother Oliver, and also requests a search of Henry’s apartment, but the latter request is denied due to lack of a warrant.

Joe calls his ex-partner Rick, who is off-duty, and asks him to check on Henry’s house. Rick is supposed to provide witness testimony at Joe’s trial tomorrow, and expresses worry that it won’t go their way. Rick breaks into Henry’s apartment and finds piles of letters and documents; Joe asks him to start searching for any info that can help them deduce where Henry is going. Joe also calls his estranged wife and asks to speak to their daughter, but she is asleep and his wife asks him to stop calling.

Joe receives another call from Abby, and instructs her to answer the door for two LAPD officers performing a wellness check. The officers discover that Abby is covered in blood and her brother Oliver – who she said was “sleeping” – is gravely injured. Joe then calls Emily back and convinces her to pull the handbrake, but it fails to crash the van. He later talks to her in the back of the van, and Emily asks how Oliver is; she reveals that she believed Oliver had “snakes in his stomach” and she “took them out”. Henry stops the car and tries to remove Emily from the back, but she hits him with a brick and runs away.

Rick then calls Joe back and says he found documents in Henry’s place relating to a psychiatric facility in San Bernadino, where Emily used to be a patient. Joe calls Henry who explains that he was taking Emily back the facility; she has been off her meds for weeks because they could not afford them. Joe asks why he didn’t call the police when Emily hurt Oliver; Henry explains he doesn’t trust the system anymore because no one was willing to help them before. Joe asks where Emily ran off to, but Henry doesn’t know.

Emily calls Joe back from an overpass and implies that she is preparing to jump to her death, having realized what she did. Joe directs CHP to her location as he attempts to talk her down from the ledge. In an effort to distract her, Joe reveals that he killed a man while on active duty; when Emily asks why, he says he doesn’t know. She asks if it was “snakes”, and he agrees. Joe tells Emily that her family still loves her; Emily says she is “gonna go be with Oliver” and hangs up. Joe thinks she’s jumped to her death, but CHP calls and says they got her to come down safely. He also learns that Oliver is alive and in stable condition at the hospital.

Joe calls Rick back and asks him to tell the truth on the witness stand, knowing that he will be sent to prison as a result. Joe also calls the LA Times and informs the reporter that he intends to plead guilty to manslaughter at his upcoming trial.






The Game before The Game: Book review

                                                                             Jim's Review

                      Thin and powerful read about the strategies on becoming great at golf.

                                                                            9 out of 10 stars


                                                                             About book:

                  Insights on the mindset of become a golf player from two masters of the game

 

                                                                            
 

The Falcon and the Winter Solider: Mini- Series Review

                                                                                       


                                                                          Jim's Review

              The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up on very dangerous mission that will change them and the world forever.

     Lots of surprises all the way through the series from Zemmo (Daniel Brühl) and new Captain America (Wyatt Russell)

                                                                                   10 out of 10 stars

 

                                                                            Series plot:

        Falcon and the Winter Soldier are a mismatched duo who team up for a global adventure that will test their survival skills -- as well as their patience.