It is very fitting as I sit here in December and pen the last book review of 2011 that I review one of the most amazing books I’ve read all year. I suppose you’re actually reading this in early 2012, but that is the beauty of editorial lead times and time-space portals. As I write this I’m actually in a jury room right now serving my time in the interest of civic duty. Don’t worry though, there’s no trial going on right now, just lots of downtime.

The book I’d like to mention is actually the second book in a series. It’s The Innocent by Taylor Stevens, the second book in the Vanessa Michael Munroe saga. The first novel and Ms Stevens’ debut was The Informationist, which I reviewed earlier this year. The Informationist was a non-stop action tome, but The Innocent changes up the pace a little with a slight departure from that formula. It’s for good reason though, as the subject of this book drives dangerously close to the author’s own life story, and it works marvelously.

To quote the press release, readers were “fascinated by the author’s own utterly compelling history: her childhood and young adult years spent in the Children of God cult…While Stevens stresses that The Innocent is fiction, as are the characters that populate the story , she has drawn upon her own experiences growing up within the Children of God. According to Stevens, though not specifically the story of her life, The Innocent is “the closest she’ll ever come to writing an autobiography.”

This book provides a most engaging and energizing tale for several reasons. After reading the first novel, I was interesting in knowing more about Stevens and the main character Munroe. In The Innocent I get both. I was also intrigued with the social justice storyline in this book because of my own efforts launching The Pilgrimage church focused on just that. There’s a particular scene that Munroe handles in a manner that many of us would like to replicate when confronted with the sexual abuse of children. I’ll just say that she had to dispose of a couple of bodies and let you read it.

The Innocent proves that Ms Stevens is not just a one book author and that Vanessa Michael Munroe has no shortage of justice to mete out. I’d like to compare her to Jason Bourne or Jack Bauer, but now that I’ve finally seen Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I realize that she makes a much better comparison.  She’s an extremely strong, albeit damaged, heroine with inner demons that sometimes need to be quieted by getting her hands dirty. Just don’t get in her way, and you’ll be alright.

Wow! Blogs are everywhere these days. I mean, everyone has a blog and fancies them self a credentialed journalist, and I think that’s great. Blogs have done so much to break down the fourth estate, as the official ‘press’ is known, and they are also a great way to educate your kids in homeschool.

My seven-year-old son Abishai just started his own blog at www.abishaipowers.com. In our homeschool we use it for both language arts and computer instruction. It’s a great way for him to learn and also to possibly reach and inspire other homeschoolers. He talks about his week, or a big event, or his baby brother’s poop habits.

Our method is to have him write out his blog on paper first. He’s a first grader, so we require a minimum of 100 words. Once he and I edit the writing, many of them end up around 120 words in length. After we proofread the paper copy he types it into a Word document. Then he and I sit down and arrange the paragraphs, proof everything again, and flush out the descriptions. Although I help him when he gets stuck, he does everything from typing to copy and pasting. After this part is done, we upload it to his WordPress blog, which he named The Last Appeal. Once it’s on there I teach him how to insert videos and photos to enhance the blog and attract readers. He loves and really enjoys seeing the finished product posted to my Facebook page for family to see.

You should try this with your own homeschoolers, no matter how old they are. If you’d like to check out Abishai’s blog, you can find him at www.abishaipowers.com. He really loves it when people comment on his posts.

• Informational. It’s a good place for me to come back to for ideas, to check up, and maybe give someone else an idea or two.
• Inspirational. It’d be really awesome if a goal or idea I posted became an inspiration for someone else to reach for.
• Accountability. Once I put this stuff out there on the interwebz, people know. People that know me will ask. I’ll feel obligated to not be lazy about the goals.

Before I show my list, I’d like to give you my POV on New Year’s Resolutions. I like to change my viewpoint by using different terminology and creating a different point of view. I like to drop the ‘resolutions’ word and instead make it a challenge. Here’s why.

Resolution: to determine an action or course of action. To decide to do something.

Challenge: A call to battle, a contest, or a special effort.

A resolution implies inactivity, something on paper but not put into action. A list with no effort. A challenge implies an attack, an action.

I also try to stay away from two other cliched terms like bucket list and annual goals. A Bucket List is too terminal. It reeks of a “prepare to die” philosophy. Annual goals is just too boring a title. Both my Bucket List and Annual Goals list are intermingled now so that both are equally possible to complete in any given year. I put them together to create my Mondo Beyondo list every year. It changes every year also. My priorities and goals change sometimes. As my boys grow older, many of my goals change to accomodate them.

So here’s my list of physical items…

My main physical goals are to prepare me physically for specific athletic endeavors and make me physically harder to kill. I also endeavor to create a more physically active lifestyle without necessarily adding more ‘gym’ time.

The books I’m using here to plan my 1st quarter workouts are Triathlon Training by Eric Harr, 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, and Extreme Alpinism by Mark Twight.

1. Complete a sprint triathlon (.5 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and a 5K run). Planned for fall 2012.
2. Engage in serious exercise 6 days a week.
3. Beat my 5K personal best. I’m not sure what this is, so I’ll have to dig out those running bibs and see.
4. Bench press 300 pounds for a one rep press. There’s a specific workout in 4 Hour Body for this. I’m going next week to SkyFitness to get my current max.
5. Play at least 5 rounds of golf under 100.
6. Help my oldest son Abishai complete his first 5K race. He’s 7. We’re looking at the autism race at Market Common.
7. Complete an ultramarathon (over 26.2 miles) in spring 2013.
8. Bring my weight down to 200 pounds or less. I’m currently weighing in at 245. I’d like to be in the Light Heavyweight category.
9. Compete in a martial arts tournament and rock it Karate Kid style.
10. Decrease my body fat percentage by 10% in 2012.
11. Complete a 100 mile ultramarathon in under 24 hours to earn the coveted belt buckle.
12. Increase my high density cholesterol (HDL, the good stuff) to 40.
13. Complete an Iron Man Hawaii event (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run).
14. Summit all 50 US state highpoints. 35 to go.
15. Climb the Seven Summits, all eight of them. 6 left to go.
16. Thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
17. Fight in a Gathering of the Pack with the Dog Brothers.

So that’s it. It’s out there now. Let’s see how many I can cross off in 2012!

This will be an unusual book review for me. It’s not that often that I get ‘egg on my face’, especially when it’s put there by a man who could snap me in half while quoting logarithmic equations. I have a library of martial arts books in my dojo and often read them before or after my workouts as a way of expanding both mind and body.  I just finished reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Ultimate Fighting by Rich Franklin and Jon Merz. Upon completion I always post my finished books on The Franklin Society fan page on Facebook. It’s how I and several of my friends keep track of and compare the books we read. This was book number 82 for me for this year.

Because I read so many books and also interact with a great number of the authors I know a little bit about how the publishing world works. I hate to skew anyone’s celebrity worship here, but very few of the best-selling memoirs and biographies are written by the person who has their name on the front cover. This holds true for most politicians, artists, television preachers, actors, and, yes, fighters. Most of the books you see out there aren’t written by those folks but are actually penned by a hired ghost writer. Oftentimes you’ll see the ghoster listed as a second author and sometimes not at all. It’s a common practice in the industry. It should surprise no one that many Ultimate Fighting Championship and mixed martial arts fighters don’t pen their own books.

Because of this practice I assumed that Rich Franklin didn’t actually write the book with his name on it and said so in my Facebook post…

“Not bad, but fighter Rich Franklin had his name listed first on a book he probably didn’t write a word of.”

I didn’t think twice about what I wrote until Rich Franklin himself called me to the mat, so to speak, by answering back…

“Hey David, note your posting said probably, which shows yourself doubt. In the future why don’t you talk about things you actually know something about. For the record, the author of this book was not a mixed martial artist, and I spent many nights till the morning hours trying to fix all the problems with this book. My effort was also coordinated with the UFC as well. No need to retract your statement, everybody reading this response will know you’re wrong anyway.”

In other words, I screwed up.

I made a huge assumption based on no intel or verification and got called on it. Although Rich Franklin said there was no need to retract the statement, my own sense of honor demands that I do something to make amends. That’s why I wanted to do this month’s review on the book, not so much to tell you about the book (which is great, by the way) but to make a public apology for offending an author and one heck of a fighter.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rich Franklin, I’d like to tell you more, but not too much. The last chapter of the book is Rich’s actual story. Franklin didn’t enter the ring by the traditional route moving up through the NCAA wrestling ranks as many American fighters do. He was a working guy, hitting fight after fight and training in whatever available time he had while holding down a fulltime job as a math teacher. There finally hit a point where he had to choose which career to focus on- teaching or fighting. He chose fighting and obviously made the correct decision. After all, he’s the guy that ended the Iceman Chuck Liddell’s career with a knockout.

Aside from the tremendous respect he deserves for working so hard to gain entry to UFC elite status, Franklin deserves respect for more than that. He’s an intellectual, an academic, a modern-day representation of the warrior-poet mystique that eludes many a fighter’s grasp these days. If you’ve watched any episodes of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike, you know what I mean. It’s like Jersey Shore meets the Octagon. Franklin has a Master’s Degree in Education in addition to the teaching certificate he once held. Of all the fighters you see, he’s one that would most likely to be writing his own books. This is something I should have thought of before I made that errant post. Not only that, but Franklin actually comments on his own fan page. Only he and Matt Serra have ever done that for me.

The book really was pretty good. I’ve always said that Complete Idiot’s Guides are much better than many of the college texts that I used during my own days in the halls of academia. This one is no exception. If you’d like to read one book to get a handle on mixed martial arts fighting and what’s going on in the ring, then this book is perfect for it. If you ever run into Franklin somewhere, be sure to give him due credit for penning it.

I have to say that Olivia Wilde was spectacular in the movie and deserves this entry into my Top Female Movie Scenes list. This pose alone was worth the entry…

…but there was also the LED outfit, the sweet rescue on the lightcycle battlefield, the laser frisbee, the digital recovery from getting her arm chopped off, and the hair! Wow! She’s been great in her other performances on both the big and little screens, but this one clinches her spot.

In light of an excellent movie I also wanted to give a close second place, almost entry into the Top Scenes list, for the 3 digital wardrobe sirens from another scene. Kudos to Beau Garrett, Serinda Swan, Yaya DaCosta, and Elizabeth Mathis for their scene! I absolutey loved the regimented Stepford Wives way they did their job. Even the way they walked around was cool and sexy.

Oh well, at least he likes coffee.

Mucho thanks to DC Comics and Detective Comics issue 872 for the coffee scene!

REAL Gift Ideas for Your Man This Year

Don’t buy your man any of those expensive or goofy things that he’ll never use and you’ll end up throwing into a garage sale bin a year later. Here’s a couple of ideas of things your guy might really want this year.

Adjustable dumbbells- Several companies make them, but Bowflex makes the best ones. Take away any of the excuses your guy might be using to neglect working on those guns. $150-500

TOMS Shoes- Your guy needs to be both socially and fashionably conscious. There are so many TOMS styles out there, so why not buy him a gift certificate and let him pick his own. I love the limited edition Movember ones, but I’m biased toward anything with facial hair (except women). $80

The Walking Dead season one DVD set- Even if you don’t care for zombie action, your guy should love this. If he’s already seen the first season on tv, he’ll still enjoy the extra features. $40

Chemex coffeepot- This is by far the coolest way to make coffee at home. I’ve used one for years. It looks good and the brew is sweet. $40

Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson- I haven’t read this one yet, so I can’t comment on the story. With Jobs’ recent passing it’ll probably be the must-buy Christmas read. $35

A 12-pack of his favorite beverage- How silly, you say! No way. Guys like practicality and nothing is more practical than a case of his favorite whatever that no one else is going to mess with. For me, it’d be Mountain Dew. $ varies

Coupon book- These are so cheesy, but only because they’re seldom honored. Go buy one of those coupon books or make your own. Be sure it has things like an uninterrupted hour of tv, a sexy massage, a free day of maid service, and more. I’ll let you fill in the extras. Just be sure they’re items that you’ll follow through on. It’s those unused coupons that make the gift cheesy.

Now this is coming straight from the dude’s mouth, so take it as a man-rule. Ask your guy what he wants for Christmas. Ask for enough ideas so that you have choices. Then surprise him with what you pick.

Stay tuned in 2012 for a brand new revamp on the Man’s Point of View column!

I just left a new meeting with a friend of mine, and we were talking about various streams of income. This is an area that my mastermind group has discussed in length for many years, and one which is very relevant to today’s income-making possibilities that are available both on-and-offline. Very few people can make it these days on a single income stream like they could in the old days.

I’m not really  sure how many streams I have. As I investigate this further I guess I’ll find out. I’ll also reveal ones I’ve tried that didn’t work for me. I hope you’ll tune in and enjoy.

Today’s stream is an easy go to for additional income…Ebay. I make about 5% of my total income from Ebay. ‘Nuff said. Later on I’ll get into how I get my merchandise for Ebay.