Berlin Embassy, by William Russell

The first edition of Berlin Embassy was published on November 30, 1940. At the time, World War II had been going on for over a year and would continue for another five years. The Holocaust had not yet begun, but it was getting underway. Adolf Hitler had been in power for six years and Nazi Germany was well-established.

William Russell was an American diplomat who lived in Berlin from 1937 until 1940. He shares his experiences and observations. Germany was a nation divided by those who followed Hitler and those who did not.  As a diplomat, Russell interacted with people who knew Hitler personally and their accounts make Hitler out to be a self-worshipping, egoistic monster.

Russell also interacted with many common people, members of the Nazi Party and the Jewish.

Remember, the book was first published in 1940. William Russell died in 2000. Berlin Embassy was not intended to reflect what’s happening in the United States today and yet it might as well have been. There’s the same attitudes, just substitute the Muslims for the Jews. Propaganda is everywhere. Donald Trump has the same personality traits that Adolf Hitler had.

Does this mean the United States will take the same path Nazi Germany did? Let’s hope not.

Random Stuff that Comes to Mind While Scrolling Facebook

AC/DC beats Metallica every time.

As far as dead rappers go, I never got into Tupac’s music, but I really like The Notorious B.I.G.

Whenever I need to use “effect” or “affect”, I have an argument with myself over which word is correct. Consulting a dictionary or thesaurus does not make it clear for me.

Glock makes fine pistols and I have no problem with Glocks, but if you wanted to know my favorite manufacturer, I would say Smith & Wesson.

In the Chevy Vs Ford war, I’ve had negative and positive experiences with both makes and I don’t think either is better than the other, but I’ve always felt a sort of loyality to Ford, maybe because my dad always had a Ford when I was growing up.

Mike Rowe is smarter than Donald Trump and Barack Obama combined.

A Bench

Finally got a bench on my front porch. This one isn’t really meant to be outside and the weather might destroy it in time, but I’ll just see how long it lasts. It’s used and already has some damage, so it’s no biggie.

 

Siege, by Gustavo Bondoni

In the far future, what’s left of the human race is hiding beneath the surface of Crystallia. They have remained undetected by their enemies for seventy-five years. When an Uploader craft lands on the moon not far from Crystallia, old fears resurface and the colony prepares for war against the more advanced enemy.

Gustavo Bondoni‘s Siege is a fun book. The characters are believable and the story is well-developed. I can see a possible spinoff from the epilogue and I wonder if Bondoni will make it happen.

Writing and Baseball

Got three pages into the novel and one into the story.  So, novel, page 96 and 20,409 words. Story, page 4 and 584 words.

Just finished watching the USA-Venezuela game. It’s hard to root for USA when two of my favorite MLB players are playing for Venezuela. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. But at least we have Jim Leyland and Ian Kinsler on team USA.

USA got in some runs in the bottom of the 8th. The game ended with Venezuela 2 and USA 4.