Nicholas and Alexandra (Robert K. Massie)

Nicholas and Alexandra is "the classic account of the fall of the Romanov dynasty."  Focusing largely on Nicholas II's reign as Russian Tsar (1894-1917), the book sweeps through his early days, engagement to Alexandra (a German princess), their five children, World War I, the Russian revolution, and the brutal end of the family suffered at the hands of the Bolsheviks.  Also discussed are Russia's best-known rulers (Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great), the famous artist Fabergé, and the enigmatic Rasputin- the raunchy monk who appeared capable of healing the heir, Tsarevich Alexis, of his hemophilia.

This is an excellent book.  Massie's style is straightforward but compelling and informative.  He provides the right amount of detail, and his accounts of tangential/contextual issues (like prior Russian Tsarist history, Rasputin, Lenin, Alexis' hemophilia, and more) are brief but fantastic.  I believe this to be the most fascinating period of Russian history, and Massie's book covers it wonderfully.  Of course, one could argue that this time period is monumental across Europe, as "In 1913, the gilded world of the European aristocracy seemed at its zenith.  In fact, fashionable society, like the rest of mankind, stood one step from the abyss."  Both zenith and abyss, at least as it related to Russia, are well-covered here.

I learned more than I expected about leadership from this book.  Most consider Nicholas II an out-of-touch buffoon.  This work, however, provides a largely sympathetic portrait of the man.  He's presented as a well-meaning monarch beset by natural timidity, parental anxiety (largely due to his son's ailment), and bad influences (in his wife and mother, Rasputin, etc.).  As a leader, I view his principle failures as follows:

1. He was not transparent.  The family wanted to hide the Tsarevich's hemophilia from the public.  It's understandable- they wanted to present a strong front, and America did the same with FDR's condition.  However, the family's resulting secretive ways and odd actions were misinterpreted by the population, and they all suffered as a result.  It would have been better to be up-front about the condition- the public would have (probably) been sympathetic vice suspicious.
2. He ignored reality.  Several along the way warned Nicholas of public discontent; the Tsar ignored them, choosing instead to listen to those who claimed Russians loved him.  Another condition common to man, we often hear only what we want to believe and disregard the rest.  It cost Nicholas his life.
3. He gave in to fools.  Because of his (mystifying) ability to heal the Tsarevitch and prophesy, Rasputin's influence was huge on the Empress- and by extension, on Nicholas.  Alexandra, at Rasputin's urging, would bombard Nicholas with political recommendations, many of which proved disastrous.  Nicholas, usually suspicious at first, repeatedly caved- as previously mentioned, he was timid.  It didn't end well.  Hemophilia brought Rasputin, who brought insanity, which brought revolution.  One wonders how history would have been different, had Alexis Romanov's blood been able to clot normally.

Rating: A

Magic: Some Common/Uncommon Staples

Magic: The Gathering (review here) is an amazing game, with near-infinite possibilities based on the fully-customizable nature of the game and a pool of over 14,700 unique cards from which to choose.   That said, I find myself relying on a select few cards more often than not, and they often find a way into my decks regardless of theme.  Today's post covers them.  I don't elaborate on rules; see here for those.

When I started playing, I assumed the rare cards were the best; that's not always true.  Commons and uncommons form the basis of most decks, and they play a key role.  In fact, look at any Magic reseller and you may find some commons and uncommons selling for more than their rare counterparts!  Because they're so critical, today's post focuses only on the common and uncommon cards I find myself using time and again.

How do you judge the value of a card?  I'm no expert, but I have developed a mild sense over the years; it all comes down to cost vs. benefit.  Every single Magic card does something- for a cost.  The questions are: what is the something, and what is the cost?  Looking at both elements, and playing a few games yourself, it becomes easy to spot the good cards.  You'll note that most of the cards presented below do something powerful, with wide scope or great flexibility, for very low cost.  By 'scope' and 'flexibility,' I mean an effect that's useful in a wide range of situations, against all sorts of opponent strategies.  Deathmark (below) is an example of one that's not flexible.  It's cheap (just one mana), but it destroys a creature only if it's green or white.  It can have its place, but I normally avoid it because of this restriction.

Hopefully concepts like flexibility and scope will become evident as you look through the below.   Let's start with white.

White

White is the color of life and holiness, and a lot of good stuff can happen for cheap.  Many white staple cards have to do with removing creatures or preventing damage.  Condemn, for example, can remove a powerful (attacking) creature from the battlefield for just one mana.  Though your opponent will gain some life in the process, there are many times that will be worth it.  Disenchant, for just two mana, allows you to destroy any artifact or enchantment, and as such is a must-have 'removal' card.

Goldenglow Moth is one of my favorite 'stalling' cards.  If your deck will take a while to get going, you need cheap blockers that can deal with whatever your opponent may throw at you early.  Goldenglow Moth is such a card.  For one mana, you get a flying blocker.  Yes, it's probably good for only one combat, but note that you gain 4 life whenever it blocks.  That can give you the breathing space you need as you ramp up.  Holy Day, also for just one mana, is another stalling favorite, and can be a game-changer.  Let's say your opponent amasses an army, and swings with everything he's got.  Holy Day will prevent all that damage without you committing anyone to block.  This, in turn, can (potentially) leave your opponent vulnerable to a deadly strike of your own.

Journey to Nowhere is another good, cheap way of removing a powerful creature.  The only downside: if someone destroys this enchantment, the creature comes back, so be wary.  Pacifism is another way to shackle your foe- it leaves the creature on the battlefield, but prevents them from attacking or blocking, potentially leaving them powerless for the duration of the conflict.

Path to Exile, for just one mana, exiles a creature.  Like Condemn, it gives your opponent a bonus- this time, a land card- but there are many times when that will be worth it (especially late in games, when additional land is probably unnecessary).

Blue

Blue is the color of trickery and illusion.  Some of best 'control' cards come out of the blue (see what I did there?).  Cancel, for example, is powerful- cancel any spell for three mana.  Mana Leak allows you to do the same thing for only two mana- unless your opponent has three additional mana to spend to cancel it (unlikely, especially in the early game).

Diminish is a great way to counter a powerful creature.  Making it 1/1 until end of turn sets it up to be destroyed easily by other means, too.  Fog Bank is an excellent stalling card.  It flies, and neither deals nor receives damage, so it's a wonderful blocker to hold the field until you can unleash your most powerful cards.

Blue has a lot of cards that affect your library.  That's always welcome, as it can make your most-desired cards more accessible.  Augury Owl, for example, lets you look at the top 3 cards of your library, then put any number on the top or bottom.  Ponder, similarly, is amazing- look at the top 3, rearrange them if you want, shuffle if you don't like what you see, and draw a card- all for one mana.  There's a reason that card is banned from modern- it's just so powerful.  Sage Owl is similar to Augury Owl, and allows you to look at and rearrange the top 4 cards (but not put any on the bottom, like Augury).

Finally, if you can't counter a spell when cast, Unsummon and Boomerang are good options to remove creatures and permanents, respectively, from the battlefield later in the game.

Black

Black is the color of evil and death.  Diabolic Tutor helps you carry out nefarious schemes, searching your deck for any card.  Sign in Blood is a staple- drawing two cards for two life is a sacrifice I'd make any day.

Doom Blade is so handy- kill any nonblack creature for just two mana.  Duress, for just one, is also nice, allowing you to mess with your opponent early in the game.

Reassembling Skeleton is amazing.  Kill it, and you can bring it back for two mana.  Over and over again.  It won't win games on its own, but it's handy to have a creature that can keep coming back.  Vampire Nighthawk is also fantastic.  With flying, deathtouch, and lifelink, this card is worth it for many reasons, and can be of value both on offense and defense.

Red

Red is the color of damage, fury, and revenge.  Act of Treason is a great card; let your opponent spend the mana to cast a powerful creature, then take control of it for a turn and use it against them.

Red likes to destroy artifacts and lands, and Demolish and Shatter allow you to do just that.  The former is more flexible, but costs twice as much.

Some red cards need little guys to sacrifice.  Dragon Fodder allows you to do just that; Ember Hauler is a nice way to do 2 damage to any creature or player at a moment's notice.

Classic damage cards like Fireball or Lightning Bolt are necessary in any red deck.  Lightning Bolt in particularly is powerful- 3 damage for just one mana.

Fling is a nifty card- it's a nice way to get around your opponent's defenses.  Let's say you have a powerful dragon (5/5) out, but you can't break through; cast Fling, and sacrifice your dragon to do 5 damage to your opponent directly.  Nice.

Green

Green is the color of land and nature.  Like white, it likes life, though it can deal out some destruction, too.  Acidic Slime is costly but wonderfully flexible- it's 'enter the battlefield' mechanic can destroy a pesky artifact, enchantment, or land, and with deathtouch, it can take down much larger creatures when necessary.  Naturalize, green's version of white' Disenchant, is an excellent removal spell.

Cultivate and Rampant Growth exemplify what green does best- get land onto the battlefield fast.  These cards are necessary in decks where you have large, costly creatures- getting a few land ahead of your enemies will allow you to play those beasts much sooner.  Llanowar Elves grants mana, not land, but the effect is the same- more resources to pay for the big stuff sooner.

Green also excels at card drawing.  Explore allows you to play two lands on one turn and draw.  Elvish Visionary is a staple in many arenas, giving you a creature and a card draw.  And Harmonize is excellent at replenishing your hand mid-game.

Prized Unicorn is a great card.  Attack with it, and all blockers must focus on it, leaving your other creatures a free path to the enemy.  On the defensive side, Fog is the green version of white's Holy Day- preventing all combat damage can leave your opponent vulnerable to a counterstrike.

The only thing better than big creatures are bigger creatures.  Giant Growth pumps anyone up a good amount, and Rancor is handy not only for its ability- trample is always  nice- but because it keeps returning to your hand, making it wonderfully reusable.

Conclusion

There are many good commons and uncommons in Magic: The Gathering.  This post covered only a handful.  Did I miss any key cards?  Let me know!

Deadpool

Smart aleck Wade Wilson has a problem.  Diagnosed with terminal cancer, his hope is all but gone when he meets a stranger promising a cure- and more.  Having no choice, he submits to treatment . . . and becomes Deadpool, the 'merc with a mouth.'  Now invincible but physically deformed, he swears vengeance upon Francis, the 'doctor' who treated him.  He carries out his quest with  his trademark sarcasm and vulgarity.  Can he prevail?  Who the @#$% cares?

Deadpool is a very different kind of superhero movie (as the pictures convey).  It is rated R for a reason (for mostly language and graphic violence, with a dash of nudity).  This is not something you want your kids to see.  That said, Deadpool's 'no-filter' approach to life is strangely refreshing.  It's undeniably amusing, with several laugh-out-loud moments.  The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, with Deadpool acknowledging the audience several times, and there are lots of pop culture references that require some general cultural awareness to fully enjoy.  It also has its disturbing, disgusting, and/or unnecessarily graphic or crude moments.  Overall, it's a movie you enjoy, but feel guilty doing so.

I left the theater feeling uncertain about how I should feel about this film.  Why does such behavior so amuse us?  And what does this, in turn, reveal about our nature?  Are our true natures so shackled by cultural/behavioral expectations that things like this are a breath of fresh air, even if we feel it's inappropriate?  Is it healthy to see (or practice) such a lack of self-restraint?  Is Deadpool's 'devil-may-care' attitude something we yearn to exhibit?  If so, why?  I feel like there's something deep here, but I'm tired and have to think more on it.

Rating: A-

The Book of Kells (Bernard Meehan)

The Book of Kells is "an illustrated introduction to the manuscript" of the same name.  The intricately-illustrated and wonderfully-decorated original work is "a large-format manuscript codex of the Latin text of the gospels" and includes etymologies, canon tables, summaries of gospel narratives, and "prefaces characterizing the evangelists."

Considered a national Irish treasure, we know little of the "where, when, and who" of the original manuscript.  It is thought to be been written either on Iona (an island off Mull, in Scotland) or Kells in Ireland circa 800; it was certainly in existence by 1000.  Never finished, at least three artists and three scribes are believed to have spent months creating it.  Author Bernard Meehan goes over these topics and more, focusing on the work's numerous illustrated themes: Christ, the evangelists, angels, peacocks & doves, and more animals/people that dot the pages.

An example page

This introduction was good, but could have been better.  The selected illustrations were excellent and of high quality; these are why I'm keeping the book.  The text discussing the manuscript was dry and a touch too detailed to be an overview; it was easy to get lost as the author droned on.  Still, it's worth owning this just to page through the drawings and marvel and the intricacy and beauty of this Medieval work of magnificence.

Rating: B