The Elephant and the Dragon by Robyn Meredith

If you listen to the President and many of those who are running for President, you're told to worry about Iran, North Korea and Syria.

Meredith's book suggests that we have two other countries to consider that while not militarily threatening are threats to our economy, jobs and growth. China and India can knock the United States off the shaky economic pedestal it stands.

This is a very readable book. It is not an economic primer.

There are plenty of great illustrative stories on how both China and India are poised for even more growth.

China and India are starting to clean our clocks with outsourcing. Their workers can handle most manufacturing and back office responsibilities as well as Americans can and for much cheaper!

Learn the policies and strategies that are competing very well against ours!

Breaking Back by James Blake

My favorite tennis players were Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert and Monica Seles.

The tennis player that I will pull for now is James Blake.

This book is about a tennis player. It's not an inside look at the professional tennis tour or a tell-all about the other players.

Breaking Back is a story about overcoming adversities including the death of a beloved father, a broken neck and a long bout with zoster. Zoster is a virus that can create paralysis. In Blake's case, it paralyzed part of his face.

Blake is not a pampered professional athlete. What comes across in this book is his devotion to his family, friends and fans. Through overcoming his adversities, he has has gained the right perspective about life. He knows what are the right priorities. Losing a match is not the worst thing that can happen to you.

A very easy book to read. Inspirational. If you need a jump start to stop feeling bad about yourself, read this book.

The Paolantonio Report by Sal Paolantonio

The sub-title of this book is "The Most Overrated and Underrated Teams, Coaches and Moments in NFL History."

I like Paolantonio's reporting on the NFL as an ESPN analyst and when he does commentary on sports shows in the Philadelphia area.

Sal's book is well written and researched. He has the stats and numbers to back up his opinions, many of them controversial.

I agree with his opinions that Joe Namath was the most overrated QB of all time and that Bart Starr was the most underrated. He showed his Philadelphia "bias" in selecting Bill Bergey as the most underrated Linebacker of all time, followed by Jeremiah Trotter. Bergey's selection, I understand. Trotter seems like a huge reach.

I found out some things that shocked me. Jerry Kramer of the Packers is not in the Hall of Fame??

If you're a football fan, you'll enjoy this book.

Get your friends to read it and "let the debate begin."

Skimming Off the Top

My reading regimen mirrors my exercise regimen lately. I'm not putting much effort in either one and I discourage easily when I lack motivation or am unable to enjoy the experience.

I have skimmed through three books in the past week:

Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot: Unleashing Your Brain's Potential by Richard Restak has been accurately described as a "personal trainer for the brain."It is a very good book for those looking to unleash their creativity or to move away from stale thinking. I found the book very practical and I intend to incorporate some of the suggested mental exercises into my daily routine. It's a short book and easy to read.

The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan is not a short book (505 pages) and parts of it are not easy to read. I skimmed through the book to read about his impressions of the various Presidents that he served. (He found Bill Clinton to be the smartest of them all.) Greenspan discusses a number of economic topics that I have no interest in reading at all.

Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself byAlan Alda was dull. I read the first five chapters and could not get into the book at all. I was hoping to find Hawkeye Pierce and instead felt I was reading Franklin Pierce.