Brain and Spine Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Titolo Law Firm : Las Vegas, Nevada

I suppose brain disease is fertile substance for novels; especially novels that cross into the supernatural.

I recently completed this almost 600 page debut work of author Daniel Hecht written in 1998. The book was referred to me by a psychiatric expert who assists me with traumatic brain injury cases I handle. It was a very fast read despite its length. I enjoyed it immensely.

I recently was in New York for a conference, which added to the experience since the book takes place in areas west of Manhattan. I could easily visualize the trees and Hudson River descriptions from my locale.

The characters are all excellently defined and believable real people with relatable issues and thoughts. The main character, Paul Skoglund, has Tourettes. He is medicated and it is a mild condition for him. However, it bears on the climatic ending of the book.

Mr. Hecht certainly stretches the imagination with how the brain condition can manifest itself. By the end of the book, the manifestation reveals the story might sit well alongside a Stephen King shelf in a bookstore. However, by that time I was so engrossed in the story, characters and mystery, the thriller part came naturally.

I plan to look at the prequel, which I understand includes the other main character, the detective, who is not lucky enough In Skull Session to appear in any sequels.

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I just finished Terminal Man written by Michael Crichton in 1972. The thing I like about Crichton is his ability to look into the future, so to speak, with his subject matter. Clearly, I am the late bloomer here since this book is close to 40 years old. Nevertheless, keeping the perspective of the time the book was written enchanted me. This was early Crichton.

Harry Benson is having seizures that cause violent outbursts injurious to those in the immediate area of their occurrence. This condition is rampant in the human condition and has previously been misdiagnosed. Finally, with scientific intervention, the brain can be wired to a computer that will control violent behavior using a neuro pacemaker similar to the one used for cardiac monitoring.

The problem begins when the rats start to over stimulate themselves to point of death. Similarly, Harry begins to enjoy the euphoria of stimulation, which is triggered by violent patterns in the brain. However, Harry, a computer genius, believes that machines are taking over the world. His psychiatrist thinks the concept of “mind control” is dangerous but the surgeons are convinced they are serving a greater good by using Harry as part of their ongoing research. The goal is to one day deliver the answers to diseases of the mind.

Crichton develops his knack for scientific information intertwined with fiction to create a plot that ends with the action and suspense characteristic of his future novels.

I am especially endeared to this story as it was so reaching in the area of brain science for its time. Moreover, of course, I am endeared to the subject of brain science. For those of you who are either brain science fans or Crichton fans, I recommend reading the book.

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I recently read the 2007 book called The Nine, by Jeffrey Toobin.  The author gives us glimpses into the people appointed by Presidents Clinton and Bush with some 1960s and 1970s appointments that made up the liberal court.  Surprises abound as Republican appointed Justices created a new kind of conservative court.

Two political ironies underscore Jeffrey Toobin's interesting new account of how personnel changes have changed the Supreme Court over the past two decades.

One is that, at the very time the Republican Party's four-decade ascendancy shows signs of abating, President Bush's appointments of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito have enabled conservatives to achieve their long-sought goal of a firm court majority.

Secondly, for all the GOP's advocacy of judicial restraint and its criticism of judges who legislate from the bench, the Republican-appointed majority represents what the author terms "a new kind of judicial activism" that threatens long-established rulings in crucial areas such as abortion and affirmative action.

O'Connor and Kennedy have maintained the swing vote on the court.  And, as Toobin points out, it all about how many votes you can muster that makes your opinion count.

As the Renquist court became the Roberts court the issues of abortion, Roe v Wade, still dominate the agenda.  With the most likely Justices to retire, Liberal Souter, Stevens and Ginsburg, the new conservative court will be an interesting observation in the coming years.

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