Be the first to get the question right

The image above depicts the name of chapter 50 of my book, "Cooking The Books"

Be the first person to answer what the name of the idiom dealing with crime depicted by the above picture is and you will win a 1st edition hard cover copy of  "Cooking The Books" when it gets released later this year.

Send your answers in by clicking on the comment button below and enter your answer.  The first one with the correct response wins!

Please, only one entry per person.

"The Proof Is In The Pudding"

"Stop the presses" refers to stopping the printing process so that late breaking news can be inserted before distribution. Now, what does that have to do with my book, "Cooking The Books," and more relevant to this blog, what does stopping the presses have to do with the title of the blog, "The Proof Is In The Pudding."

As you faithful readers know, my passion is writing about the origin and meaning of phrases, proverbs, idioms and quotes. The meaning of this phrase (most sources say the complete expression has the addition words, in the eating, at the end) is that the true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use. The origin dates to at least 1605 and is found in Cervantes' Don Quixote.

Now, what the heck does this expression [the shorter version can be considered an idiom because proof and pudding together don't make any sense] have to do with my book? Simply put, if I were to let my printer "go to presses" with the current proof [of the book] I would look like I didn't know how to write or spell very well. My research of the expressions dealing with white-collar crime and the quotes that accumpany all the chapters I am pleased with, but the the mistakes of grammer, puncuation and spelling throughout the manuscript, leaves me dissatisfied with what would have been the final product.

The quality of the finished product must be the author's responsibility so that the readers of my book have a elegant work that is worth their money and both educates and entertains them, so therefore I am "stopping the presses" until the "poof is in the pudding." What I am asking, for all of you that read this latest blog, is to point out any mistakes in gramer, puncuation and spelling that you see in this blog. PME

Quality is never an accident, it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intellingent direction and skillful exection, it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. --William A. Foster

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Full "Paper" Jacket

Does anybody remember "Full Mental Jacket," a 1980 film by Stanley Kubrich? Those that follow this blog know how much I enjoy writing about the origins and meanings of all sorts of expressions, phrases, sayings; whatever you call these utterances that radiate from our mouths on a daily basis. The first one in my book; "cooking the books," is an idiom and it's modern meaning is accounting fraud, and the last one is a phrase; "that's all folks!" which comes from the funny cartoons by Warner Brothers called, Looney Tunes. Full paper is as far from full metal as you can get. A cover of a hardbound book is called a "dust jacket," versus the outside of a softcover book is called, duh, a "cover." (I took the liberty of changing "dust" to "paper" so I could incorporate this phrase in comparing it with the Kubrich film.) Full metal jacket is a bullet designed by Lt. Eduard Rubin of the Swiss Army in 1882 and was used as standard ammunition in 1886 for the French Mle [Rifle]. The last process I had to check and double check was the dust jacket for my book and it's lucky I did. I found two significant things that needed to be corrected before my book went to press and the picture at the right is the final product. The next event will be the printing process. Halaula!

Presses will be rolling!

The final proof has been approved by me and in about 3-4 weeks I will have books in hand for my first speaking engagement at my Rotary club (So. Hilo). I have just secured a TV spot with a station in Pleasanton, Ca. that broadcasts to over 300,000 households in the Livermore Valley. The reason I love Jay Leno's humor (I have two quotes in my book-one on the back cover) is that his jokes "just crack me up." Here is one from this week by Leno that was on my favorite site, http://www.politicalhumor.about.com/: "President Obama has been meeting with voters in what he calls 'backyard chats.' He's held these in real people's backyards. You know something, I think all politicians should talk to people in their backyards. Then you could take what they say and spread it on the lawn." Stay tuned for the next update from me on the completion date for the book from the pinter, Publishers Graphics, Chicago, Il.

Back cover of "Cooking the Books"

The Picture you see is the back jacket of my book and was taken in a kitchen of a friend. This was exactly the look I was seeking for the back cover-that of a kitchen with hanging pots, pans and an assortment of utensils. I wanted to have this scene look like an old kitchen instead of the austere, aluminum, squeaky clean appearance of restaurant kitchens I looked at for the back cover scene. Cooking The Books is now at my printer (Publishers Graphics, Chicago) and I will have "books in hand," late October, early November and then the marketing part begins. I have a speaking tour set up with eight Rotary clubs (with more to come) from Hawaii to Northern and Central California, between December 1st and February 16th. Now is my time to start getting the word out on my book and I can greatly use your help. (a great number of any book sells by word of mouth, and what better way than to ask my family and friends to spread the word "far and wide".) I will have the web site http://www.theycookedthebooks.com/ up and running by then that will show you how to order the book. Only if you like it, do I ask you to do this "word of mouth" promotion for me. The other favor I will ask is it is important for my book if you would write a comment on my blog and/or become a follower. Both are simple to do. Click on the word comment at the end of any posting you would like to comment on. Become a follower-it's easy-just click on the follower button on the right side. This blog address is www.theycookedthebooks.blogspot.com. I am willing to refund both your postage and handling if you don't like it, but I guarantee that this will be one of the most enjoyable books you have read in a long time. Thank you, Patrick

"They Cooked The Books"

People ask me frequently, "how did you come up with the idea for this book?" In my last post I talked about how a Beetle Bailey cartoon in May 2009 provided the enzyme for starting the writing process for this book, which is, as we speak, at the graphic artist and about ready to makes its way to my publisher. The very first event that happened which triggered this whole concept of the book was the day I walked into Joe's Pharmacy, San Francisco, Ca. and spoke to Tony, the Proprietor. It seems that a stock Tony owned "tanked over night" because, in his words, "The company 'cooked the books.'" When this information became "exposed to the light of day," Wall Street reacted with the result of the stock becoming virtually worthless." Tony's comment, "they cooked the books," forever was ingrained in my phyche. The year was 2008 but it took until May the following year to begin the writing process and 18 months of research and writing to bring the project to this stage. I can see the finish line (at least the one that brings the book to market) ahead and cannot wait to start marketing the book. Stay tuned...

Beetle Bailey

Dear Friends and Followers, A writer friend [Kay Strom, who I am indebted to for starting my writing career] has a posting on her blog (http://www.kaystrom.wordsmith.com/), titled "Beetle and Me" in which talks about the 60th anniversary of the comic strip Beetle Bailey and what this comic has met to her. Well, coincidentally, this strip is one-half on the genesis of my book, "Cooking the Books" (I will share the other half in my next blog.) It was May of 2009, that the creators, (Mort and Greg Walker of this wonderful comic strip (circ. 1950) had printed the following (paraphrased): Sergeant Snorkel asked a new recruit why he joined the army. "I was under investigation for corporate fraud, so I joined." "Do you have any military experienced?" asked Snorkel. "No, but if you need someone to 'cook your books,' I'm your man." When this idiom, "cooking the books," hit my ears for the first time, I immediately thought, what a wonderful book title this is, and furthermore, what is the history of this saying. Fast forward to September, 2010, after more that a year's research and writing, the book is currently at the the graphic artist, and after the printing process, I should have "book in hand" by early October. (I hope I do because I start a book tour of Rotary clubs in the state of Hawaii this month.) I would like to encourage you to follow my postings and get snippets of my book, and also some great quotes from well-known people such as Jay Leno who said: "It looks like more that 13,000 people were caught up in that Madoff Ponzi scheme. Do you know what a ponzi scheme is? That's were you throw good money after bad, or as the government calls it, a stimulus package." Mahalo, Patrick Edwards

Progress on "Cooking The Books"

It has been a while since I communicated to my followers and potential followers of my blog. The text of my manuscript has been sent to the graphic designer for formatting and designing the hard cover edition "dust jacket (from and back cover), proper page layout, etc. and I had a photo shoot the other day for both the inside back flap (my portrait and bio), and the back cover of the book. The picture on the back cover was sell designed my me--it takes place in a marvelous "Italian Kitchen" of a friend that with pots and pans and a lot more utentials hanging above the stove for a great seen that goes with the theme. (I am holding a ledger in my left hand and a wooden spoon in my right sturing a pot of veggies. I have also found a publisher in Chicago that does quality work at reasonable prices. As soon as the final me, including the design of the from of the book jacket is completed, it's off to Publish and print of the first edition should be complete. I will let you faithful when copies are available. Mahalo for Now, Patrick Edwards Graphi

"Tsunami in the Pacific" [Better Safe Than Sorry]

At Right was the lovely Coconuts Beach Club on the southwestern shore of the island of Upulo, Samoa. Four days after we left the island, this view was a wasteland. Hawaii, Saturday 28, 2010 The first tsunami warning in the state of Hawaii was Saturday morning at 6 a.m. with sirens blaring at about 100 decibels. I was at my computer working on my book and the first indication of something unusual was a helicopter flying over my house. It didn’t hit me until approximately 30 minutes later while watching the latest information on the 8.8 quake centered about 200 miles south of Santiago, Chile—I should do two things right away. Go fill up my vehicle with gas in Pahoa (20 minutes from Kehena) and fill up pots, water containers, and the bath tub with water in case I lose power. (I am on catchment with a 10,000 gallon water tank, but I would not be able to get water into the house without my pump and if the electricity is out—well, no water). This revelation happened after one news reporter said, “better to be safe than sorry"-- have enough fuel in your car, clean water for drinking, a 7 day supply of food, and your bags packed if you are in an evacuation area. (I am about 100 feet above sea level and there is no concern). After what happened in the 1960 Chilean earthquake and tsunami which sent 35 foot waves crashing into Hilo Bay, people are more aware of tsunami threats, especially after what has happen involving the Indian Ocean and Samoan disasters. Since I am passionate about the origin and meaning of idioms, phrases, and proverbs, I thought a snipped of the origin and meaning of phrase “better safe than sorry,” from Part 3, chapter 17, of my book would be appropriate: It makes sense to take precautionary measures, before anything bad happens (such as being swindled by a con-man). This proverb was first used in Samuel Lover’s book, Rory O’More: A National Romance (1887). In America, the phrase first appeared in 1932 in a book titled Murder at the Hunting Club (1932) by Mary Plum. The adage is found in various forms: It is better to be safe than sorry; better to be sensible than sorry and, it is better to be on the safe side. Please, if you like the content of my blog, would you pass it on to your friends so that my goal is achieved. My goal is to create a “platform,” which is a following that publishers and literary agents like to see in an author. (You don’t have to sign up to be a “follower” to participate in the blog). Click on the word comment at the bottom of the posting and leave your own comment. Mahalo, Patrick

"Can't Hold a Candle To"

It might not seem that this idiom has anything to do with white collar crime, but I think it does in this respect: People like Bernie Madoff, and the people involved with corporate crime in companies like Euron and WorldCom are "inferior" in ethics, integrity and character than those of us that don't "rake people over the coals." This posting was promped by a friend who wanted to know the origin and meaning of, "can't hold a candle to" which also is known as, "not fit to hold a candle." The meaning is to be inferior to someone or something. I consider these scoundrels as being lower than dirt. The earliest use in print of this phrase was in John Heywood's collection of proverbs from 1546 and alludes to holding a candle to provide light for someone, at that time considered a menial chore. For my followers and people who log on to the blog, I thank you for your questions regarding idioms and phrases dealing with white collar crime. It will help me in my research for "They Cooked the Books." If you think the subject matter would be interesting for your friends and business colleagues, please pass the link on to them. The faults of a burglar are the qualities of the financier -George Bernard Shaw

"Show me who your friends are and I will tell you the kind of person you are."

Below is a picture of my bro, the "outlaw" Jesse James, CEO, South Pacific Development Group, LLC. A person wrote in recently and wanted information about the phrase, "show me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are." The meaning of this quote is from Euripides (480BC-406BC) who said: “Everyman is like the company he is wont to keep.” In this quote, wont (which is old-fashioned, informal English) is an adjective meaning in the habit of doing something. Accustomed is synonym for wont so, the saying means: "You are like the company you are accustomed to hanging around."

The Cat's Out of the Bag

In this "maiden voyage" of my blog, I would like to thank you for your loyal support in what will be a fascinating journey for me, and hopefully for you. In the creation of my book on phrases, idioms and proverbs (the first of its kind to present the origin and meaning of these sayings focused upon one subject, that of white collar crime in America), the task at hand needs your input. The book contains over one hundred chapters, each presents one of the expressions (most of the origins go back hundreds of years) and talks about its various meanings throughout the ages. This is where I need your help. I would like to include examples of how these sayings have played a part in your lives. Have you (or anyone you know) been affected by corporate fraud and Ponzi schemes; have you been taken to the cleaners, cleaned out, bled dry, or taken for an arm and a leg? Your stories will greatly add to my research and you will remain anonymous. The title of chapter one is "Cooking the Books," so is everybody ready? In the words of comedian Dean Martin, "Keep those cards and letters coming in." (circ 1960s)