by Rupe | Aug 18, 2004 | Not So Recent Reads
Author: General Tommy Franks
Date: 18-Aug-2004
Few individuals have the chance to contribute so much of themselves to the American story as General Tommy Franks. In American Soldier, he captures it all.
The Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command from July 2000 through July 2003, General Tommy Franks made history leading American and Coalition forces to victory in Afghanistan and Iraq, the decisive battles that launched the war on terrorism.
General Franks retraces his journey from a small-town boyhood through a lifetime of military service, including his heroic tour as an Artillery officer in Vietnam, where he was wounded three times.
Drawing on military records declassified for this book, Franks offers the first true insider’s account of the war on terrorism. He puts you in the Operations Center for the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom just weeks after 9/11, capturing its uncertain early days and the historic victory that followed.
When President Bush focused world attention on the threat of Iraq, Franks seized the moment to implement a bold new vision of joint warfare in planning Operation Iraqi Freedom. Rejecting Desert Storm-style massive troop deployment in favor of flexibility and speed, Franks was questioned by the defense establishment, including Secretary of State Colin Powell. Yet his vision was proven on the ground: Within three weeks, Baghdad had fallen.
Franks describes the covert diplomacy that helped secure international cooperation for the war, and speaks frankly of intelligence shortcomings that endangered our troops, and of the credible WMD threats that influenced every planning decision. He offers an unvarnished portrait of the “disruptive and divisive” Washington bureaucracy, and a candid assessment of the war’s aftermath. Yet in the end, as American Soldier demonstrates, the battles in Afghanistan and Iraq remain heroic victories, wars of liberation won by troops whose valor was “unequalled by anything in the annals of war.”
My Thoughts: Pretty good read. Would recommend for the military minded.
by Rupe | Jul 22, 2004 | Not So Recent Reads
Author: Leil Lowndes
Date: 22-Jul-04
You’ve admired successful people who seem to have it all, seen them chatting confidently at parties and being listened to in business meetings. They’re the ones with the best jobs, nicest parties, and most interesting friends.
But they’re not necessarily smarter than you or even better looking. What it comes down to is their more skillful way of communicating with other people. Now How to Talk to Anyone reveals the secrets of successful communication. With Leil Lowndes’s easy and effective techniques, you will discover how to become a master communicator in life, love, and business.
Combining the latest research with Leil’s trademark wit and warm-hearted observations of human foibles, How to Talk to Anyone shows you how to make an unforgettable entrance and meet the people you want to meet; sound like an insider in any crowd, no matter how little you have in common; use body language to captivate audiences of all sizes; work a party the way a politician works a room; and always come across confident, credible, and charismatic wherever you are.
My Thoughts: Okay read. Nothing earth shattering here – just a good read.
by Rupe | Jul 22, 2004 | Not So Recent Reads
Author: Bill Clinton
Date: 22-Jul-04
President Bill Clinton’s My Life is the strikingly candid portrait of a global leader who decided early in life to devote his intellectual and political gifts to serving the public.
It shows us the progress of a remarkable American, who made the unlikely journey from Hope, Arkansas, to the White House.
President Clinton’s audiobook is also the most concretely detailed, most nuanced account of a presidency ever written, encompassing not only the high points and crises but the way the presidency actually works.
It is the gripping account of a president under concerted and unrelenting assault orchestrated by his enemies on the Far Right and how he survived and prevailed.
It is a treasury of moments caught alive, among them:
– The roller-coaster ride of the 1992 campaign
– The extraordinarily frank exchanges with Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole
– The cost, both public and private, of the scandal that threatened the presidency
Here is the life of a great national and international figure, revealed with all his talents and contradictions, told openly, directly, in his own signature style.
My Thoughts: A great read. I, like many, have been a great follower of the former president. I can’t get enough of this dude. He is the greatest of my generation (period!)
by Rupe | Jul 4, 2004 | Mad Musings
Haven’t written in some time; also have fallen off my workout train. I have been really focused at work on getting things to a manageable situation. It is pretty much there now tho.
At any rate will get back to working out ….break
I am currently sitting here in Frankfurt, Germany in the Steingenberger Hotel. After the worst ever flight from Philly next to one of the stinkest dude ever, the friggin plane arrived here late for my connection to my Gulf Air flight. Really pissed off because after literally running across the friggin airport in Philly and almost chastised for getting to the boarding area late (not my fault – flight arrived Philly late as well), the Frankfurt bound flight ended up leaving almost 2.5 hours late. Can you imagine sitting in a hot plane next to a dude (young guy too) who smells as tho he has not taken a shower in like a month. I swear these European types have a friggin different sense of smell.
Backing up….why was I in Philly: Well, attended a 2 day conference at Langley AFB in Vaginia. The event was very uneventful, could have not attended really, but it was good to get the break. Thought of going down to see the family, but really didn’t want to do the emotional battle with my son. Actually, I was scared as to where my emotions would leave me. I miss them (him) so much. Anyway, hung out in VA for a couple days and now I am stuck in Germany….not complaining since I have never been here before.
Observations of the place….not much to add really. The only think I may want to say is for the exception of 2 or 3 stations in English, everything else is in German – 1 station is CNN and another is EUROSPORT…can’t think of the last one.
Anyway, I need to get ready to leave for the airport. I am getting there early so I don’t have to fart around with missing my flight.
Before I go – back on the workout tip. Will be doubling up on working out. The next 10 weeks is gonna be dedicated to my body, besides I am off my goal by large measure so I have quite a bit to make up.
I also have a few words about work as well before I go.
Over the last 8 or so weeks, I have been working at molding my department. While I can count quite a few successes, my biggest dissappointment thus far is one of my worker – Johnathan. He is in his final year before retirement and is carrying bad karma around the place. Had to have a couple of heart to heart already. Even told Lintz that I am on the verge of moving him from the department. So far I have fired him as the department head and replaced him with Crystal. As far as Crystal is concerned, she lacks focus, but she has a great attitude and shows much promise, as do Kyle my other worker. I will certainly do whatever I have to to ensure that they are in great shape when I am gone.
Lots more have change….but I will have to catch up this diary later on. It is getting late here so I have to go. Yeah! I will use the wait time in the airport to catch up my diary…..how about that..kool….
Bye for now then.
by Rupe | Jun 19, 2004 | Not So Recent Reads
Author: James Surowiecki
Date: 19-June-2004
In this endlessly fascinating book, New Yorker columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea that has profound implications: large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant. Groups are better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.
This seemingly counterintuitive notion has endless and major ramifications for how businesses operate, how knowledge is advanced, how economies are (or should be) organized and how we live our daily lives. With seemingly boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, economic behaviorism, artificial intelligence, military history, and political theory to show just how this principle operates in the real world.
Despite the sophistication of his arguments, Surowiecki presents them in a wonderfully entertaining manner. The examples he uses are all down-to-earth, surprising, and fun to ponder. Why is the line in which you’re standing always the longest? Why is it that you can buy a screw anywhere in the world and it will fit a bolt bought ten-thousand miles away? Why is network television so awful? If you had to meet someone in Paris on a specific day but had no way of contacting them, when and where would you meet? Why are there traffic jams? What’s the best way to win money on a game show? Why, when you walk into a convenience store at 2:00 A.M. to buy a quart of orange juice, is it there waiting for you? What do Hollywood mafia movies have to teach us about why corporations exist?
The Wisdom of Crowds is a brilliant but accessible biography of an idea, one with important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, conduct our business, and think about our world.
My Thoughts: Like this read. Some of the premise require a bit to absorb, but by and large it is a pretty good write – would definitely recommend.
