The writings in this book started as a way to frame letters to friends, expressing thoughts about a particular moment. But as I became more alone over the ten-year span, it was as if I had to talk to myself. Its interesting how one becomes. One form of this is by talking to yourself as you write about them. These Writings covers the ups and downs of the years, the risks taken, the winnings and losings, and other memories. It is a collection of thoughts in solitude about becoming an island that nearly washed away but has reformed, has recovered, and has moved forward.
In this narrative, the author explores the essence of national security and explains how it can be improved to solve the problems that haunt the world today. Looking through the eyes of a fictional president, White House staff and other key participants, factors which need to be considered emerge, as decision-makers try to find the best course of action. His proposal for a new national security management system for the United States identifies desired system attributes, defines the scope of the proposed system, and describes how the future system could be used in an operational setting.
Getting to know yourself can be painful but useful and fun at times. Here, the reader will discover how life interferes with success and success interferes with life. The insights to how government agencies really work is both funny and scary to read about. But there are many very useful ideas and opinions that are, in the authors opinion, quite worthwhile. Enjoy this authors roller-coaster adventure and learn!
In Northeast Asia, continued unrest has brought the regional allies of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States to near the brink of was with China over hegemonic moves in the South and East China Seas. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the allies, the Supreme Leader of North Korea has conceived and initiated a complex plan to cripple the United states by natural disaster. As the threat materializes, numerous incidents bring inevitable encounters that uncover and cause correlating threats that require extraordinary measures by the antagonists to attempt to reach a new normal in the region. What that will be depends on ingenuity, timing, and ruthlessness. Agents on both sides have dangerous missions that will force the combatants to do the unthinkable to force a new normal. New technologies will play important roles in the outcome of the fight for peace in the region.
The former Chinese assassin, Ya Ying, a.k.a. Erika Lee, now a former American agent, hunted by the Chinese, banned from the United States and Taiwan, has migrated to Russia and has been welcomed to live and work for the Russian Federation. She assumed the role of language instructor at St. Petersburg State University and became an officer of the SVR and of the Spetsnaz. Here she proves her value to the government in combatting regional insurgencies. But her Chinese enemies continue the pursuit, determined to get revenge for her interference in their plans for the South China Sea and a high-level assassination. Her adventures in Russia result in high favor and position, but the Chinese persist until a violent final showdown ensues to bring closure.
Russian Spetsnaz Officer Vanya Volchitza leaves the Russian Federation on good terms after achieving successful careers as a university instructor, special agent, and chief executive of Baron Oil and after losing her lover and a number of near-fatal encounters with Chinese assassins sent to kill her for former actions against the PRC, including assassinations of high-level Chinese state security ministers. She lands in Israel intent on finding peace and security but becomes involved with Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, in combatting terrorists from the nearby Gaza territory attempting to smuggle operators into Israel through a forgotten utilities tunnel. Meantime, China's new Belt and Road initiative has led them to make substantial investments in Gaza's infrastructure. A special team is sent to oversee the investments and learns that the long-sought assassin Ya Ying is thought to be located in nearby Israel. China's huge standing reward for her, dead or alive, prompts the Gaza team of Chinese agents to relentlessly pursue her, involving covert operations through the tunnel and by sea to kill her.
This story begins with insights into secret schemes that have a basis in the Caspian Sea, but also have far-reaching consequences in Central and Northern Europe. Iran is plotting to become a nuclear power in the Middle East. Russia wants to help, but for another reason. Egos of leaders are responsible for plans of hegemony and revenge that result in violation of international law and norms that, if unchecked, will redraw state boundaries and result in terrible losses for all antagonists drawn into these events.
China's hegemonic actions in the South and East China Seas have alarmed Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. Together, they conceive of a strategy that will contain the PRC. But China's leader has devised a different space weapon to coerce the allies. Further, a beautiful, extremely skilled spy/assassin has been placed in America. The outcomes for China and its antagonists depend on strategies, resourcefulness, and ruthlessness as events unfold in a troubled region.
Getting to know yourself can be painful but useful and fun at times. Here, the reader will discover how life interferes with success and success interferes with life. The insights to how government agencies really work is both funny and scary to read about. But there are many very useful ideas and opinions that are, in the author's opinion, quite worthwhile. Enjoy this author's roller-coaster adventure and learn!
This book is a novel about a former Chinese female assassin who has become an American espionage asset. It follows her activities and special missions to foil sinister Chinese plots and activities against ethnic Uighur minorities and employing advanced air and space-based weapons. The story ranges from secret American bases to key locations in Asia and into space. It is a fast-paced novel current in today's technologies involving a highly capable fighter and assassin.
The former Chinese assassin, Ya Ying, a.k.a. Erika Lee, now a former American agent, hunted by the Chinese, banned from the United States and Taiwan, has migrated to Russia and has been welcomed to live and work for the Russian Federation. She assumed the role of language instructor at St. Petersburg State University and became an officer of the SVR and of the Spetsnaz. Here she proves her value to the government in combatting regional insurgencies. But her Chinese enemies continue the pursuit, determined to get revenge for her interference in their plans for the South China Sea and a high-level assassination. Her adventures in Russia result in high favor and position, but the Chinese persist until a violent final showdown ensues to bring closure.
In the early 1970s the U.S. Army was undergoing seismic changes. The Vietnam War had ended, almost 600 American POWs were released by North Vietnam, the draft was terminated and the Army itself was in dismal shape. A decorated former infantryman turned behavioral scientist, Bob Worthington returned to active duty as a clinician and served as a senior psychology consultant, helping the Army remain an effective fighting force. His insightful memoir describes his pioneering research in PTSD, the managing of a clinical service and mental health center, his work focusing on pilots and aviators, and a stint as a sports psychologist for the U.S. Olympics.
You are most suited to complete the mission that I require." With those spoken words I began a ten day journey with the ghost of my great-great-great grandfather Commodore 'Fighting Bob, ' a journey filled with adventure, danger and conquest. I would witness the duels with British Officers while narrowly avoiding capture and imprisonment, subdue both Barbary Pirates and savage tribesmen and invade the California Territory, wresting it from rebel armies in pitched battle. Why was I selected? What skills or knowledge did I possess that I was the one uniquely qualified to carry out his mission? It wasn't long before the answer to these questions and more would be revealed. I was about to embark on an unforgettable odyssey.
“A crucial study in the political manipulation of intelligence, understanding how Curveball got us into Iraq will arm us for the next round of lies coming out of Washington.”—Robert Baer, author of See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism Curveball answers the crucial question of the Iraq war: How and why was America’s intelligence so catastrophically wrong? In this dramatic and explosive book, award-winning Los Angeles Times reporter Bob Drogin delivers a narrative that takes us to Europe, the Middle East, and deep inside the CIA to find the truth—the truth about the lies and self-deception that led us into a military and political nightmare. Praise for Curveball “Just when you thought the WMD debacle couldn’t get worse, here comes veteran Los Angeles Times national-security correspondent Drogin’s look at just who got the stories going in the first place. . . . Simultaneously sobering and infuriating—essential reading for those who follow the headlines.”—Kirkus Reviews “In this engrossing account, Los Angeles Times correspondent Drogin paints an intimate and revealing portrait of the workings and dysfunctions of the intelligence community.”—Publishers Weekly “An insightful and compelling account of one crucial component of the war's origins . . . Had Drogin merely pieced together Curveball's story, it alone would have made for a thrilling book. But he provides something more: a frightening glimpse at how easily we could make the same mistakes again. . . . The real value of Drogin's book is its meticulous demonstration that bureaucratic imperative often leads to self-delusion.”—Washington Monthly “Drogin delivers a startling account of this fateful intelligence snafu.”—Booklist “By the time you finish this book you will be shaking your head with wonder, or perhaps you will be shaking with anger, about the misadventures that preceded the misadventures in Iraq. This book is so powerful, it almost refutes its subtitle: The man called Curveball did not cause a war; he became a pretext—one among many.”—George F. Will
As a boy growing up in rural Arkansas, Bob Brewer often heard from his uncle and his great-uncle about a particular tree in the woods, the "Bible Tree," filled with strange carvings. Years later he would learn that this tree was carved with symbols associated with the Knights of the Golden Circle, a Civil Warera secret society that had buried gold coins and other treasure in various remote locations across the South and Southwest in hopes of someday funding a second War Between the States. These secret caches were guarded by sentinels, men whose responsibility it was to watch and protect these sites. To his astonishment, Bob discovered that both his uncle and his great-uncle had been twentieth-century sentinels, and that he had grown up near an important KGC treasure site. In Shadow of the Sentinel, Bob Brewer and investigative journalist Warren Getler tell the fascinating story of the Knights of the Golden Circle and the hidden caches the KGC established across the country. Brewer reveals how, with agonizing effort, he eventually deciphered the fiendishly complicated KGC codes and ciphers, which drew heavily on images associated with Freemasonry. (Many of the key KGC postCivil War leaders were Scottish Rite Masons, who used the cover of that secret fraternity to conduct their activities.) Using his knowledge of KGC symbolism to crack coded maps, Brewer has located several KGC caches and has recovered gold coins, guns, and other treasure from some of them. Shadow of the Sentinel is the most comprehensive account yet of the activities of the KGC after the Civil War and, indeed, into the 1900s. Getler and Brewer suggest that the clandestine network of KGC operatives was far wider than previously thought, and that it included Jesse James, the former Confederate guerrilla whose stage and bank robberies helped to fill KGC treasure chests. This is a rousing and provocative adventure that weaves together one man's personal quest with an intriguing, little-known chapter in America's hidden history.
More than twenty years in the making, Country Music Records documents all country music recording sessions from 1921 through 1942. With primary research based on files and session logs from record companies, interviews with surviving musicians, as well as the 200,000 recordings archived at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Frist Library and Archives, this notable work is the first compendium to accurately report the key details behind all the recording sessions of country music during the pre-World War II era. This discography documents--in alphabetical order by artist--every commercial country music recording, including unreleased sides, and indicates, as completely as possible, the musicians playing at every session, as well as instrumentation. This massive undertaking encompasses 2,500 artists, 5,000 session musicians, and 10,000 songs. Summary histories of each key record company are also provided, along with a bibliography. The discography includes indexes to all song titles and musicians listed.
This is the third book written by Bob Navarro on early American history in relation to the evolution of the American Presidency. It focuses on the actions of the chief executives and the events that occurred during a period of rapid change in the United States that occurred before the Civil War.
Pioneer. Congressman. Martyr of the Alamo. King of the Wild Frontier. As with all great legends, Davy Crockett's has been retold many times. Over the years, he has been repeatedly reinvented by historians and popular storytellers. In Born on a Mountaintop, Bob Thompson combines the stories of the real hero and his Disney-enhanced afterlife as he delves deep into our love for an American icon. In the road-trip tradition of Sarah Vowell and Tony Horwitz, Thompson follows Crockett's footsteps from his birthplace in east Tennessee to Washington, where he served three terms in Congress, and on to Texas and the gates of the Alamo, seeking out those who know, love, and are still willing to fight over Davy's life and legacy. Born on a Mountaintop is more than just a bold new biography of one of the great American heroes. Thompson's rich mix of scholarship, reportage, humor, and exploration of modern Crockett landscapes bring Davy Crockett's impact on the American imagination vividly to life.
Robert O'Rourke, bastard son of a Belfast scullery maid, came to America in 1820. He started life in a nation that was experiencing the ups and downs of the start of the Industrial Revolution. by working in one of Lowell's first mills. Anti-papists drove him north in 1821. He fled to Dover, New Hampshire to begin life anew. He married into one of the town's oldest families, earning his father-in-law's respect and his brother-in-law's hatred. Years passed and he amassed holdings in textiles, bricks, land, lumber, railroads and new inventions from Bangor, Maine to Chicago. He learned who his father was and what wealth and power the man left him. His life was entwined with historic happenings as inhabitants of a boisterous new nation strove to cope with government struggles, world recognition and the slavery question. As O'Rourke built his dynasty, even joining the '49 Gold Rush, family members, business associates and friends sought to find a place in the life of this melancholy man. All of this took place in a fast changing country in the years before the agony of secession and Civil War.
From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World "A Tourist's Best Friend!" —Chicago Sun-Times "Indispensable" —The New York Times Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide: Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day Tips, advice, and opinions from hundreds of Walt Disney World guests in their own words Almost 250 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families A complete Dining Guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks
Transportation Paradigms for the City of New York in the 21st Century, Electric Urban Mass Transportation Technology, Modern streetcar lines for The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan
The banjo is emblematic of American country music, and it is at the core of other important musical movements, including jazz and ragtime. The instrument has been adopted by many cultures and has been ingrained into many musical traditions, from Mento music in the Caribbean and dance music in Ireland. Virtuosos such as Béla Fleck have played Bach, African music, and Christmas tunes on the five-string banjo, and the instrument has had a resurgence in pop music with such acts a Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers. This book offers the first comprehensive, illustrated history of the banjo in its many forms. It traces the story of the instrument from its roots in West Africa to its birth in the Americas, through its coming of age in the Industrial Revolution and beyond. The book profiles the most important players and spotlights key luthiers and manufacturers. It features 100 “milestone instruments” with in-depth coverage, including model details and beautiful photos. It offers historical context surrounding the banjo through the ages, from its place in Victorian parlors and speakeasies through its role in the folk boom of the 1950s and 1960s to its place in the hands of songwriter John Hartford and comedian Steve Martin. Folk, jazz, bluegrass, country, and rock – the banjo has played an important part in all of these genres. Lavishly illustrated, and thoughtfully written by author, broadcaster, and acclaimed banjoist Bob Carlin, this is a must-have for lovers of fretted instruments, aficionados of roots music, and music history buffs.
The saga of the War Between the States in Florida is not well known beyond the borders of the "Sunshine State," except the actions within the third state to secede from the Union were quite prominent: the battles of Olustee and Natural Bridge; the sinking of the USS Columbine on the St. Johns River; Gen. William Birney's Raid; the intrepid Cow Cavalry; Confederate spy sisters Lola, Panchita, and Eugenia Sánchez; and the "flight into oblivion" of the Confederate cabinet members. Following the war, in the midst of Reconstruction, many veterans from both sides of the Mason-Dixon packed what remained of their lives and traveled to the warm climate of the "Eastern Frontier" to begin a new life. This book serves as a memorial and tribute to those courageous veterans and their families who endured through this tumultuous time in American history. In the eloquent words of Capt. John Jackson Dickison, "Florida may be justly proud of her gallant sons; wherever her standard has been borne, they have covered it with glory, and, with their heart's blood, secured for her an honorable position among her sister states.
Quest for the Presidency gathers in a single volume the compelling stories behind every presidential campaign in American history, from 1789 through 2020. Bob Riel takes us inside the 1800 clash between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the 1860 election that launched the Civil War, the 1948 whistle-stop comeback of Harry Truman, the Kennedy-Nixon drama of 1960, the 1980 Reagan Revolution, the historic 2008 election of Barack Obama, the turbulent 2020 battle between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and everything in between. This engaging and insightful book includes a trove of entertaining stories about campaigns and candidates, and it goes beyond the campaign tales to also consider the threads that link elections across time. It sheds light on the continually evolving story of American democracy in a way that helps us to better understand present-day politics.
After only 72 years in existence as an independent country, the United States succumbed to a civil war in 1861. President James Buchanan did very little to stem the tensions leading to the conflict, and the task fell to President Abraham Lincoln to save the Union from destruction. President Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy of seceded states fought an unsuccessful war against the Union based on maintaining states rights. When President Abraham Lincoln was murdered at the wars end in 1865, President Andrew Johnson inherited the job of readmitting the states involved in the rebellion back into the Union.
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