Blog Smith

Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

From Here to There: Defining the Future


From Here to There: Defining the Future
Takeaways
“The change leader’s job is to create advocates for the change at every level of the organization.” Jack Welch
From Here to There: Defining the Future
What it Means
Creating a compelling vision, crafting a clear roadmap and executing an effective communications strategy are key ingredients of managing change. Great leaders can paint a picture of the future state that not only captures the mind, but also the heart allowing participants in the change process to see how much better things will be after the change efforts have been completed.
Why it Matters
·         A change initiative rarely gains great momentum without a tangible, passionate cry for change.
·         It creates unity and common ground among all the people touched by the change.
·         People engaged in the project need to understand where they are heading, how to get there and what’s in it for them.
“Change has few cheerleaders in its early days, but when the change process works and brings great results, everyone is the father of the change.” Jack Welch
Action Plan
From Here to There: Defining the Future
Whether you are managing a smaller project in your department or leading a massive integration between corporations, creating a compelling vision and a roadmap, and having a clear plan to communicate them are fundamental criteria for successful implementation of any change initiative. The activities that follow will:
·         Summarize the key components necessary to create your own vision for change
·         Outline the elements necessary to build your roadmap
·         Review key steps to develop your communication plan
Your Starting Point
1.      Do I already have a concise version of the Shared Need (refer to What’s in it for Me?)?


2.      Do I have some high level talking points of what the Vision could be?


3.      What informal input have I already collected about the Vision from key leaders?


4.      What are the key stepping stones (aka milestones) that will be a part of the roadmap?


5.      Do I have a good understanding of which communication tools are available in my organization?


6.      Which parts of the organization will require the most communication and why?


Quick Wins for Managing Change
Depending on what your responses were in the What’s in it for Me? Activity, the four simple activities can be a great support as you begin to create the foundation of your Vision, Roadmap, and Communication Plan. The purpose here is not to formalize the entire change initiative at this stage, but rather to begin to get people talking, imagining the possibilities and to identify areas of consensus and divergence.
·         Gather key leaders in the organization to brainstorm ideas about the Vision.
1.      How do they envision it?
2.      Which points seem to be common across multiple leaders?
3.      Where do you see differences?
·         Following the brainstorming session, review your notes and start consolidating the different points of view, until you are able to summarize the issues in a handful of bullet points.
·         Write down the key items that will need to change in order to reach the Vision: this will be the foundation of your Roadmap.
·         Finally, write down the stakeholders that will be negatively affected by the changes. You will need to spend extra time on your Communication Plan for these groups.
Key Questions for Developing a Vision
As you develop your vision, it is essential to think about (and answer) several questions in order to craft the right message and secure early buy-in from a few key leaders in the organization. Review the following questions and write out your answers.
1.      What are the key components of the status quo that need to change?

2.      What will be different in the future?


3.      How will people behave differently in the vision? What’s in it for them?

4.      Who are the few key leaders that will need to support this vison and make it their own? Why did you select each of these leaders?


5.      What messaging about the vision (or future state) of the organization would most likely resonate with each of them? Why?

6.      What will customers experience? How will the vision benefit them?


7.      What is the immediate next step to move in the right direction?

Remember to leverage key foundational items from your “Shared Need,” which you developed earlier in the process. The Vision should leverage the Shared Need as its foundation and then project a forward looking statement on how the organization will change for the better.
Creating Your Roadmap
To realize your vision, you have to be able to measure how far you’ve come and how far you still have to go—and to do this, it’s critical to have a roadmap.
A roadmap is a simple summary of the key milestones you need to reach, in order to eventually realize your Vision. The key ingredient of a powerful Roadmap is simplicity. Don’t get bogged down in the details and the how (this is where your project team will be focusing their efforts). For now, focus on identifying the key stepping stones that mark a significant progress in the right direction.
To define your roadmap, follow this exercise:
1.      Define the “Gap” between your current state and the Vision.
2.      List the key things that will need to change in order to execute the Vision under the following headings:
Processes
Which key processes will need to change (or be created) in order to deliver the Vision?
Capabilities
What type of capabilities will the organization need to develop to accomplish the Vision?
Structure
Does the organizational structure need to change to support the Vision? If yes, write down what types of changes need to be made.
Infrastructure
Does the Vision require any major infrastructure changes, such as IT systems overhaul or new systems?
3.      Collect these thoughts from #2 on sticky notes and aim to narrow down your key milestone list to 6 or 8 maximum. The sticky notes make it easy to line them up on a wall and play around with their order. Make note of which items need to precede other milestones (e.g., make the acquisition prior to changing IT systems, etc.).
4.      The simpler and cleaner you keep the roadmap picture, the easier it will be to communicate and remind the organization where they are in the process.
5.      Require that the change initiative teams use this roadmap as part of their detailed project plan. The Vision, Roadmap, Project Plan and Communication Plan need to go hand-in-hand.
Communication Plan
The Communication Plan is one of the most important tools for the success of your initiative. Change Leaders who successfully implement initiatives know that this document is not just something that is used at the beginning of the project, but gets used throughout the entire life of the project.
Remember that the communication Plan only provides a framework for the regular communication of the project and its key milestones. There should also be plenty of informal an ad hoc communications to supplement this plan. In particular, think about those who will be most negatively impacted and whether you need to provide some additional communication mechanisms for them. You may want keep them informed more frequently, to help generate buy in.
Many organizations use a simple Excel sheet to plan their communications and periodically reassess the communication plan effectiveness. Whatever organization tools your employ, at a minimum, you will want to identify four key components:
1.      WHO is your target audience for that specific communication (e.g., major stakeholder groups Sales team, Manufacturing Plant, etc.)? For broad communications, such as a Company quarterly newsletter, it could be all employees. Reference your Stakeholder Map to ensure all your key constituents are captured.
2.      WHAT is the purpose of your communication? Are you communicating the achievement of a major milestone? Is it a status update? Is it a call to action?
3.      WHEN will you deliver communications to specific audiences? It could coincide with existing planned events (Town Hall, Team retreat, Quarterly Review, Weekly Staff Meeting, etc.) or it could be a separate event. In some cases, you may not have a specific timing in mind, make sure you list as a minimum the calendar week or month as a placeholder.
4.      HOW will you actually communicate and via what channels? You may be using live events to deliver a speech or a presentation. Or you may be using indirect channels such as emails, company newsletters, the company intranet site, etc. Remember that repetition is a key to success, so more is better. In addition, alternate the type of medium you use; some people assimilate better through an oral communication, others are more visual and will be more receptive emails, flyers, etc.
5.      One of the advantages of creating this in list in Excel, is the ability to sort the columns in different ways. As you complete your list, sort your list by WHO and then by WHEN. This will enable you to see how often you will be reaching each key audience.
6.      Communication should be frequent and use at least a couple of different mediums for each stakeholder. As a rule of thumb, if your initiative spans the course of a year, you will want to reach each audience at least on a biweekly basis throughout the life of the project.
Below is an example of a Communication Plan.
Target Audience
Communication Date
Channel
Communication Topic
Sales Team
2/2/19
Sales Team Meeting
Vision, Q&A
All Employees
2/17/19
Town Hall
Vision, Status Update
Operations Team
2/24/19
Email
Status Update, Next Steps

Game Pages
From Here to There:
Your Starting Point
Developing a Vision
Communication Plan
Creating a Roadmap
For each section, summarize the following items:
1.      Name of the milestone
2.      Brief description. Remember to include measureable goals, since this will eventually drive your measurement system.
3.      Estimated timeframe.
Current Status
Starting Point
Today’s Organization
Today’s Date





Milestone
Name of Milestone
Brief Description
Estimated Date
1



2



3



4



5



6




Future State
Name of Milestone
Brief Description
Estimated Date





“Thus Spoke Zarathustra” by Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4 in Arc’s series: The Greatest Works In Philosophy

thus-spoke-zarathustra-by-friedrich-nietzsche-4

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Friday, September 17, 2021

2016 Why We Needed the Electoral College

There are 3,141 counties in the United States. 

The President won 3,084 of them. 

Clinton won 57. 

There are 62 counties in New York. 

The President won 46 of them. 

Clinton won 16. 

Clinton won the popular vote by approximately 2.8M votes.

In the five counties that encompass NYC, (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Richmond & Queens) Clinton received well over 2M more votes than the President. 

Therefore these five counties alone almost accounted for Clinton winning the popular vote of the entire country. 

These five counties comprise 319 square miles. 

The United States is comprised of 3,797,000 square miles. 

When you have a country that encompasses nearly 4,000,000 square miles of territory, it would be ludicrous to even suggest that the vote of those who inhabit a mere 319 square miles should dictate the outcome of a national election.

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Friday, September 10, 2021

Roman Political Thought. Key themes in ancient history

Roman Political Thought. Key themes in ancient history

Roman Catholic Exemption to the Political Vaccination

 1)      I am a practicing Catholic, and my belief is sincere and meaningful.

2)      The Catholic church has, over the centuries, extensively addressed issues related to bodily integrity generally and vaccination specifically, including issues of voluntariness and vaccine mandates.

3)      Regarding COVID in particular, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) published a “Note on the morality of using some anti-Covid-19 vaccines”[1] on December 21, 2020, stating that:

a)      COVID-19 vaccines that used cell lines originating from aborted fetuses are morally compromised. [Note: The J&J vaccine “is an adenoviral vector grown in the PER.C6 cell line that originated from a healthy 18-week-old aborted child.”[2] The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were tested using the “morally compromised HEK-293 cell line,” originating from “a child aborted in the Netherlands in 1972.”[3]] Catholics have a moral duty to avoid use of such vaccines.

b)      However, this moral duty “is not obligatory if there is a grave danger, such as the otherwise uncontainable spread” of COVID-19.

c)       “In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination.”

d)      “In such a case, all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience.”

e)      “At the same time, practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary.”

f)       “Those who, […] for reasons of conscience, refuse vaccines produced with cell lines from aborted fetuses, must do their utmost to avoid, by other prophylactic means and appropriate behavior, becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent.”

4)      To summarize, the moral duty to avoid use of these three COVID vaccines is not obligatory only if:

a)      The spread of COVID-19 is otherwise uncontainable,

b)      There is an absence of other means by which to stop or prevent the epidemic,

c)       The vaccines are clinically safe, and

d)      The choice to receive a vaccine must be voluntary.

5)      If any element is not satisfied, the moral duty to avoid using the vaccines is obligatory. In which case, _____________________’s vaccine mandate violates my Catholic faith.

6)      Even if all elements were satisfied, a non-obligatory moral duty does not equate to me taking a vaccine, much less authorizing a vaccine mandate. It merely means that, as a Catholic, I have the option to evaluate the evidence myself and make my own prudential decision whether to receive a vaccine; to repeat, “it must be voluntary.” I can choose to not take a vaccine, in which case I must “avoid, by other prophylactic means and appropriate behavior, becoming [a] vehicle for the transmission of the infectious agent.”

7)      Here, all four elements have yet to be satisfied.

8)      The threshold issue is voluntariness: “vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and […], therefore, it must be voluntary.” This mandate violates my Catholic faith because it is, by definition, not voluntary.

9)      Rather than a coercive mandate, ____________________ should emphasize the virtue of Prudence, allowing each student/employee to make a prudential decision whether to take a COVID vaccine. Failing this, _____________ should follow the science by changing the mandate to acknowledge two additional “means by which to stop or prevent the epidemic,” two additional forms of protection that are equivalent to or greater than protection gained via some or all of the three COVID vaccines:

a)      Naturally acquired immunity via prior COVID infection and subsequent recovery; and

b)      Prophylactic ivermectin, taken weekly in accordance with the FLCCC Alliance protocol.[4]

10)   Consistent with the CDF note, I am already taking the most effective “other prophylactic means” as an alternative to vaccination: ivermectin taken weekly as a prophylactic, per the FLCCC Alliance protocol. Regarding ivermectin’s efficacy against COVID, as both prophylaxis and treatment, please see the attached 4-page summary. The full 47-page meta-analysis is at

https://ivmmeta.com/

11)   If _____________________ decides to acknowledge the ivermectin evidence and allow this form of protection as an alternative to vaccination, I am willing to sign something weekly verifying that I am taking the medication.

12)   Furthermore, there is evidence that the three COVID vaccines are not clinically safe. The AMERICA’S FRONTLINE DOCTORS, et al. v. XAVIER BECERRA, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, et al. complaint mentions some of this evidence, including myocarditis and pericarditis in young men, per the CDC.[5]

13)   The most concerning piece of evidence is a graph created using data from Pfizer (next page). As background:

a)      All three vaccines utilize the Spike protein. Recent studies[6],[7] indicate the Spike protein alone (without coronavirus infection per se) is enough to cause damage, inducing symptoms similar to catching COVID-19. This fact appears to have come as a surprise to the vaccine developers.[8]

b)      The three vaccines were designed to anchor the Spike protein to the cell; the Spike protein was not supposed to flow freely in the blood. After injection, the Spike protein was supposed to initially stay in and around the injection site, then eventually end up in the liver to “get chewed up by various destructive enzymes.”[9]

14)   However, the Pfizer data (chart on next page) show something different happening in reality:

a)      During the initial 8 hours after injection, the Spike protein is flowing freely in both the blood plasma and whole blood. This indicates that the “anchoring” did not work. This was not supposed to happen.

b)      The Spike protein is then concentrating in both the ovaries and bone marrow. This was not supposed to happen either. The Spike protein was supposed to end up in the liver to “get chewed up by various destructive enzymes.”

15)   Thus far, there is only one year of data available on these three vaccines; nobody knows what the long-term effects will be. This makes Point 14(b) particularly concerning. Concentration of the Spike protein in the ovaries suggests infertility or birth defects as long-term effects, and concentration in the bone marrow suggests leukemia or autoimmune disorders.

16)   As a Catholic, I support life. This position is not limited to opposing abortion; it extends to opposing both COVID vaccines tested using aborted fetal cell lines and a vaccine mandate that may, based on available evidence, cause infertility in females and/or birth defects in future children.

17)   _______________________’s vaccine mandate applies to both males and females. As a Catholic, I believe that any risk of infertility - for anyone - is an unacceptably high risk. Forcing female students/employees to take this risk by mandating vaccination when the safer alternative of prophylactic ivermectin is available and known is unethical, inhumane, illegal, and in violation of my Catholic faith. ___________________ should eliminate its vaccine mandate, but failing that, female students/employees should be exempted from the mandate.

[1]https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20201221_nota-vaccini-anticovid_en.html[2]https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2021/03/03/opinion-its-time-to-get-beyond-vaccines/[3]https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines[4]https://covid19criticalcare.com/covid-19-protocols/[5]https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html[6]https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.318902[7]https://www.contagionlive.com/view/spike-protein-of-sars-cov-2-virus-alone-can-cause-damage-to-lungs[8]https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-save-the-world-in-three-easy-steps/id1471581521?i=1000525032595[9]https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/05/04/spike-protein-behavior

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Create a Persona via Computer

thispersondoesnotexist


Creating personas? This Person Does Not Exist presents a random, computer-generated photo of a fictional person. Refresh the page each time for a new face.

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Prager University: What Made George Washington Great

what-made-george-washington-great

Transcript 

It’s hard to imagine there would have been a United States of America without George Washington.
He was there at the birth of the nation. He successfully guided it through war and nurtured it in peace.
How did he do it?
Not by being a great general, a potent political theorist, or even a clever politician. He was none of those things.
And yet, he was admired by generals, political theorists and politicians. Why?
Because he was a man great men trusted. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and so many others looked up to him—literally. He was one of the tallest men of his era at six-foot-three. Add courage, integrity, and wisdom, and you have a truly impressive figure.
Let’s start with his courage. That was never in doubt. If anything, he had too much of it.
Bold to the point of rashness as a young man, he fought for the British against the French over control of the Ohio Valley, then the Western-most point of the American wilderness.
Throughout that conflict, known as the French and Indian War, and the American Revolution, Washington was always in the thick of the action. His aides often struggled to keep him from surging too far ahead of his own troops. In one battle, his coat was pierced four times by musket fire. Horses were shot out from under him. Amazingly, some would say miraculously, he was never wounded—not so much as a flesh wound.
By the time the revolution broke out in April of 1775, Washington was firmly committed to the cause of American independence. He arrived in Philadelphia in May of that year to offer his services to the Continental Congress.  He was quickly made commander of the new rebel army. There was only one problem: there was no army to speak of. There was just a rag-tag collection of state militias. How was Washington going to defeat the greatest military force in the world with that?
It was a problem the general struggled with for eight and a half years. That he managed to hold the army together, organize it into a disciplined fighting force and guide it to victory was testament to his fortitude, his patience, and his personal bravery.
Of his integrity, one need only to look at what he did when the war ended: exactly what he promised to do when the war began.  He resigned his military command and went home to Mt. Vernon.
By stepping down, Washington raised himself up as the embodiment of republican heroism. It is said that King George III asked the London-based American painter Benjamin West what Washington was likely to do when peace came. West replied that Washington would probably return to his farm. The king was astounded. “If he does that,” His Majesty declared, “he will be the greatest man in the world!”
This story may be apocryphal, but the Newburgh Rebellion, and how Washington handled it, is not. With experience had come wisdom.
As the revolution wound down, a group of officers refused to give up their arms until they were paid. If they didn’t get their money, which Congress didn’t have, they would take control of the government.  It was not an idle threat. No less a figure than Alexander Hamilton was in a panic.
Washington, no great orator, sought to defuse their anger. They had risked everything to create a republican society, he told the officers. To abandon the cause now, when true victory was so close, would mean all their sacrifices would have been in vain.
However convincing the speech may have been, it was a simple gesture that carried the day. Washington concluded his remarks by reading to them a letter sent to him from a member of Congress. Suddenly, he stopped. From his pocket, he pulled a pair of spectacles. None of the officers had ever seen him wear them. Putting the glasses on, Washington said, “Gentlemen, you must pardon me. I have grown gray in the service of my country and now find myself going blind.”
He finished reading the letter and left the hall without another word. The gesture, sincerely offered with just the right touch of stagecraft, pierced the hearts of his men. Many were moved to tears. They immediately passed a resolution declaring their loyalty to civilian government. George Washington had saved the revolution once again.
It wouldn’t be the last time. During the writing of the Constitution and during his eight years as President, Washington was repeatedly called upon to hold the fractious young nation together. He never failed to do so.
We commonly refer to George Washington now as the father of our country. It’s hard to imagine any nation ever had a better one.   
I’m John Rhodehamel, author of George Washington: The Wonder of the Age, for Prager University.



Study Guide

https://www.prageru.com/sites/default/files/study-guides/rhodehamel-what_made_george_washington_great-studyguide.pdf

Take the Quiz

https://www.prageru.com/videos/what-made-george-washington-great

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Epitaph: The Maestro

 

15 August 2021: The Maestro

I asked to speak today about The Maestro.

Some may ask: what makes someone a maestro? A maestro is an artistic master: someone who is skilled enough to be considered an artistic genius. Taking one music class or art class can teach you a great deal, but it won't make you a maestro. Maestro (which comes from the Italian) is reserved for people with an enormous amount of skill and talent.

As we gather here today this is the nickname I gave to my beloved colleague; and, I told her so directly. She was able to artfully inspire and herd our kittens, you may know them as our Preschool students or friends, in order to help them grow into the responsible and cherished cherubs that parents want.

I could pick out many examples of the skill and talent of the maestro of which there were many. She was the one who put the positive messages on the bulletin board, she was the one who was thoughtful and kind to everyone, she was the one who had the good ideas for gifts, the special touches for the faculty, she was the one who inspired teachers to produce their best; and, most importantly, she was the one who was able to draw the best performances from our friends, the students. Despite bad news, for example, during our Christmas party she received a text about a family tragedy, yet in the moment, she never lost that positive and uplifting spirit but continued on in an upbeat manner. The maestro was a genuine inspiration of positivity, life, and grit.

However, I do want to pick out one particular incident which I think best illustrates the maestro’s talent and skill. This display occurred during a Halloween performance. Now anyone who knew the maestro realized that she was the most non-witch like person you would ever meet. Nonetheless, that day, for the kids, she was the witch. And, understand that I say this in all kindness and genuine affection: what a witch she was!

With the dry ice enveloping around her and her witch baton swirling about she mesmerized our kittens, the faculty, staff, and obviously me, to put on a display that would make Broadway envious. Now, that’s talent and skill and I hope you realize now why I nicknamed her the maestro.

The maestro helped children year after year for over twenty years and there is a Filipino proverb which states that “a person who does not remember where she came from will never reach her destination.”

Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.

 

A favored destination is one key element that the maestro added to our campus since it's important to look back at your roots and show gratitude to those who came before you. It is because of them that you are where you are today. Our students realized that the maestro shared her culture which is her heart and soul. Like so many who immigrated to our shores we are grateful for them and the maestro combined her culture with the exceptional and eternal potential of America: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

 

I am so richly blessed to have known the maestro personally. During a celebration of life with a person who was so gifted, so giving, so positive, and so talented, I hope you realize that I can easily say as promised in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

 

The maestro’s destination is eternal life.

 

To the maestro’s family who shared this wonderful human being with us; thank you.

Rod's Pods Neuro-Andragogy

Posted: 14 Feb 2019 12:49 PM PST
Duration: 40:20

Monday, August 30, 2021

Thursday, August 26, 2021

World War II, Victor Davis Hanson, Hillsdale College Final Quiz

Final Quiz

Quiz

You may take the quiz as many times as you like, but only your highest score will be recorded.
  1. Great Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, soon after Germany invaded _____.
  2. _______ was prime minister of Great Britain at the beginning of World War II.
  3. Winston Churchill wrote that Soviet society is modeled after the ______.
  4. The term "Phony War" describes _____.
  5. Bolshevik leaders were injected into Russia during World War I by which foreign power?
  6. The Allied theory of air power emphasized ______.
  7. The name for the German air force is ______.
  8. Germany invaded the Soviet Union in _____.
  9. The Axis powers attempted to counter Allied air superiority through ________.
  10. In early 1945, General _______ took over the XXI Bomber Command, based on the Mariana Islands, and introduced low-altitude napalm bombing raids.
  11. ________ was the nineteenth century American naval strategist whose theories regarding the importance of battleships were influential before World War II.
  12. The Germans attempted to make up for their lack of aircraft carriers by increasing their production of _______.
  13. The Allies countered the success of the 1942 German U-boat campaign by ______.
  14. In 1944, the Allies achieved naval _____ in the waters surrounding Europe.
  15. According to Dr. Hanson, Admiral ________ made important tactical mistakes during the attack on Pearl Harbor and at the Battle of Midway.
  16. In 1941, the universal soldier was equipped with _____.
  17. As chief of staff of the United States Army, _____ was responsible for organizing the expansion of U.S. armed forces.
  18. Operation ______ was the name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June of 1941.
  19. The most successful airborne operation of World War II occurred during ______.
  20. Admiral Chester Nimitz conducted an American offensive strategy that proceeded from Guadalcanal to _________.
  21. In World War I, the strategic importance of armored vehicles was demonstrated at the Battle of ______.
  22. The German word for a tank is _______.
  23. The reliable and versatile American _______ tank was produced in large quantities.
  24. At the ________ in the winter of 1944, the Germans attempted to recalibrate the Western front by sending a thin thrust of armored forces through the Allied lines.
  25. The majority of American tanks destroyed in World War II were a result of ____.
  26. Many German death camps, including Auschwitz and Treblinka, were located in occupied _______.
  27. During World War I, Franklin D. Roosevelt served as _______.
  28. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini both held the rank of ______ in World War I.
  29. The highest death tolls of World War II were recorded in which two countries?
  30. Historians now estimate that roughly _______ people died during World War II.
  31. _________ was the international organization created in the aftermath of World War I.
  32. Adolf Hitler declared that he would give an estate to _______ when Germany won World War II.
  33. The ________ divided post-war Germany into four zones.
  34. The United States government gave power and freedom to steel magnate and shipbuilder ______ in order to increase American ship production.
  35. According to Dr. Hanson, the tragedy of World War II can be summarized as the result of _______, which allowed fascism to thrive and grow.

Monday, August 23, 2021

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Lecture 7 World War II Victor Davis Hanson Hillsdale College

worldwarii/lecture-07/world-war-2

Ends

Overview

The tragedy of World War II resulted from a combination of British appeasement, American isolationism, and Russian collusion, which allowed fascism to grow and thrive. It took six years and millions of lives to overcome the Axis powers. The aftermath of World War II presented new threats, marked by the ideological split and distrust between the Soviet Union and its former allies.

Saturday, August 21, 2021

World War II Lecture 6 Victor Davis Hanson Hillsdale College

worldwarii/lecture-06

People

Overview

In World War II, the leaders of the major belligerents prosecuted the war in vastly different ways: the ruthless Axis powers were committed to ideologies that clouded their strategic judgment, while Russians employed desperate measures to ensure the survival of their equally ruthless Soviet state. By contrast, the United States and Great Britain developed a strategy to preserve liberty and limit the loss of human life.

Friday, August 20, 2021

Lecture 5 Victor Davis Hanson World War II Hillsdale College

lecture-05/world-war-2

Fire

Overview

At the beginning of World War II, military theorists believed that tanks would dominate ground warfare. This was due mainly to their ability to plunge through enemy lines and capture territory. However, to make armored tactics effective, the major powers first had to answer essential questions regarding size, design, firepower, fuel, and support.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

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Reading since summer 2006 (some of the classics are re-reads): including magazine subscriptions

  • Abbot, Edwin A., Flatland;
  • Accelerate: Technology Driving Business Performance;
  • ACM Queue: Architecting Tomorrow's Computing;
  • Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome;
  • Ali, Ayaan Hirsi, Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations;
  • Ali, Tariq, The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity;
  • Allawi, Ali A., The Crisis of Islamic Civilization;
  • Alperovitz, Gar, The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb;
  • American School & University: Shaping Facilities & Business Decisions;
  • Angelich, Jane, What's a Mother (in-Law) to Do?: 5 Essential Steps to Building a Loving Relationship with Your Son's New Wife;
  • Arad, Yitzchak, In the Shadow of the Red Banner: Soviet Jews in the War Against Nazi Germany;
  • Aristotle, Athenian Constitution. Eudemian Ethics. Virtues and Vices. (Loeb Classical Library No. 285);
  • Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books X-XIV, Oeconomica, Magna Moralia (The Loeb classical library);
  • Armstrong, Karen, A History of God;
  • Arrian: Anabasis of Alexander, Books I-IV (Loeb Classical Library No. 236);
  • Atkinson, Rick, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (Liberation Trilogy);
  • Auletta, Ken, Googled: The End of the World As We Know It;
  • Austen, Jane, Pride and Prejudice;
  • Bacevich, Andrew, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism;
  • Baker, James A. III, and Lee H. Hamilton, The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach;
  • Barber, Benjamin R., Jihad vs. McWorld: Terrorism's Challenge to Democracy;
  • Barnett, Thomas P.M., Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating;
  • Barnett, Thomas P.M., The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century;
  • Barron, Robert, Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith;
  • Baseline: Where Leadership Meets Technology;
  • Baur, Michael, Bauer, Stephen, eds., The Beatles and Philosophy;
  • Beard, Charles Austin, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (Sony Reader);
  • Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror: Radical Islam's War Against America;
  • Bergen, Peter, The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader;
  • Berman, Paul, Terror and Liberalism;
  • Berman, Paul, The Flight of the Intellectuals: The Controversy Over Islamism and the Press;
  • Better Software: The Print Companion to StickyMinds.com;
  • Bleyer, Kevin, Me the People: One Man's Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America;
  • Boardman, Griffin, and Murray, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World;
  • Bracken, Paul, The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics;
  • Bradley, James, with Ron Powers, Flags of Our Fathers;
  • Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre;
  • Bronte, Emily, Wuthering Heights;
  • Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 10 1974-1984: The Marshall Cavendish Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
  • Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 8 The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
  • Brown, Nathan J., When Victory Is Not an Option: Islamist Movements in Arab Politics;
  • Bryce, Robert, Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Independence";
  • Bush, George W., Decision Points;
  • Bzdek, Vincent, The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled;
  • Cahill, Thomas, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter;
  • Campus Facility Maintenance: Promoting a Healthy & Productive Learning Environment;
  • Campus Technology: Empowering the World of Higher Education;
  • Certification: Tools and Techniques for the IT Professional;
  • Channel Advisor: Business Insights for Solution Providers;
  • Chariton, Callirhoe (Loeb Classical Library);
  • Chief Learning Officer: Solutions for Enterprise Productivity;
  • Christ, Karl, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilization;
  • Cicero, De Senectute;
  • Cicero, The Republic, The Laws;
  • Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 1 (Loeb Classical Library);
  • Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 2 (Loeb Classical Library);
  • CIO Decisions: Aligning I.T. and Business in the MidMarket Enterprise;
  • CIO Insight: Best Practices for IT Business Leaders;
  • CIO: Business Technology Leadership;
  • Clay, Lucius Du Bignon, Decision in Germany;
  • Cohen, William S., Dragon Fire;
  • Colacello, Bob, Ronnie and Nancy: Their Path to the White House, 1911 to 1980;
  • Coll, Steve, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century;
  • Collins, Francis S., The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief ;
  • Colorni, Angelo, Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat;
  • Compliance & Technology;
  • Computerworld: The Voice of IT Management;
  • Connolly, Peter & Hazel Dodge, The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome;
  • Conti, Greg, Googling Security: How Much Does Google Know About You?;
  • Converge: Strategy and Leadership for Technology in Education;
  • Cowan, Ross, Roman Legionary 58 BC - AD 69;
  • Cowell, F. R., Life in Ancient Rome;
  • Creel, Richard, Religion and Doubt: Toward a Faith of Your Own;
  • Cross, Robin, General Editor, The Encyclopedia of Warfare: The Changing Nature of Warfare from Prehistory to Modern-day Armed Conflicts;
  • CSO: The Resource for Security Executives:
  • Cummins, Joseph, History's Greatest Wars: The Epic Conflicts that Shaped the Modern World;
  • D'Amato, Raffaele, Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500;
  • Dallek, Robert, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963;
  • Daly, Dennis, Sophocles' Ajax;
  • Dando-Collins, Stephen, Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome;
  • Darwish, Nonie, Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror;
  • Davis Hanson, Victor, Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome;
  • Dawkins, Richard, The Blind Watchmaker;
  • Dawkins, Richard, The God Delusion;
  • Dawkins, Richard, The Selfish Gene;
  • de Blij, Harm, Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America, Climate Change, The Rise of China, and Global Terrorism;
  • Defense Systems: Information Technology and Net-Centric Warfare;
  • Defense Systems: Strategic Intelligence for Info Centric Operations;
  • Defense Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Military and Aerospace;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Consciousness Explained;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Darwin's Dangerous Idea;
  • Devries, Kelly, et. al., Battles of the Ancient World 1285 BC - AD 451 : From Kadesh to Catalaunian Field;
  • Dickens, Charles, Great Expectations;
  • Digital Communities: Building Twenty-First Century Communities;
  • Doctorow, E.L., Homer & Langley;
  • Dodds, E. R., The Greeks and the Irrational;
  • Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The House of the Dead (Google Books, Sony e-Reader);
  • Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The Idiot;
  • Douglass, Elisha P., Rebels and Democrats: The Struggle for Equal Political Rights and Majority Role During the American Revolution;
  • Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear;
  • Dr. Dobb's Journal: The World of Software Development;
  • Drug Discovery News: Discovery/Development/Diagnostics/Delivery;
  • DT: Defense Technology International;
  • Dunbar, Richard, Alcatraz;
  • Education Channel Partner: News, Trends, and Analysis for K-20 Sales Professionals;
  • Edwards, Aton, Preparedness Now!;
  • EGM: Electronic Gaming Monthly, the No. 1 Videogame Magazine;
  • Ehrman, Bart D., Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scriptures and the Faiths We Never Knew;
  • Ehrman, Bart D., Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why;
  • Electronic Engineering Times: The Industry Newsweekly for the Creators of Technology;
  • Ellis, Joseph J., American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson;
  • Ellis, Joseph J., His Excellency: George Washington;
  • Emergency Management: Strategy & Leadership in Critical Times;
  • Emerson, Steven, American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us;
  • Erlewine, Robert, Monotheism and Tolerance: Recovering a Religion of Reason (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion);
  • ESD: Embedded Systems Design;
  • Everitt, Anthony, Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor;
  • Everitt, Anthony, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician;
  • eWeek: The Enterprise Newsweekly;
  • Federal Computer Week: Powering the Business of Government;
  • Ferguson, Niall, Civilization: The West and the Rest;
  • Ferguson, Niall, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power;
  • Ferguson, Niall, The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000;
  • Ferguson, Niall, The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Decline of the West;
  • Feuerbach, Ludwig, The Essence of Christianity (Sony eReader);
  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Principate 27 BC-AD 117;
  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Punic Wars 264-146 BC;
  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army: the Civil Wars 88-31 BC;
  • Finkel, Caroline, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire;
  • Fisk, Robert, The Great War For Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East;
  • Forstchen, William R., One Second After;
  • Fox, Robin Lane, The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian;
  • Frazer, James George, The Golden Bough (Volume 3): A Study in Magic and Religion (Sony eReader);
  • Freeh, Louis J., My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
  • Freeman, Charles, The Greek Achievement: The Foundations of the Western World;
  • Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century Further Updated and Expanded/Release 3.0;
  • Friedman, Thomas L., The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization;
  • Frontinus: Stratagems. Aqueducts of Rome. (Loeb Classical Library No. 174);
  • Fuller Focus: Fuller Theological Seminary;
  • Fuller, Graham E., A World Without Islam;
  • Gaubatz, P. David and Paul Sperry, Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America;
  • Ghattas, Kim, The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power;
  • Gibson, William, Neuromancer;
  • Gilmour, Michael J., Gods and Guitars: Seeking the Sacred in Post-1960s Popular Music;
  • Global Services: Strategies for Sourcing People, Processes, and Technologies;
  • Glucklich, Ariel, Dying for Heaven: Holy Pleasure and Suicide Bombers-Why the Best Qualities of Religion Are Also It's Most Dangerous;
  • Goldberg, Jonah, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning;
  • Goldin, Shmuel, Unlocking the Torah Text Vayikra (Leviticus);
  • Goldsworthy, Adrian, Caesar: Life of a Colossus;
  • Goldsworthy, Adrian, How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower;
  • Goodman, Lenn E., Creation and Evolution;
  • Goodwin, Doris Kearns, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln;
  • Gopp, Amy, et.al., Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics (WTF: Where's the Faith?);
  • Gordon, Michael R., and Bernard E. Trainor, Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq;
  • Government Health IT: The Magazine of Public/private Health Care Convergence;
  • Government Technology's Emergency Management: Strategy & Leadership in Critical Times;
  • Government Technology: Solutions for State and Local Government in the Information Age;
  • Grant , Michael, The Climax of Rome: The Final Achievements of the Ancient World, AD 161 - 337;
  • Grant, Michael, The Classical Greeks;
  • Grumberg, Orna, and Helmut Veith, 25 Years of Model Checking: History, Achievements, Perspectives;
  • Halberstam, David, War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals;
  • Hammer, Reuven, Entering Torah Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Between War and Peace: Lessons from Afghanistan to Iraq;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security (Encounter Broadsides);
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, The End of Sparta: A Novel;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Wars of the Ancient Greeks;
  • Harnack, Adolf Von, History of Dogma, Volume 3 (Sony Reader);
  • Harris, Alex, Reputation At Risk: Reputation Report;
  • Harris, Sam, Letter to a Christian Nation;
  • Harris, Sam, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason;
  • Hayek, F. A., The Road to Serfdom;
  • Heilbroner, Robert L., and Lester Thurow, Economics Explained: Everything You Need to Know About How the Economy Works and Where It's Going;
  • Hempel, Sandra, The Strange Case of The Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera;
  • Hinnells, John R., A Handbook of Ancient Religions;
  • Hitchens, Christopher, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything;
  • Hogg, Ian V., The Encyclopedia of Weaponry: The Development of Weaponry from Prehistory to 21st Century Warfare;
  • Hugo, Victor, The Hunchback of Notre Dame;
  • Humphrey, Caroline & Vitebsky, Piers, Sacred Architecture;
  • Huntington, Samuel P., The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order;
  • Info World: Information Technology News, Computer Networking & Security;
  • Information Week: Business Innovation Powered by Technology:
  • Infostor: The Leading Source for Enterprise Storage Professionals;
  • Infrastructure Insite: Bringing IT Together;
  • Insurance Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
  • Integrated Solutions: For Enterprise Content Management;
  • Intel Premier IT: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
  • Irwin, Robert, Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents;
  • Jeffrey, Grant R., The Global-Warming Deception: How a Secret Elite Plans to Bankrupt America and Steal Your Freedom;
  • Jewkes, Yvonne, and Majid Yar, Handbook of Internet Crime;
  • Johnson, Chalmers, Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire;
  • Journal, The: Transforming Education Through Technology;
  • Judd, Denis, The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600-1947;
  • Kagan, Donald, The Peloponnesian War;
  • Kansas, Dave, The Wall Street Journal Guide to the End of Wall Street as We Know It: What You Need to Know About the Greatest Financial Crisis of Our Time--and How to Survive It;
  • Karsh, Efraim, Islamic Imperialism: A History;
  • Kasser, Rodolphe, The Gospel of Judas;
  • Katz, Solomon, The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Europe: (The Development of Western Civilization);
  • Keegan, John, Intelligence in War: The Value--and Limitations--of What the Military Can Learn About the Enemy;
  • Kenis, Leo, et. al., The Transformation of the Christian Churches in Western Europe 1945-2000 (Kadoc Studies on Religion, Culture and Society 6);
  • Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam;
  • Kiplinger's: Personal Finance;
  • Klein, Naomi, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism;
  • KM World: Content, Document, and Knowledge Management;
  • Koestler, Arthur, Darkness at Noon: A Novel;
  • Kostova, Elizabeth, The Historian;
  • Kuttner, Robert, The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity;
  • Lake, Kirsopp, The Text of the New Testament, Sony Reader;
  • Laur, Timothy M., Encyclopedia of Modern US Military Weapons ;
  • Leffler, Melvyn P., and Jeffrey W. Legro, To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine;
  • Lendon, J. E., Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity;
  • Lenin, V. I., Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism;
  • Lennon, John J., There is Absolutely No Reason to Pay Too Much for College!;
  • Lewis, Bernard, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror;
  • Lewis, Bernard, What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East;
  • Lifton, Robert J., Greg Mitchell, Hiroshima in America;
  • Limberis, Vasiliki M., Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs;
  • Lipsett, B. Diane, Desiring Conversion: Hermas, Thecla, Aseneth;
  • Livingston, Jessica, Founders At Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days;
  • Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean: Books XXXI-XLV of the History of Rome from its Foundation (Penguin Classics);
  • Louis J., Freeh, My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
  • Mackay, Christopher S., Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History;
  • Majno, Guido, The Healing Hand: Man and Wound in the Ancient World;
  • Marcus, Greil,Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes;
  • Marshall-Cornwall, James, Napoleon as Military Commander;
  • Maughm, W. Somerset, Of Human Bondage;
  • McCluskey, Neal P., Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education;
  • McCullough, David, 1776;
  • McCullough, David, John Adams;
  • McCullough, David, Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt;
  • McLynn, Frank, Marcus Aurelius: A Life;
  • McManus, John, Deadly Brotherhood, The: The American Combat Soldier in World War II ;
  • McMaster, H. R., Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam;
  • McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 1: Origins and Destinies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
  • McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 2: Persons and Groups (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
  • McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 3: Religions and Controversies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
  • Meacham, Jon, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House;
  • Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy;
  • Meier, Christian, Caesar: A Biography;
  • Menzies, Gaven, 1421: The Year China Discovered America;
  • Metaxas, Eric, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy;
  • Michael, Katina and M.G. Michael, Innovative Automatic Identification and Location-Based Services: From Barcodes to Chip Implants;
  • Migliore, Daniel L., Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology;
  • Military & Aerospace Electronics: The Magazine of Transformation in Electronic and Optical Technology;
  • Millard, Candice, Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey: The River of Doubt;
  • Mommsen, Theodor, The History of the Roman Republic, Sony Reader;
  • Muller, F. Max, Chips From A German Workshop: Volume III: Essays On Language And Literature;
  • Murray, Janet, H., Hamlet On the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace;
  • Murray, Williamson, War in the Air 1914-45;
  • Müller, F. Max, Chips From A German Workshop;
  • Nader, Ralph, Crashing the Party: Taking on the Corporate Government in an Age of Surrender;
  • Nagl, John A., Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam;
  • Napoleoni, Loretta, Terrorism and the Economy: How the War on Terror is Bankrupting the World;
  • Nature: The International Weekly Journal of Science;
  • Negus, Christopher, Fedora 6 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux;
  • Network Computing: For IT by IT:
  • Network World: The Leader in Network Knowledge;
  • Network-centric Security: Where Physical Security & IT Worlds Converge;
  • Newman, Paul B., Travel and Trade in the Middle Ages;
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, The Nietzsche-Wagner Correspondence;
  • Nixon, Ed, The Nixons: A Family Portrait;
  • O'Brien, Johnny, Day of the Assassins: A Jack Christie Novel;
  • O'Donnell, James J., Augustine: A New Biography;
  • OH & S: Occupational Health & Safety
  • Okakura, Kakuzo, The Book of Tea;
  • Optimize: Business Strategy & Execution for CIOs;
  • Ostler, Nicholas, Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin;
  • Parry, Jay A., The Real George Washington (American Classic Series);
  • Paton, W.R., The Greek Anthology, Volume V, Loeb Classical Library, No. 86;
  • Pausanius, Guide to Greece 1: Central Greece;
  • Perrett, Bryan, Cassell Military Classics: Iron Fist: Classic Armoured Warfare;
  • Perrottet, Tony, The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Olympic Games;
  • Peters, Ralph, New Glory: Expanding America's Global Supremacy;
  • Phillips, Kevin, American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush;
  • Pick, Bernhard; Paralipomena; Remains of Gospels and Sayings of Christ (Sony Reader);
  • Pimlott, John, The Elite: The Special Forces of the World Volume 1;
  • Pitre, Brant, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper;
  • Plutarch's Lives, X: Agis and Cleomenes. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus. Philopoemen and Flamininus (Loeb Classical Library®);
  • Podhoretz, Norman, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism;
  • Posner, Gerald, Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK;
  • Potter, Wendell, Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans;
  • Pouesi, Daniel, Akua;
  • Premier IT Magazine: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
  • Price, Monroe E. & Daniel Dayan, eds., Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China;
  • Profit: The Executive's Guide to Oracle Applications;
  • Public CIO: Technology Leadership in the Public Sector;
  • Putnam, Robert D., Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community;
  • Quintus of Smyrna, The Fall of Troy;
  • Rawles, James Wesley, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse;
  • Red Herring: The Business of Technology;
  • Redmond Channel Partner: Driving Success in the Microsoft Partner Community;
  • Redmond Magazine: The Independent Voice of the Microsoft IT Community;
  • Renan, Ernest, The life of Jesus (Sony eReader);
  • Richler, Mordecai (editor), Writers on World War II: An Anthology;
  • Roberts, Ian, The Energy Glut: Climate Change and the Politics of Fatness in an Overheating World;
  • Rocca, Samuel, The Army of Herod the Great;
  • Rodgers, Nigel, A Military History of Ancient Greece: An Authoritative Account of the Politics, Armies and Wars During the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, shown in over 200 color photographs, diagrams, maps and plans;
  • Rodoreda, Merce, Death in Spring: A Novel;
  • Romerstein, Herbert and Breindel, Eric,The Venona Secrets, Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors;
  • Ross, Dennis, Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World;
  • Roth, Jonathan P., Roman Warfare (Cambridge Introduction to Roman Civilization);
  • SC Magazine: For IT Security Professionals;
  • Scahill, Jeremy, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated];
  • Schama, Simon, A History of Britain, At the Edge of the World 3500 B.C. - 1603 A.D.;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War On Terror;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Osama Bin Laden;
  • Scheuer, Michael, Through Our Enemies Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America;
  • Scholastic Instructor
  • Scholastic Parent & Child: The Joy of Family Living and Learning;
  • Schopenhauer, Arthur, The World As Will And Idea (Sony eReader);
  • Schug-Wille, Art of the Byzantine World;
  • Schulze, Hagen, Germany: A New History;
  • Schweizer, Peter, Architects of Ruin: How Big Government Liberals Wrecked the Global Economy---and How They Will Do It Again If No One Stops Them;
  • Scott, Sir Walter, Ivanhoe;
  • Seagren, Eric, Secure Your Network for Free: Using Nmap, Wireshark, Snort, Nessus, and MRTG;
  • Security Technology & Design: The Security Executive's Resource for Systems Integration and Convergence;
  • Seibel, Peter, Coders at Work;
  • Sekunda N., & S. Northwood, Early Roman Armies;
  • Seneca: Naturales Quaestiones, Books II (Loeb Classical Library No. 450);
  • Sewall, Sarah, The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual;
  • Sheppard, Ruth, Alexander the Great at War: His Army - His Battles - His Enemies;
  • Shinder, Jason, ed., The Poem That Changed America: "Howl" Fifty Years Later;
  • Sidebottom, Harry, Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction;
  • Sides, Hampton, Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West;
  • Simkins, Michael, The Roman Army from Caesar to Trajan;
  • Sinchak, Steve, Hacking Windows Vista;
  • Smith, RJ, The One: The Life and Music of James Brown;
  • Software Development Times: The Industry Newspaper for Software Development Managers;
  • Software Test Performance;
  • Solomon, Norman, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death;
  • Song, Lolan, Innovation Together: Microsoft Research Asia Academic Research Collaboration;
  • Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays, tr. Robert Fagles;
  • Sound & Vision: The Consumer Electronics Authority;
  • Southern, Pat, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History;
  • Sri, Edward, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy;
  • Sri, Edward, Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility;
  • Stair, John Bettridge, Old Samoa; Or, Flotsam and Jetsam From the Pacific Ocean;
  • Starr, Chester G., The Roman Empire, 27 B.C.-A.D. 476: A Study in Survival;
  • Starr, John Bryan, Understanding China: A Guide to China's Economy, History, and Political Culture;
  • Stauffer, John, Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln;
  • Steyn, Mark, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It;
  • Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories;
  • Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War;
  • Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika;
  • Strategy + Business;
  • Streete, Gail, Redeemed Bodies: Women Martyrs in Early Christianity;
  • Sullivan, James, The Hardest Working Man: How James Brown Saved the Soul of America;
  • Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (1) 100 BC-AD 200;
  • Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (2) AD 200-400;
  • Suskind, Ron, The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11:
  • Swanston, Malcolm, Mapping History Battles and Campaigns;
  • Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
  • Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
  • Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels;
  • Syme, Ronald, The Roman Revolution;
  • Talley, Colin L., A History of Multiple Sclerosis;
  • Tawil, Camille, Brothers In Arms: The Story of al-Qa'ida and the Arab Jihadists;
  • Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Design & Manufacturing;
  • Tech Net: The Microsoft Journal for IT Professionals;
  • Tech Partner: Gain a Competitive Edge Through Solutions Providers;
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