LookoutSF

Everything you wanted to know about the CIA and prison

Revisado: 01-05-25

The author was the person who confirmed that the CIA was torturing people. you can hear about how and why he went to prison, but every citizen who cares to be informed, whether you agree or not, should read this book

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

story on how foreign governments try to get access

Revisado: 10-29-24

interesting information not easily available elsewhere about how governments get access to US government

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Details you won't learn elsewhere

Revisado: 12-22-23

Liz Cheney has made a decision to sacrifice her career to a greater truth. Anyone interested in this book has probably followed the recent political crises, so much of this will not be a surprise, but it is still worth listening to this book. There are insights in here and more details: why were there almost no Republicans on the select committee? Why don't the Republicans like Kevin McCarthy (not exactly addressed, but there are behaviors described that might lead to more understanding). Did the majority of Republicans in Congress really think the election was a fraud? What happened behind the scenes with Cassidy Hutchinson? In the Audible book, you will also hear recordings of some of the most important members of the Trump administration's testimony. For instance, Bill Barr testified about actual events as did many others from the Trump administration. Now Barr is on the news calling it "all hearsay." This is not the truth. In the end, Barr did stand up to Trump, but what is wrong with him? He wouldn't lose anything by being truthful. There are also comments on many members of Congress that you might like to hear- including my Congressman. What about Mark Meadows? She doesn't rake anyone over the coals, but a devastating sentence here or there does the same. Any way, very interesting.

Unfortunately, the people who need to read this won't.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

not able to access options

Revisado: 07-13-22

unable to access options to choose individual stories in book. all or nothing. unable to stop and restart

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

The perils of being a teacher

Revisado: 05-18-22

McCourt here tells the story of his years as a high school teacher in NY where, as a not very good student with a strong Irish accent, he was mostly relegated to the technical high schools with students who didn't want to be there. He suffers many of the same traumas as did my friends who have been teachers in similar circumstances.

Along the way, I laughed, and cried, and learned something about teaching and the world of the Irish immigrant (he was an American, born in the USA, but lived most of early life in Ireland. So he experienced life in NYC more as an immigrant than as a birthright American.).

Highly recommended to everyone.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

triumph

Revisado: 03-27-22

This is the story of Cathy, a former cheerleading star, and her struggle to form a group of young women in Munich into an award winning troupe. along the way it is also the story of the girls, especially one who ,despite her talent as an athlete, struggled. both faced discrimination- of different types and had to overcome this as well as opposition from friends, family, and those who wanted to cut them down. this is an inspiring story but also an interesting story about racism in Germany 30 years ago as well as class conflict - much similar to that in the US and reminiscent of "Mean Girls ".

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

understanding

Revisado: 11-20-21

This is an important story for those who wish to understand another side of the "war on terror". It will interest historians, humanitarian, law enforcement, military, and regular people trying to make sense of our times.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Short but insightful essay on V Woolf

Revisado: 11-16-21

over the last few years I've read a few of Woolf's books and just listened to Lighthouse for the second time. The first read of Lighthouse was interesting, but it was a totally different experience the second time and left me in awe of this talent. it also led to a curiosity about what led to this creation. This essay doesn't answer all the questions but it gives and overview of both the inner struggles and the outer life of Woolf. well worth the time. I've listened to several other of the short books by this author and they are very helpful for understanding the subjects in context of their world and the effects of both historical and personal events on their writing.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Not a surprise

Revisado: 09-26-21

As someone who followed events closely, much of this book was not a surprise, but it does put all the events together. When he replaced several defence, military, and security staff AFTER he lost the election, there was concern that he planned a coup. The only reassuring observation was that he was too distractable to carry it out, especially given the obvious ability of others to limit his worst impulses.

I was very afraid for our country, but somwhat reassured by Pelosi's statements that there would be no attacks. There was strange quit on this issue from politicians on all sides, so something was going on. now we know some of what happened behind the scenes.

Why did Trump not call out the National Guard on January 6? Ivanka begged him, but she lost. McCarthy begged him but was ignored. We don't really know what was in Trump's mind, but it seems more that he was disconnected and caught up in the adulation of fans who invaded Congress in support of his fantasy that he won the election.

Bidens first 100 days are included, up through the passage of the Rescue act and the decision to pull out of Afghanistan. There are more details on how Joe Manchin finally got to yes and behind the scenes negotiations. He noted that he comes from a red state, but we learn that he comes from a wealthy coal family. This might be more informative that the politics of his state. That said, he did have a good point about extension of the unemployment benefits. That said, the problem is not just poor work ethics, it is that the current minimum wage is not enough to pay for the cost of working, especially if one has transportation and childcare costs.

The decision to pull out of Afghanistan was carefully made. Lindsey Graham moans that it will be a disaster. He has done great good by moderating Trump's worse impulses. Here, he seems prescient. To put this in perspective though, the Taliban negotiated a pullout of the US for an earlier date. They mostly did not attack American forces under this agreement. We only had 3500 troops in the country. There is no way 3500 Americans and other limited coalition forces could have held off against the Taliban, given the unwillingness of the Afghan army to stand up to them. I have personally heard stories of the corruption of the Afghan government. A recent article in the New Yorker describes how US forces inadvertently supported warlords who killed rural people. Children feared our planes overhead. At the same time, obviously many in Kabul fear the Taliban, and wanted to leave with the US. This didn't happen when the Russians left. In the long run, there will be a cohort of people who worked with the US and who will be our allies, and there are many educated young people who will someday be leaders. Only time will tell how this works out.

This book is written as a historical document. For instance, it describes the January 6 Capitol attack for those in the future who may not be aware of it. I was hoping to hear more about certain issues. For instance, there was almost nothing about the difficulties the Biden team had during the transition as, reportedly, Trump blocked access to critical security information. I believe that several members of the Biden team already had security clearances, but what if they didn't?

Overall, this is a very good book and an important historical document. We need to think about the lessons of this book and how they can be used to improve our country going forward.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

how to stop drinking comon sense

Revisado: 04-16-21

as a physician I have worked with many people who have stopped drinking and /or drugs. most people do succeed. in asking how they did it, it was often that they just stopped. sometimes treatment helped but after one or two times its time to take responsibility. some people benefit from AA but many don't. interestingly, he talks about just not drinking for a month. recently, ive stumbled on this myself. its useless to argue with people about whether they are or are not an alcoholic. the fact is that drinking more than one or two shots a day, or the equivalent, is not good for your body. people are tired, depressed, nauseated, they cant sleep, they're irritable. Of course, they say, it has nothing to do with the alcohol. okay then, stop drinking for 2 months as an experiment. if they're not willing to do that, then they need to think about why not? an amazing number of people decide not to drink. they have more energy, work is easier, they're not yelling at the wife and kids. the medical information is generally correct. some information, such as the risks of soft drinks, is perhaps not well established, but it is true that people who drink too much of this do not feel well, plus it runs up their blood pressure- not sure why but based on no studies, it seems to be true. lots of docs have the same notion. anyway, i found this very helpful. it has given me more perspective on some of the things that ive stumbled upon over the years. sorry no caps-too late at night for grammar.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña