[Totenkopf]

Believe it or not in the past few weeks, I have cut down on the video games and started picking up some books I could start to feel my brain slipping and needed some intellectual stimulation beyond what you see on the internet and CNN. In this flurry of reading, I have come across some works that I feel need to be required reading in not only the U.S., but in education systems all over the world.

"Blackhawk Down", by Mark Bowden. I am sure you all have seen the movie, and don't get me wrong it's good. But the book is that much better. It studies the reasons behind the conflict, the culture of Somalia, and what affect those had on U.S. foreign policy. At the same time, it takes a in-depth look at the U.S. Command structure. But the core of the book is how men react to overwhelming odds, and why they fight. If you have not read this book, do yourself a favor and go buy, borrow, or steal a copy.

"From Beirut to Jerusalem", by Thomas Friedman. I am about two hundred pages into this book, and it has taught me more about the situation in Israel in those two hundred pages, then the countless pages I have read prior to that about the region. Friedman, who is Jewish, takes a no-holds-barred look at this conflict and it will open your eyes. He like Bowden in BHD, looks a the cultures, history and religion of the people involved and guides you to an understanding of why this region is so volatile.

Finally, "Dresden 1945, The Devil's Tinderbox", by Alexander McKee. McKee who is a British vet of WW II, examines the fire-bombing of Dresden Germany in eary 1945. He holds no punches on this one, and you will find it very interesting. It's a side of the war that has been hidden but needs to be looked at. Read this book and come to your own conclusions about the morality of the Allies.

Anyway, my short attempt to help stimulate some thinking out there. Enjoy. biggrin: