Mike Bostan – personal blog on book reviews and energy studies – Page 14

Blowing my cover – Lindsay Moran

Published on December 3, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

Our next instruction was to traverse by night over many more miles of hostile territory, to find a shelter serving as base for a suspected terrorist cell. Once there, we were to infiltrate the premises and collect as much detailed information, “intelligence”, as we could.

We were exhausted, but we knew there was no choice but to press on. That day we managed, somewhat miraculously, to make the entire leg of the trip undetected by the bad guys, although we could hear them patrolling the roads with their noisy Mack trucks, engaging the other groups in firefights.

Blowing my cover – My life as a CIA spy is a memoir of a former CIA operative, who ended up resigning the Agency after 5 years. Moran carefully describes her training and her motives to join (and to resign) from CIA. The style of writing is rather cynical, but entertaining in the same time.

I was interested in the book because she operated in the Balkans, but the former spy doesn’t dwell on her missions.

The book presents in great detail how the CIA training for operatives takes place, such as escaping tails, noticing details, gathering intelligence, making contacts. This part was practical and quick-paced.

The other part, intertwining with her training and missions, was a psychological analysis of her reasons to work for the Agency. She considered her job a lonely, difficult, rather boring job, with little solace. However, the analysis does not go very deep. To provide a context, Moran worked in the Balkans around 2000-2003 and the 9/11 attacks were in 2001. In comparison with the CIA agents in Afghanistan, the Balkans must have been very boring.

The writing could have used more polishing, but it was an interesting reading.

The Art of Lobbying the EU – Rinus van Schendelen

Published on November 24, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

Two different skills deserve special attention. One is the ability to remain cool and calm during the game, in short unagonized, in spite of all the tricks played by the opponents. Whatever happens during it, an interest group must always remain concentrated on its target in the arena, like the football player challenged by various tricks (like spitting, scolding, tackling) must keep watching only the ball, as otherwise the ball is lost. This difficult skill of remaining unagonized gives highly competitive advantage. The second special skill regards the PA research and development (R&D) for useful new resources. Many resources are so general and widespread that they hardly make a difference. The art is to develop new ones that surprise competitors and attract EU officials, thus making a difference.

The Art of Lobbying the EU – More Machiavelli in Brussels is dedicated to professionals of EU affairs, A slow, but fascinating read for the ones working in EU policies: lobbyists, officials, contractors, PermReps, NGOs, interest groups.

The author nicely summarizes, orders and analyses the techniques, tactics and strategies happening in EU politics. While it looks Machiavellian, this kind of interconnections can only happen in a democracy.

A drawback is the rather poor narrative and choice of words. The text looks like it hasn’t been proofread by a good English speaker. There are too many business words (U-turn; windows in, windows out) and some acronyms look forced.

It was fascinating to read some behind-the-door stories, see who was behind some incredible outcomes, how some political battles were taken, what mistakes were done. Framing, astro-surfing, narrowing access, influencing the right players were remainders of some realpolitik tactics used for specific outcomes, of which the professional should be aware and counter-act.

Prof. van Schendelen describes quite accurately the political process and how legislation is made, in a practical way. The numerous official and unofficial players and interactions are presented, to each given a special attention. The legislative process is followed, each step presented with the opportunities to influence.

To sum up, the book is quite technical and of interest only to those doing their bidding in EU politics.

Shadow work-the unpaid, unseen jobs that fill your day – Craig Lambert

Published on November 22, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

Shadow work will grow. It rewards businesses and organizations in ways that are irresistible. No capitalist can refuse a chance to cut those heavy personnel costs by transferring jobs to customers who work for free. As shadow work merges into our daily routines, it will affect social habits, economic patterns, and lifestyles.

This amazing book by Craig Lambert discusses the many small jobs that fill the day, uselessly tiring a person and keeping it in constant stress. From the self-check out to cleaning your own table , from the meaningless coupons and small reduction cards to freely creating content by posting reviews (TripAdvisor, GoodReads), the author gives many examples of work that keeps us busy, without actually creating significant value-added.

The phrase that I loved most was: if you are not paying for the product, you are the product. Think of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others.

The book has some parts where the author rather rants and does not make clear that some of this work is to save money. Nonetheless, it is often forgotten that time is the most precious resource and the author correctly notes that people prefer giving time for money rather than money for time.

Craig Lambert makes the reader think of how much content and personal information, he/she is giving for free. Reviews, grading, customer experience surveys, likes, are all commercial information freely given. It has a huge success: Facebook, Uber, AirBnb, Quora, Booking.com thrive on the free work done by customers, giving their own time.

The book is a good read for everyone tired at the end of the day and wondering why. Some enjoy doing the volunteering job, others just get caught in a whirlpool of small tasks.

Noul aliat – George Cristian Maior

Published on November 13, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

Intotdeauna m-am considerat un adept al scolii realiste, al relatiilor de putere in lumea contemporana, dar cu o deschidere spre valentele noi induse in teorie si practica de curentele postmoderniste si constructiviste.

George Maior este actualul (2016) ambasador al Romaniei in Statele Unite si fostul sef al Serviciului Roman de Informatii (SRI).

Cartea sa, scrisa in 2009, revizuita in 2012, este o colectie de studii, conferinte si articole, scrise in 2001 si 2004. Maior isi exprima ideile despre rolul Romaniei in NATO, el fiind si cel care s-a ocupat de integrarea Romaniei in NATO in acea perioada.

Cartea se plaseaza foarte mult in campul relatiilor internationale, cu toata literatura si curentele de rigoare. Scriitura este foarte academica, iar modul de argumentare este aproape exclusiv teoretic.

maior-noul-aliat — Un ganditor profund al rolului Romaniei in NATO

Maior considera rolul Romaniei in NATO ca agent activ, implicat in actiuni nu numai pe teritoriul national, ci oriunde alianta are de gestionat o criza. De asemenea, Romania are rolul de alarma, fiind la marginea geografica a aliantei.

Modul de atinge aceste obiective il reprezinta personalul uman, bine pregatit si selectionat. O importanta speciala o are puterea software, ceea ce se traduce prin diplomatie, asadar un rol mai activ al ambasadelor romanesti in strainatate. In Romania, de altfel, se afla sediul HumInt (Human Intelligence) al NATO.

Multe din ideile autorului se regasesc in strategia si actiunile ulterioare ale Romaniei. Maior este un ganditor profund al situatiei din regiune, un realist ce considera ca integrarea Romaniei in NATO inseamana si responsabilitati. Maior traseaza clar rolul Romaniei in alianta, in raport cu capacitatile reale ale tarii si raspunde viguros la intrebarea “NATO protejeaza, dar Romania cu ce vine, ce pune pe masa?”

Cartea este dificil de urmarit pentru cei neinteresati de relatiile internationale, dar reprezinta etalonul in ce priveste strategia privind rolul Romaniei in NATO.

Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Book 1) – Timothy Zahn

Published on November 6, 2016November 6, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

On his status board, a section of the Chimaera’s shield schematic went red. “Get that starboard shield back up,” he ordered, giving the sky in that direction a quick scan. There were half a dozen warships out there, all of them firing like mad, with a battle station in backstop position behind them.
If their sensors showed that the Chimaera’s starboard shields were starting to go—
“Starboard turbolasers: focus all fire on the Assault Frigate at thirty-two mark forty,” Thrawn spoke up calmly. “Concentrate on the starboard side of the ship only.”

The book is part of the Star Wars expanded universe and takes place after the Emperor and Darth Vader are defeated. Five years have passed since the Alliance destroyed the Death Star and killed the Emperor and Darth Vader. Han Solo and Leia Organa are now married with twins coming and Luke Skywalker is starting the new Jedi Order.

Under those premises, the author, Timothy Zahn, creates a new antagonist, Grand Admiral Thrawn, a military genious and great psychologist, leader of the reminding of the Empire’s fleet.

What is impressive of the plot and the narrative is that Zahn doesn’t rely on old cliches, but creates new personages. The plot is logical and tight, without the fantastic and illogical actions happening in the films. The new personages are solid, deep, credible and the reader is interested in their fate and actions. Their reasoning is sound and you, as a reader, would consider the same actions given their circumstances. There is little hocus-pocus, due to the Force. Logic and work are more important.

Timothy Zahn credibly starts the plot. If you are an Admiral, in command of several fleets and planets, why would you surrender over some rebels in shambles, badly organised and with little resources?

The reader then follows the events and actions happening in the universe, which revolve around the plans of Admiral Thrawn to increase his power and weaken the Alliance. The Admiral has no other power than his mind and his keen understanding of things. As he notices as some point: ” When you understand a species’ art, you understand that species. ” Several other gems of wisdom are voiced by him.

However, Thrawn is not the only memorable character. Mara Jade, the strong and complex character with a secret past; Talon Karrde, the smuggler; Joruus C’baoth, the Dark Jedi clone; the Noghri, the skilled, but honorable assassins and others, they are all unforgettable.

The story sticks for serious readers because it involves no magic; it is all a battle of the minds, with the Force, the battleships, the armies, just tools to achieve an objective, not game-changers. The real change is made by the actions of people. This is the message of the author throughout the book.

A great book for the Star Wars fans.

Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future – Ian Goldin

Published on October 30, 2016October 30, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

At a national level, the educational gains from migration vary with the age of the migrant. Those who migrate to the United States as children (before 13) or as young adults (25-29) reap the greatest educational benefits from moving. Immigration between ages 13 and 19 confers a relative disadvantage on migrants, however, because of obstacles with language and integration in schools – which are no easier to overcome in teenage years.

Ian Goldin, together with Geoffrey Cameron and Meera Balarajan, did a fantastic piece of work with this book. The volume is an almost academic analysis, filled with figures and charts, dissecting with great acuity the movements of humans on the planet. Divided into three parts, it covers the past, the present and the future of migration.

exceptional-people — Walking towards a new future

The message is at the end of the book, where migration is portrayed as a short-pain and long-gain strategy. An interesting insight is that people are moving historically less between countries, but further away for the ones that move.

While the book includes some solid references, it fails to see the downside on migration. It is looking at only one side of the coin. Migration indeed brings benefits for both the migrant and the host-state, but what about the drawbacks? This part is not researched, which makes the conclusions looking biased. One of those conclusions is a call for a global leadership that will advance a global migration agenda.

Nonetheless, the book makes a passionate argument for migrants (called “exceptional people”). It looks at the benefits and motives behind immigration, from pre-history to post the World Wars, the present day and the future trends.

A good read, particularly for immigrants and those interested in the subject.

Glory Main – Henry O’Neil

Published on October 22, 2016October 22, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

Both sides possessed weapons that could blow a planet’s atmosphere right off or radiate the place so badly that no one could live there, but the goal of gaining a habitable planet took those weapons off the table. Instead it set the engineers from both sides working on devices that delivered their terrible effect but didn’t permanently alter the ground where they were used.

The tech had become visibly disturbed when he reached the logical conclusion that the limited war calculus would no doubt be dropped the day either side found the enemy’s home planets.

The book is a survival story during the Sim war, a war between humans and similarly-looking aliens. Lieutenant Mortas and three others crash on a desolate planet and fight to survive.

sim-war1 — Survival scifi, could have used more imagination.

The four characters are nicely constructed, the infantryman, the scout, the tech and the psychoanalyst, and their struggle is believable and interesting. While less action-packed than other series, the pace of the story is fast enough to keep the reader engaged. The plot is nicely constructed with many twists and turns. The end is fantastic and unexpected. An original military sci fi overall.

The survival story could have been better developed and more imaginative, but it was interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. The narrative is focusing rather on characters then on the surroundings or the events. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to follow the four in their fight.

A nice read for the fans of the genre.

The Way of Men – Jack Donovan

Published on October 20, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

“Honor diversity” is an interesting slogan, because it essentially means “honor everyone and everything”. If everyone is honored equally, and everyone’s way of life is honored equally, honor has no hierarchy, and therefore honor has little value according to the economics of supply and demand. “Honor diversity” doesn’t mean more than “be nice”.

[…]

To honor a man is to acknowledge his accomplishments and recognize that he has attained a higher status within the group.

Jack Donovan presents in a framework of anarcho-primitivism what he sees as masculine values and way of life. It is a challenging book, with some extreme conclusions.

The book is short, but the topic is important. It is kind of an equivalent of extreme feminism, but on the other side of the axis, an extreme masculism, if you like.

On the plus side, the author correctly notes some masculine’s traits: why a simple excuse or shake of hands between men is enough to end a conflict, why men fight for status, why they go their own way sometimes, why men love playing contact games. The Bonobo Masturbation Society chapter is fantastic.

thewayofman — The way of men is the way of the gang – interesting concept.

Some points are very interesting, such as the values of man, the difference between being a good man and being good at being a man, how men talk and act in groups of men. Some research was done and presents some good stories, Romulus and Remus, Gilgamesh; though with insufficient profoundness.

On the negative side, the last chapters are insufficiently refined and the conclusions are misguided and a bit on the extreme. The book could have been so much better, if he would just had the patience to filter more the last chapters.

I don’t think that masculinity is going through a crisis, but there are some major changes, never before experienced by men. We are the first generations not being conscripted into the army, in the entire history of mankind.

Some challenging ideas. It is worthy to read it.

Armor – John Steakley

Published on October 9, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

Felix took the blaze-rifle, the blazer, from the slot in the long row which had a number to match the one pulsing inside his helmet. He checked it for charge, attached it to his back. Scout suits, much smaller than standard issue, had no blazer capacity built in. Scouts carried rifles used by open-air troops for thirty years. Also, they had fewer blaze-bombs-only nine as opposed to the two dozen the warriors carried. Scouts must be fleet, must be able to realize their much greater potential for speed and agility. And, where warrior suits bore different colors for rank and group, all scouts were black. Flat black. Dull, non-shiny, space black.

The book by John Steakley is a classic military sci-fi, written in 1984. Unlike many other military sci-fis enjoying success, it is a stand alone book, not part of a series. Steakley was working on a second book, when he died in 2010.

armour-loner — Felix is a loner, a hero, a veteran and a broken man.

The story is divided into three parts. In the first part, we find Felix, a scout in the Earth’s military, orbiting Banshee, a hostile planet infested by giants aliens called Ants, very similar in behavior with the Earth’s ones. Against all odds, he survives twenty or so drops on the planet, invasions aimed at eradicating the alien infestation. Felix manages to survive, by allowing a kind of a second personality, the Engine, to take his place during the battle.

The second storyline follows a space pirate called Jack Crow. He strikes a deal with a mutineer captain to infiltrate and subvert a research colony, where he finds Felix’s armour, many years after Felix’s storyline.

The third part, the ending, is moving. It is intensely emotional, when Jack Crow finds the story of Felix, his loneliness, desperation and hopelessness during the Antwar and his motivations. The closing scenes are heart-wrenching.

The book takes some elements from Starship Troopers, but remains a beautiful narrative, at times melancholic, at times bursting with action. I finished it in the early hours of a morning, but it left me empty and sad. I think a story is good if it touches the reader and this book touched me.

Cronica de Cotroceni – Adriana Saftoiu

Published on October 2, 2016 by mikebostanLeave a comment

Prima mea zi la capatul a zece ani de colaborare cu Traian Basescu a fost vineri, 30 martie. Dimineata a sunat telefonul. Nu imi era greu sa-mi imaginez cine ar fi putut sa fie. N-am raspuns. In sfirsit, eram libera de contract. Apoi, telefonul a sunat din nou. «Te cauta Presedintele», m-a informat bine cunoscuta voce de la secretariat. «Nu mai lucrez la Cotroceni. Poti sa-i spui ca nu am raspuns la telefon.»

Cum promiteam cu cateva post-uri inainte, scriu in limba in care am citit cartea.

Adriana Saftoiu a fost consilier prezidential si purtator de cuvint al Presedintelui Romaniei, in timpul mandatului lui Traian Basescu. Ca fost purtator de cuvant si fost ziarist, Saftoiu are verva si stil. Am citit cartea intr-o seara, nu puteam sa o las din mana.

Cartea, publicata in 2015, vorbeste in principal de Presedintele la acel moment, dar nu dezvaluie prea multe, majoritatea faptelor sunt deja publice. Totusi confirma o serie de zvonuri, de exemplu relatia Presedintelui cu Elena Udrea. Memoriile incep si se termina cu activitatea Adrianei Saftoiu la Palatul Cotroceni, doar cative ani, dar sunt destul de savuroase si pline de evenimente.

poarta_cotrocenilor — La Poarta Palatului Cotroceni

Presedintele mi se pare prezentat ca un om furios, frustat, dar determinat; majoritatea lucrurilor sunt improvizatii si se intampla alandala; gastile de mediocri ii imping pe competenti sa plece. Pare destul de gri, insa sa nu uitam ca Romania a intrat in UE, iar ANI si DNA si-au pus bazele in perioada aceia.

Este o lectura usoara, pentru cei vag interesati de politica si o ofera o imagine in timp a Cancelariei Prezidentiale in timpul mandatului lui Traian Basescu.