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Education Reading Vietnam War

Latest Read: A Tiger Among Us

A Tiger Among Us: A Story of Valor in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley by Bennie Adkins. A story from growing up in a large family in Oklahoma to his indeed extraordinary heroism at the Battle of A Shau Valley in March 1966. This is truly an amazing patriot and community leader.

A Tiger Among Us: A Story of Valor in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley by Bennie Adkins

Bennie served three tours in Vietnam before returning stateside retiring in 1978. In addition, he complete two masters degrees and launched his own accounting firm. However following his awarding of the Medal of Honor in 2014, Bennie changed his life to serve again.

He was drafted in 1956 and served in Germany before returning to the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Benning. Bennie volunteered for Special Forces in 1961. Deploying to Vietnam three times between 1963 and 1971, as a result blending life and family into his early service and initial training within Special Forces.

Then the focus shifts to A Shau. At first glance Bennie is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross from the battle. As just one of 17 serving at a Special Forces camp at A Shau, Bennie also found 400 South Vietnam irregulars serving at the camp. This included Montagnards. Bennie addressed their fighting skills, yet also the discrimination they faced by fellow Vietnamese.

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Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: Plenitude

Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth by Juliet B. Schor. Juliet is an economist and sociologist at Boston College with research focusing on work, consumption, and climate change.

Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth by Juliet B. Schor

Juliet is offering in 2010 a new approach to economics and sociology, and ecological decline. Plenitude is suggesting change in how we think about consumer goods, value, and ways to live are needed. I would be less than enthusiastic if one is reading this when published in 2010.

Plenitude is in fact, addressing the impact of the 2008 economic crash and a new view of capitalism was necessary. In addition, the idea of a spending spree to fix the world economy was no longer sustainable according to Juliet in 2010. Juliet produces data how the impact of technology and humans are degrading the planet at a faster pace that we can replenish it. The downstream impacts include food, energy, transport, and consumer goods.

In fact, since the 2008 crash, these costs have been rising. Today in year three of the pandemic, the same costs increases have certainly accelerated. Yet, the commonly accepted catch phrase is that spending will fix the economy. Juliet views Business As Usual (BAU) as an outdated theme. As a result, 2022 is revealing incomes, good paying jobs, and credit are suddenly in short supply. However, as we are now in COVID’s third year, Juliet’s ideas are certainly more reasonable. Actually they will resonate with many more people as the impact of the pandemic will be felt for many years to come. including a new drive for sustainability.

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Education Reading

Latest Read: Good Boss, Bad Boss

Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best…and Learn from the Worst by Robert Sutton. Robert is a professor of management science at Stanford University and a researcher in the field of evidence-based management.

Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best... and Learn from the Worst by Robert I. Sutton PhD

In 2017 he published The No Asshole Rule. I must admit it was a book that leaves an impression upon readers. Good Boss, Bad Boss does reference this work but is a much better delivery.

Robert also previously published Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less, which reveals how to strive for excellence and not allow your organization to become just mediocre.

Basically, Robert shares the difference that good bosses are certainly connected with the teams they lead. This is based upon research proving performance and humanity make all the difference. Robert’s research certainly displays case studies with leaders who both struggled or overcame challenges to lead their teams.

One of the strongest impressions is understanding that regardless of industry or work demands, a good boss will be a shield to their teams from within their organization — often this means leadership. Robert is also delivering a real world view.

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Education Reading Vietnam War Watergate

The Man Nobody Knew

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby is a 2011 documentary by his son Carl exploring his life and career at the CIA.

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby is a 2011 American documentary film exploring the life and career of former CIA director William Egan Colby

What is rather revealing are not insights from his wife Barbara. Rather, interviews with America’s most powerful voices from that era is a “Who’s Who” of America’s entire war in Southeast Asia is key.

Willam left law school to fight in World War II and joined the OSS (CIA) taking a leading role in Norway receiving a Silver Star. William first moved his family to Rome in order to thwart the rise of Italian communism. The CIA’s early role in Vietnam led by William is presented front and center, revealing a deeper understanding of America’s early entry into the French war.

William’s move to Vietnam in 1959 occurred less than five years after Dien Bien Phu. He brought his family to Saigon from Rome. In fact, the Colby children attended a special school for American families in Vietnam with their oldest daughter attending with the niece of Ngo Dinh Diem. Very interesting backstory to Barbara’s life in Italy. Yet, after settling into Saigon, she noted “It’s strange to think the threat from North Vietnam wasn’t easily seen.”

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Education Reading

Latest Read: Sway

Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal. Pragya is a behavior and data scientist and currently a visiting professor of Social Inequities and Injustice at Loughborough University. Pragya holds a PhD from the University of Nottingham.

Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal

She has been a visiting professor at University College London (UK), University of Melbourne, University of Temuco (Chile), University of California Santa Barbara, and Johns Hopkins University. She is the founder of a research think-tank The 50 Percent Project investigating women’s status and rights around the world. Pragya has launched podcasts Wish We Knew What to Say and Outside The Boxes on PodBean. In addition, Pragya has just published Wish We Knew What to Say (April ’22) and previously published (M)otherhood, the choices of being a woman.

Sway is providing an in-depth look at the very difficult topic of unconscious bias. Pragya is attempting to document not only how we identify unconscious bias, but how one may begin to unravel this specifically across our society.

What should immediately confront all readers is this is similar to slaying a three-headed (neuro, cognitive and behavioral) science dragon. In reading this book I found that multiple touch points certainly align along Daniel Kahneman’s excellent work in Thinking, Fast and Slow. Actually, this also compliments Bias Interrupted by Joan C. Williams and Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez.

Waterstones | Sway by Pragya Agarwal