A Thinking Man

Flashback
A slowly buried pulse from history taught me
Sometimes love endures beyond what is mutually good -
As I again felt the inclusion of your laugh,
The safety of your head on mine,
The walk beside the water hand in hand at dusk,
The giving, naked bed …
© athinkingman 2012

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I really enjoyed this book. The author created a vulnerable protagonist who succeeds in the mammoth task of clearing a cemetery, against entenched opposition and distractions. I found the relentless progress through careful and difficult work inspiring. The engineer grows through the pages and the quality of writing and detailed observation of his inner struggle [...]

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Spy the Lie: Three Former CIA Officers Reveal Their Secrets to Uncloaking Deception
by Philip Houston, Mike Floyd, Susan Carnicero, Don Tennant, Michael Floyd
It may be nerdy to admit it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writer, Don Tennant, manages to take the experience of three authoritative CIA operators and turn it into a very [...]

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When you stand back and think about it, it’s really strange.  I mean, it may have some side benefits, but the primary activity is odd.
What got me thinking was a wonderful essay (A Deal-Breaker by Ophelia Benson in 50 Voices of Disbelief) in which the author points out that some of the supposed characteristics of god [...]

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There is a sick theme running through all of this - or at least a clear attempt to involve some form of mental illness, and an attempt to bring in the people in white coats - well, at least psychologists if not psychiatrists.
Hey, I really, really don’t want to jump on the bandwagon and pour [...]

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There are two types of managers that I hate: those that bully, and those that bend.  I have worked for both in equal numbers during the course of my career - two bullies, and two bendies (as well as the occasional ‘good guy’), and I have to say, I actually prefer the bullies to the [...]

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As David Aaronovitch remarked in the Times:
If polo is the most expensive sport in which to participate, then archbishop-baiting must be the cheapest. You don’t even need your own archbishop, but can share one with millions of others. No saddle is required, only a pen. The man in the biretta simply has to offer an [...]

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Despite what the (American) religious right may teach, just saying “No” to yourself doesn’t always work.
Many of us already knew that, but it’s now official. The truth is out at last – abstinence-only programmes make the situation worse. To the surprise of few, it has recently emerged that George W. Bush’s “abstinence only” [...]

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Have you heard the story about the man and his monkey?
One day John was sitting in his office, minding his own business, when suddenly his boss opened the door and threw in a monkey. “Here,” said his boss. “Here’s a new monkey for you. You’ve got to keep this one.” And [...]

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I remember that there was something deliciously naughty in the air when the Chief Executive’s secretary got on board and sat next to us at the start of a long journey.
She was being sent to take minutes at a meeting. He was travelling by car so that he could claim generous mileage and take his [...]

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