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manimal

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,213
22
Blindly running into cactus
i made it halfway through "Lone Survivor" over 2 days at the beach this week. great book so far!


If you're looking for a true story that showcases both American heroism and Afghani humanity, Marcus Luttrell's Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (Little, Brown, $24.99), written with Patrick Robinson, may be the book for you. In June of 2005, Luttrell led a four-man team of Navy SEALs into the mountains of Afghanistan on a mission to kill a Taliban leader thought to be allied with Osama bin Laden. On foot, the team encountered two adult men and a teenage boy. A debate broke out as to whether the SEALs should summarily execute the trio to keep them from alerting the Taliban. Luttrell himself was called upon to make the decision. He was torn between considerations of morality and his survival instinct, and he points out that "any government that thinks war is somehow fair and subject to rules like a baseball game probably should not get into one. Because nothing's fair in war, and occasionally the wrong people do get killed."

Luttrell opted to spare the Afghanis' lives. About an hour later, the Taliban launched an attack that claimed nearly a hundred of their own men but also the lives of all the SEALs except Luttrell, who was left wounded.

Not long after that, the Taliban shot down an American rescue helicopter, killing all 16 men on board. Luttrell is sure that the three Afghanis he let go turned around and betrayed the SEALs.

But if nothing is fair in war, neither is anything foreordained. Luttrell was found by other Afghanis, one of whom claimed to be his village's doctor. Once again, Luttrell had to rely on his instincts. "There was something about him," Luttrell writes. "By now I'd seen a whole lot of Taliban warriors, and he looked nothing like any of them. There was no arrogance, no hatred in his eyes." Luttrell trusted the man and his colleagues, who took him back to their village, where the law of hospitality -- "strictly nonnegotiable" -- took hold. "They were committed to defend me against the Taliban," Luttrell writes, "until there was no one left alive."

The law held, and Luttrell survived, returned home and received the Navy Cross for combat heroism from President Bush.

Copyright 2007, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.
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manimal

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,213
22
Blindly running into cactus
Pesqueeb said:
The wife and I read babywise before our kid arrived. I am unconvinced it helped. I really think a lot depends on the personality of the kid, and the parents. Just look at the number of "Child raising" books that are out there. The more time that goes by the more I'm convinced that nobody has a clue when it comes to kids.
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agreed. baby books are written by "experts" without children.
 
stosh

stosh

Darth Bailer
Jul 20, 2001
22,248
408
NY
Ok so what are you guys reading now?

looking for something good to read while on vacation.
 
TN

TN

Hey baby, want a hot dog?
Jul 9, 2002
14,301
1,353
Jimtown, CO
^let me know if it is any good.

Just finished The Rum Diary by HST & just started The Reivers by Faulkner.
Currently perusing the Gita & a wild flower guide.
 
TN

TN

Hey baby, want a hot dog?
Jul 9, 2002
14,301
1,353
Jimtown, CO
AngryMetalsmith said:
I read this a few weeks ago. It's written by an old school punk who's an ordained zen priest.
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Sounds intersting. How was it?

I read the Tao not too long ago. It would have made a greater impact on me if I would have retained some of it.
 
AngryMetalsmith

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
22,057
12,786
I have no idea where I am
TN said:
Sounds intersting. How was it?

I read the Tao not too long ago. It would have made a greater impact on me if I would have retained some of it.
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Hardcore Zen is written very much in the vernacular and relevant to anyone with a punk background. I really liked it and it provided some great insight into Buddhism.

I'm currently reading the Tao book and like the last Alan Watts book I read it was short on text but vast on concept. It will probably take a few reads to retain most of it.



This book is a quick read but I had to read it twice for it to sink in. It was sort of a check list of things I have noticed over the past two decades of mountain biking.
 
Prettym1k3

Prettym1k3

Turbo Monkey
Aug 21, 2006
2,864
0
In your pants
stosh said:
How was it? It looks interesting!
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Still reading. I started about two months ago, but my wife and I moved, got a new dog, I got the flu, and got injured on the bike... After all of that, I just finally picked it up again a few days ago.

So far, so good. I like it.
 
stosh

stosh

Darth Bailer
Jul 20, 2001
22,248
408
NY
Prettym1k3 said:
Still reading. I started about two months ago, but my wife and I moved, got a new dog, I got the flu, and got injured on the bike... After all of that, I just finally picked it up again a few days ago.

So far, so good. I like it.
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Took me 8 months to finish my last book. It's hard for me to read when I'm taking classes so the Spring and Fall semesters I tend to put books on hold. :) I finished my book when I was at the hospital with my wife for our youngest daughter's birth.
 
stosh

stosh

Darth Bailer
Jul 20, 2001
22,248
408
NY
TN said:
Sound out each syllable it. it helps. :D
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You aint kidding!

Try working full time, going to school for Architecture part time, having 2 kids in diapers, 2 dogs, and a house under construction and see how much reading you get done.
 
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laura

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
I just finished:
The End of Over Eating:Taking Control of the Insatiable American Apetite: David Kessler
Hater: David Moody
Driving Sideways: Jess Riley (A Novel written by my coworker's sister).

Currently reading
Spolied: Caitlin Macy
Creating True Peace: Thich Nhat Hanh
The Bhagavad Gita

I like to read my books 3 at a time.
 
stevew

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
41,165
10,103
still reading let the right one in.

i have a new george pelecanos book to read.....a new thomas pynchon book.....new james ellroy book coming in....plus the 30 or so books i havent gotten around to reading
 
Bushwhacker

Bushwhacker

Turbo Monkey
Dec 4, 2003
1,220
0
Tar Effing River!! NC
Right now I'm reading..

A Thousand Acres- Jane Smiley

The Gypsy Man - Robert Bausch

Holding Fast - Karen James- Wife of mountain climber Kelly James

Readers Digest Scenic Wonders of America

Nothing extraordinary but it sure beats television.
 
BikeMike

BikeMike

Monkey
Feb 24, 2006
784
0
Currently reading:

  • In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a new Science of Mind by Eric R. Kandel
  • Wine Science by Ronald Jackson
  • The Last Lecture by R. Pausch
Just picked up The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas!) from the library.

Bushwhacker said:
Right now I'm reading..
A Thousand Acres- Jane Smiley
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:( I hope it's for a class.
 
drkenan

drkenan

anti-dentite
Oct 1, 2006
3,441
1
west asheville
scottishmark said:
Just finished: Darkly Dream Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

If you liked watching Dexter on TV you'll love the books that the show is based on!
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I've read all 3 Dexter books. The first 2 were awesome but the 3rd one went downhill a little.

Edit: The 4th one just came out in the US yesterday. I'll have to pick that up.
 
boostindoubles

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
8,419
6,956
Yakistan
Just finished Key Lock Man by Loius L'amour. Badass western that reads quickly about lost gold, saving the woman, and holding off the posse.
 
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