A Love Letter to Condoleezza Rice

The Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi wrote about having a crush on Condoleezza Rice. The exact quote is “Leezza, Leezza, Leezza … I love her very much”.

No information yet about Gadhafi’s feelings towards the current Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, but clearly the man likes women in positions of power.

Condolleezza is single, by the way. But I don’t think Gadhafi will be taking her out on a date any time soon given the $2 million bounty that’s currently on his head.

Here’s a relevant song A Love Letter to Condi from Ze Frank all the way back from 2005.

Recommend a Book, Movie, Album That Affected How You See the World

Last year on my birthday (August 15) I asked people to recommend a book or movie that really made them think, and had an impact on their life. I read about 10-15 of the recommended books, which were excellent. Some of the ones I remember off the top off my head are listed below.

So, again, this year, as a hello/present, I’d love to get a recommendation here (or preferably on my facebook) for a book (or movie or music album) that you read / watched / listened to in the past that really made you think, or even changed the way you view the world. It would mean a lot to me. Thanks guys.

Book recommendations I read from last year (and still remember) are:

  • “Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior”
  • “God Delusion” by Dawkins
  • “Reading Turgenev” by Trevor
  • “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
  • “All Quiet on the Western Front” (finally)
  • “Down and Out in Paris and London” by Orwell
  • “Ham on Rye” by Bukowski
  • “Cod” by Kurlansky
  • “Catch-22″ (finally)
  • “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bryson

There are many book recommendation that I haven’t gotten to but will definitely read soon:

  • “Stalin: Court of the Red Czar”
  • “The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia”
  • “Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
  • “The Culture Struggle” by Michael Parenti
  • “The Power of One” by Courtenay

And many more that I’m forgetting now, but have it written down at work. Thanks again, it’s remarkable how many intelligent people I know, and also how many exceptional books are out there. Constantly reading, learning, thinking is essential. I believe that a life of inquiry is a life worth living.

Turn Off Facebook When It’s Crunch Time

I’ve turned off facebook temporarily by adding the line 0.0.0.0 www.facebook.com to my hosts file.

The reason? I have two major presentations coming up. One on August 24th and one on September 7th. The list of to-do items for those is not unmanageable but every to-do item in the list is a major undertaking that’s consuming all my time and mental energy. I mean all my time. My only non-work activity is sleep and occasional exercise.

Despite what it often looks like, I actually don’t use Facebook that much. Most times, it’s a quick view, quick comment, 3-4 times a day. However, turning off facebook has been a symbolic gesture for my brain, to make sure it knows that there’s no messing around… I have to focus, for long stretches of time, day after day, and get this s*** done.

I recommend this to others that are coming up against a tough deadline. It helps.