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pr.alm

pr.alm

Joined February 2019

Since 1990
Active duty infantry Marine
Book enthusiast
You can tell I workout, but you can also tell I like tacos.
review
pr.alm
LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media | P. W. Singer, Emerson T. Brooking
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“The web that many connected to years ago is not what new users will find today. What was once a rich selection of blogs and websites has been compressed under the powerful weight of a few dominant platforms. This concentration of power creates a new set of gatekeepers, allowing a handful of platforms to control which ideas and opinions are seen and shared.”

AnnCrystal It's becoming all the more scarier with AI...😳🥺🧐. 7d
19 likes1 comment
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Daughter of Sparta | Claire Andrews
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I finally have some time off for the holidays and will be posting more often. I read this back in June, and what a beautiful journey. It reminded me of "Circe" by Madeline Miller.

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On leading from the front! Admiral Lord Nelson had also lost an eye during the invasion of Corsica some three years prior (cannon shot debris). As Achilles (Brad Pitt—Troy, 2004) said; "Imagine a king who fights his own battles. Wouldn't that be a sight?"

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Night | Elie Wiesel
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Let me tell you.. nothing like doing a 20km run while listening to "Night" by Elie Wiesel to put things in perspective. Suddenly that knee pain, the heavy load, and the 100-degree weather feel insignificant.

dabbe Boy, did you put that in perspective for me. Thank you. 🤗 8mo
32 likes1 comment
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Drove a couple hours just to make it to the ‘Friends of the Library‘ book sale! Totally worth it!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!! Awesome haul! 🎊🎉 We went to the bookstore today and I felt guilty because I already have so many books! The guilt didn‘t last long because I bought 2 🤦🏻‍♀️ 8mo
AllDebooks Great haul 👌 8mo
mabell Nice! 8mo
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5feet.of.fury Yay! 8mo
melzen Awesome! i wish we had more of those sales on my bookshops 8mo
pr.alm @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks you have way more self discipline than me! 😂👌🏼 8mo
pr.alm @AllDebooks @mabell @5feet.of.fury 🤘🏼😉 8mo
pr.alm @melzen well, when you do let me know! 🙃 8mo
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The mountains look on Marathon –
And Marathon looks on the sea;
And musing there an hour alone,
I dream‘d that Greece might still be free;
For standing on the Persians‘ grave,
I could not deem myself a slave.

‘The Isles of Greece‘ by Lord Byron

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Tuesdays with Morrie | Mitch Albom
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Not my cup of tea. I think I lack the emotional sensitivity for books like this.. but I was genuinely captivated by Morrie's perception and acknowledgment of death. For that, I consider him lucky. Sure, a terminal illness is a terrible thing! Yet Morrie got to say goodbye on his term, surrounded by loved ones, and with no word left unspoken. I've lost too many friends who only had a few seconds to make peace with their god and find resolution.

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One of the most important books on religion for Christians and atheist alike.

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From Socrates to Kant, how great minds contributed to the evolution of critical thinking skills.

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“This is one thing all great men and women of history have in common. Like oxygen to a fire, obstacles became fuel for a blaze that was their ambition. Nothing could stop them, they were (and continue to be) impossible to discourage or contain. Every impediment only served to make the inferno within them burn with greater ferocity.”

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“Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other.” What a great read!

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“The power of fate is a wonder; dark, terrible wonder. Neither wealth nor armies, towered walls nor ships, Black hulls lashed by the salt, can save us from that force.” —Sophocles

AllDebooks Ooohhhh, this looks amazing. You read some amazing books 📚 👌 8mo
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Freedom | Sebastian Junger
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“For most of human history, freedom had to be at least suffered for, if not died for, and that raised its value to something almost sacred.”

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Herodotus, aka the Father of History, was the first writer (that we know of) to perform systematic investigation. He often gets a bad rep for not being a reliable source in his story-collecting methodology. Yet, Herodotus was a pioneer in every sense of the word, and unlike his successors, did not have a comparable roadmap. Shepherd does an incredible job giving Herodotus the credit he deserves while acknowledging his shortcomings.

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A classic! Timeless and indispensable financial wisdom through simple parables. The story follows Arkad, a hardworking scribe, and his fascinating journey to wealth in ancient Babylon.

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Brave New World | Aldous Huxley
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Set in a dystopian world where humans are farmed in a futuristic lab, genetically modified and organized by intelligence to fit a particular social structure. The idea of family is long forgotten and practiced only by a few barbarian savages. It was entertaining and posed a provoking dilemma; freedom or happiness? You cannot have both.

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The author brings Marcus Aurelius' Meditation and the works of other thinkers from early Stoicism to our contemporary world in a refreshing way. Robertson builds a bridge between the ancient stoic school of philosophy and modern-day psychology. Also, his personal-development insights throughout the chapters feels subtle and grounded in history. A must-read!

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Man's Search for Meaning | Viktor E Frankl
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A memoir broken down into two volumes. Part one is a vivid description of Frankl‘s life in several Nazi concentration camps, and part two, is a short introduction to Logotherapy: a therapeutic approach (developed by the author post-war) that aims to guide the patient to find his purpose by healing through meaning. 

TheBee Such an important book! 8mo
pr.alm @TheBee 🙏🏼 Indeed it is.. It really put things in perspective! 8mo
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Last Lecture | Randy Pausch
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Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late 2006, and after failed attempts to halt its growth, was told to expect three to six months of good health. At the time of his terminal diagnosis, Randy was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. In his last lecture, Pausch talks about achieving your dreams, the importance of overcoming obstacles, and seizing the moment.

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Dutton draws a parallel between key psychopathic traits and people highly apt for professions like brain surgeons, military, politicians, etc. Attributes such as; incapable of empathy, lack of remorse, unable to feel anxious, to name a few. These are useful, for lack of a better word, when performing under pressure/stress and staying sharp in the midst of chaos. Pretty interesting!

Gissy Interesting! 9mo
pr.alm This was a great read, @Gissy. It reminded of Malcolm Gladwell‘s informative writing style and Robert Greene‘s persuasive narrative. 😂 9mo
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The Lessons of History | Will Durant, Ariel Durant
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A fountain of knowledge, thousands of years' worth of lessons distilled elegantly in a single short book. It does, however, expect the reader to have a fundamental familiarity with particular historical events and characters. Also, the authors get extra points for adding a touch of sarcasm to the narrative. Definitely a must read!

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Prince | Niccol Machiavelli
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The Prince is a manuscript by Machiavelli, an Italian political philosopher (among many other things), published in the 16th century. It was written as a guide to heads of State and dedicated to Lorenzo de‘ Medici, also known as Lorenzo The Magnificent, ruler of the Republic of Florence at the time. Although outdated—for clearly, we have matured since The Renaissance, at least I hope so—it is still an incredible piece for leaders abroad.

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“The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. "I write only when inspiration strikes," he replied. "Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.”

Gissy Well, he has a structured inspiration!!! ☺️ 2y
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Woodruff tells the tale of the conflict between Ajax and Odysseus over the armor of the slain warrior Achilles during the end of the Trojan War; the ten-year siege waged against the city of Troy described in the epic poems by Homer. On one side you have Ajax, the loyal, duty-driven workhorse, and on the other, Odysseus, the brilliant deceptive strategist. Who deserves the reward? Who's the most vital to the army? What is just? What is fair?

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"Our fathers, as you know, set out to resist the Persians not only with lesser resources but even once those resources had been exhausted. It was with acumen rather than luck, by daring rather than strength, that they drove back the barbarian force and established the state that we have today. We must not fail to live up to their example but make every attempt to defeat our enemies and leave no lesser a country to our own descendants." - Pericles

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"The preservation of peace requires active effort, planning, the expenditure of resources, and sacrifice, just as war does... the sense that peace is natural and war an aberration has led to a failure in peacetime to consider the possibility of another war, which in turn, has prevented the efforts needed to preserve peace."

- Donald Kagan

BarbaraBB That gun 😱 2y
pr.alm @BarbaraBB 😬😅 she‘s my baby!! Well, one of them! 😉 2y
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“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” - Seneca

Rest In Peace Billy.
July 30, 1997 - June 15, 2020
Til Valhalla Brother

Gissy ☹️ 3y
llcoolnate 😔 3y
PolaroidPoet I‘m sorry. 3y
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The Odyssey | Homer
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“Be strong, saith my heart; I am a soldier;
I have seen worse sights than this.”

Gissy That phrase goes with you. 👌As I see you are in the armed forces🤗 3y
pr.alm @Gissy thank you!! And I see you enjoy running.. that‘s awesome! I ran a half marathon yesterday 😅 3y
Gissy @pr.alm Congratulations in that half marathon! I always ask myself what I‘m doing when I am in that start line,, but then everything is forgotten at the finishing line😊The worst part is the training. We are in that process right now. Today we did farleks, tomorrow 7 miles, Thursday-hills (14 times running that hill) and Saturday 12 miles😅But I‘m not a fast runner, I‘m just a finisher because...Run is cheaper than therapy😃 3y
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American Gods | Neil Gaiman
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“life is long when you got regret. A moment can last forever when you can see how it should have gone.”

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Tattooist of Auschwitz | Heather Morris
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"If you wake up in the morning, it's a good day."
- Lale Sokolov

Amazing, simply amazing! It‘s remarkable how adversity reveals humanity's worst — and its best! They found love where it wasn‘t supposed to be, in the mists of history‘s most awful atrocities!

LindaLaforgeAuthor This was a touching and finely crafted read eh :) 3y
PolaroidPoet I bought the sequel while vacationing in London. It‘s equally as good! 3y
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“…freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.”

TiminCalifornia One of my all time favorites 3y
pr.alm @TiminCalifornia same here brother! 3y
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Anthem | Ayn Rand
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A good friend of mine recommended this book a few weeks ago, and since I loved “Atlas Shrugged” (by the same author) I knew I should give this one a try. And honestly, this has become one of my favorite books of all time. It‘s about finding identity, individuality, and freedom in a dystopian dark age.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 📚🙌🏻📚 3y
Literary_Siren This reminded me a lot of The Giver. 3y
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pr.alm @Literary_Siren I haven‘t read The Giver yet 😬.. do you recommend it? Anthem reminded me of 1984 in some ways. 3y
Literary_Siren Oh for sure! It was required reading in elementary school. 3y
llcoolnate 👌🏻👌🏻 3y
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The true story of Witold Pilecki, a former Polish cavalry officer that became a resistance member in 1939 after the German invasion. Witold volunteered to be captured to infiltrate Auschwitz in 1940. Witold led a resistance group of hundreds of inmates and created an effective smuggling operation to report German atrocities to Western Allies. Its intense and vivid account portrays an explicit contrast between the worst and best in human nature.

TrishB I enjoyed this one too 👍🏻 3y
mavey Wow😮! Need to read this! 3y
pr.alm I‘m glad you did @TrishB !! It was a powerful read! 3y
pr.alm @Mavey yes you do!! 😅 it‘s amazing!! 3y
LindaLaforgeAuthor A fine recommendation. Always inspired by the courage of others and, in the troubled times we now live, these stories have more relevance than ever. 3y
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“Adherence to dogma has destroyed more armies and lost more battles and lives than anything else in war.”

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Battle Leadership | Adolph Von Schell
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Adolf Von Schell was an officer of the German Army during WWI, from 1914-18. In 1930 he attended The Infantry School at Fort Benning, GA, and graduated with the Advanced Class of 1930-31. Most of the lectures contained in this volume were delivered either to the students of the Advanced and Company Officer‘s Classes or to the officers of the 29th Infantry, in an effort to place his vast experience at the disposal of the American Army.

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The art of war | Sun Tzu
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Master Sun said:
Ultimate excellence lies
Not in winning every battle
But in defeating the enemy
Without ever fighting.

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“There is plenty of advice out there on how to earn more money, gain valuable skills, be more conscious, harder working, more creative, and so on. But anyone who has tried to apply themselves to any worthwhile pursuit knows that it soon comes down to one crucial ingredient: Self-discipline. Grit. Willpower. The ability to keep going when the going gets tough.”

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Message to Garcia | Elbert Hubbard
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“Sympathy, Knowledge and Poise seem to be the three ingredients that are most needed in forming the Gentleman.”

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The Mist | Stephen King
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Work has been pretty hectic, so I haven't had much time to read (for entertainment) lately. It took me forever, but I finally finished "The Mist" by Stephen King, and what a damn good book... Side note; This is literally the only 'online social platform' I have, due to security reasons... and I might not be as active as I'd like, but I absolutely love reading y'all's reviews/quotes/book recommendations. It makes my day.

wordslinger42 I enjoy Litsy more than I enjoy any other social media 😅 It's definitely a much friendlier place! 3y
stretchkev The Mist is my favorite King novel/film. Can never decide which had the better ending. 3y
bthegood @stretchkev book ending my favorite 3y
Nute It looks like based on the consensus I need to read this.😉 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You will never want to look at another site 😊 3y
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Circe | Madeline Miller
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Circe is a retelling of a few accounts from the legends of Homer's Odyssey. Miller definitely took some liberties to fill in some gaps and add context where none were available in ancient Greek texts. Her reinterpretation of certain characters/events was vivid, rich, and executed elegantly. I could not put this one down. And what a Beautiful ending, probably one of my favorites in recent reading.

bthegood I just finished this and enjoyed it as well - my only social media is Litsy also (I just want to talk about books - take me away from reality ) - glad to have you on board -
3y
Kajohnson I tried so hard but couldn‘t finish this 😫 3y
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Last Night in Montreal | Emily St. John Mandel
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"Last Night in Montreal" is an intriguing story and decently paced. Not quite a mystery, more of character development with elements of suspense. Mandel is a gifted storyteller and an exceptional writer, and here, the perspective-switching narrative worked well. However, some of the characters felt monotonous, and the protagonist was inscrutable, not relatable, nor likable.

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The Warrior Ethos | Steven Pressfield
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“Be brave, my heart [wrote the poet and mercenary Archilochus]. Plant your feet and square your shoulders to the enemy. Meet him among the man-killing spears. Hold your ground. In victory, do not brag; in defeat, do not weep.”

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12 short stories, very entertaining. Read it in a day.

bibliobliss I really like your profile!! Books and Booze 📚🥃 3y
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Managing Oneself | Peter Ferdinand Drucker
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Quick read between the holidays. Highly recommend!

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By analyzing the composition of the Philistine army, Gladwell suggests that Goliath never stood a chance. His armor made him heavy and denied mobility, while David's small frame and attire gave him speed, and agility. David's sling and his proficiency with it mitigated the need for close combat. Using this analogy throughout the book, Gladwell explores a theme where underdogs use their disadvantages as strengths in their favor to beat the odds.

Mrs_B Hello! A very belated welcome to Litsy! In case you hadn‘t seen it already then please check out https://sites.google.com/view/litsywelcomewagon/home for tips, how to videos and lists of all the things going on. :)
(edited) 3y
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The Road | Cormac McCarthy
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Beautifully dark, "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy is a searing journey of a father and son in a post-apocalyptic America. The relationship between characters felt genuine in every aspect, with a very minimalistic/simplistic dialog. The vagueness of the world and the unanswered questions only add to the overall poetic and imaginative narrative. It's immersive, it‘s captivating. A must read.

TheNeverendingTBR Such a brilliant book by a incredible writer 3y
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Patroclus, according to Iliad, was a true warrior. As recorded, Patroclus killed many Trojans and their allies, including the son of Zeus, Sarpedon. Yet in "The Song of Achilles," he is portrayed as a weak, soft, and whiny character that sole purpose in life is to be obsessed with Achilles. "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller is an LGBT young adult romance novel, that at times, feels like a Greek mythology version of "Fifty Shades of Grey."

SW-T A belated welcome to Litsy! 3y
pr.alm @SW-T thank you!! Loving it so far 3y
TalesandTexts This is exactly how I felt about this book. It just didn't explore it's complete potential. 3y
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“Subliminal" explores the unconscious mind and how it affects our day-to-day life, socially and individually. It gives us a thorough and scientific study of how our unconscious mind has the power to shape some elements of how we perceive the world around us. Like our nonverbal communication, memory system, how we read and judge people, our emotions, and many other factors that will paint a picture of reality, which in turn, dictates our behavior.

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