Jan 1, 2008

Olive Tree and History..

Finished reading 2 books..

The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman and Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton.. one on globalisation while the other is an autobiography.. both aren't light readings.. but I enjoyed them immensely..

Although the book on globalisation was written almost 9 years ago, what the author wrote is still very relevant in today's world.. His view on the need to have a broad background knowledge to be able to analyze and understand the world, in my opinion, is one of the many nuggets of wisdom found in this book.. For example, a financial analyst should also know about the geopolitics, history, culture and human psychology of the world/area he/she is analyzing.. It is no longer possible to be an expect in one field without sufficient knowledge in others.. We need to see things from multiple perspectives to better understand the why, how and what of this world.. To a information junkie like me, I concur whole-heartedly..

The 42nd First Lady of the United States is one of the many women that I admired in the world.. I had always wanted to read her autobiography when it came out in 2003 but didn't want to buy it.. so when I 'found' the enormous book section in the basement of the Central Library, this book was one of the first few I went looking for.. She was one of the few spouses of VIP who actually has the brain to match her better half, and not the 'trophy wife' whose job was to smile and wave at crowds during parades or photo-shoots.. She is currently a Senator for New York and is running for the US Presidency herself!! Imagine the 42nd First Lady being the 44th President of the United States.. :)

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