Sunday, September 25, 2011

Das Afrika Korps... a review

Das Afrika Korps by Franz Kurowski

This is a fascinating book that looks at perhaps one of the most interesting personalities of World War, that of Erwin Rommel, aka the Desert Fox.  Rommel made a name for himself as the most successful generals in the German Army, for nearly three years .

Rommel was one of the few German commanders' that everyone from the Prime Minister Winston Churchill to General George Patton knew, respected and hated.

What was fascinating was that this book explored how Rommel failed to win, the enemy was the fact that he never had air superiority, never was he equipped with sufficient air craft to gain control of the air and even when Germany was in a position to occupy and control Malta, a British island that was a main air and naval base, there was no follow through.

The fact that the British controlled the air and sea, crippled Rommel, he was never able to get the necessary supplies to keep his forces mobile and engaged by the end, and he never had the support of Hitler, who felt that Russia was the main area where forces needed to be deployed,.

Das Afrika Korps explores the politics, the battles and the human cost of a campaign that has to some degree been not explored or investigated as deeply as other campaigns,such as D-Day and Midway.

The book is written first hand, for Kurowsky had been a journalist during the war and interviewed several of survivors after the war and gained their insight and even some moments of humor.

The end is brief and abrupt and happens with less detail and depth than the build up, yet with Rommel removed it becomes a rapid descent into defeat and perhaps that is the irony of the book, for with Rommel in command the worst still seemed to be possible victories, and in many cases were,

Overall Das Afrika Korps is a well written and fascinating book, if you have ever wondered what Rommel was like as a commanding officer, or how he managed to defeat some of Brittani's Generals, this will will tell you that and more.

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Friday, September 9, 2011

A tale of....

I am so glad you arrived my old friend, I have a story that, well I pray you will understand, I mean Morgan, you are one of the few people I still trust.  You see my old friend, well.  You see.

Hmmm, okay, from the beginning then.

There once was a group of.... hmmm how should these non existent creatures be described... I mean to call them creatures is an insult to creatures like Vampires and Werewolves, which everyone know really exist.  This part of the problem of describing, these... well things for lack of a better word.

What?  Oh you wonder what these things are called?  Well, I find it hard to tell you.  For every time I thought I have gotten free from these things, they have found my refuge.   Well alright I  will  tell you, but you must come close, so no one else will hear what I tell you.  No, closer please, very well they are....What you could not understand what I whispered to you?

Very well, I will say it a bit louder, but you must not say the name out loud.  Ready?  Very well.  Penguins.   Yes, I said Penguins, I know, you think I am nuts?

Well let me tell you how this began, and then I will tell you the story of what happened one day.

I visited my mother in law, now she is a wonderful woman, she can make you smile or drive you nuts, depending on if you are family or family in law.

Anyhow she has this collection of yes, Penguins, over 500 at last count, all over her house, even coffee mugs with the birds on them.  This didn't disturb me too terribly, at first.  Until a strange pattern began to take place.  For when I would return to my home the next week I would be at a thrift store or a hobby shop, and what would I see?

You guessed it a penguin.  Soon it became a pattern, even people on the street started wearing Penguin items, hats, tee shirts and even bags.

They were suddenly every where I went, worse still people I knew began to look like these Penguins.  I realized it was a conspiracy by my mother in law to take over the world, she was in reality the queen of all the Penguins.

So one day my wife, who just happens to be the daughter of the queen of Penguins, posted a page that had these creatures on it.  They of course appeared on the queens' page where she was talking of her plan to take over all the earth....

"Hey bud, yeah you... Look this is our story.."

Oh no... Now they are talking.  Excuse me while I go to the bed room and rest.

"So anyhow, now that he's gone, the story.  See one day Fred and I were on this blog page, it was a cool page in a violet color, a real cool place, if you will pardon the pun.  Who am I,?  I am the Penguin, no not that Penguin, the Penguin.  Anyhow, so here's the story."


So Fred and Deb and I were waddling around, when Fred started waddling toward an area we had never been before.


"Hey you got to see what's over here!"


So Deb and I began to waddle over to where Fred was standing.


"Why it can't be, can it"  Exclaimed Deb.


"We have to be seeing things."  I replied.,


"Only one way to find out" said Fred.


Fred waddled off the page, and we followed, we fell into nothingness.  There was just this void of total.  Well I can't say it, it's too scary.  Then as suddenly as we had vanished into this place, we were back on the purple page.  We don't know how it happened, but we will never waddle again where we never waddled before.


"Shhhh....  Don't tell what's his name, you sure... okay, don't tell Tamirisc,, see you  later."

Timidly Tamirisc walked back into his living room, cautiously, looking to see if any of the dread creatures were still in the room.

"Are they gone, I mean, I thought that for a moment they were here in my living room, you didn't see them, did you?  Oh no!  Not you too, am I the only who is not a Penguin" QUACK.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Mondays' Music Moves Me.

a trip through the 1970's



one hit wonders




love songs part 1

part2


some personal favorites too

a favorite song by a favorite group.  Styx with BABE


A GREAT LOVE SONG


More than just the song


kenny rogers


i could go on forever and I know I have gone past the usual limit, but love the music of the 1970s