Happy Friday - My Reading List for Those With a Thirsty Mind

The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World (Hardcover) by Kati Marton

This was a fantastic book which shows how nine Hungarians from different scopes of life all managed to come around at a particular point in time and changed not only America, but the world: scientists Leo Szilard, Edward Teller and Eugene Wigner,-- who were instrumental in convincing Einstein to write the letter that prompted the Manhatten project and who themselves were instrumental in the creation of the A-Bomb; Game theorist and computer pioneer, John von Neuman who was responsible for the digital computer but also who's statistical models were used by the defense dept. during the cold war; war photographer Robert Capa, Andre Kertesz, legendary photojournalists; Alexander Korda was the savior of the British film industry, having directed "That Hamilton Woman" with Larry Olivier; Michael Curtiz directed Casablanca and Yankee Doodle Dandy and . Arthur Koestler who wrote the breakthrough anti-Communist novel "Darkness at Noon." The genius of these folks is amazing and it was well written. I really enjoyed this one.

Next Book on my list is "Einstein" by Walter Isaacson who also wrote the great bio on Ben Franklin. This book was amazing as well and even explains a lot of his theories in a way us non theortical physicists can understand. The genius in this guy is stunning especially given the circumstances he had to endure living in the anti-semitism of Europe.

And so with those books infidels, you can keep your mind enthralled for several weeks. As for now, I am waiting to grind some new home made java from my underground source somewhere in the mid atlantic states...and perhaps I'll have a cigar too. See y'all later.