Why We Fight – Anatomy of the American War Machine

A quote from the film:

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (from his Presidential Exit Speech)

The Fog of War – 11 Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

A Documentary about Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, who subsequently became president of the World Bank.
- via Google’s description of the film

“The Fog of War” is my favorite of the two, but either one will get your blood boiling. I also think it’s important to keep perspective when watching these. While both are well done and quite convincing, you should ask yourself what the other side might say given a chance to defend itself.

The Lesson Learned
Capitalism and democracy are uniquely powerful tools. Today, these are under threat from rampant corruption in government, and according to these films, a pervasive problem which threatens the stability of our democratic institutions.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to combat this? What principles of a sound democracy are we not living by?

(via: throwawayyourtv.com)

You can find a list of even more free documentaries here.

Here are the links and brief descriptions:

Forbes Live Video Chats | Stephen Covey

Forbes.com Vice President Michael Smith talks with the author of the seminal bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey discusses how those seven habits continue to be relevant in an increasingly interconnected world and the evolution of management techniques.

David Allen Getting Things Done: Time and stress management… how to be more productive and get the most out of your time and life

In this fast paced, information rich hour, David Allen creates a mindmap of the core elements of GTD best practices to increase your productivity. You’ll learn how technology – in particular mindmapping using MindManager software – can be a powerful tool to support at least four of the best practices for Getting Things Done

These two leaders in their respective fields have provided a very useful framework for getting your life in order. If you like what you’ve see, I’d suggest the following books to supplement your interests:

“Great things can happen when you ask the right questions.”
- Charlie Rose

In the realm of “questioning,” few stand out. It is an elusive skill for most of us, but one we can always improve upon. Successful (and rare) examples can be found in marketing campaigns, TV interviews and political races.

Question Your Questions
Have you recently noticed any number of painfully irrelevant and/or rambling answers to your questions? If you aswered yes, this may be a clue that you could benefit from some brushing up on these skills. But do not despair, hope is not lost. Here’s one model of excellence that you can learn from and may even enjoy:

Charlie Rose
The Charlie Rose Show – available on most PBS stations – makes for an excellent example of effective questioning. Some of the most interesting people in the world have sat at Charlie’s table. Pay special attention to the adjectives and inflection he uses; it tends to evoke some pretty interesting responses from his guests (similar to yesterday’s Lifehacker article). That said…

Albeit, asking the Dalai Lama (a great episode) what his greatest hope is for the future, may be just a bit more interesting than posting a forum question about fixing your blender (but I suppose brilliance is in the eye of the beholder anyway).

As of today, everyone can access FREE re-runs of the Charlie Rose Show on Google Video – it’s usually $1 per show. I was able to find almost every episode I could think of going back many years!

Inspired by: Lifehacker

ENJOY!