![]() The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency $30.00 The National Security Agency (NSA) wears one of the thicker cloaks of secrecy among the agencies of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). For this reason any book that purports to be "The Untold History of" the NSA ought to be viewed with suspicion. In this case however Matthew Aid has actually produced an accurate and compelling history of NSA. Perhaps equally important his book does not compromise any of NSA's sensitive sources and methods. This book can serve to provide the context for better understanding James Bamford's series of books on NSA and indeed to understand NSA itself. That being said this book by necessity is very much a surface treatment of a very complex institution. For example it is focused entirely on the Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID) to the exclusion of NSA's equally important Information Assurance Directorate (IAD). Also Aid is much too kind in his discussion of NSA management over the years. For example although he mentions the NSA unplanned three day outage, but fails to mention that NSA management had been repeatedly warned that this was exactly going to happen by folks both within the agency and by outside consultants for at least two years before the event (which was a lot more the "main processing computer"). As for General Hayden's fabled "100 Days of Change", it did not hit NSA "like a tidal wave", but more like another round of meaningless rhetoric. The only tangible result was the implementation of the disastrous `Trailblazer' initiative which succeeded in squandering millions of dollars and whatever goodwill NSA had left with the congress. So a good book within limitations that provides probably the most solid unclassified history of NSA that has yet been written. ![]() Aids "Hope Faith Love Life" Red Awareness Wristband $4.99 Aids "Hope Faith Love Life" Red Awareness Wristband ![]() Queen: Rock Montreal & Live Aid [Blu-ray] $24.98 I strongly recommend you to buy this product. It has a very good sound and video quality considering the age of the footage. Also it features some comments made by Roger Taylor and Brian May. This is one of those concerts you don't wanna miss. R.I.P Freddie Mercury ![]() Aid: Understanding International Development Cooperation $40.95 In this comprehensive study on global aid, the authors argue that no better alternative exists to replace taxpayer-financed aid as the main mechanism for promoting greater equality between North and South and within the countries of the South. It should therefore be continued while at the same time being made more effective and efficient, and the authors present ideas to achieve this. They conclude by examining new modes of financing development and new modes of international cooperation aimed at bringing about growth and human development. |
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