#private empire

[giftrepsandy]

Inspirational Quote from Rex Tillerson

Rex Wayne Tillerson (born March 23, 1952) is an American engineer and energy executive who served as the 69th United States Secretary of State from February 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018, under President Donald Trump.  Before joining the Trump administration, Tillerson was chairman and chief executive officer of  ExxonMobil, holding that position from 2006 until 2017. “Throughout my life and…

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[mavenmemnon]

Bush said that his administration stood ready to dive into oil diplomacy to push back against Putin's attempts at renegotiation. Tillerson thanked the president, but afterward, through its Washington office, the company begged the Bush administration to stay away. The message ExxonMobil's K Street staff sent to the White House was, in essence, Putin is one of the less offensive heads of state we deal with, we'll do much better on our own.

Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power, Steve Coil

[themusesofthesouth]

Dirty Little Secret

@private-empire "It’s hard to believe you actually care about me when you’re so hellbent on keeping this from all your friends." She said her eyes filled with angry tears once again humiliated by his friends, his "teammates" was she really so embarrassing?

[readyplayr18]

in an era of terrorism, expeditionary wars, and upheaval abroad - coupled with tax cutting and reckless financial speculation at home - one navigated confidently, while the other foundered. from the day of the Mobile merger closing until the day of the S&P downgrade, the net cash flow of the United States was approximately negative $5.7 trillion dollars. Exxon Mobile's net cash flow from operations and asset sales during the same period was a positive $493 billion dollars.

steve coll

[amarvelofconstraint-blog]

Books Read in 2012

I typically enjoy reading quite a bit. I know, who knew I could read right? Its true and I can waiver between articles, blogs, websites and books. Here's a sampling of the books I read in 2012. Some of them are built for speed, others for comfort. 

Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll

If your'e curious about the oil industry and the geopolitical influence companies like ExxonMobil can have, inner workings, operations, etc. this is a great book. I really like Steve Coll and just picked up his book Ghost Wars as well.

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny by Nile Rodgers

Nile Rodgers was someone I admittedly didn't know much about prior to reading this book, but he worked with David Bowie, Michael Jackson, and was a member of the popular 70's band Chic. His life was a wild ride, growing up in Greenwich village, his parents junkies/musicians, his brother a drug dealer, his life is one that is surprisingly different than growing up in Apple Valley, MN.

Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre

Recommended by my cousin who is a voracious reader. The story of a thug turned double agent. Light/quick read. I'm sure it'll be a movie soon!

The Last Sultan: The Lifte and Times of Ahmet Ertegun by Robert Greenfield

Ahmet Ertegun is the co-founder of Atlantic Records. One of those dudes who is just cool as hell and knew what was cool before anyone did. He worked with so many amazing names and mentored Mr. David Geffen. Loved learning about him.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

We all know quite a bit about Mr Jobs, his unprecedented story of c0ofounding a company, getting fired, and coming back to build a company so iconic that the devices have very little negative connotation, great marketing, service, etc. I loved learning about his journey, his demands on people to be great, and his vision. Plus he always left his backdoor unlocked, how loco is that?

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man by Jerry Weintraub

I love reading about the old entertainment industry, it was like the Wild Wild West. Jerry Weintraub is a guy who grew up in The Bronx, came from nothing, and went on to work with the likes of Coronel Parker (Manager of Elvis), George Clooney, Led Zeppelin, Sinatra, etc. It was a great, quick read. 

The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEO's on How To Lead and Succeed by Adam Bryant. 

For anyone in the business world, especially a corporate atmosphere I found this book to be very good. I tend to flock to first hand accounts and the kind of insight/access given by some of today's leading business minds was quite valuable.

The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf by Mark Frost

If you know me, you are aware that golf is a big part of my life. I love it. Its something I cherish and love doing. I love the strategy, I love the mental grit and toughness required to be good, and I love spending the time outside + with family/friends. This book was ok, I really liked his book The Match. If you like a light read and golf, these books are fun.

The Honourable Schoolboy: A George Smiley Novel by John le Carre

The second book in the George Smiley trilogy, the first being "Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy". These books are a little dense and full of detail but I enjoy these types of books. 

If you have any books you enjoyed or recommend, please let me know!