The Outsider:

[Sir X]

• The Outsider
  
  Oct 23, 2011 10:00 AM EDT
  In an exclusive interview, Raj Rajaratnam reveals his surprising motivations—and the reasons he didn’t take a plea that could have saved him from 11 years in jail.

It was 6 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2009, and Raj Rajaratnam, head of the Galleon Group hedge fund, was at home on his exercise bike looking out over Manhattan’s Turtle Bay, thinking about how many shirts he would have to pack for his trip to England that day. He was to go there to launch a $200 million fund to invest in the Sri Lankan stock market, in which he, the richest Sri Lankan on the planet, was the biggest single investor.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newswee...ke-a-plea.html

[Sir X]

Author: Mark Blickley
Age: 53
Location: New York

Mark Blickley is a Vietnam Veteran who lives in New York City. He is a widely published short story writer, essayist and playwright. His collection of short fiction, Sacred Misfits, was published last year by Red Hen Press.
Horizontal Recruiters

Five years ago I visited Arlington National Cemetery for the first (and only) time. As a reluctant participant in the Vietnam War, I was hoping that my visit to this "hallowed ground" would offer up some kind of comfort, some sort of pride, for having served my country during wartime. It provided neither comfort nor pride for me.

I was puzzled by my reaction. The place is 612 acres of beautifully landscaped graves and monuments. It’s situated right on the banks of the Potomac River, and offers a majestic view of Washington, D.C. My initial reaction was of awe and a feeling of connection with the names and dates etched on tombstones and mausoleums. But as I explored the cemetery, there were signs strategically placed on pathways that I read admonishing me to keep silent and to be respectful of the dead. At first I read these signs as a nice way to respect the men and women buried underfoot; then these signs annoyed me because of their commanding tone, and finally they angered me because I felt as if I were back in the service, and some belligerent officer was once again barking out at me how to think and how to behave.

http://ravingdove.org/markblickleyspring06