Confessions of a Civil Servant is filled with lessons on leading change in government and the military. Bob Stone based the book on thirty years as a revolutionary in government. It comes at a time when the events of 9-11 are sharpening America's demands for government that works at all levels. The book tackles fourteen overarching themes in government, developed through entertaining stories of Stone's own experiences as a civil servant. Among the topics Stone covers are 'tackling a job when you haven't a clue, ' 'organizing for the mission, ' 'dealing with difficult bosses, ' and 'getting past the barriers to change.' This book is a must-read for anyone in, or considering taking, a leadership position in government, the military, or any large organization, public or privat

Confessions of a Government Man is filled with astute, often hilarious memoirs of Alan Greenberg's thirty-nine year career with the U.S. General Services Administration. His real-life tales of deception and sleight-of-hand maneuvers in high government places include a cast of characters worthy of Hollywood. A few of his stories are a bit risque and some show that incisive philosophical advice sometimes comes from the most unlikely sources. Throughout we see plenty of salty New York culture. At various times Greenberg was threatened with arrest and contempt of court, detained at gunpoint by a judge, had an off-the-cuff wisecrack end up on national television, and even had a curse put on him by a spiritual leader. Through it all he maintained his sense of humor. Greenberg gives us a true insider's vantage point. With contracting authority for a stack of taxpayer money, which went into the billions and had the potential for providing a lot of lifetime meal tickets, it was little wonder that Greenberg was very popular with the construction industry and any politician with an eye for publicity. Many of his stories give the reader insight into realities that media coverage somehow missed. Reporters, in their zeal to dig up dirt, often followed minutia while the true stories went unreported. One example was the $10 million "savings" to a project, which was actually a $40 million addition. Amazingly, nobody was the wiser. Experience is the best teacher, and during his many years on the job, Alan Greenberg knew what it was like to be under siege by the media, the Congress, the White House and concerned citizens. He developed rules of survival that enabled him to be a success in the large, complex bureaucracy of our government. He shares these years with us, happily turning them into a delightful and entertaining romp. * * * "Professor Parkinson would be proud. This book should be required reading in every business school. Solid lessons in business and life told in a most unique manner. Read the chapters in any sequence and the result is still the same - sound business logic with unforgettable memory joggers." - Barry Becher, Ginsu Knife Creator + co-author of The Wisdom of Ginsu "Mr. Greenberg's keen insight and humor make this an indispensable guide for anyone trying to survive and flourish in a large organization." - Len Fried, Director of Manufacturing Excellence (Retired), IBM Microelectronics "As our 'big-ass suit' author states...'they woke up on third base and thought they hit a triple.' Mr. Greenberg hit a home run with this most entertaining book. Well done, kid from Brooklyn, and CONGRATULATIONS for allowing us plain folk to see what really goes on behind the scenes in our government with its Damon Runyonesque cast of characters." - Lew Duberman, CFO (Retired), Helene Curtis Industries, Inc.

A comical and poignant memoir of a gay man living life as he pleased in the 1930s In 1931, gay liberation was not a movement—it was simply unthinkable. But in that year, Quentin Crisp made the courageous decision to "come out" as a homosexual. This exhibitionist with the henna-dyed hair was harrassed, ridiculed and beaten. Nevertheless, he claimed his right to be himself—whatever the consequences. The Naked Civil Servant is both a comic masterpiece and a unique testament to the resilience of the human spirit. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Ever wondered how your tax money is really spent? Discover how the federal government works and what the lives of civil servants and their jobs are really like. Ramona Swann's 30-year career spanned assignments at the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Agriculture and Energy in a navigation up the civil service career ladder that plays out like a dark comedy. Ramona's world was one of excessive waste, tangled rules, indecipherable regulations and, of course, ever present politics. Confessions offers the taxpayer a view from the inside of government, complete with arrogance, misappropriation and even the rare unsung hero. As a whistleblower she did what she thought was right and suffered the inevitable consequences. Her life became a struggle against alcoholism, divorce and finally a battle to regain her integrity while serving a nation she loves. Ramona Swann was born in 1954 in the small town of Puyallup, Washington. At 24 she began her 30-year federal career when she enlisted in the Air Force. Ramona currently lives in Vancouver, Washington where she is enjoying retirement and considering writing a second memoir titled, Confessions: Rants and Exploits of a retired civil servant.

The Chandra Shekhar Government Had Fallen. Fresh Elections Had Been Called. Yashwant Sinha, Finance Minister In The Caretaker Government, Was In Patna, Contesting For The Lok Sabha Against Tough Opposition, When A Senior Officer From The Finance Ministry Brought An Urgent File For His Signature: India Needed To Mortgage Gold To Obtain A Loan From The Bank Of England To Tide Over A Payments Crisis There Were Just Enough Foreign Exchange Reserves To Pay For Two Weeks Imports. The Crisis Was Not Of Their Government S Making, But It Devolved On Sinha To Take This Drastic Step. If He Ever Got The Opportunity, He Promised Himself, He Would Make Sure That The Country Never Had To Face Such A Crisis Again. The Opportunity Came In 1998, When Sinha Was Appointed Finance Minister In The Nda Government Led By Vajpayee And Was Faced With Yet Another Crisis: The Nuclear Tests In May That Year Resulted In Sanctions And A Possible Flashpoint. The Finance Minister S Decision To Issue The Resurgent India Bonds Helped Tide Over It, Raising 4.25 Billion In Two Weeks From Nris, And The Country Hasn T Looked Back Since. Yashwant Sinha Was Finance Minister For Four Years, Until 2002, And Presented Five Budgets. In Confessions Of A Swadeshi Reformer He Gives Us The Inside Story Of How The Framework For The Growth That Has Taken Place Subsequently Was Laid In That Time. From The Reforms That Were Initiated To The Politics That Threatened All Initiative, The Opposition From Within The Party As Also Outside It, Which Tried To Derail The Process, Sinha Pulls No Punches In This Candid Memoir. Nor Does He Shy Away From Discussing The Attempts To Cut Him Down To Size, Including The Proposal To Split Up The Ministry Of Finance, And The Various Controversies Of The Time From The Two Uti Scams To The Flex Industries Case And The Mauritius Tax Treaty Case (In Which He Was Alleged To Have Favoured His Daughter-In-Law), All Of Which He Faced With Equanimity And Strength Of Character. There Are, Besides, Piquant Observations On The Jostling For Position And Prime Postings That Any Minister Has To Face. In The Popular Eye, The Finance Minister Is Often Seen As A Taxing Machine, A Man Entrusted, As One British Chancellor Of The Exchequer Put It, With A Certain Amount Of Misery Which Is His Duty To Distribute As Fairly As He Can. This May Perhaps Be True, But, As This Memoir Shows, The Finance Minister Can Also Bestow A Few Pleasant Surprises.

Paul Gosslett's Confessions in Love, Law, and the Civil Service by Charles Lever is about a young spy on a mission in Calabria. Excerpt: "I was walking very sadly across the Green Park one day, my hat pressed over my eyes, not looking to the right or left, but sauntering along, depressed and heavy-hearted, when I felt a friendly arm slip softly within my own, while a friendly voice said,—"I think I have got something to suit you, for a few months at least. Don't you know Italian?" "In a fashion, I may say I do. I can read the small poets, and chat a little. I'll not say much more about my knowledge." "Quite enough for what I mean. Now tell me another thing. You're not a very timid fellow, I know. Have you any objection to going amongst the brigands in Calabria,—on a friendly mission, of course,—where it will be their interest to treat you well?" "Explain yourself a little more freely. What is it I should have to do?"

If you've ever heard a Jewish, Italian, Irish, Libyan, Catholic, Mexican, Polish, Norwegian, or an Essex Girl, Newfie, Mother-in-Law, or joke aimed at a minority, this book of Civil servant jokes is for you. In this not-so-original book, The Best Ever Book of Civil servant Jokes; Lots and Lots of Jokes Specially Repurposed for You-Know-Who, Mark Young takes a whole lot of tired, worn out jokes and makes them funny again. The Best Ever Book of Civil servant Jokes is so unoriginal, it's original. And, if you don't burst out laughing from at least one Civil servant joke in this book, there's something wrong with you. This book has so many Civil servant jokes, you won't know where to start. For example: Why do Civil servants wear slip-on shoes? You need an IQ of at least 4 to tie a shoelace. *** An evil genie captured a Civil servant and her two friends and banished them to the desert for a week. The genie allowed each person to bring one thing. The first friend brought a canteen so he wouldn't die of thirst. The second friend brought an umbrella to keep the sun off. The Civil servant brought a car door, because if it got too hot she could just roll down the window! *** Did you hear about the Civil servant who wore two jackets when she painted the house? The instructions on the can said: "Put on two coats." *** Why do Civil servants laugh three times when they hear a joke? Once when it is told, once when it is explained to them, and once when they understand it.