The Afghan – Review October 23, 2007
Posted by josephkam in book, forsyth.add a comment
Pros
As always, great attention to detail and a gripping plot
Cons
Less than substantive conclusion
Review
I’ve been a Frederick Forsyth fan from the moment I read The Day of the Jackal, years ago in the 10th or 11th grade. When I saw that he had a new book out, I grabbed the opportunity to be transported into the world of high espionage, foreign lands and uber-cool characters. I was not to be disappointed on a number of these fronts. In the Afghan, Forsyth takes a more contemporary approach by focusing on what is currently the most pressing world security issue: Terrorism. So there was no super spy or assassins with sniper scopes. Instead, he takes us into the world of the Taliban and AQ, where a plot is afoot to create more damage to the West than the twin towers attack. I will not go into the plot details in order not to spoil the story for anything, but suffice to say that Forsyth has not lost his ability to suck the reader into his world. He succeeds in making the boundaries between fiction and reality seem blurred primarily because of his outstanding research on the topics that his characters are dealing with and the geographical locations that they are in. Some of my most grand visions of the great cities in Europe have been formed by reading Forsyth novels and when I see actual pictures, they are usually exactly how I envisioned them.
In The Afghan, Forsyth seems to lose steam in the second half of the book and I, personally, felt that he could have done much more in terms of character development,in several instances where he had set things up most promisingly. I also think that he should have added an epilogue to tie some loose ends up. All in all, when I finished the book, it seemed like Forsyth was tired of writing and just wanted to wrap thing up quickly. This is a much different Forsyth that I have been used to.
Summary
Fans of Forsyth will enjoy the book but this is not one of his better works. A stellar first half gives way to a mediocre and rather tame ending, both in terms of character development and plot!
LTU International Airlines October 21, 2007
Posted by josephkam in airline, ltu, review.add a comment
Pros
Low Cost, On Time, good service
Cons
Business Class not comparable to other airlines’ business class, flight attendants who don’t speak good english
Review
In the interest of saving my employer some money, I decided to take LTU International Airlines when traveling from New York to Düsseldorf, Germany. A round-trip business class ticket cost me a little under $3,000 as compared to $9,000 on Northwest, the only other carrier that flew direct to Düsseldorf.
Boarding was uneventful; Most of my fellow passengers were holidayers from Germany who were returning home. We had an on time departure, which was not abnormal for an international flight (unlike domestic flights in the U.S.), but we sat on the runway for ages because of air-traffic delays. Luckily, in Business Class, the flight attendants constantly pampered us with drinks and snacks. I must note here that of the 3 flight attendants in our section, only one spoke passable English. The others communicated only in German, much to my consternation.
For the meal, a tablecloth was placed on our trays (standard in Business Class in all airlines but the tray is usually sturdier. This was a regular airline tray) and the meal was brought out in three courses. However, the meal itself was something like what one can get in a Singapore Airlines flight in the economy section. I suppose that says a lot about Singapore Airlines. 
. But I will admit that the meal was served with great aplomb and our drinks were constantly refreshed.
The leather seats reclined more than an economy class seat and was certainly wider with a lot more legroom. However, they were certainly not comparable to the business class seats in airlines such as British, Lufthansa or Northwest for that matter. I suppose it’s too much to expect in a discount carrier, but I must make this point clear (since it’s a business class ticket I was flying on).
The entertainment system was reasonable…for a discount airlines. But not having an on-demand entertainment system for a trans-Atlantic business class flight was quite sad. But there was a choice of 10 movie channels or so and I have to admit that I was not un-entertained. But once again, not up to the standards of a regular airline.
Baggage at my destination was brought out promptly with priority service ending a decent experience but not one that could be seriously called Business Class.
Summary
LTU’s business class experience is at best comparable to an economy plus at a Singapore Airlines or a British Airways. I guess you get what you pay for. I recommend it for the casual traveler but not for the serious business traveler.
