Author: David Halberstam
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Book review: Swim against the Current or The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Author: Alex Goldfarb
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Author: Neal Boortz
"I've come to the conclusion that roughly 50 percent of the adults in this country are simply too ignorant and functionally incompetent to be living in a free society. You might think I'm off base, but every day around half the people in this country go out of their way to prove me right."
-from Somebody's Gotta Say It
Think you've got it all figured out? Think again.
Neal Boortz - the Talkmaster, the High Priest of the Church of the Painful Truth - has been edifying, infuriating, and entertaining talk radio audiences for more than three decades with his blend of straight talk and twisted humor. Now, the author of the smash number one bestseller The FairTax Book returns to gore every sacred cow in the pasture, from the subversive agendas behind children's books to the scam artists behind "High Art."
In Somebody's Gotta Say It, Boortz warms up for the coming political season with a preemptive strike in "the War on the Individual": "The Democrats' theme for 2008 will be 'The Common Good.' I can't speak for you, but I am an individual. Government exists to protect my rights, not to order my life. And I damn sure don't exist to serve government." He takes on liberal catchphrases like giving back ("Nobody - especially not the evil, wretched rich - actually earns anything anymore. Why do liberals think this way? Because they find it impossible to acknowledge that people work for money"), our rampant civic idiocy ("We are not a democracy. Never were. Weren't supposed to be. And we shouldn't be"), and Big Brother ("We have smoke-free workplaces. We have drug-free school zones. I say let's start establishing government-free oases, where we can be free to leave our seat belts unbuckled, and peel the labels off anything we choose"). And somehow, along the way, he finds room for pop quizzes, cat-chasing contests, and an answer, once and for all, to the eternal question, "Neal, why don't you run for president?" - in a chapter called "No Way in Hell."
Full of irresistible wisecracks and irrefutable libertarian wisdom, Somebody's Gotta Say It is one man's response to America at a time when the government overreaches, the people underperform - and the truth hurts.
Book review: Windows Server 2008 Unleashed or Foundation Flash CS3 for Designers
Author: Barry Siegel
In the tradition of A Civil Action and Gideon's Trumpet, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barry Siegel unfolds the shocking true story behind the Supreme Court case that forever changed the balance of power in America.
On October 6, 1948, a trio of civilian engineers joined a U.S. Air Force crew on a B-29 Superfortress, whose mission was to test secret navigational equipment. Shortly after takeoff the plane crashed, killing all three engineers and six others. In June 1949, the widows of the engineers filed suit against the government. What had happened to their men? they asked. Why had these civilians been aboard an Air Force plane in the first place?
But the Air Force, at the dawn of the Cold War, refused to hand over the accident reports and witness statements, claiming the documents contained classified information that would threaten national security. The case made its way up to the Supreme Court, which in 1953 sided with the Air Force in United States v. Reynolds. This landmark decision formally recognized the "state secrets" privilege, a legal precedent that has since been used to conceal conduct, withhold documents, block troublesome litigation, and, most recently, detain terror suspects without due-process protections.
Even with the case closed, the families of those who died in the crash never stopped wondering what had happened in that B-29. They finally had their answer a half century later: In 2000 they learned that the government was now making available the top-secret information the families had sought long ago, in vain. The documents, it turned out, contained no national securitysecrets but rather a shocking chronicle of negligence.
Equal parts history, legal drama, and exposé, Claim of Privilege tells the story of this shameful incident, its impact on our nation, and a courageous fight to right a wrong from the past. Placing the story within the context of the time, Siegel draws clear connections between the apocalyptic fears of the early Cold War years and post-9/11 America—and shows the dangerous consequences of this historic cover-up: the violation of civil liberties and the abuse of constitutional protections. By evoking the past, Claim of Privilege illuminates the present. Here is a mesmerizing narrative that indicts what our government is willing to do in the name of national security.
In 1948, three civilian engineers died in the crash of an air force B-29 bomber that was testing a missile guidance system; in their widows' lawsuit, the Supreme Court upheld the air force's refusal to divulge accident reports that it claimed held military secrets. But when the declassified reports surfaced decades later, the only sensitive information in them involved the chronic tendency of B-29 engines to catch fire, egregious lapses in maintenance and safety procedures, and gross pilot error. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Siegel (Shades of Gray) ably recounts the case, a scandal and cover-up with grave constitutional implications. The 1953 Supreme Court decision gave the executive branch sweeping authority to conceal information under national security claims without judicial review, a precedent confirmed when the Court refused to reopen the case in 2003. (The author notes the influence of Cold War anxieties and the 9/11 attacks in these rulings.) Siegel insists on decorating the story with often extraneous human-interest profiles of everyone involved. But his is an engrossing exposition of the facts and legal issues in the case, which produced a disturbing legacy of government secrecy and misconduct still very much alive. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Siegel (A Death in White Bear Lake), a Pulitzer Prize-winning former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, has written an excellent book, as fast-paced and engrossing as a novel but telling a true story. In 1953, U.S. v. Reynolds established a "state secrets privilege" for the federal government that allowed government officials to withhold information it believed to be a threat to national security without having to provide evidence or proof. The story began in October 1948 when three civilian engineers died in the crash of a B-29 Air Force jet over Waycross, GA. Siegel extensively details the background of the court case in which the surviving widows filed suit against the government, claiming that U.S. Air Force negligence caused the crash. Citing national security concerns, the air force refused to release an accident report that plaintiffs said was proof of the negligence. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the air force. Using U.S. v. Reynolds and its fascinating history as a center point, Siegel discusses the state secrets privilege and its applications up to the present. The book's memorable characters and compelling subject make it essential reading. Recommended for all libraries.
How a landmark Supreme Court ruling that established the state secrets privilege was challenged 50 years later. In 1948, an Air Force test flight crashed into the swamps of Florida, killing three civilian contractors on board. Consequently, their families sued the government to determine what went wrong. Citing executive privilege and national security, the Air Force refused to divulge any information and was eventually vindicated by the Supreme Court in its 1953 ruling, U.S. v. Reynolds. In 2003, a widow and three children of the dead contractors petitioned to have the ruling overturned, claiming the Air Force had lied to cover up negligence. Giving the increasing importance of Reynolds (the Bush administration cites it constantly), this should be a fascinating story. Regrettably, Pulitzer-winner Siegel (Lines of Defense, 2002, etc.) clutters it with irrelevant detail, such as where minor figures in the drama went to college and what they studied. He also fails to bring to life the major players, who read like stock characters in an intergenerational TV drama. Reynolds had a dramatic impact on American policy during the past 50 years, Siegel rightly points out; it's frequently cited by government officials seeking to keep their doings hidden from prying journalists and aggrieved plaintiffs-or, if you buy the government's version, evil terrorists. The author loses these complexities amid the minutiae of the case as it wound it way through the courts, from '48 to '53 and '03 to '07, when the Supreme Court again ruled against the contractors' families. That decision suggests how greatly the first Reynolds decision has shaped current government policy and behavior, as well as judicialoversight of it, but Siegel never lifts his eyes from the details long enough to provide the in-depth analysis this important case demands. Lacks drama, intrigue and insight.
Author: Andrew P Napolitano
What ever happened to our inalienable rights?
The Constitution was once the bedrock of our country, an unpretentious parchment that boldly established the God-given rights and freedoms of America. Today that parchment has been shred to ribbons, explains Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, as the federal government trounces state and individual rights and expands its reach far beyond what the Framers intended.
An important follow-up to Judge Napolitano's best-selling Constitutional Chaos, this book shows with no-nonsense clarity how Congress has "purchased" regulations by bribing states and explains how the Supreme Court has devised historically inaccurate, logically inconsistent, and even laughable justifications to approve what Congress has done.
It's an exciting excursion into the dark corners of the law, showing how do-gooders, busybodies, and control freaks in government disregard the limitations imposed upon Congress by the Constitution and enact laws, illegal and unnatural, in virtually every area of human endeavor.
Praise for The Constitution in Exile from Left, Right, and Center
"Does anyone understand the vision of America's founding fathers? The courts and Congress apparently don't have a clue. But Judge Andrew P. Napolitano does, and so will you, if you read The Constitution in Exile."-BILL O'REILLY
"Whatever happened to states rights, limited government, and natural law? Judge Napolitano, in his own inimitable style, takes us on a fascinating tour of the destruction of constitutional government. If you want to know how thefederal government got so big and fat, read this book. Agree or disagree, this book will make you think."-SEAN HANNITY
"In all of the American media, Judge Andrew P. Napolitano is the most persistent, uncompromising guardian of both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution, very much including the Bill of Rights. Increasingly, our Constitution is in clear and present danger. Judge Napolitano--in The Constitution in Exile--has challenged all Americans across party lines to learn the extent of this constitutional crisis." -NAT HENTOFF
"Judge Napolitano engages here in what I do every day on my program-make you think. There's no question that potential Supreme Court nominees and what our Constitution says and doesn't say played a major role for many voters in our last couple of elections. What the judge does here is detail why the federal government claims it can regulate as well as tax everything in sight as it grows and grows. Agree or disagree with him-you need to read his latest book, think, and begin to arm yourself as you enter this important debate." -RUSH LIMBAUGH
"At a time when we are, in Benjamin Franklin's words, sacrificing essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, here comes the judge with what should be mandatory reading for the executive branch cronies who are busy stealing power while they think we're not watching. Thank goodness the judge is watching and speaking truth to power. More than a book, this is an emergency call to philosophical arms, one we must heed before it's too late." -ALAN COLMES
Book about: Millennium Intelligence or Natural Resources and Violent Conflict
Author: Sam Fink
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Author: William L Riordon
G.W. Plunkitt, the millionaire ward boss of New York's 15th district, gave this series of talks on the secrets of political success as practiced by him and fellow Tammany Hall titans.
| Foreword | ||
| Preface | ||
| Introduction: How George Washington Plunkitt Became Plunkitt of Tammany Hall | 1 | |
| Pt. 1 | The Document | 43 |
| Preface | 45 | |
| A Tribute | 48 | |
| Plunkitt of Tammany Hall | 49 | |
| Pt. 2 | Related Materials | 103 |
| "George W. Plunkitt," in Tammany Biographies, New York Evening Post, 1894 | 105 | |
| "Hon. Geo. W. Plunkitt," The Tammany Times, September 21, 1895 | 106 | |
| "Lift the Plunkitt Mortgage!" A pamphlet published by Plunkitt's successful opponent in the 1904 election to state Senate | 109 | |
| "Graft, Cries M'Manus; Not Me, Says Plunkitt," New York Times, June 8, 1905 | 111 | |
| Review of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, American Monthly Review of Reviews, November 1905 | 113 | |
| Review of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, Public Opinion, October 7, 1905 | 113 | |
| Plunkitt Obituary, The Nation, December 3, 1924 | 115 | |
| Jane Addams, "Why the Ward Boss Rules," The Outlook, April 2, 1898 | 117 | |
| Lincoln Steffens, "New York: Good Government in Danger," McClure's, November 1903 | 123 | |
| App. A Plunkitt Chronology (1842-1924) | 135 | |
| Selected Bibliography | 137 | |
| Index | 140 |
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Author: Oren Harari
The key to success in any setting lies in knowing how to be an effective leader. The Powell Principles outlines the decision-making habits, success strategies, and leadership philosophies of Secretary of State Colin Powell, and provides fascinating examples of how Powell has used them to overcome numerous obstacles in his climb to the top. Filled with insights that are refreshingly honest, this concise, powerful book reveals how you can dramatically improve your leadership skills and achieve unmatched levels of professional success, while inspiring others to extraordinary performance.
Oren Harari is a professor of management at the McLaren Graduate School of Business, University of San Francisco, and author of the national bestseller Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell.
Author: Michael L Weinstein
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Books about: James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights or The Republic
Author: Kao Kalia Yang
In search of a place to call home, thousands of Hmong families made the journey from the war-torn jungles of Laos to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand and onward to America, but their history remains largely unknown. Driven to share her family's story after her grandmother's death, Kao Kalia Yang's memoir is a tribute to the remarkable woman whose spirit held them all together.
Born in Thailand's Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, Yang immigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota when she was only six years old. With a journalist's heart for truth and a storyteller's gift for lyricism, Yang describes her family's harrowing escape from Laos, their life in the refugee camps, the hardships and great joy of caring for a growing family in a new land, and her own experiences with American life and learning.
Through this moving, intimate portrait of a family, she also gives voice to the dreams, wisdom, and traditions passed down from her grandmother and shared by an entire community.
Yang, cofounder of the immigrant-services company Words Wanted, was born in a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand in 1980. Her grandmother had wanted to stay in the camp, to make it easier for her spirit to find its way back to her birthplace when she died, but people knew it would soon be liquidated. America looked promising, so Yang and her family, along with scores of other Hmong, left the jungles of Thailand to fly to California, then settle in St. Paul, Minn. In many ways, these hardworking refugees followed the classic immigrant arc, with the adults working double jobs so the children could get an education and be a credit to the community. But the Hmong immigrants were also unique-coming from a non-Christian, rain forest culture, with no homeland to imagine returning to, with hardly anyone in America knowing anything about them. As Yang wryly notes, they studied the Vietnam War at school, without their lessons ever mentioning that the Hmong had been fighting for the Americans. Yang tells her family's story with grace; she narrates their struggles, beautifully weaving in Hmong folklore and culture. By the end of this moving, unforgettable book, when Yang describes the death of her beloved grandmother, readers will delight at how intimately they have become part of this formerly strange culture. (Apr.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationYang (cofounder, Words Wanted), of the Southeast Asian Hmong people, was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1980. Her family was forced to flee the Pathet Lao, of Laos, who singled out the Hmong in retribution for their aiding the Americans during the Vietnam War. With no homeland to return to and not necessarily welcome in Thailand, Yang's family took the opportunity to come to the United States and make a new life. Through all the tumult, Yang's grandmother was a particularly loving influence, providing strength and the stories that molded Yang's identity as a Hmong woman as her family settled in St. Paul, MN. Unable to trust her "voice" in English, Yang struggled in school until an English teacher recognized her talent and encouraged her writing. She is indeed a natural storyteller. Yang chronicles her family's journey and draws the reader into the Hmong culture with the stories she shares along the way. Most powerfully rendered is her relationship with her grandmother. Highly recommended for both public libraries and academic libraries with Asia collections.
An uneven but inspiring memoir of the Hmong author's flight from post-Vietnam terror in Laos and Thailand to the United States. Expelled from China centuries ago, the Hmong people lived in the mountains of Laos, where the CIA recruited them during the Vietnam War. When the Americans left, the Hmong fled to the jungles as their vindictive former enemies hunted and slaughtered them relentlessly. A fortunate few-Yang's family included-escaped across the Mekong River into Thailand, after which, eventually, they found their way to America. The strongest parts of Yang's memoir deal with these early years, most occurring before her birth in 1980 in a Thai refugee camp. Delivering her was her paternal grandmother, who emerges as a figure of towering importance to the author. The survival of the family was nearly miraculous; flood, disease, poverty, hunger, violence and despair all threatened them continually. In 1987 they finally arrived in Minnesota, where they faced new struggles. During the ensuing 20 years, the parents worked ferociously, the children succeeded academically (the author graduated from Carleton College) and the American Dream, in many tangible ways, was realized. As such, it's unfortunate that the final two-thirds of the text is unbalanced and vitiated by cliche. The grandmother's illness, death and funeral consume nearly 40 pages, testing the resolve of even the most lachrymose reader. The freshness of the language-so evident in early chapters-grows ever more stale, and skeptics may roll their eyes at accounts of ghosts, witches and shamanic miracles. The prose needs serious tightening and burnishing, but Yang has performed an important service in bringing readers the storiesof a people whose history has been shamefully neglected.
Author: Donald Spoto
She was America's sweetheart; the embodiment of grace, elegance, style, charm, and-as the world discovered in late 1963-bravery. And though much has been written about the most famous woman of the 20th century, no biography has revealed the true Jackie; none has successfully separated the truth from the lies, or portrayed the Queen of Camelot in all her complexity-until now. With access to Jackie's own writings, the archives of the John F. Kennedy Library, and those who knew her best, bestselling celebrity biographer Donald Spoto illuminates Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and the sixty-five years of her life with candor, compassion and compelling detail. Readers will discover:
* The early years: a privileged but lonely childhood that shaped Jackie's resilience and poise, working as a photojournalist for the Washington Times-Herald, and meeting a handsome congressman named Kennedy
* Life as the first lady: dealing with Jack's infidelity, adjusting to life in the spotlight, and her influence on the policies of the Kennedy Administration
* Mrs. Onassis: life after Jack, marrying the Greek tycoon, her accomplished career as a book editor, her final days, and much more
Spoto has taken on Marilyn, Marlene, and Diana (among others), so why not Jackie Kennedy? Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Donald Spoto has written a perfect, incisive biography of the first lady…he has helped us to understand and appreciate the very private personality of a woman in a very public life. Spoto's book is invaluable in the absence of the memoirs that Jackie refused to write.
New interesting textbook: Introducing Windows Server 2008 or The Cathedral and the Bazaar
Author: Michael Baron
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| Introduction : hard America and soft America | 11 | |
| Ch. 1 | Softening : from Sister Carrie to The man in the gray flannel suit | 17 |
| Ch. 2 | Softening and hardening : from The long goodbye to The greening of America | 37 |
| Ch. 3 | Hardening : from Rabbit is rich to Barbarians at the gate | 65 |
| Ch. 4 | Hardening : from Mr. Sammler's planet to the 2003 blackout | 95 |
| Ch. 5 | Hardening : from If I die in a combat zone to the Iraq war | 123 |
| Conclusion : the battle for the nation's future | 143 | |
| Notes | 163 | |
| Acknowledgments | 177 | |
| Index | 181 |
Author: John McCain
This memoir is the story of what McCain learned from his grandfather and father, and how their example enabled him to endure these hard years. It is a story of three imperfect men who faced adversity and emerged with their honor intact. Ultimately, Faith of My Fathers is a story of fathers and sons, what they give each other and what endures.
Faith of My Fathers is the powerful story of a war hero. In it we learn much of what matters most. As prisoner (and later Senator) McCain instructs us: Glory is not an end in itself, but rather a reward for valor and faith. And the greatest freedom and human fulfillment comes from engaging in a noble enterprise, larger than oneself. Faith of My Fathers teaches deep truths that are valid in any age-but truths that warrant special attention in our own.
Faith of My Fathers is a gripping story of character and courage: character passed down from generation to generation by sterling examples of family bonds and devotion to duty; courage that ultimately comes from within, as John McCain learned in the brutal prison camps of North Vietnam. This is a sobering and glorious book that you won't be able to put down.
...[A] refreshing reminder that at least one of our politicians has endured hardships greater than a special prosecutor....[A] timely testament to what might be called military morality. And that is something to ponder after a moment when President Clinton's decision to go to war in the Balkans wreaked nearly as much havoc among the Republicans as among the Serbs.
As the 2000 presidential campaign heats up, Republican hopeful McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, weighs in with the most engrossing book to appear in a long time from a presidential candidate. Writing with Salter, his administrative assistant, McCain carefully avoids the pitfalls of self-promotion, knowing that he has a larger, more interesting story to tell than merely why he wants to be president. McCain is famous for the five years he endured as a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton, the most notorious POW camp in Vietnam. Less well known are two other John McCains: his father and grandfather, both of whom served as admirals in the U.S. Navy. The military service of all three men forms the basis of this gripping, heartfelt reflection on war and naval culture. McCain's grandfather was a legendary old salt, a hard-drinking gambler who fought in WWII next to giants like Nimitz and Halsey. McCain's father was a submarine commander who rose to become commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. Almost half the book is devoted to McCain's grueling tenure as a POW. When he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, he broke both arms, one shoulder and one knee. During his imprisonment, McCain was tortured repeatedly and frequently locked in solitary confinement. The faith McCain avows is a simple one: "in God, country, and each other"--each other being his comrades at the Hanoi Hilton and, later, his fellow citizens. McCain's memoir is too good to be dismissed as simply another campaign book. It is a serious, utterly engrossing account of faith, fathers and military tradition. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
This is the story of the McCains, a family with a distinguished history of naval service: John Sr. (also known as Slew or Popeye), John Jr., and John III, the author and currently the senior U.S. senator from Arizona. Senator McCain pays homage to his grandfather and father by relating tales of their significant contributions in World War II and, in the case of John Jr., Vietnam. He also relates, in very moving ways, the high moral and professional standards that these two men set for him and how he tried to emulate their lives by attending the Naval Academy and pursuing a career in the navy as a pilot. Nearly half of the book deals with the senator's five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, captured after his plane was shot down. The reader learns in some detail the horrors inflicted on the future senator but also how he was able to remain strong during his long incarceration. As he is seriously considering a presidential run, anyone interested in learning more about John McCain would be well advised to read this book.--Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes Barre, PA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Conservative Republican presidential candidate John McCain offers a conveniently-timed biographical account of his years fighting, bonding with fellow soldiers, and suffering capture during the Vietnam War. He tirelessly credits his father and grandfather, both WWII naval officers whose stories he also tells, with his own accomplishments. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
...[A] refreshing reminder that at least one of our politicians has endured hardships greater than a special prosecutor....[A] timely testament to what might be called military morality. And that is something to ponder after a moment when President Clinton's decision to go to war in the Balkans wreaked nearly as much havoc among the Republicans as among the Serbs.
It is, as they say, a good read, which even registered Democrats and just about anyone on the political spectrum right of Jane Fonda would find engaging, sometimes funny, and often profoundly moving.
A candid, moving, and entertaining memoir by the US senator from Arizona and potential presidential candidate.
William J. Bennett
Faith of My Fathers is the gripping story of a war hero. In it we learn much of what matters most. As prisoner (and later Senator) McCain instructs us: Glory is not an end in itself, but rather a reward for valor and faith. And the greatest freedom and human fulfillment comes from engaging in a noble enterprise, larger than oneself. Faith of My Fathers teaches deep truths that are valid in any age--but truths that warrant special attention in our own.
New interesting textbook: Cisco IOS Cookbook or Microsoft Office Access 2007
Author: Cliff Stoll
Before the Internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive U.S. citizen recognized its ominous potential. Armed with clear evidence of computer espionage, he began a highly personal quest to expose a hidden network of spies that threatened national security. But would the authorities back him up? Cliff Stoll's dramatic firsthand account is "a computer-age detective story, instantly fascinating [and] astonishingly gripping" (Smithsonian).
Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mysterious invader who managed to break into U.S. computer systems and steal sensitive military and security information. Stoll began a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a dangerous game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases -- a one-man sting operation that finally gained the attention of the CIA...and ultimately trapped an international spy ring fueled by cash, cocaine, and the KGB.
Astrophysicist Stoll's pursuit of a hacker trying to access American computer networks led to the discovery of a West German spy ring. ``A quest that reads with the tension and excitement of a fictional thriller,'' asserted PW . ``Although best appreciated by the computer literate, even illiterates should be able to follow the technical complexities with little difficulty.'' (Nov.)
Author: Robert Zubrin
In this compelling argument for a new direction in US energy policy, world-renowned engineer and best-selling author Robert Zubrin lays out a bold plan for breaking the economic stranglehold that the OPEC oil cartel has on our country and the world. Zubrin presents persuasive evidence that our decades-long relationship with OPEC has resulted in the looting of our economy, the corruption of our political system, and now the funding and protection of terrorist regimes and movements that are committed to our destruction. Debunking the false solutions and myths that have deterred us from taking necessary action, Zubrin exposes the fakery that has allowed many politicians--including current US president George W. Bush--to posture that they are acting to resolve this problem while actually doing nothing significant toward that goal.
Zubrin's plan is straightforward and practical. He argues that if Congress passed a law requiring that all new cars sold in the USA be flex-fueled--that is, able to run on any combination of gasoline or alcohol fuels--this one action would destroy the monopoly that the oil cartel has maintained on the globe's transportation fuel supply, opening it up to competition from alcohol fuels produced by farmers worldwide. According to Zubrin's estimates, within three years of enactment, such a regulation would put 50 million cars on the road in the USA capable of running on high-alcohol fuels, and at least an equal number overseas. He further advocates tariff policies favoring alcohol over petroleum imports.
Energy Victory shows how we could be using fuel dollars that are now being sent to countries with ties to terrorism to help farmers here and abroad,boosting our own economy and funding world development. Furthermore, by switching to alcohol fuels, which pollute less than gasoline and are made from plants that draw carbon dioxide from the air, this plan will facilitate the worldwide economic growth required to eliminate global poverty without the fear of greenhouse warming. Energy Victory offers an exciting vision for a dynamic, new energy policy, which will not only go a long way toward safeguarding homeland security in the future but will also provide solutions for global warming and Third World development.
George Weigel
"Americans are finally becoming aware that energy isn't just an economic or environmental issue; it's a grave national security issue. It's long past time to stop bankrolling terrorism by transferring billions of dollars to unstable and corrupt regimes that just happen to be sitting on top of most of the world's petroleum. Energy Victory is an important, timely contribution to the debate over breaking the oil habit and achieving energy security."--(George Weigel, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center; Author, Witness to Hope)
Clifford D. May
"Americans are buying ammunition for their enemies every time they buy gas. Energy security is the way out of this dilemma and Dr. Zubrin has a plan to achieve it."--(Clifford D. May, Syndicated Columnist, President, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies)
James P. Clark
"In Energy Victory, Zubrin supplies a forceful plan to finally break oil's global stranglehold and seriously address world development. This is something we've really needed for some time. Washington should sit up and take notice."--(James P. Clark, Chairman, World Technology Network)
James Woolsey
"Robert Zubrin pulls no punches and moves effortlessly from a fascinating oil-centered take on WW II to making the mathematics of oil alternatives intelligible to lay readers. Oil and hydrogen take huge hits and alcohol fuels win big. Don't miss this one."--(James Woolsey, former Director, Central Intelligence Agency)
Gal Luft
"To win the war on terror, we need to remove the yoke of our oil dependence and cut the flow of petrodollars to regimes that spread radical Islam. Energy Victory is a bold, yet realistic plan to do just that. It is a vitally important book about the most critical issue we face today."--(Dr. Gal Luft, Executive Director, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security)
Anne Korin
"Robert Zubrin's Energy Victory highlights fuel choice in the transportation sector as a real world option and imperative to reducing America's dependence on the petrostates that fund radical Islam. It is a compelling read."--(Anne Korin, Executive Director, Set America Free Coalition; Editor, Energy Security)
See also: Marketing to the Social Web or Excel 2003 Formulas
Author: Alex Goldfarb
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Cast of Characters
Author's Note
The Making Of A Dissident
1. Asylum 3 2. The Strange Major
The Struggle For The Kremlin
3. The Robber Baron 45 4. The Davos Pact
The Drumbeats Of War
5. The Rebels
6. The Plotters
7. The Whistle-blowers
The Making of a President
(Russian-Style)
8. The Loyalist
9. The Victors
10. The Fugitives
The Return Of The KGB
11. The Exiles
12. The Sleuths
13. The Quarry
14. The "Tiny Nuclear Bomb"
15. The Hall of Mirrors
Acknowledgments
Index
Author: Charles R Swanson
The best-selling, most comprehensive book available for police administration & management, Police Administration 7/e presents a carefully researched and vivid introduction to police organizations that focuses on the procedures, politics and human relations issues that law enforcement managers and administrators must understand in order to succeed. Representing the collective experience of the authors' decades of experience in law enforcement, training, and teaching, Police Administration 7/e is recognized by both the academic and law enforcement communities as the authoritative treatment of this important topic. Chapter topics include the evolution of American policing, community policing, organizational theory, concepts of police organizational design, leadership, organizational and interpersonal communication, human resource management, stress and police personnel, labor relations, legal aspects of police administration, planning and decision-making, financial management, and organizational change and the future. For law enforcement managers and administrators.
Fifteen chapters cover varying aspects of the administration of police agencies including the evolution of American policing; politics and administration; organizational theory, design, and communication; leadership; human resource management; stress and police personnel; labor relations; legal aspects of administration; decision making; information systems; financial management; productivity, quality, and evaluation of services; and a look at organizational change and the future. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
| Preface | ||
| Acknowledgments | ||
| 1 | The Evolution of American Policing | 1 |
| 2 | Politics and Police Administration: External Influences and Controls | 47 |
| 3 | Organizational Theory | 100 |
| 4 | Concepts of Police Organizational Design | 154 |
| 5 | Leadership | 186 |
| 6 | Organizational and Interpersonal Communication | 220 |
| 7 | Human Resource Management | 254 |
| 8 | Stress and Police Personnel | 297 |
| 9 | Labor Relations | 327 |
| 10 | Legal Aspects of Police Administration | 373 |
| 11 | Planning and Decision Making | 445 |
| 12 | Information Systems and Applications | 496 |
| 13 | Financial Management | 550 |
| 14 | Productivity, Quality, and Evaluation of Services | 594 |
| 15 | Organizational Change and the Future | 624 |
| Index | 653 |
Interesting book: Strategic Human Resource Management or Understanding Textiles
Author: Colin L Powell
"A GREAT AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY . . . AN ENDEARING AND WELL-WRITTEN BOOK."
—The New York Times Book Review
Colin Powell is the embodiment of the American dream. He was born in Harlem to immigrant parents from Jamaica. He knew the rough life of the streets. He overcame a barely average start at school. Then he joined the Army. The rest is history—Vietnam, the Pentagon, Panama, Desert Storm—but a history that until now has been known only on the surface. Here, for the first time, Colin Powell himself tells us how it happened, in a memoir distinguished by a heartfelt love of country and family, warm good humor, and a soldier's directness.
MY AMERICAN JOURNEY is the powerful story of a life well lived and well told. It is also a view from the mountaintop of the political landscape of America. At a time when Americans feel disenchanted with their leaders, General Powell's passionate views on family, personal responsibility, and, in his own words, "the greatness of America and the opportunities it offers" inspire hope and present a blueprint for the future. An utterly absorbing account, it is history with a vision.
"The stirring, only-in-America story of one determined man's journey from the South Bronx to directing the mightiest of military forces . . . Fascinating."—The Washington Post Book World
"Eloquent."
—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"PROFOUND AND MOVING . . . . Must reading for anyone who wants to reaffirm his faith in the promise of America."
—Jack Kemp
The Wall Street Journal
"A book that is much like its subject—articulate, confident, impressive, butunpretentious and witty. . . . Whether you are a political junkie, a military buff, or just interested in a good story, MY AMERICAN JOURNEY is a book well worth reading."
—San Diego Union Tribune
"Colin Powell's candid, introspective autobiography is a joy for all with an appetite for well-written political and social commentary."
—The Detroit News
The story of Powell's rise from humble beginnings in Harlem to the corridors of power in Washington is one worth hearing. This abridgment touches Powell's high points: an average school career, the ROTC program that inspired him to military life, service in a divided Germany, and painful lessons learned in Vietnam. Powell's swift rise through the Pentagon bureaucracy made him a key figure in Desert Storm, the invasion of Panama, the Iran-contra affair, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the debate over gays in the military. He closes with indefinite comments about a future role in politics, positioning himself as a "fiscal conservative with a social conscience." Recommended for public libraries, where Powell's serviceable reading and the program's concise format will be popular.-Linda Bredengerd, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib., Bradford, Pa.
YA-The eminently readable journey of one African American boy from a close-knit neighborhood in the South Bronx through his rise to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to civilian retirement. Powell was neither an athlete nor a scholar; his childhood centered around his home, friends, and church. Later, in college, he found his niche. ROTC offered structure and purpose. A recounting of his army career and the support offered by family and friends are the primary focus of this work. Challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities opened by each posting are shared. Commanding officers, selected business contracts, and four presidents are introduced and evaluated, almost all in a positive light. Powell's involvement with and analysis of national and international affairs, from Vietnam to the Clinton administration, are succinctly and objectively recounted. Scattered throughout the book are personal rules of conduct and occasional incidents of particular kindnesses and of racism. Teens are given an opportunity to spend some time with a thoughtful, positive leader. They can share one participant's view of recent history and gain one perspective on our country's current needs.-Barbara Hawkins, Oakton High School, Fairfax, VA
Author: Irene Nemirovsky
Readers everywhere were introduced to the work of Irиne Nйmirovsky through the publication of her long-lost masterpiece, Suite Franзaise. But Suite Franзaise was only the coda to the brief yet remarkably prolific career of this nearly forgotten, magnificent novelist. Here in one volume are four of Nйmirovsky's other novels -- all of them newly translated by the award-winning Sandra Smith, and all, except David Golder, available in English for the first time.
David Golder is the novel that established Nйirovsky's reputation in France in 1929 when she was twenty-six. It is a novel about greed and lonliness, the story of a self-made business man, once wealthy, now suffering a breakdown as he nears the lonely end of his life. The Courilof Affair tells the story of a Russian revolutionary living out his last days -- and his recollections of his first infamous assassination. Also included are two short, gemlike novels: The Ball, a pointed exploration of adolescence and the obsession with status among the bourgeoisie, and Snow in Autumn, an evocative tale of White Russian йmigrйs in Paris after the Russian Revolution.
Introduced by celebrated novelist Claire Messud, this collection of four spellbinding novels offers the same storytelling mastery, powerful clarity of language, and empathic grasp of human behavior that would give shape to Suite Franзaise.
Irиne Nйmirovsky was born in Kiev in 1903 into a wealthy banking family and emigrated to France during the Russian Revolution. After attending the Sorbonne in Paris she began to write and swiftly achieved success with David Golder, which was followed by more than a dozen other books. Throughout her lifetime she published widely in French newspapers and literary journals. She died in Auschwitz in 1942. More than sixty years later, Suite Franзaise was published posthumously, for the first time, in 2006.
Claire Messud is the award-winning author of four works of fiction: When the World Was Steady, The Hunters, The Last Life, and, The Emperor's Children.
…with the reissue of four short works of Nemirovsky's early fiction—including David Golder, which made her reputation, at 26, when it appeared in 1929—present-day readers have the chance to gain a fuller sense of this writer's considerable power and youthful weaknesses…Claire Messud's graceful introduction supplements the chance this collection provides to see Nemirovsky's career at least somewhat removed from the disaster that engulfed her. These short fictions may often be punctuated with the rhetorical shrugs of Russian fatalism, but this is really just a tic of self-indulgence the young Nemirovsky gives to her creations. What interests her most in characters like Golder and Courilof is tenacity, a desire for survival she can appreciate, as yet, only instinctively.
Through the 1920s and '30s Russian-Jewish émigré Némirovsky, author of the recently rediscovered and internationally bestselling Suite Française, was a popular and critically acclaimed novelist in her adopted France. These four short early novels reveal her clear-eyed view into the deeply compromised human heart. David Golder, her third novel and the only one in the volume previously available in English, is saturated with the despairing mood of its title character, an embittered Jewish business- and family man in ill health, left after the suicide of his bankrupt partner to question the value of the great petroleum fortune he has amassed. The Courilof Affairis narrated by Léon M., a dying Russian revolutionary: he recounts his relationship with Valerian Courilof, the minister of education in imperial Russia. Léon grew to like the decrepit, politically ruined Courilof, even as he was ordered to kill him. The Ballis a psychologically acute account of the relationship between a narcissistic French mother-married to her former boss, a rich German Jew-and their enraged adolescent daughter, Antoinette; the similarly brief Snow in Autumnis a tender portrait of an old, devoted Russian nanny who cannot adjust to life as an émigré in Paris. These four early works by Némirovsky reveal her impressive range, bitingly exact settings and insight into profoundly flawed and compromised characters. (Jan.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationSee also: Facing Up to the American Dream or The Social Meaning of Money
Author: David Bornstein
Now published in more than twenty countries, David Bornstein's How to Change the World has become the bible for social entrepreneurship-in which men and women around the world are finding innovative solutions to a wide variety of social and economic problems. Whether delivering solar energy to Brazilian villagers, expanding work opportunities for disabled people across India, creating a network of home-care agencies to serve poor people with AIDS in South Africa, or bridging the college-access gap in the United States, social entrepreneurs are pioneering problem-solving models that will reshape the 21st century.
How to Change the World provides vivid profiles of many such individuals and what they have in common. The book is an In Search of Excellence for social initiatives, intertwining personal stories, anecdotes, and analysis. Readers will discover how one person can make an astonishing difference in the world.
The case studies in the book include Jody Williams, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for the international campaign against landmines she ran by e-mail from her Vermont home; Roberto Baggio, a 31-year old Brazilian who has established eighty computer schools in the slums of Brazil; and Diana Propper, who has used investment banking techniques to make American corporations responsive to environmental dangers.
The paperback edition will offer a new foreword by the author that shows how the concept of social entrepreneurship has expanded and unfolded over the last few years, including the Gates-Buffetts charitable partnership, the rise of Google, and the increased mainstream coverage of the subject. The book will also update the stories of individual socialentrepreneurs that appeared in the cloth edition.
Author: Mahatma Gandi
Translated by Mahadev Desai and with a New Preface
The only authorized American edition
Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century.
In a new foreword, noted peace expert and teacher Sissela Bok urges us to adopt Gandhi's "attitude of experimenting, of tesing what will and will not bear close scrutiny, what can and cannot be adapted to new circumstances," in order to bring about change in our own lives and communities. All royalties earned on this book are paid to the Navajivan Trust, founded by Gandhi, for use in carrying on his work.
| Foreword | xi | |
| Translator's Preface | xix | |
| Introduction | xxiii | |
| Part I | ||
| Chapter I | Birth and Parentage | 3 |
| Chapter II | Childhood | 6 |
| Chapter III | Child Marriage | 8 |
| Chapter IV | Playing the Husband | 11 |
| Chapter V | At the High School | 14 |
| Chapter VI | A Tragedy | 19 |
| Chapter VII | A Tragedy (Contd.) | 22 |
| Chapter VIII | Stealing and Atonement | 25 |
| Chapter IX | My Father's Death and My Double Shame | 28 |
| Chapter X | Glimpses of Religion | 31 |
| Chapter XI | Preparation for England | 35 |
| Chapter XII | Outcaste | 39 |
| Chapter XIII | In London at Last | 42 |
| Chapter XIV | My Choice | 45 |
| Chapter XV | Playing the English Gentleman | 48 |
| Chapter XVI | Changes | 52 |
| Chapter XVII | Experiments in Dietetics | 55 |
| Chapter XVIII | Shyness My Shield | 59 |
| Chapter XIX | The Canker of Untruth | 63 |
| Chapter XX | Acquaintance with Religions | 67 |
| Chapter XXII | Narayan Hemchandra | 72 |
| Chapter XXIII | The Great Exhibition | 76 |
| Chapter XXIV | 'Called'--But Then? | 78 |
| Chapter XXV | My Helplessness | 81 |
| Part II | ||
| Chapter I | Raychandbhai | 87 |
| Chapter II | How I Began Life | 90 |
| Chapter III | The First Case | 93 |
| Chapter IV | The First Shock | 96 |
| Chapter V | Preparing for South Africa | 100 |
| Chapter VI | Arrival in Natal | 102 |
| Chapter VII | Some Experiences | 105 |
| Chapter VIII | On the Way to Pretoria | 109 |
| Chapter IX | More Hardships | 113 |
| Chapter X | First Day in Pretoria | 118 |
| Chapter XI | Christian Contacts | 122 |
| Chapter XII | Seeking Touch with Indians | 125 |
| Chapter XIII | What It Is to Be A 'Coolie' | 128 |
| Chapter XIV | Preparation for the Case | 131 |
| Chapter XV | Religious Ferment | 135 |
| Chapter XVI | Man Proposes, God Disposes | 138 |
| Chapter XVII | Settled in Natal | 141 |
| Chapter XVIII | Colour Bar | 145 |
| Chapter XIX | Natal Indian Congress | 148 |
| Chapter XX | Balasundaram | 153 |
| Chapter XXI | The [pound] 3 Tax | 155 |
| Chapter XXII | Comparative Study of Religions | 158 |
| Chapter XXIII | As a Householder | 162 |
| Chapter XXIV | Homeward | 165 |
| Chapter XXV | In India | 168 |
| Chapter XXVI | Two Passions | 172 |
| Chapter XXVII | The Bombay Meeting | 175 |
| Chapter XXVIII | Poona and Madras | 178 |
| Chapter XXIX | 'Return Soon' | 180 |
| Part III | ||
| Chapter I | Rumblings of the Storm | 185 |
| Chapter II | The Storm | 188 |
| Chapter III | The Test | 191 |
| Chapter IV | The Calm After the Storm | 196 |
| Chapter V | Education of Children | 199 |
| Chapter VI | Spirit of Service | 202 |
| Chapter VII | Brahmacharya--I | 204 |
| Chapter VIII | Brahmacharya--II | 208 |
| Chapter IX | Simple Life | 212 |
| Chapter X | The Boer War | 214 |
| Chapter XI | Sanitary Reform and Famine Relief | 217 |
| Chapter XII | Return to India | 219 |
| Chapter XIII | In India Again | 222 |
| Chapter XIV | Clerk and Bearer | 225 |
| Chapter XV | In the Congress | 227 |
| Chapter XVI | Lord Curzon's Darbar | 229 |
| Chapter XVII | A Month with Gokhale--I | 231 |
| Chapter XVIII | A Month with Gokhale--II | 233 |
| Chapter XIX | A Month with Gokhale--III | 236 |
| Chapter XX | In Benares | 239 |
| Chapter XXI | Settled in Bombay? | 243 |
| Chapter XXII | Faith on Its Trial | 246 |
| Chapter XXIII | To South Africa Again | 249 |
| Part IV | ||
| Chapter I | 'Love's Labour's Lost'? | 255 |
| Chapter II | Autocrats from Asia | 257 |
| Chapter III | Pocketed the Insult | 259 |
| Chapter IV | Quickened Spirit of Sacrifice | 262 |
| Chapter V | Result of Introspection | 264 |
| Chapter VI | A Sacrifice to Vegetarianism | 267 |
| Chapter VII | Experiments in Earth and Water Treatment | 269 |
| Chapter VIII | A Warning | 271 |
| Chapter IX | A Tussle with Power | 274 |
| Chapter X | A Sacred Recollection and Penance | 276 |
| Chapter XI | Intimate European Contacts | 279 |
| Chapter XII | European Contacts (Contd.) | 282 |
| Chapter XIII | 'Indian Opinion' | 285 |
| Chapter XIV | Coolie Locations or Ghettoes? | 287 |
| Chapter XV | The Black Plague--I | 290 |
| Chapter XVI | The Black Plague--II | 292 |
| Chapter XVII | Location in Flames | 295 |
| Chapter XVIII | The Magic Spell of a Book | 297 |
| Chapter XIX | The Phoenix Settlement | 300 |
| Chapter XX | The First Night | 302 |
| Chapter XXI | Polak Takes the Plunge | 304 |
| Chapter XXII | Whom God Protects | 306 |
| Chapter XXIII | A Peep into the Household | 310 |
| Chapter XXIV | The Zulu 'Rebellion' | 313 |
| Chapter XXV | Heart Searchings | 315 |
| Chapter XXVI | The Birth of Satyagraha | 318 |
| Chapter XXVII | More Experiments in Dietetics | 320 |
| Chapter XXVIII | Kasturbai's Courage | 322 |
| Chapter XXIX | Domestic Satyagraha | 325 |
| Chapter XXX | Towards Self-Restraint | 328 |
| Chapter XXXI | Fasting | 330 |
| Chapter XXXII | As Schoolmaster | 333 |
| Chapter XXXIII | Literary Training | 335 |
| Chapter XXXIV | Training of the Spirit | 338 |
| Chapter XXXV | Tares Among the Wheat | 340 |
| Chapter XXXVI | Fasting as Penance | 342 |
| Chapter XXXVII | To Meet Gokhale | 344 |
| Chapter XXXVIII | My Part in the War | 346 |
| Chapter XXXIX | A Spiritual Dilemma | 348 |
| Chapter XL | Miniature Satyagraha | 351 |
| Chapter XLI | Gokhale's Charity | 355 |
| Chapter XLII | Treatment of Pleurisy | 357 |
| Chapter XLIII | Homeward | 359 |
| Chapter XLIV | Some Reminiscences of the Bar | 361 |
| Chapter XLV | Sharp Practice? | 363 |
| Chapter XLVI | Clients Turned Co-Workers | 365 |
| Chapter XLVII | How a Client Was Saved | 367 |
| Part V | ||
| Chapter I | The First Experience | 373 |
| Chapter II | With Gokhale in Poona | 375 |
| Chapter III | Was it a Threat? | 377 |
| Chapter IV | Shantiniketan | 380 |
| Chapter V | Woes of Third Class Passengers | 383 |
| Chapter VI | Wooing | 385 |
| Chapter VII | Kumbha Mela | 387 |
| Chapter VIII | Lakshman Jhula | 391 |
| Chapter IX | Founding of the Ashram | 395 |
| Chapter X | On the Anvil | 397 |
| Chapter XI | Abolition of Indentured Emigration | 400 |
| Chapter XII | The Stain of Indigo | 404 |
| Chapter XIII | The Gentle Bihari | 406 |
| Chapter XIV | Face to Face with Ahimsa | 409 |
| Chapter XV | Case Withdrawn | 413 |
| Chapter XVI | Methods of Work | 416 |
| Chapter XVII | Companions | 419 |
| Chapter XVIII | Penetrating the Villages | 422 |
| Chapter XIX | When a Governor is Good | 424 |
| Chapter XX | In Touch with Labour | 426 |
| Chapter XXI | A Peep into the Ashram | 428 |
| Chapter XXII | The Fast | 430 |
| Chapter XXIII | The Kheda Satyagraha | 434 |
| Chapter XXIV | 'The Onion Thief' | 436 |
| Chapter XXV | End of Kheda Satyagraha | 439 |
| Chapter XXVI | Passion for Unity | 441 |
| Chapter XXVII | Recruiting Campaign | 444 |
| Chapter XXVIII | Near Death's Door | 450 |
| Chapter XXIX | The Rowlatt Bills and My Dilemma | 454 |
| Chapter XXX | That Wonderful Spectacle! | 457 |
| Chapter XXXI | That Memorable Week!--I | 460 |
| Chapter XXXII | That Memorable Week!--II | 466 |
| Chapter XXXIII | 'A Himalayan Miscalculation' | 469 |
| Chapter XXXIV | 'Navajivan' and 'Young India' | 471 |
| Chapter XXXV | In the Punjab | 475 |
| Chapter XXXVI | The Khilafat Against Cow Protection? | 478 |
| Chapter XXXVII | The Amritsar Congress | 482 |
| Chapter XXXVIII | Congress Initiation | 486 |
| Chapter XXXIX | The Birth of Khadi | 489 |
| Chapter XL | Found at Last! | 491 |
| Chapter XLI | An Instructive Dialogue | 494 |
| Chapter XLII | Its Rising Tide | 497 |
| Chapter XLIII | At Nagpur | 500 |
| Farewell | 503 | |
| Index | 506 |
New interesting textbook: Peppers Cookbook or American Culinary Federation
Author: Latifa
In a moving tale of oppression and courageous defiance, sixteen-year-old Latifa tells her story of growing up in war torn Afghanistan. She was a prisoner in her own home as the Taliban wreaked havoc on the lives of Afghan girls and women. The regime banned women from working, from schools, from public life, even from leaving their homes without a male relative. Female faces were outlawed as the burka, or head-to-toe veil, became mandatory. Like a contemporary Anne Frank, Latifa was forced to observe, absorb, and make sense of what was happening to women, to her country, to her family, from the confines of her four walls. In 2001, after escaping to Pakistan, then to Paris, with her parents, Latifa's future finally opened up. Written during exile, this book is an extraordinarily powerful account of a teenager's life under terrible circumstances and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.
It chronicles one Afghan family's 'nightmare in broad daylight' with an intimacy you won't find in newspapers. Grade: A-
The stories of the women of Afghanistan are at once individually dramatic and collectively numbing.
[My Forbidden Face] is her story, told with a young girl's unflinching faith in the future.
Readers who want to know what life was really like when the Taliban ruled Kabul should turn off CNN and read this book. Latifa (who writes under a pseudonym) was a 16-year-old aspiring journalist when her brother rushed home one day in late 1996 with word that the white flag of the Taliban flew over their school and mosque. She writes, "We knew the Taliban were not far away... but no one truly believed they would manage to enter Kabul." The bizarre edicts of the women-suppressing regime slowly become a reality: women weren't allowed outside the home unless they were shrouded in a "chadri" (which covers the face and arms, unlike a burka, which covers the entire body and according to Latifa is worn only in distant provinces) and accompanied by a male relative. "A girl is not allowed to converse with a young man. Infraction of this law will lead to the immediate marriage of the offenders." No wearing of bright colors or lipstick; no medical care from a male doctor. And women doctors were not allowed to work, essentially cutting off medical care for women. Latifa's story puts a face on these now-familiar rules, and conveys the sheer boredom of the lively teenager-turned-hermit and the desperation of not knowing if she'll ever complete her education in such an upside-down world. Despite its rushed ending (the family fled to France in May 2001 with the help of French Elle) and the occasional reminder that the author is now only 22 (there's talk of Madonna, Brooke Shields, fashion and Indian films), this memoir is one instance where a thousand words are worth more than any picture. (Mar.) Forecast: Although the first serial was to be in now defunct Talk, this book should sell well. It's not as heavy as many of the other Taliban tell-alls, and will appeal to the Oprah reader and even curious teens. Watch for the review of another very similar book, Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Battle for Freedom (Morrow) in Forecasts next week. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
From the moment the Taliban entered Kabul, young Afghani women experienced oppression; head-to-toe veils (burkas) became mandatory and the women weren't allowed to go out in public without a male relative as escort. At the age of 16, Latifa had planned to attend a university with the intention of earning a degree and telling the truth about the power structure (which seemed to change weekly) in her country. When the Taliban took over her hometown, the author and her family were forced to stay within the confines of their small apartment to insure their safety; in May 2001, they escaped to Pakistan. Latifa wrote this memoir la Anne Frank's; her use of language is vibrant, reinforcing the sense of her family's terror and bewilderment. Latifa's story, brought to life by actress Edita Brychta, while ultimately triumphant, is an acute reminder of the ways in which women are treated as chattel. Recommended for libraries with large audio collections.-Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Author: Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas K. Gandhi, called Mahatma ("great soul"), was the father of modern India, but his influence has spread well beyond the subcontinent and is as important today as it was in the first part of the twentieth century and during this nation's own civil rights movement. Taken from Gandhi's writings throughout his life, The Essential Gandhi introduces us to his thoughts on politics, spirituality, poverty, suffering, love, non-violence, civil disobedience, and his own life. The pieces collected here, with explanatory head notes by Gandhi biographer Louis Fischer, offer the clearest, most thorough portrait of one of the greatest spiritual leaders the world has known.
"Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. . . . We may ignore him at our own risk." –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
With a new Preface drawn from the writings of Eknath Easwaran
In the annals of spirituality certain books stand out both for their historical importance and for their continued relevance. The Vintage Spiritual Classics series offers the greatest of these works in authoritative new editions, with specially commissioned essays by noted contemporary commentators. Filled with eloquence and fresh insight, encouragement and solace, Vintage Spiritual Classics are incomparable resources for all readers who seek a more substantive understanding of mankind's relation to the divine.
| About the Vintage Spiritual Classics | ||
| Preface to the Vintage Spiritual Classics Edition | ||
| Foreword | ||
| Pt. 1 | The Man | |
| 1 | Beginnings of a Great Man | 3 |
| 2 | Gandhi in England | 21 |
| 3 | Gandhi Fails | 27 |
| 4 | The Method Is Born | 31 |
| 5 | The Struggle | 58 |
| 6 | Victory in South Africa | 75 |
| Pt. 2 | The Mahatma | |
| 7 | Facing the British in India | 101 |
| 8 | Segregation in India | 116 |
| 9 | Civil Disobedience Succeeds | 121 |
| 10 | Murder in an Indian Garden | 128 |
| 11 | Non-Violence | 133 |
| 12 | Gandhi's Road to Jail | 142 |
| 13 | The Power of the Mind | 156 |
| 14 | National Independence Is Not Enough | 164 |
| 15 | Gandhi's Message to All Men | 173 |
| 16 | Gandhi's Political Principles | 182 |
| 17 | Belief and Human Welfare | 198 |
| 18 | Sex, Sanitation, and Segregation | 207 |
| 19 | The Liberty March | 224 |
| 20 | How to Enjoy Jail | 236 |
| 21 | Fast Against Indian Prejudice | 241 |
| 22 | Blueprint for a Better Life | 246 |
| 23 | Gandhi on Socialism and Communism | 264 |
| 24 | Gandhi About Himself | 268 |
| 25 | Gandhi's Advice to Negroes | 280 |
| 26 | Love Versus War and Dictators | 284 |
| 27 | "Quit India" | 295 |
| 28 | Independence and Sorrow | 307 |
| 29 | Last Victory | 322 |
| Suggestions for Further Reading | 325 | |
| Index | 329 |
Author: Richard Jadick
and/or stickers showing their discounted price. More about bargain books
Author: Scott McClellan
With unprecedented candor, one of George W. Bush's closest aides takes readers behind the scenes of the Bush presidency, and what exactly happened to take it off course.
Scott McClellan was one of a few Bush loyalists from Texas who became part of his inner circle of trusted advisers, and remained so during one of the most challenging and contentious periods of recent history. Drawn to Bush by his commitment to compassionate conservatism and strong bipartisan leadership, McClellan served the president for more than seven years, and witnessed day-to-day exactly how the presidency veered off course.
In this refreshingly clear-eyed book, written with no agenda other than to record his experiences and insights for the benefit of history, McClellan provides unique perspective on what happened and why it happened the way it did, including the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, Washington's bitter partisanship, and two hotly contested presidential campaigns. He gives readers a candid look into who George W. Bush is and what he believes, and into the personalities, strengths, and liabilities of his top aides. Finally, McClellan looks to the future, exploring the lessons this presidency offers the American people as we prepare to elect a new leader.
The former press secretary of President Bush (No. 43 version) empties out his notebooks, and all of Washington will be holding its breath.
Author: David L Holmes
It is not uncommon to hear Christians argue that America was founded as a Christian nation. But how true is this claim?
In this compact book, David L. Holmes offers a clear, concise and illuminating look at the spiritual beliefs of our founding fathers. He begins with an informative account of the religious culture of the late colonial era, surveying the religious groups in each colony. In particular, he sheds light on the various forms of Deism that flourished in America, highlighting the profound influence this intellectual movement had on the founding generation. Holmes then examines the individual beliefs of a variety of men and women who loom large in our national history. He finds that some, like Martha Washington, Samuel Adams, John Jay, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson's daughters, held orthodox Christian views. But many of the most influential figures, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Jefferson, James and Dolley Madison, and James Monroe, were believers of a different stripe. Respectful of Christianity, they admired the ethics of Jesus, and believed that religion could play a beneficial role in society. But they tended to deny the divinity of Christ, and a few seem to have been agnostic about the very existence of God. Although the founding fathers were religious men, Holmes shows that it was a faith quite unlike the Christianity of today's evangelicals. Holmes concludes by examining the role of religion in the lives of the presidents since World War II and by reflecting on the evangelical resurgence that helped fuel the reelection of George W. Bush.
An intriguing look at a neglected aspect of our history, the bookwill appeal to American history buffs as well as to anyone concerned about the role of religion in American culture.
In this short but dynamic study, we are thrust back to 1770s America to look at the culture and religion of six of the Founding Fathers. Holmes (religious studies, Coll. of William and Mary; A Brief History of the Episcopal Church) paints a balanced portrait of the various forms of Deism that existed in the minds of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and James Monroe, among others. Surveying the religious beliefs and mainline churches of the groups that settled the American Colonies, Holmes argues that the Founders respected the religious convictions of their time-an idea that conflicts with the prevailing belief that the first five presidents tended to deny the divinity of God and often followed the path of reason. Holmes's research leads him to argue that history texts need to represent the Founders as Christians who may have attended a Baptist, Presbyterian, or Episcopal church depending on their location and that the adherence to simple virtue and morality was more important to them than adherence to any particular set of doctrines. Finally, Holmes concludes that the strong connection to church professed by recent presidents is quite unlike the practices of our Founding Fathers. An illuminating study, this is recommended reading for American historians and religious scholars.-L. Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Author: Joe Biden
“Nearly forty years after I first got involved, I remain captivated by the possibilities of politics and public service. In fact, I believe that my chosen profession is a noble calling. That’s why I wanted to be a part of it.”
–Joe Biden
As a United States senator from Delaware since 1973, Joe Biden has been an intimate witness to the major events of the past four decades and a relentless actor in trying to shape recent American history. He has seen up close the tragic mistake of the Vietnam War, the Watergate and Iran-contra scandals, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, a presidential impeachment, a presidential resignation, and a presidential election decided by the Supreme Court. He’s observed Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and two Bushes wrestling with the presidency; he’s traveled to war zones in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and seen firsthand the devastation of genocide. He played a vital role by standing up to Ronald Reagan’s effort to seat Judge Robert Bork on the Supreme Court, fighting for legislation that protects women against domestic violence, and galvanizing America’s response (and the world’s) to Slobodan Milosevic’s genocidal march in the Balkans. In Promises to Keep, Biden reveals what these experiences taught him about himself, his colleagues, and the institutions of government.
With his customary candor, Biden movingly recounts growing up in a staunchly Catholic multigenerational household in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware; overcoming a demoralizingstutter; marriage, fatherhood, and the tragic death of his wife Neilia and infant daughter Naomi; remarriage and re-forming a family with his second wife, Jill; success and failure in the Senate and on the campaign trail; two life-threatening aneurysms; his relations with fellow lawmakers on both sides of the aisle; and his leadership of powerful Senate committees.
Through these and other recollections, Biden shows us how the guiding principles he learned early in life–the obligation to work to make people’s lives better, to honor family and faith, to get up and do the right thing no matter how hard you’ve been knocked down, to be honest and straightforward, and, above all, to keep your promises–are the foundations on which he has based his life’s work as husband, father, and public servant.
Promises to Keep is the story of a man who faced down personal challenges and tragedy to become one of our most effective leaders. It is also an intimate series of reflections from a public servant who refuses to be cynical about political leadership, and a testament to the promise of the United States.
Books about: The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure or Think Like a Pancreas
Author: Alvin S Felzenberg
It’s a perennial pastime to rate U.S. presidents on an all-time ranking: Certain presidents were “Great,” others were “Near-Great,” and so on down to “Failures” and “Unmitigated Disasters.” (OK, we made that last category up.) But as Alvin Felzenberg points out, there are many flaws with these rating systems. Despite reams of new historical information, the rankings never seem to change very much. They all favor a certain kind of president-those who tended to increase executive power. That aside, the idea of rating presidential performance on a simple linear scale is absurd. The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn’t) breaks presidential performance into easily understandable categories-character, vision, competence, foreign policy, economic policy, human rights, and legacy-and assesses, for each category, the best and worst. The result is a surprisingly fresh look at how the various presidents stack up against each other, with some of the “greats” coming off far worse than their supposedly mediocre colleagues.
Felzenberg (political science, Univ. of Pennsylvania; Governor Tom Kean) attacks the historians' rankings of U.S. Presidents conducted by Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. (1948, 1962) and by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1996). The author argues that these rankings used no precise criteria, were never entirely explained, and relied on experts who tended to be politically liberal. Felzenberg's approach is sound. He attempts to rectify the situation by newly systematizing such rankings into six different categories, e.g., character, vision, competence, economic soundness, the protection and expansion of liberties, and handling of defense and foreign policy. These categories and his in-depth discussions of their meaning, together with his selected top-, middle-, and bottom-ranked Presidents for each category, are the book's strength. Unfortunately, Craig's execution is flawed; like his predecessors, he gives no explanation of how he used these categories to obtain his own rankings of selected Presidents, and some Presidents are neither ranked nor discussed. But his criteria remain sound and carefully considered, and their consistent application would add depth to the ever-popular practice of ranking our Presidents. For public and academic libraries.
1 The Rating Game 1
2 Character 11
3 Vision 79
4 Competence 109
5 Economic Policy 171
6 Preserving and Extending Liberty 255
7 Defense, National Security, and Foreign Policy 331
8 What Does It All Mean? 365
The Presidential Scorecard 378
Acknowledgments 379
Economic Data Sources 381
Notes 385
Index 423
