Basics of International Humanitarian Mission (International Humanitarian Affairs, No. 2)

Book Description

A necessary companion volume to Emergency Relief Operations, this book is a primer on designing, building, funding, and managing humanitarian action programs.

Drawing their experience in such groups as Medecins sans Frontières, the World Health Organization, and the International Red Cross, the distinguished contributors explore the political, legal, ethical, cultural, and logistical aspects of effective relief work—from funding and team building to working with local NGOs.

Customer Reviews:

An impressive collection of erudite essays.......2003-06-19

Compiled and edited by Kevin M. Cahill (Director of the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, Fordham University), Basics Of International Humanitarian Missions is an impressive collection of erudite essays contributed by informed and informative contributors concerning the practical realities of global humanitarian missions. From ethical and legal standards; to funding policies and pitfalls; to the terminology of disaster management, Basics Of International Humanitarian Missions is a scholarly and very highly recommended contribution to International Studies reference shelves and reading lists.

Basics of international humanitarian missions

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Basics of international humanitarian missions

Manufacturer: Center for International Health and Cooperation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H5YQS0

Book Description

The late nineteenth-century invention of "fashion" as we understand it today inspired avant-garde artists of the period to create an art form to counter commercial fashion. These artists saw clothing not as a symbol of class distinction but as a force for shaping experience -- an opportunity to make things new, to go beyond the traditional boundaries of art. For many artists, therefore, dress design was too important to be left to the fashion designers; they would appropriate clothing as an art form that could break through the traditional boundaries of "pure" art to act directly on life.

Against Fashion is the history of the modern relationship between artists and this ideal "anti-fashion." Radu Stern traces the development of clothes as art by artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He discusses contributions to the new art form by various artistic movements of the historical avant-garde, including Art Nouveau, the Werkbund, Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, and the Bauhaus; he examines the work of such key figures as Henry van de Velde, Gustav Klimt, and Sonia Delaunay. The book includes more than 100 illustrations, many in color, as well as an anthology of essential writings and documents by artists and writers of the period, some of them translated into English for the first time. The artists and works examined display a diversity of styles and ideas, but all share the desire to reject the mercantile logic of commercial fashion and replace it with a utopian "anti-fashion."

Book Description

In the first decades of the twentieth century, Broadway teemed with showgirls, but only the Ziegfeld Girl has survived in American popular culture—as a figure of legend, nostalgia, and camp. Featured in Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.’s renowned revues, which ran on Broadway from 1907 to 1931, the Ziegfeld Girl has appeared in her trademark feather headdresses, parading and posing, occasionally singing and dancing, in numerous musicals and musical films paying direct or indirect homage to the intrepid producer and his glorious Girl. Linda Mizejewski analyzes the Ziegfeld Girl as a cultural icon and argues that during a time when American national identity was in flux, Ziegfeld Girls were both products and representations of a white, upscale, heterosexual national ideal.
Mizejewski traces the Ziegfeld Girl’s connections to turn-of-the-century celebrity culture, black Broadway, the fashion industry, and the changing sexual and gender identities evident in mainstream entertainment during the Ziegfeld years. In addition, she emphasizes how crises of immigration and integration made the identity and whiteness of the American Girl an urgent issue on Broadway’s revue stages during that era. Although her focus is on the showgirl as a “type,” the analysis is intermingled with discussions of figures like Anna Held, Fanny Brice, and Bessie McCoy, the Yama Yama girl, as well as Ziegfeld himself. Finally, Mizejewski discusses the classic American films that have most vividly kept this showgirl alive in both popular and camp culture, including The Great Ziegfeld, Ziegfeld Girl, and the Busby Berkeley musicals that cloned Ziegfeld’s showgirls for decades.
Ziegfeld Girl will appeal to scholars and students in American studies, popular culture, theater and performance studies, film history, gender studies, gay and lesbian studies, and social history.

Customer Reviews:

Ziegfeld through the HERstory lens.......2007-01-20

This incredibly boring and technical book deliberately skips any possible entertainment value (No kidding - she sneers at other Ziegfeld books and movies in her preface) to focus exclusively on feminist revisionism. Instead of telling us anything personal about the showgirls, headliners or Ziegfeld himself, the whole book is viewed through a psychoanalysizing lens that echoes that familiar boogeyman story, "How The Big Bad White Man Hates You". Every musical act is sexually sinister, every costume a deliberate put-down, and only SHE can decode what they all REALLY meant. For example: There is a picture of Anna Held donning a costume where a black mannequin is affixed to her waist, making it appear that her servant is carrying Anna around in a basket on her back. You've probably seen variations of this costume every Halloween but I'll bet you never saw any sexual meaning behind it, did you? Well, the author does. She writes extensively about the significance of the mannequin being attatched to Anna's waist, giving it an imaginary sexual significance that granted Anna the alleged animal-like sexual appetite of the *lower* class black person while keeping her face attractive, clean and white for the paying audience. Oh yeah, OBVIOUSLY. Sort of puts those Gorilla-holding-a-man-in-a-cage costumes you've seen in a different light now, doesn't it? But REALLY now, could she have had the mannequin sprouting from her neck? Or her back? As Freud reportedly once said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." A lot of the book is like this. A LOT OF IT.

The author reads WAY too much into this stuff, and while I'm sure some of it has a basis in fact, the rest is opinion and revisionism on a grand scale. It's the polar opposite of equally annoying books that breathlessly claim Ziegfeld's follies to be the apex of beauty and humanity, and that we've all gone to hell in a handbasket since. The real story lies somewhere in the middle. Remember that if you read this book.

Book Description

The PRS Guitar Book details every facet of the wonderful electric guitars made by PRS, the Maryland-based company founded in 1985 by musician and guitar builder Paul Reed Smith. The paperback edition is updated to include all the latest information on the acclaimed Singlecut models, as well as the intriguing story of the Santana SE - the company's first venture into overseas manufacture. An inviting narrative describes the evolution of this internationally renowned guitar maker, while dynamic color photography spotlights outstanding PRS guitars such as the Signature, signed by Smith; the Dragon, sporting opulent shell inlays; the Swamp Ash Special and Rosewood Limited, using non-standard materials; and ultra-rare models from limited and custom runs. Other featured guitars include the latest acoustic-electrics, and the Santana models that celebrate the partnership between PRS guitars and their best-known player, Carlos Santana. A special section highlights the company's famed use of highly patterned maple woods, displaying the most stunning "flame-top" and "quilt-top" examples. This definitive book also provides an absorbing photo-essay on the making of a PRS guitar, plus specifications for identifying and dating PRS instruments. "The PRS Guitar Book is a must-have for any collector, PRS owner, or anyone who appreciates PRS guitars." -Guitar Digest "Masterful ... tons of gorgeous, full-color photos." -Guitar Player "This hefty volume of brilliantly colorful guitars made by Paul Reed Smith exemplifies the best and the brightest..." -Dirty Linen "A fitting tribute to a company which has, in a short time, come to symbolize a quality alternative to the 'big two' American electric guitar manufacturers." -Vintage Guitar

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful reading for all guitar enthuiasts........2000-05-04

In The PRS Guitar Book, Dave Burrluck describes in detail the evolution of PRS Guitars, the renowned company founded by expert guitar maker Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The PRS Guitar Book showcases every artistic and technical facet of these exquisite instruments that sold to an enthusiasts clientele for $2000 and up. The PRS Guitar Book is enhanced with lavish color photography, anecdotes and reminiscences from Smith, famous guitarists, and PRS employees, collectors and fans. The PRS Guitar Book is highly recommended, wonderful reading for all serious guitar enthusiasts, professional or amateur.

Highly recommended for dedicated guitarists........2000-04-04

This numbered limited edition may not reach all audiences but it provides an excellent survey of the PRS guitar built by Smith for a range of famous players. Gorgeous full-page color photos abound as do engrossing technical explanations of the guitar's development and history. Chapters covering construction techniques are particularly involving. Highly recommended: any avid guitar player who appreciates books on guitar making should have this keepsake edition, enclosed in a handsome slipcase.

Beautiful and informative.......2000-03-28

This is a very beautiful book - beautiful in itself and the PRSguitars showcased here. The photographs are large and clear. The PRSmodels are comprehensive. The quality of the book is very good. It's large-sized and it's thread bound in the spine. Unlike those bound with heat glue, this book will surely last. According to the publisher's information, it's a limited edition in quantities of 6000 only. This is a book that a PRS guitar owner should consider buying. For those who admire the workmanship and the beauty of quality guitars, this is a very good book to read. Shortcomings: the photos are up to a professional standard, but many of them are accompanied with a white bar in the upper body of the guitar due to shinny reflection. This effect can illustrate how shinny the guitar can be, but can be quite obstructive to the eyes. A final word of caution: Beware of the temptation that one would buy a PRS guitar right after reading this book - which can be far more expensive than the book itself!

Beautiful and informative.......2000-03-28

This is a very beautiful book - beautiful in itself and the PRS guitars showcased here. The photographs are large and clear. The PRS models are comprehensive. The quality of the book is very good. It's large-sized and it's thread bound in the spine. Unlike those bound with heat glue, this book will surely last. According to the publisher's information, it's a limited edition in quantities of 6000 only. This is a book that a PRS guitar owner should consider buying. For those who admire the workmanship and the beauty of quality guitars, this is a very good book to read. Shortcomings: the photos are up to a professional standard, but many of them are accompanied with a white bar in the upper body of the guitar due to shinny reflection. This effect can illustrate how shinny the guitar can be, but can be quite obstructive to the eyes. A final word of caution: Beware of the temptation that one would buy a PRS guitar right after reading this book - which can be far more expensive than the book itself!

The one guitar book you must own!.......2000-03-11

If you are a guitar player, a PRS owner, or just a fan of fine craftsmanship, this is the one guitar book for you. Anyone interested in the history of the Paul Reed Smith guitar will find this book to be all you need. The photography is magnificent. The text is informative and comprehensive. The information is current and interesting. Yes, this book is expensive, but it is beautifully laid out. All the models are here, along with Paul's philosophy on instrument making and sound characteristics. There is even a step by step illustrated description on how a guitar is made. I have one small complaint - the fold out pages should have been cut just a tad shorter on the outside edge. Careless re-insertion upon closing the book will lead to unwanted creases. Other than that, you will be more than happy with this book.

Book Description

BradyGames' Ape Escape 2 Official Strategy Guide features a step-by-step walkthrough to guide players through every environment. Coverage of each delinquent monkey, and all mini-games. Expert boss tactics, plus complete item and vehicle lists. Game secrets revealed, and more!

Book Description

Written by an owner and consultant, this book provides a step-by-step course in bar business ownership, management, and operation.

It explains how to research the market and location, get a loan, design the space, purchase, keep the books, advertise, and hire and train. It also talks about food service, entertainment, regulations, ownership structures, how to promote and advertise the business, and other topics.

Customer Reviews:

Everything in Order.......2007-03-16

I received my book on time and in good shape. Don't know what else I could ask for...
Great work and keep it up!

Great place to start learning about the restaurant/ bar industry.......2006-05-03

This book is full packed with information. It is a great 1st book for anyone serious about the restaurant/ bar industry. It has lots of useful tips, and is broken up into logical chapters for easy reference.

Extremely Informative, but out of date.......2005-04-03

This book was first published in 1986, with the 2nd edition coming out in 1993. I bought and read this book in 2005. I found it very informative with great ideas for running a bar. More importantly, it goes into detail on how to write a business plan, partnerships, investors and etc. Basically all the 'business' stuff that goes behind opening and running a bar. Despite the book being old, the basics are all in there and will work today. However I also feel that in today's world, there are other things that the book does not implement. Things like the internet and wider use of PCs, which I think has greatly altered the way busineses work.

This is an excellent resource for newbies AND veterans........2004-06-30

Just don't look at the cover (the cheeziest cover I think I've ever seen on a book; I literally had to tear mine off to avoid laughing or having any of its "uncoolness" rub off on me).

Anyway, I own a pretty sucessful bar in Santa Barbara California (Indochine on State Street) and bought this book when I was reading up in anticipation of starting a new restaurant (w/ a bar in it).

While the book assumes the reader knows little or nothing about the business, it has a wealth of information for readers of all levels of experience. I was apprised/reminded of numerous aspects of the biz that caused me to tweak my own bar (to largely sucessful result). Quite simply, this book made/saved me significant money.

I highly recommend.

Christian Hunter

Great Resource.......2003-04-15

This was one of the better books on bar management. I recommend it! Covers money, how to do the financial spreadsheets to get a business loan in addition to the fun stuff.

Average customer rating:

Start and Run a Money-Making Bar

Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0318332663

Book Description

In 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, packed their belongings into their covered wagon and set out on a journey from De Smet, South Dakota, to Mansfield, Missouri. They heard that the soil there was rich and the crops were bountiful -- it was even called "the Land of the Big Red Apple." With hopes of beginning a new life, the Wilders made their way to the Ozarks of Missouri.

During their journey, Laura kept a detailed diary of events: the cities they passed through, the travelers they encountered on the way, the changing countryside and the trials of an often difficult voyage. Laura's words, preserved in this book, reveal her inner thoughts as she traveled with her family in search of a new home in Mansfield, where Rose would spend her childhood, where Laura would write her Little House books, and where she and Almanzo would remain all the rest of their happy days together.

Customer Reviews:

On The Way Home by Ana Clare S........2006-12-13

The Book, On The Way Home, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, is basically what it says it is. It is a Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894. This book was not that enjoyable just because it was just diary entries, like "today we ate meat." But other wise it was quite intriguing to discover the ways in which people traveled back in the day. In one part of the book it talks about how their covered wagon is not a covered wagon at all but that, "It had been a two-seated hack though now it only had the front seat." I also found it very enjoyable to read about the worth of money back then and compare it to now. It talks about how Laura had earned a whole one hundred dollars which today is like penny cash but back then was a fortune. In the beginning of the book there is a setting by Rose Wilder Lane, Laura's Daughter, which is a great piece of writing, it is like the rest of Laura's books in that it makes you want to read the rest of the book. I found this book interesting but a drag because of the slow pace in the book. If you would like to take a slow dip into history you should definitely read this book.

Different to the LIttle house books, a diary of an adult.......2006-07-02

I can see why Laura Ingalls was able to write such good books about her early life on the Prairie. Her diaries were packed full of information and detail which she could later draw on. This is one of her diaries, with notes and a setting by her only child, daughter Rose Wilder Lane who was just a girl during this trip.

Laura Ingalls Wilder is, of course, famous for her little House books describing her childhood growing up at the edge of American settling in the mid Nineteenth century. Constantly pushing to new territories and places Ingalls father lead them west into Indian territory and later to Dakota where they settled. Laura met and Married Almanzo Wilder in de Smet, Dakota (Those happy Golden Years, and First Four Years) however those books left a me feeling a bit downhearted. Especially teh First Four Years, in which Almanzo 'Manly' and Laura seemed to be struck with tragedy (the house burning down) etc.

I found this diary to be hugely uplifting. It is not the detailed stories of her childhood, or living in a wagon as an adult settler, but it is a great tale detail of a family moving, of finding something which they could call their own, but far away in the Ozarks.

The most interesting thing to me about it, was that while they were on the road they were constantly being passed by other settlers, some going north and others going south, but the number of people on the move was amazing. At one point Rose adds a note that she looked back while they were about to cross the 'muddy' and there was a stream of covered wagons behind them.

Little details of what life was like really draw this out - tomatoes 10c a bushel and so they bought 2c worth. Huge watermelons for 5 c, Almanzo selling fire mats (ASBESTOS!) and all those little everyday details about life for Laura.

While she did not put her stories down until many decades later, clearly she was a writer in the making right from the beginning. Rose, her daughter has provided much of the detail necessary in here, but it would be really nice to see an illustrated edition of this showing the place as it was and as it is now. It was interesting to use Google Earth to view some of the trail which you can see right now. It gives it a sense of scale which I will not be able to do myself unless I acutally visit.

The only reason this has four stars is it is not as gripping as Ingalls novels - it is still a great read and highly recommended.

I like Historical Diaries But This One Is Especially Meaningful.......2005-09-29

It's often said in tones of this-is-true-but-it's-also-heresy that Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura and Almanzo Wilder, is the real unsung heroine in the Little House books, because while she let her mother have credit for the famous series, it was Rose, via her careful, invisible editing and re-writes, that turned cheery memoirs into beloved classics. I suspect that's true, but in the case of this book, it is beyond all doubt what happened. Rose took her mother's raw diary and prepared it for publication, and the product is the book On The Way Home, which tells of the journey Rose and her parents made in 1894, from DeSmet, South Dakota, setting for the final half of the Little House books, to the Ozark country, where the family would spend the next sixty years. The description is unsentimental, not glamorized (as it tends to be--for the sake of betterment--in the other books) and it paints a portrait of the difficult traveler's life on the by-then crowded prairie overrun with east-central European immigrants, many of whom being exactly the type portrayed in novels such as My Antonia. The Wilder family completes its draining re-location by covered wagon and arrives in Missouri, a state so much a promised land to them that a reader cannot help but share their relief when they safely arrive.

A Little Different.......2005-08-24

This book is written in a much different style than the other Little House books. Laura kept a journal of the trip and these are her day-to-day entries. It can sometimes be dry or confusing. I have been reading the series with my daughter and this one has been a little more difficult. We enjoyed it, but not as much as the others.

Cool!.......2005-04-19

This Is Another Little House Book Based On The Adventures Of Rose,Laura,and Almanzo!I Only Gave This Book 4 Stars Instead Of 5 Because It Is A Good Bit Confusing To Me.I Wish It Wasn`t.But Anyway,This Is Definately A Book Worth Reading And Buying,Especcialy If You`re A Little House Or Laura Ingalls Wilder Fan!

On the Way Home (The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894)

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On the Way Home (The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894)
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF2C1Q

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On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894
Laura Ingalls with a Setting By Rose Wilder Lane Wilder
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NREPQA

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On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip From South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Manufacturer: harper & row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FT6D52

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On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894

Manufacturer: Trophy Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HI0QIQ

Book Description

"The Right Stuff without the hype, Yeager without the ego."—Washington Post Book World

"While the jet-jockey competitiveness, the undercurrent of fear, the victories and foul-ups of jet sweeps have been described many times, few such chronicles have done it so grippingly and with such a ring of accuracy. Mr. Grant explores the emotions felt not only by the men in battle but by the wives and others left behind, and the questions the war raised in their minds. To put in larger context the war's impact on individual participants, the author periodically reviews the high-level struggles over how to fight the air war.

"What is most impressive is to find an analysis so clearly stated, so seemingly on track in locating the weak spots in the policies of various political and military officials....Written in a straightforward yet stylish prose, Over the Beach carries tremendous conviction."—Richard Witkin, New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

Gripping!.......2004-05-21

This book is about the fighter pilots of the Fighter Squadron 162 - based on the USS Oriskany. This book is an excellent account of the exploits of carrier based fighter pilots. You understand their fears, their trepidations, the danger of carrier landings at night, and the general terror and excitement of flying fighter jets in Viet Nam. It's told in a "you are there" context. We feel the pain of the wives as they learn their husbands are shot down and not coming home; the strain they go through awaiting word of their husbands. The book is quite stunning and difficult to put down. It's one of the best I've read concerning the air war in Viet Nam.

History as it should be..........2003-04-20

Zalin Grant's "Over The Beach" is an account of fighter squadron 162 from the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany during the Vietnam war. Grant does a masterful job of blending the history, with the real lives of the people who were a part of that history.

The reader feels the palpable emotions of the pilots as they "crossed over the beach" on their way to targets in Hanoi and Haiphong. The squadron was incredibly successful, but with that success came great loss. Many pilots were shot down over North Vietnam where there was almost no chance of rescue. The reader also hears from those pilots who became prisoners.

Grant incorporates the history of the air conflict into the book as well. Johnson, Nixon, McNamara, and Kissinger all weigh heavily into this account. The politics of the conflict led to a war fought on confusing terms. But this doesn't read like some history text.

From the terror of carrier landings to the wild frat boy parties aboard the Oriskany, this book covers it all. From the adulterous behavior of many of the piots to the gut-wrenching roller coaster of emotions suffered by an MIA's wife, this book does not hold any punches. It may be hard to find this book (some libraries may have it) but it is one of the finest (and personal) accounts of carrier warfare in Vietnam I have ever read.

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The 1966 Viet Nam cruise of the U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA 34)

The 1966 Viet Nam cruise of the U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA 34)

Over the Beach/the Air War in Vietnam
Zalin Grant
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 039302332X

Customer Reviews:

The 1966 Viet Nam cruise of the U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA 34).......1997-12-24

From the very first chapter, I knew that "Over the Beach" was the diary I had failed to keep while serving on the U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA 34) during it's deployment to the Gulf of Tonkin in 1966. Over and over again, I found myself reliving the actions described there. Instantly putting faces to the names. Remembering the 16 October 1966 fire in hangar bay one. The only mistery left is how someone who was not there know so much of the times and the people ? It was genuinely like finding an old family photo album, or listning to an elderly uncle reminise about things that happened in your youth. "Over the Beach" should be viewed as a diary into the times and minds of those that flew from Aircraft Carriers during the early Viet Nam era. It is not a book to satisfy the idle mind, but one that fills in the gaps created by time and selective amnesia. To someone in great thirst, a small tumbler of cold water will seem as an ocean. "over the beach" provided exactly the same satisfaction to me.

The 1966 Viet Nam cruise of the U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA 34).......1997-12-24

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Over the Beach : The Air War in Vietnam
Zalin Grant
Manufacturer: NORTON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KBNJAW

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Over the Beach: The Air War in Vietnam
Zalin Grant
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LPSYC0

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OVER THE BEACH: THE AIR WAR IN VIETNAM.
Zalin. Grant
Manufacturer: NY, Norton, 1986. 311 pp. Fine copy of first edition in dust jacket.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDYZL2

Book Description

Slicing through the emotional--but factually wrong--arguments of gun control advocates this book busts a number of myths, demonstrating with hard statistical data and riveting anecdotes.

Customer Reviews:

Very dry reading.......2007-09-01

If you can get past the numbers research then you'll benefit from this book. And, you'll never understand the evidence behind the truth about the benefits of gun possession versus the costs until you read it. The Bias Against Guns easily discredits those opposed to gun possession. Anti-gun folks don't tell the truth about the benefits of owning guns - John Lott does and proves it with advanced statistical analysis and research.

The proof that proves the benefits of gun possession is in this book.

Note the publisher of this book.......2007-08-26

Right wing, non-scholarly press. Then look at where Lott's critics publish--in scholarly journals and with academic presses.

Enough said.

Who should read this..........2007-04-01

Most of the news we see every day is favored toward showing the use of guns as bad. Whether this is because of a media plot to condition the public against guns, or because, in general, the people who work for the mainstream media are horrified by guns is not the point. What this book does is give us the other side of the debate, a side that needs to be heard.
Anyone who is caught by the day to day onslaught of the media bias against guns, but has an open mind and thinks they should have both sides of the story, should read this book. Anyone who instinctively knows that guns are the basis of all the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and would like a better understanding of that, should read this book.
Anyone else, it will be a waste of your money.

The Stephen Glass of econometricsisisis?.......2006-12-30

Fans of this 'scholarly work' (if computerized number crunching and anecdotal evidence can be called scholarly) by a 'much-published academician' (if that is meaningful to you) would no doubt be disappointed to learn Lott has based crucial evidence upon a survey he conducted himself and then 'unfortunately lost all trace of' the data; that he & his family have taken it upon themselves in the past to write stellar reviews for his books on Amazon.com; that Lott has found it necessary to defend his work by using pseudonyms and fake personas ('Mary Rosh')--but why, when the numbers speak for themselves??

Certainly not in order to profit from the audacious frenzy a claim like 'unregistered assault weapons reduce crime' would inevitably create...

Please, read 'How to Lie With Statistics' instead. Heck, read Wikipedia's article on John Lott, which cites the New England Journal of Medicine's statement:

[Lott] finds, for example, that both increasing the rate of unemployment and reducing income reduces the rate of violent crimes and that reducing the number of black women 40 years old or older (who are rarely either perpetrators or victims of murder) substantially reduces murder rates. Indeed, according to Lott's results, getting rid of older black women will lead to a more dramatic reduction in homicide rates than increasing arrest rates or enacting shall-issue laws.'

Controversy is indeed delicious, and who can fault some guy for trying to drum up a little press--but clouding such a serious issue in which lives are at stake with fuzzy math is undoubtedly reprehensible.

You can either be persuaded about this author's ethos by a few dazzling blurbs by 'Nobel Prize winners of Economics' (a solid science to be sure), or by his own behavior in response to scepticism. As Jon Weiner's Op-Ed in the LA Times states concerning the Lott v. Levitt lawsuit:

Lott is not suing those who have said some of his pro-gun research was "invented," "faked" or "cooked." The lawsuit turns on the definition of "replicate," from the "Freakonomics" sentence about how other scholars have tried and failed to "replicate his results." Lott maintains "replicate" means "analyze the identical data in the way Lott did." Because nobody tried to do that, he argues, "Freakonomics" is wrong. Most people, however, understand "replicate" to mean something like "confirm." Lott's reputation has indeed been "seriously damaged" by critics, but only because they have described many apparent holes in his dubious research and misleading citations. Blocking the sale of a book based on a literal interpretation of a single word [is] outrageous.'

Eye-opening from the first page.......2006-11-04

John R. Lott is a modern-day genius. His writing should earn him both the Nobel Prize for Peace AND the one for literature.

It's about time someone gave us the real story on gun crimes instead of the liberal slant we get from all the liberal news outlets. Obviously the previous reviewer who was in the military and speaks in favor of background checks has been misguided his own experience and these liberal media outlets.

Waiting periods make no sense at all, and I don't know who this Ronald Reagan guy is, but he sounds like a garden-variety lilly-livered liberal to me. Think about it. If you try to buy a handgun and you are forced to wait a week, there could be, by Mr. Lott's statistics, hundreds of crimes that you could have stopped by brandishing your piece. But those crimes happen, because you're stuck waiting because some liberal panzy named Reagan needed a background check law.

It's obvious, even to the most gun-scared leftist out there, everyone, even those who have not developed their full motor skills, should own a gun. Otherwise, how can you protect yourself!? It's NUMBERS people. If everyone has a gun, no one will get shot. Since gun owners are all expert marksmen, none of them would ever try to shoot a criminal and miss, thereby shooting an innocent bystander. After all, it's really easy to hit a moving target with a handgun. Heck, even you're a bad shot and you run out of bullets, you can easily peg your assailant on the head with the butt of your Magnum. If an innocent person gets shot, the statistics pale in comparison to how many would get shot it all of them didn't have guns.

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