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Gilbert and George: Obsessions and Compulsions (Contemporary Artists)
Robin Dutt
Manufacturer: Philip Wilson Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover
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Gilbert & George
ASIN: 0856675709 |
Book Description
This fully-illustrated look at Gilbert George contains selected examples from the entire span of their work including singing sculp-tures, postcard art, and their large photographic based works, some of which have rarely been seen or are unpublished. Dutt provides an over-view of their themes and ideas, an interview with the artists, and new examples of their drawings, exhibition plans and designs, and photographs. Robin Dutt has been an art critic, curator and advisor for over ten years. He has worked for numerous British publications including the Independent and BBC Radio. He lives in the UK. Gilbert and George is part of the Con-temporary Artists series.
Customer Reviews:
Scholarship and Beauty.......2006-04-14
This is just a beautiful book! If you are a fan of Japanese textile arts this book will appeal to you. The book is generously illustrated with large, high quality color photographs of kosode, and the text describes the manufacturing techniques and the significance of the design motifs in great detail. The comprehensive coverage of this admittedly narrow topic is impressive. One might parody the title and say that this book is an example of scholarship become art.
Customer Reviews:
The not so fashinable side of this book.......2005-11-24
This book has some lovely, classy and well organised pictures, plus a fair comment. However, half the book comments the worst side of Oscar fashion and the dresses that were admired so much at their time are often left aside. Personally I would have liked to see more glamour rather than more trash.
Hardly complete, and not much fun.......2004-07-20
This poorly-written, poorly-edited, poorly-designed book doesn't serve its subject matter very well. The photos did not reproduce well (not even the recent photos!) and some of the design choices (like the circles that highlight details on the various gowns) have no value from an editorial or visual standpoint.
There are many years that are represented by only three or four gowns -- even recent years! Surely there have been more standouts than that? I expected this book to be a feast for the eyes, an endless parade of gowns ranging from elegant to outrageous, but the pickings are indeed slim.
I thought there were some grievous omissions, but I couldn't put my finger on what, or whom. Geena Davis now comes to mind -- love her or hate her, there's no denying the fact that the statuesque form of this six-footer is hard to ignore. Why isn't she represented anywhere? Why not more about men's fashion? Why not more profiles of designers, a closer look at Oscar-night jewelry and how it's loaned out, even a spread or two of how one actress's Oscar fashions progressed throughout the years? The scope of this book isn't terribly imaginative or (as the title proclaims) complete.
The writing is awful. This isn't really the sort of book you pick up for the writing anyway but, seeing as how the pictures weren't even that good, I ended up reading the little blurbs of writing and found them full of clunky, poor word choices and bad jokes.
Speaking of bad jokes, yes, we all know Cher can be wacky. We've all seen her black zigzag outfit with the crazy rooster headdress a million times already. Is there any reason for no fewer than THREE photos of this godforsaken getup to appear in this book? Especially since the author repeatedly expresses a dislike of it? Making fun of Cher's sequinned rooster outfit is nothing new; it's been done to death, and by funnier, more articulate people than this author. We didn't need more of it in this book.
Just show us more pictures of beautiful gowns!
Disappointing treatment of a great subject !!!.......2004-03-07
I bought this book for my wife who has been an Oscar fan for 50 years or more. She found the book to be poorly written, poorly edited and it seemed to have a hangup on hippie type dresses. Her remark about the photos was "there certainly must be a lot of glamourous type photos that could have been used".
JUST LOOK WHAT SHE HAS ON!.......2004-01-22
Few can resist the glitz, glitter and suspense of Oscar night. Who would want to as where else is such a concentration of beauty and fashion to be found? While, of course, the actual award presentations are the crux of the evening that stroll down the famous Red Carpet has become a must-see for many.
Now, for the first time in this eye-popping volume is a collection of the silver screen's beauties over the past 75 years. All are captured in brilliant full-color photographs (500 of them). Many of the gowns chosen brought oohs and aahs - a few brought "What in the world is she wearing?"
Not only do readers find a parade of Oscar dresses but they're also given insider information re fashion and style analysis. What fun it is to see Katharine Hepburn in the casual duds she wore for her 1974 appearance and surely no one can forget Bjork's "swan dress" just two years ago. Cher, of course, is one of a kind in her Bob Mackie dresses.
While styles may change we find that elegance doesn't as witnessed by Mary Pickford in her exquisite 1930 gown. Lithe and lovely as ever there's Audrey Hepburn in a lovely Givenchy that emphasizes her tiny waist, and, of course, La Taylor stuns in a red Halston strapless. Halle Berry took top honors in the fashion category last year, and Grace Kelly looks royal and elegant in a silk gown designed by Edith Head.
There are lot of memories in "Oscar Fashion" plus much to be learned and enjoyed.
- Gail Cooke
Great book!.......2003-12-11
Author Reeve Chace has captured the facts and fun of Oscar fashion in this entertaining and beautiful book; even the cover is velvet! I loved it.
Book Description
From the first Academy Awards black-tie dinner dance in 1929 to the glittering Vanity Fair gala in 2004, from the 1940s gatherings at the most fashionable nightspots in Los Angeles–Ciro’s, Mocambo, Romanoff’s, Chasen’s–to the star-studded parties thrown by legendary agent Swifty Lazar from the 1960s to the 1990s, here is a photo history of all those events, presented by Graydon Carter and David Friend. More than five hundred archival and personal black-and-white and color photographs–many never seen before–have been collected in Oscar Night. There is an afterword by Dominick Dunne and a look at every detail, from menus to matchbooks to seating charts.
You’ll see intimate and unposed photographs of such classic icons as Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, Gloria Swanson, David O. Selznick, and Alfred Hitchcock, among many others, at the formal dinners of the 1930s through the 1950s. Here also are amazing photographs of another generation of icons at the exclusive Governors Balls: Jack Nicholson, John Travolta, and John Belushi, Dennis Hopper with Michelle Phillips, and a very young Ali MacGraw dancing with Robert Evans. And here is a mix of New York and Hollywood at Swifty’s parties, with pictures of Bianca Jagger, Sam Shepard, Michael Caine, David Geffen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Ahmet Erteguns. Here, too, is the Hollywood that gathers today at the Vanity Fair Oscar party: Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Sofia Coppola, Sigourney Weaver, Fran Lebowitz, Sean Combs, and Renée Zellweger.
Irresistibly sumptuous–and juicy–Oscar Night is a book full of elegance and egos, of glamorous pictures that you will want to look at again and again.
Customer Reviews:
Oscar Night 75 Years of Parties.......2007-02-09
I have NOT received this item yet!! I can not believe the POOR shipping system of Amazon!!
Delightful.......2005-09-17
I work in "the business", and have been nominated myself for the great gold statue (Best Documentary, 1997). This is one of my faavorite books on Hollywood history. Not only does it show many of the great stars and movers-and-shakers of the different eras, but it shows them at their most relaxed, spontaneous andpersonal best. A very well designed and thoughfully annotated book- a deserved element for a lifeloing collection.
great book.......2005-02-24
man this was a good book. oscars rule. and Julia is the greatest star EVER!!!
A wonderful book.......2005-01-18
This is a beautiful coffee table book and any Oscar or film fan will love it. From the opening photo of producer Buddy Adler's Oscar sitting on the shelf of a hat rack at Romanoff's Restaurant to the final now famous photo of Faye Dunaway sitting by her pool the morning after she won her award, this is a very special book. It is filled of course with great photos of the winners themselves but also contains other interesting mementos, like ticket stubs, seating programs, invitations, dinner menus, sample ballots, telegrams, memos, etc. Also photos of Hollywood landmarks, like Ciro's, Ambassador Hotel, Biltmore Bowl, Beverly Hills Hilton and the Beverly Hills Hotel are included. Most of the early celebrity photos were taken at the banquets and formal dinner celebrations and it is funny seeing all these people smoking and surrounded by liquor bottles on the tables. The book is in chronological order and the photos near the end of the book (from previous years parties) are smaller but much more numerous. The captions that accompany the photos are fantastic - they are not mere snippets but interesting lengthy paragraphs full of fascinating information. Included throughout the book are sketches and essays written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and quotes from the columns of Louella Parsons and Hedda Harper. An afterword by Dominick Dunne and a list of winners, year-by-year compelte this fascinating book.
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Oscar, a pictorial history of the Academy Awards
Thomas Solon Simonet
Manufacturer: Contemporary Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Performing Arts
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ASIN: 0809254379 |
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John Cage Writer: Previously Uncollected Pieces
John Cage , and
Richard Kostelanetz
Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0879101644 |
Book Description
The writings gathered here span more than fifty years of Cagean thought and creativity, from the late 30s to the early 90s.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic, but a little disappointing........2006-03-16
I bought this clanbook in the hope that it would have basic info on the Baali. What I got was advanced disciplines and very interesting history of the Baali (which made this a Five-Star book.) What I didn't know, and this is from my ignorance of how the Clanbooks were organized in the Old World of Darkness, is that the "clanbooks" are oriented towards advanced players or those who want to play as/have NPC Elders in their chronicles. I didn't know this, and so I was expecting a full discussion of the Baali and their Discipline. Even though I was blown away by the history and by what Elder Baali can do, I was very disappointed that the majority of the book was so focused on the Elders of Clan Baali.
To summarize:
Baali History- 5 Stars
Baali Discipline listings- 3 Stars (Nothing below level 5 on Daimoinon?!?!? Come on!)
Over all- 4 Stars
EVIL EVIL EVIL .....BAH!.......2001-06-20
I play a Baali and YES I have read the whole book through. I don't play it to be an EVIL DISGUSTING SATANISTIC murderer. I didn't even take an evil path.. I'm still on the road to Humanity.... barly. I played my character as a human for 2 years. and when WW put out the revised edition I told my ST that I wanted to be a Baali. The WHOLE! reason behind it is just to see what it would be like. Just immagine.. your soul is already corrupted from the embrace and as if vampires didn't have enough problems keeping humanity. Just imagine when your sire wants you to come join in the ritualistic fun. could you keep your sanity or do you think your character would succumb to the beast quickly? So far I'm hanging in there.
BTW the book is one of my personal fav's. The story IS in depth anybody who dosn't think so hasn't read through much V:tM storyline. SUPPOSEDLY the Salubri were part of the Baali at one point and Saulot betraied Baal and got him cast out by Cain. Can you imagine the pain of being cast out by a cast out??? tough..
A Twisted clan indeed.......2000-07-27
This is one of the most twisted clans of all of Vampire. But they do make of rinteresting story plots and twists. They are not your normally pure evil clan. This book is not for those who have weak hearts or weak stomachs. but if you have either condition why are you playing this game. I would never be a baali but they make excellent foes.
not just mindless evil.......2000-05-29
i know that a lot of people who read this book was offended by it. it certainly isn't for everyone. the baali doesnt have to exist in each and every soryteller's game setting but, if it does, then this book is a great help. it gives in-depth information about the baali in an intelligent, three dimensional manner. not an "evil for the sake of evil" but gives real reasons why the baali do what they do and what they are. my only problem is that the book does not give enough daimoinon powers but it is rich in historical content and the philosophies of the baali. for me, i don't regret purchasing this book.
Baali clanbook great for enemies!.......2000-05-12
The Baali book is great for storytellers. It gives great (and sick) details on thier background. Yes, the book is quite graphic,but they're EVIL! Evil people aren't nice. There is more info on the Baali in the Dark Ages Companion. It talks about Shaitan and his decent into madness. And for players,in the Baali book it says multiple time and I quote "Baali are for storyteller use only". And to the people who are offended by this book, grow up! If you don't want to know what evil vampires do or where they come from, don't buy the book. Simple. The book is great. Hooray for White Wolf. Keep it going guys!
Book Description
Written by three top consultants and trainers, Applied Strategic Planning shows managers and CEOs a clear, totally effective way to identify and implement strategic objectives.
Applied Strategic Planning surpasses other strategic planning models in many key areas, including:
- Emphasis on organizational culture
- Integration of business and functional plans
- Performance audits
- Gap analysis
- Values clarification
Goodstein, Nolan, and Pfeiffer take managers through all phases of the strategic planning process, including:
- How to determine if an organization is ready for strategic planing
- Effectively communicate a corporate vision
- Recognize the role of culture in changing strategic direction
- Understand the various roles of a consultant
- Write effective mission statements
- Create contingency plans
Containing charts, diagrams, and checklists along with illuminating examples from the authors, extensive consulting experience, and even cartoons that convey important points, Applied Strategic Planning lets managers at the helm navigate expertly through today's unpredictable business climate.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Strategic Planning Book.......2006-08-01
While browsing through the strategy books, I saw it by chance. I went through the table of contents, hoping it might turn out to be the right one for me as a startup strategy manager. It indeed turned out to be an excellent book on strategic planning in respects of coverage, sequencing of chapters and examples given. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to make progress in strategic planning in a relatively short time.
I had to buy this book for a class.......2006-03-02
So, it wasn't exactly an "optional" purchase. It's a little dry, like a text book usually is. But information is overall good.
Applied Strategic Planning by Leonard D Goodstein, Timothy M.......2005-05-19
In Applied Strategic Planning, the authors give a comprehensive step-by-step guide to conducting applied strategic planning. They clearly demonstrate organisations' need for strategic planning. The book is different from other strategic planning models in some significant ways. The major differences are in the values scan, organisational culture, strategic business modelling and integrating business and functional plans. The authors emphasise the importance of application considerations and environmental monitoring as on-going processes throughout the planning period. The authors produced a high quality book that is an important reference source whenever I need to undertake strategic planning.
The book provides the reader with an overall understanding of the process of applied strategic planning and the required steps and technology for using the model in a strategic planning process. The strategic planning model covers application and implementation from the inception of the plan to the post-implementation phase, making it very practical.
The model involves nine sequential steps as well as two continuous functions, namely environmental monitoring and application considerations, that are involved at each of the sequential phases. The sequential steps are planning to plan, followed by values scan, then mission formulation followed by strategic business modelling. Performance audit and gap analysis follow, these two being different aspects of a single phase. The last three phases are integrating action plans, contingency planning and implementation.
I read the book because I would like to increase my proficiency in and knowledge of practical strategic planning and to sharpen my consultancy skills. The book is very practical and easy to follow. As a consultant, I should be able to use the methodology in the course to manage the planning process.
Applied strategic planning provides an appealing model for transforming organisations. The model is future focused and leadership driven. It involves all people in an organisation. It produces a plan that is detailed, comprehensive, understood and accepted, and has the potential to generate energising force to drive the transformation of an organisation.
After going through the book, I feel confident that I could act as a consultant for any organisation.
Very good, plus..........2003-06-24
This is a very good book. In addition to this, I recommend "Strategic Organizational Change" by Michael Beitler.
A sea of knowledge, one centimeter deep.......2000-08-25
This book widely specifies WHAT to do in strategic planning but it hardly explains HOW to do it. What I expect when reading this kind of topics is not the concept but rather the application procedures and practical techniques for implementing those concepts in an effective and innovative way. In consequence, I found this book repetitive and non productive for planning specialists. However it may serve a lot to beginners and students.
Book Description
Decreed by David Letterman (tongue in cheek) on CBS TVÂ's The Late Show to be the pick of “DaveÂ's Book Club 2006,” Candy Girl is the story of a young writer who dared to bare it all as a stripper. At the age of twenty-four, Diablo Cody decided there had to be more to life than typing copy at an ad agency. She soon managed to find inspiration from a most unlikely source— amateur night at the seedy Skyway Lounge. While she doesnÂ't take home the prize that night, Diablo discovers to her surprise the act of stripping is an absolute thrill.
This is DiabloÂ's captivating fish-out-of-water story of her yearlong walk on the wild side, from quiet gentlemenÂ's clubs to multilevel sex palaces and glassed-in peep shows. In witty prose she gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at this industry through a writerÂ's keen eye, chronicling her descent into the skin trade and the effect it had on her self-image and her relationship with her now husband.
Customer Reviews:
,.......2007-09-16
this woman uses the worst metaphors i've ever read. she manages to insult absolutely everyone and everything she describes - and the reader at the same time
Couldn't put it down!.......2007-09-14
Wow! Candid telling of a world most of us don't know about. I got to experience this other part of society without having to step foot in any "adult establishment".
Diablo has guts! Fascinating read. I've loaned it to my boyfriend and a female co-worker and both loved it.
If you want to be a stripper, have ever fantasized about being a stripper, dated a stripper, wonder what types of people are strippers, want to know the behind-the-scenes of a strip joint, or just want to know what a stripper's life is like, this is the book for you.
Superficial entertainment.......2007-09-10
I discoved this book in my local library. It is listed as a biography. I believe it should have been assigned instead to the Fiction section. It's simply unbelieveable as a true life story.
Everything in the book is superficial. The work experiences as told by Mrs. Cody are generic. Where are the life experiences that only a woman truly working in the sex industry would have? You know, the true behind-the-scenes stuff that blows you off your feet when you read it? There is nothing like that here. I think Mrs. Cody was looking for an interesting story idea and settled on the mysterious world of stripping as her subject matter. She probably visited a few different strip clubs for research and interviewed a number of strippers for their experiences. Those experiences are reflected in the book. That's about as far as she got to the actual stripping experience. It shows in her writing.
In addition, I find it hard to believe that Mrs. Cody went from stripping topless to performing sex acts. All within one year! The two field are quite a bit different and constitute quite a jump. I can believe that she was curious to try stripping, but to engage in prostitution too? That's quite a leap-of-faith to ask of the reader. It's very difficult to believe that anyone could have done so much in just one year's time. A life time of experiences in one year. It's wholely unbelieveable.
In fairness, the book is a light and easy read. I read it in just two days. In fact, I had a hard time putting it down. The book was very entertaining. Even if the book is fiction (in my opinion), it is fun and interesting. Reading about the sex industry from a female prespective is just plain irresistable. Read it for its entertainment value, not as an autobiography, and you'll have a good read.
Poorly Written.......2007-09-09
Narcissistic and myopic, this book is overwritten and almost devoid of insight. The author of this book tries to make every sentence memorable and a zinger. The effect of this style of writing is like turning up a thrash metal song album to high volume. There are no levels, no quiet spaces, just one long smart-alecky shout. The book is also lacking in insight, either into the author's motives, the dynamics of the strip club, or the girls or patrons involved in it. The one good thing about it is that she does not shy away from describing the fundamental depravity she participated in and yet simultaneously acknowledges that there is some strange degree of glamour in the business. Nonetheless, you are left with the impression that the author started stripping knowing nothing and left stripping knowing less.
Diablo Cody is just plain awesome.......2007-08-20
Diablo Cody's memoir about her time as a stripper is a fun read and a great tutorial on stripper economics, sex workers, patrons of strip clubs and related subjects. Her occasional aside about her personal life fills out the book with some of it's most entertaining moments; you have to admire her perseverance in the face of hostile ex-wives, cocaine-addled strip club managers, competitive dancers and assorted horndog patrons.
The writing is quick and witty, with frequent references to pop culture and the tribulations of living in Minneapolis. I generally hate biographies, especially autobiographies, and I've read it twice. She's not pushing any obvious agenda here, not trying to make herself look good or come down on anyone else; she just lightheartedly reports on how things went during a year of dancing in clubs. If you can imagine a sociologist with a great sense of humor doing a field experiment in strip clubs, this would be it.
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BIG WINGS: The Largest Aircraft Ever Built
Philip Kaplan
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Aviation
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ASIN: 1844151786 |
Book Description
In the history of aviation there have been many attempts to produce aircraft of extraordinary proportions to expand the limits of technology and create new performance standards. With few exceptions, the early attempts did not become the successes envisaged until post-World War II when such aircraft as the Boeing B-52, and and the Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jet' airliner changed the face of aviation in both the military and civil roles.
Big Wings is a well-researched, highly informative look at the sixteen most significant giants of the air.
Each aircraft is introduced and its raison d'etre explained, followed by an in-depth review of the successful and failed technical aspects of the design, its operational history, first-hand accounts from those that had flown the aircraft plus some startling facts and statistics.
The aircraft selected are as follows: Military - Douglas B-19, Boeing B-29, Consolidated B-36, Northrop B-49 and Boeing B-52 Airliners - Bristol Brabazon, Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 Heavy Lifters - Messerschmitt Me323, Consolidated XC-99, Lockheed C5 and Antonov AN-225 Flying Boats - Dornier Do-X, Martin JRM Mars, Hughes HK-1 and Saunders Roe Princess.
Amazon.com
"There is no place like it. It is literally a beacon of Civilization.... Only Mecca inspires as many pilgrims." So write Sally Denton and Roger Morris about Las Vegas, Nevada, which emerged in the last years of the 20th century as America's fastest-growing city, and in the process, a family-entertainment and cultural center. But underlying that Las Vegas--and underlying the authors' fine narrative--is an older, decidedly less friendly city, one shaped by an "alliance of gamblers, gangsters, and government" to cater to every kind of human weakness. This Las Vegas, populated by notorious criminals, dangerous eccentrics, and ambitious empire-builders, exercised an extraordinary influence on the nation's politics and economy. Few presidents elected in the last century did not come calling on the desert city to secure funds and favors, even as Las Vegas's thriving economy came under the control of a handful of powerful men.
Full of strange episodes and characters, the history of Las Vegas is too little known. Denton and Morris's revisionist, past-as-prologue look at how Las Vegas came to be is a startling, original work that adds much to our understanding of recent American history. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Las Vegas–the name evokes images of divorce and dice, prostitutes and payoffs, gangsters and glitz. But beneath it all is a sordid history that is much more insidious and far-reaching than ever imagined. Now, at the dawn of the new century, this neon maelstrom of ruthlessness and greed stands to not as an aberrant “sin city,” but as a natural outgrowth of the corruption and worship of money that have come to permeate American life.
The Money and the Power is the most comprehensive look yet at Las Vegas and its breadth of influence. Based on five years of intensive research and interviewing, Sally Denton and Roger Morris reveal the city’s historic network of links to Wall Street, international drug traffickers, and the CIA. In doing so, they expose the disturbing connections amongst politicians, businessmen, and the criminals that harness these illegal activities. Through this lucid and gripping indictment of Las Vegas, Morris and Denton uncover a national ethic of exploitation, violence, and greed, and provide a provocative reinterpretation of twentieth-century American history.
Customer Reviews:
LAS VEGAS - BIGGEST & BRIGHTEST CON OF THEM ALL!.......2007-09-03
P.T. Barnum would be oh so proud if he could see what Las Vegas has become to America and the world. And to think once upon a time they used to lure the suckers out to the desert with cheap food and rooms. These days theres not room enough for all the so-called "gamblers" crowding in. I use the term gamblers loosely, because its better than calling all those nice folks losers.
If the movie "Casino" wasn't enough of an eye opener for them, this book should be. It brings together all the elements that created and sustain Nevada's almighty cash cow. From the Mormon's to the Mob, pension funds to junk bonds, it's all on display in this fascinating and well researched historic expose. An illuminated social, economic and crimal perspective, that shines brighter than any neon you'll find on the Vegas strip. The gangsters and the policticians, notice I lump them together along that is with the bankers and corporate tycoons. And if you thought Howard Hughes ended the mob's hold on the casinos, boy are you in for a surprise.
Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and alike, would often reference or joke about their mob bosses all the time, but only they could get away with it. It was no secret, because thats the way business was done back then. And when Hollywood turned its back on Sinatra, he was always welcomed back by the wise guys. The same guys that knew how to treat their customers right. If you didn't really gamble, Vegas was a helluva of a bargain bonanza with it's plentiful buffets, luxury rooms and top live entertainment. The public didn't get to see the cheaters getting beaten to a pulp by casino guards, the state didn't look too closely at what was being skimmed and embezzled. They got their cut and everyone was happy. Of course, if you want to peer behind this sparkling veil, if you really want to find out what really "stays in Vegas", then this is the book for you.
Far More Credable than Most of the Pulp Out There.......2006-03-27
While TMATP tied some knots together for me, it was clear that the authors steered clear of some assertions made elsewhere (James Elroy's semi-fictional / semi-"fact"ional mid-'90s stuff, for example) about Howard Hughes, Dick Nixon, the Kennedys, the Mormons, the Irish-Jewish-Italian "detente" and such.
(In 20 years, everyone will know and accept that Tricky Dick knew what was going on regarding the assassinations, and reaped the benefits, though he probably had no direct involvement. That's really what the Watergate break-in was about.)
TMATP is certainly a far more credable read than most of the impulsively suggestive, but ill-researched, pulp on the subject.
I could see a bit of the deal fairly much first-hand throughout in and from the Coachella Valley 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles. (Which, by the way, is the largest and fastest growing Native American gaming center in the region, and all the casino bosses there look like Vegas types to -me-.)
The picture I came away with after 21 years out there was that the fate of the Western Hemisphere is pretty much concluded during the winter months on the golf courses in Rancho Mirage, La Quinta and Indian Wells... and that may well include the fate of Las Vegas.
The atmosphere is relaxed and genteel, but the connections were fairly obvious the first time I looked through the color program for the "Western Italian Golf Association Invitational" in 1982 or so. Most of the names mentioned in Ovid Demaris's non-fiction work on the Cosa Nostra were right there in the thumbnail photos... alongside all manner of top-level politicians, Wall Street financiers and corporate heads of state.
I kept running across these people in various Vegas, Tahoe and Reno endeavors through the next 15 years. They seemed to own a lot of the agricultural land around the Salton Sea, as well. Make no mistake; it's not "goobah chic" out there like "The Sopranos" or some Scorcese movie. These people are soft-spoken, sophisticated and socially adept. (Okay; there are quite a few knee breakers around, but they aren't the real shot callers.)
Are they still financing all those golf courses and hotels with laundered drug dough? They may not have to now, as the cash flow from the Vegas gaming and Vegas-controlled Native American gaming across America exceeds that of all but a very few soverign countries. But one wonders where the drug money goes.
(I've heard that a fair chunk of it is buying up the state of New Mexico as we speak. Arizona and Washington seem to have been cleansing a lot of suspect cash some years ago. Nothing the Feds don't know about. Hey! These people pay taxes for roads and services you don't -have- to pay, so chill.)
Not mentioned at all, perhaps because it was a smaller factor in the late '90s when the book was researched and written, is the immense, Internet pornography industry in Clark County. The take from that industry has been rumored to be in the $10 to $25 billion range annually, but that would still be chump change next to the gambling revenue, which is widely said to be be at least that on a -monthly- basis in Nevada alone.
Given who the authors are and have been, not to mention all the circumstantial evidence I've seen personally, I'd say this is either very sophisticated disinformation for some particular purpose that suits powerful interests... or it's largely factual, and the authors are holed up in Tierra del Fuego.
truth sets free.......2006-02-19
Read this book. Truth does set free. Seems 'conspiratorial' .. but the 'ring' of truth is there throughout .. if one has ears to listen for it.
The dark side of the American Dream.......2006-01-23
Most Las Vegans hated this book. We are used to "exposes" written by journalists who fly in for a few weekends and then purport to deliver "the real truth" about what goes on in Vegas. Having lived here for twenty years, this book finally reveals what became apparent to me after the first five years of living here: Las Vegas and the casino industry have been influencing politics nationwide since at least the Kennedy administration and everyone comes here to drink deelply from the great river of cash which floats through this town. Why would every presidential candidate since Kennedy visit a State with so few electoral votes? There are copious references throughout the book and in the back for sources. It is well researched and packed with information. It will disappoint those looking exclusively for lurid scandals in tabloid writing styles which have characterized most other Las Vegas histories. The interactions between organized crime, intelligence agencies and political figures did not surprise me. Like it or not, Las Vegas is a major player in American politics and the only place in America where the back rooms are lit by neon. Say what you want about Vegas, but what goes on here is deeply tied to the fabric of American society by politicians who choose to participate. No one held a gun to their heads to sit down at the cash table.
Magisterial.......2005-11-29
Denton and Powers open up Las Vegas like a clam. I said to my wife, while reading this book, "It's startling", she said, "I can imagine" and I had to reply, "No you can't". I guess I expected exposes of sleaze, but sleaze (in the conventional sense of back-room oral sex, or whatever) is just background noise. The real sleaze is the tightly integrated relationship between organised crime and "straight" society, described in a deadpan style that makes the hand-in-pocket relationship between mobsters and pols seem completely ordinary - as, indeed, it is in Las Vegas's history. The overriding theme - that America - or, if you prefer, modern society - is at least as corrupt as Vegas and that Vegas may be an honest admission of that corruption in some strange way, is made with finesse. Only some leaden writing, from time to time, stops this from beiung a 5* review.
Average customer rating:
- Birds of the Indian Subcontinent
|
Pocket Guide to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent
Richard Grimmett ,
Carol Inskip , and
Tim Inskipp
Manufacturer: Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Birds of Northern India (Princeton Field Guides)
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Birds of the Indian Subcontinent.......2004-06-26
This is the most perfect book. It takes you to every country in the area with detailed maps for every of the 1200 species that`s been recorded. The plates are excellent with no exceptions and every bird are depicted more than once.
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