Average customer rating:
|
Advanced Cartooning and Other Drawings
B. Kliban
Manufacturer: Andrews Mcmeel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Business
| Business & Professional
| Cats, Dogs & Animals
| Comedy
| Computers & Internet
| Cooking
| Doctors & Medicine
| Essays
| General
| Hunting & Fishing
| Jokes & Riddles
| Lawyers & Criminals
| Limericks & Humorous Verse
| Love, Sex & Marriage
| Parenting & Families
| Parodies
| Political
| Puns & Wordplay
| Religion
| Rural Life
| Satire, Classic
| Satire, General
| Science & Scientists
| Self-Help & Psychology
| Sports
| Theories of Humor
| Urban Legends
Similar Items:
-
Luminous Animals and Other Drawings
-
Tiny Footprints
-
Two Guys Fooling Around with the Moon
ASIN: 0836217101 |
Product Description
Kathy Woodford breaks new ground by showing you every step necessary to create digital magazine-style albums that will amaze your clients. If you want practical advice about the entire process of creating digital albums, this is the book for you. And if you're creating composite images of any kind in Adobe Photoshop, from marketing materials to scrapbooking, you'll find this guide to be an essential reference, both as a basic introduction to the Photoshop features you need to know, and as a resource for design ideas and techniques.
Customer Reviews:
THE Best Digital Wedding Guide !.......2006-04-27
I have been interested in digital wedding photography but couldn't find the right help. I purchased the book and this is it! Ms. Woodford has provided a step-by-step guide that far exceeded my expectations.
This book is NOT for the experienced Photoshop user.......2006-04-09
I was looking at purchasing this book for several months. In the mean time (and a little prior to) I studied and learned Photoshop from reading other books, the internet, and simply using the program. Well, when I finally decided to go ahead and purchase this book I was/am well versed with PS.
This book is WAY to simple in terms of "album design". It doesn't show anything I would call fancy, clever, or even good in designing in PS. It's the very basics when you use PS in the first place. If you already know PS dealing with layer, styles, etc, don't waste your money on this book. On the other hand if you don't know PS I would suggest a book geared strickly towards learning PS because you will get more out of a dedicated book. This book tries to cover digital album design within PS but you really don't gain a whole lot of knowledge. I think out of the entire book the only thing I got from it was a a place to download a film strip template from the author's website. Nuttin' else!
On a more personal note, the designs themselves are rather simple and boring (and I'm not an "out there" kind of guy). I don't want to be to harsh but I think the the designs are ugly. The auther is said to have won a design contest, but I really don't see how....unless of course the designed album was not displayed in this particular book.
In the end, get yourself a dedicated Photoshop book. This "design" book aint that good.
I gave it two stars because it goes step-by-step.
Great Book.......2006-03-24
The book has more of what I expected, it has useful links and will help any wedding photographer to have a guide to create great albums.
It is a must have...
The Professional Photographer's Digital Wedding Album Design Guide.......2006-03-21
The day I recieved this book and opened it I just knew it will pay itself many times. My copy is in my reference album design drawer just next to my computer, it has been an inspirational book when I design something for my customers. Its easy to follow and full of "down to earth" ideas and solutions.I recomend it to my fellow photographer peers at any level!!!!
A no-nonsense guidebook to Adobe Photoshop techniques for creating beautiful digital albums.......2005-11-12
The Professional Photographer's Digital Wedding Album Design Guide is a no-nonsense guidebook to Adobe Photoshop techniques for creating beautiful digital albums. Chapters cover why template and design programs are unnecessary, how to set up a secure digital workflow with back-up solutions, how to use proof selection software with clients in one's studio, solid design principles, factors that influence a fair price for albums, and more. Avoiding excessively long tutorials, The Professional Photographer's Digital Wedding Album Design Guide is very much a "quick start" reference for producing quality work with proven methods. Highly recommended for professional and amateur digital album designers alike.
Book Description
Originally published in France, this graphic tale follows Emperor Nero as he consolidates his political alliances and begins his first steps toward the decadence and debauchery which led to his fall. The corruption and greed of the Roman Senate highlight a personal story of one Gladiator who becomes a threat to Nero.
Customer Reviews:
If you like Groucho, or entertainment history.......2007-05-24
Excellent book, well written with Groucho's unique wit and sarcasm
Interesting.......2007-01-11
I Liked the book and was fascinated by it. It met most of my expectations. MP
On the Marx.......2006-11-05
A very easy read. A nice blend of information and funny Groucho stories. If you are a fan of their movies, then you should enjoy Groucho's accounts.
A touching biography of a celebrated comic.......2005-07-20
This biography of Groucho is as touching as is through. The reader is wisked away into the comic world of one of America's greatest performers. The book is filled with humorous stories from Groucho's life. The author has woven in some of Groucho's most personal views and we hear his outspoken and sometimes controversial views on a wide array of subjects. Groucho was truly the first "Sssssshock jock!" The book ends on a decidedly melancholy note when in the twilight of his years Groucho meets a young man by the name of Anthony. The two share a touching moment in which the reader watches as the torch is passed from one generation of comics to another. (Anthony later goes on to become a renowed professor and comedic talk show host.) A great read and an exciting page turner for the serious reader...NOT YOU!
Very funny fast read.......2005-05-17
Even though, as others have mentioned, this isn't really a true autobiography per se, it's a very involving, fast, funny read. There are a lot of personal reflections, anecdotes, and the wonderful chapters about the Marx family when their boys were young and then their early vaudeville days, but there are a lot of seemingly important things left out; if you want to get a story told in a more linear format and with more concise personal information, you'd be better-served reading a more serious scholarly biography (though you probably won't laugh as much with that kind of book). The autobiographical accounts that do appear are priceless though; to most people, the people, events, and culture of New York in the late 19th century and early 20th century and on the vaudeville circuit in America is a foreign long-vanished world, a world where a dollar was still a lot of money and there were still neighborhood tailors and pants-pressers, where cars were positively dirt-cheap in comparison to how much they cost today. More celebrity autobiographies should be like this, fun and engaging and witty, not taking oneself too seriously or acting like this is a strictly factual account of one's life and like everything described happened exactly in the way it's described and with those exact words spoken. The picture section was also very nice. The only small complaint I have about it is that, being written in 1959, some of the references to people and things are a little dated and don't mean anything to or ring any bells for people who weren't around back then.
Average customer rating:
|
Groucho y Yo / Groucho and Me
Groucho Marx
Manufacturer: TusQuets
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Media Studies
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biografías y memorias
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Estudios de los Medios de Comunicación
| Ciencias Sociales
| No-Ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: 9509779970 |
Customer Reviews:
powell flourishes again.......1999-12-27
There are too few Powell books. This one is a solid contribution complete with reviews from publications at the time of the Powell flims' releases. I use it often.
A great reference book for one of the coolest actors........1999-05-08
Considering there are very few books that have been written or are still available about William Powell, this is book gives a decent (but small) biography and synopsis of all of his films.
Average customer rating:
|
Black Notes: Essays of a Musician Writing in a Post-Album Age
William C. Banfield
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Popular
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Pop Culture
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Essays
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Entertainment
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Literature & Fiction
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 081085287X |
Book Description
Following in the footsteps of renowned authors like Alain Locke, Harold Cruse, and Amiri Baraka, Black Notes: Essays of A Musician Writing in A Post-Album Age, takes as its mission an important aesthetic inquiry, asking the compelling questions: How
Book Description
Put on your thinking cap and dive into this treasury of more than 200 witty rebus puzzles and other stimulating guessing games. These classic brain-ticklers appeal to puzzle-lovers of all ages, with hours of amusing challenges to the skills of recall, vocabulary, and comprehension. Answers appear at the end.
Book Description
Your palms are sweaty. Your fingers tremble. Everybody is watching you, waiting to be blown away. The moment is yours. What are you going to do with it? Mark Wiskup has the answers. In this one-of-a-kind book perfect for the millions of people who stand up in front of colleagues and employees on a regular basis, Mark Wiskup offers nine quick and easy steps to make each presentation one your audience will never forget. Tips include why less information is often more why you need to hook them from the very first word how vivid scenarios can make your presentation what three words can ruin any business presentation and much, much more!
Customer Reviews:
BEST RESOURCE for advanced & thought-leader presenters.......2007-05-28
The downside of this book is that it has no visuals, no pictures, no fancy color printing inside, and it is printed in expensively; no bells & whistles - just meat & potatos.
Recently, wanting to move my presentation skills to the next level, I spent $1,500 on books & audio. Without a doubt THIS BOOK IS THE BEST resource for advanced presenters. Of all the trainings in my career I've had in presentaiton, negotiation, media & crisis communication, I recommend this as 'the golden little book' to connect with an audience.
I applied the ideas now 3 times to big presentations and each time with "knock-out" success & unsolicited feedback from the audience afterwards. Practice makes perfect !
Do as I do..........2007-01-09
An excellent introduction to public presentation. Clear, pithy, few wasted words -- it models what it preaches. Unlike many of its competitors on the presentation shelf, S.O.S. doesn't ramble on and on, like a speaker who just can't shut up. Instead, it gets in, gets out, and leaves the reader a better presenter.
Great PowerPoint Chapter!.......2005-11-22
In addition to the positives mentioned in the other reviews, I have to highlight a great chapter on the often misused PowerPoint ("PowerPoint Doesn't Bore Audiences, Lousy Speakers Do") By emphasizing the importance of a good presentation and clear, simple and direct PowerPoint slides, Wiskup shows how to get the most from this tool without getting bogged down by the its technicalities. As a former training director I've seen lots of bad PowerPoint and this book provides a simple antidote.
A must read before your next presentation!.......2005-11-06
I loved the book. I had to give my "State of the Foundation" speech recently at our Annual Dinner, and got great feedback. I credit a lot of that to what I have learned from this book - most importantly I included some stories and didn't spout off a lot of statistics.
A Must Read.......2005-11-01
As a successful business person - and one that really doesn't like to present to large audiences - I have read many books on how to develop a memorable presentation. Mark Wiskup's S.O.S. is the best by far. He clearly outlines unique steps to grab an audience - whether it be a one-on-one sales presentation or a PowerPoint presentation to a large audience. A must read if you want to clearly differentiate yourself from all the boring speakers out there.
Book Description
In this awe-inspiring book, Dr. Catherine Hamlin recalls her life and career in Ethiopia aiding suffering women. Her unyielding courage and solid faith will astound Christians worldwide as she shares her amazing journey.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing.......2005-06-18
This book tells a remarkable story. It is the autobiography of Dr. Catherine Hamlin and the work she and her husband have done to establish a hospital treating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. What an amazing story. I had never heard of obstetric fistula till a few days ago. I did not know that so many young women (girls, really) in some parts of the world have child birth complications that cause holes in the vagina through which feces and urine leak constantly, leading to the women becoming abandoned pariahs. And the repair surgery costs only about $300 -- but this was essentially unavailable until the Hamlins came to Ethiopia in 1960. What wonderful work they have done, along with their wonderful, competent Ethiopian staff and colleagues. In addition to that basic theme, Hamlin tells an engrossing story about the overthrow of the emperor, the years of communist regime (many of her friends were murdered), and then the current improved situation. What a story! This book about her faith and her work is well worth reading. I hope many, many people enjoy this book and are inspired to donate to this hospital.
Inspiring and compelling memoir of hope in times of despair.......2005-05-03
Seldom has a missionary painted such a compelling portrait of hope from darkest despair as Dr. Catherine Hamlin in her inspiring memoir, THE HOSPITAL BY THE RIVER. When she and her husband, Reg, embarked on their careers in gynecology in Australia, they never dreamed their work would eventually take them halfway across the globe to the third world country of Ethiopia to establish a teaching hospital.
Ethiopia's insistence on child-brides and the poor obstetric care in that country is responsible for the high incidence of women who suffer from fistula, a childbirth injury that results in constantly running urine and terrible internal injuries. The personal stories of these women as told by Dr. Hamlin will break readers' hearts. Divorced by their husbands and rejected by their families, many of these injured women live out the remainder of their lives ostracized alone in dark rooms --- all for want of an operation costing only a few hundred dollars.
A simple operation can alleviate their suffering, and most women are curable. (Hamlin takes payment in everything from live chickens to jewelry.) But although two million women suffer from fistula, less than 7,000 are treated each year. The challenges to create a hospital that serves these women --- and then maintain and finance operations --- are formidable.
Hamlin's descriptions will move even the most jaded readers to tears --- and sometimes to a queasy stomach. In one gruesome anecdote, she tells of a woman mauled by a hyena while giving birth (the hyena ate her baby while she was helpless to protect it). However, Hamlin wants us to understand the depth of this despair so difficult to relate to --- the horrific conditions these women live in --- in order to arouse our deepest compassion for their suffering.
In one memorable passage, she describes the life of one such outcast, discovered in a village by a medical worker:
"...They reluctantly showed her a side room. Inside it was dark, and the smell was almost unbearable. In the far corner, against the wall was a raised platform. Peering through the gloom they made out a woman lying on her side with her legs drawn up in a flexed position. Her bladder and bowel contents were leaking into a pool underneath. Because she had been in this position for five years the joints had become stiff... and she could no longer walk...."
This woman --- like more than 20,000 others --- was cured by Hamlin and her team.
This is a book of contrasts, from the gatherings thrown by royalty to the extreme poverty that most of the people of Ethiopia experience. Although the reader has to mine a bit too much detailed memoir to get to the good storytelling, it is well worth the effort. Her tone throughout is one of gratitude. Hamlin is quick to offer copious amounts of praise for others, even those who have perhaps wronged her in some way. She is vulnerable about her own shortcomings, especially as a parent.
Almost four decades after her work began, it's understandable why Hamlin has been called "The new Mother Teresa for our age" by the New York Times, and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. This fascinating account of Dr. Hamlin's work will break your heart --- and offer hope that even the worst circumstances can be changed if we care enough to help. Keep the Kleenex handy.
(...)
Don't live another week without reading this story!.......2005-04-17
I have been writing to publishers and book sellers for over a year begging them to publish this book in the U.S. Dr. Catherine Hamlin tells the story and illustrates how one intelligent, caring woman devoted her time on earth to easing the plight of young mothers in Africa. Don't live another week without reading this story! Also, sales of the book go toward keeping Dr. Hamlin's hospital and refuge open for young mothers in Africa who need reconstructive surgery following the birth of their babies.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from International Bulletin of Missionary Research, published by Overseas Ministries Study Center on April 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1061 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Hospital by the River--a Story of Hope. .(Book Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Dan Fountain
Publication:
International Bulletin of Missionary Research (Refereed)
Date: April 1, 2003
Publisher: Overseas Ministries Study Center
Volume: 27
Issue: 2
Page: 88(2)
Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- THE BEST PHOTO BOOK OF WW2
- Post War Germany Like you've never seen it.
- A photo history of Germany after the war.
- Amazing
- "Armed with Gun and Camera"
|
Entering Germany: 1944-1949
Tony Vaccaro
Manufacturer: Taschen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photographers, A-Z
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Adams, Ansel
| Avedon, Richard
| Bourke-White, Margaret
| Brady, Mathew
| Bubley, Esther
| Callahan, Harry
| Capa, Robert
| Caro, Anthony
| Carroll, Lewis
| Cartier-Bresson, Henri
| Clark, Larry
| Cunningham, Imogen
| Doisneau, Robert
| Eisenstaedt, Alfred
| Evans, Walker
| Feininger, Andreas
| Gatewood, Charles
| Geddes, Anne
| General
| Goldin, Nan
| Goldsworthy, Andy
| Hamilton, David
| Haskins, Sam
| Hine, Lewis Wickes
| Hurrell, Geoerge
| Jackson, William Henry
| Kenna, Michael
| Kern, Richard
| Kinsey, Darius
| Lange, Dorothea
| Leibovitz, Annie
| Leonard, Herman
| Mann, Sally
| Mapplethorpe, Robert
| Mark, Mary Ellen
| Miller, Lee
| Modotti, Tina
| Muybridge, Eadweard
| Newton, Helmut
| Orkin, Ruth
| Ray, Man
| Ritts, Herb
| Seymour, David
| Sherman, Cindy
| Steichen, Edward
| Stieglitz, Alfred
| Sturges, Jock
| Uelsmann, Jerry
| Wegman, William
| Weston, Edward
| Wiggins, Myra Albert
Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photojournalism
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Germany
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Arts & Photography
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
History
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All French Books
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
History
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All German Books
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 3822859087 |
Book Description
For the first time, Tony Vaccaro's photos documenting World War II and its aftermath in Germany are presented together in one book. Vaccaro's story is unique: he was born in Pennsylvania, USA of Italian parents but spent most of his childhood under the fascist regime in Italy. He returned to the United States to finish high school, where he developed a passion for photography. Drafted into the army in 1944, Vaccaro was forced to return to Europe. He went armed with a gun and a camera. He came back, in 1949, with one of the most comprehensive photographic diaries by a serviceman in any war.
Vaccaro's relationship with photography was never casual. It was with great vigor that he studied photography during high school (the techniques he carefully memorized would later help him to mix chemicals on the battlefield and develop film in army helmets) and his early enthusiasm continued even when he was in danger of losing his life to Hitler's army.
This new book presents Vaccaro's most impressive images (including the famous "White Death" depicting a dead soldier nearly covered with snow), tracing his journey from the invasion in Normandy to the battles eastward past the Elbe river in Germany, through the aftermath of the war up until 1949. Vaccaro's fascinating autobiographical text, written specifically for this publication, gives important clues to his point of view as a photographer. His goal was to make a record of the war and the subsequent rebuilding of war-torn Germany so that future generations could see what it had been like, but his images are more than documentary photographs; they are a stunning visual diary of one man's experience of war and its disastrous effects.
Customer Reviews:
THE BEST PHOTO BOOK OF WW2.......2006-10-05
Yes, it is outstanding. Mr. Vaccaro is to be commended for one of the
greatest collections of visual images assembled by one man.
Post War Germany Like you've never seen it........2006-06-10
In 2002, while on a business trip with Siemens, I chanced upon a copy of Tony Vaccaro's volume of pictures taken in Germany from 1944-1949. The little bookstore in Rothenburg ob der Tauber didn't have a tremendous selection of history titles, but they did have this gem of a book.
Vaccaro's camera details the final agonies of the war from the Hurtgen Forest and into Germany. The pictures of war dead are unflinching and will disqualify this book from sitting on your coffee table in the reach of young eyes. It's an adult view of Post War Germany, the good, the bad, and the horrible.
The pictures offer some amazing images of the destruction wrought upon German cities such as Munich and Frankfurt. They also record the resilience and amazing energy of the German people as they rebuilt from the ruins of Nazi Germany.
Perhaps the most interesting pictures are of the children and interaction of the G.I.'s with them. Vaccaro makes the point that for many young German boys, the G.I.'s became the most important father figures in their lives.
And so a pictorial history that sears with images of the dead, beams with hope as German children crowd around a G.I. as he heads back to America. America's Greatest Generation was and is considered that still by many Germans.
So if you are looking for a book that closes the story of the Second World War in Germany...well let this be the book.
A photo history of Germany after the war........2003-08-12
There is very little writing in this book, so it is a photo history. The book is in three languages, so two other translations appear along with the English. Some of these are very touching photos, two dead Germans who appear to be soldiers but are in fact women who fought. Another picture of a dead soldier with a Christmas card from his family opened up. Most of the photos are those of the aftermath of the war when soldiers occupy Germany. These show the devastation of war, and the effects on the population.
I rate this as an average read, but in fact there is little to read. The pictures are great, but it would have been nice to see Vacarro's perspective along with these photos. The reader (?) is left to make his/her own judgement on what they are seeing.
Amazing.......2001-11-14
Mr. Vacarro did a great job here, his pictures are telling and touching. Recommended for those who are into the occupation of Germany.
"Armed with Gun and Camera".......2001-07-14
Tony Vacarro first entered Germany as an infantryman in December, 1944. Unlike other GI's, he carried a camera along with his rifle. He processed his film in army helmets and hung the wet negatives to dry on the branches of trees. Later, he worked as a photographer with the occupation forces. His stark and arresting black and white images follow the course from the liberation of Germany through the occupation, reconstruction and eventual return to a tentative peace in 1949. This book provides unexpected insight, through the eyes of a sensitive and individualistic observer, into a crucial period in 20th century history. Many of the pictures are truly unforgettable - especially the moving portrait of a dead GI in the snow of the Ardennes forest (p.4-5), the view of the mountains from Hitler's retreat at the Berghof (p. 68-69) and the quirky, humorous shot of the soldier with German children at Tempelhof Airport (p. 188-189) which sums up in a single image the magnitude of the rapprochement between Americans and Germans. "Entering Germany" is a very impressive achievement, and is strongly recommended.
Book Description
From World War II until the 1980s, the United States reigned supreme as both the economic and the military leader of the world. The major shifts in global politics that came about with the dismantling of the Eastern bloc have left the United States unchallenged as the preeminent military power, but American economic might has declined drastically in the face of competition, first from Germany and Japan ad more recently from newly prosperous countries elsewhere. In Deterring Democracy, the impassioned dissident intellectual Noam Chomsky points to the potentially catastrophic consequences of this new imbalance. Chomsky reveals a world in which the United States exploits its advantage ruthlessly to enforce its national interests--and in the process destroys weaker nations. The new world order (in which the New World give the orders) has arrived.
Customer Reviews:
Awsome book!.......2005-06-09
This book is a real eye opener, and educated me on so many many important events that are never mentioned in school or the media today, to read this book is so refreshing.
Interesting read..........2004-12-13
Now I know where the Democrats got their playbook to oust the GOP. Unfortunately, Chomsky's dementia did not play well in the "Red States"..too bad..I enjoyed the read especially his ideas about the press being complicit with the conservative movement and the crazy references he employs to support his idiotic views..as long as the Dem's stay on message with Chomsky, it will be a long time before they see the White House
A very one sided but interesting read.......2004-03-10
I mentioned the book as interesting because it deviates from the mainstream media's reports. It claims to reveal the 'real democracy' and it does do that to a large extent. What I was disappointed a bit was some of the arguments seem one sided...for eg., I want to know if the so called "US model of democracy" is so fundamentally flawed how come some of the excellent progress have happened ? In some other countries even the mere act of expressing such radical viwes would cause a stir ! Not to say that those are right but it is true that democracy as it exists in the US is not so fundamentally wrong. But then, is US preaching the same policies to others ? I dunno..
All in all, I'd probably read more of Chomsky and I recommend this book too. But I'd also try to read the 'other side' (I want to read more of US interventionist policies in Central America...probably from the state dept website itself..)
Excellent cold war revisionism, overall a creepy book........2003-02-13
Before reading this book, (or any Chomsky for that matter), I would say I was a typical democrat who thought stuff like "Clinton's not perfect, but any republican is a lot worse" and similar opinions. But after reading this book, my somewhat sheltered opinion gave way to a massive distrust of anyone in power. I would say this is a good start for anyone starting to get into the dissident viewpoint, it is relatively easy reading, besides some rambling in parts. Some more reactionary types may attack, but they fail to show an alternative cause for many of the alleged things the US did highlighted in the book. Chomsky starts out by dissecting the causes of the cold war. He repeatedly denounces Leninism, so any hard headed conservative cannot reliably use red baiting against the man. In fact, he actually succeedes in debunking the lefist myth of Lenin's innocence in the authoritarian and despotic strains of Soviet Communism without succumbing to propaganda.
Overall, the book shows the many despotic regimes and human rights abuses that the U.S establishment is calpable in creating, supporting, or maintaining. Chomsky goes on to make the point that much of the cold war was an ideological construct to have U.S citizens and the establishment to support vested interests, namely the "military industrial complex". What sounds like a conspiracy theory to some, becomes very convincing in Chomsky's hands. He doesn't just focus on one cause, and sticks to the point throughout the book. The point becomes very convincing if one considers: 1. why did the US support despotic regimes besides their intentions of fighting one form of despotism, namely communism.
2. What did America's elite interest (corporations) have to gain from exploiting these countries and supporting these regimes?
3. If the U.S establishment is committed to Democracy, why do they CONTINUE to support many regimes where Democracy does not see the light of day?
Even though this book is over ten years old, these questions remain relevant and this book is neccesary reading for everyone.
A relentless analysis of America's imperial project........2002-12-19
All Chomsky's political books have one aim: To show to the world, and to American's in particular, that America's foreign policy is imperial in design. This book is his best. Chapter by chapter he shows how the Cold War was essentially the creation of the USA to cloak its own global ambitions: - to become the first truly world power. He shows how "communist" revolutions were usually nationalist in flavour, including Cuba and Vietnam; how America wants unlimited access to cheap primary markets in the Third World; how America's victims are usually left-leaning politicians, civil-right activists, trade unionists, and peasants, -in other words, people who might harm US investments; and how America prefers democracy - except where democracy may threaten American business interest. When American business interests are threatened by democracy, socialists are pushed out of office and replaced with right-of-centre coalitions, coupled with CIA covert operations to undermine popular organisations such as trade unions.
Noam Chomsky says this: "Democratic forms can be tolerated, even admired, if only for propaganda purposes. But this stance can be adopted only when the distribution of effective power ensures that meaningful participation of the 'popular classes' has been barred. When they organise and threaten the control of the political system by the business-land-owning elite and the military, strong measures must by taken, with tactical variations depending on the ranking of the target population on the scale of importance. At the lowest level, in the Third World, virtually no holds are barred."
This book is uncompromising and Chomsky is relentless in his argument and presentation of facts. Once you get to the end, you will be find it difficult to refute what Chomsky says. If you have never questioned America's foreign policy before-then you are in for a radical shake-up of the intellect. For those of us who care about the world, believe in the self-determination of nations, and want to cut through the pious cant of governments, this is the place to start.
Average customer rating:
|
Deterring Democracy
Manufacturer: VINTAGE (RAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GM3IDS |
Average customer rating:
|
How Hide A Whippoorwi
Ruth Heller
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Zoology
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0448190273 |
Books:
- Adventures with Hanni & Nanni ( in English ) but has bottom pages Guide for certain words in either German or Deutsch, Evidently this is a book with Engllish text and German vocabulary, printed for German students of English ?
- Aesthetic Experience: Beauty, Creativity, and the Search for the Ideal (Contemporary Psychoanalytic Studies, 5) (Contemporary Psychoanalytic Studies)
- American Iconology: New Approaches to Nineteenth-Century Art and Literature
- American Socket Bayonets and Scabbards
- Ann Hamilton: Present-Past 1984-1997
- Art 20: The Thames & Hudson Multimedia Dictionary of Modern Art, Second Edition (CD-ROM)
- Art As Inquiry: Toward New Collaborations Between Art, Science, and Technology (American University Studies Series XX, Fine Arts)
- Art Attack: A Brief Cultural History of the Avant-Garde
- Art Ed Books and Kit Roy Lichtenstein
- Art for the Fun of It: A Guide for Teaching Young Children
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Hattie Big Sky
- Conversations with Picasso
- Dona Perfecta
- History: Fiction or Science
- Devotional Classics: Revised Edition: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups
- Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life
- Bill Cosby
- Healing Gaia: Practical Medicine for the Planet
- Roots, Tubers, Plantains and Bananas in Animal Feeding: Proceedings of the Fao Expert Consultation H