Presidents Card Game III (Authors Series)

Book Description

This 60-card deck features the outstanding accomplishments and brief biographical histories of the Presidents of the United States. This edition covers Coolidge to George W. Bush. 1923-present.

Book Description

The lyrics of the timeless song, Tell Me Why, perfectly capture the nature of the inquisitive minds of little ones. In this board book from the Inpirational Baby series, these lyrics are matched with photos of trailing ivy, twinkly stars, and toddling babies. With a little purple puppy as their host, young minds will grow as they process the rhythm of the lyrics and the vivid colors from the world around them.

Customer Reviews:

This book is not just for babies........2005-09-06

I have used this book in my class with children up to age 7, and they are completely enthralled with it. First we notice the Purple Puppy and look at what he sees on each page. Then I sing the song as I turn the pages. The photos are so special and the message of being loved because God made you is conveyed in a very appealing and heartwarming way.

The best board book for your baby.......2004-01-03

For Christmas we got our son (who is 6 1/2 mos old now) some more books and I came across this one. The words and photos in the book keep his attention. I like the real photos of baby's feet, baby hand wrapped around a finger, and the whole storyline of the book! This book is teaching my son that God made the stars to shine, the sky to be blue and that God made him. Keep writing more!

Shine on Me: The Biography of an African American Woman, Born Blind

Average customer rating:

Shine of Me: The Biography of an African American Woman, Bo

Shine on Me: The Biography of an African American Woman, Born Blind
D. Dexter Vizinau
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Special Needs | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0595324649

Book Description

Margaret Vizinau was born blind in rural Arkansas in 1927. She was a woman of great faith who dedicated her God given gift of singing to the Lord.

Her family migrated to the San Francisco bay area in the late forties and in 1950 she entered into an inter-racial marriage with a non-believer. This union resulted in the birth of two sons. After six years the marriage ended in divorce, forcing her to raise her two sons on her own.

Margaret supported her family by playing the piano and singing for churches in the city of San Francisco. But she faced many challenges. She had four strikes against her. She was a woman in a man's world. She was a Negro woman. She was a single parent. And she was born blind.

San Francisco in the 50's and 60's was a place of great change and influence, and her sons would be affected by the challenges of the times. These challenges included the civil rights struggle, black awareness, sexuality, drugs and violence. The streets were constantly calling.

Shine On Me is a compelling drama full of suspense, spirituality, humor, betrayal, religion and sin. It is recommended as adult reading and contains strong language. Read and enjoy as you take a journey into the life of Margaret Vizinau.

Customer Reviews:

Shine of Me: The Biography of an African American Woman, Bo.......2004-10-30

Shine on Me : The Biography of an African American Woman, Born Blind is a must read for all generations. It is filled with intense, colorful characters which explore and celebrate life and love. This extraordinary debut expertly illustrates how a woman, an African American woman, with four strikes embraces her struggles and with the power of love and faith turns them into triumphs.

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Watch Me Shine
Toy J
Manufacturer: Infinity Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0741419718

Book Description

If you enjoy reading poetry from the heart, you'll really love, "Watch Me Shine". It's poetry that allows you to experience lots of laughs, smiles and cries. This poetry book is one that has been written from the depths of a heart. No matter what you're going through, you'll be able to relate to the poems of this book. You'll really be inspired through the inspirational poems found within this book. When reading this poetry book, your heart will be touched in many ways. These poems will reassure you that you're not alone. Sit back, relax and enjoy this book!eading poetry from the heart, you'll really love, "Watch Me Shine". It's poetry that allows you to experience lots of laughs, smiles and cries. This poetry book is one that has been written from the depths of a heart. No matter what you're going through, you'll be able to relate to the poems of this book. You'll really be inspired through the inspirational poems found within this book. When reading this poetry book, your heart will be touched in many ways. These poems will reassure you that you're not alone. Sit back, relax and enjoy this book!

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When Will the Sun Shine for Me
Davis Benny & Silver Abner
Manufacturer: M. Witmark & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LDWWJS

When Will the Sun Shine for Me (Sheet Music)

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When Will the Sun Shine for Me (Sheet Music)

Manufacturer: M. Whitmark & Sons, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music
ASIN: B000G018MS

Product Description

Fox Trot Ballad - Lyrics "Roses always Welcome Sunshine, When a long long rain is thru, And I suppose Just like a rose, I'd welcome sunshine too. When will the sun shine for me? My life's a blunder, oft times I wonder, When will the clouds say Adieu, and let the sun come shining through. Tell me do. (etc).

Average customer rating:

You and Me, Rain or Shine

Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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As the Sun Shines Down on Me
Jacqui Cdcand 79788 Dankworth
Manufacturer: CANDID
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 6308833231

Our light shines on!: Memories of Peaks Island

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Our light shines on!: Memories of Peaks Island
Norma Greely Blanchard Hallisey
Manufacturer: Pioneer Families Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Show Me The Money: The Financial Side of Selling Shine Enhancers Online

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Show Me The Money: The Financial Side of Selling Shine Enhancers Online
James Orr
Manufacturer: LearnToBeRich.com, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000O3MVZK

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Show Me The Money: The Financial Side of Selling Shine Enhancers Online
James Orr
Manufacturer: LTBR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000OR9R2G

Book Description

With films like Les Amants and Le Souffle au coeur, Atlantic City and Au Revoir les enfants, French writer-director Louis Malle compiled a remarkable 40-year career, creating thirty acclaimed features and documentaries. Despite this success, Malle's work has not received the critical attention it is due--largely because for nearly thirty years, several of his films remained unavailable to the public.

This is the first book-length critical study of Malle's entire oeuvre, covering The Silent World (1956) through Vanya on 42nd Street (1994). Here, Malle's work is approached non-theoretically on a film-by-film basis; each motion picture is examined as an individualistic, self-referential exploration of its own subjects and themes, with form and style relative to content. The darker, more provocative side of Malle's films is also explored, and the director's need to challenge his audiences ethically is addressed. Film analyses are supplemented by interviews with those who have worked with Malle.

A bibliography of major American, French and British books and articles on Malle is included, as is a Malle filmography, including cast and crew information, running times, years of release, production company data and a list of awards and award nominations for each film.

The King's Gambit: A Modern View of a Swashbuckling Opening
Average customer rating:

A few good spots but depressing

Author Loathing The King's Gambit

Review from a 1600+ tournament player.

Good update on the opening

Come back, Joe!

The King's Gambit: A Modern View of a Swashbuckling Opening
Neil McDonald
Manufacturer: Batsford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Fascinating King's Gambit

The King's Gambit as White

My System (Chess Classics)

ASIN: 0713484519

Customer Reviews:

A few good spots but depressing.......2006-07-19

I agree with the other reviewers...McDonald simply didn't seem to find much excitement about playing/discussing the opening. His basic assessments were usually favorable towards black in the critical lines - even in some of the lines that Joe Gallagher judged good for white. A few times in these spots he would only leave a "I prefer black" backed by no analysis.

What's also disappointing is that when white did reach a difficult position, McDonald offered no real possibilities for improvement. It's as if he had given up long ago, and was merely documenting his reasons to abandon the opening.

It was fun seeing some of Gallagher's opinion about the new lines for black in Nunn's Chess Openings. In fact, there were more new ideas for white in three pages of numbers (albeit with no analysis) than there were in the whole of McDonald's book.

That said (and I'm obviously biased as a proponent of white in this opening), there was some decent analysis and some enjoyable games used. McDonald also resisted the temptation to copy many games from Gallagher's earlier book so it does get a rating of 3 stars from me. It probably deserves fewer, but I eat up anything about this opening.

Author Loathing The King's Gambit.......2005-11-29

Is it just me or does the author seem to take special delight in seeing black come out on top in many of the lines he provides? He seems to be cheering everytime black is doing well and shaking his head with disdain every time white tries to create some fun and magic with the King's Gambit. I think if we pin McDonald down we can get a confession out of him "okay okay, I admit it, I hate the king's gambit! It has the giant balls that I'll never have!" Gallagher's book is much better, more complete from a guy who plays it regularly because he believes in it and it doesn't come with all the heavy cynicism.

Review from a 1600+ tournament player........2002-12-26

This book is pretty brief in the lines it covers and it doesn't even cover many lines. McDonald makes the presented material clearly legible, but should have considered making an "Accepted" book and a "Declined" book. I bought this with book with the intentions of learning an opening that would stun my opponents right off the bat, but McDonald almost convinces one to try a different opening. The King's Gambit is meant to be an all out aggressive win or lose approach to chess and McDonald fails to emphasize this. At the end of most of his variations he gives unclear positions where it looks to me like black might even be better. If you are considering taking up the King's Gambit I suggest that you learn the Bishops Gambit (3.Bc4). This is an ultra aggressive variation that Neil reluctantly mentions in his book. If you don't mind sacrificing material for development then this opening is for you. I have used the King's Gambit successfully on several occasions and those wins remain as my most exciting. I suggest taking up the King's Gambit if you like exciting chess but do not recommend that you start here. This book is mostly for a player who is looking for a little more on a specific variation. This is not a good book to try to get an overall feel for the King's Gambit.

Good update on the opening.......2001-05-06

This provides an interesting update on the opening. Contains reasonably good descriptions of various lines as illustrated by latest games played by top players, but still cannot remove the general doubt that the King' Gambit is quite over-ambitious and risky in modern times.

Come back, Joe!.......2000-11-17

Well, there are some good things here; the explanation of the ideas behind Shirov's 5. . .d6 in the Kieseritsky gambit sticks out in my mind as very helpful. But McDonald just isn't a romantic; he's one of those guys who, if he's playing say a Modern defense, erects a light-square blockade, trades off the QB for a N, and hangs on for dear life. This book betrays similar instincts. Far from stirring up your enthusiasm, it is actually in danger of convincing readers that the KG is unplayable! And it isn't. Oh ye of litle faith!

Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger And Better From A Crisis: 7 Essential Lessons For Surviving Disaster
Average customer rating:

Convincing Argument for Making Crisis Mgmt Part of Business

IMPRESSIVE IN SCOPE, PENETRATING THOUGHT, & INSIGHTS.

Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger And Better From A Crisis: 7 Essential Lessons For Surviving Disaster
Ian I. Mitroff
Manufacturer: AMACOM/American Management Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Workplace | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Crisis Leadership: Planning for the Unthinkable

Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable

Crisis Management: Mastering the Skills to Prevent Disasters (Harvard Business Essentials)

Managing Crises Before They Happen: What Every Executive And Manager Needs to Kknow About Crisis Management

Harvard Business Review on Crisis Management (A Harvard Business Review Paperback)

ASIN: 0814408508

Book Description

Like many companies over the last few years, yours has probably done a great deal to reassess its physical, strategic, and financial vulnerabilities. But there is a huge difference between business continuity planning and true crisis management. Do your company and employees have the necessary "IQ" not only to withstand a crisis but also to come through it with strength and confidence?

Ian Mitroff, recognized around the world as an authority in crisis management, has created a plan that goes well beyond "disaster preparedness" to help your company get accustomed to working in the face of some unsettling facts:

* In an age of terror, cyberattacks, large-scale corporate fraud and more, crisis is no longer a question of if, but of when.
* Your company, no matter its size, industry, or location, is not immune from this reality.
* Your contingency planning will only be as effective as the human beings charged with putting it into action.

Mitroff outlines seven distinct competencies your organization needs to handle crises effectively:

* Right Heart (emotional IQ): By accepting crisis as an inevitability, you can process much of the shock and grief beforehand, and avoid making the effects of the crisis even worse through an unconstructive response.
* Right Thinking (creative IQ): "Crises don't give a damn for the ways in which we have organized the world," so out-of-the-box thinking is essential.
* Right Social and Political IQ: Understand that your business is subject not only to the particular pitfalls of its industry, but also to the universal and complex challenges that threaten all companies.
* Right Integration (integrative IQ): Realize that crises are perceived differently by different stakeholders, and are never simple "exercises" that can be "solved." Identify and reconcile these perceptions now so that the path is clear when the crisis strikes.
* Right Technical IQ: "Think like a controlled paranoid" to uncover ways in which malicious forces could cause a crisis in your company. Question every assumption about what is "normal," "impossible," or "absurd."
* Right Aesthetic IQ: Reconsider the classic design of the corporation, which is meant to address problems as they arise, and move toward one in which crisis management is an overarching discipline on a par with, for example, finance.
* Spiritual IQ: Reject the notion that people's physical, mental, and spiritual beings are completely separate; recognize that crises cause us to question the very meaning of our lives and what we do, and establish ahead of time why our work is, and must remain, important to us on many different levels.

Although crisis management has taken on new urgency in recent turbulent times, the need for careful planning did not originate on September 11, 2001. Mitroff's examples, drawn from interviews conducted both after the 2001 attacks and during his 25-year career as an expert in crisis management, demonstrate the need for action -- and offer a blueprint for taking it.

Customer Reviews:

Convincing Argument for Making Crisis Mgmt Part of Business.......2006-04-13

Crises aren't limited to computer breaches, hurricanes, and tsunamis. Unfortunately, more crises have occurred in the past few years than in the 20 years before that. Too many organizations react to crisis instead of making crisis management a part of its organization like human resources and finance.

The unusual way of doing business in the past has become the normal way of doing business today. Crisis doesn't have boundaries, so it can affect a company across the board rather than in silos.

Mitroff works to change attitudes and philosophy required to ensure a company correctly implements crisis management rather than addressing the basics of crisis management. The basics won't matter if companies have the wrong attitude.

According to Mitroff, organizations that adopt the seven challenges improve their chances of riding out any crisis that occurs. Organizations also include public, government, and non-profits. Before 9/11, people thought the idea of a "flying bomb" was unbelievable. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and it taught organizations a valuable lesson: be prepared for anything even far-fetched scenarios.

You'd think 9/11 would encourage organizations to take a proactive stance on crisis management, but just two years after 9/11 - companies returned to their old ways and prepared to handle only few crises: natural disasters and fire. Crises have changed as they're not just "normal systems accidents," which are accidental breakdowns as a result of very complicated technology.

Seven competencies help an organization survive a crisis and maybe come out of it better than before the crisis. They are:

Right Heart: Emotional IQ - Learn how to get a better handle on emotions and how to deal with defense mechanisms that expectedly appear when crises occur.

Right Thinking: Creative IQ - Bigger picture thinking that requires thinking outside of outside the box.

Right Social and Political Skills: Social and Political IQ - Organizations look at themselves as one big entity instead of departments and that they're only in one business. All businesses are in all businesses. For example, a university is also in the food business (cafeteria) and facilities business (dorms).

Right Integration: Integrative IQ - Crisis management can't be reduced to tools and techniques. Instead it's based on assumptions as there endless solutions.

Right Technical Skills: Technical IQ - Must "think like a controlled paranoid," which means exploring every scenario without tossing it out as preposterous.

Right Transfer: Aesthetic IQ - Included crisis management as part of an organization rather than as its own department or put in a silo.

Right Soul: Spiritual IQ - Organization accept the spiritual, physical, and mental areas exist together not separately. It lets organizations deal with problems that result from unnaturally splitting up these areas.

The book influences the reader to look at crisis management differently and to convince the organization of the importance of getting on board. Mitroff shares chilling stories about crises and how companies handled them, which clearly illustrate the points the reader needs to understand about crisis management.

At times, Mitroff's writing sounds like a college textbook and loses the reader. However, considering the complex topic, Mitroff does a fine job as many parts of the book absorb the reader. The book targets executives and managers who buy-in to the philosophy and can make a difference in their companies.

IMPRESSIVE IN SCOPE, PENETRATING THOUGHT, & INSIGHTS........2005-07-12

The book presents seven essential challenges all organizations face in today's environment, along with seven essential lessons that are key to successfully facing and overcoming them. The lessons concern: emotional preparedness; creative thinking; spiritual strength; political and social skills; technical skills; integration of areas of knowledge and emotions; and innovation. Mitroff closes his discussion by expanding his thinking to the societal level. The book is filled with penetrating and challenging thought encompassing many perspectives and providing numerous insights. Mitroff approaches crisis management in a highly innovative way and takes it to a new level.

Book review: why some companies emerge stronger and better from a crisis: 7 essential lessons for surviving disaster [A book review from: Public Relations Review]

Average customer rating:

Book review: why some companies emerge stronger and better from a crisis: 7 essential lessons for surviving disaster [A book review from: Public Relations Review]
C. Caldiero
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR5QA0

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Public Relations Review, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:

Proactive crisis management: organizations need to learn how to put out fires before they ignite.(Economics)(Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better ... Review): An article from: The Futurist

Average customer rating:

Proactive crisis management: organizations need to learn how to put out fires before they ignite.(Economics)(Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better ... Review): An article from: The Futurist
Cynthia G. Wagner
Manufacturer: World Future Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Futurist, published by World Future Society on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 666 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: Proactive crisis management: organizations need to learn how to put out fires before they ignite.(Economics)(Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better from a Crisis: 7 Essential Lessons for Surviving Disaster)(Book Review)
Author: Cynthia G. Wagner
Publication: The Futurist (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: World Future Society
Volume: 39 Issue: 2 Page: 6(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Kiss or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber
Average customer rating:

A harsh look to the world of an alpinist

Very Twight

Opinions are good

Very cool book.

The Sting of the Truth

Kiss or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber
Mark Twight
Manufacturer: Mountaineers Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books
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General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, Fast, and High

The High Lonesome: Epic Solo Climbing Stories

Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert)

Climbing: Training for Peak Performance (Outdoor Expert)

Feeding the Rat: A Climber's Life on the Edge

ASIN: 0898868874

Book Description

KISS OR KILL Sit back and join the ride with this collection of edge-of-your-seat climbing stories by MarkTwight aka Dr. Doom. "Somewhere out there somebody understands these words and knows they matter. They were written in blood, learned by heart." --Mark Twight

- BANFF award-winner

Extreme climber. Extreme writer. Extreme personality. No matter what he's doing, Mark Twight takes a definite, and often controversial , stand. Anyone who knows climbing knows Twight's name, and anyone who knows Twight's name will want to read this book. Each story is told in Twight's taut, in-your-face style. Brand-new epilogues bring each piece full circle , providing updated information and fresh, hindsight perspectives.

Customer Reviews:

A harsh look to the world of an alpinist.......2005-03-29

In compilation of his articles written over a period of 20 years, Twight provides a harsh and bittering look to an extreme alpinist's , a punk's, and a man's world who keeps losing friends, year by year. One can really figure out inner development of Twight, who sought more and more complex, unrepeated routes every year, which have been crowned by 63 hour ascent of Czech Direct on Denali. On his way to alpine perfection, Twight sees experiences near death situations, success, loss of friends, breaking up from intimate ones, the trust amd the alchemy of partnership, dysfunctional family, etc.. As his rage gets calmer, but the passion gets deeper, he shaves more and more of his attitude to alpinism for perfection, just like a samurai who keeps fighting not anymore for war, but the way of the sword and inner peace gained looking for it.

The book, which can mean much to any alpinist or a climber, may present an interesting account to read for anyone on armchair.

Very Twight.......2003-05-02

Long, long ago, I saw Mark give a show in Boulder. It was laced with profanity and although it was entertaining at times, it was also so dependant upon proving that Mark was different, better, more intense and more... Twight, than any of us could ever be, and ultimately, that made the whole seem less than the sum of the parts. Over the years, I've read his articles and have seen more of his talks, all of which were a testament to the Mellowing of Mark. Yes, he has mellowed, but that is not to suggest that he is mellow.

Kiss or Kill has a similar flavor to it, showing the change of Dr. Doom over time and place. I found it extremely funny, extremely sad, extremely entertaining and sometimes extremely overcooked. In short, extremely Twight. It belongs on any committed climber's bookshelf.

Opinions are good.......2003-02-27

In Kiss or Kill, Mark reveals his inner turmoils, uses them to push himself harder, and then puts them on paper. He writes in an opinionated form but backs himself up with facts. Whether you care to practice alpinism or not during your lifetime, no one can disagree that Mark has completed routes that no one else will ever repeat. This book, although none of the chapters are ordered, is about life when everything is said and done. Mark opens up so much and spills out so many of his inner turmoils that one cannot read this book without realizing that they at one point dealt with at least some of the same issue(s). Relationships, all-talk individuals, interviews and death... it's all in this book. Anyone who grew up in the punk and hardcore scene will be able to relate to Mark from the start.

Very cool book........2003-02-25

This is an intense book. VERY INTENSE. In his forward, Twight challenges the reader directly when he says that he wants to make them think, think really HARD, about what he's writing. Twight expects the reader to put it down periodically to do that thinking. He succeeded. This book is an intensely personal perspective on climbing, the ethos of climbing, and the friendships of climbing. The stories are, sometimes, not easy to read -- I sometimes found myself re-reading parts of them just to make sure that I didn't miss anything. Later in the book, Twight indicates that the "Dr. Doom" persona that he put on was sometimes (maybe) overdone for the articles he wrote. Nonetheless, the feelings of anger and rage and the feeling that he just wants to climb his own way and to his own standards, without interference, appear completely genuine starting right from his quotes from his favorite punk rock songs. Adding to the level of interest are Twight's comments after every article where, with some experience and maybe mellowing of time, he adds some additional reflections on what the story meant to him then and now. (Note: This book won the 2001 Banff Mountain Book Award for Mountain Literature.)

The Sting of the Truth.......2002-02-21

For those not yet initiated in the ways of author and alpine climber Mark Twight, prepare for a literary onslaught on the senses. This guy gets on the last nerve of every mewling maggot who's ever lived a symbiotic existence with a piece of discount furniture. If you're looking for a grand, sweeping, heroic tale in lily white of the conquering of the world's loftiest peaks, look elsewhere. Twight, like any man who places his life in danger in the pursuit of acheivement in this modern age, is an anachronism, and it is to his credit that he even chooses to share his intensely personal and grippingly described adventures among rock, ice, and death. This is serious business, not some guided hiking tour up some overly traveled behemoth. Twight is a visionary alpinist, a fine writer before awards changed his climbing nickname to "Mr. Twight, sir" from the original, and quite accurate, "Dr. Doom." Twight doesn't mince words or deeds. He climbs, writes, and lives by a personal sense of ethics, and if you've never heard of such a concept, this might be the introduction you're looking for.

Book Description

John Crawford joined the Florida National Guard to pay for his college tuition. One weekend a month. Two weeks a year. A free education. But in 2002, one semester shy of graduation and on his honeymoon, Crawford was shipped off to the front lines in Iraq. Once there he was determined to get it all down, to chronicle the daily life of a soldier in all its brutal, terrifying, heartbreaking honesty. The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell introduces a powerful new literary voice forged in the most intense of circumstances.

Customer Reviews:

At leat it was published.......2007-10-17

I had to read this book for a war lit class. This was followed by "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien which I had read bits and pieces of for another lit class. Knowing that Crawford took a few creative writing classes, I'm sure he had to read O'Brien's work because it is so widely used in creative writing classes. This book is a cheap imitation of the very well written Tim O'Brien book.

I've never been in the military, regretfully, but by adding "Accidental Soldier" to the title, the author discredits himself. Every time a police officer or fireman goes out on a call, they know their life is in danger, they knew that when they signed up for the job. I'm guessing that being in the military is the same way. You know that when your country says go that you have to go. When a coal miner enters a mine, he knows the dangers that lie within the throat of the tunnel he enters.

I consider the book a piece of creative non-fiction as opposed to straight non-fiction, and I do hope the author tries his hand at something other than more Iraq stories. I think everyone is tired of the mis-information that comes from those with agendas--whether they are for or against the war. To the author, congrats on a publishing credit!

The Saddest True Story You'll Ever Read.......2007-08-11

This was a tough one for me to review. Vietnam was my era and I read Crawford's book hoping to use it as a basis of comparison with Vietnam. That Crawford's account of Iraq is so similar to Vietnam saddened me, another case of botched American foreign policy prosecuted by alternative means.

At times his story read like a war memoir and a good one. At other times it read like a confession and a sad one. I could not help asking myself `would more/better officer supervision have made a difference in Crawford's performance wrt his view of the Iraqi people?' I'm mainly talking about morale factors here--making sure the men weren't so overworked, making sure they had better living conditions, e.g., regular laundry/showers, making sure the treatment of the Iraqis was at all times respectful and professional (whether they deserved it or not).

I wondered also at the apparent lack of officer participation on patrols. (Crawford's account seemed to run very counter to what we see on CNN from the embedded reporters.) It was reminiscent of the field grade officers in Vietnam micromanaging ground battles from their C&C helicopters. Or when those same officers would helicopter into the base camps from their air conditioned trailers in the rear with their fresh starch and spit-shined jungle boots (everything brand new, of course) thinking they would somehow be more inspirational to the field troops.

I'd like to see Crawford get a do-over on his year in Iraq--not for real, of course, just a thought experiment. But if he'd had the up-close-and-personal junior officer participation he deserved, would he have still come home a PTSD basket case? Would the insurgency effort in Iraq be so progressed as it is today, i.e., would the Iraqis still hold us in such universal disdain? Or would he have just had a bunch of foul-smelling, dope-using, bad-attitude junior officers to contend with?

What really did it to Crawford? What put him over the top? Was it the year of ill-defined missions and bad living conditions and worse leadership, or was the collateral casualty he was involved with? Help me out, Crawford. Write me one more `last true story'.

Still, Crawford's memoir/confession--whatever you choose to call it--has a ring of truth, and for that I give him 5 stars.

--Ejner Fulsang, author of "A Knavish Piece of Work" Aarhus Publishing 2006

Very good rendering.......2007-06-16

I overlooked this for a while, but it is worth the time. It is a quick read, and has the same intensity of Jarhead, the book. Tim O'Brien seems to have been an influence on the author, and I would reccommend his version, The Things They Carried. Loved that, six stars. As far as Crawford, I lost him in the final chapter. Did his wife leave him? I wish he'd flushed out his final stories more.

Raw and Devestating!.......2007-06-11

I was brought up in the military, was a military wife and now have a brother and a nephew in both Iraq and Afghanistan - the military code of honor is as natural to me as breathing. And yet, this Iraq war has me angry, ashamed, worried and terrified. This war is being bungled and mishandled. This enemy cannot be fought with a conventional military using conventional tactics. And it is our servicemen and women and their loved ones who are paying the price - because, as we have seen, our Government has no intention of shelling out any extra money to them for their safety, welfare or healthcare. They don't even want to take proper care of the ones who do get wounded in this damn war!

This is a very hard story to read. You'll feel dirty, sweaty and hear the bullets whiz by your head. The hopelessness of ever going home will exhaust you as surely as the night patrols will. The stench of feces'-filled streets will penetrate your nose but you'll get use to it like the soldies do; as you will the flies that gather around your nose and mouth. A shower won't come for a week or so but you'll just have to cope; after all, when everyone smells the same, no one notices and there is a reason G-d put feet as far away from the nose as He did. The nights are scary and long but sleep is short - or non-existant which is every soldier's lament. Sounds are magnified and unidentifiable, nerves are shot, helmets or rocks never make comfortable pillows and no matter how total the exhaustion, a deep, recuprative sleep never comes in a combat zone. You only zone and the body remains hungry, washed-out and in limbo. The perfect state to be in as you head out into unfamiliar territory where every step you take, every moment of exposure and everything you are surrounded with are an invitation to a lethal encounter.

This is a soldier's story. The story of one who fought with honor, courage and dignity in a war waged by a dishonorable ego maniac.

man's inhumanity toward his fellow man!.......2007-06-06

I was amused by all the visceral respones to john Crawford's brilliant book. Those on the right belittle his style, condemn his whinning about having to serve in the Iraq war (sorry, O P E R A T I O N!!!) Iraqi freedom., and call him a spoiled frat-boy, and assign his story one star. Those on the left give him five stars, and rave about a true, powerful depiction of the Iraqi occupational war! Crawford's tome is so much more! He captures man's inhumanity towards man better than any book since All Quiet On The Western Front. How can you not identify with his addiction and marital problems? His point is not whether you are a Democrat or Republican; or for that matter whether one lives in a democracy or toils under the yoke of a dictator; the end result is always the same, namely that the L I T T L E guy is harnessed to do the bidding of misguided leaders, whether their name is Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Clinton ,Bush 41 or Bush 43. Little people like Crawford are both physically and spiritually mamed for life, while the privelaged like the ambitious officers in his book, like Barbara and Jenna Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Senator Bentson avoid serving in harms way.

The Battle of Ideas in the War on Terror: Essays on U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Middle East
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Thoughtful Analyses of Public Diplomacy Challenges

Misinformed soldiers

The Battle of Ideas in the War on Terror: Essays on U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Middle East
Robert Satloff
Manufacturer: Washington Institute for Near East Policy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0944029922

Book Description

In this collection of essays -- including several written expressly for this volume -- Robert Satloff takes aim at the conventional wisdom concerning the post-9/11 "battle of ideas" and offers a bold, hopeful, and unapologetic vision for U.S. public diplomacy in the Middle East. The essays take a closer look at U.S. government efforts to reach out to Arabs and Muslims and recommends how--and how not--to wage a campaign for their "hearts and minds."

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Thoughtful Analyses of Public Diplomacy Challenges.......2007-01-27

As Alberto Fernández, from the State Department, stated subtitled Essays on U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Middle East, Satloff's brief book gathers previously published articles from 2001-04 plus some new pieces into a useful compendium of the author's thoughtful analyses of the public diplomacy challenges America faces. Full of practical suggestions, this is no dusty tome but a useful and rousing call to action. Satloff's plea that we nurture a wide range of like-minded allies in this ideological struggle is a suggestion ignored at our peril: "the strategy to defeat Islamism must be rooted in promoting the sort of political, social and economic change within existing regimes that denies Islamists opportunities for growth, not in creating a reign of political chaos from which Islamists ... stand to benefit most."

Satloff outlines a wide range of helpful initiatives, some which already exist (like English language teaching) but are in need of enhanced funding while others (such as promoting alternative media) are great ideas in search of innovative public diplomacy personnel and new budgets to make them happen. In his final essay, Satloff deftly identifies the structural barriers, most of which have their genesis inside the Beltway, that have hampered the development of an aggressive, consistent, and powerful strategy of ideological engagement with the Muslim world: "a lack of clarity, a lack of priorities, and a lack of urgency."

He was right on target with his criticism as of the book's publication, but this practitioner believes that considerable progress in the right direction began in August 2005 with the appointment of Karen Hughes as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. Under her dynamic leadership, the battle of ideas has purposefully been joined.

Misinformed soldiers.......2005-06-14

The Battle of Ideas in the War on Terror is a number of articles that criticize America's foreign policy and offer what looks like a treatise by Robert Satloff, Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former ambassador to Morocco, on how this policy should be changed.
Even though Satloff's criticism falls right on target, his recommendations on what America should do to win the hearts and minds in the Arab and Muslim worlds do not seem any different than the existing policies. As always, the problem with Americans analyzing their country's foreign policy is their weakness in understanding the nations that this policy targets in the first place.
The book is full of contradictions. Satloff suggests that America should not treat Arabs and Muslims as a uniform nation lest pan-Arabism and pan-Islamisms inflame further anti-Americanism. Throughout his book, however, he treats the Arab world -- for the most part -- as being a single bloc and offers the many similar recommendations to all of the 22 Arab states.
Satloff also endorses a tone of an expert on the minds and hearts of Arabs. It is hard to tell, however, what stands behind such claims. True that he lived in Morocco. Yet, American ambassadors around the world usually commute in armored motorcades and rarely get in touch with the average citizens of the nations where they serve. More often than not such ambassadors - who after their service become outspoken experts on the countries where they served - mostly get to meet these countries' ruling elite and upscale people who rarely reflect what is on the mind of an average Arab Joe. Without understanding what is on these people's minds, "battling" for their hearts and minds - as Satloff suggests - seem like a losing battle.
In terms of style, the book has some redundant pieces and it would have been much better had Satloff decided to merge all og his article ideas into one coherent work.

The Battle of Ideas in the War on Terror: Essays on U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Middle East. : An article from: Infantry Magazine

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The Battle of Ideas in the War on Terror: Essays on U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Middle East. : An article from: Infantry Magazine
Youssef Aboul-Enein
Manufacturer: U.S. Army Infantry School
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Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Infantry Magazine, published by U.S. Army Infantry School on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 583 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 Battle of Ideas in the War on Terror: Essays on U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Middle East.
Author: Youssef Aboul-Enein
Publication: Infantry Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: U.S. Army Infantry School
Volume: 94 Issue: 1 Page: 53(1)

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Planner and originator of the Appalachian Trail and a cofounder of the Wilderness Society, Benton MacKaye (1879-1975) was a pioneer in linking the concepts of preservation and recreation. Spanning three-quarters of a century, his long and productive career had a major impact on emerging movements in conservation, environmentalism, and regional planning. MacKaye's seminal ideas on outdoor recreation, wilderness protection, land-use planning, community development, and transportation have inspired generations of activists, professionals, and adventurers seeking to strike a harmonious balance between human need and the natural environment.

This pathbreaking biography provides the first complete portrait of a significant and unique figure in American environmental, intellectual, and cultural history. Drawing on extensive research, Larry Anderson traces MacKaye's extensive career, examines his many published works, and describes the importance of MacKaye's relationships with such influential figures as Lewis Mumford, Aldo Leopold, and Walter Lippmann. This book will appeal to students, scholars, and professionals in preservation, conservation, recreation, planning, and American studies, as well as general readers interested in these subjects.

Customer Reviews:

One person CAN make a difference.......2003-03-04

Perhaps you're familiar with the name Benton MacKaye (1879-1975); at the very least, you've heard of the Appalachian Trail. You might see the title of this book and say, "Oh, OK, he was the guy who thought up the idea for a footpath from Maine to Georgia. Big deal. I've never stepped on it, so why should I care about him?" Well, without Benton MacKaye, we probably wouldn't have the Trail. We might not have a Wilderness Society, the Wilderness Act of 1964, the National Trail Systems Act of 1968, or the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. We might not have Shenandoah National Park in Virginia or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddling the Tennessee-North Carolina border. We could instead have just interstate highways crowning the entire length of the eastern mountain range. We could conceivably have uninterrupted suburbia from the Atlantic coastline to the Midwest, with little consideration given to the mountains or any natural area in between. Benton MacKaye might very well be one of the most influential 20th-century American environmentalists you've never heard of.

A New Englander with a Harvard graduate degree in forestry, MacKaye spent most of his professional life taking a variety of short-term government or association jobs that dealt with conservation issues. Eventually he carved a niche for himself as an outspoken regional planner. He was adept at writing articles and proposing legislation that included catchy words or concepts: geotechnics, new exploration, townless highways, highwayless towns, watershed democracies, wildland belts, and habitability. For MacKaye was at heart a boy who loved to wander through the natural landscape of central Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. In the early 1900s, he was already worried about increasing numbers of motorists invading those wild spaces, particularly into the region's mountainous areas. He spent the majority of his life fighting to keep those places "sound-proof as well as sight-proof" from the intrusion of contemporary civilization. In some ways, he was the Thoreau of his day.

The formal publication of "The Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning" (included here as an appendix) came to fruition in 1921, and it laid the foundation for the rest of his articles and essays. We who consider ourselves environmentalists today find his words still striking an inner chord. MacKaye wrote in the 1950s: "Verily, the first and simplest rule on earth: Give back to the earth that which we take from her. Return the good we have borrowed; in short, pay our ecological bills. Pay them in dirt, not dollars. It's the only currency the good earth accepts. Too long have we lived on dollar ecology." (p. 336) Yes, Mr. MacKaye, yes. Let's shout that one from the mountaintops, if we can still find them.

Anderson is admirably neutral in presenting the facts and interpreting MacKaye's connections with and influences on more "famous" individuals like Lewis Mumford, Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, and Olaus Murie. That must have been a tough job indeed, since the author obviously spent a huge amount of time with his subject. The resulting details are valuable to have compiled into one volume but might limit readership to scholars of the AT or of the environmental movement. With every turn of a page, though, his chronicle of MacKaye's endeavors brings home a basic truth that still holds today: that every environmental debate is a political one. We can be either encouraged or chagrined by that knowledge.

On the trail of Benton MacKaye. (Planners Library).(discussion of Larry Anderson book): An article from: Planning
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On the trail of Benton MacKaye. (Planners Library).(discussion of Larry Anderson book): An article from: Planning

Manufacturer: American Planning Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B0009FZ9Y8
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Planning, published by American Planning Association on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 441 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: On the trail of Benton MacKaye. (Planners Library).(discussion of Larry Anderson book)
Publication: Planning (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: American Planning Association
Volume: 69 Issue: 3 Page: 37(2)

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