Sugar Baron: Manuel Rionda and the Fortunes of Pre-Castro Cuba

Book Description

Sugar Baron is the story of Manuel Rionda (1854-1943), who immigrated from Spain to Cuba as a boy of 16 to become a dominant operator in the international sugar trade and to stand at the crossroads of U.S.-Cuban economic relations. Through an examination of Rionda's career as founder of the Cuba Cane Sugar Corporation and of New York's major sugar brokerage firm, Muriel McAvoy gives us an in-depth history of Cuba's sugar industry and its economy during the first half of the 20th century.

McAvoy examines the dilemmas of development and the constraints of financial dependency, probing the inside story of how both Wall Street's and Cuba's political elite viewed the crucial economic problems facing the island and how they attempted to solve them. In great detail, she elucidates conflicts among the various economic sectors in both Cuba and the United States, providing unique and often corrective insights.

Stressing the significance of the Cuban elite in furthering and profiting from the development of Cuba as a sugar enclave, Sugar Baron shows that Rionda and the other hacendados did much to ensure that a single export would dominate their island's economy, enriching themselves in the process. Challenging the view that U.S. capitalism reduced Cuba's businessmen to helpless pawns, McAvoy provides a clearer view of the responsibility for events between the Spanish-American War and the triumph of Castro's revolution.

Book Description

Now in paperback . . . an insider look at the NBA phenom, including the Lakers' 1999-2000 championship season

When Kobe Bryant joined the glitzy Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 right out of high school, he faced a wave of media hype that declared him the next Michael Jordan. Now a veteran of five NBA seasons at the age of 23, Bryant has earned a place among pro basketball's elite. Mad Game documents his hard lessons on the road to stardom, his rapid rise through the NBA, and his conflicts with--and, at times, alienation from--his teammates, including his on-and-off-again relationship with Shaquille O'Neal. This is a story of triumph, of an unusually gifted young athlete trying to remain true to himself and his game.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Book.......2002-06-18

Kobe Bryant is all Ready a Important Player but wait until a few years down the line His Best shall come.the Guy is a Good Balance of Talent&Flaw.He is gonna be Scary in years to Come.this Book brings all those Elements&More out.He has had to deal with alot of things On&Off the COurt but He is Headed for Something Special with His Career.the Sky is the Limit for Him.

Mad Game, now Mad NBA CHAMPION!.......2000-06-20

I read the book a little while back, and I thought it was a great read on the most electrifying basketball player today. At that time, Kobe was going through a lot of growing pains, a lot of failures, crticisms, bad chemistry with teammates. And now, this season, I've seen Kobe's maturation and improvement in the league, playing more under control, playing in Phil Jackson's triangle offense, having better rapport with Shaq and his teammates. His incredible performance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in overtime was unforgettable and it is only the beginning. Now he is finally an NBA champion with the Lakers, and hopefully, this will be the beginning of another great Laker dynasty, the first of the 21st century!

#1.......2000-05-12

welcom to the world of kobe bryant this book is nomber 1 out of2,865 books i have read (still counting) this book doesnt just tellyou about kobe it tells you about the whol lakers history and abot how other players reflect on kobe bryant like m.j. & magic Johnson I've read this book 3 times and i never get tierd of it i could tell you at least 5 things kobe has remarked of the top of my head I'm 11 years old & for me to type this much I'd have to love this book! & allso the author r. lazenby is supurb!

Book Description

The lavishly illustrated companion book to the new film by the award-winning director of Quest for Fire, The Bear, and The Name of the Rose—about twin tiger brothers in the jungles of French Indochina in the colonial period, a major family summer movie from Universal Pictures.

"This movie is a combination of three of my greatest passions: the animal world; a love of temples and monasteries; and my fascination with the European colonial period. Although it is a fable, Two Brothers also deals with important contemporary issues.

"I am very sad to see that the world that we share with many other species is vanishing. My great hope is that Two Brothers will help us understand the pleasure of sharing the world with animals and to encourage their conservation.

"Humans are not alone on the earth, they are not the only ones who have feelings and experience adventures. I think it is important for cinema to give the viewpoint of the forgotten 'people.'"—Jean-Jacques Annaud

Five months shooting a major feature film in Thailand and Cambodia, amidst the temples of Angkor, with tigers imported from France and the US was an extraordinary, even life-changing experience for the international cast, starring Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential), and a crew of more than 400 people. Their leader was the intrepid director/writer/producer Jean-Jacques Annaud who has always been willing to undergo enormous hardship in order to bring the film that he has imagined to the screen, as evidenced by his visionary work on such movies as Quest for Fire, The Name of the Rose, The Bear, and Seven Years in Tibet.

In riveting detail and fully illustrated with stills, drawings, historical paintings, and images that inspired and tracked the process, this beautiful book covers the entire moviemaking odyssey, from pre-production, begun more than a year prior to shooting, through the final post-production stages. Included are fascinating sections on the selection and training of the tigers—cubs and full-grown—by world-renowned animal handlers, including Thierry Le Portier, who worked on the movies The Bear and Gladiator.

Two Brothers is the story of twin tiger brothers born amidst the temple ruins and exotic jungles who are separated as cubs and taken into captivity, one tiger to become a circus performer, the other a trained killer. Years later, the brothers find themselves reunited, but as forced enemies pitted against each other. Guy Pearce plays an adventurer of English origin, whose tragic intervention into the idyllic lives of the two tiger brothers forever intertwines their fates. 100 color illustrations.

Average customer rating:

LAME!!!

A good choice

Indispensable book for parents!

If You're Happy & You Know It Kick Your Legs

Games Babies Play: From Birth to 12 Months
Vicki Lansky
Manufacturer: MJF Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Infants | Babies & Toddlers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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Baby Play (Gymboree)

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 156731273X

Customer Reviews:

LAME!!!.......2006-05-28

I'm glad I found this in the bargain bin and didn't spend full price for it. Lame lame lame. Give me a break, so we really need this book to show us how to interact and play? The ideas and songs are (can I say lame again) just not worthy of being in this book - we should already know this stuff. Sorry.

A good choice.......2002-07-05

You already know the games they recommend, but it is great to have them remind you when you're feeling zapped.

Indispensable book for parents!.......2000-05-29

When it's 3 AM and you're plumb out of ideas on what todo with a fussy 2-month-old who will not sleep (AUGH!) ... open thisbook and get to work. This is one of my absolute favorite help books for parents ... both new and experienced! It has become a mandatory baby shower gift from me, along with Meditations for New Mothers and Pat the Bunny. And aside from giving the parents new ideas on how to entertain their infant, it stimulates the baby, aiding in the learning and developmental processes. Teach your other children as well, as interaction with their new sibling will only help in their bonding experience. ENJOY!

If You're Happy & You Know It Kick Your Legs.......2000-04-05

This is just one of the suggested activities in Games Babies Play. I like this book because it has a lot of suggestions for each age group the book covers: 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 months. Many other activiy book short change newborns, which is probably when you're most out of ideas. (After you've said, "Who loves you?" 100 times, you need to add some variety.)

Book Description

Do ever you feel like you live at the office instead of your house? Do your coworkers see you more often than your spouse? Take back your workday and your life! Organize Your Work Day In No Time will show you how to use your work time more efficiently through simple time management and organization techniques. Author and professional organizer K.J. McCorry will show you how to organize paper and electronic files, deal with e-mail overload, use contact software to its full potential and structure and easy-to-follow action less to become more efficient while you're at work. You will also have access to downloadable shopping lists, worksheets, to-do lists and other helpful information to help you get and stay organized. Get more done in less time and get more time at home and away from work with the expert help of Organize Your Work Day In No Time.

Customer Reviews:

Read this book to improve your productivity.......2005-06-21

K.J. McCorry covers everything you need to know about organizing your work day, beginning with deciding how you'd like to spend it. The electronic organizing information is essential--manage Outlook better, organize your email files, use your electronic calendar. Loaded with easy to implement how-to's and easy to understand instruction, this book will help you put things where they belong so you can find them again. It will help you save that useless time spent hunting for things!

With this book, you can form a new organizing habit in 21 days by tackling things in "small chunks".

Best tip: Train your mind to clean up before you move on to another task.

A must read for easy to do solutions!.......2005-05-17

What a great book! Whether you are an organized or disorganized person, you will be able to find useful and practical information in this book. There are so many factors that can affect our workday and this book addresses them. From paper and electronic filing systems to managing e-mail overload, the tips and time savers takes the unmanageable and makes it manageable. If you are looking for an easy to read and easy to implement book that deals with the real day to day issues, I suggest you read this book.

you NEED this book.......2005-05-03

My favorite chapters are "Improving your relationship with Email",
"Creating the Perfect File System" and
"Using your Contact Software to Its Full Potential"

I am going to start with the email chapter and see if i can't get rid of some of these 1,000 emails in my inbox-ughhhh

This book caught my eye because my work style is very disorganized.
My email clutters up, my contacts are not in any categories and I am so tired of dealing with all the paper work by the time 5 p.m. comes that I am too tired to go home and clean anything at all.

I really need this book. I hope I can follow through with all these suggestions.
I have decided to take one chapter a month.

Book Description

Jack and Rochelle Sutin crossed paths in the winter of 1942-43, when, after separate escapes from Nazi ghetto labor camps, they discovered each other in the wooded lands of Poland. The forest where they remained in hiding was a place where many Jews and Russians, the so-called partisans, had fled to in an effort to escape Nazi persecution.

Despite their bleak surroundings—inhuman living conditions and ever-present danger—Jack and Rochelle began a careful courtship that flourished into a deepening love. With a new determination and a thirst for revenge, Jack led partisan raids on nearby Polish farms that were occupied by Nazi sympathizers. Thus was their resistance waged, often in ignorance of what atrocities were being committed in the rest of Europe. Cut off from the outside world, the partisans' survival depended on desperate, makeshift warfare strategies. Maintained by a blind faith and their deep love for one another, Jack and Rochelle survived circumstances that had never before been imposed on a people.

Today, Jack and Rochelle are part of a small group of resistance fighters whose testimony offers all readers and students a unique perspective on this terrible episode of human history. Lawrence Sutin herein presents his parents' story in their own words, stories that he has heard throughout his life. In a thoughtful afterword, he reflects on his experiences as a child of Holocaust survivors.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent read.......2006-08-20

This is a truly amazing story of human courage. Jack and Rochelle were not only brave enough to run away from their Germany captors, but then spent years living in the woods surviving and fighting back. Even after the Russian liberation and their departure from the woods, Jack and Rochelle fought danger constantly until they could get to an American displaced persons camp. They were such survivors. I can't imagine living through what they did, especially at their young ages.

I read this in a day because I couldn't put it down.

horrifying, but inspiring true story.......2004-12-06

Jack and Rochelle Sutin were Jewish and met during WWII. I have read many stories of the holocaust from the perspective of the concentration camp. But never a story like Jack and Rochelle's!! They escaped from the ghetto and hid out it the woods during the war. (Small groups of Jews banded together in the woods.) Sound idyllic? Their existence was horrific, dreadful, and desperate! They were often reduced to being like animals. If a woman arrived pregnant, no one wanted her in their group - a baby is noisy and would be too risky. (If the woman was accepted into the group despite her pregnancy, she was forced to kill her newborn or someone in the group killed it for her.) Jewish women, who were alone and did not find a group of Jews to join, often had to perform sexual favors to find someone to take them in or help them. (Cruel and heartless Russian partisans were the worst offenders!) Despite the absolute horror of this true story, the story of Jack and Rochelle is inspiring. They met in the woods, and survived - overcoming great odds. They later married and came to the USA. The book is also well-written, and is an "easy read" in regards to the writing style.

Amazing, riveting, compelling, mind boggling story of love........2004-10-18

Jack and Rochelle is probably one of the best books I have read in the past 5 yrs. It is truly amazing what they endure during the war and how they survive. There truly isn't any words to describe how much I loved this book. Thank you Jack and Rochelle for writing your experiences! This is a well written and easy to read book. The story is very easy to follow and so important to be read! I hope that everyone has a chance to read this book. It makes you realize you need to be a kinder and more understanding person to others. Hate is an awful thing....and there is still too much of it in our world! Thank you Jack and Rochelle! God bless you both!

compelling narrative of determined Holocaust resistance.......2003-05-14

Ably edited by their son Lawrence, the instructive and inspiring Holocaust narrative of Jack and Rochelle Sutin provides ample proof of both the degradation implicit in the Shoah and the astounding strength and courage Jewish partisans demonstrated in their battle against the attempted Nazi genocide. "Jack and Rochelle" is a deceptively easy book to read; the chapters consist of blended chronological testimonies; Lawrence Sutin honorably avoids imposing his own voice on his parents, instead allowing his mother and father to describe, in their own words, their own cadences, the horrors they faced and the gritty resolve they mustered to fight back. Rarely does a subtitle so accurately depict the contents of a memoir as does their own: "A Holocaust Story of Love and Resistance."

Both Jack and Rochelle came from educated and enlightened eastern European Jewish families. As the two of them chronicle the onset of anti-Jewish depradations, they remind us of the rich texture of their pre-war lives. This dimension of humanity, of lives complicated by strained love relations, competitive urges and the deeply felt need for independence, makes the Nazi onslaught all the more unsettling and horrific.

Several themes predominate in the Sutins' braided lives. First is the omnipresence of Jew hatred, whether it be in pre or post war Poland, in the brutally repressive Soviet bureaucracy or the finely honed hatred of Nazi Germany. Indifferent neighbors, vicious anti-Jewish Russian partisans (who commit ghastly sexual offenses against women who want nothing more than to join them in battling a common enemy), and the active participants in human eradication, the Nazis, make the Sutins' world one of constant peril. Survival is never taken for granted, and Jack and Rochelle's descriptions of their physical torment, often undertated, is wrenching to read. Personal sacrifice exists on every level: physical, social and spiritual. Rochelle's first child dies within a day due to exposure when its survival imperils others; Jack is literally covered with pus-filled boils as a result of living outside the boundaries of human habitation.

Yet, neither Jack or Rochelle never complain, never give themselves away to self-pity. Instead, they are infused with the Judaic command to remember and Rochelle's mother's insistence on revenge, to take action to avenge the murder of their people. In this charged atmosphere of sanguine justice and physical erosion, amidst the rank and fetid habitat of primitive partisan surroundings, hope and love survive. Jack dreams that Rochelle will appear. She does. Despite sexual abuse and spiritual depletion, Rochelle gradually accepts and receives Jack's love. He has never stopped loving her.

"Jack and Rochelle" is above all a cry of victory. It is a cry that murder and eradication cannot conquer a people. It is a cry that memory and consecration to life will prevail over death. It is a cry that love can endure, even if it is formed in the absolute crucible of death.

Survivors of WWII in Poland.......2003-01-10

A true story well told. An uplifting story about the power of love, faith, and self reliance. The unbelievable resiliance of humans to survive and keep their sanity in a world gone crazy. The book does not dwell on the horrors or even give explicit descriptions. The two main characters had a hard enough time and were not physically tortured or held prisoner. They simply hid out and lived in terror for several years until miraculously making their escape to the West. These were two lucky people who nevertheless suffered years of fear and depradation.

Average customer rating:

Amusing Li'l Book of Facts

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance " Last words of Union Gen. John Sedgewick,1864

Intriguing bits and pieces

Sounds fascinating

Essential Militaria: Facts, Legends, and Curiosities About Warfare Through the Ages
Nicholas Hobbes
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany

ASIN: 0802117724

Book Description

Collected here for the first time is a fascinating and compulsively readable assortment of facts, figures, lists, and other various curiosities about warfare throughout history, from ancient times to modern-day combat. Find out in which of General Patton's past lives he was a caveman (his first life was supposedly as a prehistoric mammoth hunter), what the six worst reasons for going to war in history are (French pastries, animal fat, and losing a soccer match are all culprits), why Iraqis aren't the first to appear on playing cards (World War II leaders were on cards in Belgium-Hitler was The Joker), who has the largest military budgets (the United States and Russia), and which countries military expenditures are largest in relation to gross domestic product (the United States slips to forty-third, while North Korea tops the list). For anyone who bought a copy of the best-selling Schott's Original Miscellany, or has an interest in military facts and figures, Essential Militaria is the perfect gift for the armchair general.

Customer Reviews:

Amusing Li'l Book of Facts.......2007-05-26

This is pretty much your basic bathroom reader, not to put too fine a point on it. It's a compilation of interesting, unusual, and bizarre facts, quotes, deeds, and lists relating to weapons, warriors, and warfare. A lot of it will have been seen previously by knowledgeable readers elsewhere. You've got statistics on the largest battleships, rates of fire of various weapons, tables showing the rank structure of various services, casualty lists from assorted battles and wars, and so forth. I wouldn't call it "essential", but it's certainly a good stocking stuffer sort of gift for the amateur military historian in your household.

Note that it skews primarily toward American and British history.

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance " Last words of Union Gen. John Sedgewick,1864.......2006-12-29

Anyone who has been in the Military or reads Military History will be fascinated with this little tome. It is a small book 4 3/4" X 7 1/4",HC,and only 154 pages. But man-o man,what a lot of interesting stuff in it. The information is so well broken down,categorized and presented ;it is unbelievably easy to get through. With many history books,if you skip a page ,miss a point,or even miss it's significence;you get lost;or at best don't understand it. Not the case with this book.You can pick it up,open it anywhere and start reading.How's that for a history book; especially one about Military History.
It's virtually impossible to summarize what is in this book;because it covers so many different things.
The title got my curiosity up and a check with Webster's defines Militaria as; "collected military souvenirs". I would be more inclined to call the book a collection of
Military,facts,miscellanea,quotations,sayings,songs,famous and infamous battles,great and disasterous warriors,battles and weapons from 4000BC to the present time ,and on and on.
Who had the biggest armies,navies and air forces? Who had the best,worst,biggest,and most useless weapons and personnel? Who were the best and worst Generals and Admirals? Imagine pulling together the
"Rates of Fire of guns down the Ages".Starting with ;

Matchlock musket -2 rounds per minute
Flintlock -3 rpm
Gatling gun (1860's) -200 rpm
Lee-Enfield rifle (1900's) 8rpm
Thompson submachine gun (1920's) 725 rpn
Kalashnikov AK-47 (1940's) 600 rpm
M134 Minigun (1960's) -6,000 rpm
And this;
'Metal Storm' (1990's) 1,000.000 rpm.
And a whole lot of others in between.
The book finishes up with some of the best Military Quotes from the ages;

"I want you to remember that no son of a bitch ever won a war by
dying for his country.He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard
die for his country."-- Gen.George Patton

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your
accordian."--Gen. Norman Schwartzkoff

"Let him who desires peace prepare for war."--Vegetius,Fourth Century

"Nuts!" In response to the demand that he surrender his surrounded
troops at Bastogne.--Maj.Gn.McAuliffe,US Army,23 Dec,1944

"Don't talk to me about Naval tradition.It's nothing but rum,sodomy and
the lash." Winston Churchill to the Board of Admiralty,1939.

And that is just a taste of what you'll find in this little book that will become a good reference to turn to often.

Intriguing bits and pieces.......2004-09-07

I stumbled onto this book in my local library's New Arrivals section. It's now on my Wish List! I enjoy history, but I would recommend this book even to someone who doesn't. It's a small book and broken into bite-sized morsels, so it's not a huge commitment. I now have to make a point of digging up additional details on some of the fascinating quotes and figures included in this book. NOTE: I did find one error, probably resulting from note-to-press transcription: the Long Walls of Athens were NOT 6,500 miles long with a 100-mile wide corridor!

Sounds fascinating.......2004-06-18

While I have a general interest in history, I am not usually one to read history books cover to cover or run out to the store/hop on-line and buy something as soon as I hear about it. This book, however caught my eye, or rather my ear, when I heard an interview with the author on NPR's "All Things Considered." The author was interesting and articulate, and my interest was so piqued that I have spent the last hour tracking down the book (I was listening in my car, so couldn't jot the title or author's name down). I can't wait until it arrives!

Average customer rating:

Blinkered jingoism + intellectual dishonesty = this book

American ego

We Are At War With America

This is only half of it!

This is not a book that bashes the French,,,

Vile France: Fear, Duplicity, Cowardice and Cheese
Denis Boyles
Manufacturer: Encounter Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Relations | International | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Arrogance of the French : Why They Can't Stand Us--and Why the Feeling Is Mutual

America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

Our Oldest Enemy: A History of America's Disastrous Relationship with France

The American Enemy: The History of French Anti-Americanism

Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews

ASIN: 1594030529

Book Description

Boyles, who has lived and worked in France for several years, examines the internal crises--a falling birthrate, an expanding Muslim minority, economic stagnation, a lessening of international prestige--that have changed the personality of what was once La Belle France.

Download Description

In this bitingly funny and insightful polemic, Denis Boyles, who has lived and worked in France for several years, examines the internal crises-a falling birthrate, an expanding Muslim minority, economic stagnation, a lessening of international prestige-that have altered the personality of what was once "La Belle France," transforming it into a nation afflicted with status anxiety. He explains how a country that endlessly repeats its credentials as America's oldest ally has become one of our most resolute enemies, wielding the biggest weapon in its arsenal-the European Union-against the interests of an America that it fears and envies.

Customer Reviews:

Blinkered jingoism + intellectual dishonesty = this book.......2007-04-15

I wasn't going to waste the time dumping on this piece of dyspeptic intellectual chaff -- which was given to me, presumably as a joke, by a buddy of mine; but when I read that the author had urged his minions to give him 5-* ratings whether or not they'd read the book -- well, that tore it.

Any American ridiculing the ruling class in any other country -- whether by "ruling class" you mean "the political leadership" or "the wealthy" -- is so mind-numbingly hypocritical that it beggars the imagination. Take a look at *our* ruling class -- defined either way -- and we take a backseat to nobody else for egoism, egotism, narcissism, or sheer dishonesty. The gang in power in Washington -- who brought you "Mission Accomplished" three years ago (or, to put it in better perspective, 3000 American military lives ago, or several hundred billion dollars ago) -- has systematically and methodically lied its way into power, and systematically and methodically abused that power by heaping lie upon lie, all with the arrogance and self-righteousness of men (and it is mostly men) without scruples or conscience.

You support the men who have built a vast palace of glass, Mr. Boyles; how dare you throw stones? How dare you accuse anyone else of duplicity or cowardice while you support a gang of duplicitous cowards?

American ego.......2007-03-16

After reading the majority of comments posted for this book, it is clear that most Americans think you are either with them or against. No middle way. If you don't agree with every American whim (even tragic ones such as Iraq), you are anti-US. Sick and tired of it. Get a grip

We Are At War With America.......2006-11-24

With those words Francois Mitterand urged French support for the Maastricht Treaty and the European Union. And Denis Boyle goes on to prove that Mitterand meant every word. Vile France, as almost every reviewer reminded us, is kind to the people of France. Well-- understanding of their limitations might be a better phrase, but for those who live within Le Beltway: the journalists, the Labor Unions and their workers, the Universities and their jaded left-wing ageing Professoriate, the service crew such as waiters, hops, and clerks, Boyles is as incisive and biting as Silent Bob!

Want to knew why Chirac will be in jail after his Presidency, read here! Want to know who's rooting for (and conniving that) America takes a huge hit in Iraq, read here. Why the EU isn't about Europe, but about France and Germany, read here. Why the UN is a pretty useless place, read here.

This book is every Francophile's nightmare because it goes after the French with no John-Kerry like nuance whatsoever but a whole lot of funny, funny stuff. It's Boyles' version of South Park set in Paris.

This is only half of it!.......2005-12-31

Great book! With gallic humor!
The French do not like interference especially by American. They tried to kill me three times because, during WWII I discoverd their plans, and for having helped Ho Chi Minh. Because I was born in France they did not considered me a US Citizen. According to them I was a traitor subject to their rules until I die. I did not return to France for 43 years, only after those threatening me had died!
René J. Defourneaux, Author
The Winking Fox/The Tracks of the Fox
rene@defourneaux.com

This is not a book that bashes the French,,,.......2005-12-31

...but it does take a good poke at the French ruling elite -- something the French themselves do in their own books incidentally. The author makes this very clear in his introduction: The 'France' in the title is the 'ongoing invention of its...elitist, self-satisfied, self-obsessed...Paris-dwelling governing class' who, the author goes on to point out, treat the typical French citizen with 'cynical contempt.' Surely many French men and women would agree!

I received this book for Christmas as it was on my list. However I am quite surprised at the way these reviews are done. So I shall write one of my own as many of these seem to be a collection of disingenuous rants.

Most of the one-star 'reviews' here seem to be by people who quite obviously have not read the book but assume anything anti-French must be a right-wing rant. That's very odd. I reckon the American left must be reduced to thinking well of anyone who speaks ill of the US. (The author of this book points out that French behaviour toward the US is the same now as it was under Clinton and other presidents.)

But what is even more odd is the lengths to which some of these people have gone. 'Jonathan' for example quotes a line from page 144 of the book and says:

"Let me give just one example of what I mean. On Page 144 he says:

"'The economy of the eurozone rests on the solid bedrock of irrational faith.'

"Okay, so far - so good. I think I know where he's going here and I expect he'll finish it off with some good solid examples of the European's irrational economic faith. But here's what he says next:

"'Take, for example, the EU's economic stability pact, an agreement intended to make nations obey the God-given law of the checkbook. But don't take it seriously, because nobody else does.'

"And in the next paragraph he goes on to talk about something else.

"So, am I crazy?"

To which I would answer, no -- but 'Jonathan' is either a lazy reader or a dishonest one, since the author goes on for several pages through an entire section of a chapter to discuss the European stability pact, giving a summary of its history and the reasons for and results of its ineffectiveness.

I found this book to be witty and insightful. I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it lacks an index and is frankly too brief. I wish there had been more. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick and balanced look at why the French govenment does what it does in relation to the US.

Customer Reviews:

Impressive Addition to the Literature on Global Warming.......2005-12-26

I was very impressed with this book. Professor Lowe gives the clearest explanation I have read of the atmospheric chemistry changes behind the global warming crisis. The author completely demolishes the arguments of those who hold that this crisis is caused by variations in the orbit of the earth or by the fantasies of ecological extremists. The carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are at the highest point in the last 20 million years, and the author convincingly argues that it has become a moral imperative for the world community to make a serious response.

Much of the global warming literature is about the Northern Hemisphere with discussion about the rapidly warming Arctic, the recent hurricane disasters in the United States, and even the outbreak of malignant melanoma here in California. Therefore it is most helpful for the continent of Australia to be reporting in as well. And the dangers to that nation in terms of brushfires, substantially reduced water resources, and intense summer heat are fully documented. What is different about this book is the long list of practical proposals for reversing climate change. Not many global warming books emphasize architecture and public transportation. But if there are solutions available, these are two of the key components.

This is not a book for everyone. Those unfamiliar with Australian geography may feel lost in the place names. Political conservatives will not be happy about Professor Lowe's denunciations of the "rogue regimes" of Australian Prime Minister John Howard and US President George W Bush. Even I think that the author's antipathy toward automobiles is a bit overdone. But unless the warnings by Professor Lowe and others about impeding disaster are heeded, the next generation of global warming books may be about surviving the disaster which has already arrived.

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