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- On The Trail Of Mary Queen of Scots
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On the Trail of Mary Queen of Scots (On the Trail of)
J. Keith Cheetham
Manufacturer: Luath Press Limited
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Mary Queen of Scots
ASIN: 0946487502 |
Book Description
Life dealt Mary Queen of Scots love, intrigue, betrayal and tragedy in generous measure. A story seeped in tragedy that has captured many hearts all over the world.
Customer Reviews:
On The Trail Of Mary Queen of Scots.......2001-01-02
J. Keith Cheetham takes you on the journey of, "Mary Queen of Scots," from her birth to the time of her death. Not only does he bring Mary alive but he brings the places and the people she encountered during her life alive. The maps in the book help you envision the location of the tragic story. I enjoyed the book and could not put it down until I was finished reading it cover to cover. Unlike some books he keeps you wanting to turn that next page, even if you have read a hundreds of books about Mary Queen of Scots.
Book Description
While trying every sport under the sun, playing with only the best, and pushing himself to the limit, never once did acclaimed sports journalist Ian Stafford think that the sport of golf was suited for him. It just wasn't his kind of game-or so he thought. But that was only in the beginning, before he picked up his first club or met Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Jack Nicklaus, and Bernhard Langer and traveled to Greenland, Prague, New Orleans, and Tokyo. This was still way before he'd begun to think that he might actually be good at this golf business and long before he'd toyed with the crazy notion of coming face to face with the Tiger.
Follow Ian Stafford through his journey into the wonderful world of golf, a sport that has become a global epidemic, as he comes to an understanding of the attraction to the course that no true golfer can ignore. With humor and excitement, he embarks on this thoroughly enjoyable quest to find the golfer within us all. For those dedicated and fully consumed by golf or for those who have yet to feel the allure of the green . . . this book is for you.
Customer Reviews:
A Witty Adventure Through the World of Golf.......2004-07-06
Sports writer Ian Stafford sat in a taxi on the way to Heathrow listening to the cab driver relate his near death experience on a golf course. Lightning had struck the ground near him, shocking him through the grip of his golf club and knocking him to the ground. Yet so obsessed with the game, the cabbie was angry with the Gods for ruining his following shots and forcing a triple-bogey. At that point, Stafford decides he must learn to play gold and understand this world-wide obsession.
What follows is an around-the-world golf tour on a quest to learn the game and eventually play alongside Tiger Woods. From Australia, to Japan, Scotland, Denmark, the frozen wastelands of Greenland (I'm not kidding) Ian meets other famous golfers: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Isao Aoki, Ernie Els, Bernhard Langer, and many more. Eventually Tiger Woods enters the picture.
Along with the wit and the laughs are keen observations about the game and the players who flock to the greens. He looks for the golfer in all of us.
Memorable laughs--the temporary rules issued by the English Richmond Golf Club in 1940 during the London Blitz:
1. Players are asked to collect Bomb and Shrapnel splinters to save these causing damage to the Mowing Machines.
2. In Competitions, during gunfire or while bombs are falling, players may take cover without penalty for ceasing play.
3. The position of known delayed action bombs are marked by red flags at a reasonable, but not guaranteed, safe distance there-from.
4. Shrapnel and/or bomb splinters on the Fairways or in Bunkers within a club's length of the ball may be moved without penalty, and no penalty shall be incurred if a ball is caused to be moved accidentally.
(etc.)
And on the "green" in Greenland: "By anyone's standards it was a difficult shot. The ball was still some distance from the flag, the group of golfers behind were growing impatient with my slow play and the round, which had started reasonable well, was beginning to disintegrate. The main problem, though, was the iceberg."
From the Times of London: "Stafford's indomitability, his chutzpah, his lunatic hubris, inspires a kind of incredulous sympathy."
Average customer rating:
- Dracula Lives!
- Superb
- Finaly a book about the great John Carradine
- Great Introduction to Carradine
- Long overdue and worth the wait
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John Carradine: The Films
Tom Weaver , and
Gregory William Mank
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0786406070 |
Book Description
Over more than six decades and 200 films, supreme movie villain John Carradine defined the job of the character actor, running the gamut from preacher Casey of The Grapes of Wrath to his classic Count Dracula of House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. But for every Prisoner of Shark Island or Jesse James, Carradine-who also did great work on Broadway and the classical theater (he produced, directed and starred in Hamlet)-hammed it up in scores of "B" and "C" horror and exploitation films, developing the while quite a reputation for scandal. Through it all, though, he remained a survivor and a true professional. This is the first ever work devoted exclusively to the films of John Carradine. In addition to the comprehensive filmography, there is a biography of Carradine (contributed by Gregory Mank), commentary on the man by indie film director Fred Olen Ray (who helmed many latter-day Carradine movies), and an interesting piece by director Joe Dante, who writes about Carradine's involvement in Dante's 1981 werewolf movie The Howling.
Customer Reviews:
Dracula Lives!.......2001-07-20
In a career spanning hundreds of movies from "Tolerable David" in 1930 up until literally his death in 1988, John Carradine blessed this world with his many florid theater, film, and television performances. His greatest role(in his opinion) was split between major parts in the classics "Stagecoach" and "The Grapes of Wrath", both directed by John Ford. He loved to work. He loved Shakespeare. He loved women. The book details his three marriages, his drunken parties with John Barrymore, and his jail time for late alimony payments. And here, for horror fans, is a detailed breakdown of every film, from "House of Dracula" to "Satan's Cheerleaders". The large hardcover tome is complete with a myriad of pictures and posters. John Carradine is truly part of American cinema legacy. He died in Milan, Italy, attending a special screening of "Stagecoach".
Superb.......2000-08-02
John Carradine's career spanned six decades and films thatranged from acclaimed classics (The Grapes of Wrath) to undisputedstinkers (can anyone say anything positive about Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula?). In John Carradine: The Films, author Tom Weaver deftly documents each and every film of the multi-talented actor. Complete cast and credits listings, synopsis and author commentarty for each film are included, as are remembrances from various co-stars, directors, Carradine's sons and even Carradine himself.
Weaver's commentaries on the films spices up the usual dryness found in many "Films Of" books, due to their rather strict cast/crew/summary formula. An opinionated reviewer/critic, Weaver doesn't pull his punches in offering up his takes on Carradine's films. Whether or not you agree with his views, it's nice to hear definite opinions for a change in a book like this, instead of the oft-times "take-no-controversial-stand" approach which, while certainly objective, doesn't always make for the most fascinating or interesting reading.
And for regular readers of the author, not to fear...the classic puns are here in good abundance, and will not fail to make one groan and shake one's head on occasion.
Rounding out this tribute to the "thin" Dracula are recollections of Carradine from directors Joe Dante and Fred Olen Ray, and a mini-biography by Gregory Mank. Carradine's flamboyance, lust for life, and love of Shakespeare, as well as his regrets and resignation to the many poor roles he either chose or was forced to accept in order to "feed the family" are just a few of the many sides to the actor that are captured by Mank.
In all, Tom Weaver has assembled an extraordinarily fine and fitting tribute to a too-long overlooked personage of classic horror history. Par for the course for the author, John Carradine: The Films is thoroughly researched, hugely informative, frequently amusing, and most importantly: simply a must-have book.
Finaly a book about the great John Carradine.......2000-01-21
All the other big names of horror-movie-actors have been covered: Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney, Lee, Cushing, Price ... Here is finaly the first book about John Carradine and all his films (and not only the B-Movie-Horrorfilms !)It was time !
German: Endlich ein Buch über den grossen John Carradine. All seine Horrorfilm-Schauspielkollegen sind ausreichend gewürdigt worden, von Lugosi, Chaney und Karloff über Price, Lee und Cushing. Nun endlich gibt es ein Werk mit vollständiger Filmograhie (und nicht nur die Horror-B-Filme) über diesen Altmeister. Wie alles aus dem McFarland-Verlag teuer aber in jeder Beziehung in Topqualität !
Great Introduction to Carradine.......1999-11-10
Everyone recognizes his face, but few can name him. John Carradine was a memorable character actor who gave rich performances in big and small budget pictures. Finally, a book has been written about him that not only explores his life via anecdotes and interviews interspersed throughout, but his vein of work that stretched innumerable decades and genres. Author Tom Weaver has crafted a fun and lively chronological read, putting together little-known information and revealing asides to enhance our knowlegde of the work of an aspiring actor. Perhaps now, more people will seriously reappraise Carradine's work and give him the consideration he's due.
Long overdue and worth the wait.......1999-11-06
He's the actor everyone knew, but few knew anything about. Here - finally - is the definitive look at the horror icon's hundreds of films, and his surprising life, including the strained relationship with his sons. Best of all, it's by two of the brightest lights in the field.
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101 embellishments: What you can do with threads, dyes, laces, trims, fabrics, paint, beads, buttons, sequins, jewels, ribbons, etc
Janet K Rostocki
Manufacturer: Summa Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006RSIAG |
Book Description
The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) is the world's largest institution devoted exclusively to leadership research and education. For more than three decades, CCL has studied and trained hundreds of thousands of executives and worked with them to create practical models, tools, and publications for the development of effective leaders and leadership. This second edition of The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development brings together the wealth of practical knowledge that CCL has gained from this experience. It explores the essence of leadership development, reveals how individuals can effectively enhance their leadership skills, and demonstrates what organizations can do to help build leaders and leadership capacity. The book also includes a companion CD-ROM that contains a library of classic CCL publications for practicing leaders.
Download Description
The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) is the world's largest institution devoted exclusively to leadership research and education. For more than three decades, CCL has studied and trained hundreds of thousands of executives and worked with them to create practical models, tools, and publications for the development of effective leaders and leadership. This second edition of The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development brings together the wealth of practical knowledge that CCL has gained from this experience. It explores the essence of leadership development, reveals how individuals can effectively enhance their leadership skills, and demonstrates what organizations can do to help build leaders and leadership capacity. The book also includes a companion CD-ROM that contains a library of classic CCL publications for practicing leaders.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent starting point.......2000-11-18
This is an excellent overview on leadership development and is a great starting point for further reading. Anyone who's taken a course at CCL will recognize the techniques referred to in the first half of the book especially the description of Feedback Intensive Programs.
Keep in mind that this is an overview and no topic is dealt with in great detail. This should provide a good foundation for exploring topics in more detail. I found the section on cross cultural differences very enlightening and am encouraged to read more on the topic.
This is not just for OD professionals but for anyone with an interest in leadership.
Truly a "must have" for any HRD professional........1999-10-06
Perhaps the most distinguishable characteristic of the "Handbook" is its integration of complex, conceptual material with applied practical examples and illustrations. It is truly a "must have" for any human resource development professional. (permission granted by the Asheville Citizen-Times)
A top-notch book for the OD practitioner........1999-03-04
The authors of this impressive work examine six strategies for leadership development, along with illustrations of how each is used in practice. The strategies are: 360 feedback; feedback intensive programs; skill-based training; job assignments; developmental relationships; and hardships. They show how to use a systems approach, enhance ability to learn, and to evaluate leadership development initiatives. Other chapters are devoted to leadership growth for women and people of color, cross cultural issues, and the development of leaders for global roles. A top-notch book for the OD practitioner.
Book Description
With the increase in the number of organizational leadership development programs, there is a pressing need for evaluation to answer important questions, improve practice, and inform decisions. The Handbook is a comprehensive resource filled with examples, tools, and the most innovative models and approaches designed to evaluate leadership development in a variety of settings. It will help you answer the most common questions about leadership development efforts, including:
- What difference does leadership development make?
- What development and support strategies work best to enhance leadership?
- Is the time and money spent on leadership development worthwhile?
- What outcomes can be expected from leadership development?
- How can leadership development efforts be sustained?
Book Description
Coaching is vital to developing talent in organizations, and it is an essential capability of effective leaders. The CCL Handbook of Coaching is based on a philosophy of leadership development that the Center for Creative Leadership has honed over thirty years with rigorous research and with long, rich experience in the practice of leadership coaching. The book uses a coaching framework to give a compass to leaders who are called to coach as a means of building sustainability and boosting performance in their organizations. The book explores the special considerations that leader coaches need to account for when coaching across differences and in special circumstances, describes advanced coaching techniques, and examines the systemic issues that arise when coaching moves from a one-to-one relationship to a developmental culture that embraces entire organizations.
Book Description
This book is modeled after "Eighty-eight Assignments for Development in Place," one of CCL's most popular publications. In the years since that report was published, we have learned more about development in place--from research, from working with managers and organizations that are making use of developmental assignments, and from our colleagues in the field. We believe it is time once again to consolidate our knowledge into one tool to help leaders add developmental assignments to their own jobs and help others do the same. The tables inside this book are full of assignments. You'll also find cross-references to CCL's assessment tools: 360 by Design, Executive Dimensions, Benchmarks, Prospector, and Skillscope. If you want to target the development of specific competencies as a result of receiving feedback from any of these, the cross-references will direct you to appropriate assignments.
Book Description
The inspiring story of an immigrant's struggles to heal old wounds in the United States, this is the sequel to When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, Le Ly Hayslip's extraordinary, award-winning memoir of life in wartime Vietnam.
Customer Reviews:
Child of War, Woman of Peace.......2006-07-05
The sequel to When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, this book chronicles the journey of Le Ly Hayslip from Vietnam to the United States, as conditions in her county become more militaristic and she has been alienated, raped, and exiled by members of the Viet Cong. Although she has been taught to fear Americans, she also believed that the United States was a place of great prosperity, and expected to find in it an escape from her troubles. She finds that life in America is more confusing than she imagined, from using all the mechanical contraptions to getting along with her in-laws.
Quote: "This book is the story of my life in the land of "the enemy"- a Vietnamese woman struggling to survive among the "cat-eyed" Westerners whom I had been taught since birth to fear and hate."
I liked this book, although I had rather hoped (because I'm a sentimental gal) that Hayslip's life once she got to the states would be a nice fairy tale ending with rainbows and butterflies and all that good stuff. Well, life is not always quite that simple, and instead of the endless joys we have the ups and downs of acclimating to a new culture, a new family, and various other situations. It was a very interesting book- I especially liked the sections about the publication of Hayslip's first book and her charitable foundation.
Everyone can learn something from the life of Le Ly Hayslip.......2004-04-09
"Child of War, Woman of Peace" is a little bit of a continuation and a little bit of a repetition of her earlier memoir, "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places." If you've read "Heaven" and enjoyed it you will undoubtedly want to keep going and read this book as well.
Le Ly Hayslip is a woman who was brutalized by all sides in Vietnam. Then she married an abusive American and received some of that same treatment here in the US. What might have caused another person to be bitter, angry and cynical seems to have only strengthened Hayslip's resolve to live and let go. It's clear that her Buddhism played a crucial role in allowing her to do this. I'm not a Buddhist, but I do wonder about the followers of other faiths in their ability to follow in Hayslip's footsteps.
And that's ultimately what I think most readers will get out of this. If you've had a bad day, a bad year, or even bad life - read this book. If Le Ly Hayslip can forgive, move on, and make a positive contribution to this world then just about anyone else can as well. She's an inspiration and a role model to all of us, no matter who you are or what country you live in.
Sadly, Oliver Stone butchered her two books in his movie. The drama, chaos, and the meaning of Le Ly Hayslips actions just aren't conveyed well. If you've seen only the movie you've missed out on the best parts of what Hayslip has to teach us.
I can't recommend this book (and "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places") enough. It needs to be read - by everyone. I can't say that about too many books.
A MUST READ FOR EVERY WALK OF LIFE.......1999-05-23
I was fortunate enough to come across this wonderful book purely by chance last year.Miss le ly Hayslip gives a truely heart rending account of her life as a little peasant girl living in war torn vietnam.This book really puts you through an emotional meat grinder at times tearing apart your insides with Le ly's terrifying accounts of her own terrible suffering and that of her family and indeed all those around her leaving you with an awful empty feeling of total sadness and total lack of faith for the human race.Amazingly Despite all her own horrific experience of human ignorance and cruelty she bears no ill will or malice towards her fellow man and through her own incredible courage and strength of spirit,she inevitably leaves us all with a strong sense of hope and her message of compassion and peace. Sadly this terrific book seems to have been largly overlooked which is a great shame as it is a real eye opener and has so much more to say than just your average account of the horrors of war.Its a deeply moving account of one very brave little womans triumph of spirit in the face of total adversity.Anyone with the tiniest shred of compassion will be moved to tears.It Really puts our own little problems and gripes into perspective. One of the most profound and touching books i have ever read.I cannot recommend it enough,please get your hands on it and read it NOW.
Very Important -- all American youth should read.......1998-07-23
Literarily, both books are extremely well written. Not quite Hemingway or Shakespeare, but much better than any of those written by the vets (I've read ten of those).
H & E gives the experiences of a victim of the war, atrocities from both sides, but also shows the family love (and spats)that Le Ly lived.
Re the war experiences: I consider this book so important because it demonstrates how extremely evil, in effect if not intent, that a government can be, when it fixates on an ideology, at pursues it at all cost. If communism is evil, so is extreme anti-communism. Young people need to learn the reality behind all the flag-waving and "USA" chanting.
Above all, H & E and the sequel show how one person (sometimes it seems like only one person) was able to overcome the barbarities that the U.S. inflicted upon S.E. Asia. Only one of the vets memoirs, Kontum Diary, gives any glimpse of any growth of humanity.
Personally, I think that Le Ly and ! EMWF deserve the Noble Peace Prize - but they don't accept nominations.
Book Description
A study of military tactics and strategy before the War of Independence, this book reexamines the conquest of the North American wilderness and its native peoples by colonial settlers. Historians have long believed that the peculiar conditions of the New World, coupled with the success of Indians tactics, forced the colonists to abandon traditional European methods of warfare and to develop a new "American" style of combat. By combining firearms with guerrilla-like native tactics, colonial commanders were able not only to subdue their Indian adversaries but eventually to prevail against more conventionally trained British forces during the American Revolution.
Yet upon closer scrutiny, this common understanding of early American warfare turns out to be more myth than reality. As Guy Chet reveals, clashes between colonial and Indian forces during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries did not lead to a reevaluation and transformation of conventional military doctrine. On the contrary, the poor performance of the settlers during King Philip's War (1675-76) and King William's War (1689-1697) prompted colonial magistrates to address the shortcomings of their military forces through a greater reliance on British troops and imperial administrators. Thus, as the eighteenth century wore on, growing military success in the New England colonies reflected an increasing degree of British planning, administration, participation, and command.
The colonies' military and political leadership, Chet argues, never rejected the time-tested principles of European warfare, and even during the American War of Independence, the republic's military leadership looked to Europe for guidance in the art of combat.
Customer Reviews:
Colonial Warfare.......2003-05-15
An interesting book that manages in 200 short pages to effectively challenge the tradition (or orthodoxy) of American Exceptionalism and "Americanization" through the lens of American military history.
The narration of the sometimes-horrifying and sometimes-comical
encounters between English, Indian, French and British military forces indicates not only that American settlers retained their Old-World way of war (rather than creating a unique American way of war), but also that the 'old ways' triumphed in the New World.
This book serves to further demonstrate that the Atlantic Ocean was not a barrier that culturally and politically separated the colonies from England. Instead, it was a bridge that, as Chet states, allowed the "transportation of English culture --- military culture --- to the frontier of European civilization." "When examined within the context
of imperial history, the story of warfare, like the story of politics and culture in colonial America, reads as a process by which the colonies were drawn toward England's cultural and administrative sphere of influence, rather than attempted to liberate themselves from it."
Read this.......2003-05-15
A small book that packs a punch. In his "Preface", Chet explains that he began writing this book in an effort to illustrate how Englishmen were militarily transformed into Americans; how they gradually gave up their European defensive tactics and instead adopted Indian offensive tactics. As with most myths, the deeper you dig, the less you find. The book Chet wound up writing demonstrates the exact opposite of what he originally thought he'd find. It shows how and why European tactics WORKED in North America, despite the terrain and the
Indians' guerilla tactics.
Although the book deals with the colonial period only and does not analyze the American Revolutionary War, Chet's argument fits in with what we know about George Washington's management of his army during the war.
The sections about Benjamin Church, Rogers' Rangers, and British light infantry tactics are particularly interesting.
The endnotes contain interesting and funny incidents that really
enhance the impact of the text.
American or European Way of War.......2003-05-15
We've become so accustomed to hearing about the "American Way of
War" that we rarely bother to reexamine it. In Conquering the American Wilderness, Chet challenges the assumption that English settlers learned from Native Americans how to fight as guerillas. He demonstrates that English fighting methods remained the same throughout the colonial period, and that the failure of colonial forces to do the job well led to greater and greater reliance on British Redcoats.
The key to the poor performance of provincials and to the overwhelming success of British regulars (culminating with the capture of Canada during the French and Indian War) was professionalism of officers, NCOs, and enlisted men.
What's interesting about this book is that it explains the wisdom and demonstrates the effectiveness of Europe's linear tactics (which are so often portrayed as senseless ritual). Chet then illustrates why large heavy formations, drawn in lines of battle, were so effective against French and Indian guerillas.
Conquering the American Wilderness also explains the origin of the myth of Americanization/Indianization of European warfare in the colonies, but because the book ends with the first battle of the American Revolution, it doesn't deal with the way the retelling of American victory magnified and enshrined the myth of the American guerilla tradition ("the American Way of War").
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 603 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: Conquering the American Wilderness: The Triumph of European Warfare in the Colonial Northeast.(Book Review)
Author: Geoffrey Plank
Publication:
The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 67
Issue: 1
Page: 110(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
This collection of essays, drawn mainly from The New York Review of Books, will appeal to readers interested in the Far East, especially Japan. Ian Buruma writes of Europe's very particular fascination with Asia, and makes clear that this is what attracted him, too:
Neither puritanism nor sensuality was ever unique to East or West, yet, on the whole, it is for the latter that Westerners have looked East. There has been a sensual, even erotic, element in encounters--imaginary or real--between East and West since the ancient Greeks. The European idea of the Orient as female, voluptuous, decadent, amoral--in short, as dangerously seductive--long predates the European empires in India and Southeast Asia.
Yet an unexpected reversal has upset this mode of thought. "From the official point of view of China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan," writes Buruma, "Europe and the United States are now models not of masculine vim but, on the contrary, of decadence, libertinism, and sloth."
The best essay in The Missionary and the Libertine builds off this observation by examining Lee Kuan Yew's repressive Singapore and the "Asian values" debate. Startling anecdotes spring from the page (in this selection as well as the others), such as the employment ad Buruma shares from a Singapore daily: "Filipino. Hardworking. No day off." Buruma is more than just an observer; he's also an analyst. The very concept of "Asian values" rings untrue, he believes, because the phrase "only really makes sense in English. In Chinese, Malay, or Hindi, it would sound odd. Chinese think of themselves as Chinese, and Indians as Indians (or Tamils, or Punjabs). Asia, as a cultural concept, is an official invention to bridge vastly different ethnic populations living in former British colonies." Buruma also writes about Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto, the Philippines' Cory Aquino, V.S. Naipaul, the Seoul Olympics, the debate over the bomb in Japan, and so on. The book is a grab bag of literature and culture, and fans of Buruma will be delighted to have it all packed together in a single volume. --John J. Miller
Book Description
From Naipaul’s India to the last days of Hong Kong, and from the ghosts of Pearl Harbor to Benazir Bhutto, Buruma delivers an engaging and incisive look at the ways East and West understand–and misunderstand–each other.
At home in both worlds, Buruma traverses the realms of journalism, literary criticism, and political analysis, to examine the dialogue of fact and fantasy that affects our perception of far-away lands. Whether deconstructing the films of Satyajit Ray or the novels of Yoshimoto Banana, Buruma offers a splendid counterbalance to fashionable theories of clashing civilizations and uniquely Asian values. In twenty-five illuminating, often humorous essays,
The Missionary and the Libertine shows us why Buruma’s reputation for writing the most compelling commentary on the faultlines of the East-West divide is so secure.
Customer Reviews:
first Buruma dose is a good one.......2006-03-25
Buruma has the key to a door I, a newbie Nipponophile, use: cinema. His own personality leaks tastefully into his blend of experience and academics. Just the levels I like! Some of the articles are a little outside my area of interest, but he managed to hook me into finishing them.
High standard journalism........2002-11-06
Very well documented essays about the East, although most of the articles are treating already out-of-date items. Still they will continue to be essential reading for historians.
In his ironic style, he unveils the lies and double-talk of political and industrial leaders. E.g. Sony's Akio Morita's statement that 'today's Japanese do not think in terms of privilege', while he almost disowned his son, when he wanted to marry a popular singer.
Other targets are Benazir Bhutto, Cory Aquino, Imelda Marcos and most of all the imperious leader of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew.
I recommend nevertheless the autobiography of Yew 'From first world to third', because it is an essential read in order to understand what's happening in China today. Lee Kuan Yew is Jiang Zeming's best friend.
Buruma is a very perceptive observer and reader. His analyses of writers like Yuhio Moshima, Mircea Eliade or Junichiro Tanizaki, or movie directors like Nagisa Oshima or Sayajit Ray are brilliant.
This book is to be put on the same high level as the works of Simon Leys on China.
East is East and West is West etc. etc........2002-06-29
Sceptical of all talk of "asian values" (profound "culture differences" used to justify the denial of human rights), Buruma is a clear-sighted observer of the East. Buruma describes the phases that Western visitors to Japan tend to go through; an initial phase of delight oft succeeded by rage, and ultimately leading to a sort of near manic-depressing rapidly-alternating hatred/love of the East. Buruma, while obviously retaining a great love and respect for Eastern culture combined with a deep scepticism about "asian values", is unseduced by either extreme. The book opens with essays on individual figures, such as Yukio Mishima (it is impossible to take Paul Schrader's 'Mishima' seriously after Buruma's curt dismissal of its portentious bombast) and Wilfred Thesiger (again, one sees this oft-romanticised figure anew, as a misogynistic, rather sinister worshipper of racially pure noble savages) It closes with a section of essays devoted to Japan, on topics as diverse as Michael Crichton's Black Rain, the Hiroshima peace industry, the treatment of black American baseball players in Japan and the continuing echoes of Pearl Harbor.
First-rate collection of essays on the Far East.......2001-11-10
I found Buruma's collection very absorbing, especially helpful to someone living out East (Hong Kong and Singapore), as I was in the late 90's. The Singapore essay, "The Nanny State of Asia," is an extremely perceptive look behind the official facade of Harry Lee Kuan Yew's police state. If you plan to visit/live in S'pore, the things the locals won't dare discuss with you (out of fear) are dealt with here. Even if you're just travelling from the armchair, this is a well-written and (again) extremely absorbing read.
As someone who lived out East I rank this up with Christopher Lingle's Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism and Stan Sesser's The Land of Charm and Cruelty (another great essay collection on various Asian countries) as books helpful to the Westerner trying to learn about the region. Buruma's God's Dust has more essays on Asia, including S'pore. For Singapore, I also recomend Francis Seow's A Prisoner in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, and Paul Theroux's Saint Jack (a Singapore novel set in the Seventies but (I found) remarkably up to date in the attitudes it records of both locals and expats).
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Conserving Biodiversity In East African Forests: A Study of the Eastern Arc Mountains (Ecological Studies)
W. D. Newmark
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 3540424296 |
Book Description
The Eastern Arc Mountains of East Africa are one of the 17 most threatened tropical ecosystems or hotspots worldwide. This is the first book to examine in detail current threats as well as approaches for conserving biological diversity in this global biodiversity hotspot.
This volume synthesizes existing information on the biodiversity of the Eastern Arc Mountains, outlines processes that adversely affect this diversity, and suggests potential approaches for promoting its conservation. While the geographic focus of this book is the Eastern Arc forests, the problems, principles, and approaches discussed in relationship to conserving biodiversity have applicability to nearly all tropical forests worldwide.
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