History of Friedrich II of Prussia, Volume 19-20

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1759-1763, Friedrich sees the end of the Seven Years War

History of Friedrich II of Prussia Volumes 20-21 and Appendix

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History of Friedrich II of Prussia Volumes 20-21 and Appendix
Thomas Carlyle
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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Part 5 of 5 part set

History of Friedrich II of Prussia; Volume 19-20 (Large Print Edition): Volume 19-20

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History of Friedrich II of Prussia; Volume 19-20 (Large Print Edition): Volume 19-20
Thomas Carlyle
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1426402325
Release Date: 2007-08-20

Customer Reviews:

Fiercely Driven.......2000-06-30

Inspirational - a great piece on desire,discipline and pride.

Book Description

From the earliest sound films to the present, American cinema has represented African Americans as decidedly musical. Disintegrating the Musical tracks and analyzes this history of musical representations of African Americans, from blacks and whites in blackface to black-cast musicals to jazz shorts, from sorrow songs to show tunes to bebop and beyond.

Arthur Knight focuses on American film’s classic sound era, when Hollywood studios made eight all-black-cast musicals—a focus on Afro-America unparalleled in any other genre. It was during this same period that the first black film stars—Paul Robeson, Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge—emerged, not coincidentally, from the ranks of musical performers. That these films made so much of the connection between African Americans and musicality was somewhat ironic, Knight points out, because they did so in a form (song) and a genre (the musical) celebrating American social integration, community, and the marriage of opposites—even as the films themselves were segregated and played before even more strictly segregated audiences.

Disintegrating the Musical covers territory both familiar—Show Boat, Stormy Weather, Porgy and Bess—and obscure—musical films by pioneer black director Oscar Micheaux, Lena Horne’s first film The Duke Is Tops, specialty numbers tucked into better-known features, and lost classics like the short Jammin’ the Blues. It considers the social and cultural contexts from which these films arose and how African American critics and audiences responded to them. Finally, Disintegrating the Musical shows how this history connects with the present practices of contemporary musical films like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Bamboozled.

A lively examination of an important, overlooked element of American cinematic history, Disintegrating the Musical will appeal to those interested in cinema studies and African American studies.

Book Description

The second edition of "Takin' it to the streets" revises the comprehensive collection of primary documents of the 1960s that has become the leading reader on the era. Adopted nationwide, this anthology brings together representative writings, many of which have been unavailable for years or have never been reprinted. Drawn from mainstream sources, little-known sixties periodicals, pamphlets, public speeches, and personal voices, the selections range from the Port Huron Statement and the NOW Bill of Rights to speeches by Malcolm X, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan, to private letters from civil rights workers and Vietnam soldiers. Introductions and headnotes by the editors highlight the importance of particular documents, relating them to each other and placing them within the broader context of the decade. Particular attention is paid to civil rights, Black Power, the counterculture, the women's movement, anti-war activity, and gay and lesbian struggles, as well as the conservative current that ran counter to more typical sixties movements. For this revised edition, the editors have added nearly thirty selections, including new readings on religion, the drug culture, the sexual revolution, gay rights, conservatism, and the Vietnam War experience. Covering an extremely popular period of history, "Takin' it to the streets" remains the most accessible and authoritative reader on an extraordinary decade, one unlike America had seen before or has experienced since.

Customer Reviews:

A Little Disappointed..........2005-04-29

I am surprised to see such positive reviews of this book. While the historical element of the text was enjoyable, I felt that the book was heavily weighted to support a certain opinion. While I typically consider myself and Independent I got a little tired of the liberal rhetoric that appeared again and again in every into. In addition, I do not feel that the articles were chosen to represent what was actually occuring during the 60's but rather to paint a very deliberate picture. To portray the U.S. as being so black or white (good guys and bad guys) is a disapointment and it ignores the complexity of us as individuals. My biggest complaint is the portrayal of the Vietnam War and veterans in general. To ignore the soldiers who fought believing in a "nobel cause" is an injustice.

Again, I do not support either side but feel that this is a misrepresentation as a whole...I hope that if you do read this book that it is not the only one that you read on the sixties.

Primary Sources for the 1960's.......2002-05-08

This book is an anthology of numerous primary source statements, manifestos, and letters concerning events in America during the 1960's. "Takin it to the Streets" turned out to be very helpful for a class I took on this time period. There is so much here and that it boggles the mind. Almost all viewpoints are represented in some respect or another, although some might be missing or not as well represented, as one of the other reviewers of this book pointed out.

What you will find in this book are excerpts from the Port Huron Statement, conservative viewpoints on the anti-war movement, the platform for the Black Panther party, accounts of sit-ins during the civil rights struggle in the South, feminist statements and a million other things. It must have been difficult at times to put this book together, as deciding what to include (and what not to include) would be extremely difficult. Chances are whatever you're looking for is probably here in some form or another. Very helpful as a guide through this tumultuous time and essential for a student trying to get the feel for the times.

Very good, extensive collection of primary documents.......2000-04-15

This over 600 page book consists of primary documents from numerous sources, as well as succinct and helpful introductions by the editors that help to identify the selections and put them in context. It should be a valuable resource for scholars and non-scholars alike, though an index would have made it somewhat more user-friendly.

The book mostly consists of selections from the leftist and counter-culture movements of the 60s, though there is a token pro-Establishment section with items from the likes of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

Due to my own personal interests, I would have appreciated seeing more selections from the nonviolent elements of the 60s movements-the pacifists, nonviolent anarchists, Gandhians, conscientious objectors, etc. Certainly the book does not neglect these elements entirely, but they are not as well represented as I might have liked.

Many things struck me in reading this book. I found the idealism--and what some would dismiss as naivete--of some of the early civil rights activists and of the Free Speech Movement leaders among others to be quite appealing. On the other hand, many of the selections serve as useful reminders that the factionalism, the bitter strident rhetoric, the simplistic ideologies, the in-fighting, the condemnation of anyone not accepted as a co-victim, etc. that I tend to think of as mostly insignificant excesses that arose late in the game after years of defeat and frustration were actually present all along.

What you won't find much of is the cynicism, apathy, smugness, defeatism, etc. of more recent times. Whatever is objectionable about some of the people you'll encounter in these selections, at least they had a sincerity about them, a desire to make their society and their world a better place, and a willingness to take action in accordance with their ideals. A few of them and their ideological descendants in the politically correct crowd have surely done more harm than good, but on the whole, they were on the right side of the vast majority of the issues they fought on, and even their quite limited successes have left us with slightly more freedom and justice, and slightly less war-tolerance than before they came along.

Indispensible.......2000-02-20

Probably the best collection of primary documents relating to the period that's yet been published. An invaluable collection that's of use not only to scholars of the era, but to anyone with any interest at all in the 1960s, the political and social changes wrought during that decade, and the imprint they've left on today's consciousness. Bloom and Breines's selections and introductions are excellent. Highly recommended.

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Bloom Breines
Takin' It to the Streets: A Sixties Reader
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKCPXQ

Customer Reviews:

Interesting.......2003-08-09

I enjoyed the collection of stories and varying viewpoints this book offers to my chronicle. I've already begun intergrating some of the Crafts and events into my game.

This book offers a wide selection of culture-specific rotes which i find very useful. I find that some of my players have a difficult time making their rotes unique to their characters. More specificly I find the sections on India and Europe most useful for my game.

The downsides to this book are the lack of MET conversions and that the chapters are so short. I would love to have more information on the different crafts. But as with all game supplements: if you don't know it, make it up. ;)

More "Lost" Cultures.......2003-06-01

Alright, the first Dead Magic was great, so I had high expectations for this one. I wasn't disappointed. This time though, the focus on living cultures was just as strong as "dead" cultures. As such, we begin with a look at the shamanistic magics of Polynesia told IC by an anciet Kapuna to a Dreamspeaker refugee. The belief system of Huna was found throughout the entire region in some form or another, and this book gives an island to island survey of it, covering New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, Hawaii, the Marquesas, Easter Island and elsewhere. Aside from mention of head hunting and cannibalism (which were parts of RL Polynesian religions), we also get a look at tattoo magic, fireballs, tikis, sea-faring magic and such. Theres also plenty of plot hooks, and even information on the "lost" Kopa Loei craft, now a part of the Dreamspeaker Tradition. It goes on to get to the Dreamtime of the Australian Aborigines, giving a great overview of tying the Dreamtime into the World of Darkness. A whole new set of rules for the Dreamtime, initiation rites and Dreamtime Ancestors is given, along with a vast array of Aboriginal rotes, wonders and plot hooks. Again, lots of Dreamspeaker stuff, but also a focus on Aboriginal society itself rather than "Tradition" or "Technocracy".
Afterwards, we are treated to a relatively short chapter on Indian Shakti. After a strange fiction story about an Ecstasy Cultist's brush with a Kali cult, we get a nice overview of Tantra and the worship of Shiva and Kali. A few Hindu flavored rotes are given, rounding out this short chapter. Then we are treated to a section on European Shamanism. Lots of fiction stories here, each tying to a specific culture. I was expecting to see stuff about the Saami (Lapps) and such, but was completely shocked when I saw that it covered the shaman of the Irish, Scots, Picts, Britons, Anglo-Saxons, Russians, Poles, Finns and Germans. Lots of cool rotes, wonders and plot hooks, interestingly enough designed to fit in with Mage: the Dark Ages (for the Spirit-Talkers, proto-Dreamspeakers). Again, this is good for Dreamspeakers, but also the Aided, Verbena and so forth. Following this is a chapter on Norse magic. It really ties up Norse myths in the World of Darkness. Even explaining Hunters as Odin's warriors, and Ravana as Loki. Lots of cool rotes, and not just Runic stuff either. Theres spae-wives, seither (Norse shamanism), smithing, berserkers and so forth. Again, Dark Ages Valdaermen (and Spirit-Talkers for the Seither section) systems are given. Great for Verbena, Dreamspeakers, Ecstatics, Euthies or even Choristors and Hermetics. Finally, it closes out with some meta-plot story about an ancient Italian liche and some overviews of Etruscan magic, divinations and necromancy. Theres not alot to go on concerning ancient Italy (before the Romans anyway), so theres a list of gods, words and a reading list. The Euthanatoi and Hermetics still preserve some aspects of Etruscan magic in the WoD, so this was a really nice chapter.
Overall, I strongly recommend this book. Since the Dreamspeakers are my favorite Tradition, I appreciated the fact that most of the chapters (Polynesian, Australian Aboriginal, European Shamanism and Norse) tie in to that Tradition, but any Tradition could benefit from this book. The Euthanatos draw upon Hindu beliefs, Norse rune-casting and Etruscan necromancy; the Verbena would love to learn about the ancient beliefs of the Norse, Anglo-Saxons and Irish. I haven't incorporated any of this stuff in my games yet, though I'm planning on making heavy use of the Polynesian chapter soon. Regardless, my only disappointment was the lack of Filipino magic (presumably native shamanism), but then again, perhaps we shall see a Dead Magic 3!

Customer Reviews:

This is a softcover book.......2006-09-08

I was thinking about giving this a 2 star rating because they sent to me a softcover book instead of hardcover as described. However, Amazon's representative was very friendly and supportive so I decide to keep the item and give it a 4 star rating.

Did receive what was described.......2005-10-03

The description of the book stated that this title was the paperback version, which is what I needed. Instead I received a hard cover version that feels like toting a bowling ball!

Excellent for Self-Study (Distance Learning) Courses.......2003-11-24

I used this book for a distance learning course in the principles of macroeconomics (Econ 101) and it is by far the best introductory text in macroeconomics I have encountered. Bade and Parkin explain the theory and concepts very clearly and constantly use examples of a typical consumer or company to illustrate these concepts even though they are describing a macroeconomy. For those of you who have taken Principles of Microeconomics before Macro, this is a HUGE PLUS, and for those of you who are taking Macro before Micro, you will not feel a sense of disconnect when you begin microecon after this class. The authors do a fine job integrating areas of micro and macroecon and not make the two feel incompatible. What's more, they do not leave out crucial explanations to graphs, figures and equations so those who do not have a strong background in mathematics need not be intimidated. The graphs,figures and equations indeed supplement the narrative and sufficient examples are given so you can master the quantitative aspects of the course. Just don't take short cuts and do read the entire chapter and concepts will sink in like you wouldn't believe. This is the 3rd time in my life I have attempted a study of macroeconomics and my efforts have previously been held back because of texts that were too complex or theoretical. I am now pulling a strong A and this is because the text does a good job of lowering the entry barrier to learning economics without sacrificing academic rigor.

Fair - Not a stand-alone textbook.......2003-11-08

This textbook contained a lot of technical information but offered little connection to real-life macroeconomics. I love economics and feel that it is necessary to emphasize its everyday uses in order to motivate a student's learning.

Further, it is in no means a stand-alone text. By that I mean that it is not a text that can be utilized by a student independent of participation in a traditional classroom setting. Most of the topics are not expanded upon sufficiently to create true understanding of the concepts.

Book Description

The autobiography of a China scholar, who suffered the tragic loss of family members in an airplane accident at the end of the Sino-Japanese war in 1946. Chu Djang narrates the story of organizing an expedition to explore wreckage site in a remote area of China, his return to the United States and subsequent career in the United Nations and academia, where he retired as Associate Dean and Coordinator of Academic Affairs of the St. Johns University Center for Asian Affairs. The book also contains geneological information and insights into the academic community of Chinese-American studies.

Book Description

Deep behind Nationalist lines during the Spanish civil war, modern guerrilla warfare came of age. In this extraordinary memoir, Russian guerrilla fighter Anna Starinov tells how it happened. . . .

Sent by Stalin with other Soviet advisers to help the Spanish overcome Franco, Anna Starinov arrived in Spain in November 1936. Originally assigned to a Russian demolitions and guerrilla-warfare expert as an interpreter, Starinov soon found herself helping him build an effective partisan army literally from scratch and acquitting herself as a talented guerrilla.

Anna helped train student guerrillas to make bombs and grenades, set ambushes, and carry out raids. Working under cover of darkness, the teams dodged enemy patrols as they pummeled the enemy in his own backyard: blowing up trains and bridges, destroying tunnels, and gathering valuable intelligence.

The Spanish revolution was ground zero for modern warfare. Breakthroughs in guerrilla techniques, weapons, and strategies were developed that would play an integral part in World War II. Anna Starinov performed a pivotal role in that enterprise and her memoir provides an inside look at that turbulent time.

Behind Fascist Lines: a Firsthand Account of Guerrilla Warfare During the Spanish Revolution

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Behind Fascist Lines: a Firsthand Account of Guerrilla Warfare During the Spanish Revolution
Anna Starinov
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVJ5G0

Book Description

"An eloquent, important plea for a total rethinking of our relationship to the animal world. Mason analyzes the West's 'dominionist' worldview, which exalts humans as overlords and owners of other life.... His powerfully argued manifesto will change many readers' attitudes toward hamburgers, animal experimentation, hunting, and circuses." -Publishers Weekly First published by Simon & Schuster in 1993 and then by Continuum in 1998, Jim Mason's An Unnatural Order has become a classic. Now in a new Lantern edition, the book explores, from an anthropological, sociocultural, and holistic perspective, how and why we have cut ourselves off from other animals and the natural world, and the toll this has taken on our consciousness, our ability to steward nature wisely, and the will to control our own tendencies Jim Mason is an attorney, journalist, lecturer, and coauthor (with Peter Singer) of Animal Factories (1990) and The Ethics of What We Eat (2005).

Customer Reviews:

As a Biologist, I Had my Head Turned around by this Book.......2005-11-22

This book influenced me more than any book I've read in the last several years. It profoundly changed the way I understand our culture's treatment of animals and our alienation from nature. As a biologist and a writer, I've spent my life thinking and writing about nature and animals. But Mason caused me to reflect differently on many of the experiences I had at universities, caused me to understand differently the detachment that many science professionals practice when studying their subject animals, even in relatively humane ways.

Mason examines the origins of the myths that sustain our need to dominate and control nature, and our separation from nature. Before I read this book, I regarded Americans' abuse of animals as a self-contained problem. Now I understand it to be just one facet of our estrangement from our own basic needs, and from nature, that has led not only to the grossest mistreatment of animals, but to racism and misogyny. Mason pulls it all together in a brilliant cohesive portrait of perhaps our most serious modern dilemma.

An Unnatural Order should be required reading in highschool........2005-06-10

Jim Mason is a intellectual visionary - ahead of his time.

Very rarely does a book come along, you read it and then think - wow this single book really could make a difference if enough people read it.

Unnatural Order analyzes the West's dominionist world view which exalts humans as overlords and the rightful owners of all other life on our planet.

Through very astute analyst, Mr. Mason explains how our society came up with this "might is right / bullying" attitude and how this same archaic and selfish mindset is not only adversely effecting every living thing on this planet but the very planet itself.

I would suggest that if you're a high school teacher and you really want to "make a difference" to some young minds buy a copy for each of your students to read and discuss. This is that powerful of a book.

Without being preachy, Mr. Mason has shown a keen insight into some very challenging problems we as a species are now facing and how we can address those challenges for a better future.

Brilliant..........2004-06-08

Buy a copy of this book for everyone you know!!!

A roadmap for the 21st Century.......2000-08-25

In 1892, Henry Salt published the book Animals' Rights. While it was not totally ignored, it took nearly another century for the modern "Animal Rights" movement to begin, after the appearance of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation in 1975.

When reading An Unnatural Order it will be difficult to not get the impression that Jim Mason is a visionary, on par with Henry Salt. We are privileged to have Mason as a contemporary. Years from now people could easily look back on him as the spark that helped reverse the course of destruction humans were on at the end of the 20th Century. Unfortunately, as with the ideas in it-and like Salt's work-An Unnatural Order has been largely ignored. Like a great movie that no one has seen, the fault for this must lay with lack of promotion. This review is appearing several years after the book's publication. This is unfortunate. An Unnatural Order is an important book.

"This book is written in hope and celebration. My hope is that we have the strength to rid ourselves of the destructive strands in Western culture," Mason begins. These destructive strands manifest themselves in the "Nature Question." Grossly simplified, the Nature Question is the intellectual belief that somewhere in our evolutionary past our ancestors broke their bonds with the living earth and put Homo sapiens above all other life on the planet, resulting in our species having no sense of kinship with other life nor any sense of belonging. The earth is beneath us; we are alienated from nature.

Mason continues "It is now time to bring this question into popular discussion, and I hope this book is a start." The roots of our alienation are deep-and deeply explored. Thirty pages are devoted to identifying dominionism. A picture of the world before agriculture-the seed of dominionism-is painted. Using current research and extensive references, a vivid portrait results that is as believable as any anthropologist's.

An all-things-are-connected web is spun, touching animal-human history and relationships; the crossover to agriculture; misogyny and misothery (the author's invention for "an attitude of hatred and contempt for animals and nature"); racism, colonialism, and dominionism. The breadth of his discussion is extensive and not every reader will agree with all of Mason's personal viewpoints. It irrelevant. In the long run one will feel certain that the book hits the mark of verity.

The final chapter brings it all together and offers Mason's broad outline for what needs to be done to turn dominionism around. He shows how the awareness of our social and environmental problems is widely known, citing the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, quoting political leaders and scholars, and referencing a who's who list of environmental writers, who he concludes all have the same message: "Humanity needs fundamental changes in its relationship with nature."

Supplying the missing piece, Mason states: "All having laid down such strong rhetoric, however, the movers and shakers, with rare exceptions, stop dead in their tracks when they approach the Animal Question. The Animal Question is regarded as illegitimate, silly, peripheral." To address the Animal Question reduces ones credibility. Driving home the point, Mason ponders how Christopher Stone's landmark 1972 article "Should Trees Have Standing?" would have been received had he written "Should Chimpanzees Have Standing?" He concludes that the Animal Question "is the very heart" of the Nature Question. The two cannot be separated. In order to make any progress toward healing our dominionist worldview, this gap must be bridged.

In the last few years some headway seems to have been made in this area. For too long the wedge that existed between "animal" and "environmental" groups has done all harm and no good. Since An Unnatural Order's publicatiom, there has been a call for unity as well as a more serious acceptance of the "Animal Question." Peter Singer's 1993 book and continued efforts with The Great Ape Project; the publication of When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Masson and Susan McCarthy; and E magazine, which, beginning with its September/October 1995 issue, published a three-part series "to promote a dialogue between these two disparate communities," are just a few. Hopefully this is the start of serious progress.

In 1993, Jim Mason's An Unnatural Order appeared. While not totally ignored, there may never be a "modern dominionism" movement. If the message in his book is even remotely accurate, our culture cannot wait 80 years for some as-yet-unborn author to rediscover An Unnatural Order's message.

Joseph Connelly

A 'must read' for anyone who cares about nature and animals.......2000-08-22

Why are we the most violent and destructive species on this planet? In "An Unnatural Order", Jim Mason tells us. He opens with a clarification of the philosophy of 'dominionism' as expounded in most religions, and declares it as the principle at the root of human violence and warfare. He presents the case that there was a time when humans got along rather well with each other and the rest of nature. It was the time of the forager, mistakenly called the time of the hunter/gatherer by those looking through the filter of western philosophy and religion. For many thousands of years, Homo sapiens did not do much meat-eating or hunting, until widespread, organized hunting appears some 20,000 years ago. When foragers became hunters, and hunters became herdsmen, their view of nature changed from one of provider to one of enemy, and the notion of human supremacy was born. The non human animals, once seen as ancestors, neighbors, teachers and kin, began to be thought of as inferior, dangerous and evil, or simply commodities. With the advent of agriculture, and especially animal agriculture, ideas about a hierarchy of being, ownership of property, patriarchy, domination and exploitation begin to take over human culture. The idea of a male god, with man just below, and women, 'primitive' people and the other animals, below men, became the mindset of the "northern tribes." It was eventually sanctified by western religions and remains the dominant worldview today. Mason takes us on a journey through human history, unfettered by human ego, thoroughly explaining our dissociation from nature and animals, and the resulting losses, both pyschologically and spiritually. He probes deep, and finds the origins of warfare, racism, sexism, religionism and colonialism. He challenges the idea that agriculture was a great human achievement, arguing that it gave us repeating cycles of increased production and growth only at the expense of the environment and the animals that we enslaved. The result has not been success for all humans, but actually an increase in human starvation and suffering, caused by the human population explosion and the misuse of resources. Enslavement of non humans and then humans, followed by the introduction of organized warfare, are the results of the hunter / herder mentality that replaced the original cooperative, egalitarian nature of human culture. Mason, does not simply chronicle our mistakes, he seeks out causes, and offers solutions. He does not blame farmers for the disasters of agriculture, nor does he call for an end to religion. Instead he calls for a new approach to farming, and the return to the family farm, by the re-introduction of sustainable, humane farming methods. Likewise, he calls for a re-discovery of the suppressed voices of progressive theologians who have spoken out against dominionism for centuries. He asks us to re-evaluate our ideas of human supremacy and accept our proper role as a part of nature, not something above it. His approach is unique among most writers -- the preservationists, environmentalists or even the deep ecologists -- as he dares to ask "the animal question." When will we admit to the psychological lives of the other animals, and take this into consideration in our dealings with them? Do they exist just for us? Or are they part of our family, deserving every bit as much consideration as those of "our own kind."

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