Blood On My Briefcase: 30 Years In The Advertising Wars

Book Description

Inside the world of professional boxing.

Customer Reviews:

Good compilation of articles.......2005-10-25

This is a compilation of newspaper and magazine articles written by Thomas Hauser on Muhammad Ali and other subjects in the world of boxing. Most of the articles are the length that you would expect in a newspaper column: about 3 pages of fairly large type.

If you walk into this book with the proper expectations, you'll probably enjoy it a great deal. Hauser has rubbed elbows with many boxing legends, and displays a sports columnist's enthusiasm and knowledge of the great sport of boxing.

But I think it's important to point out what this book is not, because I found the book's appearance to be somewhat misleading. The title and a front-cover declaration of a "foreword by Muhammad Ali" led me to think that the bulk of the book would be about Ali. In reality, only about 40 of over 270 pages cover Ali, and the foreword is a disappointingly brief three paragraphs.

Nowhere on the front or back cover is there a mention that the book is in fact a compilation of newspaper articles, and there is an implication that the reader will get in-depth coverage of the inside world of pro boxing. However, the format of a newspaper column only allows the author to briefly touch on issues within the sport, and many of the columns deal with the issue of the day. Be prepared to read three or four praiseees singing the praises of a boxer you've never heard of, without any kind of surrounding context to let you know what became of him. There is also some repetitiveness that is fine for a regular column, but gets tedious to those who are reading the book in just a few sittings.

It sounds like I'm slamming the book, but that's really not my intent. The writing is clean and crisp, Hauser articulates some interesting positions on some interesting subjects, and there is the highly billed and very compelling coverage of Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest living legend in the world today.

If you know what you're getting, this is a pretty good read. But if you think you're getting in-depth coverage of the inside world of boxing, or a book about Muhammad Ali, then buyer, beware!

Easy Reading, Wonderfully Written & Hey - Butterbean!.......2003-09-24

I loved this book.

Easy to read - it's light and simple in its approach - it floats like a butterfly and...well...you get it. What we have are a bunch of Thomas Hauser articles with very clever and interesting introductions to each article.

I did not want to put it down - it was fun, exciting entertaining, informative and fun - yes, I said fun twice.

Hauser is such a modest and humble guy - he knows Muhammad Ali, he has interviewed and hung out with many a boxer and has been involved in and with boxing history - yet he remains incredibly humble and in the background - the book ain't about him, but he's a part of it - VERY well done.

Most importantly - he makes mention of Butterbean not once, but twice! - AND quotes him!

Book Description

This digital document is an article from International Journal of Commerce and Management, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 5013 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: Burnout, supervisory support, and work outcomes: a study from an Arabic cultural perspective.
Author: Ali H. Muhammad
Publication: International Journal of Commerce and Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 15 Issue: 3-4 Page: 230(13)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

The more people who read this, the better!.......2003-08-17

This is one of those rare books you wish everyone would read. Americans have greatly benefited from advances in technology and an improved standard of living, but at the same time we have let our sense of community and ties to others erode. Laura Pappano addresses the many ways this occurs and offers suggestions for bucking the trend. Highly recommended!

An Insightful Guide To How Modern Life Separates Us.......2002-08-10

This was a good, insightful book. Pappano unites many small, seemingly disparate observations about modern living by showing how our lives are requiring less and less interactions with other people. The result is that we're creating a "connection gap," where we fail to truly connect in a meaningful way with others. Also, we've moved from a society with an emphasis on the group and responsibility to others, to one where the central figure is the self. Throughout the book, Pappano supplements her own observations with reams of statistics and numerous references, and in the end, I found the result thorough and insightful. The only complaint I have is that Papanno's theme was somewhat repetitive at points.

Here is a sampling of the examples that Papanno uses to support her thesis that modern requires less interactions with other people, thus creating a "connection gap:"

Our homes are also becoming small fortresses -- we increasingly use Caller-ID to screen our calls, install home security systems or live in gated communities, and don't even live in houses with porches anymore. Why would you? All the action is on the inside of the house. Also, new homes have grown larger -- the average square footage for new houses has gone up by 41% over past 30 years. Now-days, each person can retreat to their own nook in the house, rather than watching the family TV with each other, or lingering in the same rooms. Bathrooms have grown more luxurious, and we retreat into these private spas to relax alone. Kitchens are larger, too, but people families are more likely to be eating alone sequentially, rather than having the whole family sit down together for a meal & talking about the events of the day.

In the car, TVs and VCRs are now available in minivans, so the kids in the back seat can watch a tape while Mom & Dad drive while listening to their favorite CD, thus avoiding interactions with the kids. If the kids want music, they can put on a walkman, and have their own separate, private musical experience without involving anyone else.

We may drive our minivans to the new main street of America, the Mall. There, we may satisfy more than our lust for stuff; attentive salespeople also provide what we crave: personal and undivided attention that we don't get from each other. The mall is a natural place for many people, since the consumer mentality is what defines some people. For them, you are what you buy, so you must shop well ("say you love her with a diamond!"). Also, we may want to shop to "keep up with the Jones'," but increasingly we don't know our neighbors, much less know what their living room looks like (after all, we haven't dropped in on them or socialized with them extensively). Therefore, we increasingly determine our wants by judging our lifestyle against images we see on TV.

We are also increasingly isolated because many interactions that previously involved people are now handled by screens. We view the world through the ATM screen, the TV screen, cruise the internet to shop on the computer screen. We no longer touch the things we buy online, or linger to chat with the bank teller. Screens often these give the illusion of power (you get to choose!), and indeed it is often better to use a screen than to be someplace in person (consider the instant replays at the SuperBowl, for example). However, there is merit to talking to someone face-to-face rather than on a conference call, or going to a ball game and smelling the hot-dogs rather than watching it at home on TV in an easy-chair.

Also, our interactions with friends has changed. Now-days it's rude to just "drop in" on people. We schedule interactions with our friends because we're busy, and most likely we'll plan activity rather than just linger. Even if you're lingering around with another person doesn't guarantee their attention, since an incoming cell-phone call may divert them to chat with someone else. These types of managed, scheduled, and purposeful interaction with friends don't foster the lingering and slow self-disclosure that traditionally leads to building satisfying, meaningful friendships.

Additionally, we're less tolerant of others than we used to be. There's a greater sense of entitlement today -- we think we "deserve" a perfect car, job, or life partner, and as a result we are less willing to compromise, and evaluate relationships to determine if they're wasting our time -- after all, we want our needs to be attended to, so why be with others don't meet our needs?

Furthermore, we don't get as personally involved in community organizations & clubs, increasingly hire lawyers to settle our differences for us, and show increasing amounts of road-rage.

So, given all this, what are we to do? Papanno provides a few recommendations. First, we should revive the art of conversation, and really listen to each other. Next, we should unplug from our electronic distractions -- cell phone, pagers, screens of all sorts -- when the intrude excessively on our lives. Also, we should do more ourselves, rather than relying on experts to help us. The slim recommendations chapter was somewhat of a disappointment, but the issues are multifaceted and don't lend themselves to simple solutions.

An incisive look at American loneliness.......2001-11-27

Through thorough research and keen perception, Laura Pappano describes the exact quality of disconnection that characterizes our 21st-century world. "The Connection Gap" contains no shortage of "eureka" moments, as Pappano again and again captures the paradox of a life made both easier and more isolating by technology. With our days now devoted to shopping, staring at TV and computer screens, talking on cell phones, and driving everywhere, we have little time left for the deeper communication human beings thrive on. And while most of us have sensed that something is missing, we've been too busy to go looking for it. What a relief, then, to arrive at this thoughtful book.

Pappano brings a broad and diffuse subject to vivid life by tracing the changing style of day-to-day living from the early 20th century to today. Aside from the hard statistics that support her argument, Pappano's interviews with the likes of personal shoppers, her readiness to share anecdotes about her family, and her range of background materials from popular magazines to scholarly texts all illustrate the many ways in which Americans have lost touch.

Most of us will see ourselves in this book; reading it is a first step toward reconnecting.

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Invisible sleights of hand

Truth in advertising

A new look at some old whipping boys

In defence of the Enlightenment

Interesting but Frustrating

Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment
Emma Rothschild
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0674008375

Book Description

In a brilliant recreation of the epoch between the 1770s and the 1820s, Emma Rothschild reinterprets the ideas of the great revolutionary political economists to show us the true landscape of economic and political thought in their day, with important consequences for our own. Her work alters the readings of Adam Smith and Condorcet--and of ideas of Enlightenment--that underlie much contemporary political thought.

Economic Sentiments takes up late-eighteenth-century disputes over the political economy of an enlightened, commercial society to show us how the "political" and the "economic" were intricately related to each other and to philosophical reflection. Rothschild examines theories of economic and political sentiments, and the reflection of these theories in the politics of enlightenment. A landmark in the history of economics and of political ideas, her book shows us the origins of laissez-faire economic thought and its relation to political conservatism in an unquiet world. In doing so, it casts a new light on our own times.

Customer Reviews:

Invisible sleights of hand.......2003-12-08

This is a nicely done zoom level retrieval of the real Adam Smith (or one of them) before conservative ideologists appropriated his name and theories, resulting in amnesiac palpitations and the fulminations of Karl Marx. Adam Smith is an historically ambiguated figure whose reputation fluctuated very quickly between the era leading up and throughout the French Revolution and the era thereafter. We blame Rousseau for wicked deeds, in a snort at the Revolution, but similar 'misgivings' attended the radical Smith. This is a well done account, with a good critical history of the 'invisible hand' scenario, and a reminder of the dangers of historical hallucination curable only by hard labor at the historical record.

Truth in advertising.......2002-11-04

The title "Economic Sentiments" is intriguing. How can "sentiments" be "economic"? Is "sympathy" economic? Or "greed"? Or maybe the "desire to better one's conditions," which is neither greed nor thrift nor entrepreneurial adventurism, but maybe a little of each. Unfortunately Ms. Rothschild does not deliver on the promise of the book's title. She is very learned and obviously knows her stuff, but most readers will likely be disappointed by the slighting of Smith in a book that, judging by its title, presumably would treat Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments. But close textual analysis is not Rothschild's bag (as Austin Powers might put it). There is, however, an extended discussion as to why Smith's "invisible hand" is just a big joke, but that is not a verifiable argument, nor can Rothschild draw on her considerable learning to make it. After all, how can you prove that a joke is a joke? And nothing prevents a joke from being both ironic and true. Emma invokes the reductio ad inegalitarium to argue that Smith could never have believed in an "invisible hand." It is argument by proximity. I know Smith, Smith is a friend of mine, and the Smith I know could never have assumed the inegalitarian vantage of the omniscient observer. Ergo the "invisible hand" is a joke. Is that convincing? She then launches on an extended comparision of Smith and Hayek that attempts to assimilate Smith to Hayek--as if Smith were not difficult enough to understand on his own. For a scholar who clearly thinks that historical context is the greater part of intellectual history, Rothschild's eagerness to make Smith relevant is at odds with her method. There is an interesting book here that Rothschild did not write, a book about Smith's portrait of this new man, economic man, the man who Smith in fact depicts in the Theory of Moral Sentiments. Unfortunately Rothschild has written a book that is half learned exposition, half contemporary polemic, and a whole lot less than the sum of its parts.

A new look at some old whipping boys.......2002-01-24

First, a romantic note - Rothschild dedicates this book to her husband Amartya Sen, and Sen dedicated his last book ('Development as Freedom') to her. So these books will lie side by side on my shelf. Both are well worth reading.

There is more than just a familial connection. Sen clearly used his wife's research on Smith and Condorcet in the writing of 'Development as Freedom' since the Adam Smith that appears in his book is not the cold and callous economist of myth. One suspects that Rothschild's perception of Smith and Condorcet had been coloured by Sen as she presents them as more than just economists as we understand the term, but concerned with a far wider range of phenomena in politics and sociology. In fact they were exactly as much an 'economist' as Sen himself is. As any reader of Sen knows, he covers an extremely broad range of factors in his work, not just GDP and income.

Rothschild argues that Smith's example of the 'invisible hand' that regulates free markets would have as easily been meant as a malign as a benign regulator. Traders who influence markets by bribery or trickery are as much an 'invisible hand' as an imagined self-regulating mechanism. In fact, the beneficient invisible hand was very much a product of later economists. Smith was not as negative on government regulation as he was made out to be by later writers, though strongly against price-fixing by government fiat, guilds which prevented fair competition, and over-zealous regulation of trade and commerce by insiders, profiteers and parasites.

Condorcet comes across as a very attractive human being, passionate and commited to his beliefs. Accused of Utopianism, he struggled with his conviction that he had no right to dictate opinion to others. Yet he believed that his liberal philosophy was best.He was concerned with the 'ordinary man in the street', and rejected any idea that he/ she should be indoctrinated with the 'right' ideas by a state-supported educational system. He wrote for the rights of women, believing that all humanity were entitled to equal rights.

I have to say the book is dense and quite difficult at times. However, it is the ideas that are difficult, not the presentation. It will probably repay a second reading.But I feel after reading this that I have had an excellent introduction to two first-class and important (in a world-historical sense) intellects.

In defence of the Enlightenment.......2001-12-24

To their enemies the Marquis de Condorcet was the epitome of the worst elements of the French Enlightenment, fatuously optimistic, subtly intolerant and dangerous utopian with his emphasis on the "perfectability" of man, while the notoriously absent-minded Adam Smith was the architect of a notoriously callous and philistine economic theory. Aside from that, the enthusiastic and idealistic Condorcet does not appear to have much in common with the quiet and discreet Smith. Emma Rothschild is the husband of the nobel prize winning economist A. Sen, whose most famous work shows the devastating effect dogmatically applied free market rules can have on worsening famines. Yet this book is a defense of the two from the critics of the Enlightenment.

To a surprising extent she succeeds. Conservatives will be unpleasantly surprised to read that in the decade after his death, mentioning your support of Smith did not prevent Scottish democrats from being transported to Australia by reactionary Scottish judges. For many years Tories did not view Smith as the great economist or philosopher. Instead Smith was the man whose account of his friend, the atheist philosopher David Hume on his deathbed, enraged the pious for showing Hume's complete calm, class and lack of fear of eternal damnation. Rothschild notes how the great economist Carl Menger noted how prominent socialists quoted Smith against their enemies. (Oddly enough she does not quote the passage in CAPITAL where Marx cites an enraged prelate angry at Smith for classifying priests as "unproductive labor.) Smith was an opponent of militarism, a supporter of high wages, and a supporter of French philosophy (and not unsympathetic to the French Revolution,either). Reading of his relations with Turgot and Condorcet, it will be much harder to defend the view of a sharp distinction between a good sensible Protestant Enlightenment, and a bad, Nasty, atheist one on the continent.

In discussing Turgot and Condorcet's support for the free trade in grain, which Smith also supported, Rothschild helps remind us that laissez faire did not simply mean watching while people starved. Confronted with the threat of famine in Limousin in 1770, Turgot preserved the freedom of the corn trade. But he also provided workshops for the poor, increased grain imports from other regions, reduced taxes for the poor, and protected poor tenants from eviction. Condorcet and Smith were both sympathetic to these policies. Rothschild also devotes a whole chapter to Smith's metaphor of the "invisible hand." She points out how rarely it was used in Smith's work, and how on the centennial of the publication of the Wealth of Nation almost no-one mentioned it, even at a special celebration organized by William Gladstone. She then goes into how the concept is used in Smith's works. The concept is complex, and in my view not entirely convincing. But she is successful in pointing out how Smith did not follow Hayek in viewing pre-existing structures as the product of an infallible "organic" wisdom. In contrast to the cant of a Calhoun or a Kendall, Smith realized that the most tyrannical acts of government are those that are local and unofficial.

One should point out the defense of Condorcet as well. In an age where Francois Furet, Keith Michael Baker, Mona Ozouf and others have castigated the French Revolutionary tradition as inherently totalitarian, it is good to be reminded that Condorcet is firmly in the liberal tradition. Like Smith, Condorcet was a great supporter of public education, in contrast to the conservative critics of both. Rothschild discusses his views as an economist, and as a theorist of proportional representation. Surprisingly she does not discuss what were Condorcet's most admirable views, his support for female emancipation and suffrage. But she is excellent in pointing out how Condorcet opposed the crassness of the utilitarians. She notes how Condorcet had a view of the limits of truth and scientific inquiry that would have been approved by Karl Popper himself. She notes that he did not believe that voting could or should create a General Will, in the Rousseauean Sense. He did not believe in using education as a form of propoaganda in civic studies, while his opinions were closer to the reservations of a Herder, a Holderin or a Kant than previously believed.

The book is not perfect. Although studiously documented, most of the quotes are from Smith and Condorcet themselves. More historical context could have been provided. There should have been more about actual historical studies of famines, and more on the political and social context of modern Scotland would have been very informative. And her defense of Condorcet would have been stronger if Rothschild had confronted the well-deserved reputation of Condorcet's colleagues in the Gironde for hypocrisy and demagoguery. But this is an important work, and it helps link one of the most familiar of "english" minds into a full international context. That in itself is praise enough.

Interesting but Frustrating.......2001-10-09

The subject is interesting. Putting Adam Smith in a historical context can reveal much about what he really wanted to say. But Emma Rothschild's writing style is frustrating. Time and again I would read a sentence and then ask "what did she just say?" and realize that it was a banal generality or that she could have expressed herself more directly. I studied history when in college and have read many well written books on intellectual history. Rothchild's book isn't one of them.

Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment.(Book Review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History

Average customer rating:

Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment.(Book Review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History
David Bates
Manufacturer: University of Saskatchewan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on August 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1005 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: Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment.(Book Review)
Author: David Bates
Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 2003
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Page: 373(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The remarkable account of the famous hostage rescue at Entebbe, and its commander, Jonathan Netanyahu. Learn how this modern Joshua inspired not only Israel but the whole free world through the success of this operation . . . described by many as a miraculous mission of biblical proportions. ò Relates perfectly with our own war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq ò This is the only documented, firsthand account of the epic raid on Entebbe - includes many photos ò Highlights the shared values of Israeli warriors like Yoni and freedom-loving American troops engaged with a vicious enemy

Customer Reviews:

One Hell of a Book. A Gem,.......2007-08-11

If there is one book that everyone needs to read about the so called War on Terror, this is it.

A superbly written account of the last few days in the life of Lt. Colonel Jonathan Netanyahu, the late commander and architect of the famous Operation Entebbe, now also called Operation Jonathan in his honor.

Although several written and video accounts are available of this operation, this is by far the best. Operation Entebbe, was the hastily planned and executed rescue operation of about 100 Israeli hostages, held by Palestinian terrorists at the old airport terminal in the east African nation of Uganda's town of Entebbe. For those not familiar with it,
suffice it to say that it was probably the boldest, most audacious, best executed, most dangerous, and most successful rescue operation ever carried out.

Iddo Netanyahu is in a unique position to give to best accounting possible of the details of the operation. Youngest of the three Netanyahu brothers, Jonathan (Yoni), Benjamin,and himself, the latter had access to public and private interviews with other participants in the mission, ranging from its lead pilot, Joshua Shani, to many of Yoni's fellow
expert commandos and members of the raiding party, to political figures such as then defense ministers, Shimon Peres.

For skeptics, I suggest the begin with the last chapter of the book, only 4 and a half page pages written by the publisher, entitled "Publishers Afterword." I cannot improve on it to explain why this book is so important, and should have the largest possible audience. Aside from the obvious, i.e Yoni being the greatest fighter Israel (or possibly the world) has ever known, this chapter explains that Operation Entebbe defines terrorism - those who are willing to give their lives for the purpose of taking lives,to the absolute opposite, the soldiers engaged in the fight against terrorism, for the purpose of saving lives. Aside from being a fascinating and riveting account of the details of the operation, the larger "lessons learned" are much more important in sustaining us in the current war against those who would destroy the whole Western way of lifeRaid on Entebbealong with it's Judeo-Christian values.

This book is definitely not for Jihadists, Anti-Semites, Israel bashers, or knee jerk anti-war people. I ask that all of these refrain from rating this review.

Yoni, the Hero.......2006-07-27

Yoni Netanyahu courage at this time, his ability to plan, and lead this rescue has become legendary. The fact that the rescue was carried out without the "unit commander" is a testamony of his great ability. All of Israel knows and the Netanyahu family knows, even more so, what Israel lost when Yoni died. Even though I knew the outcome of the book (as it happened 30 years ago) I cried, and cried and cried when the book stated he died. And I was reading it on July 4th, the 30th anniversary of his death. This book also takes you into the mind set of Israel and why some things have been done. I now see Israel in a new light. Thank you Iddo, for writing this book about your beloved brother.

"It'll be all right".......2005-10-23

A phrase Jonathan Netanyahu repeated over and over to his loved ones and the men of his unit who took part in the hostage rescue in Entebbe, Uganda. Operation Jonathan, for which the rescue at Entebbe would forever be called, was an extremely daring and dangerous mission which claimed his life and that of three other hostages. The Israeli unit under Jonathan went through many many practice runs and much planning went into the short hour it took to stop the terrorists and the Ugandans who backed them and to get the 103 hostages safely aboard the plane that would bring them back to Israel. The first chapter dragged a bit for me, but once the background for the story had been given, and the story began, I couldn't put it down. The story is told by his youngest brother Iddo who also served in the Sakeret Matkal for a time as well as brother Bibi. Sure there are always stronger, smarter, better people around. Who's the best? But that's not the point. His love was wonderful/extraordinary to me....II Samuel 1 What an incredible story. His fame shall live forever, the eulogies never cease. Read the story.

True the binding is a bit weird, but I LOVE the cover, front and back! "...A hero from (Israel's) past", "a new race of Maccabees". Some of the best books I've ever read are in shreds and tattered and torn. I once nearly read Crime and Punishment in college, read it to the end which was missing many pages. I could not put it down and I had more pressing books to study. This book is another one like that. What's most important is the content. I can't help but think of the zealots of Masada who carefully covered under dirt the worn pages of scripture in the makeshift synagogue and Mikveh they made on that rocky balcony of Herod's nearly 2000 years ago.

Yoni loved his brothers, that's obvious from his letters which can be found in Self-Portrait of a Hero, compiled by his brothers. I enjoyed Iddo's telling a story from their childhood when Bibi presented Jonathan with a "Talmudic dilemma": "You're in the desert with another person, you have one canteen of water. Either of you would need to drink the water to save himself. You can't split it. What would you do...?" Jonathan answered, "It would depend on who the other person was. (Good answer, my thoughts!) If it were Iddo, I'd give him the water." Iddo writes, "I looked at my big brother, who was then 15 years old, and I knew: He'd do it."

My favorite quote is from the publisher who writes in the afterword: "Terrorists die so that other people can die. Yoni died so that other people could live." Amen.

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3

Great book!.......2005-01-03

I have an interest in hostage-rescue/counter-terror operations, and so when I saw "Yoni's Last Battle" (the previous edition of this book) at the local library, I decided to get it out. I enjoyed it so much, that I decided to order this more recent copy ("Entebbe"). The book goes into a lot of detail about the operation; but Iddo also puts a human face on the commander, his brother, Yoni. It is also quite interesting to see how Yoni related to his men; he was the ideal officer.

Iddo takes care to write accurately, noting his sources (and the reasons for choosing them) whenever there is a contradiction in different versions of the event. Iddo was once a member of Sayeret Matkal, so the men he interviewed, who were involved in the mission, would have felt more comfortable talking with him than with someone else.

Additionally, the diagrams in the book are helpful in piecing together what happened during the takedown.

I highly recommend this for anyone considering joining the service!

Hit and miss.......2004-12-30

The book is interesting and fairly well done, but it suffers from both too much detail (seemingly interminable lists of exactly who was at particular meetings) and then not enough (the author says that Isreali soldiers had been stationed in Uganda in the years before the raid but doens't fully explain why; there are many other examples of times I wanted more context) In addition, although some doors were certainly opened to the author because he is the brother of Jonathan Netanyahu, as a reader, it is more difficult to accept some of the flowery compliments and accolades heaped on the commander when they are being filtered (or not) through a sibling. In summary, it is a highly personal and fairly readable take on the events, but not the definitive story.

Book Description

The last "Indian War" was fought against Native American children in the dormitories and classrooms of government boarding schools. Only by removing Indian children from their homes for extended periods of time, policymakers reasoned, could white "civilization" take root while childhood memories of "savagism" gradually faded to the point of extinction. In the words of one official: "Kill the Indian and save the man."

Education for Extinction offers the first comprehensive account of this dispiriting effort. Much more than a study of federal Indian policy, this book vividly details the day-to-day experiences of Indian youth living in a "total institution" designed to reconstruct them both psychologically and culturally. The assault on identity came in many forms: the shearing off of braids, the assignment of new names, uniformed drill routines, humiliating punishments, relentless attacks on native religious beliefs, patriotic indoctrinations, suppression of tribal languages, Victorian gender rituals, football contests, and industrial training.

Especially poignant is Adams's description of the ways in which students resisted or accommodated themselves to forced assimilation. Many converted to varying degrees, but others plotted escapes, committed arson, and devised ingenious strategies of passive resistance. Adams also argues that many of those who seemingly cooperated with the system were more than passive players in this drama, that the response of accommodation was not synonymous with cultural surrender. This is especially apparent in his analysis of students who returned to the reservation. He reveals the various ways in which graduates struggled to make sense of their lives and selectively drew upon their school experience in negotiating personal and tribal survival in a world increasingly dominated by white men.

The discussion comes full circle when Adams reviews the government's gradual retreat from the assimilationist vision. Partly because of persistent student resistence, but also partly because of a complex and sometimes contradictory set of progressive, humanitarian, and racist motivations, policymakers did eventually come to view boarding schools less enthusiastically.

Based upon extensive use of government archives, Indian and teacher autobiographies, and school newspapers, Adams's moving account is essential reading for scholars and general readers alike interested in Western history, Native American studies, American race relations, education history, and multiculturalism.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good book.......2007-07-07

This was a pretty good book about American Indians and the whole boarding school experience. David Adams really brought the experience to life. The only downside to this book is that I think he tried to cover too much. He covered a great span of time and the book was pretty long and got a little slow at times.

Frightening lessons taught and learnt at these 'schools'.......2005-10-01

This all too true account of the reeducation process which American government officials euphemistically had Indian children go through is very chilling. It is maddening to believe there were people in Washington who actually considered such treatment of kids to be 'good policy'.

While reading through this book, I was gennuinely driven to tears. The tactics which were used on the kids were what was 'savage'. Ethnocentrism and racism kept the United States government and its representatives from seeing the Indians as a civilized and advanced society.

The primary and secondary sources which David Wallace Adams cites emphasize that the 'pupils' were not naive and passive victims of these abuses. Predating the American Indian Movement of the 1960's and 1970's, they resisted the 'education' which these schools were trying to shove down their own throats.

Education for extinction.......2004-05-15

I read this for a class and enjoyed it very much. It is one of the best I have read for Native Studies. There are many facts and other pieces of information that I had not found in other books.

Groundbreaking book on the education of Native Americans.......2004-02-02

This book was recommended to me by my academic advisor, as it is considered an important and influential treatise on the subject of Native American education. David Wallace Adams, in his groundbreaking book, "Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928," shows how the case for education was made. First, Euro-Americans believed that the older generation of Indians was incapable of becoming civilized and were too attached to their old ways to change. The youthfulness of Indian children meant they could still be saved.

Secondly, education quickened the process of cultural evolution from savagism to civilization. Isolating the children, many felt, would help to reduce the influence of their tribes and their traditional cultures. Lastly, education helped prepare the Indians for self-sufficiency.

I really enjoy this book as it is extremely well written. Adams, unlike some historians, did not use too many jargons and his writing is easy to understand. Adams also provided background information for readers who are not proficient in this subject matter. In addition, "Education for Extinction" was heavily researched and well-documented.

Fascinating "Education".......2003-07-04

A fascinating -- and heartbreaking -- look at the cultural devastation ensuing from the efforts of many well-meaning educators intent on "civilizing" Native Americans. Beautifully written, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, this book is a splendid and welcome examination of one of our contry's most shameful episodes.

Education for Extinction : American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928

Average customer rating:

Education for Extinction : American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928
David W. Adams
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KXUJE4

Amazon.com

Here's a science dictionary worth poring over for hours. The concise, well-written text and amazing photos and drawings in The Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science provide an overview of science, from physics to biology, astronomy to mathematics--nine major fields in all. Within the larger sections, each fairly broad subtopic (such as "Reptiles," "Catalysts," and "Medical Imaging") gets a two-page spread. A brief beginning section introduces science as a concept and the work of scientists, while a useful section in the back bolsters the dictionary material with tables of measurements and data. The real strength of a visual dictionary is its images, and this one doesn't disappoint. The illustrations, including intricate cross sections, explanatory diagrams, and fascinating photos, are topnotch. This edition is up-to-date, with information on computer networks and mammalian cloning--a great family science reference. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

When was the Jurassic Period? How do bionic parts work? Is there a face on Mars? While most dictionaries and science books only tell you the answers, The Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science shows you! Each picture is an accompanied by concise, clear explanations that make the most complex subjects easy to understand., Over 200,000 words. More than 1,400 color photographs and 200 illustrations. A companion volume to the hugely successful Ultimate Visual Dictionary.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Reference for Kids and Adults.......2003-03-09

I purchased this book for my 4 year old son who keeps asking lots of questions. While the book may be a bit advanced and he is just learning to read, he enjoys my explaining the various topics within. This books is not for kids only and is an excellent reference to have in the home as adults can gain as much from this excellent reference. Also a great book and companion volume is the Ultimate Visual Dictionary. DK books really puts out great books and this one is tops on my list.

Excellent Resource!.......2001-09-30

A superb resource for children and adults! Excellent photos, experiment descriptions, and drawings. Covers every major science field. I use it to learn about new areas and to refresh my college level subjects such as physics and chemistry. It is simple enough for children, but includes advanced information, such as physics formulas, that makes it wonderful for adults as well. I can't say enough good things about this book!

Incredible!.......2000-12-24

I bought this for my nephew, and was so interested by it I spent half the night reading it!

My wife finaly started looking through it and liked it so much she wanted it for Christmas for herself!

It covers anatomy, biology, chemstry, earth science, physics, astronomy, computers & electronics - and much more - everything!!

This Book Will Make You Smarter.......2000-12-24

If you have read my other reviews you know I don't give out five stars very readily. This is a five-star book.

There are about 170 two-page, profusely illustrated spreads that give you the basic background on practically every topic in modern science.

Read one of these two-page spreads every other day. It will take you ten minutes or so. In less than a year you will be dramatically better informed about science. There isn't a more pleasant way to get so much smarter, so quickly.

This is a book every home should have.

Exquisite reference........1998-11-08

The "Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science" may well be just that. For this exquisite reference brims with 1,600 color photos, 200 illustrations, and 15,000 completely accessible terms. This mammoth work covers everything from Physics and Chemistry to Ecology and Computer Science, and it "allows you to browse the thematic sections at your leisure or to use it as a quick-reference visual dictionary." Everyone will have a favorite section. I particularly enjoyed the Earth Sciences, with its stunningly-clear iilustrations of coastlines and the ocean floor. And in the Astronomy and Astrophysics chapter, you'll find remarkable slice-away graphics that show, say, the planet Jupiter, with its hydrogen and helium atmosphere covering not a rocky surface, but a mantle of liquid hydrogen and helium! The book's layout is superb. Indeed, every page dazzles with a wealth of color and information. This is a must-purchase.

Average customer rating:

Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science
Barnes & Noble
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0760777888

Dk Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science

Average customer rating:

Dk Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science
Dk
Manufacturer: DK PUBLISHING INC *
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000SNM0L6

Average customer rating:

Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science

Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000FW3VFY

Product Description

leather bound book is accented in 22kt. gold.

The Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science (The Ultimate)

Average customer rating:

A Great Reference...

The Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science (The Ultimate)

Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0751304557

Customer Reviews:

A Great Reference..........2006-12-02

A great book to own, especially if you like science. It covers a wide variety of topics, and the pictures and diagrams inside help a lot, especially if you're a visual learner. Overall, it's a great book to have around in case you need a question answered or need to look something up quickly. A great addition to my book collection.

Amazon.com

Gunnar Hansen takes readers on a trip that no one seems to have thought of before: a 2,700-mile journey along America's sandy barrier islands from the Mexican border to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. These islands separate ocean from lagoon, saltwater from freshwater, sea bird from shore bird, and--until many were developed for tourism--sea-goer from landlubber. The barrier islands are young, Hansen tell us, formed in the last ice age only a few thousand years ago. They are also extremely vulnerable to damage, as Hurricane Emily demonstrated in 1993 when it tore away a good portion of many Atlantic islands. In his lively book, Hansen points out that the frequency and intensity of such storms seems to be on the rise, so see the islands while you can.

Book Description

Islands at the Edge of Time is the story of one man's captivating journey along America's barrier islands from Boca Chica, Texas, to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Weaving in and out along the coastlines of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina, poet and naturalist Gunnar Hansen perceives barrier islands not as sand but as expressions in time of the processes that make them. Along the way he treats the reader to absorbing accounts of those who call these islands home - their lives often lived in isolation and at the extreme edges of existence - and examines how the culture and history of these people are shaped by the physical character of their surroundings.

Customer Reviews:

Leatherface Goes Island Hopping.......1997-08-07

Gunnar Hansen should have titled his book "Leatherface IV: A Grisly Journey to the Barrier Islands of America." Hansen played the saliva-spouting, prozac-needing backwoods butcher in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and continues to bring his less-than-subtle beastly charms to B-grade horror flicks. Still, while such a cheap marketing ploy might have helped sell some more books, it wouldn't have made the writing more graceful or the observations more keen. In this account of the strange world of barrier islands, from the deserted Boca Chica in Texas to the resort islands of North Carolina, Gunnar casts his eye upon weary island dwellers, vacant-eyed tourists, and a host of natural phenomena. Unlike his maniacal alter-ego, Gunnar manages to convey a sense of desperation, as seen in the natural destruction and financial exploitation of the islands, without leaving a messy trail of blood and entrails. His account of life on the edge of America, in the great tradition of other bushy-bearded hermits like Farley Mowat and Edward Abbey, combines a sharp sense of moral direction with the softspoken wisdom of a teacher. What's really scary is that more people aren't writing books such as this

Islands at the Edge of Time - A Journey to America's Barrier Islands

Average customer rating:

Islands at the Edge of Time - A Journey to America's Barrier Islands
Gunner Hansen
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000X4TUZ4

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