Taxation, reimbursement : agreement between the United States of America and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, signed at Brussels July 18, 1990 (SuDoc S 9.10:11947)

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Taxation, reimbursement : agreement between the United States of America and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, signed at Brussels July 18, 1990 (SuDoc S 9.10:11947)
U.S. State Department
Manufacturer: Dept. of State
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

International | Taxes | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00010I1ZA

Book Description

Be prepared to laugh out loud as GARFIELD leads you on a riotous romp through his hilarious haunts. It's a full-color ride of nonstop fun and thrills--with plenty of laughs (and snacks) along the way!

Customer Reviews:

Very Funny, But Still Missing The Logo Boxes!.......2002-05-10

I laughed a lot throughout The Ninth Garfield Treasury, but I wasn't completely satisfied with my purchase. Why? Well, as other reviewers have noted, the logos and very first little box in each strip is missing! This is a problem because I'm sure Jim Davis spends a lot of time thinking up these creative logos and I don't know if he's happy about them being cut out.

Other than that, The Ninth Garfield Treasury is a pretty good buy. I've always thought color was the best way to go with Garfield (check out the funny one that's half black-and-white and half color in this book!), and so I've been purchasing the Treasuries for that one reason. This book is noticeably a lot more bright than the previous few. Red, black, white, green, all sorts of colors show up in this book, and with good detail, too. I think Jim Davis is one of the most talented cartoonists ever (take that, Snoopy!), and his ability to make all his Garfield strips funny and cute (some quite heartwarming, too). I hope Garfield goes for another twenty years (or forty, or sixty!), because I find him constantly inspired. He rarely fails to make me laugh! Keep up the kicking, Garfield!

If you like this book, I'd recommend Garfield Treasury, and The Tenth Garfield Treasury.

What can I say.......1999-11-06

The best yet. it is so funny and I don't just say that because I'm a die-hard garfield fan. it was very well written. I'm telling you if you like garfield you like this book.

The best garfield book..............1999-03-21

Get ready to laugh!This book is the best book of the treasuries!I like this book,because it has lots of color in it.And I agree, this book dosen't have logo boxes like the other books!The bad part of this book is that it is short.But I think Jim Davis should make the tenth treasury!

A very good book, with one exception..........1998-07-12

The only thing I don't like about the Garfield Treasuries (the recent ones anyway) is that they don't show the Logo-boxes or Drop-panels (as shown as in the "mini-books") with the sunday comics! These things might not show up in all comics sections every week (just like some newspapers still have dailies in b/w) but they're still a major part of the strip and I'd love to see the colors of the logo and drop panels in the Tenth Garfield Treasury. Other than that, this is a great book and a must-have for any Garfield fan.

Customer Reviews:

Great fun to use or just to peruse........1999-12-11

If you are lucky enough to find a copy of this book you'll not only find yourself picking it up and flipping through it on a monthly basis for the rest of your life, you'll also find yourself unable to resist sharing the book--and perhaps the dishes--with friends. A completely unique cookbook.

Billi Gordon is a robust, blessedly rubenesque, extremely attractive black woman who has earned the nickname "the living Mannequin" for her skill at modeling and entertaining. The photography is as worthwhile, entertaining, and hilarious as the text. No ethnicity or other category of person is left unmocked in this book, and... Oh for pete's sake; get a copy. You won't regret it, and you'll probably end up looking for copies to give as gifts like I am.

FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY!.......1999-07-03

Someone brought this book to work about 12 or so years ago. I couldn't put it down. I laughed until I cried for hours. I hurt I laughed so hard. I copied my favorite chapters and kept it for those days when I felt down and blue. No matter how sad I felt, after reading it I would be in tears laughing again. It is a cookbook based on the stages of a woman's realtionship with a man. It is gut wrenching funny!

Billi Gordon's You've Had Worse Things in Your Mouth Cookbook

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Billi Gordon's You've Had Worse Things in Your Mouth Cookbook
Billi Gordon
Manufacturer: West Graphics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LEXONU

Book Description

Decolonizing the Stage is a major study devoted to post-colonial drama and theatre. It examines the way dramatists and directors from various countries and societies have attempted to fuse the performance idioms of their indigenous traditions with the Western dramatic form. These experiments are termed 'syncretic theatre'. The study provides a theoretically sophisticated, cross-cultural comparative approach to a wide number of writers, regions, and theatre movements, ranging from Maori, Aboriginal, and native American theatre to Township theatre in South Africa. Writers studied include Nobel Prize-winning authors such as Wole Soyinka, Derek Walcott, and Rabindranath Tagore, along with others such as Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Jack Davis, Girish Karnad, and Tomson Highway. Decolonizing the Stage demonstrates how the dynamics of syncretic theatrical texts function in performance. It combines cultural semiotics with performance analysis to provide an important contribution to the growing field of post-colonial drama and intercultural performance.

Decolonizing the Stage: Theatrical Syncretism and Post-Colonial Drama.(Review): An article from: World Literature Today

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Decolonizing the Stage: Theatrical Syncretism and Post-Colonial Drama.(Review): An article from: World Literature Today

Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on January 1, 2000. The length of the article is 622 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: Decolonizing the Stage: Theatrical Syncretism and Post-Colonial Drama.(Review)
Publication: World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2000
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: 74 Issue: 1 Page: 250

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

From his unique vantage point as the dean of Dallas sports writers, Bob St. John brings us a soul-stirring portrait of one of America's most loved heroes-Tom Landry-who was, for twenty-nine years, the Dallas Cowboys' only head coach.

Recounting Landry's phenomenal rise to coaching fame, St. John gives us glimpses of Landry as the intramural champion in light heavyweight boxing at the University of Texas, the decorated military veteran, the rugged college halfback, and the dedicated husband and father of a family that mattered more to him than any of his legendary football teams.

For years St. John covered the Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News. So he brings to these pages a wealth of inside tales and touching vignettes of the coach who made them "America's team." As he traces the Cowboys' illustrious history to show us Tom Landry in action, St. John chronicles

Those first agonizing years when the talent-poor Cowboys got pulverized by tough NFL teams
The incredible ten-year coaching contract Murchison awarded to Landry after his first four humiliating seasons
The first glimmerings of glory when Don Meredith, Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, Lee Roy Jordan, and Walt Garrision became household names
The Glory years-the Staubach years-with back-to-back Super Bowl contending teams
The dog-days at the end of Landry's coaching career when the NFL's parity rules depleted the Cowboy's arsenal once more
The seismic shock in Dallas when the team's new owner fired the world's favorite coach

Thousands gathered to honor "the man in the hat" shortly before he died. Former President George Bush said to him, "You're an inspiration to all who have ever watched or played the game of football." St. John recalls that moment: "As Landry walked off the speaker's stand it would be the last time most people would ever see him. That familiar face that seemed to be chiseled in stone with deep-set, pale eyes that could almost become slits when he smiled or deeply concentrated the chine that jutted out would become a fading memory. And then Landry walked away and was gone."

But he has not been forgotten.

Customer Reviews:

Changed my attitude.......2004-01-20

After looking through this book it changed my attitude and outlook on a lot of items.

Very good read.

A Wonderful Tribute to The Man in The Funny Hat.......2002-05-26

If you are a Dallas Cowboy fan, then you will truly enjoy what Mr. St. John did in this wonderful biography. Having received this book as a birthday present, I completed this touching tome in three days.

During this journey inside of Landry's fedora, anger raced through me as I pictured myself in the bowels of Texas Stadium at the time of Landry's dismissal. That someone who touched so many in spite of his stoicism would be uncerimoniously canned the way he was is one of the greatest travesties this sports world has ever known.

I went with Tom and Alicia Landry back in time, from his days as a defensive mastermind with the New York Giants (can you actually Imagine Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi as assistant coaches? WOW!!! BTW- I'm currently reading my other birthday present - When Pride Still Mattered.) and marveled as his innovative genius. From the 4-3 system he implemented to the "Flex" defense he employed in Dallas, he was ahead of his time.

Reading about the Cowboys through his eyes brought back so many memories. Remember how the offensive line used to do their "Set" in unison after breaking the huddle? How about the Shotgun formation in the 70's? I was almost ten years old when watching the "Hail Mary" break the hearts of many Viking fans in Metropolitan Stadium, even younger on that Thanksgiving Day in 74 when Longley hit Drew Pearson for the winning touchdown. I won a bet with my brother over Super Bowl XII. Having watched all those Green Bay/Cleveland heartbreaks on NFL FILMS on numerous occasions, I found myself rooting for his eventual breakthrough as if I were transported back to the late 60's early seventies. That ICE BOWL loss was something. But as champions do, Landry steered his team through the mental anguish, further adding to his legacy. That he also stayed the course with his father-like image to so many of his players definitely impressed me, for he was cognizant that Professional Football is only a small portion of a man's like. (He later proved this is his last decade on earth after football.)

However the things that touched me the most about this tome is his Christianity and the love he shared with his wife Alicia. I felt his goodness burning through the pages, as his EVERYDAY Virtues inspire me to aspire for greatness when doing life's simple things.

Perhaps the best tribute of this man came in his passing. So many of his players came back; from Eddie Lebaron to Danny White, Don (MEREDITH), Craig (MORTON) and Roger (STAUBACH) mixed in between. When my day comes to shuffle off, I can only hope that I made a difference in lives as this man did. What a great man!!!! What a great Book!!!

A Wonderful Tribute to The Man in The Funny Hat.......2002-05-26

I went with Tom and Alicia Landry back in time, from his days as a a defensive with the New York Giants (can you actually Imagine Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi as assistant coaches? WOW!!! BTW- I'm currently reading my other birthday present - When Pride Still Mattered.) and marveled as his innovative genius. From the 4-3 system he implemented to the "Flex" defense he employed in Dallas, he was ahead of his time.

A Blinding Tribute to a Great Man.......2002-03-30

It has always been easy to hate the Dallas Cowboys. One can point to their arrogance spawned by an extraordinary success spanning four decades. Perhaps the gruff, bull-like intensity of Tex Schramm was never endearing. The egotistical hillbilly antics of Jerry Jones is certainly a factor. And then there's Michael Irvin, Nate Newton, Duane Thomas, Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Don Meredith, Dan Reeves and...my God.....the list never ends.

But it has never been easy to hate Tom Landry. A constant monument for 29 years as head football coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Landry in many ways became the leader of professional football and, more importantly, the community of Dallas. "Landry: The Legend and the Legacy" author Bob St. John embraces this theme with his loving tribute to a man he covered for many years as sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News. Anyone who ever stood in the presence of Mr. Landry could sense his strong character and kind nobility. Bob St. John, undoubtedly, stood in his presence many times and he was certainly blinded by that aura.

I know Tom Landry had his faults, but you will be hard-pressed to find them in "Landry: The Legend and the Legacy." And that's why Bob St. John was the wrong man to author this biography. What a story this would be if a writer from outside of Texas could pen this multi-layered tome. In many ways, a great American is still waiting to be discovered.

But let's not get too negative here. "Landry: The Legend and the Legacy" is a terrific account of the life and times of the one and only Tom Landry - high school football star in Mission, Texas; University of Texas football player and assistant coach; New York Giants defensive back and punter; New York Giants defensive coach; friend and rival (and personal opposite) of Vince Lombardi; head coach of the Dallas Cowboys; loving family man; community volunteer; strong Christian; heartbreaking victim of modern-day business/sports.

Mr. Landry's story is never boring, though one of the most defining moments of his public life - his disturbingly insensitive firing at the hands of Jerry Jones - takes up a large portion of the first quarter of the biography. This is the highlight of the book. Bob St. John (and his editors) would have been better served to tell Landry's story in chronological order.

Certainly the most memorable and harrowing passages of the book are the retelling of those traumatic days leading up to his dismissal - termed the "Saturday Night Massacre" by Dallas sportswriters. These pages (and the long, overly-detailed chapter describing his funeral) should have closed this biography.

The greatness of Tom Landry was, if anything, strengthened by his own handling of his abrupt firing. This is properly detailed by Bob St. John, but once again, far too early in the book. What for many was a professional tragedy of mythic-like proportions, which to this day echoes in the minds of many long-time Dallas residents, should have been left for the closing and final chapters.

"Landry: The Legend and the Legacy" is a loving tribute to Coach Landry. If it was rushed to publication following his death in 2000 (it was), then perhaps after a few years of retrospection, a definitive account of this man's life can be written.

Landry - A huge disappointment!.......2001-10-13

It was with eager anticipation that i awaited receipt of what i thought would be a biography of a football legend. On its arrival i hurriedly opened the first page and started to read.
Landry starts with the great mans death and reads like a lengthy obituary column with eulogy after eulogy after eulogy.
There is NO balanced perspective, it is the sort of book that only a doting daughter/son or parent could write.
For all that, i suppose it is well written, just don't buy it if you are looking for an informative biography!

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Cowboy: The Legend and the Legacy
B. A. Payton
Manufacturer: Greystone Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1550545442

Book Description

Take a rollicking ride through cowboy subculture, from reality to the romantic image. There is no more enduring icon of the American West than the cowboy, rugged, individualistic, and hero of countless movies and TV shows. Here is his true story, along with a look at how popular culture both created and reflected his "wild West" lifestyle. From the corral to the range and into the dance hall, this absorbing chronicle contrasts the wrangler's world in its golden age with the mythological character of books and film. Passages from the best classic cowboy literature offer insights into his day-to-day life, challenges, and aspirations. Quotes, anecdotes, and lyrics bring cowboy language alive. Throughout, archival images depict men tired, riding tall in the saddle, and grinning in the dance-hall light. Full-color photos show off the distinctive gear, and carefully selected pictures from pop culture illustrate the formation of this abiding American legend.

Somewhere in the West: Texas Women Who Left a Legacy

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Somewhere in the West: Texas Women Who Left a Legacy
Linda Kirkpatrick
Manufacturer: Cowboy Miner Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

PC Magazine's Jan Ozer takes on the most popular Windows-based DV editing software in classic Visual QuickStart style. If you want to explore both video-editing and DVD authoring, there's now an affordable tool--Pinnacle Studio 9 ($99, available Feb, 2004)-- and an affordable book that gives you the background in DV and DVD production technologies to do so effectively. In Pinnacle Studio 9 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide, veteran journalist and teacher Jan Ozer tackles Pinnacle Studio 9 in typical QuickStart style--that is, with step-by-step instructions, plenty of illustrations, and straightforward language. The guide initiates readers in the art and craft of digital video editing for streaming-media and DVD. Chapters on project planning and a primer on how to shoot good video for DVD and the Web precede Ozer's task-based instructions explaining every aspect of the program--from capturing and importing video to creating transitions and titles, and outputting the final product.

Chapter describing how to use new features in Studio Plus available for download: StudioPlus.pdf (1MB)

Customer Reviews:

The author sails to new horizons with Pinnacle Studio 9 Visual Quickstart Guide!.......2005-06-30

I've read numerous technical books on many subjects and have never sailed through the software as smoothly as with this book.
If you're looking for a tutorial that can whiz you through the subject matter with ease and accuracy this is it! No matter where you wish to refer back to, you can do it without reading the whole chapter (as with other tutorials). Quickstart is the name however I feel it should be named Quick referrence.
Best investment I've made in a while. I'm making movies that are in awe at my office. I've been told they have been made professionally.

Excellent book.......2005-06-29

Simply put, read this book and you will definitely be able to produce excellent movies.
The book can be read from start to finish or just dip in to where the specific information is. The book is written so both ways work.The clear instructions enable even a novice to be proud - even amazed at what they can do.
Two days after reading this book I put a mini movie on the internet! If I can, you can!

Now, Studio 9 Plus is covered.......2005-04-04

As an owner of the author's Pinnacle Studio 8 book, I waited to buy what I anticipated to be his Pinnacle Studio 9 Plus book. But wait no more. A supplemental chapter covering the 9 Plus features - PIP, Pan and Zoom, and Chroma Key, is avaiable at http://www.doceo.com/studio9.html under "Click here to download free chapter on new features of Studio Plus", and now I have the equivalent of the Studio Plus 9 book.
I agree with the other reviewer's comments and no point in repeating them here, except to say that for me the best parts about the author's presentations are the illustrative examples.

Great Book for After you Get The Software Loaded........2005-03-26

Pinnacle's Studio 9 is a love it or hate it package. At $99 (retail price) it is very inexpensive for what you get. The problem, people report, has been getting it to work on their system -- I also hear that the newest release of the package is much, much better. It also seems to work better with Intel Pentium CPU's than with AMD and it also likes memory, say a gigabyte.

But as for the book, this is one of the Visual Quickstart Guides. They're great. They use a format of having two columns on each page with the outside column being text and the inside being pictures. Each page is devoted to some small task and handles that task completely. You can start at the front of the book and go all the way through and you'll get a pretty good tutorial on the software. Or you can use the index to skip around and quickly get to the particular detail you are looking for.

Jan Ozer is an excellent writer. He starts out with the statement "you have the manual for the software" and then goes on from there. This is not a manual of how to, this is a what and why kind of book that explains what it is that you are trying to do and then goes on to tell you how to do it. The manual tells you how to do a J-Cut and an L-Cut. This book tells you what they are.

A "Must" for Studio 9.......2004-10-29

This is probably one of the most informative books on video editing that you can buy. The author is an expert in the field and has the ability to not just tell you how to do something, but make you understand what is going on and thereby enabling an intuitive feel for using the program. His "Studio 8 for Windows" carried me from the depths of ignorance to a level of competence that allows me to knock out complicated projects in record time; this new Studio 9 version will do the same for you plus. This book will enable the beginner to successfully edit productions with minimum heartache....but READ before you start clicking madly away.

Book Description

Over 185 Color Photographs & Illustrations

Customer Reviews:

Striking cover, surprising facts........1999-10-07

This beautiful little book, suitable for the desk, coffee table, or even a purse, is gorgeous from cover to cover. The bold black jacket design with the clever "100" depicted with icons of the century - bandaid, spray can, pull tab - caught my attention. The bold type and layout inside carries the impact of the cover. The selection of items depicted to represent everyday stuff that we take for granted is very insightful. Further, and most interesting, are the strange facts behind the creation, development, and mistakes that led to these incredible inventions. Educational and witty and extremely good visual design.

Book Description

"For eight years, Nancy Soderberg served with distinction and creativity at the highest levels of American government. She is uniquely positioned to explain how the world works in this new era-and when it's in danger of breaking down."
—Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State

Are there limits to American power? The neoconservative brain trust behind the Bush administration's foreign policy doesn't seem to recognize any. For the first time, we have people in power who believe that as the world's reigning superpower, America can do what it wants, when it wants, without regard to allies, costs, or results. But as events in Iraq are proving, America may be powerful, but it is not all-powerful.

In practice, no country could ever be strong enough to solve problems like Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq through purely military means. In the future, America's power will constantly be called up to help failed and failing states, and it is becoming clear that the complex mess of Somalia has replaced the proxy war of Vietnam as the model for what future military conflicts will look like: a failed state, a power vacuum, armed factions, and enough chaos to panic an entire region. Using vivid examples from her years in the White House and at the United Nations, Nancy Soderberg demonstrates why military force is not always effective, why allies and consensus-building are crucial, and how the current administration's faulty world view has adversely affected policies toward Israel, Iraq, North Korea, Haiti, Africa, and Al-Qaeda. Powerful, provocative, and persuasive, this timely book demonstrates that the future of America's security depends on overcoming the superpower myth.

Customer Reviews:

Worthless.......2006-03-25

Of course we all knew the years following the Clinton administration would be a dizzying display of revisionism, seeking to explain away the broad expanse of utter failure. This is yet another example. It's a steaming pile just like your cat might cough up on the carpet. There's hardly a word in here that's accurate or insightful - one is tempted to cut all the pages into their individual component words, toss the mess in the air, and read whatever appears. It's bound to be more valuable than this.

Look. This author has had her ears pinned back over and over on the circuit promoting her book, by those who actually know the facts. She's a hack, and always was a hack. It's almost as if Clinton reached out of his limo to pluck someone off the street when filling her job - judging by this book, that may be precisely what he did. Whatever. It's over now.

Another Dingbat Trying to Make a Buck.......2006-02-10

The author's selective amnesia about how terrorism, especially Al-Quida, flourished long before George Bush ever became president is not astounding, it is expected from the goofy left. Bush bad, Clinton (her ex-boss) good. When is this baseless, childish tripe going to stop finding a publisher??

Poor Nancy's almanac!.......2005-06-04

This is the kind of book that has me shaking my head in disbelief. Is she for real? Or is she just saying what she knows her liberal friends expect her to say in order to keep her liberal credentials up to date? Nancy Soderberg is a nice liberal girl who studied international relations at Georgetown University about 20 years ago under then Professor Madelaine Albright and has been sort of a protégé of Mrs. Albright ever since. Indeed, Mrs. Albright is one of the people quoted on the dust jacket helping to sell the book. President Bill Clinton gives a VERY meager three-page introduction, which is intended, apparently, to give her added legitimacy. The first half of the book describes the events of the Clinton years. Of course, she puts the best possible spin on the Clinton Administration's handling of events. The second half is mostly Bush bashing. She worked for six years during the late 1980s and early 1990s as a Congressional staffer for Senator Ted Kennedy. In 1984 she worked on the unsuccessful Mondale campaign. In 1988 she worked on the unsuccessful Dukakis campaign. Then in 1992 she got lucky when her candidate Bill Clinton won the presidency. As a reward for her contribution as an advisor to his campaign Nancy was appointed as the third ranking member of Clinton's NSC staff. The fact that Clinton would appoint someone with such meager government experience to such a high post suggests to me that either he didn't take it too seriously, or the Democrats have a VERY weak bench in foreign policy/national security, or both. Indeed, she later describes how at the end of the Clinton years she served as US delegate to the UN Security Council and all of the delegates from other countries were men who were about twenty years her senior. No matter, she assures us, since she had the prestige of the US behind her, but somehow I can't escape the impression that we were under represented, that she was like a sparrow among falcons. Nevertheless, she does describe in considerable detail most of the foreign policy events of the last decade or so. She currently works for an international non-profit group based in Brussels, (the capital of course, of the proposed European Union if their constitution ever gets ratified) in a job that appears to be primarily designed to spare her the necessity of having to seek employment in the real economy like the rest of us while she waits very impatiently for another Democratic Administration to take office and give her another big government job. The Clinton Administration failed to produce a foreign policy giant like Zbiginew Brezinski, but they did have Warren Christopher, affectionately called Chris, Anthony Lake, Sandy Berger, Les Aspin, William Perry, Republican William Cohen, George Tenet, Louis Freeh, Wesley Clark, Richard Holbrooke, Madelaine Albright, who emerges as by far the most manly of the bunch, including Clinton, and, of course, the great anti terrorism expert Mr. Richard Clarke, last seen working as a consultant for Ted Koppel at ABC News after selling his own Bush bashing book on 60 Minutes. All of whom are described in some detail as she recounts her personal experiences. Colin Powell also served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for the first Clinton year. Although she is very careful to not say anything critical of General Powell she can scarcely contain the glee she felt when he left the Clinton Administration since he largely tended to block their creative uses of military forces. With regard to the infamous Blackhawk Down incident in which the bodies of dead American soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, Nancy claims that, INCREDIBLY, President Bill Clinton and his top advisors were unaware that the US policy had changed from protecting the UN food distribution centers to apprehension of the warlord Mohammed Aideed. If true, what does this say about the competence of the Clinton team? With regard to Haiti, she completely ignores the fact that the motive for returning exiled President Aristide to Haiti with American bayonets was the tremendous political pressure brought upon Clinton by African American opinion leaders, a significant part of Clinton's political base. How's that for an unselfish motive? As she describes, pretty much all of the Republican leaders, and even members of Clinton's own Administration, and especially the CIA, had a low opinion of Mr. Aristide and were EXTREMELY dubious about the wisdom of using US military power to return him to power. Of course Mr. Aristide eventually exited the country once again under less than dignified circumstances. She laments that Mr. Aristide failed to make good on his promises to enact democratic and humanitarian reforms and instead, tried to set himself up as yet another strong man. It never occurs to her that perhaps the critics were right all along and that Mr. Aristide is simply a turkey, period. With regard to Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Serbian government of Slobodon Milosovic, probably the less said the better. UN peacekeepers were sometimes taken hostage and used as human shields. The UN and even NATO were openly threatened with violence against their soldiers, etc, and sometimes succumbed to intimidation. The European powers, the same people who like to brag about how they will eclipse the US in power and influence once they just get France and Holland to vote again and vote yes this time to accept their proposed European constitution, cried for President Clinton to pull their chestnuts out of the fire by leading a military effort to punish Serbia for ethnic cleansing, etc, and establish stability and order in the Balkans. US and NATO soldiers still stand guard against ethnic cleansing and very little has changed to give any confidence that if the soldiers were to leave they just wouldn't go back to killing each other once again. No matter, Nancy talks as if she considers this a real achievement. Of course, the centerpiece of the Clinton foreign policy was always the Middle East peace process. Nancy describes how the Clinton Administration sought to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and also sought to bring peace to Northern Ireland by reaching out to Yassir Arafat of the PLO and to Gerry Adams of the IRA and encouraging them to become peacemakers. She has developed a whole rationalization for why the peace efforts ultimately failed. But for this unfortunate event or that, we were so close, etc. She still doesn't get it that these two individuals were simply front men for ruthless terrorist groups who played the Clinton Administration for all they were worth. They were all smiles as they strung Clinton along for seven or eight years with promises that they never fulfilled. They received international recognition, legitimacy, invitations to the White House, cash, and in the case of Mr. Arafat, I believe even a Nobel Peace Prize, only to stiff us in the end. The way Ms. Soderberg tells it, the Clinton Administration boldly charted a moderate course in foreign policy, building international consensus on important global issues, working with allies to achieve common goals, pursuing unselfish policies for the common good, well, you get the idea. Then, just as they were making great progress toward solving the problems of mankind George W. Bush came along and, after becoming president, changed all that to instead pursue a selfish policy based upon national interest. For example, she is outraged that Bush announced publicly that the US would not abide by the provisions of the Kyoto treaty concerning global warming. Recognizing the obvious fact that no US president could possibly abide by the treaty she advises instead that Bush should have said nothing and simply ignored the treaty. Say what? That may be how they do things in Canada or Europe but Americans are not so good at hypocrisy, at least not the kind of Americans who voted for Bush. She blames the Bush Administration for letting North Korea get further along on their nuclear bomb program, while conveniently ignoring that Clinton paid them to be good only to let them take the money and then work on the bomb anyway. INCREDIBLY, she favors paying them again. Oh, well, I guess she feels that it worked so well when Clinton did just that. It certainly worked out well for the outlaw government of North Korea. It makes me wonder if Nancy Soderberg REALLY understands what appeasement is. Not just the textbook definition, but how it works in practice, the psychology of the victim, the rationalizations involved to convince oneself that the aggressive bully really has valid points in his favor and that it isn't really appeasement at all, that it is better to compromise, to do what he wants to redress his grievances, that it is better for everybody, etc. in the hopes of a peaceful settlement, because war is really scary. In other words, exactly the kind of arguments that she herself puts forward. By the way, I noticed that she makes no mention whatsoever of the theft of nuclear secrets from Los Alamos by the Chinese communists during Clinton's watch. I guess that this wasn't a significant enough development to merit inclusion in the book. Of course, Ms. Soderberg is dead set against Bush's decision to use force to remove Saddam Hussein and his odious regime from power. If she had her way, Saddam would still be in power, Uday and Qusay and Chemical Ali would still be murdering and torturing Iraqis, billions of dollars would continue to be looted from the UN managed Oil for Food program, Baghdad Bob would continue to give Iraqis their news, and so on. She doesn't think that it is worth the 1600 Americans killed so far, as well as perhaps 100,000 Iraqis and others to put an end to such tyranny and give the 25 million people of Iraq a fighting chance to experience freedom and prosperity, just as a decade ago the Clinton Administration, and the rest of the world, didn't think that it was worth the sacrifices required to stop the genocide in Rwanda where at least hundreds of thousands perished violently. They would rather make Hollywood movies to show how awful things can be and build holocaust memorials to commemorate the victims rather than shed any blood to actually stop a REAL genocide. At least 300,000 victims are attributed to Saddam Hussein not counting the victims of two major wars that he started. That beats Bosnia and Kosovo by a long shot. Ms. Soderberg refers derisively to those favoring the removal of Saddam Hussein from power by force as hegemons, a Greek word, first used, I believe, in reference to Philip II of Macedonia, the ruler who, in ancient times, successfully used military force to unite the Greek city states for the first time under a single ruler, also, by the way, the father of Alexander the Great. She tells a fascinating story about the day that she was appearing on a television program to urge President Bush to allow a greatly expanded role to the UN for the reconstruction of Iraq. Just then word came in of a massive truck bomb killing the head of the UN delegation in Iraq, a personal friend of Ms. Soderberg's, along with many other UN workers. True to form the UN then cut and ran, thereby giving the terrorists the victory that they were seeking. Also true to form Ms. Soderberg chose to blame Bush rather than the terrorists for the tragedy. What could be more telling than this? So, if you want to understand how privileged liberals, the kind of people who really DO regard the New York Times as the newspaper of record, such as tenured college professors and the kind of people who reside in places like Martha's Vineyard, the Hamptons, the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Aspin, and Malibu view foreign affairs, this book is for you. On the other hand, if you come from the kind of family (like me) where the young people go to serve in the armed forces to get money for college, you probably won't agree with her point of view.

A must read for responsible Americans.......2005-03-26

This work is a must read for reponsible and interested Americans. We need to know what role the U.S. can and should play in international affairs, particularly since the U.S. is the only economic, military, naval, and political superpower. This role is unprecedented in world history and while it can be the source of great promise for the U.S., it can also be the cause of great suspicion.
Despite what we learn from news sources and talking heads, many issues are complex. Ms. Soderberg makes them approachable and provides insights into how elected leaders and experts in foreign policy approach, or should approach, issues.
For a reader who would like to know just what the issues are with North Korea, global warming, terrorism, Iraq, and the Middle East, Ms. Soderberg provides a concise and understandable starting point. This book should be highly recommended to friends who are willing to ask questions instead of just accepting pablum from political spin doctors.

Brilliant and Probing.......2005-03-10

Obviously, Soderberg speaks from great experience. I found her argument persuasive, based on knowledge not the rhetoric we usually hear from those closeted at the American Enterprise Institute. And particularly given the current Administration's "my way or the highway" posture, it's refreshing to read a real defense of why it is in America's interest to pursue diplomacy that is multi-lateral and cooperative.

El Mito De La Superpotencia / The Superpower Myth: Uso Y Abuso Del Poder / The Use And Misuse of American Might

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El Mito De La Superpotencia / The Superpower Myth: Uso Y Abuso Del Poder / The Use And Misuse of American Might
Nancy Soderberg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

From the spring of 1976 to the fall of 1978, three laboratories competed in a feverish race to clone a human gene for the first time, a feat that ultimately produced the world's first genetically engineered drug--the life-sustaining hormone insulin. Invisible Frontiers gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the three main groups at Harvard University, the University of California-San Francisco, and a team of upstart scientists at Genentech, the first company devoted to the use of genetic engineering in the creation of pharmaceuticals. When the dust had settled, one scientist had won a Nobel Prize, many others had become biotech's first millionaires, and the key technologies were in place that set the stage for the human genome project. Author Stephen Hall weaves together the scientific, social and political threads of this story--the fierce rivalry between labs, the fateful clash of egos within labs, the invasion of academia by commerce, the public fears about genetic engineering, the threat of government regulation, and the ultimate triumph of modern biology--to give us an outstanding tale of scientific research. In this fast-paced, gripping narrative Hall captures the highlights--and high jinks--of one of the greatest eras in recent biological history: the discovery of recombinant DNA and the birth of biotechnology.

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A really enjoyable book and a must read for biologists........2004-09-01

Great success comes only after overcoming great difficulties. Basically this fact of life underlies this book. The fascinating point is, it is not an account of life of some great sportsman or some great leader but of a group of those people in society called scientists whose curious minds, hard work and vision helped emergence of Biotechnology as a major branch of science as well as industry in a relatively short time and in turn gave them recognition as great scientists. Were they great industrialists too? You can try to find that out in this book. Their efforts were also a major help for studies on gene function. This is a true exciting account of a thrilling race between three groups interested in cloning the first gene! It impressively shows not only the competition among the scientists but also their struggle with the bureaucracy. In this book one can see the life of scientists who are in true sense dedicated to science (though it doesn't mean that all the laboratories function the same way!). Another interesting aspect, which this book brings about, is the way basic academic research and industry is bridged and choice to walk on that bridge (in either direction) is not always easy for scientists.
Writer Stephen Hall has done a wonderful job in bringing `life in science' in front of a common man.

Invisible frontiers: The race to synthesize a human gene

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Invisible frontiers: The race to synthesize a human gene
Stephen S Hall
Manufacturer: Distributed to the book trade in the U.S. by Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Pharmacology | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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Invisible Frontiers : The Race to Synthesize a Human Gene
Stephen S. Hall
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKNDVE

Book Description

The rate of extinction of biological species is greater today than at any time in the last 65 million years. Some predict that if this rate continues, two-thirds of all living species will disappear during the next century. Because reaching consensus on specific courses of action involves complex issues, any adequate response to this impending crisis must include coverage of many areas of inquiry and understanding. Protection of Global Biodiversity features essays by distinguished international experts who communicate with each other across disciplinary boundaries to address the challenge of formulating policies to protect biodiversity.
Although the global community has recently adopted a Convention of Biological Diversity, the agreement sets forth only abstract goals. Contributors to this volume advance the Convention’s initial steps by providing workable solutions that can be implemented regionally, nationally, and locally. The contributors—including natural, social, and political scientists; economists; lawyers; and environmentalists; and decisionmakers in business, agriculture, and government—have united to create a common discourse and to evaluate and propose strategies for halting this alarming loss of biodiversity. In recognizing the diverse aspects of this task—scientific, economic, institutional, moral, and legal—this book presents a new picture of emerging action.

Contributors. S. James Anaya, Gregory Benford, Graciela Chichilnisky, S. Todd Crider, Yvonne Cripps, Robert T. Fraley, Anil K. Gupta, Lakshman D. Guruswamy, G. M. Heal, Brent Hendricks, Robert B. Horsch, Laura L. Jackson, Annie Lovejoy, Ariel E. Lugo, Jeffrey A. McNeely, Brian G. Norton, Elinor Ostrom, Peter H. Raven, John W. Reid, Walter V. Reid, Mark Sagoff, Roger A. Sedgo, R. David Simpson, Ana Sittenfeld, Christopher D. Stone, Gary H. Toenniessen

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