How to Operate Insurance Agency Procedures Manual: This Was Included in New York Journal of Insurance Recommended Reading Section, a Helpful Guide (Entrepeneurial Guide)

How to Operate Insurance Agency Procedures Manual: This Was Included in New York Journal of Insurance Recommended Reading Section, a Helpful Guide (Entrepeneurial Guide)
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How to Operate Insurance Agency Procedures Manual: This Was Included in New York Journal of Insurance Recommended Reading Section, a Helpful Guide (Entrepeneurial Guide)
J. Alvin Speers
Manufacturer: Aardvark Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Insurance | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0921057008

Book Description

The essays in this volume provide a comprehensive view of applications of the cost of capital. The cost of capital is the key concept in the analysis of taxation of business income. It is also critical to the formulation of a new system of national accounts, where it plays the role of the price of capital services. Empirical measurements of productivity and economic welfare generated by these accounts underlie recent innovations in the econometric modeling of consumer and producer behavior.

Book Description

This book is concerned with the design and conduct of macroeconomic policy in an international context. It addresses the advantages and disadvantages of simple policy rules, how to formulate policy in the face of uncertainty, the possible benefits from international policy coordination and the role that credibility plays in determining the effectiveness of government intervention. These issues are brought together to produce a unique, unified approach to the subject. The book will be of interest to students and teachers of macroeconomics, and professional economists concerned with the design of policy using macroeconomic models.

Solomon Grundy: A Pop-Up Rhyme
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Solomon Grundy: A Pop-Up Rhyme
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670843199

SOLOMON GRUNDY. A Pop-Up Rhyme Retold & Illustrated
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SOLOMON GRUNDY. A Pop-Up Rhyme Retold & Illustrated
Nick. Bantock
Manufacturer: Viking Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N781FG

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SOLOMON GRUNDY. A Pop-Up Rhyme Retold & Illustrated
Nick. Bantock
Manufacturer: Child's Play,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N767PC

Book Description

When he first came before a judge in the 1960s, Keith Richards heard himself described as "a moron" and read newspaper headlines announcing UGLY LOOKS! UGLY SPEECH! UGLY MANNERS! Yet Richards's strangely flamboyant personality, filled with eccentricities and contradictions, suggested a more complex character than the "elegantly wasted" junkie who wrote and played the Rolling Stones' best-known songs. In an industry notorious for its high burnout rate, Keith Richards remains a legendary survivor. This candid look at the Rolling Stones legend is being published in conjunction with Richard's sixtieth birthday celebration. Keith Richards: Satisfaction looks at the career of a man who was as admired as he was feared. In this behind-the-scenes story, employing dozens of new sources, the author charts the life and music of the shy, half-educated boy from Dartford, the writer of pop classics like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Ruby Tuesday," and "Brown Sugar"; the kohl-eyed drug addict slumped on his mattress throne at the Ritz Hotel, and the more recently contented family man who nonetheless continues to be rock's most indomitable living practitioner. It's a hard, fast, sometimes shocking saga of a flawed but wildly creative life.

Customer Reviews:

Bullocks.......2006-03-01

This book is based mainly on here say not much input from keith.Christopher Sandford seems to be spicing up the actual events as i have read conflicting biographies, if you believe everything you read then apparently most of the stones are gay and Brian Jones was a braindead stoner who new little about writing songs and only wanted to be a pop star...............................................absolute BOLLOCKS

Keith Undone.......2005-07-14

Finally a book that shows Keith exists past the headlines. A good in-depth read of the makings of Keith Richard's and what makes him tic. If you are interested in how Keith created, then was forced to live in the persona he created in the 60's, read this book.

A different angle on Keith Richards.......2005-04-02

Satisfaction isn't the rehashed bio that some would call it. Instead it approaches the subject of Keith Richards from a different perspective. It gives a good picture of the working class background he came from, especially as his hometown of Dartford was hit hard by the German bombers in WW2. Richards emerges as a bit of a mother's boy, alienated from his taciturn father, and not particularly interested in school. Music was a large part of his family from his mother's side, and as hard as it is to imagine, Richards was also a soloist as a boy at Westminster Abbey. So there's a good background of his childhood and youth.

As Richards met Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, the theme begins, of Richards being the most important part of what became the Rolling Stones. Certainly the author presents a strong argument; for all the influences he has had, such as Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry, Keith Richards crafted a sound with the Rolling Stones that became unique, and it's impossible to imagine another guitar player who could create such a sound. Much is written here of Richards' (and Jagger's) single-minded dedication as well, to adapt as necessary to success but never losing the fundamental core of what the band was all about.

The darker side of Richards is explored as well, and certainly Sandford pulls no punches in showing what happens to young men who come into a ton of money. Richards' drug use nearly wrecked the group in the 1970's, and unlike other writers Sandford rightly stays away from glamourizing any of this. After reading through this one is amazed that Richards is alive and well in 2005.

On the downside, the book does tend to cover familiar ground in the second half. Sandford also has written a book on Mick Jagger, but it's hard to tell since he is given so little credit or mention to the singer here. As much as Richards crafted the sound of the group, Jagger is just as vital to the group, it should go without saying.

It's interesting to read that while Richards was at the height of his rock and roll lifestyle, with the drugs, his house burning down, the cars he crashed fairly regularly, he still was a homebody who would go to his mother's for shepherd's pie and bangers and mash. The man who wrote "Sympathy For The Devil" also has become an old English uncle type in his 60's, and Sandford does a good job describing Keith's change into an elder statesman.

Overall a good read with some new perspectives.

Can't get no..........2004-03-29

Keith Richards is a hard person to tie down into a biography, with his rollercoaster life and career. And not having access to him makes "biographing" even more difficult. Christopher Sandford's meandering focus and lack of new material make this an unsatisfying rock'n'roll experience.

Keith Richards was the pirate bad boy of the Rolling Stones. Without the outright sex appeal of Mick Jagger or the angel-faced nastiness of Brian Jones, Richards carved a niche by being himself -- strong, kind of shy, and devoted to making music. He rose to prominence as the brilliant guitar player and songwriter, ran off with Jones' much-abused girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, had two children, got hooked on heroin and finally turned his life around so he wouldn't lost it.

"Satisfaction" is anything but. Most of the information in "Satisfaction" is recycled from other books. And about halfway through the book, Sandford seems to get bored with his subject, writing a bunch of stuff about Bianca, Mick, and the other Stones, before meandering back to Keith, Anita and Patti Hansen. Not to mention that small errors pepper the text (Brian Jones had two illegitimate children who were older than Julian).

Most annoyingly, Sandford soft-pedals a lot of the controversy and news swirling around the Stones. He avoids talking much about the then-shocking music and statements they made, or the many small ways they tried to rub the anti-rock crowd the wrong way. It's like he doesn't want to admit that they were rock's bad boys at the time.

He does give good insights into different parts of Keith's life, such as his prematurely hard-edged son Marlon, or the appeal of ex-model/actress Anita Pallenberg. But his insights also seem recycled; it's as though he has difficulty understanding what motivates any of the people he writes about. His writing itself is dull and spiritless, almost patronizing, and the anecdotes tend to be either brief or garbled.

Keith Richards was better profiled in Victor Bockris's biographer. In this biography, you can't get no "Satisfaction"...

No Satisfaction.......2004-01-28

As a collector of "all things Keith", from books to his guitar picks, this book was a big disappointment. It rehashed things I have known for many years and I sincerely wish I had not paid so much for this book. But it does fill my cabinet with another piece of Keith.
At the very end of the book, there was one thing which I did not know previously. If money is an issue with you at this time, please do not spend it here.

The Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Comics Issue #6 (Satisfaction)

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The Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Comics Issue #6 (Satisfaction)
Todd Loren
Manufacturer: Revolutionary Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000J0ESWM

Product Description

Rock n Roll comics issue #6. The Rolling Stones: Satisfaction. December 1989.

Satisfying Internal Customers First!: A Practical Guide to Improving Internal and External Customer Satisfaction (Quality Improvement)

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Satisfying Internal Customers First!: A Practical Guide to Improving Internal and External Customer Satisfaction (Quality Improvement)
Richard Y. Chang , and P. Keith Kelly
Manufacturer: Pfeiffer & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Big Book of Customer Service Training Games (Big Book)
Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service
The Toyota Way

ASIN: 1883553040

Book Description

External customer satisfaction is key to your organization's success. But just as important are an organization's internal customers and how they work together to produce products and services. Your team must go beyond merely tracking to actually improving customer satisfaction.

Amazon.com

Jim Henson needs no introduction. For those of us who grew up with The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles reveals how his art came alive over a period of almost 20 years before those shows even began. For those who saw his advertisements and appearances on late-night shows, it is a reminder that he changed television. His creations required the genius of both the visual and the performing arts, mixed with a rolling sense of humor, and all are present here: the early silk-screens show the sensibility of a great artist, the drawings show the thinking process of a powerful designer, and the stories are those of one of the greatest performance artists of our time. The book ends in 1976, when The Muppet Show began its first season, leaving the reader hungry for more, but this archaeological journey goes a long way toward uncovering Jim Henson's world. --Juliette Cezzar

Book Description

"These imaginative musings-the work of a man who made an impossible world seem completely plausible-show history in the making."-Booklist

Bert and Ernie were once just scribbles on notebook paper, and the original Oscar the Grouch was purple, not green. Before there were Muppets, there were Jim Henson's designs and doodles. This delightful collection of Henson's early drawings serves as a map to the imagination of an artist whose characters have enraptured generations of children and adults. Almost none of these drawings had been published before the original Abrams edition. From the most cursory of doodles to finished drawings, this whimsical volume of sketchbooks, posters, album covers, story boards, and set and puppet designs celebrates Henson's unique genius and his wild sense of humor. AUTHOR BIO: Alison Inches, a freelance writer living in Mill Valley, California, was a senior editor for Jim Henson Productions' publishing division.

Customer Reviews:

Love Jim Henson.......2006-03-03

I ordered this book for my daughter who loves Jim Henson & the Muppets as a birthday present, and is a professional puppeteer inspired by Jim Henson. She absolutely loves this book and I highly recommend anything Jim Henson related as he was a pioneer in this area and one of the most creative people on the planet.

Facinating collection of work from Jim Henson.......2005-03-20

I have always been a Jim Henson fan. After all, I grew up with Sesame Street and the Muppet Show. I was always fascinated with the strange and creative creatures that he came up with. This book is a gold mine of his ideas and sketches - some that you will recognize and some that you have probably never seen.

This is sort of an odd book for me to have. I don't collect books based on movies or TV shows. But this one doesn't really fall into that category at all. It's more of an artist's diary and sketchbook. I enjoy just paging through it to look at all of the wonderous things Jim Henson imagined. His work seems to have something "odd" to it that I can somehow connect with and be fascinated by it.

I think anyone who has enjoyed Jim Henson's productions will probably enjoy looking through this book. It's an adventure to page through time after time.

Spot on Mr Henson..... Spot on!!.......2001-07-31

Jim Henson was a man who managed to sum up the whole intire feeling of what it was to be young, and full of energy in his fantastic creations. His work, from Mupets to films such as 'Labyrinth' and 'The Dark Crystal', showed us that he could tap that part of our minds that wanted to let go, and be free to live in our fantasies. This book, unlocks the back door to the mind that created our most cherished characters from the Henson world. It shows us where these characters came from, and also gives us an insight to the man who made it all happen. I found this book to be a real Gem, and an adventure. Just seeing the doodles Jim did as a child, or a teen, and some of his non character based art work, was fascinating. Buy this book If you are a fan of Mr hensons work. It is not the most complete book, as far as his other projects go, and some people may wish that some of his film work had got into the book. But for those that like to get closer to their idols, and want to feel like a close friend looking through his old scrapbooks, get this book. You won't be dissapointed.

Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles is the #1 Henson book!.......2001-04-07

This is a must for all you muppet fans!

The wonderful new long awaited book, Jim Henson's Desings and Doodles is almost a museum on paper. It shows Jim's best artwork, from storyboards, to puppet desingns, even a very early Kermit sketch. The book also features a never before seen look at the never produced special, "Johnny Carson and The Muppet Machine" which was to be a physcedelic trip into the 1960's. The artwork is very detailed, and even has a stone carving of Ed Macmahon! The book also shows some of his early work, including silkscreen images of meloncholy (which was inspired by the death of his brother , Paul) and concert posters and crazy characters who were soon to be Frackles!

One of the best parts of the book is Henson 's early commercial storyboards, which feature the two popular commercial Muppets ,Wilkins and Wontkins, Hansel and Gretel Muppets, and Kermit, The Snerfs and Rowlf (the IDEAL doll ad where Kermit sings the unfamilliar jingle"Oh buy us, oh buy us, oh buy us we beg! If you do not buy us, we'll bite you in the leg!!!) . Early drawings of the La Choy Dragon, and Nutty Bird(Royal Crown soda ads, precursor to Big Bird) are also featured.

The book brings us for the first time many illustrations of show ideas that never made it to the small screen. The Zoocus (The Zoo Circus), The Entertainers, and Martian Landing are all examples shown by illustrations from Jim's fertile imagination. The Zoocus was to be a show full of new Muppets such as Mr. Ripple and Carbourator Jones and had a guest star on each show (Sound like TMS to you?). The show would be a variety but would mostly ,as shown in Henson's drawings,be a talk show with the guest, where the Muppets would lounge behind large alters and other sets. The Entertainer was to be a show about a travelling vaudevillian show where Muppet men (and a can can girl) would sing popular songs at the time. This was also to be a Variety type show. Martian Landing would feature Muppet Koosebaine like creatures that would swap jokes and do skits on another planet. It was to be a Live variety show. It ashame these didn't get aired.

This book has so much I haven't mentioned yet, (I don't want to spoil it!) and it is definetly worth every penny. By far, one of my favs. among a long line of Muppet Books. Enjoy!

A rare glimpse into the mind of a genius........2001-04-06

Jim Henson was one of the most imaginative people of this past century and this book beautifully captures some of his brilliance in the form of sketches, doodles and small art pieces. If you've ever marveled at his artistry, or wondered at his talent, then this is the book for you.

What I most enjoyed about this collection are the sketches and stories from Jim Henson's earliest years and most obscure projects. Alison Inches has included Jim's cartoons from college, High School program designs, album covers, advertisment ideas and story boards, as well as characters like, Taminella Grinderfall, Thog, Chicken Liver and Baskerville. Have no fear though, plenty of more widely known projects and characters are featured as well. We're taken through the steps from Sam and Friends, to the Muppet's succesful commercials, to Rowlf the Dog's appearances on The Jimmy Dean Show, through The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Along the way we're also treated to many unrealized puppets and projects. It's a facinating journey and one that you're sure to revisit many times over.

Any designer, puppeteer, artist or Muppet fan will be fasinated by this book. But don't think you'll be geting a comprehensive career retrospective. I'd recomend "Jim Henson: The Works" for that. The focus here is squarely on the creation and design, which is right where it should be and it makes Designs and Doodles the perfect companion piece to Jim Henson: The Works. One giving you a look at his projects and the other a glimpse into his mind. And oh, what a marvelous glimpse it is!

Book Description

With cyber-terrorism and corporate espionage threatening the fiber of our world, the need for trained network security professionals continues to grow. This book describes the tools and penetration testing methodologies used by ethical hackers to better understand how to protect computer networks. A thorough discussion is first established outlining what and who an ethical hacker is, and how important they are in protecting corporate and government data from cyber attacks. This title provides a structured knowledge base for preparing security professionals to understand how to protect a network using some of the skills and tools of a penetration or ethical hacker.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2007-01-24

This was used as the textbook for the ethical hacking class I took last fall. It was a great intro book although some of the links are outdated and the CD did not work (the CD did not work for anyone regardless of the source - including the campus bookstore)

I kept the book for reference.

Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
Average customer rating:

wisdom in defeat and humility in victory

How Delta Came to Be

Excellent book.

Best 1st Person Spec.Ops. Account I have Read to Date

Excellent book.

Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
Eric Haney
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Inside Delta Force

Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team

ASIN: 0385339364
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Book Description

Now the inspiration for the CBS Television drama, "The Unit."

Delta Force. They are the U.S. Army's most elite top-secret strike force. They dominate the modern battlefield, but you won't hear about their heroics on CNN. No headlines can reveal their top-secret missions, and no book has ever taken readers inside—until now. Here, a founding member of Delta Force takes us behind the veil of secrecy and into the action-to reveal the never-before-told story of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-D (Delta Force).

Inside Delta Forece
The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

He is a master of espionage, trained to take on hijackers, terrorists, hostage takers, and enemy armies. He can deploy by parachute or arrive by commercial aircraft. Survive alone in hostile cities. Speak foreign languages fluently. Strike at enemy targets with stunning swiftness and extraordinary teamwork. He is the ultimate modern warrior: the Delta Force Operator.

In this dramatic behind-the-scenes chronicle, Eric Haney, one of the founding members of Delta Force, takes us inside this legendary counterterrorist unit. Here, for the first time, are details of the grueling selection process—designed to break the strongest of men—that singles out the best of the best: the Delta Force Operator.

With heart-stopping immediacy, Haney tells what it's really like to enter a hostage-held airplane. And from his days in Beirut, Haney tells an unforgettable tale of bodyguards and bombs, of a day-to-day life of madness and beauty, and of how he and a teammate are called on to kill two gunmen targeting U.S. Marines at the Beirut airport. As part of the team sent to rescue American hostages in Tehran, Haney offers a first-person description of that failed mission that is a chilling, compelling account of a bold maneuver undone by chance—and a few fatal mistakes.

From fighting guerrilla warfare in Honduras to rescuing missionaries in Sudan and leading the way onto the island of Grenada, Eric Haney captures the daring and discipline that distinguish the men of Delta Force. Inside Delta Force brings honor to these singular men while it puts us in the middle of action that is sudden, frightening, and nonstop around the world.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

wisdom in defeat and humility in victory.......2007-07-12

David Mamet, in my edition of this book, now more than three years old, long before 'The Unit' came along, writes at the beginning:

"The great military novels have about them an ineffable air of sadness. [They] seem, both in scenes of combat and in the scenes of rest, depictions of a life heightened to the plateau of regret, longing, and loss. The great military memoirs, similarly, are a record of loss and its transmutation into compassion. [...] in Eric Haney's Inside Delta Force, we are welcomed into the curious, moving and persuasive philosophy of the soldier trying to find wisdom in defeat and humility in victory."

It's a comment that reflects the spirit of the contents, and which ultimately translates into the very cool TV series based on the book. I also admit, quite without shame that the characters of 'Phantom Strike Team' in my novel 'Fontaine' were definitely inspired by this account, which I found fascinating and quite un-put-downable; much like Michael Durant's 'In The Company of Heroes'.

I have no idea how 'real' and 'true' the things depicted here are, because I have no real evidence to back up whatever I believe. However, I would like to think--possibly wishfully, but why not?--that Orwell's 'rough men [who] stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm' aren't just a bunch of thugs, who just like to shoot people, but that they are like those guys; that they are grounded and have a sense of purpose, and that Mamet's comments are on the mark.

Again, without evidence for the 'truth', whatever that may be, I cannot tell; but I choose to think that Haney has done more than just show them in the best light; that even in the harsh light of day, it all basically holds true.

How Delta Came to Be.......2007-07-09

I read a few other reviews of this book before buying it and find they were accurate. Haney tells about how Delta force came to be in interesting detail. The people that submit themselves to the Selection process really can only truly truly want the job. If you watch or have seen any episodes of "The Unit" you can see where story plot lines came from, but don't expect any detailed past mission stories.

Excellent book........2007-06-08

As usual, the same excellent quality and service that I have come to expect from Amazon. Book was great and recommend it to anyone thats interested in this type of stuff. Great compliment to "The Unit".

Best 1st Person Spec.Ops. Account I have Read to Date.......2007-05-19

I initially was drawn to this book after seeing it credited as the inspiration for CBS's drama "The Unit". (I'm a sucker for marketing, huh?) This book was to be the first in a long line of military non-fiction works that I read recently and for me it's still one of the best. Haney isn't the GREATEST writer in the world but his style works well for the subject matter at hand and thankfully lacks some of the irritating macho-ness that plagues many other ex-military authors. What made the book great for me was the fact that because Haney was a recruit in Delta as opposed to one of the organizers, there is a sense of mystery and the unknown as he chronicles his progress through Selection and his early days in the unit. I also read Charlie Beckwith's book on Delta and thought this was the better read. The only thing I didn't like about the book was that Haney retired so many years ago that you are left wanting to know more about current ops, but that's not a criticism of the book itself, simply a lament on my part. Overall I'd highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about what drives these incredible individuals.

Excellent book. .......2007-05-18

Great read. I spent 28 years in the Army, many of them at Bragg and retired in 2003. Mr Mercer's comments about what he believes are fact and fiction as it pertains to the contents of this book are inaccurate and I would recommend he go back and do his research correctly this time.

Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

Average customer rating:

Good book on the unit, but Haney's is better...
Not quite as good as Haney's book, but still good
Delta Force: the Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
High Level Overview
Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
Charlie A. Beckwith , and Donald Knox
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Inside Delta Force
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ASIN: 0380809397
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Book Description

The only insider's account ever written on America's most powerful weapon in the war against terrorism

Customer Reviews:

Good book on the unit, but Haney's is better..........2007-06-27

I really enjoyed this book. It gives a great history of the formation of Delta Force, but if you are only going to read one book on the subject; INSIDE DELTA FORCE by Eric Haney is much better. That said, this book is a page-turner and well written. There's a bit of self-congratulation; but Beckwith was an impressive individual.

Not quite as good as Haney's book, but still good.......2007-05-19

If I had not read Eric Haney's book "Inside Delta Force" before I read this one, I probably would have loved it. The inherent problem is that both books cover roughly the same time frame, with Beckwith's book beginning earlier (going back to Vietnam inspirations) and ending while Haney was still in Delta. Both books provide detailed coverage of Operation Eagle Claw, which can be a little redundant, but that's no one's fault really. What I liked about Beckwith's book was the understanding it gave about where the idea for Delta came from, what his operational credibility was, and the intense opposition he faced in birthing this elite unit. Some folks will be bored with the various political machinations at work, but I found it interesting to see how something like this comes to be. Less interesting to me was Beckwith's account of Selection and the like because he didn't have to go through it like Haney did. I'd definitely recommend this book, but if you only want to read ONE book on Delta, I'd recommend Haney's first. And while there is certainly some overlap in information between the two works, I read them back to back and still enjoyed them.

Delta Force: the Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit.......2007-05-12

The book was in excellant condition, arrived on time.

High Level Overview.......2007-03-10

A great story about the birth of Delta Force from the founder himself. Beckwith takes you from the original idea, based on his experience with the British Special Air Service (SAS), through their first mission (to free the hostages in Iran).

Because of his rank and the role he played in this story, you get a high level overview instead of the view from an operator on the ground (as in Eric Haney's book - Inside Delta Force). One item that was particularly interesting to me was the test (based on the SAS) they ran prior to their first real mission to determine if their operators would actually engage the terrorist. Although it was successful, they later decided to not use this test again and surmised that the British needed to determine if their operators would fire their weapons but the US needed to create rules on when to not fire their weapons. Not sure what that says about the two cultures, but it was interesting none the less.

Beckwith is definitely a strong personality who does not compromise. You learn much about the man and the government bureaucracy he fought for so many years. In the end, he was successful and we are a safer nation because of his efforts

Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit.......2007-03-08

I read this book years ago and just had to read it again.

Book Description

Nelly Richard is one of the most prominent cultural theorists writing in Latin America today. As a participant in Chile’s neo-avantgarde, Richard worked to expand the possibilities for cultural debate within the constraints imposed by the Pinochet dictatorship (1973–1990), and she has continued to offer incisive commentary about the country’s transition to democracy. Well known as the founder and director of the influential journal Revista de crítica cultural, based in Santiago, Richard has been central to the dissemination throughout Latin America of work by key contemporary thinkers, including Néstor García Canclini, Jacques Derrida, Fredric Jameson, and Diamela Eltit. Her own writing provides rigorous considerations of Latin American identity, postmodernism, gender, neoliberalism, and strategies of political and cultural resistance.

In The Insubordination of Signs Richard theorizes the cultural reactions—particularly within the realms of visual arts, literature, and the social sciences—to the oppression of the Chilean dictatorship. She reflects on the role of memory in the historical shadow of the military regime and on the strategies offered by marginal discourses for critiquing institutional systems of power. She considers the importance of Walter Benjamin for the theoretical self-understanding of the Latin American intellectual left, and she offers revisionary interpretations of the Chilean neo-avantgarde in terms of its relationships with the traditional left and postmodernism. Exploring the gap between Chile’s new left social sciences and its “new scene” aesthetic and critical practices, Richard discusses how, with the return of democracy, the energies that had set in motion the democratizing process seemed to exhaust themselves as cultural debate was attenuated in order to reduce any risk of a return to authoritarianism.

Reflections in a Neoliberal Store Window: Nelly Richard and the Chilean Avant-Garde.(The Insubordination of Signs: Political Change, Cultural Transformation, ... Review) : An article from: Art Journal

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Reflections in a Neoliberal Store Window: Nelly Richard and the Chilean Avant-Garde.(The Insubordination of Signs: Political Change, Cultural Transformation, ... Review) : An article from: Art Journal
Jon Beasley-Murray
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000C1XB0S
Release Date: 2005-11-07

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This digital document is an article from Art Journal, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 2950 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: Reflections in a Neoliberal Store Window: Nelly Richard and the Chilean Avant-Garde.(The Insubordination of Signs: Political Change, Cultural Transformation, and Poetics of the Crisis)(Masculine/Feminine: Practices of Difference(s))(Cultural Residues: Chile in Transition)(Book Review)
Author: Jon Beasley-Murray
Publication: Art Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 64 Issue: 3 Page: 126(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Amazon.com

What happens in the brain when an old dog learns a new trick--or forgets one? As our health care improves and more of us live longer, we see more neurological deficits, from Alzheimer's to stroke; fortunately, our learning is keeping pace with our aging. The Dying of Enoch Wallace: Life, Death, and the Changing Brain is physician Ira B. Black's look at the state of our understanding of the brain, its development, and its degradation. Peppering his scientific assessments with stories of neurological patients that humanize and make concrete the sometimes abstract concepts, Black keeps the reader's attention throughout. Though he occasionally lapses into strange territory (suggesting at one point that neuroscientists might one day eliminate anger and hate), his historical treatments and thorough explanations of learning, memory, and other brain tasks are engaging and informative. The stories are equally compelling, if mildly depressing--though there's been some progress through the years, most sufferers of brain damage or degeneration have to live with their condition for the rest of their lives. But Black infuses his book with hope and meaning for these patients. We're learning more and more about the brain, and someday we should have its architecture so well understood that treatment will be as simple as setting a broken bone. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

Until recently, theories of the brain and its diseases, and how it gives rise to mind and emotions were based on the model of a static, non-renewable network of nerve cells and their connections. Then, seemingly overnight, a revolutionary new conception of the brain emerged in the mid-1990s. The sudden convergence of discoveries that had been building over decades led to the revelation that, far from being an immutable black box, the brain is a plastic, ever-changing marvel, no less dynamic than our thoughts and emotions¿a complex system that is continually shaped and reshaped by a subtle interplay of genetic cues and life experiences. To bridge the gap between abstract concepts and real world experience, renowned neuroscientist Ira B. Black uses the decline of Enoch Wallace, a fictionalized Alzheimer¿s patient, to illuminate the fascinating story of modern neuroscience, drawing us into the world of discovery and scientists, with all their color, idiosyncrasies and genius.

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To bridge the gap between abstract concepts and real world experience, renowned neuroscientist Ira B. Black uses the decline of Enoch Wallace, a fictionalized Alzheimer's patient, to illuminate the fascinating story of modern neuroscience.

Customer Reviews:

The process of discovery gets in the way........2002-09-16

This books alternates chapters on the development of Alzheimer's in a fictional character, with chapters on the brain: primarily neural development and deterioration. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are particular focuses. Black can write well, probably almost well enough to write a popular novel. The problem with this book is that in its science chapters, it concentrates so much on the process and history of discovery rather than on the current state of knowledge. Now, I admit I tend not to be as interested in the history of science as some. The particular problem here, is that in some cases the material on the discovery process is more complex, and requires more background, than the findings, so that I was left wrestling with some very difficult material without a proper reward (and I have some layman's background in the field). Black is not bad, but neither is he particularly adept in dealing with difficult material, and there are no aids other than the narrative. For readers interested in human biology, in a book that also runs on 2 parallel tracks, I would recommend William R. Clark's "Sex and the Origin of Death" (which is about cell death, not sex); if you are interested in a book where the history is really fascinating, read Clark's "At War Within", about the immune system.

A MUST READ FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN BRAIN DISORDERS.......2001-05-01

This is the best book I've read by far on the human brain -- from both scientific and humanistic perspectives. It's a must read for anyone with a loved one affected by brain disorders. It helps guide you through the human trauma of the degenerative journey of Alzheimers as well as a very broad and informative view of the past and current state of research on the brain.

scientic research and human story.......2001-04-17

The combination of scientific research laid against the human story of Enoch Wallace ties theory to reality in a profound way.

A hopeful book.......2001-03-22

The Death of Enoch Wallace is a hopeful book for anyone who has a family member with Alzheimer's disease. It describes, often in painful detail, the initial confusion of finding the right word for things, not remembering the way home, to the more serious functional deterioration in the most fundamental aspects of day-to-day living. Along side is the story of NGF, or Nerve Growth Factor, discovered by Rita Levi-Montalcini over 50 years ago, that sparked a revolution in brain research that has really taken off in the latter part of the 20th century, and continues into the 21st. This is a timely book for me as my mother has been deteriorating from Alzheimer's disease for the past three years. I've been her primary care giver for the past year and a half, and just recently I had to place her in a nursing home. She's in the middle stage of the disease now, often the longest lasting, and the descriptions in the book about Mr. Wallace's symptoms paralleled the one's my mother had. Although Enoch Wallace is not a real person, (as explained in the preface), the symptoms are real, and the confusion and fear that he feels, as well as his family feels, are dead on accurate.

The chapter on memory is very good, and the research on grafting cells onto affected brain areas in animals looks promising.

When my mother speaks now, it's mostly word salad, but she can answer simple questions with a yes or no - although I'm not sure if she's telling me what she really wants. You guess sometimes. Often she'll be seem to be speaking to someone who isn't there and sometimes her attention will spill over to include me, and for that I'm grateful. I live in hope.

The most common brain deficits explained with optimism.......2001-03-21

Dr Black employs his talents as a cutting edge researcher to bring both technology and disease to public attention. In simple language he accomplishes this with a clever mix of scientific explanation of brain function and description of common brain diseases. The titled character is a fictitious successful banker in the process of developing Alzheimers and another is afflicted with Parkinsons. Black's dramatic account weaves in symptoms and underlying causative changes as he reviews scientific developments and laboratory experiments.

Drawing from many years of training and research at prominent institutions, he reminds us that the human brain is an ever-changing flexible organ the function of which constitutes the amazing plastic mind. The brain, previously considered a relatively static and non-renewable assembly of nerve cells, is described as a very dynamic structure whose growth factors convert experience into intercellular connections which mediate learning, memory and emotion. He suggests that new discoveries mark only the beginning of understanding, not only with respect to possible cellular transplantation but also with respect to replication of existing cells to replace dying cells of the diseased brain.

THE DYING OF ENOCH WALLACE LIFE, DEATH, AND THE CHANGING BRAIN
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THE DYING OF ENOCH WALLACE LIFE, DEATH, AND THE CHANGING BRAIN

Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GQG6NI

The Dying of Enoch Wallace: Life, Death, and the Changing Brain
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The Dying of Enoch Wallace: Life, Death, and the Changing Brain
Ira B. Black
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFK4NO

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