MCSE SQL 2000 Administration Exam Cram (Exam: 70-228)

Book Description

The MCSE SQL 2000 Administration Exam Cram is the premier test preparation title for candidates choosing to take the elective "Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition" exam (70-228). Covers vital exam topics such as creating and managing SQL Server 2000 Databases, performing disaster recovery, troubleshooting Integrity Checks, extracting and transforming data, and SQL Server 2000 Security. Candidates can also complete their total exam preparation with insightful test taking strategies, helpful hints and tips, and realistic case studies and practice questions.

Customer Reviews:

Not Sufficient.......2005-03-03

This book gives you alot of facts to remember and no examples to use. The test was all configuration and security scenario questions and alot of stuff in the book was hardly covered like backup and recovery, DTS, BCP, DBCC statements, replication, maybe one question each on these. No questions at all on steps to take during installation and configuration. I will be looking for something to supplement this with..

Not very useful.......2005-01-08

I read the entire book in 2 days... there is nothing in the book to actually remember... No concepts are described... all you see in this book are the screen shots of Enterprise Manager...

Honestly I don't recommend this book. I didn't try the Microsoft press book.. If I were to choose between this book and the Microsoft press book I would go for the Microsoft press book because I am very sure that any other book will have more information than this book. This book has nothing at all.. believe me.. NOTHING to read for the test.

I have used several Exam Cram books before and all of them turned out to be very useful other than this book. This book is not at all comparable with other books so use other books for your preparation.

GOOD LUCK

Disappointing..........2002-07-01

No, no, no.. This book is a waste of time. It gives an IN DEPTH step by step, excrutiatingly detailed how-to examples on using the installation wizard, and then glosses over the more important details that actually appear on the exam (like the C2 auditing and analyzing the SQL 2000 performance counters). If you're familiar at all with the software, this book has little or nothing to offer you in terms of actually test preparation. Microsoft assumes everybody taking the certification exams already knows when to click the next button.. Don't waste your time or money on this. The Dummies book is much better.

This book was money well spent.......2002-04-03

I passed 70-228 on my first attempt, using this book in conjunction with Transcender and Books Online as my primary study resources.

You won't get all the information you need to pass the real test from this book, but that is not its intent. It works well when used for what it is marketed as, which is a "cram" resource to supplement a sound knowledge of SQL Server 2000 administration. Especially useful for me were the practice questions, the practice test at the end, and the screenshots of Enterprise Manager dialogs. Good to have in the hours immediately before the test!

The contents have a few errors, including referring to the model database as "modal" throughout the book, but that doesn't detract too much from the overall utility of the book.

All in all, a good investment, considering the cost of each attempt on the real test.

Did the job!.......2002-02-01

This book gave me the extra pieces of information I needed to pass the exam. SQL 2000 ROCKS!

MCSE SQL Server 2000 Administration Exam Cram Personal Test Center (Exam: 70-228)

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MCSE SQL Server 2000 Administration Exam Cram Personal Test Center (Exam: 70-228)
Jada Brock-Soldavini
Manufacturer: Coriolis Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

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ASIN: 1588802477

Book Description

The MCSE SQL 2000 Administration Exam Cram Personal Test Center is the perfect way for you to gain the confidence you need to pass the popular elective "Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition" exam (70-228). This simulated test engine generates 250 practice questions that cover the key objectives on the exam such as: installing SQL Server 2000, migrating from SQL 6.5 to 7.0, creating databases in SQL Server 2000, upgrading to SQL 2000, maintaining SQL 2000, managing security, troubleshooting, backup and recovery, and much more. The test engine supports Microsoft's simulation formats including drag and drop, list and tree prioritization, and multiple-choice questions, which gives you realistic exam experience to help you prepare for the actual exam environment. The Personal Test Center also includes a graphical analysis of your test results, which clearly indicate your strengths and weaknesses.

Book Description

Das Lehrbuch führt Studierende der Wirtschaftswissenschaften und der Rechtswissenschaften in die Grundlagen der Finanzwirtschaft ein. Das besondere Anliegen des Buches besteht darin, dem Leser Grundlinien und Zusammenhänge des auf den Kapitalmarkt bezogenen finanzwirtschaftenden Handelns aufzuzeigen, das zu den ökonomischen Funktionen des Finanzierens und des Handelns mit Wertpapieren gehört.

Book Description

Wissenschaftliche Leistungen stehen im Mittelpunkt der täglichen Arbeit von Hochschullehrern, Wissenschaftlern und Studenten. Forschungseinrichtungen und Hochschulen sind im Wettbewerb um knappe finanzielle Mittel auf geistig-kreative Ressourcen, das Geistige Eigentum, angewiesen. Der rechtliche Schutz wissenschaftlicher Leistungen durch das Urheber-, Patent-, Marken- und Internetrecht gewinnt daher - gerade in der Informationsgesellschaft - immer größere Bedeutung. In diesem Handbuch werden Grundkenntnisse der gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen für „Nichtjuristen" lebensnah und praxisorientiert erörtert; auch als Einstieg für Juristen ist es gut geeignet. Speziell die im Bereich Forschung und Lehre auftretenden Fallkonstellationen werden durchgespielt und in zahlreichen Beispielen verarbeitet.

Book Description

Optics and Lasers is an introduction to applied optics, covering elementary ray and wave optics as well as lasers, holography, fibers, optical waveguides, integrated optics, and quantum noise. Further chapters deal with the physical principles of optical instruments, light sources, and detectors. Numerous examples and exercises with complete solutions help the readers to deepen their knowledge.This completely revised and enlarged edition is intended for advanced undergraduates in laser physics and engineering but will also be helpful for active scientists.

Optics and Lasers: Including Fibers and Optical Waveguides, 4th ed. (book reviews): An article from: American Scientist

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Optics and Lasers: Including Fibers and Optical Waveguides, 4th ed. (book reviews): An article from: American Scientist
Bob D. Guenther
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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A Blooming Romance

PA is going into the dirty old man phase

Currant Events

Beat the winter doldrums

Hopeless pun addict...

Currant Events : Xanth #28 (Xanth)
Piers Anthony
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Pet Peeve (Xanth)

Cube Route (Xanth)

Up In a Heaval (Xanth)

Swell Foop (Xanth)

The Dastard (Xanth)

ASIN: B000FUTQBO

Book Description

When Clio, the Muse of History, sat down to pen the twenty-eighth volume in the Chronicles of Xanth, she was stunned to discover it was already there! And, what was worse, it was totally unreadable, for the words on its pages were fuzzed beyond comprehension.Vexed and bewildered, and more than a little concerned, Clio resolved to leave the quiet comfort of her study on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, and ask her old friend, the Good Magician Humfrey, to search a solution to her problem in his Book of Answers.But, much to her consternation, Humfrey required her to perform a magical Service before she could acquire her Answer: to rescue Xanth's dragons from the verge of extinction before the delicate balance of its wildlife was permanently thrown out of whack.Her momentous mission lead her to a dangerous Dragon World hidden amongst the Moons of Ida, across a perilous landscape filled with wonder and danger, in search of the fabled Currant, a very rare red berry that might hold the secret she sought. Along the way she acquired a fellowship of companions, including the brave and beautiful Becka Dragongirl, a pair of pocket dragons named Drew and Drusie, a charming young child called Ciriana whose destiny was somehow entwined with hers, and Sherlock, a sweet but homely man from Mundania who might just be a master magician himself.Together they gradually began to unravel the momentous mystery of Xanth's missing history. And Clio began to realize that Sherlock's enchantments had begun to work their way into her heart.

Customer Reviews:

A Blooming Romance.......2006-10-16

Currant Events (2004) is the twenty-eighth Fantasy novel in the Xanth series, following Cube Route. Clio and her eight sisters are the Muses of Xanth. As the Muse of History, Clio writes the various volumes of the Xanth saga.

In this novel, Clio discovers that the 28th volume of the history of Xanth is unreadable. Moreover, she cannot quite remember what it is about. She decides to take the problem to the Good Magician Humfrey.

At the Good Magician's castle, Clio is treated as a querent! How could he treat a friend with such rudeness? Going along with his charade, Clio solves her three Challenges and enters the castle. When she explains her problem to Humfrey, he states that she needs a magic currant berry to solve her problem.

First, however, she must obtain five breeding pairs of each type of dragon on Dragon World and bring them to Xanth to replace the rapidly dying native dragons. She has a week to accomplish this first assignment. To guide her path, Humfrey places a magic compass/timer in her wrist to tell her which direction to travel and how long she has to complete each travel segment.

On Dragon World, Clio saves two tiny dragon lovers from being eaten and they vow to accompany her until this service is repaid. Since Drew and Drusie are telepathic and winged, they greatly help in the quest. Besides, they are small enough to fit into her pockets.

The dragon lovers introduce Clio to the leaders of each dragon type and translate their conversations. Of course, dragon assistance is not free; Clio has to win a visible riddling contest with each of the five leaders. Her stakes in each contest are her life and the lives of her friends, but she also has to remove one item of clothing selected by the dragons for each lost point.

Of course, Clio wins all five contests and arranges to take the selected couples back to Xanth. She goes on to other adventures, solving problems for other people and collecting items along the way to solve her own problem. She also collects fellow travelers, including Sherlock -- who has a reversing talent -- and Ciriana -- a young girl immune to the Adult Conspiracy -- and others who help in her travels.

This story is chock full on puns -- the acknowledgments list is about three pages long -- and ends with a twist. In other worlds, a typical Xanth novel, with promises of more to come. A great read for most (except for critics).

Highly recommended for Xanth fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of humor, atrocious puns and light romance. If you are not familiar with this series, please start with A Spell for Chameleon so that you don't miss any of the fun.

-Arthur W. Jordin

PA is going into the dirty old man phase.......2006-03-23

I have been reluctant to buy any of PA's books for awhile now since he seems to have been going more to the sex side of the stories than the original fun Xanth puns etc.
While the 'adult conspiracy' has been present from the beginning the innocence angle of the series is gone and the plot lines now seem geared more toward the full revelation of the 'adult conspiracy' than the quests and fun of the earlier works. I am saddened by PA's change in content and think that this will by my last contribution to his coffers. If I want sexual content this is not the venue I would be looking at!

Currant Events.......2005-11-30

I know I am in a minority but this has to be the most boring, and poorly written book I have read in a long. The description of people and places left me with very little to work with pictorally. I have been writing short stories for children for many years so I don't lack imagination.
I will try other of his books but if they are a bad as this one I will probably give up on his work as a source of entertainment.

Beat the winter doldrums.......2004-12-27

If the holiday season has you down and a good laugh, chuckle or chortle is all you need, then this is the one for you. You do have to like science fiction and fantasy and not be looking for a SAGA. This and all the others in the Xanth series are full of punish humor and silliness. There are underlying themes from the world of mundania, which are cloaked in Xanth's exagerated & colorful culture. These themes are a little like fractured fables and deal with moral dilemas. Piers Anthony has a way of addressing these issues in very subtle ways.
It is always fun to see old names and talents surface, advance just a little in character development, then await their next adventure. New faces are added, given a foundation and they too are held in waiting for their next assist in an adventure. As you may have noticed, I am a Xanth fan from waaaay back and have read all 28 in this series.
Although,I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the last 3 or 4 books, this 1st of a "trilogy" holds great promise or "pun-ishment" for dye hard fans. I am looking forward to the new episodes alluded to in this book. I wonder what the stork will bring for Sherlock and Clio?

Hopeless pun addict..........2004-10-17

This most recent installment in Anthony's Xanth series was definitely worth the wait. I received it yesterday in the mail and finished it last night. I just could not put it down... but almost all Anthony's books are like that.

Currant Events follows Anthony's recent trend with the Xanth books, being a bit more risque and broaching more controversial topics than the first twenty or so books of the series. He does it so tastefully, however, that you don't seem to mind the innocence and integrity of the series perhaps being shaken up a bit.

Some of my favorite parts of this book were Clio's visit to Dragon World, and the description given of that world, as well as the little girl whose talent is immunity to the Adult Conspiracy (I think that was my talent growing up too!) and the re-introduction of Sherlock Black into the series.

If you've never read a Xanth book before, treat yourself and start at the beginning of the series. For the rest of us, this is definitely a keeper, and according to Anthony's Author's Note, just the beginning of another 3-cubed trilogy.

Book Description

"Americans interested in history need to make the pilgrimage to Gettysburg," writes Gabor Boritt in the Acknowledgments. In this book seven historians make that journey, five of them Pulitzer laureates, looking for Lincoln. Kenneth Stampp explores the issue of national self-determination, comparing the South's struggle for independence to others in history (including the post-Soviets in eastern Europe). Arthur Schlessinger, Jr. offers a provocative comparison of how Lincoln and our other outstanding war president, FDR, went beyond the limits of the Constitution--and why. David Brion Davis focuses on the moment of emancipation. Boritt traces Lincoln's transition from a strident war opponent as a young man to resolute war leader as president. Carl Degler compares the American attempt at national unification with the unifications of Italy, Germany, and other nations. Robert Bruce contrasts premonitions of civil war with Lincoln's reluctance to accept war as a possibility. And James McPherson establishes once and for all the war president's brilliance as a national strategist. These outstanding essays--all but one published here for the first time--offer a new understanding of a revolutionary epoch in American history, and of the role of the leader who helped transform the nation forever.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent collection of views........2000-05-18

Although at times the essays in this do not always focus directly on Lincoln, in one he is compared to Bismark, they all reflect the greatness of the man and his post in the Amercan Civil War. This is a must have for those interested in political control of the military, nation building, and or Lincoln.

Lincoln, The War President - The Gettysburg Lectures

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Lincoln, The War President - The Gettysburg Lectures
Gabor S. Boritt -
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OMH8L8

Lincoln, the War President: The Gettysburg Lectures (Gettysburg Civil War Institute Books)

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Lincoln, the War President: The Gettysburg Lectures (Gettysburg Civil War Institute Books)
garbor s. boriti
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SSJMMG

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Lincoln The War President: The Gettysburg Lectures
Gabor. Boritt
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKP434

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Lincoln, the War President : The Gettysburg Lectures (Gettysburg Civil War Institute Books)
Gabor S. Boritt
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKN0YE

Amazon.com

America won the cold war, what Derek Leebaert calls a "muffled world war" in The Fifty-Year Wound, but the cost of victory--psychically, morally, and financially--was beyond frightful. The Soviet Union collapsed peacefully; civilization survived "more or less" intact; the world was "liberalized," and the cold war period was the longest "great power" peace since Rome fell. But a half-century "pattern of alarm" and the "industry of national security" curbed freedoms, diverted talent into "fundamentally unproductive" fields, postponed research, "trammeled" investment, and caused a national "waste of spirit." As well, Leebaert suggests the Cuban missiles were primarily psychological threats; American involvement in Vietnam led to OPEC's economic muscle; Kennedy was perhaps the most hawkish of post-WWII presidents, and that the events of September 11 were a direct cold war legacy. This massive, comprehensive, and stern but guardedly optimistic overview will reward the determined reader with its insights and hundreds of telling, sometimes shocking, details. --H. O'Billovitch

Book Description

The Fifty-Year Wound is the first cohesively integrated history of the Cold War, one replete with important lessons for today. Drawing upon literature, strategy, biography, and economics Derek Leebaert explores what Americans sacrificed at the same time that they achieved the longest great-power peace since Rome fell.

Customer Reviews:

What A Long Drawn-Out Cold War, for What?.......2005-11-22

More alternative history -- this time it's an "imaginary Berlin summit" in June, 1988, which didn't ever. The writer takes an event and plays around with it, warping times, places, people, even events to please his urge at the time. The actual summit in Moscow, where the U. S. President Ronald Reagan appealed to the Russian leader, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,' the Soviet evil was not apparent. Reagan will always be remembered for this one "request" -- you notice: he didn't say "please."

The Cold War forced America to live in the past, having started with the nuclear and missile ages, after the atomic bomb and Cuban missile crises. It ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union fifty-odd years later. This august government consultant describes it as the Fifty-year Wound (1939-1989). "Everything from 'Doctor Zhivago' to undersea exploration had a political dimension. More and more spheres of live were intruded on by politics -- from which Americans have historically sought their distance as a necessary condition of well-being." It was more like a cancer growing.

Along the way, we had the Korean War, Viet Nam War, Gulf Coast War, not Cold War. Jeff asked Senator Sasser about "star wars" and infrastructure back in the early '90s. Professor Leebaert divides his discussion of the causes into three parts, #1 was 1946-61, #2 was 1961-81, and #3 covered 1981-89, when Eastern Europe 'raced to freedom and democracy replaced dictatorship' and tyranny. The Berlin Wall crumbled in November, 1989. The failed coup in Russia took place in August, 1991, and he feels was the real end of the Cold War. Americans "gave as little attention to the end of the Soviet Union as they did that December to the fiftieth anniversary of Pearl Harbor."

The Soviets were burdened by $90 billion in debt at the end of 1991. He points fingers at past government officials and his alma mater's AID project where funds were "outsourced"-- Harvard, and the Pentagon for receiving big bucks over Russia's fall. I liked the way he used the word "unambiguous."

"Sometime after Appomattox, a Union major standing in a cemetery overlooking the ruins of Charleston was asked the way 'to Mr. Calhoun's grave.' "Madam," he answered, "the whole South is the grave of Mr. Calhoun." A hard commentary, but he spoke for the aroused power that had made it so. And so, too, is the whole post-Soviet sphere the grave of Lenin." Russia is no longer a danger. Now, it appears to be China. Lee, the convicted spy, was reminded "You know what happened to [the Rosenbergs]? They electrocuted them, Wen Ho." Nowadays, anyone can obtain secure documents from the Internet. U. S. Intelligence materials have been declassified and is there for the viewing of spies, terrorists, anyone with a computer.

An Engaging Mess.......2004-07-04

Considering the author's weighted interest toward technology and business, it is surprising how well much of this book reads. It is nothing if not quotable, brimming with insight-packed sentences and entertaining character sketches. Leebaert definitely knows his stuff: this doorstop-worthy tome is loaded with information.

Perhaps too much information. The main flaw of the book is its rather bogus thesis: The Cold War was filled with "costs." Yes, I suppose any forty year endeavor would be filled with its share of expenditures, many mistaken, but this is hardly the most enlightening point to make about the superpower conflict. Unfortunately, it is Leebaert's point, and he desperately tries to tie every nugget of info he tosses at the reader into his great theme. Every chapter, no matter how diffuse the subjects covered, is rounded off with a monotonously pedestrian "these mistakes could have been avoided" conclusion a harried undergraduate would have been ashamed to employ.

Many of Leebaert's mini-analyses of various arenas of the conflict are fascinating: his emphasis on the economic and technological subplots of the Cold War are particularly insightful. But the attempt to weave these analyses into an overarching narrative ultimately undo much of the coherence of the book. His appraisal of many of the power players in the struggle often come across as bitchy or unfair (as he spends little time examining the reasons for their actions, but nonetheless tallying their "mistakes" to play up his theme).

Another problem is that many of his assessments come to contradict each other: while showing how the Soviets ground their economy into the ground preparing for a "winnable" nuclear pre-emptive strike, Leebaert condemns the US "mandarinate" for advocating the essentially common sense theory of mutual assured destruction, rather than dangerously aping the Soviets in constructing ABM defenses (which, Leebaert refrains from explaining, are built to fire nuclear weapons at incoming ICBMs in the atmosphere. In which case, a city will suffer double the number of thermonuclear airbursts it would without the defense. The ABM Treaty of 1972, which the author does not hide his disdain for, was set up with the understanding that MORE offensive nuclear weapons around cities does not constitute a "defense," but rather, a furthering of an offensive arms race. Later in the book, it appears that Leebaert's ambiguous attraction to the SDI program has influenced his judgement). At various times, weapons build-ups are deemed wasteful, or necessary, depending on Leebaert's opinion of the administration calling for the build-up. JFK's triumphalism is derided as reckless, Ronald Reagan's is applauded as decicive---though the author considers the Soviet war scare of 1983, which Reagan's rhetoric precipitated, the most dangerous time of the Cold War. The ambiguities and inconsistencies in Leebaert's assessments need more development to explain them, but, given the scope of the work, the reader is usually left with a stream of brief anecdotes.

These contradictions, along with a thesis so broad as to be practically meaningless, often make the reader pause and wonder if the author has not taken on more than he can handle. A reader looking for a clear, introductory narrative of the period is advised to look elsewhere (Martin Walker's book is quite good). But for Cold War nuts looking for an engaging new spin on familiar material, as well as a deeper appreciation of the less-reported aspects of this apocalyptic time, this is a good addition to the literature.

Sweeps out 60 years of cobwebs..........2004-04-10

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. The writing is crisp and thought-provoking and the research is exhaustive.

After reading Leebaert, it is a little easier to see how the "sins of the fathers" have laid the foundation for the world we are currently living in. The Osama bin Ladens of the world were spawned from the cold warriors and Quixotic missions that Leebaert so excellently profiles.

The reading is sometimes difficult, and I found myself re-reading sections to make sure I understood where Leebaert was trying to go. Even so, it remains one of my top 20 favorite books.

A Critical Review.......2004-01-01

The book, The Fifty-Year Wound: How America's Cold War Victory Shapes Our World, maintains a focus on the half-century's flow of events. Two recurrent themes are non-support of allies for US overseas efforts, and disparaging the CIA's inability to mold information into proper intelligence. The primary, often unstated theme is lost opportunities of paths not taken. From the Introduction, (pp. xi - xiv):

"The price of victory...was levied during the most creative half century ever...in which countless opportunities fostered by...new awareness of scientific power were waiting to be pursued. ....
"...the price of victory goes far beyond the dollars spent on warheads, foreign aid, soldiers, propaganda, and intelligence. It includes...time wasted, talent misdirected, secrecy imposed, and confidence impaired. ....
"...the country was starting to speed into a future in which it could have used its resources...not deployed to fund a fleet here or an embezzled subsidy to some tropical gangster there, but to support the development of improved food strains, better means of teaching, a sleek national transport system, or an economic momentum that might have persisted after the 1960s boom. ....
"....
"Ultimately the cost of America's effort was felt as a waste of spirit."

Privileging effectiveness over morality shows author Derek Leebaert also suffering from the Cold War's ultimate cost:

"...an entire chapel of influential voices in Europe tried to turn military weakness into a virtue, attempting to seize the moral high ground always available to the ineffectual," (p. 473).

Polished by wit and enhanced with metaphorical argument and illustrations from popular culture, the writing frequently requires re-reading to comprehend the divergent flows of ideas. By the end of the book the pattern of wittiness, with the aggression latent in all humor, has helped to reveal his biases.

The book repeatedly details US collaboration with corrupt and inhumane governments, criticizing the CIA and the "abominable actions" of both it and those regimes. It is less well organized-and explicit-on these particulars than Blum's Killing Hope, but offers more comprehendible patterns-organized into historical periods rather than into Blums's country-based format. Leebaert offers greater depth though reliance on primary and knowledgeable sources; Blum's ferreting out sympathetic political understanding primarily from news reports is impressive.

The tone changes between the treatment of events toward which the author can look back on as history, and the more subjective and ideological treatment of those in which he was involved as participant or observer. Overall, Leebaert gives a favorable image of vigorous post-war economic rectitude, diminished by the repeated errors of the many misguided public servants in governments of the day. He sees these as caused by rhetorical and theoretical thinking rather than direct perception of situations.

One serious imbalance is his presentation of the cruel public treatment of parents of a slain Vietnam war veteran (p. 356), yet only a passing mention of war crimes by US Vietnam war participants. He states, "There is no evidence that the My Lai atrocity was repeated elsewhere, which is surprising in such a war," (p. 410). A diligent historian could reconsider in light of the transcript, book, and film of the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation; the October 2003 Toledo Blade newspaper documentation of atrocities in the central Vietnam highlands; Lifton on the psychology of Vietnam war veterans; and generally the information on Vietnam in Charny's Toward the Understanding and Prevention of Genocide.

Regarding 9-11's use of hijacked airliners as weapons, Leebaert states that the President and Secretary of Defense, "...each told the nation that no one had imagined the prospect...," (p. 617). Yet the topic was known to the US intelligence community since at least January 1995 when Al-Qaeda's plans for Project Bojinka to implement "the prospect" were discovered by Philippine police. Again in February of that year FBI agents were told of such a plot by the mastermind of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and at the individual's 1997 bombing trial the strategy was discussed, as documented in Ahmed's The War on Freedom.

Though repeatedly disparaging post WW-II theoretician George Kennan, Leebaert doesn't call for an end to his dictum to maintain preeminence over the world's resources through military force. Rather he diverts attention by voicing a belief in the American myth of itself as a justly-emulated city-on-a-hill, "...the American supremacy that arose during the second half of the twentieth century was not a cumulative darkening of the sun but the recognition...of the plain facts of international life," (p. 640). He repeats, within the context of global terrorism, the lack of comprehension that economic exploitation and its enforcing militarism are unwelcome by the exploited and oppressed, claiming instead rejection of the US is motivated by unwholesome values: "...mass murder, surprise attack, and hatred borne by envy are inseparable from thousands of years of history," (p. 640). That Kennan's economic dictum is hidden by neo-Jacobian enforcement of the universality of American values goes unremarked. Instead he writes, "The goal since 1947 of wiring together the world by general prosperity...distances the U.S. presence...from all previous centuries of imperial ambition," (p. 642). The World Trade Organization, World Bank, and the "imperial ambition" of corporate globalization have missed Professor Leebaert's lesson that general prosperity, as opposed to US economic preeminence, has been the goal.

Throughout there is a negative view of state ownership of enterprise at any stage of the enterprise's development, or of the state's development. The last paragraph of the book that equates privatization of government with U.S. Cold War victory is unsupported. Much of the Conclusion diminishes the author's accomplishment by layering his ideology onto informative content.

Exhilirating and Exasperating.......2003-07-21

I bought the paperback version of this book because it had blurbs on it from both the Washington Times (conservative) and Washington Monthly (liberal). I thought a book on the Cold War appealing to both sides of the political spectrum might have something to offer.

It does. This is a book well worth reading. It is also a bit of a mess.

For the liberals, there's a sound thrashing of the CIA; a dim view of our involvement in Vietnam and other lesser countries hardly worthy of our notice; and a harsh assessment of talents, resources, and money wasted in frantic stop-and-start waves of over-reaction to dimly understood but sensationalized events like the Cuban missile crisis, for example.

For the conservatives, there's the claim that massive amounts of defensive spending notwithstanding, we were never a militarist society; the trashing of wimpy and wistful detente policy; and, most of all, there's Ronald Reagan, striding manfully onto the scene like, yes, John Wayne, with a resolve and vision lacking in all his predecessors combined, it seems, driving the Soviet Union to ruin at long last.

So how did Reagan do it? Well, he spent the Soviets into ruin. On Star Wars. Leebaert makes a good case for this. But massive spending on Star Wars - a still unproven defense strategy some 20 years later - is just the kind of military-university/academic-science/research-thinktank-policy wonk boondoggle he has such fun ridiculing for most of the book.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Policy Review, published by Hoover Institution Press on June 1, 2002. The length of the article is 2187 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: Worth the Cost. (Books). (book review)
Author: Arnold Beichman
Publication: Policy Review (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2002
Publisher: Hoover Institution Press
Page: 91(5)

Article Type: Book Review

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The Fifty Year Wound : The True Price of America's Cold War Victory

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The Fifty Year Wound : The True Price of America's Cold War Victory
Derek Leebaert
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTR18G

Book Description

When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his troops were astonished to find countless ruins covered with hieroglyphs -- remnants of a language lost in time. Egyptomania spread throughout Europe with their return, and the quest to decipher the hieroglyphs began in earnest, for it was understood that fame and fortune awaited the scholar who succeeded.

In rural France, Jean-Francois Champollion, the brilliant son of an impoverished bookseller, became obsessed with breaking the code of the ancient Egyptians. At sixteen years of age he decided that he would dedicate his life to the decipherment of hieroglyphs. Amid political turmoil in France caused by Napoleon's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall, Champollion was hounded, exiled, and even charged with treason, yet he continued to strive for the key to the ancient texts. In 1812, Champollion made the decisive breakthrough, beating his closest rival, English physician Thomas Young, to the prize and becoming the first person to be able to read the ancient Egyptian language in well over a thousand years. The Keys of Egypt is a true story of adventure, obsession, and triumph over extreme adversity.

Customer Reviews:

Going back in time.... Great story........2005-03-01

A great book. It presents the major historical facts, surrounding the decipherment of the hieroglyphs in a very active and interesting way.

Reading it, you have a very good grasp of the story of Champolion, the way people were living during that time, and the key personalities involved. I think the authors provided enough details for a lay person to understand a minimum about hieroglyphs so that we can understand the problem of deciphering them.

True, you will not know how to read hieroglyphs by reading this book, but then this would be the objective of a quite different book.

The story told on the book allow us to understand some key facts about the history of Egypt, the hieroglyphs and our recent history.

Great book!!!

No Sources.......2004-10-03

There are no sources sited in this book other than ... ' the staff of many libraries gave us invaluable assistance.."

A terrific read.......2004-01-05

The reviewer below has really summed up this book well, but it's worth reinforcing those views. This book is full of color, action, excitement, sadness, and lots of information about Egypt, hieroglyphs, 19th-century France, and rivalry in England. Well recommended.

Finally a fair study of the genious of J. F. Champollion........2003-10-28

As the authors explain in the appendix dedicated to further reading, there was no biography dedicated to Champollion in the English language at the time of their writing. This book fills the gap, at least for the amateur.

The text is detailed and very well written. It dispells common mistakes and misunderstandings about the discovery, such as the too often repeated myth that the Rossetta Stone was the main text used by Champollion. It also deals with the necessary historical background, including Napoleon expedition to Egypt, in an appropriate way.

The reviewer before me takes ombrage at the fact that the book focuses on Champollion instead of Young. Paradoxically, such emphasis is precisely one of the central ideas of the book. Young and other scholars were nowhere close to figure that the Egyptian language could be at the same time phonetic and ideographic. Their systems of cracking the language were at best poor and at worst totally fictional. We owe the discovery of the meaning of hieroglyphs to the genious of Champollion. Moreover, such achievement took place despite his having to endure poverty and difficulties of all kinds, including the pettiness and jealousy of Young and others.

Highly recommended.

A decent read.......2003-09-04

The Keys Of Egypt was written by husband-and-wife archaeological team Lesley and Roy Adkins. It is subtitled "The Race to Crack the Hieroglyph Code," and starts with a short chapter that introduces the eventual winner of that race, the Frenchman Jean-Francois Champollion, and mentions his most serious rival, the Englishman Thomas Young.

The book goes on to examine Napoleon's expedition to Egypt which both brought the Rosetta Stone to light and started a period of French and European fascination with ancient Egypt. These were the two catalysts for the riddle's eventual solution.

This is a well-written book that looks at the struggle and race for translation and the political and academic machinations (often both combined) that surrounded Champollion. It is essentially a biography of Champollion, who grew up and worked amid the turmoil of the Napoleonic era. The story is a compelling one and the authors have done well to make it at times fascinating, though it does lack some technical detail of exactly how Champollion attacked the problem.

As a genre I find that 'scientific biographies' tend to be a little overblown and flowery, the writing not quite precise -- and Keys suffers from these shortcomings. I also felt that while the book is subtitled "The Race to Crack the Hieroglyph Code" it really only focuses on Champollion, while he is the eventual winner a little more effort in examining the others involved in the effort would have improved the book.

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