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A chronology of the life of former president Richard M. Nixon, a compilation of twenty-four of his speeches, and a bibliography of books, articles, and documents by and about him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Green Mind
Absinthe, the luminescent, green liquor that was imbued by such artists as Vincent van Gogh and Édouard Manet and writers such as Arthur Rimbaud and which reportedly influenced their artistic output, is the centerpiece of this thin tome by the French writer Christophe Bataille.

Unlike say Thomas de Quincey who wrote of the dangers and paranoia involved with drug use in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater or the romanticized drug use inClaude Farrere's Black Opium, Absinthe details the life of a single man who, before absinthe was made illegal in France, was being groomed to be an absinthe distiller by an enormous, gentle man nicknamed Jose, a man with a mysterious past and with connections in Buenos Aires and New York.

The Narrator details his family's history at the same time speaking of his love for Jose and his fondness for watching the large man create the liquor that made him famous to the locals who traveled to his cabin in an almost religious like pilgrimage to gain the substance that would open their senses to the furthest reaches of perception.

Bataille's writing style is quite sparse, but it has an almost dreamlike quality to it, as if the reader was sifting through the mud of the mind to find stones of distant memories. A quite decent little novella which should appeal to those who enjoy the writings of William S. Burroughs and the like, Absinthe would make a nice addition to the shelves of those who want to peel back the surface of reality to see what is beneath.

Dreamy, atmospheric, poetic
Not being an imbiber of absinthe myself, I read this book because I had previously read Christophe Bataille's poetic novel Annam.This novel is written in a similar fashion, the novel in part as a historical memoir, composed in a captivating style that captures atmosphere and feeling.In a round about fashion Bataille tells the story of absinthe from the days when it was the height of French fashion in the late 19th century and prior to the Great War through its prohibition beginning in 1915.Today absinthe is again legal in most countries of the world that do not prohibit alcoholic beverages.But, as I understand it, absinthe is not legal in the US.

Absinthe is a green (Bataille has it glowing in the dark), bitter, very strong alcoholic beverage flavored with wormwood, anise, and other herbs that is diluted with water and often served with sugar.When I was a young man in France in the sixties I recall seeing absinthe served in the cafes and bars.There was then and continues to be a certain mystique associated with the drink.Many people believe it has mysterious powers, and Bataille makes much of this in his novel.Two of his characters imbibe just a bit of the drink through a sugar cube and go into a trance-like state or a swoon.The central character of the novel, Jose, a round, charming distiller manages to mesmerizes women (or so it is hinted) with his charm and the absinthe.

Absinthe was prohibited because many people believed that it was a dangerous drink that could drive men mad, make women easy, and/or ruin their health.However the current view is that absinthe is no more or no less dangerous than other distilled liquors, the herbal ingredients notwithstanding.When I was in France in that long ago I may have drunk some myself.It has a licorice flavor from the anise or fennel that is added to the alcohol.We called it "Pernod" after the main distributer Pernod et Fils.And then again I may not have actually tried the drink and only imagined its taste.It's hard to remember.

There are a number of paintings showing someone in the throes of absinthe intoxication and a similar number of books written on the history of the drink.On the cover is Albert Maignan's painting from 1895, "The Great Muse," which shows a man dreamily intoxicated by a woman (the muse) with her hands about his head.Presumably this could also depict absinthe intoxication.

I don't think this very short (71 pages) novel is as good as Bataille's first, mentioned above, but it is interesting in that it recalls the France of the early part of the 20th century, especially some people of the hills and villages of Provence.There is a brief almost extraneous story as an "Overture" about one of them who spent most of his time in "Buenos Ayres."Bataille's narrative style is to wander about and then return seamlessly to the main sequence.It is a technique that I would like to master.

Perhaps what Bataille does best is evoke in the reader a deliciously sensual feeling for the women admired by his characters. He does something similar in Annam.Again I am impressed with Richard Howard's lyrical translation.

Short but good
Not a very long book.(About 70 or so pages.)In those pages the author conveys the simple, yet mystical, pleasures of Absinthe.He also describes the mindset of those who had it banned.(Never trust a government agency to protect your pleasures.They will find some reason to deny them to you for that is one of the ways they keep the population under control.)

Recommended for those who are interested in the topic and already have the other books on the subject. (Conrad Bartelby's book is a must.) ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive guide details the ins and outs of becoming a trustee, the responsibilities it entails, the organization and control it requires, and the full wealth of information you’ll need to successfully administer a family or personal trust. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Astonding !!A 10 star book.
FINALLY if you are a visual person, you will want to check out the contents. Then read passages of your interests in this book, it is a TEN STAR BOOK ---->

If you are afraid to spend $35.00.Have a look inside, go to Part One, Chapter VI, page 53 - 56, "How You earn your fees: Routine Responsibilities"; AND also --> Chapter V, page 41 - 43, B. Your Responsibilities.

YOU MUST SEE Part Two, chapter III, page 101, " Trust Accounting ".Get a sample, a visual sample of court trust accounting. You need to know and see the format that shows how trust expenses are expected to be accounted daily though the end of each year for ALL assets.

Court accounting is easy enough to do yourself, just be sure to read your fiduciary responsibilities and assets management duties and keep YOUR MONEY SEPERATE from trust/estate funds in everything you do.

Don't wait for an attorney to tell you step-by-step how to do this, or provide you what you need to see.They will be way to busy sending you their bills for payment.If an attorney does give you a sample court accounting, find a large bank private client services officer who you can show you an example of a court accounting, for comparison.<---DO NOT hire a bank to be co-trustee.Banks will sell all assets possible, and purchase stock that will earn their broker the highest COMMISSIONS. Just go to a bank for. . . free information, ONLY.

There is no guarantee that a corporate co-trustee will handle your family trust assets properly.In other words, you are responsible whether a co-trustee, or trust officer absconds with funds, invests improperly, or makes errors in the accounting.You will have to answer to the court and all beneficiaries.But don't worry, someone will always find something to say you are at fault.Keep it porportionate, and be 100% involved.

This book has an incredibly easy flow.It can save you an enormous amount of frustration with attorney's because you'll be knowledgable, and can counter comment.Plus, this book can all the Trust funds to be spent on the intended beneficiaries, not rapacious attorney's, co-trustees, or trust officers feeding their bank accounts.

There will always be disgruntled relatives, thieves within the family, and many shocking unknowns.You are not alone, it happens in the best of families.

Remember, attorney's are not the boss of your family Trust.

Get a copy of-->Your Trustee Duties: How to Dissect a Trust Contract, (Series 300: Retirees & Estates) (Paperback)by Holmes F. Crouch.THIS BOOK IS A TEN STAR, $10.75 used,with resources to answer any question you may have as beneficiary, or Trustee ... Read more

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These are illuminating poems that rise up from and out ofthe poet's Mormon upbringing in Colorado and Utah. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Worth the Read
I don't know to whom I could compare Mr. Larson since his poetry has it's own flavor and style.I own 2 of his books and I keep them out where from time to time I will naturally pick one up.When the mood is right I read the poem that most appeals to me.

Larsen's voice is remarkably mature for such a young poet.
In a poetry milieu that seems to favor a defiant stance toward more "traditional" values and a caustic voice, Larsen's book seems to stand out by virtue of its quiet rebellion against the current.This is noempty rebellion, though.It's a conscious, quiet appeal to values thatseem to receive only lip service at best in today's culture, but that havebecome Larsen's own. Recent trends in poetry have almost dictatedthat a poet needs to view family relationships as burdonsome andconstrictive, especially when the poet is young and making a name for hisor her self.But Larsen's collection eschews this quasi-requirement bywriting about family relationships that are difficult, but ultimatelyaffirmative and rewarding. Larsen begins his collection with anaccount of his father's own conception, then skips between poems about hiswife and children, his parents, and his grandparents, weaving all thesefamily relationships into a web in which "there's too much skinbetween" the particpants, but in which each seems to find solace inwanting "To touch and be touched." Larsen then pans out andlooks at how this web actually seems to exist among others in the world,even though they may not acknowledge it as such.In "A PhilanthropistSpeaks to His Lawyer," for example, the speaker tells his lawyer totake his dead body to South America and follow a "hobbling woman /with veined calves" who will arrange for his burial.The speaker thenpredicts, "Humming softly, she will rub me / with scented oils, thenlay me between / her sofa and broken radio." In the last section,Larsen illuminates how this web has effected him.He begins by with anaccount of a nest of "things [he] saved...mantis legs, cat fur, /porcupine quills tied up with twine."Such things seemed like"religion" to him, but by interacting with these treasures, helearns that its not the accumulation of such things that constitutesreligion, but rather the interaction and connection to suchthings-"What it might mean to chew.And to be chewed." Likea Whitman poem or a Wim Wenders film, Larsen's collection acknowledges thedifficulties of our lives, but struggles within that framework to find andilluminate meaning and value, which allows us to "Think ofrivers" and have hope as we watch the ash of our burning world drift"over fences / and fields, over a dazed cluster of Holsteins / chewingagain what they've already swallowed." ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Hubbub and Democracy
OK, this book has generated about as much hubbub as a poetry anthology is likely to generate. Everyone wants their say about who the next generation of poets is . . . and everyone will have a gripe with at least a couple of the people included here.Fact is, though, this is a very carefully puttogether selection of solid -- sometimes terrific -- poems by many of themost talented poets writing today.It's discerningly edited with a goodear for both the sense and the music of the poems.

Of course, if you wanta truly democratic anthology, you'll have to go elsewhere.But why thehell should an anthology be democratic?Good anthologies have editors whoenforce their own aesthetic values and tastes on the book--who select poemsTHEY like.In a way, good anthologies are anti-democratic.They go forrange, of course, but ultimately have one person in making the decisions. Bad anthologies are often democratic, though.It takes no skill, afterall, to include everyone . . . to merely survey the field.

I recommendthis effort wholeheartedly.It'll inspire you or make you mad -- butthere's a mind at work putting it together and lots of talent in the poems.

Disappointing
How disappointing to see the same old, same old represented here. While a few voices are fresh and interesting, the majority (whose poems have been encountered in too many publications lately) feel stale. This anthologycontributes nothing new to the broad and exciting spectrum of today'spoetry.See American Poetry: The Next Generation for a more democratic andsurprising vision.

Mostly Good
Most of the poets in this collection are good.That makes it better than most contemporary anthologies.I especially liked Ruth P. Schwartz, Mark Wunderlich, and Paul Beatty.A few are less good, but the book is a realservice to people who wantto find out what'shappening right now inAmerican poetry.And the poets' discussions in the back of the book arepretty interesting.Overall: very very good.

A Great Anthology
Of the recent "new young poetry" anthologies, this is the only one with a real editor at work.Kevin Prufer knows what he likes -- and it's good stuff.He's talked to each poet in the book and worked with themto select the best of their poems -- and it shows.Several of the poemsare published for the first time here -- and most are very new.From thisanthology, I got a clear picture of what the very best young poets arewriting today. ... Read more

Product Description
Presents the evidence-base for links between personality traits, psychological functioning, personality disorder and violence - with a focus on assessment and treatment approaches that will help clinicians to assess risk in this client group.

• An evidence-based examination of those personality traits and types of psychological functioning that may contribute to personality disorder and violence- and the links that can be made between the two
• Each chapter tackles an area of personality or psychological functioning and includes a developmental perspective, discussion of how to gauge risk, and an outline of effective treatments
• Traits covered include impulsivity, aggressiveness, narcissism and the ‘Big Five’ - neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness
• New for the prestigious Wiley Series in Forensic Clinical Psychology, a market leader with more than 20,000 books in print

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Designed to increase language proficiency while giving insight into Chinese civilization, this book contains lectures which include vocabulary, a romanized version of the lecture, a character version, phrases and sentences for translation from Chinese to English and from English to Chinese, and questions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Twenty lectures on chinese culture: an intermediary chinese textbook
Good, since the version is very old, and the printing order is a antique way.

still some value after all these years
This is still a worthwhile book for someone at the mid- to upper intermediate level in their study of Mandarin.It is true that the lectures are somewhat flavored by the political affiliations of the authors (at the time of publication the Nationalist side of things pretty much dominatedChinese language education in this country) but the lectures are interesting and cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from Chinese geography, history (ancient and modern), literature, art and religion, to name just a few.A learner can definitely get a great deal of satisfaction by working through this course and being exposed to a different political point of view also has some usefulness in terms of understanding mid to late 20th century Chinese history. Still, some work to make the book 21st-century friendly wouldn't be a bad idea.Certainly much more attractive fonts for Chinese characters are available now, simplified characters should be given in the vocabularies along with their traditional counterparts, and the anachronism that is the Yale system of Romanization should be put to bed- for good. Learners who have made it to the level where they can work with this book shouldn't have to be saddled with an outdated system of transcription.And just for good measure, how about recording the lectures on CD?Just asking.

When Yale ruled the world...
Ah yes, the classic text.I simply think that there could never be a better tool for learning than this gem.This would explain its continued use for so many years.Although by today's standards, it may be a bit rusty, but if there were a better book to educate we intermediate students on the basics of Chinese life, I would certainly like to see it.The authors may lean slightly Nationalist and slightly Confucian, but this is fine with me.The only complaint I have is the use of the eyesore known as Yale romanization, but I can get over it.Excellent text! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Incredible Poetry
I was enthralled by Susan Kinsolving's poetry.There are poems in thiscollection that have stayed with me and will continue to do so throughoutmy life.One in particular, "Sotto Voce", captures the intensecraving that only loneliness can conjure.I am so grateful to thisbrilliant poet for writing what I have felt.Thank you Susan Kinsolving!

Strong Debut
Kinsolving's book is lovely.Although I wouldn't call her poems gripping, they are polished and beautifully restrained--at times, disturbing.Certainly not the typical first book of poems; I can see why it is gettingso much attention.

Elegant, well-written debut.
This is simply a beautifully written collection of poems.It is listed as a first book, but Kinsolving writes with the grace and authority of a more established poet.

A wonderful, beautiful book of poems.
This is a wonderful, beautiful book of poems. I bought a copy a week ago, and now I'm buying copies as gifts for friends. This is a real poet who writes poems that help us give meaning to our place in the larger world. I've been thinking about these poems ever since I read them.Actually, Ithink the cover photograph (while is is artfully stunning) is a bitmisleading. The poems are wise and mature and very thoughtful---notcontemporary (in the bad sense of the word) but universal.Just lovely.

It's what poetry is all about, it moves you!
It's the kind of book you must continue to read. You will not put it down until you are finished. And then you will go back and read it again. It's simple yet complex, light but heavy, and joyful yet sad. You feel anaffinity to the author, her sorrows and joys permeate your psyche. It'swhat poetry is all about. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1982 the leaders of the national Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) recognized the need for greater focus on shipbuilding education; the result was the establishment of an education panel (SP-9) within the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Ship Production Committee-the implementation arm of the NSRP. The first project authorized by the panel was a textbook on advanced concepts of ship production. This edition was revised in 1995 to update the contents to be consistent with technological advances made since the book s publication in 1988.The focus of this book is state-of-the-art technology and its application to the principals and practices of shipbuilding employing group technology. The authors present a system aimed at optimizing productivity in shipbuilding under current technological conditions. Also included are chapters devoted to basic manufacturing and construction processes and the design for production and CAD/CAM applications. The book is suitable for the upperclass undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as serving as a valuable resource for practicing shipbuilding professionals. Chapte one contains history of shipbuilding and statistics relating to production and market share. Chapter two has been expanded to more directly incorporate material relating to shipbuilding economic theory. Chapter four contains new material, which relates to the fabrication process. New material has been added to Chapter five to more accurately reflect the conditions of current ship production facilities. Chapter six (Ship Design and Engineering), Chapter seven (Planning, Scheduling and Production Control), and Chapter eight (Accuracy Control) have all been updated to reflect the impact of computers on these important areas. Chapter nine (Ship Conversion, Overhaul, and Repair) has been totally rewritten to reflect the experiences of a major consulting firm that has extensively supported shipyards in improvement of their conversion and repair operations. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Non linearity adds perplexity to these mystery thrillers.
The settings of both stories are oriental. In `Djinn' the protagonist works undercover for an androgenous American spy. There are some curious adventures met in the hands of two children. After a while the book begins to fold back on itself and we find ourselves right where we started but we go off in a slightly different direction. It is as if the protagonist is trapped in some never ending mystery that doesn't explain itself. `La Maison De Rendez-Vous' is about an evening get together, again we find some mysterious elements and the story folds back on itself various times, everytime we get a further glimpse into the affairs. It is the most curios style of narration that ends up adding a nightmarish aspect to the mystery. I wouldn't suggest this book to a die hard mystery reader but this will make an interesting reading otherwise ... Read more