Gentianaceae of the north west Himalaya, a revision (International bioscience monograph)

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This handy guide to Scotland’s capital hits all the highlights, from Castle Holyroodhouse, museums, art galleries, and zoo to accommodations, eateries, and specialist stores for whiskey and tartans. The vinyl binding and compact size make it a perfect companion for the trip.

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Great Guide to Edinburgh

Edinburgh Insideout City Guide
Map Group
Manufacturer: Map Group
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1904766285

Book Description

This savvy city guide includes a 64-page insider guide, compass, and PopOut™ maps to help you travel intelligently around Edinburgh. This guide highlights the city's main attractions, including the Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, museums, art galleries, zoos, and gardens. It includes practical information on getting around, with guided walking tours of the "haunted" Old Town streets. The guide also offers information about more than 40 shops, from top-class department stores to specialist whisky sellers and tartan souvenir shops; over 50 restaurants, bars, and cafés; and a range of hotels, from baronial splendor to typical Scottish bed 'n' breakfasts. Special features cover the Edinburgh Festival, the Fringe Festival, and the Military Tattoo. A concluding section provides transportation, weather, and regional custom information. Bound in durable, flexible gunmetal-gray and black plastic, with colorful photos throughout, these pocket books stand up to frequent use on-the-go and have tremendous visual appeal.

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Great Guide to Edinburgh.......2007-02-22

Recommended. Maps are clear and consise. One is a map of the city center, one of the region. Travel information is well presented.

Book Description

Never has the World Bank's relief work been more important than in the last nine years, when crises as huge as AIDS and the emergence of terrorist sanctuaries have threatened the prosperity of billions. This journalistic masterpiece by Washington Post columnist Sebastian Mallaby charts those controversial years at the Bank under the leadership of James Wolfensohn—the unstoppable power broker whose daring efforts to enlarge the planet's wealth in an age of globalization and terror were matched only by the force of his polarizing personality. Based on unprecedented access to its subject, this captivating tour through the messy reality of global development is that rare triumph—an emblematic story through which a gifted author has channeled the spirit of the age.

Customer Reviews:

A story of burning ambition.......2007-09-10

A story of burning ambition. Make no mistake about it, James Wolfensohn wanted to be head of the World Bank. He desired it from the late 1970s until 1995 when he finally achieved his ambition, becoming an American citizen in a rushed ceremony to make himself more presentable to the political circles in Washington that always select the Bank's chief.

Biographer Sebastian Mallaby, a British-born columnist for the Washington Post and previously the Economist magazine, describes Wolfensohn as "the most ambitious man I know". He reports this son of a Jewish migrant to Australia was "beside himself with excitement" on hearing President Jimmy Carter was considering him for the World Bank's presidency in 1980.

Another 15 years would pass before Wolfensohn, who in a packed life had found time to be an Olympic fencer, Wall Street high flyer and accomplished musician, would get the job of his dreams. What followed was the most turbulent and controversial decade in the bank's history.

Mallaby asserts the upheavals were not all of Wolfensohn's making. He took over from a series of grey, uninspiring functionaries at a time when the anti-globalisation movement was beginning to get up steam. The Bank's 50th anniversary meeting in Madrid in 1994 was disrupted by demonstrators chanting "50 years is enough", denouncing its failure to address world poverty and demanding it be closed for good.

For the one-time Aussie, this was a challenge to be relished and Wolfensohn must have thought that at 60, he had accumulated all the worldly wisdom and experience needed to meet it. That he was to be proved wrong is not a total indictment of the man. There is nothing on Earth quite like the World Bank, a vast, rambling bureaucracy full of brilliant, often contending individuals, at the mercy of an overbearing board, each member with a special agenda, and besieged by non-government organisations full of passionate anger, demanding the impossible and denouncing every minor misstep.

The new man believed he could counter this with his chief assets, sincerity and charm. He could be everyone's friend, uniting donor countries, Third World governments and the plethora of non-government organisations who were his sternest critics, in one noble crusade to ban poverty from the planet. They were glorious, yet doomed ideals well suited to the man described by a colleague as "full of grandiose ideas but not much of a manager".

But was this such a bad thing? Mallaby believes that after a succession of uninspiring technocrats at its head, the Bank needed Wolfensohn's flamboyance and spontaneity, recapturing some of the pioneering spirit of one of its great presidents, Robert McNamara.

McNamara had wanted the bank to have a human face, Wolfensohn wanted it to go over the heads of grasping and often corrupt Third World governments and deal directly with those who would benefit from its loans. In the world of realpolitik neither was wholly achievable, and for Wolfensohn it was a tough lesson to learn.

He did not cope well with failure, and when a coalition of Tibetan activists, the environmental lobby and professional China haters in the US Congress scuppered the Qinghai irrigation scheme, he lashed out at his own staff. "Didn't they ever read the newspapers? Didn't they know that Tibet was supersensitive? - and he would summon people to his office and demand whose arse he should kick first. It was not an edifying spectacle..."

The US presidential transition, at the beginning of his second term, did not help matters. The new Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, was openly contemptuous of the Bank and indeed the entire international aid structure, declaring the world had spent "trillions of dollars on development and there's damn little to show for it". O'Neill offered the startling argument that if South Korea had lifted itself from poverty to middle-class comfort in four decades, every Third World country should be able to do the same.

And yet the Wolfensohn-led bank somehow weathered these storms. After a late start it showed leadership in facing the AIDS threat; the more hysterical NGOs were eventually cut loose and their criticisms ignored, while some of the "Volvo-style" loan conditions, so irritating to many recipient countries, were eased.

Despite 10 years of obstructionism, bitter infighting and over-the-top criticism, the president never lost his enthusiasm for the job. At the end he was even testing the water for a third term - the Bush White House would have none of it - and he could count among his diverse friends and supporters United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Mallaby does not come to any hard and fast conclusions about his client. He sees Wolfensohn as an indifferent manager, while giving him credit for broadening the Bank's agenda beyond macroeconomic policy to meet head on the problems of corruption and debt relief. He was able to bring the larger and more responsible NGOs on board but took a long time to realise that others "had no off switch".

The book finishes on an inconclusive note. Was Wolfensohn's presidency valuable? Did he do more harm than good? Perhaps in an increasingly complex world, with so many voices clamouring to be heard, there can no longer be clear-cut answers to questions like these. Suffice to say the World Bank survives and there are no mass demonstrations demanding that "60 years is enough".

Another reason to abolish the World Bank.......2007-05-04

The World Bank has done nothing more than enslave the people of lesser-developed countries in sweatshop labor camps to help their countries claw their way out of debt traps, while the leaders of these countries steal the funds and export it to Swiss bank accounts. This account of failed World Bank president Paul Wolfenson's term demonstrates again how big money doesn't help LDCs to improve the livelihoods of their people. I really recommend this book, especially following the awarding of a Nobel Peace Prize to someone who understands the principles of microlending. Microlending will help many more people get on their feet than these huge disbursements of World Bank cash that prop up corrupt governments that oppress the poor.

very readable and well researched.......2006-12-29

it's strange that sby would think fit to write a review without reading the book, particularly when the rating is so extreme, though credit should be given for honesty (in admitting not having read the book)

this book is indeed very readable and well researched, it's a rare book that provide insights into the world's most important institution that fights proverty, and correct many biased views that are fostered by the media and the ngos

WARNING.......2006-11-27

WARNING: apparently this book will cause you to adopt mallaby's incredibly condescending vocabulary, and cause you to refer to millions of people as being "adolescent" because of their country's economic difficulties.

I haven't actually read this book, just judging from the above review.

A very fine book.......2006-07-12

Mallaby has written a fine biography of James Wolfensohn. But perhaps more interestingly the narrative paints a vivid description of international development over the last 30-40 years. The ever changing World Bank is detailed with all qualities laid bare; what I most enjoyed about this book was the balanced analysis it recieved.

It's oh-so-easy to get caught up in the anti-globalisation rhetoric that you come of the opinion that the World Bank is really a force for evil in the World - it's clear that this is not the case. Its failures are reasonably frequent and quite high profile, but that, one might conclude, has more to do with the type of work it does and the quantity of work it does. What I also enjoyed was the look he took at the NGOs role in international development; their vocal, yet not often rational (or informed) views hold much weight and can't be ignored.

Mallaby has collected stories from figures all over the world to paint a vivid and exposing picture that any student of international development would be a fool to ignore.

The World's Banker : A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Council on Foreign Relations Books (Penguin Press))

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The World's Banker : A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Council on Foreign Relations Books (Penguin Press))
Sebastian Mallaby
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000GUJHDA

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The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations
Sebastian Mallaby
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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THE WORLD'S BANKER: A STORY OF FAILED STATES, FINANCIAL CRISES, AND THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS. With new afterword.

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THE WORLD'S BANKER: A STORY OF FAILED STATES, FINANCIAL CRISES, AND THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS. With new afterword.
Sebastian. Mallaby
Manufacturer: Penguin,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7EEBQ

The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations.(Book Review) : An article from: Ethics & International Affairs

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The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations.(Book Review) : An article from: Ethics & International Affairs
Peter Rosenblum
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
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Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Ethics & International Affairs, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1423 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: The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations.(Book Review)
Author: Peter Rosenblum
Publication: Ethics & International Affairs (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Page: 126(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

A fun-house feast for the eyes that puts a sensual humorous twist on the age old art of paper dolls. Filled to the brim with funny, sexy and saucy little paper ladies, each with a full figured personality and an eclectic collection of garments and accessories to go with it. From elf and fairy costumes to hamburger outfits, these girls have quite a closet! In fact, these ladies know how to get overdressed for any occasion! Want to dress one up like a space shuttle? You bet! You'll even find matching solar system underpants! Each doll in this book has her own wacked out, sexy little way of doing things. You will either want to cut out the clothes to create a little hot mama for your desk, or give the book to your gal pal to inspire a few ideas. • Beautifully executed paint-on-wood artwork

Dolls Kids Can Make, Soft dolls, Terrycloth, Paper Angels, folk Art, Pantyhose heads, Potpourri, Traditional Mop grannies, & more

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Dolls Kids Can Make, Soft dolls, Terrycloth, Paper Angels, folk Art, Pantyhose heads, Potpourri, Traditional Mop grannies, & more
Sheila McGraw
Manufacturer: Firefly Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RXV9PK

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Folk Art Paper Dolls
Mava Brodecker
Manufacturer: Hobby House Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875883400

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Japanese Paper Dolls (Color Books)
Komako Ishigaki
Manufacturer: Japan Publications Trading Co
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 458654032X

L'esthetique de l'art populaire chinois: La poupee porte-bonheur = Aesthetic features of Chinese folk art : the good luck doll

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L'esthetique de l'art populaire chinois: La poupee porte-bonheur = Aesthetic features of Chinese folk art : the good luck doll
Chih-lin Chin
Manufacturer: Librairie You-Feng & Musee Kwok On
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Traditional Crafts of Japan (The Traditional Crafts of Japan)

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The Traditional Crafts of Japan (The Traditional Crafts of Japan)

Manufacturer: Diamond, Inc.
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000P154E6

Product Description

1st ed., 8 boxed volunes with 8 VHS tapes. Technical advice by Japan Traditional Craft Center. Extraordinary set of books and tapes about traditional Japanese crafts. Topics include Textiles (v. 1-2), Ceramics (v. 3), Lacquerware (v. 4), Wood and Bamboo (v. 5), Metal and Stone (v. 6), Paper and Dolls (v. 7), and Writing Utensils and Household Buddhist Altars (v. 8). Each volume has between 150-200 pages, lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs, primarily in color. Black and white photographs illustrate the processes used in these crafts. Each book is bound in orange cloth, with a dark yellow cloth slipcase. VHS tapes are bound two to a volume in orange cloth; each tape is a companion piece to one volume of the set. Text is in English, with cut lines and titles in English and Japanese. Purchased for libraries by the Kikomen Corporation.

Book Description

Hundreds of lush and lavish color photographs give gardeners divine inspiration to transform their gardens into comfortable havens, with tantalizing colors, fabulous textures, and irresistible scents.

"Gardeners...will find practical information and paradisiacal inspiration within these pages."--Booklist

Every garden showcased here seems to extend an irresistible invitation to relax, stay a while, and enjoy the weather. Their fine design, appealing composition, and excellent lighting turn ordinary outdoor space into real outdoor rooms that feel like extensions of the house. See how to achieve symmetry and proportion by balancing restful and active areas, as well as sunshine and shade. Work with plants' natural cycles; use water to provide both cooling and soothing sounds; and add containers, collections, and special interest items to further personalize this little touch of paradise.

Book Description

One Fine Stooge, the life story of Larry Fine—the original frizzy-haired member of the classic comedy team—reveals the charming and poignant life of the famed comedian who took a beating for more than four decades. Behind the comic mask that he wore most of his adult years as a Stooge—on stage, in films, television, cartoons, and in every facet of entertainment—was a life filled with fame and fortune, but also with bad luck and tragedy. This tumultuous trip through decades in show business is based on Larry Fine's own memoirs, featuring the late comedian's private memorabilia collection—now published for the first time—providing an unparalleled visual history of the most prolific comedy team in entertainment annals.
Like them or not, the Three Stooges are an institution of American comedy, popular icons of the greatest renown. This is their story as revealed by Larry Fine in his own words, augmented by fascinating anecdotes from family members and co-workers.

Customer Reviews:

The middle Stooge gets his..........2007-10-13

It's about time a book was written on Larry Fine. Without a doubt the "glue" of the Three Stooges, and possibly my favorite stooge, he finally gets his story in print. I enjoyed the book and was surprised at facts that I didn't know about the Three Stooges, and I know a lot.

I highly recommend this book.

A fine book about a fine man.......2007-09-27

This book does an absolutely marvelous job at delving into the life of Larry Fine, finally going beyond old urban myths, stereotypes, and the general perception that he was just the Stooge in the middle, some guy who got lucky but who wasn't as accomplished or funny as his partners. His character truly comes to life in this book, starting in his childhood days in Philadelphia, going to his early days in vaudeville with his future wife Mabel and her sister Loretta, to his 25 years of making shorts at Columbia, to the unexpected revival and mass popularity the Stooges received in the late Fifties and through the Sixties (when unfortunately they had to seriously tone down their trademark violent antics to please the parents of the children they were being almost exclusively marketed to), and finally to Larry's final years in the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital, after he'd had a stroke. Though some sections of the book do read like a standard bio of the Stooges, only with the emphasis on Larry, the majority of the book goes so much deeper. There are so many stories that have never been written about before or which most people don't know about, such as Larry's deep love of his wife Mabel, a woman whom he continued to adore and stick by even through her alcoholism in her later years, his love of his children Phyllis and Johnny, the story of how he met a little blind boy backstage after a show in the Sixties and got really choked up by the encounter, his relationship with his hairdresser and her husband in his final years, how he found out Shemp had passed away, his relationships with the other Stooges, and even the point of view that Ted Healy, the Stooges' founder and original straightman, might not have been murdered at all but died from other causes and only coincidentally happened to die shortly after receiving a brutal beating. There are also lots of great pictures and mementos, some of them very personal and touching, such as Larry's handwritten letters to young fans, get-well cards young fans sent to him, pictures of him with his children, and the hand-written calendar he made for his daughter Phyllis to let her know when he'd be coming home from the road. There are so many sweet things about this lattermost memento, really showing what a nice sweet guy Larry was, and what a devoted family man. It's really touching to read about how in real life the Stooges were quite the opposite of their screen characters.

The only shortcoming I can find with the book is that it does seem to be a bit skewered towards the Stooges in the DeRita era. That chapter is by far longer than either of the chapters on Larry's life as a Stooge when he was working with Curly and Shemp. It might have been their most financially successful and popular period, but how many fans today seriously consider that their best and most memorable work? To put it mildly, I'm not exactly a big fan of the watered-down non-violent child-friendly latter-day Stooges, though I am of course happy that Larry and Moe lived long enough to finally start making serious money and to get the respect they deserved. And while the cover photo is really beautiful, looking as though it were taken yesterday instead of decades ago, I'm not happy that DeRita is the third Stooge on it. I'd bet almost anything that the infamous Comedy III is behind that one. It should have been Curly or Shemp, and everyone else knows that! Still, in spite of how the book does lean a bit more heavily towards the Stooges' latter-day career instead of their classic glory days, and the illogical choice of the third Stooge on the cover, it's a great book, with a lot of great information about a truly underrated comedian and a truly great man.

Good read; great photos.......2007-09-12

I enjoyed reading 'One Fine Stooge', although upon completion of the book, I had mixed feelings about the content. On one hand, I learned a couple of things that I hadn't known before, and that's always a good thing. On the other hand, the book focused too heavily on the 'post Shemp' days, which for me, marked a drastic decline in the funniness of the act. Joe Besser and Joe DeRita were clearly inferior stooges and I felt my interest waning reading about them (the cover portrait featuring DeRita should have been a dead give-away). I would have liked for the author to focus more on the Curly and Shemp days. The book however is about Larry Fine, and I did enjoy reading about his life and career. The photos are a treat and greatly added to my enjoyment of this book.

One Fine Book!.......2007-05-23

Steve Cox never fails to amaze me. Just when I think he's done his best, he comes out with a new book that's even better!

I went into this book knowing nothing about the fine Larry Fine or any of the other Stooges. I bought the book because I like everything this author has ever written.

What an amazing history these lovable goofs have!! This book is like a jewelry box, filled with rare gems.

The photos are truly one of a kind. How Steve Cox unearths these old (and RARE) photographs is nothing short of a miracle. He should've been a private investigator (as suggested by Fred Gwynne, a/k/a Herman Munster, and noted in the author's Munsters book).

I think the cover photo is truly something to behold. You can't fully appreciate the crystal clarity until you hold the actual book in your hands. Internet pictures do nothing for this striking photograph. It's so perfect, you'd think the Stooges posed for it last month, using today's top-notch digital photography.

It's very sad to see how the lives of many of these "Fine" individuals turned out. My heart just broke to hear about the despicable man who took advantage of poor frail Larry Fine in his later years. It makes you wish they were all still alive today, to receive the love and adoration of their millions of fans.

If you love the Stooges, you NEED to purchase this book, immediately. You'll kick yourself if you don't (and spend a small fortune on eBay trying to acquire it later).

And even if you're a casual Stooge viewer (or you know nothing about this zany crew), you'll still be touched by this lovingly "Fine" tribute to Larry and the guys.

Bravo Steve Cox!!

"One of us is crazy, and it ain't YOU!"
- Larry (CRASH GOES THE HASH, 1944)

ONE FINE STOOGE.......2007-01-14

BEST BOOK EVER ABOUT LARRY. A MUST BY FOR ALL STOOGE FANS JEFF - PHILA.

Book Description

From vilified government minister to leader of the Republic of Ireland, Charles J. Haughey's controversial rise to power offers insight into modern Irish history, party politics, and the notorious arms trial. This biography describes the Machiavellian posture of Haughey's politics and examines his life through the eyes of his colleagues and opponents, including his personal aides and other prominent Irish leaders. Special attention is given to the Fianna Fáil party and its role in Haughey's political comeback.

Customer Reviews:

Very informative.......2004-11-27

Very interesting insight into the rise and fall of Mr Haughey. There are a lot of details about the secret manouverings that were going on behind closed doors. Sources are cited left right and centre, and the bibliography is absolutely huge.

This book seems to take the view that Haughey was up to his neck in the gun-running, but just wasn't convicted for lack of evidence. The arms trial is covered in great depth.

The jockeying for position by Albert Reynolds that brought him to power was particularly fascinating. I always knew that Reynolds was a shrewd operator, but I never knew that he was so well trained in Fianna Fail dealings or in how to use and not use the media. Reynolds comes out of this book looking very good, especially given his achievement in the North where he played a pivotal role in bringing about the IRA ceasefire that spawned the peace process as we know it today.

As for the 'Boss' himself, we get a very well rendered view of the myth that Haughey built up around himself and used to bolster his authority. His use of the national question as a way to tap into a popular public passion while simulataneously carrying out painful austerity measures with the public finances was a stroke of genius, and he was very good at getting across the message that these measures were necessary.

The downfall made painful reading to anyone who admired the modern prince, but in the end it is difficult to feel sorry for him since A) he got himself into that situation, B) it has never been proven that he actually dispensed any favours to his business backers apart from fixing the country's economy and making it easier to do business, C) he's so old and terminally ill that only the most spiteful of people (i.e. Des O'Malley) would seek to carry on with any prosecutions at this late stage. In short, he was a 'cute hoor,' fixed the country's economy, got his pocket lined by businessmen, and for the most part got away with it.

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