Chinook Pass: An Army Sergeant's Memoir of the 1999 Kosovo Campaign

Book Description

Chinook Pass invites readers to go on a unique, life-changing journey with the author, Army sergeant Rain Chetdav, through the beautiful, panoramic landscapes of Switzerland for a vigorous snowboard season; eyewitness the horror, and an unforgettable killing field during the United Nations and NATOÂ's 1999 Kosovo CampaignÂ—see war at its best through the eyes of the author and witness the ultimate sacrifice of men and women in the battle rattle uniforms; observe the camaraderie of the troops developed during the moments of intense confusion of a devastating firefight.

Next, Chinook Pass takes readers with the author as he travels across the Continent of the United States, drives from Atlanta, Georgia to Tacoma, Washington State, Fort Lewis, where the author finalized his last two-years in the Service.

Witness the happiness of friendships, the horror of the 1999 Kosovo Campaign, the solitary drive across the United States, new friendships and foes as the author discovered at Portland Avenue Baptist Church, the new responsibility of being newly promoted to the rank of Sergeant, a new chapter of vigorous snowboarding at Crystal Mountain, and the new horizon of belief in the Almighty God through life experiences despite the pandemonium and disarray of an unpredictable, alien environment.

Customer Reviews:

Hmmm.......2004-04-16

Another book on Kosovo - so I had to have it and when I did get it I was so unhappy. It is impossible to read this book! It starts and it ends with one chapter when there should have been plenty. Impossible book to follow. Wait for a reprint - if it ever gets reprinted.

big countries word.......2003-10-07

i think the book was well written,and very well explained. The way rain tells the story from his point of view tells me that he has expierenced alot in his career and wants to express his thoughts.

Chinook Pass.......2003-10-01

Among the best non-fiction memoir about the Balkan conflicts I'd read. Good writing.

Chinook Pass.......2003-10-01

A good reading military book about selfless service that the American men and women in the armed forces faced in time of war.

Chinook Pass.......2003-10-01

One of the most realistics memoir about the modern war in the Balkans. Good book!

Customer Reviews:

great illustrations.......2003-01-20

The writing of the book was fine. I am a little older than an "on my own biographt" reader. Nonetheless I was interested in the life of a Black scientist living in the late 1700's. The book follows Benjamin Banneker from being a young boy working on his family's tobbacco farm to clockmaking, land surveying, and almanac writing. His thirst for learning makes him a great role model. The book also put his life in historical context which makes for a great learning device.
What really brings the story to life are the illustrations. Craig Orback has done some beautiful paintings! I particularly enjoy the rich color and expansive feeling of the landscapes and skyscapes. The characters are expressive. A few pages are stunning in their warm light and vivid color. I felt really drawn to them. In fact, I think the book would be completely interesting and inspiring to me even if I couldn't read and it were being read to me before bedtime.
I reccomend this book for the excellent art and the inspiring (and maybe little known) story of early African American accomplishment.

Amazon.com

You see them everywhere. With their bulging arms and deltoids and pecs, not to mention their rippling abdominal muscles, they appear on magazine covers, in underwear ads, in action movies. And American men have noticed them; after a generation of being bombarded by images of idealized male physiques, men are growing increasingly insecure about their own appearance.

The authors have studied everything from bodybuilders to Playgirl centerfolds and concluded that the images presented to men and women have gotten steadily more muscular. As a result of this bombardment of pumped-up male imagery, American men have been developing eating disorders, working out to the point of obsession, and taking steroids. None of this is for health or sports performance but rather to develop a physique that matches those seen on the cover of Muscle & Fitness or in the next squat rack over.

Another consequence is a condition the authors call "muscle dysmorphia," also known as "reverse anorexia" or just "bigorexia." In this, men who are large and muscular look in the mirror and see someone who is puny and frail. So they pump iron and eat and take steroids and swell to ever-larger proportions, while being too ashamed of their bodies to take off their sweatshirts at the beach.

The authors postulate that all this has to do with the rising power of women in society. To back this up, they produce timelines showing how women's-rights milestones correlate with increasing images of men as sex objects.

What's the solution? The authors list some Web sites to help men suffering from the Adonis Complex to find therapists familiar with the problem. Sometimes antidepressants can work. But for most people, the answer is to understand that the images of perfect male physiques they see are unattainable, and that no one really expects them to look like that anyway. --Lou Schuler

Book Description

In the first book to address a health crisis that is striking men of all ages, three national experts present a frank and explosive look at what men really think and feel about their bodies, offering hope to millions who are suffering in silence.

More than ever, men are struggling with the same enormous pressure to achieve physical perfection that women have dealt with for centuries. From compulsive weightlifting to steroid use, from hair plugs to cosmetic surgery, growing numbers of men are taking the quest for perfect muscles, skin, and hair too far, crossing the line from normal interest to pathological obsession. This new obsession with appearance, known as the Adonis Complex, afflicts boys and men of all ages and from all walks of life. In its more severe forms, the Adonis Complex poses a health threat that is as insidious and deadly as eating disorders are for women and girls. But this groundbreaking book offers hope and help for the men caught in the oppressive cycle of body obsession.

Harrison Pope, Katharine Phillips, and Roberto Olivardia reveal the often hidden signs and symptoms of the Adonis Complex.

Weightlifting and exercise compulsions: Their quest for a more muscular body can become so single-minded that men often sacrifice relationships and career goals and may even stunt their emotional and physical development.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Unlike healthy men, those with body image problems have no idea how they really look -- and obsessively try to fix flaws that others don't notice. Boys as young as six or eight report body dissatisfaction, and as a result many suffer loss of self-esteem or depression.

Eating disorders: Several million men have suffered from compulsive binge eating or from anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Countless others with milder forms of eating disorders diet and worry about being fat even when they actually look just fine.

Steroid abuse: Trying to achieve increasingly unrealistic physical ideals, more than a million men -- including a large number of teenagers -- are abusing steroids. Millions more are buying billions of dollars' worth of "muscle-building" food supplements and diet aids.

Creating a down-to-earth program for change, the authors introduce two original diagnostic tools. The first, a simple thirteen-question quiz, helps readers identify the extent of their body image concerns. The second, the Body Image Test, helps readers learn how they perceive their bodies and how they think others see them. Using the compelling and insightful stories of many boys and men, the authors address a wide range of topics, from coping with sex and intimacy problems and difficulties at work, to low self-esteem and shame. They also explain how to seek medication treatment and specialized forms of therapy for more extreme cases. With this book, men suffering from the Adonis Complex will have the power to change their lives.

Customer Reviews:

Long-overdue study on a "modern" men's crisis........2007-04-21

The same impossible expectations regarding attaining the "perfect" body that have been relentlessly imposed on women by (mostly) the media are now being imposed on men--albeit in a different context. This book examines the lengths that some men will go to in order to attain the "perfect" body--and the physical, mental and emotional damage that can result from trying to live up to unrealistic standards. While I do agree that staying fit is important I can assure you that ( in normal situations) it's NOT the guy with the most muscular or well-built body that wins. Face it: low self-esteem is what drives both women AND men to aspireto attaining the "Perfect" body knowing full well it's impossible.

needed book.......2007-04-11

I have a son and a daughter who struggle with body image. I could start a library with the books I own about a girl's struggle with an eating disorder! Books for males are hard to find. I'm thankful for this book. I first read it at the library, but ordered it because I wanted my own copy. It points out symptoms, has tests, case studies...a little of everything. Men tend to deny there is a problem and this book made it very clear that my son had one. Good read.

Very Interesting Read but a Little Skewed.......2007-01-20

The book was very entertaining, but clearly did not distinguish between healthy work-out and diet behaviors and pathology. Bodybuilding is an event that requires a certain amount ot restriction to succeed; based on the acedotal evidence presented in this book, all bodyuilders may be viewed as ill. Furthermore, many women could be diagnosed with a "male" body image problem.

In terms of the attractiveness of more muscular men, I found the pictures in the book to be misleading. I am a women and, based on the ideal male physique test, I picked a man with a muscle index number (I forget the name they gave it) of about 23. I then calculated the muscle index number for my bodybuilder x-boyfriend, who I thought was absolutely perfect, and he came out as a 27. Clearly I like men who are more muscular than what the book test and accompanying pictures suggested.

Are you kidding me........2006-05-24

I've looked through the reviews and the book I'll simply say this much, Many of the people "who built themselves to unsafe and an undesireable" level of development have been athletes most of there lives. In a country that is obesity ridden where lazy people are looking "the magic pill" it is ridiculous to disparage those who've worked hard for the bodies they've built myself included.

If you look at any of the guys in the magazines, 9 times out of ten they were involved in various sports before they got into physique competitions or fitness modeling, the discipline they learned in athletics carried over. In nature it's the biggest and strongest male who usually has his choice of female interaction. However women are bombarded from their teen years in that the ideal type of guy is the scrawny, flat to sunken chested, pencil armed and legged surfer or rocker kind guy who is often times smaller than they are.

Those who want to maximize their capacities are on the right track it's the jealous and lazy types who need to reevaluate their own fitness and self improvement programs

this is ridiculous.......2005-04-29

I don't like fat people whether they are men or women. Americans each too many calories and do not get enough exercise. there is no Adonis complex. i can't believe a guy actually spent his time looking through playgirl centerfolds to write a book. buy a book on cycling or other exercise book... it'll be money, time and health better spent. get outside and do something.

Customer Reviews:

Why can't eating be an adventure like this anymore?????.......1997-02-17

If you're rushing through meal preparation with one eye onthe clock, or if you're picking up greasy bags of fast foodon your way home, this book will give you, pun intended, foodfor thought. The astounding thing about Pierre Franey's account of growing up in rural France is the obssessive,hands-on, all-encompassing effort to make the best use ofavailable resources to produce wonderful meals. Don't missthe tale of rabbit hunting with a secret weapon -- a petferret, or the story about stealing the pear. This is sobittersweet, it's unforgettable. AND it has recipes!!!

A CHEF'S TALE: A MEMOIR OF FOOD, FRANCE AND AMERICA.

Average customer rating:

A CHEF'S TALE: A MEMOIR OF FOOD, FRANCE AND AMERICA.
Pierre, et al., eds. Franey
Manufacturer: NY, Knopf, 1994. 260 pp., illus. Fine copy of first edition in dust jacket.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UE05TC

Book Description

Things couldn’t get any worse for poor Polly. It’s her ninth birthday, and she’s stricken with the chicken pox and quarantined for a week. Why did she have to get the chicken pox now instead of next week? Of course her birthday party has to be canceled. Will things turn around for Polly or will this really be her worst birthday ever?

Customer Reviews:

More funny than useful.......2002-10-19

I found the writing style, with its poor grammar, distracting. On the other hand I liked Monty Kennedy's sense of humor.

My advice for those who are interested in learning how to checker is this:

First, choose hard, fine grain wood to practice on.

Second, ensure the wood is as smooth as possible and all grain is filled with varnish--this makes the checkering process less error prone. Uneven material surface and grain is likely to cause your tools to deviate from the your chosen path.

Third, don't use too fine a checker or the diamonds will break off.

Fourth, purchasing a decent set of tools.

Fifth, scribe your reference lines and trace your outline pattern and go at it.

Sixth, your best bet is to skip the book and practice on smoothly prepared sample material.

Seventh, don't get discouraged if your intitial results are not perfect, keep practicing, making smaller items like pistol or knife grips before tackling bigger projects. Be sure the grips are entirely shaped, smoothed, and finished, with holes drilled before you start checkering.

The book is good for some sample pictures, but these can easily be duplicated by a visit to your local gun shops to study finely checkered stocks. In fact you will get a better idea of what you like by studying many gun stocks.

The book is good for it's dry humor, which is sure to give you a few chuckles. I liked the book but did not feel it was worth the price. Invest your money in a set of tools.

Conrad B. Senior

Checkering Review.......2000-01-26

I like this book, but it does not do exactly what I had hoped for. The initial part of the book is written by Monty Kennedy in a down home style which is interesting and easy to read. Monty gives great and detailed descriptions on how to make checkering tools, which frankly can now be purchased quite inexpensiverly. Unfortunately he gives very sparse instruction on how to actually use the tools. His checkering instruction is very generalized. I had hoped for more detailed "how to" information for the novice. The rest of the book contains checkering/carving patterns by other artists, along with some tips and a few techniques. I would recommend this book as a general reference and resource for the serious checker or hobbyist, but I would not recommend this book if you are looking for information on the technique itself.

Average customer rating:

The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks
Monty Kennedy
Manufacturer: Thomas G. Samworth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K09C8G

Average customer rating:

Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks
Monty, Edited By Thomas G. Samworth Kennedy
Manufacturer: The Stackpole Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000EGL5E

FIREARM DESIGN & ASSEMBLY Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks

Average customer rating:

FIREARM DESIGN & ASSEMBLY Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks
Monty KENNEDY
Manufacturer: Thomas G. Samworth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I1OEIK

Average customer rating:

THE CHECKERING AND CARVING OF GUNSTOCKS
Monty (ed. Thomas G. Samworth) Kennedy
Manufacturer: Stackpole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J3ZJAY

Average customer rating:

The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks
Monte Kennedy
Manufacturer: The Stackpole Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LWO0IU

Product Description

Remarkable, detailed book copiously illustrated with diagrams, patterns, and clear black-and-white photographs.

Average customer rating:

The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks
Monty Kennedy
Manufacturer: The Stackpole Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VKXPZQ

Product Description

Illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and black-an-white photographs.

Average customer rating:

Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks
Monty Kennedy
Manufacturer: The Stackpole Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NP2S98

The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks (Design and Assembly of Custom-Built Firearms, No. 4)

Average customer rating:

The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks (Design and Assembly of Custom-Built Firearms, No. 4)
Monty Kennedy
Manufacturer: Thomas G. Samworth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NHPTHY

The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks. Edited by Thomas G. Samworth.

Average customer rating:

The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks. Edited by Thomas G. Samworth.
Monty. KENNEDY
Manufacturer: Stackpole Company,, (c1962), Harrisburg, PA:
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S6PUOW

Average customer rating:
Forest insects: A text-book for the use of students in forest schools, colleges, and universities, and for forest workers (American forestry series)
Rennie Wilbur Doane
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill book company, inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006ANCOA

Average customer rating:
Meditation Path to Deepest Self (Whole Way Library)

Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0789489732

Product Description

Three part method of meditation that enhances self-knowledge and inspires personal growth.

Meditation: Path to the Deepest Self (Whole Way)

Average customer rating:

Michal contradicts herself
Should Have Been Titled "Chakra Meditation".
meditation: path to the deepest self
Clarity and simplicity
on Michal Levin's "Meditation"

Meditation: Path to the Deepest Self (Whole Way)
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Meditation | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditation | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Fabric Of Self: Meditations on Vanity and Love

Accessories:

ASIN: 0789483335

Book Description

Experience the ultimate journey of self-discovery through mandalas and meditation. In today's busy world, more and more people are searching to find an accessible method of meditation that enhances self-knowledge and inspires personal growth, without demanding years of practice. This book opens the door to that possibility. Part I explains how "energy" works -- and how you can use it to improve your life. Part II describes how to use this approach to meditate in a unique way. Part III offers mental exercises that anyone can use to encourage guided visualization, group meditation, and healing imagery. Intuitive coach and meditation teacher Michal Levin reveals her unique approach to enhancing energy and visual insight through focused meditation. This practical method is designed to help anyone, from basic beginners to dedicated seekers, to create a more balanced and healthy life.

Customer Reviews:

Michal contradicts herself.......2003-08-06

Michal explains "her" version of meditation, which is basically chakra meditation.

I liked the layout of the book. It is very colorful which goes along with what she talks about with chakras and colors. She uses a lot of her own artwork to illustrate a point she tries to make.

She describes preparing for meditation, turning on the chakras, doing the meditation, turning off the chakras, and then recording the information. She explains that when recording the meditation to not try to interpret what you "see" just record it. She also says do not let others try to interpret what you experienced while meditating.

Why I gave the book a low rating was because she completely contradicts herself. She says don't get interpretations from others than proceeds to offer "interpretations" to peoples experiences that last 40 pages of the book. I have a real problem with authors that can't keep their "opinions" straight.

As far as meditation goes: I didn't learn anything new at all about meditation. I found the book very basic and the key concepts she tries to teach could be summed up into a 10-page pamphlet.

If you like pretty books and colorful artwork then buy this book, but if you want a book with "meat" in it stay away.

Should Have Been Titled "Chakra Meditation"........2002-08-23

I have read a number of meditation books and found this one to be only somewhat useful. The book's emphasis was almost entirely
on the chakra system and what each chakra represents.

Only a small number of pages were used to explain the actual meditation, which does guide you through your chakra system to clear the chakras and encourage energy flow. I did find the book helpful and interesting because of this section, but this book is
certainly not a good book for beginners or for anyone not interested in exploring the chakra system.

A large section of the book, deals with group meditation and then
discusses in depth a particular meditation session where each member of the group explains their experience and the author then interprets the member's impressions. I particularly disliked this section of the book, and after reading a few of the member's personal journeys, I totally lost interest in the book. Frankly, the author's "interpretations" reminded me of psychiatric dream analysis and I didn't understand how reading other people's "journeys" could be the least bit beneficial to me.

All in all, this book fell slightly short of mediocre... I believe it could only be truly worthwhile for a select few.

meditation: path to the deepest self.......2002-06-15

There's nothing pedagogic or mystifying about this book. Its wonderful gift is to unfold, carefully and delicately, an approach to meditation that can enrich and deepen our everyday lives, that can help us to understand ourselves and our relationships to others and to the wider world.

This is no woolly self-help book. It is written with rigour, wit and - above all - with generosity, love and compassion. It's inspirational and at the same time a great read.

Clarity and simplicity.......2002-06-06

Michal Levin has so many gifts. Fortunately for us, one of these is the gift of communication. Her latest book brings a rare clarity and simplicity to an area which is usually shrouded in mystery or, worse still, mumbo-jumbo, namely meditation.

The book itself is beautifully produced. But it is the content that will, finally, stay in people's hearts and minds. Whatever your views on meditation (positive, negative or neutral) this book is worth reading with care. It deals head on and articulately with the most important truths that confront us as human beings.

on Michal Levin's "Meditation".......2002-06-03

This is an exquisite book. Michal Levin's writing is poetic yet scrupulously precise and the artwork both illustrates the text and carries its own profound message.

In addtion to the crystal clear map that she sets out based on her own experience and professional practice, Michal brings us rigorous research including quotations that delight and surprise.

Even if you have meditated or encountered energy work in other forms - read this for a new approach - and be lovingly guided by Michal's unique voice.

This book offers support in taking steps in self-knowledge and healing and is a mirror of Michal's inspirational teachings and seminars.

I felt moved, refreshed and uplifted while reading this. It is more than information - more than a presentation of a method for profound self-discovery - it is, in itself, an energetic inspiration.

Book Description

Gustave Eiffel is the inventor of one of the most famous tall buildings in the world. Yet the Eiffel tower was not his only achievement. He helped with the design of the Statue of Liberty and with construction of locks for the ill-fated Panama Canal. Dogged by controversy and tarred by scandal, his dramatic story is revealed in this book.

Customer Reviews:

engineer of dreams.......2007-05-15

We owe Eiffel a great debt just for his Paris tower, but who has heard of his stupendous viaduct at Garabit? His works should be more widely know and this new biography goes some way down that path. It is a well researched book, and exposes much about him as a methodical and systematic engineer who created structures of outstanding beauty and integrity. And he cared about the workers who actually built his designs, a rarity in Victorian times. The book can be criticised for being too brief about his achievements, especially the engineering principles which guided him through his career. And the illustrations are frustratingly sparse and unimaginative for his creations. Some of the early works, for example, are the dramatic viaducts on the Gannat railway, and surely deserve modern pictures (they are still standing and still carrying trains). The book deserves a wide readership, but the defintive bio of Eiffel has yet to be written.

It's the perfect pick for a general-interest lending library collection........2006-12-12

Eiffel: The Genius Who Reinvented Himself isn't just for history buffs: it's an excellent survey of an architect's unique challenges producing a tower which combined the needs of art and industry alike, and as such will appeal beyond history audiences into the arts. Those who know little about Eiffel other than his associations with his famous tower will be fascinated to learn of his collaboration on the Statue of Liberty and the locks for the French Panama Canal, as well as other endeavors. It's the perfect pick for a general-interest lending library collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Average customer rating:
Priest in Prison: Four Years of Life in Japanese-Occupied Singapore 1941-1945
John Hayter
Manufacturer: Churchman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1850931518

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