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Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene. Vol. I. (Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene #1)
by William Hamilton MaxwellThis ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. Despite the rather prosaic title, these two volumes contain some of the best eye-witness accounts of the Peninsular War. Maxwell wrote a number of books on the Napoleonic Wars himself, the research for which put him in contact with numerous ex-soldiers. In these two volumes, he assembled their accounts and published them as a collection. The accounts are not published in chronological order, but this does not detract from their value: the recollections are taken not just from the officers involved, but also the rank and file soldiers. In this first volume you will find the following narratives:-- Leaves From The Journal Of A Veteran. The British Cavalry On The Peninsula. The British Campaign Of 1809; Under Sir A. Wellesley. Recollections In Quarters. Affair Of El Bodon. The Capture Of Ciudad Rodrigo. The Storming Of Badajoz. From The Journal Of Lieut. P. K., 88th Regt. The Storming Of Badajoz. The Battle Of Salamanca. Events Subsequent To The Battle And Advance From Salamanca. Advance From Salamanca. William Hamilton Maxwell was an Irish author of prodigious output: his output was varied from historical novels and biographies to local legends of the Cheviots and Irish travelogues. The author's history is slightly shrouded, although he seems to have had some military background in British service. His most enduring works, however, are those he wrote on the military history of the Napoleonic Wars: his biography of the Duke of Wellington is still frequently referred to and quoted from. Author/Editor -- William Hamilton Maxwell (1792-1850) Title - Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene. Vol. I Series Name - Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene Series Number -- 1
Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene. Vol. II. (Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene #2)
by William Hamilton MaxwellThis ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. Despite the rather prosaic title, these two volumes contain some of the best eye-witness accounts of the Peninsular War. Maxwell wrote a number of books on the Napoleonic Wars himself, the research for which put him in contact with numerous ex-soldiers. In these two volumes, he assembled their accounts and published them as a collection. The accounts are not published in chronological order, but this does not detract from their value: the recollections are taken not just from the officers involved, but also the rank and file soldiers. In this first volume you will find the following narratives:-- March To Madrid, And Retreat From Burgos. The Battle Of Vittoria. Advance From Vittoria. The Battles Of The Pyrenees. The British Cavalry On The Peninsula. The Action In Front Of Bayonne. "Take The Hill Before Dark!" Reminiscences Of Bayonne. A Night In The Peninsular War Recollections Of The Late War In Spain And Portugal. Recollections Of The Peninsula Dolores -- An Incident In The Peninsular War. Journey To Head-Quarters Near Burgos. Seven Weeks' Captivity In St. Sebastian, In 1813 Arroyo De Molino The Twenty-Ninth At Albuera. Out-Post Anecdotes, Etc. William Hamilton Maxwell was an Irish author of prodigious output: his output was varied from historical novels and biographies to local legends of the Cheviots and Irish travelogues. The author's history is slightly shrouded, although he seems to have had some military background in British service. His most enduring works, however, are those he wrote on the military history of the Napoleonic Wars: his biography of the Duke of Wellington is still frequently referred to and quoted from. Author/Editor -- William Hamilton Maxwell (1792-1850) Title - Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene. Vol. II Series Name - Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene Series Number -- 2 Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in 1845, London, by Longmans and Green. Original - iv and 388 pages. Illustrations - one illustration.
People Like Us: Life with Rob Lacey, Author of The Word on the Street
by Sandra Lacey Steve Stickley“I want to die fully alive so my soul’s got extended capacity for heaven.”—Rob Lacey People Like Us is the story of Rob Lacey, poet, actor, and award-winning author of The Street Bible. It is so much more than Rob Lacey’s biography. A Long Way Home is the passionate and poetic account of an artistic soul enamored with God, and of the woman who loved him. It is a love story of two people, a writer and a dancer, born to be together for all eternity. A Long Way Home is the memoir Rob Lacey would have written himself. He never got the chance. In May 2006, Rob went to be with the God he adored. Foregoing medical treatment for cancer, he squeezed every last drop out of life that he possibly could, right up to the end. That’s just how Rob Lacey was. Now his wife and best friend, Sandra Harnisch-Lacey, shares Rob’s story, her story, their story. Vibrant with laughter and moistened with tears, A Long Way Home is a memoir of faith, hope, and love that endures forever.
Peter Pan's First XI: The Extraordinary Story Of J. M. Barrie's Cricket Team
by Kevin TelferThe creator of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, was a hugely enthusiastic cricketer of very little talent. That didn?t stop him from leading perhaps the most extraordinary amateur cricket team ever to have taken the field. Some of the twentieth century?s most famous writers including A. A. Milne, P. G. Wodehouse and Jerome K. Jerome, regularly turned out for Barrie?s team between 1890 and 1913. This very Edwardian vision of village cricket was only brought to an end by the First World War. Those years of golden summers were recounted in Barrie?s letters and journals, many revealed here for the first time. Cricket lovers will identify with Barrie?s attempts to assemble a team of competent players. In PETER PAN'S FIRST XI, Kevin Telfer weaves together cricket, literature, history, humour and biography to create an entertaining account of this little-known band of cricketing Peter Pans ? and the age in which they lived.
Phoenix
by Sharon Stewart Roderick StewartIn Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune Roderick and Sharon Stewart provide the intriguing details of Bethune's controversial career as a surgeon, his turbulent personal life, his passionate crusade to eradicate tuberculosis, and his pioneering commitment to the establishment of medicare in Canada. They also examine the reasoning that led Bethune to embrace Marxism and show the depth of his faith in the triumph of communism over fascism - a commitment that drove him to take risk after risk and ultimately led to his death from an infection caught while performing battlefield surgery in remote northern China. Based on extensive research in Canada, Spain, and China, and in-depth interviews with Bethune's family, friends, colleagues, and patients, Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune is the definitive Bethune biography for our time.
Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune
by Sharon Stewart Roderick StewartRestless, dynamic, conflicted, a surgeon, an artist, and a writer, Norman Bethune was an extraordinary Canadian. Brilliant, yet erratic, Bethune's life was characterized by cycles of achievement and self-destruction and his adventurous spirit led him from the operating rooms of Montreal to the battlegrounds of Spain and China. In Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune Roderick and Sharon Stewart provide the intriguing details of Bethune's controversial career as a surgeon, his turbulent personal life, his passionate crusade to eradicate tuberculosis, and his pioneering commitment to the establishment of medicare in Canada. They also examine the reasoning that led Bethune to embrace Marxism and show the depth of his faith in the triumph of communism over fascism - a commitment that drove him to take risk after risk and ultimately led to his death from an infection caught while performing battlefield surgery in remote northern China. Based on extensive research in Canada, Spain, and China, and in-depth interviews with Bethune's family, friends, colleagues, and patients, Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune is the definitive Bethune biography for our time.
Pieces of Me: Genetically Flawed - Surviving the Breast Cancer I May Never Have (Big Sky Publishing Ser.)
by Veronica NeaveA vibrant performer, film director and mum, life for Veronica Neave was always a little crazy and unpredictable. When she tested positive for the BRCA2 'breast cancer gene' the turmoil in her life reached a new high.The genetic test, combined with her family's history, increased the probability of Veronica one day battling breast cancer to more than 85%. Veronica had watched her mother's ongoing struggle and knew well the history of other relatives dying young at the hands of this persistent disease. When Veronica's two sisters also tested positive for the gene, it seemed the deadly pattern was destined to continue.Veronica's options - on paper - seemed simple: prevention through high maintenance testing, medication, or the more intrusive step of removing her healthy breasts, and possibly her ovaries too, in the hope of prevention. With her breasts now centre stage, the decision was extremely personal and introspective and yet also seemed to be everybody's business. As she unravelled the information of experts from across the medical spectrum and views from others, Veronica battled her own beliefs about sexuality, body image and even the thought that her breast removal and reconstruction would be seen as a cosmetic 'improvement' by many, not as a life-saving operation. One thing was certain. The science of genetic identification was expanding faster than cures or treatments and Veronica needed to make a decision now. On one hand she had been forewarned of the potential risks, on the other, there was no certainty of prevention or a cure. Veronica confides, "It's strange. Until a few years ago, my family had never heard of the BRCA2 gene, and now it seems to be everywhere. It's a bizarre predicament to be in, dealing with the concept that you may have cancer, but not yet and to be making decisions on a future that may or may not happen but could kill you. I was screaming out for someone to tell me what to do. I was so confused and wondering just how much time I really had before fate took the decision out of my hands?" Pieces of Me is a beautifully written, informative and thought-provoking account of Veronica's journey from initial diagnosis with the BRCA2 gene mutation to her decision to remove her healthy breasts. It's a topic guaranteed to divide any dinner party. Along the way she shares her choices, insights and fears as she untangles the different perspectives and advice, to eventually find her own way. "My mother consciously always talked to us of death so we would not be afraid. She said she did this because she knew the history of cancer in our family was more than just a coincidence. My great grandmother, my great aunt and my grandmother all died of breast cancer by the time they were 50 years old. My mother developed breast cancer at 49 and her sister a little later at age 59. Needless to say, while growing up there was a shadow of awareness that breast cancer was 'in my genes'." Veronica Neave
Pietro's Book: The Story of a Tuscan Peasant
by Pietro PintiPietro Pinti, born as he says 'in the Middle Ages,' worked the land with hoe and plow from his earliest youth. Growing up under Mussolini's Fascist regime on a farm near Florence, he and his family lived under conditions of extreme poverty, as sharecroppers to generally unscrupulous landowners. But during World War II, when millions in towns and cities suffered untold hardships, the hardy Tuscan peasants were well equipped to face the rigors of the era: war or no war, work on the land went on, and Pietro describes month by month a typical year in their lives: how they made wine and olive oil, planted and harvested the wheat by hand, made baskets and ladders from chestnut wood-skills now lost. With sly wit and salty wisdom, Pietro, a natural storyteller who played the trumpet, wrote poetry, and grew famous for his tales of peasants, knights, and brigands, recreates in colorful detail a world and peasant culture that is fast disappearing. Jenny Bawtree, an Englishwoman long settled in Tuscany, was so fascinated by Pietro's stories that she helped shape them into this autobiography, full of color and humor, hardship and nostalgia.
Pig In The Middle
by Matt WhymanWhat happens when a man wonders aloud if a pig would make a good pet? A great deal - once his wife discovers a kind the size of a handbag.Matt Whyman is a writer and house husband. He enjoys the quiet life. His career wife, Emma, prefers the chaos a big brood can bring. On top of four challenging children, one freaked-out feline, a wolf-like dog and a wild bunch of ex-battery chickens, she brings minipigs Butch and Roxi into the fold.But can the new arrivals really cuddle up on the sofa, or will their growing presence spark a battle of hearts, snouts and minds?Funny, touching and entertaining, Pig in the Middle charts the trials and errors of one man and his menagerie. With help and advice from a seasoned local smallholder, Matt sets out to master the art of managing minipigs - inside the house and out. Then someone suggests breeding minipiglets, and Matt's understanding of marriage is tested in the most unexpected ways...Previously published as OINK! MY LIFE WITH MINIPIGS.
Pig in the Middle
by Matt WhymanWhat happens when a man wonders aloud if a pig would make a good pet? A great deal - once his wife discovers a kind the size of a handbag.Matt Whyman is a writer and house husband. He enjoys the quiet life. His career wife, Emma, prefers the chaos a big brood can bring. On top of four challenging children, one freaked-out feline, a wolf-like dog and a wild bunch of ex-battery chickens, she brings minipigs Butch and Roxi into the fold.But can the new arrivals really cuddle up on the sofa, or will their growing presence spark a battle of hearts, snouts and minds?Funny, touching and entertaining, Pig in the Middle charts the trials and errors of one man and his menagerie. With help and advice from a seasoned local smallholder, Matt sets out to master the art of managing minipigs - inside the house and out. Then someone suggests breeding minipiglets, and Matt's understanding of marriage is tested in the most unexpected ways...Previously published as OINK! MY LIFE WITH MINIPIGS.
Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey From NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer
by Mireya MayorIn a series of short chapters, Mireya Mayor relives each exhilarating event with uncanny charm and self-deprecating humour. Readers have the rare opportunity to follow the renowned primatologist around the globe as she unlocks the mysteries of the natural world and endeavours to save some of the planet's rarest creatures.
Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey from NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer
by Mireya MayorA quick examination of her roots, and one may never have guessed that Mireya Mayor would become the woman she is today. Yet, against all odds, this self-professed former "girly girl" daughter of overprotective Cuban immigrants blossomed from NFL cheerleader to Fulbright Scholar to field scientist and ultimately, quintessential adventurer. Now, with more than a decade's worth of thrilling exploits under her belt, Mayor recounts her life in a riveting, awe-inspiring new book. In a series of short chapters, she relives each exhilarating event with uncanny charm and self-deprecating humor. Readers have the rare opportunity to follow the renowned primatologist around the globe as she unlocks the mysteries of the natural world and endeavors to save some of the planet's rarest creatures. Says Mayor: "I love the adventure, the exploration, the scientific discovery and the documentation. But really what drives me is the thought that future generations--my own children and their children--can one day learn to appreciate them like I do." Throughout this unforgettable volume, she describes in stunning detail how she survived a plane crash...slept in jungles teeming with poisonous snakes...dove with hungry great white sharks...rappelled down a 14,000-foot sinkhole in search of frogs...draws blood from critically endangered lemurs...was charged by an angry silver-backed gorilla...was chased by elephants...and the list goes. Suffice it to say, Mireya Mayor has seen more in her 30-odd years than most of us will see in a lifetime. Her plucky spirit, brilliance in the face of calamity, and sheer will to succeed make this a classic mission book, and a thoroughly breathtaking read.
Pistoleros!: Volume 1: 1918
by Farquhar McHargIn Farquhar McHarg's autobiography, a young boy from Glasgow finds himself in the middle of Barcelona's revolutionary underworld at the tail end of World War I. Volume One chronicles McHarg's liaisons between the British Secret Service Bureau and the Spanish anarchists. McHarg tells of a corrupt Spanish regime bent on crushing a rebellious working class and the generous and recklessly idealistic men and women who struggled to transform it after rejecting traditional party politics. When a lifelong friend and fellow anarchist was gunned down, McHarg raced to write this epic history before he too could be silenced. This unique, first-person account of revolutionary activities in 20th-century Europe gives rare perspective and insight into modern revolutionary history.
Pitchforks and Torches: The Worst of the Worst, From Beck, Bill, and Bush to Palin and Other Posturing Republicans
by Keith OlbermannAn irresistible new collection from the New York Times bestselling author and host of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. In his particular wit and style, Keith Olbermann skewers politicians, celebrities, and people behaving badly every weeknight on MSNBC's increasingly popular Countdown with Keith Olbermann. This book starts right after President Obama's election and collects all of Olbermann's acclaimed "Special Comments," a few of his "Quick Comments," all but one of his feature "WTF," selections of "Bushed" and "Still Bushed," and, of course, a healthy dose of "The Worst Person in the World." Covers everything from gay marriage to Sarah Palin, John Edwards' love child, and the Bush legacy--plus Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and, of course, Bill-O. Olbermann is a frequent poster to the popular website DailyKos, where his audience has shown itself as fervid and highly supportive. New from the New York Times bestselling author of The Worst Person of the World and Truth and Consequences Showcasing Olbermann at his most controversial, outspoken, and entertaining, Keith Olbermann's Hall of Shame cuts to the truth in a world of lies.
Planting Dandelions
by Kyran Pittman"[Pittman's] tales of modern motherhood are fearless and addictive" (People, four stars) A regular contributor to Good Housekeeping, Kyran Pittman has won the hearts of readers with her keen eye, wicked tongue, and deep affection for the vagaries of family life. In these eighteen linked essays, she covers the first twelve years of starting a family, writing candidly and hilariously about things like learning to maintain a marriage over time, the challenges of sex after childbirth, saying goodbye to her younger self and embracing the still attractive forty- four-year-old version, and trying to "recession proof " her family by downsizing to avoid foreclosure. .
Play like You Mean It: Passion, Laughs, and Leadership in the World's Most Beautiful Game
by Rex RyanNo football fan will want to be without the book that delivers pure, unfiltered Rex Ryan--head coach of the New York Jets and one of the most popular, outspoken, well-liked, and widely respected personalities in the National Football League. Rex Ryan is known for his exuberance . . . and Play Like You Mean It explores every aspect of Ryan's amazing passion for the game of football, plus the lessons he has learned in leadership and motivation during his years in and around the game. In his own words, Ryan takes readers behind the scenes of the NFL as he shares colorful football stories from his experiences with the Jets and the Ravens as well as his years recruiting players, coaching college football, and growing up as a child of legendary NFL coach Buddy Ryan. Rex's unique brand of enthusiasm and motivation comes through on every page. Most of all, fans will get insider access to Ryan's headline-grabbing, brutally honest, and undeniably entertaining views on the NFL . . . and the very human side of the larger-than-life athletes who devote their lives to the game of football. From Ryan's acceptance of the Jets head coaching job to his success in turning around a team that has long been number two in New York, from his drafting and believing in Mark Sanchez to kicking off the 2010 season with massive expectations (and a target on his back)--this book goes deep, and entertains on every level.
Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational Story
by Jodee BlancoDiscover how beloved author and activist Jodee Blanco ignited a grassroots movement in the nation&’s schools to fight against bullying in this timely update of the seminal classic Please Stop Laughing at Me. In this timely update of the seminal classic, author and activist Jodee Blanco reveals how she simply set out to share her story—and ended up igniting a grassroots movement in the nation&’s schools. The first survivor of school bullying to look back on those experiences as an adult, Jodee brings you up to speed on her life and work since the book&’s initial release with a new chapter, all-new Letter to My Readers, and Reader&’s Guide. She also offers the latest information on digital and cyberbullying, the Adult Survivor of Peer Abuse, her in-school antibullying program, INJJA (It&’s NOT Just Joking Around!™), and provides discussion questions for schools. While other children were daydreaming about dances, first kisses, and college, Jodee Blanco was trying to figure out how to go from homeroom to study hall without being taunted or spit upon as she walked through the halls. This powerful, unforgettable memoir chronicles how one child was shunned—and even physically abused—by her classmates from elementary school through high school. It is an unflinching look at what it means to be the outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it all wrong, why schools are often unable to prevent disaster, and how bullying has been misunderstood and mishandled by the mental health community. You will be shocked, moved, and ultimately inspired by this harrowing tale of survival against insurmountable odds. This vivid story will open your eyes to the harsh realities and long-term consequences of bullying—and how all of us can make a difference in the lives of teens today.
Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard
by Romney SteeleIn this cookbook and memoir with photos, &“fruits . . . star as the ingredients in [a] delectable ode to orchard fare.&” (More magazine) Inside Plum Gorgeous, Romney &“Nani&” Steele follows her successful cookbook-memoir My Nepenthe with sixty seasonally inspired recipes that celebrate the &“romance of fruit.&” Capturing the essence, beauty, and deliciousness of cooking with seasonal fruits, Steele offers simple and seductive recipes that intertwine with the seasons in which each fruit is harvested. Savory recipes like Coriander Steak with Blackberry Vinaigrette and Kumquat Couscous Salad with Fried Haloumi Cheese are presented alongside sweet treats like Passionfruit Chocolate Truffles and Plum Soup with Basil Ice Cream. Interspersed throughout Plum Gorgeous are beautiful, full-color photographs by Sara Remington and reminiscences from the year that Steele spent living in an orchard in Big Sur, along with fruit lore and select notes on handling and preserving fruit. In an accessible but imaginative way, Plum Gorgeous beautifully reveals the many layers and flavor profiles of fruit while celebrating the memories inspired by each season's beauty and bounty.
Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard
by Romney SteeleIn this cookbook and memoir with photos, &“fruits . . . star as the ingredients in [a] delectable ode to orchard fare.&” (More magazine) Inside Plum Gorgeous, Romney &“Nani&” Steele follows her successful cookbook-memoir My Nepenthe with sixty seasonally inspired recipes that celebrate the &“romance of fruit.&” Capturing the essence, beauty, and deliciousness of cooking with seasonal fruits, Steele offers simple and seductive recipes that intertwine with the seasons in which each fruit is harvested. Savory recipes like Coriander Steak with Blackberry Vinaigrette and Kumquat Couscous Salad with Fried Haloumi Cheese are presented alongside sweet treats like Passionfruit Chocolate Truffles and Plum Soup with Basil Ice Cream. Interspersed throughout Plum Gorgeous are beautiful, full-color photographs by Sara Remington and reminiscences from the year that Steele spent living in an orchard in Big Sur, along with fruit lore and select notes on handling and preserving fruit. In an accessible but imaginative way, Plum Gorgeous beautifully reveals the many layers and flavor profiles of fruit while celebrating the memories inspired by each season's beauty and bounty.
Poe: Beyond Gothicism (Willie Morris Books in Memoir and Biography)
by James M. HutchissonEdgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American original—a luminous literary theorist, an erratic genius, and an analyst par excellence of human obsession and compulsion. The scope of his literary achievements and the dramatic character of Poe’s life have drawn readers and critics to him in droves. And yet, upon his death, one obituary penned by a literary enemy in the New York Daily Tribune cascaded into a lasting stain on Poe’s character, leaving a historic misunderstanding. Many remember Poe as a difficult, self-pitying, troubled drunkard often incapable of caring for himself. Poe reclaims the Baltimore and Virginia writer’s reputation and power, retracing Poe’s life and career. Biographer and critic James M. Hutchisson captures the boisterous worlds of literary New York and Philadelphia in the 1800s to understand why Poe wrote the way he did and why his achievement was so important to American literature. The biography presents a critical overview of Poe’s major works and his main themes, techniques, and imaginative preoccupations. This portrait of the writer emphasizes Poe’s southern identity; his existence as a workaday journalist in the burgeoning magazine era; his authority as a literary critic and cultural arbiter; his courtly demeanor and sense of social propriety; his advocacy of women writers; his adaptation of art forms as diverse as the so-called “gutter press” and the haunting rhythms of African American spirituals; his borrowing of imagery from such popular social movements as temperance and freemasonry; and his far-reaching, posthumous influence.
Poesía completa
by Jorge Luis BorgesAdemás de extraordinario narrador y ensayista, Borges fue un excelente poeta. De hecho, puede decirse que la poesía es el alma de su obra. Indisociable de sus cuentos y ensayos, estos poemas son parte indispensable del universo borgiano y constituyen una indagación paralela a los asuntos que siempre le apasionaron: los libros, la memoria, los laberintos, los espejos, Inglaterra, el amor o la eternidad.Dueño de un fino oído y una deslumbrante capacidad para crear imágenes memorables, Borges revive en sus grandes poemas la intensidad que recorre la gran tradición occidental desde Homero hasta Eliot.Antes que el sueño (o el terror) tejieraMitologías y cosmogonías,Antes que el tiempo se acuñara en días,El mar, el siempre mar, ya estaba y era.¿Quién es el mar? ¿Quién es aquel violentoY antiguo ser que roe los pilaresDe la tierra y es uno y muchos maresY abismo y resplandor y azar y viento?Quien lo mira lo ve por vez primera,Siempre. Con el asombro que las cosasElementales dejan, las hermosasTardes, la luna, el fuego de una hoguera.¿Quién es el mar, quién soy? Lo sabré el díaUlterior que sucede a la agonía.
Policy Entrepreneurship and Elections in Japan: A Political Biogaphy of Ozawa Ichirō (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies)
by Takashi OkaOzawa Ichirō is one of the most important figures in Japanese politics, having held the positions of Chief Secretary of the Liberal Democrat Party and, after defection from the LDP, President of the Democratic Party of Japan. Ozawa has distinctive ideas that set him apart from the average Japanese politician, he believes in the concept of the independence of the individual, as opposed to the importance of the group, and as a policy entrepreneur he has had a huge impact on political change not only advocating but precipitating institutional change in a key political area – the election system. Using extensive interview data from key players in the political arena, this book examines Ozawa's struggle to normalize alternation in office between two competingpolitical parties – particularly significant given the results of the 2009 election which handed over power to the Democratic Party of Japan – and how he has used his entrepreneurial talents to precipitate and carry out institutional change. Not only a political biography, but also an in-depth analysis of the Japanese political and electoral systems, this book will be of huge interest to anyone interested in Japanese politics and electoral systems.
Politics and Pasta: How I Prosecuted Mobsters, Rebuilt a Dying City, Dined with Sinatra, Spent Five Years in a Federally Funded Gated Community, and Lived to Tell the Tale
by David Fisher Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr.The story behind the podcast Crimetown, as told by the notorious Buddy Cianci himself.An election is a war and "to the victor belongs the spoils." That’s the real democratic process. After all, you'll never see a victorious politician tell his supporters, "I want to thank all of you who worked so hard for my election. However, in the interest of good government, I've decided to give all the jobs to those people who voted against me." This belief became Buddy Cianci’s mantra. Following his own rules, Cianci spent almost three decades as mayor of Providence, RI... before leaving for an enforced vacation in a federally funded gated community. Providence was a dying industrial city when he first took office, but he helped turn it into one of the most desirable places to live in America. He did it by playing the game of hardball politics as well as it has ever been played, living up to his favorite Sinatra lyric "I did it my way"—because that's the only way a mayor can run a city. If you want to know the truth about how politics is played, you picked the right book. This is the behind-the-locked-door story of how politics in America really works. Here is a man who has been called many things: "America's Most Innovative Mayor," a "colorful character," and a convicted felon. But no one has ever called him shy. Here, he serves it all up.
Pop Song Piracy: Disobedient Music Distribution since 1929
by Barry KernfeldThe music industry’s ongoing battle against digital piracy is just the latest skirmish in a long conflict over who has the right to distribute music. Starting with music publishers’ efforts to stamp out bootleg compilations of lyric sheets in 1929, Barry Kernfeld’s Pop Song Piracy details nearly a century of disobedient music distribution from song sheets to MP3s. In the 1940s and ’50s, Kernfeld reveals, song sheets were succeeded by fake books, unofficial volumes of melodies and lyrics for popular songs that were a key tool for musicians. Music publishers attempted to wipe out fake books, but after their efforts proved unsuccessful they published their own. Pop Song Piracy shows that this pattern of disobedience, prohibition, and assimilation recurred in each conflict over unauthorized music distribution, from European pirate radio stations to bootlegged live shows. Beneath this pattern, Kernfeld argues, there exists a complex give and take between distribution methods that merely copy existing songs (such as counterfeit CDs) and ones that transform songs into new products (such as file sharing). Ultimately, he contends, it was the music industry’s persistent lagging behind in creating innovative products that led to the very piracy it sought to eliminate.
Pope John Paul II
by Editors of Reader's DigestFrom his survival of Nazi-occupied Poland to his joining the priesthood and ascension to the papacy, this account of Pope John Paul II offers unique insight to the man who would be pope with personal stories from not only those who new him from the church, but classmates and friends as well. Discover the athletic, the political, and most recently, the beatified, Pope John Paul II. In this ebook you will discover: Personal stories written by friends and classmates, teachers, and fellow clergy An account of his death and details of his funeral as the world mourned, including Cardinal Ratzinger's emotional homily. Details on the miracle - chosen out of hundreds attributed to him - that sent on him on the road to sainthood A full update of his life that includes his May 2011 beatification and the rigorous process of sainthood. Discover an athletic Karol Wotjyla, who hiked, biked, skied, and kayaked in his long life His efforts for Poland's freedom involving Solidarity, the Vatican, the Polish government, the White House, and the Kremlin