Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams: The 15 Power Secrets of the World's Most Successful People

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I couldn't believe how useful the information is!

Leadership and Goal setting at its finest

One of the "success" books that actually delivers specific strategies that you can use

Great Resource

This book is really really bad

Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams: The 15 Power Secrets of the World's Most Successful People
Steven Scott
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684848694

Book Description

Here are the keys to turnings all your dreams into reality.

Whether your dreams are to start a business, lose twenty pounds, or build better relationships, they are all within your grasp. The keys are in the "Power Secrets," a set of specific strategies and techniques that enabled Steve Scott to fulfill his impossible dreams, not only in business, but in every other area of life. Along the way, he discovered that the world's most successful women and men -- such as Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, and Bill Gates -- use these same techniques, including:

Overcoming a fear of failure
Turning critics from foes into friends
Gaining a clear and precise vision
Recruiting the partners and mentors of your dreams
Communicating effectively and persuasively
Taking control of your life one minute at a time

Igniting the fuel of passion

With stories, advice, and plenty of interactive material to help you create your own personal plan, Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams doesn't just motivate you to fulfill your dreams, it gives you the step-by-step directions to do it!

Customer Reviews:

I couldn't believe how useful the information is!.......2007-07-21

Steven K. Scott has put together a no nonsense book that will help you be more successful in life, careers, relationships and more. I am so pumped by the information I ordered the companion workbook and journal to begin my transformation. Scott is part life coach, career coach, therapist and motivational speaker. The best part is he is truly successful from using the techniques he teaches. He did not just making his money writing books and tapes. Ever heard of the Total Gym? His company markets it.

Leadership and Goal setting at its finest.......2007-03-07

This book will help you set a goal and follow through on that goal. Mr. Scott teaches the sucessful way of creating a goal and then breaking it down to the minor details of achieveing that goal. Out of this world. He could sell high dollar seminars on this very subject. If you are self employed this book has the potential to double or triple your business in the first year. Alignments are stressed in this book and have really opened my eyes to whom I am parterened with in business. Steven Scott hit a home run on this book!

One of the "success" books that actually delivers specific strategies that you can use.......2007-01-20

This is the earlier version of another book that had more fluff plus 2 more recent projects, one which he sells for well over 100 dollars.

Learn the basics here.

I have realized that he writes his books to wet your appetite for the higher priced courses, the best value being a cd series you can buy (do a search for his name if you want it)

Having said that I think he does a better job of revealing his strategies in this version than he does in the next, more recent book, where he basically says much of the same over again.

Here you will find ways to improve your business or personal life. What I did find most profound was the fact that I actually use some of these strategies before I knew of this material, and they really do work.

You will learn such things has how to properly utilize and handle criticism (hard for many entreprenuers), as well as improve professional and personal relationships by understanding others points of view, and how to get others to listen and understand you as well. I can tell you that these strategies to translate well into the professional life of an entrepreneur.

It touches on 15 different strategies to help you change your life:
1.)Reprogramming Your On-Board Computer (getting rid of damaging self-concepts)
2.)Overcoming Fear of Failure
3.)Turning Criticism from Foe to Friend
4.)Gaining a Clear and Precise Vision
5.)Overcoming Your Lack of Know-How
6.)Overcoming Your Lack of Resources
7.)Achieving Infinitely More in a Fraction of the Time
8.)Dreaming and Achieving Impossible Dreams
9.)Recruiting the Partners and Mentors of Your Dreams
10.)Igniting the Engine of Positiveness
11.)Effectively and Persuasively Communicating
12.)Acquiring the Discipline of Winning Most of the Time
13.)Taking Control of Your Life, One Minute at a Time
14.)Acquiring the Fuel of Passion
15.)Flipping the Switch

While I do feel that there is a bit of a over self flattering in all his materials there are some valueable lessons here for those that don't want to spend 80 to hundreds of dollars for his higher priced courses

Especially at this low price point on amazon, having said all this, it really is a deal, with some great tips with actual *real* strategies (that work) to help you rather than some rah rah book designed to just pump you up.

Great Resource.......2007-01-17

My husband and I believe that The Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams is one of the best motivational books we have ever read. We were able to identify our weaknesses, it makes us aware how negative our subconscious were and we were able to set our goals for 2007. What gives this book the exceptional quality is the road map.
I truly believe if these steps are followed, it will truly change our lives personally and financially.

This book is really really bad.......2006-12-20

Don't waste your money or your time. This is an infomercial salesman's book. Read: "How to be Rich" by J. Paul Getty instead.

Once Upon a Kiss: A World Apart/ Impossible/ Sealed with a Kiss/ Kiss Me, Kate

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back cover
A Lover's Kiss?
GREAT!
Is it over yet?
Fun anthology

Once Upon a Kiss: A World Apart/ Impossible/ Sealed with a Kiss/ Kiss Me, Kate
Nora Roberts , Jill Gregory , Ruth Ryan Langan , and Marianne Willman
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0515133868

Customer Reviews:

back cover.......2006-08-17

-A World Apart by Nora Roberts: A ravishing medieval Demon Slayer arrives in twenty-first century New York to brave a strange new world-and a man who will be her destiny. -Impossible by Jill Gregory: The battle between two warring families becomes a battle of the sexes when a bewitching beauty finds herself kidnapped by her sworn enemy. -Sealed With A Kiss by Ruth Ryan Langan: Her father may have given her hand in marriage to a fearsome warlord, but it's his trusted warrior who captures her heart...-Kiss Me, Kate by Marianne Wilman: A lovely American inherits an English manor and her dreams of romance come true when she meets an enchanted prince. But is he her one true love?

A Lover's Kiss?.......2006-08-09

This is one of the series of collaborations about "One Upon a Time" persuasion by Nora Roberts and three of her writer friends. Previously, they got together on "Once Upon a Castle,' 'Once Upon a Dream,' 'Once Upon a Rose,' and "Once Upon a Star." This is the precursor to the "serial" novel which is becoming popular now. Here we have different stories which revolve around a kiss. In England, a "lady" has visions of "A Man" who will enter her life and change it completely. But, "what would she know about a lover's kiss?" She'd never had a lover (poor thing); in fact, she'd only been kissed twice.

'Kiss Me, Kate' is not from Shakespeare but dedicated to all the women who have turned frogs into princes through a little magic (a kiss), and lots of hard work. A kiss is very special -- a magical thing if given by the right person. We all need love and kisses in this life throughout, not just as young women. Passionate kisses are the best, but the cursory kind can be acceptable as a token of his affection. Some men don't feel comfortable kissing a woman, but that's okay. To be kissed or not is not the end of the world, but it can be a beginning to a wonderful friendship.

GREAT!.......2005-09-29

It was shipped fast, and the book was in great condition! Thank you so much!

Is it over yet?.......2002-11-16

These stories were uninteresting, with unrealistic plots and underdeveloped characters. I have read some of the other books in this Once upon series and they have been mediocre, but these stories were all a complete bore. Save your money.

Fun anthology.......2002-10-18

"A World Apart" by Nora Roberts. Kadra the Demon Slayer has vowed to destroy the devils that threaten her world. When the demon warriors and their king flee through a portal to a strange orb, Kadra follows. However New York City in the twenty-first century is eerily bizarre so Kadra coaxes private investigator Harper Doyle to help her battle her demons even while love blossoms between them. Nora Roberts provides a strong fantasy romance.

"Impossible" by Jill Gregory. Her family has always sheltered Princess Erinn of Marlbury from the ravages of the hundred-year war. Still their enemy Tynon of Bordmoor kidnaps her. Tynon believes that Erinn is a witch, who has enchanted his land and soon afterward his heart. Jill Gregory paints a wonderful fantasy romance.

"Sealed with a Kiss" by Ruth Ryan Langan. Her father promised powerful Highland chieftain Duncan MacLean his daughter Arianna Douglas in marriage in exchange for protection against invaders. When Duncan's warriors come to escort Arianna, his nephew Lachlan steals her heart. This is an entertaining tale that although the key characters are never developed.

"Kiss Me, Kate" by Marianne Willman. Kate Singleton inherits a manor with a resident enchanted prince. However, her heart belongs to her new neighbor, Michael Bellamy. With a wee bit of help, Kate might save the prince and gain heart's desire too. This is a fun fairy tale that the audience will enjoy yet feel the American, the Englishman, and the frog needed further development perhaps in a novella.

The fifth "Once Upon a ..." is a delightful fantasy romance anthology.

Book Description

The birth of Jesus was a Glorious Impossible. Like love, it cannot be explained, it can only be rejoiced in. And that is what master storyteller Madeleine L'Engle does in this compellingly written narrative, inspired by Giotto's glorious frescoes from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. With a simple clarity that illuminates the life of Christ, Madeleine L'Engle gives eloquent voice to the miracle of God's love.

Customer Reviews:

Very glad to see this is still in print.......2002-12-12

I bought this as a gift for my niece/goddaughter about 11 years ago and have wished I'd got one for myself ever since. It is simply gorgeous with a very moving text. You don't have to be a committed believer to enjoy this lovely book.

bought this book for a friend and wished she'd kept it........1999-02-03

As an artist with an Master's degree in painting, I was amazed by the stunning reproductions in this "children's" book, and kept looking at it, and looking at it. The reproductions are so vivid, the text so appropriate, and the book so well designed that I could almost imagine I was walking through the chapel myself. It was the first time I'd seen the frescos in an order the artist intended, which made them even more powerful. Eventually the book went to a friend who admires frescos, but there was such a sense of intimacy in it that I've been searching for another copy for well over a year. The text and the images meld beautifully, and I can honestly say it's the first story of Christ's life I've seen where I felt the illustrations or text didn't "get in the way". Even if you're a fesco fan who's more interested in Giotto than in the story, tear up your check for that expensive art book and buy this first.

Jesus' life in great frescoes.......1998-09-04

As an art educator, church librarian, and special lecture person who links art with religion at my church, I can highly recommend this gorgeous book to you. Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite writers and she presents the life of Christ in flowing prose. I even picked up a few facts I did not know. The book is illustrated using various panels from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy which adds sumptuousness to its narrative. As a child I was drawn to picture books like this because of their medieval, almost Oriental appearance, so if you wish to influence your children to appreciate a good story well told and illustrated, select this book. The text is on an 9-13 year old level. The "glorious impossible" is something that cannot be explained but only rejoiced in, and I think that sums up God's gift of Jesus to us in a very satisfying way. Enjoy.

THought provoking and beautiful.......1998-04-04

I remember reading this book in the store when it first came out, and it has stuck with me since. Madeline L' Engle gives a thoughtful, sensitive twist on a timeless story, and writes iin such a prose that you could easily imagine reading aloud to young children. I have searched for it for years, and am pleased to discover it in print again.

The best children's Bible book I've ever seen.......1997-11-20

Are you looking for a book to read to your children to share your faith, tell the story of Christ, and inspire your child and yourself to feel the joys of giving, forgiveness, commitment, and love? This is THE book for you. L'Engle's extraodinary and inspiring writing style was never so beautiful as in this faithful retelling of the Gospels. It uses both simple, everyday language and the more complex quotes of the Bible to render a tale that is both easy to read and mystical- a hard task in Children's Bible literature. Her comments on the feelings and activities of both Jesus and others are so spiritually aware that adults will end up thinking about it long after the book is finished. In particular, her thoughts on Judas and his motivation were thoughtful, compassionate, and shed the first positive light I have ever seen given to this character. She brings up points I had never considered--- After Jesus rose He said "Peace be with you" not "Where were you when I needed you" - with such simplicity that one can't help wonder why they didn't consider it before. Along side L'Engle's rich prose is artwork beautiful enough to be awed over by adults, but detailed enough you'll laugh as children comment, "Hey, Lazarus really looks dead!" "The Glorious Impossible" is beautiful, gentle, rich, and assuring- a perfect book to introduce not only Christ but what he taught as well.

Impossible to Forget: The Nazi Camps Fifty Years After (Art Catalogue)

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Impossible to Forget: The Nazi Camps Fifty Years After (Art Catalogue)
Pierre Borhan , and Clement Cheroux
Manufacturer: Nazraeli Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 159005010X

A Summer Bright and Terrible: Winston Churchill, Lord Dowding, Radar, and the Impossible Triumph of the Battle of Britain

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Marvellous
Excellent Book About A Little Known Hero
Bright book, would be terrible to miss
Bright, Terrible and Brilliant
Nice addition to every WWII library

A Summer Bright and Terrible: Winston Churchill, Lord Dowding, Radar, and the Impossible Triumph of the Battle of Britain
David E. Fisher
Manufacturer: Shoemaker & Hoard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1593761163

Book Description

Lord Hugh Dowding, Air Chief Marshall of the Royal Air Force, Head of Fighter Command, First Baron of Bentley Priory, lived in the grip of unseen spirits. In thrall of the supernatural, he talked to the ghosts of his dead pilots, proclaimed that Hitler was defeated only by the personal intervention of God, and believed in the existence of faeries. How could it be that such a man should be put in charge of evaluating technical developments for the British air ministry? Yet it was he who brought the modern multi-gunned fighter into existence. And he insisted that his scientists investigate the mysterious invisible rays that would prove to be the salvation of Britain: radar.

Dowding, who provided the organization and training that led to victory, has been all but ignored by U. S. biographers of Churchill and historians of the Battle of Britain. Yet his story is vital to tell, for its importance to the defense of Britain and the free world, and for the intriguing character study that emerges from his ongoing conflict with Churchill and the British government during the crisis years of the empire. Part military history, part science narrative, part biography; this an incredible story.

Customer Reviews:

Marvellous.......2007-02-04

I discovered Lord Dowding as the author did through Dowdings book "Lynchgate". The Battle of Britain, whilst not the saviour as most believe put a serious dent in Hitlers War Machine. Britain was to remain free and a "stepping stone" back into Europe.

Without Lord Dowding none of this would have been achieved. Bombing had been shown to be the way of modern warfare and fighters stuck in a time warp could not catch them. Dowding's obstinacy and prescience established a data-linked system of radar, operation rooms and fighters. Without him the World may have been a much different place.

Since owning and reading the book, I have lent it out to various people, some who admit to only occassionally reading! Everyone has been awe stuck by the story. Our debt of gratitude to those who fought the Second World War is aptly enhanced.

Excellent Book About A Little Known Hero.......2007-01-10

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding has long been known to me as one of the most important men in the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany, yet few Americans know who he is.

David E. Fisher writes is an engaging style. There are several fine books that detail Hugh Dowding's contributions to the RAF's defeat of the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, and his immediate dismissal afterwards.

Fisher writes a lot about Dowding's belief in the supernatural, but it is done in a sensitive and fair manner.

Fisher has done his research. This book is a great way to learn about one of the most decisive battles of WWII, and about one of its greatest heroes.

Bright book, would be terrible to miss.......2006-07-25

How can a summer be bright and terrible? Fisher writes convincingly that the long, dry, summer of 1940 over England offered the world a turning point, the Battle of Britain. The star was Hugh "Stuffy" Dowding, the aging officer responsible for the fighter defense of England. Faced with the assumption that fighters were too slow, too under armed, and too late - "the bomber will always get through" - and faced with an overwhelming enemy, Dowding had to Marshall has scarce "chicks", lull Hermann Goring into believing that England had no resistance left, and postpone Operation Sea Lion. This bright, terrible summer provided the backdrop for this well-documented battle. Fisher offers four parts - winter, spring, summer and fall - to create a complete context for this fascinating historical story.

The strategy was to fight strategically, with a few well-positioned squadrons taking on waves of German bombers and fighters. The "secret" to the success was the intricate defense communications system, based on nascent radar, a system that provided enough time for fighters to rise up to meet the Huns. Even at the time, Dowding's plan was not universally accepted. Even his success in turning the tide and postponing the inevitable invasion did not save him his job. Other people clamored for more credit, including Winston Churchill, rankled peers, a disgruntled scientist, and the legless fighter pilot, Douglas Bader. "Bomber" Harris and the "big wing" theory may have earned more press, but Fisher makes his point clearly, if personally and even conversationally, that Dowding saved the day, on stubborn spunk and science. Dowding leveraged his experience in the first Great War to manage a career based on science more than diplomacy or tact. He was loved by the men he led, and reviled by many of the peers he challenged.

Fisher even forgives Neville Chamberlain's aligned "appeasement" as a method for England to buy time in the run up to full-scale war. Clearly England was not yet equipped to defend itself at the time of Munich, but it is hard to know if Hitler would have been ready to go. Fisher is a scientist, a professor of cosmochemistry, who teaches about war and science, and he has a skill at putting together the scientific and technological advances that saved England as well as those half-baked ideas that fortunately did not stop radar and Dowding's communication system from stopping the onslaught. Fisher has a light, pleasant, non-technical writing style. The reader feels as if Fisher is telling a story, perhaps to a classroom of students. He details Dowding's life, including Dowding's fascination with spirit life, séances, and mediums. Fisher takes on some of the conventional wisdom as to heroes and chumps and leaves the reader satisfied with a thorough, personal story, even with Fisher's self-admitted bias about some incidents and people.

The final flare of the Battle of Britain, the second week in September 1940, when Hitler finally had to acknowledge that the invasion was off, provides a fitting climax to a climactic story. This is interesting history, enjoyable, educational and informative, vivid yet not graphic, personal, candid, and willing to look at both sides of the numerous accounts of this period. Having read many of them myself, I recommend this one as a satisfying experience.

Bright, Terrible and Brilliant.......2006-03-20

This is a brilliant account of the Battle of Britain. As Hitler unleashed the Luftwaffe against Britain, the Summer of 1940, writes David Fisher, was too long and too short; too bright and too terrible: "Too long," because it seemed like an eternity before the onset of the high Fall winds that would roil the North Atlantic and make a cross-channel invasion impossible. "Too short," because there was insufficient time to mass-produce Spitfires and Hurricanes, train pilots, and build and staff radar stations. "Too bright," because an unusually dry and clear Summer ("where the bleep are the clouds, the fog, the rain") created perfect conditions for the Luftwaffe assault, and "too terrible," because of the all the planes that were falling from the sky.

"Brilliant" is a good word to describe the man who was most responsible for England's defense: Hugh Dowding. And he was prescient, too. Dowding saw early that fighter squadrons, not bombers, were the key to the island nation's defense, bucking conventional wisdom in the Air Ministry. He out-argued Winston Churchill (Churchill!) to prevent the senseless transfer of precious British fighter planes during the Battle of France: "if the present rate of wastage continues for another fortnight, we shall not have a single Hurricane left in France or in this country." He envisioned the essential role of radar - at a time when others, including Churchill, were promoting fanciful schemes like the death ray - and overcame inane resistance (`make sure they don't interfere with the grouse hunting") to construct a chain of radar towers on the eve of war. His strategy of sending small numbers of Spits and Hurris ("penny packets") to contest the Luftwaffe proved to be masterful. Hermann Goring became deluded into believing England's fighter squadrons had been decimated. When Goring went for the kill, Dowding summoned the reserves he had been holding back, and -- aided by the early warning of radar - trounced the Luftwaffe and ended the Battle of Britain.

Surprisingly, Dowding was cashiered (or more politely, "retired on schedule") shortly thereafter. Hitler's failure in the Battle of Britain engendered The Blitz. Churchill demanded an immediate defense. Dowding said there was no effective defense against the nighttime bombing until better fighter planes were produced, equipped with individual radar sets and better armaments. Events would prove Dowding right. But he had made many enemies in the top echelons of the Air Ministry, and had little support in resisting Churchill. Indeed, his antagonists in the Air Ministry even conspired to revise the history of the Battle of Britain to make his successful strategy seem a failure.

Dowding was an eccentric guy. He claimed to communicate regularly with his dead wife as well as the pilots (his "chicks") who perished over England. Shortly after retirement, he married a young widow at the recommendation of her recently killed fighter-pilot husband. At the end, many of his contemporaries thought he'd gone off the deep end. But at the time of its greatest peril, he was the guy who, in Fisher's words, "made the life-and-death decisions that saved England." And altered the course of the Second World War.

Nice addition to every WWII library.......2005-12-27

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in WWII, especially the ETO. There are a couple of nice pluses in this book.

First, the story is broader than usual. There are certainly other good histories of the Battle of Britain, but this is the best treatment I have seen of the lead-up to the battle on the British side. Specifically, the development of RADAR and the Spitfire.

The other nice facet of this book is that the author definitely makes his opinion known, keeping the book from being too dry, but at the same time, he is clear in distinguishng between his opinions and the facts.

Once I started this book, I just ripped right through it.

The Impossible Country: A Journey Through the Last Days of Yugoslavia

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Start with this book to understand the Yugoslavian conflict
Good intro to the Former Yugoslavia
Middle Ground
Balanced observations on an unbalanced land
Superb understanding of ethnic animosity

The Impossible Country: A Journey Through the Last Days of Yugoslavia
Brian Hall
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140249230

Customer Reviews:

Start with this book to understand the Yugoslavian conflict.......2006-01-15

This is my choice for the best introduction to the conflicts in what was Yugoslavian. When I was hosting an exchange student from the Balkans, I read 15 books in an effort to gain understanding. I was frustrated with blatantly one-sided books, and also books which had all the names, dates and horrors but did not help me understand. Hall's book was the best. While I will never truly understand the roots of the hatred, this thoughtful and amazingly non-partisan book opened windows for an uninvolved American into the psyches of that troubled region. I wish I had read it first.

Good intro to the Former Yugoslavia.......2004-02-26

This book is a very good introduction to most of the regions/republics which comprised Yugoslavia. The author is not a great writer or a fantastic historian, but he has created an extremely readable book which introduces the reader to many of the conflicts inherent in Yugoslavia and which caused its demise. The things I read in this book are supported by other works I have read (written after Hall's book) by scholars and Jugoslavian authors such as Slavenka Drakulic. I feel that this book better explains (to the casual reader) Jugoslavia's problems than does 'Balkan Ghosts' or other popular books I've read on the subject. I really enjoyed this book and think it is worth the purchase price for anyone interested in the current Balkan situation. Just about anyone can enjoy this book.

Middle Ground.......2000-05-25

I read Brian Hall's account of the Balkan conflict while in Zagreb on a language immersion program. I was incredibly impressed by his ability to give a balanced view on this incredibly difficult land. I felt his astute observations made it easier for me to remain neutral in my views and perceptions of the land, people and complicated situation. I was surrounded by ultra-nationalists, and honestly did not meet a single person in Croatia that could look at their role objectively. Brian Hall's insights helped me to step back and view the situation with a completely different outlook.

Balanced observations on an unbalanced land.......2000-01-09

Brian Hall knows there is no reasonable way to explain what happened in Yugoslavia, so he doesn't even try, at least not in this exciting if somber travelogue. What he does do is travel extensively in that country and engage in conversation with all sorts of people, many of them journalists who themselves are trying to figure out what is going on politically in their own country. Apart from a few wry comments and astute observations on some of the more glaring inanities and venalities he encounters, Hall refrains from expressing his own opinions, prefering to let his several interlocutors express the truth in their own words and ways. The difficulty is that there are several truths here, or versions of it. Croatians are Catholic and they think they hate the Serbs because they are Orthodox. They are unable to admit they hate Serbs because they feel dominated by Belgrade. On the other hand, Serbs think they despise Croatians because they are Catholics and because Croatians helped the Nazis when they came calling. They can't admit to a certain envy of Croatia's Western orientation. An underlying philosophical theme of this book is 'attitude to truth.' South Slavic culture seems to believe that one can be in possession of the truth absolutely and for all time. The idea of striking out independently and asking questions that might lead to more and more questions is simply not part of the Yugoslav mindset. Each group or 'republic' has its own view of reality and this is usually so out of sync with the rest of the country that there is no point in discussion or conversation. The only solution is force, or so each party thinks. If you can't make sense of your neighbor's point of view, kill him and his family and friends. This general outlook must have helped Milosevic in his sleazy rise to power. Most Yugoslavs, as Hall points out, believe that Serbian and Croatian are two distinct languages, which is completely at odds with what linguistics tells us. And then there is Bosnia and its overwhelmingly Muslim population, unloved by both the Croatians and the Serbs. In hindsight, one shudders to think... The journey described in this book took place in 1991, when things were starting to heat up in the Balkans. Slovenia had just separated. The author shows how ominous things were at that point, how one didn't need much imagination to foresee what the unhappy future would hold, including the sad Kosovo events. Hall has done a masterful job of describing Yugoslavia on the verge of disintegration. He includes excellent descriptions of buildings and landscapes, but his more important work is reporting on the interviews he conducted with real people in real situations of frustration, danger, and sometimes despair. Now that the NATO bombing of Serbia and Kosovo is just a puzzling memory, we should all go and read a lot of books that show how and why all that came about. Of all such books, this is one of the best I know of.

Superb understanding of ethnic animosity.......1999-10-14

Brian Hall has really open my eyes in understanding what triggers the Balkan war ie suspicious, revenge, fear, not understanding and non-tolerance among the ethnic. These are the traits that usually leads to a disaster, no matter which part of world you live in.

The World of Perversion: Psychoanalysis And the Impossible Absolute of Desire (Suny Series in Psychoanalysis and Culture)

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The World of Perversion: Psychoanalysis And the Impossible Absolute of Desire (Suny Series in Psychoanalysis and Culture)
James Penney
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0791467694

Book Description

An original critique of queer theory, from a psychoanalytic perspective.

Impossible Worlds: Adventures With Impossible Objects / Optical Illusions (Evergreen Series)

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Impossible Worlds: Adventures With Impossible Objects / Optical Illusions (Evergreen Series)
Bruno Ernst
Manufacturer: Evergreen
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3822854107

Achieving the Impossible Dream: HOW JAPANESE AMERICANS OBTAINED REDRESS (Asian American Experience)

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A dramatic retelling of a great moment in U.S. History
Excellent ! Excellent ! Excellent !
Lesson for All to Learn
A biased view of a troubled time with 20/20 hindsight.

Achieving the Impossible Dream: HOW JAPANESE AMERICANS OBTAINED REDRESS (Asian American Experience)
Mitchell T Maki , Harry H Kitano , and S Megan Berthold
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Public Affairs & Administration | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Public Policy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Human Rights | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0252067649

Customer Reviews:

A dramatic retelling of a great moment in U.S. History.......1999-12-12

Drs Maki, Kiano, and Berthold have done a tremendous service to U.S. historians and future generations of Americans with their well-documented account of the redress movement for Americans of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in concentration camps during World War II. Besides offering a theoretical policy model to explain the successful passage of the redress initiative, the authors provide a dramatic retelling of how thousands of American citizens, groups, and ultimately, U.S. congressmen from different racial and political backgrounds joined together in their attempt to acknowledge one of the most terrible miscarriages of justice in U.S. history. Especially, the passages describing the former internee testimonies and final fight for the bill in the Congress is the stuff of high drama and speaks to the nobility and courage of our country's citizens and leaders. An exceptional book, which I hope, will finally refute any real objections to the redress bill and make clear in some increasingly isolated critics' minds, the distinction between the the WWII Japanese Military -- and loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry who fought hard for the survival and principals of this country.

Excellent ! Excellent ! Excellent !.......1999-12-02

This is a great book detailing how the case for redress was formed. It contains great info for those studying the great tragedy that hit the Japanese American community during WWII --their internment in American Concentration Camps. And it serves as a reminder for us all that we need to live in harmony in order for our great country the United States to continue to succeed both socially and economically in the future.

Lesson for All to Learn.......1999-10-15

This is "the" book on the behind the scenes action of how redress was finally achieved for all Japanese Americans, who were illegally incarcerated in concentration camps for crimes they did not commit. The fact that these camps were unconstitional has been proven countless times (refer: President Reagan's apology in 1988). The credibility of the book is proven by the academic careers of the university professors who wrote this tell-tale book (as opposed to the national enquirer level writing of the person who wrote the book mentioned in the below review) and its use as a textbook in the finest universities in America (Harvard, UCLA, UCBerkeley, to name a few). A must reading for those with an interest in ethnic studies and American history/policy.

A biased view of a troubled time with 20/20 hindsight........1999-10-08

I would have followed the intended emotional path had I not also done some research of other sources. Americans are quick to punish themselves now days without really getting the facts.I suggest reading "Dishonoring America" by Lilian Baker,or make an internet visit to the San Franciso Museum website for actual, unaltered information.

Impossible Extinction: Natural Catastrophes and the Supremacy of the Microbial World

Average customer rating:

Fairly Informative
"Life" Seen Against A Cosmic Backdrop
To Live and Let Live
Great book!
An oustanding book

Impossible Extinction: Natural Catastrophes and the Supremacy of the Microbial World
Charles S. Cockell
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Astrophysics & Space Science | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Collection & Preservation | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Microbiology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0521817366

Book Description

Every 225 million years the Earth, and all the life on it, completes one revolution around the Milky Way Galaxy. During this remarkable journey, life is influenced by calamitous changes. Comets and asteroids strike the surface of the Earth, stars explode, enormous volcanoes erupt, and, more recently, humans litter the planet with waste. Many animals and plants become extinct during the voyage, but humble microbes, simple creatures made of a single cell, survive this journey. This book takes a tour of the microbial world, from the coldest and deepest places on Earth to the hottest and highest, and witnesses some of the most catastrophic events that life can face. Impossible Extinction tells this remarkable story to the general reader by explaining how microbes have survived on Earth for over three billion years. Charles Cockell received his doctorate from the University of Oxford, and is currently a microbiologist with rhe Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI), based at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK. His research focusses on astrobiology, life in the extremes and the human exploration of Mars. Cockell has been on expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctic, Mongolia, and in 1993 he piloted a modified insect-collecting ultra-light aircraft over the Indonesian rainforests. He is Chair of the Twenty-one Eleven Foundation for Exploration, a charity that supports expeditions that forge links between space exploration and environmentalism.

Customer Reviews:

Fairly Informative .......2005-11-30

The book is pretty good but has some detractions. The organization does not hang together all that well. Some of the
potential causes of mass extinctions are not related to the Earth's 225 million year trip around the galactic center, so this obscure fact is mentioned too often and with too little affect. The book has neither footnotes nor a general reference section - this is disappointing because there are a lot of interesting facts that one might want to pursue further but it will take some effort to find the primary sources.

"Life" Seen Against A Cosmic Backdrop.......2003-07-01

In recent years, a new, broad scientific discipline has come into being: Astrobiology. As with anything new, its scope is still undergoing formulation. Some see Astrobiology as simply "exobiology-plus" (exobiology being a term used to describe the search for life's origins on earth -and elsewhere). Others (as a somewhat generic space biologist I include myself) see Astrobiology as something much more expansive - something not at all distant from "Life, the universe, and everything" to lift a line from Douglas Adams.

In his book "Impossible Extinction" author Charles Cockell embraces the larger definition of the term. His task is daunting: describe the Earth's voyage through the cosmos as a backdrop for the origin and evolution of life across the planet's surface - and subsurface. Add in regular catastrophes - of both terrestrial and extraterrestrial origin, stand back, and watch what life does.

Throughout the book (written in engaging style for both an educated layperson or a seasoned professional) it becomes clear that the true survivors as each disaster besets our planet are microbes. Not only do microbes barely hang on, but they thrive.

Over the course of life's tenure on our planet microbes have come to inhabit some of the most improbable and extreme (from a human perspective that is) ecological niches on - and within our planet. Such flexibility and tenacity affords the chance for survival even if the surface of the planet is laid waste and partially molten.

Of course, Earth is but one planet amongst an unimaginable number thought to exist in the universe. Cockell addresses this as well, placing our world and the life it carries, against a truly cosmic perspective. The reader of this well-presented book is left with a clear, concise understanding of what life is capable of enduring on Earth. And if it happened on this planet ...

To Live and Let Live.......2003-06-19

It is only within the last decade that most scientists have accepted that the Earth's geology and biology are both shaped by celestial events, as well as tectonic ones. Cockell has worked in both the Arctic and the Antarctic to study microscopic life under extreme conditions, and he gives us a splendid account of how microbes, which make up to 80% of our planet's biomass, have survived on our planet for three and a half billion years. He uses the 225 million year cycle it takes the Earth to circle the galaxy as a timeframe within which to describe their ability to survive everything from catastrophic volcanism to the impacts of asteroids. Along the way, he also examines chances for life elsewhere in the solar system. Needless to say, he demonstrates conclusively why microbes stand a better chance of survival on Earth than we do. Cockell's writing is authoritative, humorous, and accessible to a lay audience.

Great book!.......2003-06-18

I thought this book would be really technical, but I really enjoyed it, it was easy to read and very interesting!

An oustanding book.......2003-06-18

"IMPOSSIBLE EXTINCTION" by Charles S. Cockell is a fascinating book reflecting on the extraordinary hardiness and resilience of microbial life compared to that of more evolved and narrowly adapted forms of life in the face of global ecological catastrophes as can occur in planetary evolution. In addition to providing a comprehensive overview on the wonderful role and importance of microbes in evolution, Cockell's book presents bold new ideas about the possibilities of microbial life throughout the universe and of future life on Earth, and is at the same time an extremely entertaining read. I recommend this beautifully written book wholeheartedly to the scientist and the lay person alike. It has the feel of an instant classic.

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