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Absolute Power: The Legacy of Corruption in the Clinton-Reno Justice Department
Published in Paperback by Regnery Publishing, Inc. (2002-11-25)
Author: David Limbaugh
List price: $18.95
New price: $1.91
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Absolutely Enthralling!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-27
A nationally syndicated columnist and bestselling author of two books, David Limbaugh performs the duties the mainstream media used to perform decades ago with his page-turning expose "Absolute Power: The Legacy of Corruption in the Clinton-Reno Justice Department". Few non-fiction books in the past ten years have held me captive like this one.

During the 1992 campaign, and throughout the Clinton presidency, Americans heard reports of various Clinton administration improprieties. Sometimes, as was the case with Monica Lewinsky, we actually witnessed the scandals unfold. But rarely would the mainstream media afford the public more than a cursory overview of such activities. Simply put, David Limbaugh does the job the mainstream media should have.

With chapters that run the gambit on such topics as Waco, the Tobacco Wars, Billy Dale and The White House Travel Office, Monica Lewinsky, presidential pardons to benefit Hillary's Senate campaign, and Elian Gonzalez, Absolute Power is one of the premiere historical records cataloguing the innumerable scandals that plagued Bill Clinton's presidency. Surprisingly, readers will find little commentary. I can find no instance of the author offering his own opinion. Instead, his book reads like a newspaper description of a public event (or at least in the days before liberal media bias). The book contains extensive footnotes and source references, quoting FBI agents and high-ranking officials on the record by name, rather than by quoting "anonymous sources"...

The result is a genuine breath of fresh air. I was fifteen when the storming of the Waco compound took place. Yet despite the abundance of media coverage, I knew few details regarding the incident itself and the people surrounding it before reading this book. David Limbaugh fills in the details about the life of David Koresh, the history of Waco, and all of the other topics previously listed in a way the major media outlets have failed to do since those events occurred.

Readers of Absolute Power will be left breathless by its vivid illustration of a presidential administration willing to use the courts and agents of federal law enforcement to achieve its own political ends. Had David Limbaugh published this book just one year earlier, no American would have been surprised by Al Gore's attempts to circumvent election law in Florida. Although, optimist that I am, I'd like to believe that had this book been published one year earlier, the 2000 presidential election would not have been so close...

Britt Gillette
Author of "The Dittohead's Guide To Adult Beverages"

Law under Clinton and Reno
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-27
The two greatest organizations for enforcing the law under the Clinton and Reno administration politicized the law, weakened justice, and brought politics under the influence of big business because political parties� differences eroded to a point where a single individual�s influence in the party was considered minimal; the goal of such erosion was to reduce polarization of ideas, allowing increased influence from the special interests groups; the special interests groups used money to open import businesses, get contracts, buy weapons, gain most-favored-nation status, decrease legal penalties and soften constitutional intent.

David Limbaugh hedges towards demonstrating how the Clinton and Reno administration found loopholes in the law, extended the interpretation of the law, used obscure laws to establish precedents, bombarded their opponents using trial-lawyer-rhetoric and accusatory, false witnesses as diversionary tactics, and pitted the United States against the United States by creating conflicting interests within government organizations; thus, the Justice Department became a political arm of the Executive Branch. The cases are: Waco (military usage in civilian affair), Linda Tripp (privacy act violation), Campaign scandal (soft money in the Democratic National Committee (DNC)), discrediting of Kenneth Star (conflict of interest), Elian Gonzalez (political pressure to overturn the courts). Waco is a wake up call! Clinton would say the incident at Waco was a tragedy, but he could not control a fanatic who decided to kill himself and everyone at Waco. A review board analyzed the government�s handling of Waco and found no wrong doing. Limbaugh presented a different story and revealed a number of blatant lies.

Why attack Koresh? Koresh's original name was Veron Howell. The Koresh group was a break-off, apostate, dissenting group from the original Seventh Day Adventist organization. Divisions occurred over the doctrine of spiritual (White: Something happened in heaven) versus physical (Davidic throne) manifestation of Christ�s second coming and the particular date this event would occur. Howell claims to be the seventh messenger for the seventh seal as recorded in the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) becomes involved in watching the activities on the Waco (Mount Carmel, TX) compound. Dispute over ownership occurs between Howell and Roden; Roden forces the ATF to petition for US military assistance because Roden has set up a methamphetamine lab, but at the time of the petition, the lab was dysfunctional; Roden challenged Howell to a contest to determine who was God; Howell had a sexual relationship with Lois Roden, who was sixty, thinking she was like the biblical Sarah, and he would produce offspring with her; Roden digs up a 20-year-dead corpse and challenges Howell to bring the corpse back to life; Howell declines; Howell reports Roden�s activities to the authorities; Roden is charged with contempt of court; Howell gains possession of the property and the followers; Howell changes his name to David Koresh; Koresh claims to be the Messiah to bring about the end-of-time prophecy; reports of Koresh beating children surface (he boasts 17 wives and 11 children, many of the wives were under-aged); Marc Breault, a disgruntled member, prods the sheriff to take action; Child Protective Services becomes involved; June 9, 1992, ATF begins an open investigation. Dummy hand grenades were discovered, there were purchases of aluminum and black powder, and evidence of 40,000 AR-15 rifles (convertible to a machine gun). The Fed does not prohibit possession of a machine gun; however, it does require a registration for each weapon, a registration Koresh did not complete. A warrant is obtained based on this evidence; Koresh is seen leaving the Mount Carmel premises, no arrest is made because a dynamic raid is preferred; Koresh was tipped off according to Robert Rodrigues, 76 agents staged the raid, they were exposed to Koresh during unload, but no shots were fired.

The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act restricted military involvement in civilian law enforcement because military is used to fight wars, not enforce the law, with the exception of drugs; there was evidence surfacing the Koresh residents were anticipating a peaceful resolution; Reno justified force because she believed 1) there was no reason to believe Koresh would voluntary come out 2) the health and jeopardy of the children were at risk 3) the Hostage rescue team was fatigued; the hostage rescue team wanted action, and the experts urged caution. The two groups were at odds with each other, but eventually, the team acted. A tank pushed through a wall and either knocked over the kerosene lamps, starting a fire, or Koresh committed mass suicide. Why would Koresh murder his people? He had not finished his mission. The tactics employed by the Hostage Rescue team follow a military strategy, and casualties are expected; "strike first, strike hard, no compromise" is the message. Why was a military force strategy employed in a local, law enforcement situation?

I find it interesting
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-25
People who complain about the truth never have any facts to back it up. Womnder why? Those Facts do not exist. If the David Barrett report is ever realeased...Hillary and Bill will be in line for a prison term.

The truth is out there. Facts are out there and David L has put out a book that people who want truth and can think for themselves will find.

Its interesting because in the past 6 months so much had come out. Facts regarding WMD's and Al Quaeda's ties with Iraq. The tuth needs to be spoken and this book speaks out loud and clear. A must read.

Lazy Clip Job
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 32 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-25
Well of course this is biased nonsense. What did you expect? That's not my trouble with this book, as I expect nothing less from Rush's little brother. What did depress me was how lazily thrown together it was, like maybe Rush had a few of his interns dig up some Washington Times articles for David to weave together into a partisan rant. Also a tad distressing was the lack of any sort of historical perspective, on say what Ed Meese got up to let alone Nixon's crook Mitchell. (Though again this is standard party trick of right wing hacks so no surprise.) I am vaguely interested in whether David actually believes this stuff, as "The Legacy of Corruption" has the whiff of utter cynicism and making a buck off the rubes...

I HATE BILL CLINTON ........
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 31 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-22
....is what the title of this book should read. Limbaugh clearly has an agenda here. If your republican you'll love this, if your democrat you'll hate it. Big surprise!!

Departments
Wolves in Chic Clothing: A Novel
Published in Kindle Edition by Broadway (2005-04-05)
Authors: Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman
List price: $12.50
New price: $9.99

Average review score:

Loved It
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-17
I am obsessed with this book! I couldn't put it down. I hope they write another book about these characters. These are the girls you loathe yet secretly wouldn't mind being friends with.

The Right Address? Not
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-16
Book was only ok. I liked the first novel better. This one reminded me too much of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that is where their inspiration came from. It's worth the read but I'd borrow it from the library instead of buying it.

Wolves In Chic Clothing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-03
Flat, pedestrian cliche parody of Sexy in the City, Devil Wears Prada, Nanny Diaries. Clearly living on the fumes and riding the coat tails of the stories listed above, Wolves In Chic Clothing is just one glass of cheap champagne.

The story centers on a group od NY society womens who adopt a young and stylish girl to be their project (hello My Fair Lady). And yawn, all the clumsy descriptive curly-ques. Talk of "well heeled" Manolo wearing, Prada toting bitchy inner intrigue of a bunch of characters who are as boring as predictable.

The story line boils down to some tired and dated message of "Rich people are bad people", "Poor people are real people".

Don't waste your time. Buy yourself a DVD of Sex In The City, Or Devil Wears Prada for the real thing.

Wolves In Chic clothing is the Designer Imposter of books.

Wonderful Cinderella story
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-05
The best of funny New York Chick Lit. This Cinderella story has all you need when you curl up with a box of ice cream on a Friday evening.

Makes you wonder if socialites are like this...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-25
I was thrown into this book and got out 2 days later. It's a very easy read, under 300 pages. You will fall in love with the main character and this book will make you go "Awww!" at the end! Haven't read any other book by these authors but am off to get The Right Address!

Departments
White House Nannies: True Tales from the Other Department of Homeland Security
Published in Hardcover by (2005-05-05)
Author: Barbara Kline
List price: $23.95
New price: $4.67
Used price: $2.11

Average review score:

Excellent, humorous book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-02
I thought this book would be about actual nannies who'd worked in the White House. Although that wasn't the case, I really enjoyed the book. It was hilarious. Some of the stories remind me of things my friends who nannied told me about their experiences, good and bad.

Despite vast experience with and a great love of children, I just wasn't interested in doing it, though friends tried to recruit me. This book makes me wonder if I missed out on a special experience.

I wish the book had been a bit longer, though. I was really enjoying it and then it ended.

Awful Read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-27
I read quite a bit. This is the first book in years that I have actually disliked (it was a gift from a friend).

This book is what happens when someone thinks they have good stories (and the may have, to a degree), takes one writing course and proceeds to write what I would call a bloated, pompous expanded pamphlet for her business.

There were a few decent stories about crazy DC/VA/Maryland power elites...but even those could have been told much better.

But - egads - this book needed a competent editor, at least, to point out the repetitive statements, thoughts and self-congratulations this incompetent author dished out.

My rewrite of the book. There are wealthy power couples in the town that are very, very important. I will drop names beginning now and will not stop until the end of the book. I am very important and am almost as wealthy as these power couples. I roll my eyes at the mishaps of my minority nannies, while my clients are fairly racist/classist and often treat the nannies like animals, even though their entire existence depends on them.

Believe me, I would not be picking on the content of the book (attitudes of the clients or the nannies), if it weren't for the terrible writing.

I loved it!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-27
I loved reading this book! As a 'new' nanny, I found this book very useful. At first i said I wouldn't want to work with a family like these mentioned in the book, but then I thought more about it, and I actually wouldn't mind getting the 'experience'. I live in So cal, so we do have families like those D.C. families. This is a must read!!

Cute Read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-07
While the title of the book is kinda misleading (I thought this was a book about actual nannies of the White House) it is a cute read. I personally wouldn't have wanted to be the families picked in this book but then again, she had to get their permission to write it!!

Entertaining read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-22
I found this book to be entertaining and engaging. I thought the other reviews were a bit harsh and it seemed like maybe the book hit a bit too close to home for them. Ok, this book won't change the world, but it was interesting and fun to read. I live in the midwest and apart from a brief trip to DC, I am completely unfamiliar with the city, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book one bit.

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Writing/editing style manual: Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources
Published in Unknown Binding by The Department (1991)
Author: Ben Taylor
List price:

Average review score:

Perfect Summer Reading
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-10
Who Will Run the Frog Hospital is a well-written and delightful coming of age story. The story is somewhat predictable but nevertheless has enough surprises to keep the reader engaged. I read it in a single sitting on a long flight....a perfect travel or summer afternoon read!

Ugh
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-01
I literally tossed this book across the table when finished. It left me nonplussed and greatly in need of a good read. It has underdeveloped characters, no real plot or message unless you get creative and come up with one, and pointless passages. It comes across like a whining, middle-aged woman talking to her therapist. Although the author has a nice haversack full of impressive words, her writing style and imagery seem better suited to poetry.

Summer reading? Not in my opinion!

Beautiful, haunting and also very funny
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-20
I admit this upfront: I am a huge fan of Lorrie Moore and I tend to love anything she writes. I read this book years ago and, despite moves back and forth across several bodies of water, this is one of the ones that always make the cut. It is the story of adolescence -- Berie and Sils, two 15-year old girls from a nowhere town, with issues and complications and stories, none of them horrendous and both, or all, remarkably sad and touching for their lack of extraordinary-ness -- and also the story of memory. Berie, trapped in a marriage that no longer seems to work, remembers back to a pivotal moment in time. How all that came before us affects at least part of what we later become is a big theme here, as is the temporal nature of all relationships, even those with people we love and care for very deeply.

I love this book. I think the writing is gorgeous. There are very clever, very funny bits, as well, as is typical of Moore's work.

In response to some of the other reviews, no, this is not a lighthearted romp through adolescence. It isn't a beach read. It's a literary jewel that, if appreciated, will stay with you long after you regretfully close its covers.

Disappointing
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-10
Reading the Publisher's Weekly review of this book, I thought it sounded good. But in fact, it was not a good book. There isn't much of a plot. Most of the book is a flashback to Berie's (the narrator) childhood - specifically, the summer she was 15 - and her friendship with Sils. The friendship is pretty unbelievable, though, as are most of the characters in this book. And since the friendship peters out about halfway through the book, I'm not sure what the point of the story was supposed to be. Then there were the present-day stories about Berie and her failing relationship with her husband. These were painful to read because they were so boring and badly written and completely pointless.

Perhaps the worst part of the book is the writing itself. For some reason, Moore is EXCEEDINGLY fond of using nonsensical language to pad her story, and at first I spent a lot of time re-reading whole passages to figure out what the heck Moore was talking about. I gave up on that after awhile and just skipped ahead to the actual parts where some semblance of a story was being told. Some people might find this "prose" beautiful, or even poetic. But since it didn't enhance the book in any way, I disagree. Some examples of this awkward language include:

"My own memory, from a trip ten years ago, is a tired, old coin."

"It was four in the afternoon, and the heat of the day had gathered itself thickly, even as the sun - a hot blister of bone - had begun its descent."

"I arranged my face and hair in a fever of private notions: a theater of one."

"For a fleeing moment, as anyone can, I imagined I felt the poverty of my future, all its unholdable surfaces."

"So far in our marriage we've fought fear with ineptitude, indifference with indifference; the world blows up here and there, and our lives feel staked out in embers, pitched and huddled in tents."

The only reason I bothered to finish the book was because it was so short and I knew I could get it over with quickly. I'm only sorry that I wasted any time on this book at all, when I could have been reading something better.

This Book is Like Music
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-15
I first read this book almost 10 years ago, when it first came out, and it is one of the books I keep returning to. Certain passages keep echoing back to me, they are so well written, poetic and apropos of certain hard-to-describe situations and states of mind. When I read some sentences they seemed to vibrate like musical chords.

Want a "lite" summer beach read? Go elsewhere. This is a beautiful examination of the depth and complexity of teenage female friendships and feelings, how people change over time, and how life is both uplifting and disappointing. It's a wonderful book.

Departments
Kaplan GRE Math Workbook, Sixth Edition
Published in Paperback by Kaplan Publishing (2007-09-04)
Author: Kaplan
List price: $18.00
New price: $10.00
Used price: $5.50

Average review score:

Excellent supplement to GRE study
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-26
This was a great product, but I think students for the GRE need to recognize what it is for. It is meant for students who need extra review and practice on problems, more than what the comprehensive test books cover.

It does go into extensive detail about math you use on the exam. The first half covers the kinds of math (arithmetic, algebra, and geometry) and reviews those things we learned in high school, but may have forgotten. The second half covers the question types (comparison, word problems, and data analysis). There is a lot of material, so you have to skim through what you know and focus on your weaknesses.

I got this book after going through a comprehensive GRE test book and taking several practice tests. I was weak on the quantitative section, so I needed extra work, and this helped. My math score did improve dramatically after a week of intensive study with this book.

So, I recommend that you don't get this book when you start studying for the GRE. For people that are already strong in math, a regular GRE book might be enough. But if you practice and see that your math score is weak, use this one and study hard! It will definitely help.

Good for practice questions but hopeless for actually learning techniques
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-26
This book is fine for providing practice questions but hopeless for teaching techniques on how to answer questions.

For example, this is the entire explanation it provides for how to multiply fractions:

10/9 x 3/4 x 8/15

first reduce (cancel) diagonally and vertically:

2/3 x 1/1 x 2/3

then multiply numerators together and denominators together:

2x1x2/3x1x3 = 4/9

Of course it provides no explanation how it got to 2/3 x 1/1 x 2/3, "how" to reduce diagonally and vertically, or even what that means.

A terrible book if you need to learn concepts rather than just practice them

does not cover everything you need to know
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-10
BE WARNED THIS BOOK IS NOT COMPRHENSIVE IT DOES NOT CONTAIN EVERYTING YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR THE MATH. I went throught this book thinking im good with math, but when i opened the kaplan premier program (another study guide book I bought)to my surprise there was a whole new section of math that the workbook did not cover such as standard deviation,compound interest, simple interest, permutations, combinations,weight average,new average with deletion,orginal average to find what what has been deleted,sequence. Thse are just a few things not covered in the math workbook.

Great Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-23
This one is just, excellent, may I say GRE maths for dummies!!!, having trouble with quantitative section...this is for you

Underrated
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-22
I strongly feel that some of the reviews of this book posted here are too harsh. Judging from a few of the comments, it seems that some might expect this to prepare them for the GRE Math Subject Test - which is very different from this book's intention, which is to prepare one for the math section of the General Test. The level of difficulty of the problems is not too hard - if you're looking to score a 800, this may not be the book for you - but it's perfect for those of us struggling to get over the 650 mark. The practice problems, for the most part, realistically resemble what one might encounter on the acutal test, and there are only a few GRE-tested math subjects that don't appear in this book. In just over a week of studying primarily with this book, I went from practice tests in the mid-600's range to a 720 on the actual test, so it definitely seemed to be a good investment.

Departments
GRE Exam 2006, Comprehensive Program (Kaplan Gre Exam)
Published in Paperback by Kaplan Publishing (2005-06-28)
Author: Kaplan
List price: $22.00
New price: $5.95
Used price: $0.27

Average review score:

Came as ordered
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-27
I got this study guide back in 2006 because I thought I was going to take the GRE. In fact i'm scheduled to take the PCAT, though I can't knock the text here. Was fairly substantial and if I had to take it, this would have prepared me.

A great book for the GRE!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-07
This book gave me a great strategy for the GRE and broke down the questions so I could quickly narrow down the choices. I also used the vocabulary flip book. I got a great score and only studied for 3-4 weeks.

Spent an hour unsuccessfully trying to access the free online test
Helpful Votes: 17 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-19
Don't buy this book for the online test. The registration code in the book didn't work. They sent another after I called. Then, after filling in several really annoying registrations forms multiple times (each time I logged in I had to repeat the same forms to "confirm" the information-and you have to fill out every annoying field!), another phone call and much frustration, I still haven't been able to access the free online test. Over an hour wasted. UGH!

Full of Errors
Helpful Votes: 23 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-05
Supposed to be instucting us toward "flawless" GRE performance??? How can they charge that much for something with an inexcusable number of errors? I printed the corrections sheet from their website which covered only a few of the many errors in the book. In the section on "tricks" to doing GRE math problems, I found ways to solve the the practice problems that were missed in the answers section! (And I didn't do all that well on the math part of the test.) What does this tell us about the level of the people writing the answers?! Sorry, but it's just annoying! These people are making the big bucks off all of us!

NOT INDICATIVE OF ACTUAL GRADE!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-16
Practice test one:
Score: Verbal: 506 Quantitative: 420
Practice test two:
Score: Verbal: 600 Quantitative: 480
Practice test three (3 hours before taking GRE):
Score: Verbal: 520 Quantitative: 500

(This had me an emotional wreck the day of the GRE)

MY ACTUAL First time GRE SCORES:
Verbal: 720 Quantitative: 620

My only belief is that this book and program is designed to convince you to buy the courses. That being said, the 30 minute math tests did make me feel like I had all day to do the quant on the GRE.

I'm not sure this helped me very much. I think I would've been better off just with a math review book.

AND it is full of typos at critical points. For example, in one QC test problem it says "Circle 1 intersects Circle 2 and EXACTLY two points" and the problem requires it to be intersected at exactly one point to be solved.

Departments
Dangerous Diplomacy: How the State Department Threatens America's Security
Published in Hardcover by Regnery Publishing, Inc. (2003-10-25)
Author: Joel Mowbray
List price: $27.95
New price: $2.40
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Shocking, informative, but getting a bit dated...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-24
Disclosure: I am and have been a big fan of Joel Mowbray's reporting. I had known of some of the things that Mowbray writes about, but there were, nevertheless, many new revelations and anecdotes that were fascinating and quite shocking. If you think you know anything about the State Department, you need to read this book. I do wish Mowbray had spent more time on former State employees that find well-paid jobs with foreign governments immediately after leaving their State Department jobs. In my opinion, the promise of a big paycheck from a foreign government as a show of appreciation for services rendered while employed by State is a key factor in what makes State tick. I was especially dissappointed that Mowbray did not quote Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia, who once said something to the effect that "we know how to reward those who are helpful to us at State, and they are aware of our willingness to show gratitude," (I am just paraphrasing, but the actual quote was along those lines).

Although Mowbray attempts to recommend some fixes toward the end of the book, the hopelessness of the situation becomes apparent. Also, being four years old now, it is in need of a revised edition covering Condolesa Rice's tenure at State, which, as Mowbray would no doubt have expected, has been no better than most of her predecessors.

Not All Together
Helpful Votes: 24 out of 40 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-06
Joel Mowbray has an axe to grind. He also doesn't understand that foreign policy is not made at the State Department (it is made at the NSC and has been since FDR's 3rd term). Further, he seems to want to indict the Foreign Service without having really spoken to any members. He also doesn't seem quite able to grasp that the State department neither makes nor administers US military relationships. He also just doesn't seem on top of simple truths like "the job of diplomats is not to provoke wars."

All those indictments aside, he does have some very valid points. The DOS does give out visas too easily, or at least it did before 9-11. The Consular Affairs bureau is NOT vigorous enough in helping US citizens abroad. And the Foreign Service is rife with apologists, collaborators, wimps, and egomaniacal sycophants, as he alleges. I know: I was a Foreign Service Officer for ten years!

Don't expect anything "fair and balanced" in Joel's little screed here. But there are certainly some things to get you thinking and it might be worth reading this along with some views from the other side of the spectrum.

Rather silly and petulant from a discredited "reporter"
Helpful Votes: 26 out of 64 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-15
Mr. Mowbray, who was something of a running joke among the State Department press corps, became quasi-famous in DC political circles for being regularly embarrassed in on the record briefings at State for getting basic facts wrong and displaying an inability to understand the subtlety and nuance of foreign affairs.

Once prominent in National Review, he now plies his trade on rather obscure right-wing web sites.

The book is a cross between a screed and a tantrum, and pulls out of context anecdotes to create a world in which all Foreign Service officers and State employees in general are dedicated to undermining not only America, but our values, Israel, freedom, etc. If only they were more like the senior officials at DOD, all would be well. It is written with the style, tone and professionalism of the first draft of an undergraduate op-ed piece written on the down-slide from a three-day coke binge.

On and on, for quite a while. It's amusing at times, if for nothing else that its own sort of bold incompetence and conspiratorial ramblings.

It would have benefited from an editor. Preferably a grown up.

Well worth reading
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-14
Joel Mowbray clearly has a point of view, but his reporting is solid. He exposed how our embassy in Riyadh had such a lax visa issuance policy that 15 of the 19 9-11 hijackers were able to gain entry into our country by clearly lying on their visa forms. That's a public service. At times, Mowbray is too monolithic in his conclusions about the foreign service, which has many well intentioned members, but this is an important book to understand how our diplomacy often veers from the best intentions of our political leadership. I say this as a former member of the State Department press corps.

Dangerous Omissions
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 48 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-06
Most of the facts Mr. Mowbray mentions about treasonous acts committed by State Department officials are true. No doubts about that. Now, by failing to mention that the U.S. State Department has been for the last 50 years a tool of the Council on Foreign Relations, his book becomes pure and simple disinformation.
For example, his depiction of how "State Department bureaucrats" mislead Colin Powell about the need to give Scud missiles to Yemen is pure hogwash. Both the "State Department bureaucras" and Mr. Powell get their orders from the same source: the CFR.
Mowbray is a typical example of the "ritghtist" counterpart to "leftists" like Noam Chomski, whose criticism of things bad in America stops in the CIA and the Pentagon -- organizations also penetrated and controlled by the CFR.
Both these "leftist" and "rightist" critics apparently share the stochastic view of history, by which things just happen by chance. This is the view advanced by the mainstream media and hammered to the children in the government's schools.
These are the ones who have brainwashing the American people for so many years to believe that the Republican and Democratic parties are different entities, and that just by changing the faction of the Repucratic party in power things will change for the better.
But lately, more and more people are realizing, thanks maily to the information appearing in the Internet, that only the conspiratory view of history can satisfactorily explain the unexplainable -- including the September 11th events.

Departments
The Sight of the Stars
Published in Kindle Edition by Delacorte Press (2003-12-30)
Author: Belva Plain
List price: $6.99
New price: $5.59

Average review score:

Winner!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-08
I picked up this book and read it in two day. It was so refreshing to read this well written story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Who Are You Really?
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-08
I thought this was a very good book but it reminded me of a soap opera with the secrets, the blackmail, the strange family relationships and the adultery. The main character, Adam Arnring, leaves his father's grocery store business to go west into business at a small department store which he grew into a major business. Then he had some romance with the store's adopted daughter and a fling with a dressmaker. It definitely held my interest and has a surprise ending. The theme seemed to be that we never really know people like we think we do.

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

Belva, You Go Girl !
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-09
I am new to Belva Plain novels. I recently read "Looking Back" and I loved it (see my reviews). I then purchased "The Sight of the Stars" and placed it at the bottom of my "to read" stack, but after reading only one book after "Looking Back" I couldn't wait, I had to go to the bottom of the stack and pull out "Stars." I am glad that I did as this lady can write. This story was wonderful, I especially enjoyed the character of Adam. Belva can write a family saga like nobody's business. I hear that three of her other novels: "Evergreen", "The Golden Cup," and "Tapestry" are a series of books covering one families story. I have already ordered them and look forward to the cold winter nights ahead sitting in front of my fireplace reading another one of her "dishy" family sagas (only if it snowed in Los Angeles). How wonderful it would be to be snowed in with a fire in the hearth, lots of hot chocolate, and a stack of Belva's stories. I give this story a 4 star rating as I felt the story was a little rushed at the end. Highly recommended however.
Guy V. De Rosa
Los Angeles

What happened to the author of Evergreen?
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-28
I have to say that this is one of the most disappointing books I have ever purchased. It was an incredibly bland story, with absolutely no point. Honestly; there was one paragraph that essentially read... "she got sick, she got sicker, she was really sick, she died." And that was about one of the primary characters. There was really nothing endearing about the characters, nothing memorable about the plot. Frankly, I'm surprised at myself for finishing the book (if it wasn't summertime I probably would have dumped it by the middle of the book).

Wonderful Book misunderstood by reviewers
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-14
I read all the reviews and was astounded that no one seemed to see what Belva Plain was doing with this little book at all. I haven't read "Evergreen" but it hardly seems fair to knock Sight of the Stars for not being another book that you loved. I was about 3/4 of the way through the book on a plane flight from Paris to the US when I realized what the author's theme was and how skillfully she had woven her revelation of it through the lives of the Amring family members. Readers who were dissapointed with the "boring" plot and lack of a deep dark secret in brother Leo's life entirely missed the point. Or rather I should say, they demonstrate the point; which is, that it is all too easy for us poor humans to misjudge one another and miss the truth of the lives of the people we interact with. Adam makes a preliminary mistake in his assessment of every important character he deals with. His life teaches him how he was wrong and he grows wiser and more humble until in the end, just before he dies, he is willing to admit that perhaps he was wrong about Leo too. Perhaps he should forgive his brother and find him. Adam discovers this too late for a reconcilliation but the reader is allowed to see the "truth" about Leo. It is brillantly done, for the reader is brought to realize that perhaps they too had been wrong about Leo, imagining all sorts of dark perverted things about him when in fact his books were simply his refuge and the way he taught himself foreign languages etc. Those who were dissapointed that there was not some horridly wicked revelation about Leo in the end REALLY missed the point. The book is not meant to be one of those sagas that leaves you feeling as if you were forever entertwined with characters in them who had been brillantly brought to life. Rather, reading it is like solving an intellectual puzzle of masks and characters and motives revealed so that the reader turns from that puzzle instructed and more humble about the characters that inhabit his own real life and asks himself, "Do I know these people as they truly are?" In the end the puzzle for me became more than just intellectual and became profoundly moving, even spiritual. I loved this book for the way it stretched my mind and heart.

Departments
Bush vs. the Beltway : How the CIA and the State Department Tried to Stop the War on Terror
Published in Hardcover by (2003-08-01)
Author: Laurie Mylroie
List price: $25.95
New price: $3.23
Used price: $3.30

Average review score:

"A President has to be the calcium in the backbone."
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 26 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-13

This is an excellent book.It is a detailed A to Z coverage on what and who the Terrorists are. Since war was officially declared on America, by the Terrorists on 9/11,America has no option but to engage in the fight and eventually win;regardless.
President Bush understood his responsibility to protect the safety of the people and the Nation that gave him that responsibility.It is clear from this book why he will do everything necessary to fulfill that obligation.He is aware that he alone can't do and know everything;but is determined to get all the help possible from government bodies and the military to win.He has made the case of this threat at the UN as well as other countries that it is in their interest to join and support him.Though many countries have turned their backs on America,Canada included,President Bush will pursue the course as the leader of the country attacked.He would tell you that there is no other choice.His choice is made;other countries and organizations have to make theirs.
President is well aware of the futility of appeasement resolving anything except giving the enemy time to strengthening themselves and making the problem worse.This was amply demonstrated in the years leaning up to WWII,and more recently after the first attack on The World Trade Towers and other Terrorist attacks on America.
It's worth remembering:
"The price of doing nothing exceeds the price of taking action"
God Bless America.

A BOOK OF LIES
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 30 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-06
Where did the lies of the Bush administration to justify launching a war against Iraq come from? They were the result of their own lunacy, of course, but they also came from books of neocon disinformation like this one.

Now that the truth is out and that everybody knows that the neocon push to attack Iraq was a plot from day one, reading such a book throws a glaring light on the extent to which the pro-Israel conspiracy went towards engaging the United States militarily against Iraq, against international law and against world opinion, and, I may add, against the U.S. Constitution.

George W. Bush himself said on Sept. 17, 2003 that "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th attacks", even though he and Cheney kept linking the two in their own propaganda. It was all part of a strategy of disinformation and of psychological warfare to persuade Congress and the American people that Iraq must be invaded and occupied.

But now the record is clear and the evidence is overwhelming that the Bush administration's case for war was a fabrication. The Downing Street official Memos are all there to see that the Bush administration made a policy of war, then altered, twisted and distorted the facts to fit that policy.

Future historians will investigate books of this kind to understand how so much duplicity was possible and was tolerated in a large democratic country such as the United States. Who were the active collaborators in this historical hoax perpetrated on the American people? Obviously, the author of this war tract was one of them.

The truth behind the "mainstream media" story on Iraq
Helpful Votes: 27 out of 45 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-06
Laurie Milroie writes a very convincing book on the truth behind the conflict between the CIA and the White House. This is a very insightful book on what goes on behind the scenes in Washington. The CIA and the State Dept had evidence of the complicity between Al Queada and Saddam Hussien. Laurie clearly details why the itelligence was not and is not still the Public knowledge norm for the war in Iraq. It seems clear that the CIA to avoid embarrasment and for fear of losing power inside of Washington is continously discrediting such information to this day. Not only did the CIA endanger our national security before 9/11 it is till doing so in a power struugle in our intelligence community today. Laurie also detail meetings between Iraqi intelligence and Muhammed Atta in the Chec Repuclic before the 9/11 attacks. The Checks still very much say this meeting took place. Yet this report is discredited by anoynomous leaks coming from sources inside the CIA. Also very important links show how Iraqi intelligence altered records of terrorists in Kuwati intelligence files during their occupation of Kuwait during the first Gulf War. There same terrorists are the very ones behind attacks on the USS Cole, The First World Trade Center Bombing, The Sept 11 attacks. Laurie also sheds light on Saddams revenge tactics on Egypt for participation in the first Gulf War. Saddam was complicit in a major terrorist attack on the tourists at Luxor in 1997. Saddam and his regimes evil is very much a subject of Ms Mylroies book which makes the most important humanitarian reason for the war in Iraq. Saddam was funneling money from the oil for food program and using it for his own weapons programs and funding of terrorist camps inside of Iraq. Which the main stream media refuses to admit Al Queada members trained in to hijack airplanes. All this while his people starved. Or if you openly dissented you where killed or tortured, or your family was tortured in front of you. And the U.N. and the world community did nothing. Read this book. You will learn alot of the inner workings inside the beltway. And Praise G.W. Bush for fighting a just war in Iraq. Thank You Laurie Mylroie

Revisionist history
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-20
Absolute rubbish.

A truly fictitious attempt to discredit actual science-based examination of the phony evidence for war.

Start with the fact that the anthrax was U.S. military grade, straight from a U.S. lab, and that as soon as that came out the "investigation" into the source of those mailings was summarily shut down, and go from there.

This book is just another cover-up for neocon believers... people who will apparently believe anything, even if they are intelligent.

tragic!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-19
If one wants to study the mind of Mossad, or is particularly interested in paranoid thought processes, this is for you. It's the kind of book you should be paid to read, rather than pay for.

Departments
SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (2nd Edition) (Exam Prep)
Published in Paperback by Pearson Education (2007-07-26)
Author: Larry Phillips
List price: $54.99
New price: $31.00
Used price: $38.82

Average review score:

SPHR study guide
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-24
Thank you! It came in good condition and will be useful for my upcoming exam.

Don't be misled!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-07
This book is a sham. It boasts that if one is able to complete the provided study exams consistently in the 90 percentile they will be fully prepared for the SPHR exam. NOT TRUE. NOT TRUE. NOT TRUE.

The study and exam prep questions provided are not structured as those on the actual exam and do not encompass all the areas of knowledge required to successfully pass the exam. I studied diligently (using this book) for two months, was able to pass the exams repeatedly at 96%-98% and FAILED the SPHR exam. Upon completion of the exam I was not able to find information relating to many of the exam questions in the entire book. 'SPHR Exam Prep' was a waste of my valuable time and money; don't be misled!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-01
I thought this book delved deeper into the issues I encountered during the SPHR exam, and I appreciated that it concentrated only on the SPHR exam and didn't try to accomplish too much in a single book. I was so impressed with the study material that I will continue to use it as a reference book in my career. I liked the other book I purchased to prepare for the exam, but I truly thought the quality of information in this one was better.

Seriously Disappointed
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-31
I was seriously disappointed in this book. It covers a lot of information, but the sample questions and material do not come close to the real test or way questions are asked on the real certification test.

Very Disappointing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-22
We purchased the book over a month ago for this test that my wife will take in January. Until now, we still have not received it yet. We are not making a fuss. We will know better next time.


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