Bush Books

The American Presidency is at once the strongest and the weakest point in our democratic system and the most powerful office in the world. It has been held by 42 men, each of whom, whether dull or flamboyant, virtuous or corrupt, humble or imperial, capable or inept, has interpreted his constitutional power and responded to the imperatives of history in his own way.

With scholarly accuracy and appealing informality, Davic Whitney and Robin Vaughn Whitney have drawn vivid profiles of the chief executives. They show how each man moved to the White House through a series of triumphs, setbacks, accidents and achievements; why he was the sort of man he was, and why he became the sort of President he did. With objectivity and candor, each man is evaluated in relation to the unfolding drama of US history.

Though the majority were lawyers, many of the Presidents had military backgrounds, including four Civil War generals (Grant, Hayes, Garfield, and Benjamin Harrison). Seven Presidents served in World War II. Twenty had been govenors of states or territories. The election of George W. Bush marked only the second time the son of a former President won the nation's highest office.

The legacy of the American Presidency is a mixture of obscurity and greatness, mediocrity and brilliance, weakness and strength. But, considered together, the men who have held that office have provided the best continuity of leadership any nation in history has ever enjoyed.

La historia de Ana por Jenna Bush.

Todo el mundo puede penetrar en los sentimientos de esta historia. Antes de leer la, no se necesita tener mucha información sobre el síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida, es decir, Sida, así como conocer a un amigo o alguien conocido que tenga el virus. Al leer de este libro se entenderá también cómo UNICEF trabaja para asistir a los niños, como Ana, quienes han nacido con este virus. El tema de esta novela verídica se amplía al leer cada página. La protagonista de la historia revela a los lectores sus experiencias de vivir con el VIH. Esta hace énfasis en la gente enferma, durante su infancia y juventud. Al seguir leyendo sobre el camino en el cual Ana atravesaba, se es invitado a ir adentro del corazón de una niña hasta su adolescencia.
Ella tenía que ajustarse a su destino desafortunado. ¿Dónde encuentra Ana su esperanza? Pues, desde muy temprana edad Ana tenía que aprender a vivir con pérdidas: las de sus padres quieres murieron como consecuencia de esta enfermedad. Y la de sobrellevar su vida junto a su abuela, con quien no era feliz. Además tenía que vivir con un secreto: el VIH virus.
Como una niña Ana podía encontrar dentro de ella un poder espiritual y podía expresarle a Díos buenos y malos sentimientos. Pese a comprometerse a nunca contar su secreto, se hizo de buenos amigos y más tarde durante su juventud pudo confiar su secreto a algunos adultos.
Todo el mundo ha sufrido algo y ha conocido a un amigo o pariente que ha sufrido mucho con una enfermedad. Por esta razón se podrá seguir leyendo esta historia sobre Ana y tal vez le ayudará a usted a pensar sobre esta persona de su conocimiento. De una forma muy significativa, creo que La historia de Ana a la mayoría de los lectores.

This is a kick-a** little book which is sadly now out of print. The 90+ pages are a sampling of some of the many political protest posters of the Reagan/Bush era, covering issues from local city politics, to police brutality, abortion rights, gay rights, US involvement in El Salvador, the Gulf War, nuclear disarmament and more. Some of the posters were commissioned works, but most were "sniped" (illegally wheatpasted in the dead of night) in city streets. The bulk of the selections come from New York and San Francisco, and some of them will be readily identifiable or familiar to people of leftish persuasion. Barbara Kruger for example, Keith Haring, David Goines (who is more widely famous for his restaurant and wine identity work), Artfux, Guerilla Girls, and Robbie Conal (sadly his "Meese Is A Pig" piece is not included). Graphic design guru Heller contributes a nice little condensed history of graphic political protest, and Jacobs offers a few pages on the culture of protest postering. It's a wonderful book that should inspire the activist and graphic designer that lurks in all of us.

Patti Sirens' new book of poetry, Antarctica, is a test of faith, a one-night stand, an unrelenting vision of the world you thought you knew. Here, the world is not a familiar, mundane, surface. In the title poem, "Antarctica" she demands, "look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you." Once you pick up this book, you wont' dare look away.

Whether you've lived in Santa Cruz, California a few months or a lifetime, Sirens' poetry will challenge you to see this city through new eyes,the eyes of a Rebel Angel: "highway one veers away from the sea/snaking valley and river's jugular/church chimes charm the dreamer/save the sailor/drown the savior" ("Barn Swallows"). The Rebel Angel lineage of poetry descends from an unbroken line of risk-takers and poet-prophets such as William Blake, Allen Ginsberg, Alice Notley, and Eileen Myles. This is the poetry I hunger for. This is necessary magic.

In Sirens' poem "Odyssea," we are given what we need to know "how to talk heron and crow and coax the wildflowers from the ground they will listen to your stories and love you for your silences/they will remind you that you are wild and holy." There is the possibility of communication with what is natural and wise in the world(s) surrounding this one. I found that "Antarctica" is a metaphor for both the earth and the inner self; all those vast uninhabitable places where we find ourselves lost and without sustenance. We also long for these places as they force us to meet a deeper truth. This is wilderness that has its own presence and powers and is indifferent to our individual survival.

Sometimes there are no answers; only memories, regrets or sex and dreams and desire. This is honest poetry; no promises of redemption unless you are in the process of reinventing the world. "In the photo we are smiling but really our hearts were tearing apart like when you slice open a piece of fruit and you pull the halves away from the pit how what is whole suddenly finds something hollow in itself" (Dead Wallendas").

At the same time, Sirens is wryly humorous in poems such as, "The Telephone Rang," "Courage," and "All There Is." This collection finds a vital balance that will appeal to poetry lovers, lovers of language, and new converts. And if you've heard Patti Sirens' performance of her work, you'll be glad, as I was, to find a full collection of poetry that carries its power on the page as well as one the stage.

"Amelia's Last Flight" is an invocation and a prophecy, "I believed there were angels/creatures of light who came from the stars/lived in the wet grass/crawled through the night grass/seeing with feral eyes/who were proud in god's eyes and maybe god's themselves." With the repetition if "grass grass": and "eyes, eyes," it is as if an ancient chant is summoning strength for the journey. This is the way to enter the next millennium. Are you going to creep into the future? Or are you going to put on your black boots and create revolution? Patti Sirens' book, Antarctica, is the initiation you've been waiting for.

Don Braun volunteered to fly for the Canadians during WWII and stayed in Canada after the war as a bush pilot. Don flew the far North with Wardair from the begining and proved himself to be a talented pilot in an unforgiving land. I found the stories to be well written and usually fascinating. Don was a pro in a type of flying that did not tolerate fools or mistakes. He pioneered some of the early routes and bush airstrips.

Although a bit homespun at times the stories themselves overshadow any tendency for skimming. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers that enjoy Northern flying and adventure stories. There are not many books on Canadian bush flying, most are about Alaskan pilots. This one is one of the better accounts of post WWII Canadian flying.

This book's subtitle establishes its full-throated tone: "Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf? The Best Legal Whorehouse in Texas; The Coming Theft of the 2008 Election; No Child's Behind Left and Other Tales of Class Combat in a Dying Regime." Greg Palast's undercover reports in Harper's and web site venues have won him a reputation for spunk and resourcefulness. In Armed Madhouse, he pulls out all the stops to unleash a muckraker's attack on the Bush administration and its potential aftermath.

I like this book because it is special. I am nervous sometimes just like Arthur in the story. It also makes me think about all the places that are in the book. I want to go to Washington, D.C. one day and meet the President. But I hope I don't have to give a speech. D.W. made me laugh at the end. It also made me think and I'm going to help other people. A good book.

"Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard of no more", (William Shakespeare). Thomas Goltz certainly knows how to strut, but my suspicion is he doesn't fret much, and we'll be hearing plenty more from Mr. Goltz. A very enjoyable read.

Margaret Carney has taken me back many years with her writing. I remember the fresh maple surup candy that I used to get in the New England area. This story can demonstrate to students a way that children in different areas can help their family. It is also a wonderful book to share at the beginning of spring if you are in an area, or going to an area, that produces maple surup. I miss the woods and smells at that time of year (O.K. so I miss the maple sugar candy most). Enjoy this book and try to find time to visit an area that produces maple sugar.

This is the bible of Australian finches. It may be dated, but is still top of the league