Churchill Books

An easy, short review to write. Simply the best personal account of the opening campaign of the war. The author, who also had a key liaison position in the French-British fiasco in May-June 1940, pulls no punches in this account of the near fiasco of August-September 1914.

I have read that Spears is considered one of only two men (the other being Churchill) to have written essential, classic first person accounts of both World Wars, this book being one of them and the other being his book on the French-British reaction (or lack thereof) to the German blitzkrieg of 1940.

Besides the descriptions of the military actions, this book also presents exceptional profiles of many of the key figures in both the French and British forces. Spears was, as a liaison between the two armies, in a unique position to oberve the men on both sides. He writes, naturally, from the British viepoint and is not always kind to his French allies. He is particularly scathing on General Lanrezac, who he considered to have been an honorable man driven to venality and deceit through panic and loss of nerve.

I have the original British edition of this book. It was published with a set of elaborate fold-out maps. I haven't seen this reprint, so I don't know what maps are provided here. The maps are very useful, since much of the book contains the author's observations of small actions, and the maps are specifically keyed to these descriptions. But with or without the maps, this book is esential reading on the opening campaign of the war and I am glad to see it is available in a recent edition.

Despite the picture of an older Churchill on the cover the speeches in this collection are from his early political years when he switched from the conservative party to the liberals. They give a very interesting insight into the early development of Churchills great political career.

What a great issue!

Letters to the Editors: arguing whether rocket travel to the moon is possible!

FABULOUS LARGE ADS! Many full color, full page.

Speaking of Pictures...three pages of artsy photographs.

The Week's Events: South African Racial Hatreds Erupt in Riots; Tyrone and Lynda Get Married; Snowbound Cattle Get Food by Plane; Israel Comes of Voting Age; 1949 Cars; Senate's Chaplain; Gieseking Gets The Gate.

COVER ARTICLE: THE WAR MEMOIRS OF WINSTON CHURCHILL, VOLUME II, PART 1. About 20 pages, including photographs, full color photos of Churchill's paintings,etc.

Other sections: Theater, Sports (great water skiing article!) Movies (Harpo), Fashion, Science, etc.

My niece loved this book of pranks and has been using them against all of us ever since receiving it. Age appropriate and good clean fun pranks.

Myself and Jed love this book. It was the first book he was able to read to me whole and now he reads it to his dearest baby sister Jade.
Thankyou Charlie and Vicki.

Mad Forest is a fascinating look at Communist Romania before, during, and right after the revolution. I had the privelage of working on a college production of this play, and, each time it was performed, I found something new or amazing about it.
The play follows two families (Bogdon's family and Mihai's family) in Communist Romania. The play uses language (or, in the first scene, the lack of it) to convey the danger of their lives. Just as the conversation is suppressed, the people themselves are suppressed. (For our production, we talked to a Romanian woman who said people were afraid to talk to their next door neighbors, because they did not know the person was in Securitate (the secret police). The second act contains "sound bites," if I can call them that, to describe the events of December 1989, when the Communist government was overthrown. This part of the play is especially chilling and brilliant. The third act shows the chaos following the collapse of communism. The characters talk and argue, and almost explode with emotion, as Churchill once again uses language to show the chaos. The third act, like the aftermath of the revolution, was unsettling. I would advise anyone who wants to read this, to learn a little bit about the revolution, so you understand what happened. All in all, a fantastic, powerful, moving play.

If you're looking for a textbook on ayurvedic herbs, here it is.

I've been interested in ayurvedic herbs but did not find anything with scientific references. Anecdotal reports are not enough.

A few examples:

Did you know the ficus tree is considered holy and is used for medicine?

Amla, which is a component of the formula "triphala" has been proven to dramatically lower cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and low density lipoproteins by 82%, 66% 77% and 90% respectively.

REGRESSION OF AORTIC PLAQUES was observed. To put it plainly, when your arteries are clogged, this herb will help unclog them.

I do a lot of research on heart disease had never heard of this.

I know pseudoginseng, which is a Chinese herb, will do the same thing, but I did not know about Amla.

Delightful read.
If you are a colonial wargamer (but politically correct) you would probably draw the line there... I mean a hundred years lapse... that is the minimum good measure to wargame without regrets... (a lot of nonsense from me... as there are plenty of WWII wargamers around... and even I do indulge in Vietnam skirmishes now and then...).
It makes a very interesting read... and of course the powers of description are all there...
One fact I didn't knew it was how good a polo player Winston was! (that has nothing to do with this review of course...)

"The River War" is also splendid.

ADB

The author has compiled 10 years of research to give us a very clear and complete picture of the malalignment syndrome. This is a common syndrome and affects the majority of school children and adults. It involves distortion of the pelvic ring and associated changes in the configuration of the vertebrae. It is also characterized by asymmetrical range of movement, soft tissue tension, and muscle strength.
Fortunately, there are 3 common presentations and the tests to determine the diagnosis are not difficult.
This book contains in depth details of etiology and the clinical presentations of these patterns.
The correction of these patterns are fairly easy to learn. There are 3 techniques for correction: MET (muscle energy techniques), traction, and leverage techniques.
These can be taught and completed at home so the realignment can be maintained independently.
The author stresses that treatment not only involves the skill of the practitioner. Success is dependent on the efforts of the patient. It must be considered a long term commitment to achieve success.
Traditional methods of treating the symptoms will ultimately fail if the malalignment is not diagnosed and corrected. For that reason, massage, adjustments and modalities provide temporary relief at best.
Initially, it is hoped that individuals be assessed by a health professional with the expertise to deal with the complete picture. This practitioner can teach techniques of self diagnosis and correction as outlined in the textbook.
Doctors, physiotherapists and other health care practitioners, athletes and the general populace will find the knowledge invaluable. It will remain a respected reference and essestial guide for all of us.

It is a difficult call to proclaim a person as the one who had the biggest affect on history in the twentieth century. People such as Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao and Franklin Roosevelt all had an enormous influence in the world. In the case of the first four, much of that is measured in the deaths of millions of people. My vote for the person with the greatest influence is Winston Churchill, for the difference he made has extended well into the twenty-first century.
When France fell in May of 1940, few people, including Britons, felt that Britain could hold out against the Germans. The German armies seemed invincible and while the British were able to evacuate large numbers of their soldiers from Dunkirk, they had almost nothing in the way of weapons. I recall a newsreel that shows British military recruits drilling with broomsticks because there were no rifles.
Yet, in this darkest time for the British Empire, it was Churchill who rallied them and with that, the rest of the world. By keeping the British in the fight, they became the focal point of hope for most of continental Europe. This book is a photographic history of the man, and it is clear from a very young age that he believed his destiny was to be great. Towards that end, he embarked on a military career and was fortunate not to have been killed. Captured by the Boers, he managed to escape and make his way back to England where he received a hero's welcome.
It is impossible for a collection of photographs to truly represent how significant Churchill was, yet it is instructive to read the captions and to see these snapshots of his life. Too many, he was a difficult man, his ego often rubbed people the wrong way. Yet, his was a talent that could back up even the biggest of egos, and he was also the right man at the right time. His steadfast determination to stand against the Germans altered the course of history for centuries. Had England capitulated, the world would now be a far different place and those differences would not be for the better.
It is an occupational weakness of politicians that they consider themselves destined for greatness. It would be a benefit to them all if they were to study this book and learn exactly what qualities make a person great.