Pacific University Books

No, it's not and it's not supposed to be. It's a desk reference. It gives status and distribution details for the 483 species documented in Washington. Extensive data on occurrence including noteworthy records are provided for all species. Most accounts also include phenology bar graphs (sometimes broken down regionally) and a distribution map. Distribution maps show breeding, and non-breeding ranges. Some accounts also include brief habitat descriptions and additional remarks on identification, ecology and historical changes in status.

Ahead of the species accounts are several sections detailing how the book is laid out, discussions on habitat, avian conservation and "the evolution of field ornithology in Washington".

There is no doubt that wildlife specialists will find this reference useful for quick and authoritative information on what species occur and where. It is unfortunately rather skimpy on the kind ecological details that connect bird species firmly to niches within habitats. The habitat details that are provided are inconsistently applied and usually limited to generalized ecotypes and brief descriptions of nest sites. Those charged with making resource management decisions that depend on more detailed information regarding ecological requirements will be obliged to look elsewhere. Obviously, content choices were made to keep the size and cost of the book within reason, but I would have preferred less discussion on how firm the status of the species is county by county and more discussion on what attracts a bird to a habitat and how it interacts with its environment. County status is a geopolitical constraint that has almost nothing to do with bird distribution.

Avocational naturewatchers may find the county by county detail of the range maps and phenology bar graphs useful, but the minutia on occurrences will probably not be of much use to birders.

Park Service pamphlet treatment of Washington's times, life, and influence. Nicely illustrated introduction to Washington touches on the controversy surrounding his "Tom-ism" and overpowering control over white perception and political leadership on racial issues.

Read in conjunction with Up from Slavery (Dover Thrift Editions).

I found this a really useful text dealing with British defence policy pre 7/8 December 1941.It is very readable & has a good degree of analysis.
What suprised me was the extent to which the British were prepared to reach an accomodation with the Japanese Empire pre Pearl Harbour,& the role of the Dutch.America was a wild card with no certainty of getting involved in a war with Japan.America was getting out of the Phillipines & the Filpinos were concerned the Japanese would take over.Approaches were made by the Filipinos to the British with a view to being incorporated into the British Empire.
This is a view of the period prior to WW2 in the Pacific which is new.I would recommend this book unhesitatingly.

In the usual way of the Cambridge Encyclopedias, this is a well-produced and useful guide. Being encyclopedic, it covers all the usual range of bases - the physical nature - climate, soils, water, vegetation etc, history, including a section on Aboriginal heritage, the nature of government, the economy, society, science and technology and culture and the arts. The contributors are an eminent group of mainly boffins from various universities. Unlike some older, and similar comprehensive surveys of Australia, this volume does include a section on Aboriginal-European relations, from first contact to the early 1990s and the Mabo judgement affecting land rights. There is a small section on child removal, a major issue in Australia since the inquiry into this. Generously illustrated in full colour. A worthy general, single volume addition to the home or school reference library.

John Sidel has written a great deal on the Filipino family and its impact upon Philippine politics. In this book he weaves together much of his own research, along with that collected by others interested in the unique role of the family in the Philippines, in an effort to develop a cohesive theory with which to understand the archipelago. The narratives within the book, detailing local power structures in Cavite and Cebu, are excellent and Sidel has obviously researched his subjects exhaustively. For those from the Southern Philippines the stories of the Osmena family will be, perhaps, only too familiar and readers will likely be left comparing his examples to those they encountered in their province or barangay. But the book fails at offering anything close to a significant critique of Joel Migdal's "strong society, weak state" theory of (under)development. Sidel's tale of local bosses that manipulate and control governmental structures to personally enrich themselves is helpful, but as Kerkvliet has suggested about clientelistism approaches, too narrow. Though some powerful patriarchs have been able to use public resources to garner and control wealth, families of "old" (friar estates) wealth still exist and have not been displaced. Nevertheless, the book is an enjoyable read for those interested in Filipino politics and is additionally helpful in that it removes the traditional emphasis on Manila and villages near central Luzon as the locus for research on the country. I greatly enjoy Sidel's writing style and hope that he builds on the work that he has done in compiling an intelligent history of the ever changing role of the Chinese in the Philippines.

In this fascinating account, we see that Australian republicanism keep recurring. Brought forth by new generations of activists. Often with grandiose claims of a promised land, if only we could rid ourselves of those benighted royalists and their foreign sovereign.

From the very inception of Sydney colony, there was a republican movement. Perhaps not unsurprising, if you recall that one reason for the colony's being was that Britain could no longer send convicts to the Carolinas, as the US had won its independence. Hence many in the early Sydney of convict origin or descent had little love of royal rule.

In later years, the book shows how other factors caused new republican movements to arise. Culminating in the recent kerfuffle about abolishing the Governor General's post and replacing him with an elected or appointed president. While republicanism has broad sentiment, it tends to fall apart on the details of the transitioning to a republic. Something that John Howard gleefully exploited to defeat the latest republican push. Though keep in mind that this latest event was after the book's timeframe.

What is also interesting is how in the post World War 2 period, waves of migrants arrived from outside Britain. This diminishing of a British cultural heritage might have been expected to drive a demand for a republic. Yet any such trend appears minimal, from book's discussion. Australians from other backgrounds tend to be content with the Crown and the current arrangement.

This single volume is perhaps the definitive collection of essays on Air Superiority currently available. Written primarily for the serious student of Air Power, whether they are a military operator, government decision-maker, or academician, this work provides a broad historical perspective spanning from pre-World War I to the Israeli experiences of the mid-1960's and early 1970's. It is meant to not only illustrate the "enduring importance of air superiority" (Pg. iv), but to also impart invaluable lessons on air combat through a historical study of a multitude of different conflicts, conditions, environments, and weapon systems, and to trace the evolution of air superiority. Of equal importance, and also equally emphasized, are the origins and evolutions of doctrine which both guided these developments in air warfare and also resulted from it.

Edited by Benjamin F. Cooling, with the foreword by Richard P. Hallion, the twelve chapters are each written by a notable historian. This serves to make the reading more palatable (for it is not light reading!) and somewhat more interesting as each chapter presents the reader with a different perspective and writing style - some better than others, but all informative. Tying it all together is the final chapter titled "Some Concluding Insights," which serves to draw conclusions from the preceding case studies.

Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority, provides an informed and balanced appraisal of Air Superiority throughout its development in the twentieth century (for information on recent aerial campaigns - after 1975 - another source must be sought).

For a similar work on Close Air Support, see Case Studies in the Development of Close Air Support, also edited by Benjamin F. Cooling.

JPW

This book, published in 1905, gives a balanced view of Catherine de Medici's earlier and middle years, concentrating on the strife between Catholic and Huguenot (French Protestants) leading to the massacre of St. Batholemew's eve. History paints de Medici negatively, but the author accords her some positive qualities:a sharp mind and independence of spirit. The latter might be one reason she favoured the Huguenots during her reign, even arranging a debate between Protestant and Catholic representatives, a debate that ended in profound disagreement. The author draws from documents written around the era in question, and the book has a good selection of plates showing such figures as Diane de Poitiers (the mistress of de Medici's husband, Henry II). Sichel's view is objective (both Catholics and Huguenots were often intolerant), and she puts much into the context of the latter Renaissance. Indeed, the latter part of the book departs from the central theme, examining French artists such as Ronsard.This book, its hardcover version at least long out of print, is a valuable and informative record.

This biography, initially published in 1870, is now available in a reasonably priced reprint. The publication retains the original print by facsimile, and the text remains untouched. The reading public has been done a real service in this reprinting of an old and rather rare volume. Since Dickens was still alive at the time of the initial publication, the author determined not to include any embarrassing details; hence, the work is somewhat sanitized.The facts the author presents are not altogether reliable, which makes the source difficult for the serious researcher to use. Nevertheless, the work is eminently collectible--a must for any Dickens scholar to own.

I am amazed to see that this book has not yet been reviewed by anyone on Amazon.
The Iranian nuclear threat is arguably the greatest one now facing the U.S. and the world.
And in fact Henry Sokolski has prepared another book on this threat in which he will claim that the efforts to stop Iran either militarily or by simply talking through the framework of the IAEA are futile.
In any case the dangers to the world of Iran's going nuclear are very great.
One is the breakdown of all proliferation agreements, the racing of neighboring states Saudia Arabia, Iraq, Egypt , Syria and Turkey to acquire nuclear weapons.
Secondly the danger of an oil- market gone wild. Iran with nuclear weapons will have a tremendous new blackmail lever.
It can block transit lanes, tie up the Straits of Hormuz , blackmail the world.
Thirdly, Iran is the largest exporter of terror in the world. With nuclear weapons its possibilities for doing damage, especially as it makes such skillful use of surrogates in carrying out terror attacks, increase enormously.
As I understand it the authors of this book tend to believe that a military preempt on the part of the United States or Israel would be counterproductive. I do not know enough, and simply do not have the intelligence to be sure that they are right.
But it seems to me given the very strong ideological anti- Western and anti-American base of the mullahs regime all the very clever tactical appeasing moves are not going to do very much.
In addition Iran has China in its corner, and China is going to veto any formal UN action against it.So that even if US efforts at persuading Russia from helping Iran's nuclear program ( hithero unsuccessful) are successful, it will not fully deter Iran.
This book provides an important background to the issue. But there have been serious new developments since its publication( For instance,Iran's missile program has according to Tehran Times of June 1, 2005 taken a giant leap forward and its Shihab 3 missile now can be solid- fuel operated, meaning there is less chance of preempting it) and is therefore to some degree already dated.