The Battle of Mogadishu or Cape Wind

The Battle of Mogadishu: First-Hand Accounts from the Men of Task Force Ranger

Author: Matthew Eversmann

It started as a mission to capture a Somali warlord. It turned into a disastrous urban firefight and death-defying rescue operation that shocked the world and rattled a great nation. Now the 1993 battle for Mogadishu, Somalia-the incident that was the basis of the book and film Black Hawk Down-is remembered by the men who fought and survived it. Six of the best in our military recall their brutal experiences and brave contributions in these never-before-published, firstperson accounts.

"Operation Gothic Serpent," by Matt Eversmann: As a "chalk" leader, Eversmann was part of the first group of Rangers to "fast rope" from the Black Hawk helicopters. It was his chalk that suffered the first casualty of the battle.

"Sua Sponte: Of Their Own Accord," by Raleigh Cash: Responsible for controlling and directing fire support for the platoon, Cash entered the raging battle in the ground convoy sent to rescue his besieged brothers in arms.

"Through My Eyes," by Mike Kurth: One of only two African Americans in the battle, Kurth confronted his buddies' deaths, realizing that "the only people whom I had let get anywhere near me since I was a child were gone."

"What Was Left Behind," by John Belman: He roped into the biggest firefight of the battle and considers some of the mistakes that were made, such as using Black Hawk helicopters to provide sniper cover.

"Be Careful What You Wish For," by Tim Wilkinson: He was one of the Air Force pararescuemen or PJs-the highly trained specialists for whom "That Others May Live" is no catchphrase but a credo-and sums up his incomprehensible courage as "just holding up my end of the deal on a bad day."

"OnFriendship and Firefights," by Dan Schilling: As a combat controller, he was one of the original planners for the deployment of SOF forces to Mogadishu in the spring of 1993. During the battle, he survived the initial assault and carnage of the vehicle convoys only to return to the city to rescue his two closest friends, becoming, literally, "Last Out."

With America's withdrawal from Somalia an oft-cited incitement to Osama bin Laden, it is imperative to revisit this seminal military mission and learn its lessons from the men who were there and, amazingly, are still here.

Go to: Starfish and the Spider or The Richest Man Who Ever Lived

Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound

Author: Wendy Williams

When Jim Gordon set out to build a wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod, he knew some people might object. But there was a lot of merit in creating a privately funded, clean energy source for energy-starved New England, and he felt sure most people would recognize it eventually. Instead, all Hell broke loose. Gordon had unwittingly challenged the privileges of some of America's richest and most politically connected people, and they would fight him tooth and nail, no matter what it cost, and even when it made no sense.

Cape Wind is a rollicking tale of democracy in action and plutocracy in the raw as played out among colorful and glamorous characters on one of our country's most historic and renowned pieces of coastline. As steeped in American history and local color as The Prince of Providence; as biting, revealing and fun as Philistines at the Hedgerow, it is also a cautionary tale about how money can hijack democracy while America lags behind the rest of the developed world in adopting clean energy.

The New York Times - Robert Sullivan

If HBO is looking to develop a series based on environmental politics, then Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound is a natural for the option, with the Kennedys sitting in for the Sopranos, Nantucket Sound for the Meadowlands and phrases like "environmental impact statement" replacing "swimming with the fishes."

Boston Globe

Colorful storytelling about the tribulations of siting a renewable energy project . . . Yes, this book is lots of fun.

Hartford Courant

The authors took a potentially dull subject and have turned it into an entertaining read . . . A crisply written, well-told story.

EnergyBiz

The book is a captivating read‹and perfect if you find yourself headed to the beach in coming weeks. If you get to Cape Cod, send us a digital picture of yourself holding up the book with the playgrounds of Jack Welch, William Koch, the Mellons, DuPonts and Kennedys in the background.

Eva Lautemann - Library Journal

Williams and Whitcomb, both journalists and Cape Cod residents, have written a caustic firsthand report of the political maneuvers involving Cape Wind, a proposed wind energy project. In 2001, Boston energy entrepreneur Jim Gordon proposed building America's first offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound using 130 wind turbines to produce 420 megawatts of renewable energy for the Cape Cod region. Because the Northeast lacks indigenous fossil fuels and has an aging electrical grid, Gordon thought his wind farm would be welcomed. Instead, using the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) argument, some of America's most wealthy residents living on the cape's south shore and others with Nantucket connections, including Sen. Edward Kennedy and former Gov. Mitt Romney, launched a well-funded opposition. A grassroots backlash by those who perceived this interference as a hijacking of the democratic process responded, and the Cape Wind battle was under way. This well-written and well-researched work shows the challenges of evolving past our reliance on fossil fuels and is recommended for all New England libraries and all alternate energy collections.

Notes on the State of Virginia or Barack Obama

Notes on the State of Virginia

Author: Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson published one book, Notes on the State of Virginia, and ever since, it has been the touchstone for understanding Jefferson's ideas about republican government, the environment, education, race and slavery, and Native-white relations. This edition is the first to present these issues as fundamentally inseparable matters. A collection of lively documents accompanies the core text of the Notes, and charts the evolution of the book in the revolutionary crucible and during the heady early days of the new nation. An introduction by David Waldstreicher places the work in the contexts of the Revolution and the social and cultural history of Jefferson's Virginia, with particular attention to developing ideas about race and nature. A chronology of the life and career of Thomas Jefferson and selected bibliography also add to the pedagogical benefits of this volume.

Table of Contents:

Part One Introduction: Nature, Race, and Revolution in Jefferson’s America Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia
* Virginia’s Jefferson
* Virginia’s Revolution Law and War
* Notes on the State of Virginia and the State of America Nature
* Native Genius
* Captive Nations
* From Weather to Race
* The Strange History of a Book
* Part II Documents
* Thomas Jefferson, Resolutions of the Freeholders of Albemarle County, July 26, 1774
* Lord Dunmore, Proclamation of Freedom to Slaves and Servants, November, 1775
* The Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson’s Draft with Congress’s Changes, July 4, 1776
* Francois Marbois, Queries Concerning Virginia, November, 1780
* Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Jean Baptiste DuCoigne, Kaskaskia Chief, June, 1781
* Thomas Jefferson, An Anonymous Letter for European Newspapers, November, 1784
* Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Marquis de Chastellux, June 7, 1785
* Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Richard Price, August 7, 1785
* Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Marquis de Chastellux, September 2, 1785
* Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Archibald Stuart, January 25, 1786
* Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1787 London Edition
* Benjamin Banneker, Letter to Thomas Jefferson, August 19, 1791
* Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Benjamin Banneker, August 30, 1791

Look this: Take Care of Yourself Guide to Treating Your Familys Most Common Symptoms or Heart Healthy for Life

Barack Obama: The New Face of American Politics (Women and Minorities in Politics Series)

Author: Martin Dupuis

Barack Obama's election to the U.S. Senate in 2004 is one of the most interesting and colorful political campaigns in recent history. His rousing keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that same year made his name a household word. The "Obama for Illinois" crusade offers important insights into American politics. The authors explore the role of money, political party, ethnicity, religion, and the issues facing our society today. Obama's straightforward policy recommendations, message of hope and inclusion, and charismatic style propelled him to the national spotlight. Obama has the potential to shape America and to reshape U.S. politics as he campaigns for the White House.

Obama's state senate career and his decision to enter the U.S. Senate race are examined in this book. Despite a primary field of six competitors, Obama received more than half of the Democratic vote, defeating a multimillionaire and the state comptroller, a well-known figure in the Democratic Party. The general election imploded for the Republicans in the first few weeks of the campaign when it was revealed that their candidate was embroiled in a sex scandal. Alan Keyes, the ultraconservative, outspoken African American who had run for president twice and for the U.S. Senate from Maryland, was recruited to challenge Obama. But Obama, whose skill with the media and whose ability to raise funds was evident even in those early days of his career, easily won the race with 70 percent of the vote. The authors analyze Obama's ability to speak to the concerns of multiple constituencies by appealing to a coalition of voters that transcends race, class, and gender. At the start of his presidential run, Obama gives new meaning to the American dream.

Ann Burns - Library Journal

Presidential candidate Obama is the only African American in the U.S. Senate. Here, Dupuis (political science, Univ. of Central Florida) and Boeckelman (politics, Western Illinois Univ.) show how his stirring speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, his policy recommendations, and his charismatic style have put him in the national spotlight.

Almanac of Political Corruption Scandals and Dirty Politics or One Soldiers Story

Almanac of Political Corruption, Scandals and Dirty Politics

Author: Kim Long

Watergate. Billygate. Iran-Contra. Teapot Dome. Monica Lewinsky.American history is marked by era-defining misdeeds, indiscretions, and the kind of tabloid-ready scandals that politicians seem to do better than anyone else. Now, for the first time, one volume brings together 300 years of political wrongdoing in an illustrated history of politicians gone wild—proving that today’s scoundrels aren’t the first, worst, and surely won’t be the last….

From high crimes to misdemeanors to moments of licentiousness and larceny, this unique compendium captures in complete, colorful detail the foibles, failings, peccadilloes, dirty tricks, and astounding blunders committed by politicians behaving badly. Amid stories of brawlers, plagiarists, sexual predators, tax evaders, and the temporarily insane, this almanac tells all about:

•The only (so far!) president to be arrested while in office: Ulysses S. Grant, who was allegedly issued a ticket for racing his horse and buggy through the streets of Washington, D.C.

•The former New Jersey state senator David J. Friedland, who disappeared during a scuba diving accident in 1985. It turns out he staged the accident and served nine years in prison after being captured in the Maldives.

•Tape-recorded instructions from highbrow president Franklin Delano Roosevelt on how his staff should carry out some low-down political tricks

•The bizarre story of U.S. congressman Robert Potter, who castrated two men he suspected of having affairs with his wife. Potter won election to the state house while in jail—but was kicked out for cheating at cards.

•Texascongressman Henry Barbosa Gonzalez: he was charged with assault in 1986 after he shoved and hit a man who called him a communist. Gonzalez was seventy years old at the time.

At once shocking and hilariously funny, here’s a book that exposes the history of American politics, warts and all—and makes for hours of jaw-dropping, fascinating, illuminating reading.

Interesting book: Group Discussion or Content Rights for Creative Professionals

One Soldier's Story: A Memoir

Author: Bob Dol

At last, in his own words, Bob Dole tells his legendary World War II story -- a personal odyssey of tremendous courage, sacrifice, and faith.

In One Soldier's Story, Bob Dole tells the moving, inspirational story of his harrowing experience in World War II, and how he overcame life-threatening injuries long before rising to the top of the U.S. Senate. As a platoon leader in the famed 10th Mountain Division, twenty-one-year-old Bob Dole was gravely wounded on a hill in the Italian Alps just two weeks before the end of the war. Trying to pull his radioman to safety during a fire-fight against a fortified German position, Dole was hit with shrapnel across his right shoulder and back. Over the next three years, not expected to survive, he lapsed in and out of a coma, lost a kidney, lost the use of his right arm and most of the feeling in his left arm. But he willed himself to live. Drawing on nearly 300 never-before-seen letters between him and his family during this period, Dole offers a powerful, vivid portrait of one man's struggle to survive in the closing moments of the war. With insight and candor, Dole also focuses on the words, actions, and selfless deeds of countless American heroes with whom he served, including two fellow injured soldiers who later joined him in the Senate, capturing the singular qualities of his generation. He speaks here not as a politician, but as a wounded G.I. who went on to become one of our nation's most respected statesmen. In doing so, he gives us a heartfelt story of uncommon bravery and personal faith -- in himself, his fellow man, and a greater power. This is the World War II chronicle that America has been waiting for.

The New York Times - William Grimes

One Soldier's Story is really two stories, plainly told, with a generous sprinkling of family letters. The first is a harrowing tale of wartime courage and suffering. But Mr. Dole devotes nearly as much attention to describing his childhood years in Russell, which he describes as "a quintessential Midwestern community, a picture postcard of rustic values and plainspoken wisdom." Heartfelt and highly idealized, this picture of small-town life in the Midwest before the war takes on a kind of mythic power. Mr. Dole held tight to his all-American vision throughout his ordeal, and indeed, has rarely failed to mention Russell - its people and its values - when articulating his political philosophy or his personal struggles.

Publishers Weekly

This affecting memoir chronicles the Republican senator's arduous coming of age through the early 1950s. After a poor but for him idyllic childhood in Russell, Kans., Dole arrived at college and then the army during World War II a sunny, callow young man; his letters home-many reprinted here-are preoccupied with Mom's cooking, college sports and fraternity hijinks. The story darkens and deepens when he is sent to Italy and, near the end of the war, gravely wounded by a German shell blast that leaves him all but paralyzed with spinal cord damage and a maimed shoulder. The bulk of the book is taken up with Dole's agonizing three-year convalescence. His restrained but poignant account details his painfully slow struggle to regain the use of his legs and arms, the strain put on his family by his physical helplessness and his reluctant coming to terms with the ruin of his once handsome and athletic body. The book is very much a political autobiography, full of tributes to faith, family and hard work, but the harrowing experiences that put these ideals to the test elevate Dole's memoir above mere boilerplate. Photos. (Apr. 12) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In April 1945, three weeks before Germany surrendered in World War II, 21-year-old Lt. Robert Dole suffered near-fatal wounds to his shoulder and spinal cord from German machine-gun fire as he tried to pull his radioman to safety. In this often moving book, based on the 300 letters Dole exchanged with his family, he tells the story of his three-year ordeal to relearn how to walk and use his arms. In addition, he describes his childhood in Russell, KS, and his years as a three-sport athlete at Kansas University. While being treated at Percy Jones Army Medical Hospital in Michigan, he began lifelong friendships with fellow war heroes Phillip Hart and Daniel Inouye, who would become fellow senators as well. Dole largely attributes his remarkable recovery, which included two near-death infections and nine operations, to his faith, the values instilled by his parents, and his sense of humor. He concludes with his poignant tribute to the World War II generation at the 2004 dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Writing without the anger about inferior medical care for veterans that distinguishes Ron Kovic's Vietnam memoir, Born on the Fourth of July, Dole has produced a journal of hope and recovery that will resonate with its readers. Highly recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/04.]-Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Sixty years after the fact, the former senator and presidential candidate recounts the wartime incident that left him wounded for life-and that gave him "a ferocious determination to take the next step." At the outset of this nicely written memoir, Dole protests that the handle "the greatest generation" is not one that his generation claimed for itself. "Truth be told," he says, "we were ordinary Americans fated to confront extraordinary tests. Every generation of young men and women who dare face the realities of war . . . is the greatest generation." He warms up to the title in time, however, while recalling a poor childhood on the Kansas plains, made more complicated by the arrival of the Depression; by the time he arrived in Italy as a new lieutenant, he had already faced plenty of character-building tests. Dole, whom later parodists have portrayed as being thin-skinned, admits to being a little put off early on at not being embraced by the mountain troops under his command; but, considering the low life expectancy of field unit commanders, he reckons, "No wonder the forty or so men of the 2nd Platoon didn't go out of their way to get to know me when I arrived. They figured I wouldn't be around long." They were right: while assaulting Hill 913 on the German line on April 14, 1945, Dole was severely wounded by a high-explosive shell fragment, with multiple injuries to his upper body. His account of the years-long process of recovery takes up much of his story, and Dole delivers it with grace and economy: he writes movingly, for instance, that he has viewed his full body in a mirror fewer than half a dozen times in 60 years ("I don't need any more reminders"), and he offers, without atrace of mawkishness, a fine brief on what the Rodgers and Hammerstein song "You'll Never Walk Alone" means to him. For all his reluctance to lay claim to hero or greatest-generation status, Dole deserves accolades. So, too, does his memoir. Author tour

Public Opinion or Grover Cleveland

Public Opinion

Author: Walter Lippmann

A penetrative study of democratic theory and the role of citizens in a democracy, this classic by a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner offers a prescient view of the media's function in shaping public perceptions. It changed the nature of political science as a scholarly discipline and introduced concepts that continue to influence political theory.

See also: Liderança de Criatividade:Habilidades aquela Modificação de Passeio

Grover Cleveland

Author: Henry F Graff

A fresh look at the only president to serve nonconsecutive termsHaving run for President three times, gaining the popular vote majority each time—despite losing the electoral college in 1892—Cleveland was unique in the line of nineteenth-century Chief Executives. Graff revives Cleveland’s rags-to-riches story, explaining how he fought to restore stature to the office in the wake of several weak administrations. A fascinating account of the political world that created American leaders before the advent of modern media.

Publishers Weekly

In this brief, excellent volume written for Arthur Schlesinger's American Presidents series, Columbia professor emeritus Graff (The Tuesday Cabinet) picks up the often neglected Grover Cleveland, dusts him off and reminds us how substantial he was. After serving as mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York, Cleveland (1837-1908) was the first Democrat to be elected president after the Civil War. He forced America's railroad titans to return 81,000,000 western acres previously granted by the federal government and regulated them with the Interstate Commerce Act. Although defeated in the electoral college by Benjamin Harrison in 1888, Cleveland won the popular vote, which set the stage for his return to the presidency in 1892 in the midst of nationwide depression. As usual, Cleveland acted decisively. He repealed the inflationary Sherman Silver Purchase Act and, with the aid of Wall Street, maintained the Treasury's gold reserve. When Chicago railroad strikers violated an injunction against further disruption, Cleveland dispatched federal troops. Cleveland's no-nonsense treatment of the strikers stirred many Americans, as did the way he forced Great Britain to accept arbitration of a disputed boundary in Venezuela. But many of Cleveland's hard-hitting policies during the depression proved unpopular in the long term; in 1896, his party nominated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency. In clean, matter-of-fact prose, Graff sums up the plainspoken Cleveland as a man of action and uncompromising integrity a man who, though publicly identified as the father of a bastard child, nevertheless restored dignity to the office of the president in the wake of several weak administrations. (Aug. 20) Forecast: Because Cleveland lacks the popular appeal of Teddy Roosevelt or James Madison (with bios already published in this series), this fine volume may be more for completists. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

As part of the "American Presidents" series under the editorial direction of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., distinguished historian Graff (America: The Glorious Republic, to 1877) offers new insight into a President who is often overlooked. Best known as the only President to serve two nonconsecutive terms, Cleveland does indeed deserve Graff's fresh examination. The 1888 Presidential election was marked by one of the earliest and most virulent attacks on the personal behavior of a candidate when Cleveland was accused of fathering a child out of wedlock. But the candidate took full responsibility for the child (an act Graff refers to as "the gold standard" for such circumstances), and in the end the incident did not cause Cleveland to lose the election. Graff's examination of the 1888 election is one of the finest short reviews of that peculiar race available. Cleveland had a narrow view of the President's powers and did not exert the more expansive leadership that would characterize later Presidents. But he was an able administrator and pursued a clean-government agenda. This slim volume is a valuable addition to the literature on the Presidency and is a compelling argument for taking Cleveland seriously as a President. For political collections of public libraries.-Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Slender but deftly sketched assessment of our 22nd and 24th president. Physically imposing in life, Grover Cleveland is largely forgotten now, except for the oddity that he was the only president to have served two nonconsecutive terms in office (1885-89 and 1893-97). He deserves better from historians, argues Graff (Professor Emeritus, History/Columbia Univ.), who points out Cleveland's political domination of his time: a politician of integrity, sincerity, and decency at a time of widespread political corruption. As such, Cleveland won the popular vote for president three times in a row-he lost the electoral vote to Benjamin Harrison in 1888-and was revered by millions of his contemporaries. Compelled to forego college after the early death of his father, the young Cleveland settled down to read law in Buffalo. Cleveland quickly rose to prominence as a Buffalo attorney, and his close relationship with influential New York Democratic kingmaker Daniel Manning resulted in short, successful stints as mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York. In these early jobs, he established the themes of sound administration, resistance to pork-barrel politics, and general fairness that distinguished him later as president. In that office, he saw civil-service reform of government and articulated a foreign policy of fair play-he disapproved of the coup that overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy, for instance-that contrasted with the imperialism of successor Teddy Roosevelt. In Graff's study, striking differences between Cleveland's era and ours emerge: pretending disinterest while subordinates ran the campaign, Cleveland and his opponents passively "stood" for office instead of running for it. In addition,Cleveland was a "gray personality" whose coarse appearance, heavy body, and unspectacular memorized speeches might have disqualified him for the presidency in the age of television. Graff does not see Cleveland as a visionary figure, but as a transition between the 19th century's ideal of a limited presidency and our more expansive modern view of the office. An absorbing study of an undeservedly forgotten president.

Table of Contents:

	Editor's Note	xv
	Prologue	1
1.	Early Years	3
2.	A Career in Buffalo	12
3.	Governor of New York	21
4.	The Making of a President	43
5.	In the White House	67
6.	Defeated for Reelection	90
7.	An Interregnum	98
8.	The Return to Power	111
9.	End of the Road	130
	Epilogue	137
	Milestones	139
	Selected Bibliography	143
	Index	145

Hedgehogs and Foxes or To Change China

Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations

Author: Abraham Zaleznik

In this compelling look at charismatic leaders and their leadership styles, Abraham Zaleznik asserts that leaders are either 'hedgehogs,' who view leadership as a single-minded track driven by unwavering rules, or 'foxes,' who assess and re-evaluate their goals and strategies based on ever-changing factors in business, politics, and culture. Covering dynamic personalities from Dwight Eisenhower to Martin Luther King, Jr., Zaleznik draws illuminating conclusions about psycho-politics and negotiations of power and command, celebrating innovative problem-solving skills.

New interesting book: Abnormal Pap Smears or The Womens Migraine Survival Guide

To Change China: Western Advisors in China, 1620-1960

Author: Jonathan D Spenc

"To change China" was the goal of foreign missionaries, soldiers, doctors, teachers, engineers, and revolutionaries for more than three hundred years. But the Chinese, while eagerly accepting Western technical advice, clung steadfastly to their own religious and cultural traditions. As a new era of relations between China and the United States begins, the tales in this volume will serve as cautionary histories for businessmen, diplomats, students, or any other foreigners who foolishly believe that they can transform this vast, enigmatic country.

"A fascinating popular book. . . . Mr. Spence has given these careers fascinating first-person detail. He is a skilled craftsman." (John K. Fairbank, The New York Review of Books)

Table of Contents:

	List of Illustrations	vii
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction	xiii
1.	Schall and Verbiest: To God Through the Stars	3
2.	Peter Parker: Bodies or Souls	34
3.	Ward and Gordon: Glorious Days of Looting	57
4.	Lay and Hart: Power, Patronage, Pay	93
5.	Martin and Fryer: Trimming the Lamps	129
6.	Edward Hume: Yale for China	161
7.	Mikhail Borodin: Life in the Sun	184
8.	Todd and Bethune: Overcome All Terrors	205
9.	Chennault, Stilwell, Wedemeyer: A Compass for Shangri-La	228
10.	The Last Rounds: U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.	279
	Conclusion	289
	Chapter Notes	294
	Index	327