I really loved this book! Bina Kiyonaga, and her story, are an inspiration. The book is an incredible account of her journey through life as a mother of five and as the wife of a complex - and compelling -- CIA operative. From country to country, she tells what it was like to live a lie for husband and country. And throughout all the trials and tribulations of the Cold War, they managed to show real humor and courage. There is also great poignancy in this love story, as she describes the true partnership she forged with her husband in his fight against cancer. This book is truly amazing and will appeal to readers of all ages. I highly recomend this book and have been sharing my excitement for it with everyone I know.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this book. However, after the first chapter, I was hooked. Bina Kiyonaga has effectively portrayed the difficulties of trying to strike the delicate balance between maintaining a semblance of normalcy for her family, while supporting her husband's career as an officer of the CIA. Having lived overseas, I can certainly appreciate Bina's problems of having to raise a family without the normality and convenience of life in the United States (not to mention having to raise 5 children in this environment!).

While the details surrounding much of what her husband accomplished during his tenure at the CIA will never be disclosed, Bina has done an excellent job of providing background to lend a certain aura to what her husband was all about. I was awestruck by the devotion she lavished on her husband during good times and in bad. Her faith and her family certainly allowed her to become the women she is today. And is portrayed in the book in a very effective manner.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Despite the minor redundancies throughout the narrative, I think this is a remarkable story...truly something in this book for everyone!

This is an interesting book about the marriage of a middle class woman of Irish descent to a Hawaiian man of Japanese descent. Aside from the differences in their backgrounds, their lives were further complicated by Joe Kiyonaga's career as a CIA agent. Throw in several children, add tours of duty to Japan, Central and South America and you have a lifetime of various adventures. The author, Bina Cady Kiyonaga writes with feeling, and tells the story of her marriage to Joe Kiyonaga with a great deal of candor, even describing the racial prejudice that her husband had to endure. Her rich descriptions of the various places that the family lived really enhance the story and give it an extra dimension.

Bina has an easy style of writing and describes her life with a great deal of wit and humor. I recommend the book to anyone who might be interested in what it was like for the wife and family of a CIA operative.

terry buck, of americus, ga. dennis rodman, formerly of the chicago bulls. jesse "the body/the mind" ventura, governor of MN

Joseki are sequences of play, normally in the corners of the Go board, but sometimes on the sides. Basically, a joseki is intended to be of equal benefit to both players. Sometimes the players split the territory, sometimes one gets territory and one gets influence. They are not really 'fixed' patterns, although beginners are encouraged to memorize several. Instead, there are countless variations. The art of choosing which Joseki to play in what corner is a crucial part of the early stage of the game, with the fuseki or whole board opening giving way to the Joseki and finally to the tactical warfare of the middle and end games.

There are some 20,000 of these patterns that have identified and evaluated, although far fewer are in common usage. Still, the number one needs to be at least familiar with can seem daunting. Hence, the importance of something like the 'Dictionary of Basic Joseki.' Ishida Yoshio patiently works through some 209 joseki (80 in this first volume) in enough depth to give the reader some sense of confidence as he or she approaches them in a real game. Do not expect real deep dives however, simply enough information to make sensible choices and get a good game under way.

Yoshio Ishida focuses on popular joseki for the 3-4, 5-3, 5-4, 4-4 (star point), and 3-3 point. Volume one is all about the 3-4 point, which is a very good reason to make sure to track down the other two volumes. I'm a fan of star point openings in even games, and they are also vital in handicap games, so volume three is possibly more important than volume one. Other writers, such as Sakata Eio, have made studies of particular joseki, but nothing approaches the general coverage of this set in the English language.

I have to admit I have the least patience for learning joseki. I find the fuseki phase fascinating, but joseki study is frustrating because the stronger player will often deviate from the pattern to introduce some confusion. Thus, the key to study is not learning the pattern, but learning what to do when one's opponent does something he should not. This set of books manages to give me that information without trying my patience too greatly. They have been reprinted recently in 2001 and should still be readily available from the publisher (Kiseido) if Amazon cannot provide them.

This is an excellent encyclopedia that introduces, instructs, and initiates the reader into the nature of joseki, the fundamentals of openings in the game of Go.

Consider this book to be--to use a very rough analogy--to that of a openings encyclopedia for chess, such as MCO (Modern Chess Openings) or Nunn's, etc.

John Powers has done a number of admirable translations of Go texts, and this is a fine example of his abilities: his translation is crisp, tailored, and tidy (I've compared it to the Japanese originals.)

Enjoy! Dear fellow Go enthusiasts, we don't have many tomes, compared to our chess brethren, but this is one of those books that's indespensible.

Get them before they're out of print!

Best wishes on your games.

As someone whose prospective first house is likely to be small--and even smaller inside--I've been looking around for useful ideas that will help me choose a home into which my Stuff will fit. (That's not just stuff; that's George Carlin-type STUFF, and it requires serious storage.) We're not just talking a smaller McMansion, but homes where the master bedroom is, on average, 10'x9' with badly placed doorways.

Azby Brown's book was an education in understanding the options even a small or oddly shaped space can afford. Though most of the actual implementations discussed would certainly work better in a Japanese home than in a '50s era raised ranch, the *ideas* are the thing. And these ideas are outstanding. Every inch of space is used to beautiful effect. Every opportunity is considered.

Especially choose this book if you're planning to remodel, as expert contractors and cabinetmakers will benefit from these pages; nevertheless, _Small Spaces_ is for anyone who still thinks that light neutrals and pint-sized furnishings are the only way to manage.

Azby Brown lives in Japan, and has written a number of books about Japanese design, or carpentry, from the perspective of a close observer.

This book deals with design and product approaches to living in small spaces without clutter. The premise is that the smaller a space is, the more it needs to appear empty if living in it is to be fully comfortable and satisfying. This isn't a book on how to load more gear into more "storage solutions", though some unusual solutions like underfloor storage are elaborated.

Granted a lot of this stuff is not going to be transferable to American houses, and some of the details, like miraculously small appliances are not even well illustrated (most ilustration are very good). But then there is a huge market for books covering professionally created 25 000 square foot spaces in Carmel by the Sea, or whatever, and I am not likely to fully implement ideas from those books either. Frankly adapting the spirit of this book is much more likely

Great book on how to store, and organize stuff like only the Japanese can do. For us North American's, applying these principles may be impossible because of the way our culture has brought us up. Still there are lots of great ideas, and it is quite interesting to what can be done with limited space with a little imagination.

If you are a beginner in origami and want to expand your capabilities, this is a great and easy-to-follow book. I've also bought "Origami Zoo: An Amazing Collection of Folded Paper Animals" by Lang and Weiss. I found that book to be incredibly challenging. It's something I will want to work toward to in the future. And although the animals in this book don't turn out as intricate as the ones from the other book, it is still quite entertaining. Plus, the steps are easy to memorize, and I get a sense of satisfaction that I'm actually learning the basic folds. Finally, I liked the extra bonus origami paper included in the book. So if you are a beginner like me, I highly recommend this as a stepping stone for further folding pursuits.

This volume provides a useful selection of metholodogical and theoretical papers confronting archaeologists studying prehistoric violence. Data from the Anasazi culture of the prehistoric American Southwest have become the focus of heated dbate in recent years. Was their world a violent one characterized by warfare, cannibalism, ritual sacrifice or relgious persecution? Did they practice mortuary customs that might mimic these processes? The scholars in this volume place the study of possible Anasazi violence within a larger context of prehistoric violence in the new world in an attempt to answer these questions. This is necessary reading for all southwestern archaeologists. Other Archaeologists and the general public would also enjoy reading this volume. Well done.

I'm new to the semiconductor manufacturing business. Getting this book is definitely the right thing I've done. This book provides all the things i wanted to know about semiconductor manufacturing. With over 1100 pages, this book is hard to resist. It covers almost all the technology required for making semiconductor IC. Even though it does not give much details, but the coverage of the topic is sufficient. In addition, the generousity of the authors to provide ample references at the end of each chapter is amazing. One will have plenty of time to search through the references for further info. I suggest that people who are in the semiconductor manufacturing field to get their hands on it. One thing that can be improved regarding to the presentation of this handbook, is the way the diagrams are displayed. Maybe the publisher should consider printing them in glossy paper as some diagrams looks very poor as if they just come out from the photocopy machine.

I translated this book many years ago when I was a freelance Japanese translator. I immersed myself in the book and finished the job in under 2 weeks, working as much as 14 hours a day. I used a 1970s Compaq PC that ran WordStar and I wrote my entire translation to a 7-inch floppy.
Hatakeyama coined lots of sometimes clumsy buzzwords (e.g. "Managerial Agriculture"), but this is his style so I tried to be as faithful to it as possible. He also loves packaging his ideas with labels that can be a bit pompous. I put these into English as much as possible, because they fit together consistently. The case studies and examples are fun and informative. A good book, a great translation.
(P.S. A company called Nihon Services was given credit for the translation but it was entirely my own. They farmed it out to me. Details available.)

A very... heavy and bulky book. On contrary to its size and many colourful pictures, Taniguchi's architecture represents the typical modern/minimalist architecture with not much of inspiring insight. It therefore is understanble why there are a lot people wanted to sell it on the web.

A difficult to read text. I have used it as a text for a statistics course I taught (it was not my choice). There are few illustrations, the text is not clearly written, and despite this being the 6th edition, there are still numerous errors in the solutions given for the problems at the end of each chapter. Further, no use of current statistical software is mentioned. Many students have been frustrated by this text -- there are better options out there.