In his text, Ulrich Bischoff proposes that Max Ernst had earned the right to be known as the leading exponant of Surrealist art of the 1940's and 50's, but since Salvador Dali knew how to present himself in society to greater effect, he inherited the title. Whatever one thnks of Dali's skill as a publicist, his work is different to Ernst's in one sense - Ernst's most potent paintings were done before he came to the U.S. It's interesting to theorise that it was because Ernst was harassed by the Nazis when they invaded France where the German Ernst lived, that he created the decalcomonia technique which decorates what I think are his greatest works - Joy of Life, The Robing of the Bride, Marlene, Europe after the Rain, Day and Night, The Eye of Silence and The Temptation of St. Anthony. This technique of applying the paint to the canvas by pressing it against a flat surface, gives the result a mossy, furry or marshy appearance. This coupled with Ernst's penchance for grotesque mythological figures would have aligned him with Jewish and other non-naturalistic artists considered decadent and perverse by the Third Reich's aesthetic. What makes Bischoff's collection of Ernst's paintings interesting is the evolution of Ernst's style, which would lead him to the decalcomania. As early as 1919 in Family Excursion one sees Ernst's sombre air. I also like The Master's Bedroom, It is worth spending a night in of 1920, done in his Dada period, with the symbolism of the animals, as evidence of Ernst's interest in Freud; the grattage works Vision Induced by the Nocturnal Aspect of the Porte St Denis 1927 and The Horde 1927; and the alien-like Human Form 1931. Even his most celebrated (and personally I think overrated) work, the biblical The Entire City 1935/36 is a prelude to the later beauty, wit and eroticism. Ernst's post- decalcomanic work seems to present him as more restful, perhaps not the best state for an artist. The images are pretty but the soul is at peace. Of note is the 1942 Surrealism and Painting, where he used what Jackson Pollock would later call "dripping".

_Men in Arms_ represents a unique work--in just under 400 pages of text, the authors have managed to produce a work which presents the reader or student with a fine overview of warfare from the Ancient Greeks to the advent of operations other than war in the late-1980s/early 1990s.

Naturally, in attempting to cover a subject so broad in such a relatively small amount of space, there are bound to be those who find fault with the work as it cannot hope to cover each of the periods in particularly great detail. To bemoan these shortcomings would be to lose sight of the book's intrinsic value to beginning students of warfare, as well as those endeavoring to study an unfamiliar period.

The division of the book into 22 logically divided chapters aids in this type of use, providing the reader with an understanding of the essential elements of war through the ages and its attendant effect on Western society as a whole. _Men in Arms_ is an excellent introductory text and--though the absence of footnotes was sorely felt by this reviewer--the bibliography, which is divided into subject areas by chronological sequence, will point the interested reader in the direction of other, more detailed texts.

When I purchased this book I had hoped it would follow suit with many of Mike Kelley's other texts and thouroughly expound on his theories and concepts, but this is 98% photographs of "Sod and Soddie Sock," a collaborative artwork by Kelley and McCarthy. The images are extremely high quality, but follow the harshness inherent in all of McCarthy's works. Not for the sheepish or easily offended.

This is an excellent book for learning music appreciation. The book starts with the basics of music notation and characteristics of a musical piece, that is, tone, timber, harmony, melody, etc. Subsequently, the book has been very usefully divided into the various ages in history-romantic, baroque, classical and so on till modern day rock and jazz. The concepts and styles of the different ages and their important composers are explained in depth and is beautifully aided by the appropriate audio sections. The most attractive aspect aspect of the book are the accompanying coloured photographs of the paintings, sculptors and various other works of art, to capture the prevailing spirit of each age. History and eccenticities of the important composers and artists make the reading very contextual and interesting. Good use has been of "one-glance" tables to compare the musical styles of the various ages.The book has been written with beginners in mind, those who are not specialising in music but have an yearning to get a foothold in the enchanting world of music. The style of writing is simple and clear with good use of indentations.

Part One Makes the argument that scientific medicine as practiced today is well-suited as an instrument for furthering the ends of the West in the Third World. .... The authors describe how the implementation of the Alma Ata Declaration was progressively diluted in practice, from "Comprehensive PHC" to "Selective PHC" to a small set of specific medical interventions, until in some places it consisted only of distributing oral rehydration treatment (ORT) packets to treat dehydration from diarrhea, plainly not a long-term solution. The authors challenge the following concepts which typically surface in the philosophy of organizations such as WHO and UNICEF which are sponsored by powerful conservative entities: 1) technological solutions to fundamentally social problems
2) survival alone is a sufficient goal, in practice (i.e., 'quality of life would be ideal, of course, but that's unrealistic')
3) if we can educate the natives on the basics of nutrition and sanitation, and if they can change their ways, they'd be all right
4) UNICEF's shift from bottom-up to top-down approaches
5) "social marketing" is a viable approach, which serves economic as well as public health goals. (where "social marketing" is the mass-marketing, using conventional advertising techniques, of ostensibly beneficial goods such such as ORT packets, typically imported from the West or profiting its domestic representatives) Part Two A detailed expansion of the above points with regard to a specific intervention, ORT, as well as a lot of grounding detail on the specifics of its application and functioning, down to the level of the physiology of its absorption. Part Three Criticism of World Bank Structural Readjustment Policies .... Examines the behavior of "killer industries" - infant formula industry, pharmaceuticals, and arms industry. Examines the effects of US-style approach to health care and social equity within the US itself. Looks at alternatives in Cuba and Guyana. Argues that social equity is the real solution to population growth and AIDS. Part Four Examines markedly successful approaches to health care based on social change. Presents examples from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Notes that efforts in all four countries have been seriously or completely derailed through intervention by the US, which is concerned that a functioning alternative will upset the current status quo by which it maintains profits and security. The book closes with a call for a united front of grassroots efforts, and offers suggestions for teachers, writers, health workers, activists, concerned citizens.

Excellent Spanish version of Henny Penny. All the animals think the sky is falling. Accompanying illustrations are adorable! Great book for preschoolers learning Spanish. Rhyming names of animals are fun and easy to remember, Pavo Bravo, Gansa Mansa, etc. My children love it!

I am planning to take a sailing class and take up the activity as a serious pastime. So I purchased several books, including this one, to make sure I didn't go into things a complete ignoramus.

This book is designed as a quick read, and it is. It has anecdotal humor, and gets right to the point of teaching the simple concepts, components and jargon of sailing. I have good and basic understanding after reading the book of how and why a sail moves a boat so slowly when the wind is just pushing the boat directly downwind, and so quickly when moving perpendicular to the source wind. I understand the concepts of starting, stopping, tacking, jibing, and with little effort I understand the difference between a jib and a cleat, and a sheet and a sail.

The author hits all the basics, and he does it with brevity and light humor. I know I have to learn more, but before jumping into the complex physics of multiple sail vessels and weight displacement and so forth, this primer was a perfect start for a total novice like me, and I won't feel like a total dweeb in a sailing class. (Frankly, I feel like I could take a small sailboat out without a class after reading this, but because I want to graduate quickly to larger boats, I will finish a short class before hitting the water).

I am a fan of aquatic crabs. But have had a hard time finding information on all the different types of them out there. This book helped alot with shrimp and crayfishes. It has several crabs but not a full detailed setup on all there requirements. It is a good book for someone who is just starting crab collecting as I am, but for a serios crab person it lack some techical details that one would need to be a crab geek.

Skateboarding books have yet to truly capture the art, but Steve Badillo makes a valiant attempt in Skateboarding: New Levels. In Skateboarding, Steve combines interviews with seasoned pros, trick tips, and information about how to upstart a skateboard following in anytown, USA. While the interviews with some well known professional skateboarders seem like a good idea, the questions asked and the responses given do little to help a skateboarder just starting out or an intermediate trying to further his or her expertise. The questions are well intended with an example being "how do you deal with fear?", but the responses seem to general and generic to help like "I try to be relaxed." As the book progresses to trick tips, anyone would realize that the trick tips are way too specific and random to help someone trying to progress. The combinations make no sense, going from a one footed Japan air to a backside feeble 180 out. This random assortment of trick tips feels unbalanced and voids the potential for real help once again. The final segment, "building a park", is actually the only useful and helpful section of the book. In this chapter, Werner and Badillo identify the advantages to all types of skateparks and approaches to get them funded and approved. Without the chapter on skatepark construction, this book would have been a 2 star book, but with the useful information about building a park and the fact that the information is true because it was written by a real skateboarder, this book is a 4 star contender.

This research aimed to screening of salt and drought resistant plant in saudi arabia to evaluate the effect of water of differant salinities and drought (irrigation intervals)on plant growth and performance in a sandy soil