By way of introduction, I would like to say that this is an extraordinarily well-written book that divulges the gruesome atrocities that took place in my hometown. Srebrenica, a so called UN "SAFE AREA", was under the constant attack of the Serbian army, during the Bosnian war. UN's primary task was to protect civilians from Serbian soldiers but they failed. Innocent Bosnian civilians were betrayed by the International community and left for dead. UN officials and others in charge appeared to be indifferent to the immense suffering of the Bosnian people. As is well-known, one of the worst massacres after the World War 2 took place in Srebrenica. In my view, the international community must be held accountable for these heinous deeds. UN's indifference and passivity cost at least 10.000 innocent lives! This is extremely unjust and it makes me enraged and bewildered! This is truly a splendid book that I highly recommend to all people who want to gain an insight into horrendous plights of Bosnian people!

I agree with the other reviewers that this is powerful and important book. I recently had a chance to hear Patrick McCarthy speak and found out that all of the proceeds from this book will go to the Oric family. A worthwhile purchase.

After The Fall: Srebrenica Survivors In St. Louis is an outstanding photodocumentary that combines the informative text of Patrick McCarthy with the impressive documentary photography of Tom Maday to present the genocidal tragedy of the Bosnia-Herzegovina city of Srebrenica and its effects on the lives of one extended family in St. Louis, Missouri. In July 1995, more than 7,500 Bosnians from the city of Srebrenica were massacred by troops of the Bosnian Serb Army. Another 30,000 women and children were forcibly removed from their homes in this United Nations-declared "safe area". The siege of Srebrenica represented the greatest atrocity witnessed in Europe since the days of the Nazi holocaust, yet it was only one episode in a larger war of extermination against the citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1990s. Some 20,000 Bosnian refugees (approximately 500 of them survivors of Srebrenica) came to settle in St. Louis. After The Fall is a superbly presented, highly recommended memorial, testament, and account of this horrific tragedy that these St. Louis based refugees must come to grips with as represented in the lives, statements, and images of one such extended family.

I highly recommend this book to all practioners of the Martial Art of Karate. Exploring not only his personal lineage but that of all the original styles of karate founded and developed on Okinawa, Shoshin Nagamine provides a great work and a first hand account of many of the mentioned Masters.
It is nice to know that historically correct information is starting to come out about the true origins of karate and of its' founders. It is also nice that a little bit of myth also surrounds those same founders. Shoshin Nagamine does well to dispell those myths.
By knowing and understanding truth from the past we grow today and prepare for the future. This reviewer is glad that Patrick McCarthy translated this work for the world to read.
Buy the book.

an inspiring, touching overview of the most influential masters of karate. Okinawa was a melting pot for different influences and this is reflected in its wonderful contributions to the world of martial arts. The author speaks reverentially of those who impacted his life. He then develops philosophical insights that take the reader to the heart of martial arts and the real meanings behind the movements.

A nicely edited work that features many interesting photos, 'Tales' will surely satisfy.

I am among those who are very pleased to see so many works by Okinawan martial artists become available in the English language. In "Tales of Okinawa's Great Karate Masters", translated by Patrick McCarthy, Shoshin Nagamine offers an honest look at the roots of the art he practiced and taught for over 50 years. This is not a 'how-to' karate book, there are no technical pictures although there are some decent historical pictures of people and documents, and some illustrative ones of the author, Nagamine.

If you have Nagamine's first book, translated into English as "The Essence of Okinawan Karate" and focusing mainly upon the 17 kata of Matsubayashi Ryu Shorin Ryu Karate (an Itosu-ha lineage), this second work of his provides the literary heart of the art. It does not dwell merely on the roots of Nagamine's style, but includes fascinating information on a myriad of styles, teachers, Okinawan history, and karate folklore. There is plenty of new information: this is not simply a 're-do' of old data. One chapter for instance, focuses on Okinawa's Native art, a form of wrestling called "Tegumi". Book includes endnotes, and an Appendixed article by Nagamine called "Okinawan Karate and World Peace".

Have you ever wondered why so many large companies have such great customer service? Where did this all start? Who started it? The Nordstrom Way tells the inside story of the store that made everyone realize the importance of good customer service. This book tells how the very first small Nordstrom store gradually expanded to become a retail powerhouse. It depicts both the personal side of the Nordstrom family and the business side.

I recommend this book to any customer service professional or anyone interested in public service. In fact, almost any profession can benefit from practicing good customer service described in this book.

Reading the Nordstrom Way has made me highly respect the store itself. It was very refreshing to read a book about a company that places so much emphasis on customer service. After reading the book, I was convinced that Nordstrom truly values their customers above all else, unlike many retail stores today. I thought that the author did a very good job in both retelling the history of Nordstrom and conveying their way of conducting business. Through telling the story of the Nordstrom family, giving examples of good customer service, and sharing personal stories of Nordstrom employees, the author does an excellent job of helping the reader understand what Nordstrom is all about. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in learning about how to run such a successful business as Nordstrom has done and will continue to do for years to come.

Nordstrom is America's top customer service company, and one can certainly see why by spending some time in the stores. It is not at all surprising to read that other companies are trying to emulate the caliber of service given by Nordstrom employees. Emulation aside, there is still only one Nordstrom, and this book gives the reader a peek into what Nordstrom does to earn such lavish praise from satisfied customers.

This is an interesting book, but one should always be aware that generally only those who like the book review it, hence the preponderance of high ratings. Mr. McCarthy is to be appluaded for attempting an English translation of this much translated book. The book comprises a translation of several disparate documents which are gathered under the title of the Bubishi. The documents are from different martial traditions and periods and vary greatly in their relevance. The lengthy preface with testimonials from multiple masters appears gratuitous. The elucidation of vital points and lethal strike information is somewhat questionable given that many martial artists no longer follow moral or ethical codes. The section on herbal remedies could easily lead to disaster in inexperienced hands, resulting in poisoning or worse. Of most interest are the historical passages on the lineage of various styles, training methods and aphorisms. Overall, satisfactory, but hardly "a must have". Osu!

Beyond the usual "how to" kick and punch manual, this first ever English translation of the Bubishi is a must for all serious martial artists. Prefaced by a comprehensive history of the origins and development of karate, this book will round out any karateka's library. Great for understanding "pressure points".

I really liked this book. Mr McCarthy has did all his english speaking brothers a big favor. All that needs to be said is that Mr. Chogun Miyagi endorses the Bubishi. And Mr. McCarthy translated it into english, so all Goju Ryu practioners need this book. It traces were Karate had its beginnings. My only complaint is that the Chinese Medicine was hard to understand. But it was still cool that he included it.

"The Stranger", by Albert Camus, is a much praised and widely read book. It can be said that its focus is greatly connected with the philosophy of existentialism. I have heard it considered as one of the most important existentialist books, a definite must for the reader who considers themselves to subscribe to that philosophy. Even if one is not considering themselves to be existentialist, the books content can be attractive to those who would at least like to explore the issue. The story centers around a man named Mersault, and more than anything explores his behavior, or lack of. Camus offers us a different type of character, one that doesn't express dramatic amounts of emotion, rather, one that expresses almost none at all. For readers who have not yet encountered such a distinguished and different character, this is definitely a book to read if one wishes to explore areas involving possible facets of human behavior. I would recommend this book exclusively for that purpose. Camus uses his character Mersault as a vehicle to express his existentialist ideas and propositions on the meaning of life, peoples actions, and the world in general. "The Stranger" is disturbingly iconoclastic and assaults the worlds conventional morality. For any reader, this book should be compelling as well as unsettling, all the while being completely absorbing. Camus makes striking challenges to conventional thought in such a way that no reader could remain unaffected. For the existential enthusiast, or the lay reader, this book promises to be a rewarding and enriching experience.

I see why this book gets assigned to high school and college kids. Our relatively fancy sapien brain lets us imagine a perfect world of meaning, purpose, and coherence, but young adult life smacks us up against the real world and our own rational, emotional and social limitations. So we get these thoughtful under 40 (Camus was 33 when this was published) writers who often explore a similar set possible reactions: suicide, rejection of an 'absurd' world, black pessimism.

Nonetheless, of all of the examples of this sort of book or story I've read, Camus has written the most puzzling, thought-provoking piece. Read it. Watch your reactions to Meursault in part one, and then in part two, consider if and why they change. Consider if his reasons for what he does or does not do are not in fact similar to ones you've had, even if you do not think yourself so disassociated as he. Consider if his punishment was really so unjust, given his crime and its motivation. Does it matter that the jury's motives were irrelevant? Why? Were they really?

I am not suggesting particular answers, these are the questions that bug me at the moment, having read it. And I LIKE books that leave me thinking long after, thus he gets 4 stars even from somebody who mostly prefers books that do not end hopelessly.

And gee, what would he have written if he had lived longer than 47 years?

Reading The Stranger gives you the chance to see the world through the eyes of Meursault, a young, attractive, successful man who expresses NO emotions or conscience whatsoever... At his mother's funeral he hardly indicates that he is in mourning other than by wearing a black armband. When his girlfriend asks him to marry her, he says yes, but not because he loves her-- He agrees to marry her because he feels that he might as well, since it will not make a difference in his life anyway. When he receives a lucrative job offer in Paris, he turns it down, explaining to his boss, "one life is as good as another". While Meursault is pointing a gun at an man, his thoughts are "to shoot or not shoot". Just as he makes all his other decisions, with indifference, he shoots and kills the man... and I won't tell you the rest. Albert Camus was the first person to publish a book written in a certain form French past tense, so as to give it a more active, flowing feel. It has been said that The Stranger is one of the masterpieces of the 20th Century... so find out for yourself.

Now that the cat is out of the bag concerning the corrupt compromises at the heart of the post-war Italian state, recent books tend to depict modern Italy as a country whose political system was just waiting to fall apart after the Second World War. Only the extended Cold War from 1947-89 delayed the inevitable, we are told. The strength of this book is that it emphasises the internal reasons for Italy's troubles - and, also, the often underestimated room for maneuver that Italy's politicians in fact possessed to change things for the better. The last chapter or two suffer from being too close to present-day affairs, but the bulk of the book has many useful insights.

This is a very helpful, brief introduction (145 pages total)to "Ulysses." Neither a critical interpretation of the entire book, nor a lexicography to the allusions contained in words and phrases, the author provides brief, easily understood chapters dealing with some of the major themes and literary devises used in "Ulysses." Eight chapters: 1. Historical context. 2. The importance of the work. 3. Critical reception. 4. Arrangements of reality. 5. A comedy of errors. 6. Dublin alligators. 7. An epic of two races. 8. Reading in "Ulysses."

Also contains a useful 14 page appendix which briefly outlines the basic plot of each "Ulysses" chapter, notes, index, and bibliography. The author is a professor of English and director of the graduate program in English at the University of Miami.

I belive that the information is too basic. The only time it would be of need is that if you were going to Spain for a week. Not school material. Why? It teaches you nothing but of the rudamental facts. In other words... KEEP TRYING!!!

I have used this as a text in our school and find the vocabulary well controlled and comfortable for middle grade students who are waiting to be convinced they want to learn a new language. The units are set up around themes that appeal to students and are close to life. Later chapters on Music, Art, Literature provide a good challenge for students who are ready for that. Thanks for making this resource available.

The information is pretty good in the book, I would have liked to have seen more notes from the translator on some of the references made by Taira Sensei, but I'm sure that the translation is correct. For instance on page 10, Taira lists a group of well known kobujutsu masters and whether they lived more than or less than 100 years ago. None of this was clarified in the translation. Also, this very same information was included in an article by Mr. McCarthy in Bugeisha magazine article but never credited there to Taira Shinken, I don't know why.

The production quality isn't quite what I've come to expect from Tuttle and Mr. McCarthy, the photos are a little fuzzy and don't stand out as exceptional. Also, there are a quite a few typing mistakes throughout the text. The numbering of the photos is quite sub-standard and all of the photos are simply numbered sequentially from 1 to 408, they don't match the kata numberings. I don't know if this is from the original translation or not.

Apart from that, there isn't a single historical photo of Taira Shinken, all of the photos except the cover are Mr. McCarthy and an uncredited individual demonstrating the weapons techniques.

Except for the translation itself and the article at the back written by Mr. McCarthy, there isn't much else to this book, certainly not any new photographs which would have been great to see.

Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinadi; volume one and volume two, ISBN 0-8048-3147-5, work well separately but best when taken together. I will review volume one here separately from volume two so that one might make a better decision when it comes to purchasing.

This volume deals with Kobudo (or the art of Karate weapons), widely considered an advanced topic in Karate-do. As such I would not recommend it to the novice Karate-ka. But I would definitely recommend it to those who wish to get a better grasp of Karate-do-- especially an Okinawan variety, to those looking to a different perspective on Kata, and to those studying Isshin-ryu Karate-do.

For those looking for a different perspective on Kata this volume is for you since it illustrates techniques solely through Kata. Six weapons Kata are described here which is not bad considering that most book an Karate rarely even describe one Kata. As for those studying Isshin-ryu Karate-do, you'll be interested in this book since it features a text written by O'Sensei Shimabuku's teacher Taira Shinken.

This book contains six Kata, as mentioned: three for the Bo and one for Sai, Tuifa (or Tonfa), and Nunchaku each as well as instructions on how to make a Bo. For those looking for an introduction to weapons this is an excellent book. If what you want is Okinawan Karate-do technique none surpasses The Essence of Okinawan Karate-do by Shoshin Nagamine, ISBN 0-8048-2110-0 which compliments this book. If what you are interested in is more specifically the history of Okinawan Karate-do and Kobudo get volume two along with Patrick McCarthy's Bubishi: the Bible of Karate, ISBN 0-8048-2015-5.

This text has included a great amount of info on Shinken Taira and his great teachers. There also is a fantastic listing of Okinawan kobudo katas. Mr McCarthy has done a great job on history tracking on this topic

The Government of Silvio Berlusconi, not Paolo