chance to reach out to the gay community, which is a lot easier said than done. Gradually, and fearfully, he begins to learn to stand up for himself and for others. It is more this than anything else that puts in a position to find the love he seeks. His journey, far from being exceptional, provides the reader with the potential of hope. It is a book full of possibilities.
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You don't need to read far to figure out that David Rees is not thrilled with the U.S. "war on terror" and all the accompanying propaganda. His characters speak with a variety of tones, from excessive exuberance that looks suspiciously like sarcasm (e.g. "Oh my God, this War on Terrorism is going to RULE! I can't wait until the war is over and there's no more terrorism!") to fatalism ("If you want me to hand over that planning report, you're more than welcome to bomb my cubicle. Who gives a [expletive] anymore?"). The cartoons cover many subjects, such as the bombing of Afghanistan, domestic anti-terrorism programs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Exxon Mobil's links to murders in Indonesia, the collapse of Enron, and the constant fear that another major terrorist attack could be just around the corner. The cartoon character Voltron also randomly makes an appearance.
GYWO isn't for everyone, of course. Supporters of recent U.S. policy might be irritated by Rees' harsh sarcasm and deep skepticism about American motives. Also, you need a dark sense of humor and a tolerance of gratuitous profanity to appreciate the book. Take the following line as an example--while discussing the food packages that the U.S. dropped in Afghanistan, one character says "it turns the relief effort into a fun game for the Afghan people--a game called 'See if you have any [expletive] arms left to eat the food we dropped after you step on a landmine trying to retrieve it.'" If you're offended, you may want to think twice before buying this book. For a person with the right sense of humor and outlook on politics, however, the book is hilarious.
Some people might be thinking that the book isn't worth the money, because the cartoons are available for free online. This isn't quite true, however. The book includes a few cartoons that don't seem to be online (it also leaves a few of the online cartoons out). Furthermore, the author's royalties from the book go directly to landmine relief, so by purchasing the book you're donating to a worthy cause.
With biting wit and startling insight, Rees ignores the myth and legend of our government's "official proclamations", and cuts to the chase. Self-healing minefields? Enron as the next al-queda? Osama bin Laden, Gollum's long lost brother? Voltron? And of course, the mythical invisible Dick Cheney. Its all here, ready to split your side, and when you're done laughing, make you feel guilty for that American flag sticker you blindly stuck on the rear window of your SUV.
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I highly recommend this as an easy read.
I found the various "case study" examples of satellite networks to be most useful and informative, particularly as this is an area that most books on satcoms tend to overlook or not address adequately.
The latter half of the book covers national satellite systems on a country-by-country basis. Although there are plenty of useful facts and figures in this section, it is inevitably starting to become a little out of date (the book was published in 1990).
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This is somewhat compensated for by Michael York's exellent rendering of "The Raven" and David Warner's various readings which wonderfully capture Poe's mood and spirit.
Overall, still worth the price. I don't regret having purchased it and I'm still enjoying it a month later. If only "Annabel Lee" had been assigned to Mr. York or Mr. Warner!
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The killer is a well respected foreign dignitary who also has a passion for role playing games. He, along with three others throughout the world are members of an exclusive game called the four horsemen. How Cross comes to his identity and possible capture is a series of non stop chills. The ending may not be as topsy turvy and dramatic as other Patterson books, but some surprises do change the complexion of future Cross novels.
Patterson sticks to his format here. The positive aspect is that his fans know the characters and enjoy their continuing saga. Sampson has developed into the type of figure that would be extraordinary in his own book. The negative aspect is that some of Cross's statements and the details of his family life are a bit worn on the faithful Patterson fan. As a result, the Alex Cross novels could use an injection of freshness. Therefore the novel was a bit shy of the better Cross chapters.
Overall the book has a quick flow and only sputters in some of the chapters that surround Alex's relationship with Christine. The villain is devious but also falls short of a Gary Soneji or Jack and Jill. The plot is better than average and I am still left wanting more Alex Cross. A no brainer four star piece of fiction.
Pop Goes The Weasle, the latest installment of Alex Cross, gives his fans almost everything they could ask for and some they don't want!.
Just when Alex is the happiest he has ever been, the events surrounding the latest psychokiller threaten to make this the worst time of his life (even worse than when his wife was killed).
Will Alex pop the question to Christine? Will Alex prove to be a "bad cop", or worse yet a murderer? Will Alex lose what he holds dearest to his heart?
Read this book, and these questions and more will reel you in and keep you hooked until the very last page.
One caution! Don't read this book if you want a long read. I read this book in about 12 hours with no trouble!