Mr. Bandow served as a special assistant to President Reagan during the early part of his first term. After the administration went back on its promise to reduce the federal government, Mr. Bandow left and wrote several books and hundreds of essays on the corruption and mismanagement that is a daily routine in Washington, D.C.

This large book is a collection of around 200 of his essays (making it well worth the price), detailing his experiences in D.C. and how both Democrat and Republican politicians are drunk on power and continually disregard the principles of freedom that this country was founded upon.

Readers of this book will be amazed and disgusted when they read how the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards have cost Americans untold jobs and untold lives. They will be appalled when they discover how federal crop subsidies keep some farmers wealthy while driving up the cost of produce for the rest of us. And unfortunately there is so much more...

It can be emotionally draining reading about the current state of our government, but Mr. Bandow does an excellent job of interjecting appropriate humor and character into his essays. I personally like the fact that each numbered essay is listed under a specific topic and each topic compromises a chapter. I found myself reading essays out of order, starting with the issues I felt most relevant to my life.

This is a fantastic reference source that does not lose its effectiveness over time. After all, the federal government has not gotten any smaller, has it?

Having grown up in Seattle, describing it to strangers is very challenging. Seattle is a mix and dichotomy of cultures and styles. One week may have a festival honoring Scandinavians and the next a Jewish festival, the next celebrating a Chinese New Year or a festival where the goal is to eat as much as you can without throwing up. The architecture changes from block to block, the anarchy creating a unique and unified landscape that is distinctly Seattle. It is a place of technology, mystisism and ecology, surrounded by water on all sides and set near the intersection of two major mountain ranges, just below the magnificent Mt. Rainier.

Capturing all that makes Seattle special and unique has been a challenge for many photographers and no one has done it with the style and class of Charles Krebs in this wonderful portrait of Seattle. He captures the visual distinctions, the ethnic variety, the length and breath of all that is Seattle.

This is a must take home souvenieur for everyone who visits the city, and a great insight book for those wishing to visit. This book has been given to sister cities and international visiting vips for years and continues to be the best visual representation of the city. Truly the best by a fantastic artist.

Susan Peterson has done a fabulous job highlighting the matriarchs (Nampeyo, Maria Martinez, Lucy Lewis, Margaret Tafoya), matrilineal line (Fanny and Dextra Nampeyo, The Lewis Women, Lu Ann Tafoya, Nancy Youngblood Lugo), and avant-gard (Alice Cling, Nora Naranjo-Morse, Jacquie Stevens) women artists who have maintained and expanded this ancient art form into the 20th-century. This retrospective featuring innovators of Native American pottery is a beautifully-illustrated book and a must for anyone interested in this art form. You will not be disappointed. Buy it while you can in the clothbound edition.

Most urban planning books are expensive disappointments. They overintellectualize the subject and are poorly written. Most serve mainly as portfolio pieces highlighting the writer's successes. The Powers of Preservation is the rare exception. It's entertaining to read and the author avoids posing easy solutions. It argues for the widespread adaptive reuse of everyday buildings instead of concentrating on a few isolated "showpieces." It tells the stories behind the author's successes and failures. The Powers of Preservation leaves readers empowered that, in their own towns, they can make a difference. It's the best I've encountered in reading numerous books on the subject.Excellent photos and layout, too.

(p)A PRACTICE ALMOST PERFECT; The Early Days at Arnold,Fortas&Porter Reviewed by Gene M. Gressley (P) In those days, "it was always springtime" writes Abe Krash in the foreword to this remarkable history/memoir by Norman Diamond of the early years of that unique law firm, Arnold, Fortas & Porter. And so it was -- a magical time -- a joie d'vivre, with all of the attendant excitement, humor and rambunctiousness which infused the atmosphere and reflected the personalities of the the founding fathers - Thurman Arnold, Abe Fortas and Paul Porter. (p)Arnold, as Robert Jackson so vividly characterized as "a cross between Voltaire and a cowboy" -- was brilliant and vocal, with a mental agility dazzling all who understood him: a mind that leapfrogged the complexities of a problem to uncover a solution, an authentic genius. Fortas was a "meticulous craftsman" whose approach to legal entanglements was much akin to his mastery, via the violin, of a difficult movement of Paganni. Fortas replayed the score again and again until he conquered it. So it was with the law, Fortas wrestled with a challenging legal passage until he arrived at comprehension. Paul Porter's charm and ebullience enchanted clients and colleagues alike. Porter's irrepressible good humor defused many a contentious scene, both within and without the firm. (p) These three legal Musketeers created in 1946/1947 an institution which became the model for twentieth century law firms. How did they build such a legal powerhouse? Norman Diamond scatters the answers throughout the narrative. Probably the most concise and pointed analysis for the eminence of Arnold,Fortas&Porter, Diamond provided in 1968 in a clarion call to the younger partners. Sensing that Arnold&Porter was in danger of resting on its laurels, Diamond, in an extraordinary "Chesterfield-like" memo to the younger partners, at once analyzed the basis for past achievements and chartered the way for the future. Ticking off the essentials for greatness, Diamond's advice ranged from the care and feeding of clients, to the necessity for thorough research and presentation ("Oxygen tent" cases are the normality), to diplomatic behavior when interacting with senior partners, concluding with a reminder that "pure ability is meaningless unless followed by results." Throughout the memo, Diamond stressed that the future of Arnold&Porter resided with the younger partners. (p)Diamond's 1968 counsel reverberates throughout his chapters. With an elan and a style so seductive as to induce envy, Diamond again distinguishes himself from so many of his colleagues in a profession which often permits the expression of the routine to torpedo any eloquence. In sum, Diamond has a story to tell, and he tells it well. (P)Insights abound. As the reader turns the pages, one finds discussions of the insanity of the McCarthy era; the intriguing case of Steve Masters, who originated mass discount retailing; the abuse of regulatory agencies, especially the Federal Trade Commission(a particularly arresting observation refers to the arrogance of Paul R. Dixon, as Chairman of the FTC, "It may be no exaggeration to suggest that his reckless exercise of the authority of his office contributed to the beginning of distrust of government by Congress and the business community." (191);the rise and fall of James J. Ling, and the tragic fall from grace of Diamond's mentor,Abe Fortas. (p)The sensitivity, the charm, and the call to greatness are all deftly captured by Diamond via the spell he casts over those years. Abe Krash was right -- it was Victor Herbert time. About the reviewer -- For three decades, Gene Gressley was the founding Director of the American Heritage Center and Assistant to the President, University of Wyoming. In 1977, Gressley edited the correspondence of Thurman Arnold, entitled Voltaire and the Cowboy(Associated Press of the University of Colorado).

Organized in the hours of the liturgy, this book presents the prayers of poets throughout various traditions and across time. I reveled in the beauty of the poetry and found inspiration for prayer.

This is the first short history of the Washington presidency to appear in almost thirty years. The last, by Forrest MacDonald, argued that Washington was a figurehead president and that Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson actually dominated the administration. Warren - formerly an editor of the presidential series of The Papers of George Washington - takes the opposite position. He successfully argues that Washington was the central figure of his presidency. The book takes up each of Washington's major accomplishments as president: the creation of the presidency, the settlement of the nation's financial crisis, the opening of the West, the estblishment of the capital city, and the preservation of peace at a time when the Western World was being consumed by war. This is one of the most thoughtful, beautifully-written books on Washington I have read. This would be an ideal book for a college or advanced high school class to read, and should interest any reader of American history.

I am not a music teacher. I teach 5th grade American History. Over the past few years, every single fifth grade student in my school has memorized this entire cassette which covers all of the Presidents! We do this by preparing these songs as a "musical show" each year in honor of Presidents' Day.

In my 20 years of teaching, this still proves to be the most exciting and well liked musical I have ever directed. What makes this especially interesting as a performance, is that each song is written in the style of the historical period, so although the kids may be rapping information about the Presidents, they are singing in classical, gospel, light opera, rock and pop styles.

Well done! Our school year wouldn't be the same without it!

This book Rocks, it tells the story of my man Jesus and his wonderful travels it is A+ man I read it in school and it is really good book, a must read for all you religious buffs out there. Wonderfully written.

This is the best Nancy Drew I ever read. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great adventure book with lots of action and suspense. I have reread it over and over again. Even my mom loved it!