Classic Showbiz Clangers: An Amusing Collection of Showbiz's Most Embarrassing Moments from Over a Century (Classic Clangers)

Classic Showbiz Clangers: An Amusing Collection of Showbiz's Most Embarrassing Moments from Over a Century (Classic Clangers) Review

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Classic Showbiz Clangers: An Amusing Collection of Showbiz's Most Embarrassing Moments from Over a Century (Classic Clangers) Feature

The old saying that "what can go wrong, probably will go wrong" is always lurking in the minds of showbiz folk. Louis B. Mayer probably never forgave himself for passing up the rights to Mickey Mouse, and Hugh Grant must have regretted the unexpected audience that showed up for his late-night encounter with Divine Brown. But the show must go on, despite inebriation, adultery, shoplifting, stage fright, villainy, sartorial disaster, or just being stuck in the ladies room at the very moment they decide to give you an award.

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Irreparable Harm: A Firsthand Account of How One Agent Took on the CIA in an Epic Battle Over Free Speech

Irreparable Harm: A Firsthand Account of How One Agent Took on the CIA in an Epic Battle Over Free Speech Review

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Irreparable Harm: A Firsthand Account of How One Agent Took on the CIA in an Epic Battle Over Free Speech Feature

Among the last CIA agents airlifted from Saigon in the waning moments of the Vietnam War, Frank Snepp returned to headquarters determined to secure help for the Vietnamese left behind by an agency eager to cut its losses. What he received instead was a cold shoulder from a CIA that in 1975 was already in turmoil over congressional investigations of its operations throughout the world.

In protest, Snepp resigned to write a damning account of the agency's cynical neglect of its onetime allies and inept handling of the war. His exposé, Decent Interval, was published in total secrecy, eerily evocative of a classic spy operation, and only after Snepp had spent eighteen months dodging CIA efforts to silence him. The book ignited a firestorm of controversy, was featured in a 60 Minutes exclusive, received front-page coverage in the New York Times, and launched a campaign of retaliation by the CIA, capped by a Supreme Court decision that steamrolled over Snepp's right to free speech.

In the wake of Snepp's harrowing experiences, his legal case has been used by Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton to narrow the First Amendment freedoms of all federal employees, especially "whistle-blowers." Such encroachments make it clear that Snepp's very personal story has a great deal of relevance for all of us and certainly for anyone who has grown increasingly distrustful of the federal government's "national security argument."

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Over the Wall

Over the Wall Review

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Over the Wall Feature

Tyler's temper is out of control. If he isn't careful, he'll blow his chances of making the All-Star team and being noticed by a scout. But Tyler's coach, a Vietnam War veteran, has seen anger destroy enough people. He knows that if Tyler is ever going to fulfill his dreams, he'll have to learn to fight his battles with his glove, his bat, and his love for the game. Not with his fists. But it all comes down to Tyler. Does he care enough about his future to work through the past?

"A grand slam." (The ALAN Review)

"An ambitious mark that predents a compelling, multilayered story." (School Library Journal)

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Immaculate Warfare: Participants Reflect on the Air Campaigns over Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq

Immaculate Warfare: Participants Reflect on the Air Campaigns over Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq Review

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Immaculate Warfare: Participants Reflect on the Air Campaigns over Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq Feature

When the gun-camera footage from air strikes during the Gulf War reached America's television screens, people awoke to the astonishing accuracy and power of "smart weapons." Yet ten years' experience has taught what these remarkable weapons can and cannot do, and now, as American policy makers look to them to win the global war on terrorism, it is essential to understand the promise and the limits of "immaculate warfare." This volume of essays-written by military officers who analyzed the intelligence, planned the missions, and flew the planes over Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan-offers the most penetrating look to date at the realities of American precision air power. Topics include:

The political context of using force from the air

The theoretical considerations involved in the use of air power to coerce an enemy

An insider's view from General Clark's headquarters as he commanded the Kosovo war effort

The tensions between civilian and military leaderships during the Kosovo war

Precision weapons and the paradoxes their use involves

The debate surrounding when precision weapons ought to be employed

And more

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