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Let's face it: the French have gotten a bad rap. Mention that you're considering a trip to France and everyone will warn you about rude waiters, supercilious shopkeepers, and snooty concierges who won't give you the time of day--and worse, pretend not to understand your high-school French. Not so, says Polly Platt, author of French or Foe?; "The French are generous, exhilarating friends," but they are different--wonderfully so. The trick to getting along in France is understanding the culture and learning to accept it on French terms instead of your own. Though the book is designed primarily for people who will be living or working in France for extended periods, the lessons Platt teaches about manners, attitudes, and culture are invaluable for even those visitors just passing through.
Customer Reviews:
Best Friends We've Ever Had.......2007-07-05
As the relatively new kids on the geopolitical block, we Americans often misunderstand how the rest of the world operates, none more so than our amis ancien the French. I came across this book in a Genevan bookstore shortly after moving there and it has helped me immeasurably over the years. My Parisian friends have enjoyed and confirmed the truth and wisdom contained in its pages.
Who knew that approaching the French in a typically American way with a big smile and focus on the task at hand is considered disingenuous and rude? How amazingly different is the response I consistently get with a deadpan expression, proper greeting and speaking French first before getting down to business!
A whole host of helpful tips, from playing devil's advocate during an evening together, politically incorrect flirtation, and the customer not always being right, are covered here in a humorous and easy-to-remember fashion. Understanding builds the bridge to friendship. After all, the French have been our friends since before we became a sovereign country, even if it, as President Sarkozy has said, "friendship means accepting that friends can have different opinions."
Indispensible.......2007-05-28
The single most indispensable book for anyone planning on living in France for longer than five months.
More than a mere study of facts and procedures, "French or Foe" explores the worldview of the French that make all that they do comprehensible. Without reading this work, France is incomprehensible, and you will be confined to a social and hermeneutic ghetto.
Highly recommended.
Informational, educational and fun!.......2007-03-01
I am an American woman married to a French husband, and when I came across this book, I was unprepared for such thorough explanations of and insights into my husband's often inexplicable behavior. Polly Platt's book goes a long way in demystifying the French, and makes you laugh along the way. A great guide for anyone planning to visit or live in France.
Foreign Country Vacation prep a MUST.......2007-02-10
French or Foe is a well written book that is a thoroughly enjoyable read AND was of immense help in preparing us for dealing with our first trip 'across the big water.' Despite our having very limited French at our disposal, the understanding of the French - through this book- allowed us to not only get along, but to thoroughly enjoy ourselves (in contrast to an unprepared fellow American Travelor, at our motel, who appeared to be about ready for a straight jacket).
How to enjoy the French.......2007-01-26
This book is an excellent guide to people proposing to live/work, of just visit in France. While it is directed mainly to Americans, it would be equally useful to Australians, or anyone from any other culture. It explains the culture, and particularly the codes of behaviour that non-francophones find so baffling. There is a rather long, complex potted history section which explains much of the background to the code, but for the short-term visitor, just having knowledge of the codes and how to respond to them will suffice. Armed with the contents of this book, one should have a trouble-free time in France.
Average customer rating:
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Russia in the Middle East: Friend or Foe?
Andrej Kreutz
Manufacturer: Praeger Security International General Interest-Cloth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0275993280 |
Book Description
Kreutz examines the goals and strategies of Russia and the former Soviet Union toward most of the Arab states in the Middle East. The author argues that Russia has been an important actor in the region for over a century and has tried to regain its influence in several countries following its strategic retreat after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. However, according to Kreutz, Moscow does not seek confrontation with the United States or with the West in general in the region. Rather, the Russians are interested in peace and stability in the region, which is close to its borders. Because of that, although Moscow wants to cultivate its links with Israel, it also seeks to reach a peaceful and balanced solution to the Palestinian-Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflicts, taking Palestinian and Arab interests into account. Washington can better engage Moscow as a stabilizing force in the Middle East and as a collaborator in the struggle against Islamic terrorists. At the same time, the United States must be cognizant of where Washington and Moscow diverge. Although Russia may be too weak now to compete with the United States on a global scale, it is not happy to see American or EU encroachment close to its own neighborhood. If we take their weakness for granted and become blind to the possibilities for Russian alliances in the region, we do so to our disadvantage. This book demonstrates Russia's enduring interest and influence in the Arab Middle East.
Book Description
With Friends or Foes? Norman Saul continues his monumental multi-volume magnum opus on U.S.-Russian relations over the course of 200 years. This fourth volume provides the first comprehensive study in any language of an era that shaped the rest of the century and captures the major changes in relations between two nations on the verge of becoming dominant global powers.
Among other things, Saul examines the rationale for America's failure to recognize the Soviet government through the early 1930s, analyzing the impact of the Red Scare and the roles of the State Department, Russian émigrés, religious groups, and key individuals-like Charles Evans Hughes, Robert Kelley, Herbert Hoover, Boris Skvirsky, Olga Kameneva, and Maxim Litvinov-on the policy process.
In addition, he recalls the American Relief Administration's gigantic effort to help Russian peasants and garners new material from American business records on concession arrangements and commerce and on Soviet responses during the first Five Year Plan. He also records travelers' impressions, cultural exchange, and the role of academia in each country-particularly the contribution of Russian émigré scholars to American education and the contributions of American journalists in Russia.
Saul's prodigious research in the Hoover Presidential Library, the Franklin Roosevelt Library, and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University-incorporating overlooked Diplomat Post Records and featuring an interview with George Kennan on his diplomatic role-has yielded a wealth of new insights into what really happened during a period in the history of the relations between the two countries that remains mysterious and controversial. Breaking new ground in diplomatic, economic, social, and cultural history, Friends or Foes? illuminates both the mutual fascination that briefly permitted peaceful coexistence (and eventual alliance) and the ideological battles that ultimately led to the Cold War.
Book Description
Friends and Foes sheds new light on the institutional dynamics that affect the way Congress and the Executive branch interact in the formation of U.S. foreign policy. Rebecca K.C. Hersman suggests that policymakers need to look beyond the major headlines and high-profile votes to understand how this process appears to practitioners in both branches of government. Most foreign policy practitioners struggle within porous, fragmented institutions where policy is driven more by communities of like-minded individuals than by disciplined organizations. Conflict is as much intra-institutional as it is inter-institutional, and issue loyalties often outweigh partisan ties or institutional allegiances. Numerous examples and three longer case studies from the mid-1990s are used to illustrate how foreign policy is really made: the transfer of three U.S. ships to the Turkish military; the Brown Amendment, which revised proliferation sanctions toward Pakistan; and the ratification process for the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Book Description
The Hidran race and the Klingon Empire have been at each other's throats for seventy years, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard has been asked to do the near-impossible: take the U.S.S. Enterprise™ to the planet Velex to mediate a treaty that will end the conflict between these two aggressive species. Things get off to a rocky start -- then turn deadly as the Hidran ambassador mysteriously dies, and kills a Klingon delegate as a last act of vengence.
When Lt.Worf is charged with the ambassador's assassinaton, and Commander Riker and Counselor Troi are trapped far below the surface of the planet, Captain Picard must not only act to save the Hidranas and Klingons from each other, but to save his Klingon officer from a hideous death sentence...
Download Description
The latest in the 10-million-copy New York Times bestselling series. In this new adventure, Captain Jean-Luc Picard has been asked to mediate a treaty that will end the hostilities between the Klingons and the Hidrans, bitter enemies for years. But an act of treachery sends negotiations into a tailspin.
Customer Reviews:
Good plot, somewhat weak writing........2006-07-09
The story is a good one, if not a great one, with a basic premise only slightly more dubious than the general run of Star Trek stories. The writing leaves a bit to be desired; it isn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination; the characterizations are good to excellent, the pacing is not at all bad, the dialogue neither noticeably bad or exceptional. So if, unlike this reviewer, you aren't a stickler for detail, you might consider this a somewhat above average bit of writing. But there are numerous places in which the word choice, spelling, and other detail -- detail that SHOULD be caught by the editing and proofreading before a book goes to print -- is rather sloppy. Several places, for instance, where the word "breath" is used as a verb rather than "breathe". One where the word that is clearly intended is "planet", and what is said is "plant". (If it was within his power, this conflict would not leave the plant." Or an instance of the mangled syntax "He wasn't been able to use communications until just a few minutes ago." At least one, and possibly more, instances of using "passed" when what was intended was "past". (The...craft shook as torpedoes sped passed her...". Other instances in which there is simply a word missing in the middle of a sentence. I suppose to be fair I should say that my complaint is with the editing, not the writing, but a writer should do a certain amount of his or her own editing. This book was just too sloppy to rate highly, which is a shame because the story was good.
Not just onother cheesey series.......2006-06-24
most of series with lots ofbooks are cheesey and bad. this one isn't. It is true to star trek with all the characters and star trek like situations. In it the klingons and the hindran hate each other. But when Picard is sent to try and make peace on hidra a klingon ship decloaks above hidra. Picard tries to take advantage by making the two races come toghether but that makes it worse. A hidran ambassador mysteriosly dies and kills a klingon as a last act of vengence and even worse Worf is charged with the murder. Also a wounded Riker and Troi are trapped in a mysterios place. How could this possibly turn out right? (it is kind of cheesy in the disription on the back cover of the book but it really is good)
STNG #31 Foreign Foes - An exceptional first novel!.......2003-10-12
"Foreign Foes" is the first title by this outstanding writing team. I found their writing style to be well versed and engaging with pacing that doesn't bog down in the details. They also do an outstanding job with the characterizations, especially Picard. They captured his character with perfection and in this story; they put him in a situation that is very true to the character. Between this novel and their next, Star Trek Voyager #18 "Battle Lines," I'd definitely have to say that their novels are ones to be looked forward to. The cover art for "Foreign Foes" is different from the norm, but not extraordinarily different.
The premise:
The Klingon Empire and the Hidran have been at war with each other for seventy years and Captain Picard, being the extraordinary diplomat that he is, is called in to mediate a treaty between the two highly aggressive, warring parties. Things start off badly for Captain Picard and everybody else involved as the Hidran Ambassador mysteriously dies but as he's dying, as a last act of vengeance, he kills a Klingon delegate.
Lieutenant Worf is charged with the death of the Hidran ambassador and Commander Riker and Counselor Troi have become trapped far below the surface of the planet. Now Captain Picard must not only find a way of ending the violence between the two warring factions but he must also find a way of saving Riker and Troi and exonerate Worf of the crime he's been accused of prior to a horrendous death sentence.
I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of the genre as it will certainly make an excellent addition to your Star Trek library! Novels by this writing team to be greatly looked forward to. {ssintrepid}
Yay! A ST: TNG book where everyone gets something to do!.......2003-08-27
Don't be fooled by the cover: this Star Trek book is evenly distributed so that every character gets a chance to do something, a refreshing change from the usual Picard/Data focus.
The Enterprise arrives at a neutral planet to mediate negotiations between the warring Klingon and Hidran empires. Picard mangages to get the two talking, but of course, this is the Enterprise: things are bound to go wrong. When a Hidran delegate is murdered, Worf is accused as the assassin, with Picard left trying to defend him. Meanwhile, Riker and Troi go missing after taking a shuttle to investigate some odd communication discrepancies, Data gets completely paranoid about Klingon spies, Geordi is REALLY blind, and Beverly attempts to hold together the ship. Whew, with so much action going on, the author does a surprisinglly great job holding together a cohesive storyline, keeping audiences captive.
My favorite line of the book is Picard's thought after assigning Crusher to command the ship in his absence, "She wasn't his first choice, but everyone else was either under arrest, missing, blind, or insane." :) Anyway, its a great book, with some funny bits and enough action to satisfy anyone. My only quibble was the sudden resolution, which didn't seem to do the rising action of the book justice. Despite this, it is one of the better ST: TNG books I've read and would recommend it to any fan.
ST-TNG: Foreign Foes.......2003-04-20
Star Trek-The Next Generation: Foreign Foes written by Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur is a Captain Jean-Luc Picard solving a mystery and bring peace to two warring parties book.
For seventy years the Hidran and the Klingon Empire have been fighting a war with neither side gaining the advantage, but now Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew are sent to negotiate a peace. While on the planet Velex to mediate a treaty, Picard has his hands full as Worf is charged with the murder of the Hidran ambassador. And while inspecting a field of some new grain, Troi and Riker get trapped in an underground chamber with machenery attacking them.
The story with both plots is written well and you really get into the flow of the book, making for a very enjoyable read. There is mystery and intrigue to pique your interest and there is good character development.
This is a Picard and crew mediate peace between two warring parties book with a good sub plot, making for a fast read.
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foreign Foes: Star Trek Next Generation # 31
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: B000GYEX30 |
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From Foe to Friend: One Man's Experience in Japanese/American Trade
Shinsaku Sogo , and
Bill Hosokawa
Manufacturer: Fulcrum Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1555914594 |
Customer Reviews:
Do not Buy.......2007-03-16
This raging alcoholic was a cancer in Americas colon and he finally got pooped out when he died. Good Riddance.
Although a wack job, completely intersting.......2006-12-05
This books shows us an extreme side to McCarthy and makes one wonder how he even came into power. This book is full of his ranting and ravings about communism and the threat they bring to America. This is a very book, but at the same time can't be taken serously. He is extremely fascinating though because of his extreme views on situations. It is filled with obivious lies and makes one wonder if even himself believed what he was saying. This is a book looking into the mind of a deeply distruped individual. Highly recommended.
McCarthy's side of the story........2002-01-01
For anyone who is really tired of reading what Leftists say "about" other people and who would like to hear what people have to say for themselves, this book, written by Senator McCarthy himself, enables the reader to learn what McCarthy said and believed, as opposed to reading what some left-winger says he said. Written in a "question and answer" format, Senator McCarthy informs the reader in a frank way, the real existence of the subversive forces seeking to ruin our nation. It is "his side of the story".
Average customer rating:
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Russia, Friend or Foe: A Critical Analysis of U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Russia
Scott Deatherage
Manufacturer: National Textbook Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0844204315 |
Book Description
Rachael guarantees, Yes, your kids will eat it! These Top 30 kid-friendly meals, a collection of her greatest hits, will have the whole family asking for seconds. Break the weeknight routine with hassle-free cooking and delicious results.
Customer Reviews:
It's... OK........2007-07-12
I ordered 3 of her cook books and this is the only one that I would ever use a recipe from, lol. Imagine that.
Upgraded Kid Food for Adults Who Want Zest and Beautiful Appearance in a Portable Edition.......2007-01-21
How many Rachael Ray cookbooks do you own? That's an important question when considering this book because you may already have some of these recipes in other cookbooks (such as Rachael Ray: 365) by this delightfully speedy provider of zesty dishes.
Here's another question: How much "fixing up" will your kids tolerate? My four were always on the conservative side. Here's an example. Our oldest would go into a restaurant and order a grilled cheese sandwich as follows (and this was before he ever saw Jack Nicholson's famous scene in Five Easy Pieces): "Here's how to prepare my grilled cheese sandwich. Put American cheese slices on plain white bread. Do not toast or grill the bread. Do not add tomatoes, ham, or anything else. Put a small container of mayonnaise on the side, but not touching the bread."
Almost all of these dishes are too adventuresome for what our kids would have tolerated with a few exceptions: cheesy popcorn, chicken cutlets, chicken and stars soup, chicken and dumplings, stuffed potatoes, and fettuccini all'Alfredo. So if your kids groove on Kraft macaroni and cheese and see vegetables as evil, they may not be ready for these dishes,
However, if you enjoy kid favorites . . . and would like a more adult version, you'll be pleased very much by this book and its recipes. The ingredients are well chosen, and the herb and spice selections are inspired. Consider the quesadilla recipe. Most people put in some American cheese, diced chicken, and perhaps some cut up tomato bits. Ms. Ray adds a little finely chopped onion, a palmful of chopped cilantro leaves, a Serrano pepper, coarse salt, a half pound of chorizo (smoked sausage from Spain or Mexico), a touch of barbecue sauce and a blend of Mexican cheeses. As you can see, that's a novel and interesting dish. Not all the dishes are upgraded as much, but there's always at least a little element of sophistication added in time-efficient ways.
Be aware that this book has only 30 recipes in it (along with some side dishes). But it's quite compact. You could easily fit it into a purse or pocket to take along to cook at an event where you've been asked to prepare food away from home . . . or when you are on your summer vacation if you prepare meals sometimes.
One of the beauties of this little gem can be found in the close-up photographs of the dishes. With these visual images to stimulate you, the food presentation will undoubtedly be improved. It just made my mouth water to look at these luscious images.
Dig in!
for mommy and me days.......2007-01-10
I bought this for one of my daughters. She has a five year old that loves to help mommy in the kitchen. Im sure the fun recipes in this book will create some great momments in the kitchen for them. I'm hoping for a dish of "smashed potatoes" next time I'm over!
adult supervision kid cookbook.......2007-01-10
My 4yr old is a big Rachael Ray fan and I was excited about finding what I thought would be a "kid" cookbook for her. The size of the book is "kid friendly" as is the heavy card stock of the actual pages. But the food ranges in taste and isn't really geared towards kids, but rather grown ups who want a fancier version of food they enjoyed as a kid. Not a bad thing, but not exactly what I expected. If you are buying for the younger crowd, be prepared to change the recipes a bit to suit less developed taste buds.
Great Book.......2007-01-05
My wife is going to be very busy cooking for me and the kids.
Books:
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Hole in the Sky: A Memoir
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
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Savoir Flair: 211 Tips for Enjoying France and the French
Cultural Misunderstandings: The French-American Experience
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong
Almost French: Love And A New Life In Paris
Au Contraire: Figuring Out the French
