Book Description
Acclaim for the Bomb in My Garden
"This one book will tell you more about Iraq's quest for weapons of mass destruction than all U.S. intelligence on the subject. It is a fascinating and rare glimpse inside Saddam Hussein's Iraq-and inside a tyrant's mind."
-Fareed Zakaria, author of The Future of Freedom
"The Bomb in My Garden is important and utterly gripping. The old cliché is true-you start reading, and you don't want to stop. Mahdi Obeidi's story makes clear how hard Saddam Hussein tried to develop a nuclear weapon, and the reasons he fell short. It is also unforgettable as a picture of how honorable people tried to cope with a despot's demands. I enthusiastically recommend this book."
-James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly
"One of the three or four accounts that anyone remotely interested in the Iraq debate will simply have to read. Apart from its insight into the workings of the Saddam nuclear project, it provides a haunting account of the atmosphere of sheer evil that permeated every crevice of Iraqi life under the old regime."
-christopher hitchens, Slate
"Mahdi Obeidi describes in jaw-dropping detail how Iraq acquired the means to produce highly enriched uranium, the key ingredient to building a nuclear weapon, by the eve of the first Gulf War. . . . [His book] offers insights into how a determined dictator, backed by sufficient resources, can come within reach of acquiring the world's most horrific weapons."
-The Washington Post BookWorld
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A news-breaking inside look at Saddam¿s nuclear program¿by the Iraqi scientist who ran it
No one knows more about Iraq¿s nuclear weapons program than Mahdi Obeidi, the man who headed its successful uranium enrichment effort. In the aftermath of the 2003 Iraq War, Obeidi voluntarily turned himself into American intelligence. Among the revelations reported by CNN at the time: In the early 1990s, under orders to hide the core of the program from U.N. weapons inspectors, Obeidi had buried in his backyard the capacity to build uranium-enriching gas centrifuges.
Now, at last, Obeidi tells all, taking us inside Saddam¿s regime and revealing the truth about its quest for nuclear weapons. He explains how he traveled abroad incognito though the United States and Europe in the 1980s and gained covert assistance for the Iraqi nuclear effort from scientists and manufacturers. He tells how he was forced to orchestrate Saddam¿s cat-and-mouse game with U.N. weapons inspectors in the early 1990s. And he captures what life was like in Saddam¿s inner circle¿the intimidation, the paranoia, the impossible deadlines. Most significantly, Obeidi discloses that Iraq never reconstituted its nuclear weapons program after the first Gulf War; the critical elements¿including the centrifuge¿remained buried in his garden until he voluntarily turned them over to U.S. forces last year.
Written with the pace and drama of a spy thriller, this eye-opening book shows how easy it was for a rogue regime to acquire nuclear technology¿and helps answer still-lingering questions about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.
Mahdi Obeidi oversaw Iraq¿s top-secret centrifuge program and later became director-general of Iraq¿s Ministry of Industry and Military Industrialization under Saddam Hussein. In late 2003, Obeidi was granted asylum by the U.S., where he now lives. Kurt Pitzer (New York, NY) met Obeidi in Baghdad and helped him turn his secrets over to the U.S. He has reported out of the Balkans, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Iraq and written for the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and numerous magazines.
Customer Reviews:
A glimpse inside Iraq under Saddam's regime.......2007-04-10
Once you get started you won't be able to put this book down. This oral hisory shows how honorable, intelligent people with the best intentions can be forced to do the work of a corrupt regime. Thank you, Mr. Obeidi, for coming forward with your story revealing the individuals and countries (including our own) that made the acquisition of nuclear-producing components possible, in spite of the nuclear ban. It makes the current situation of nuclear fuel enrichment in Iran and North Korea all the scarier. Thank you, Kurt, for organizing this story so well and making the scientific jargon so easily understood.
Facinating Account.......2006-11-10
The Bomb in My Garden was very easy to read and held my interest throughout. Although I did not know Dr. Mahdi as a student at Colo School of Mines, he was in school at the same time as I, graduating three years after me. That added to my interest in the book.
It gives an insight into the kind of goverment Dr. Mahdi had to work under and give in to.
Model of an Illicit Program.......2006-10-09
The book provides excellent insight into the Iraqi program throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The most insightful portion is how they pulled it off. They needed and acquired materials and expertise from Sweeden, Italy, and even the United States. It tells in detail how they used cover stories to get their hands on sensitive items and would then use front companies to ship those items back to Iraq. Once the program was discovered, the book details how the regime attempted to cover it up. In one case, they literally tore down a building, rebuilt it, and moved the top layer of dirt from all the way around the area to cover any traces of nuclear material at that location. It is a truly facisnating book!!
Genuine truth from a wonderful man !.......2005-11-25
This is not only a trilling read, in part due to it's non fictional aspect but also it's a wonderful book because it reflects the character of it's author.
To me it is genuine and believable for two reasons:
- The facts, details and timelines are cross checkable giving the reader an insider's view of Saddam's infamous regime.
- It has the fingerprint of a critical and clear thinker - a scientist, sometimes naive but always good intentioned who gets sucked into Iraq's nuclear program.
So in addition to being a fascinating account and a lesson in political science it also contains a good R&D story !
Science has always being of great interest to me and on that note , the most memorable point of the book was where he describes the gifted hands of a fellow scientist which delivered the works at a tense and critical moment
"...and I realized that all the theory in the world can never replace an experienced hand."
But I don't want to lose sight of the book's importance in the context of the US invasion of Iraq. I am in no doubt that Bush had no choice except to invade Iraq. After 9/11 he was not going to take a chance of leaving this erratic regime in place to spray havoc on the west at some future date in cohesion with Al-queda.
Of course that's a hard thing to say after all the bloodshed that has been in Iraq since the invasion but if Democracy prevails it will have a positive ripple throughout the Arab world.
What would have been the alternative?.. I have no doubt.
#66 Most wanted man in Iraq once, tells his story.......2005-05-29
"This is the man who will deliver the enriched uranium," Hussein Kemal said to his father-in-law Saddam, nodding at Mahdi Obeidi. "He has already made great strides." "In less than 3 years," Dr. Obeidi writes in this book, "our staff of only 200 talented men and women had progressed from almost total ignorance of centrifuge technology to the successful enrichment of uranium and to the verge of large-scale production." How he accomplished this feat (beginning in 1988) is he story of "A Bomb in my Garden"; so entitled because of his hiding of a test centrifuge---the single most dangerous piece of nuclear technology---& detailed blueprints on its manufacture for over 12 years (buried in his backyard) while UN inspectors searched Iraq for just such proof that Saddam was a lot closer to acquiring a nuclear device than he was willing to conceed (an ability, moreover, he could reconstitute fairly rapidly when desired). Dr. Obeidi explains herein how centrifuges draw the heavier isotope uranium-238 from the lighter uranium-235 "in much the same way that water is drawn out of laundry in the spin cycle of a washing machine." In this way natural uranium---which contains less than 1% uranium-235---can be accumulated & progressively enriched until it reaches lethal quality (at over 90% purity). Centrifuges, however, need to rotate at over 50,000 revolutions per minute to facilitate this process; an engineering miracle in of itself. Only certain materials can bear the stress of such force and have to be manufactured to such precise tolerances that Dr. Obeidi sent dozens of his engineers & researchers to train undercover in the world's best institutes & high-tech companies once he was able to procure the requisite classified plans for such; as he (simultaneously) "put together a strategy for acquiring parts, materials, and know-how on the international black market." This he did in total secrecy, under direct command of Saddam Hussein's son-in-law. "It is difficult to describe," he writes, "the sense of total fear we lived under" trying to meet arbitrarily imposed deadlines from above---the penalty being prison and/or execution for failure. It's an amazing story; and the details of meetings and events of interest are fascinating: details of meetings with Qusay Hussein & Saddam Hussein, being threatened by Saddam's son-in-law, watching Colin Powell address the UN on satellite televison, dodging American bombs during the invasion, wooing German & Swiss industrialists and scientists to provide classified materials & so on. Once he even had to tear down half of his development facility---walls, floor, etc. and remove tons of topsoil surrounding it before UN inspectors---having surprised him by taking samples---would be expected to return once those samples (as he expected) tested positive for radiation. If you are interested in the Iraq War, Saddam Hussein's dastardly doings---or need to be convinced of such, this is the book for you. Even if you don't need convincing, this book is a rare glimpse into Iraq that you will read cover to cover with keen interest. It is well written & hard to put down. Cheers!
Book Description
Winding your way through a maze or a labyrinth: two symbolic journeys, both rooted in myth and mystery. After looking at the legends and evolution of the two kinds of complex, twisting paths, Jeff Saward considers how today’s land artists and garden designers have recreated labyrinths and the new “craze” for mazes—from maize mazes and mirror mazes to wood and water mazes and simple garden turf mazes. This overview captures their visual excitement, power to challenge, and unique inspiration.
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Natural Insect Control (21st Century Gardening Series, Handbook #139)
Manufacturer: Brooklyn Botanic Garden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Techniques
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Weed & Pest Control
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
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ASIN: 0945352832 |
Customer Reviews:
Practical use book........2004-07-01
Great for the garden and home. Multiple tips and techniques for common and very obscure insect control.
Book Description
J. Howard Garrett's quest to convert the world to organics began in 1985 with the birth of his daughter. The idea was quite simple: healthy soils produce healthy animals and humans. Now millions have discovered that organics work, and that toxic chemicals simply aren't needed. The Organic Manual tells you how organics work and outlines a complete organic program from what products to use, when and how to use them.
Customer Reviews:
Complete Organic Gardening.......2003-02-26
I have read many books on organic gardening by many authors, and this book is by far the best. Howard Garrett, also known as the Dirt Doctor, hosts over five hours per week of an organic gardening show on talk radio in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area. He has done more to stimulate the popularity of organic gardening in this area than all other sources combined. While many of Howard's books are targeted to his home state of Texas, this book is not. This book should be applicable to gardeners nationwide because none of the advice is tailored to any specific geographical area.
The Organic Manual is an outstanding comprehensive resource for organic gardeners, both inexperienced and experienced. In the book Howard explains that organic gardeners should strive to improve the health of their soil and increase biodiversity through proper soil management practices, which do not involve the use of chemical fertilizers or chemical pesticides. The book covers it all, including sections on soil nutrients, mulches, pest control, plant diseases, fertilizers and soil amendments, as well as a lot of how-to information on subjects such as converting to organics, getting soil tests done, planting techniques, fertilizing, and pest control.
The section on soil nutrients goes far beyond the familiar N-P-K and discusses the importance of carbon, calcium, magnesium, sulfur and other mineral nutrients. There is also a chart that compares the use of various organic mulches, from shredded tree chips to straw to pine bark and many others. There is a discussion of the various beneficial insects, from the familiar ladybug, to green lacewings, wasps, and even fireflies, among others. There is also a discussion of harmful insects, as well as a chart that recommends organic remedies for various pests.
As an example, for control of bagworms, caterpillars, cabbageworms and the various moth larvae that often defoliate our favorite plants, the book recommends the application of Bt (bacillus thuringienses, a biological control) and the release of green lacewings and trichogramma wasps. I had never heard of Bt before I began listening to Howard's radio show, but I bought some and used it on my tomato, pepper and potato plants that were being defoliated by caterpillars. Within a day I began to find caterpillar carcasses, and my defoliation problem went away.
The book also includes a section on organic disease control, which stresses building soil health as a major control, but also recommends as remedies many products that can be bought at the grocery store or cheaply made at home, such as cornmeal, baking soda, and a spray made from pureed garlic and hot peppers. Finally there is a section that discusses the various organic fertilizers and soil amendments. In addition to the various commercially available organic fertilizers, there are discussions of the use of compost, lava sand, earthworm castings, molasses, and various manures, as well as other items.
Until a few years ago, I used chemical products in my yard and garden. I was a big fan of Miracle Gro and Sevin Dust, as well as a few other even more toxic products. After listening to Howard's talk show for a few months and reading a few of his books, including this one, I have converted to 100% organic gardening. My gardens have never been more lush and productive, and now I have the added peace of mind of knowing all the vegetables from my garden are generally free from toxic substances (not counting acid rain and airborne particles from outside my property). Looking back on my conversion to complete organics, if I had to pick a single resource that was most influential and most helpful, this book would be it. I still refer to the book fairly often when I encounter new problems or consider using a new type of soil amendment or mulch.
Customer Reviews:
Awsome resource.......2000-08-18
This book reads like a novel but it's as informative as a reference book. Gardening with plants and several creative ideas for beautiful landscapes.
Book Description
Mobsters. Big hair. The smelly Turnpike. The poor cousin of its glittering neighbor Manhattan. Could that really be all there is to New Jersey? In Living on the Edge of the World, the best and brightest young writers from the much maligned state answer back with edgy, irreverent pieces of nonfiction paying tribute to New Jersey's unique place in the cultural consciousness.
Like a drive along the Garden State Parkway, their stories travel to just about every corner of the state, from Princeton and Hillside to Camden and Hoboken. In "Straight Outta Garwood," Tom Perrotta writes of the near inescapability of returning to his home state again and again in his novels; in "Exit 15W," Joshua Braff tells how all roads led back to the Jersey Girl he'd fallen for as a seventh-grader; Kathleen DeMarco takes a nostalgic look at her grandfather's cranberry bog in "The Family Farm"; Jonathan Ames recounts a failed attempt to consummate his flirtation with a boardwalk beauty in "Rose of the Jersey Shore"; and Frederick Reiken offers an elegy to a high-rise in Fort Lee that opens his eyes to a new, dangerous world.
A celebration of all that's weird and wonderful about the Garden State -- including Bruce Springsteen, the Nets, the Jersey Devil, the films of Kevin Smith, and Great Adventure -- Living on the Edge of the World will have New Jerseyans everywhere ready to stand and be counted.
Book Description
In 2001, Victory Gardens Theater received the Tony Award for Regional Theatre and was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "one of the country's most important playwrights' theaters." This recognition helped the theater take its rightful place alongside Chicago's world-class local theaters. Nearly 250 plays have been produced at Victory Gardens since it was founded in 1974. More than half of these plays have been world premieres, many of which have gone on to national success. This theater's commitment to producing primarily new plays, most by Chicago authors, makes it a unique and exciting institution.
This collection features seven plays by talented authors from the twelve-member Playwrights Ensemble at Victory Gardens. Their works tackle a wide range of topics from a colorful and imaginative retelling of the Medea legend set in the Carribbean to the desperation and regret that can fill a high-school reunion, from a feisty stroke-survivor claiming her independence to a historical drama about the first free man of color to attend Ohio University. Whether focusing on the drama between the four walls of a home or testing the broader realms of culture, history, and politics, the Victory Gardens Theater has always encouraged diverse perspectives and supported original work. Victory Gardens Theater Presents showcases some of the best examples of the distinctive talent that continues to find a home there.
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Gardens for the 21st Century
Anita Pereire
Manufacturer: Aurum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Garden Design
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
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| Books
General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
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ASIN: 1854106392 |
Book Description
Outstanding examples of the work of leading garden designers from around the world offer a splendid overview of the 21st–century garden.
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Hudson's Historic Houses & Gardens: Castles and Heritage Sites (Visitors Guide)
Manufacturer: Globe Pequot Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Exhibition Catalogs
| Museums
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
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| General
| Guggenheim Museum
| Los Angeles County Museum of Art
| Metropolitan Museum of Art
| Museum of Contemporary Art
| Museum of Modern Art
| National Gallery Of Art
| Tate Gallery
| Whitney Museum of American Art
General
| Gardening & Horticulture
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| Great Britain
| Europe
| Travel
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General
| Travel
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General
| England
| Europe
| History
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ASIN: 0953142671 |
Customer Reviews:
Wow! How informative!.......2002-05-20
I am a nursing home social worker and was given this book to read for Christmas to know what it is like for my clients and their families. Everything Doug Manning says is SO true and helpful. I wish that I could order them by the hundreds to give out to my families! It is such a quick and easy little reader.
A valuable and sensitive guide for adult children........1999-04-29
This is the best book I've found on the adult child's dilemma when a family elder's care requires nursing facility placement. It covers a breadth of feelings and responses of both the adult child and the elder, and gives sensitive guidance.
Book Description
This best-selling classic continues to top the list. Over 800,000 copies have been sold over the years to people searching for answers to the nursing home decision. Doug walks an individual or family through the emotional process of making long-term care decisions and helps them understand how to live with the choices they make.
Customer Reviews:
Invaluable resource.......2002-08-06
This book helped us so much deal with caring for our elderly parents and grandparent both at home and in nursing homes. It explains the psychology of the elderly and the children who must care for them. Don't make any decision before reading it. It will make a very difficult decision easier and more informed.
Books:
- The Compact Tractor Bible (Country Workshop)
- The Cutting Garden
- The Edible Salad Garden (Edible Garden Series)
- The French Garden
- The Garden in Ancient Egypt
- The Garden Table: Elegant Outdoor Entertaining
- The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom: 576 annuals, perennials, and bulbs in full color (Potting-Bench Reference Books)
- The Gardens and Parks at Hampton Court Palace
- The Gifted Button: Fashion Buttons into Gorgeous Gifts and Wearable Art
- The Grape Grower: A Guide to Organic Viticulture
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