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No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World's First Supermodel
Janice Dickinson Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0060009462 Release Date: 2002-08-20 |
Book Description
The life of Janice Dickinson is a story of extremes: uncontrolled energy, mad self-confidence and crushing insecurity, a boundless appetite for life and a ceaseless drive to self-destruct. During the 1970s she was the first lush-lipped, long-stemmed, dark-eyed brunette to break through and become not just a model but a supermodel -- a term she coined for herself.
She graced major magazine covers from Vogue to Elle to Cosmopolitan, in photographs by Avedon and Irving Penn and fashions by Versace and Calvin Klein. She was voracious in everything: affairs both passionate and casual, endless partying, and a drug habit that dogged her through twenty years and three husbands. She spent her glory days with Gia Carangi and Christie Brinkley and her nights with Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and Sylvester Stallone. And wherever she went, Janice captured the imagination of everyone who encountered her.
Yet the tale Janice Dickinson has lived to tell is no mere diva cartoon. For the haunting undercurrent in her life is a violent dance of cruelty and abuse with her own father -- a story she tells here for the first time. And as she careens from runway to rehab to rock bottom to recovery, readers will be captivated by her tale of survival . . . and by its cautionary power for anyone who still believes that fashion -- or life -- is an easy business.
Customer Reviews:
Craptabulous!.......2007-08-24
Enjoyed it.......2007-06-28
Great book.......2007-06-27
This is a woman who needs professional help!.......2007-06-13
no lifeguard on duty.......2007-05-24
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Duty First: West Point and the Making of American Leaders
Ed Ruggero Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0060193174 Release Date: 2001-01-23 |
Amazon.com
West Point isn't just a military academy, writes Ed Ruggero--it's "America's premier leadership school." Or at least it's one of them. Ruggero, a graduate and former faculty member who now specializes in leadership training, went back to his old school for an entire year to figure out how West Point builds leaders. "If the successes of its graduates are any indicator, the Academy's approach offers a template for leader development in and out of the military," he writes. And so Ruggero profiles a cross section of West Pointers, from first-year cadets enduring difficult initiation rites to the school's superintendent overseeing the whole process. Duty First prefers showing to telling: there are more stories and anecdotes on its pages than analysis and discussion. It doesn't offer very many clear-cut lessons that, say, business executives might apply to their own leadership dilemmas. The book is primarily about West Point culture, and Ruggero provides an excellent overview of what the school is really like, with its emphasis on strict discipline, the constant tension between military and academic training, and the supreme importance of beating Navy at the annual football game.But he is not afraid to criticize an institution he generally admires: "The culture is not one that encourages cadets to excel in any one thing; instead, they are conditioned to handle multiple tasks. The result is an education that, some critics say, lacks depth. With so much on their plates, some cadets learn how to get by with minimum effort in many areas." He also wonders whether the cadets are "too isolated from their civilian peers." After just a few months of training, they begin to see others as "unmotivated, slovenly, fat, and lazy.... [As a result] some cadets are ill-suited to relate to the young soldiers they will lead." Despite this, Ruggero finds much that is good at West Point: "The [cadets] who learn their lessons well will succeed in and out of uniform." Duty First will find an audience among readers interested in leadership formation, and, perhaps especially, among high school students thinking about enrolling, as well as their parents. --John J. Miller
Book Description
Duty First is a penetrating account of a year inside one of America's premier schools for leadership-the United States Military Academy at West Point. Ed Ruggero, a former West Point cadet and professor, takes an incisive look at how this elite school builds the "leaders of character" who will command the nation's military.
Ruggero details the struggles of young men and women who will lead the American soldiers of the future. Writing with deep insight and superb narrative skill, he follows their tumultuous lives: the initial, grueling training, the strict student hierarchy and intense classroom work, and the interaction between the lowly first-year plebes and the upper-class cadets who train them. Duty First also shows the role played by the majors, captains, and sergeants, who oversee everything that happens at this unique institution.
By taking a close, critical look at the Academy's standards and traditions, Ruggero examines the changes in West Point's approach to leadership training that have sparked controversy among its alumni. While all West Pointers would agree with one graduate's claim that "steel is forged in fire," many worry that the fire has been allowed to cool too much. Does today's Academy produce leaders with the inner steel to fight and win the nation's wars, or are today's cadets being coddled in the interest of political correctness, retention, and diversity? Above the Hudson River to the hot and humid barracks rooms where the nation's future captains struggle, Ruggero combines objective reporting with the emotional perspective of memoir to take readers on a guided tour through the jarring, overwhelming, inspiring leadership school that is West Point.
The stories in Duty First widely reverberate far beyond West Point, because while the specific goals and methods of developing leaders differ, the fundamental values courage, commitment, selfless sacrifice - are the same for all leaders, from the parents of small children to the CEOs of major corporations.
Customer Reviews:
Captivating Read.......2004-05-25
Insighful Analysis from a Genuine Insider.......2003-10-16
A wonderful epitaph.......2003-05-08
I worked for MAJ Olson when he assumed duties as the Operations Officer at 2-11 Field Artillery, 25 ID(L), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. About two months after he assumed this duty position, he was killed in a tragic helicopter accident which also killed six others and wounded scores more.
He had told me about this book, in passing, soon before his death and, after his death, I got and read the book. It is a wonderful tribute to him and his leadership style. He believed in empowering his subordinates and letting leaders grow by doing. I think it is great that his children, when they are older, will be able to read this book and see what a great officer their father was.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what a leader really is.
A Great Book........2002-12-27
There were more than enough books like this even before..........2002-05-22
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A sacred duty
Ester Rasband Manufacturer: Bookcraft ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: 1570086877 |
Product Description
Recounts the exciting true story of how Richard Wilkins, as a delegate at an important UN conference, used the principles of the First Presidency's proclamation to defend the traditional family against a vigorous, modern-day attack. This engaging account offers readers an example of how the gospel and devoted individuals can affect the course of history and changes the hearts of humanity.
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Duty, Honor, Privilege : New York's Silk Stocking Regiment and the Breaking of the Hindenburg Line
Stephen L. Harris Manufacturer: Brassey's Inc ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1574882015 |
Book Description
On September 29, 1918, a regiment of volunteers from New York State, many of them rich boys from Manhattan, attacked the famed Hindenburg Line, one of the strongest defenseive systems ever devised. In the tradition of the Union Army's heroic assaults on Confederate entrenchments during the closing battles of the Civil War, the doughboys hurled themselves at the center of a desperate but still powerful army. At a frightful cost, they broke the enemy and, just as their Union forebears had done, helped bring a terrible war to a close. Interweaving extracts from letters, diaries, and previously published accounts, DUTY, HONOR, PRIVILEGE follows the patrician 7th New York Regiment from the spring of 1917 when war is declared, through its merger with the plebian 1st regiment from Upstate New York (forming the 107th), to training with the British in France aand the heroic attack on the Hindenburg Line. Finally, we witness their triumphant welcome-home parade, still believed to be the biggest parade in New York City history.Customer Reviews:
Very good.......2003-02-21
Duty, Honor, Privilege.......2002-03-06
The book via letters and diaries creates a true emotional atmosphere of World War I and those committed to serve. It would make a superb film!
A Stirring reaccounting of a moment in history.......2001-12-06
Powerfully visual history ... a very good story.......2001-06-20
The author's diligent research makes this a good read and good history. This reader became convinced that what was known as the Silk Stocking Regiment was far more than spoiled rich boys playing war. When they entered the war they may have been naive, but they rose to the challenges they faced with great courage. Despite suffering terrible casualties they fought valiantly. Their parent unit, the 27th Division, did not fight with the main American forces, the A.E.F., in France. It was assigned to the British Expeditionary Forces (B.E.F.), ultimately under the command of an Australian General, but that did not dampen their fighting spirit.
These soldiers enjoyed broad public support of the people of New York, both upstate farmers ("apple knockers") and New York City socialites, because it blended men from both. The book goes to great length exploring the pedigrees of many of the men of the historic old New York 7th Regiment. It leaves no doubt that many of the men came from the highest class of American society. We are also introduced to some of the "apple knockers". The story proves to be a very interesting social history. The trials, accomplishments and valor left this reviewer feeling very proud of these American soldiers. That feeling of pride is tempered with sadness for the many lives of these fine men which were given so unselfishly.
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Duty First
Ed Ruggero Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0060931337 Release Date: 2002-02-19 |
Book Description
Duty First is a penetrating account of a year inside one of America's premier schools for leadership -- the United States Military Academy -- as it celebrates the bicentennial of its founding. Ed Ruggero, a former West Point cadet and professor, takes an incisive look at how this elite school builds the "leaders of character" who will command the nation's military.Writing with deep insight and superb narrative skill, Ruggero follows the cadet's tumultuous lives: the initial grueling training; the strict student hierarchy and intense classroom work; and the interaction between the lowly first-year plebes and the upper-class cadets who train them. Duty First also shows the role played by the majors, captains, and sergeants, who oversee everything that happens at this unique institution.Customer Reviews:
Duty First.......2007-01-11
Duty First - very helpful for plebe parents!.......2006-08-20
Pass on this one.......2005-09-29
The West Point book.......2005-07-01
More than just another "leadership" book.......2003-08-01
This book isn't like that. As an in-depth view of "America's premier leadership school" (if it does say so itself), this book not only contains valuable lessons on leadership, but was also about the best and most comprehensive book I've ever read on any of the federal service academies ... at least until I read David Lipsky's remarkable "Absolutely American" (2003). But "Duty First" is still head and shoulders above most of the rest.
When the Army prepared to write a report on how leaders are developed at the US Military Academy (aka West Point), they discovered that, in fact, there wasn't any formal training doctrine at all. The lessons of leadership, and the means of transmitting them, had developed informally over time.
As a result, West Point cadets are not spoon-fed maxims and "principles." Instead, they're put in positions where they can draw conclusions and learn lessons via their own experiences. Ed Ruggero follows the same course: In telling us the stories of a handful of cadets during their journey through the Academy, he doesn't bludgeon us with "The point of that was..." We learn as the cadets do -- and if we, or they, don't pick up some insights about leadership from this, maybe we, like they, aren't paying close enough attention.
As I said, this book isn't just about leadership. It's also an extremely good guide to the life of a cadet at the USMA.
Having not long before read Catherine Manegold's "In Glory's Shadow" about The Citadel, I was struck by the vast difference between that school's "adversarial" approach to cadet training, and West Point's team-based, but still rigorous, method. Of course, West Point used to be "adversarial" too. But, as Ruggero explains, that approach has been abandoned, in part because it was judged a failure in preparing cadets for the "real world" of commanding soldiers in the field. This book doesn't settle the Old Way Versus New Way debate by any means, but is a strong argument in favor of a training regime based on a desire to succeed, instead of fear of failure and (what some would call) abuse.
I would strongly encourage any young person interested in attending a service academy, or any parent of a current or prospective cadet, to buy this book and read it closely. MBA students and business leaders looking for leadership lessons from a school that has been training leaders for two centuries will find a lot to profit from too.
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Call of Duty(tm): United Offensive Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides)
Bart G. Farkas , and Philip Hansen Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0744004284 |
Book Description
BradyGames' Call of Duty: United Offensive Official Strategy Guide includes the following:
Customer Reviews:
Still something to be desired.......2005-08-12
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2004-11-09
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Faith, Duty, and the Power of Mind: The Cloughs and their circle, 18201960
Gill Sutherland Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0521861551 |
Book Description
This illustrated study tells the tale of a middle-class English family's fortunes. The experiences of two women--Anne Jemima Clough and her niece, Blanche Athena Clough--reveal the particular vulnerability of middle-class women to economic changes. As first and fourth principals of Newnham College, Cambridge, their lives and work enact the revolution in women's education which allowed women to finally enter professional occupations and construct their own economic lifelines. Anne Jemima's brother and Blanche Athena's father was the poet, Arthur Hugh Clough, who lost his Christian faith painfully and publicly at the end of the 1840s.
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Army Life: The first four months in my first duty station.
Ramon Carrasco Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0595375987 |
Book Description
I never saw myself as a soldier. I always imagined myself doing many different things, but this one was not one of them. My senior year in high school I planned everything out. It was nothing like this. Life has a funny way of changing your plans.
Author Ramon Carrasco joined the U.S Army as a last resort, eager to leave the boring normalcy of Big Lake, Texas, and to make a fresh start. But he struggles to find his place in the military. Shipped off to Seoul, Korea, he must learn to deal with the absence of important people in his life, mainly his family, and come to terms with old relationships while making new ones.
Army Life details CarrascoÂ's quest to discover his purpose in life. In doing so, he finds out that the Army is not what he thought it would be, and that people are not always who they appear to be. Faced with new challenges, Carrasco learns more about who he is and why his life has led him to this point.
Will CarrascoÂ's personal struggles and being in the Army overwhelm him, or will his strong spirit see him through?
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At Duty's Call: A Study in Obsolete Patriotism (Studies in Imperialism)
W. J. Reader Manufacturer: Manchester Univ Pr ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0719024099 |
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Back to Home and Duty: Women Between the Wars 1918-1939
Manufacturer: Pandora Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0044405154 |
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