International Affairs Is An Excellent Information Source

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Anyone who likes to keep up with world affairs and America's international relationships with the other countries of the world will find International Affairs by Davis K. Thanjan to be a fascinating read. The volume combines interesting facts about the countries it discusses with an astute eye towards how they influence the United States and vice-versa. It's part an a book of facts, and in part a political analysis of how much influence other nations have upon America and the reasons why they do. If you're looking for an excellent reference tool to help you research information about the U.S. foreign policy and the role it plays in shaping international politics, trade, and war and peace around the globe, then International Affairs is a book made especially with you in mind.

The book begins with a chapter on the world as a whole, and then each of the following chapters focuses on the various world and government organizations and the different countries as individual entities and as they interrelate with the U.S.A. So, you can read about such facts as how the world's countries rank in their oil consumption and production, GNP, and their coal reserves. How many nuclear bombs have been detonated since 1945? More than 2,000. How many nations are in the Arab League? 21. Which nation was suspended from it in 2011? Libya. Who owns the sea beds, if anyone? Read the book to find out!

Do you know which countries make up the Euro Zone? What is the European Economic Area (EEA)? Did you know that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) "is one of the largest international security organizations"? But, despite this, they have largely failed to provide much of a degree of security. Thanjan's book mentions several instances of times it has failed in its stated aim to provide security, which makes the organization's relevance "questionable."

The organization of the chapters of International Affairs makes it very easy to look up wichever region or country you'd like to read information about. Sometimes, as you skim through the book, your eye will be attracted to other information about some region of the planet that you might not have though you'd be interested in reading about, only to discover fascinating facts that make you want to stop and read them.

One of the many examples of this that I encountered was when I was reading the chapter on "Eastern Europe." I hadn't expected to read about some of the reasons why "Russia is retreating from the democratic process," but I did, and learned that there are really several reason why. For instance, the election of 2007 "was corrupt, unfair and failed to meet the international standards." Also, there's been a crackdown on religious freedoms, and human rights violations are mounting. According to the author: "The rule of the law and the legal system is manipulated by the government." Could Russia be heading back down the road to being regarded as one of the most oppressive countries of the world?

International Affairs by Davis K. Thanjan is one of the most excellent reference books I've encountered to give you facts about the countries of the world and how they relate to the U.S.A. It's not necessarily a book that you will read cover-to-cover, as it deals with tons of facts and figures that may not pertain directly to what you might want to know; but, it does give one a broad general knowledge about international affairs. It's invaluable to discover the numerous ways the different countries of the world interrelate with each other and America. If you are interested in world politics, and the U.S.A.'s role in international affairs, then International Affairs by Davis K. Thanjan is a book I'd highly recommend.

Reviewed by Douglas R. Cobb for http://www.bestsellersworld.com/

The True Story of Catch-22

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In 1944, as the Allied Forces in Italy press toward the War's European resolution, the U.S. 488th Bomb Squadron is keeping doggedly to its mission. The lives of these men of this 488th are following the dictates of the war; there are skills to learn and hone, fears to conquer, and, of course, missions to fly. What they are unaware of is that, as they focus on their daily lives, one of their members is focusing upon them. He is absorbing a different type of information; information that is to serve him well years after the war claims its last son and daughter. Keeping all of his senses alert to his surroundings, 488th bombardier Joseph Heller is absorbing impressions that will later astonish the literary world when he pens a phenomenal novel that explodes across the planet in the 1960's. Welcome, world, to Catch-22!

This richness of memories, of knowledge that he has absorbed fuels his pages. In varying degrees his war-mates morph into wildly factitious characters trapped in the chaos of Catch-22 while deadly missions become... well, still, deadly missions.

While Heller usually chooses to deny similarities between his clever fictional characters and his war-mates, to the men of the 340th Bomb Group, of which Heller's 488th is a part, Heller's offspring are instantly recognizable. In a wild and imaginative frenzy, characters such as the hard-drinking, vengeful, and disillusioned Chief White Half Oat, young, sliced-in-half Kid Sampson, shrieking, frenzied Hungry Joe, and a slew of others blast skyward from the solid roots of their real life counterparts.

It is now more than half of a century since Catch-22's publication. Currently, the surviving men of the 57th Bomb Wing, who comprise the 310th, 319th, 321st, and Heller's 340th Bomb Groups, will still chuckle or grimace as they discuss or deride this book while celebrating at their annual WWII reunions. It is a book that has become an American classic as it pokes huge fun at a circumstance that took a monumental toll on the lives of these men. While they acknowledge and can even respect the profound impact of Catch-22, still, it is at too great an expense of those who steadily have put their lives on the line, as has Joe Heller, mission after mission, for a cause of such magnitude. They find it difficult to embrace this levity even decades after the fact.

Now nearly all the characters upon whom Heller drew for his masterpiece are gone - Cathcart-Chapman, Dreedle-Knapp, Piltchard-Dyer, Daneeka-Marino, Havermyer-Myer, Major Major Major Major- Major Major, Tappman-Cooper, and the rest. All have passed now.

All but one: Wells-Wren Catch-22's sole survivor.

It is Captain George L. Wells, an extraordinary pilot, who weaves throughout a new book by Casemate Publishing, The True Story of Catch-22, is due to be released this Spring, From his first mission, October 26, 1943, to his last on March 19, 1945, George kept a small black mission book, now well-thumbed. Every one of his historic 102 missions is accurately recorded and, with the regularity of almost daily flights, each of these missions will keep step with the pages of this book. True-life George, Bill, Bob and, creator Joe funnel into the loopy, rogue, and ripe-to-bursting factitious personalities of the humble, capable CAPT. WREN, the naked-in-the-ranks Lt. Yossarian, the 'Black-Eye' or 'Feather-in-my-Cap' Col. Cathcart and the arbitrary, unpredictable Gen. Dreedle. Even though Heller's fully developed characters stand solely, solidly, and uniquely on their own merits, still it must be acknowledged that any resemblance to persons living or dead is, in fact, actual.

The True Story of Catch-22 is divided into thirds. Part 1 highlights four solid Air Force officers who Joseph Heller blindsided when he creatively massaged them into four of Catch-22's heavy hitters. But to paraphrase slightly, "Truth is as fascinating as fiction." Part 2 rewards our brain's right side with full-color illustrations of Catch-22's factitious spawn contrasting strongly, on facing pages, with our actual WWII heroes brought to life in previously unpublished photos and accompanied by first person narratives. Lastly, Part 3 goes to the heart of this book as twelve men of the 340th relate twelve true tales. In miniature, here lies the true story.

George speaks for all of these aging warriors, these passing threads of our history, when he says,

"I am surprised at being among the last of these men standing. I am being allowed to bid a respectful and loving farewell to each of these brave, honorable, and dedicated men, these friends and brothers with whom I am forever bonded.

And that, of course, includes you, Joe."

Patricia Chapman Meder is an author and a nationally and internationally exhibiting artist. She combines her artistic skills with her current literary focus centering on a segment of the Second World War. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado with post-graduate studies throughout Europe.

Understanding Flight

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Summary

Aimed at an adult audience, Understanding Flight is an ambitious book. It aims to explain complex aerodynamic principles and technologies that make airplanes possible by using simple diagrams in about 300 pages.

The Good

The technical facts in the book were very well researched. I have to say, I was impressed. Some of the concepts covered are very hard to understand, much less explain clearly in a non-technical fashion. There are lots of technical explanations in the book, and they are all competently written.

Most pages have inset boxes with interesting bits of aviation trivia. A lot of the trivia was new to me, which was a surprise. That's hard to do with an aviation buff like me.

The Bad

The writing and editing is competent but not the best. I caught an occasional typo. Some of the sentences were poorly worded. There were a couple of sentences that I reread several times because I couldn't understand what the author was trying to tell me. In the end I always had to give up.

Some might argue that this is the type of material that one can find for free on Wikipedia. That may be true for a lot of it, but the quality of the illustrations, the consistency in the writing style, and the convenience of a well-organized printed book are hard to beat.

I found the lack of a bibliography a bit bizarre. Given that this is an introductory book to a complex subject, it is very natural to feel a need to look for more in-depth information elsewhere.

The Ugly

The book is humorless. The writing style is somewhat conversational, but it is pretty dry. The boxes with the trivia struck me as an attempt to lighten up the book. Unfortunately, for me the trivia was just a distraction. It rarely had anything to do with the text surrounding it. Rather than enhance the text, most of the time the trivia just made me lose my train of thought.

The author did a great job of researching his facts, but sometimes he fails to connect the dots. For example, he first explains that the larger the diameter of a propeller, the more efficient it can be at producing a given amount of thrust. Then he goes on to talk about multibladed propellers. When he explains why they are less efficient than two-bladed propellers, he fails to make what I thought was an obvious connection. With more blades, the diameter of the propeller has to be less, which leads to lower overall propeller efficiency. I agree with the explanation that he provided, but it struck me as incomplete.

Conclusion

This is a good book. Very well researched, the facts about airplanes are presented clearly. There is lots and lots of good information here. I actually learned a thing or two about airplanes from reading this book. Given how much time I have spent doing my own research, that is hard to do.

I own the second edition of the book. From the description of the changes since the first edition in the book's introduction, it seems to me that grabbing a used copy of the first edition would be a good bargain purchase. In other words, most people would be perfectly happy with the first edition. There are many copies of this earlier edition available for $5 or less. They would make an excellent buy.

http://www.rcadvisor.com/ founder - Home of the best model airplane calculator. Free!

Author of RCadvisor's Model Airplane Design Made Easy and other books.

Host of Ask the RCadvisor in the free weekly http://www.thecrashcast.com/ podcasts.

AMA Scientific Leader and Contest Director #4601.

Book Review: World's Strangest Aircraft

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Summary

A large format book with lots of large pictures and less than 100 pages, this is a quick read. This is what some would call a coffee table book.

Organized into five chapters, each one tackles a broad category of aircraft. For example, chapter three is titled "The Desperate Struggle" and it covers military experimental aircraft from World War II. Chapter four is mostly about tailless designs. The last chapter is a general catch-all chapter covering general oddball aircraft, including helicopters.

An introduction to each chapter sets the stage for the aircraft covered. Then, one paragraph is devoted to each specimen.

The Good

There are a lot of airplanes in this book that I don't remember seeing anywhere else. Specially the first two chapters on early aviation pioneers before World War II, which are filled with wonderfully interesting airplanes. There are many fascinating Russian aircraft throughout the book, but specially in these early chapters.

Generally speaking, the pictures chosen for the book nail their subjects. They are great. Many in full color, all contain lots of details that really bring their subjects to life.

This book is a very easy read. The writing is solid, tying together all the aircraft discussed very nicely.

The Bad

I did not find any typos, but there is a picture caption that is missing its picture. That did not look so good.

Most pictures do not contain enough detail to even begin designing a scale model. That really was not a surprise. There is only one picture per aircraft, and many are side profile ground shots. In other words, there is no information provided on the shape of the wing.

I was already familiar with maybe a third of the aircraft in the book. Even in these cases, the text proved interesting and the pictures were great, bringing these aircraft to life in new ways I had not experienced before.

The Ugly

There are almost no specifications included for the aircraft. Oddly, just about the only specification that one can count on finding for each subject is the horsepower for its engines. Airplane dimensions are almost never given. It seems that the horsepower ratings are used as a stand-in for more detailed aircraft specs. Any other numbers that are provided strictly depends on whether the author found them interesting.

There are no pictures included for many of the aircraft discussed. This was a major disappointment. A paragraph of text without a picture is just not enough to get much of value out of it. I would have preferred it if the author had left out these aircraft entirely and either expanded the text for the other airplanes or included a second picture from a different angle.

Conclusion

This book does a great job of what it set out to do. It is filled with great pictures of lots of very interesting aircraft. The text is a good complement to the pictures and adds interesting details to these aircraft. Just do not expect it to be a great resource for a scale modeler.

Used copies of this book are very inexpensive. I only paid a couple of bucks for mine and it was in great shape. I definitely do not regret making the purchase.

http://www.rcadvisor.com/ founder - Home of the best model airplane calculator. Free!

Author of RCadvisor's Model Airplane Design Made Easy and other books.

Host of Ask the RCadvisor in the free weekly The Crash Cast podcasts.

AMA Scientific Leader and Contest Director #4601.

Review of "Saving Sea Turtles"

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Saving Sea Turtles: Extraordinary Stories from the Battle Against Extinction [Hardcover]
by James R. Spotila
240 pages, $24.95
ISBN-13: 978-0801899072
Nonfiction

In 2003, Disney released Finding Nemo, a forlorn tale which chronicles the haphazard journey of a Clownfish named Marlin as he navigates the Great Barrier Reef to locate his missing son, Nemo. In the opening scenes of that movie, Nemo excitedly asks his dad if he has ever met a shark with an important follow-on question: "How old are sea turtles?" Marlin, perhaps a little too annoyed while contemplating his son's first day of school replies, "Well, if I ever meet a sea turtle I'll ask him, right after I'm done talking to the shark." Fortunately, this said tale has a happy ending-Marlin is reunited with his son and informs him that some sea turtles live to be 150 years old.

Such is the mythos of animated cartoons where sea creatures are presented as talkative, happy, and engaging. While sea turtles can live to be quite old, the reality is that their numbers are dwindling every year. In his Saving Sea Turtles: Extraordinary Stories from the Battle against Extinction, James Spotila illustrates the issues that directly threaten these amazing aquatic animals.

Dr. James Spotila, a tenured biology professor for Drexel University, has penned a moving work which illustrates the tragedy of many varieties of sea turtles. While he does have a penchant for dropping names and places where his graduate students have studied, the book does not read like a lifeless doctoral dissertation. Quite the contrary, I found his thesis to be stimulating and provocative-throughout I kept asking myself: Is there anything I can do about this? In this collection of stories, the reader learns some amazing truths about the ongoing effort to preserve sea turtles for future generations.

I will never forget a turtle encounter I had while walking along the coastline in North Carolina. Early one morning, my wife and I were enjoying a leisurely stroll when we were flagged down by a determined beach visitor. He showed us the patterns in the sand that were indicative of a sea turtle coming ashore to place her eggs safely in a nest at the head of the beach. Together we called the local conservation society who dispatched a group of volunteers within minutes to cordon off the nest with appropriate notification.

Turtle conservation is necessary to pass along the appreciation of these amazing animals to our children. This book will anger you when you read of the lengths to which some will go to destroy nature. Everyone can play a part in sea turtles conservation-if you enjoy aquatic life, you will love this book.

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd

Mustang Designer

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The Good

Labeled a design biography by its author, Ray Wagner, the book reads like a non-fictional historical novel. The story is told from the point of view of the P-51 Mustang's designer, Edgar Schmued. Ray Wagner had access to the designer's personal papers, and it shows. In fact, it was the designer's widow that suggested to Mr. Wagner that he write the book. Being a retired history teacher, Mr. Wagner wrote a wonderful narrative history of this most famous fighter.

This book is a far cry from the typical fighter love fest that I find in bookstores. Text in those other books looks like an afterthought. The focus there is clearly on the pictures. Mr. Wagner, on the other hand, makes it very clear that the star in the book is the story of the fighter.

The scope of the book is large. In about 250 notebook-sized pages, the author tells the story of the events that led to the Mustang being created and looking the way that it does. Later chapters cover postwar variations on the Mustang and even jet-powered designs that evolved from the wartime lessons learned. A fitting subtitle for the book might have been "The history of the P-51 Mustang in its historical context".

The book is filled with first person quotes, which made the book a lot more interesting to read. I really got the feeling I was there with the designer (Edgar Schmued) as he overcame all the challenges he faced.

There's lots of photos of airplanes (mostly Mustangs) and of the people that played a role in its history. The focus on the captions is on technical accuracy. You won't find any captions of the "Pretty Mustang in flight" type. As best as possible, the captions tell you exactly which airplane you are looking at in the picture. If you like technical accuracy, you'll love this book.

The Bad

All of the pictures in the book are in black and white. Given their historical nature, my guess is that color was missing from the original pictures, too.

I was also hoping to find more technical details that would help me create a scale model. A couple of three-view drawings of the P51D variant are included, but almost all of the pictures of the Mustangs are side views or three-quarter views.

The Ugly

The biggest issue I have with the book is the reproduction quality of the pictures. They are similar in quality to what you find in a newspaper. I was frustrated that I couldn't see more details in the airplanes.

Conclusion

This is a unique book on an extremely popular scale model airplane subject. It works wonderfully well as a way of understanding the mindset and wartime constraints that led to the design of the fighter. If you are an aviation history buff, I can think of no better book to read. If you are a fan of the P-51, as I am, bring this book along on your next vacation. You won't regret it.

http://www.rcadvisor.com/ founder - Home of the best model airplane calculator. Free!

Author of RCadvisor's Model Airplane Design Made Easy and other books.

Host of Ask the RCadvisor in the free weekly http://www.thecrashcast.com/ podcasts.

AMA Scientific Leader and Contest Director #4601.

Backyard Bigfoot a Logical Book Review

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I was curious about the possibility of stick signs being real evidence of interaction with Bigfoot, but I was also curious to know if Lisa A. Shiel, author of Backyard Bigfoot, had a new, logical perspective on Bigfoot and how the plausible existence of hairy forest giants might relate to UFOs, as it states on the book cover.

Shiel also discusses "orbs," but it seems that her outlook on these subjects as naive as those who staunchly "believe" that photographed orbs are manifestations of spirits from beyond, and that UFO's are proof that extraterrestrials or inter-dimensional beings maneuver through our airspace in highly advanced craft.

The bottom line is that there is absolutely no proof to substantiate these phenomena, and it is illogical to speculate based on belief alone.

I mean no disrespect to the author. This is an interesting, well written book, and she certainly has done her fair share of research. Her theories are entertaining, and there is much anthropological and paleontological information included in the book, though not always in the best context.

In some cases I notice that her interpretations are a bit of a stretch from what one might ordinarily gather from the information at hand. For example, in the first chapter, "Ancient Evidence," Shiel presents an image of a pottery piece decorated with a representation of Bes, an Egyptian "hairy dwarf" god.

Sheil tells us that Bes is often depicted with a feathered headdress, large feet, and sometimes as a bipedal lion-like creature but what the author fails to mention are the obvious wing-like appendages seen protruding from the back of the creature in the image presented. This depiction of Bes is as much a representation of a hairy hominid as it is of Mothman, for those who believe in the existence of such a thing.

The stick sign phenomenon is intriguing, and may indeed be evidence of a possible attempt at communication, or mere playfulness, by an unknown creature. Shiel has obviously done extensive experimentation with the stick sign phenomenon, but the fact that it continued at two very different locations, and on her property in both cases, may indicate that the phenomenon is a simple result of the misperception of her own environment.

I'm a skeptical person, but I try to keep an open mind about subjects like this. Backyard Bigfoot does contain some interesting information, and potential evidence that may or may not suggest the presence of hairy hominids on the author's property.

Much of what the author presents is assumption. She assumes a connection between hairy hominids and UFOs based on anecdotal evidence; stories. She assumes that orbs, and other likely photographic or optical anomalies, represent paranormal activity and not common dust, moisture, insects, or other airborne debris. Shiel also assumes that these orbs have a connection to the alleged hairy hominids she believes frequent her property.

Shiel suggests some sort of association between things like strange lights, mystery canids appearing on a motion-activated game camera, and her personal sighting of an out-of-place jaguar near her home when she lived in northern Texas. It seems that all of the world's paranormal mysteries found their way into her backyard. That is, if out of place jaguars, or wolf-like animals are truly paranormal phenomena.

It is common that many people who believe in the unexplained tend to experience all kinds of strangeness in their lives, while skeptics like me seem to miss it all. Everything becomes part of some great mystery to them, far beyond the comprehension of even the most educated scientists and thinkers.

On that note, one thing that Shiel doesn't hesitate to do, whenever she has the opportunity in this book, is to bash skeptics as a close-minded group with an agenda to shut the door on all hope for the believers. I got the distinct impression that Shiel views skeptics as the most illogical of people, when in fact the opposite is true. Unfortunately believers view skepticism as a threat.

Skeptics ask questions, and point out facts which believers tend to conveniently ignore, maybe for fear of change. It is not my goal to bash the author, she has written a fun book, and presents plenty of food for thought. There can be no belittling the author for amount of work she has done. She is an intelligent person, and the book is well researched, however, much of what she offers and interprets seems liberally colored by her belief.

Are Bigfoot responsible for the stick signs Shiel finds on her property? Maybe. Does Bigfoot exist? Maybe. But also probably not. It seems that the author, like many, is convinced of their existence and assumes that unknown hairy hominids are communicating with her through stick signs. Some of the stick sign formations do seem to be deliberate, while others could very well have just fallen out of a tree and landed that way.

There are many less mysterious woodland creatures capable of shuffling some sticks around too, during the course of gathering materials for a nest or den for example, or simply scurrying by. Even the wind can whip up a loose stick or twig and have them land as they may. To say that a found array of sticks are messages from, and evidence of, a creature that science has not found to exist is a stretch. Oh, there we go with science again.

Throughout the book are references to stick signs and rocks (some of which Shiel claims are evidence of hairy hominids' toolmaking skills), apparently showing up where they were not the day before. In this case, how is it possible that the author has such precise recollection of what is, or is not present on her property, and how can she be so certain as to how something got there?

Are we to believe that Shiel patrols her property on a daily basis making a detailed inventory of the contents of her land? Many of the passages in the book seem to indicate just that.

I will admit that my explanations above do not answer the riddle as to why Shiel seems to consistently get responses to her own placed stick signs. If an animal didn't just happen to shuffle over the sticks during the night, rearranging them a bit by mistake, then maybe there is something intelligent trying to communicate with her. But the evidence is very sketchy, and it does not necessarily have to be a Bigfoot.

Sheil also discusses mystery braids that appear in the manes of her horses, seemingly overnight. She describes the detail and intricacy of the braids, but at the same time she contradicts herself, referring to them as having a knotted appearance and being difficult to remove.

The photos Shiel presents of the braids show no real detail, and don't really help to support her claim. In some pictures it looks like she's showing nothing more than a tangle of hairs. Hard to say for sure. She is again making an assumption that the braids are the work of playful, hairy hominids, though she never claims to have seen any Bigfoot at work making stick signs or weaving the braids. These alleged events apparently happen overnight, miraculously, therefore we cannot assume that unknown creatures called Bigfoot are responsible for these events.

There is just no proof, despite the cute cover image, which seems more suited for a children's book than a serious examination of the Bigfoot phenomenon.

The book is interesting, but I must say that it is odd as well. It is a book about the paranormal and the author's belief, perfect for those who wish to continue to believe in such things.

Drew Vics writes reviews and features for various web sites, including EclecticReviews.com which features book, music, movie and product reviews.