Defined-event

Related Subjects: Deferred-annuities
Book reviews for "Defined-event" sorted by average review score:
Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the Revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles
Published in Paperback by Claitor's Law Books and Publishing (February, 1993)
Authors: U.S. Department of Labor and U S Department of Labor
Amazon base price: $58.00
Average review score:

The best 46 BUCKS you can spend
Simply amazing! Think of a job, any job! This book will tell you what it entails. A must have for those not sure what they want to do in life!

If I were a Castaway, forget painting a face on some stinking volley ball, I WANT MY "Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the Revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles"!

POTUS Speaks: Finding the Words that Defined the Clinton Presidency
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (05 October, 2000)
Author: Michael Waldman
Amazon base price: $25.00
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President Clinton won't be remembered for soaring, Lincolnesque rhetoric--even top speechwriter Michael Waldman admits that: "Clinton does not leave a long trail of chiseled phrases," writes Waldman in his memoir POTUS Speaks (POTUS is the acronym used in White House memos for President of the United States). "Frequently his speeches read like what they are: transcripts of a highly persuasive man trying to win a listener's agreement." That's right on target. Clinton's best-known phrases have been either embarrassments ("that depends on what the meaning of is is") or clichés repeated with numbing frequency ("Let's build that bridge to the 21st century"). Yet Waldman hails Clinton for "transforming the way a president uses the bully pulpit to lead," by adapting to the current media environment in which 24-hour cable channels dictate how the news is made, packaged, and delivered.

Waldman, who worked for Clinton from 1992 to 1999, is an unabashed supporter: "I was proud to work for Clinton, proud of what he accomplished for the country. For all his mistakes, I think that Bill Clinton was not only a successful president, but an important one." In other words, this is no kiss-and-tell memoir of the type that haunted the Reagan administration. Instead, it is the story of how an administration built its rhetoric around its policies, as told by a key player and an apologist. Waldman describes, for instance, how Bob Dole inspired that phrase about building a bridge to the 21st century: during his acceptance speech at the GOP convention in 1996, Dole said he wanted to "be the bridge to a time of tranquility, faith, and confidence in action"--i.e., the past. Waldman also recounts a few hilarious anecdotes, such as what happened when he saw Robert McNamara and Ira Magaziner--the failed gurus of the Vietnam War and the Clinton health-care plan, respectively--meet in the White House mess. Another example: "Every few days, in the morning staff meetings, [economic advisor] Gene Sperling would issue a cryptic report on the fluctuations of a currency. 'The Thai baht took a big hit today,' he would announce.... The staff would nod gravely, as if we knew whether there was, in fact, a Thai baht." POTUS Speaks is simultaneously loyal and revealing--a neat trick. It's an entertaining account of the Clinton presidency told from an insider's perspective. --John J. Miller

Average review score:

Light and Possitive
It is a refreshing start to a book when the author admits up front that he is and was a strong supporter of President Clinton. Unlike many of the books that have come out regarding Clinton, either positive or negative, they all profess to be unbiased and fair, but usually by about 25 pages in you know the track the author is following. With this book the author admits up front his position so there is never any question as to the slant he was using. You could read the book and know that the positive side of the situation was being documented, not a sly attempt to malign the President.

As you know from reading the book synopsis, the author was the head speechwriter for Clinton and was with him for almost his entire Presidency. Unfortunately for me that fact seemed to mean that he was not really involved in any policy decision (I assumed that fact going into the book), but also that he did not share any gossip or good insight in how many decisions were made. I do not think there was anything detailed in the book that was not already spelled out in other books or in the papers. The laborious speech writing process Clinton used was interesting and the lack of organization of the early administration was expressed well.

Overall I found the book to be just average, nothing really new. I felt that best parts of the book dealt with the start of Monica issue and the impeachment process and how the speechwriting team just kept plugging away. If you are looking for a light book from a Clinton fan then this book will make you happy. I would suggest that the following books are better: Locked in the Cabinet (by Reich), All Too Human (by Stephenopolis) and Shadow (by Woodward). All of them give far more detail and I thought they were actually better written.

Excellent insight into speechwriting
This book is about Presidential speechwriting. It includes all stages of the process as told by the author. It is particularly interesting as a portrait of what it is like to write speeches for a president who is active. The scenes about President Clinton's late edits are especially good. A nice read.

Inside The "Real" West Wing and more
This book gives a fine example of what it's like to work for the most powerful, or one of the most powerful, person[s] in the world. Not unlike the NBC show "The West Wing", the battles over language; the frustration over when things go wrong and the joy at when they go right, this book by Michael Waldman sparkles with wit and humor. It also goes a long way to explaining the tough task of working for a President like Bill Clinton. If you're a "West Wing" fan, as I am, and want to get a clue into working inside the White House, read this book.

Big Men, Little People: The Leaders Who Defined Africa
Published in Hardcover by New York University Press (November, 2000)
Author: Alec Russell
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Average review score:

an interesting survey
THis is an enjoyable read. Informative as it is a good survey of post colonial leaders in Africa. Among those illustrated are Mandela, Neyere, Mobuto, Kenyatta and Eugene Terreblanche. He srveys different styles of leadership from the royal African kings to the dictators who defined the cold war in Africa. He also has a chapter on the white supremecist movement in South Africa. A good introduction to African leaders and politics.

The leaders who failed Africa.
A great read about the political system in much of Africa. Why are African countries failing, and the rest of the world is advancing. It is because of the horrible leadership of much of the African states. Russell details the misrule of Mobutu, Banda, Mugabe, Savambi,and Moi. South Africa under De Klerk and Mandela is an example to the rest of Africa, but even then the possibility exists that Africans may be disappointed by the eventual outcome. In ten more years, I would like to find what Russell says about the possibilities of Africa.

Men whose time has passed
This is an easy, enjoyable book of interviews with a number of leaders of African countries - leaders who came to power when their newly decolonised countries attained independence. Alec Russell, foreign correspondent for The Telegraph newspaper, had personal interviews with "Big Men" ranging from Dr Hastings Banda to Kenneth Kaunda, and the character of each comes through clearly in the book. The author's main assertion is that most African countries were decolonised too quickly, without enough preparation, that certain "Big Men" were thrust into or stole positions of power for themselves and could not be prised out of them. By drawing a portrait of each unique personality, he also writes the biography of a specific historic period - the "Big Man" era, when men used their charismatic power to become national leaders and, after a while, dictators. This book is a fascinating insight into the post-colonial, triumph of independence and its failures. The reader cannot help but be relieved that these men's era is over - that the "Big Men" themselves have almost all died or lost power, and that there is a move towards 'democracy' at the start of the new century.

Hacmp Enhanced Scalability: User-Defined Events
Published in Paperback by IBM Corp (November, 1998)
Author: IBM Redbooks
Amazon base price: $37.00
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Related Subjects: Deferred-annuities