Wild flowers of South Africa

Customer Reviews:

Directions to trailheads leave you confused!.......2002-08-09

Beware, although the descriptions of the actual hikes are average, the directions given to the trailheads are terrible!

I used this book to climb Mt. Handies, Redcloud, Sunshine, and Sneffels (all 14,000' peaks) and was utterly confused on how to find the trailheads! Located in the Alpine Loop that connects Ouray, Silverton, and Telluride, we spent many precious hours searching in four-wheel drive terrain for the trailheads. In the end, the trailhead was a simple location and could have been described in a much better way. The result was that we nearly ended up stuck in the mountains due to running out of gas! We only made it because of a kind stranger.

To Pixler's credit, the description of the actual hikes are good, although the distances seemed consistently off. I especially appreciated a few hints on shortcuts for the Redcloud hike, as it saved about a mile and a half of hiking!

There are definitely better books out there, but this will do if you can't find anything else.

The classic SW CO hiking guide.......2001-09-02

As the other review states, this is the classic SW Colorado hiking guide.

One caveat: the difficulty ratings are for SW Colorado climbs *compared to each other*. I have run across many tourists on trails in the San Juans who tackled a "moderate" climb from the book only to find it extremely difficult.

I think the ratings are accurate, *if* you live in the area and hike regularly. If you're not used to altitude and not in good shape, take this into consideration.

Outstanding Hiking Guide to Durango and Beyond.......2000-06-26

Since I've moved to Durango, a ratty copy of the 2nd edition of this book from the public library has been my hiking bible. The 3rd edition is completely revised, chock full of great maps and is really THE reference for day hikes and backpacking trips in the Durango/Silverton area.

If you're visiting or living in Southern Colorado, you need this book.

Book Description

In 1970 Jorge Edwards was sent by socialist Chilean President Salvador Allende as his country’s first envoy to break the diplomatic blockade that had sealed Cuba for over a decade. His arrival coincided with the turning point of the revolution, when Castro began to repress the very intellectuals he once courted. In Kafkaesque detail, Edwards records the four explosive months he spent in Havana trying to open a Chilean embassy and his disenchantment with the revolution. His stay culminated in the arrest of his friend Heberto Padilla—the first imprisonment of a well-known writer by the regime—for giving Edwards a “negative view of the revolution.” In a menacing midnight political debate with Edwards immediately after Padilla’s arrest, Castro argued that in this phase of the revolution, bourgeois writers would no longer have “anything to do in Cuba.” Castro accused Edwards of “conduct hostile to the revolution” and declared him “persona non grata.” The winner of the Cervantes prize—the Spanish language equivalent to the Nobel Prize for literature—Jorge Edwards' memoir splendidly recounts this time and the wrath of Castro.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating.......2006-10-01

This is a fascinating book.

First, it's a long, honest (brutally honest) look at the Cuban state by a "bourgeois liberal intellectual" (I'm using "liberal" in the English sense - with connotations of free speech, free trade, and social justice - perhaps "reform liberalism" is a better term in the USA?); a point of view pretty close to my own (and, I would guess, many westerners these days who consider themselves synpathetic to "the left"). So the author is sympathetic to the revolutionary ideals, but can also see, quite clearly, what Castro cannot.

Second, it explores the tension that arises when an attempt to achieve those ideals is opposed - the spiral of control and resistance, secret police and "traitors". It's pretty common to forgive Cuba because "they've had to withstand so much" (particularly the American embargo); this book makes a good case that by the early 1970s Castro had already overdrawn this moral account.

Third, it indirectly sheds light on Chile's own democratic revolution, under Allende. To what extent Allende failed through being too open, and whether any other approach would have been worthwhile, is a constant subtext.

Finally, it was interesting to see how diplomacy "works" at a basic day-to-day level.

[I should add I read the Chilean/Spanish 2006 edition - it has a few extra details (mainly footnotes) added, apparently, but nothing very significant.]

Average customer rating:

Persona Non Grata
Jorge Edwards
Manufacturer: Aims Intl Books Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

El inutil de la familia (Narrativa (Punto de Lectura))

ASIN: 8401421535

Israel / Lebanon - Persona Non Grata : The Expulsion of

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Israel / Lebanon - Persona Non Grata : The Expulsion of
Virginia N. Sherry
Manufacturer: Human Rights Watch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1564322378

King's Last Visit to Augusta: He Was Persona Non Grata

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King's Last Visit to Augusta: He Was Persona Non Grata
John D. Watkins
Manufacturer: Manhattan Source Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Persona Non Grata
Viktor Kortchnoi , and Lenny Cavallaro
Manufacturer: Thinkers' Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0938650157

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Persona Non Grata
Timothy Williams
Manufacturer: Orion Publishing Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0575053089

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Persona Non Grata
Bart, Wolffe
Manufacturer: Lulu Enterprises, UK Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1430304774

Book Description

This collection of stories explores the life of individuals and minorities in an African context. Heightened description of a world of wonder, danger and hidden emotions comes to light at every turn of the page. The white refugee from Mozambique accused of murder, the National Parks Ranger on the run from the ZNA - Zimbabwe National Army, the ex-Rhodesian soldier coming to terms with his past and finding himself crossing the colour barrier of multi-cultural relationships in the process, the Film Professor with an obsession for capturing his victims forever in memory, the alcoholic artist angry with his muse, the young journalist with a personal story that won't make the pages of the daily press: here are several lives that are so much more than characters, fleshed out with passion and individual problems, adjusting to their African context - a lost generation from a white tribe in black Africa, perhaps?

PERSONA NON GRATA An Envoy in Castro's Cuba

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PERSONA NON GRATA An Envoy in Castro's Cuba
Jorge Translation by Colin Harding Edwards
Manufacturer: Pomarica Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0DE9K

Stalin: persona non grata: A verse play in three acts,

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Stalin: persona non grata: A verse play in three acts,
Oleksander De
Manufacturer: Mitre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

George W. Bush is persona non grata: Americans abroad.(The Americas This Week): An article from: Foreign Policy in Focus

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George W. Bush is persona non grata: Americans abroad.(The Americas This Week): An article from: Foreign Policy in Focus
Laura Carlsen
Manufacturer: Interhemispheric Resource Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Foreign Policy in Focus, published by Interhemispheric Resource Center on March 8, 2004. The length of the article is 2820 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: George W. Bush is persona non grata: Americans abroad.(The Americas This Week)
Author: Laura Carlsen
Publication: Foreign Policy in Focus (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 8, 2004
Publisher: Interhemispheric Resource Center
Page: SSSSS1(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

#1 National Bestseller!

The amazing inside story about a gambling ring of M.I.T.

students who beat the system in Vegas -- and lived to tell how.

Robin Hood meets the Rat Pack when the best and the brightest of M.I.T.'s math students and engineers take up blackjack under the guidance of an eccentric mastermind. Their small blackjack club develops from an experiment in counting cards on M.I.T.'s campus into a ring of card savants with a system for playing large and winning big. In less than two years they take some of the world's most sophisticated casinos for more than three million dollars. But their success also brings with it the formidable ire of casino owners and launches them into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas with its private investigators and other violent heavies.

Filled with tense action, high stakes, and incredibly close calls, Bringing Down the House is a nail-biting read that chronicles a real-life Ocean's Eleven. It's one story that Vegas does not want you to read.

Download Description

"It's Friday night and you're on a red-eye to the city of sin. Strapped to your chest is half a million dollars; in your overnight bag is another twenty-five thousand in blackjack chips; and your wallet holds ten fake IDs. As soon as you land in Las Vegas, you are positive you are being investigated and followed. To top it all off, the IRS is auditing you, someone has been going through your mail -- and you have a multivariable calculus exam on Monday morning. Welcome to the world of an exclusive group of audacious MIT math geniuses who legally took the casinos for over three million dollars -- while still finding time for college keg parties, football games, and final exams. In the midst of the go-go eighties and nineties, a group of overachieving, anarchistic MIT students joined a decades-old underground blackjack club dedicated to counting cards and beating the system at major casinos around the world. While their classmates were working long hours in labs and libraries, the blackjack team traveled weekly to Las Vegas and other glamorous gambling locales, with hundreds of thousands of dollars duct-taped to their bodies. Underwritten by shady investors they would never meet, these kids bet fifty thousand dollars a hand, enjoyed VIP suites and other upscale treats, and partied with showgirls and celebrities. Handpicked by an eccentric mastermind -- a former MIT professor and an obsessive player who had developed a unique system of verbal cues, body signals, and role-playing -- this one ring of card savants earned more than three million dollars from corporate Vegas, making them the object of the casinos' wrath and eventually targets of revenge. Here is their inside story, revealing their secrets for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

A look at the ever growing sophistication of the duel between casinos and the professional card counters who realise that they do, indeed, have an edge at blackjack.

Technology and increased surveillance is slowly and surely bringing this to an end. Where it doesn't, there is still the good old beat up the winners technique if you fancy try it in Uzbekistan or somewhere.

Great Book.......2007-08-04

If you like Vegas, Money, and an awesome time, read this book. I read it in 2 days, and I hardly read.

Dad's fathers day gift.......2007-07-22

Amazon website wouldn't let me type in a zip code; website defaulted the zip based on city name and the zip was incorrect. As a result, package couldn't be delivered. I was issued a full refund (I think).

Fiction.......2007-07-19

A reviewer below who gave this book 5 stars noted that it is a dramatization based on real events. There is a label for those types of books--fiction. It bothers me tremendously that this book is billed as non-fiction and was listed on non-fiction bestseller lists. As soon as it became obvious to me that the book was fiction (which should happen very quickly if you approach the book with any sort of a critical perspective), it became difficult for me to enjoy the book. If you can suspend disbelief and are interested in a story based on events the general framework of which I'm sure are true, then you will probably find this to be a quick, entertaining read.

I get it.......2007-07-08

This is an interesting story, but it would have been better as a feature article in a magazine, not a 257 page book. It was a ballsy thing for these geeks to do, but we didn't need to hear about every trip, and every close call. And where were the serious consequences besides getting banned from casinos, and audited by the IRS? I kept waiting for some real trouble for Kevin.

21: Bringing Down the House - Movie Tie-In: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions

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21: Bringing Down the House - Movie Tie-In: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
Ben Mezrich
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1416561706

Book Description

It's Friday night and you're on a red-eye to the city of sin. Strapped to your chest is half a million dollars; in your overnight bag is another twenty-five thousand in blackjack chips; and your wallet holds ten fake IDs. As soon as you land in Las Vegas, you are positive you are being investigated and followed. To top it all off, the IRS is auditing you, someone has been going through your mail -- and you have a multivariable calculus exam on Monday morning. Welcome to the world of an exclusive group of audacious MIT math geniuses who legally took the casinos for over three million dollars -- while still finding time for college keg parties, football games, and final exams.

In the midst of the go-go eighties and nineties, a group of overachieving, anarchistic MIT students joined a decades-old underground blackjack club dedicated to counting cards and beating the system at major casinos around the world. While their classmates were working long hours in labs and libraries, the blackjack team traveled weekly to Las Vegas and other glamorous gambling locales, with hundreds of thousands of dollars duct-taped to their bodies. Underwritten by shady investors they would never meet, these kids bet fifty thousand dollars a hand, enjoyed VIP suites and other upscale treats, and partied with showgirls and celebrities.

Handpicked by an eccentric mastermind -- a former MIT professor and an obsessive player who had developed a unique system of verbal cues, body signals, and role-playing -- this one ring of card savants earned more than three million dollars from corporate Vegas, making them the object of the casinos' wrath and eventually targets of revenge. Here is their inside story, revealing their secrets for the first time.

Master storyteller Ben Mezrich takes you from the ivory towers of academia to the Technicolor world of Las Vegas, where anything can happen -- and often does. Bringing Down the House launches you into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas -- deep into the realm of back rooms, ever-present video cameras, private investigators, and the threats and tactics of pit bosses and violent heavies. Equipped with twenty different aliases and disguises, the group of young card counters struggles around these roadblocks to live the high life -- until one fateful day when Vegas violently follows them home to Boston. Suddenly, there can be no more hiding behind false identities; the high life folds like a bad hand of cards.

Filled with tense action and incredibly close calls, Bringing Down the House is a real-life mix of Liar's Poker and Ocean's Eleven -- and it's a story Vegas doesn't want you to read.

3 Gambling Book Set; Poker Nation; Bringing Down the House; Play Poker Like the Pros
Average customer rating:
3 Gambling Book Set; Poker Nation; Bringing Down the House; Play Poker Like the Pros
Andy Bellin , Ben Mezrich , and Jr Phil Hellmuth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WO06KS

Product Description

3 Gambling Book Set; Poker Nation; Bringing Down the House; Play Poker Like the Pros

4 Books: 1) Bringing Down the House: Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions / 2) Busting Vegas: The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees / 3) Ugly American / 4) Barbarians at the Gate (Bryan Burrough) (Unboxed Set of Books, 3 by Mezrich, 1 by Burrough)

Average customer rating:

4 Books: 1) Bringing Down the House: Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions / 2) Busting Vegas: The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees / 3) Ugly American / 4) Barbarians at the Gate (Bryan Burrough) (Unboxed Set of Books, 3 by Mezrich, 1 by Burrough)
Ben Mezrich , and Bryan Burrough
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WWBDXO

Product Description

4 Books: 1) Bringing Down the House: Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions / 2) Busting Vegas: The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees / 3) Ugly American : The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions / 4) Barbarians at the Gate (Bryan Burrough) (Unboxed Set of Books, 3 by Mezrich, 1 by Burrough), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

Average customer rating:

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE
BEN MEZRICH
Manufacturer: ARROW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S5JFRG

Average customer rating:

Bringing Down The House
Richard P. Brickner
Manufacturer: Belmont Tower Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IW5OQ0

Average customer rating:

Bringing Down the House
Ben Mezrich
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: 1402578954

Product Description

Welcome to the world of a group of audacious MIT math geniuses who legally took the Las Vegas casinos for over three million dollars -- and still found time for keg parties, football games, and final exams. The students were handpicked for a decades-old underground blackjack club dedicated to beating the system. While classmates worked long hours in labs and libraries, they traveled to gambling locales with hundreds of thousands of dollars from shady investors taped to their bodies. Filled with tense action and incredibly close calls, this is a real-life mix of Liar's Poker and Ocean's Eleven -- and a story Vegas doesn't want you to read.

Average customer rating:

Bringing Down the House

Manufacturer: Touchstone Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 078884296X

Average customer rating:

Bringing Down the House
Richard P. Brickner
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JV3GTC

Average customer rating:

Bringing Down the House
Ben Mezrich
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0743530616

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