Customer Reviews (6)

It may not be HTLJ,but it's the next best thing!
I absolutely love this tape! Hearing the voices of Kevin Sorbo & Michael Hurst reading the story of Hercules is just wonderful! The only drawback is that Kevin's side of the tape is shorter than Michael's,but I can't really complain about that,since they do such a fantastic job! I just wish it were available on cd somewhere!

FROM THE CREATOR!
I loved getting to know Sorbo and Hurst. They do a splendid job. I am a fan of the show, so this was something I created for pure fun (and charity). I will be re-releasing this project next year with HUDSON LEICK reading the final chapter! It will also include Sorbo's hilarious outtakes!
All in all this is fun for the entire family and educational as well. I am always happy to answer emails regarding the project. Enjoy, Craig Braginsky (Owner, BMP,Ltd.)

I Want More!
I bought this cassette through Amazon.com a couple months ago (originally it was going to be a gift!)and have to say it has been a truly enjoyable experience! The buying and the listening! Sorbo and Hurst are fantastic.Kevin's deeplysincere tone is captivating and Michael, on Side B, useshis "Iolaus" accent (American) to read with great enthusiasm,like a master story teller. His segment on the Nemean Lion should NOT bemissed by anyone who enjoys listening about Hercules and his labors. By theway, even if you're not interested (in Greek mythology [stories]) theseactors and their wonderful voices will MAKE you change your mind. Okay ...so when's the next tape coming out???

Not H:TLJ ... but still great audio fun !
This tape is great fun to listen to, especially, if you are a "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" Fan. My advice: take the tape recorder, dimm the lights, sit back and relax!

Sorbo's reading on Side Ais extremely convincing and he could easily charm you or your kids tosleep. But Michael Hurst's voice and enthusiasm on Side B revives you,captures you and won't let go of your imagination until the tape isfinished. It's as if you can almost see him in that recording studio,fighting invisible lions while turning the pages of the book.

However, ifyou think the Enchanted Tales are connected to H:TLJ, you will bedisappointed. The story is the classic tale of his 7 labours and for allyou Iolausians out there, Iolaus is not Iolaus, but Iole, a young girl.Also the tape is not very long and Side A is only half-played and you arebeing asked to forwind to the end.

Overall, two enthusiastic thumbs upfor Michael Hurst and Kevin Sorbo! With those reading abilities, they canbabysit my kids any day!

Highly Recommended!!
An excellent listening of the exploits of Hercules.Kevin Sorbo does a great job reading, but Michael Hurst, who reads the second side, is by far the BEST reader I've ever had the pleasure to listen to!!HisShakespearean training shines through and I would buy anything he reads...adefinate MUST for any fan of the series or the legend. ... Read more

Product Description

It is said that war is rooted in the vested interests of the ruling class, but haven't democracies proved to be just as bellicose as other states? It is believed that political disputes should be settled by civilized negotiations, but what if the adversary is not, by accepted standards, "civilized"? Should states steer clear of other states' internal conflicts, or should they help liberate oppressed peoples? Which is the better option: appeasement or launching a war to end another?

These questions reflect the complex issues that lie at the heart of the liberal conscience. In his timely book, Michael Howard recounts the centuries-long struggle by liberals to understand the causes of war and prevent its occurrence. From the days of Erasmus to American protestors who hoped to bring an end to the Vietnam war, Howard tracks liberals' shifting attitudes toward war and their attempts to wrestle with its problematic consequences. In conclusion, Howard finds that peacemaking is "a task which has to be tackled afresh every day of our lives."

Product Description

The descendent of German and French Catholic mercenaries, a Scots Presbyterian subaltern, and their secluded Indian wives, David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre (1808-1851) defied all classification in the North Indian principality where he grew up. He also lived as the adopted child of a Muslim courtesan, a woman who would transform herself into the wildly successful, Catholic ruler of a small, cosmopolitan kingdom.

In his youth, Sombre took great advantage of his privilege, yet upon his mother's death he lost all political power. Nevertheless, Sombre continued to live lavishly while in exile, touring India, China, and Europe on his inheritance. Sombre eventually settled in London and married the daughter of an English Protestant Viscount. He bought himself election to Parliament, but was expelled for acts of corruption.

Accusations of spousal mistreatment led to Sombre's arrest and confinement. Termed a "chancery lunatic," he fled to France and spent years reclaiming his sanity and fortune. Sombre's efforts set new precedents for international and medical law. Trials revolved around whether Sombre was sane or crazy, Indian or European, with doctors and jurists clashing over the very definition of these terms. Sombre's heritage sparked debate decades after his death. In this absorbing biography, Michael H. Fisher recovers this strange life. Through Sombre's incredible story, modern conceptions of race, privilege, and empire begin to take shape.

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating
Michael Fisher is a representative of that rare breed of scholars who can write a well-researched academic treatise that will be of great interest not just to a limited number of specialists in his field but to any reasonably educated person.Of course, the protagonist of Fisher's The Inordinately Strange Life of Dyce Sombre is fascinating. His life is full of incredible twists and turns and would make for a great Hollywood movie. Still, Fisher's considerable narrative gifts as well as his careful and impressive research add a lot to this fascinating story and make the biography of Dyce Sombre compulsively readable.

Dyce Sombre was the first Asian (and only the second non-White person ever) to become a Member of the British Parliament in 1841. From his adoptive mother and the princess of Sardhana Begum Sombre he inheritedfabulous wealth and a complex ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity. When in 1836 he decided to leave India and move to England, Dyce Sombre brought these identity conflicts with him to the country into which he attempted to inscibe himself through means that ranged from bizarre to pathetic.

One of the things that I appreciated the most about Fisher's book is his steadfast refusal to resort to the facile identity stereotypes into which Dyce Sombre's life has often been packaged. Fisher realizes that this strategy will attract less attention to his book than it could otherwise hope for. He mentions that the paucity of references to Dyce Sombre in the last century is owed to the impossibility of using him to advance the narrative of national identity of either India or Great Britain. Fisher demonstrates, however, that he is a true scholar who will never sacrifice his intellectual integrity for popularity and higher sales figures.
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Some view humanitarian intervention as little more than a rationale for Wester neo-imperialism, while others see intervention as a major weapon in the crusade for democracy and individual rights. Michael Newman advances a different position. Through a critique of current international policies and an examination of their impact on developing and transitional countries, Newman argues that military intervention often works against efforts to establish a sustainable peace. While he endorses a "responsibility to protect" those whose rights are compromised by the state, Newman interprets protection much more radically than other theorists, combining policy with a conception of humanitarianism that accounts for poverty and inequality.

Humanitarian Intervention will resonate with those who both oppose recent Anglo-American foreign policy and agree that "something must be done" to save victims of atrocity. By bringing together a range of disciplines, Newman provides an invaluable resource for students of international relations, contemporary history, law, politics, and peace and conflict studies, as well as those who work with NGOs.

Product Description

InSpinning Intelligence, contributors heralding from government, journalism, and academia confront the complementary yet often tense relationship between intelligence-gathering organizations and the media. Addressing high-level strategic issues all the way down to the operation of individual committees and departments, this anthology is not just for students of government and politics, but for anyone interested in the relationship between reporting and espionage.

Essays from the perspective of the journalist trace the evolving relationship between news media outlets and the government, especially with regards to advances in technology. Essays from the perspective of the political institution explain governmental oversight of intelligence agencies, the operation of clandestine information units, and the laws that govern the control of information.

Additional contributions investigate the exploitation of the globalized media by intelligence agencies; the CIA's reliance on open sources for intelligence purposes; the real-world use of open source intelligence in rolling back Libya's nuclear program; and the depiction of intelligence in popular culture, from films to popular fiction, which helped facilitate rendition and torture and has conditioned our responses to both. A final essay focuses on cultural representations of the war on terror and their implications for issues of national security.

Customer Reviews (1)

The web of information
Though focused primarily on issues in Britain "Spinning Intelligence: Why Intelligence Needs the Media, Why the Media Needs Intelligence (Columbia/Hurst)" provides lessons for anyone, anywhere, who wants to learn about espionage, media reporting and what citizens need to know.

A series of essays by representatives of media, government and intelligence-gathering agencies reveals the linkages and tensions that exist as information is gathered, withheld, selectively leaked or reported to the world at large. It is how that information reaches the public--its veracity, its completeness or limitations, the exploitation of propaganda presented as objective reporting--that shapes public perception and policy and so becomes important to the general public.

"In every part of society, and in all our social interactions," intelligence has a role to play in conditioning the political and social environments in which we live," the editors note.

Essays treat such issues as the veil of secrecy that previously shielded Britain's spy agencies, but note that, as terror has come to Britain's shores, and people's day-to-day lives are affected by interaction with law enforcement, privacy has declined. Warnings about terror polots bring, not surprisingly, attention to intelligence gathering, and the role of media in spreading those warnings, or reporting on possible threats,comes under scrutiny.

The move toward more openness, in fact, began collapsing in the United States even before Sept.11, with the advent of the Bush administration which almost immediately began reclassifying materials that had become public, including material referring to policy failures immediately preceding the Korean War. The Sept.11 attacks led to a huge clampdown on publicly released information that continues, rather unabated, today. Combined with the financial crisis at many media organizations that no longer pursue Freedom of Information requests or don't want to challenge the government, the essayists find a growing governmental denial of transparency.

Fascinating and unexpected bits of commentary pop up in these essays. There's an extensive discussion of Alfred Hitchcock and his espionage-centered movies, a look at TV's "24" and its message, the use of open-source information to track threats, an analysis of asymmetrical warfare going back to medieval times, and more.

This is an informative collection, detailed but not so scholarly as to be out of the reach of ordinary readers who need to know how to read between the lines.



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Product Description
Evolution: The Four Billion Year War sets out the principles of evolution, the pathways and mechanisms of biological change that have led to the diversity of life. It will provide an understanding of why organisms are as they are, and how they came to be that way. ... Read more

Product Description
Shows how students aged 14 and above read and respond to poetry and suggests classroom pratices that will motivate students to read poetry with enthusiasm. This book should be of interest to English literature teachers and student teachers, teachers on Inset courses. ... Read more

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Appropriate for both fundamental and advanced levels, the authors ground their commentary on actor training on the process of personalization and the innovative approaches to voice and movement training. They define the personalization process as one in which the actor discovers and explores in the self, characteristics, qualities, attitudes, and experiences that are legitimate dimensions of the role being created. Part I transitions from essential ingredients used in creating a role, such as focusing and speaking, to guidelines for auditioning and rehearsing, including role analysis. The discussions of basic acting principles are supported by skills-building exercises. Part II explores historical performance styles and shows how basic stylistic elements can be freshly adapted for modern audiences. Thus, in Part II, the authors center their discussions of voice, movement, character, and emotion around theatrical styles prevalent during certain historical periods and around sound acting theories gleaned from a wide range of acting traditions. Each chapter in this part ends with a helpful checklist that summarizes voice, movement, gesture, and other elements common to the era discussed.TABLE OF CONTENTS: ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Delivers What is Promised
Jerry Crawford's ACTING IN PERSON AND IN STYLE is an excellent acting text for students attempting to re-create roles from classical plays that are vital, relevant to the historical period in which they were written, andrelevant to audiences viewing them in the 21st Century.The lessons arebased on sound acting theories gleaned from a wide range of actingtraditions.

Part One covers a personalized approach to acting thatencourages the actor to use one's own qualities in order to"personalize" a role.The basic acting topics covered includeRelaxation, Concentration, Movement Dynamics, Sensory Awareness, Roots ofFeeling: The Body and Emotion,Imagination and Improvisation, and the Voicein Action.Each area includes a discussion of basic acting principlessupported by acting exercises.Elements of effective scene study,auditioning, rehearsal techniques, role analysis, and performanceconsiderations are also treated.

Part Two treats the development of aperformance style that is appropriate for effectively performing inclassical plays.Classical periods covered include Classical Greek,Commedia Dell' Arte, Elizabethan/Jacobean/Shakespearean, SeventeenthCentury French Neoclassicism, Restoration Comedy, Nineteenth CenturyRealism and Naturalism, Early Twentieth Century Nonrealism, Brecht/Epic,Absurdism, and Eclectic Intermingling.Each style is discussed in terms ofits historical context and how basic stylistic elements can be effectively"translated" into a performance style that can be effective foran audience in the twenty-first century.

Taken in total, Crawfordsuccessfully demonstrates that although all effective acting shares somecommon elements, the actor who must perform roles written in varioushistorical periods faces some special performance problems in terms ofvoice, language, movement, theatrical conventions, and varioushistorical/social/cultural contexts.He is able to demonstrate ways inwhich these performance problems may be successfully addressed in a moderncontext.

I highly recommend this text as an important resource indeveloping a workable approach to creating classical roles with aneffective sense of style and clarity. ... Read more