Nazi Gold: The Sensational Story of the World's Greatest Robbery

Book Description

Nazi Gold is the real-life story of the theft of a fabulous treasure—the German national gold and foreign currency reserves, which disappeared in transit following the collapse of the Nazi regime in 1945. The authors' quest led them to a murky, dangerous, post-war world of racketeering, corruption, and gang warfare. Their reporting, matching eyewitness testimony with recently declassified Top Secret documents from the US Archives, lays bare this monumental crime in a narrative which throngs with SS desperadoes, a redheaded queen of crime, American military governors living like kings, and investigators impeded at every step and in fear of their lives. This fully updated edition of Nazi Gold includes startling evidence that throws further light on the crime, including the authors' recent discovery of some of the missing treasure in the Bank of England.

Customer Reviews:

Needs Organization . . . and less innuendo.......2005-12-24

This book alleges that about US$2.5 billion worth of German treasure (in gold and various currencies valued in 1983 or 1984 dollars) was stolen at the end of WW II, the overwhelming majority of which was purportedly stolen by Soviets or Nazis before there was any American involvement (apart from participating in the aerial bombing of Berlin). But, the book lavishes attention almost only on (i) the part allegedly stolen with American complicity and (ii) alleged crime and corruption in the American-controlled post-war Bavaria. But here is the kicker. The book is horrendously disorganized, full of repetitions, stuffed with "teasers" such as on local news shows, and replete with innuendo (sometimes even contradicted within the book itself), and its deus ex machina is "cover up." Maybe the alleged thefts and crimes did occur, and maybe Sayer and Botting stumbled onto a story which could have been interesting. Unfortunately for this reader, Sayer and Botting did not deliver on their promise to tell us what did happen to the treasure (other than purportedly disappearing) and what they did tell, they told poorly. My comments relate to the 1984 (or is it 1985?) version of the book. I do not know if there is a newer, improved version of the book. If there isn't, I'd recommend spending your time and money elsewhere.

Needs corroboration!.......2005-03-01

I've just finished reading this. Anecdotal evidence suggests fraud was widespread among our troops in postwar Germany, but the allegations of wholesale drug dealing, radium smuggling, trading in "concentration camp gold" (which might still contain a molar or two). . . all of this is a lot more than I've heard elsewhere.

This is the story of billions of dollars in bullion and currency that were looted after the USAF bombed Hitler's bank. Money was looted mostly by Americans in collaboration with Germans, but Russians also got a chunk.

The authors are British and the scandal is wholly America.

As I say above -- it needs corroboration, but is provocative.

[...]

Book Description

The publication in 1998 of Susan Blackmore's bestselling 'The meme machine' re-awakened the debate over the highly controverial field of memetics. In the past couple of years, there has been an explosion of interest in 'memes'. The one thing noticably missing though, has been any kind of proper debate over the validity of a concept regarded by many as scientifically suspect. Darwinizing culture: the status of memetics as a science pits leading intellectuals, (both supporters and opponents of meme theory), against eachother to battle it out, and state their case. With a foreword by Daniel Dennett, and contributions from Dan Sperber, David Hull, Robert Boyd, Susan Blackmore, Henry Plotkin, and others, the result is a thrilling and challenging debate that will perhaps mark a turning point for the field, and for future research. Superbly edited by Robert Aunger, Darwinizing culture is a thought provoking book, that will fascinate, stimulate, (and occasionally perhaps infuriate) a broad range of readers including, psychologists, biologists, philosophers, linguists, and anthropologists.

Customer Reviews:

Culture Clash in Cambridge: Meme's doubters unconvinced.......2001-12-24

Unlike most edited volumes based on conferences, which typically read like random collections of papers glued between two covers, Aunger's edited volume displays a remarkable coherence. Against all odds, he enticed a highly diverse group of academics to Cambridge who then constructively debated the status of memetics as a science. Susan Blackmore, after Richard Dawkins probably the most well-known proponent of memetics, and David Hull, a sympathetic critic, open the book with strong arguments for taking memetics seriously. Henry Plotkin and Rosaria Conte then offer critiques of what they perceive as the somewhat faulty psychological assumptions underlying the meme concept. Plotkin argues against making "imitation" the centerpiece of mimetic mechanisms, and Conte argues for a much more sophisticated and complex social cognitive perspective on memetics. She presents a complex model of humans as limited autonomous agents, focusing on their active role in the perpetuation of cultural knowledge.

Kevin Laland and John Odling-Smee are sympathetic to the general notion of memes, but ask for more consideration of the multiple processes involved in evolution. Their own contribution is the concept of niche construction, based on the idea that species have effects on their environments that subsequently constrain future generations. Reprising ideas from their 1985 book, Culture and the Evolutionary Process, Boyd and Richerson argue for population level thinking in evolutionary models of cultural change. I should note that the renewed interest in evolutionary thinking stirred up by Blackmore and others has resulted in the University of Chicago Press's re-issuing their book!

The last three chapters of the book are much more negative toward the whole enterprise. Dan Sperber uses creative examples and logical proofs to conclude that Dawkin's conception of memes is misguided. He argues that recent thinking in memetics goes against recent work in developmental and evolutionary psychology. Adam Kuper notes that there already are well-established techniques for the study of cultural diffusion, especially in anthropology. He concludes that the "memetics industry" has yet to deliver on its claims. Finally, another anthropologist, Maurice Bloch, argues that memeticists have merely rediscovered what anthropology has known for decades, and in fact, is making all the same mistakes. He has harsh words for scientists who jump into an area without paying more attention to what has already been done by others working in that area.

Aunger provides excellent introductory and concluding chapters, which constitute valuable contributions in themselves. Chapter 1 beautifully lays out the issues and provides a constructive guide to the issues over which the contributors struggled. Chapter 11 concludes the book with an assessment of the contributors' arguments and a frank admission of his own skepticism.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the concept of memes, cultural and social evolution, and the cultural divide between the natural and the social sciences. You will not only learn something about memes, but you will also see how serious academic debate can be pulled off in a civilized and constructive manner. My hat is off to Robert Aunger!

A Wonderful Introduction to Meme Theory........2001-12-12

For those unfamiliar with the notion of "memes," they are, quite simply, the theoretical smallest cultural commodity - an idea - that replicates itself through its symbiotic relationship with its human host. The idea is either entirely absurd or the solution to the mystery of culture that has been the providence of anthropologists for the past century and a half. But, the notion was birth by a scientist (Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene [1977]), and this alone is enough to distance some potentially interested parties from the humanities and social sciences. Darwinizing Culture is at once the reiteration and clarification of the memetic theory (although most of the authors only work to obscure the idea in their work, pulling it in one direction or another - for their very particular use) and a series of arguments against memetic theory as it stands, as well as an argument against those theorists, isolated in the sciences, who so often find the idea attractive, and distanced from previous theories of culture and cultural development.

The collection brings together pieces from Susan Blackmore (author of The Meme Machine [Oxford, 1999]), Henry Plotkin, David Hull, and Dan Sperber, as well as many other younger theorists, all succeeding a rather terse foreword by Daniel Dennet - one of memetic theories greatest proponents. Aunger's introduction and conclusion to the collection are both wonderful contributions, and help to establish the debate, both contemporaneously and historically, for both memes enthusiasts and those new to the field. Blackmore's piece is an afterword to her earlier study, in part working to refute critics who found fault with her prior book-length examination, and as such, while it helps to provide a continuity for the debate, sets the tone of the collection, and that is one of distress. The collection effectively critiques itself by including both sides of the debate, which is admirable, but rather than clearing the slate, as Aunger hopes the collection will, it surely asks the reader to choose a side, and those ideologies are clearly demarcated by academic alignments. But that is not to say that the collection fails to be useful - in fact, quite the contrary: there are a number of essays (and I'm inclined to include them all in this), that help the conceptual understanding of the field on one level or another, but as they are in constant dialogue with one another, this utility is constantly compromised.

But, like every anthology, there is a single essay that stands out from the rest for its sheer insight and applicability, and in this case it is Kevin Laland and John Odling-Smee's innocuously titled "The Evolution of the Meme." Laland and Odling-Smee expand on Richard Dawkins' notion of the "extended phenotype" (from The Extended Phenotype [1982]), positing that the cultural artifacts that are created by civilization influence (and possible cause) both cultural and biological evolution. It sounds deceptively simple, but the premise is that by creating artifacts that alter the environment, simply by their sheer presence, the evolution of that culture is irreparable altered, always needing to incorporate the presence and utility of that artifact. With the explosion of artifacts endemic of consumer capitalism, our cultural evolution has been dramatically influenced, and Laland and Odling-Smee provide an interesting hypothesis to explain this sort of transformation in culture (and consciousness - surely Marshall McLuhan would agree with their suppositions).

If there is a fault with the collection, it is simply that the debate over memetics is a rather closed sphere - the majority of the essays cite the author's previous contribution to the field, or one or another of the other included authors. If nothing else, the contributions by Sperber and Adam Kuper should influence this, and hopefully encourage the steady incorporation of more anthropologically minded sources.

While the collection is at times rather tiresome for a meme enthusiast, and especially so for students of culture, who must deal with various reiterations of basic tenants of anthropology, it would seem to provide a comprehensive introduction to both the idea and the debates surrounding the idea for those new to the field. And for the meme enthusiast, especially for those schooled in the sciences, the arguments of Sperber and Kuper are especially important, bringing in more anthropological basis for this understanding.

A serious book on memes.......2001-07-31

From the book cover: "In the past couple of years, there has been an explosion of interest in 'memes'. However, the one thing noticeably missing has been any kind of proper debate over the validity of a concept many regard as scientifically suspect. Darwinizing Culture pits leading intellectuals (both supporters and opponents of meme theory) against each other to battle it out, and state their case. With a Foreword by Daniel Dennett, and contributions from Dan Sperber, David Hull, Robert Boyd, Susan Blackmore, Henry Plotkin, and others, the result is a thrilling and challenging debate that will perhaps mark a turning point for the field."

From the reviews: "This is a book to be read by anybody with a serious interest in the future of the subject . . .Darwinizing Culture is to my knowledge the first book to attempt a thorough critical appraisal of the potential of the subject. It is essential reading for anyone contemplating a first exploration of the area, and I hope it will be read and taken to heart by all those enthusiasts who gaily promulgate the internet discussions [of memes]. Nine content chapters by an eminent team of contributors are sandwiched between very able introductory and concluding editorial chapters, and although they run the full range from enthusiasm to condemnation, they give memetics a pretty rough ride overall. Indeed, it is a tribute to Robert Aunger that, for an editor who must have some leanings towards the charms of memetics, a selection of contributors has been chosen in such a way as to provide a rich, interdisciplinary set of critical analyses that pull no punches. Whatever headway memetics makes in future, it will not be for want of having both its strengths and weaknesses rigorously exposed and weighed at this juncture." -- Andrew Whiten, Times Higher Education Supplement for May 18, 2001

"It is hard to criticize a book that criticizes itself so fully; indeed, despite my disagreements with individual authors, Aunger's strength is to bring together a diversity of views so that most points are fully addressed . . .[The book ] is to be applauded for the refreshing, conservative approach to a field that lends itself to speculation and exaggeration." -- Simon Reader, Trends in Cognitive Sciences 5:8:365-366

Book Description

The first textbook on the design of FRP for structural engineering applications

Composites for Construction is a one-of-a-kind guide to understanding fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) and designing and retrofitting structures with FRP. Written and organized like traditional textbooks on steel, concrete, and wood design, it demystifies FRP composites and demonstrates how both new and retrofit construction projects can especially benefit from these materials, such as offshore and waterfront structures, bridges, parking garages, cooling towers, and industrial buildings.

The code-based design guidelines featured in this book allow for demonstrated applications to immediately be implemented in the real world. Covered codes and design guidelines include ACI 440, ASCE Structural Plastics Design Manual, EUROCOMP Design Code, AASHTO Specifications, and manufacturer-published design guides. Procedures are provided to the structural designer on how to use this combination of code-like documents to design with FRP profiles.

In four convenient sections, Composites for Construction covers:
* An introduction to FRP applications, products and properties, and to the methods of obtaining the characteristic properties of FRP materials for use in structural design
* The design of concrete structural members reinforced with FRP reinforcing bars
* Design of FRP strengthening systems such as strips, sheets, and fabrics for upgrading the strength and ductility of reinforced concrete structural members
* The design of trusses and frames made entirely of FRP structural profiles produced by the pultrusion process

Customer Reviews:

Excellent for learning and designing!.......2007-10-03

This book is a great help if you are learning or designing with FRP composites. It's probably the best book I've bought in the subject. I strongly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Chris Abela EIT

FRP: Strengthened RC Structures
J. G. Teng , J. F. Chen , S. T. Smith , L. Lam , and J-F. Chen
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471487066

Book Description

The strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) structures using advanced fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, and in particular the behaviour of FRP-strengthened RC structures is a topic which has become very popular in recent years. This popularity has arisen due to the need to maintain and upgrade essential infrastructure in all parts of the world, combined with the well-known advantages of FRP composites, such as good corrosion resistance and ease for site handling due to their light weight. The continuous reduction in the material cost of FRP composites has also contributed to their popularity.
While a great amount of research now exists in the published literature on this topic, it is scattered in various journals and conference proceedings. This book therefore provides the first ever comprehensive, state-of-the-art summary of the existing research on FRP strengthening of RC structures, with the emphasis being on structural behaviour and strength models. The main topics covered include:

Bond behaviour
Flexural and shear strengthening of beams
Column strengthening
Flexural strengthening of slabs.

For each area, the methods of strengthening are discussed, followed by a description of behaviour and failure modes and then the presentation of rational design recommendations, for direct use in practical design of FRP strengthening measures.
Researchers, practicing engineers, code writers and postgraduate students in structural engineering and construction materials, as well as consulting firms, government departments, professional bodies, contracting firms and FRP material suppliers will find this an invaluable resource.

Customer Reviews:

Chris Abela EIT.......2007-09-04

This book has been a valuble resource in conducting research on columns wrapped with CFRP.

Reinforced Concrete Design with FRP Composites

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Reinforced Concrete Design with FRP Composites
Hota V.S. GangaRao , Narendra Taly , and P. V. Vijay
Manufacturer: CRC
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0824758293

Book Description

Although the use of composites has increased in many industrial, commercial, medical, and defense applications, there is a lack of technical literature that examines composites in conjunction with concrete construction. Fulfilling the need for a comprehensive, explicit guide, Reinforced Concrete Design with FRP Composites presents specific information necessary for designing concrete structures with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites as a substitute for steel reinforcement and for using FRP fabrics to strengthen concrete members. In a reader-friendly, design-oriented manner, this book discusses the analysis, design, durability, and serviceability of concrete members reinforced with FRP. The authors first introduce the elements that constitute composites-the structural constituent and matrix-and discuss how composites are manufactured. Following an examination of the durability of FRP composites that contain fibers, such as glass, carbon, or aramid, the book illustrates how FRP external reinforcement systems (FRP-ER) can be used for enhancing the strength and stiffness of concrete structures using theory and design principles. The concluding chapter concentrates on serviceability aspects of concrete members internally reinforced with FRP. An excellent resource of design and construction practices, Reinforced Concrete Design with FRP Composites is a state-of-the-art reference on concrete members reinforced with FRP.

Design of FRP and Steel Plated RC Structures: Retrofitting Beams and Slabs for Strength, Stiffness and Ductility

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Design of FRP and Steel Plated RC Structures: Retrofitting Beams and Slabs for Strength, Stiffness and Ductility
Deric Oehlers , and Rudolph Seracino
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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FRP: Strengthened RC Structures

ASIN: 0080445489

Book Description

There are a large and ever-increasing number of structures and buildings worldwide that are in need of refurbishment, rehabilitation and strengthening. The retrofitting of beams and slabs for this purpose is now recognized as the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable method of carrying out this essential renovation work.

The authors of Design of FRP and Steel Plated RC Structures are both acknowledged world experts on these techniques and their book has been designed to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the established techniques and their applications as well as thorough coverage of newly emerging methodologies and their uses. The comparison of FRP and steel is a particular focus and the authors provide practical examples of where one material might be used in preference to another. Indeed practical, worked examples of how, when, and why specific solutions have been chosen in real-world situations are used throughout the text and provide the user with invaluable insights into the decision-making process and its technical background. Just as importantly these examples make the understanding and application of these techniques easier to understand for the student and the practitioner. The book is international in appeal, as while no reference is made to specific local codes the authors approach always follows that of the more advanced structural codes worldwide. As such it will remain an essential resource for many years to come.

Design of FRP and Steel Plated RC Structures is an important reference for a broad range of researchers, students and practitioners including civil engineers and contractors, architects, designers and builders.

· Contains detailed worked examples throughout to aid understanding and provide technical insight
· Covers all types of metal plates and all types of FRP plates
· Uses design philosophies that can be used with any mathematical model
· Provides coverage of all main international guidelines

FRP Composites for Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Structures: a guide to fundamentals and design for repair and retrofit

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FRP Composites for Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Structures: a guide to fundamentals and design for repair and retrofit
Peruma Balaguru
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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FRP Composites in Civil Engineering
Jin-Guang Teng
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0080439454

Book Description

This Proceedings contains the papers presented at the International Conference on FRP Composites in Civil Engineering, held in Hong Kong, China, on 12-15 December 2001.

The papers, contributed from 24 countries, cover a wide spectrum of topics and demonstrate the recent advances in the application of FRP (Fibre-reinforced polymer) composites in civil engineering, while pointing to future directions of research in this exciting area.

FRP Composites in Civil Engineering - CICE 2004

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FRP Composites in Civil Engineering - CICE 2004
Rudolf Seracino
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9058096386

Book Description

The range of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) applications in new construction, and in the retrofitting of existing civil engineering infrastructure, is continuing to grow worldwide. Furthermore, this progress is being matched by state-of-the-art research in all aspects of analysis and design. The Second International Conference on FRP Composites in Civil Engineering (CICE 2004) provided an international forum for the scientific community to exchange ideas and develop future directions in this rapidly developing field. This book contains the proceedings of CICE 2004 held on 8 - 10 December 2004 in Adelaide, Australia. The international standing of the CICE conference series was established when it became the official conference of the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC). CICE 2004 encouraged the participation of researchers and practitioners from countries or regions of the world often underrepresented in such international forums. The papers included in these proceedings cover a wide range of FRP applications in civil engineering and represent the contributions from nine keynote speakers, four invited speakers and over 100 contributed papers, from over 20 countries. This book is of interest to

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Frp Technology
R. Weatherhead
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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FRP-Strengthened Masonry Structures
Rudolf Seracino , and Michael C. Griffith
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1420069594

The International Handbook of FRP Composites in Civil Engineering

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The International Handbook of FRP Composites in Civil Engineering
Manoochehr Zoghi
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849320135

Book Description

High-performance fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials, used predominately in the aerospace and marine industries, have found wide applications in civil engineering and other related disciplines. As well as providing a complete primer on FRP composites, including history, constituent materials, and basic mechanics and properties, this book focuses on professional applications of FRP composites, such as nondestructive testing and evaluation, composites for reinforcements, design philosophies, and guidelines. It includes helpful formulas, tables, and charts for easy reference. It also includes standards of practice from the UK, Scandinavia, Japan, the US, China, Australia, and other countries.

Book Description

Born of a seething, near-psychotic indifference to golf that, during the writing of the book, was transformed into a stalker's empty yet passionate obsession, Golf is From Satan is the first book about golf that seeks and tells the truth about this complex and diabolical game that ever seeks to ascend the heavens on the singed wings of demons. This book sings, instructs, will send the reader into convulsive fits of nervous laughter, save him/her from hell, and finally reveal the hidden secrets of the universe. And it's just a golf book.

Customer Reviews:

Addlepatingly amazing--.......2003-07-04

I got lost in this book--in a good way. There's so much there: it is sometimes hilarious (1st Chapter-"Golf is From Stan" had me laughing out loud in the coffee shop); other times touching and profound (chapters--I forget which ones--on golf guru Whatney Woods and final chapter. This book is obscene, irreverent, deeply spiritual and, as I said, very funny. I'll probably go back to it often.

Book review on "Golf Is From Satan".......2001-10-11

I found this book very enjoyable. The author takes you on a fun yet thought provoking journey. It is an interesting mixture of deep thought, spiritual conflict and pure mullarky. I especially enjoyed the golf sonnets that introduce each chapter. T.T. Patterson offers a creative, yet twisted perspective on the game so many of us love and hate. I highly recommend this book for golfers and non-golfers alike.

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