Harold Brown

"Secretary of Defense Harold Brown worked to counter the Soviet Union's growing military strength during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. The Soviet Union of the Carter years came closest to matching the United States in strategic power than at any other point in the Cold War. By most reckonings, the Kremlin surpassed the West in conventional arms and forces in Central Europe, posing a threat to NATO. In response, Brown--a nuclear physicist--advocated more technologically advanced weapon systems but faced Carter's efforts to reign in the defense budget. Backed by the JCS, the national security adviser, and key members of Congress, Brown persuaded Carter to increase the defense budget for the last two years of his term. The secretary championed the development and production of new weapons such as stealth aircraft, precision-guided bombs, and cruise missiles. These and other initiatives laid a solid foundation for the much-acclaimed Ronald Reagan defense revolution that actually began under Carter. The book also highlights Brown's policymaking efforts and his influence on President Carter as the administration responded to international events such as the Middle East peace process, the Iran revolution and hostage crisis, the rise of militant Islam, negotiations with the Soviets over arms limitations, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the creation of a security framework for the Persian Gulf region. Other topics cover policy toward Latin America and Africa. The book is also a history of the Defense Department, including the continual development of the All-Volunteer Force and the organizational changes that saw improved policy formulation and acquisition decisions."--Provided by publisher.+

"In 1952, he put together an ensemble of engaging young singers and instrumentalists, who gave lively, expressive interpretations of medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque works. Their presentation of the liturgical drama The Play of Daniel won them international fame. Under Greenberg's leadership, they recorded extensively and toured Europe, the Soviet Union, and Latin America. At the height of his and Pro Musica's success, Noah Greenberg died at the age of 47. In Pied Piper, James Gollin not only relates Greenberg's tragically short, but highly colorful life story, but he sets the man in the rich context of America's rise to postwar political and cultural prominence."--Jacket.

In the summer of 1987, Johnny Boone set out to grow and harvest one of the greatest outdoor marijuana crops in modern times. In doing so, he set into motion a series of events that defined him and his associates as the largest homegrown marijuana syndicate in American history, also known as the Cornbread Mafia. Author James Higdon—whose relationship with Johnny Boone, currently a federal fugitive, made him the first journalist subpoenaed under the Obama administration—takes readers back to the 1970s and ’80s and the clash between federal and local law enforcement and a band of Kentucky farmers with moonshine and pride in their bloodlines. By 1989 the task force assigned to take down men like Johnny Boone had arrested sixty-nine men and one woman from busts on twenty-nine farms in ten states, and seized two hundred tons of pot. Of the seventy individuals arrested, zero talked. How it all went down is a tale of Mafia-style storylines emanating from the Bluegrass State, and populated by Vietnam veterans and weed-loving characters caught up in Tarantino-level violence and heart-breaking altruism. Accompanied by a soundtrack of rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues, this work of dogged investigative journalism and history is told by Higdon in action-packed, colorful and riveting detail.

Pediatric Ophthalmology: current thought and practice’ is written by renowned experts with many years of experience and perspective on the state-of-the-art recommendations. All chapters are consistent in format and style and have practical application to the daily practice of medical and surgical pediatric ophthalmology. Starting with a guide to the examination of children, it covers all important topics for all who care for children’s eyes regardless of their niche interests within the field of pediatric ophthalmology. Many techniques that have been learned over many years by experienced practitioners will be illustrated and explained to the reader. Added value is given with useful tables and charts that will likely get constant use in offices and operating rooms, for example: Important drug dosages and side-effects, nystagmus surgical charts, strabismus surgical tables, spectacle artifacts, and an intraocular lens nomogram. This practical guide will promote understanding and update and guide the novice and the expert to improve the flow of the examination and treatment outcome. It is one of the most informative and useful books ever written for the pediatric ophthalmologist and the general ophthalmologist who cares for children.