On July 10, 2002, more than eight months before the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, eight American CIA operatives slipped into northern Iraq. They endured almost a year of being denied vital supplies by a NATO ally, Turkey, as they pursued a covert operation with profound consequences for both the War on Terror and the Iraq War: Operation Hotel California.
Operation Hotel California tells the inside story of the dangerous mission that paved the way for the Iraq invasion—and delivers the most blistering indictment to date by any American counterterrorism officer of the Bush administration’s blunders vis-à-vis Iraq and al Qaeda. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Charles Faddis, the operation’s leader, and other team members, Operation Hotel California is a riveting work that will shake Washington to the core.
About this product: California Native Plants for the Garden is a comprehensive resource that features more than 500 of the best California native plants for gardening in Mediterranean-climate areas of the world. Authored by three of the state's leading native-plant horticulturists and illustrated with 450 color photos, this reference book also includes chapters on landscape design, installation, and maintenance. Detailed lists of recommended native plants for a variety of situations and appendices with information on places to see native plants and where to buy them are also provided.
What’s weird around here? That’s a question Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman have enjoyed asking for years—and their offbeat sense of curiosity led them to create the best-selling phenomenon, Weird N.J. But why should they stop at New Jersey when there’s so much that’s peculiar, odd, and utterly nutty across the whole U.S.? So the two Marks—along with several other writers with a taste for the strange—have focused on some key locales, giving each of them the full “New Jersey” treatment. Spanning the breadth of the country, from New York to California, these are travel guides of a sort, but to the kind of places voyagers will never find on their everyday maps. Instead, they’re chock-full of local legends, crazy characters, cursed roads, and bizarre roadside attractions. So come along and join the fun: Some of what’s out there is disturbing, some hilarious, but all of it is unforgettably…weird.
Praise for WEIRD N.J.:
“They are the chroniclers of the creepy, bards of the bizarre…From abandoned asylums to colorful real-life characters past and present, to folk stories of ghosts, monsters, and aliens, Mr. Sceurman and Mr. Moran have created a journal of New Jersey’s unwritten history.”—The New York Times.
“Enough with the head-severing mobsters of Jersey. The state is packed with far more evil than TV could ever invent—from satanic Klan rallies to time-traveling tree farmers. And Weird N.J. has the pictures to prove it.”—Rolling Stone.
“Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran see their native state as others do not. For them, it is a demented Disneyland of worldly, and otherworldly, delights.”—TheBoston Globe.
“If it’s the offbeat, paranormal or downright weird that you crave…there could be no better place”—USA Today.
Praise for Weird U.S.
“Weird U.S. is delicious armchair reading. Who can resist an ax-wielding man in a bunny suit, a home shaped like a giant shoe, cannibal albino villages, midget colonies, passages to hell or close relations of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster?”—San Francisco Chronicle.
“Weird U.S. is a marvelous work of entertainment and the basis for a truly unique vacation.”—Library Journal.
“Kudos to Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman…This is the book by which future explorers will chart their road trips in pursuit of the meaning of this nation.”—New York Press.
About this product: "Comprehensive and lively, Hotel California offers a front-row seat on the wild ride—fueled by drugs, sex, and lots of cash—that took Southern California singer-songwriters from hot tubs and local bars to sold-out stadiums,private jets, and the bestselling album of all time." —Alan Light, author of The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys
"Through hundreds of interviews conducted over the last dozen years, Hoskyns methodically chips away at the era's artifice and ego-driven mythologizing, revealing a creative landscape that was less stardust and golden than it was green with greed and white with cocaine residue." —Erik Himmelsbach, Los Angeles Times Book Review
This book is a remarkable look at one of the most dramatic, creative, and revolutionary settings in American popular culture: the Los Angeles popular music scene from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. Drawing on extraordinarily candid firsthand interviews Barney Hoskyns has conducted over more than three decades, Hotel California takes you on an intimate tour—from the Sunset Strip to Laurel Canyon—of the creative and personal lives of the legendary songwriters, superstars, and producers who made the music that everyone listened to. You'll read things you've never read before about such fascinating, complex people as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey, Mama Cass Elliot, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, David Geffen, and many others. Packed with riveting anecdotes and sharp musical insights, Hotel California captures the amazing results of brilliant creative collaboration and the dark side of fame, wealth, and unbridled ambition. It is a story of rise and fall like none other, and you won't be able to put it down.
About this product: This new atlas contains topographic maps and recreation information for the entire Golden State. It replaces the former Northern California and Southern & Central California Atlas & Gazetteer volumes.
NEW in the California Atlas & Gazetteer Enhanced shaded relief for superior terrain views Larger place name fonts, improved road displays Updated roads and road names 2-page Yosemite National Park map Includes updated exit numbers on interstate highways Map pages overlap N-S and E-W to better display edge detail The first choice of outdoors enthusiasts. Beautiful, detailed, large-format maps of every state Perfect for home and office reference, and a must for all your vehicles Gazetteer information may include: campgrounds, attractions, historic sites & museums, recreation areas, trails, freshwater fishing site & boat launches, canoe trips or scenic drives. Categories vary by state
About this product: The forms and information you need you need to give back to the community!
Thousands of arts groups, educators, social-service agencies and others have used How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation in California to organize. It's so easy to use, anyone can do it!
With a nonprofit corporation, you gain recognition, save money, become eligible for grants, and protect your members and directors from liability. And you can do all this without an attorney.
How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation in California includes complete instructions for obtaining federal 501(c)(3) tax-exemption and for qualifying for public charity status with the IRS. It also provides:
line-by-line instructions for completing your application
instructions and completed sample clauses for preparing articles of incorporation
ready-to-use bylaws for membership and non-membership nonprofits
ready-to-use minutes for the organizational meeting
sheets with California's specific legal and tax requirements
The 12th edition is completely updated to provide the latest rules and forms, which are included as tear-outs and on CD-ROM.
This book is also available as a corporate records binder: The California Nonprofit Corporation Kit. (ISBN 9781413306408, 6th edition)
The Dog Lover’s Companion to California has the inside scoop on the best dog runs, parks, beaches, hiking trails, camping areas, pet-friendly businesses, and much more. Local author Maria Goodavage and her trusty companion Jake have dug up many surprising resources available to dogs in the Golden State, such as baseball games, summer camps, and pet parades. For the less outdoorsy dog, there are doggy spas, art openings, and even winery visits! Packed with helpful maps, up-to-date leash laws, and a useful "paw" ranking system for all locations in the book, The Dog Lover’s Companion to California is a pet’s best friend.
About this product: Tempt vertigo on the hills of San Francisco and rub elbows with a star in an LA boutique. Sample syrahs in the Wine Country, cruise cliff-hugging Hwy 1 or hike in the heat of Death Valley. Whether you're a city slicker, road tripper or adrenaline junky, grab this in-depth, cheeky guide and let our local authors steer you to the treasures of the Golden State.
PLOT YOUR ROUTE - 120 detailed maps and seven handy itineraries help you navigate and plan your adventure TAKE IT OUTSIDE - surfing Steamers Lane, climbing Half Dome, skiing Tahoe, diving San Diego: the scoop on the hottest California activities EAT YOUR HEART OUT - hundreds of restaurant reviews, from tasty taquerías to celebrity-chef bistros SLEEP EASY - the best places for California dreaming, from mountaintop campgrounds to oceanfront resorts CROSS THE BORDER - expanded Las Vegas chapter shows you how to hit the jackpot in flirty, fabulous Sin City, plus tips on heading south to Mexico
About this product: From the Santa Rosa wine country to the tip of San Diego Eyewitness Travel to California has anything and everything you would want or need to see. Let this guide help you to savor the local flavors and classic dishes all down the coast. Take the scenic routes and thematic tours and trust Eyewitness Travel to California to show you through the land of breath-taking extremes.
About this product: California's picturesque villages and small towns and its stunning landscape, from rugged sierras and fog-laced headlands to golden sand beaches and rolling oak-studded ranchland.
California is nicknamed "The Golden State," and though the name applies literally to the color of its state flower, the golden poppy, it is also a metaphor for the hopes and dreams that have lured generations of settlers. There are villages that grew up around the famed Spanish mission trail, and communities that boomed because of Gold Rush fever. There are places whose natural beauty nurtured artists and writers, and fertile valleys that were home to vintners and cattlemen.
The state is known for reinventing itself, yet a surprising number of its towns and villages still offer charming glimpses into its history and heritage. Their architecture may be quaint, historic, or gracious and their physical settings may take the breath away, but they are also vital communities, prized for their small-town values, their lifestyle, food, and wine. This book showcases the most beautiful villages and towns of California in Nik Wheeler's stunning photography and Joan Tapper's perceptive commentaries. These evoke not just historic houses, but also streetscapes, parks, and physical surroundings.
The book is divided into four regions: Northern California Coast, Northern California Mountains and Valleys, Central and Southern California Coast, and Central and Southern California Mountains and Valleys. In addition, there are photographic essays on the wine country, missions, and ghost towns, plus essential information for tourists on places to stay and to eat. 323 color photographs.