![]() ![]() Rick Clunn vs. Roland Martin. Bassmaster's Greatest Angler Debate came down to these two, and Rick came out the winner. Bass Wars tells the story of his greatness and his early days on the BASS circuit, after he gave up his job as a computer programmer to follow his dream. It was an exciting time, when under Ray Scott's tutelage fishermen were learning to be heroes. Bass Wars is considered by many to be the best book ever written about the pro bass circuit. Scroll down to read an excerpt. Order now from one of the booksellers below!
![]() Laser tells the real story about how the laser was invented and who invented it.
Praise for Nick Taylor's booksSINS OF THE FATHER "A vivid portrait of a New York mobster turned government witness. The many sides of Sal Sr. -- his charm, disregard for the law, devotion to his kids, and selfishness -- are what really fascinate." -- Kirkus Reviews "COMPELLING . . . The contradiction of a mad-dog criminal/good father used by Mario Puzo in 'The Godfather' is even more effective here because Polisi is real and this story is true." -- Booklist LASER "The story makes for a ripping yarn. Taylor manages to weave together the scientific workings of lasers, the intricacies of the US patent system, and the strange details of Gordon Gould's quirks and predicaments . . . Taylor does a great job of pulling together science, law, business, and human drama." -- Wired "Taylor's writing style makes the science of the laser, so ubiquitous now in modern science and medicine, understandable and fascinating in this account of one man's 30-year battle for recognition and compensation. Taylor brings obvious appreciation for the drama of scientific discovery and the process of seeking credit for technological innovation to this fascinating true story." -- Booklist JOHN GLENN: A MEMOIR "This book could well be entitled 'The Straight Stuff.' When was the last time you read that kind of memoir?" -- Detroit Free Press "Fascinating . . . Ablaze with drama . . . His memoir is a joy to read." -- Book-of-the-Month Club News "[Glenn]'s story is chock-full of duty, honor, patriotism, hard work and bedrock love of family. They don't make 'em like they used to. -- St. Petersburg Times A NECESSARY END "A wonderfully wise presentation of a family's life as it yields, inevitably, to death. I can't think of a book more necessary than this one for all of us." -- Robert Coles. ". . . short, cool, and skeletally bright. . . Taylor is less self-consciously literary than Philip Roth in 'Patrimony' and has a less dramatic filial tale to disclose than Tobias Wolff in 'This Boy's Life.' But in its quiet, economical way 'A Necessary End' will stand comparison with either of them. . . the story of this book . . . may seem to posterity one of the key stories of our time." -- The Washington Post ". . . a lovely book, tenderly written, a must-read for all whose parents have started -- or even finished -- their walk down the long, slow road toward death." -- The Boston Globe BASS WARS "Engrossing . . . Recommended reading for fishing buffs and just plain sports fans." -- Kirkus Reviews "Truly fine writing about the sunburned rigors and unexpected dangers of competitive bass fishing." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
The Importance of Play
How sports and games keep baby boomers healthy and happy. It's Time to Start Building Again![]() Let's get back to work on roads and bridges.
Infrastructure's a clunky word, but it's important. It means fixing things, and that means jobs. The WPA blazed the trail back in the 1930s when unemployment was sky-high. FDR had to fight conservatives who didn't want to spend the money. But WPA workers rebuilt the country and their paychecks stimulated the economy. Obama's got a new plan to do some infrastructure work, but the conservatives are against him, too. I'm a fan. Let's get behind him on this. Here are some highlights of what he proposed today:
The President’s infrastructure plan calls for a Rebuild America Partnership that will attract private capital to build the infrastructure our businesses need most. By acting on the President’s plan, together we can prove that there is no better place to do business and create jobs than right here in the United States of America. Investing in a “fix-it-first” policy: The President’s plan will immediately invest $50 billion in our nation’s transportation infrastructure, with $40 billion targeted to the most urgent upgrades and focused on fixing our highways, bridges, transit systems, and airports most in need of repair. Attracting private investment through a “Rebuild America Partnership”: The President’s plan will partner federal, state, and local governments with businesses and private capital to provide America with the best transportation, electric, water, and communications networks in the world. Cutting red tape: The President’s plan will cut timelines in half for infrastructure projects and create incentives for better outcomes for communities and the environment through a historic modernization of agency permitting and review regulations, procedures, and policies. This new proposal would build on earlier progress. Obama's Recovery Act was the most significant transportation public works program since the New Deal, providing $48 billion in Recovery Act dollars to more than 15,000 projects across the country. Between Recovery Act and core infrastructure funds, American workers have improved over 350,000 miles of U.S. roads and repaired or replaced over 20,000 bridges since the President took office. Over the last four years, the Department of Transportation has built or improved more than 6,000 miles of rail, 40 rail stations, and purchased 260 passenger rail cars and 105 locomotives. In addition, the Obama Administration has made an unprecedented commitment to strengthen public transportation across the United States, investing in more than 350 miles of new rail and bus rapid transit, and helping to revitalize the American manufacturing industry by investing in 45,621 buses and 5,545 rail cars. Send an email.
American-Made -- The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When FDR Put the Nation to Work is receiving new attention in light of the economic meltdown that began in the fall of 2008. The pundits are calling it the greatest crisis since the Great Depression, and suddenly Americans are looking back. The WPA was one of the weapons FDR wielded against the human suffering caused by those hungry years, and today people are wondering what a new WPA would look like as unemployment climbs.
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