Two Words, One Answer.
tumultuous
 Palm Trees on Island in a Stormy Tumultuous Sea Photographic Poster Print, 24x32 $50.00 AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters, prints, photographs, specialty products and framed art. We're dedicated to bringing our customers the best selection of high quality wall dcor that is perfect for their home or office. Browse our catalog of over 300,000 items that include entertainment and specialty posters, decorative prints, and art reproductions. Whether you're looking for your favorite movie or music poster, a framed Monet reproduction, or a print of the Eiffel Tower you will find it at AllPosters.com. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/allposters to find Special Offers and search by subject category or artist. AllPosters.com provides unmatched service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your home today with your favorite pictures.  To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan $25.00 This is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary young man. It describes the turmoil and chaos that is the political and social maelstrom known as Pakistan. Schmidle spent two years on a fellowship (2006-2008) obtaining a very visceral and personal view of Pakistani society and politics. Well, almost two years, because a month before his scheduled departure, he was deported. The book, he declares, is "my humble attempt to explain the many identities and histories that exist throughout Pakistan. He succeeds brilliantly. The only constant in Pakistani life seems to be its "chronic instability". Even dedicated Pakistani-watchers have trouble tracking the ebb and flow of destructive, destabilizing forces. One reason is that political assassination is so prevalent and , in this age of suicide bombers, terrifyingly efficient. Too many Americans seem to think that all Muslims are alike or that all militant Islamists are alike. Schmidle provides us with a much more believable and chaotic view. Schmidle is a story teller, and a darn good one at that. In fact, he makes many of his points more through story-telling than analysis, and it gives his work a wonderful vitality. So, for example, he opens the book with the account of the police showing up at his apartment with deportations orders that they were going to execute without any delay. He managed to make a phone call to an important person who just happened to be playing bridge at that moment with the President of Pakistan's national security advisor, who told Schmidle to give the phone to the policeman in the room. In a matter of seconds, the policeman was apologizing for the inconvenience and left the apartment. "Connections...(he tells us, in case we missed the point)...meant everything in Pakistan". Schmidle seems to have an uncanny ability to make those connections with all sorts of prominent and sometimes downright-scary people. He has the courage of a bandit, and he must be as engaging a talker as he is a writer because he talks himself into and out of countless dramatic encounters. As a result, the reader gets to be part of his involvement with important government officials, Islamist radicals, both leaders and potential suicide killers, and a variety of others who simply make things happen. |
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