Quick Excerpts, from a Library of 492 Titles

Generated 2022-07-28 13:26:37

Excerpt #1, from The 1992 CIA World Factbook, by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

…Ambassador Jorge CRESPO; Chancery at 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4410 through 4412; there are Bolivian Consulates General in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco US: Ambassador Charles R. BOWERS; Embassy at Banco Popular del Peru Building, corner of Calles Mercado y Colon, La Paz (mailing address is P. O. Box 425, La Paz, or APO AA 34032); telephone [591] (2) 350251 or 350120; FAX [591] (2) 359875 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band :Bolivia Economy Overview: The Bolivian economy steadily deteriorated between 1980 and 1985 as La Paz financed growing budget deficits by expanding the money supply, and inflation spiraled - peaking at 11,700%! (MISSING)An austere orthodox economic program adopted by then President Paz Estenssoro in 1985, however, succeeded in reducing inflation to between 10%!a(MISSING)nd 20%!a(MISSING)nnually since 1987, eventually restarting economic growth. Since August 1989, President Paz Zamora has…

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Excerpt #2, from Mr. Punch’s History of the Great War, by Charles L. Graves

…Anyhow, the Sultan, lured on by the Imperial William o’ the Wisp, is already capable of envying even his predecessor: Abdul! I would that I had shared your plight, Or Europe seen my heels, Before the hour when Allah bound me tight To WILLIAM’S chariot-wheels! Germany, always generous with other people’s property, has begun to hint to Italy possibilities of compensation in the shape of certain portions of Austro-Hungarian territory. She has also declared that she is “fighting for the independence of the small nations,” including, of course, Belgium. In further evidence of her humanity she has taken to spraying our soldiers in the West with flaming petrol and squirting boiling pitch over our Russian allies. It is positively a desecration of the word devil to apply it to the Germans whether on land, on or under water, or in the air. We have begun to “push” on the Western front, and Neuve Chapelle has been captured, after a fierce battle and at terrible cost. Air raids are becoming common in East Anglia and U-boats unpleasantly active in the North Sea. Let us take off our hats to the mine-sweepers and trawlers, the new and splendid auxiliaries of the Royal Navy. Grimsby is indeed a “name to resound for ages” for what its fishermen have done and are doing in the war against mine and submarine:…

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Excerpt #3, from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories, by Kate Chopin

…“Good night,” she murmured. He did not answer, except to continue to caress her. He did not say good night until she had become supple to his gentle, seductive entreaties. XXXII When Mr. Pontellier learned of his wife’s intention to abandon her home and take up her residence elsewhere, he immediately wrote her a letter of unqualified disapproval and remonstrance. She had given reasons which he was unwilling to acknowledge as adequate. He hoped she had not acted upon her rash impulse; and he begged her to consider first, foremost, and above all else, what people would say. He was not dreaming of scandal when he uttered this warning; that was a thing which would never have entered into his mind to consider in connection with his wife’s name or his own. He was simply thinking of his financial integrity. It might get noised about that the Pontelliers had met with reverses, and were forced to conduct their ménage on a humbler scale than heretofore. It might do incalculable mischief to his business prospects. But remembering Edna’s whimsical turn of mind of late, and foreseeing that she had immediately acted upon her impetuous determination, he grasped the situation with his usual promptness and handled it with his…

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Excerpt #4, from A history of Canada, 1763 to 1812, by Sir Charles Prestwood Lucas

…were made at Ticonderoga for forwarding supplies by Lake George. On the 23rd of July the advanced guard moved forward to Fort Anne: on the 25th the whole army had reached that point; on the 29th, the van arrived at Fort Edward, which the Americans had already evacuated, and on the 30th Burgoyne arrived at the same place. A large convoy of provisions sent by Lake George reached the head of that lake by the 29th, Fort George like Fort Edward having been abandoned by the enemy, who had carried off their stores. Thus the end of July found Burgoyne on the Hudson, well on his way to Albany; the main difficulties of the expedition seemed to be past; but as a matter of fact the most trying time was yet to come. His communications were insecure, for he could not spare men to guard them. His transport was inadequate, and so were his supplies. Delay in bringing up stores meant time to the Americans to recover their spirits and gather in his front: he had no tidings from Howe, and no sure knowledge of St. Leger’s progress. He only knew that at all hazards he was expected to make his way to Albany. [Sidenote: The beginning of misfortunes. Murder of Jane McCrae by the Indians.] While he halted at Fort Edward, two untoward incidents took place. The first was a brutal murder by Indians of a young white woman…

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Excerpt #5, from The Fifth Ace, by Isabel Ostrander

…The letters before her, in the same angular heavily down-stroked writing she knew so well, formed the name of Gentleman Geoff, but a word had been added; one that she had never seen or heard before. Abercrombie! Gentleman Geoff Abercrombie! Had that been indeed the unmentioned surname of the man who had reared her as his own? Why, then, had he, who had given her all else, not given her, too, the name to bear? The document set forth in brief that Frank Hillery, being of sound mind and sole guardian of his daughter, Louise Frances, did give her to Geoffrey Abercrombie, known as “Gentleman Geoff,” for absolute adoption; the said Gentleman Geoff promising to bring her up in all ways as his own child and to leave her whatever he might die possessed of. It was dated March 12, 1902. “You will permit me to have photographic copies of each of these papers, Mr. North?” Willa asked, when the last had been laid aside. “Certainly, my child.” The attorney’s voice was suspiciously husky. “Allow me to assure you that there will be no hurry, of course. It will take some weeks to verify and substantiate this evidence, and in the meantime—-” “Willa shall remain with us, of course,” Ripley Halstead said with deep feeling. "This is a most unwelcome revelation to me, I may say to all of…

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Excerpt #6, from War and Peace, by graf Leo Tolstoy

…he understood his commander’s wish. “Well, of course, of course!” The regimental commander sought out Dólokhov in the ranks and, reining in his horse, said to him: “After the next affair… epaulettes.” Dólokhov looked round but did not say anything, nor did the mocking smile on his lips change. “Well, that’s all right,” continued the regimental commander. “A cup of vodka for the men from me,” he added so that the soldiers could hear. “I thank you all! God be praised!” and he rode past that company and overtook the next one. “Well, he’s really a good fellow, one can serve under him,” said Timókhin to the subaltern beside him. “In a word, a hearty one…” said the subaltern, laughing (the regimental commander was nicknamed King of Hearts). The cheerful mood of their officers after the inspection infected the soldiers. The company marched on gaily. The soldiers’ voices could be heard on every side. “And they said Kutúzov was blind of one eye?” “And so he is! Quite blind!” “No, friend, he is sharper-eyed than you are. Boots and leg bands……

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Excerpt #7, from The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses, by Robert Louis Stevenson

…array. The best armed rode first; and away out of sight, at the tail of the column, came the sorry reinforcement of the night before. Sir Daniel looked with pride along the line. “Here be the lads to serve you in a pinch,” he said. “They are pretty men, indeed,” replied the messenger. “It but augments my sorrow that ye had not marched the earlier.” “Well,” said the knight, “what would ye? The beginning of a feast and the end of a fray, sir messenger;” and he mounted into his saddle. “Why! how now!” he cried. “John! Joanna! Nay, by the sacred rood! where is she? Host, where is that girl?” “Girl, Sir Daniel?” cried the landlord. “Nay, sir, I saw no girl.” “Boy, then, dotard!” cried the knight. “Could ye not see it was a wench? She in the murrey-coloured mantle–she that broke her fast with water, rogue–where is she?” “Nay, the saints bless us! Master John, ye called him,” said the host. “Well, I thought none evil. He is gone. I saw him–her–I saw her in the stable a good hour agone; ’a was saddling a grey horse.” “Now, by the rood!” cried Sir Daniel, “the wench was worth five hundred pound to me and more.” “Sir knight,” observed the messenger, with bitterness, "while that ye are here, roaring for five hundred pounds, the realm of England is elsewhere…

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Excerpt #8, from The Mark of Zorro, by Johnston McCulley

…hand and attack oppression! Live up to your noble names and your blue blood, señores! Drive the thieving politicians from the land! Protect the frailes whose work gave us these broad acres! Be men, not drunken fashion-plates!" “By the saints!” one cried, and sprang to his feet. “Back, or I fire! I have not come here to fight you in Don Alejandro’s house. I respect him too much for that. I have come to tell you these truths concerning yourselves.”Your families can make or break a governor! Band yourselves together in a good cause, caballeros, and make some use of your lives! You would do it, were you not afraid. You seek adventure? Here is adventure a plenty, fighting injustice." “By the saints, it would be a lark!” cried one in answer. “Look upon it as a lark if it pleases you, yet you would be doing some good. Would the politicians dare stand against you, scions of the most powerful families? Band yourselves together and give yourselves a name. Make yourselves feared the length and breadth of the land!” “It would be treason–” “It is not treason to down a tyrant, caballeros! Is it that you are afraid?” “By the saints–no!” they cried in chorus….

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Excerpt #9, from Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions to Human Knowledge, by Stephen Leacock

…Then they began pumping in gas. The sensation of this part of it I cannot, unfortunately, recall. It happened that just as they began to administer the gas, I fell asleep. I don’t quite know why. Perhaps I was overtired. Perhaps it was the simple home charm of the surroundings, the soft drowsy hum of the gas pump, the twittering of the dentists in the trees–did I say the trees? No; of course they weren’t in the trees–imagine dentists in the trees–ha! ha! Here, take off this gaspipe from my face till I laugh–really I just want to laugh–only to laugh—- Well,–that’s what it felt like. Meanwhile they were operating. [Illustration: I did go . . . I kept the appointment.] Of course I didn’t feel it. All I felt was that someone dealt me a powerful blow in the face with a sledgehammer. After that somebody took a pickax and cracked in my jaw with it. That was all. It was a mere nothing. I felt at the time that a man who objects to a few taps on the face with a pickax is overcritical. I didn’t happen to wake up till they had practically finished. So I really missed the whole thing. The assistants had gone, and the dentist was mixing up cement and humming airs from light opera just like old times. It made the world…

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Excerpt #10, from The Principles of Biology, Volume 2 (of 2), by Herbert Spencer

…deviation from that average to which the feeble moving equilibrium is adjusted, produces in it a fatal perturbation. § 317. The individuals of every species being thus dependent on certain environing actions; and severally having their moving equilibria sooner or later overthrown by one or other of these environing actions; we have next to consider in what ways the environing actions are so met as to prevent extinction of the species. There are two essentially different ways. There may be in each individual a small or great ability to adjust itself to variations of the agencies around it and to a small or great number of such varying agencies–there may be little or much power of preserving the balance of the functions. And there may be much or little power of producing new individuals to replace those whose moving equilibria have been overthrown. A few facts must be set down to enforce these abstract statements. There are both active and passive adaptations by which organisms are enabled to survive adverse influences. Plants show us but few active adaptations: that of the Pitcher-plant and those of the reproductive parts of some flowers (which do not, however, conduce to self-preservation) are exceptional instances. But plants have various passive adaptations; as thorns, stinging hairs, poisonous and acrid juices, repugnant odours, and the woolliness or toughness that makes…

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Excerpt #11, from The Genetic Effects of Radiation, by Isaac Asimov and Theodosius Dobzhansky

…Every different pattern of amino acids forms a molecule with its own set of properties, and there are an enormous number of patterns possible. In an enzyme molecule made up of 500 amino acids, the number of possible patterns can be expressed by a 1 followed by 1100 zeroes (10¹¹⁰⁰). Every cell has the capacity of choosing among this unimaginable number of possible patterns and selecting those characteristic of itself. It therefore ends with a complement of specific enzymes that guide its own chemical changes and, consequently, its properties and its behavior. The “instructions” that enable a fertilized ovum to develop in the proper manner are essentially “instructions” for choosing a particular set of enzyme patterns out of all those possible. The differences in the enzyme-guided behavior of the cells making up different species show themselves in differences in body structure. We cannot completely follow the long and intricate chain of cause-and-effect that leads from one set of enzymes to the long neck of a giraffe and from another set of enzymes to the large brain of a man, but we are sure that the chain is there. Even within a species, different individuals will have slight distinctions among their sets of enzymes and this accounts for the fact that no two human beings are exactly alike (leaving identical twins out of consideration). Each chromosome can be considered as being composed of small sections…

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Excerpt #12, from Boswell’s Life of Johnson, by James Boswell

…be formed, to drink confusion to King George the Third, and a happy restoration to Charles the Third, this would be very bad with respect to the State; but every member of that club must either conform to its rules, or be turned out of it. Old Baxter, I remember, maintains, that the magistrate should “tolerate all things that are tolerable.” This is no good definition of toleration upon any principle; but it shows that he thought some things were not tolerable.’ TOPLADY. ‘Sir, you have untwisted this difficult subject with great dexterity.’ During this argument, Goldsmith sat in restless agitation, from a wish to get in and SHINE. Finding himself excluded, he had taken his hat to go away, but remained for some time with it in his hand, like a gamester, who at the close of a long night, lingers for a little while, to see if he can have a favourable opening to finish with success. Once when he was beginning to speak, he found himself overpowered by the loud voice of Johnson, who was at the opposite end of the table, and did not perceive Goldsmith’s attempt. Thus disappointed of his wish to obtain the attention of the company, Goldsmith in a passion threw down his hat, looking angrily at Johnson, and exclaiming in a bitter tone, ‘TAKE IT.’ When Toplady was going to speak, Johnson uttered some sound, which led Goldsmith to think that he was beginning again, and taking the words from Toplady. Upon which, he seized this opportunity of venting his own…

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