Gary Ginsberg's "First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents" is a fascinating look at close friendships that have endured through, been made in, and been broken by the Oval Office. While there's an old adage that the most powerful person in D.C. after the president is that of the Chief of Staff - or perhaps even the first lady, as the real power behind the throne - this book made me think differently. Ginsberg shows us, in great detail, how close friendships - which so often allude our Commanders in Chief, the majority of whom have described that unique job as incredibly lonely - help shape domestic policy, world events, politics, and the course of history. Disclosure: Although this is the kind of book I'd have been likely to read anyway, I learned of it and sought it out at the suggestion of my mother, who is friends with the author's mother. I have never met the author, and have only met his mother once. I do not believe my take on the book is colored by this tenuous link. Dee Brestin in The Friendships of Women described the difference in friendships of women and of men. Men do things with their friends. Women build intimacy with close friends. All of the Presidential friends detailed in this book show that the people are capable of building intimacy--so much so that others wondered if the relationships were tainted. We offer a learning environment in which we provide a range of differentiated activities to meet individual needs to support all children to reach their fullpotential.

For inspections of providers of childcare on domestic premises that operate regularly, we will carry out an unannounced inspection. Franklin Pierce's reputation may have been shaped by Nathaniel Hawthorne (who wrote his official campaign biography), but these two pro-slavery New Englanders, while "friends" in the way people who don't really understand true friendship might define two men who get along with one another, I wouldn't say Hawthorne shaped Pierce in any way. (Pierce shaped Hawthorne a bit, in keeping him financially afloat at a few essential periods.) That’s not to say that the stories told aren’t interesting, they certainly are. I especially found the relationship between John F. Kennedy and David Ormsby-Gore interesting in that I have read more than 50 books on the Kennedys and the only time I’ve previously seen Ormsby-Gore mentioned was in books about Kennedy’s sister, Kathleen. How could so many other historians have missed, according to Ginsburg, such an important relationship? From my previous reading, I was always under the impression that Lem Billings, his childhood friend, was closest to him. Or maybe the “Irish Mafia” of Dave Powers and Kenny O’Donnell, who advised the president for twenty years. But the author argues that JFK actually had many intimates, but it was Ormsby-Gore that he really could unwind with, could discuss foreign policy, and it helped that Ormsby-Gore was appointed Great Britain’s ambassador to the United States while Kennedy was in office.Harry Truman and Eddie Jacobson: When Truman wavered on whether to recognize the state of Israel in 1948, his lifelong friend and former business partner intervened at just the right moment with just the right words to steer the president’s decision. For all other inspections (childminders, nannies and childcare on non-domestic premises and childcare on domestic premises that does not operate regularly), we give no more than five days’ notice. Good or outstanding - We will inspect them at least once within a 6-year window from their last inspection. Franklin couldn’t unwind with Eleanor, who was pretty tightly wound and felt like she was wasting precious time if she enjoyed herself. He had an intimate relationship with Eleanor’s social secretary, Lucy Mercer, that Eleanor found out about and put the ky-bosh on in 1918. There was Missy LeHand, Roosevelt’s private secretary, who was by Franklin’s side for 20 years until she was crippled by a stroke. And her replacement, Grace Tully, but it was with Daisy that Franklin really opened up, and even though Daisy always stayed out of the limelight, she was smart enough to keep their correspondence, but didn’t tell anyone about it. Their relationship was only discovered after her death in 1991. I was surprised to learn that Truman had a best friend. I don’t know a lot about the man, but what little I’ve read he didn’t appear to be very likable.

In the bestselling tradition of The Presidents Club and Presidential Courage , White House history as told through the stories of the best friends and closest confidants of American presidents.

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With that out of the way, I can say that this is a fine book as long as you don't expect too much depth or breadth beyond chatty history. This book feels more (and is more) like popular long-rad journalism than history. There's a bibliography at the end of the book, but there are no citations, and the interior references to primary sources is anemic, at best. As the author noted, Nathaniel Hawthorn is the only First Friend to be better known that the man he befriended. Which is probably for the best, since Pierce was a terrible president, his actions moving the country closer to war. His friendship with Hawthorne was interesting, though ultimately, tragic. Accessible and enjoyable, First Friends would make a great read for those new to presidential biographies, but offers fresh insight for readers like me who have been reading about the presidents for a long time.

We will usually only inspect a provider on the Childcare Register once in any 12-month period unless we receive concerns. Notice Providers on the Early Years Register will normally be inspected at least once within a 6-year window. These and other friendships—including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Franklin Pierce and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Bill Clinton and Vernon Jordan—populate this fresh and provocative exploration of a series of seminal presidential friendships. We have a programme in place which combines body movement with mindful awareness for improved physical health and mental balance. We know that the people with whom a president surrounds himself can have a huge impact on his presidency, whether they be advisors or cabinet secretaries. Less well known, but potentially equally influential are the close friends the president has known prior to his presidency. Some friendships were formed early in adulthood, while others only came about at the start of a presidential run. In First Friends, Gary Ginsberg looks at nine relationships, starting shortly after the War for Independence in the late 18th century. Some are sad, even tragic, though others are (frankly) scary. Some first friends were long time companions, who were there simply because of the friendship, while at least one wanted power and maneuvered themselves into the candidate’s inner circle. Not every friendship in this book is the same, and not every friendship ended amicably or with death.

We teach Makaton as part of our curriculum. It is a language program that combines speech with signs and symbols. We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to communicate and connect, and Makaton is here to make that happen!As the author said in an interview, he wanted to add Trump to this book, but he could not find that one friend in his life because they don't exist. Trump is such a galactic narcissist that he needs to have power over everyone in his sphere, and that doesn't leave an opening for close relationships. For example, Eddie Jacobson, the son of a Jewish shoemaker, only lobbied Harry Truman, his Missouri homeboy, once: when the president was wrestling with what to do about the dilemma of Palestine. In 1948, Truman declared the United States to be the first nation to recognize the state of Israel – over the adamant opposition of George C. Marshall, his secretary of state.