Scott Thomas Books

Misunderstandings about the nature of stem cells have unfortunately held back U.S. progress in this area. The subject is quite complex and this book does a great job of making clarifications for those opposed to stem cell research and creating supporting arguments for those who are already in favor of it.

A bit biased towards using stem cells but not too much. He really tries to just show you the basics of the debate and the science behind the debate, which many people dont know. So if you want to understand more about stem cells, where they come from, their potential, the alternatives, etc. this is the book to start with.

Scott's book explains stem cell research for laypeople, with enough personal anecdotes and wisecracks to keep the science-shy awake.

He doesn't exaggerate potential applications or limitations, and he explains that stem cells could be good for much more than stem-cell therapy. The thorough ethics section concisely and precisely covers everyone's views.

Here's the first two sentence from a review of the book in the magazine Nature on May 10. "Christopher Scott's little book Stem Cell Now is fundamentally a primer on stem-cell research, suitable for lay readers and freshmen. It offers accessible descriptions of stem-cell science and analysis of associated ethical and political issues."

What can I say ... if there is some line of medical research these days that could have promising results for the treatment of some of the difficult illnesses known, that is stem cell. This book provide a layman introduction to the subject, the different types of stem cells and lines of investigation. Also, half of the book is dedicated to the ethical problems that embryonic stem cell research is facing, specially in the U.S.

This book should have two ratings. I rate it higher (4 stars) for young readers. For more science 'savvy' adults the science is rather weak and much is over simplified. I was looking for something on hESC with more depth but not at the professional level. I'm still looking. However, I highly recommend this book to youngsters and others with limited biology background. The politics chapters obviously (from the title) favors the pro-hESC research, but they are fair. Again there could be more depth.

46 Pages tells the story of Thomas Paine, his experiences in England, how he came to the colonies and the circumstances that led him to write Common Sense. Paine's life in England and even in America are given only a cursory look, as the book is more about the political and societal climate of the time and how it led him to begin writing against the crown. Before Common Sense, few colonists were thinking of independence. They wanted certain issues resolved, but still wanted to remain under the rule of King George. Paine laid everything on the line in Common Sense, arguing that independence was the only answer if they were going to thrive in America. After the pamphlet was published it spread like wildfire and people began to quickly change their minds about the future. Paine had written Common Sense in a manor that anyone could understand, be they educated or uneducated. He took his case to the people that mattered; the citizens who had built the colonies from the ground up.

The book ends with Common Sense itself. I had never read it before and was amazed at the clarity and persuasiveness of Paine's arguments. If I felt that way now in 2007, imagine how the people felt in 1776.

This exposition places Common Sense firmly in context, showing how it came about and how it in turn quickly brought about the Declaration of Independence.

In this book Scott Liell examines the impact that Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" had on American sentiment and the move toward independence. Liell argues, and does so quite persuasively, that Common Sense is what finally tipped the balance in favor of those who wanted to break from Britain, and that the work was largely responsible for the enormous shift in sentiment that occurred between the Continental Congress's Olive Branch petition in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Common Sense was published in January, 1776, and met with immediate and unparalleled success. Liell's argument is that, before Common Sense, very few average people had a reason to want Independence, and that the pamphlet almost instantaneously gave them reason to want to break from Britain. Paine, he says, was bold enough to say things that even the ardent independents like John Adams were too timid to say, and that this helped turn the tide toward the ultimate decision to sever ties with the motherland.

Liell makes a good case. In all our focus on men like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin, we often overlook the impact Paine and his writing had on the revolutionary cause. This is a very short book and a quick read, but it is very much worth the effort. The work is part biography, part criticism of the pamphlet, and flows along very nicely. While it is a quick read Liell manages to make a powerful argument, one that is certainly worth looking at for anyone interested in the period.

Thomas Paine was the most important founding father and this book does a fantastic job of proving this fact!! What a great man that was centuries ahead of his time! We need Paine back to fix this current corrupt Government we now suffer with! Hard to imagine Jan 10, 2006 was the 230th anniversary of the publication of Common Sense!

A real page turner...I had to read the book in one sitting.
Before I purchased "46 Pages", Thomas Jefferson represented, to me, the voice of American independence. After reading this book, I see that I am wrong. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington would never have been able to persuade the "average colonial American" to break free from England. That required a man who could talk in the language of the street corner radical, who could burst the myth of American's attachment to the crown. That required Thomas Paine. Buy this book and discovery why so.

Scott shows passion for his work and love for his customers. He thought out simple protocols to leave part of himself with each transaction. We should all follow his example. We all need passion and love in our life and we also have a need to show it off to our fellow man.

Mr. McKain likes to reference show business in his book. And what makes a movie great is how it develops a tight plot and then keeps its audience engaged. This book contains enough good material to fill 50 pages but then is streteced to 200. Mr. McKain's biographical perspective of himself is also a little too much for my taste.

A couple good concepts, but generally a weak and unengaging read.

I know and admire Scott McKain. He is Vice Chairman of a business conglomerate and a veteran media personality. His insights into how regular businesses can learn much from the entertainment industry are right on target. Learn, as I have, how to attract an audience, win them over, hold their attention, stimulate word of mouth promotion and gain their allegiance. Build a following for your business like entertainment companies do for theirs.
Not only is this fascinating, it is also fun to read. Scott has visited with John Travolta, Tom Cruise, and scores of other celebrities, many of the stars of the music industry, TV executives, talent agents, business owners and best selling authors to bring you ideas that will create a blockbuster for you!

If you've read a lot of business books you'll know that it's hard to come across something incredibly new and groundbreaking. This isn't one of them. But it IS a good book. Perhaps the best feature of the book is that it says employees, not customers, should be a company's primary concern. A happy workplace = happy employees = happy customers. It talks about Ultimate Customer Experiences and how the little things make the difference. It's nothing you won't find if you read the spectrum of business books, but it is smart, well written and informative. It's not a "must read" but I'd recommend it. Truth be told, I bought it mistaking it for "There's No Business That's Not Show Business" but I'm glad I read it. It was a happy accident!

I heard Scott McKain speak at a meeting recently. Following the presentation, our company gave each dealer a copy of this book. I am now buying more copies for my employees. I think this is one of the better business books I have read. It is one of the few that combines ideas with specific points on how to use them. I don't know that I could give it a better recommendation than the fact that I have read it and now I want the people who work with me to read it.

I picked up Eric Wittenberg's "Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions" half expecting a rehash of the epic fight between George Custer and Jeb Stuart at Rummel's Farm on the 3rd Day of the Battle. Indeed I was humming "Garry Owen" to myself until I opened the book.

Witrenberg gives the reader a fascinating account of the Union cavalry assaults led by Wesley Merritt and Judson "Kilcavalry" Kilpatrick on the Confederate Left flank at the time of the repulse of Pickett's Charge, and culminating in Kilpatrick's insane decision to send Elon Farnsworth and his brigade to charge across a fenced-in, rocky terrain on the slopes of the Round Tops, a charge that ended in the decimation of the Union cavalry and the heroic death of Farnsworth.

The new ground covered here is Wittenberg's strong assertion that if the cavalry had not been sent in piecemeal, Merritt's men charging on foot just west of the Emmitsburg Road, and the doomed charge of Farnsworth towards the Confederates entrenched by the Round Tops, but had been sent in together, the Confederate line would have been turned, and with Union cavalry pouring through, Pickett's retreat might have turned into a full rout of the Army of Northern Virginia - and even the surrender of Lee on the Gettysburg Battlefield. Indeed, as Wittenberg points out, Merritt's charge actually did turn the flank of the Confederate line for a short time, but without support either from Kilpatrick or Union Infantry on the Round Tops it was doomed to fail.

Whether or not one buys Wittenberg's premise, he provides the Civil War and particularly Gettysburg student with new insights and food for thought. While Custer's battle with Stuart is very well known, and even Farnsworth's charge merits a few sentences in most Gettysburg histories, the details of Merritt's operations are almost completely unknown.

To be sure, this is a slim volume that did not run in a precise chronological narrative. The reader has to switch chapters back and forth to see what Merritt was doing at a particular time, or what Kilpatrick was doing at that same time. Instead Wittenberg had Farnsworth's charge, the climax of the cavalry operations near the beginning of the book, while Merritt's assault, which took place a few hours earlier, is near the end of the book. Good maps, again not in chronological order, and many illustrations hitherto not seen by this reader. Also Wittenberg casts light on the bloody sideshow at Fairfield between the 6th U.S. Cavalry and Confederate cavalry under the irascible "Grumble" Jones, an affair that ended the killing and capture of the majority of this elite Union unit. Merritt had diluted the potency of his force by sending these men, whose services would have been much more valuable on South Cavalry field, on a foolhardy search for Confederate supply wagons, and instead they ended up running into a Rebel beehive.

I picked up this study of cavalry action at Gettysburg because of an interest in Elon John Farnsworth, and Wittenberg devotes two chapters to the boy general and his ill-fated charge on the third day of battle. But I was pleasantly surprised by the chapter on the battle at south cavalry field, which I knew very little about (the east cavalry field battle usually getting all the attention), and the battle of Fairfield, which I knew absolutely nothing about. After reading about the Fairfield conflict, I immediately hopped in my car and headed toward the village (I live in Gettysburg) to scout out the site.

Wittenberg's prose, contrary to the criticism of one of the reviewers here, is fluid and highly readable. I may disagree with some of his conclusions--for example, it's not at all as clear to me as it is to him that Farnsworth didn't commit suicide when he was mortally wounded by Confederate infantry--but I respect his skills as an author and a researcher. He stands in the fine tradition of nonprofessional historians who've done so much fine work on the Civil War.

Hopefully, a new printing of Wittenberg's book will see the light of day. Used copies are scarce, and so their prices are generally sky-high and prohibitive.

Finally, the line-drawn maps in the book are pretty good--a real plus for readers like myself who don't have especially good imaginations when it comes to visualizing terrain.

Coming into Gettysburg from the south you will find cavalry markers on the roadside, most will drive by eager to get to the "good stuff" on Cemetery Hill. Very few that stop know about or understand the nasty little action fought in the fields in front of them. On July third, the Union Cavalry face Longstreet's regulars under command of Evander Law. The Union Cavalry probed, pushed and finally attacked the AoNV's right flank in the ill-advised Farnsworth's Charge. This small book covers the almost forgotten battles in this area. Eric J. Wittenberg has given as a readable and informative book on this aspect of the Battle of Gettysburg. Coupled with "Protecting the Flank: The Battles for Brinkerhoff' Ridge and East Cavalry Field" this book gives one of the most detailed accounts of the Union Cavalry on July 2 - 3, 1863.

Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions, Wittenberg, Eric J., Thomas Publications, paperback, 182 pp., photographs, maps, notes, index, 1998, $12.95

The cavalry actions at Gettysburg are often reduced to Buford's Federal Cavalry Division defending itself from attacks from Heth's Confederate Division. Some narratives give a nod to the July 3rd cavalry fight, between Gregg and Stuart east of Gettysburg, especially as it relates to the Pickett, Pettigrew, Trimble Charge. Less frequently, the Federal cavalry charge on the Confederate right flank is discussed as a coda to the famed CSA charge on the Federal center. This book focuses upon the Federal cavalry attacks on the Confederate right on July 3rd: Farnsworth's Charge, Merritt's Charge, south of the Big Round Top and Starr's 6th U.S. Cavalry Charge at Fairfield, eight miles into the Confederate rear.

A reader who approaches this book as a story of Gettysburg cavalry triva, would be in errror. This work is the story of remarkable and heroic soldiers ordered into unplanned battles that occurred on the Confederate right flank after the Pickett- Pettigrew-Trimble Charge. The outcome of this late afternoon July 3rd fight set in part the tenor of the Federal pursuit on July 5th.

The author sets the stage for these climatic and crucial fights: two engagements of Federal cavalry versus Confederate infantry on the Rebel right and one engagement of Federal cavalry versus Confederate cavalry in the Rebel rear. Wiitenberg is thorough and brief in his presentation; the key officers, the terrain, the condition of the troops engaged and their weapons are concisely presented. The conflicts are illustrated with clear, well drawn maps. An ample number of portaits of officers, monuments, farmsteads, and terrain accompany the text. The strategic situation of July 3rd is covered as are the personalities of the leaders. Personal accounts of the battles from the rank and file are generous in number and appropriate the moving the action forward in the book.

The laziness of Major General Alfred Pleasanton, commander of the Federal cavalry of the Army of the Potomac is revealed. The rashness of Brigadier General Judson Kilpatrick, commander of the 3rd Federal cavalry division is described. The heroic attributes of Brigadier Generals Wesley Merritt and Elon Farnsworth are presented. The question of Farnsworth suicide in order to escape capture is thoroughly grounded in both USA and CSA eyewitness reports. The story of the two troopers who won Medals of Honor at Fairfield leaves this reader asking for recognition for these heroics on this particular battlefield.

Infantrymen and artillerymen are not neglected in this book. It is refreshing to have Confederate diarists quoted in describing their enemy's assaults. The bravery of Law's Alabamians, Robertson's Texans, and Anderson's Georgians, supported by CSA artillerymen is equal to their Federal counterparts. Wittenberg's writing style is both clear and concise. No extra information pads the book; no essential information is left out. The book is not a tourguide with maps and designated stops, though it works well as such; the accompanying maps are not vague and the photographs of the monuments allow the reader to use it as a tourguide. This reviewer recommends this book to both the casual reader and those who subscribe to Gettysburg Magazine. It is essential reading for anyone taking the Licensed Battlefield Guide exam.

This book is lacking in length and in depth of analysis. To say this book is 144 pages long is stretching things. The Epilogue ends on page 104; at least 20 pages (a conservative estimate, I think) before this are occupied by maps and/or photos. This leaves only about 85 pages of text. In reality, GETTYSBURG'S FORGOTTEN CAVALRY ACTIONS resembles a lengthy article more than it does a book. One stylistic criticism is the author's excessive use of long block quotes, which often disrupt his narrative.

"Hairspray" is the musical based on the writer's childhood in the sixties when he lived in Baltimore, Maryland.

After leafing through the pages, even trying to portray one of the characters, this is a great start to my new Broadway book collection! I suggest you start one of your own!

I am wondering if this is the COMPLETE script of the show (ie the dialogue and the songs) What about the songs? Is it just the lyrics, or is it the piano music? I can't seem to find an answer anyway, can anyone help me?

This book was just right for what I wanted. It had exactly what I was looking for. Lyrics and script. Great !!!

At first, this item was advertised as the complete book and MUSIC of Hairspray, but I should have known that would not be available for purchase. I expected at least a couple songs of the music, not just the lyrics, because of the advertisement. Really pay attention to every specific word before you order anything.

Hairspray can only be described as a big HUGE bubble of joy that pops off of the stage and into your lap. It is so fun, bright, colorful, and exciting that I can't help but giggle with delight when I think about it. To answer the previous poster's question, this is the complete libretto; that means it has the book (script) and song lyrics. It also includes cute and colorful pictures of the Original Broadway Cast.

Hairspray is love. If you love Hairspray, you'll love to own and re-enact it every day with your very own script. If you haven't seen Hairspray (you poor thing!) you can read the script and enjoy it just as much as I do! It's super duper funny, hip, and has a lot of heart.

I also highly recommend the OBC recording. Not as good unless you've seen it live with all it's super high-energy goodness, but amazing none-the-less!

This was a great book! My boss liked it so much he ordered one for each of our main managers and had them read it. Excellent job!

Too many non-remarkable examples and most of them adapted and a little forced to what he's trying to explain.
I don't like when the author uses himself in many examples. Should be more humble.
With all your respect Mr. Mckain but I got bored reading your book. Nothing interesting, too simple.

Scott McKain showed us how All Business is Show Business in his previous book. Now, after much research and months of work with a variety of organizations nationwide, he brings us insight into What Customers Really Want. This is the core of what drives purchases. When you learn what is wanted, selling is almost automatic! Follow this easy to read guide to find the abundant sales that are waiting for you.

Scott McKain can help your business increase customer loyalty and profitability. In his first book, All Business Is Show Business, he showed us how to "WOW" customers by creating compelling customer experiences.

In his newest book, What the Customer Really Wants, he shows us how to create true value for our products and services by seeing things through the eyes of our customers so we can give them what they need and want, not just what we want to offer them. This is targeted marketing at its finest.

Additionally, Scott McKain's books are a very enjoyable read!

Our training company has presented 2-day programs on customer service for 25 years--so I'm very familiar with most of the books out there on this subject. McKain's book stands out for three key reasons: 1) The slant or focus of the book is fresh--it focuses on customer experience, not customer service (read that "customer processing." 2) It has a helpful, extensive Executive Summary at the end of each chapter. Not your typical 2-paragraph ending, but a 3-page summary with the guts of the chapters netted out for a quick skim. 3) The "Bridge Building" section at the end of each chapter contains a long list of actionable items--perfect for developing training modules and saying to your customer service or call center manager: "Go thou and do likewise." In short, it's an engaging, impressive book.

I applaud Gerber for avoiding yet another partisan attack upon (or defense of) Justice Thomas. Too often scholars, or politicians, respond to justices, and Thomas in particular, with partisan attack divorced from any real consideration of the substance of the justice's view. Gerber looks at Thomas's opinions in cases from three areas: civil rights, civil liberties, and federalism.

Gerber's conclusion is that Thomas is just as result oriented as any other justice, he reads his own preferences into the text he is interpreting in the same manner that "liberal activists" do. Unfortunately, Gerber at times glosses over this fact because of his pet theory of "liberal originalism" that sees all constitutional principles as derivative of the Declaration of Independence (a theory dubious on its own terms). The most obvious gloss comes in affirmative action cases. Thomas has insisted upon a colorblind interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause, but he fails to give any originalist defense of this position. Instead, he uses moral arguments with a single citation to the declaration. Gerber spins from this a position that Thomas believes in his theory of interpretation, at least here since he admits that Thomas abandons this idea in other areas such as religion. But, neither Thomas nor Gerber clearly state what importance the declaration could have on the meaning of the 14th Amendment, enacted nearly a century later. In fact, the history of the 14th Amendment demonstrates a pervasive use of benign racial classifications similar to affirmative action programs, leading many to conclude that, as originally understood, affirmative action programs are constitutional. Gerber swipes aside these criticisms, stating that Thomas's affirmative action opinions rely upon moral arguments and not history. But this ignores the fact that Thomas claims to be an originalist who relies upon the intent and practice of the enactors of a provision. We should hold Thomas up to the standards he claims to live by. Another example, of rather recent development which explains why Gerber's book doesn't include it, is takings. In the recent New London decision, Thomas offered a powerful originalist critique of the broad majority opinion of the public use requirement. He uses intent, original understanding, and contemporary state practice. Yet, he joined in, and continues to support, Scalia's opinion in Lucas admitting that history failed to support regulatory takings, and describing the same history used in New London as irrelevant. This is a glaring inconsistency necessitated by the fact that history fails to support Thomas's belief in regulatory takings so he abandons these inconvenient facts. Thus, we see that originalism fails to constrain Thomas's behavior in the way he claims it does.

Another annoying thing is that Gerber seems to find it necessary to vocalize his opposition to Thomas's opinion, almost as if he is afraid of being labeled a Thomas-defender. I think this is unnecessary and he should have simply presented Thomas's thoughts without his subjective opinion as to the correctness of those positions. All told, I think Gerber's book is a fine one, presenting Thomas's opinions and thoughts themselves. In the end, we see that Thomas is just as likely to join in activist policy-making as any other justice. This should hardly be surprising and we should encourage it because it adds another important voice to constitutional issues, particularly in affirmative action cases where he is the only justices to experience it first hand. We should encourage this diversity of opinion while removing the illegitimate claim that it is the requirement of history rather than Thomas's personal policy preference.

I had one primary motivation for reading an arguably dated book: with the addition of Roberts and Alito to the Court, the Court will certainly transform itself from being the most effective institution, besides our military, in protecting the reserved rights of "We the People" to a court that will most certainly expand government power as the Conservatives on the court gain control. J. Thomas, who has written many a provocative dissent, will now become a prolific writer of opinions that will grant the government sweeping powers as our individual rights are stripped away. I wanted to better understand what to expect out of Thomas as his opinions now become binding law.

Gerber's book is considered the most fair, unbiased, and most accurate analysis of Thomas' jurisprudence though limited to the first five years of his tenure, though it also contains a short afterword that catches up on Thomas through 2000. What is most intriguing about Thomas is that Thomas claims to read and interpret our radically liberal constitution within the context of the even more radically, and revolutionary Declaration of Independence, unlike Scalia who claims to read only the Constitution from a textual perspective. Rather than yielding a solid libertarian view a la' Randy Barnett so well-espoused in Barnett's "The Lost Constitution", Thomas seems to constantly rule opposite of the original meaning or even original intent of those two documents if they deny a conservative political objective. So what gives?

Gerber not only does a great job of providing a rhetoric-free analysis of Thomas's view, he also does a fine job of comparing those views to competing views and fairly crucifying Thomas's media critics who hate the rulings without any understanding of Thomas' arguments. As fair as Gerber is in analyzing Thomas' opinions against his judicial adversaries, Gerber also does a fascinating quantitative analysis to empirically expose whether Thomas is honestly deciding cases or is driven by conservative political objectives - the results of this research contained within the Appendices is alone worth owning this book.

Some of Gerber's findings:

Gerber publishes outtakes from a Thomas 1987 speech to the Heritage Foundation where Thomas claims to support the constitutional principle of the "primacy of the individual, and establishes our inherent equality as a God-given right." Thomas ends this subject in his speech arguing that Conservatives should embrace this concept rather than have this principle continue to be conservatism's "Achilles' heel". Fine rhetoric indeed, Gerber then goes on to show how in ruling after ruling, Thomas rejects his own principles to vote firmly for sweeping government power that deprives the individual of their rights with respect to civil liberties as Thomas ignores the fact that we reserved our rights and tries to limit those rights by trying to prove they are all numerated in the Constitution, and narrowly at that.

Again Gerber quotes Thomas defending the original meaning of the 9th amendment that would "explicitly deny to the national government certain powers over various subjects would imply". And throughout the book Gerber then exposes Thomas as he tries to narrowly interpret the other Bill of Rights amendments to show preference to government power rather than use the Constitution to interpret the powers delegated to the government to, as Jefferson said in the D of I, "secure the blessings of liberty", e.g., Thomas voting with a 5-4 majority approving of government funding of religious activity in Rosenberger v. the U. of VA. (1995); an unprecedented ruling that directly opposses the establishment clause and our equal protection rights.

Not that Thomas is always on the side of non-delegated gov't power. Gerber does a very respectful and insightful analysis of Thomas views on civil rights in regards to affirmative action and Thomas' fierce defense of free speech regarding political speech, like in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission where Thomas did support the original meaning of the Constitution by limiting government power to explicitly stated delegation of powers while broadly interpreting the people's and the press' right to speech.

While the chapter on Thomas' views on Federalism, where Thomas is an active proponent of allowing states non-explicit powers to deny Americans their constitutional rights is interesting, Gerber doesn't go far enough, like Barnett has done, in analyzing whether any founding framer believed in the principle that the states could deny rights to "we the people", with the "people" being narrowly defined at that time.

Many constitutional law bloggers have easily exposed Scalia as an absolute hypocrite regarding his defense of original meaning when he often, and lately almost constantly, ignores that concept when needed to support a conservative political goal. Thomas's opinions require a much more thorough examination to expose his rationale for his rulings; Gerber for the most part is up to the task. If you are a Thomas fan, you'll get plenty of support for your position, if you are aghast at his findings, you will understand how far Thomas must twist reason to support his conservative ideology, and if you are like me, a person who thinks Thomas has unlimited potential but is also aghast at his rulings, you'll find evidence that maybe with time Thomas will begin to defend our reserved rights as time develops his jurisprudence, unfortunately the two new members will most likely have no positive influence on Thomas, providing support for narrow rulings with twisted logic to claim protection of rights while ruling in a manner that destroys those very rights.

In writing "First Principles," Scott Douglas Gerber has done something that few, if any, members of the media or legal cognoscenti have even contemplated: giving Justice Thomas a "fair shake."

Mr. Gerber should be commended for presenting a balanced portrait of Justice Thomas's jurisprudence. Gerber dispells the myth that Justice Thomas is merely Justice Scalia's second vote.

Mr. Gerber also does a good job of exposing the intellectual dishonesty of Thomas's critics. The picture he paints is clear: the current civil rights movement hates Thomas because he fails to tow the liberal, collectivist line. He actually thinks for himself. How remarkable!

After reading this book there can be no doubt that Thomas is his own man. Of course those of us who have taken the time out to actually READ HIS OPINIONS already knew this to be the case.

The only fault that I can find with this book is Mr. Gerber's mischaracterization of originalism. On page 183 of his book Gerber writes that conservative originalism is a flawed method of constitutional interpretation, musing "Why that document? Why that framer?"

Originalism is not that simple. As noted by Justice Scalia is his recent book, A Matter of Interpretation, "It is curious that most of those who insist that the drafter's intent gives meaning to a statute reject the drafter's intent as the criterion for interpretation of the Constitution. I reject it for both. I will consult the writings of some men who happened to be delegates to the Constitutional Convention--Hamilton's and Madison's writings in The Federalist for example. I do so, however, not because they were Framers and therefore their intent is authoritative and must be law; but rather because their writings, like those of other intelligent and informed people of the time, display how the text of the Constitution was originally understood. Thus I give equal weight to Jay's pieces in The Federalist, and to Jefferson's writings, even though neither of them was a Framer. What I look for in the Constitution is precisely what I look for in a statute: the original meaning of the text, not what the original draftsmen intended." (see page 38)

It is interesting to note that Gerber's definition of "originalism" closely parallels the above-referenced quote by Justice Scalia. In a footnote on page 47, Gerber defines "conservative originalism" as maintaining that "the Constitution should be interpreted as the Framers themselves would have interpreted it."

The documents and Framers consulted by judges, or legal scholars, to interpret the Constitution are ONLY IMPORTANT to the degree that they shed light on how the words used in the text of the Constitution were understood by the men who drafted and ratified it. Originalism is not perfect, and it does not answer all constitutional questions or inquiries. But this method of constitutional interpretation works 95% of the time. The problem is that most judges are NOT looking for the answer to a constitutional question, they are looking for a way to justify their agenda. After writing this book and evaluating the superficial jurisprudence of other Supreme Court Justices (e.g. Stevens, Souter, etc.), I have a feeling that Mr. Gerber understands this reality all to well.

With that small criticism noted, I highly recommend this book. A job well done!

While it is true to say that Clarence Thomas is one of the most vilified men to sit on the Supreme Court, it must also besaid that he has also often suffered from having the wrong kind of defenders. With the lonely exception of Senator John Danforth, practically none of Thomases defenders has taken the time to understand his thought or character. Finally, an inteeligent book has been written about Thomas, by someone who comes neither to glorify or condemn Clarence Thomas, but to UNDERSTAND him. Scot Gerber is one of the fastest rising stars in American constitutional thought.In this fine study, he analyzes Thomases opinions, and concludes that Thomas is not simply a tail to Antonin Scalias intellectual kite. Instead, Clarence Thomas ins a thoughtful, highly principled jurist, with a much deeper undrstanding of our Constitution and its foundations than many of his colleagues on the Court,(And the entire Democratic membership of the Senate Judiciary commitee, for that matter.)While Gerber is critical of many of Thomas' opinions,he is never crudely dismissive. Instead, he shows just how scholarly and intelligent this very misunderstood justice is.Why do I call this book 'courageous'.For one reason, and one reason alone. As I have already said, Scott Gerber is a rising star of constitutional theory.He is also a Liberal, in the classical, libertarian sense. However, in defending Thomas, he has risked prevoking the wrath of some very influential people. He has several hair -raising anecdotes in this book about how reputable law reviews have refused to print anything favorable to Clarence Thomas, and it is indeed doubtful that this fine book will meet with the respect it deserves.Even now, it has only been reviewed in 'conservative' magazines, while such organs of "liberalism" as The New Republic ,The New York Review of Books,and The New York Times have greeted it with silence.One can only hope that Americas leading law reviews will not follow in their footsteps,and instead show the same maturity and courage as Scott Gerber.Both he and Justice Thomas deserve respect.

This is an exceptional book. What Gerber has done is to avoid the political panderings of both the left and right wing and given us an objective, unbiased consideration of Justice Thomas'opinions. What a pleasure to read a book based in data not political philosophy. Plus the book is very well written. Kudos to Mr Gerber

I teach German and I wish that there were one of these BIG REDs for German! I just love it. The frequency list of words alone is worth the price of the book.

Trying to increase your Spanish vocabulary? Do you favor a logical approach that improves your understanding of how the language works? Not sure where to start? This book might be what you're looking for. It is organized into four major sections:

ROOT DICTIONARY: contains over 14,000 words organized by root. Each root and associated word includes a brief definition. Grouping words by root makes the relationship between words readily apparent, and makes it easy to learn and remember new variants. For example, the root "bajo" lists 23 words formed from it, including: abarjarse, bajar, rebajar, bajo, bajeza, bajista (bass player!), abajo, cabizbajo, etc, all of which relate to some low thing, act, or condition. Each derived word also shows its frequency-of-use, if it happens to be among the top 5000. Of the bajo-derived words, bajar, bajarse, bajo, and abajo are all commonly used... being in the top 1800. This makes it easier to sharpen one's focus.

SPANISH FREQUENCY TABLE: actually a dictionary with headwords ordered by frequency-of-use. Each headword is followed by fairly complete definitions and examples. Like English, most of the Top-40 words are articles, adverbs, conjunctions, and pronouns. The top verbs are haber(18), tener(21), estar(22), hacer(24), fue(25... yes, it includes conjugated forms of verbs as well as the infinitives), poder(26), decir(28), dar(37), deber(43). Again, a useful tool for someone who wishes to prioritize their study.

THESAURUS OF SPANISH COGNATES: begins with more than 100 high-frequency Spanish-English cognates, and then groups thousands of cognates by category, much like a standard thesaurus.

GUIDE TO SPANISH SUFFIXES: another useful way to study cognates.

Overall I think the book is a terrific tool for anyone who is interested in learning more about the language, while improving vocabulary.

This book is extremely thorough and written very clearly and concisely. Unlike other verb books, it provides many examples of the verbs and their tenses used in context. It also gives very good explanations and examples of when each tense is used in Spanish. I have purhased several books on studying the Spanish language; this book is the one that I would recommend above all the others.

This is his 'Spanglish'. I'd say that 85% of the vocab presented could be spoken just by speaking english with your best spanish accent. When buying this book i guess i focused too much on the 'frequency of use section' and not enough on what the bulk of this book contains - cognates? Not saying there aren't people out there with a need for an exhaustive list of cognates, I'm just not one of them.

I think this is a super interesting idea for a book and provides a great deal of useful information. Unfortunately, it also contains a large number of errors - especially in the section with the top 5000 words. Some definitions are simply wrong (e.g. cocer is "to cook" not "to sew" - coser is "to sew") But, there are lots of mistakes in this section. So, ¡Ten cuidado!

This book offers a concise overview of (1) on scene procedures such as triage and decontamination, (2) general characteristics of weapon classes, (3) details of specific agents, and (4) treatments. It also describes precursor chemicals and 4 case histories. It is better written and more detailed than the comparable book "First responder chem-bio handbook".

and falls short. Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook is much improved over the freebie notepad version they gave out a few years back, but it suffers from a lack of focus. The small size, spiral binding, and tabs suggest it is intended as a first responder or incident commander handbook, but occasional topical discourses suggest that it is meant as a textbook. As a result, it is hard to find the information that would be needed on the scene (an index helps, but only slightly), while the coverage of the various topics is too uneven for it to be a good text. In some places, it seems to be simply a compilation of information from various (US) field manuals.

There are some good ideas, but they seem to be sabotaged by the execution. The checklist version of the "Agent Indicator Matrix" (based on the Defense Protective Service model) is a good idea, but it is spread over three pages (instead of being arranged to fit on two facing pages in a landscape presentation or provided as a foldout) so that it can neither be copied easily or used easily in the book. A section on the threat of stolen military munitions, after noting that stockpiles in other countries are not as well secured as those in the US, then proceeds to a description of US weapons without describing distinguishing characteristics of chemical munitions relative to conventional munitions or how the munitions described might relate to foreign munitions.

There are also some surprising errors in the hodgepodge of facts. The volume I purchased indicates that it is from the sixth printing, so I have to presume that most typos have been corrected. One particularly egregious error is in the characterization of liquid phosgene as "...not hazardous except as a source of vapor." This statement is highlighted in a little box with a finger pointing at it on page 106, and repeated on page 108. While certainly it is the vapor that kills, liquid phosgene splashed into the eyes is known to produce opacification. Subsequently, it is stated that "Phosgene [vapor] does not damage the eyes or skin..." Yet it is well known that concentrated phosgene vapor will irritate both the skin and eyes, and, while this would not be fatal, and is usually not permanent the downplaying of these risks is certainly inappropriate, to put it mildly.

To try to close on a positive note, this book does have some good information salted in various odd spots. If you are responsible for a training program, it would be a good book for you to look at, provided it is not the only reference you use. The table of emergency decontamination materials found at a K-Mart, for instance, suggests an obvious bit of homework for your trainees.

In summary, this handbook should not be your first or only purchase, but it probably has a place in a comprehensive library. Given the reputation of Jane's, a bit more proofreading would have been in order.

This is a wonderful book for any first responder to have.
It is very easy to use because not only does it come with on and off scene procedures, but it also has quick reference tables and charts. On a scale of 1 to 5 I give it a 10!

Among those involved with the planning and implementation of specialized, multi-casualty incident response, this book is quite useful. Field personnel, command staff, and planners - all will find it helpful. I found it to be concise, packable, and physically handy. About the only thing I'd change would be to laminate the pages for weather resistance.

R.D. Lopez, Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Specialist, Dept. of Public Health

I was intorduced to this musical in the Fall of 2006, well after the hoop-la surrounding the original cast. I bought this book and was very happy with the care and detail that went into its production. WHile it focuses on the original cast, any true fan of this show will be amazingly happy to see behind-the-scenes of the show, hear thoughts from the creators and original stars and see pictures, pictures, and more pictures of the Nicest Kids in Town and those close to them!

Okay I love this book alot. It includes almost if not the entire show but I think its ridiculous how much they are charging. I bought it for literally $1.07 at the Dollar Tree, so I bought 3 for family and friends.
But I just wanted to say that the book is awesome. If you get the book, you won't regret it. It has so many pictures and little extras so go to the dollar tree and buy it!

If you're a fan of the Broadway musical Hairspray, then you need this book. It's really that simple. In addition to a detailed history of the show, tons of photos, insider information, detailed analyses of previous versions of the script and the script that was eventually used, and even more information in general than you could possibly digest in one (or even two) readings, it's full of exactly the same kind of wacky, irreverant style and humor that's found in the show and that's helped to make it such a big success on Broadway. Hairspray: The Roots is hip, hilarious, colorful, and, in its own way, very musical.

Only one thing prevents the book from being the perfect example of its kind and earning a five star rating: it does not preserve the entire complete libretto of the show, choosing instead to eliminate the dialogue in places and replace it with scene descriptions. While this is unthinkable and incomprehensible given the sheer amount of information that was included and the great care that has been put into every other element of it, in the end, this particular frustration remains minor. If you can live with that, you'll find no other flaw in this remarkable, must-own volume.

I have loved this show since I first listenend to the recording, and after seeing the show I think I may be obsessed with it. The show is completely fun and entertaining and this book does a good job at capturing the spirit and energy of the show. I particularly like all the full color photos and candids of the cast offstage as well as the "diary" entries from Marisa Jaret Winokur (Tracy) and Harvey Firestein (Edna). This book is worth it!