U Books

According to perpetual social and political critic James Bovard, the power inherent in government is alive and well; unfortunately, as he reminds us, they are not always necessarily accomplishing the people's will. Thus we find ourselves in circumstances in which governments are both larger and more powerful than ever before, while the individual citizen's ability to control and influence the course of his or her own life and liberty is becoming more and more problematic. In this stirring expose, the author explores how the federal government increasingly poses a threat to destroy individual rights and liberties in an attempt to preserve the fiction of government as superceding the citizen. Bovard wonders along with us how this state of affairs has managed to occur, and takes a thoughtful and impressive tour of the history of government control over individual liberties in an attempt to better understand it, and the future it presents for our cogitation.

Long before it was either fashionable or popular, conservative author Bovard was railing against the accumulating power and privilege of the crony-based capitalists who now seem to control the country. Here he draws blood from a dissection of the notion of state sovereignty, which he contends amounts to nothing so much as a glossy justification for the power elite's lust for ever-increasing power and privilege. Especially egregious in the author's view is the way the doctrine is being used to justify the behavior of others, to limit their rights to protect themselves, or to keep the fruit of their own labor. Indeed, all of this is food for thought. Moreover, Bovard is an interesting and quite eclectic scholar, someone who accomplishes both meticulous research and establishes the substantiation for his claims as he proceeds, and does so quite convincingly. He also seems to be profoundly well read, based on his wide use of quotations from such luminaries as Marx, Hegel, Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes.

Thus, he manages to raise some thought provoking issues regarding our seeming need to regulate many aspects of private behavior (such as the use of pot) that we can neither effective enforce nor usefully demonstrate to be evil for the individual. Bovard argues quite convincingly regarding the potential dangers of allowing others to regulate our Constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties according to their own moral prerogatives. Bovard reserves special scorn for the so-called "Peter Pan" theory of government as the benevolent and paternalistic defender of the commonweal, and actively guides the reader through a critical review of the two hundred year history on the subject, a history he finds rife with examples through which government has repeatedly used its power to thwart rather than support the will and civil liberties of the majority. This is a splendidly researched book that reads well and which has some disturbing thoughts regarding the state of our polity. It is also one I highly recommend. Enjoy!

James Bovard is a bestselling libertarian author and lecturer, whose political commentary targets examples of governmental waste, failures, and abuses of power.
His Books:
The Fair Trade Fraud (1992)
Lost Rights (1995)
Shakedown (1996)
FREEDOM IN CHAINS: THE RISE OF THE STATE AND THE DEMISE OF THE CITIZEN (2000) Just finished this book and it is filled with examples of the "Statist" (politicians and bureaucrats) extorting money to facilitate their appetite for power and thus controlling as many aspects of life in these "United States"(separation into red and blue states does not make much difference). The research is excellent and the sources of "wisdom" are unrivaled. The EEOC and EPA appear to be the most outrageous of bureaus but closely followed by HUD and others; however, the Supreme Court clearly wins the "stuck on stupid" award between the three branches and the Senate is a clear choice in the Congress. Much of what Mr. Bovard relates is probably well known by the average political savvy reader, but his ability to back up his message with research, i.e. facts and sagacious quotes makes for an excellent read. Still, as one other reader stated, "What exactly can be done with the current apathy and addiction to the Welfare State by so many voters?".
Feeling Your Pain (2001)
Terrorism and Tyranny (2003)
The Bush Betrayal (2004)
Quotes:
"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner." (1994). This is my favorite and another version could be a jackass (Dems) and an elephant (Republicans) fighting over "hay" (tax receipts) that does not belong to them. They then give some back to the "original owners" (taxpayers) after eating their "fill" (outrageous retirements, perks, etc.) and providing some to their "herd" (special interests). THIS ITEM WAS EDITED--From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia--LOG ON http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy

"Your government knows your mind, and you know your government's mind." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." -George W. Bush (sometimes it is more honest to deviate from the script and speak from the gut!)

One would hope that a political tome written 7 years ago would become outdated; that politics might have changed since then. Sadly, James Bovard's "Freedom in Chains," is more relevant now than it was then. Despite a republican president (and congress) which, at one point, professed a "small government" platform, the size of the government has grown to unprecedented heights.

Bovard's "Freedom in Chains" not only documents the incursion of government into the people's liberty, but tries to dissect how this began. Not suprisingly, his first chapter points largely (but not exclusively) to FDR. With a careful eye, Bovard analyzes FDR's shifty rhetoric, which was able to effectively redefine the word "freedom": a word that used to mean "absence of coercion by the state," was now morphed to mean "safety provided by the state." Where we used to talk of freedom to buy and sell as one pleased, now we heard talk of freedom to buy and sell at "fair" prices as dictated by government. FDR (and others) were soon able to tell the citizenry with a straight face that freedom meant the ability of the government to take care of them via legislation.

From there, Bovard spends chapter after chapter highlighting examples of this paternalism run amok. "Cagekeepers and Caretakers" highlights how politicians use the idea that they were democratically elected to justify incursions into liberty under the guise that "that's what the people wanted." (And witness in 2004 the argument from the GW Bush camp that the president has a "mandate" from the people!)

In what might be the best chapter, "The Moral Glorification of Leviathan," Bovard documents how government has claimed for itself such things as: the right to tell farmers how much of what they can sell and at what price, the right to tell landlords that they may not discriminate by refusing to rent to drug addicts addicts (or any other group the government happens to like), and the right to tell companies what numbers of which "groups" they can hire. (A particularly great example was the government's failed attempt to mandate that Hooters employ as many male waiters as female waitresses!)

From here, we read documented accounts of government officials exempting themselves from laws the public is expected to obey (e.g. while it is illegal to lie to the police, the police may lie to obtain a confession!), etc. I confess that at this point, the book does become a bit monotanous. While an advantage to Bovard's "laundrey list" approach is its thoroughness in documenting claims, a disadvantage is that after so many examples, each one begins to lose its bite. (I must admit that after a while, I began to skim rather than read, as so many paragraphs began looking like ones I'd read before.)

Another small criticism is that I do not think that supporters of government's growth will be convinced by this book. In other words, this is not a book that argues forcefully that government growth is a bad thing in itself; rather, it documents the growth of government and assumes that the readers' symapthies will be against such trends. (For books actually arguing against statism, read Freidrich Hayek, Richard Epstein, or anything coming out of the CATO institute).

For all this, I must still give this book four stars. Bovard does an admirable job documenting abuses of government power and attempting to alarm an appallingly unalarmed public that a government unchallenged translates to a people unfree.

If you still labor under the delusion that the United States Government is here for your benefit, read this book. Mr. Bovard puts paid to that myth. Americans are now subject to such an unrealistic array of laws and statutes that every one of us is ripe for picking by some bureucrat looking to "get his numbers up". America has truly gone from a government "for the people" to one "against the people". Our constitutional protections are not worth the paper they are written on. If you manage to go through life without running afoul of some government functionary, you are indeed a luck individual. Read this book

I read this book when it was first published and as I was reading was half the time wanting to throw the book across the room. It was the frustration making me do that.

I re-read this book again and after 3 1/2 years of Bush I found Bovard to be very prophetic. What he said is even more true today than when he wrote it.

If you are concerned for that state of this country, don't just read this book, but think about and act on it.

Bovard is the anti- Micheal Moore.

Read this for a view of whats really happening.

Oh yes, DON'T throw the book.

Can anyone give more detailed instructions on how to interpret this 'game'.

I find it interesting, but also a bit frustrating at not being able to fully comprehend the valuable message.

Thank you in advance everyone.

I have replaced my original book, which was handed down to me by my grandmother in the 1960's. Even for people that don't want to believe in fortune telling, this book and the way the Chinese have done it for centuries, amazes as it hits the nail on the head. The numerology is interesting also. Highly recommend it to all.

I read all the 5 star reviews about this book and I decided I should get one for myself to verify whether the reviews are true or not. I got my copy from Amazon.com last January. I was very excited to do my first reading the day I got it to see the result. All I can say is that this is truly an AMAZING BOOK! I'm always fascinated about the pyschic world and I wanted so bad to develop my psychic ability (if I have one). I have books about tarot card reading, scrying using crystal ball, dream interpretation, numerology etc. but sad to say none of those books helped me develop anything. But the good news is--I have this book now! I'm glad I did bought this book. After I received my first copy I bought 2 extra copies more. I found my very first reading very interesting and out of curiosity I wrote them down on a piece of paper to see which one will come true. Believe it or not, the book is INCREDIBLY ACCURATE! One thing I noticed about consulting this game board is that there's a balance of positive and negative reading. Good vibrations are fun to read but when it comes to the negative vibes I look at it as a warning signs for me....something I need to watch out for. There were several readings which actually happened to me couple of weeks after consulting the game board. Whether it's a coincidence or what--no one knows!...All I can say is that I wish I can give this book not only 5... but 10 stars! This is truly an INCREDIBLE book about fortune telling. Get a copy and see for yourself.

I bought the 1948 version with board included. I am truly amazed that this is the most accurate card book that I own. I have other card books that are not clear. I have been doing readings for friends and they have told me that mostly everything I have read to them is accurate. Hope this article was helpful. This is definately the one to own.

Within four days of my doing a reading for myself, six predictions already came true! This book is a reprint of "Gong Hee Fot Choy Book Of Fortune" but this reprint is easier to read.Most used copies don't have the gameboard. You can buy g.h.f.c. Book Of Fortune (which is still in print) and get the gameboard from that book then use this book, which is organized better, for readings.

Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) is a rare gem. He has a clear mind that cuts like a scalpel. Combine that with a stellar education, decades of painstaking and thorough study, and a gift for writing profoundly yet with simplicity. Introduction to Christianity is a fine example of his erudition and seemingly effortless intellectual elegance. His capacity to consider and master a vast array of histories, cultures, theologies and philosophies, and integrate them into his own penetrating thought, is remarkable.

Written 40 years ago by Ratzinger, this book still resonates with the times. In itself, this shows that Ratzinger is focused on what really matters in the Christian mystery - he nevers gets side tracked into going down blind and fruitless alleys. It is only on my second reading of this book that I began to see how important a book this is. This book is an important exploration of the nature of belief and of the articles of belief set down in the Apostles creed. I believe that in this book Ratzinger surpasses his mentors, namely De Lubac and von Balthasar. His analysis of the kenosis of Christ is particularly impressive, Christ "being from" and "being for".

Ratzinger first deals squarely with belief and points out that it is within the context of doubt that the theist and the atheist can enter into dialogue. After all, the Christian believes; he does not see. Likewise, the atheists "sees" what is optical and does not believe in what cannot be empirically verified. But, both the Christian and the atheist, if he is honest, must have doubts about the nature of his belief or non-belief. There must be times when the atheist says: "yet perhaps it is true (page 46).

For Ratzinger the word credo means:

"man does not regard seeing, hearing and touching as the totality of what concerns him, that he does not view the area of his world as marked off by what he can see and touch but seeks a second mode of access to reality, a mode he calls in fact belief, and in such a way that he finds in it the decisive enlargement of his whole view of the world" (page 50).

For Ratzinger the radicality of Christianity is that "God has come so near to us that we can kill him and that he thereby, so it seems, ceases to be God for us".

Ratzinger poses the question of whether "it would not have been much simpler to believe in the Mysterious Eternal... to leave us as at an infinite distance". (page 55)

Ratzinger notes that belief does not come "though the private search for truth but through a process of reception.. Faith cannot and should not be a mere product of reflection" (page 92). Faith demands unity and calls for the fellow believer; it is by nature related to a Church." (page 98).

On the nature of the Trinity, he noted that: "He is one, but at as the exceedingly great, entirely Other, he himself transcends the bounds of singular and plural; he lies beyond the" (page 125).

On the "I am who I am" scene in exodus, he notes that the words sound like a "rebuff","like a refusal to give a name than the pronouncement of a name (page 127) "I am" is as much as to say "I am here for you" " a Being-for". (page 129).

"The name is no longer merely a word, but a person: Jesus himself." (page 133) Ratzinger goes on to say that the meaning of a "name" is its invocability. God, by having a name, becomes accessible to me. "He is handing himself over to men in such a way that he can be called upon".

"And by doing this he enters into coexistence with them; he puts himself within reach; he is "there" for them". The name is no longer just a word at which we clutch; it is now flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone. God is one of us" (page 134/135).

Ratzinger notes the great saying by Tertullian: "Christ called himself truth, not custom". (page 141)

His thought then becomes even more metaphysical:

"Whoever looks thoroughly at matter will discover that it is being-thought objectivised thought. So it cannot be ultimate. All being is ultimately being-thought and can be traced back to

"Christian belief in God means that things are the being-thought of a creative consciousness of a creative freedom and that the creative conciousness that hears up all things has released what has been thought into the freedom of its own, independent existence". (page 137).


"The doctrine of the triune God, means at bottom renouncing any solution and remaining content with a mystery that cannot be plumbed by man (page 168)". "Faith consists of a series of contradictions held together by grace". (page 171).

"It now became clear that the dialogue, the relatio stands behind substance as an equally primordial form of being". I note here that Ratzinger preempts some of the philosophical work done by the great Jesuit Thomist, Norris Clarke and by the personalist, John F Crosby. "Father is purely a concept of relationship. Only in being for the other is he Father; in his own being in himself he is simply God". (page 183). "By calling the Lord "Son", John gives him a name that always points away from him and beyond him; he thus employs a term that denotes essentially a relatedness, He thereby puts his whole Christology into the context of the idea of relation" (page 185).

Moving on to focus of the office and nature of Christ, he notes that Christ "performs himself and gives himself; his work is the giving of himself" (page 204). "The person of Jesus is his teaching and his teaching is he himself" "message and person are identical" (page 206). "Jesus is his work" "His being is pure actualitas of "from" and "for"(page 228).

"For John, the picture of the pierced side forms the climax not only of the crucifixion scene but the whole story of Jesus... his existence is completely open. Now he is entirely "for"; now he is no longer a single individual but "Adam" from whose side, Eve, a new mankind is formed". (page 241) "The future of man hangs on the Criss - the redemption of Man is the Cross. And, he can only come to himself by letting the walls of his existence be broken down, by looking on him who has been pierced" (p242)

"Talk of original sin means no man can start from scratch any more (completely unimpaired by history" (page 249). "Last judgement, on the other hand is the answer to these collective entanglements" (page 249).

"Being a Christian means essentially changing over from being for oneself to being for one another". "Christ is the infinite self expenditure of God" (page 261).

"Love demands infinity, indestructibility; indeed it is, so to love demands, infinity, indestructibility; indeed, it is, so to speak, a call for infinity" (page 302).

Ratzinger's analysis of the resurrection and the Last judgement is deeply impressive, noting its deeply serious nature. Of hell, he notes that it "consists in man's being unwilling to receive anything, in his desire to be self sufficient. It is the expression of enclosure in one's own being alone."

Finally, on the Church, Ratzinger approaches the evil evident in the Church in a sober fashion. "At bottom there is always a hidden pride at work when criticism of the Church adopts that tone of rancorous bitterness which today is already becoming a fashionable habit"

He notes that Christ in his earthly ministry scandalised others; is is surprising that he does so again when he gives himself over to be broken sacramentally on his altars, ministered, at times, by deeply sinful ministers and consumed also by those whose lifes often contradict the gospel. Don't we all in our own way contradict the gospel in our daily lives?

Our Holy Father is great! He is so clear in his writing and conveying his ideas. He articulates and conveys theological ideas in ways that students can grasp, digest, and make their own. I know this was written long before he would even be considered for Pope- but it only goes to show that he has been doing the kind of work and prayer this work needs to be able to do for a long time. He is the kind of student who has done the work so well and sought such understanding as to teach well.

Reading this amazing book is like being wrapped in a warm blanket reading the writings of a beloved friend who is sharing his heart with you alone. Not only is the scholarship amazing but the heart of a man who is in love with Jesus comes through clearly and loudly. Don't miss this book.

Okay, maybe this isn't such a good way to review a book but it may be of assistance to another reader or two.

I started reading this book 3 years ago...I haven't made it past page 15 yet. Why? Well, I think I'm in need of a more focused brain - I have a touch of A.D.D. and a book this focused is very hard for me to digest.

On the funny side of all this I want to share a conversation between two priests about this book. Both priests had bought the book to read and one of them said "I just can't seem to get past chapter 1" the other said "Oh good. I couldn't make it past the 3rd paragraph"

This book was written very early in Joseph Ratzinger's vocation and was more a part of his proving his qualifications to teach Theology (I guess the equivalent would be a Doctorate thesis).

So if you're anything like me, this book may be over your head. I'll get back to it one day but it is highly recommended by many, many people I trust. Therefore I recomment this book.

If you are intellectually superior, you may not find this review helpful. However, if you more on the average level I hope this review is of some assistance to you.

Wonderful; very informative. Very useful!!!

This is a great book on breeds. Although, I believe that
the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs was much more helpful in
my research on the breeds. Even though Legacy of the Dog has
200 breeds, I believe the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs tells
you more of how the breed acts, and the amount of exercise the dog needs and energy they have, while the Legacy of Dogs seems to more tell you where the breed comes from and how they appear... It is a great book, but when compared.... It comes in second in my dog breed collection.

I bought this book because I had a gift certificate and had to use it up. Boy was I glad that I bought this!
This book has so many good pictures of so many different breeds, it is wonderful. There is the common breeds like the Golden Retriever and the Labrador and than there's the uncommon ones like the Neopolitan Mastiff and the Koohikerhondje. If you like dogs or want to do some resaerch, this book has alot of good info.

It is great!

Well, the cover did it for me, a beautiful example of the breed I own and love, the Irish Terrier. Great book, great photos, good listing of many non-AKC breeds such as the Cesky Terrier and Smoushound and many others.

Worth a buy!

This book contains fantastic photographs and brief write-ups of 200 breeds of dogs. I would have liked more information on each breed, especially info on temperament. The photos are top-notch, however, beautifully done. Definitely a good, though pricy, general guide to review when you are considering what kind of dog to buy.

This is a great book for anyone to read. Very practical and easy to understand for any age group or financial income. Everyone should read this book!

To be clear, I am not a friend or relative of the author, nor am I associated with his publishing house or anything. I am giving this a five-star review because it deserves it.

The author is great at disseminating the identities that people take on regarding finance- such as the Scrooge, the Traveler, etc. He makes it abundantly clear why we think and feel the way we do about money. He encourages us to go into our earliest memories regarding money(if they're anything like mine, that's not so pleasent). I was really impressed with this book. I just finished reading "Conscious Finance", and this was far better. It ezplores the belief systems behind our actions, and then tells us how to actually change those beliefs.

Finally, a financial advisor with the courage to tell us that financial magazines are nuts for telling us to switch around our portfolios every time there's a full moon! I always intuitively knew this, but I was grateful to have back-up from an expert.

This is not a get-rich-quick book. Hardly. I'd say it was refreshingly conservative and reaffirming- the author doesn't demand that you never take on student debt, assume that everybody reading his book must already make $100,000+ a year, or tell you that paying your kid's college tuition payment is your no. 1 priority in life. No. He speaks to those that don't make a fortune, don't have a degree in finance, and don't always have their s*** together. Finally! I can read a book on finance and not feel guilty!

That said, he makes great points about saving and consumer debt- nothing really new, but without a bunch of complicated, left-brained, holier-than-thou nonsense. I felt encouraged after reading his book. That is a new one for me. For anyone who reads Money magazine or the like and feels like a failure because they don't have $10,000 to invest in some new stock or mutual fund every month, may I respectfully suggest reading this book. It will be an eye-opener.

Is it me or are all these "reviews" obviously endorsements from the author's large network of friends and contacts? I can't find a single "review" in the 25+ here that gives even a single sentence of detail about the book -- not one! These are all generic "terrific finance book for everyone - 5 stars!" Plus, nearly all these reviews were posted within the first 6 days of the release and each gave 5 stars. Not plausible.

I don't blame the author for asking friends to put reviews up, but then have them actually read the book and put together a real REVIEW, not a vacuous endorsement. This is especially important since there is no "See Inside" capability with this book. I depend on Amazon reviews when making decisions on products I'm buying here. I don't appreciate an obvious attempt to subvert the process.

This is one book that I'll keep on my shelf and re-read, and refer to as reference. The author's 35 years of experience really shows in his analysis on financial personality types and risk tolerance. He had me pegged! Based on a short self-test, he predicted the kind of spender and investor I am with accuracy. The book does go into pretty good detail for the beginning investor; it can make your brain hurt. But, that's what's great about it- the amount of information packed into this short book makes it well worth buying and keeping on hand.
The reason I only gave 4 stars: I disagree with him about not paying your mortgage off as quickly as possible. He uses calculations to show that by getting tax breaks for mortgage interest, you'll come out ahead if you invest the extra money instead. There's one thing he, and other authors who advocate this, have never addressed- the Standard Deduction. If you have unusually high deductions such as medical bills that puts your itemized deductions above the standard, then his system make sense. But, if all of your deductions, including the mortgage interest, comes beneath the standard deduction the government gives to everyone, then you would take the standard. So, you wouldn't be getting any additional deduction for the interest than you would without it. This makes it highly impractical to pay three times the value of your mortagage, if you have the extra money to pay it off more quickly.
No, I'm not a financial expert; I'm actually a complete novice when it comes to investing. But I have worked as a tax preparer, and in my own returns, I've always taken the standard deduction, since I didn't have enough itemized to top it. So, for me his recommendation makes no sense at all. You would have to evaluate your own deductions, and if you itemize, your tax savings, to make an informed choice as to whether you'd be better off investing the money, instead of making additional payments on your house. But, I think it's irresponsible for him to make a blanket statement that no one should try to pay off their house early.
That's the only thing I found wrong with the book. Other than that it taught me alot, and is well worth the read.

I have to agree with Lapis' assertion that most of the reviews appear to be fraudulent. Click on "see my other reviews" and most of them have only one review...for this book. I'm sure most amazon.com users don't post only one review. It's difficult enough to not carried away reviewing books and other consumer goods. It is extremely suspicious and I agree with Lapis that I often make purchasing decisions based on user reviews.

Although this novel was published almost 50 years ago, it is amazingly contemporary. The political infighting--both honorable and petty--definitely mirrors the politics of 2007. If anyone thinks today's politics are nasty, this book shows that even in the late '50s, there must have been plenty of vituperation, pettiness, and, fortunately, integrity. Remove the dated technology--special-delivery mail and wire updates--and substitute email and the Internet, and the story could take place right now. Some tighter editing would have made this book even better (some of the accounts of nonpolitical, i.e., domestic, action drag), but the political action is fantastic. Is this 1959 or 2007?

This is a classic novel that deals with the nomination by the President of a highly controversial person for the office of Secretary of State. A group of Senators is dead set against the nominee, and others are equivocal and unsure. The nominee has a dark past and this begins to come to light, the question is asked as to whether he has overcome this past and can now serve as a sturdy and reliable public servant.

The novel portrays Washington DC as a snake pit of intrigue and maneuvering, where anything goes in an endless struggle for power and position. It also shows America's capitol as a city which still has a place for idealism and principles. No, these two things are not contradictory, as this novel also shows.

The story moves along at a brisk pace, although it slows down in places. This novel was written in the early 1960s, and thus the story contains certain anachronisms, such as the Soviet Union reaching the Moon before the United States does. The novel also has an intolerant and non-contemporary view of homosexuality, which is unfortunate, but which ultimately does not detract from the story. (The movie is far worse in this respect, incidentally.) No matter. This novel is as relevant today as it was when it was written, at the height of the good old Cold War.

One of the oddities of this novel is that almost all of the conflict occurs within the majority party (although unnamed, it is the Democrats.) The minority party (Republicans) play almost no role whatever, and the novel barely acknowledges that they exist. This is the Democrats of the 1960s, when that party was much more conservative than it is today.

This is an excellent novel that should be required reading for all high school and college students.

At the age of 18 in 1963 while my husband and I were stationed in Chambley France (USAF) I discovered this wonderful political novel, almost by accident. Later, and with great anticipation, I read the follow ups all the way to The Promise of Joy. Later in life, I managed to obtain all 6 of this series (hardback of course, because I knew that they would be used over and over) for my personal library and as of today have re-read them several times (each time, enjoying them even more). Back in '63 I never thought that America could really become what Mr Duruy was writing about, cause after all we all love our country Right?? Well, as the years have passed, I do see exacally what he meant. There really are a great many Americans that would do harm to her. Although these may be novels, I do believe that there is a lot to lean about the workings of our govenment. Although I have read several reviews of the series, I disagree with most and advise you to read them ALL!! Each one deals with different area of the government and are well worth the read.. As I travel to Washington D.C. for the first time next month, I have a burning desire to see our National history and it great part it stems from reading and enjoying to the fullest these great works of a brilliant mind.

I just reread "Advise and Consent" hard upon the recent Senate brouhaha, and even went so far as to purchase the recently-released DVD, which does not do entire justice to the source, although Walter Pidgeon is a better Bob Munson than even Allen Drury wrote. "A and C" is an admirable novel of a literary quality likely far above the other contenders on the NYT Bestseller List in 1959, if likely inferior to contemporary political novelists like Ward Just. Other reviewers have pointed out that Drury later started chewing the scenery at the distant right edges of the set, but "Advise and Consent" remains a splendid portrait of its time. Highly recommended.

This is easily the best novel ever written about American politics. Drury, who began as a Senate reporter, really has the feel of the Senate down pat as he tells the story of the nomination of Robert Leffingwell, a one-time communist sympathizer, to be the Secretary of State at the height of the Cold War.

While Drury's later writing became somewhat stilted and out-of-touch, this book is dead on and creates real and believable characters.

A fun game, for those really in the know, is to try and guess which fictional Senator corresponds to which real-life Senator from the era.

(A freebie- Brigham Anderson of Utah is reportedly based on John F. Kennedy, a surprising development given the... revelations... about Anderson in the book).

In Regards to Eheieh Ain Soph .... wtf

Crowley was a man, I'm sure his potential was higher then any womans could ever be....

Otherwise this deck is awesome and so is the man who is behind them.

This is the first deck i have ever worked with, and the only one i will ever work with. Its colours are amazing and every time i see it i want to work with it. I recomend it to anyone who likes Crowley, or his system. You will not be dissapointed with this deck.

I bought this deck along with another more well-known deck. I am new to Tarot and have been reading some books. When these decks arrived...I looked at each card. Personally...this deck is not for me. I am sure many people like this deck since it is quite colorful and the pictures are powerful. But it didn't feel right in my hands. I highly recommend that if you are "ify" about this deck...to visit some other Tarot sites to get a better look at the cards. If you are a beginner, try using the deck that goes along with your beginner book. If you are experienced...this may be an excellent deck.

I didn't know there were two kinds of decks, green and this one. My first deck was the green one and I never really bonded with it. Then one of the cards just vanished, so I couldn't use it. Maybe I wasn't supposed to use it. Comparing the two, this deck is so much nicer. It has a much higher vibration to it than the green one.

I purchased this deck expecting to receive the one pictured that is printed in Switzerland. All of the other reviews exclaim happily that it is as well. Instead of getting the red and white packaged deck in the mail I got a purple and coloured package from Game Systems U.S.A. that is printed in Belgium. Very dissapointing. The colours are greenish in hue and not true to the originals. I wish that the picture of the item and the reviews hadn't been so misleading, as I never would have purchased them if I had known.

To know Rockaway is to absolutely know what it's like to not be able to live without Rockaway. Kevin Boyle captures Rockaway's darkest moments and shows how a community bonds together and rebuilds. He shows our strength and our unity during these tragic times. Thanks Kevin.

Kevin Boyle writes about Rockaway and its inhabitants with respect and humor. It has a nice balance of history, humor, and gripping unreal reality. I am from the area and lost a loved one. This book was tough for me but I can honestly say it is the most personal and realistic look at not just the firefighters that were lost, but the people that were lost. I recommend it.
- James Suhr

Fascinating account of the history of The Rockaways, and the devestating impact of 9/11 and the November 2001 airline accident. The reader is introduced to a number of families, and how they were impacted by the two tragedies. It is a wonderful read, and although The Rockaways are a scant few miles from Manhattan, the feeling is one of a small-town, where neighbors look out for neighbors and there is a community spirit of togetherness.

I must have read twenty 9/11 books and only came upon this after doing a search about 9/11 books. I had only heard of Rockaway Beach from the song, Rock, Rock, Rock, Rockaway Beach. I didn't know such an amazing place actually existed. Kevin Boyle writes of a place we want to call home and of people we want as friends. The bravery and toughness seen here is superhuman, and so is the goodness and strength. It's a story I'll never forget.

Being from "Rockaway", although technically from Breezy Point, I know what the people around here faced in both tragic events. I know the numbers involved. I decided to read this book because I wanted to know the names and thoughts behind those numbers. It was nice to know about all the places described in this book, and I found myself nodding at many of the comments or descriptions about life in Rockaway. Rockaway is really THE forgotten part of New York City, and this book puts us out there. I particularly liked the sections about the history of Rockaway, most of which I knew absolutely nothing about.

Thanks Kevin, for bringing out Rockaway's story and for making it so genuine and truthful!!!

Three journalists from the Hartford Courant attempted to expand a series of newspaper articles into a book-length examination of `the North's' complicity in slavery. They partially succeed. The book's early chapters explore slavery as it existed in the North, the connections between Northern industry and Southern slavery, New York City's particular role in the slave trade and the `triangular trade' (involving the US, Europe and Africa), and a `reverse underground railroad' involving the kidnapping of free blacks and their sale in the South. These chapters all supply useful information to fill the interstices of history, although much of it struck this reader as much less surprising than it did to the authors.

The book first goes seriously off its rails in the concluding chapters when it ventures into the stories of Elijah Lovejoy and John Brown. Their familiar stories are so well known that they seem out of place in a book that strives to deliver journalistically fresh content. Certainly nothing new is added to the reader's knowledge about these men and the hatred they generated North and South.

A chapter about the 19th century Philadelphia scientist Samuel George Morton who developed a `scientific' theory of the `races' that `proved' the inferiority of Africans and their descendants adds less than it might have and seems like an afterthought, a rather disorganized one at that. The chapter reaches its nadir when the authors elect to cherry pick quotes from Rev. Theodore Parker and Abraham Lincoln affirming the superiority of whites. They might have at least added Parker's quote predicting the success of abolition: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one... And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice."

The book's final chapter is also its oddest. It concerns the undeniably horrid consequences of the ivory trade especially on the African slaves forced to transport the tusks long distances. The tusks were particularly used to make piano keys. Undeniably, Northerners made pianos and played them, but they were hardly alone in these endeavors. Like the preceding chapter, this one seems like it was added in order to satisfy the publisher's idea of how long a book should be.

In a brief afterword, the authors assert that America's `extraordinary ascent into the world arena' would have been much delayed had the country, North and South, not benefited from the unpaid labor the slaves. This assertion is necessary to undergird the author's next assertion that the North was complicit in allowing this to happen and benefited from it. As a matter of labor economics, the authors' assumption that the US economy would have suffered if it had had to rely on free labor is doubtful. Indeed, the assumption flies in the face of the `free soil, free labor' ideology of Abraham Lincoln's nascent Republican Party, which argued that free men would work harder in a free labor society and that slavery undermined the free workers of the South.

The authors also disavow any intent to `debunk the myth of a virtuous North'. Perhaps so, but to this reader their failure to place the undeniable negative facts about the North in a broader context gives the book an unbalanced sensationalism. A reader might be excused for thinking that the only abolitionists were the few heroic leaders and not the thousands of members of a Northern mass movement. The authors cite statistics that New York State still had 20,000 slaves within its borders in 1790. True enough, but the authors neglect to relate that Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina each already had over 100,000 slaves while Virginia had over 290,000 slaves.

`Complicity' fills in gaps in general knowledge about specific ways in which many Northerners benefited a little and a few Northerners benefited enormously from slavery. The book at least implicitly suggests an equivalency between the North and the South in responsibility for slavery that the facts do not support. The South was a slave society based on and defined by slavery; the North was not a slave society (and likely would have prospered without Southern slavery), but the North did benefit from slavery indirectly in large ways (e.g., large-scale manufacture of textiles that employed thousands) and directly in more limited ways (e.g., slave-trade shipping that benefited relatively few Northerners).

The book's tone ironically undercuts a nuanced reading of history that an appreciation of the relative roles of the North and South in slavery yields. The reader might better spend his time with Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.)Edmund Morgan's American Slavery, American Freedom, Eric Foner's Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War With a New Introductory Essay, or even The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox by Stephen Budiansky.

While I knew most the basics of Northern states' slaveowning and its eventual phaseout, and that, pre-1807, Northern shippers/sailing captains made plenty of money on the slave trade, the post-1807 info, as well as the way this book pulled so many things together, is still very good.

That includes the financial tentacles of the New York Cotton Exchange and the economic impact of cotton itself, with the South producing 2/3 the world's cotton and exporting half of that total. Those two tidbits alone should help readers understand more of why Southern fire-eaters held out hope either that the North wouldn't oppose their secession or that Britain would intervene.

Hypocrisy in interdicting the slave trade is also exposed. The British had taken the lead in this, but Americans charged they were hypocrites because British traders still brought goods to Africa that were important in the slave trade. Meanwhile, the U.S. government had negotiated a deal with the British that only the U.S. Navy could interdict U.S. ships off the coast of Africa. Unfortunately, until just before the Civil War, the U.S. Navy didn't actually do much interdiction.

Beyond that, though the fact of the North having slaves was known to me, the authors still do a good job of illustrating details of slave life, slave purchases, advertisements for slaves and more.

Also, a slice of the North's antebellum intelligencia is found highly complicit in the pseudoscience of racial studies, including the 19th-century fad of phrenology.

And, for those unfamiliar, the authors show just how much of a minority position abolition was in the North.

Finally, this book has several helpful maps, illustrating the triangular trade, where all in Africa slaves came from and more.

No matter how much of this book is true, it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. The abolition movement in the North was very powerful, especially among certain Christian groups. Thousands of the men in the North who volunteered, and they were all volunteers at the beginnning of the Civil War had the moral purpose of ending slavery in mind. But with modern historical revisionism, all white men are bad, all persons of color are good! I've seen this time and again in current "histories" of the period. Certainly you can find racists anywhere you go in this world; the world of today and yesterday. Dwelling on the perceived evils of the past, committed by some, but not all, will not solve the evils of today. Therefore, what is this book worth to our modern society?

To say this is an important book is an understatement. Understanding of the issue of slavery and how it functioned and who benefited is broadened to include the North as well as the South. For many of its readers this book is revelatory, imparting knowledge that is new and mind-expanding. One's innocence that might claim lack of participation or material reward from that which is called the peculiar institution is banished. This book is essential reading for anyone willing to grapple deeply with how that institution has affected the core of American society and the world at large.

Complicity is well researched and documented. It is investigative journalism at its best. The content is difficult to read for human suffering is painful and powerful stuff. The authors shed light on a staggering hypocrisy that existed then and continues to exist to this day for the truth is shamefully hidden in the dark corners of the North's history. Do as I say...not as I do; perceptions of moral superiority based in depravity; speaking out of both sides of one's mouth; greed and avarice. The purveyors of moral ethics in our society have long excoriated the South for its past dependency on slavery and never hesitated to remind us in the most insidious ways of that association; it pervades our country's cultural history. The authors of Complicity do not exonerate the South for holding to the institution of slavery, nor should they, but they do demand that the North shoulder the burden of guilt. I doubt that will ever happen. An analogy kept running through my mind as I read story after story of how many of the great financial empires of the Northeast were built in large part on the profits of the slave trade: The addict becomes helpless and dependent on his addiction; the dealer perpetuates the addiction for greed. While both are morally reprehensible I think the dealer is far more evil than the addict.

This was my last purchase to complete my Industry Yellow pages set. I also have The Industry Yellow Pages: The Official Club & Venue Touring Directory, listing over 1700 Music Clubs & Venues in the U.S. and Canada for Your Touring ... Deserve and all the others. We truly use these because they are a great reference for any indie musician!

This volume 5 of the series is all i needed to complete my collection of the best industry yellow pages on music business there is. With full detail and a structure so easy to search through you can ask a 5 year old this collection will make your work more valuable and provide you with quality recommendations

Great Volume, the best so far and I am looking for the next. It's complete and a good structure and you can find whatever you need very easy! A perfect book!

I also bought the other volumes for this book and I must tell you this is the most complete of them all. Good structure and easy to find names. Whatever you need whenever you need it!
It works great when you are in a hurry and you can't find the right person for the job!
It made my job easier and I even fired some of my assistants because this book is all I need!

This is the most complete book of this type I have ever read! It gave me a lot of information and I am very glad I bought it! I want to recommend it to all the people that have a music business because they will find here a lot of tips to increase their business and also to gain access to some areas where they normally wouldn't.