Bryan Books

A nice book about the fall of Ferdinand E. Marcos. Marcos was indeed a tyrant and dictator of the old school. His time was over by 1986, and he went through the motions of campaigning for an election. His blatant fraud of the election spurred a group of military leaders on toward a coup de etat. This small group of conspirators planned an assault on the palance and taking the first lady and President captive. When they were discovered prior to the coup, the plotters holed up in an army base. Cardinal Sin urged Fillopinos to support the plotters and in four days the whole rotten edifice of the Marcos regime came tumbling down.

Some things I didn't like about this book. There was little mention of the Aquino assassination. This was the beginning of the end of the Marcos regime. Also, one can sense this Canadian author was anti-American, and it shows with his writing. Johnson portrays the Marcos regime as a ruthless dictatorship. I am not sure that this may be the case compared by world standards. The author worked in PR of China and that regime is more ruthless than the Marcos dictatorship. All things are relative. Overall a good read about how a dictator came crashing down in four days.

The overthrow of the Marcos regime began with just 200 poorly equipped rebels who declared war on the modern 225,000 man Philippine army. Its success hinged on a contagion of bravery, a brillian "psychowar," and a quixotic combination of conscience and blind luck. Bryan Johnson tells the inside story of what really happened, which up to this point had been unreported in the West. Filled with such colorful portraits as Rambo-like rebel leader Gringo Honasan, moments of hilarious gallow humor and inspiring courage, and a look inside Malacanang, the presidential palace, during Marcos' final bid for power. Also gives a frank assessment of the U.S. role in the Marcos overthrow, and of Corazon Aquino and her supporters.

I really liked this book.

I read it a number of years ago, but really enjoyed the glimpse it gave into the lives of the people in the Phillipines prior to, during and shortly after the turbulent times surrounding the transfer of power and leadership from the Marcos'.

I wish the role the U.S. Government played in the unfolding drama had been more courageous and principled, but the courage of the simple people was truly inspiring. It shows how non-violent action can sometimes bring about a peaceful change in government against all odds.

I highly recommend it.

Jeff

This is a wonderful book. It is great to have and helpful in my criminal justice and law classes. I would recommend to a friend

Excellent and concise. Perfect for carrying and as a companion to any law text you may be reading.

This book contains most of what you need for legal terms. Besides, who really needs to have their own copy of every legal term out there? Any library or firm you will ever study or work at will have the big version. All you need is a smaller one to carry around with you. And Black's still is the best.

I enjoyed the articles contained within, but what I liked best were the recaps of the 2007 season pennant races. The authors include a line graph that tracks all the teams in a division across the course of a season. It really makes it easy to see when the "wheels come off" of a team as it plummets to the bottom, or when a team goes "en fuego" and comes from behind to capture the division title.

Of course, there are stats galore and a fine glossary to explain acronyms and the names of other statistical measures.

This isn't for the casual fan. This book is for rabid fans of baseball who also love the statistical side of the game. Read it, and you will be able to conduct an intelligent conversation on everything from the Cardinals' tragic season (DUIs, deaths, etc.) to quantifying the impact of a manager on a team.

Being a big fan of The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2006 and The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2007, I was truly looking forward to reviewing the The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008. And, once done, I was not disappointed.

Following the format of the two annuals that preceded it, The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 provides an extensive review of the past season, essays related to baseball history, features deep-rooted in statistical analysis, and, pages and pages of stats, stats, and more stats.

If The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 was a baseball bat, clearly, the content therein centering on statistical analysis would be the fat part of the bat.

Don't take this to mean that the features on the 2007 season and baseball history were not enjoyable. On the whole, I found them to be interesting and worth reading.

In particular, Dave Studenmund's "The Story Stat," where Dave uses the 2007 season to explain "Win Probability Added" (WPA) and "Leverage Index" (LI) - at a level where the old woman down the street would understand it - was excellent and recommended reading for anyone who does not understand WPA and LI.

And, Will Leitch's "The Deadspin Spin on 2007" was very entertaining - as was "The Months of 2007 in History" by Richard Barbieri.

Further, Chis Jaffe's "Manager Grinders and Boppers" (where Chis, via the stats, shows us who are baseball's true 'small ball' and 'moneyball' managers) is a must read. (Spoiler Alert: Buck Showalter would rather lose a finger than risk giving up an out.)

More so, it's a matter of the (deep) "statistical analysis" features being so off-the-charts in terms of value that they bring cause for you wanting more of them and less of the other (non-stats based) content in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008.

Mitchel Lictman's "Signals and Noise" (where he shows us which teams under- and over-performed in 2007), Tom Tango's "With or Without You" (where he uses the stats to determine the best fielding catchers in baseball history), David Gassko's "Do Managers Matter?" (where he details which skippers actually help or hurt their teams), and John Walsh's "The Origin of the Platoon Advantage" (where he shows us that it's actually the fastball and the slider that lead to large platoon splits - and not the not the curveball or the change), were so outstanding that they alone make The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 a worthy purchase.

To be fair, not every feature in the analysis section was as attention-grabbing as those noted above. Personally, I found Tom Tango's "With or Without...Derek Jeter" (where he uses a new look to show Jeter's lack of fielding skill) and Vince Gennaro's "The Dollar Value of Player Development" (where he makes a case for player development being "the lifeblood of an MLB franchise") to be somewhat like beating old drums, albeit using a new stick, and playing a song that we've all heard before...many times.

However, again, the "great to good" to "O.K. to boring" ratio for the statistical features in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 is very heavy on the "great to good" side. By far, these features put a great swing on the ball and make solid contact many, many, more times than not.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention the "stats" in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 - as more than half of the book is pages full of statistics.

In a nutshell, the "Statistics" section of The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 is, well, it's the data that you pray the G.M. of your favorite baseball team has at their fingertips, understands, and uses when making decisions. The statistics provided are both ground-breaking and illuminating.

For example, as noted in the book, Jose Contreras had an ERA of 5.57 in 189 innings pitched last season. Ask 99 out of 100 baseball fans and they will tell you that Contreras was a terrible pitcher in 2007.

However, as the statistics in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 show us, Jose's Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) - meaning strikeouts, walks and homers allowed - was not very out of line for him. Also, his Defense Efficiency Ratio (DER) - meaning the percentage of times a batted ball was turned into an out by his fielders - was third worst in the league. Further, 68% of Contreras' ground balls allowed went for outs - compared to the league average of 74% - and Jose gave up more runs per grounder compared to the average big league pitcher. Via the stats in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 you can see that Jose Contreras was not a very lucky pitcher in 2007.

You just can't get stats like these in very many places - which makes The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 incredibly unique and useful.

When you factor in the retail price of $19.95, there's really no excuse for a zealous baseball fan not to pick up The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008. (And, if you know a baseball fan, and are looking to buy them a gift this holiday season, you will do no wrong by getting them this book.)

I've read many books like this over the last quarter-century and this one is right up there among the best of the group. In terms of providing great and ground-breaking baseball analysis, The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2008 is an excellent learning tool and valuable resource. I highly recommend it.

If you want to understand baseball, not just better than the guy next door but even better than the geek who keeps winning your fantasy league, this is the publication for you. The writing is superb and creative and includes baseball's "Sultan-of-Stats" Bill James. This is truly the hidden treasure of baseball annuals. You no longer need to wait until February or March to satisfy your hardball munchies. The ultimate statistical snack is being served.

A rich tapestry of ideas and half-familiar characters, it's witty, and dark, and complex, and I like it a lot. I haven't read the book this is supposedly a sequel to, yet, but I certainly intend to now! I should note, I do tend to enjoy Victorian-flavored alternate history in general (like Phil Foglio's Girl Genius series, which is admittedly MUCH sillier than this). Papal assassins. A countdown to disaster. Massive neat-looking airships, and city streetcars that look like dragonflies ...

Another Luther Arkwright story? I just got to the point where I was beginning to understand the first one! Graphic author Bryan Talbot has given us another cross-universe tale involving everybody's favorite psionic-messiah. Though conspicuously inferior (even though it's in color) to the original series ý a circa late ý80ýs black and white ýscience-fictationalý story ýin nine partsý, it's still a massive romp.
IF YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF LUTHER ARKWRIGHT: The continuum in which Arkwright lives encompasses a reality composed of multiple universes called ýparasý ý each one being its own reality both divergent and convergent with others. While the inhabitants of most of these universes are oblivious to the existence of the others, the advanced (and highly secularized society) of ýPara 00.00ý has not only learned how to cross the multi-versal divide, but has taken it upon itself to police the continuum. Using high-technology and ýpsionicsý, they saved the continuum in the first series from a doomsday weapon fielded by a mysterious army called ýdisruptorsý. Luther Arkwright is 00.00ýs greatest weapon against multi-versal disruption, but even he is an alien to 00.00. Arkwright instead is the product of eons of genetic engineering meant to create a human with unmatched psy-powers, capable of crossing the barriers between parallel universes. As in the original AoLA, "Heart" involves some terrifying threat to the existence of the entire continuum, but focuses much of the action on a parallel in which the imperialistic powers of pre-WWI Europe were never wiped out. (In AoLA, the crown heads of Europe conspire to overthrow the fascist British regime descended from the 17th century theocratic protectorate of Oliver Cromwellýs Puritans and install a puppet king in his place; with Cromwellýs help, the weak Prince Charles is killed and his sister, the strong-willed Anne succeeds to the throne on Cromwellýs ouster. When the rest of Europeýs royalty is ýaccidentallyý killed in the climactic battle of AoLA, leaving Anne the sole surviving ruler, her kingdom is poised to become the greatest on Earth.) Got that?
A complex plot linked Lutherýs origins with the fate of the universe and that of the inhabitants of that specific para. Even when its plot wasn't clear AoLA excelled in its narrative, a peerless blend of graphic art and judicious use of prose and dialog in place of traditional comic technique of using thought-baloons. To sweeten things for people who insisted on having everything explained to them, Talbot crafted a wonderfully nuanced alternative earth, inspired by Europe in both its early fascist and terminal imperialist phases (AoLA appeared in the late 1980's when the cold war looked ready to take a dramatic turn).
"Heart " takes place nearly 20 years later and Britannia truly rules. While Princess Victoria, the tempestuous daughter of Anne and Luther, struggles under endless migraines, the empire faces threats from without and within. Anne's closest advisers are actually a cell of hardcore neo-Puritans, with a plan to reclaim power; while in Rome, a dying pope dispatches an assassin with orders to ensure that Anne "render her empire to the Church". Unknown to them all, a horrific psionic force is building strength across the many universes, primed to explode in days, already leaving hints of itself everywhere. Luther, who disappeared shortly after Anne's ascension, a feared victim of underground puritans, is of no help. Only Victoria, who may have inherited Luther's psi-capabilities, has a realization of something horrible and imminent. In frequent black-outs, she dreams of her twin brother Henry, murdered by puritan terrorists.
"Heart" is superb, but still less than AoLA. The colors are splashy, but lack the intricate detail that drove AoLA 's plot robs the sequel of its narrative force. Also missing...is Luther himself for large spans of the story - leaving poor Vicky to shoulder the burdens of heroism, which also deprives the story of as centralized character as Luther. When Luther does show up, he's more aloof than ever, unfortunately. Also missing is a good villain - the neo-puritans of this book are just a bunch of deluded fascists, possessing not a shred of the self-awareness of Cromwell in the first book. Their leader, Kray is too cartoonish (metaphorically and literally ý we first meet him as he poses for a portrait that looks more real than he does). Vain and hinting of racial tendencies that underlined Anglo-identity theory, he's a corseted, spectacled loser with shoulder pads and a bad haircut to go with his big dreams; only Queen Anne's growing dementia allows these guys to get as far as they do. Nothing underlines the futility of the puritans' cause as much as their slogan - "The Future Belongs to Us" (I wonder how long it took to dream that up). The joke of course is that there may not be a future to steal. The horrific force itself, when revealed, is essentially a blob, a force of nature without the character of those who invented the ýfire frostý weapon of the first series. The real menace of the original story was Luther and his untapped abilities, but that's sidelined in the sequel. Even Rosa Wylde, Lutherýs love of the first series is grayed here. With her hair in beads, Rosa looks a shadow of her former self. The end is much too pat and unsatisfying, revealing the disparity between two Arkwright epics. Still, it's an Arkwright story, one that you can get into if you've never read the first, and one that perhaps should be read first.

This is simply the most intelligent, intricate graphic novel that I have ever read. It contains the most stark mixing of sacred and profane elements- and yet it works. To put it mildly, it works. It is a continuation of the story of the shaman/savior Luthor Arkwright (I fully recommend the original _The Aventures of Luthor Arkwright_). Every time you pick this book up you find something new in the complex story line or intricate artwork. Only a writer/artist could produce a work like this, for only a person who thinks in images could master the symbolist world view that it mirrors. Here you have alternate universe after alternate universe- yet all connected by underlieing currents and patterns. As above, so below.
Oh yes, it also has a healthy amount of English working class bloody mindedness- something that we in America are becoming increasingly familiar with as the corporate "upperclass" tries to turn this society into a rigid caste-based oligarchy....

At the heart of this book about the heart of philosophy is a vision of the tranformative potential of ideas. Needleman distinguishes between genuine philosophical ideas (e.g. the kinds of ideas Socrates inquired about, like Reality and Beauty) and "mere concepts" (i.e. discursive tools, with which we carve up the world). The latter are essential to our day to day practical life, but the former (when presented properly, which is to say Socratically) have the potential to interrupt and transform our habitual ways of being and seeing. To be in the grip of ideas is to experience, according to Needleman an eros that amounts to both (1) a recognition of the inadequacy and finitude of our concepts, and (2) a passionate drive to challenge and question our everyday life and become better, more beautiful in our thinking and more excellent in our lives. It is an exciting book, that reminded this reader at least of the bewildering enchantment that I felt when I first encountered philosophy. It is also exciting for being a powerful reminder that philosophy is and ought to be about life -- and at the same time that the transformative power of philosophy stems from its highest (ideal) aspirations -- which means that philosophy for life should not be a matter of watering it down and merely using the "tools" of philosophy to think about everyday matters. Needleman's descriptions of teaching experiences in which he aimed to engage students with real thinking were especially helpful to me as a reminder that the first task of teaching philosophy should be to lead students to discover for themselves the objectivity of thought: to discover for themselves that thinking is not merely subjective but imposes real and exacting demands upon the thinker.

What disappointed me somewhat in the book is that while Needleman powerfully identifies the task of philosophy in the first instance (to expose the listener to the power of ideas and thereby shake them free of their convictions about the obviousness of their assumptions about life), he doesn't really say much about where to go from there, and about the potential of philosophy to speak to and transform everyday lives once the philosophical conviction that one must change one's life has taken hold. He gives a brief account of the history of philosophy, for example, and shows how in the works of several major thinkers there are resources for pushing readers to an "aporetic" state (state of confusion and bewilderment about what they take for granted) that is the starting point of philosophy. But having done this he gives little indication that or how thinking further about the history of philosophy or thinker more deeply about particular themes becomes important or essential. He writes almost as if (though I don't think he really believes this) the whole history of philosophy has as its essential task simply to generate the "eros" he describes for different ages and different peoples -- as if there is a kind of perennial philosophy at the heart of all genuinely philosophical thinking -- and the details and specific obsessions of each philosopher are merely window dressing. While I believe that Needleman would resist this, I don't think he gives his novice readers the resources for seeing more to the history of philosophy -- which makes his book seem reductive in a peculiar sense. On the other hand, if reading this book leads anyone to see the potential of philosophy to go beyond mere analysis of concepts and inspires in them a desire to study the history of philosophy with an eye to changing their lives, I'm sure that it won't take long for them to discover for themselves the richly diverse fascinations of the range of concerns addressed within that history.

Jacob Needleman is not a bureaucratic philosopher. His teachings are about an intense search for a meaningful life. In this book he talks about some intense experiences in his own life and also with students and their parents. He also presents a very personal overview of occidental philosophy.

Many philosophy teachers of our days are more concerned about formalities and structures of thought. Past philosophies are studied as dead bodies: cut into pieces, dissolved with chemicals, watched through microscopes.

I have already used this book in philosophy seminars for management students, at the University of Campinas, here in Brasil (there is a Portuguese translation). The response was enthusiastic!

If you want to find more than formalism in philosophy, you will probably enjoy this book.

Jacob Needleman is not a bureaucratic philosopher. His teachings are about an intense search for a meaningful life. In this book he talks about some intense experiences in his own life and also with students and their parents. He also presents a very personal overview of occidental philosophy.

Many philosophy teachers of our days are more concerned about formalities and structures of thought. Past philosophies are studied as dead bodies: cut into pieces, dissolved with chemicals, watched through microscopes.

I have already used this book in philosophy seminars for management students, at the University of Campinas, here in Brasil (there is a Portuguese translation). The response was enthusiastic!

If you want to find more than formalism in philosophy, you will probably enjoy this book.

This book was used in a course required for my degree. I'm no expert on Human Sexuality, but the chapters seem to be written well, organized, and contain ample citations. However, one thing that comes across as severely unprofessional is the index. Almost every listing in the index seems to be two pages off. If the index lists page 300, it is a general rule to look on page 298. I am not exaggerating when I say almost all listings. It seems that every time I have looked up in the index listed the wrong page number. I can't say that absolutely every index entry is off, because I haven't looked up every term, but every term that I have looked up has been off. It was very aggravating at first, but I have become used to just subtracting two, then looking there.

Other than that, the book seems to fit the bill well.

I ordered this book for my class. It has some very interesting topics and works great with my college course.

As an instructor of Human Sexuality, I have used several textbooks over the years and I always find that (while adequate) there is always something missing from each of them. You know what that means ... buying and using more supplementary materials.

This is the first textbook I have ever seen that is simply PERFECT just the way it is. I will use it in every single one of my future classes. The students, faculty and staff agree. This is the one Human Sexuality book the whole world should read.

Bravo!

This book is a must for beginners and all iMac owners alike. It gives detailed explanations, with photos, of all the software Apple sends with the iMac. It answers 90% of the questions most people will have regarding the iMac applications. It is an indispensable guide for every iMac fan. Five stars and two thumbs-up from a double-decade Mac user.

A well researched, easy-to-understand guide by an acknowledged leader of the Apple community. As an independent observer, not on the P.R. payroll of any vendor, Ms. Hoffman's advice is highly valuable for any novice, intermediate or even some experienced iMac users.

This book should be packaged with every iMac. It's well organized and full of lots of great tips and answers to questions I had as a first time iMac user.

Bryan Ellison again has done his homework. It's a sign of the times that the US Gov't has Billions to throw at this virus "monster" but not the time or the wisdom to research it logically. How many has "science" murdered for a buck?

In this age of super-hype and media events we must be very careful about the information that bombards us. Duesberg has done a very good job constructing his argument, documenting his case and presenting the dangers of "command science". An excellent book for thoughtful, open-minded readers.

Many people have painted Duesburg as a crank, but this book demonstrates otherwise. He makes two points: first, how quirks of history and politics have made the medical establishment accept that HIV causes AIDS in spite of flimsy evidence, and second, his alternative hypothesis providing a different explanation of the cause of AIDS. As someone who doesn't buy his drug-AIDS theory, I still highly recommend this book as a brilliant critique of AIDS research.

This is the television equivalent of a local delight, like the Space Needle or Dick's Drive-In, that simply cannot be replicated like Starbucks or Must See T.V. to every streetcorner in the ideosphere. It just don't work that way.

In the era of one-culture-fits-all, this book reminds us that we all need local color like J.P.

The book is solid, full of photos and backstage stories that clear up a few things that were mysteries to me as a child.

A blessing on this book and on the whole City Dump!

I loved growing up a Patches Pal with JP Patches, Gertrude and the rest. This book if full of pictures and memories as well as great behind the scenes stories.
Like others who are quoted in the story, meeting JP Patches was a thrill in my life. Glancing through the book I started to read it and ended up reading it in one sitting; it was wonderful but could have been longer!!![.]
If you grew up in the Seattle area in the 50's - 70's you'll enjoy this book.
We love you JP Patches! (I rated this 4 rather than 5 stars as I wanted the book to be longer.)

I was there when the show began and was there until it finished.
It was one heck of a ride!
If you are ignorant of the greatest bunch of folks that ever graced Seattle, then I feel sorry for you.
I even met J.P. on several occasions and was in several parades with him as one of the Merry Maker Clowns many years ago.
This book is a must for your J.P. Patches memorabilia library. Along with the videos, t-shirts, actions figure and bobble-head doll.
Thank you J.P., Gertrude, and the City Dump gang for such wonderful memories.
Television was less enjoyable and never the same when your show was taken off the air.

I had the pleasure of being Bryan's student at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, and I bought his book there. He is a fantasic poet, a great teacher, and is an inspiration. He shared that it took years for him to win the Paris Review prize and get this book published -- he is an example for all struggling writers to keep trying.

I love this book, adore Bryan, and hope he has continued success. Watch for Amazon Days!

"We are all like Scheherazade's husband," wrote E.M. Forster, striking upon some fundamental wish in the human psyche to be abducted by the myth. Taking up where the DC comics leave off, Krypton Nights, Dietrich's brilliant suite of persona poems in the voices of Superman, Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, and Lois Lane plumb the depths of our human desire to make myth and to posit the existence of a God-made-man (be it Superman or the Messiah) who could save us. Whether writing a persona poem in the voice of a comicbook character or the lyric record of Branch Dividians in Waco, Texas as he does in another collection, Bryan Dietrich makes meaning out of our fascination with the psychological cariactures that loom large, in cartoon fashion, in our imagination. Against the backdrop of the heroic writ large, Dietrich counterpoints the all too common stuff of our human frailty and failure to successfully negotiate the personal and fashion a reasonable compromise with reality. Dietrich reminds us that great poems are ultimately great arguments with ourselves. Dietrich's voice, thinly clad in the bravado of Superman, reminds us that little stands between us and the disasters we witness on the news. Belief, fantasy, the will to be abducted by the fantastic: our distractions. The result is a compellingly compassionate voice that invites us to consider our guises, our masks, in the face of the possibility that no one is coming to save us and to ponder this pattern of days, our modernity, without myth.

How serious a subject matter is Superman? Serious enough for poetry to be based on him. Added to the media-crossing character's resume is now the noblest of the arts: verse - some blank and some not-so-blank. Mind you, this collection is no comic book - not that comic books don't offer fine entertainment and fine subtext in their own right - 'Kryton Nights' was the winner of the 2001 Paris Review Prize for Poetry; an organization not resigned to handing out awards to just anyone. Unfortunately, there are not so many deserving recipients in the poetry field these days; and those that do deserve are often buried amongst the countless worthless others. Only by sheer luck and my love for Superman did I stumble across this one. But alas, I have given away my first bias.

Superman is the subject of this book, which is broken up into four parts: an autobiographical set of sonnets by Clark Kent, an series of tapes recorded by Jor-El for his son Kal-El, the poetic diary of Lois Lane, and a seething rant of Lex Luthor as penciled from Arkham Asylum. For any lover of Superman, this slim volume is irresistibly fun, just for the intelligent treatment given so many fabulously fantastical characters. For any lover of poetry (or just good writing) it offers its own set of treats. From hilarious 'what if' scenarios as told by Lois in "His Maculate Erection" to the sobering final lines of "The Fourth Man in the Fire": "Being the neighborhood / god, all guts and gusto, well, it's numbing. / / But here, just another byline for a vast news magnate, / I can stumble, fumble, fail. I can always quit the 'Planet'"

As a sort of modern mythic god figure, Superman, in this text serves as a gateway to our older gods and religions; their cacophonies and inconsistencies go head to head in many of these poems. Dietrich weaves many subjects in and out of this comic world, as to blend them almost completely. The confusion of a spouse, the love of a father, the hatred and misdirected rage of a competitor, and the so-human exhaustion of a hero intermingled with countless references and sprinkled with often hilarious, often terrifying puns... it all makes for a fabulous read. Frequently blasphemous and always thought provoking, 'Krypton Nights' is the kind of book Superman deserved to have written about him, it definitively elevates his fictional status to one of a much greater (and as of yet unexplored) importance.