George Books

As an adult convert to Catholicism struggling for now five years with infertility, a non-American and the daughter of a founder of my hometown's Family Planning Association, I ordered this book wondering if it would help me sort out my mixed feelings about abortion. When it arrived my heart sank: though I had been interested in the topic, it looked long enough to remind me of the first-grader's book report, ``This told me more than I wanted to know about penguins.'' But it's so well-written, well-peopled and thoughtful it's a joy to read. When Cynthia Gorney describes a pro-choice activist she does it so carefully you feel certain she's pro-choice, and certain you must be. But when she describes a pro-life activist, you realize she might be pro-life -- and so might you be. If we were all be so generous and balanced, so readily able to enter into the subtleties of other people's positions, abortion might never have become a ``war.''

This book was wonderful. Though on first glance it seems very long and likely dense and dry, it is anything but. Gorney does a fabulous job of presenting both sides of abortion evenly and without bias. And she ties in the thoughts and feelings of the players with the actual battles of the day so smoothly that the book ends up being an easy and very enjoyable read. It should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in, interested in or having an opinion about abortion.

Before Roe vs. Wade thousands of women a year were getting illegal, unsanitary and oftentimes dangerous abortions. Articles of Faith does a great job of presenting both sides of the abortion argument. The book focuses on the abortion wars in Missouri. It starts in the 60's with Judith Widdicombe, who is an obstetrics nurse and who had an abortion herself. She is a key figure in the underground abortion world in St. Louis. She recruits doctors and she directs women to doctors. Her opinions on abortion are formed from personal experience as well as occupational experience. She was strong in her opinions that a baby and a fetus were different. She had seen hospital beds full of women dying of infection from getting illegal abortions. This led her to her calling.
While Judy was directing women to safer but still illegal abortions, the laws state by state were slowly starting to break down. This created a movement of concerned citizens who were against abortion. These citizens would give presentations using medical and scientific information to support their position that life begins at creation. As to drive their point home, they would show pictures of aborted fetuses. These pictures featured a trash can full of little fetuses and a bloody mass of appendages. What they didn't realize is that people like Judy Widdicombe looked at the same stuff, in real life-not in photographs. She would bring women with gauze and bandages stuffed up their vaginal cavities and let them miscarry in her home. She would then examine the remains of the miscarrage and make sure there wasn't anything left inside the woman.
After Roe vs. Wade, Judy set up a clinic specifically for performing abortions-the first one of its kind in Missouri. She wanted it accessible for all women, and wanted a warm and medical environment that set women at ease-they knew their situation was understood and they knew they were safe. This is where Samuel Lee is introduced. He arrived in St. Louis in 1978 intent on studying theology at Saint Louis University's seminary. As soon as he arrives he becomes involved with the Franciscans. They hosted a meeting of people planning a protest on the steps of an abortion clinic. This was how Sam became drawn into the abortion argument-he was exhilarated by it. Sam researched both sides of the abortion argument, but the more he read the more he became convinced that abortion was never justified-it was putting an end to human life. He left the seminary and became engulfed in the protests and the research-he would protest and be arrested until there was no longer a need to protest abortion.
The abortion argument came to a head in the 80's when Sam and Lou DeFeo wrote a bill that was passed by the Missouri state Senate and the House. It became a Missouri law in 1986. The bill stated that public funds may not be used for abortions and public employees may assist in abortions. The bill also stated that life begins at conception, unborn children have interests that should be protected and the parents of an unborn child have protected interests in the child. But that's only the beginning. The bill says that unborn children at any stage of development should have the same rights of all of other people. This was the first attempt to reverse the ruling of Roe vs. Wade, and it seemed well on its way.
One month before the law took effect, a lawsuit was filed against the bill by Frank Susman. He approached Judy, who had been fighting for almost 30 years for the woman's right to choose, and she was hesitant to join the lawsuit. She was tired of the fight, but she couldn't turn her back on this lawsuit-this one was too dangerous to reproductive health. The judge in that suit came back in 1987 declaring that every provision in the bill was unconstitutional. In 1989, the law suit went to the U.S. Supreme Court for appeal and the justices left Roe vs. Wade alone. The problem with this ruling is the vagueness of the language in the ruling-saying that parts of Roe needed to be more defined, but that it needs to be argued for years to come. When I read the ruling in this book, I really didn't understand exactly what it meant. It almost seemed like the judges had very definite opinions, but they were all different from each other.
After reading this book, I was more affirmed in my own opinions of abortion. It was really interesting to read the other side of the argument. There's no arguing that at life begins at conception-just like a every cell in our body is life, so is a zygote. However, the foundation of my belief in the pro-choice movement lies in the belief that a woman has the right to decide if a fetus should be born. One of the best bumper stickers I've seen about abortion is "Don't like abortion? Don't have one." A woman deserves the choice, that's it-PERIOD.

Written in 1998, and criticized for stopping its retelling of the abortion story in the U.S. several years before that, Articles of Faith is nevertheless still an important book and may be increasingly so if the abortion debate heats up again now that George W. Bush is President. A completely even handed retelling of the history of the abortion debate in the U.S. from the 1960's through the 1990's told through the lives of dedicated partisans of both sides. Yet the author tells this story with sympathy to both sides. Its hard to read this book, your emotions swing from side to side in the debate as Gorney shifts her focus from chapter to chapter from pro choice to pro life. Each side is presented forcefully, but not stridently. Its an excellent book.

Once in a while, there's a rare book that'll smack you in the noggin, grab you by the lapels and scream, "This is how it really is! Now learn something!"

Articles of Faith is one of those books. You'll learn abortion is never nearly so clear cut as "either side" would have you believe; you'll see how each side's arguments, legal status, movements and, later, extremism are developed. But most importantly, you get the honest truth about what it's all really about, or not about. Despite the serious of the issue, I was never even able to get a glimmer of what Gorney's own view is of abortion. It's not simply objective; it never fails to delve into the details of each side, while coming up with an occasional fresh insight.

I'm sure that none of us will be surprised to learn that there are indeed counter-terrorists. And that, yes, they can actually be trained to kill people when necessary. That they do not use their twenty-two caliber pistols just to scare people, but to fire two shots, with no pause between them, at a human target.

But why?

Jonas tells us why. Because after the massacre of eleven Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, no other nations were prepared to help bring eleven of the surviving murderers to justice. Jonas also tells us what sorts of people become counter-terrorists. They must be loyal and courageous. But not goons, not psychopaths, and not super-sophisticated James Bond types. Not too imaginative: that produces too much doubt. Not too daring: that causes incaution. Not too fanatical: that makes one unstable. And the author reminds us that whether one's cause is good or bad, terrorism is not the way to pursue it and counter-terrorism is a proper and moral response.

Jonas also addresses the issue of whether counter-terrorism actually produces peace. Usually it does not, just as police pursuit of criminals rarely stops all crime. On the other hand, I think we can all see the problems with letting murderers roam the world untouched, boasting of their crimes, openly recruiting people to the cause of murdering innocent civilians, and being treated as heroes by the media and other admirers.

In this exciting tale, we find out what happens when one tries to avenge the spectacular murders of some innocent civilians. We see that some targets are basically "soft." One can discover their whereabouts without much trouble and simply kill them. But a few are "hard," and are very professional at staying alive. It is very difficult for a small team to kill even one such person. And indeed, this team found it next to impossible. On top of that, if one begins by killing one or more soft targets, the terrorists will fight back, with assassins going after the counter-terrorists.

I recommend this book. I think it has a moral, namely that rather than use small counter-terrorism squads, we'd all be better off if there were some international cooperation in apprehending terrorists and bringing them to justice.

As some of the previous readers have stated, this is a great read on counter terrorism. Those Palestinians who had a role in the Olympic murders are dealt with by a professional hit squad sent out from Israel. Jonas makes the reader know who he is supporting, Avner and his four buddies assigned to track down eleven people who had a hand in the Munich murders.
I don't know if you can believe everything in this book. Jonas in his introduction and footnotes, states that some things were just not reported in the newspapers. When Avner and his buddies kill three Arabs in a church in Switzerland, and there are no news accounts, I wonder if this ever took place. Same with his buddies who were killed and the Athens KGB man, this might be fiction. Without knowing who Avner really is, this might be part true or even a novel.
All in all a great read on how Israel dealt with terrorism in the seventies. Israel put the fear of God in those who put fear in others. Just retribution.

It really is a shame that this book is no longer in print. Jonas provides readers with a wild ride through the fear, depression, grit and glory of a spy/assassin driven by the sole mission to avenge terrorism by killing the individual perpetrators.

Of particular interest to me was the weapons training recieved by the Israeli team who went after their targets. Using only .22 pistols, and occasionally no more than homemade slap-fire zipguns, they systematically tracked down and executed hardened terrorists. The level of training, focus and determination portrayed is something you have to read to believe.

It also gives me hope that there is a response to terrorism beyond the 'bomb it and pave it' strategy. Knowing that terrorists will be hunted down, no matter where they go, and killed in a grimy alley or a deserted tenement instead of in a blaze of glory may be a more effective approach to take.

I also appreciated the insight into the psyche of a trained assassin who wrestles with the mission he has been given, and watches as others around him begin to crack up from the strain. His account of how the lives of his fellow team members ended is a sobering picture of the biblical axiom that those who live by the sword die by it also.

If you can get your hands on this book, I would highly recommend it. It is a great story, comparable to any spy thriller and action novel you have picked up, but with the added bonus that it is true.

Whoa. This book is so good I can't wait to read it again! The reasons are manifold: it's one of the best dramas you'll read, regardless of your interest in spy novels or Middle East history, and you become fully emotionally invested in this story. One thing I very much appreciate about the author's work is the extensive documentation and annotation. He simply comes right out and tells you how exactly his version of events differs from other accounts and why. Well done!

Also, you get a distinct sense of what it must have been like to be in Israel in the 70's - barely more than 20 years after its founding. For instance, it was fascinating learning about the basic cultural divide between the western and eastern european jews.

This book will take you from interested to riveted to captivated, and then from shocked to incredulous. The only thing I absolutely hated was that it came to an end. And the end has an extra shocker you could not anticipate. This has to be the best historical novel ever written about intelligence services, and is also one of the best books I've ever read.

I'm lucky enough to have serendipitously purchased a hardcover at a local used book store. I didn't know anything about the book then, but now I know I own a gem.

This book is not only about a historical event, but about international counterterrorism in general. In addition to being exciting, it is also educational, giving insight into how undercover counterterrorist operations (in this case, "hits") are carried out.

Over the Andes and through the jungle to ineptness we go. A quite humorous account of science gone jumbled. But not all is lost here.

In 1923 eight scientists plus the author venture through the South American mountains and rainforests to make further discoveries in their respective fields of study. Touted as, "The most perfectly equipped expedition that has ever started to explore South America", it quickly unfolds into a blundering journey with many problems and mishaps.

Thanks to MacCreagh's sense of humor and wit we see how every imaginable incident went from bad to worse. One by one these scientists quit the expedition to forsake the author and one other to travel up the remote Uaupes and Tiquie Rivers meeting face to face with hostile natives. What transpires is a remarkable short term study into the culture of these indigenous peoples.
Entertaining read.

I am enjoying this travel account very much. It's like Bertie Wooster goes to the jungle.

Mr MacCreagh has maganed to write an outstanding book based on a rather unsuccessful expedition. It is the tale of an expedition of eight eminent scientist in the Amazon, who were put together not for their ability in the outdoors, but for their scientific knowledge.

The author is a helper/manager of the expedition. He manages to describe the expedition from its beginning in the Bolivia highlands out to the Amazon plains and to its disintegration. It is quite clear that the scientist were not sure what to expect, and so had not prepared accordingly. Huge volumes of luggage went unused and were a huge burden. Egos and discomfort made the scientist into bickering children and inept explorers. The author masks their names because apparently these were well known figures of their time.

There is a bit of scientific content in the book, but clearly the main reason to read it is for the good humor of the author in describing the situations they get themselves in. One learns more about people and how they behave when taken to extremes than one does about the Amazon.

When your read of other expeditions and how well they were conducted, then you read Gordon MacCreagh's humorous account of a mistake-ridden expedition into the Amazon, and you may wonder how this could happen. Clearly, the leader of MacCreagh's expedition was no Roy Chapman Andrews. Too many mistakes with both men and equipment. It is a humorous, often hilarious account of how not to conduct an expedition into the Amazon -- or anywhere else. I found it to be much better than Peter Fleming's "Amazon Adventure" and somewhat better than Arthur O. Friel's "River of Seven Stars," which has not been reprinted. MacCreagh's sense of humor and keen observations are what place this book at the top of my list of exploration/expedition books. I found it difficult to keep from sharing portions of this book with family and friends...

I can't believe you can get this book used! I own three copies and I don't even loan it out. This is a terrific expedition book and a wonderful book about being human. My family was thrilled to know that this book was being re-issued. Like one of the other reviewers, I was brought up knowing who the various scientists were because my father had worked with a colleague. It gave us plesure to know the names, some of whom were quite well known even today. It was also nice to know that at least for the eminent icthyolgist and the eminent entomologist the work that they produced from this expedition was very useful. I have recommmened this book countless times, and get copies for friends I really like.

I found the first half of the book very very helpful. Most relationship books aren't written by a man on a man's perspective on relationships for women (at least not in this way). I found it very interesting understanding how men view their relationships with women, though the men that Dr. Weinberg works with or uses as examples in his book seem to be confused about male identity and masculinity. I don't think the theories in this book apply to all men. I don't think men in general rely on gut instincts and are unable to articulate their emotions about why they can't commit (I know many that can).

I was disappointed because I bought this book based on the 5 star reviews. Unfortunately, I found the book a little too value based and not objective enough for me. I think every woman should find Dr. Weinberg's four theories about men's basic needs in a relationship very useful (I did), but the chapters after this made me put the book down. I hope there aren't any women that by into the chapter about sex (as soon as possible) and how it affects committment, intimacy or whatever (there are so many opinions about sex, which mostly depends on a person's values, morals, and religion and I found the chapter too biased and flawed.)

I appreciate the review from the man that wrote "don't buy into it ladies . . ." (re: the book in general). Read his review before you buy this book; I didn't.

After a quarter of a century working closely with men, Dr. George Weinberg concludes that the male of the species desires permanent commitment and a forever love equal to that, which women want too. The difference is men believe that to admit they want a permanent partner is not considered part of the cultural image and thus too feminine so most males hide their inner feelings as an alpha menace to their masculinity. Dr. Weinberg believes culture forces this role to include women placing the man of their dreams in a situation by comparing his strengths and weaknesses to his rivals.

WHY MEN WON'T COMMIT: GETTING WHAT YOU BOTH WANT WITHOUT PLAYING GAMES provides a straight forward guide for frustrated women to enable their mate to find his feelings ("gut reactions") by altering her behavior. Before feminists scream "no Jane" chauvinism and machos play Tarzan, the key in Dr. Weinberg's help guide is to accept that the male is the "weaker sex" so that the stronger female must take charge by being the relationship caretaker reaching through the stereotype stud to his inner being. This is an easy to follow guide that wastes little if any space assisting frustrated women with solid advice.

Harriet Klausner

This book is well-written, in an easy to understand manner, and is so incredibly insightful and helpful I can hardly believe it. It identifies exact problems I have been having with my boyfriend but never knew what was actually wrong. It also has fabulous suggestions for help. This is a great book.

This book makes sense. It tells you the 4 reasons a man will commit that women often aren't aware of. Also, it discusses how to argue, although the book, "The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert" covers is best! However, this book is good at explaining why men don't/do commit, based off his research. Written for the woman's perspective. Much better than "The Rules"! Gave me confidence by realizing men also want commitment.

I've read enough "communications" books to fill a library but never before have I encountered an explanation of the facts of not only the difference between men and women but the genesis of those differences. Dr. Weinberg's insight is without peer along with being honest and clear. Finally, a means to understanding that one can actually learn, internalize and utilize. Me nare not from Mars. They're human. That understanding promises to do more for relationships then anything anyone has ever said before.

I consult with a lot of small business owners and read this to improve my ability to give them broad guidance on the things they s/b thinking about prior to selling their business. Then I realized it made more sense to give them a copy of the book so I bought a bunch of them and have been handing them out since. My clients have all found the book to be of great value.

I highly recommend this book for any forward-thinking business owner who wants to optimize his/her results in the selling process. In working with thousands of successful entrepreneurs, I can't imagine any of them embarking on such an important event without taking the time to self-educate with this book's practical insights. Dini's and Zubillaga's expertise on the subject is presented in a quick-read, useful manner that is worth every penny.

Carlos and I didn't realize until after we were listed on Amazon how SHORT 31 pages of content looks compared to other books. In truth, we struggled for a long time rewriting the book to be shorter. We work with business owners, and understand that they typically don't want to wade through a lot of fluff to get to the point. I'm glad to see that some of our readers realize that you can say a lot if you pick your words carefully.

This short book is packed with practical, useful advice. The insights come from 2 gentlemen who have not only been there and done that, but they've written the book and share what you must do to successfully sell your business. They've managed to condense a weighty subject into just the essentials you need to know.

Even after reading it, I don't know how the authors provided such a comprehensive tutorial so concisely. This one will surprise you. It goes beyond the basics of valuing your business, seeking buyers, and negotiating, to include really sound advice on some of the less obvious strategies involved in a successful sale.

What has already been said by the other reviewers I can only emphasize. Fox does a tremendous job of retaining the integrity of Hegel's philosophy while making it understandable to those who find him difficult. This book comes highly recommended for long time readers of Hegel and those who have just begun.

I always wanted to read Hegel, but I didn't know where to begin. Then one day I picked up Dr. Fox's book. The book is wonderful. It helped put Hegel and his ideas in perspective. Now I have a certain confidence when I read Hegel himself. I still use the book for reference, as well. So if you are looking for a book to understand Hegel's thoughts this is a great place to begin!

This book avoids superficiality and goes to the heart of Hegel's thought, but remains highly readable. It is sympathetic to his project without being uncritical. If you think Hegel is important but are wondering where to start in understanding him, this book is for you. More experienced scholars may also benefit from some of its insights.

If you have had brief encounters with Hegel and feel compelled to read more deeply this provides a truly accessible, and at the same time authoritative, account of Hegel's more important ideas. It is very readable but also captures the complexity found in Hegel's wide-ranging system of thought. This book is ideal for anyone requiring a painless introduction, or reintroduction, to Hegelian philosophy. It is a short book that achieves much, and it is an important reminder of why Hegel remains a towering figure in modern thought.

Hegel is difficult, but this book is a pleasure. Writing truly in an accessible manner, Michael Fox has provided a valuable text for the general reader interested in this important philosopher, as well as students needing assistance with their reading and research.

I first found this book in my school library when I was six. I read it over and over. Of all the nature books I read as a child, this was the one that I still remember several decades later. I am picking up a new copy to give to my niece for her to enjoy. But I'll read it first!

This book is about a fox that grew up on with a big family. But as time passed the family grew farther and farther apart. Some of them even died. One of the babies got stolen bye the owl. The mother tried her hardest to save him but the owl got to him first. Just imagine if you let some one just take you little brother and never see him again. Well the red fox took it well. He just wanted revenge for his little brother.

The fox's name was Vulpes and he was very handsome and charming to the lady fox's. All of the forest animals were scared of Vulpes because he used to chase them around, trying to have some fun. I think he is a fox who goes around and tries to have some fun. But when he meets some other fox that is just like him, he will try to play with him but the other fox will just go away and ignore the red fox. He is also very brave because he would pick on the farmers dogs and out run them.

When Vulpes got old he looked around and seen that all the male fox's had mates. But Vulpes didn't so he went out trying to find a mate. He left his home and started to travel around. He found one who was playful and fast, but she didn't want to leave her home. So she was no good. He found another one who he swore was his mate, but she had already been taken. He was not alone for long. Read this book to find out the rest. This is a exciting book. This books mood is exciting and cool.

Like another reader here, I read "Vulpes" as a 10-year-old boy in '62 and loved to race around on my bike pretending to be him being chased everywhere. I grew up in the DC area and I know the general area where the story takes place. I bought this book filled with curiosity and nostalgia for a great kid's read, so 5 stars.

Vulpes is the scientific name in Latin for the fox. We meet him at birth and follow him through his life as a young fox (although a rather glorified one, if you ask me). Vulpes is fast, clever, strong and handsome - perfect for hero-worshipping 10-year-olds! The human side is told through the efforts of several hunters and trappers who want to "bag" Vulpes for his pelt. Like "Never Cry Wolf", there are no good guys or bad guys here - only the struggle to survive for human and animal, even while you're rooting for Vulpes. Jean George puts you inside Vulpes' head as he makes decisions, and she articulates his feelings giving Vulpes a more human connection.

Vulpes eventually finds his mate, Fulva, sires quite big brood of cubs (Vulpes, you big stud-muffin!) and ultimately meets his destiny and fate. You'll never think of foxes the same way again.

If you love nature get all of the books Mrs.George has written. I love this book as well as all the others. Her writting relates to me, I love animals and beleive we need to express their beauty. She is my favorite author and I hope to get all of her books and read them and enjoy every moment. Her writting puts beautiful pictures in my mind. I hope to share them with others and have them enjoy these masterpeices. Vulpes is rather sad but it is still a lovely novel. She shows the hardships and better sides of being a fox. After you read this book it will enlighten you. Even if animals arent your favorite things it will show you how beautiful nature really is. If you absolutely love nature like I do you will enjoy this book just as much. Its not any ordinary book its an open feild of pleasure just like all the others she has written. Get it now and I hope you treasure it like I did and still do.

If you love foxes, this is the book for you. This excellent novel is about a young fox who grows up in the wild. The details are great and the story is well written. As a fox lover my self, I couldn't put this book down. This novel is great for young teenagers who want to know more about what it is like for a red fox to grow up in the wild. The great detail makes you think you are there in the story with the fox. I would read it over and over!

Speed prayer has its place ~ perhaps at work, on the road but certainly it isn't for those times of deep prayer and prayerful listening to God. This is a book for those who want a deeper richer spiritual connection to God.

Armchair Mystic is an easy read although very thought and prayer provoking. Rather than just rules to pray by Fr. Thib laces humor with sharing his inner joy of a deeper connection with God during prayer and his own blocks to contemplative prayer. He deftly uses his own experiences and needs to show the reader how to obtain and gain from contemplative prayer.

I'm not one for highlighting areas of books but this one is highlighted and highlighted again. It's a book to read cover to cover and then to go back and read and experience a section at a time. Always near my favorite chair or bedside,this book has yet to make it to the bookshelf. It's just plain too useful to put away. It's very much like having my own spiritual director on call 24/7.

The purpose of prayer is to enable us to be more like Christ. Too often, however, prayer becomes simply a laundry list we hope to turn into God's "to do" list! Contemplative prayer calls us to a place where we can be in God's presence simply for the sake of relationship. Thibodeaux gives a marvelous four-part explanation of how prayer evolves. It provides a useful framework to use in examining one's prayer life. He also gives a number of very practical "step-by-step" instructions in how to begin to pray contemplatively. I would recommend this book most highly to anyone wishing to move to a deeper level in their relationship to God.

This book is both well laid out, highly readable, well researched and authentically orthodox and historical in its presentation. Steers well clear of "new age" philosophy and TM reworks.

Fr. Mark Thibodeaux is a spiritual director and retreat leader. When reading this book one gets the impression that he has taken a course on prayer and put it into book form. As such this book is exactly what the sub-title claims, a class on "Easing Into Contemplative Prayer." This book doesn't delve as deeply into the contemplative life as some, but it makes an excellent beginning text, perhaps the best "first word" on the subject I have read.

My suggestion . . . All spiritual directors and retreat leaders should glance through this material and consider teaching a course on the subject, using this as the text. This book is a great inspirational read, but it doesn't stand alone. The retreat leader will need to make some decisions as to the format, location, and duration of the retreat. No doubt the leader will also want to add some supplemental material.

This book is like listening to a dear friend sharing with me his love for prayer and containing me with his passion for prayer.

This is a great book about astrology for beginner and advanced student alike. Clear, precise and fairly easy to understand.

You would have to be an advanced astrologer not to benefit from this excellent primer on astrology. It has everything you will need to read your own chart and become familiar with the language of astrology (the zodiac, planets, houses, asteroids, and so on). The explanations are simple and down-to-earth, which is exactly what a beginner needs to understand astrology. The more advanced student will often refer back to it as a reference.

The authors take a very friendly approach, with excercises meant to be used to understand your own birth chart better. Upon completing the book, you will have your own interpretation of your birth chart and will be ready to read other charts and attempt more complicated analysis, such as progressed charts.

The book is free of opinions and agendas, nothing but plain astrology presented in a way that anyone can understand, given a bit of effort and dedication. This is your first stop if you are interested in astrology or know something about the subject and want to consolidate your knowledge. econ

This book is unbelievable! It is so clear and concise. It really explains the data in your birth chart. It is the best astrology book I have ever found. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.

I completely enjoyed this book. It was interactive enough to keep me busy and informative enough to keep me excited about filling out each page. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in the process of taking their astrology knowledge to the "next level."

Basically, you fill in a lot of charts, keywords and more...all about your own chart. You will end up practically memorizing keywords etc. by the time you are finished...without even realizing you have! Well, written, well laid out...big thumbs up!

This is an excellent book for both beginning Astrologers and those who have been at it awhile. Be sure to keep a pencil handy as you'll want to start filling in the pages right away.

This is a good book for science study. We found it suitable for our research and reference it in our educational WEB site [waterfueledsystems.net].
This book was needed when we launched the "California Methanol Experiment" in 1980. On page 208 it mentions one aspect of "Eventually the CO2 content of the atmosphere itself will be similarly recycled, freeing human kind from its dependence on fossil fuels....".
That is exactly what our new engines do as documented in the new patent we filed on December 4, 2006. There is hope if the politics of oil can be improved. This book varifies the potential of water based fuels.

This is a wonderful book, masterly written, both for experts in chemistry, economy and public at large. Such an achievement is rare. I strongly recommend this book. M Apostol

Olah (1994 Nobel laureate carbocation chemistry, director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute) and his coauthors do an excellent job going over fossil fuel(coal, natural gas, oil) resources, how close we are to running out of each, the vast number of uses for these resources, and the likelihood of climate change due to their burning. It is assumed that in the future we will have abundant energy available from nuclear and alternative sources. Methanol would then be one of the prime carriers of this energy, and an alternate source for all petrochemicals.

They also cover alternative renewable energy sources, compare using hydrogen versus methanol as a carrier of energy from new renewable energy sources and nuclear energy plants. The authors do a thorough job pointing out the enormous use of hydrocarbons throughout the industrial world for a huge array of products. Not only do we need vast new renewable sources of energy we also need to be able to use this energy to change new carbon sources into useful products. The new source of carbon, methanol from CO2 and H2! Olah, et al shows in great detail how methanol can be changed chemically into the precursors for just about anything and at very high efficiencies. We would use energy from nuclear and new renewable energy sources directly where we can, such as powering our factories and homes' electrical systems. We would use some of this new energy to change CO2 from emissions and hydrogen from electrolysis of water, into methanol to run our cars, trucks, etc., and provide feedstock for all the products now produced from petroleum. Note that methanol formed this way adds no new CO2 since CO2 from the surroundings is used to make it. This is very similar to using ethanol produced from corn or other biomass, except it involves more chemistry.

The new process involves using electrochemical or photochemical reduction of CO2, which forms methanol, formic acid and formaldehyde, CO2 + 2H2 -> CH3OH with additional products which are also changed to CH3OH,
HCHO + HCO2H -> CH3OH + CO2
They don't give a lot of details, because they have a patent pending on the process.

In the interim, while we are developing and building alternative renewable energy sources, we can change coal, natural gas, biomass, etc., into methanol. This is already done to a small degree and existing infrastructure for gas and oil can be used with small adjustments. The authors also compare using hydrogen and methanol, as storage and transport media.

It was a surprise to me that there is more hydrogen in a liter of liquid methanol (98.8 g of hydrogen) than in a liter of liquid hydrogen (70.8 g at -253?C), water for comparison has 111g of hydrogen. Methanol would store and transport much more easily than liquid hydrogen.

The first sources of CO2 would be exhaust gas from utilities and big factories, which generate a lot of CO2, hydrogen would come from water being electrolyzed, CO2 + 3H2 -> CH3OH + H2O. Then as our CO2 capture methods get better it would be captured directly from the air. Anyone in the world would with access to energy, would then have a source for a vast array of chemicals! Note that if CO2 becomes a useful commodity people and nations will compete to pull it out of the atmosphere, and prevent it from being released since it has value. This has much greater appeal than other proposals such as sequestering of the CO2. A lot would depend on how efficient the process is. It would be useful if they would give some information on this, but Olah replied to me that `...we have of course extensive patent coverage filed for and in process. For obvious reasons in our book we could not go into any details.

The driving force for the Methanol Economy is new energy from nuclear and alternative renewable energy sources, which we don't have yet, replacing hydrocarbons as fuel. Olah, et al has great confidence that the many problems facing these new energy sources are solvable. The authors are quite negative on the safety of hydrogen, but don't seem to see a major non solvable problem with nuclear. Nuclear as we know certainly has its problems, and most of us are wary of nuclear. Scientific American had an article (December 2005 issue) on the latest nuclear plant design which uses 99% of the fuel rather than 1% in current plants. It would also have proportionally less radioactive waste, with a much shorter halflife. One of the hookers is using two separate liquid Na (at 600?C) loops as a coolant. Not a minor engineering feat. Another recent Scientific American article Sept 2006, instead sings the praises for 3rd generation nukes with improved technology, but with the same problems we currently have.

A fuel cell is being developed which uses methanol directly.
Anode: CH3OH + H2O -> CO2 + 6H+ + 6e-
Cathode: 1.5O2 + 6H+ + 6e- -> 3H2O
Overall: CH3OH + 1.5O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O
It has a theoretical efficiency of 97%, so far 34% has been achieved, while using H2 and O2 in a fuel cell has a theoretical efficiency of 83%. Of course methanol produces CO2 (which would eventually be used as feedstock) as compared to H2 which just produces water, a great advantage.

Anytime we contemplate huge installations for generating energy, whether they are nuclear or renewable we face the problem of transporting the energy to the user. Methanol, since it can use existing infrastructure of pipelines, trucks, gas stations with few changes would appear to be far cheaper than hydrogen. A July 2006 article in Scientific American `A Power Grid for the Hydrogen Economy' pointed out that our nation's electrical grid is experiencing problems and a possible solution would be to create a new national grid which would carry electricity from distant plants-renewable, nuclear, coal fired etc., by a superconductor cooled by liquid hydrogen. You would have the electricity almost resistance free (about 10% is currently lost in transmission) and the hydrogen for chemical uses. The economics of all these proposals is very hazy.

Some further food for thought is a 1998 study that indicates that the unsubsidized price of gasoline was between $6- 15/gal. A number of other studies place it at $3-11. If their methodology is close to correct then the current subsidy is much higher now, and if this subsidy were available to alternative energy sources they would be much more competitive.

The extraordinarily wide-ranging review of our major energy sources should be manadtory reading for everybody.

The case is then made for developing (and researching further) the use of methanol as a future energy source. It is compelling.

Why do we not hear politicians and the press screaming for this work to be done?

Creating a practical new source of energy whilst having an impact on CO2 greenhouse gases seems to be a possibility.

Wake up world ! - it's time for a paradigm shift.


This is a masterpiece - a remarkable book at an amazingly low price.

1. The author is highly knowledgeable (He won a Nobel Prize for this work.)
2. Applying these concepts in the marketplace would change the global economy.
3. We intend to buy 10 more copies for distribution to others.