Hoffman Books

Trees should have been saved, rather than wasted on printing over 1100 pages of Hoffman's anti-Jewish rhetoric. This tome of misinformation regarding one of the world's oldest religions, has become a bible for anti-Semites. Hoffman misquotes, fabricates material, and even claims context is an argument those in support of Judaism will use to defend themselves. How ludicrous! Anyone with a sixth grade education in English learns the importance of context.

If it were possible to have rated this a fraction of a star, I would have done so. A search of Hoffman's other written materials, will give any potential reader a true view of Hoffman's outlook.

Amazon has not banned this book. Amazon does not carry many books in various fields. Those who decry Amazon for book banning know not of what they speak.

I own "Judaism Discovered" and have read it carefully and critically, and have compared it to the Judaica available in our many local university libraries. Hoffman's evidence is incontrovertible.

Sex magic, ritual murder, black magic, pedophilia (ritualistic and otherwise), sodomy, genocide, worship of self, Baal Peor and Astarte, the fluidic definition of "Torah," the Judaic code of silence, deceit, and concealment---yes, all that "intellectual property" of the rabbis is quoted with photographic exhibits in "Judaism Discovered." In their own words the rabbis condemn themselves and that is why the rabbis fear all that Hoffman has verifiably quoted in "Judaism Discovered." This compendium of evidence is unassailable, so our earthly masters must bring all their destructive power to bear on this book just as 300 years ago they bought up, bottled up, and suppressed Eisenmenger's "Entdecktes Judenthum," the last such unassailable compendium of evidence.

The only original "intellectual property" of the rabbis is their "hermeneutic of deceit" concealing their racist, genocidal, and perverse pagan religion ---all the rest of "their" intellectual property they stole from Canaan, Egypt, Babylon, and India.

Jesus, True God and True Man who can neither deceive nor be deceived, told us the truth about Judaism, that the Pharisees "voided the commandments of God for the traditions of men." [Mark 7:9] Judaism masquerades as the religion of Moses, the Prophets, and the Old Testament, but is actually the satanic antithesis of the Israelite religion, just as Jesus Himself said, "...the synagogue of Satan, those who say they are Jews and are not, but do lie." [Apocalypse 3:9]. Using the loopholes and contrived arguments, "pilpul," of the rabbis, Judaism substitutes diabolical pagan "traditions of men" for the Ten Commandments and the Old Covenant. That is why Jesus said that Moses accuses them. [John 5:45-47] In "Judaism Discovered: A Study of the Anti-Biblical Religion of Racism, Self-Worship, Superstition, and Deceit," Hoffman has provided the evidence and photographic exhibits against Judaism, so of course this book will be suppressed.

This book is for those who have eyes that see and ears that hear. The "Christian" Zionist idolaters of faux-Israel and the rest will reject Jesus, believe the rabbis, and can be helped by nothing.

Interested in the history that devolves from rejecting God? Read Dr. E. Michael Jones' "The Jewish Revolutionary Spirit and Its Impact on World History." Jones has a still-evolving understanding of the religion of Judaism, but an encyclopedic understanding of the history of how "the adversaries of all men" [1 Thessalonians 2:14] have afflicted the world. Buy both books!

Amazon.com PROVES what the Jews vehemently try to deny: Jewish influence controls what the American public sees, hears, reads, thinks, says, etc.

If this ban is not lifted, I will cease to to business with Amazon and I will close my account. I will give 30 days from today (21 Aug 2008) to wait and see what Amazon does, and then I'll do what I have to do.

This is a silly book by a notorious conspiracy theorist and aspirant denier of the Auschwitz gas chambers.

It is pretty clear what kind of wide-eyed children have excitedly voted five stars for this drivel.

A little background reading on "Michael A. Hoffman II" proves interesting.

Though I cannot do this revolutionary masterwork justice with my review, I will touch on some other aspects aside from those covered by the very able reviewers of this book.

One theme of the book is that persecution is both always wrong and serves to strengthen Judaism. This is the basic concept of Purimspiel. Hoffman offers the tough love of the saving grace and spirituality of Jesus Christ as the antidote to those afflicted with the pseudo-theology of Judaism and its offshoots.

Throughout this work, the adherents of Orthodox Judaism and Zionism condemn their ideology with their own words.

Judaism has many pagan values common to Hinduism and Buddhism, but unlike Judaism, those philosophical systems do not claim Biblical provenance. Hoffman, like Eisenmenger before him, but in a much more multi-faceted study, proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Judaism is not the religion of the Old Testament. In addition, Hoffman demonstrates that Judaism distorts and contradicts not only the Old Testament, but to a certain extent the New Testament as well, through the influence of the "Jews for Jesus" organization, New Age "Church Synods", and the like.

Hoffman explores key concepts necessary to understanding the deceit and trickery of Judaism, and how this influences events in the modern world. The official position of Orthodox Judaism, the law (halacha) on a given subject is determined by majority rabbinic decision in the Talmud and later rabbinic texts, and the common practice among Orthodox Judaics. These halachic positions are invariably insane and racist. But there is always a more reasonable and humane dissenting opinion, which is used as "permissible dissimulation through dispensational revelation" in times and places where to reveal the true halachic position would be bad for Judaism. There is also a section on semantic wordplay where the rabbis differentiate between when the earth and the universe were "created" and "set up". Everything is dependent on the use of the word "created" in the given situation, only to be completely undone by the deus ex machina "set up". We can extrapolate endless situations where this occurs in the modern world.

Hoffman goes into the three related subjects, "Judaics Opposed to Judaism", "Opponents of Judaism Who Died at the Hands of the Nazis" and "Hitler and the Rabbis". This relates to the 18th century Haskala "Enlightenment" where there was an attempt made to break away from the Talmud. Though Moses Hess attempted to "correct" this in the 19th century with his Communism and expansion of the "Zionist" concept, as well as preserving Talmudic religion through "modern" Orthodox Judaism, many Judaics in Germany and Poland (Galicia) became bent on assimilation as a result of the Haskala. He quotes three very prominent and respected elite rabbis who praise Hitler as a "divine instrument" for "culling the herd" of "wayward" Judaics, WHOSE PERSECUTIONS ADVANCED THE CAUSE OF JUDAISM, even though many adherents of Judaism were also wrongfully killed.

Hoffman relates that long before the rise of Hitler, Orthodox rabbis were bent on revenge on Judaics who did not adhere to Judaism, and this may explain why Hitler's persecution of Judaics, with boatloads of Judaics being turned away by 33rd degree Freemason Roosevelt, were not big concerns to the world prior to June 22nd, 1941. A chilling observation is Senator Joseph Lieberman's praise of Zionist John Hagee, after Hagee's accolade to Hitler.

This shows that, to the Establishment, the advancement of Judaism and Zionism is more important than the commemoration of the crimes of the Nazis, both real and manufactured, despite all that has been put into the legend of the "Holocaust" by Judaism`s and Judeo-Churchianity`s political and religious elitists over the years!

So let those who agree with the position of the rabbis and Orthodox Judaism in this connection defend rabbinic persecution of Judaic opponents of Judaism, the Nazis' destruction of opponents of Judaism, and the rabbinic accolades for Hitler as a "divine instrument".

Another frightening observation that Hoffman explores is the influence of Chabad Lubavitch Judaism (Chabad), one of the worst manifestations of Judaism, on the modern world and the U.S. government. Chabad is a diabolical, racist, anti-gentile cult that presents itself to the world as benevolent and humanitarian. It appeals to liberals as the paragon of the virtues of social democracy and to conservatives as upholders of religious wisdom and law. This, and the fact that the media would make any prominent figure who rejects Chabad look like a bigoted "antisemite", makes it very difficult for politicians to resist associating with this cult. Chabad was the driving force behind Public Law 102-14. This law establishes a statutory obligation on Americans to obey the Talmudic interpretation of the seven (billion) "Noachide Laws", and can be invoked at any time as legal grounds for imprisoning and executing Christians, most likely under cover of conviction for other "crimes".

Hoffman expands on his earlier writings on the influence of Moses Hess. He also explains the difference between Israeli "Zionism" and the true Christian Zionism. There is an excellent analysis of Ariel Toaff's "Pasque di Sangue" ("Blood Passover"), which proves that some accounts of Judaic ritual murder of Christians are true. He also shows that while opposition to abortion and homosexuality are eternal Christian values and verities, "Conservative" rabbis play on these themes for venal reasons and the right wing Judeo-Churchians fall right into the snare.

For those who think they are not really getting a good analysis of current events by listening to NPR or reading the newspaper*, there are the sections on the Golem legend and Kabbalistic eschatology (not to be confused with scatology), which explain the roots of today's world events.

*sarcasm supplied

Some of the concepts expanded upon in this book are not new revelations and Hoffman gives us quotes about Judaism from great theologians of the past such as Alexander McCaul and Fr. Denis Fahey, as well as our contemporary, Dr. Stephen E. Jones.

Hoffman mentions a rabbi who was poisoned, in 1847, for prevailing upon the Austrian authorities to abolish the tax on kosher food, which benefited the rabbinate in this part of Poland (Galicia) ruled by Austria between 1772 and 1918. I wonder if the great composers and celebrators of Christian European culture, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and his sister Fanny were poisoned in Germany in the same year, 1847, by rabbinic partisans or associates of Moses Hess.

The sections of Judaism Discovered mentioned above and many other sections are like sprouts that can be expanded into books or even entire academic disciplines. I believe Judaism Discovered will be seen by posterity as a ground-breaking work leading toward a better paradigm for all humanity.

This is a short, yet thorough and informative book on some alternative approaches to this sometimes overwhelming syndrome. I learned a great deal from this book and utilize what I have learned on a daily basis.

Explains the bewildering array of symptoms that can accompany MVP, which the book explains as an indicator of "an underlying instability of the autonomic nervous system." According to this book, people with MVP may experience anxiety, panic attacks, hyperventillation, phantom chest pain, difficulty concentrating, migraine headaches, and other seemilngly unrelated symptoms. I have given copies of this book to several people with MVP, and they all found it to be a helpful eye-opener! This concise book is easy to read and understand, and easily affordable to give to others.

Not knowing enough about this symptom, Miltral Valve Prolapse, this book was educational as well as thorough. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has been diagnosed with this symptom. I feel much more informed about this symptom, what other body symptoms may be related to Mitral Valve Prolape and also what natural ways we maintain this symptom, without taking prescription drugs which most doctors would prescribe right away.

The book was very very thin, I thought it would have been a book with more information in it, seemed almost like an informational packet you would receive at a doctors office.

I was desperate for a natural solution to get off the horrible drugs that doctors prescribe these days. I took his words to heart, so to speak, followed his advice, especially concerning food supplements. I am seeing a difference in only a couple of weeks. The one thing I have added is GABA, an amino acid, to help me sleep.

The witty and literate Lev Raphael always seems to break the old Yiddish proviso: "You shouldn't 'mix in!' " Anyone who has been to college, on either side of the lecture podium, will remember the ambience and hierarchy so archly portrayed in his Nick Hoffman Mystery series, and will empathize with the intellectual curiosity of the "inquiring mind."
Tropic of Murder enmeshes the familiar characters of Michiganapolis in more Academic power plays [presaging some astonishing cognates in current political maneuvers!], that send our heroes to a tropical Isle in search of peace and lethargy. A kind of Club "Med-ri-cide" interrupts, so Nick and Stefan do indeed "mix in," providing us with another rapid-fire romp. Save yourself a ticket to Bahama; curl up with this Crima-Colada treat.

There's nobody out there who writes academic satire as pointed as Lev Raphael, and this book carries the bizarre doings at State University of Michigan to new heights and new lows.

Raphael's characters aren't caricatures, though, and that's because of the book's emotional depth and the fine writing.
His plots poke fun at the mystery genre while being smart and well-wrought, and puzzling out the solution is as much fun as being entertained by the witty narration.

I loved seeing Nick and Stefan in a different setting for part of the book, and hope that Raphael will occasionally send his sleuths further afield, while anchoring them at the academic snake pit his fans have come to know and love--at least love reading about.

This was my first Lev Raphael book and one of the few books I've read in the murder-mystery genre. Now that I've read it, I plan to read the rest of the Nick Hoffman series -- and perhaps his other books as well.

What impressed me most about "Tropic of Murder" was the intelligence and wisdom displayed by the main character, Nick, and his partner Stefan. Fictional "private eyes" seem often to be paranoid loners or gritty malcontents. But Nick is in a long-term, committed relationship, and he and Stefan clearly care about each other.

Though (like any couple) they have their problems, Nick and Stefan maintain a quiet dignity in the face of racism, academic infighting, homophobia, and, of course, murder. Theirs is not a wisdom that was "learned on the streets by staring down the barrel of a gun", etc. Instead, they are well-read, sensitive, self-aware, and relatively sane and happy, especially compared to many of the damaged souls they encounter. These are just the sort of people you'd want to be around when on vacation - or when investigating a murder.

I also liked, for the most part, the author's use of literary and pop-culture references to describe situations. I'm a "reference buff" myself, and I think it worked very well in many places. (Were I to nit-pick, I'd say he used it a bit too often -- but it certainly did not detract.)

Strongly recommended.

The academic world at the State University of Michigan is going out of control. As one crisis after another occurs English professor Nick Hoffman and his partner, Stefan, decide it's time to get out of there for a little break. A week at a Caribbean Club Med sounds like just the thing. But the island of Serenity is anything but serene as they find themselves face to face with murder.

Lev Raphael has written a wonderfully amusing, literary mystery full of the craziness of academic politics. The writing is a delight to read, the plot will keep you guessing and the characters come to life. A fun read that will make you want to read the rest in the series if you haven't already.

Nick and partner Stefan Borowski head for a Caribbean Club Med to escape academic departmental politics. But, of course, it follows them there, and then there is a murder. Nick, who is a PI manqué, naturally must investigate, especially as he and Stefan find the body and it appears that someone is trying to implicate him.

Not one of Raphael's best. Too many of the characters are one-dimensional, with no clear motivations for their behavior. Plotlines appear and disappear with no resolution. The solution to the mystery comes out of left field, as the murderer, for no apparent reason, decides to divulge all to Nick and then flee. Even WITH a confession, there's no satisfactory motivation for the murder.

And, Lev? While you may not care for Michael Cunningham's work, too much sniping at him in your book looks like professional jealousy. Tone it down.

Excellent book. Supplies detailed medical information and also prepares you for what you may feel emotionally at different stages.

This book sent my husband and me into a state of panic. The author would have you believe that a diagnosis of fibroids is something that alters the course of the rest of your life, and that every diagnostic test and therapeutic procedure is incredibly painful and invasive. That may be the case for some women, but not for all. We turned to this book after I was diagnosed with fibroids and, rather than giving us the information we needed to make educated decisions, it made us fearful of each step in the process. As it turned out, my fibroid (singular, something the book would have you believe never occurs)was removed surgically and I was back to work within 3 weeks, and my life has gone on quite happily. For women who don't know what to do when diagnosed with fibroids, I would recommend getting information from your doctor -- not this book!

I finally found this book! This author was a fibroid victim and it makes a big difference because a book published by a doctor is hard to understand and the reports they write are in medical languages. Questions that I've asked myself many months ago, were answered by the author. It is easy to read and understand. This book is a real eye-opener for me, especially when I am going through this the 3rd time. You don't know how much of a relieve it was when I found this book. Unfortunately our bookstore in Chicago do not have alot of books relating to fibroids or such. To end this review, definitely worth buying and is a good source of reference.

This book was one of the most helpful I've found in my years of dealing with my fibroids. Johanna Skilling also wrote a similar book in the First Year series, also excellent. I found the information was well-researched, based on my own years of scouring the internet and libraries for clues to this under-researched health issue. While fibroids aren't a huge problem for some women, for others their lives ARE permanently altered. This book presents the best information available to date, in a manner that is easily accessible to the lay person. I especially like that the author has herself gone through the process of choosing the best treatment option for her own case of fibroids. I came to the same conclusion that she did, and chose the same option for treatment. It was helpful to read someone else's decision-making process.

This is a great book to calm you down when you first get the scary news. It explains it all very well. Then pick up Allan Warshowsky's (I think that's how it's spelled)"Guide to a Natural Cure." Both are excellent. My symptoms are going away and the last time I saw my doctor she said they had not grown any more.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the story is so fantastic that it seems like some of it is fabricated. I'm not saying definitely, but some of the stuff seems a like it might be bit out there. A really good story none the less, I only wish there was more information about this guy on the internet.

This is the best book on the mob that I have been able to find.

I still have my autographed copy of Contract Killer after 12 years, good thing since it's turned into quite a rarity. I've contemplated the story of Donald "Tony the Greek" Frankos for quite some time. Personally, I think this book is fascinating, a blunt, gritty narrative of mob and prison life. The Greek got around quite a bit back in the day and knew just about everyone in the New York underworld during the 60's and 70's. The main selling point of this book is obviously Frankos's alleged involvment in the murder of Jimmy Hoffa. However, after 30 years, quite a few people have now claimed to have killed the Teamster leader. So whose telling the truth? Hard to tell, we'll probably never know for sure.

I docked a star for some factual inconsistencies I've discovered. Frankos claims that John Sullivan asked him to hit Jimmy Coonan when he got out of prison in August 1981. Later that day, The Greek claims he and Joe Sullivan met up with Coonan at a Hell's Kitchen bar. Only trouble here, Coonan was locked up in Federal prison at this time. Also, Frankos identifies Fat Tony Salerno at the boss of the Genovese family, when by now it was clear that Vincent "The Chin" Gigante was in fact the boss. How much of the Greek's story is untrue? I personally think most of it is generally accurate but also embroidered. If the reader keeps this in mind the book is quite enjoyable.

Of the hundreds of mob books ever written, this one does stand out. Are the stories true? I don't know but they do sound plausible. It's told in first person by Frankos and he mentions a lot of "the names." He tells stories of mobsters written in other books, that will make you want to go back and re-read them just to see how they fare.

If you can find it, get it, it's a great read. Start your "mob book" collection with Contract Killer.

Excellent account of what happened to Jimmy Hoffa but how many books out there or stories are going around claiming the same thing? I guess we will never know but this is a very interesting version nonetheless and thats just 1 small part of the book. This guy talks about hit jobs like he talks about taking the dog for a walk. Its a piece of cake for him. Its hard to go into everything in a review but if you dig mob books you will dig this one. Its a really easy read and its pretty decent sized and it holds your interest!

I used this book and instant cert both good resources for this clep test.
I would rate this a 3 on a scale of 5 for difficulty this is not the easiest, but read the book and know your amendment and articles and important supreme court cases you'll do fine.

I read this book following a more detailed book (Complete Idiots Guide to American Government). The review reintroduced the necessary concepts in a clear and concise manner to understand American Government. I Brought this book to the CLEP exam and went over The Constitution and Supreme Court Decisions just before. I Scored a 58 or "B" grade and highly recommend this book as a test preparation or general understanding of our American government

This was the only book I studied for the CLEP. In addition I took the practice test in the CLEP Study Guide. I studied for two weeks (not consistently). This book was straight and to the point. I thought the test was challenging but this book helped a lot. There were a couple topics not covered in the book that were on the test (direct democracies and majority rule). If you don't want to spend a ton of time preparing, I recommend getting this book and the CLEP Study Guide.

I had about a week and a half to study and this book was the only study guide I used. I scored a 59 - not great, but a 50 is enough to pass.

Make sure you know the presidential election process inside and out. There were several electoral college questions that I got jammed up on. Also, a couple congressional election questions were included. Know the procedures and #of votes needed to propose and ratify amendments. Know your major supreme court case decisions, especially as they apply to civil liberties/rights.

Study this book and you should do okay.

Good luck.

Pete

If you're looking for a study guide for the American Government CLEP test, then this book is all you'll need. I read it from cover to cover during the 3-days before my test and passed with flying colors. It covers EVERYTHING you need to know and doesn't leave anything out. I highly recommend it!

I've seen both the authors speak at an IOC seminar on equity derivatives. They make a difficult subject understandable. I highly recommend the book, or even better, to see them speak in person.

It's about time that someone writes a well-written book about the greeks. Now I understand the stuff.

This book reads to you like you are a baby. It taught me the greeks in a simple manner.

The authors appear to know their subject well. I would recommend this as a beginner-to-intermediate introduction to fundamentals except for the numerous errors.

Some errors are like "typos" such as 6 instead of 60, some are more serious and subtle such as specifying a call when a put was meant, and some are fundamental structural problems with the book. For example, the Quiz answers don't match the chapters to which they purportedly provide answers, and in some cases only some questions are answered anyway.

The errors are so numerous, and some of a type that they won't be caught by the average beginner, that it might be dangerous for a beginner to rely on this book as a reference or as an only introduction to options.

I'd really like to have a completely "cleaned up" copy, as I think that could make this the best introduction that I'm aware of.

As an instructor in equity options for a major market making firm, I've been looking for an introductory text to supplement the lecture material presented in our training classes. While MacMillan and Natenberg have written great books on the topic, the former is not specific enough to our market making business and the latter is too advanced for the beginner. In looking for something in between these two fine works, someone suggested to me the Williams/Hoffman book. It has been unsatisfactory in several respects. Explanations of some concepts appear out of context with the material being covered, some others are very muddled, and some are just plain wrong. The book also suffers from a trait common to many traders-turned-authors in that while the authors may be very knowledgable about their subject they aren't very good at conveying - at least in book form - that knowledge to others. While students with previous exposure to options concepts may be able to overcome these deficiencies, I wouldn't recommend this book to the beginner. The beginner would be much better served by picking up MacMillan's timeless classic.

Finally, a book about options that is understandable and helpful. The book has been reprinted so the errors that the other readers referred to have been corrected. I loved it!

I love the ideas in this book: that there are areas of personality that are the most important in predicting relationship satisfaction and that you can figure out which traits are the ones you should be looking for a match in. Of course, even having compatibility in the pattern the authors say leads to the most satisfaction in love may not be a guarantee. There's got to be a little spark, too. But figuring out what is most important to me has helped me a lot in focusing in dating. (It's also explained why some people have stayed in my memory so powerfully- too bad I didn't fit their highest priorities the way they fit mine, but it's happened in the reverse, too. Oh, well.) I'm still giving some people chances who don't quite fit the bill but whom I seem to have decent rapport with, but it helped me move on quickly when I saw that relationships that I might have entertained in the past, just to see if they would get better, probably wouldn't have panned out. So far, I have not regretted my decisions. I've come up with early-date questions and topics to discuss that get to the root of the matter, but that also fit naturally with early conversations, so it's win-win. Wish I could report I'd found my match, but I feel a lot better about the search.

The sections with the quizzes were sort of interesting and helpful to figure out what is important to me thus to match that in a romantic partner...but to say that these traits will lead you to your soulmate? That was not particularly addressed in the book, how that would be accomplished. I mean, sure , once you know more about yourself, that would help one be more clear on one's needs.
But if you are someone who already pretty much knows yourself the quizzes won't tell you anything new. I mean, I already know I lean towards the arts and tend towards introspection/introversion...etc...

Mostly,I was disappointed because the quizzes were geared for COUPLES to take and then to compare their answers with each other to check on their existing compatibility.

There was a brief chapter at the end saying how an un-soulmated person could use the information to be more clear on traits one has and one desires in another, but it was told in mostly anecdotal form, using a story about 2 people who eventually found each other. It was cute but not earth shattering.
It was sort of fun doing the quizzes. I do not think this book is one to pick up again for inspiration, but OK to do the quizzes to help get more clear. I am giving the book away to the library.

The Love Compatibility Book offers the reader sophisticated guidelines to choosing a soulmate based on sound research of 12 personality traits . It helps to understand and match similar traits with your own personality style.
Written in contemporary and easy to read style, the authors Drs. Hoffman and Weiner offer practical advice based on their combined knowledge,professional and life experience of qualities that enhance loving relationships.
Dr. Lenore Powell, author of Alzheimer's Disease:A Guide
For Families and Caregivers

Drs Weiner and Hoffman devoted 7 years to compile the research necessary to complete this book...they have integrated their information from a number of fields, including biology, developmental psychology, and personality theory. A more subtle undercurrent of the book has to do with spirituality, and gaining further insight into the Self. I believe this book will be extremely helpful to other professionals in the field of psychology, as well as those looking to meet their spiritual and practical counterpart...if you are looking for love and haven't found it, this book will help in illuminating why and will assist in self-enlightment, the first step of finding true, lasting intimacy and love. Highly recommended!

The quizzes in this book are very good, they ask just the right questions. However, the scoring is flawed in my opinion. And I think one reason why is that the authors leave no room for people who are moderate in a trait--who score neither high or low and border on the cusp.

For example on the Materialism gauging quiz, I answered that I strongly like expensive cars, jewelry, restaurants and am not annoyed by people who wear pricey clothing and aspire to be rich. But because I am moderate/neutral on living simply I scored as someone who enjoys a spartan lifestyle. This is sooo not true! This happened on a couple of other trait quizzes too!

These quizzes don't take into account the complexity of the human personality, so you really have to measure the quiz yourself and not depend on the book's interpretation.

For the past month, I've been up to my elbows in a variety of dog manuals trying to learn the ins and outs of choosing and owning a dog. All of them have been pretty good, but I have to say that this one is by far the best of the lot.

Not only is it lavishly illustrated and written in a very laid back, easygoing style that makes it accessible to anyone from age 9 to 90, it's comprehensive to the point of being encyclopedic. This book covers it all, from the temperament of 50 popular dog breeds and their suitability for city or country living, from common behavioral problems (such as barking, chewing, and anxiety). So in that regard it truly is the bible of dog manuals. That's not to say that it's not the only book worth having or that there aren't other good books for the first time owner, but that it's the perfect primer, in that it introduces you to all the most important things you need to know before picking and choosing a dog.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

The book arrived on time and in new condition. It has everything from training techniques to health issues. This book covers all the basics you need to know when owning a dog... and a little more w/o being too much info.

like the title says this book is great. its written by vets and other experts and has illustrations and quick reference charts. detailed pages on what seems to be a-z problems and is filled with fun and lesser known facts. as well as advice. its covers from the very beginning of getting a dog to when they get old. it also has first aid and basically everything you need to know as a dog owner.

This book has been a life saver and a nerve tonic to all of my puppy and dog questions. Being a first time dog owner can be an anxious experience and this book is full of knowledge, facts, and common sense solutions to all that can ail a dog.

I'd give this book 4 stars for its content, but the way it's written drops it down to 3. It's pretty comprehensive, covering nearly every important topic, but doesn't delve very deeply into any. The big problem though, is that it is very annoying to read because every few sentences are a quote from some 'expert' so half the text ends up being stateing who said it. Such as "...blah blah blah... says so and so of the blank department of behavioral sciences for blank, etc etc." Ends up reading more like a high school essay than a book. I expect the authors of a book to take the time to actually reorganize and rewrite all these random thoughts and not just string together a bunch of quotes.

This book is not typical for software literature. An anthology of papers published since 1970s by one of the most influential researchers in software engineering - David Lorge Parnas. Here is a quote from the editors:

---QUOTE---
This book is our attempt to provide a view of the work of one of the grandmasters of our field, highlighting the fundamental ideas that he and his colleagues invented and expounded. We hope to provide the reference for those who teach and those who do, giving them both an historical record, a clear explanation of fundamental ideas that will help them in their work...
---/QUOTE---

Although loosely categorized under 4 parts - Description and specification, Software design, Concurrency and scheduling and Commentary, the papers are effectively assorted. The most influential papers seem to appear in the book, but there also are others that are of interest only with respect to the way the author writes, not with the discussed matter.

To me, the most valuable papers fell into just two categories. First, the ones that I could apply with my practical work (for those who do). Not as a hands-on manual of course, but as the original source of the mechanisms we now have and the goals originally intended. These were papers about modularization, interfaces, abstract data types, handling errors, software "aging" etc. Second were the social and philosophical kind of papers on engineering aspects of software development, professional responsibility and ethics, teaching programming etc (for those who teach).

There also were many papers that I found useless. They either discuss a specific algorithm, or have too much mathematical notation and not enough readable outcome. Mathematical rigor, that I do respect, but having presented a software practitioner with a dense mathematical proof is likely to miss the point. I don't need the proof and I won't be checking it for correctness. I need the result and I will trust it. The author himself writes in one of the papers:

---QUOTE---
Computer professionals do not read our literature because it does not help them to do their job better. These papers may be very good papers, they may have influenced other researchers, but they have not significantly changed the way that programs are written.
---/QUOTE---

Many times I couldn't even read half a page without having my mind drifting away, as the simple idea put in a single sentence brought up a world of thoughts. At that times I had to close the book and stare outside trying to sort out my own thoughts provoked with what I've just read. Many of the things about which Parnas wrote now appear under different names, and they even look and behave slightly different from how he envisioned but it is nevertheless the original source and it is a magnificent feeling to read it.

The book is a great experience to read, but I won't be recommending it to you. You'll know by yourself when you want it.

This book is a must read for anyone taking a course in software design, or software engineers who are interested to design better software systems. The book is not for casual reading, each research paper requires a lot of effort from the reader, to understand and appreciate the depth covered in these papers. It is amazing to find Parnas papers on software engineering, has been tested by time, and has remained undisputed for the last 4 decades. I liked the following papers, criteria used for decomposing system into modules (information hiding), hierarchical software structures, design for ease of extension, program families, and software aging.

The ideas presented in this collection of papers changed forever the way I think about developing sofware. These papers separate the men from the boys. If you understand the concepts layed out by Parnas in these papers you are well along your way to understanding the fundamentals necessary for developing quality software. The papers are clearly research oriented and don't have modern real world applications presented in the text, however, the ideas are timeless. The reader will need to make some connections with the modern world on their own. It is well worth the time and effort to read and digest what Parnas has to say.

Anyone who considers themself a Java developer should know who Dave Parnas is. Without the insight of Dave Parnas in the 60s and 70s there would be no such thing as the Java programming language. Ever heard of information hiding (the basis for all Object Oriented programming)? Yeah, Parnas came up with that. Exception Handling? That's him too. Interfaces? Parnas. (Get the idea?)

This book reprints 33 of Parnas' most influential papers. Each paper is started off with an introduction from one of Parnas' peers (like Barry Boehm), giving the paper a connection to the modern state of Software Engineering, and trying to give the reader an understanding of just how seminal the particular paper was to the world of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

I believe you become a much better programmer if you understand where things come from. Once you understand how things were before "Information Hiding" came about, you get a better appreciation for why its such a necessary and important practice. You'll become a better programmer because you're more aware of what would happen if you didn't have exception handling. And you'll be come a better writer when you understand why buzzwords can be so dangerous in technical papers.

Dave Parnas has been a huge influence over the world of Software Engineering. Everyone should have the chance to read his work.

I consider this book on two levels:
1. How well does it capture and present the important contributions Parnas has made to the Software Engineering discipline?
2. Is the content (i.e. Parnas' papers) useful?
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This book does a beautiful job of collecting and organizing Parnas' papers. Each paper is preceeded by an introduction from a peer or other recognized prominent computer scientist. Almost all of these introductions are insightful in themselves: they help create a context for the essay which made it easier for me to fill in the gaps. Almost all of the contributors' writting styles are lucid and easy to read. I found reading through this book quite enjoyable.

Parnas' contributions are critical, no doubt. The concept of Information Hiding as a criteria for modular decomposition really helped form modern "object-oriented" thinking. It seems to me that returning to the first well-formed idea can often grant insights into how to be more effective with its offspring. Indeed, Chapter 7 in this text is essentially a primer on how to think in object-oriented terms.

You'll not find a passage that reads, "now here's an example of that in Java/C#/C++" But that's the blessing: Parnas communicates the essence of the principles that yield quality software engineering without getting lost in unnecessary details. The fact that some of these papers were written 30 years ago helps bring home the fact that novel ideas are rare.

One aspect of 30 year-old writtings that may be a stumbling block for similarly aged programmers is that these works live in an iron world: where programs lived very close to their hardware. Parnas uses phrases like "4 bytes packed in a word" and "core" that seem primal (not to say that some folks aren't concerned with word-sizes and which endian, just that the overall percentage is much lower). For some, this may seem to be a waste of time to try to understand. I encourage the reader to ferret out the bigger message...the more abstract picture of principles that guide one to conceive, organize, implement and document quality software.

If you are a journeyman programmer looking for the original latin, enjoy this well-polished collection for yourself.