P Books

I love biographies and this is one of the best.

Isobel Kuhn writes her story of her personal belief to Christianity with grace and honesty. She tells of her struggles to believe, and her climbing with God step by step as He leads her to greater heights. She tells how God called her to the mission field in China.

A great read for someone questioning their roots in Christianity and needing to find their own faith instead of simply accepting the way they were raised. It will strengthen your resolve to find God for yourself. This was Isobel's theme, and she tells how God gently and patiently led her into a grounded solid Christian faith of her very own...not just one "handed down" by her parents. An exceptional book.

You may also want to read "In the Arena" in which she briefly describes again her journey to faith, but mainly tells the story of she and her husband's miraculous mission to the people of China.

Isobel Kuhn's life and missionary work were nothing shy of miraculous due to her deep faith and continuous trust. What a beautiful book, what a beautiful life!

Isobel Miller Kuhn (1901-1957), a Canadian missionary to the Tibeto-Burmese Lisu people of southwest China, wrote a number of popular books about her missionary work. This one, published posthumously after her premature death from cancer, treats Kuhn's pre-missionary career from her teenage years until she sailed for China in 1928. Kuhn had a gift for storytelling, and By Searching is nicely written. Not only will sensitive Christian readers find the work spiritually uplifting, but they will also note the significant differences in the culture of Western conservative Protestantism between the 1920s and the present.

I read this superb book just about two weeks ago from today. It is the well written and inspiring story about a young college student in Vancouver, Canada---of how her professor has vowed that his students will leave his class atheists, and how he made her feel like she was stupid to believe in Creation "just because your parents do". Isobel Kuhn decided that she would not believe something -- "just because her parents did", and, although not an atheist, became an antagonist. In "By Searching", she tells of her life through college on "The Misty Flats", and how God brought her back to himself. She still was a very immature Christian, and this book also tells how she grew. . .how she trusted God to provide for her during her years at Moody, and then--as soon as the Boxer rebellion was over she went to China to serve Jesus among the Lisu of the South-west.

I'm really busy with my studies these days but when I got this book and started to read,I just couldn't drop it!I was extremely encouraged by Isobel's struggle and search for God,I realized a truth, that is whether you have or not believed in God already,as long as you want to know Him and search Him with your spirit and truth,He will prove Himself to you,just like the testimony which happened to Isobel.And for Christians,we should search God first in our daily lives,put Him in the first place,and get a deeper relationship with Him,be purer and holier,be more like Jesus our Savior.And I believe GOd has His own beautiful plans for us,only you can find it out with your sincerity and faith.
I'm also thankful for God,because I'm a Chinese,even nowadays,the place where Isobel went to is still very poor and remote,and even few people know that place and Lisu people(it's a minority of China).I really admire Isobel's sacrifice,if there is no God,how one is able to forsake his own and go to such a terrible place?!But God loves them although men even don't know them.
It's a must-read book,may it encourages each of you, me included,to find God,and as well as a lifestyle that leads us into the inner of truth of Christ.
God bless!

As a lover of the french philosopher and his time i can only
recommand with passion his works and especially Candide together with the other stories issued by the so prestigious Oxford
world's Classics -its a genuine pleasure

Voltaire is a master saterist, not a comedian. As with all satire, it hslps if we understand the contemporary world in which the author writes, but Voltaire's skill raises Candide above this level of satirical writing. He is masterful in the use of comedy to poke fun at the customs, mores, and beliefs of his time and show us the silliness to shich theunenlightened mind can go in the pursuit of perfection in an imperfect world. As a commentator on human culture he is followed by Mark Twain. Not that Twain can match Voltaire in his skill, only in some of his perceptions. This is an "old" book by new world reckoning, but as a masterpiecce well worth the time and effort of exploaration it is a timeless masterpiece. I highly recommend it to both believer and non-believer.

A great selection of stories where Voltaire shows off his literary style and espouses his philosophy on different topics.
He is a great story teller and has a great sense of humour too.

This was a first source cited in "A Visit From Voltaire" which turned me on to the man with its lightly comic approach to a formidable subject, BUT I have to add that I only understood it bettert after knowing what role Candide played in the political mayhem of his life fighting "infame," and only after I knew more about his social/irreligious context, did I really "get" what he was doing in Candide. I'd send light readers to "Voltaire in Love," and wannabe scholars to the Portable Voltaire and whatever basic biographic texts they can find, as well as Visit from Voltaire, A which is hilarious fun.

Voltaire's Candide is a scathing satire on one of the more popular metaphysical theories of his day: that is, we live in the best of all possible worlds. In spite of the disasters and disappointments that befall mankind, Candide and an array of companions attempt to make sense of their personal tragedies while shoehorning it into the Leibniz theory.

Candide is well-written, and sprinkled with cute and clever irony. I also enjoyed the references Voltaire makes to his personal enemies in Candide. However, the optimistic theory that prompted this satire has been rejected, which leads me to believe there isn't much purpose for this book any longer. Really the only reason left to read Candide is to become 'culturally literate', I suppose. Don't get me wrong; the ultimate message of this book is a good one. However, I hope readers don't think Candide's lesson must preclude optimism all together, or love, or friends, or God. That fact is obscured to make a literary point.

The only interesting question that remains to be asked from this book is: why does such cyncism accompany 'enlightenment'? Both French and American societies are rife with it after all, so much that I doubt even Voltaire could manage much of a smirk. All he could do would be to join the choir and tend the garden he has sown.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I went to the library and checked out every book they had on cancer treatment (and that's a lot of books). But this is the only one I bought, and I refer to it often. It's more focused than many of the other books - it just deals with treatment, and doesn't talk about specific drug regimens, etc. But it does a great job, talking about side effects and how to treat them, the experience of going through radiation and chemo, and also subjects like meditation and family support. I also appreciated the chapter on testing and screening. This book is easy to read, but doesn't skimp on the details - I really appreciated that. I'd recommend this book to anyone undergoing cancer treatment.

because these are my doctors. This book was published as I finished treatment and a local paper told me about it. I have a copy that I will keep and one I had co-workers who fought cancer in any form write a message which I gave to the nurses at work to add to their bookshelf. These men know their subject. I am so pleased and blessed they were there for me.

I wish I had ordered this book prior to beginning my radiation treatment. This book, while repetitive in areas, leaves no stone unturned. Prepares you for the "worst" and gives great tips. Especially informative with the Port IV and other chemo/radiation nuaces. You can never go wrong with the Dummie Series of books! :)

The biggest fear about cancer, is the unknown. I attended a Q & A session at my college with the doctors and author of this book. These people are passionate about the subject matter. I bought this book for my mother-in-law, who is newly diagnosed with breast cancer after looking at it. She loved it, and her husband read it too. It provides real information that you need to know to know about cancer and treatment of cancer. It demystifies, explains things, and is a very reliable source of information. I think this is the first book that people should read if they or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer.

I read this book the night before my sister's first visit to her oncologist for treatment of lymphoma. Then I gave it to her.

It helps to make the incomprehensible a little easier to understand. The day of my sister's last radiation visit, she gave it to a mother of a 16-year-old brain cancer patient. She urged her to pass it on when she was finished with it.

I recently bought another copy of Chemo and Radiation for Dummies through Amazon for a friend whose daughter has ovarian cancer. She and her family were so appreciative.

Very interesting book.
I had a hard time laying the book down.
Everyone should take a look at this.

Dr. Becker is a brilliant medical researcher who has devoted his life to the study of something most doctors barely understand that it exists: the body's electrical system.

Among many other topics, Dr. Becker describes
- the body's inbuilt electrical systems,
- how he was able to use electrical current to get bones that would otherwise not have grown together to do so,
- how he offered to create a means of inducing anesthesia with electrical currents, but was politely turned down by lesser doctors,
- how one can measure electrical currents flowing at acupuncture points (in other words, why there must be something to acupuncture),
- why he thinks there may be something to homeopathy,
- to what extent electrical systems play a role in the salamander's ability to regenerate tissue,
- the harm that (everyday) electromagnetic fields can cause.

The tragedy of Dr. Becker is that he is so far ahead of his time that he is largely overlooked. All the same he sometimes paints with a little too broad a brush. All the same, I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in the life sciences.

A great job by Dr. Becker. Electromagnetism affects all lifeforms on earth. The effect it has on our health is dramatic and cannot continue to be ignored by mainstream medicine. Becker is a true pioneer.

The one criticism that I have with this book is that Becker failed to mention the excellent research done by Albert Roy Davis and Walter Rawls.
Davis was the first scientist in the world to discover that magnetism consists of two separate energies with different effects, it's not a singular form of energy with a singular effect, as is still widely believed today. The North and South poles have opposite effects.

Davis found that South pole magnetism is harmful to our health and will cause bacteria, germs, and even cancer to grow and spread at an accelerated rate in the body, while North pole magnetism will quickly stop the growth and assist the body to overcome disease. Just as Becker has said, Davis and Rawls found that many devices used in hospitals actually compound the problem. Radiation, for example, emits positive and negative electromagnetic energies. The positive energies can actually stimulate the growth of the cancer cells, similar to the way positive (South) magnetic energies do.

The first book by Davis and Rawls, "Magnetism and Its Effects on the Living System", goes into detail about how magnetism affects the physical and mental development of animals, the growth of plants, and among other topics, a detailed account of the effects both negative and positive magnetic energies have on cancer. "The Magnetic Blueprint of Life", the last of their books, expresses the relationship of air ions to health, how magnetism can be utilized in energy production, and it has in-depth information on how these positive electromagnetic energies, which are all around us, endanger us to a greater degree each and every day. We are being lied to about the safety of many electrical products on the market today, cell phones included.

If you have the books by Robert Becker and Davis and Rawls you'll be way ahead of the rest of the population in your knowledge of electromagnetism and its effects on all living beings.

If you really want to understand how the body works and is being influenced by our environment you must read this book. What an eye-opener. The author is someone thinking ahead of his time and much of what he predicted has come true.

1. "Most technological cures for cancer, for example, were found to be carcinogenic themselves"
2. From the beginning, life has been dependent on Earth's natural electromagnetic environment. Today this natural environment is submerged beneath a torrent of electromagnetic fields that have never before been present...In Cross Currents I will show how both the human body electric and the Earth's body electric have been damaged by this alteration; I will then explain what steps we must take to prevent the disaster that is fast approaching.
3. Hospitals were becoming dangerous places to enter; patients sometimes entered with minor illnesses and left with permanent disabilities resulting from complication after another. Some patients discovered the various disciplines of energy medicine, which appeared to have three outstanding things to offer. First, they would do no harm; second, they often seemed to do some good; and third, they were much less expensive than orthodox medicine.
4. The physicist, biologist, and physicians were absolutely certain that life forces simply did not exist, and that all living things were simply chemical machines. They knew that the living organism was simply a collection of structures, which work chemically and were integrated by means of central nervous system, with no involvement of electricity or magnetism.
5. Nature must have a mechanism of self-repair; otherwise, life would not have succeeded. Self-repair requires a closed-loop control system-that is, one in which a certain signal indicates injury and causes another signal to effect repair. As the repair proceeds, the injury signal diminishes, and when the repair is complete the signal stops.
6. Salamander limbs regenerate at the Neuroepidermal junction and negative electric current signals primitive cells in the blastema to redifferentiate and growth back the limb. As the blastema grows, the salamander current becomes highly negative and slowly returns to its original baseline.
7. In a number of experiments, I was able to show that the DC electric currents I was measuring from a variety of tissues, including nerve fibers, were actual semiconducting. As a result of interest stirred up by these experiments, many people began to make electrical measurements of other growth processes. All rapid growing tissues were found to be negative in polarity. Interestingly, cancers in animals or humans always showed the highest negativity.
8. The frog's red cells could be dedifferentiated by electricity, but only with vanishing small amounts (measured in the billionths of amperes). Electricity was clearly a stimulus to regeneration. Instructions to regenerate were retained by mammals. Therefore, the growth control system required for regeneration was present. For electricity to turn on the control system for regeneration the right amount of electricity and right polarity was required.
9. I proposed that the acupuncture pointes were just such booster amplifiers, spaced along the course of the meridian transmission lines. Metallic acupuncture needles inserted in or near such a point would produce sufficient electrical disturbance that the amplifier could not operate, and the pain would be blocked.
Input DC electrical signals carried the information that injury had occurred along the acupuncture medians to the brain, where parts of this group of signals reached consciousness and was perceived as pain. Output DC signals caused the cells and chemical mechanisms at the site of injury to produce repair.
11. In the 1880s, Dr Allison Apostoli treated cancers of the cervix and uterus with DC electricity by inserting a positive electrode into the tumor and passing between 100 to 250 milliamperes of current through the tumor to a large negative electrode on the abdomen producing electrolysis within the tumor. He reported prompt relief of pain and bleeding, and shrinkage of the tumors, but he reported no long-term results.
12. All rapidly growing tissues were found to be negative in polarity compared with the rest of the body. The highest negativity was found in malignant tumors. In 1977, Doctors Muriel Schaubel and Mutaz Habel used stainless steel needles inserted directly into the tumors. Doctors Schaubel and Habel used three leves of current: 3 milliamperes, ½ milliampre, and 960 millimicroamperes. With the 3 Ma current there was significant destruction of the tumor, with about twice as much at the positive as the negative location. At the ½ MA there was destruction of the tumor at the positive electrode. At the lowest level of current there was a reduction in the weight of the tumors with both the positive and negative electrodes. The conclusion was the tumor destruction was the result of local electrolysis at the needle electrode.
13. The local toxicity of electricity kills cancer cells, but the real hazard is stimulating other cancer growth with the use of electricity.
14. Dr Kenneth McLean claimed that rats inoculated with cancer survived if they were treated with extremely high strength DC magnetic fields.
15. Pulsed magnetic field treatment for bone nonunions also has been reported to slow the growth of animal tumors. Pulsed magnetic fields have a major effect on the stress-response system. Exposure of the whole animal for a short time causes a rapid stress response, with a marked increase in the activity of the immune system. For a time, the immune system has the upper hand and defeats an increased growth of the cancer. However, continuing the exposure beyond the short term results in a decline of the stress response and the immune system falls to below normal levels. Tumor-cell growth is then enhanced by both the drop in immune-system efficiency and the direction of the pulsed magnetic field on the cancer cells themselves.
16. Dr Becker discovered that some human cancer cells in a culture appeared to dedifferentiate when exposed to electrically generated silver ions. An electrical-charge transfer sends a signal to the nucleus of the cancer cell that activates the primitive type genes, and the cell dedifferentiates.

This book is a work of scope and insight that is still quoted and referred to often. Although written in the 1800s it still speaks to us about what we were with a clarity and accuracy that makes it an essential if you care about the early development of this country. It has past the test of time and may be more important now then it ever was. READ IT.

De Tocqueville was an amazing man who posessed amazing insight into the workings (and not-workings) of American society. One only laments the fact that he was not a middle caste American politician arguing amongst great minds during the Constitutional conventions. Then again, we are equally lucky of the fact that he was a curious Frenchman of the leisure class who happened to be passing through. This is what gives de Tocqueville the ability to refrain from emotionalism and give us an outsiders view of what makes America good, bad and just plain different.

See, de tocqueville recognizes, as did our founders, that liberty and democracy are key ingredients to a healthy society. On the other hand, he points out that too much freedom or democracy lead to lazy, public-opinion driven conformity, over-emphasis on materialism and restlessness. Another contradiction de tocqueville points out is that although self-government is generally a good idea, there are times when an all powerful aristocracy is just more efficient. He can see all sides.
The best part then is that de Tocqueville doesn't come to any final conclusion. He just observes and reports on America's inner workings as seen by an aristocratic Frenchman.

A few reccomendations to the de tocqueville virgins. First, as this is the unabridged, it may be advised to read the first book, pause to read something else, then read the second book. I read it straight through and found that not only would I have benefited from reflection, but much of the second book is a rehash the first. Second, keep in mind during the second book that the word 'democracy' is also de tocqueville's word for 'capitalism'. The word 'capitalism' would be introduced only years later by one Karl Marx. So when de tocqueville says that democracy increases industriousness, what the reader should hear is that capitalism increases industriousness. This in itself is a brilliant observation by de tocqueville. Democracy and capitalism really are the same thing, different scale. The producer, like the political candidate, cater to the consumer or the voter. Both systems allow the individual to choose the goods and services he wants and reject those he doesn't. This is why one may also want to read 'Wealth of Nations' with this book.

The only other thing I can tell the reader before he or she embarks on a fascinating reading adventure is to keep in mind why de tocqueville wrote the book. He intended it to be read by the french who were not familiar with or had misconceptions about America. Of course, it provides contemporary America with an amazing historical survey. Like the introductory exclamation to MTV's 'Diary' show says, "You think you know, but you have no idea".

George Lawrence's translation, which migrated from Harper & Row to Doubleday back to HarperCollins, is far and away the best translation of this classic study of democracy and American life. Lawrence is more accurate than the old Henry Reeve translation (even as revised by Phillips Bradley) kept in print by Vintage, and livelier than the stodgy translation inflicted on us by Harvey C. Mansfield Jr. for the University of Chicago Press.

The Transformation and Guarantees of
American Democracy
-An analysis of Tocqueville's worries for American democracy and an illustration of American democracy's current state

The beguiling title of Tocqueville's Democracy in America seems to suggest that the book might go well in a state department propaganda packet. As a proud citizen of America flips through the pages, however, he soon discovers Tocqueville's admiration at American democracy stems not from an intrinsic love for it, but from the amazement that something so dangerous has somehow avoided falling off of the cliff. In fact, Tocqueville spends most of his chapters listing his endless concerns about democracy.

In all, to Tocqueville, democracy in general presents three intrinsic dangers for its citizens: it does not guarantee them a secure life, it does not guarantee them a prosperous life, and it does not guarantee them an enlightened life of freedom. Against these general tendencies, Tocqueville lists three essential factors which secure democracy in America-the lack of which would mean the end to American liberty. They are: America's geography, political system, and religion.

Looking at America today, Tocqueville's three securing factors for American democracy are long gone, however, the loss of its guardian angels has not resulted in the materialization of the three dangers and America today is as democratic and free as it has ever being. Tocqueville has been proven wrong because he misunderstood and discounted democracy's ultimate force-the drive for equality. Tocqueville thought the search for equality would ultimately draw people away from freedom, but to the contrary, the demand of equality is the ultimate guarantee of freedom in democracy.

The Three Dangers of Democracy

The foremost duty of any civil society is to provide security, and to Tocqueville, the democratic state can not guarantee this. The democratic people have been loosened from the old ties of society, and living independently, they no longer see the need to help another in danger until they themselves are attacked. When they do see danger, however, the whimsical nature of democratic deliberation and the lack of central control especially in the American confederation prevent a timely and sustained defense against the enemy. Tocqueville writes, "...I refuse to believe that, with equal force on either side, a confederated nation can long fight against a nation with centralized government power." (p170) Indeed, if a great army could indeed be assembled, this necessarily entails greater centralization, which only brings more dangers to democracy.

Beyond security, the people will also desire prosperity, and prosperity requires the building of an economic infrastructure that only the society as a whole is capable of. The nation must make laws that encourage innovation, construct roads, regulate industries, fund schools, etc. Many of these activities require sustained efforts which, again, a short sighted and frequently changing government by the people can not commit to since "habitual inattention must be reckoned the great vice of the democratic spirit." (p611) Additionally, even when the people do commit to an act, their officials who are not the "fittest man" (p199) can not accomplish much because they spend their whole time worried about reelection.

Democracy promises to set each free through voting, but sadly, to Tocqueville, the lack of security and prosperity must engender Democracy's fall toward centralization which will create a benumbing voice of the majority that will silence opinions and suffocates freedom. The minority will surely suffer, but even the majority, believing that they are in charge of the government, will lose their sight on the exact operations of the government which they have relegated away and will lose freedom. Tocqueville writes,

"The Americans believe that in each state supreme power should emanate directly from the people, but once this power has been constituted, they can hardly conceive any limits to it. They freely recognized that it has the right to do everything." (p669)

The worry here is not that the government will exploit the people's inattention, but that the citizens will no longer be enlightened by their daily political "exercises" and that the activity of the entire nation will lose its vitality, turning the society into a stony machine of bureaucrats and the people into dusts on a chessboard.

The Three Guarantee of American Democracy

Countering the three above impacts, Tocqueville thought that American Geography, politics and religion preserve freedom, prosperity, and security.

Stretching between two oceans and with only two weak neighbors, the geography of the United States gives America the leisure to have a confederated government. The Continent also offers open space for the young and the ambitious. Although the nation is weak in achieving collective projects, with boundless opportunities and population growth, the collective result of individual expansion is sufficient for prosperity. Indeed, as people move on, "it is the seed of life and of prosperity that he bears." (p281)

The governmental structure of the U.S. also allows it to prosper and helps to preserve freedom. The Union has enough power to fight against small enemies such as the Indians, yet it avoids centralization by empowering the locals. Certainly, localized and centralized democracy both suffer from short-sightedness and suppression of the mind, however, local policies are easier to observe, and taking part in politics, the people are enlightened and freer. Tocqueville writes, "The New Englander is attached to this township because it is strong and independent...in the restricted sphere within his scope, he learns to rule society" (p70) As one learns to rule, he will also be empowered and emboldened to start prosperous private enterprises.

More than politics and geography, to Tocqueville, Religion has the greatest impact on freedom and also improves prosperity. Religion always marches along with the adventurers and secures in the Western frontiers not only the equality based American political system but also American commerce by helping to establish law and order in new territories. Tocqueville writes, "...the spirit of man rushes forward to explore it in every direction; but when that spirit reaches the limits of the world of politics, it stops of its own accord..." (p47) It stops because of the taming power of religion, and without this restraining stability, a people can not have security, prosperity, nor freedom.

At the same time, by connecting people together through churches and providing them the warmth of family life, religion also moderates the Americans' excessive "habit of thinking of themselves in isolation and imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands." (p508) This habit would have induced men to delegate political concerns to central authority, and as they only see small things at hand, they would have lost the enlightenment which the independent political life provides.

Today, the Three Guarantees No Longer Exist

Today, America is certainly no longer the America which Tocqueville saw, the three conditions that maintained the democratic institution are severely weakened.

Today, the deserts of the West have been converted into hundreds of miles of suburbia, and America spends billions of dollars guarding its southern border. People still dream, but unlike in the old days when anyone with any background can gain a piece of land through hard work, people today must compete against others for the limited pie. Additionally, America certainly still has no fear of the Canadian or Mexican army, but it has enemies throughout the world who are capable of attack.

Just as Tocqueville predicted, after each war, the central power in America became stronger. Today, local politics no longer excites the passion of the crowds, and states are more provincial. The national government controls a tremendous percentage of the national wealth, directs economic policies, sets regulation for every industry, and leads the greatest military in the world. Alarmingly, political apathy has also increased. Surely, the average American says he loves his democracy, but in the democracy he talks about the percentage of people who vote is far from 100% and even for those who do vote, the thousands of pages of Washington laws and decrees are out of their control.

The religious landscape has also changed. The morality of Christianity certainly still holds sway over many, however, the average American today certainly does not have the religious zeal of people 200 years ago. There are also large parts of the population that are atheists or believe in non-western religions. Strangely, some vocal Christians seem to promote an ever increasing share of religion in politics, or rather, politicians are becoming ever more agile at using religion for politics-two things which Tocqueville believed must be separated for either to be truly powerful.

Without the Guarantees the People Are Still Free

Despite losing the old guarantee of security, America today still has security, prosperity and freedom.

Despite Sep. 11, America is certainly secure in the sense that the average American does not wake up worried that he will die simply because he lives in a democracy. Some groups might attempt small attacks, but no groups or dictatorial regimes can dream of winning a war against this super military power and internal security is also largely guaranteed by a large police force.

Despite the loss of the Wild West, local energy and uniform religion, America today certainly enjoys great prosperity. American companies dominate all lists of top companies in the world, and American innovations have improved the living conditions of mankind beyond imagination. There is certainly disparity between the richest and the poorest, however, the majority of the people enjoy prosperous middle-class life, and even the poorest are supported by a generous welfare system.

One might say that America has achieved the above security and prosperity exactly because power became centralized and the cost of these was the loss of freedom. This is a misconception. Indeed, political participation is limited to fewer people today and sometimes one wonders if the blind search for wealth should be tempered by some uniform religion again, but perhaps Americans have constructed an economic and political system that does not need much more innovation, and the works politicians today even if localized no longer heighten one's mind, but merely bore a person with their regularity.

Today, the citizen's rights as consumers instead of voters define American freedom-when one goes into a store and chooses from a thousand different products, he knows that he is free. No longer must men be suppressed by the opinion of the majority, but each can freely buy the niche models personalized just for him. Shopping is the daily act of wallet voting-the modern equivalent of 19th century town hall meetings; the same restless agitation, excitement, and heightened sense of self-worth and joy pervade the modern marketplace. Of course, each person's mind is not only enlarged in her role as a consumer but also in his role as a marketer or producer who must dig out creative juices to satisfy customer demands.

The effects of the vibrant consumer culture extend into the sanctified realm of intellectual endeavors. Institutional and individual consumers/investors/sponsors support in the U.S. the best researches in the world for practical and basic researches and vote with his wallet at who gets the tuitions or research grants. Perhaps the nation is a little too agitated, but if they wish, those who want to enjoy the serenity of life can certainly go to the country side or some forest and sustain a more peaceful existence.

The Truth about Equality

From the above analysis, we could see that although Tocqueville argues convincingly for the three dangers of democracy and three cures of democracy, in fact, the dangers were not so dangerous and the cures were not the only cures. It might surprise Tocqueville that despite of the loss of the West, centralization and the weakening of religion, Americans today are as free, prosperous and secure as they have ever been.

The key of Tocqueville's miscalculation lies with his analysis of equality and freedom. Tocqueville believes that the democratic search for equality engenders jealousy which undermines freedom by dragging everyone down and letting some anonymous force rule over all. He writes,

"There is indeed a manly and legitimate passion for equality which rouses in all men a desire to be strong and respected .This passion tends to elevate the little man to the rank of the great/ But the human heart also nourishes a debased taste for equality, which leads the weak to want to drag the strong down to their level and which induces men to prefer equality in servitude to inequality in freedom." (p669)

To him, the geography, political structure and religious mores in America were the restraining factors that limited the downward tendency of equality which induces people to simply follow without thinking. The loss of free thinking would not only prevent men from reaching a more enlightened and dignified state, but also ultimately undermine the security and prosperity of the nation through its benumbing effects on the nation's overall social, political and economic situations.

In reality, equality is the greatest guarantee of freedom. America's worship of equality does not incite jealousy like Tocqueville asserts, instead, Americans happily admire at those who through their efforts build up great wealth, and imitate them as they march on in their own dreams. Democratic people are only jealous of others if they win without a more or less fair competition. It is true that nothing can ever be perfectly fair, but the American society is generally merit based. One only has to look at Governor Schwarzenegger to realize that anyone in this Country has got a chance. Even for people with connections, they still need to work hard to prove themselves-Bush Senior certainly helped Bush Junior, but Bush Junior still had to win the hearts of Americans to become the President.

When a democratic man does not achieve as much worldly success as someone else, he is not troubled. Unlike the surf in an aristocratic age who feels intrinsically inferior to those with more honor than him, the average man in a democratic society might have achieved nothing great but yet feel perfectly certain that he has achieved for himself a happier life than all others. He is certainly right, after all, freedom and elevation of the mind does not rest on the material well-being of an individual, rather, it is the confidence that he has in his existence and the love he puts into his work that elevates him to the greatest glory of existence.

It is precisely the general equality of opportunities and everyman's belief in himself that has allowed America to grow into the most powerful nation in the world with the greatest prosperity and security ever experienced by mankind. Tocqueville was certainly right in pointing out that the western territories, localized controls and a common religion helped America democracy; even today, America has less population density than many nations, the states are more powerful compared to the provinces in most other countries, and all Americans share the most basic principles of Christian morality even if they are not Christians. Degrees of these three forces certainly contribute and contributed to making America a equal society, however, it is equality itself that is the soul of American liberty, prosperity and security, and the loss or weakening of its supporting factors do not change the soul itself.

Time changes and Tocqueville's worries about democracy have luckily turned out to be false. Today, not only are the new Americans as free as ever, democracy is proving resilient in every kind of culture. On the one hand, the fact that Japanese, Indians, Russians, French, Chileans, Indonesians and Nigerians have all adopted democracy shows that Tocqueville's prediction that Democracy was unstoppable has proven true, and on the other side, his worry that democracy might need some channeling has also proven true considering that all these nations experienced decades of fake democracy before democracy was fully established. Tocqueville certainly deserves much credit for contributing to the spread of democracy with this masterpiece Democracy in America, but the small blemish is that, a little down in his perhaps prejudiced aristocratic mind, the great man thought Democracy to be less versatile than it has proven to be.

In all, the ultimate wonder of democracy is that it allows each one of its members the equality to craft out a world for himself within which he quietly finds comfort.

Anyone wishing to better understand how it is that America achieved it's current position in the world must read this book. De Tocqueville's seminal work rings true today and gives a great perspective on our past, present and future. Everything that has ever happened in America's relatively short history, up to and including our most recent presidential election and the attacks of September 11th are better understood after reading this timeless classic.

Having read McCaig's other books, I found this one fascinating, but I agree that you might have to be a border collie enthusiast to really enjoy it. The trip through Scotland and finding Gael held my rapt attention. I agree with the Publisher's Weekly review, that McCaig should have stayed on the theme of his new dog and her subsequent life. He left me hanging on that one and I'm hoping there will be a sequel. Despite that, I loved the book anyway.

The only problem with his books are that they seem to read far too quickly. I find myself putting them down just to make them last. He knows how to pull you into a good story. "Nop's Trials" is a particularly great story. Unfortunately for me I stayed up all night with this one in hand until the very last page. Tired but glad to have read this one.

"Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men" reads great but I'll lose no sleep from this one. A wonderful and captivating read. A real insiders perspective on working dogs and the sheepmen who work with them.

This is a fascinating read for dog lovers.

I have occasionally had friends decide they wanted a Border Collie - friends I knew should not get a Border Collie. I give them this book and it does a great job of changing their minds. And it entertains them at the same time.

I liked this book so much and it stuck with me so when I first read it - the many comments of his "wee bitch" and naming her Gael that my Gael was named from this book. Border collie enthusiasts who see just names on the papers of their dogs may well see some of those names in here. Wonderful people and dogs in real life and an enjoyable read of working dogs, both trials and every day dogs, in Scotland. Loved the book...as someone else mentioned if you're not a fan of border collies you might not find it quite as engaging. Recommended reading for border collie owners!!

A Border Collie owner, I could hardly wait to read this book, and the author's other books, Nop's Trials and Nop's Hope. A one-time visitor to Scotland who can't wait to go back, I eagerly looked forward to this book. And, I was not in the least bit disappointed on either count! The author's style is easy-going and readable, with a subtle humor throughout. His images are brilliant and I just felt like I was present for each scene that he wrote and a part of the action. Someone who has no interest in the working Border Collie might find the book dull. So also might someone who is not particularly interested in the very different lifestyle of the shepherd of Scotland. But for us who love the working Border Collie and find the life of the Scottish shepherd and his/her dog intriguing, this is an absolutely must-read book, over and over again!

I originally got this back in 1975 when in college, and it became my film Bible for many years, until somehow it got lost. Over the years I had seen a smaller reprint (late 80s) and even an original hardcover for about $50. This is a 2005 reprint, with a new introduction by Scott Macdonald and a brief new essay and photo of Vogel himself. Vogel says he feels no need to change anything, and his text is still powerful and intelligent, but while very nice to have again, and definitely an excellent book on transgressive cinema, it really could use an update. Many (many!) of the films covered were recent at the time of publication. Someone really should continue to list and write about films from the last thirty years that continue in the inspiration of this work. Still, highly recommended -- though it is truly strange to see how many of these films I have managed to see, eventually. Even the Otto Muehl films I've had opportunity to watch in a theater with a (madly rushing for the exits) audience. So if you need a real kick in the head about what the cinema can do, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

I had the privilege of being Amos Vogel's student back in the early 1980s, and was therefore fortunate to see a number of the 'unobtainable' films mentioned in this book. Vogel is an encyclopedia of film knowledge, and the often pithy accounts of various 'subversive' films -- including some you might not guess would warrant the label -- are both entertaining and intelligent. The image selection is great though, as others (including Vogel) have noted, a still frame stands for a film in an inadequate but nevertheless allusive way.

This book by Amos Vogel is a reference like no other. He explains why these films need to be seen. The photographs are a treasure themself and the book is abound with them. I have refered to this book constantly through the past 30 years. I'ts great to see it is back in print. My film library of over 1000 art, surrealist, avant guard cinema was largely do to Mr. Vogel's knowledge and explanation of film. I'm only sorry that it has not been updated to show the 1970's to 2006. A must have for sure, get the book while they last.

I agree with other reviewers. This is a great, indispensible book. I've spent the past twenty-five years or so trying to see all the films mentioned. I've made pretty good progress, but I still have a lot to go. My copy is all dog-eared and falling apart and I came here hoping to find one for my half-brother, who is just starting out in the movie biz and needs to know what's in this book. I hope it gets itself back into print. I'd love to see it updated to include subversive films created since 1974.

I've had this book half of my life and am still working on seeing all of the films. That said some of the films reviewed in it have dated badly (even Jean Luc Godard has dismissed his Maoist films which never show today). In addition, some of the countercultural (aka hippie) terminology such as "consciousness 3" will leave modern readers scratching their heads. That said it is an essential discussion of films that break film conventions, whether it be through the language of film, political subversion (suddenly relevant again) or sexual politics. The one positive note is that at the end of the book the author states in bold, "But the real question remains: how to reach the masses 'out there' with five heavy cans of 35 mm film and nowhere to show them". The answer is that through video and especially dvd films mentioned in this book that were impossible to find are suddenly resurfacing and being re-evaluated. Though some films are best shelved (I pity anyone who watches all 8 hours of Andy Warhol's "Empire" just to say that they saw it), others especially from world cinema such as the Iranian film "The Cow" and the Senegal made film "The Money Order (Mandabi)" show film makers who now have recieved acclaim. Though some reviewers wanted an update of this book I think that it was written and speaks for a certain point in time, before the co-option of underground films into indie films, when foreign films were still ahead of the times, before garbage like Jackass broke almost all visual taboos while actually taking film a giant leap backward and before the vcr, when hunting down experimental films showing in theaters or libraries was a religion onto itself.

The fourth of the Chronicles of Barsetshire, Framley Parsonage (1861) is a gentle novel filled with memorable characters, including many characters from The Warden, Barchester Towers, and Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels). Mark Robarts, a young vicar with a devoted wife, has a comfortable situation at Framley Parsonage on the estate of the indomitable Lady Lufton. Her son, now Lord Lufton, had been a friend of Mark Robarts at school, and it was their friendship which resulted in Mark's position. Mark, though conscientious in his duties and grateful for his situation, is ambitious, however, anxious to expand his horizons beyond Framley.

Lady Lufton, who rules with an iron hand, is appalled when Mark decides to spend a weekend with a "fast" crowd, one which he believes can advance his career. Young and naïve, he becomes the dupe of an aristocratic "con-man," an MP named Nathaniel Sowerby, who persuades him to help him out of a financial jam by signing a note for five hundred pounds (more than half Robarts's yearly salary), allowing Sowerby to draw funds on Robarts's name. In the meantime, Robarts's sister Lucy arrives at Framley Parsonage upon the death of their father. Lucy, a sweet ingénue in mourning, soon comes to the attention of Lord Lufton, but Lady Lufton has many more "significant" matrimonial prospects in mind for her son. As Robarts's financial miseries become more pressing, and as Lucy's disappointment in love increases, the scene is set for a final showdown.

Numerous peripheral characters, many of them known to readers of the series, add to the drama of the primary action. The implacable dowager Lady Lufton, wishing to maintain her family's social position, pushes Griselda Grantly, daughter of Archdeacon Grantly, as the Duke's suitor. The competition between the (Archdeacon) Grantlys and the (Bishop) Proudies for suitors for their daughters adds great comic relief to the story, and the internecine manipulations among the clergy provide gentle satire in a novel which seems to be remarkably domestic in its focus.

Trollope provides a full picture of Victorian life, representing many aspects of society, and though his view of the clergy has in earlier novels been a bit jaded, he is sympathetic to many of its representatives in this novel, seeing them as humans, rather than as types. A sweet novel, part love story and part social commentary, Framley Parsonage is charming, memorable for its characters and picture of Victorian England. Mary Whipple

Anthony Trollope is a favorite author of mine, and this audio CD version of Framley Parsonage, read by Simon Vance, is well worth the investment. Deft use of language and a keen sense of human motivation, time, and place characterize all Trollope's writing, and those who enjoy period literature will be more than satisfied with this book. It starts slowly, as Trollope's stories often do, but once the background information is given, there are many interesting social, political, financial, and romantic plot developments to engage the reader and listener. Simon Vance's reading is superb, as always. The only caveat is that his rendering of the voice and character of young women is not as good as his pitch, tone, and inflection when narrating the voices of mature women and all men. His skill in rendering different dialects for different social classes and geographical regions is matchless. By all means, listen to this book.

The fourth of the Chronicles of Barsetshire, Framley Parsonage (1861) is a gentle novel filled with memorable characters, including many characters from The Warden, Barchester Towers, and Dr. Thorne. Mark Robarts, a young vicar with a devoted wife, has a comfortable situation at Framley Parsonage on the estate of the indomitable Lady Lufton. Her son, now Lord Lufton, had been a friend of Mark Robarts at school, and it was their friendship which resulted in Mark's position. Mark, though conscientious in his duties and grateful for his situation, is ambitious, however, anxious to expand his horizons beyond Framley.

Lady Lufton, who rules with an iron hand, is appalled when Mark decides to spend a weekend with a "fast" crowd, one which he believes can advance his career. Young and naïve, he becomes the dupe of an aristocratic "con-man," an MP named Nathaniel Sowerby, who persuades him to help him out of a financial jam by signing a note for five hundred pounds (more than half Robarts's yearly salary), allowing Sowerby to draw funds on Robarts's name. Though Sowerby swears he will resolve the problem within weeks, he needs an additional four hundred pounds when the note comes due.

In the meantime, Robarts's sister Lucy arrives at Framley Parsonage upon the death of their father. Lucy, a sweet ingénue in mourning, soon comes to the attention of Lord Lufton, who is fascinated by her naivete, a marked contrast with the women he has known to date. Though Lady Lufton has much more "significant" matrimonial prospects in mind for her son, the courtship begins, and though Lucy declines Lord Lufton's initial proposal, she remains in love with him. As Robarts's financial miseries become more pressing, and as Lucy's misery at having turned down Lord Lufton increases, the scene is set for a final showdown.

Numerous peripheral characters, many of them known to readers of the series, add to the drama of the primary action. The implacable dowager Lady Lufton, wishing to maintain her family's social position, staunchly opposes the Duke's relationship with Lucy Robarts, pushing Griselda Grantly, daughter of Archdeacon Grantly, as the Duke's suitor. The competition between the (Archdeacon) Grantlys and the (Bishop) Proudies for suitors for their daughters adds great comic relief to the story, and the internecine manipulations among the clergy provide gentle satire in a novel which seems to be remarkably domestic in its focus.

Trollope provides a full picture of Victorian life, representing many aspects of society, and though his view of the clergy has in earlier novels been a bit jaded, he is sympathetic to many of its representatives in this novel, seeing them as humans, rather than as types. A sweet novel, part love story and part social commentary, Framley Parsonage is charming, memorable for its characters and picture of Victorian England. n Mary Whipple

The Warden
Barchester Towers
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels)

In this novel we find one Mark Robarts, clergyman and parson of Framley. He is an ambitious young man desirous of rising in society. He is friends since childhood with Lord Lufton who makes an unfortunate introduction in the person of Sowerby who seduces poor Mark into signing his name to a debt which the parson cannot afford.

Mark Robarts's father passes away early on and his sister Lucy joins Mark and his wife at Framley Parsonage where Lord Lufton falls in love with her. Two more couples form and while I won't reveal how any of these relationships work out it wouldn't really matter if I did. Trollope's plots usually vary from bad to good but they are hardly ever of any importance anyway. What is important in a Trollope novel isn't what the plot is or how it concludes, it's how it works itself out and how Trollope paints his characters.

The characters in Framley Parsonage are a little whiter and blacker than those of the previous novels in the Barsetshire series. Sowerby is by far and away the blackest and Trollope was so effective in painting him black that towards the end he clumsily appeals directly to the reader and assures us Sowerby isn't really as bad a fellow as he seems.

Dr. Thorne and his niece Mary Gresham appear (from Doctor Thorne) as do the Grantlys and the Proudies (from Barchester Towers). Lucy Robarts is a fascinating woman even more headstrong here than Mary Gresham was in Doctor Thorne, but my favourite character in this novel is Lady Lufton. She opposes her son's desire to court and marry Lucy but does so politely and with consideration. At the same time, Lucy behaves in way Lady Lufton can only find irreproachable. So of course, not having anything with which to reproach Lucy, Lady Lufton has nothing with which to oppose her son's suit. And yet she does. How will this three-sided battle of wills, pitting Lord Lufton against his mother against Lucy against her suitor, resolve itself?

Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Let's just say that Lady Lufton has painted herself into a corner and let us leave it at that.

All in all, another fine example of Trollope's mastery of moral calculus.

Vincent Poirier, Dublin

Framley Parsonage is the fourth in Trollope's Barsetshire novels. Trollope (1815-1882) wrote the novel as a serial in the influential Cornhill magazine in 186-61, This novel along with the others in the series: The Warden; Dr. Thorne, The Small House at Allington, Barchester Towers and the Last Chronicle of Barset is a delightful return to mid-Victorian middle class society in a rural mythical county named Barsetshire.
In this long novel of over 600 pages there are several stories. The main character is the Rev. Mark Robarts, a
doctor's son, who at a young age becomes the vicar of Framley Parsonage. He has children and a kind wife Fanny. Mark has visions of grandeur in his head. He lends money to the unscrupulous Member of Parliament Mr. Sowerby. As a result of this fatuity Mark falls into debt. His friends rally to his aid.
Mark's sister Lucy Robarts is novel's heroine. She falls in love with the wealthy Lord Lufton who lives at Eustace Court with his formidable mother Lady Lufton. Lady Lufton wants her son Ludovic to wed Griselda Grantley the statuesque but dull as dishwater and cold as a cucumber daughter of Archdeacon Grantley. Lufton is torn between these two women. We see Lady Lufton overcome her prejudice against Lucy. Lucy is a kind girl who minister to the family of the poor clergyman Josiah Crawley. She wins over the heart of Lady Lufton and the reader.
Secondary plots concern the midlife romance of Miss Dunstable and good Doctor Thorne. Olivia Proudie daughter of the fussy busybody and scold Mrs. Proudie and the uxorious Bishop Proudie weds a clergyman Mr. Tickler who is a widower. Griselda Grantley is courted by the stupid Lord Dumbello who possesses a name and title to the Hartletop lands and fortune. Will she win Lord Lufton or choose Dumbello?
All's well that ends well in this classic Trollopian tale. Long before Jan Karon, Anthony Trollope wrote humorous, moving and plot driven tales of the lives of the clergy dealing with real life problems, romance and challenges. In my opinion, an Anthony Trollope novel is a good way to spend a quiet evening before the fireplace. Enjoy this wonderful author and the world he created.

The G8's Role in the New Millennium makes a significant contribution to our understanding of an important institution.

The G8's Role in the New Millennium makes a significant contribution to our understanding of an important institution.

This publication is a succinct but authoritative primer on this organization's role as a potential policy-making alternative body for managing global financial challenges.

This book goes a some way to lifting the curtain on the secrecy that surrounds the operation of a body that has no charter, no headquarters, no secretariat. --Business Worldaware

This volume makes an important contribution to the debate about the appropriate institutional architecture for the international economy of the next century. It is authoritative and accessible. --Dr Steve McGuire, Royal Holloway, University of London

I neede to buy this book for a class/trip I am taking over spring break. I was very surprised that it was not a dry text book , but a very readable information guide to the entire area. Great book if your interested in the geology of the area.

I read it after I came back from a trip to Owens Valley, so I can't speak on using it for directions, but it is a great book. I began reading to find a few facts to label my trip photos with but found myself reading the entire Owens Valley half, even the places I didn't see. There are some crazy things in Owens Valley! A gravity deficit, piles of rock in neat columns, lava cooling into glass, water issues with Owens Lake... I couldn't stop reading even though I had work to do - bad bad, but so good!

The chapters on each location are longer and geologic feature are more detailed than your average guide book, so you understand the background and science, but there's no technical jargon, so it's very easy to understand. Very clear simple writing by people who obviously have a genuine appreciation for what they're writing about.

Most years we vacation in Mammoth. This book describes a number of convenient and interesting side trips to take with the family. We wander around, sometimes visiting the same features, sometimes visiting a new site. Always appreciating more & more of the world around us. My children have a much better feel for geological processes and their impact on the landscape than do their peers.

The book starts with a five page description of Eastern California's geological history, then jumps into 30 sites of interest, nearly evenly distributed between Death Valley & vicinity and the Eastern Sierra & vicinity. A glossary, "Sources of Supplementary Information," and an index round out the book.

Each site receives its own chapter, replete with photographs, maps, geological diagrams, and even driving directions, as needed. I'm not a serious geologist, but landscape features fascinate me. The explanations that the authors give work well for me: I can understand them well enough to explain them to children.

If you're interested in how the land has been shaped, if you're willing to turn off the tube & make contact with the natural world, then this book is for you. One of the best "field guides" to geology I own. One of my favorites, too. (The companion volume, GEOLOGY UNDERFOOT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, is also an excellent book).

Great to take along any drive through the area. Have your passenger read as you go, stop along the way for a closer look. Easy to read, not too "intellectual". This was my favorite guide to the area when I moved here (and still is)!

The southwest United States is a geomorphologist's dream... There's not a lot of green stuff covering up the beautiful geology! This book details the geologic features of Death and Owens Valley, CA. It gives the geologic history of features while succinctly describing the details of the processes that brought about these features. The Tufa Pinnacles in Searles Valley, the alluvial fans in Death Valley, the interesting history and development of Gower Gulch, the mysterious ascent of desert pavement, the glacial morraines and routes of the Tahoe and Tioga Stade glaciers at Convict Lake, the Mono Craters (Domes), Fossil Falls, the Alabama Hills and more. You'll even get the heebee jeebees when you read about the monstrous explosion of Ubehebe Crater! Certainly one of the most interesting and pleasurable books I've read in ages! Highly recommended for ANYONE who plans a trip to California's awe-inspiring Death Valley and environs! A must have!