P Books

I was given this book by a friend. I found it to be the most helpful of all books in my library when it came to introducing initiates to Wicca. I have made this book a preliminary requirement before I begin teaching anything because of it's easy reading style and brief tactfulness. It covers many of the basics of the craft and is excellent for beginners. I wish I had come across it sooner in my journeys.

Faced, today, with such a proliferation of books promising to Impart The Secrets Of The Craft, choosing who to listen to can be daunting, even impossible. Yet the aspiring Witch is unlikely to have a seasoned practitioner in easy reach from whom to seek advice; most of us have little option but to rely on books, at least to begin with.

In light of this, you can do a great deal worse than pick up a copy of Moorey's book, if you can find it. This remains one of the best short introductions to Witchcraft (and, to an extent, to many of the concepts of modern Paganism, too) out there: clearly-written, non-nonsense, filled with practical advice on how to celebrate and live your beliefs - rather than sitting around with a pentagram and a few joss sticks, feeling faintly cheated. For the poetically-challenged of us, there are also nicely-expressed suggested verses for sabbats and esbats.

At every stage it is practical, helpful, and (hurrah!) largely non-fluffy. Recommended.

Although it's been awhile since I've read this book (my brother owns it,) I remember what a great little book it was.

I really enjoyed the sections on The God and Goddess and Witches and Sexuality. This was one of the first books I ever read on Witchcraft. I also recommmend Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham in addition to this book.

I am going to buy myself a copy soon.

Update: Feb. 25/03
I borrowed this book from my brother and am reading it again and have been noticing quite a few things that I'm not sure are correct. Things such as Witchcraft being a religion (I'm still not sure of my take on that) and she calls what I know of as the Wiccan rede as the Witches Creed but not all Witches follow it. She says that Satanists worship the devil (which they don't) and when talking about the Burning Times, does not mention that most of the people who died weren't actually witches, and I am only at Chapter 2!

an excellent beginners book for anybody with a curious interest in witchcraft, easy to read easy to follow and digest

Of the many introductory books I've read on Witchcraft, this one is short, sweet, and to the point. Moorey packs a lot of quality information into a small book. I would recommend this book for someone wanting a good overview of the Craft, and looking for a starting out point for further exploration.

I very much enjoyed this book. It is well written and will take you back to your college days!

written very well,although there was a little to much of the f-word. I would like to read more of this authors writtings.

I don't know exactly why I picked-up a copy of "Assault on the Senses" -- likely because I thought it would be a funny book about boozing-- but when I began reading it, I realized that what I had bought was a coming-of-age-novel; a book about teen angst, anomie and unrequited love, and I was prepared to hate it. When it was revealed to be a halfhearted mystery story too, I almost stopped reading it.

Having nothing better to do, I kept slogging on, and never has a book turned me around and won me over as this novel did. True, there's much poor writing (the protagonist can share his thoughts only with a pet hamster) and broken grammar in it, and one could write an equally long book about the novel's faults, but it is my sincere feeling that this novel is a masterpiece of the first chop and a genuine piece of literature.

All the other reviewers here seem to regard this as light reading and a comic look at college life, another National Lampoon's Animal House, but it is nothing of the sort. I consider Michael P. Ferrari to be the F. Scott Fitzgerald of a new generation, and I'll be certain to watch for his whatever he has published in the future.

Bravo!

CollegeHumor.com contributor Michael P. Ferrari presents Assault on the Senses, a grimly humorous novel about the downward self-destructive spiral of college student Kalvin Gray. The repercussions of a bad breakup plus the lack of direction in his life are further compounded when he discovers a "wanted" poster warning students of an attempted rapist, featuring a police sketch that looks suspiciously like him. Despite his innocence of the heinous crime, he fears that his reputation and sex life will be ruined - until he crosses paths with the seductive school newspaper editor Katie, who becomes his ally in the search for the truth. His life just might have the potential to turn around - if he can stay sober long enough for that to happen. A tongue-in-cheek look at the dark side to the campus experience.

Kalvin Gray is a college student with a taste for beer and a talent for self-hatred. While his fraternity brothers (Wally, Jay, Dutch, Doug, and Barry) provide ample support for his wild behaviour, the emotional backing comes from his female friends, Molly and Lana. Still suffering heartache over his lost love, Jill, Kal's world becomes even gloomier when the whole college assumes he is the attempted rapist pictured in a wanted poster. After establishing an unlikely alliance with Katie, a vivacious campus newspaper reporter, the pair set out to prove Kal's innocence, find the true culprit, and possibly develop their own relationship in the process.

This is a funny read, with plenty of crude laughter peppered throughout. Much of this is based upon Kal's own witty comments, both spoken and commented, together with the antics and primitive opinions of his various friends. His five frat brothers do rather blend into one without particularly establishing their own characters, but the laughs they introduce make up for this and Dutch's party trick never fails to deliver.

Early-on the pace of the novel is good, with entertaining introductions to Kal's beer-soaked life as well as plenty of plot suspense. There are many darker moments too, as Kal's downward spiral progresses. While the book's middle section struggles to live up to the promise of the beginning, there are still moments of comedy to make the read thoroughly worthwhile - Kal and his friends crashing an 'alternative' house party is one prime example. Towards the end we have twists and turns aplenty, with things never quite ending up as you expected them to. Some of the twists could have been introduced earlier in the novel to keep the plot ticking on at a higher rate, but Ferrari is to be commended for tying up all the loose ends of a clever storyline.

Overall, 'Assault on the Senses' is a very enjoyable read with plenty of crude laughs and a plot that will keep you guessing right to the end. If you're looking for a similarly entertaining campus comedy novel then you should also enjoy A Foreign Education by Craig Alan Williamson.

All of Michael Kahn's books have been favorites of mine, but his newest, Bearing Witness is outstanding. Anyone looking for a thrilling mystery should definately check out this book!

Just finished reading this Rachel Gold mystery. This is my fourth one and I have enjoyed them all. However, in this one, Michael Kahn kicks it up a few notches. In this book he tells the tale of Ruth Alpert. Her case evolves from an age discrimination suit to a qui tam case. Michael Kahn does a good job of explaining what a qui tam case is. He also re-educates us on Kristallnacht, die spinne and April 20, 1898 which are events none of us should forget. I live in the area of St. Louis and I loved the descriptions of Union Station (the Arch of Whispers)and the restaurants he names in the book. I can picture everything. Keep on writing.

a legal thriller worthy of the name. an age discrimination case evolves into a multi-million dollar whistle-blowing expose. narrative flow is steady if occasionally ponderous. nice balance of trial prep,personal travails and courtroom squirmishes- all fueled by an inescapable desire to root for the good guys.

Michael Kahn's books seem to just keep getting better and better. This is an absorbing and sobering adventure with Rachel, Benny and the rest of the crew. Rachel's relationship is progressing nicely with the "Wolf Man" and I hope it continues in future books. Keep writing PLEASE -- when you are sitting at your computer late into the night, be assured your fans are eagerly awaiting your next Rachel Gold adventure!

I discovered Rachel Gold through a short story in EQMM - thank heaven, as I don't think I would have found them otherwise; for anyone who is looking for a terrific mystery, interesting characters and courtroom drama - run don't walk to buy one of Michael Kahn's Rachel Gold books.

This is, by far, the best of the lot; full of history (Nazi treasure), present day issues(age discrimination and excellent sleuthing. The plotting and the characters are so well drawn that I find I have re-read this book several times even though I know "who dun it" and enjoyed it all over again.

Bell, Book & Beyond debuts over twenty new talents who feature tales of witchcraft, from comic scenes to witches dark and brooding. Readers interested in fiction stories of witches will find this an involving, revealing guides which will prove hard to put down. S.P. Somertow provides an foreword.

Hattie's Head was very crafty, weaving suspense with humor, and the present with the past. The last sentence tied it all up in a neat little package and left me dumbfounded! I felt as though I were beside the boys on their hunt for Hattie. Kelli Campbell told the story so cleverly that I could see everything clearly and isn't that what a good writer does? They let you "see" what you read. I'm anxiously looking forward to more of this writers' stories in the future. She's on her way to success as a well known Horror Writer.

Hattie's Head was very crafty, weaving suspense with humor, and the present with the past. The last sentence tied it all up in a neat little package and left me dumbfounded! I felt as though I were beside the boys on their hunt for Hattie. Kelli Campbell told the story so cleverly that I could see everything clearly and isn't that what a good writer does? They let you "see" what you read. I'm anxiously looking forward to more of this writers' stories in the future. She's on her way to success as a well known Horror Writer.

Don't consider this book to be just another collection of Wicca lore or black-hatted crones, there's much more on the menu than your typical witch tales. Ranging from the fantasy genre 'The Child's Tale' to a modern mom in 'As Promised', to the creeping tingles of 'Le Bete Est Morte' to the comedy of 'That Old Black Magic', this book offers up some of the best, most witchy tales on the market today.

Table Of Contents:
· The Child's Tale by Carole Nomarhas
· The Power Lunch by Janet L. Hetherington
· Six Guns & Six Spells by Paul Victor Wargelin
· A Dichotomy Of Belief by Michael Oliveri
· Spiders Grace All Of Me by Michelle Scalise
· As Promised by Walt Jarvis
· Madly, Deeply by Greg Kishbaugh
· Le Bete Est Morte by Nicholas Kaufmann
· That Old Black Magic by John R. Platt
· Stadium Square by Eric Gregg
· Elena by David A. DeFalco
· Hattie's Head by Kelli Campbell
· Her Place by Joel Ross
· Endemoniada by William O'Donnell
· The Nice House by L.H. Maynard & M.P.N. Sims
· Heavy Sybil by Bob Beideman
· Harm None by Dean H. Wild
· The Island by Whitt Pond
· Trailertrash Annie by Peter N. Dudar
· The Power Doctor by Ward Parker
· Celia by R. Michael Burns

At the end of the book are brief biographies of each writer. All (at the time) were affiliate members of HWA, though many had previous publications and many have gone on to grace us with further proof of their writing skills in other anthologies, novels, and edited collections.

My favorites would be 'The Child's Tale', a fantasy type story of bitter revenge; 'As Promised', the story of how far a witchy mom will go for the daughter she loves; 'Le Bete Est Morte', a creeping story of the witch next door and "it's" ticklish, old time habits; 'That Old Black Magic' which brings a tone of comic relief to witchcraft; 'Heavy Sybil', another semi-comedic tale of an idea that turns on a young heavy metal fan when he drops his girlfriend; and 'The Power Doctor', which will surprise you with its grisly ending.

Ancient and new witchcraft, spiders, spells, love potions, westerns, fantasy, modern, unbearable beauty and hideous ugliness - it's all here in this fantastic collection. If you love witchy tales, don't miss out on this excellent anthology! Enjoy!

Whether your just dabbling in the lore of witchcraft, looking for a great read, or trying to find some great authors; this book is sure to please! It contains a bountiful collection of some of the most talented non-mainstream horror story writers to date. This anthology contains enough laughs, gasps, and feelings of dread to accomidate even the toughest of critics. I've found myself running into work late from lunch on more than one occasion due to my unrelenting need to fit in a couple of extra pages despite my tardiness. The characters and settings are quite colorful (if not vibrant) in each tale, making you an invisible bystander to these events..........even if you wish you weren't!

I had read some of Georgette Heyer's books when I was a teen-ager. Somehow I found this book in a bookstore and I bought it right away. One of the reasons I hadn't read Georgette Heyer for a long time is her heroes are always so much older than the heroines, that said I was pleasantly surprised with this book as Abigail is a matured woman and the relationshop between her and the hero is believable and is between equals.I just loved the book and recommend it highly. This book shows how you can write a romance story without the book mentioning even the word 'sex'.

I wish Georgette Heyer had written more books!!!!!!!!!!

There are two bad boys here, both of them Calverleighs, but the younger, Stacey, is really bad. He's a fortune-hunter who is trying to con Fanny, a young heiress, into an elopement. The older, Miles, is Stacey's uncle, lately returned from his banishment to India, twenty years before, for trying to elope with Celia, who later became Fanny's mother!

But Miles had really loved his Celia, unlike Stacey, who doesn't care a bit for Fanny. Then there is Abby, Fanny's aunt, who is only 28 but acting as her guardian. Abby has to try to extricate Fanny from Stacey's lures, but since she is falling under the spell of the extremely funny Miles, it's a difficult task.

This book has some of Heyer's funniest dialog. Although very similar to her last novel, "Lady of Quality" (also a whopping good read), this one stands on its own and is well worth reading. And rereading. And so on. I've read it many times in the past 40 years, and it still makes me laugh. The ending is marvelous, and all the resolutions perfect in their way!

First, I must say that when Georgette Heyer is good, she's incomparable. And the two wittiest dialogues I have ever read are in The Black Sheep and The Reluctant Widow. At some point in each of these books, a man and woman are carrying on a discussion about two entirely different things and it's just wonderfully funny as it dawns on the reader that they aren't on the same page. I don't know of anyone else in the Romance genre who has pulled this off as well. I'm surprised no one has ripped off either of these storylines - they are highly original and thoroughly entertaining. I only wish these two books were available on CDs or audio download. They are amongst her best.

'Black Sheep' is one of Georgette Heyer's later Regency novels and shows all her skills as a writer, including her much-praised historical accuracy for this period. The 'Black Sheep' of the title is Mr Miles Calverleigh, a gentleman who was sent to India twenty years before after shaming his family. Unfortunately for Miss Abigail Wendover, the absent Mr Calverleigh's nephew Stacy is apparently trying to beguile her spirited niece Fanny in order to get his hands on her fortune. Abigail and her sister Serena have stood as parents toward Fanny for many years but Abigail begins to discover that Fanny has grown up enough to want to rely less on her aunt and more on her own heart.

It is into this situation that Miles Calverleigh steps, having finally returned from India. The first scene between him and Abby, a case of mistaken identity, is a wonderful example of Heyer's skill in writing two spirited and interesting characters. Abigail tries to get Miles to help separate his nephew from her niece but she finds herself thwarted by his apparent lack of interest in the cares of others and his apparent wish to thwart her own strict views on being a support to her own sister which may prevent her from following her heart.

There are some similarities between this book and 'Lady of Quality', also written late in Heyer's career, not least in the age of the heroes and heroines who aren't the youngsters of 'Friday's Child' or 'Cotillion' but are mature people who may perhaps feel that the opportunities in life have passed them by. As usual the side characters are excellent in this story, including the very amusing Mrs Clapham and even the straighlaced James Wendover. This book seems to contain less of the cant phrases that can render some characters in other books almost incomprehensible but the overall standard of dialogue is excellent. 'Black Sheep' makes an excellent introduction to Heyer's Regency novels and can be enjoyed again and again.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

I think that in emphasizing the romance, Heyer gets short-changed as a story teller. Not to say that the romance is not enjoyable but that there is a bit more depth to this book than the evolution of a relationship between two people.

The plot of this book revolves around families-- the good, the bad, and the indifferent-- and the demands they make on their members. Abigail and Selena Wendover are the youngest and the eldest daughters of a large family. They have always reminded me a bit of Jane and Cassandra Austen although it is just their circumstances and personalities that remind me of thsoe two, not the story itself.

Abigail is the younger and livelier. At 28 she is one of the older Heyer heroines. Selena is some years Abigail's elder, more staid, a bit hypochondriacal and not as quick witted. Both had been disappointed in youthful love affairs due to the intervention of their father who had thought the young men unsuitable for his daughters. Abigail, while she does not remember her father with any fondness, is willing to admit that he was probably right in scotching her early infatuation. She recognizes that her feelings at 18 were not soundly based. Selena, however, takes comfort in the fact that their mother had prophesied her curate suitor would have gone bald before he was 40.

Between them they are raising a young orphaned niece, a lovely heiress who is turned 17 and preparing for her introduction into polite London society.

Unfortunately, a young man in the person of Stacy Calverleigh has arrived on the scene, intent on making his fortune by marrying into it. Abigail, who is visiting her sister in London, is sent post haste back to Bath by her prudish older brother, James, to try to resolve the situation. Then, in a good mistaken identity scene, Abigail meets Mr. Calverleigh, but it is Mr. Myles Calverleigh, the family black sheep returned from India, that she runs into at York House not Mr. Stacy Calverleigh. Part of the interest is in the reaction of the women of Bath society to the Mr. Calverleighs, contrasting the nephew's polished manners to those of his graceless uncle.

Myles is indifferent to Stacy-- sharply differing with the other uncle/nephew pair in the story. He repeatedly says that he has no interest in his family or for that matter, Abigail's family. However, when things need sorting out, it is Myles who sets actions in motion that lead to a most satisfying resolution.

This is a five star read all the way.

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

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.

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.

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.

This book is a pleasure to read from cover-to-cover. The author clearly loves her subject matter and infuses the history of cheerleading with fun and good humor. I especially loved the photographs. The book would make a great TV documentary. Since reading "Cheerleader", I have ordered all of Ms. Stein's other books.

I loved this book! The pictures are great where did she find them? It's a great gift for anyone interested in cheerleading and a fun read even for people who aren't.

From matching sweaters and pompons to coke and candy posters and ads, the allure of cheerleads in culture and advertising has long been evident in American culture, and here is captured by Elissa Stein in her visual celebration Cheerleader: Ready? Okay! From a history of cheerleading to cheerleader fashion, Cheerleader: Ready? Okay! captures the energy, excitement and changes of the best.

The photographs are amazing. The content is witty and well researched. A great gift for anyone who was a cheerleader--or for those of us who just looked on from the bleachers.

I loved this book! The great illustrations brought back memories of freezing at the big game, yelling myself hoarse when our team made the goal, and thoroughly enjoying myself. It's a must to take to your reunion.

While this book was quite enjoyable, it is not a thriller, filled with twists and conspiracies and secret societies, along the lines of the Da Vinci code, which starred Tom Hanks. In fact, there is no code-breaking at all. Read this book for its comedy, not for its code.

P G Wodehouse was very likely the funniest, most inventive and creative humorist in the English language, as agile a wordsmith as Shakespeare and far more prolific. There are very, very few of his books which are not every bit as funny today as they were when first published. (You may wish to avoid the very first school stories, but that's about it.)

The Code of the Woosters is of a piece with all Bertie/Jeeves novels, that is to say, brilliantly funny. The plot, which is as complicated and involved as any in British farce, is just about beside the point, as so much of the value in reading Wodehouse is in admiration and enjoyment of the language, the outrageous similes, the references to snippets by everyone from Browning to the Bible to contemporary stage songs, and the ridiculous characters, but even then this one is admirably involved. Somehow a book involving a would-be dictator (of the Black Shorts), a nauseautingly ugly cow-creamer, a journal of the repellent or objectionable mannerisms of one's companions, friendly aunts and domineering country-house hosts, etc etc et multiple cetera, all combine to jam 222 pages of joy, which cannot but leave you with a huge grin on your face as you close the book. Like every Jeeves & Wooster novel, it is a must buy.

Code of the Woosters served as my introduction to the oeuvre of Wodehouse, and, I must say, it was an exceedingly pleasant introduction at that. The book is absolute comic brilliance; it sets the standard for what lesser folks (like Carl Hiaasen) have tried to accomplish on their own right.

Some books are read once and discarded, but Code of the Woosters, I feel, has the rare quality of being able to be read time and time again...not just cover-to-cover, but at any particularly mirthful point which captures the reader's fancy. (The number of laugh-out-loud vignettes are too numerous to list.)

The only negatives to the book were the verbose introduction by left-wing crank Alexander Cockburn (if I had a name like "Cockburn" I'd be a bit edgy myself) and the relatively scant presence of Jeeves. Not that he plays a cameo role, but one does wish he figured more prominently.

If you haven't read this yet, you are in for a treat.

'Code of the Woosters' is frequently cited as P.G. Wodehouse's best entry in the Bertie and Jeeves series. It is a deliciously funny and clever little novel, revolving around the acquisition of an antique cow creamer. Bertie summarizes his pickle perfectly:

"Right. Now then. Item One-Aunt Dahlia says that if I don't pinch that cow-creamer and hand it over to her, she will bar me from her table, and no more of Anatole's cooking.'
'Yes, sir.'
'We now come to Item Two-vis., if I do pinch the cow-creamer and hand it over to her, Spode will beat me to a jelly.'
'Yes, sir.'
'Furthermore-Item Three-if I do pinch it and hand it over to her and don't pinch it and hand it over to Harold Pinker, not only shall I undergo the jellying process alluded to above, but Stiffy will take that notebook of Gussie's and hand it over to Sir Watkyn Bassett. And you know and I know what the result of that would be. Well, there you are. That's the set-up. You've got it?
'Yes, sir. It is certainly a somewhat unfortunate state of affairs." (106).

Revealing much more of the humor involves revealing more of the plot, which I won't do. I will simply say that Wodehouse was one of the literary comic greats of his time. This novel is a good place to start.

The Code of the Woosters, by the inimitable P. G. Wodehouse, is a fun and enjoyable romp with Bertie Wooster and his Man Jeeves. This novel features numerous plotlines, including but not limited to, the battle over a cow creamer, a lost notebook, romantic entanglements, the theft of a policeman's helmet, a potential jail sentence for Bertie, a dictator, and more romantic entanglements. Each plotline is brought to a conclusion by the brilliance of "Plum" the excellent English humorist. The book is full of hilarious one liners and brilliant wit. Amazingly, this novel was first published in 1938, yet it is still full of timely situations.

This novel of classic comedy introduces us to Totleigh Towers and its owner, Sir Watkin Bassett. Several memorable mainstay characters are in this book including Gussie Fink-Nottle, Aunt Dahlia, Madeline Bassett, and Stiffy Bing. Any journey taken with Wooster and Jeeves is time well spent. This classic series endures because the characters are wonderful and memorable. A 5 star fun-filled romp.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.