Gateway Books

I saw Mary Lou on Later Today and bought her book after seeing what a genuine positive role model she is. She asks some good questions -- why aren't we happy when most of us have anything we could ask for? Why don't we want to work hard to be happy? She also tells really personal stories about the hard times she has gone through herself and how she saw the positive in every situation. If this book will help me have her energy, smile, and happy outlook, then I can't wait to finish it.

Is she for real? Is she really that happy? What's up with that ever present toothy smile of hers? If you read this book and apply the sensible principles and fundamentals found within you too will know the same joie d'vivre that's a trademark of this effervescent munchkin. YES she really is that happy! She works at it and so can you. A great read and a sure formula for a meaningful and happy life awaits within.

I just got my copy of the book today. I did read it and it is a "10" as Mary Lou would put it. They were some intersting points she made and some fasinating stories that I never knew about with her own family and her past. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it.

Although I was a fan of Mary Lou's when she was competing in the Olympics, I hadn't given her much thought in years. I heard a radio interview she gave and decided to get her book. It is wonderful! As an avid reader of self-improvement books, I can say this is one of the most inspiring I've read in a while. It is practical and down-to-earth. An though I know some may criticize it because Mary Lou is a celebrity and has money, we are all still the same basic cells and makeup. Money does not buy it all, including and especially happiness. Kudos to Mary Lou! Well written and inspiring!

Mary Lou Retton certainly speaks from experience as an American success story. She's worked hard and is a beautiful person and certainly deserves her happiness. Who in her position wouldn't be happy? Of course she has everything anyone could ask for. And in those statements lies the cautionary tale for the rest of us. Most people must find their happiness with a great deal less than Mary Lou Retton has achieved and acquired. I wonder... if a book like this had been written by a non-celebrity, who would be reading it? Its message is simple, which is certainly a good thing. But in the lives of those for whom this "formula" isn't quite so simple and doesn't work quite so neatly, who is presenting a workable message for them?

Fox is giving the hounds of the status quo a run for their money with this near encyclopedic outline about fighting the good fight. Those with an open mind and heart will find much food for thoughtful contemplation here. Fox admits his book is in no way complete. That it is meant to be suggestive of what future Scriptures will and must contain; wisdom from all Wisdom traditions, a bias in favor of what we have in common; a religious humility that lets traditions other than our own speak for themselves; a use of primary sources; God as experience, not doctrine... Fox succeeds in his stated goal.

This book is an encouragement for fighting the good fight. For becoming a spiritual warrior. Anyone can be a soldier telling the Emperor or their Priest or their Boss what he or she wants to hear. Being a warrior means taking a stand. A warrior has a dignity a soldier never realizes. The warrior fights his holy wars with internal enemies before going on any external jihad. The enemies of personal pride and greed and such. Anyone can be a brute, or a terrorist, in the name of God or Country. Fox points out that even in Islam there is a distinction between a lesser and a greater jihad. The greater jihad being that struggle against one's own demons. As the Sufi mystic Hafiz states, battle without love, can render a person mad. As I like to say, it does not matter what a person believes if they don't have love in their heart.

With that said, "One River, Many Wells" is well worth the read. It is a very good outline to work from regarding one's own spiritual journey. Fox brings to light what Meister Eckhart said 700 years ago, "God is like a great underground river." Thus "One River, Many Wells" is short for One Underground River (Source, God), Many sacred Wells-religious traditions. Again, as I like to say, God speaks to anyone that will listen. To meditate is to dig one's own sacred well. Be still and know that I am God. There are no atheists in Foxholes.

This book by Matthew Fox is a wealth of information derived from many sources, the Old and New Testaments (Bible), the Koran, the Vedas, African religious traditions, Native American, Celtic sources, and Buddhism. Writing it must have been a huge undertaking but amazingly, the information flows *naturally* as it reveals the outpouring of Spirit in the lives of mankind throughout the world and over the millenia. Many of the experiences described are words which attempt to capture Divinity at work through particular individuals, societies, and their outcomes. The book is an *essential* exploration of mankind's relationship to each other, community, the earth, and the cosmos. It is an exploration of the meaning of Life itself. Like a previous reviewer, I had difficulty getting started. Initially, I tried reading it straight through but could not. Gradually, at different times, glancing at the chapters, I felt a surge of energy. The ideas and concepts explored by the author set my emotions and mind at ease. Eventually, I was able to "plunge in" and "swim" through the material with relative ease.

The book is divided into five sections, "Relating to Creation", "Relating to Divinity", "Relating to Ourselves: Paths to Encounter and Enlightenment", "Relating to the Future: What the Divine is Asking of Us", and "Where Do We Go from Here? How Deep Ecumenism Explodes our Imaginations with Eighteen New Myths and Visions". Each section has further subdivisions where the author expands on specific themes, such as, Creation, Light, Community, the Names of God, Form, Formlessness, Nothingness, the Divine Feminine, Meditation, Mindfulness, Art and Ritual, Joy, Suffering, and Dying, Resurrection and Reincarnation, the Spiritual Warrior and other topics. Each theme is given a thorough examination connecting many different cultural viewpoints and providing unique insights. The author's vast experience in the realm or religion and personal enlightenment, along with his courage to tackle controversial subjects is greatly appreciated and admired.

The author's vision for mankind is very broad and inclusive ... he sees beyond the barriers of dogmatic belief, ritual, and any other differences that separate people. He gets down to *personal* experiences as expressed by the Great Spirit of Life in the vast expanse of time both from the past, in the present and future. The subject is spiritual expression in the lives of humanity and how the many different ideas and experiences have only One source. This is a very highly recommended book for anyone who is interested in comparative religions and spirituality. Also recommended is "One Heart" by Bonnie Louise Kuchler. Her book is an excellent source of quotations and meditations from different religions and spiritual practices. It is a less complex but similar work. Many readers who find Matthew Fox too deep would benefit from her book. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

I had a difficult time getting started in this book. I'd picked it up and put it down several times. But once into it, it was a pleasant surprise. I read about spiritual matters and paths of every religion and each reading talks of it's own spicific area of knowledge and experience. But Matthew Fox picks a subject and covers it from all angles, Jewish, Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, Buddist, Native American, African American, even the Celtic and the Goddess. It's a great book and a great read. And then you know why you like to study them all.

It's hard to tell where Matthew Fox is and where he is going. His books have been a trail of hit and, mostly miss, wanderings.

He recognizes a common source for spiritual reality. And yet he pushes an ecumenical (and even New-Age) agenda to try and mold all existing beliefs into a vision that it cannot be. 'Only if the religions of the world would stand together...' These religions are organizations with their own agendas and systems. Perhaps Fox should listen to the Dali Lami who said that ultimately there is no reconciliation between the *religions* of Buddhism and Christianity. There may be one spirit, but not a single religion or even meaningful coordination of them. (Vivikenanda says that would be very boring.)

Mysticism is the root of all real spiritual experience and Fox knows this. But each religion is an outgrowth (and hence not true development) of the founder who had the mystical experience. The goal of any true (spiritual) path is personal experience. Fox keeps attempting to join all religions (forms) into a great ecumenical mandala and this cannot be done. Personal experience is always unique. It is wisdom that we can see from other beliefs. But Fox keeps on pushing in yet another book.

To be perfectly clear, his inclusion of various spiritual and mystical source in this book is commendable. Everyone else is realizing wisdom of many sources so why not M.Fox. However his approach is always one of 'Look how great what I am saying is'. He claims great visions and breakthroughs for humanity if we will just believe what he is saying. Check his past books. He always does this.

The inclusion and recognition of various sources does not, in his writings, yield meaningful synthesis. This is because there is no coherent meaning to be achieved through shallow or 'deep' ecumenism (joining of outward forms). Neither by dancing, or having estatic sex, or by bringing in ethics or spirituality to work (all themes of his). Neither volumes of writing nor diversity of inputs has meaning on its own. There is no substantial vision presented in his works that rises above religion (form) and beyond his own (elevated) concepts of how things should be. His previous books have not resulted in major changes to society and it does not appear this one will have much effect either.

Matthew Fox has outdone himself with this work, taking similar themes from the works of mystics spanning diverse traditions. To those who are regular consumers of Fox's writings, this compellation provides a "Bible" for his idea of "Deep Ecumenism". It is as complete a tome of humanity's spiritual knowledge that I have seen on the bookshelf. The best part- Fox has included sources not just from typical religious sources, but from science and literature as well.

I have found this book not only hard to read but also spattered with tones of religion that were disturbing. It was difficult to wade through. And yet I have to say that Schauberger's theories about a natural energy in water are very perceptive and demonstrate an awareness of river systems and water movement understood by only a handful of people still today. I have worked on river restoration and with water and have done so for a number of years (...) and was looking to increase my understanding of the natural energy in water. Does it absorb into the body more readily? Is it healthier for us to drink? Does it cleanse itself of pollutants as some suggest? I didn't find the answers int this though I found these suggestions. I have since experimented with products based on Schauberger's work and am most intrigued with what I experience.

As I say the book is thick and deep and difficult to read, at least that's my experience of it. And yet it contains perceptions that the serious student of water will wish to learn. Not for the novice or casual inquisitor.

This book has more details in it than Living Energies but by no means does it explain exactly how Viktor created his mystical healing water that cured many disorders. If anyone wants to be a great water researcher or just knowledgeable on water they should read and re-read this book 4-5 times and then read in-between the lines. A great book if you want to learn about water. No-ONE today even comes close to Viktor Schauberger, he was the Water King.

I enjoyed the book, but was looking for information on purification of water with a vortex. From the table of contents, it seemed to be present. I found no practical, hands-on advice. I'm a MotherEarthNews type, not NewAge, so I was disappointed.

This is the first book of the "Eco-Technology" series, and as so, gives you the foundation of the therories presented by Vikto Schauberger, and amplified by Callum Coats. It DOES contain quite alot of previous information written in Living Energies (Coat's first Schauberger book), however, the discussion and the text is much more thoroughly covered. The substance of water, water supply, deep-sea water, the consequences of drinking purely mechanically treated water, notes on the secrets of water, high-frequency water, the pulsation and healing power of water, river regulation, groundwater tables, temperature and movement of water...notice my use of the word WATER. Yes, this book is about water, but, by reading it, just wait until you discover what you DID NOT know about "water". It is a very good start, and as I said, a foundation for understanding the theories of Viktor Schauberger.

Well written book. If you are intersted in just the devices Viktor built and want to begin to understand the principles involved, buy this book and make sure you get the Volume 4 - The Energy Evolution as well. It helps to have an understanding of particle physics and engineering to build the devices but all the basic principles are included in the books.

i'm certain we all have a fairly good (intellectual) grasp of basic metaphysical schemes.
in this light i think lines like, "the real us (our spirit) will live forever" are painful. as in rip off. this line is on page 219.
the very things she states at the beginning is repeated over and over on every page...
to, her universe is perfect. she does'nt believe in things like randomness or needless suffering apparently (ie, natural disasters where ALL KINDS of folks die at once etcetcetcetc).
of course, the latter is what all this kinda literature is trying to escape from/deny.
now as far as ray astrology itself; this seems to be a good working indicator of our subtle natures.
but here again, being intuitive, a psychonaut and keenly self observant, i basically already knew about myself on these subtle levels (before reading the charts etc).
and guess what? it hasn't helped in the slightest. they say it helps you deal with things better and to align...

i've found that info (regardless of how heavy a revelation) won't do anything unless that info/knowledge happens to be a good lottery ticket or real mind control protocols etc.

do you really think everyone has a special calling? has some special role to play?
i think if this was the case the world would be very different. this is really too murcky/semantically laden to pin down...
it could be that the systems we have caters only to certain makeups. ie., no one needs an under water basket weaver...but what if this is the person's calling!?
nevertheless, i'm open enough to admit i may be wrong in all the above. can't get anymore confused than that. and this is where the western mystery traditon has brought me....
ha, and this is even mentioned in my chart! "what we have here is a stalemate" (jupiter square venus. and i asked for this!?).

let it be known; there are other researchers who say that the planets are our task masters. they are actually curses to be circumvented, somehow. not a pretty picture.......

WHO YOU ARE AND WHY YOU ARE HERE
Finding Your Life Purpose and Personality Type
by Ruth Mierswa

Author, counselor, scholar and seeker Ruth Mierswa says in the very beginning of her new
book, "You came into this life for two reasons--one is to help people and the other is to
change your weaknesses into strengths." After reading the rest of Who You Are and
Why You Are Here, this reviewer found a pathway to accomplish both.

Using the Seven Rays from the Alice Bailey series (but offering understanding in a clearer
and more concise fashion) Ms. Mierswa brings all disciplines together while lifting them to
a higher level...and she also shows how the reader can be lifted to a higher level, too.

Who You Are and Why You Are Here enables you to find your personality ray and soul
ray which identifies, with copious details, your life purpose and personality type. It was
intriguing for this reviewer that I, a Pisces, have a ray 1 soul and personality . I discovered
much about myself, especially that my character weaknesses (and there are many) can be
transmuted into strengths--and Ruth Mierswa told me how! And so it is for all signs.

So many people are hurting! They want to know, Why me? Why did this happen to me??
This book explains why they have these experiences and how these experiences are
opportunities for spiritual growth. You'll be shown how to rid yourself of anger, guilt, and
other harmful emotions on both a conscious and unconscious level.

Ruth Mierswa has given us a book that answers many of your why questions e.g. why
some people are born talented or with a superior intellect. Who You Are and Why You
Are Here identifies your level of evolvement and gives you the means to evolve higher. In
the doing, by changing weaknesses into strengths, you'll be better able to help
humankind---and that's why we're here!

Richard Fuller
Senior Editor

Author, counselor, scholar and seeker Ruth Mierswa says in the very beginning of her new book, "You came into this life for two reasons--one is to help people and the other is to change your weaknesses into strengths." After reading the rest of Who You Are and Why You Are Here, this reviewer found a pathway to accomplish both.

Using the Seven Rays from the Alice Bailey series (but offering understanding in a clearer and more concise fashion) Ms. Mierswa brings all disciplines together while lifting them to a higher level...and she also shows how the reader can be lifted to a higher level, too.

Who You Are and Why You Are Here enables you to find your personality ray and soul ray which identifies, with copious details, your life purpose and personality type. It was intriguing for this reviewer that I, a Pisces, have a ray 1 soul and personality . I discovered much about myself, especially that my character weaknesses (and there are many) can be transmuted into strengths--and Ruth Mierswa told me how! And so it is for all signs.

So many people are hurting! They want to know, "Why me? Why did this happen to me?"
This book explains why they have these experiences and how these experiences are opportunities for spiritual growth. You'll be shown how to rid yourself of anger, guilt, and other harmful emotions on both a conscious and unconscious level.

Ruth Mierswa has given us a book that answers many of your "why" questions e.g. why some people are born talented or with a superior intellect. Who You Are and Why You Are Here identifies your level of evolvement and gives you the means to evolve higher. In the doing, by changing weaknesses into strengths, you'll be better able to help humankind---and that's why we're here!

Author, counselor, scholar and seeker Ruth Mierswa says in the very beginning of her new book, "You came into this life for two reasons--one is to help people and the other is to change your weaknesses into strengths." After reading the rest of Who You Are and Why You Are Here, this reviewer found a pathway to accomplish both.

Using the Seven Rays from the Alice Bailey series (but offering understanding in a clearer and more concise fashion) Ms. Mierswa brings all disciplines together while lifting them to a higher level...and she also shows how the reader can be lifted to a higher level, too.

Who You Are and Why You Are Here enables you to find your personality ray and soul ray which identifies, with copious details, your life purpose and personality type. It was intriguing for this reviewer that I, a Pisces, have a ray 1 soul and personality . I discovered much about myself, especially that my character weaknesses (and there are many) can be transmuted into strengths--and Ruth Mierswa told me how! And so it is for all signs.

So many people are hurting! They want to know, "Why me? Why did this happen to me?"
This book explains why they have these experiences and how these experiences are opportunities for spiritual growth. You'll be shown how to rid yourself of anger, guilt, and other harmful emotions on both a conscious and unconscious level.

Ruth Mierswa has given us a book that answers many of your "why" questions e.g. why some people are born talented or with a superior intellect. Who You Are and Why You Are Here identifies your level of evolvement and gives you the means to evolve higher. In the doing, by changing weaknesses into strengths, you'll be better able to help humankind---and that's why we're here!

This book has changed my life. I spent over a year filling out personality questionnaires, and assessments, but couldn't get any closer to finding out my life purpose. If you're scared of finding out your life purpose (for fear that you may actually fail if you start it), or if you're intimidated by past voices from your parents or teachers, then assessments and questionnaires simply won't work. I even tried hypnosis, and could only get vague answers. And numerology named things I could do well, but not a "life purpose". Finally, I found and read this book and got in touch with the truth about myself. The book described not only my life purpose (what I'm here to do, that no one else can do quite like me), but also my personality and my character weaknessess. Before this book, I wasn't really into astrology, but the book helped to open my eyes to the proof that ray-centered astrology is accurate. The back of the book contains details of studies (for all of you left-brain types). Besides telling you about yourself personally, she also discusses the universal laws and why we are here and what we are doing here. However, even better is her discussion about how the disciplines (psychology, healing, spirituality, and science) are changing at this point in our humanity as they, too, enter the Aquarian age. Buy the book, and even better, have her do a complete astrological delineation for you.

I read this book when I was doing research about one of the taboos of warfare. That was the discussion of the Coup De Grace of a fellow soldier. During my research I found that virtually no one had ever written (either in books or screenplays) about this with the exception of Bierce. It is an interesting paradox to ask yourself whether you would have the capability to put a friend out of their misery rather than let them suffer if you knew that help was not available. In fact, Bierce's short story is entitled, "The Coup De Grace". You'll find it and 27 others in this volume. The most famous is, "An Occurrence At Owl Creek". A story that was made into a short film and was the Short Subject winner of the Cannes Film Festival in 1962, and earned an Academy Award in 1964 as best Foreign Film.

All of the stories you find in this book are told with the tight, economical style of Bierce and many have an O'Henry or Sterling twist at the end. They are told in the frank and bloody prose that Bierce witnessed (and physically experienced) first hand as an Officer in the Union Army. As one reads these stories you can clearly see the basis for Bierce's caustic and acidulous writing style that stayed with him throughout his life including as a columnist for William Randolph Hearst at the San Francisco Examiner and until he walked away into the Mexican desert in 1913. His demise is the source of great conjecture (as he would have wanted it) but that is for other books about the man and his writing.

Ambrose Bierce, a soldier in the Civil War, focused on the war in many of his short stories, which are truly phenominal. With the surreal and supernatural sensibilities of Poe and ironic endings worthy of O. Henry, Bierce deserves a place among our most treasured authors.

Ambrose Bierce's Civil War has everything you could ask for from a non-fiction, storytelling book about the Civil War. It is filled will all sorts of war memoirs and stories from his experiences and experiences of others throughout the Civil War. There are gruesome explanations of brains oozing out of a head in the war memoir "What I Saw at Shiloh," dead bodies covering the ground and endless thunderstorms. Alongside these dismal recounts of the Civil War, there are also stories of loyalty, family and courage. This contrast of the positives and negatives in the war makes this book very interesting. One page it will be raining and there are dead bodies on the ground. The next page is filled with sunlight and untouched and uninhabited forests. My favorite story would have to be "What I Saw at Shiloh," but there are several that are very good. All of them are extremely descriptive, too. No details are left out. Anyone who stays tuned to all of Grandpas old war stories would definitely like this book. It is filled with enough non-fictional material to keep you on edge for quite some time.

Ambrose Bierce's Civil War is a bit of a mixed bag; it contains a handful of non-fiction articles and a number of non-fiction `War Stories.' All deal with topics common to war, some specific to the American Civil War - there are tales of courage, obedience, the foolishness of generals and the effect of civil war on families. And, as William McCann puts it in his introduction to this volume, "in these creations his lifelong obsession with death and the macabre calamity were fruitfully and not incongruously employed."
That `obsession' becomes a little overbearing at times. In an otherwise pedestrian recollection in "What I Saw of Shiloh" the reader stumbles across this arresting image of a wounded Federal sergeant: "A bullet had clipped a groove in his skull above the temple; from this the brain protruded in bosses, dropping off in flakes and strings. I had not previously known one could get on, even in this unsatisfactory fashion, with so little brain. One of my men whom I knew for a womanish fellow, asked if he should put his bayonet through him. Inexpressibly shocked by the cold-blooded proposal, I told him I thought not; it was unusual, and too many were looking." You either laugh, cringe, or close the book for good when you come across passages like this. In similarly expressive terms, in both fiction and non-fiction, Bierce describes the effects of wild swine on dead and wounded soldiers. If you're squeamish consider yourself warned.
My objection to Bierce's `obsession' is that it tends to unbalance his work. The images are so strong they tend to drown out the larger themes. In a month I will hard pressed to remember much of anything he had to say about Shiloh, but I'll long remember the Federal soldier with the drooling brain.
Save for a sprinkling of startling images, the non-fiction pieces are undistinguished. You can go to a hundred other sources for more informative, and entertaining, reminiscences.
The fiction is another matter. Bierce's justifiably famous "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is included. In the compressed space of the short story, and some of these stories are very short indeed, Bierce treats difficult themes with surprising deftness and sensitivity. In "Parker Anderson, Philosopher" a Rebel spy is interrogated by a slower witted Federal general. The spy treats the threat of his imminent death, he is to be executed at dawn, in a cavalier manner. With great economy Bierce takes this tale of the meaning of courage and turns it upside down.
My favorite piece in the book was "One Kind of Officer," a tale which literally and figuratively treats the fog of war. A weaker entry is "One of the Missing," a story of a sharpshooter in General Sherman's army who is pinned beneath a collapsed building with his loaded and cocked hair-trigger rifle pointed at his forehead. Bierce sometimes forces things and his work suffers for it. In another story it's more a disappointment than anything to discover that the cannoneer was bombarding his own home all the time, slaughtering his family because of orders from a twisted commander and a deeply ingrained sense of obedience. Too convenient, too contrived. It's an author going for the "Aha" moment, a cheap and manipulative trick that is beneath Bierce's talent.
Civil War buffs should enjoy Ambrose Bierce's Civil War immensely. There are plenty of gems, and even the common stones have their moments.

- A feel-good land use/planning guide produced by the Conservation Fund and the Sonoran Institute. Examples show how communities can work together to protect parks and environmental refuges..

As the title suggests, this book addresses the challenges of gateway communities, defined as communities next to a national park, national forest, or national wildlife refuge. These communities are growing very rapidly, which risks damaging the natural resources that attract people there in the first place. The book emphasizes the problems that these communities face, and does not really address the effects on the resources (despite what the title might imply).

The analysis presents pretty standard stuff. They discuss economic growth and the trade-offs with quality of life, as well as the economic problems of a one-dimensional economy built on tourism. More than half the book consists of case studies from around the country. These case studies yield lessons about the importance of involving the local community, developing a vision for the community, getting information about the community's existing resources, building on local assets, and working with the adjacent parks as well as with non-governmental organizations. Conspicuous in their absence are the possibilities of working with business, state government, or adjacent communities.

I'm pretty skeptical of the kinds of solutions offered in this book. For example, the authors believe that community involvement in development is a panacea. I'm sure that it *can* help - - but such proposals can also create a situation in which outsiders (such as our authors) parachute into a community and act as if they know better than the locals. Remember, the growth wouldn't be happening in the first place unless many people in the community wanted it. An outsider trying to encourage community involvement in managing growth will probably have allies, but will also spark opposition from the people making money from growth.

Getting people involved can also surprise you. An urban planner friend of mine working with a depressed town was surprised when the local community wanted strip malls and fast food joints, which was not at all what she had in mind. From the standpoint of protecting natural resources, the community may well be part of the problem.

One might also quibble with the cases. For example, I was surprised to see Boulder presented as a success story, since I would view it as a failure. It's depressingly overdeveloped, looks like Anytown California, and its "successful" restrictions on further growth have simply caused that growth to spill over into its neighbors. This spillover makes existing traffic problems worse, as people drive from place to place.

In fact, the authors prefer to ignore the fact that limiting growth in one community often leads to the same undesirable growth happening next door instead. That may be good for the original community, but it's hardly good policy for a region or state.

Criticisms aside, the book has quite a bit of information about the challenges faced by the communities that they studied. It doesn't have so much information about the challenges in the nation as a whole; this is a book of case studies. It's a decent place to start when thinking about these problems.

National parks and other public lands are big, fragile, economic engines for nearby gateway communities. In this book, communities and near-by public lands sometimes play nice together. The authors conclude: " . . . successful communities have transcended the 'growth versus no-growth' wars that characterize land-use policy in many cities and towns."

Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities is a must read for anyone who still believes that environmentalism and economic development are fundamentally opposed propositions. This book of case studies and analysis describes several successful ways in which communities created new jobs and economic opportunities while celebrating and protecting, rather than exploiting, their area's natural resources.

"Condoleezza Rice: Being the Best" is a delightful little book about the life of currently the most powerful woman in the world. The biography traces her life from the time she was born and raised in a middle class family in Birmingham, Alabama, her love for music and how she ended up with a remarkable career in international relations up to the time she was appointed as the national security advisor.

Condi's genius, skills and accomplishments serve as an inspiration to young people, especially girls. She is a role model of excellence as she made it purely on merit, to high echelons of immense influence at a very young age.

This is excellent reading for children who can be inspired by this unique and remarkable lady.

An excellent story about the life of this genius. Doesn't go much into her service as National Security Advisor, but it does give some insight into her accomplishments. Recommended for young women!

This was an excellant book but is a childs book aimed at around 9 - 10 years of age, or people with English as a second language.

This little book is a handy reference guide on Condoleeza Rice's skills and accomplishments. I plan to keep it near by as her star continues to rise.

Any familiar with prior versions of Check Point's firewall program and newcomers to CheckPoint alike will find CONFIGURING CHECK POINT NGX VPN-1/FIREWALL-1 an important overview of all the new features in NGX. From working with the SmartView Tracker tool and understanding how a Check Point VPN-1 Pro Gateway administrator evolves to work into network security to handling authentication and integrity issues globally, everything from building the platform to licensing is covered in detail. An excellent survey of all the enhanced features and changes.

'Configuring Check Point NGX VPN-1/Firewall-1' by Robert Stephens is another good book by Syngress for IT Professionals. Syngress has really focussed on IT setup and configuration for it's latest releases of books and they have done a solid job. Packing over 600 pages of material into this guide, if you use Checkpoint at your job, you would be wise to pick up a copy of this book for your desk at work.

***** RECOMMENDED

Are you getting ready to take your Check Point certification exam? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Robert Stephens, Barry Stiefel, Stephen Watkins, Simon Desmeules and Eli Faskha, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that is the perfect reference for anyone migrating from earlier versions of Check Point's flagship firewall/VPN product; as well as, those deploying VPN-1/FireWall-1 for the first time.

Stephens, Stiefel, Watkins, Desmeules and Faskha, begin by discussing the various methods that are deployed among different firewall vendors and open source solutions. Then, the authors discuss the significant changes between NG AI and NGX and partitions these changes into eight major categories. They continue with a review of what must be done prior to the actual installation and configuration of a Check Point environment. Next, the authors guide you through the necessary steps to perform the NGX upgrade. Then they take you on a tour of the interface used to configure your NGX installation: the SmartDashboard. They also discuss the need for tracking and walk you through a few configuration examples. Then, they discuss both basic and advanced concepts for network security and reveal how Check Point's technologies supply relief for current threats. The authors continue by showing you how to enable or disable Network Address Translation for a single host, for a range of addresses, or for an entire network. Next, they address the best way to authenticate users so they can access privileged resources. Then, the authors show you how Check Point FireWall-1 can integrate with third-party products. They continue by focusing on configuring site-to-site VPNs and the different design considerations that are involved. Next, the authors discuss the increasing number of employees that are either working comfortably at home or just simply away from the office, who need corporate access as if working locally. Then, they examine the functionality of SmartUpdate as a SmartConsole client in your Check Point environment. They also take you on a tour of SecurePlatform with the different operating system capabilities and the Check Point supported add-ons to SPLAT. Next, the authors demonstrate how to set up SmartView Monitor in a way that will allow you to view all your security components that your SmartCenter manages. Finally, the authors show, first the reason why VoIP should be secured and, second, how it is done.

The goal of this most excellent book is to cover all of NGX's dramatic changes and new, enhanced features. More importantly, you will learn how to secure the integrality of your network's data, communications, and applications from a multitude of blended threats.

This book is written by many respected authors and security professionals. Among them there is Barry J. Stiefel, the man who founded the first Check Point User Group (www.cpug.org).

I'm a Check Point Certified Instructor (CCSI) and can assure this book covers a lot of topics included in official Check Point VPN-1 NGX coursewares.

On Chapter 13 about Check Point VPN clients solutions it includes a Integrity technology discussion, acquired from ZoneLabs and to be merged with SecureClient.

On Chapter 14 it also includes a lot of details from the official Check Point SecurePlatform courseware.

The last chapter, Chapter 16 about VoIP, is even better than on the official course manual.

The book misses more details on some covered product features, coverage of some excluded features, OPSEC 3rd party interoperability examples, architectural problems discussion (like logging strategy, rulebase optimization, etc.), but it's a good book.

I strongly recommend it to anyone didn't take the course and want to have a wide coverage of many VPN-1 NGX features.
Who already attended the official course won't find here anything new.

One reviewer stated the fact that James Burnham's book titled THE MACHIAVELLIANS: DEFENDERS went out of print was a shame. Indeed, the fact that this book did go out of print is sad, and this reveals that shallowness of contemporary tastes. This book should be required reading for any serious student of history and political thought.

Burnham began his study with Dante (1265-1321) who was supposedly a "modern" man when in fact he was a foolish reactionary. Dante sided with feudal Germans against his fellow Italians were emerging as tradesmen, merchants, and perhaps the first capitalists. The point of this chapter reveals the futility of attempting to maintain a political and economic system that simply cannot be maintained.

Burnham's section on Machiavelli (1469-1527) is very instructive regarding Machiavelli's thinking and "moderns" who have condemned him. Machiavelli wrote THE PRINCE as a warning of how political power actually works as opposed to idealistic nonsensicle glosses of how many hopes the system works. Burnham reveals that Machiavelli warned readers that liberty does not exist because of paper constitutions or pious political platitudes. Freedom exists that there is power vs power, and the resulting compromises help liberty to emerge as a fringe benefit. Burnham warns that calls for political unity or often calls for political oppression and tyranny. Machiavelli has be a political disapproval work among the British. The reason is that Machiavelli exposed hyporcrisy platitudes for what they are, and one of Britain's major exports has been hyprocrisy.

Burnham's treatment of Mosca (1858-1941) and Parato (1841-1923) is instructive in diagnosing the political approval work "democracy." Burnham assesses Mosca's disdain of democracy and agrees that this political approval word means nothing and is a convenient disguise to conceal desires for power and possible criminality. Mosca implied that "elites" hold or take political power in spite of "democracy." Parato bluntly states that elites are in charge of every revolution including Communist revolutions in the name of the proletariat. One commentary wrote that, in effect, Parato's views caused political conseternation especially on part of Lenin.

While Mosca and Parato dealt with elites and power, Sorel (1847-1922)dealt with political violence. Sorel did not so much preach violence as he argued that violence was a part of political reality. Burnham mentions that Sorel argued that working classes were kept in their place by appeals to peace and and end to labor strife. Yet, if the working classes did not cooperate, they were subjected to violence, and the working classes could "turn the table" by their acts of strikes and violence.

Burnham's examination of Michels (1876-1936) is well worth reading. Burnham mentions that the days of liberalism and democracy may be numbered. During and after World War I, there pious calls for "democracy." Michels' response was in effect Democracy for what? In other words if the old political labels and systems were no longer workable, there was no need to hold onto a political system that did not solve serious problems. One could ask to what purpose should democracy be upheld when there was no benefit to a bad, deceptive system.

This reviewer considers THE MACHIAVELLIANS: THE DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM Burnham's best book. Burnham later books were not as thoughtful particularly when he drifted in flights of anti-communism. In order to appreciate Burnham's better writing, one should read this book. Anyone who suffers from political naivete would be cured after a careful reading THE MACHIAVELLIANS: THE DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM.

It is scandalous that this book should be out of print, for it is without a doubt the best primer on political science ever written. If you are going to read only one book on politics, this should be it. Burnham is no ideologue with an axe to grind. He merely seeks to describe how politics works in the real world of fact. In pursuit of this aim, he discusses five of the most scientifically rigorous of all political thinkers: Machiavelli, Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, Robert Michels, and Georges Sorel. Together, these thinkers represent, according to Burnham, the Machiavellian tradition in political thought. Machiavellians, Burnham tells us, regard politics as a science devoted to describing facts as they really are, not as one may wish them to be.

In a certain sense, I can understand why this book is out of print. Realism in politics is hardly popular. What most people seek for in political theory is not reality but a rationalization for their own wishful thinking.

... Georges Sorel would be rather surprised to hear himself called a "conservative," as he was actually a radical left-wing syndicalist who advocated the use of violence to bring down capitalism, a fact to which Burnham alludes. Moreover, far from agreeing with Dante, Burnham makes mincemeat out of him.

The "Machiavellian" writers Burnham discusses span a rather diverse spectrum of views (with Machiavelli and Pareto the only ones who could be called "conservative" in any real sense). What they have in common is an objective, scientific approach to politics that avoids allowing wishful thinking, or ideas about what ought to be, to impede their discernment of what is.

I disagreed with Burnham's tendency to dismiss religious ideas as inherently irrationalist. Also, his clarification in response to Machiavelli's reputation ignores the fact that Machiavelli did, after all, offer some amoral advice, not just non-moral analysis. While some of Burnhams predictions proved correct only in the short run, his method contains within itself the the capacity for self-correction, which is part of the whole point of the book.

This book remains a must-read for all who seek to develop a scientific understanding of politics, regardless of their philosophical persuasion.

I think it's interesting that the above reviewer feels that Burnham has no axe to grind. A quick review of most of Burnham's other works will quickly reveal his personal philosophy. This book is a very good review of several politically-conservative writers (Dante, Machiavelli, Mosca, Sorel, Michels, and Pareto), and yes, several of them are political scientists. Most of the recent writers do attempt to be objective, but there are several prominent liberal political scientists who can back their work with numbers, as well.

This is a good review of the beforementioned writers' works. It can be dry and dull at times, but it is a work of philosophy and occasionally statistical science, so this is to be expected. Where the book begins to break down is in the last section, where Burnham's views begin to be expressed in his own words. He begins a tirade against anyone who doesn't agree with his opinions, and declares the triumph of Machiavellism (one gets the feeling that he considers himself a Machiavellian, and has grouped in with himself any writer whose views he happens to agree with; there is not necessarily much cohesion between the various writers included) much the way a schoolboy would declare himself "king of the mountain". His "science" is rarely backed up, and his "philosophy" is poorly thought out. That said, I happen to agree with the worldview that most of these writers share, and they are vigorous scholars. This book is definitely worth reading if you are interested in conservative political philosophy, or are interested in the writing of one of more of the writers mentioned.

This book is related to, but should not be considered a sequel to the author's book, "There Are No Secrets," about his studies with Chen Man Ching. It is, however, an excellent discussion of how the author incorporated his tai chi studies into his life and thoughts, and his growth as a martial artist. I recommend it highly as a companion to his earlier book.

Wolfe Lowenthals training under the famous Cheng Man-ching is to be envied for its depth and duration . He spent hours everyday for seven years seeking to plumb the depths of Cheng's Taichi, to inquire deeply within himself and of his teacher to try and exemplify its essence, in boxing as well as life. Lowenthal continues to grapple with the paradoxes of push hands obeying Master Cheng's instructions to the letter: "never use more than 4 ounces" Through tireless effort he achieves skill.

Pieces of Gold, interspersed with Lowenthal's Psychological Angst
All of the preceding reviewers points of view are mostly true, this book has some great gems and insights into Professor Cheng Man-ch'ings Mastery of Tai Chi. Unfortunatly much of the book is like wading through a "bad" Woody Allen movie, full of Upper middle class, eastern U.S., psycho-babble and Angst.

Lowenthal would have written a much much better book if he had stayed with Tai Chi Chuan and left his tortured/guilt ridden pysche & memories out of the book. What Lowental's memories of Professor add to the text, his personal commentaries about his own past, psychological "insights" etc. take away.

If I had a very limited amount of money to spend, and I wanted to maximize my reading on Tai Chi, I would go for those books written by Prof Cheng, like His Thirteen Treatises, or the Essence of Tai Chi by Lo/Inn and save Lowenthal's books for when I am interested in much lighter fare.

The style is very similar to "There Are No Secrets" - it is equally entertaining and informative. There is some repetition from the first book, but in my opinion his first book contains so much information that it is nearly impossible to digest it all. I think it is helpful to hear a few of the same ideas rephrased or put in a different context.

The chapters on Tai Chi fencing were very interesting and original. You also learn more about Lowenthal's life during his Tai Chi training days and meet some of the other characters he trains with. His attempt to honestly portray both himself and the professor really makes Tai Chi feel like an art that should practiced by ordinary people and not just monks on some mountain.

The pictures are nice too!