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Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

Average customer rating:

On Guard! For all its Promise -- Difficult to Enjoy
Liberal agenda
Scahill has created a masterpiece.
Great liberal insight
Blatant bias erodes credibility

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Jeremy Scahill
Manufacturer: Nation Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror
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ASIN: 1560259795

Book Description

Meet BLACKWATER USA, the world's most secretive and powerful mercenary firm. Based in the wilderness of North Carolina, it is the fastest-growing private army on the planet with forces capable of carrying out regime change throughout the world. Blackwater protects the top US officials in Iraq and yet we know almost nothing about the firm's quasi-military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and inside the US. Blackwater was founded by an extreme right-wing fundamentalist Christian mega-millionaire ex- Navy Seal named Erik Prince, the scion of a wealthy conservative family that bankrolls far-right-wing causes.
Blackwater is the dark story of the rise of a powerful mercenary army, ranging from the blood-soaked streets of Fallujah to rooftop firefights in Najaf to the hurricane-ravaged US gulf to Washington DC, where Blackwater executives are hailed as new heroes in the war on terror. This is an extraordinary exposé by one of America's most exciting young radical journalists.

Customer Reviews:

On Guard! For all its Promise -- Difficult to Enjoy.......2007-06-29

"Blackwater" tells the story of the privatization of the war in Iraq as part of the Bush administration's philosophy of creating a leaner, meaner armed forces.

Blackwater, Inc. is a private security contracting firm based in the southeast, and Scahill describes them as the major player in the growing military-industrial mix that has seen quasi-military corporate entities provide almost as much personnel in support of OIF (100,000 civilian contractors) as the US armed forces (140,000+).

The story is an interesting twist and a good addition to the bookshelf in the cottage industry of Iraq-lit. Read in conjunction with "Are we Rome?" the two books do raise some interesting questions about America's geopolitical standing and how it interplays with our culture. I have to admit, sending mercenaries to "do work Americans don't want to do" (that sounds familiar, maybe we should get KBR into the lettuce fields of Salinas) is somewhat frightening; but, Scahill overreaches.

These "mercenaries" are largely former American special forces types, ex-cops, or action junkies. They are - for the most part - Americans. We have not yet resorted to paying Angolans or Croatians to fight our wars.

And, Scahill's agenda is a real overburdening addition to the narration. Is it relevant that Erik Prince (Blackwater's founder/owner) is an evangelical Catholic? Should I care what charities his chief lobbyist donates money to? Are his black ops contracts a threat to national security and a right wing milit-indus conspiracy? Do I want a close examination of the rules of engagement and what caused a fire fight between US troops/Blackwater forces and Mahdi Army insurgents?

Maybe. But, if all of that is so egregious, Scahill should have just laid it out there and I would have made my own judgment. I am loathe to say it, but there are moments in the book when Scahill justifies Bill O'Reilly's bluster about "secular progressives" "hating the US" and "wanting us to lose."

So, take that as a warning - if you are a Bushie, or just want unbiased storytelling "Blackwater" will certainly have its moments of frustration. I found myself constantly on guard, questioning every statement of fact or interpretation of events. That made this book very difficult to enjoy, for all its promise.

Liberal agenda.......2007-06-29

I've read about four chapters of this "book." I have one question... Was Scahill actually writing about Blackwater, or did he use this as disguise to push his hippy agenda? Very little of this "book" even talks about Blackwater. The rest talks about the Iraq war and provides viewpoints only from his liberal buddies. If you believe this nonsense, then the U.S. military hasn't killed one enemy fighter, but instead, has intentionally targeted women and children without pause. He will provide you with a quote from some al-jazeera "journalist," then immediately following, will insert a random quote of some Marine Major saying that "we will crush them."(or something to that effect) This, of course, would lead you to believe scahill's belief that the Major was talking about gunning down innocent civilians. Scahill must have attended the michael moore school of journalism, because the entire "book" is filled with twisted facts and untruths. Horrible, Horrible, Horrible... Mr. Scahill, I look at your book and smile. Because I am grateful to live in a country where children such as yourself are allowed, and in some circles praised, to publish this sort of crap that somehow passes off as "journalism," and not be thrown in prison.

Scahill has created a masterpiece........2007-06-27

I don't normally write reviews. But seeing as this book tends to attract some negative reviews, and I did buy it and absolutely love and enjoy it, I felt it my place to offset those reviews.

I will keep this short. The book is very engrossing, it is non fiction but extremely difficult to put down. A very attractive combination. The content is so well researched and studied. Many reviews portray the author as slanted. He is, and I am surprised he isn't much more so given the content of the book. When you get to the end you will notice the 50+ pages of footnotes. Every fact/quote/statistic is thoroughly researched and documented. I won't go into the subject matter, as it is far too much to discuss in a review. I strongly encourage anyone on the fence about reading it to opt for exposing your mind to this very important work.

Great liberal insight.......2007-06-27

Scahill sheds light on the vastly changing foundation of how warfare is played out all around the globe. Much of this book is investigative research centered around the Blackwater company, but there are many others around the world that are seizing the opportunity and money to put themselves and their men in harms way. In my view, these companies are doing these jobs with much more efficiency than national governments yet the governments struggle with how to categorize these private sector businesses and how they operate.

Blatant bias erodes credibility.......2007-06-26

This book seems a liberal house of cards with Scahill's sources selected to support his views. For example, he quotes sources saying US Marines sniped woman & children in Fallujah based on their predominance in the wounded. Well, duh, the young 'military-age males' were probably killed by the Marines while they hid & fired from behind these woman & children - isn't this equally likely? Also, quoting Al Jazeera for the story of the Falluja battle was it for me. I took everything subsequent with a grain of salt. I'll give Scanhill credit for digging out a lot of history and connections but the Democratic liberal bias is too rich for my diet.

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone

Average customer rating:

A perfect pairing
Where we went wrong in Iraq
Intriguing and Informative
necessary for understanding the US in Iraq
Beware: May Cause Torrets

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone
Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
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ASIN: 1400044871
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Book Description

An unprecedented account of life in Baghdad’s Green Zone, a walled-off enclave of towering plants, posh villas, and sparkling swimming pools that was the headquarters for the American occupation of Iraq.

The Washington Post’s former Baghdad bureau chief Rajiv Chandrasekaran takes us with him into the Zone: into a bubble, cut off from wartime realities, where the task of reconstructing a devastated nation competed with the distractions of a Little America—a half-dozen bars stocked with cold beer, a disco where women showed up in hot pants, a movie theater that screened shoot-’em-up films, an all-you-could-eat buffet piled high with pork, a shopping mall that sold pornographic movies, a parking lot filled with shiny new SUVs, and a snappy dry-cleaning service—much of it run by Halliburton. Most Iraqis were barred from entering the Emerald City for fear they would blow it up.

Drawing on hundreds of interviews and internal documents, Chandrasekaran tells the story of the people and ideas that inhabited the Green Zone during the occupation, from the imperial viceroy L. Paul Bremer III to the fleet of twentysomethings hired to implement the idea that Americans could build a Jeffersonian democracy in an embattled Middle Eastern country.

In the vacuum of postwar planning, Bremer ignores what Iraqis tell him they want or need and instead pursues irrelevant neoconservative solutions—a flat tax, a sell-off of Iraqi government assets, and an end to food rationing. His underlings spend their days drawing up pie-in-the-sky policies, among them a new traffic code and a law protecting microchip designs, instead of rebuilding looted buildings and restoring electricity production. His almost comic initiatives anger the locals and help fuel the insurgency.

Chandrasekaran details Bernard Kerik’s ludicrous attempt to train the Iraqi police and brings to light lesser known but typical travesties: the case of the twenty-four-year-old who had never worked in finance put in charge of reestablishing Baghdad’s stock exchange; a contractor with no previous experience paid millions to guard a closed airport; a State Department employee forced to bribe Americans to enlist their help in preventing Iraqi weapons scientists from defecting to Iran; Americans willing to serve in Iraq screened by White House officials for their views on Roe v. Wade; people with prior expertise in the Middle East excluded in favor of lesser-qualified Republican Party loyalists. Finally, he describes Bremer’s ignominious departure in 2004, fleeing secretly in a helicopter two days ahead of schedule.

This is a startling portrait of an Oz-like place where a vital aspect of our government’s folly in Iraq played out. It is a book certain to be talked about for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

A perfect pairing.......2007-06-28

I notice that Amazon is selling this with "Fiasco" as a cut-price pair. This is an inspired pairing, as both tell the US catastrophe in Iraq from entirely different angles. Like Mr. Ricks's book, this is no polemic. Mr. Chandrasekaran is scrupulously fair - he appreciates that many of the players acted from the best of motives, but that they were heavily blinkered by their ignorance of the country and its culture (sometimes deliberately so, the way modern business consultants regard it as a disadvantage to know anything about the business on which they're advising, so that their thinking may be "free and unencumbered"), and by political considerations, with young kids being given ministries to run purely because they were, as Alberto Gonzales would say, "loyal Bushies". The questions they answered to qualify? - What did they think of Roe v. Wade? Who was their favourite President? The most astonishing case to me was that of Fred Burkle, recognised universally as the "single most talented and experienced post-conflict health specialist working for the United States government", who was replaced by an inexperienced "loyal Bushie". It seems that all voices of wise counsel were simply ignored in the typical Bush fashion of seeing only what they wanted to see - the "faith-based" approach par excellence.

The modern concept of democracy evolved over a long time in the Western World - to expect to plant it in a country that had never known it and expect it to flourish overnight, even without this level of incompetence, was idiotic. As a result, the US and Iraq have paid a terrible price, and one I sadly believe that they'll continue to pay for years to come.

Where we went wrong in Iraq.......2007-06-08

This is a great book and an easy read. It shows what
happens when political ideology is more important than
compentence. The "Bushies" won the war then lost the peace
with arrogance and incompetence. The book shows why Iraq
became a quagmire and who was responsible.

Intriguing and Informative.......2007-06-05

This book was recommended by Amazon when I bought "Hubris" (which I have yet to read) and I thought, well, why not. My dad had already read this and urged me to read it since we've been talking about Iraq and the war. I picked it up last week and was unable to put it down. It wasn't like anything I thought it would be ~~ it wasn't dry and badly reported. It was very informative and I got the feeling that it was a rather unbiased viewpoint ~~ more like a reporting from a reporter who tried to report what he saw and heard, not what he feels or thinks. (No matter how hard a reporter tries, sometimes, you can still get a sense of what he's thinking as he's writing.)

Chandrasekaran is a good story-teller ~~ not as a fictional writer, but as a writer who observed the going-ons in the Green Zone and who interviewed hundreds of people who lived in the Green Zone. He showed the ambitions and hopes of those who came to Iraq to rebuild it. He showed the disappointments, the downfalls of those who worked there. Even more dangerously, he showed the incompetence of the Americans who worked in the Green Zone as they lived in a bubble removed from the realities of what the Iraq people were facing every single day. He provided the history of the Iraq people under the Sadam regime. Chandrasekaran is an excellent reporter who interviewed just about everyone from Bremer himself to the taxi cab driver. His book is chock full of information written in such a way that everything flows from one page to another that I just couldn't put the book down.

The spotlight reviewer Robert D. Steele sums up the book so well that really, I cannot write a review like his. All I know is that when I picked up this book, I was still clueless about what went on in Iraq. Now I am intrigued and saddened by the mess that is still on-going there. I am also even more disillusioned with the current administration than I was before. And I am following up this book with reading Gwynn Dyer's book "Future Tense" which explains even more the dire situation in Iraq.

If you are looking to be informed on the situation in Iraq, I highly recommend reading Chandrasekaran's book as he is a writer to read. I never knew half of what was going on and now, it's too dangerous to be ignorant of what is going on in the world.

6-5-07

necessary for understanding the US in Iraq.......2007-06-05

This book is a corrective response to those who see the US troubles in Iraq as due to a lack of American resolve or to the so-called "liberal media's" portrayal of the real story in Iraq. Those tempted to see the US occupation of Iraq as analogous to the past occupations of Germany and Japan would do well to read this and see how bad the premises underlying the US occupation in Iraq are.

Many are tempted to think of US troubles as being due to bad execution. As Chandrasekaran points out from first-hand stories, the decisions made during the occupation to favor zealousness and political ideology over pragmatism and cooperation, and to eschew a sophisticated view of Iraqi society and the Arab world, are part and parcel of US policy in Iraq. Long after the merits and demerits of more political books like State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III and Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War have become outdated and superseded by later works, Imperial Life will stand as a terrific first-hand account and valuable addition to libraries.

Chandrasekaran writes with a spare sense of irony that is utterly gripping. The stories speak for themselves in superb journalistic style.

Beware: May Cause Torrets.......2007-06-03

I found that my swearing on the commuter rail as I read this frightened the other passengers, so try to keep your rage on the inside. This is a great book and well worth reading. The view is fair and the writing flows nicely, it'd be a pleasure to read if it were only fiction.

Bush and company haven't built a shinning city on a hill and this book explains some of the reasons behind this fact. The level of incompetence and number of squandered opportunities are unimaginable and this book does an excellent job of stepping the reader through this nightmare.

I recommend reading this with a cell phone by your side and your representatives numbers on speed dial.

Maximum Ride #3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride)

Average customer rating:

Fast Paced
I really love this series....
Great Series
A wonderful read!
Ummm.......hmm.........

Maximum Ride #3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride)
James Patterson
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever
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ASIN: 0316155608
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Book Description

In the third installment of James Patterson's Maximum Ride series, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Customer Reviews:

Fast Paced.......2007-06-27

I read the entire book in one day, I just couldn't put it down. In the book we learn who Max's mom and dad are and who "the voice" is. Fang's Blog takes off to new international heights. And Total the talking dog gets to eat at the table in a French resturant. What more could a Maximum Ride reader want? How about new improved flying Erasers equipped with guns, budding young love, and tons of explosions. All in all, this was a very enjoyable book.

I really love this series...........2007-06-27

The first and second book in this series were wonderful, and I really love them. I work with 8th graders and we read them in class and the kids really enjoy them. This third book was a little bit of a let down. I am a really big James Patterson fan, and have read many of his books, I feel like he just sort of rushed on this one. I hope there will be more in the series, even though this one was promoted as being the last. I want to know more about the flock. I liked the book, but it was not my favorite of the three.

Great Series.......2007-06-27

The Maximum Ride series is a must have for all ages. It is a wonderful series that I hope will continue. If it takes books like these to get kids to want to read, we need more. My neice is proof that a book like this can kids to start reading for fun, even during their summer vacation.

A wonderful read!.......2007-06-27

I know this series is written for teens, but, as an adult, I have loved every one of these books. I also read the two this series is based on, "When the Wind Blows" and "The Lake House". I love everything James Patterson writes. This one, #3, is no exception. The action is non-stop. I love Max's sense of sarcasm, as that's my type of humor, too. This is a perfect, quick, summer read, one I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope there are many more in the series.

Ummm.......hmm................2007-06-22

I was kind of disappointed with this book....although I love the 2 previous books! For one thing......in my opinion.....it sounded a bit chessy......especially toward the end of the book when Max and the other 2 girls get capture......and those 3 tests that she had to pass because of that lunatic lady. Also finding out who her dad wasn't a surprise but finding out her who mother was....this book felt a bit rush to me....

Overall it is okay, not really that great though.

Western Civilization: Volume II: Since 1500

Average customer rating:

Awesome Book
Great for CLEP resource
Revionist History
yikes
THIS BOOK SUCKS

Western Civilization: Volume II: Since 1500
Jackson J. Spielvogel
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Study Guide for Spielvogel's Western Civilization, Vol. 2, 6th Edition
HistoryNow: Western Civilization for Spielvogel's Western Civilization, 6th

ASIN: 0534646042

Book Description

Best-selling text, WESTERN CIVILIZATION has helped over one million students learn about the present by exploring the past. Jack Spielvogel's engaging, chronological narrative weaves the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. Each chapter offers a substantial introduction and conclusion, providing students a context for these disparate themes. The clear narrative of a single gifted author makes it easy for students to follow the story of Western civilization. Spielvogel gives the book depth by including over 150 maps and excerpts of over 200 primary sources--including official documents, poems, and songs--that enliven the past while introducing students to source material that forms the basis of historical scholarship. Available in many split options: WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Comprehensive, 6th Edition (Chapters 1-29), ISBN: 0534646026; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume I, To 1715, 6th Edition (Chapters 1-16), ISBN:0534646034; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume II, Since 1500, 6th Edition (Chapters 13-29), ISBN:0534646042; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume A: To 1500, 6th Edition (Chapters 1-12), ISBN: 0534646050; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume B: 1300-1815, 6th Edition (Chapters 11-19), ISBN:0534646069; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Volume C: Since 1789, 6th Edition (Chapters 19-29), ISBN: 0534646077; WESTERN CIVILIZATION, Since 1300, 6th Edition (Chapters 11-29), ISBN:0534646085.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Book.......2006-05-19

Very easy explanation in book.........dont try to read whole book otherwise you will get sleep

Great for CLEP resource.......2006-01-18

Got this book as well as Volume I and used them as my resources for taking the Western Civ I and II CLEPS. Perfect for the job, and helped me get a very good grade, highly recommend for anyone looking to use for that purpose.

Revionist History.......2005-07-05

After being required to read this text for a class, I bought two other history books to which I could compare this one. I thought that Spielvogel was leaving out chunks of history, and revising the ones that he included, and I wanted to double check my facts before making any accusations. Well, boy was I right. This book makes the Publisher's tag line, "Changing the Way the World Learns" seem a little too true..

If you DO get this book, here are some things to look out for:

1. He is wrong on just about everything that has to do with art or music. He cites obscure artists and names them as the most popular, most of them had Christian themed work.

2. He glorifies Hitler and the Nazis and makes the Holocaust seem like nothing but a minor glitch in history.

3. The author has a degree in Reformation History and seems to be unable to help himself from relating every single event in history to religion. So keep in mind that Voltaire had more to offer history than an anti-Christian revisionist account of the fall of the Roman Empire, as Spielvogel states.

If I were you, I'd buy a different history book to read as well as this one, if this is required for a course. Preferably one that was published for the first time in the thirties or forties and has been updated since, so that its more clear it isn't revionist history. This one was first published in 2003.

Honestly, if I could give this book less than one star I would, but there's no such option on amazon.com...

yikes.......2005-04-22

This book was horrible for AP Euro, it was not in chronological order and often confused our class. Also, he skipped over some events that were important to know for the AP exam.

THIS BOOK SUCKS.......2004-12-30

Jackson J. Spielvogel has no sense of organization whatsoever. And as for those people who read this book for fun, SERIOUSLY need a life. I, however, am using this book as a text book for AP Euro and think it is absolutely ludicrous that we have to use it. It's confusing and needs to be written better. A LOT better. This book should get -1000000 stars.

Civilization in the West, Volume C (since 1789) (6th Edition) (MyHistoryLab Series)

Average customer rating:

Civilization in the West, Volume C (since 1789) (6th Edition) (MyHistoryLab Series)
Mark Kishlansky , Patrick Geary , and Patricia O'Brien
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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On Dreams

ASIN: 0321236238

Book Description

Civilization in the West blends social and political history into a fascinating narrative that brings history to life.

The authors tell a compelling story of Western Civilization that is enhanced by an image-based approach. “The Visual Record” chapter openers draw students in by illustrating a dominant theme of the chapter and exploring the dramatic changing contours of the West through standard maps, Map Discovery features and Geographical Tours of Europe. Discovering Western Civilization Online end-of-chapter Web site URLs make this the first Western Civilization book to include these resources.

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew-- Three Women Search for Understanding

Average customer rating:

I am recommending this to everyone I know.
A little disappointed
The Faith Club
The Faith Club
Three Women share three faiths

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew-- Three Women Search for Understanding
Ranya Idliby , Suzanne Oliver , and Priscilla Warner
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 074329047X

Book Description

"Welcome to the Faith Club. We're three mothers from three faiths -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism -- who got together to write a picture book for our children that would highlight the connections between our religions. But no sooner had we started talking about our beliefs and how to explain them to our children than our differences led to misunderstandings. Our project nearly fell apart."

After September 11th, Ranya Idliby, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, faced constant questions about Islam, God, and death from her children, the only Muslims in their classrooms. Inspired by a story about Muhammad, Ranya reached out to two other mothers -- a Christian and a Jew -- to try to understand and answer these questions for her children. After just a few meetings, however, it became clear that the women themselves needed an honest and open environment where they could admit -- and discuss -- their concerns, stereotypes, and misunderstandings about one another. After hours of soul-searching about the issues that divided them, Ranya, Suzanne, and Priscilla grew close enough to discover and explore what united them.

The Faith Club is a memoir of spiritual reflections in three voices that will make readers feel as if they are eavesdropping on the authors' private conversations, provocative discussions, and often controversial opinions and conclusions. The authors wrestle with the issues of anti-Semitism, prejudice against Muslims, and preconceptions of Christians at a time when fundamentalists dominate the public face of Christianity. They write beautifully and affectingly of their families, their losses and grief, their fears and hopes for themselves and their loved ones. And as the authors reveal their deepest beliefs, readers watch the blossoming of a profound interfaith friendship and the birth of a new way of relating to others.

In a final chapter, they provide detailed advice on how to start a faith club: the questions to ask, the books to read, and most important, the open-minded attitude to maintain in order to come through the experience with an enriched personal faith and understanding of others.

Pioneering, timely, and deeply thoughtful, The Faith Club's caring message will resonate with people of all faiths.

For more information or to start your own faith club visit www.thefaithclub.com

Customer Reviews:

I am recommending this to everyone I know. .......2007-06-26

As an "apikorsim" (secular) Jew who is spiritual but not religious, I was at first afraid to read this book. I am very glad I did. It addressed my conflicts on the questions of Israel and Zionism (and assured me that the conflicts are very real and understandable), showed me a form of Christianity that I worried was no longer en vogue, and re-affirmed my faith that Islam is, in fact, a religion of peace. In a world where extremists and evangelists rule the media, it is refreshing to hear honest dialouge and a willingness to bridge the chasms of misunderstanding. As to the question of whether or not these women are of "strong" faith: they have exposed their souls to the reading world in a way that few of us would dare to do. In my opinion, strength is not ritual, nor is it blind affirmation; it is, rather, the ability to walk the difficult thin line hovering over doubt daily, the ability to say with humility, "I may not be able to explain everything, but I know that somewhere, there is an explanation." This speaks to me more deeply than the hubristic conviction that one religion knows it better than any other. I salute these women and this book, and I truly hope to be able to add such a gift of peace, goodwill, and faith to the world if I can. Thank you, ladies. May your road continue to inspire, and may I one day be able to give to you as you have given to me.

A little disappointed.......2007-06-20

I read this book with increasing interest wondering how it would all come out. By the end, I was dissappointed and felt such a topic would have been better served had three women "strong" in their separate faiths rather than middle-of-the road had written of their experience. I say they were not strong in their faiths for one, because the Muslim and Jewish women did not even attend their respective temples/synagogues except infrequently and admitted they were not the norm for their faiths. The Christian was not knowledgable enough, in my estimation, in Christian doctrine. I would love to see this book done with a strong Muslim, strong Jew, and a strong Christian rooted in the scriptures.

The Faith Club.......2007-05-25

In a religion class I attended at the College of Saint Elizabeth, we were asked to read this book as an assignment. What a profound book. Never have I been so absorbed in a book and learned so much. Where once I stereotyped some religions, I now have a better insight and knowledge of what these three women have shared. I have given this book to my dearest friends as I needed to share such a wonderful experience with them. I wish I could meet these three women and proclaim my admiration and the humility I found from this book.
Rose Marie Cusumano

The Faith Club.......2007-05-16

I found the scope of the journey shared by the three women of different and differing faiths caused me to reflect on what has influenced me from my own religious past. I also found myself reflecting on what do I really believe today versus what creeps into my vocabulary. I found it hopeful that I too could move beyond what I am into a world where I find hope for a faith based more on God's goodness and less on human judgment.

Three Women share three faiths.......2007-05-07

The three women, a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew, discuss their faiths, their prejudices, their joys and their sorrows, and their developing fridenships. In the process the reader will probably learn much about the three faiths. Written by all three, the writer's voice shifts among the three throughout the book. Personally, I found the book quite inspiring and hopeful, a good example of productive interfaith discussion.

Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory

Average customer rating:

9/11 Commission's worst nightmare.
Debunking 911 debunking
I am 100% certain now, and it breaks my heart!
An intelligent and well researched rebuke
America is Embracing the TRUTH of 9/11

Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory
David Ray Griffin
Manufacturer: Olive Branch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156656686X

Book Description

By virtue of his previous four books on the subject, David Ray Griffin is widely recognized as one of the leading spokespersons of the 9/11 truth movement, which rejects the official conspiracy theory about 9/11. Although this movement was long ignored by the US government and the mainstream media, recent polls have shown that (as Time magazine has acknowledged) the rejection of the official theory has become "a mainstream political phenomenon." It is not surprising, therefore, that the government and the corporately controlled media have shifted tactics. No longer ignoring the 9/11 truth movement, they have released a flurry of stories and reports aimed at debunking it.

In the present book, David Ray Griffin shows that these attempts can themselves be easily debunked. Besides demonstrating the pitiful failure of Debunking 9/11 Myths (published by Popular Mechanics and endorsed by Senator John McCain), Griffin riddles recent reports and stories put out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Time magazine as well as a new book by the chairmen of the 9/11 Commission. He also responds to criticisms of the 9/11 truth movement by left-leaning and Christian publications--which one might have expected to be supportive.

Throughout these critiques, Griffin shows that the charge that is regularly leveled against critics of the official theory-that they employ irrational and unscientific methods to defend conclusions based on faith-actually applies more fully to those who defend the official theory.

This book, by debunking the most prevalent attempts to refute the evidence cited by the 9/11 truth movement, shows that this movement's central claim-that 9/11 was an inside job-remains the only explanation that fits the facts.

Customer Reviews:

9/11 Commission's worst nightmare. .......2007-06-27

History will judge Professor David Ray Griffin to be one of the greatest American patriots of this age. His dogged debunking of the debunkers is nothing short of breathtaking. In reading it, I was reminded of Stephen Sondheim's lyric in 'Art Isn't Easy'- "Putting it together, part by part, step by step, piece by piece, bit by bit." As a senior, veteran and life-long progressive, I've not enjoyed a decent night's sleep since, September 11, 2001. By noon that fateful day, my nose told me something wasn't passing the smell test in NYC, Shanksville and DC, (then alone, Sarasota.) Subsequently, my suspicions cost me significant alienation from friends and family. Nevertheless, I continue to inform myself at every opportunity. I see Debunking 9/11 Debunking as my post-graduate course. Professor Griffin concludes his courageous tome by stating that nothing is more important to the very survival of our planet than a true accounting of the events of 9/11 and ultimately exposing all those responsible. I couldn't agree with him more. C. Robert Holloway

Debunking 911 debunking.......2007-06-27

A very authoritative and well explained dialogue concerning the official 911 conspiracy. Dr. Griffin lays out the facts that prove the official theory is false. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the truth of what really happened on 9/11/01

I am 100% certain now, and it breaks my heart!.......2007-06-26

This is the first review I have written on Amazon. I mostly buy movies and technical books that I never felt compelled to say much about. This goes to the heart of our Republic Democracy. This is the worst deception ever perpetrated in recent history. I have been on the fence with some of the theories presented until this book. Many members of our government perpetrated a false flag operation to secure oil and oil access rights. It makes me sick. In the mean time, China is the country building a fusion reactor. Please read this book, and somehow lets save this country.

An intelligent and well researched rebuke.......2007-06-14

A lecture by Dr. David Ray Griffin convinced me that our government lied to us and may have even been implicit in the attacks of 9/11. I subsequently bought his books "A second Pearl Harbour" and " Distortions and Ommissions in the 9/11 Commissions report" and was even more convinced.
Although the book is in part very technical it still can be understood by lay people who do not have an engineering or physics degree.

America is Embracing the TRUTH of 9/11 .......2007-06-13

If Debunking 9/11 Debunking doesn't convince you that everything you were told by "Big Brother" about what happened on 9/11 is a fraud, then you don't want to know.

I maintain that eventually everyone will know the truth. Those believing the "official" conspiracy theory where 19 Arabs with boxcutters got lucky are abandoning this fiction as they learn the truth, whether by viewing any of dozens of DVDs, reading books, attending conferences, visiting websites (probably 150,000 worldwide), or talking with one of the millions who have made this their mission. The number of those who have figured it out are growing exponentially as each newly awakened patriot encourages others to look at the overwhelming evidence DEBUNKING the official story.

I know it is very hard to admit you were conned, but when you are ready you will seek the truth. Truth always wins. Thank you David Ray Griffin for being a Pillar of Integrity in the effort to remove the blinders.

Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World

Average customer rating:

Buy a different book
For political historians; not for readers interested in historic battles...
Thermopylae Again
Nice read, contemporary comparision
9/11 hijackers and the Spartans? No dice.

Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World
Paul Cartledge
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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300

ASIN: 1585675660
Release Date: 2006-11-02

Book Description

In 480 BC, a huge Persian army, led by the inimitable King Xerxes, entered the mountain pass of Thermopylae as it marched on Greece, intending to conquer the land with little difficulty. But the Greeks—led by King Leonidas and a small army of Spartans—took the battle to the Persians at Thermopylae, and halted their advance—almost.

It is one of history's most acclaimed battles, one of civilization's greatest last stands. And in Thermopylae, renowned classical historian Paul Cartledge looks anew this history-altering moment and, most impressively, shows how its repercussions have bearing on us even today. The invasion of Europe by Xerxes and his army redefined culture, kingdom, and class. The valiant efforts of a few thousand Greek warriors, facing a huge onrushing Persian army at the narrow pass at Thermopylae, changed the way generations to come would think about combat, courage, and death.

The battle of Thermopylae was at its broadest a clash of civilizations; one that momentously helped shape the identity of classical Greece and hence the nature of our own cultural heritage.

Customer Reviews:

Buy a different book.......2007-06-15

R. A Forczyk's review says it all.

My recommendation: save yourself the money and buy Thermopylae: The Battle for the West by Ernle Bradford instead. Bradford's is by far the superior work.

For political historians; not for readers interested in historic battles..........2007-05-23

While there is no doubt that Paul Cartledge is a competent and thorough historian, the title of this book should have been "Thermopylae: How It Changed The World". In short, out of the prologue, nine chapters of reading and an epilogue, only a single 11-page chapter is actually dedicated to the battle itself.

The political and cultural details of both the Persian Empire and Greek states leading up to the battle of Thermopylae are covered in their entirety; perhaps a bit too much. Readers may wonder when the actual battle is covered, and will be disappointed when the text given to the event is covered in eleven pages. While it is not a bad book, those wishing to read about the BATTLE of Thermopylae should look elsewhere, while those concerned with cause-and-effect may find just what you're looking for with this work.

Thermopylae Again.......2007-04-23

Paul Cartledge's Thermopylae recounts events related to the famous battle between the Greeks, characterized by King Leonidas and his small army of 300 Spartans, and the Persians, characterized by King Xerxes and his huge invading army.

The battle at Thermopylae took place on narrow strip of land in southern Macedonia between mountains to the west and a gulf of the Aegean Sea to the east. The Spartans were holding their own until a Spartan traitor showed the Persians a path through the mountains that allowed the Persians to out flank and defeat the Spartans.

The source for the content of the book is based heavily on the work of Herodotus, known as the Father of Recorded History.

The book is somewhat hard to follow in that the Author introduces a cast of characters that almost equals the number of Spartans at Thermopylae. This distraction is further acerbated by the Author's pension for using comma-bracketed phrases in the middle of sentences that explains to the reader what he is explaining to the reader.

In summary, the book adds nothing new to the vast number of competing histories on this subject, and the read is similar to riding on a corrugated road in a jeep.

Nice read, contemporary comparision.......2007-04-11

This was a very easy read and well done. The author illustrates with contemporary events. Great insight.

9/11 hijackers and the Spartans? No dice........2007-03-28

In an otherwise competent but pedestrian rehash of the Thermopylae story, this book would perhaps have deserved 4 stars. But I reached pages 130-131, and read the author's comparison of the defenders at Thermopylae with the 9/11 hijackers. What possible comparison could the author see? The Spartans and their allies were well aware that they were at war, and so were the Persians. Both had weapons in hand and faced each other. Yes, the odds were asymmetrical. But at least it was warrior versus warior, not unarmed and unaware civilian versus armed warriors. And then there is the discussion of the Japanese kamikaze pilots in WW2. Here again, it was soldier against soldier in war. Each had weapons and each had some idea of what he faced. The 9/11 hijackers were murderers pure and simple. There is no comparison to Thermopylae and the author should be taken to task for it. Shame.

Real World Color Management, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Excellent source book
Invaluable Guide
Read it if you need it.
Un gran libro...
Specifically designed for very high-end professionals

Real World Color Management, Second Edition
Bruce Fraser , Chris Murphy , and Fred Bunting
Manufacturer: Peachpit Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0321267222

Product Description

Real World Color Management covers one of the most vital steps in the digital workflow. Each chapter offers in depth information on the fundamentals of color, an overview of the color management process and how to use in both photo and graphic applications. Learn in detail how to build, evaluate and edit ICC profiles in order to acheive consistent results all the way through to the final print. Book Sections: Introduction to Color Management lays the groundwork for the entire process Building and Tuning Profiles covers the creation of unique profiles based on your equipment and final output Applications and Workflow outlines how to include the previous sections in to everyday use,when using Quark, Freehand, CorelDraw, Illustrator or Photoshop 534 pages / soft cover

Customer Reviews:

Excellent source book.......2007-05-13

When I needed to better understand color management, Fraser's book was a perfect find. It doesn't pretend to be simple, but it is very well written with a sense of humor. I find myself revisiting chapters for re-reads when my needs demand. It is a complete course in color management for the first time student, and it has become a oft used reference. It makes so many other books "too simple..." Because it covers the history of color management as well the concepts and tools, the book is also one of those excellent references needed for all serious photographers.

Invaluable Guide.......2007-03-29

My purpose in buying this book was to help me print photos that looked like the image on my PC monitor. The phrase "color management" can probably mean many things to different people but this is really what matters to me. It can be difficult enough to edit photos so that you are satisfied with how it looks on your screen. If you print it out and the photo looks more red than the screen, or darker, or any number of other possible differences than you will know only frustration and heartache when trying to print photos.

While simple in concept, successfully getting a printed image to mirror that on your screen is a complex task and this book will greatly aid you in the process. It methodically covers all aspects of color management both from a theoretical perspective and a practical series of concrete specifics to manage color successfully on your system.

Depending on your needs, it is almost certainly not necessary to read every page of this guide. For my purposes a lot of the theoretical discussion was not relevant and a lot of space is devoted to CMYK printing in a professional environment while I print exclusively at home. There are undoubtedly people with different interests, however, who will find such information invaluable while they may gloss over some of the sections that were most useful to me. In the end, that is why I give this book 5 stars and my highest recommendation. It provides great information no matter what your needs are and you are free to consume as much or little as suits you. If you are a photographer and haven't gotten into color management at all, then quit sitting on the fence. Buy this book and start the process and your photos will benefit tremendously.

Read it if you need it........2007-01-22

Of all Bruce Fraser's wonderful books, this has to be the best. I grew up in the analog imaging world. In those days, long ago, you could get by with training your eye and if necessary, working by trial and error. You could concentrate on the image and let Kodak do the math.

With the miracle of computers we have far greater precision and--let's be honest--far greater complexity (which is a nice way of saying, difficulty). What RWCM does is take something that isn't easy and isn't simple and, by brilliantly explaining it, makes it a little easier to grasp. Of course, you can't sell books by saying "Turns astounding difficulty into mere complexity!" but if you're going to put human color perception on paper or the web, that's what you're dealing with.

That said, I think the vast majority of digital imaging users would gladly settle for pleasing color as opposed to accurate color if they knew what was involved. For these folks there are the Scott Kelby-type books and gizmos that calibrate your monitor while leaving the rest of your workflow untouched.

Un gran libro..........2007-01-12

Es un libro maravilloso, que te dará muchas respuestas. Pero es un libro difícil porque el tema es difícil como pocos dentro del área gráfica. No obstante te preparará para una comprensión global del manejo de color. No es un libro para aprender a calibrar dispositivos. Es un material para comprender el manejo de color y de perfiles dentro de documentos y tecnologías. Ojo, es un libro para diseñadores muy técnicos al igual que Real World Photoshop y no solucionará tu flujo de trabajo, pero te ayudará a entender cómo lo podrías mejorar, qué depende de ti, qué no, cuáles son los factores que intervienen en un flujo de color. Si quieres empezar a entender este extraño mundo del color, este es un libro fundamental.

Specifically designed for very high-end professionals.......2006-12-11

Unless you have a few thousand bucks to throw at profiling and calibrating software and the accompanying measuring instrument or two don't waste your time on this book, it is just too high-end for the average, discriminating color dabbler or even mid-grade designer on a budget.

Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968

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Under A Cruel Star & Reflections of Prague
A mother's undying love for her son; a son's undying love for his mother...
extraordinary memoir in several languages
a note from the translator of this book
An amazing story of perseverence

Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968
Heda Margolius Kovaly
Manufacturer: Holmes & Meier Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0841913773

Customer Reviews:

Under A Cruel Star & Reflections of Prague.......2006-08-07

My mother's book, in print since 1973 under various titles, the last being 'Under A Cruel Star', inspired me to write my own side of the story about my lost father, JUDr Rudolf Margolius. Now published and called 'Reflections of Prague: Journeys through the 20th century' it fills gaps in my mother's book provided by further research and historical information, some of which was not available to her and which many readers of her book had asked us for over the years. Hopefully this companion volume provides answers to these questions. I hope you find this book interesting and would welcome your feedback.

A mother's undying love for her son; a son's undying love for his mother..........2006-07-14

When I finished reading Heda Margolius Kovaly's stunning chronicle of continuous struggle, concentration camp survival, and eventual triumph, I had to stare out my window onto the street below for a long while, watching the people.

There I was, working and residing in modern-day Prague, mingling amongst the tourists and locals, with my feet touching those very same cobblestones of a city which Ms. Margolius Kovaly horrifically describes in her heart-rending tale of human resilience, UNDER A CRUEL STAR.

The realization blew my mind. I had to catch my breath.

Not too long ago -- a mere drip in the historical bucket -- very bad people once populated this ancient city and land. They were entirely free to express their poisonous views, shouting vile epithets about so-called "pure race," the so-called "scourge" of Jews, and about the so-called "evils" its then-society faced from saboteurs, fifth-columnists unaligned with Czechoslovakia's Communist Party.

As I walk these streets, I interact and share the same space with these people, the descendants, heirs, and inheritors of a very rotten recent legacy. It's this legacy that Ms. Margolus Kovaly chillingly describes and in vivid, sordid detail in her poignant memoir, UNDER A CRUEL STAR.

Commend, I say, this mighty woman of valour for sharing with you how much pain she once had to endure. Applaud her for how much strife she had to overcome when she returned from the unspeakable indescribable conditions of the Nazi's killing factory at Auschwitz, of which much has been written in the canon. I needn't repeat it here.

Be shocked at the clarity and the precision of Heda's language, and -- trust me -- reel and wonder why it is that she even chose to return to this infernal place, this city of Prague, municipal architect of her early life's damnation. For that, Heda deserves the equivalent of a "purple heart" for her resilience and fortitude. But this is not nearly enough...

As I read Heda's story, those small insignificant stresses which descend on a given day PALE by comparison. No longer will I feel needless stress. No longer will I be affected by it.

I am describing to you the impact of this memoir. Heda's strength will permeate you.

I love this book because it pries open a vista on a period these present Czech authorities are anxious to enshroud in mystery. I hear very little discussion today of what is known as Czechoslovakia's "collaborationist past" in the modern-day "Czech Republic."

Not a single leader in this fledgling country is willing to boldly take responsibility for the actions of this successor nation's preceding governments, whose reins -- the ones they now grip tightly -- are the offshoot of very rotten roots. Today's government must own up to its legacy, one which is responsible -- among countless other atrocities and crimes -- for murdering eleven perfectly innocent men, like Rudolf Margolius, Heda's late husband and father to her author son, Ivan, in 1953's Slansky (show) Trial. I was angered when I'd read how the doctor's in Stalin's infamous "Doctor's Plot" were not hanged, while Mr. Margolius and his ten other co-accused were. It made me *very* angry, and anger I wish not to think too much about for fear of what it might result in.

Evaluating this all, you scratch your head wondering where Heda derives all her strength? From where comes her unassailable moral fortitude and her staunchness without fail?

Look, don't read this book because *I'm* telling you to. I know I review a lot of titles, and you'd normally trust me judgement because you trust me, but don't, okay?

Also don't read this book because it's stylistically-impeccable and superbly written. I'll have you know there isn't a shred of literary critique I've got for the brilliant lines filling Heda's pages.

Read this book to place your life into perspective, if it's a comfortable and cushy one. Read this book to either compare or contrast Heda's past with what you call *your* past, and finally understand how the might of the human spirit is unbreakable. Heda Margolius Kovaly is the living proof. She is the embodiment of intrepid courage. And it's high time you get to know what that is.

I wish there were more than five stars I could give.

-- ADM in Prague

(for the writings of Ivan Margolius, please see "REFLECTIONS OF PRAGUE," for more information)

extraordinary memoir in several languages.......2006-05-26

I am the English-language publisher of Ms. Kovaly's extraordinary memoir, that is now being read in major universities around the world for an eyewitness view of twentieth century totalitarianism --in this case Nazism and Stalinism -- in Central Europe. This translation has been the basis for the UK, French, German, Dutch and Japanese editions of this book. There are very few books in any language by or about Czech Jewish women. Another excellent one is my wife Helen Epstein's journalistic memoir of her maternal line of Bohemian Jews titled Where She Came From: A Daughter's Search for her Mother's History, which covers the years 1800-1948 in the Czech lands.

a note from the translator of this book.......2005-05-14

As the translator from the Czech and the editor of the Plunkett Lake Press version of this book, I'd like to address the confusion about editions. Heda Kovaly first wrote this book in Czech. It was translated first by Czech philosopher Erazim Kohak who published it together with his own writing in one volume. In 1985, Heda Kovaly and I together translated and produced a new edition of her memoir. We called it Under A Cruel Star. That version was subsequently published by Penguin and then Holmes & Meier. There are also British, French, German, Dutch and Japanese translations that have been published under different titles. All have used the Plunkett Lake text.

An amazing story of perseverence.......2004-05-24

This is the best book I have read on the experience of the wartime generation in Central Europe. The author escapes from Auschewitz and marries Rudolf Margolius, a fellow Holocaust survivor, after the war. Like many disillusioned Czechs, they join the Communist Party in the hope of creating a future where such horrors could never happen again. Rudolf becomes a high-ranking technocrat in the government, and for a brief time the family lives in reasonable comfort. Tragically, they learn the Party is just setting them up for persecution, poverty, hardship and, for Heda and her son, eventual exile. They are the lucky ones.

Reading this book should rid you of any illusions you have about the Communists and help you to understand the Orwellian world of the 1950s Soviet Bloc.

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