I am impressed with this book. Not knowing much of Russia but the precieved notions. I learned alot more about them as well as the interactions of the two countries. I was drawn into the book with all the intensity of the lives protrayed and was joyful when its turns and twists brought me to another aspect of it all. Having spoken to the author of this book. I am honored he has written about his passions and involvements. Awesome book it will transport you to another place. I would refer this book.

That's what Mike Berenson says about his life and that's what describes Moorstein's book best. As a Russian-born former public prosecutor, I could find numerous factual details in the book that are in conflict with Russian (read "ex-Soviet") legal, social and cultural realities. The author is not completely free from the typical American stereotypes either (e.g., all Russian are spies, etc.). However, once you started to read the story, you quickly forget about such minor things. You are captured by a mixture of dynamic action, suspense, political intrigue, love making sceenes, moral conflicts and controsersial characters, and right when you think you are out of breath on this wild ride of Moorstein's imagination, the author takes you to a quiet harbor of thoughtfulness and self-reflection... Until the next exciting twist! It may sound like a paradox, but this piece of fictional reality may play a greater role in bringing the Russians and Americans together, than a rigorous scientific study. The truth is rather simple, after all, we are all humans... What else can I say? Don't miss out on this one! Just buy the book and see for yourself. And it's a great bedtime reading, by the way! ;-)

The termination of the "cold war" and the disintegration of the Soviet Union had unexpected consequences for a whole collection of writers actively working in a genre of detective and so-called "espionage" novels. Many have been unexpectedly lost to several generations of readers, who developed an easy and menacing image of the "evil empire" with its ubiquitous and ominous KGB, its powerful military machine --- and suffering under the oppression of ideological and dogmatic people. Even Hollywood, having undertaken some unpersuasive attempts at creating the new universal villain (basically - the terrorist purloining a nuclear warhead from a disintegrating Soviet arsenal), has lost interest in this theme, and still is in search of a worthy replacement for the constant image of enemies that once were agents of the Kremlin in uncountable espionage attacks. At the same time, the most successful authors always understood that one of the most important parts of making a good detective story, as well as any modern literature (besides a valiantly twisted plot), is the traditional love angle, as such masters of the genre, Ian Fleming, LeCarre and Martin Cruz Smith repeatedly proved. Therefore, it is a pleasant surprise for those who feel nostalgia for the good old times when the signs of a fascinating novel arise in heroes who speak Russian --- and exhibit a background of a Russia rough, many-sided and full of contradictions. Such a new detective novel is "Red Reflections" by Mark Moorstein, published by "Writer's Club Press." In this book there are all the necessary components that plunge you into a world created by the author that does not stop. You follow a dynamic maze of intrigue, full of unexpected turns, that remains unresolved until the unforeseen and dramatic ending. The main hero of the book - Mike Berenson - served in the "cold war" as a military pilot and carried out surveillance flights above waters adjacent to the USSR. Gradually, from his ability to speak the Russian language, his "professional" interest developed into a sincere regard for Russia, and he managed to grow fond of its people, culture and tragic history. Beginning with his return from Europe and becoming a successful lawyer, the co-owner of a law practice in one of the prestigious suburbs of Washington, he unexpectedly becomes the main suspect in the murder of a former client who has relocated to the USA - Russian businessman Alexey Ribakov. The FBI, investigating the circumstances of the affair, interrogates Mike about his connections with Russia. They are especially interested in the mysterious mistress of Mike - a graduate of elite MGIMO, the talented neophyte lawyer - foreign affairs specialist Anna Severova. Adding intrigue to the soup, Ribakov, besides conducting legal business, is involved in illegal trading with Iraq, double-dealing in Soviet secret material stolen by him. Mike, alone bringing up his daughter from his marriage (his wife has died), suddenly finds out that his comfortable life is simultaneously threatened with danger from two sides - from the FBI that wants to arrest him on suspicion of murder, and from the Russian special services nervous about information leaking important defensive value. As the noose of circumstances tightens around the neck of the lawyer, he more and more doubts the sincerity of the motives that have forced the beautiful Anna to maintain relations with him. He realizes through his Russian contacts he has become involved in a dangerous international intrigue. An atmosphere of complex human attitudes, full of internal pressure, sometimes reflecting truth, but more often revealing the latent motives of a lie, will make reading the novel entertaining for those who appreciate a thriller of more than shooting and pursuits. The author not only was able to recreate precisely an atmosphere of the late Gorbachev perestroika period when the Kremlin management unsuccessfully tried to redirect a sinking ship of state to market and democratic reforms, but also to construct it with a feeling of deep sympathy for the great Russian people. The empathy and attempt to look at events in Russia in the beginning of the ninetieth year of the century shocks the eyes of the detached onlooker, and the book is a valid and interested friend favourably distinguishing itself from tens of others still remaining in the West. The novel could be mentioned in a line of such classic examples of the genre as "Russia House" by LeCarre, and "Gorky Park" by Martin Cruz Smith. Among other things, it is necessary to note in "Red Reflections" the sensual and touching description of love between Mike and Anna, psychologically exact portraits of negative characters, and, not least, a story made according to the best traditions of a genre and the plot of a thriller leading to an unexpected and dramatic outcome.

Mark L. Tompkins wonderfully shares his perspective of the world with us through his beautiful poems and photography.

This book is so easy to personally identify with. The poems and photographs inspire my own vision and passion; not someone elses. I keep it on my coffee table and refer to it a moment at a time.

I received the book as a gift and it now resides among my other collection on the coffee table. It's a wonderfully insightful look into the trials and tribulations of the human "condition" with photography that is both poignant and storytelling in itself. There's probably a little bit of us all in this book..

I'm not sure if this book is out of print -save for the hardcover - or just unavailable but it is well worth getting (even supposing you have to go elsewhere).

Why? First off, anyone who's read Karl Popper knows that he was a phenomenal writer who could pack much content into any one sentence. Mark Notturno is not only that good, dare I say it, he may be better at it than Popper?! Whereas Popper's terseness occasionally led him to vagueries, Notturno is always crisp.

Second, books on Popper tend to rehash his views (which the authors either understand or not - 50/50). Notturno extends Popper's thought. Never quite disagreeing with any of it, Notturno does find fault with a few of Poppers vagueries and corrects them. The essay herein - "induction and demarcation" is notable as it focuses on Poppers tendency to mislead on certain views he held. The distinction between falsification and falsifiability, the problem not being of induction altogether but the fact that bad inductive conclusions, unlike deduction, will not point to a false premise, and from it the fact that Popper did not quite believe all induction to be invalid.

Some other good essays to note (in addition to the ones listed two reviews below) are "education and the open society" which is a good essay on why current education methods might fail (his similarity to John Dewey in this, and other, regards always amazes me). Also 'inference and deference' is a great article exposing the failure of logic to justify, contra popular philosophic practice, deference to authority. Not barring it outright, Notturno highlights two errors of thought that lead us to defer abdicatingly to authority: defensive thinking and poitical thinking. If there was an essay focusing solely on these two concepts (this one only devotes a few paragraphs) then I would've had to give the book seven stars. Also worthy of mention is the afterword "what is to be done" about post-communism and how a proper trainsitiion to a truly open-society can take place. In short, very good book. If you are a Popper fan and are tired of reading secondary books that only rehash, never expand, this is the best book I can think of.

Wow! Easily one of the best reads I've had in years. Not only is it an insightful source of understanding for those interested in Karl Popper's philosophy, but Notturno, himself, emerges as a powerful player in the field of critical reasoning and the politics of knowledge. A devastatingly effective thinker and writer in his own right. It will change your view of the world and the role of reasoning and politics in the conduct of human affairs. Awesome!

Karl Popper had one of the broadest ranges of any 20th Century philosopher. He wrote in Epistemology, Philosophy and History of Science, Logic, and Democratic Theory. In each area he wrote trenchantly and with great excellence and imagination. He was the greatest of 20th century philosophers. Why I feel this way can begin to be understood by reading Mark A. Notturno's "Science and the Open Society." Notturno's work is the most valuable gateway to Popper's yet. It is one of those very few books that serve as the core of one's library, that one returns to again and again.

All of the Chapters in "Science and the Open Society" are striking and contain worthwhile insights. As a whole they allow one to think about the corpus of Popper's work and the major themes he developed over the course of 60 years. In fact, Popper himself wrote no single work that would allow us to do that. Notturno, in providing that perspective here, gives us a bird's eye view that we must work much harder to get from Popper's work. If you seek an understanding of Popper, start with Notturno and then read Popper for yourself, with the context you need to actively grasp what Popper presents.

All of the book is valuable, but there are a few Chapters that stand out from my own perspective as a Knowledge Management practitioner. These are Chapter 10 on the choice between Popper and Kuhn, Chapter 7 on the meaning of world 3, Chapter 5, a brilliant account of the breakdown of foundationalism and justificationism and of how Popper's critical rationalism escapes from the problems inherent in these views and provides a basis for solving the problems of induction and demarcation, and Chapter 3 on the significance of critical rationalism for education in open societies. Here is a more detailed review of Chapters 10 and 7.

Chapter 10, "The Choice Between Popper and Kuhn: Truth, Criticism, and the Legacy of Logical Positivism," takes up again the task of proper reconstruction of the nature of science following the breakdown of logical positivism. Notturno shows that Popper and Kuhn took two contrasting roads in journeying from this crossroads of 20th century philosophy. He traces how Kuhn and the many who followed him took the road to relativism, institutionalism, and "political" science, while denying the possibility of external rational critques of governing paradigms. Popper, on the other hand, took the road to thoroughgoing fallibilistic truth-seeking, a path which rejected foundationalism and justificationism, and offered a view of scientific objectivity attained through shared criticism of alternative knowledge claims conjectured as solutions to problems. As Notturno puts it (P. 230): "The issue at base is whether science should be an open or a closed society." Notturno shows that its is Kuhn's choice that leads to the closed society, and Popper's that supports the idea that (P. 248) ". . . our scientific institutions should exist for the sake of the individual - for the sake of our freedom of thought and our right to express it - and not the other way around."

Chapter 7 is a careful account of Popper's controversial notion that there are at least three "worlds" or realms of ontological significance: (1) the material world of tables, atoms, buildings, lamps, etc., (2) the mental world of thoughts, beliefs, emotions, etc. and (3) the "world" of words and language, art, mathematics, music, and other human, non-material, but sharable and autonomous creations. Popper criticized monism, the doctrine that only the physical world exists, and dualism, the idea that there is only mind, matter, and the interaction between them, in favor of a broader interactionism among three realms. This idea has been among the most difficult of notions for people to accept.

To many (including Feyerabend and Lakatos who ridiculed it), it smacks of Platonism, even though Popper clearly distinguished his own world 3 ideas from platonic forms. But Popper's world 3 notions are critical to his ideas about the pursuit of truth, criticism and trial and error as the method of science and problem-solving, the growth of knowledge, and evolutionary epistemology. Popper's world 3 is also critical to knowledge management, because without it we can't sensibly talk about managing the interaction between subjective mental knowledge (world 2) and objective linguistic knowledge (world 3), and, one can argue, it is managing this interaction to enhance the growth of relevant knowledge that is knowledge management's greatest challenge and major preoccupation.

Of all the commentary I have seen on world 3 Chapter 7 is the best at simply stating what Popper meant by it, why the notion is important to critical rationalism and the growth of knowledge, why people have denied its importance, why world 3 is consistent with a thoroughgoing fallibilism, why world 3 is a denial of empiricist epistemology, why the notion of world 3 is not invalidated by the greatly over-rated "Ockham's Razor," why world 3 doesn't violate the principle of causality, and finally why world 3 is important in spite of the view of the Wittgensteinians that solutions to philosophical problems which world 3 is an instance of, are meaningless because such problems are themselves meaningless. And in the process of doing this commentary, Notturno presents and analyzes for us a wonderful story of an encounter between Popper and Wittgenstein (mediated by Bertrand Russell) at Cambridge on October 26, 1946, which in microcosm, illustrates the conflict between reason and authority, and the open society and the closed society. It was an encounter in which the master of the cold stare, the mystique of genius, and the pithy aphorism, found himself so frustrated by the master of critque and dialogue that he left the field of open debate in anger and disgust.

I buy all of Teague's books due to the WONDERFUL pictures! The children in my church are spellbound when I read them at Children's time. The pictures go from edge to edge of each page causing much wide eyed wonder on the part of both adult and children alike!

This one is a very cute tale of imagination.

Wendell and Floyd are the kids in this book. They are boys and they are seven years old. They lie all the time. They are always late for school. I like this book a lot and I think you should read it. I reccomend it to all the kids in my school -- hopefully they will not be late for school!

If your child has a habit of being late for school, or if you find yourself running behind morning after morning, then Mark Teague's "The Secret Shortcut" may well prove helpful. The tale being told here is of Wendell and Floyd, two young friends who are always late for class. For some reason their teacher, Mrs. Gernsblatt, does not believe their stories about being late because of encounters with space creatures, pirates, and a plague of frogs. They try leaving earlier for school one morning, but that does not work and Wendell decides they are going to have to use his secret shortcut. The result is a real bungle through the jungle, aided and abetted by Teague's lush illustrations. Getting to school might never be so much fun ever again, although I could really use a story like this about a young girl who is always late, because I certainly have one of those.

I found this book to be just what I was looking for. After a complete introduction to the topic, Mr. Wolfinger helps the novice options investor clearly understand one conservative strategy. The author is very dedicated and thorough in explaining the concepts. He makes no assumptions that the reader has previous knowledge of what he teaches, yet he is never condescending. I also appreciate the easy to read font size. The text is large enough that I can read it without my glasses! Many thanks to the author for having the patience and know-how to start a beginner from "square one". I look forward to other books on the subject by this author.

Enjoyed this book! It delivers as promised. I picked it up hoping to get a clear understanding of options and how they work. I was more than pleased, as this book provided all I was looking for, and more. The author presents material in pleasant, easy to grasp language. I now have a very clear understanding of options. The covered call writing strategy sounds good to me. I never knew it was so easy to obtain some safety for my stocks. I have already opened my options account and my broker is offering encouragement.

Since reading this book, I have learned how to use options, opened an options account, and made several successful transactions. The author's style is easy to understand and the recommended strategy has been working for me. PS...I have set aside a small amount of my own money to work with...I haven't told my husband about my newly acquired skills. Hopefully one day in the future I will be able to give him a $$ surprise!
GIRLFRIENDS...GET THIS BOOK!

The best poetry I've read by a living poet. I've read these poems over and over. I particularly like, for example, the sestina, A Variation on Themes by the Doors. It's work on paper, but unlike so much new poetry, it is not paper thin. It is lyrical, inventive (without being eccentric), evocative and dense with meaning and mystery. It is emotional and yet the author never spews or sprawls. He is pointed, and controlled without ever being rigid. He uses traditional forms effectively, without ever being pedantic, employing them to make the greatest use of what they might have to offer. In a world where so many don't even know what the forms are, this is especially welcome. Such inventive and rigorous poetry, poetry that works the mind AND the soul of the reader, is rare indeed.

In the mid '80s, the Cabaret Hegel, a reading and performance series was held in an old boot factory in Seattle, Washington, until the structure was torn down to make way for a major freeway interchange. Fortunately, the Cabaret Hegel has been remembered more poetically by one of its participants, Mark Svenvold, in the opening sequence of his first book, Soul Data. But to say that this homage consists of a series of sonnets is just as inadequate as my flat statement of the cabaret's history. Poetic forms do not restrict Svenvold; rather, they provide a framework for displaying his insight and playfulness. There's nothing stodgy about "Sex Fiend Sonnet," for instance, and "Variations on Themes by The Doors" is an intricately written sestina. Poet and critic Heather McHugh selected this book for the Vassar Miller Award, in 1997, and the two share a deft juggling of language that never overwhelms the content. "I'm not here to double your entendre or your fun/ though, trouble is, trouble (both ex- and in-/ tends, virus-wise, to spread out everywhere," the fiend explains, and the new crowd at the Comet Tavern, the setting for "Variations on Themes by The Doors," is "black-booted, blue-eyed, baby-faced & beer-fisted." Svenvold turns his descriptions, puns, rhythm, metaphors, and occasional surreal twists to such varied topics as Thelonius Monk, pornography, baseball, bad dates, and the death of parents. One of the three poems called "Desperate Message" begins, "There hands have found in each other/the impossibility of bodies," and these hands end up, "like tourists without visas, cameras without film, busily, purposfully/taking picture after picture after picture." Fortunately for us, Svenvold has caught these poetic visions to share.

SOUL DATA by Mark Svenvold is a poetic elegy to place, time, and family.  In EVIDENCE, "...liberty--/ how most of us have used ours up and carry/ what's left as we carry our bodies,/ pouting and untenable, from place to place--".  And in SEX FIEND SONNET: "the wreck I've caused I am."  Serenades, augury, and elegies are all part of the mix here.  Svenvold's western voice is as clear and as erotic as that of Hugo or Wright. The subject throughout this wonderful first collection seems to be the endurance of language and identity between the needed mountain and the histories of clouds, waves, and stone.  SOUL DATA is a book well worth the read.

Scott Hightower (72050.2350@compuserve.com)

This book is all about the show. It has lots of pictures. Even summeries of all the episodes with what songs were sung. This book is perfect for anyone who loved the series. Even comes with posters!

Although this book doesn't really have that much info on the band, it has billions of pictures. There are several fold-out posters, losts of collages, and an episode guide, too.

Even though it's a bit old, every S Club fan should own this!

The S Club 7 has millions of pictures, good info about the band, and 2 great posters that I put on my locker @ school. The pictures are great, and for their birthday!! Happy reading!

It's past time that someone put some thought and effort into a book of this nature. We've had "Science Fiction TV" guides before, and they've uniformly been written by authors whose axes could be heard grinding away throughout as they slagged shows they disliked and drooled over shows they (often unaccountably) were fans of. Mark Phillips and Frank Garcia have done a good job of research and writing here, with few and minor mistakes. The chapter on "Battlestar Galactica," which is accurate and contains a good deal of information, much of it from new interviews done especially for this book, is worth the price of admission alone. If you're a fan of science fiction on TV, this book, in spite of its price, should be on your bookshelf. Very highly recommended.

This book represents the pinnacle in terms of a blend of behind-the-scenes insights and anecdotes combined with basic reference data. The multitude of interviews that went into the text give the material a depth that the more common coverage of sci-fi shows rarely attains. Like other books by McFarland, it's pricey, but I can think of none that give the reader better value for their dollar.

What makes this guide especially fascinating are the numerous candid in-depth interviews with the producers and writers of these shows, giving much insight into the creative process and the trials and tribulations of creating innovative television shows. There are countless behind-the-scenes anecdotes that have, I am sure, never seen print before. I thought I knew a lot about certain shows, but this book contained info that was new to me; and even reading the articles about shows I never watched (and the entries on each show are long and detailed) I could scarcely put the book down. This book serves as a reference, but it is more than that; it has a wealth of fascinating insights into the television industry itself.

Any theatre buff will think he or she has died and gone to hog heaven. It is virtually impossible to put this gorgeous book down. Put together by the archivists who work for the Shubert Organization, this book covers Broadway with the Shuberts for the past 100 years. Currently the Organization owns 17 Broadway houses. A history of each theatre and what has played there is covered on these pages. The photography and beautiful design make this one of the best coffee table size books I have ever seen. And I have quite a collection. You won't regret your purchase!

An amazing book that I couldn't put down. The Shuberts have compiled a great tribute to Broadway theater. It's worth the money if you are a theater history buff!

A letter is missing from the subtitle of this book: it should have been "100 Years of Great American Theaters." Yes, this gorgeously designed and printed volume offers numerous historic production stills, but Chach et al. reserved the real glamour for interior shots of Schubert-owned houses. They include no views of backstage areas, nor do they mention the true history of the Schuberts and their attempts to replace and repeat the syndicate's dominance over American theater. Readers will find reproductions of rare items from the Schubert Archive interesting, and the price is certainly a good value. Libraries with extensive theater collections may wish to acquire it, but the volume is a coffee-table book best suited for theater buffs.

...Thrillers seem to have more resonance when they take place
in the backwoods--especially the Deep South backwoods of Alabama.
Every novelist who wants to thrill and chill and puzzle a
late-night reader should spend a few days walking about in a
small town on the edge of a big wooded area deep in the heart of
The Heart of Alabama. Something's bound to happen if you hang
around long enough.

This novel presents a good/bad little slice of somebody
else's life--a life you might want to know about but certainly
would never want to live. Such lives are best left inside books
for us to peep into but never get too close to.

It's easy to look down on the people who inhabit this
book--until you realize that some of them have experienced the
same things as you. The character Holly is tortured by her
sadistic First Grade teacher and redeemed by her benevolent
Second Grade teacher. Strange, so was I. Holly's best friend
Billy turns into a fugitive from justice. Funny, I had friends
like that, too--even though I was not what folks in the 1940's
called a "country hick." I even knew friends who had seen UFO's,
just as Holly and Billy did. And so on. Even though this is a
backwoods story, a "city" reader like me can begin to realize
that we all share very similar backgrounds. It's just the
locations that are different. I even knew a serial killer-to-be
in high school, perhaps as demented as the killer in this little
Gothic novel.

Holly's friend Billy is a serial killer, but the reader
never quite understands why. Just like real life: the more we
study folks who don't behave properly, the less we understand
them. Some people are just plain beyond explanation. Billy's
murders are a bit too lovingly described by the author, who shows
more compassion for the killer than for any of his victims. Guess
that's what makes for interesting reading. The writer Robert
Bloch had that talent--his demented characters and their actions
were lovingly described, while things the "good guys" and "gals"
did seemed bland by comparison. Bloch's Norman Bates was by far
the most intriguing character in the novel PSYCHO--and the author
of SOMETHING DOWN THE ROAD is more interested in Billy Raston's
activities than in the goings-on of other people sprinkled
throughout this novel. Go figure--we remember Hannibal Lector,
Jack the Ripper and Norman Bates in great detail, but we seldom
dwell on the grief the victims and their families experienced.

It's easy to try and understand someone who exists only on
paper. Nice and encapsulated between covers, nice and imprisoned
so that we don't have to deal with that person, in person.

Nice little story. Horrible, a little sexy, a little sad,
and just enough in touch with reality to make you think it might
have happened.

--Jim Reed...

I have read many books in my days. This book is by far the best one I have ever read. I was constantly thinking "Oh, my God!". I could not put it down. It keeps you wondering what will happen next. It is very suspenseful and the incidents were described in such great detail that you could almost see them happening. At the end I was left thinking, this woman (the author) had an incredible imagination.

I had the opportunity to meet B.K. Smith in Jasper, AL at her book signing. At the time I knew nothing about her book other than it was set in the area surronding the town I live in. In the process of reading this book I was able to grasp the reality that the author was trying to achieve. I felt that the book was suspenseful with a sense of romantic irony. It was everything that I love in a good book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would reccomend it to anyone, especially if they are from Walker County, Alabama.