A friend and I are taking an intro to astonomy course and this is one of the recommended texts. I can certainly see why. It's a very clearly written work with a heavy emphasis on planetary and solar astronomy and a lucid discussion of stellar objects visible with personal telescopes, subjects that the noviate astronomer is most likely to find of interest. The author also dedicates two chapters to the subject of theoretical astrophysics at the very basic level of cosmology, ie) the theory of the origin, the possible ultimate destiny of the universe, and the liklihood of the existance of coevil universes parallel to our own. Dickinson also throws his lot in with those who would believe in UFOs, to the extent that while he doesn't believe in the sightings people report--however well meaningly--he does believe that intelligent life is out there and may well already know of our existance. He gives a thorough and lucid outline of why he believes this to be the case. He also summarizes the SETI project and the ultimate change in position on this topic of high visibility astronomers like the late Carl Sagan, Iosif Shklovskii, and Ben Zuckerman. A very interesting book, and one that whets the appetite for further information.

Easy to read, modern review of cosmology and astronomy. Contains some of the best produced astronomical illustrations. Terence Dickinson is an astronomy writer. He received the 1992 Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal for achievements in advancing public understanding of science.

Excellent, highly readable book about the various aspects of the universe. Presented with fabulous photos, images, and illustrations. An absolute must-have for anyone interested in astronomy. So fantastic, it will even inspire those NOT interested in astronomy. Suitable for elementary school kids (for the photos) on up. Dickinson has an absolute talent for writing about astronomy in a clear, concise way without talking down to you or relying on too much technical jargon and does all that and makes it fascinating too. Wonderful.

The first amendment gives us the right to free speech and for the most part this is a fairly simple concept right? Well in 1994 in Massachusetts this became a complex legal issue that turned a simple parade into chaos.

Riveting from beginning to the very end, this 600-page fact filled legal expose on how our court system really works, is like nothing else you'll ever read. The authors take you on a journey from the state court right the steps of the highest court in the land.

Using actual trial transcripts and painstaking detail, the author's leave no stone unturned. I was simply amazed at how much information was packed into the book. I was simply astounded by the way the system works.

Law professors and students of law need to take and read this work. It is most likely the best book of the first amendment law. A great work in the legal field and a very good read - well done!

As an attorney, what I found most interesting about this book was the use of trial transcripts to help frame the debate on the larger First Amendment constitutional issues. The authors did a superb job of telling a complex story from beginning to end. I would recommend some of my old professors take a close look at this work, and consider using it in trial advocacy and constitutional law classes. I don't remember anything like this when I was at school, but can say it told me a lot more about how the judicial process works than I learned in the classroom.

By far, this book tops all others on how our courts operate. The authors have given a detailed look at the legal system at every level, state and federal, and cover so much territory in so short a space that the book borders on being overwhelming. This is the definitive book on "process". Using rich citation to trial transcripts the authors show in meticulous detail how some judges try to unwrap constitutional guarantees to achieve what they think the law shoud be. I read three other works which aspired to this detail: "Out of Order", "Civil Action" and "Closed Chambers" and can state that none were as insightful as this. This is truly a remarkable work, and should be mandatory reading in every law school in this country.

Can we trust our courts to apply the law to the facts in controversial cases involving race and to rule on the law, putting persnal feelings and political agendas aside? Mr. Walkowski says such innocent trust is misplaced, and in this, his latest book on how our courts work, tells a tale of deceit, manipulation, congressional betrayal and corruption of judicial intellect on a scale that is unimaginable to the average American. Yet it is all true. Walkowski shows how the meaning of words had to be changed to make a case of discrimination where none existed. In clear, concise and devastating detail, the reader is given a glimpse how, in pursuit of diversity, the United States Supreme Court suspended the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under law in order to go about the business of racially balancing America's workforce. The price americans have paid for this judicial social engineering, Walkowski, says, has had the opposite effect of what was intended. Race relations have soured, not improved. Worse, blacks and Hispanics have been led to believe that preferential programs aimed at them are remedial, and that opposition to those efforts is fueled by bigotry. Affirmative Action/Affirmative Discrimination is not going to sit well with those who support managed diversity.

Paul Walkowski has done it again. This time, in another outstanding book on how the federal courts fabricated discriination in employment cases back in the early 70's, and how those findings affect us today. I read his earlier work on the courts, "From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court", and believe that Walkowski is the most precise critic of our courts in years. Walkowski, in 147-pages, gives us a clear, concise and devastating look at how the federal courts fabricated a case of racial discrimination in the Boston police and fire departments, and how the liberal Burger Supreme Court remained silent while the lower courts went about restructuring society to obtain judicial diversity. This book is an excellent account of the dangers of managed racial diversity, and should be required reading in political science and law classes. More than that, every American who is concerned about the way our courts became tools of the progressives in congress, and how those branches betrayed the promise of the Fourteenth Amendment, will find this fast reading book a primer on the corruption of thought that has swept our nation on this very important issue. I strongly recommend this book.

Having collected games of Anderssen, Steinitz, and Morphy around is always nice when the urge strikes me to "go back to basics." By basics, I of course mean wild open games, like King's Gambits, Giouco Pianos, etc. This book of Anderssen's games is truly wonderful. The games themselves are a treasure, but equally impressive is the production of the book itself. These books by Pickard Publishing are made of very high quality materials and are built to last. The paper is thick, the binding heavy, and yet the volume has that nice floppy quality that allows it to lie open on your lap with no stress on the binding. This book feels like it is to be treasured. It feels like a collector's item. It should be purchased and relished. Plus, there is a collection of 80 beautifl problems composed by Anderssen (he actually attained fame first in Germany as a composer of problems) and there is a section containing the memorial speech delivered after Anderssen's death. I cannotr say enough about this book. The annotations do not contain text, but only variations and Informator style symbols. They are collected from many sources, and they are very helpful.

It is a great book, it took me to Middle A Rating. Most of the games are very useful while developing your style of play and I recommend it to any serious chess player.

Two Wehrmacht veterans' memoirs add up to make a valuable contribution to understanding how the Third Reich's war looked from the "Willie and Joe" level. Frisch, an Austrian whose family was politically left of center, spent the whole war as a private in a motorized artillery unit, seeing action in Poland, France, Russia, Sicily, and Italy, after which he was a POW for two years. He focuses less on his personal experiences than on the gritty details of daily German army life, showing that that well-equipped, formidable organization was still subject to Murphy's Law, "hurry-up-and-wait," and the other universal tribulations of soldiers. Manz focuses on his ideological journey, a complex one thanks to his loving but virulently anti-Semitic father, which made the son's subsequent disillusionment with Hitler all the more painful. Manz also provides some rare material on the arctic front, where two thin, gray lines of soldiers fought the climate as much as each other. Both Frisch and Manz eventually emigrated to the U.S. Manz worked in the space program, and Frisch in ship design. Both seem concerned to put the best foot forward, and even the most skeptical reader may well agree that the generation of Germans coming of age during the Third Reich was subjected to political and cultural crossfire long before they reached the battlefield, and that no simple scenario can adequately explain the complex paths so many of them followed, often to a premature grave

History truly is written by the victors, but now 'Condemned to Live' joins the the ranks of books such as Guy Sager's 'The Forgotten Soldier', Hans von Luck's 'Panzer Commander' and Siegfried Kappe's 'Soldat' to help destroy the image of the average Wehrmacht soldier as being a ruthless, stupid, brutal, amoral automaton. Dr. Frisch was anything but ruthless, stupid, brutal or amoral ,but was simply a young Austrian caught up in the great events of his time, as were so many young men on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Like most of his comrades in the Wehrmacht, there was no question of choice involved in his military service. It was compulsory for all young Germans and Austrians. This type of obedience is difficult for those of us who live in democratic countries to understand, even though our news media are full of examples of just such behaviour from our own people. We call it expediency. In the case of Germany, Hitler and the Nazi's had been slowly chipping away at personal freedom ever since they had come to power in 1933, so that by 1939 they had turned the screw to the point that disobedience or protest became a death sentence for oneself and one's family. Like the majority of Wehrmacht soldiers outside of the ranks of the 'true believers', whose numbers probably never exceeded 10% of regular Wehrmacht soldiers, the name of the game was 'do one's duty to the Vaterland and survive to go home'. In battle loyalty, as in the Allied armies, was given to one's comrades and reality rarely extended beyond that small group. Dr. Frisch takes us on his tour of European battlefields with his Panzer Artillery Battalion from Poland to France, then Russia and on to Sicily and Italy, where he was captured. We get to know a kind, decent man making his way as best he can through the insanity of war, supported by his friends, his sense of humor and a lot of luck. Along the way he meets decent people of a variety of nationalities. He also meets some not so nice people, proving again that decency or the lack of it are not restricted to one ethnic, racial or national grouping. I am glad that Dr. Frisch decided to share his story with us after so many years of silence. The victors have dominated the story of WW2 for too long now. The crimes of Hitler and his Nazi thugs are hideous beyond belief, but many of the young men he press ganged into his army where also victims, and their stories are more pieces in the puzzle of WW2. Perhaps we will eventually have enough of the pieces to understand the greatest calamity which has befallen the human race since the Black Plague of the Dark Ages, and which created and shaped the world we all live in today.

A pediatrician I knew often told parents that all children lie. It may be a learned behavior, but for some reason all kids learn to do it by the time they are two. The hard part is teaching them to unlearn.

This 61-page picture book contains simple language easily read by first and second graders (on a par with Dr. Suess), but its sophistication about children's propensity to lie will keep them coming back until they are approaching middle school.

The premise is simple: While everyone, even the author, has told some lies--"I'm late because my watch stopped, I did not spend my lunch money on candy"--most people need to tell the truth to feel good about themselves. People get along much better in life if they tell the truth.

The book explains that there a lot of different kinds of lies, and a lot of reasons that people tell them. "Some people can look at others, face to face and they can tell an enormous WHOPPER. But when others lie, their faces get red, and they have to turn to look away." People lie because they don't want to tell the truth, don't want to admit that they have done something wrong, prefer to blame others, think it will get them out of trouble. Lying, on the contrary, often gets people into even more trouble.

Some of Moser's books are funny. Not this one. But Moser does make even adults look silly when they lie. A car salesman looks ridiculous telling his customer "This car is in perfect condition." A politician, who promises, if elected, to raise only wages, but never to raise taxes, looks silly too. So does the kid who tells his friends that his uncle was an explorer before becoming an astronaut and a movie star.

Next, kids learn about why it's important not to lie. First, liars need good memories, so they can remember who they lied to and what they told them. Otherwise, they'll get confused and will soon be caught in their lies. Worrying about this makes some liars unable to eat or sleep. It even makes them worry that people will stop believing or lose respect for them. If people want respect and trust from others, Moser tells kids, "you must apologize for lying and tell the truth."

Telling the truth, he concludes, is "like ice skating--the more you do it, the easier it becomes." Once kids have digested this message, they tell the truth more often, and have every reason to feel proud. Alyssa A. Lappen

Recently, I reviewed Don't Tell a Whopper on Fridays!, and Iwas impressed with Dr. Moser's hepful words and colorful, attention-catching illustrations. I had tried to keep copies of his earlier Emotional Impact Series books in my office waiting room, but they quickly disappeared. During the brief periods that the books from Dr. Moser's emotional Impact Series stayed in my waiting room, parents and children were always reading them before appiontments.They often wanted to discuss them in detail in my office.The popularity of Dr. Moser's books among my patients was amazing. I'd kept story books and children's magazines in my waiting room for years. They never disappeared, just Dr. Moser's books did. i no longer have a private practice , but I imagine that Don't Tell a Whopper on Friday! would myster vanish just as fast as Dr. Moser's other books.

Few people have heard of the Office of Public Safety, and most of those who have heard of it have read distorted and slanderous versions of what this organization was about. OPS was actually part of a program of assistance to developing countries during the 60's and part of the 70's, the height of the cold war. Specifically, it was established to provide advice and assistance to police forces in third world countries. The philosophy underlying this initiative was that social and economic progress cannot take place in an atmosphere of insecurity and lawlessness.
The author, Adolph Saenz, who has had a distinguished career in the military service as well as in law enforcement, was a member of the OPS organization and served primarily in Latin American countries. The Public Safety Advisors were probably the most distinguished and experienced group of law enforcement officials ever to work within any single organization. Many worked in conditions of physical hardship and danger. Some were wounded and some were killed. I have met with high ranking police officials who still remembered gratefully the lessons they had learned 25 years earlier from OPS Advisors.
The sad truth is that the literature which is available about OPS derives from a few basic books which were written by people who seem to hold extreme left wing and anti-American points of view. Other authors then parrot the distortions and misinterpretations which are rife in these sources.
Saenz, in writing this book, finally gives interested readers an opportunity to see the workings of the OPS from the point of view of an advisor who worked in a number of different countries. He writes with insight and humour and does not hesitate to show the warts, blemishes, and problems in the program.
As a former Criminalistic Advisor, I am proud to have known Adolph Saenz and delighted to have had the opportunity to read and recommend his book.

This book is a fascinating true account of one man's journey through the Cold War. It should be read by anyone interested in how the US tries to stop terrorism (which should be every American). It also shows how the efforts of (well-meaning) Americans sometimes ties the hands of those who are trying to prevent terrorism.
Mr. Saenz was a policeman in Albuquerque, then joined the Office of Public Safety (OPS) during the 1960's, a crucial time in the Cold War. He was assigned to many exciting missions, including Panama, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Columbia. Primarily designed to assist police officers in foreign countries, OPS came under congressional scrutiny and was disbanded after the Church hearings in the mid-'70's. OPS was accused of everything from torture to being a front for the CIA.
Mr. Saenz is dispassionate in the best sense. He denies the accusations leveled against the agency, without resorting to rhetoric or name-calling.
Instead, he provides the reader with detailed information about many of his missions, including counter-terrorism, kidnap negotiations, and police assistance.
I have known Mr. Saenz for more than a year, and find him to be extremely intelligent, patriotic, and humble. My film production company has optioned the film rights to this book. It is almost like an Hispanic-American James Bond story. As a film, it could provide an exciting account of the inner workings of the Cold War and counterterrorism.
Perhaps the highest praise I can give Mr. Saenz is this: he knows I am left-wing, yet we get along very well. He is very open to hearing different points of view, and his most valuable message is that ideology on either side should not detract from love of country or the desire to stop the menace of terrorism. If more Americans practiced this type of tolerance, I believe we'd make our great country even better.

I originally started an on-line training course to learn Oracle SQL however, the course was so confusing and dull that I thought the only way to learn was a 'do it yourself'.

At the bookstore there were a couple of books that covered the topic but a quick browse through the books dictated this was the book for me! The others just seemed to be too 'techie' and boring.

This book guides you through the A - Z of relational Databases. From the creation of tables, populating them and then retrieving, amending and deleting information - this is a one stop shop.

There are examples to show the user exactly how to write things and also what is retrieved with each query. Everything is explained in an easily interpreted manner.

There is also a database that comes with the book and you can practice what you have learned there and then. The quiz at the end of every chapter to review what you have just learned - is also very helpful.

This should be the beginners handbook/bible to SQL - I have recommended it to everyone that I work with!

This is an excellent book aspiring DBAs, developers who need to get up to speed in Oracle, IT business systems analysts and business power users.

Since this book has such a wide potential audience I'll highlight the chapters that will be of most interest to each segment. All readers will benefit from the introduction and chapter 1, which explains relational databases and entity-relationship diagrams. In particular, the E-R diagrams plus the clear discussion of keys and joins are the roadmap to the data and need to be understood by less technical users who want to fully exploit the power of SQL and PL/SQL, which are covered later in the book.

Chapters 2 and 3 cover material that more technical users will find useful: "Building the Database with the Data Definition Language" and "The Data Control and Data Manipulation Languages and the Data Dictionary". I especially liked the fact that my favorite utility, TOAD, was covered in this section - if you are a new DBA chances are you already use it. If you're a developer, chances are that you'll add it to your development environment.

The heart of this book is in Chapters 4-12. These chapters are for all readers, and they thoroughly cover SQL*Plus in detail. By the time you've finished these chapters (assuming you work through the practice exercises and put in effort) you'll be a SQL*Plus power user.

Chapter 13 covers data warehouses and shows how to use Oracle Discoverer 4.0. This material is for both technical and business users. The remaining chapters cover PL/SQL, which is aimed at the technical users. The coverage of PL/SQL is not nearly as deep as the coverage of SQL*Plus. Since most business users and the intended technical audience will benefit more from the in-depth treatment of SQL*Plus, the PL/SQL material is, in my opinion, a good introduction that can be followed up in a book, such as "Oracle9i PL/SQL Programming" by Scott Urman.

Peter Kalm was a Swedish Botanist sent to North America from the Swedish Academy in 1747 in search of plants hardy enough to be of use in Scandinavia. Kalm was also very interested in other aspects of life in the North American colonies and his observations of everyday life are fascinating. Kalm was primarily interested in natural history but he also recorded many aspects of material culture. Foods, customs, clothing, heating, Ben Franklin etc. Anyone who is interested in 18th century America will find this book an amazing resource.

Petern Kalm was a naturalist with an uncommon eye for detail not only of flora & fauna but of people and culture. His prose is quite readable. If you want a 'wish you were there' resource for life, culture, & travel in pre-revolutionary Montreal, Quebec, Lake Champlain, New York, Philadelphia, & New Jersey, this is it. Circa 1750.

In that ominous time immediately preceding the outbreak of WWII, many people found themselves on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean. To return to the United States was a difficult if not impossible task for many families because of the prevailing political situation. Tullio Bertini's "Trapped in Tuscany" is a chronicle of adventures experienced by a native born Bostonian forced to live six years of his life with is parents in Facist Italy. The pre- and middle teen years are turbulent for any youngster, and Bertini introduces us to his located in the mountainous region of Tuscany (locale of the German Gothic Line). Making an adjustment to a new culture in the little town of Diecimo and its environs is at times both exciting and adventurous. Unaccustomed deprivations abound. A new language must be learned, adjustments to transportation tackled, and schooling (with Facist undertones)changed--obstacles all, which the youngster embraces with courage and humor. Despite the political turmoil, the reader vicariously experiences a youth's awakening to the early teen years in a positive mood and at the same time gains much insight into everyday life of a small Tuscan town. The book is definitely a "good read" for those of Italian heritage, and, for that matter,anyone who had relatives growing up in war-torn Europe.

I grew up in a town North of Diecimo at the same time Tullio Bertini was there. Reading Tullio's book brought back the details of World War II, and I found my experiences parallel to those of Tullio. I met Tullio thru an article on a newspaper concerning the "Buffalo Soldiers". Having being liberated by the same soldiers I did my utmost to be able to meet him and share with him the experience of the 40's. Tullio Bertini's book is one of my favorite gifts especially to those who want to discover the Italian life of those years. The Tuscan Region is studying the possibility of adopting the book as a reference for emigrants from the area of Lucca. Higly recommended for its human value.

A retired lawyer and former intelligence officer. This personal memoir describes the six years that an American teenage boy spent with his Italian American parents caught by the outbreak of World War II in their native town in Tuscany. It is an indispensible contribution to the grass-roots, social history of wartime Fascist Italy. It's filled with the amazing details and realities of daily life, reflecting an intimate insight into the social life and customs of a small Tuscan town north of Florence. The story starts prosaically with an explanation of why the family has returned to Italy. It becomes an absorbing story building to a dramatic climax. The German Army attempts to "relocate" the villagers acting in preparation of the German defensive Gothic Line north of the Arno. The villagers escape by walking all night on trails through mountainous terrain to reach an Apennine valley probed by advancing American forces. Those forces are the all-black American "Buffalo Soldiers" of the famous 92nd Division. These dramatic events are told in a straightforward narrative style reminiscent of Hemmingway. The account is informed by the seemingly photographic memory of the man the boy grew to be. The maps and background presentation reflect the training of author Bertini's adult interlude in American Army Intelligence. It is a must read for those who want to know what is was like to be caught in the harsh realities of a war zone, and for Italian-Americans and others would enjoy a first-hand social history of survival in the Italy of World War II. I think Sophia Loren, remembering her childhood wartime experiences, would empathize and recommend this book. It is well organized with an index, a bibliographic reference and 26 pertinent photo illustrations. /s/ J. A. Giordano, Stanford AB, JD, '56.