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High Jinx was superb!
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GREAT HISTORY OF AN IMPORTANT DIAMOND
A magnificent diamond!
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If you don't know your rights, you don't have any rights
Constitutional and Common Law and U.S. Citizenship
An informative introduction to Common LawI have been researching this, and related subjects for almost twenty-five years and it is an eye opener even for me. I would also recommend Cracking the Code, 3rd Edition from BBCOA. Visit them at their website ... (I am not on their payroll.)
Not for the faint of heart or the typical "government school mis-educated" person. If you are not able or willing to think for yourself you should leave this book where you find it.
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A male-bashing mistakeWhat could have been an interesting and thought-provoking exploration of the evolutionary roots of human warfare becomes, instead, a mindless exercise in male-bashing. The authors' logic: Chimpanzees raid other chimp territories with the apparent intent to kill or maim members of the other group. These raiding parties are primarily composed of males. Therefore males are the root cause of interpersonal violence.
The field observations of chimps, bonobos and gorillas that have been accumulated over the last several decades provide rich material for comparisons with human behavior. But Wrangham and Peterson force this data into a Procrustean bed at every turn, interpreting every piece of data to support their thesis that every human society is essentially violent, and that it is the males in every society that cause the violence. In their attack on Margaret Mead's description of Samoan society in the 1920s, (not that Mead's work is above criticism) they seek to refute her by citing Samoan crime statistics from the 1970s - long after anyone would describe Samoan society as being uncontaminated by outside influences.
Their attitude towards males is not limited to primates, by the way. They describe male lions' practice of killing the cubs when they take over a pride (thus causing the lionesses to go into estrus and become pregnant by the new pride leaders - an obvious reproductive advantage for the male lions): "In the Serengeti, a quarter of all infants are sacrificed on the altar of male selfishness."
Females in all primate species are pacifists, according to the authors. The peacefulness of bonobo society is attributed to females cooperating to curb male violence. The fact that twenty per cent of chimp raiding parties may be composed of females is mentioned, but conveniently ignored.
The observations of primate behavior that these authors rely on are indeed important. But they must await analysis and interpretation by others with more wisdom and fewer axes to grind.
A look at "how it might have been"?This work examines two topics that we "civilized" people often find difficult to deal with--violence and sexuality. Though they do look at other species (hyenas and lions, for example), the authors' main focus is modern ape behavior and its possible relationship to human behavior.
The authors outline how four of the five ape species (orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans) engage in violent behavior that stems directly from competition for food, reproductive rights, and other resources. According to the authors' interpretation of recent ape observations, gorilla females stay with their dominant male silverback because he protects their infants from other silverbacks who won't hesitate to kill one generation of offspring to ensure the paternity of the next. Underdeveloped orangutan males regularly rape females as a result of being unattractive to females and therefore low on the reproductive "totem pole". Male chimpanzees engage in female battering and intimidation to ensure their dominance over all the females in the group. Predominantly male chimpanzee raiding parties enter neighboring chimpanzee territories, track and find isolated members of the rival group, and then seriously injure or even kill them. The authors argue that with our history of similar behaviors, humans are also a species dominated by "demonic males". (I join the authors in using extreme caution while explaining such behaviors as rape as "natural", and in no way do I imply that such behavior in humans is to be condoned in any way or written off as something over which males have no control.)
The exception to this rule is the fifth ape species, the bonobo. Bonobos strongly resemble chimpanzees and are genetically very closely related to humans, but were only identified as a separate species in the early twentieth century. Bonobos evolved in an area where there was little competition for food resources. Thus, the authors argue, they were free to develop behaviors that weren't involved in assuring that any one ape got the lion's share of resources, to mix a metaphor. Bonobos have a female-dominated society, where the social position of one's mother determines the offspring's social position. Sexual behavior is used as a tension-diffusing tool, and is openly and freely practiced between both sexes and with members of the same sex. Because sex is practiced so freely, there is no way for any male to know if he is the father of any individual offspring, so violence over paternity (such as that evidenced by the gorilla) is eliminated. The result is a kinder, gentler ape.
A fascinating read written in a fast-paced and easily read narrative, this book is a must-read for those interested in the connection between humans and the other apes.
((Omnipotent the Creator may be, but not weird)) pp.41Aside from content, this book was written well enough that it became hard to put down at times. All and all a definite recommendation of mine.
Definitely a part of any successful strategyNot so with the Certification Zone materials. Here a candidate will learn to master protocol behaviour, and to think through the implications of situations posed. One learns to read questions carefully, and to examine the answer choices with a critical eye. Trick questions? Only to those unwilling to take the extra step necessary to become expert.
The Certification Zone materials are not meant to be the only study aids for the CCIE candidate. They are designed to provide the finishing touches to the preparation required to pass this exam. As such, the materials are probably more difficult than the real thing. The questions can be frustrating to those who think they know enough just to get by.
Among the nice features of this CD format are the ability to choose from among several full blown simulated CCIE written exams, as well as the ability to focus on particular topics, such as LAN protocols, WAN protocols, bridging, or routing protocols.
There are plenty of other study materials available. But for those willing to accept the Certification Zone challenge to become a master of networking technology, this CD is a definite must and a valuable part of any preparation effort.
I used the Certification Zone CD extensively in the three weeks prior to my taking the written test, and I passed with miles to spare. I believe I had an edge because I accepted the Certification Zone challenge, and used the materials to help me hone my critical thinking - something quite valuable in a test as challenging as the CCIE written.
I should add that although I did not use the materials for the CCNA, this CD also contains an extensive set of test questions and practice tests for the CCNA exam as well. So an investment by those just starting their certification pursuits can serve candidates well at both the beginning and end of their certification pursuits.
All in all, I have to say that the Study Questions 2000 CD is most definitely a good addition to any Cisco certification candidate's toolkit.
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An enjoyable readBefore long, Detective Chief Inspector Sidney Walsh and his team are investigating the archaeologist's murder and trying to whittle down the list of suspects. A great deal of their job involves setting up several stakeouts, one of which leads to an incredibly funny scene.
"Murder Benign" is very well written, and Hunt keeps the pace moving quickly, dangling enough mysteries to keep the pages turning toward the resolutions (though not all are revealed, unfortunately). In the end, I found myself more interested in the authenticity (or lack of the same) of the tablet than in the killer's identity. Since I have no particular expertise in archaeology, I think that fact stands as some level of praise for the book.
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Silly In The ExtremeReich is in a long line of socialist reformers whose disdain for ordinary people compels him to try to harness the power of government to hammer citizens into a new form of acceptable human which will populate the utopia of his imagination.
Like socialist intellectuals everywhere, Reich would eagerly trample on freedom in the name of freedom, slaughter truth in the pursuit of a "higher truth." Avoiding facing the fact that his ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity have failed with bloody results everywhere they have been tried, from Russia to Germany to Uganda to Cuba to Cambodia, he nevertheless marches on, convinced of his own special insight.
This book is shot through with glaring factual errors about the alleged pervasiveness of crime, poverty, unemployment and associated disillusionment. His main argument, the old discredited claim of socialism, is that society is split between the powerful exploiters and the powerless exploited masses. His hatred of large corporations who supposedly enslave their workers is reminiscent of those puerile manifestos and declarations which issued from the silly and naive college students in the sixties. What is needed, he says, is a group of talented, compassionate, scientific decision-makers (presumably including him) to organize society in such a way as to bring love, peace and harmony to the ignorant masses.
In one rare example of lucidity, Reich acknowledges that "...governments are adept at avoiding responsibility when they cause harm." He apparently doesn't see the irony of proposing bigger and more powerful government with sweeping control over all aspects of our lives.
But it is not only Reich's politics that makes this a bad book. Reich displays a stunning ignorance of economics, history, psychology, human nature and constitutional government. His sloppy logic is on display in nonsensical statements like: We need to devlop "social self-knowledge" - an ability to "understand how (society) acts," "why it treats us as it does,...what it cares about." And what do we make of statements like: Since WWII "America has suffered a steady impoverishment..."? Is he suggesting that we are worse off than we were in 1945? Where has he been? Has he heard of equal rights, abolition of Jim Crow, a cure for Polio, artificial hearts and hips, the exponential rise in the standard of living, extended life expectancy? In one very important way, we ARE worse off than in 1945, in the loss of much of our liberty. But apparently this is fine with Reich who proposes to rob us of the rest of it.
Consider this economic profundity: He contends that under the current system, one's pay is determined, not by its value, but by what someone is willing to pay - as if there were any other way, in the real world, to measure value. The failure of socialism is, to no small degree, a consequence of people like Reich trying to assign equal value to street cleaners and heart surgeons. Of course, these people have equal value in God's eyes, but this is not where Reich is going with his argument. .
Reich quotes Roosevelt: "...necessitous men are not free men." but then writes a whole book advocating that government assume responsibility for our mental, physical, economic, psychic well-being, making us wholly dependent on enlightened men like him, a course of action that throughout history has produced, not utopia, but poverty, misery and death.
"Opposing the System" is a shallow collection of meaningless platitudes. Don't waste your time.
Naming RealityReich's earlier book, "The Greening Of America," is also excellent. Add to these two Charles A. Reich books, Thomas Frank's "One Market Under God." Read, study and absorb the content of all three, and you'll be well prepared to confront, lay bare, and deflate the claims of the System's eager courtiers and foot-soldiers who've cheerfully applauded and helped shackle us to the unholy economic/political System we're deeply mired in, and are Systematically forcing down the throats of the entire world. Read these books as a monumental favor to your self and to our country.
Dissecting The SystemReich's earlier book, "The Greening Of America," is also excellent. Add to these two Charles A. Reich books, Thomas Frank's "One Market Under God." Read, study and absorb the content of all three, and you'll be well prepared to confront, lay bare, and deflate the claims of the System's eager courtiers and foot-soldiers who've cheerfully applauded and helped shackle us to the unholy economic/political System we're deeply mired in and are Systematically forcing down the throats of the entire world. Read these books as a monumental favor to yourself, to our country, and to the world.
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