Dr. Winkel brings to us the tale of a man, seemingly, on the fringes of the Islamic world as a Westerner. As the story unfolds we find how very linked by a religion and a set of ideals Sandy Newman is because of his conversion and his connection to a past in the Islamic world. This book sheds light on how inclusive the world of Islam is. We find these connections with Sufi mysticism, Native American Spirituality, and, suprisingly, just how close the rest of Judeo-Christian society is to their brothers in Islam. This is a timely piece of work, expertly written, and captivating with its many turns and landscapes in the realms of the mind, heart, and the globe. In a world where continued ignorance of each other threatens to perpetuate the darkness we dwell in, the only way we can come to understand the state of the world is to endeavor to understand the hearts of other men near and far. This book opened me up, shed light on the mystery of the Islamic heart and mind and encouraged me to learn more about my brothers in Allah. Dr. Winkel brings to this work a unique and varied expertise as a Westerner and an Islamic scholar and convert. This book engages and enlightens its reader, it is an adventure with heart.

Damascus Steel is suspenseful, intriguing. Was Sandy's best friend involved in the bombing that killed his young nephew? How close to the Islamic terrorists does he dare get in search of answers? Or is it too late; is he already too involved?

The author, Dr. Winkel, is a Muslim who offers fresh insight into his faith. It is this insight, this understanding, which will resonate long after you've finished reading the pages. Highly recommended.

This book is an excellent page-turner! It is apparent that the author has great knowledge of Islam and has incorporated it into a incredible novel of intrigue and mystery. An excellent read for anybody who wants to find out about Islam in a fictional manner.

The Columbia catastrophe happened on Feb. 1, 2003, is a tragic repeat of the Challenger explosion in 1986 that was analyzed in a project called ¡§Complete Democracy in the USA¡¨ in the DYNAMIC CHIKUNG, which attributes the cause of the Challenger catastrophe to institutionalized bureaucracy that is the main structural flaw of our political system and society. This was also exact what happened according to the New York Times article ¡§NASA Dismissed Advisers Who Warned About Safety (February 3, 2003).¡¨ When I first bought the DYNAMIC CHIKUNG two years ago, I concentrated on the exercises that bring me great health benefits. At that time I wondered why the issue of Democracy was there. Now I realize the author raises a most important issue and actually predicts what would happen if democracy is not completed in our country and society and the world as well.

With patience and displine and determintion, I benefit from practising Dynamic ChiKung everyday and I have treated all my chronic health problems. I also found the Dynamic ChiKung includes a project called "Complete Democracy in the USA," which two years ago I thought was irrelevant and unimportant. But when relating to the numerous corporate scandals happening recently, I believe that establishing all authorities in all cells of the society through democratic, periodic elections is exactly what the USA and the world need and is the only way to clean up corruption which is deeply rooted in human nature. A human in power without restraint is bound to corrupt. He definitely needs periodic democratic cleansing.

A reviewer, a thinker., September 21, 2001,
Recommend 'PROJECT 'BRING HEAVEN TO EARTH''
Besides the health benefits of the Dynamic Chikung, I would like to recommend a project called 'BRING HEAVEN TO EARTH' in this book. This project analyses profoundly why terrorists sacrifice innocent human lives for themselves to go to heaven. The clarification of the mutual complementary nature of divinity and humnity really explains the tragedy of the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001 to the point.

Fire on Ice was a fascinating look behind the superstar. Great insight on his life and family.More people should read this book and find out what makes Lindros tick.It was great to hear his side of story.Have recommended this book before to friends, now would like recommend this book to everyone.Fascinating read,what a life.Check it out.You willn't be disappointed.

Great book, easy to read, could not put it down. Anyone who wants to know the OTHER side of the Eric Lindros saga.... READ this book. A must for any hockey fan.

This book gave Eric Lindros a chance to explain his side of the story. Anyone who questions his past decisions regarding his career will gain a better understanding of the motivation behind them. It is also interesting to read about his life before he became a superstar and the determination and hard work it took to become one.

This is a very funny book. It's not so much a novel as three
stories linked together. Russell writes about what he calls "the Great Explosion," when ... interstellar travel allows people
to easily escape the Earth. After a few centuries, a Terran spaceship visits a few of this planets to see what's up. All they visit are a...little odd. The first one is a planet of criminals originally deported from Earth. After all the time that has passed, they're still criminals, stealing whatever they
can from the ship. The second planet is full of nudists, hysterical about germs, obsessed with health. The third planet is actually the most famous in the book. It was originally published as the short novel, "....and Then There Were None," and is about a worldful of people who have perfected a system that allows no one to conquer them. Russell writes in a weird,
screwball style that I have never encountered before. The whole
book is very funny, and very much worth reading.

This was one of EFR's great books written well before the current 20 years of SF movies came out. It is an excellent book portraying the aftermath of the Great Explosion of humanity from earth and the attempt to bring them back together. However the independent nature of man shows that it is not that easy. EFR had a humerous style that was easy to read and enjoy. The sooner this book is reprinted the better for a new generation to enjoy the delightful style of EFR.

I too had not read it in years, but it is still a surprisingly profound book, especially the part separated and sold as "And Then There Were None." It is a lot of fun, since Russell is able to write a slanguage no other writer I know of can match; it is stimulating, because no other writer, except maybe L. Neil Smith, has proposed a free society with such detail. It really seems possible.

This is a very pleasant courtship story. The overwhelming theme throughout is how first there must be devotion to God first, and then devotion to each other will follow. Eric and Leslie Ludy realized the priority of personal piety and obedience, and this helped them act in a faithful, upright way throughout their courtship. This is an encouraging story.

This story is truly the most inspiring love story I've ever read. Not only does it show Eric and Leslie's faithfulness to wait on God's timing and His plan for their love and their lives, but it shows God's "Perfect Faithfulness" to the two of them in that he took both of their lives, trasformed them, and then brought them together. This book taught me that the wisest thing to do is to just give your life and heart fully over to God, let him form you into who He wants you to be, and then wait for Him to give you someone to share yourself with. It was amazing to hear their story of love for each other and God as they grew. They are an oustanding example of a 'match made in heaven', literally. I would recommend this book to everyone, it will change your attitude and outlook on love and life.

Eric and Leslie Ludy have truly had their love story written by God. And it is the most romantic story I have ever read, seen, or heard of. They tell how they gave God the pen to their love story, how He made it so romantic and pure, and how you, too, can have a love story as wonderful and unique as theirs. This is a MUST READ if you are looking for the most pure, romantic, and godly love story. I recomend it to anyone!

If you're getting into climbing and getting into it fast, there are about five books to get, and this is one. Eric Horst gives a solid overview about how to speed progress and avoid typical mistakes such as overtraining, a common problem that kept me in 5.9 longer than I needed. The progression from grade to grade is more a mental one than a physical one, as my weeklong slothfest followed by a near full number jump in climbing ability will attest. Buy this, Performance Rock Climbing by Dale Goddard, the Heather Sagar book, and as much John Long as you can afford, and you will move more quickly up the ladder. Or, you can lift and jog yourself to death and spend your money on fingerboards, supplements, and other dubious methods, and hang out at your current level for a few more months or years like the other groundlings. Success requires effort; efficient effort requires knowledge. Get some.

This book is a very thorough, overall guide to training for climbing. It is very helpful for discovering what you need to work on in order to maximize your climbing potential. I didn't realize how ignorant I was about training until I read this book.

This is a great climbing book in that it presents two great ideas. They are you can climb 5.12.and you have to train like a real athlete to succeed at rock climbig. I know climbing is fun but I want to excell at it . This was very helpful in gaining the focus I need.

* Eric Croddy's CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL WARFARE is subtitled
"A Comprehensive Survey For The Concerned Citizen", and that
is no idle boast. This book tells the reader just about
everything about chemical and biological warfare that he or
she might want to know, to a level of knowledge appropriate
to the intelligent layperson. It provides chapters on
historical background, chemical and biological weapons
technology, and policy issues.

In fact, if I have any criticism of this book, it may be
that it is a bit too much of a good thing. It might have
been a bit more focused and readable if cut to half its
length, and it also comes across almost as a "handbook"
on the subject in terms of detail, style, and organization.
It certainly not written in a novelistic style, and it
is not exactly a casual read, though by no means
impenetrable either or tiresomely long.

That's just a warning to readers about what they're biting
off on if they pick up this book. Mr. Croddy spells out in
the subtitle that this is a "comprehensive survey" and, yep,
it's written in the form of a survey, and it is as
comprehensive as possible and then some. It meets its goals
very well, and if you're looking for the true straight dope
on this subject and a good reference work, look no farther
because I can't imagine you could find better material
on the subject than this.

I have to admit Mr. Croddy really did his homework. A
particular eye-opener was the picture of the pre-WWII gas
mask designed for children by Disney, in the form of Mickey
Mouse's head. I had to admit it was a clever way to get
small children to put on a gas mask, in fact you might have
trouble persuading them to take it off, but it had a certain
grotesque black humor to it as well.

By the way, I have written up some notes on this book
and others on chemical and biological warfare. You might find
them useful before going onto something more serious like this.
Drop me a line if you're interested.

Chemical And Biological Warfare analyzes the key issues related to chemical and biological warfare, detailing known chemical and biological agents, how they may be used in weaponry, and the possibilities of their use in modern conflicts. Readers seeking a technical survey of proliferation and basic concepts of chemical and biological weaponry receive more in-depth information here than in many titles.

A first class presentation of Chem/Bio warfare basics. Highly recommend it.

I found this book very helpful. I am new to fly tying and had to learn the basics. The author dose a great job of doing that. There is also a very good selection of flies. You can tie almost any major pattern for trout, fresh water or salt water fishing. Lots and lots of little tying secrets that are great for the beginner. "You can't judge a book by it's cover". The only major problem with this book is it's illustrations. Don't judge them by the excellent graphics on the cover. It is the last one you will see. All pictures are black and white and must have been taken when the book was originally published. They are not even good black and white illustrations. With new color detailed pictures, this book would be unbeatable. In spite of the poor illustrations, this book is definitely worth buying. I hope the author reads this and updates them.

Have recently moved from the Texas coast to western Pennsylvania, this book was particularly helpful learning how to tie a variety of trout flies. This book is extremely helpful learning a variety of techniques and patterns. If you are a beginner this is the book for you as it will instruct you in the various techniques and tricks necessary to become an accomplished tier. Book is set up well with respect to the fact that it teaches you how to tie one fly and then gives the recipe how to tie any others. Good Stuff.

This book is an excellent tool for a beginning fly tyer. All the techniques for a variety of flies is walked through step by step. From small trout dry flies to salt water flies and tandem hook streamers, the procedure for each fly is demonstrated. These techniques can then be used for a number of flies listed at the end of each section. The only drawback to the book that I found, is that you need a lot of material to tie the flies. I found myself going back and forth from the fly supplier in my area to get the materials needed to finish a fly. This is probably unavoidable if one is going to tie flies, though. Overall, an excellent book.

Gene Salecker has written an action-filled account of B-17 operations in the Pacific. Unlike their more famous counterparts in Europe, this was a rag-tag war. More B-17s were lost in one-day missions in Europe than were operational any day in the entire Pacific Theatre. What makes this book particularly engaging is the support of first-hand accounts from diaries or interviews. Nearly every event is enlivened with recollections and personal anecdotes. Some elements of the story benefit from research into Japanese records as well. A weakness, however, is that many of the personal recollections are obviously exaggerated. Countless times crews return with overly enthusiastic accounts of enemy fighters shot down or shipping destroyed. High level bombing of ships at sea was a total failure. General Kenney ordered skip bombing and low level tactics in New Guinea, which improved results, while the Espiritu Santo crews continued dumping bombs in the ocean. Army Air Force B-17 crews claimed three carriers sunk at the Battle of Midway. Salecker clarifies such obvious errors but lets other recollections stand. (I wonder if the exaggerated reports from the Pacific reinforced 8th Air Force planning to send unescorted bombers over Europe.) The author offers scant information on Japanese units, their leaders, or their personal accounts. The contrast with European operations is stunning. From the early defeats in the Philippines and Java to the shoestring existence in Australia, maximum effort missions were lucky to involve six or ten aircraft. Crews lived in makeshift accommodations with swarms of insects, disease, poor food, and lack of spare parts. They battled furious tropical storms as much as the enemy and flew incredibly hazardous missions, often at night. Their planes were battle-worn and flew without fighter protection. Even when replacement aircraft dribbled in, the 21,000 mile journey through Africa and India from the US meant they arrived in need of overhaul. So few were the planes, the author uses tail numbers, 41-2616, to identify aircraft and an appendix lists the fate of each one. We get to know these crews and their bombers quite well and are saddened at losses, such as when Major Sewart is riddled with machine gun fire, or other familiar crews lost. These guys were military before Pearl Harbor was attacked and few survived. Salecker does a nice job of balancing the complex stories of the Solomon Islands and New Guinea campaigns. By mid-1943, B-17s were phased out in favor of the longer range B-24s and, eventually, B-29s. But the desperate, early days in the Pacific are recounted here. Congratulations to the author for giving this overlooked story, and these gallant, overlooked men, the attention they deserve.

Gene Salecker's Fortress Against The Sun: The B-17 Flying Fortress In The Pacific tells the war-time history of one of the most significant American aircraft to be flown in the Pacific Theater. Here also is the story of the men who flew it, fought the Japanese in it, serviced it, and lived their lives around it. Author Gene Salecker draws upon extensive primary sources for his engaging and informative narrative, including letters, diaries, postwar memoirs, government documents, and squadron histories. Fortress Against The Sun is a superbly researched, exceptionally well written and informatively presented addition to any personal, academic, or community library military history collection.

My father served as a B-17 pilot with the renowned 435th "Kangaroo" Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group. I have read every account available of B-17 operations in the Pacific. Gene Eric Salecker's "Fortress Against the Sun" is the most definitive and comprehensive account of the desperate early days of the air war against Imperial Japan since "They Fought With What They Had". Salecker makes extensive use of veteran interviews. His book is chock-full of new material, proving, once again, that the best histories of World War Two are still being written. I give it five stars without reservation.

Great book! Does s good job of covering all the different types of mammoth earth-moving equipment. The best book of it's kind so far. The only thing I felt was maybe missing is where the mines where some of them are/were working are located, but perhaps that was left out for a reason.

As a operator on one of the machines featured in the book I really enjoyed the book and the development and history of the machines in the book Some of the machines in the book are no longer in use so it is nice to be able to see pictures of them..

A very good history of the development of the large excavators used in the mining industry. Excellent photos and good background data for each of these historic machines. A must reference for anyone interested in large equipment or mining.