As an A-level student I found this book exceptionally helpful with my studies of British History. The book is written so that it directly coincides with the information I need to fulfill the curriculum. Most importantly the chapters on the statesmen are readable. Similar books I have encountered during the course are dull and dry, necessary to read but not a pleasure. The chapters on the statesmen in this book are fluid, informative, and more importantly easy and pleasureable to read. The chapters are helpful in that they contain not only detailed information on each statesman, but a general background on the period and politics of the time, which I found an extremely useful base for my further studies. Almost as significant as the chapters on each statesman is the appendix. The appendix contains factual information on every topic I needed during the period, general election results, economic details. Even after reading the book I found this a priceless reference, certainly no other history text book I have read has such a wealth of factual information on hand. Overall I would say that for someone such as I, studying A-level history or politics, this book is the most valuable you can have, I still find myself referring to it daily.

I love these authors! This work was my first introduction to Nemeck and Coombs. Not only is it an excellent introduction to the tenets of St. John of the Cross, it also provides tremendous insight into addiction and attachment, both of which are prevelant in the human condition. Although he lived in the 16c, John of the Cross offers much to contempary Christians interested in being freed from the bondage to self. I highly recommend this, and all books by Nemeck and Coombs.

This book was absloutly amazing. It may have been the best book i have ever read. It gave my many great ideas for my trip to fiji next year. I liked fiji so much from reading this book that I feel like I've already been there.

This is a fabulous book. It begins with early concepts from ancient Greece, lays out the fundamental differences between "natural law" and "the law of the real world," then extends the history of legalistic ideas through the Roman epoc, middle ages, etc. The book identifies the bases of difference between the legal systems of the west and those of communist states, e.g., common law and code law vs. Marxist law. It fully describes the influence of Christianity on western legal thinking. There are "plots" and "sub-plots" in this book that are absolutely fascinating. Finally, it is deliciously written; for those who truely appreciate the english language.

I think everyone should read this book. It only serves to make us realise how lucky we are and how we, especially in the West, can have nothing to complain about. The sufferings of the various women who in some cases had to fell trees in -50 degrees centigrade for 600grms of bread a day is inspirational. At some points I felt that I was ready fictional accounts as I found it hard to believe that mans inhumanity to man, or in this case, woman could be so mind numbingly awful - and for what.....truly terrifying. Exceptional read you will not be able to put it down and the strength of character of the women will stay with you long after you have finished the book.

Covering the Golden Age of the Gaels, the Viking Raids on the ancient territory of Ui Maine , the Norman Conquests and Land Wars of the 1100's through to the gealic resurgence of the 1300's, this must rate among one of the definitive guides to the history of western Ireland from 1000AD to 1600AD. It covers the history of the clanns of Hy Many focusing on the O'Kelly & O'Madden clanns with clear, well documented factual accounts of not only geneaologies of the families but also their daily lives, customs and traditions. A must read for the professional reseacher and enthusiast.

There has been a regretable tendancy in history, military history in particular, to obscure or omit altogether African accomplishments. Certainly, the nonliterate nature of precolonial African societies has not led to the generation of copious documentation from original African sources. Much of that history available to us is derived from observations by Europeans and Arabs, oral tellings which tend toward embellishment and whatever insight archeology reveals to us. World historians may attribute the paucity of African history in their works to a comparative lack of source material. Yet, in my reading of African history, it is clear that enough material has been compiled by scholars in this field to produce multi-volume books. Thus, the fallacy of Africa being a continent without a history is exposed, though not entirely put to rest. John K. Thornton's "Warfare in Atlantic Africa: 1500-1800" is the latest contribution to studies about Africa that aim to shed light on what many may still regard as the "Dark Continent." The book is not long (152 pages, excluding notes and index) but it is brimming with information stemming from detailed research about African warfare. Each chapter focuses on a region of Africa where the author analyzes terrain, political contexts, strategies, tactics, weaponry and military operations with a high degree of depth. Thornton reveals the diversity of precolonial African militaries and warfare and how environment dictated how wars were fought and armies organized. He shows how African militaries responded to the presence of Europeans and their introduction of gunpowder weapons. The facts he brings to bear in regard to these early African/European interactions indicate a more complex relationship than the simplistic summaries of historians with no access to the valuable data Thornton has dredged up. As elsewhere in the world, many African wars were conducted with vigor and ingenuity, with armies demonstrating abilities to respond accordingly to operational situations. In the 18th century, a combined African army constructed counterworks around a fortified town it was besieging with the intent of cutting off the town's supplies. This example of tactical dynamism as detailed in the book is very reminiccent of Ceasar's besiegement of Vercingetorix's stronghold. "Warfare in Atlantic Africa" abounds with such examples, each one underscoring the absolute nessecity of scholars to abandon whatever misconceptions may lurk in their minds about African history. This book is an intriguing and exciting read, presenting an early Africa far removed from the stereotyped monotonies of Hollywood.

There is a great need for the information in this book, for those facing trial on fabricated or planted evidence and for those studying misconduct in the Department of Justice.

The immediate response I received from peers when giving the alert on this book was, "How can any serious book on tainting evidence exclude the most important event on tainting evidence?" This means you will not find anything on the burning, destruction and classification of the evidence of Waco here. This is a book on Frederic Whitehurst and his efforts to address incompetence and fraud within the FBI crime lab. Whitehurst is weaved into six different cases, notably Oklahoma City and World Trade Center.

The authors are not men of science and make the mistake of claiming that Oklahoma City hinged on a few crystals of Ammonium Nitrate which the FBI crime lab lost. Better evidence shows that the bomb in this case could not have been Ammonium Nitrate.

The most valuable message of this book is that the FBI crime lab does not understand true science and the policemen who run it do not care about their scientific ignorance or incompetence. The sloppiness of FBI serves as exemplary conduct of the most negative sort, poisoning the already low standards of state and local government crime labs.

The value of this book is in description of documents to be requested by counsel during the process of discovery and techniques used by government to have expert witnesses perjure themselves in court.

As a forensic pathologist who was accurately quoted in the book, my read is that the authors got it right. This is a valuable book whose publication will hopefully start the FBI lab on the road to correction of its intrinsic problems. These problems are: 1. Public relations are all that is important, scientific accuracy is insignificant. 2. Quality control should not be required of the FBI lab as they believe they are always right. 3. Convictions are the measure of performance, irrespective of whether the scientific evidence supports convictions or not. I would urge everyone to read this book, whether in law enforcement or not. If this was required reading for all judges and jurors, there would be less wrongful convictions.

Tainting Evidence gives citizens a look at how government is handling their tax dollars and rendering justice on "the citizen's behalf". Some complain that this book overstates the abuses and misconduct occurring in the FBI labs and in their testimonies in court, but the real issue may be in the level of lying and self-interest that is acceptable to our society in ALL aspects of life. Our educational systems, our professional lives, and our personal lives are heavily enmeshed in the culture of lying, cheating and unfair play. With this kind of behavior at large, we allow those in power to engage in such behaviors at an even more dramatic and damaging level. Our lack of having accountability in place in our institutions and lives, leaves the door open for incredible misconduct. If we do not encourage truthfullness and honor as way of life in our country and teach the same to our children, the chances of this kind of abuse of power going unchecked is extremely high. Pat Brown/Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange,Inc.

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy is a wonderful novel. I would rate it with 4 out of 5 stars. The 750 pages went by fast. Once you start to read it, it is hard to put down. The main character is a military man named John Kelley. He is a navy seal, and also did other things for the military in the naval section. The book was about his struggle with losing a wife along with almost all other people that he cared about. He did many different things during the course of the book to try to get through his problems. Pam, is a prostitute that Kelley falls in love with. She is a nice woman that bad things happened too. Sandra O'Toole, Sam Rosen, and Sam's wife all work at the same hospital. All three of them came into Kelley's life at one time or another during the story. They played an important part in Kelley's life as his friends, and Sandra eventually became more than just his friend. Kelley gets shot with a shotgun and Sandra helps with his physical therapy, after the Rosen's performed surgery. All in all the story is a "RAH RAH RAH, beat em up, get revenge on the bad guys" (John Deiter) type of book. The story begins with Kelley finishing his work for the military and takes us through his loves and losses at the time. He looses his wife in a car accident, then looses his second love, Pam, because drug dealers kill her. It is jam-packed with excitement and suspense, and if you like Tom Clancy books, then this is a must read. If you are not familiar with Clancy's writing, but do like books with lots of excitement and adventure, then this is the book to read.

Without Remorse By Tom Clancy

As one of Clancy's best books so far, I believe Without Remorse deserves all five stars. It is different than other Tom Clancy books. In his other books, the main conflict deals with another country, however, in Without Remorse, the main conflict occurs on the streets of America. The book is set throughout the later years of the Vietnam War and deals with the life of John Kelly. The book tells about his beginnings and how he eventually came to join the CIA. Several people who have read other Clancy novels will identify John Kelly as the CIA legend Mr. Clark. John Kelley was still emotionally depressed by the loss of his first wife and his soon to be born child when he meets up with a hitchhiker named Pam. He quickly falls in love with her and he soon discovers about her past life as a drug addict and prostitute. On the boat ride to his island off the coast of Baltimore they befriend a married pair of doctors. The doctors tell him that he needs to bring Pam into Baltimore so they can check on her. But once he enters Baltimore, his life unravels right before him. Some gangsters spot and recognize Pam. They follow John's car and riddle it with bullets. They kidnap Pam and eventually kill her. They leave John for dead but he is just hanging on to life. When John realizes what has happened he cannot deal with the stress of losing another loved one in so short a period of time. He decides to do something. He will take revenge for Pam on the gangsters that killed her. This is when Kelly's history comes into play. John is an ex-Marine. He is also part of an elite group of Marines called the SEALs. He uses the knowledge that he has and trains himself for his task. He disguises himself as a homeless person and starts to stalk drug dealers around the city. His ultimate goal is to find the people responsible for Pam's death and murder them. At the same time the Pentagon has found a secret prisoner of war camp in Vietnam. It looks like a normal camp but all of the prisoners are supposedly dead. The North Vietnamese were sending pictures to the Army of "dead" soldiers. The Vietnamese were letting the Russians interrogate the prisoners in exchange for arms. Admiral Greer and Admiral Maxwell decided that they should liberate the camp and they start looking for people who know the area. The only Marine that was ever there is John Kelly. He had saved Admiral Greer's son from the place before it was a prison camp. The rest of the book describes how the attempted liberation of the camp goes. It also tells how Kelly's quest for revenge leads him into trouble and into the CIA. The only problem with the book is that it is very realistic in the violence that is portrayed. There are many scenes that someone with a weak stomach should not read. This book also helps explain much about the John Clark character as well as many other characters that are in The Sum of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger, and The Bear and the Dragon. Another part that helps the book go along smoothly is that most of the military jargon is left out. This book is a must read and once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it back down.

This book was fantastic. Never have I read a book, and become so angry with the villains as I did with this book. After reading what the drug dealers and pimps did to their working girls, and then what the Vietnamese did to the American POW's, I was hoping that Clancy would allow our hero to have his vengeance. Clark (John Kelly in this story) is the definition of nemesis in this book. While he shows his skills as a SpecOps alumni, (ex Navy SEAL, not Marine as told in an earlier review) he also shows his human side, and that he is not some run of the mill mindless killer robot that the CIA has cooked up. He has feelings, and shows that sometimes he does not really like his job, but he knows he has to do it and he does it brilliantly. I like that Clancy took us into a more humane story and not a techno thriller. Clancy also introduces some of his other well known characters, like Admiral Greer. He was a character known in the older Ryan novels, and played by James Earl Jones in the movies. Also, Robert Ritter, one of the made-out-to-be bad people in Clear and Present Danger. In addition, for you Jack Ryan fans, Ryan himself even has a small cameo in the latter half of the story. John Clark is one of the better characters in fiction books today in my opinion. I would love to see a movie made about this. Moreover, I think Liev Schreiber would be perfect for the role. He played John Clark brilliantly in Sum of all Fears. I read this book twice and never get tired of it. It is a fascinating read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Tom Clancy.

Having grown up in a small town much like Joyce's Dublin, this book has a special significance for me. I've seen so many people from my town graduating from high school without really understanding that there is an entire world outside the place they grew up and lacking the ambition to go explore it. I fear many of them will spend their lives "getting by" in a job they hate, raising children who will inevitably do the same thing. Joyce's "Dubliners" depicts this cycle with as much complexity and compassion as any author I've read.

In an age where the most publicized fiction tends to be simple-minded and genre-bound, it's refreshing to come across a writer with Joyce's complexity. "Dubliners" is so rich in its intellectual and symbolic atmosphere that many readers may be put off by the overall weight of the prose. The writing is so thick with metaphorical contexts that the literal content of the story occasionally becomes obscured, which can be frustrating for those not used to reading Joyce. Yet, while difficult, "Dubliners" is far from impossible to decipher, and although these stories function well as a whole, they are also more or less self-contained, which makes "Dubliners" easier to get through than Joyce's other works(it's a lot easier to take on a ten page short story than a 600+ page novel like "Ulysses" or "Finnegan's Wake"). For readers who are new to Joyce, this would be a good place to start.

A final note: since this book is old enough to be considered a "classic," there are a plethora of editions available from various publishers. I own the Vintage edition (ISBN: 0679739904). Not only is it a quality printing (not that cheap newspaper ink that rubs off on your fingers), it also contains about a hundred pages of criticism at the end that help shed light on Joyce's often illusive themes. Normally I shun forewards and afterwards (I like to think I've read enough to discover a story's theme on my own), but in the case of Joyce I found that a push in right direction can mean the difference between enjoyment and frustration.

Dubliners is a collection of short stories ranging through chidhood, adolescence and adulthood ending with three public life stories and the grand finale "The Dead" Critics have associated many of the stories to Joyce's personal life as he to became dissillusioned with his home city of Dublin. In each story we find a struggle for escapement from each character with the ever burdening features of alcohol and religion amongst other things trapping the protaganists from breaking out of the Dublin mould. Hopes are often dashed such as those of Eveline and Duffy. Joyce intelligently creates an interplay of senses towards the end of each story which creates an epiphany and a defining moment in the life of each character. Throughout the book the characthers start in the middle of nowhere and end up in the middle of nowhere. The text starts with the phrase: "There was no hope for him this time", which symbolises the book perfectly with paralysis being a continuing theme throughout the text ending in the final component: "The Dead". Overall this is a fascinating insite into how Joyce viewed his birth place. Joyce himself can be viewed in many of the characters including Duffy who found love with Sinico in: "A Painful Case" and felt awkward at her death as he had let her go. A thoroughly enjoyable book where nothing actually happens!

My first encounter with Joyce was an English Lit. course in college, some twenty years ago now. We were assigned to read an anthologized version of "The Dead", and I initially approached it as one does all such reading requirements at that foolish age; however, this particular story ending up affecting me quite unlike anything I had ever read before. Dubliners is a beautifully written collection of thematically inter-related stories involving day to day life in early 20th century Dublin - stories that masterfully evoke what Faulkner described in his Nobel address as being the essential nature of true art: A portrayal of the human heart in conflict with itself. "The Dead" is the final story in the collection, and my favorite. I have re-read it numerous times and am so consumed by it that I'm not even able to provide an objective review. The final pages, from the point where Gabriel and Greta leave the party, to the end of the story, are absolutly stunning; the poetry of the words, the profound humanity represented - defies description. As in the final line of Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo" - You must change your life.