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Book reviews for "Pennekamp,_John_David" sorted by average review score:

Contract on America : the Mafia murders of John and Robert Kennedy
Published in Unknown Binding by Argyle Press ()
Author: David E. Scheim
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The most revealing analysis of the assasination of JFK
This appears to be the real truth about the assasination of John F. Kennedy by the Mafia. After you read this book you will have a different opinion of the assisnation and the government along with the cover-up by the Warren Commission. Wait until you read the list of players and the evidence to back-up their stories. If this isn't the truth it sure is the most convincing lie I have ever heard or read. I found this book to be extremely interesting and so compelling that I am going to read it again just to clarify some points in my mind. If you have just the slightest doubt in your mind about the story of the assasination you'll love this one.


Counting Kittens
Published in Paperback by Creative Teaching Press (1999)
Authors: Darcy Tom, David Plummer, and John Archambault
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Counting Kittens
This is a wonderful book for young children. My daughter has been reading this book since she was four months old. We have read this book so much that we need to purchase an additional copy. The sing song story is very charming. My daughter looks forward to the repeting phrase of "I'm counting kittens in the kitchen.."


Cracking the Sat & Psat With Sample Tests on Computer Disk: 1998 (Serial)
Published in Paperback by Princeton Review (1997)
Authors: Adam Robinson, John Katzman, Princeton Review (Firm), and David Owen
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It works!
This book, as with all the Princeton Review series, is funny, witty, frank, and effective. The sample questions provided in the book, as well as in the disk, are just like those on the real test. It worked a miracle on my verbal score!


Creating the International Space Station (Springer-Praxis Books in Astronomy and Space Sciences, V. 4138)
Published in Paperback by Springer Verlag (2002)
Authors: David M. Harland and John E. Catchpole
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Excellent Overview of the Building of the ISS.
I have worked on various aspects of the International Space Station (ISS) from hardware design, maintenance and EVA operations for over thirteen years and I found this book to be an extremely well researched overview of the design and construction of this massive space project. For those readers looking for detailed descriptions of the engineering designs of the ISS, this book does not contain them and only provides the most general of descriptions (at least from my point of view as a NASA engineer). It does, however, provide an excellent summary of the history, on-orbit operations, and construction, of what has been termed "The greatest engineering project in the history of mankind."

As one would expect, the book opens with a historical overview of the world's first space stations: NASA's Skylab and the Russian's Salyut 1, and covers the lessons learned from these early endeavors. After these introductory chapters, the next section examined the successful Russian Salyut series of space stations that set many endurance records and demonstrated that complex on-orbit repairs are possible. In contrast to the Russian effort during this time, the NASA space station efforts were directly primarily at numerous paper studies.

The book next moves into the development of the US Space Station Freedom (SSF) projects, from the go ahead directive given by President Ronald Reagan, through the first George Bush years till its finale during the first year of the Clinton administration and covers all the early designs like the Dual Keel through the various Clinton redesign Options. While many may view the SSF project as mainly a paper study, it is clear that this project had a significant impact on the final design, development and operation of the ISS.

Again, in contrast to NASA's paper studies, the Russian space program had successful on-orbit programs with the Salyut space station and the Mir. These programs continued to show that humans could easily work in space by performing routine maintenance and emergency repairs. It should be noted that the cosmonauts aboard Mir still hold the endurance record over a full and continuous year in space. I should point out, as is documentation here, that a lot more has happen in the Russian space program, both good and bad, than is ever reported in the press.

The final section of the book, which is approximately half of the book, examines the construction of the ISS from the Shuttle-Mir partnership to the final mission of 2001. This portion of the book thoroughly examines the inclusion of the Russians into the NASA project and the various problems that occurred during the early stages of this joint venture including funding and numerous cultural differences. Once these problems had been over come, the book chronicles, in great detail, each ISS construction mission from liftoff to landing (or burn up for the Progress resupply missions). For each mission, the authors cover liftoff and any associated problems, the crew, the Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs), what was added, maintenance, crew rotation, etc. This book is so complete that I expect it will become the standard outlining the construction of the ISS for years to come.

A few final thoughts. As is typical of the Springer-Praxis series of astronomy and space exploration books, this book also contains many numerous high quality photographs and drawings, which I come to expect from this publisher. Furthermore, it avoids most of the NASA-ese use of acronyms to describe just about every piece of hardware. I found only one minor error and that was only related to the naming of an EVA construction tool. And finally, since the ISS is a work in progress, the book only covers those missions completed by the end of 2001 and in the future will either need to be updated or have a second volume.


The Danger of Words: And Writings on Wittgenstein (Wittgenstein Studies)
Published in Paperback by Thoemmes Pr (1997)
Authors: M. O'C Drury, David Berman, Michael Fitzgerald, and John Hayes
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A classic; should be reprinted
Drury's work is a classic. It includes discussions of issues in psychiatry and religion by a friend of Ludwig Wittgenstein's, the great philosopher whose works "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" and "Philosophical Investigations" remain controversial and highly influential today in philosophy -- especially analytical philosophy, (the late) logical positivism, and the philosophy of language. Students interested in any of these fields will also benefit from Drury's work, and it can especially recommended to those who enjoy Wittgenstein's own writing, or who are interested in how it might be applied to issues such as psychiatry and religion.


Dating 911
Published in Audio Cassette by Deseret Books (1998)
Authors: John Bytheway, Mark Callister, and David Hyde
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Forget the "Let's watch a video" date idea.
Dating 911 is a (fictional) radio program with John, Mark, and Big Wave Dave speaking with youth about how to make their dates more fun, while still keeping them inexpensive, and in tune with the Lord's standards. The best parts are when Big Wave Dave goes to the scene of bad dates, and fixes them so they become fun and exciting.


Dear God: Children's Letters to God
Published in Paperback by Bantam Books (1989)
Authors: David Heller and John Alcorn
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Great for kids and adults
My neice and I read this a-page-at-a-time while on vacation. Now I'm buying it for her birthday. We enjoyed a daily chuckle and an occasional laugh out loud as we considered the musings of these insightful children. I have three babies of my own and my niece is a pre-med pediatric student. She and I identified with these letters and we wondered how God might answer. Our favorite: "Dear God; Maybe people in this world wouldn't kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works for my brother and me." If you have children under 10 and woder just what is going on in their busy minds, you HAVE to have a copy of this. If you don't have children and enjoy hearing the voice of innocence, you'll like this book too.


Dehydroepiandrosterone (Dhea) and Aging (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, V. 774)
Published in Hardcover by New York Academy of Sciences (1996)
Authors: Francis L. Bellino, Raymond A. Daynes, Peter J. Hornsby, David H. Lavrin, and John E. Nestler
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Very Good!!!
My dad spent hundreds of hours slaving on this book, (which by the way is VERY interesting!) so I'm sure he did an excellent job (~even though I can't even pronounce 99% of the words and not to mention the title!!) Good job, Dad!!


Democracy Betrayed: The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy
Published in Paperback by Univ of North Carolina Pr (1998)
Authors: David S. Cecelski, Timothy B. Tyson, and John Hope Franklin
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Excellent Book
First let me say that I rarely read non-fiction and even when I do, I rarely manage to finish an entire book of it. Democracy Betrayed is an exception. The writing was clear, precise, right-on, and interesting. And, perhaps most importantly, educational. I was born and raised in North Carolina and knew nothing--absolutely nothing--about the Wilmington Race Riots or the subject of Cecelski's essay Abraham Galloway. I am female and was a victim of gender based racial violence myself so I was aware of the issues raised in Gilmore's essay and White's essay, but I have never seen the issues written about so well. What I most like about this book is that it destroys stereotypes about class and race. After all isn't it the most well-to-do who most benefit from race violence so why should we be surprised to learn that it was not the so-called "white trash" who began the racial massacre in 1898, but the rich, the ones who were most likely to benefit from forcing the elected fusionist party officials out of office and placing themselves in their offices. I never knew--it certainly wasn't taught in my public school--that in 1896 every office in North Carolina was held by a progressive fusionist party member, elected by the fusion of lower class whites and blacks. Imagine how different this state would be, how advanced in talent and intelligence, if the massacre hadn't occurred, if black doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, newspaper editors and writers, etc, hadn't been forced from the state and if the elected officials had been allowed to remain in office. Perhaps what is most important is the book succeeds in "drawing public attention to the tragedy", a tragedy that is apparantly very much in the consciousness of Black Wilmington citizens and very much needs to be in the consciousness of all humans.


The Democracy of the Dead: Dewey, Confucius, and the Hope for Democracy in China
Published in Hardcover by Open Court Publishing Company (1999)
Authors: David L. Hall and Roger T. Ames
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Two Books In One
Democracy of the Dead: Dewey, Confucius, and the Hope for Democracy in China is an impressive attempt at dialogue between Confucianism and American Pragmatism on the subject of fostering democratic reforms in China. It is both a history of philosophy text, highlighting Dewey's thought and subsequent Pragmatist scholars, liberalism, and Confucianism, and a polemic about the limitations of liberal thought in China. Although some acquaintance with the texts interpreted by the authors is recommended, the authors' synopses are trustworthy and ably and judiciously given. There are also generous quotes and and a and a nine-page bibliography provided.

Admittedly, I was skeptical about the authors' project, which seemed like a desperate attempt to bridge two subjects, pragmatism and Confucianism, that are both equally unprofitable, with a popular item in the news, China. I wanted an appealing interpretation of Confucianism, that would allow me to understand the cultural divide between east and west more easily. I was also interested in any study about pragmatism, which, as the authors also argue, deserves more respect. Last, I wanted a framework to understand Korean and western dialogue, since Korean interpretations of Confucianism are also relevant to Chinese reform historically, and are also a factor in Korea's relations with western countries. The book satisfied my demands more than satisfactorily.

Some readers may be angered by the authors' use of Deweyan Pragmatism to criticize traditional liberalism, but the authors have good reason. Dewey did have a small role in Chinese educational reform before the Communist Party assumed control in 1949. Dewey, and pragmatism in general, are both better exemplars of distinct American realities than liberalism. Also, using pragmatic terms, the authors couch Confucian concepts in a way more palatable and approachable.

The authors argue, that a Confucian interpretation of democracy is possible. This Confucian democracy is useful as a tool for political reform. And then, by using Deweyan thought, it is possible for Chinese and American reformers to share ideas for reform in both countries. The book, therefore, is ultimately a practical one.

The authors eschew nationalistic and philosophical bias, which is necessary for productive dialogue. This is not a book that celebrates western values over eastern ones. It has relevance also in Korea, yet, ironically, it will not convince Americans of the need for reform in their own country, especially if readers refuse to abandon implicit faith in liberal thinking. This is not a book about dead things, but a very lively, well-written, timely offering..


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