More self-righteous tripe from a Leftist nag. Novick has convinced himself through the compilation of various incidents that White racism is ominpresent and all powerful. The solution? Socialism. That's right, more government, more regulation. The fact of the matter is, the world is becoming homogenized under the banner of the global economy. Ethnic and cultural identity (especially White) are seen as obstacles to this process and such feelings are being criminalized through indoctrination and various pieces of legislation. But hey, what's a Leftist going to do without White racism? It pays their bills. So if they have to, they will see it where it doesn't exist. This foolish book is a perfect example of that.

I have no idea what the first rambling review was, but anyone who actually READS this book will find it an exhaustive and meticulously researched volume on the activities of the extreme right, particularly the white-power and 'patriot' movements that were on the upswing during the time the book was written (1994-95ish). At some points depressing, at others powerful, Novick makes a point of touching on virtually all the extreme-right trends of the period. If you are interested in understanding the ideologies and players among the racist right, Novick's investigative volume is a valuable reference.

Urban collected and processed a lot of data for this book, and I have to give him credit for that, for sure. His objective is to create a rigid, mathematically based methodology for studying the movements in the Soviet bureaucracy, which by no means acted as a conventional bureaucracy, despite many scholars' attempts to analyze it as such. Looking at Belorussia, he gathered data for office vacancies and mobility for twenty years, and plugged them into his "algebra" to calculate probabilities of office-holders coming from particular areas of the bureaucracy, looking for patterns. In this, he is quite thorough, and one really cannot doubt the extent and factuality of his research (although it doesn't make for easy reading).

His analysis, on the other hand, does not come out as solidly as his data collection. Not that what he says did not hold true for the Belorussian republic, but he resists making generalizations from it, extending it to the soviet system as a whole. He also, in considering factionalism in Belorussia (actually one of the strongest sections of the book) does tend to drop back into the subjective mode of analysis that he decries in the book's introduction.

This is not an easy book to read. A strong backing in statistics, some higher math, and a good working knowledge of Russia between Brezhnev and Gorbachev is almost necessary. But with all its faults aside, Urban has created a useful methodology for study of the movements of power in the late soviet period.

Michael A. R. Graves is one of the leading authorities on Elizabethan parliaments, so one might expect his book on the leading Elizabethan statesman to be good. And in many ways it is. Wide-ranging and erudite, in easily-digested short segments concerning various modules of William Cecil's career, 'Burghley' offers an excellent if condensed overview of the achievements of Elizabeth I's chief adviser. Unlike earlier books on the subject, 'Burghley' does not pursue every minute (and often unnecessary) aspect of his career. However, during some sections of the book, Graves' love for the minutiae of politics and economics becomes apparent, although regrettably is not likewise communicated to the reader. The final chapter is therefore extremely welcome and useful, containing a subjective but learned analysis of Burghley the man. The sheer vastness of Burghley's surviving documentation makes the task of his biographer an incredibly daunting one, and in my opinion, Graves has done a commendable job. Although not recommended for the casual reader with a passing interest in Burghley's life, the book is excellently suited to students of Elizabethan politics, for whom it was clearly written. For the purpose of last-minute cramming or essay research, this slim volume is a welcome and detailed alternative to the considerably thicker, more in-depth tomes of Hume, Read, Beckingsale, et al.

Mandel's work is extremely comprehensive in nature and long winded at some points. He goes to great lengths to support his ideals, but loses the reader's interest several times. If you can read through all the legal mumbo-jumbo, Mandel has some incredible and unique insights on the Charter of Rights to offer. This is a great book for anyone interested in Canadian government or Politics.

Burnham's book is a fine history of the slow degeneration of Congress as an institution, from it's beginnings as the heart of our gov't, to it's present state as an irritating side show that mainly serves to siphon public money off to various local interests. That, in fact, is one of the things Burnham defends, and this is the book's primary flaw. While it gives a fine account of the creeping imperialism of the executive branch, it offers nothing but jeremiads. The practical solutions to this problem, such as making Congress larger, are not seriously considered. Worse yet is the author's tendency to defend the more backward aspects of Congressional life, such as special interest politics. It is all well and good to say that Congress defends the rights of the few against the many and stands in the path of mob tyrannny, but it is undeniable that it is all to often a leech that exists only to expropriate the wealth of one segment of society and pass it on to another. Burnham's blind allegience to outworn gov't mechanisms is his great flaw. The first principles he adheres to are as valid as ever, but they need a new embodiement more suited to our own times and troubles. Romantic nostalgia for the days of Webster and Calhoun is counterproductive.

I was thrilled to see a book on "educational computing as a social practice," because this topic is of great interest to me as an educational technology consultant. I was disappointed at the lack of real speculation about the possibilities of educational computing or their impact on culture... I found it to be more based on cultural criticism in media studies than based on either technology or education, and not especially revealing or compelling. It would be good reading for anyone in educational technology with no background in cultural criticism, but for anyone who has the slightest knowledge or experience with cultural studies and technology (education as such is rather tertiary in the book) it's pretty ho-hum.

This book posits that focusing on the beauty of such films as "Black Orpheus" deflects from the fact that there is rampant anti-black racism in Brazil. If I remember correctly, the author is a scholar at an HBCU (historically Black College or University). At times, I think he borrows from canonical white thinkers too heavily. However, I still think it was a good book. It has parallels to life in America where politicians want to talk about what they dislike on television rather than explain why they haven't enacted more bills for the people. Individuals who collect books on Blacks in the New World Diaspora should definitely purchase this piece.

I have been basically addicted to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire for a long time. So I felt this would be very exciting. Only problem is there were some flaws. Some of the game's highest technology was used in the very first part of the post-Planetfall years. And charcters said uhmm to much. Other than that it was pretty good. I want more. But I think there should be more factions included.

Warning, this book is a college level Thermodynamics book written for students who are pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As one reviewer pointed out, this book, unfortunately, will force you to think and will not simply provide you with the formulas necessary to solve all the problems in the back. I purchased this book as a supplement to the required text for the thermo course I was taking. I found it extremely helpful in filling in the gaps left by my text with many thorough example problems. I have recommended this book to our faculty as a replacement to our current text.

I'm a mechanical engineering student at the Ohio State University. Moran is my teacher and this is the book we use. I will say that the material is definetly difficult. I will also say the Dr. Moran demands a lot from his students. For class we meet twice a week for 1.5 hours. Each class we have 3 problems due. It takes me at the very least 3 hours to complete these problems, often 4 or 5. I know that when its all said and done I'll be able to understand any thermo book that I might pick up. I'll also be able to fully evaluate most thermo problems I may encouter in my career. I do wish the book came with hints and number answers to all problems.

I used this text in undergrad thermo and as a reference in grad school and thought that it was a satisfactory book. I don't think that it is a spectacular book, but I was surprised by the negative reviews posted about the book. Thermodynamics can be a frustrating undergraduate course and is often used as a "weed out" course by mechanical engineering departments. Some of the reiviews for this book seem to be written by bitter students who couldn't handle thermo. I encourage shoppers to weed through these reviews when considering buying this book.

Amazon doesn't allow zero stars - shame.This is a book about journalistic fear...and in that sense it should be recommended reading on a psychology course. According to Slater, Ovitz is a classroom whiz, a college football star, a business guru, and a true visionary in all aspects of man's struggle with the universe. Let me put it all in context for you...from some of the Author's opening pages. Ovitz gave a list of people to the Author, for research, most people on that list 'phoned Ovitz to get permission to speak! Then, Slater actually used those same people as the backbone for his writing - enough said. Ovitz may be a bad or good guy, who knows and who cares (this book was purchased for me).Basically, this is a project that the world didn't need, but Slater, having begun, made a thoroughly bad job of it. I'll admit to stopping this book after reading 80% of it - if I could get a rebate on my wasted time, I would. I'm embarrassed for Slater

This book is a shameless puff piece. Ovitz is just mister wonderful. What exemplifies the attitude of the author is when he lists clients who left other agents to go with Ovitz. He will name all the movies these clients did with the former agent, saying they were all flops, then name the movies these clients did with Ovitz, saying they were all hits. As though Ovitz had the magic wand. But if you are at all familiar with the movies listed, you know that a lot of the movies listed before a client went with Ovitz were HITS. And a lot of movies listed after a client went with Ovtiz were FLOPS. That's a shamelss distortion of the facts, to make Ovitz look perfect. And it's not the only distortion. Nonetheless, I'm not giving the book one star, because I did learn some stuff I wanted to know.

I found this book chronicling Ovitz to be entertaining and informative. My favoite part is the one when Ovitz and associates leave William Morris and strike out on their own. I suppose I'm more interested in what lessons the book has to offer, as opposed to how accurate it may be. I bought several copies for friends.