I picked this book because the plot sounded interesting. I still think the concept was good, but the writer was unable to deliver on his promise. I thought the character developement was poor and there was little continuity in the scenes. People would appear and disappear with little explanation. Some action sceens, but poor build-up. Almost like the author said to himself, "This would be a good place to have a car crash" and just stuck it in.

Someone recommended I read this book because of the current presidential races. With a slick cover and a clever title, I was prepared for a good read. What some have called a page turner is more like a turn the pages as fast as you can to finish, if you start at all. This is a book, I thought, but as its own website states, it reads like a movie, like a BAD movie script at that. The suspense hyped up on the jacket and the website? Nothing more than sleep inducing narratives and lack of character development of Sidney McCaleb. The writing is so weak that to follow the visuals is to labor as long as you dare. A worthy attempt for a designer, but a sequel is not recommended.

A very interesting concept in the political arena. The book is an epic that will take some time to think about. I recommend it as a good read for a weekend. The book seems to call it like it is to my way of thinking. I don't agree with some of the other reviewers thoughts. There was obviously a lot of research in this effort. Should be required reading as a contrast to the election process we've just witnessed.

I don't hold with this new fangled "tungsten." In my day, it was wolfram, and by Gar we loved it! Of course, in my day we dug holes for fun, so perhaps I shouldn't talk. I particularly liked the bit about copper ablation - well done in most aspects. And for the prospective wolfram arc welder, the section on weld repair is one of a kind. You don't find such succinct explanations of weld repair anymore.

Being a weldor as a hobby, I found this book to be more in depth than I initially anticipated. It was great to find out how my machine works and learn what has caused some of my past failures. I think this book is great for metalurgical references for my applications. Being a hobbiest I didn't really need to know about the industrial aspects or how to read specs. But I guess even unused information isn't bad to have. Its hard to acquire this knowledge on the side.

Excellent for reference as well as for the beginner. Provides specific, in depth information while still practical. Well illustrated. Concise. However, not thorough enough for the advanced weldor interested in complete discussion of metallurgy and other principles.

Mr. Mandel's book, "Saying No to Power" serves primarily as an apology and justification for 20th century's second most oppressive dictatorship - the Soviet Union. The author is a well-known Soviet sympathizer and apologist, and has been one throughout his life.Saying no to power? Not quite, Mr. Mandel is in fact saying yes to Soviet power.

....

Its a very interesting life story in any case. William Mandel grew up in a milieu which is long gone: a highly literate, politically active, urban working class. He spent a significant part of his childhood in the Soviet Union; was deeply, though ambivalently, involved in the Communist Party U.S.A(CPUSA) - (he was kicked out and then readmitted, at which point he resigned); He was interrogated twice by HUAC, as well as by Roy Cohn during the McCarthy hearings; He was the victim of red-baiting through-out his career; He was involved in the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley; he is a principle actor in the current Pacifica Radio fracas.

Along the way William Mandel has encountered a huge number of characters, ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt, to Paul Robeson, to Jerry Rubin. His political outlook has changed from Marxist-Leninism to his current disavowal of Socialism.

He is such an acclaimed scholar of the late Soviet Union that he was, for a time, a member of the Hoover Institute, a bastion of right-wing American triumphalism.

In short, William Mandel has led an exciting life. His autobiography should be an exciting read.

Sadly - it ain't so. Outside of the first few chapters about his boyhood, which are charming, this book is a chore. Mr. Mandel appears distraught that his contributions to the history of the American Left have been under-appreciated and is therefore concerned with setting the record straight. There are more references to personal correspondence extolling Mr. Mandel's impact on the world then there are to Mandel’s own writings!

Fascinating questions are left unanswered. He infers that he has given up on Marxian Socialism since it has proved to be as utopian as the 19th Century socialisms that it sought to replace. He suggests that civil libertarian concerns gnawed at him while he was a practicing Communist. But he never presents a critique of Marxism. Given that this is a relatively recent intellectual development for Mr. Mandel, one would expect some substance in this regard.

There are also the odd omissions and tantalizing facts that are not followed through upon. William Mandel offers a seemingly cogent case for the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact: tying together Stalin's desire for a secure western border with the incursion into Finland. Mandel seeks to make us understand that this pact was primarily a vehicle for the defense of the Soviet Union against a set of hostile and intractable enemies. trange...there is no mention of the invasion and division of Poland.

As for tantalizing facts, there is one point where William Mandel mentions a recent CPUSA convention wherein the Commies called the Cops! Apparently there was a group of dissidents who were attempting to participate, and the Cleveland Police Department was called upon to enforce Party Disciplne. But this incident is not expanded upon. (This is, in fact not merely an offhand anecdote. The CPUSA subsequently split into two groups: one of which expounds Social Democracy ala Western Europe – and which has left the Party, the other is a bunch of aging ideologues. This has spelled the end of the CPUSA as a viable force, even in left-sectarian terms. Given the sturm and drang that followed the CPUSA throughout its history, and inspired Mandel’s most courageous moments – indeed, given the force that the CPUSA had in Mandel’s personal life, from childhood forward, one would think that the Party’s demise is worthy of comment.

Perhaps William Mandel could author a follow-up volume which details and analyzes the history of the American Left in the 20th Century. He would be in a unique position to do so, and it would be an exciting and entertaining book.

Bottom line: if you're building a library on the American Left, get this book for the sake of completeness.

Otherwise look for William Mandel's other works on the Soviet Union. I note that there is a new one due in July.

This is a profoundly sad book that encapsulates the intellectual tragedy of our times and as such, is illuminating, though not in the manner its author and his supporters would prefer. Mandel's was perhaps the loudest and most articulate voice serving, in effect, as a propoganda arm of the Soviet Union through decade after decade when the extraordinary brutality of Stalinist dictatorship devoured its own children and created unparalleled police states in Eastern Europe and around the world. Mandel never seemed to realize that the Soviet Union of his dreams was one vast Potemkin village barely masking an unending daily terror. The enormous irony of Mandel hysterically proclaiming his civil liberties before HUAC is apparently lost on both himself and those fellow communists who for some odd reason always want to drape themselves with the grand banners of "fighter for world peace and justice." But no apologist for state fascism could ever publish a self aggrandizing book in America entitled "Saying No to Power" merely for their vigorous assertion of their own first amendment rights to praise dictatorships and deride the one nation on earth whose commitment to freedom of speech has been made foundational. Very very few passionate counterpart activists for freedom and justice within the former Soviet Union ever lived through the Gulags (or even through the basement of that ghastly tower on Dzerzhinsky Square). Commisars Yagoda, Yeskov, and Beria failed to provide microphones, news cameras, and printing presses to the dissidents of the Soviet Union, although for five decades the inhuman screams from the interrogation rooms hardly needed amplification. They were, of course, never heard as far as Mandel's Berkeley. No to power? George Orwell is smiling even now.

The book relates Benson's research into the power of the mind over the body, but more importantly how to use this power.

The book starts by describing the setting of research criteria and planning a trip to Tibet/Himalayas.

In the Himalayas observations are made of monks who can perform amazing feats in controlloling the skin temperature of their body.

The last section relates to how this body control, which is now called the Relaxation Response, can be used in Western medicine.

A very good book for making readers think about their own limiting beliefs and what can be done if we challange what we believe. The book is also a must for Doctors who want to move on from traditional Western medicine and take in a more holistic approach.

Originally I read this book as a text that I chose as part of a book review assignment I had for a psychology class I was in. For some reason this book really grabbed my interest right away since he was writing about something I knew very little about.

The author describes various accounts of myths and stories of some of the amazing feats that Asian Buddhists have acheived in the past. They do things such as leaping (almost flying) great distances upon rocks, and also being able to increase their body temperatures during meditation. It's said that pious monks can be tested by wearing garments that were drenched in ice cold water, and within a short matter of time the garments would be completely dry. He decided to research these things first hand by performing experiments on their meditation techneques. He even provides the actual experimental results and conclusions from all of the various temperature readings he performed. It's interesting to hear about his interactions and impressions on the Dali Lama as well.

For a more practical usage, this book is great for anyone who wants to learn some realistic and effective step-by-step relaxation and meditation techneques.

Overall, his research is very well organized and stated enthusiastically in an informative manner. This book is valuable in terms of the cultural analysis, the scientific evidence, the psychological studies made, and the practical exercises described within.

The author's comments are right on target. If you want to debate the reasons to have these documents, weigh ethical considerations, and write a values statement, this is the book for you. But if you buy the book already convinced you need these documents and what you want is a detailed list of suggestions, customized wording, state-specific information and forms, this book is disappointing.

An excellent book that highlights how and why one can make decisions in end of life treatment. The book correctly sets aside the idiosyncracies of state forms (these are free from any doctor's office), and gets to the heart of _why_ to discuss this topic. This book is very helpful in starting and encouraging a conversation between family members and health care providers about what is important to the individual before and when the chips are down.

This is one of Bill Shatner's "Tek War" series' books. It is not bad, but also not particularly memorable. For all those Star Trek fans out there, don't bother, as this is nothing like Star Trek . . . although if Shatner hadn't been riding on his Star Trek fame, this book would have probably never have been published. His writing style is very gritty, something like Robert Heinlein, although not quite as bad. The book is really more of a detective/police story (the "T.J. Hooker" influence, no doubt) set in the future. If you like police stories, you might like this, but frankly, I was not much impressed.

This book makes a great edition to the world of Tek, Shatners flair for writing is expressed and it does more for the imagination than the TV series could!

I purchased the book based on the interesting subject which I had never seen in book form. The author's rudimentary knowledge of the law does not get in the way of his pushing the theme that railroad defense counsel sold their ethics for money and generally subverted our entire justice system. These simple populist notions get tiresome after a few chapters. A very disappointing book on a subject that has impacted many areas of the law.

Thomas writes with clarity and precision about a topic not easily cast in terms of easy generalities. His use of primary resources is impressive and compelling. In all, a well-balanced overview of a complex subject, suitable for the non-specialist reader. Four stars!

This book gives a close look behind the scenes of the railroads and their lawyers in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The analysis is refreshingly balanced -- cogent, careful, thoughtful. It will cause anyone interested in the New South, railroads, or the history of American law to rethink the extent of railroad power and the role the law played in the development of American capitalism. At once a business, social, and legal history, it is mainly about the political economy of the South in a period of tense conflict and protest. Thomas tells us about lawyers who pushed the limits of the law and legal process to aid their powerful clients. He also tells us how divided the bar was about these tactics. Even more compelling, he shows why those who lined up against the railroads around the turn of the century were so energized. The book, which is both well-written and engaging, is built largely on original railroad company records. Legal historians and railroad historians in particular will find it provocative, challenging, informative and rewarding.

William Cheung's reputation has the reputation of an excellent martial artist but I was disappointed by this book. My main problem was I bought this book for Chi training - the contents aren't really useful for this though.

The book is around 200 pages; most of this is basic Wing Chun forms, blocks and strikes. The most complex issue it deals with is a photographic account of the first WC form and you can't help but feel this is included to try and pad out a book which has no real content on Chi training.

A useful reference for WC basics but useless if you're after "How to develop Chi power".

William Cheung's books are not as much instruction manuals, as they are student notebooks, to be used to help remember detailed instruction. "How To Build Chi Power" is indeed a misleading title, as there are only a few chi exercises, and the bulk of the book is taken up with the form Sil Lum Tao.
What you get: The direction in which Chi is supposed to flow when performing Sil Lum Tao.
What you don't get: How to start feeling chi. How to build chi up to substantial levels, where you can actually feel it flow or use it to power your movements. Why or how during some of Sil Lum Tao movements, chi/energy flows contrary to the physical movement itself.
In short, useful if you're an intermediate to advanced Wing Chun student, useless for finding out about Chi if you're not. Personally, I like the simplicity of the Sil Lum Tao form for building up chi, but I've tapped very different sources to come this far - mainly teachings about Tai Chi.

This book is not for someone wanting general information and basic chi kung exercises. This book details the flow of chi in doing the first form of Wing Chun, the Sil Lum Tao form. Briefly describes chi meridians, five element theory, and some other chinese medical ideas. Good section on breathing and self massage of some important acupoints on the arms that stimulate the organs through their respective channels. Shows proper Wing Chun blocks and strikes, showing transitional movements and direction of energy. Demonstates complete Sil Lum Tao form, showing chi direction. Ends with a chapter on chi sao techniques and applications. A great book for those interested in Wing Chun, has the best description of the Sil Lum Tao I've seen, compared to about 5 other books. If you want a chi kung book, don't buy this, get Way of Energy by Lam, or his other book, Chi Kung.

ABSOLUTE POWER had success written all over it. It is based on a best-selling novel of political intrigue, adapted by screenwriter William Goldman (BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID) and was directed by and starred the sturdy Clint Eastwood. But, like most things political, the film gets lost in red tape and the story is trivialized.

Luther, a slick jewel thief (Eastwood) witnesses and is blamed for a crime of passion while 'working'. As the murder intimately involves the President of the United States, more than jail awaits Luther if he is trapped. The President's chief of staff and bodyguards will stop at nothing to keep the President 'Protected'. Thrown in to round out the film is Luther's derivative quest to mend his relationship with his daughter.

Gene Hackman, who is able to add a touch of class to every film (except HEARTBREAKERS), is the President who gets less out of his cabinet when he's not out of his drawers. At the books writing, the concept of the philandering command-in-chief was unique. Not since John Kennedy had the tabloids been filled with such material. But the film is watered down by President Clinton's controversial real-life relationships. But bad timing is no excuse for the poorly executed material and awkward scenes.

An overlong and overcomplicated relationship between Luther and the Homicide detective who hunts him down is only made worse when he falls for the daughter, Kate. The usually strong Ed Harris plays agent Seth Frank feebly and Laura Linney fills the unrewarding victim role of Kate nicely. Scott Glenn is wallpaper as the bodyguard that gets a crisis of conscience. He works alongside one of the only bright points in the film, Judy Davis as the manipulative Chief of Staff.

This film has some clever moments but is altogether shoddily constructed as potentially short scenes are dreadfully long and vice versa. However, the film can be a brief distraction from what ails you. The DVD has an audio video transfer worthy of a better film.

Thriller,with some good moments,about an ageing,charming and wealthy burglar{Clint Eastwood}who is about to pull off a major heist when he witnesses a murder involving none other than the U.S. President himself,played by an over the top and at times annoying Gene Hackman.

Eastwood gets involved in a cat and mouse game with the various authorities,circumstances being further complicated by the involvement of his bitter lawyer daughter,as they zone in on him and he attempts to prove his innocence.

Best of the supporting actors has to be Scott Glen who lends credence to his roll as a secret service agent with a concience,although Eastwoods character leads them all a merry dance. Clint Eastwood also directed and all in all provides reasonably good entertainment.

When a Professional Thief (Three Time Oscar-Winner:Clint Eastwood) witness a rape and a murder of a young beautiful woman is murder by the President of the United States (Two Time Oscar-Winner:Gene Hackman). Now the question is what the thief sees and how to stay alive long enough to tell the truth, what he did saw.

Directed by Actor:Clint Eastwood (The Bridges of Madison Country, True Crime, Blood Work) has made a fine suspense-thriller. Based on the Novel by David Baldacci and Screenplay by Two Time Oscar-Winner:William Goldman. This film has a fine supporting cast including:Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert and E.G. Marshall. This is a well made gripping thriller. Panavision. Grade:A-.

As a later GAO investigation revealed, Senator Roth's 1997 hearings on the IRS were a farce. The witnesses' stories of abuse were exaggerated at best, falsified with the connivance of the Senator and his commitee staff, at worst. His book, ghost written by a staffer, (I didn't know the Senator was literate!) should be listed here under "fiction." Its all bull - pandering to marginal and disaffected losers who wear aluminum foil inside their hats. Thankfully, the good citizens of Delware voted the rascal out in 1999, sending him and his horrible toupee back to the obscurity to which he so deservedly belongs.

I confess that I have yet to finish reading this book but I feel it is important to share my opinion of the title. As appropriate as it is, readers should be aware that the destructive powers the IRS employs on a very large scale are not provided the agency by statute. In defense of their destructive actions they are likely to refer to statutes granting the powers in question to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. They exercise powers thus usurped with little restraint. Members of the legal profession and "public servants" as well as tax preparing professionals have a vested interest in ignoring this fact. Law enforcement and Justice Department personnel are inhibited if not intimidated. It is no secret that fear and intimidation plays an important role such that a majority of citizens who "volunteer" to file, assess themselves and pay even if they may be aware that the IRS is only and "administrative" agency of the Department of the Treasury. Large cash rewards offered to anyone who can show that laws exist, requiring record keeping, filing returns and paying the "voluntary" income tax are not uncommon.

The Power to Destroy is the most informative book I have read. It really opened my eyes to the how the IRS works. For years I have feared every time I've done my taxes. Now with the knowledge I have received from this excellent book, I no longer fear the IRS. This year is the first year that I havn't worried about doing my taxes. The book is EMPOWERING because of the knowledge you recieve. I'm going to order a bunch for all of my friends. If you pay taxes, you must read the book. I'm greatful that Senator Roth and Mr. Nixon wrote the book without fear of backlash from the IRS. Most people wouldn't have dared. It's simply the book of this century!!!!!