Even without SQUADRON SUPREME, his excellent runs on CAPTAIN AMERICA and QUASAR speak for themselves. But this is one of his finest hours.

This limited series is not the first appearance of the Squadron Supreme; they had shown up in several issues of THE AVENGERS, parodying DC's trademark heroes and "proving" that the Avengers would beat them.

But it was the late, great Mr. Gruenwald who took them and placed them in a superb mini-series that combined comedy, drama, and action with moral arguments.

Even to this day, the questions remain. Who was right--Hyperion or Nighthawk? Where EITHER of them right? And so forth.

Rest in peace, Mr. Gruenwald. After writing this, you've earned it.

Other reviews have mostly summed it up. This story is superb. Mr. Gruenwald is underappreciated genuis. It's unfortunate he, and the Squadron, haven't been appreciated sooner. And, that Mr. Gruenwald didn't get to see his most cherished creation enjoy the recognition and popularity it deserves. The exciting and innovative concepts and ground-breaking devices aside, I enjoyed the heck out of the Hyperion character. With Superman being one of the premier characters of the superhero genre, and practically a pop-culture institution today, it seems odd that unlike other hit characters, he has never seriously been emulated. But it is that very popularity that prevented it. He is so recognizable, writers were just too afraid of being "copycats". Leave it to Gruenwald to have the courage to create his own version of a classic(as well as the rest of JLA), and instill it with it's own identity, and his own unique vision. Not unlike an "ElseWorlds" story, there is much familiar, and much strikingly different. Powers and origin parallel. But Hyperion, like the other Squadron characters, has his own unique quirks, hang-ups, dreams, and ambitions. The story takes the "What-If?" concept to extremes, as Hyperion and the Squadron say and do the things their "original" counterparts wouldn't even think. Fans of Superman and/or JLA should love this, as will any fans of good comic story telling. Don't pass on this one, if you miss it the second time, you may regret it.

I recently bought and read the collection after having read the original limited series back in the 1980s. The late Mr. Gruenwald's storytelling skills and love for the old JLA series continue to shine. I loved some of MG's takes on the classic heroes. How would Superman change his outlook if he abandoned his Clark Kent persona? How would the Golden Age Wonder Woman act if she outlived Steve Trevor and lost her Amazon homeland? Would Batman be more effective on the streets or the White House? We see all kinds of fantastic technology in comics, but what would happen if it was unleashed on the real world? Before Kingdom Come, he had the courage to present the ramifications of great power taking on greater responsibility at the expense of free will. Unlike KC, SS does not get bogged down in dark tones and endless fights, while it still allows the reader to empathize, as well as root for, the Squadron even though they have gone beyond their lawful duty. One wonders what comics would have looked like today if Squadron Supreme had been the big influence instead of Watchmen.

I liked the book as it showed errors in many games and gave ideas on how to use them. Some were very funny and they also listed several of their own games and the mistakes in them. The pictures were funny too.

Despite how much role-playing games and wargames attempt to simulate reality, they are still game with rigid rules that can sometimes make the reality it portrays out to be rather silly. This book not only exposes these bugs, but does so with hilarious art and headlines. I can read the same rules goof over and over and still be doubled over in laughter.

Gamers will appreciate these the most, but even my non-gamer wife finds one or two of the rules funny.

To be honest, I bought this book because I was quoted on the back cover :) HOWEVER, I cannot deny that I opened the book...and found that there was no end to the excitment. I believe I finished the entire book in a matter of two days! Ok...its not really a BOOK, but a comic book.

Why is it funny? Because 9 times out of 10 I can relate to one of the comics in the book (being an avid D&D player). Those that are not into RPG games will probably find this book stupid and dull. Those of us that can relate to even 1 of the comic's on each page will laugh (...).

The book contains jokes made of flaws within the RPG systems. Some of them you may have seen (or questioned) while others have never grabbed your attention before. Take a silly flaw and exploit it with a hilarious depiction within the cells of a comic strip... a good time.

However if this is the most funny thing you've ever read or seen...then your definatly a geek that needs to get out more! Its worth its weight in silver, but its not The Lord Of The Rings.

Stimulating and entertaining, leads to feelings of outrage, but one wonders if the polemical style of writing defeated objectivity in some places. Could one rely on all the facts, maybe the best available antidote for the propaganda US and Mexican school kids are fed. At the very least: the latter part provides an up to date report on globalization, as applied within Mexico, in the hands of The Masters of the Universe.

A good history of the relationship between the United States and other foreign powers and Mexico. Quite entertaining to read. John Ross is really able to bring the story to life and give it feeling. Unfortunately the book is full of factual errors. Literary flare seems to have gotten the best of Ross and drowned out academic scholarship. I didn't read the book looking for errors, and my knowledge of Mexican history isn't that strong yet I still noticed them. If I saw at least half a dozen mistakes then I'm sure there were many more I didn't catch. This is truly a shame because the book presents self as a well researched text which has plenty of interesting facts and tidbits. Perhaps the problems with historical accuracy embody the thoroughly American general amnesia when it comes our collective history. This contrasts with Mexican culture's obsession with historical meaning and symbols.
Scholarship problems aside, the book is definitely worth the read for understanding the history of relations between the United States and the Mexican people.

The author discusses the dictatorship in Mexico of Porifiro Diaz (1876-1910). Dissidents were thrown in gulags. The author writes that in the slums of Mexico city, 43 out of every 1000 adults died a year compared to 6 out of a 1,000 in not very healthy London and half the babies did not survive their first year. In the rural areas, wages in 1910 where 35 centavos a day, exactly what they were in 1810. But American business elites were very happy with General Diaz. They could pludner Mexico all they wanted. Andrew Carnegie called him "the Moses and Joshua of his people."

The author goes through the period after the 1910 revolution which saw the U.S. engage in assasination, aggression and ideological warfare to keep the revolutionares from threatening the interests of the American businesses which had made so much loot under Diaz. 1929 saw the creation of what would later become the PRI, a political party to legitimize the dictatorship of the 1910 revolutionaries. That revolution was by that time quite deradicalized and co-opted by the U.S. The most radical revolutionary, Emiliano Zapata, was murdered under president Carranza's orders in 1919, a year before the latter met the same fate. After the presidency of populist Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940)Mexico's government settled into a state capitalist one-party dictatorship, which controlled some sectors of the economy bbut always allowed foreign participation in those sectors. U.S. investment in the country continually rose as did military aid. The PRI tolerated dissent but always was willing to arrest and "dissapear" such persons if they got too uppity and always could commit fraud if they were about to lose an election. On October 2nd 1968, the Army massacred 337 people as they were about to disperse from a non-violent protest at the Plaza of Three Cultures at the Tlateloclo housing complex.

In the early 80's Mexico, burdened with a huge debt and low world oil prices, went into serious economic decline. Wages went down too and the one bright spot was Mexico's trade surplus with the U.S. as the lowest wages in the hemisphere were paid to the maquiladora workers of the exporting multinational corporations.

Carlos Salinas won the presidential election in 1988 through outright fraud and violence. Salinas engaged in massive privitization policies, earning him much praise from U.S. politicians and business leaders. He crushed strikes at businesses about to be privitized. The creation of NAFTA created unregulated movement of capital. Massive capital flight took place as stronger U.S. multinationals overtook local competitors in the Mexican market and sent their money back to the U.S. In December 1994, Mexico was in serious crises as it had to default on short term bond payments. Mexico was in its most serious crises since the Great Depression and its people suffered more terribly than usual.

He tells stories of what ordinary people throughout Mexico are dealing with and the hell their country has been put through. He looks at people attempting to block Jack Nicklaus's "Golden Bear" company from building a golf course and resort complex in their community and stealing all of their water supply, at people fighting the thuggery of the state oil company, at people fighting the looting of their forests and the destruction of the environment of their communities. He looks at people whose land was expropriated to build tourist hotels, who have launched armed rebellions such as in Gurererro and Chiapas. All of these people have encountered U.S. backed terror and torture in response.

The prose style in this book is somewhat plodding.

After being diagnosed with brain cancer I was ready to give up hope. Then I read Ross Taylors book and realized that there was so much I could do to EMPOWER myself, to take some control over my cancer journey. It was a simple to read book and with my head spinning around this was really important! It also made me laugh, yes laugh; and I have got cancer! I loved this book!

What a refreshing approach, insightful and simple to read.Even the pleasant cover gives reader a sense of calm and wellbeing. I made a simple enquiry about this book not only as a newly diagnosed patient with rare form of cancer but also a huge Olivia Newton-John fan and the author sent me a personally signed copy and has helped me with information/links to cancer sites. Thanks Ross. This book should be read by anyone newly diagnosed or with family members/friends newly diagnosed.Highly reccomended by this reviewer.

Reading the letters and communiques of Marcos contained in Shadows of Tender Fury made me feel incredibly sympathetic for the indigenous people of Chiapas. I felt outraged at the injustice done to them by the Mexican government and the rich ranchers in the area. I found Marcos' tone to be comical despite the dreadful situations he was writing about. For instance, he writes the elaborate PS's and rambles about things with little relevance and tells stories about animals, etc. This gives some lightness to the very heavy subject matter addressed in the book and adds some comic relief. I also thought it was kind of him to respond to everyone who wrote to him, even if they were small children. By the end of the book I liked Marcos' personality from what I glimpsed of it in his tone, and I was impressed at the noble cause he had taken on.

The one problem I had with this book is not a fault of the writer's but of the editor's. Marcos' letters are repetitive and long, and I feel that much could have been cut out and Shadows of Tender Fury would still be a good book that encompassed most of Marcos' letters and ideas. However, with so much repetition the book starts to get tedious. Some heavy editing would have made a big difference.

In general I think that Shadows of Tender Fury is an important contribution to Latin American literature because it details the fight of the Zapatistas and chronicles their events. It also draws support from a much larger community, for I read it in the northeastern US although it is occurring in southeastern Mexico. I did not know very much about the indigenous fight before reading this book so I am glad I did and recommend it to others.

(If you enjoyed my book review please see my others here at amazon.com under my username neeterskeeter. Or, visit my homepage neeterskeeter.com, or bellaonline.com, where I write the Feminism column, for more of my book reviews and writing. I welcome any comments via email. Thanks!)

Shadows of Tender Fury is one of the best compilations of Zapatista philosophy I have ever read. Subcomandante Marcos writes in a wonderfully satirical tone which reveals the problems suffered by the people of Chiapas and around the world. Reading the inspirational and optimistic words of Marcos gives one a better understanding of the struggles of the Zapatistas. This is excellent reading for the student who seeks truth.

Good book, makes you want to travel the country seeking out new places to wet a line. Limited coverage of New England, my home area, which has two effects. Either I should move or write my own book! Thanks for reading

This is a wonderful book for the dedicated trout fisherman. As you would expect it does not discuss all of the streams available to fly fish for trout in any given area. But it gets you to the general area of top rated streams and you can hit other streams from there. It also discusses specific hatches, flies, types of fish, interesting stories behind the streams as well. I think it is the best trout stream guide book I own (I probably have half a dozen or more) and I would recommend it to the traveling fly fisherman. I have used it to pre-plan a day of trout fishing when going on family vacations.

Daniel Berrigan's early work is his best, written in a time when the poet realized that "poems are made of words, not ideas" and took a craftsmanlike attitude to each syllable.

As has been noted, "Time without Number" was justly lauded by the modernist titan, poet Marianne Moore; and Berrigan's second volume prompted Moore to exclaim, "I read with reverence anything Fr Berrigan writes"; indeed, the poems of "Encounters" are unsurpassed, esp "Trees: October" and "A Statue of the Blessed Virgin Carved in Wood" with its initial line "Wood is noble when it forgets resemblance." There is, too, a poem which ends with the lines "is flown, is fled, is spent / skeleton : element."

Up until about 1964, the poems were poems and not slogans. In fact, Berrigan is perhaps at his best when he pays tribute to other poets, notably Wallace Stevens and Gerard Manley Hopkins. Berrigan's hymns to Hanoi are virtually indistinguishable from the great glut of anti-war matter that was written at this time, and his elegy to Thomas Merton -- though evidently heartfelt -- is slack, sprawling, and aesthetically infirm (the last lines, something about lotus blossoms) are just plain dippy.

In the later work, it helps the reader if she or he is sympathetic to Berrigan's political Weltanschauung, but there are felicities: Berrigan's lean athleticism of language, and way with a pleasing embedded rhyme or calculated dissonance, are knacks which serve him well.

But the priest/poet does, too often, confuse sloganeering with art, and that is a foible we find somewhat difficult to ignore.

Daniel berrigan, S.J.,poet,priest,confessor,witness has his second volume of collected poems.{the first,published by doubleday in the mid-1970's,is out of print.}It is curious that Berrigan is so overlooked{ignored]. His poetry is superb:supple,elegant,concise. Due to his political{religious}witness, he has been consigned to the fringes{where he is quite comfortable}Unfortunately, this has made his poetry less accessible,which is really too bad. For I believ him to be one of the great poets of our time. This collection begins with his Lamont award collection,TIME WITHOUT NUMBER,up and beyond HOMAGE TO GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS, and some uncollected work. From Vietnam to prison, to an elegy for some young children on block island, to an homage to his 10 year old namesake killed,these are vital poems, lush with language,deeply heartfelt,written about life as seen by one of its more ineresting participants . Beautiful,lyrical rich poerty, a feast for the mind and heart. Do yourself a service,read this book,savor these poems,for in many of them you enter a holy realm,a place of peace.

It's rather sad the mainstream press has overlooked this wonderful collection. Before he became known for his activism in the name of peace, Dan Berrigan was-and still very much is-a poet of grace and enormous insight. This collection gives new readers the gift of being able to trace the progress of his work through more than 40 years.

Russell Kirk wrote that there is nothing more conservative than conservation, yet today's Republican Party has squandered its heritage of protecting the environment, a heritage begun by Theodore Roosevelt that continued through Eisenhower and Nixon. Many conservatives have come to the environment's defense, among them: Russell Kirk, Richard Weaver, John Gray, Margaret Thatcher, Wendell Berry, Paul Weyrich, Theodore Roosevelt IV and Susan Eisenhower.

Bliese's defense starts with demolishing misconceptions and fallacies. He then shows how certain conservative principles are consistent with the goals of environmentalism. The rest of the book takes a look at the major environmental issues of the day: pollution, public lands, global warming, biodiversity, and sustainability. Finally, he discusses the inadequacy of the libertarian notion of "free-market environmentalism."

One of the book's real virtues, in fact, is that it reveals how traditional conservatism has much more to offer than the libertarianism with which it is sometimes confused.

I also applaud Bliese's familiarity with which public policies and private actions have worked and which have not. He offers many solutions, most of them market based. Much could be accomplished, for example, by eliminating the billions in subsidies that nearly all industries receive. The unwillingness to do so reinforces my belief that there is no conservative party in Washington, D. C. It is worth keeping in mind that most scientists are problem-solvers, while most politicians are not.

Despite occasionally getting bogged down in the specifics of various studies, Bliese has fully documented his work. The end notes suggest deep, scholarly reading in environmental research. But this also raises a problem. In our time there is a general loss of consensus over what is debatable and what is fixed. More specifically, the politicizing of science, which is to say government involvement in science, has turned it into a tool of lobbying groups, college professors, and others whose livelihood depends on giving answers that the king wants to hear. Moreover, the rhetoric of catastrophe, whether it comes from business interests or environmental interests, sedates the public in much the same way as the boy who cried wolf. Lacking formal knowledge in these matters, readers are left wondering what to believe.

These are problems about which readers must draw their own conclusions. We ought to agree on certain fundamental truths, particularly in a field that pertains to the natural world that we all share, and this search for consensus appears to be Bliese's intent. Our time on earth is temporary, one of tenancy rather than ownership. We can care for the world we have inherited or we can treat it as our own personal trash can.

Bliese has certainly carved a niche for himself, given the paucity of books or articles that deal directly with the connection between conservatism and environmentalism. I hope he continues that work. With any luck his book will be an antidote to the ideology that obscures these issues.

Conservative criticizes conservatives for not protecting the environment

"We have also seen that the current anti-environmental stance of many politicians and pundits is entirely unacceptable because it violates fundamental conservative principles." page 263

John R. E. Bliese (The Greening of Conservative America, Westview Press, 2001) is not the first to claim that conservatives should be conservationists, but no one has done the job as well as he has. In contrast to the usual ignorant nonsense that is promoted as conservative "environmentalism" (for example Peter Huber's Hard Green) the book is well researched, well written, and for the most part well argued . Contents

In the first chapter Bliese tackles three myths about the environmental movement; that environmentalists are anticapitalisrs and leftist, that they are pagan nature worshipers, and that environmentalism is just gloom and doom. He then takes on the myth that conservatives should be for business no matter what. Bliese claims that this being for business is what has turned many conservatives into anti-environmentalists. This is a gross oversimplification, but then charting the growth of anti-environmentalism would probably take an entire book. Chapter two demolishes the environment versus the economy myth In chapter three Bliese presents nine conservative principles that are related to environmental protection. Using numerous quotes from conservative thinkers Bliese makes the claim that conservatism requires caring for the environment. The next six chapters look at various environmental problems and possible solutions. Chapter four covers pollution. This is very good, except that Bliese uses "cancer clusters" as proof of harm from toxic chemicals. Almost all of these clusters are the result of the random distribution of cases, and cannot be proven to be caused by toxic chemicals. Chapter five looks at issues involving public lands. His reccomendations are almost totally the reverse of what conservatives usually recommend, especially the so-called "wise use" movement. He notes, for example, that livestock grazing on public land adds an insignificant amount to both the economy and the food supply, while causing great environmental problems. And he notes that wilderness, preserved as wilderness' is far more valuable than the resources that could be extracted from them. Chapters six and seven cover global warming. Yes, it is real, according to the best scientific research, and it will cost far less to prevent it than to deal with the consequences. Chapter eight covers endangered species, including how the Endangered Species Act can be improved. Chapter nine covers sustainability.

Chapter ten looks at "free market environmentalism" an idea that is very popular with some libertarians. Bliese ask if FME is "environmentalism for conservatives?". The answer is a decided no. Among the faults is a good idea (private conservation of land) taken to a bad extreme; the elimination of government conservation of land. Another FME idea, the replacement of environmental regulations with common law liability rules fails for several reasons. For one thing, it was the way of doing things until the 1970s, and it simply did not work. Another major problem is that it is a system that puts the victims of pollution at a major disadvantage in relation to the polluters. These are just a few of the problems Bliese found with FME. The book ends with a short chapter on concluding thoughts.

The good and the bad

Overall the book is very good. It should help rally conservatives to the conservation position. But one has to wonder about how great an impact it will have. So far, it has received little publicity. And we now have a "compassionate conservative" in the White House who seems intent on rolling back environmental protections as rapidly as the paper work can be processed.

There are a few minor problems with the book. For example, Bliese seems to believe that all conservatives share his view that the world was created by God, and that nature ought to be preserved because God gave man stewardship of it. But there is one major problem, the repeated claim that he is promoting conservative solutions to problems, with the implication that liberals would not support them. We are told, without any evidence, that liberals (and bureaucrats) support "command and control" regulations. This is totally inconsistent with the heavy documentation found in the rest of the book. And it appears to be just plain wrong. Here are his three main categories of "conservative" solutions (he also offers more specific solutions in some cases).

1. End the subsidies of destructive activities. Who, except those who benefit from the subsides, would object to this?

2. Where needed, improve existing laws. Who, except anti-governmental extremists, could object?

3. Make the polluters pay. Who, except the polluters, could object.

In short, these solutions are neither conservative nor liberal. While people may disagree on their reasons for protecting the environment, the solutions should be judged by how well they work. The environment needs all the friends it can get.

Not since Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" has the case for environmental protection been presented in a manner that could compel even the most apathetic citizen to sit up and take note. Extremely well written, well researched, and well argued, this book dispels a number of common myths and provides fresh and impressively documented arguments for conserving and protecting the environment. Nothing new, you say? It is when the case for environmental protection is made from (surprise!)a traditional conservative perspective! "The Greening of Conservative America" is an enjoyable, educational, and inspirational read. One can only hope that Bliese's fellow conservatives pay it some heed, for the sake of generations to come.

You only thought you knew conspiracies. But in this book, it all comes to light! WAREHOUSE 13 is a light-hearted look at the paranoid that lurks inside all of us. The premise is that somewhere, hidden away in a secluded mountainside, is a darkened storage facility that contains a myriad of things that THEY don't want you to know exist!

And what a collection!

Clones of current and past presidents, androids, mind-control devices, the Ark of the Covenant, the Spear of Logenes, even up-to-date files on YOU! It's all in here! If you have ever imagined that our beloved and benign government might be hiding something from us, this book will put you onto cloud nine!

A wonderfully delightful addition to any conspiracy-based game, or just a rollicking good read!

There's some great stuff for your campaign in here. I've already used it in mine (a government conspiracy / Bigfoot sort of thing). Some of the artifacts could have had a better basis in history (but then again, maybe they do :-)

Do you believe? Whether you are a fringe researcher or you subscribe to Conspiracies Monthly, this book is for you! It is chock full of conspiracies and artifacts from history. More than a simple game product, the book is also a fantastic read.

Packed with gaming information in the GURPS style, Warehouse 23 is also full of behind-the-scenes conspiracy information. S. John Ross is obviously a man-in-black and knows far too much for his own good. From the legendary Ark of the Covenant to clones of world leaders, the warehouse has it all.

For some reason, I never really got into this book.

It's quite well written ... even amusing at times ... the solutions offered for common problems faced by dog owners are generally quite practical and sensible ... Perhaps, I never really got into this book because the book doesn't offer anything original, or maybe because the author keeps plugging his other books every chance he gets ...

Hmmm ... probably the latter ...

Otherwise ... it's a reasonably good buy ... and deals with most common problems faced by dog owners. This book might would have got three and a half stars, but Amazon doesn't have that ... so ...

I loved this book. If you are a beginner, you will find it very interesting. The author answers tens or hundreds of questions one might have regarding dog's behavior. The book goes like, Question - Answer; and those are questions dog owners asked the author. If on the other hand you are an experienced person who read several books already, again you will love this book and find yourself laughing while reading. I found it amusing and humorous, sometimes....rolling on the floor laughing with the way Mr.Ross answered some questions! Highly recommended

My husband and I wanted ONE book that provided clear, easy-to-understand, easy-to-follow training instructions, as well as answers to a variety of questions, such as how to introduce a new puppy to an established, older resident dog and cat household, how to kindly, effectively and gently train a young puppy so that it will bond with his human "pack" members, should we still exercise an older dog with arthritis, just to name a few.

Over the past 2 weeks, we've read at least 10 different dog breed ("AKC 100 Top Dog Breeds", "Animal ER"), psychology ("The Wolf Within", "The Dog's Mind") and/or dog training books ("ASPCA Dog Training" by Dr. Bruce Fogle). Although a few books were very good, most did not have all the information we needed contained in one book. This book was by far the most helpful because the format is clear and easy to read, the content is widely varied, informative and frequently hilarious. The thinking behind the training techniques is logically explained. The training methods are very easy to understand and follow. Information on other topics, such as diet, hearing loss, overcoming car sickness, flea control, handicapped dogs, etc., is included.

We used the techniques described in this book to counteract some bad habits our beloved 12-yr-old Lab/German Shorthair Pointer had acquired over the years, and implemented some of the techniques discussed while we observed, temperament-tested and chose a 9-wk-old German Shorthair puppy (out of a 9-puppy litter) to add to our family. Both the breeder and my husband were quite impressed with the IMMEDIATE POSITIVE RESULTS I obtained with the puppies upon first-time use of these methods. I also got great results with our own 12-yr-old dog. (OK, our 12-yr-old SPOILED dog!)

The questions in the book were asked by people all over the country about anything and everything pertaining to dogs of all breeds and ages, covering a multitude of situations. You are sure to find your own questions answered in this book, whatever they may be. The author(s) are experienced dog owners (they have 4 dogs, ranging from 14 years old to 2 years old) & trainers. Their humane, common-sense methods are clearly explained, easily learned and can be used by pet owners of all experience levels.

Initially, I wanted ONE all-purpose book, but because this book was so informative and enjoyable, it looks like I'll have to add "Dog Talk" and "Puppy Preschool" to my library.

I highly recommend "Why Does My Dog Drink Out of the Toilet?" to any current, past or future dog owners. You will enjoy reading about the experiences of the authors and other dog owners, you'll find the information helpful and fun to learn, you'll laugh at some of the dog stories, you'll REALLY enjoy the positive results you get with your dog(s), and your dog will probably breathe a sigh of relief now that you finally understand him.