I have not read it yet, but since Dr. Lence was my first political science professor, I'll give it an initial rating of 4 stars with the option of upgrading. Amazingly, I did not obtain a degree in political science, but my current residence in South Carolina and fondness for Dr. Lence's professorial style compelled me to purchase this book. I must be living in a Twilight Zone episode because I just cleaned out my closet and looked through my old poli sci notebook from 1989. Right there on the final exam, the last question, was Dr. Lence's hint that this book would come out in 1992. If you ever get to meet Dr. Lence, just ask him about his "bucket of marbles" theory. A true scholar of American government.

John Calhoun, the revered Son of South Carolina, was the South's pre-eminent advocate of ordered liberty in the nineteenth century. His two most important contributions, Disquisition on Government and Discourse on the Government and Constitution of the United States, are both included in this fine release by Liberty Fund. These two alone are worth the price of the book, and should be required reading for any student of American political philosophy. With the twelve speeches and papers included as well, they give a good overall picture of the man who spawned so much controversy by advocating nullification while sitting as Vice President of the U.S. Some have hailed his theory of the concurrent majority as the only truly original American contribution to political theory. This is surely one of my top ten books to go on the list of any thoughtful American reader.

This is the first book I've seen that tries to go beyond ColdFusion syntax and is definitely geared toward the intermediate developer.
It does not focus on the basics like all the others but rather gives real-world examples and approaches. I liked this book a lot, though I can find no use for the tag reference (adds extra 200 pages).
The XML and Web-Services chapter was easy to understand and so was the application architecture chapter.
I did not like the caching chapter which I thought was missing some info about software like xcache.

"Inside ColdFusion MX" is an excellent starting point for anybody who wants to learn ColdFusion from scratch. The book uses simple language and illustrates the more complicated issues of programming with real life examples, which makes it very easy to read and understand.
Experienced programmers who have worked with previous versions of ColdFusion will find the book to be a great introduction to features of the new MX version such as XML and Flash MX integration, CFC's and more.
A well-organized index allows readers to quickly find any topic of interest. Chapters in the book are logically arranged and well cross-referenced. Task oriented readers will appreciate not having to plow through the book in contiguous order to be able to grasp required information.
Some of the chapters I would like to highlight as particularly useful are:
User Defined Functions; CF Components; Application Performance; Advanced Database Interaction; and very practical Tips and Tricks. Additionally, the appendices provides an invaluable resource for the novice and not-so-novice reader alike. Inside ColdFusion MX is a great book and I highly recommend it!

For beginners to advanced users alike, this book gives a good overview of all the new features of ColdFusion MX like CFCs, Flash remoting, and new tags like CFLOGIN and CFCHART. It also includes tips on migrating apps to MX. The book also covers all the basics like application planning, error handling, and syntax which new users will get the most use out of. I found the article on regular expressions to be very handy. For more advanced users, the book offers detailed information on leveraging ColdFusion MX to interact with fairly new technologies like web services and XML/XSL/XPath.

All in all, a worthwhile investment.

The book, Mitakuye Oyasin, is not necessarily long, in regards to the number of pages it contains, but it is a long read as one tries to dessiminate all of the abundant information that the author provides. His view of the relationship of mankind and the existence of Atlantis makes total and complete sense when one looks at the facts that are presented in this book. Even non-believers of the existence of Atlantis will be scratching their heads while reading the theories and the proof that is presented here.

A Beautiful alternative to therapists.

This a wonderful piece of work. A.C. has brought together so many insightful beliefs that many of us have and can not put into words as eloquently as he has. This is a must read. I'm glad to know so many of us think alike and believe that we "are all related", to eachother and to everything around us.

The Book of Druidry claims to be a history of an ancient religious system. In fact, the book presents a modern blend of New Age approaches, pop psychology, Nicholls' own ideas, and the well-intended but inaccurate writings of 18th century antiquarians such as John Toland and William Stukeley. For example, Nicholls and Carr-Gomm present druidry as a prehistoric system of belief that they say originated on Atlantis, was practiced by the builders of Stonehenge, and was adopted later by Celtic settlers in Britain. Such statements contradict all the archaeological, linguistic, and historical evidence that document the druids as the clergy of the pre-Christian Celts. Another imaginative idea asserted as fact in this book is that the Ce/li De/, a monastic reform movement of ninth-century Ireland, was actually founded by the sixth-century saint Colum cille as a refuge for persecuted druids and a vehicle for preserving druidry for future generations. If you are seeking accurate information in an easy-to-read format, try Miranda Green's _The World of the Druids_ or Barry Cunliffe's _The Ancient Celts_. For more depth, see Anne Ross's _Pagan Celtic Britain_, Green's _The Celtic World_, and _The Celts_ ed. by Moscati. The facts about the druids are intriguing in themselves; there's no need to manufacture a history for them.

this book was more than I anticipated. i didn't know anyone who could fit that much information in any type of book Ross does it well and keeps it interesting. A must for anyone wishing to know history and druidism...

Modern druidry traces its roots to the early 1700's and that is the tradition that this book is about. The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids is still around and going strong and this book seems to be an introduction to the Order.

All that aside, it is a good read. A wealth of ideas, this book can be one step on your spiritual path. Or it can be just an interesting book about modern druids. Regardless of your beliefs, if you have any interest in the subject this is a good book.

There are many other books available if you are interested in historical druids- "The Druids" by Stuart Piggott, for example.

I have previously read classic Max Muller's version and some translations foud at numerous web-pages. I think this is clearly
the best of them. Carter and Palihawadana have retained texts lyric style but still their ambition is to bring autentic text as such to us. Hence reader have to use glossary where most importánt words and referensees are. I may be a bit annoying but
If you really want know exactly what what is in original dhammapada you has to use such method. Some at web "intreprete"
too much, then the text may look easier but It may go also wrong.
Only negative comment is that people to which english is not native language, text may have too mamy many fine but unfamiliar words. I recommend this book. It is one of the classics of Worlds religious teachings.

This is one of the finest versions of the classic Theravada text out there. Carter and Palihawadana managed to strike the perfect balance of getting the timeless message of the Buddha's teaching across while at the same time presenting it in a straight foward, easy to understand manner. Those who are unfamiliar with The Dhammapada will find this translation very accessible while those who are will greatly appreciate beautiful wisdom-filled verses that Carter and Palihawadana have so eloquently preserved. The Introduction and explanatory notes throughout the text also provide a great deal of rich knowledge which adds even more depth to this most cherished of work of Buddhist literature.

It is not easy to translate an ancient Indian language (Pali) to flowing English and retain the original meanings and senses.

This is a meticulous translation and it is clear the authors have spent time and effort to try and get it right. One of the authors being Sinhalese (which is also a language close to Pali)would have better understood the meanings and senses of terms more than most Western scholars, and the joint authorship suggests a polished and balanced approach to attain near perfection.

No translation could articulate the experiential meanings behind the verses or hope to equal the ancient material, but this one gets close representing an honest attempt at a challenging goal. The English may appear somewhat academic but the work represents a thoroughly modern translation and OUP have done their homework in bestowing authorship.

The publisher is to be congratulated and this book deserves the shelf of any good library. Penguin ought to update its totally inaccurate version without delay to retain credibility.

eWorld was once a great online service. Too bad we can't use it any more. This book really makes it feel like old times again.

eWorld was a great online service provider. I read this book... And, I love it. I still keep a copy of eWorld on my PowerMac 6500 and my PowerBook 1400... I think that Apple should bring eWorld back... Until they do, this book can help you see the "eWorld Light".

eWorld was great and whoever had the privilige on having the online service should consider grabbing a copy.

This is another book from the barrow on 14th Street. I've read all the other reviews and I have to agree with the reader who said what was the publisher thinking of.

Nijinsky was a wonderful dancer by all accounts. [Though, you know, if he came back tonight and danced Spectre de la Rose at Lincoln Centre we'd be rolling on the floor, screaming with laughter, and Isabella Fokine would be there, too, complaining that he hadn't done the right steps - but hey, don't get me started on her.] I digress.

I am not studying schizophrenia/dementia whatever, so it's all a bit lost on me. I love to read about Nijinsky dancing, and his extraordinary creativity both as a dancer and a choreographer, but his ramblings in this diary make me wonder if a mad person's ramblings worth the ink. Is he Nijinsky or a mad person? I'm sure there are people who read these ramblings and see it as a sign of Nijinsky's genius. I read it with increasing frustration. If someone came and sat next to me on the subway and babbled on like this, I'd move away. [And, believe me, I do.]

I am alone, I'm curious about this, in finding Nijinsky offstage just a tiny bit of a prig? I gained this impression, little by little, from reading his wife's [so bad it's a sin] book, Buckle's "Nijinsky" and, oddly enough, from Bronislava Nijinska's early memoirs.

this book is highly through in it's full translation of Nijinsky's diary, but best part of this book are the inclusion of the never before published "fourth book" which included poems and letters written by Nijinsky as well as an introduction which helps to clarify not only the historical background but also delves into the mental state Nijinsky was in as he wrote his diary.

Nijinsky, hombre posesionado por el genio, hace algun tiempo visiti en el museo de orsay, en Paris, la exposicion sobre él, de lo mejor al igual que su apasionada vida

This is a collection of essays by various historians on alternate military outcomes in history, arranged in chronological order from Ancient times to 1983. Although there are some interesting essays on the American Revolution and a few other areas, the book is very disappointing. The "big name" historians provide the worst-written essays, almost afterthoughts. The essay by John Keegan on what if Hitler had pursued a Mediterranean strategy in 1941-2 totally ignores logistics and Nazi political objectives. Stephen Ambrose's essay on what if D-Day had failed rests on non-military reasoning and is ridiculous (as if the Allies would have abandoned D-Day because of bad weather). In light of Peter Tsouras' excellent "Disaster at D-Day", Ambrose's essay appears pathetic. Other essays are rather pedestrian, like several on what if the South had won the Civil War. Yawn. How many times is this going to be passed around? Many interesting and almost situations, like Operation Sealion, or what if Iraq had invaded Saudi Arabia in 1990 are ignored. None of the essays do a very good job on strategic analysis and assume too much about single win/loss results (e.g. a Southern victory at Gettysburg was unlikely to have won the war, since the North had already lost several battles without any real reduction in its will to win). This book is a collection of not-very original quasi-historical fluff.

For anyone who likes history, this book is an uneven, but overall excellent and very enjoyable, series of exercises in "counterfactual" history. Not the silly, frivolous, or nonsensical kind, where Robert E. Lee all of a sudden is given a nuclear bomb, but instead serious, meaty (even highly PROBABLE) ones, like what would have happened if there hadn't been a mysterious plague outside the walls of Jerusalem, or if there had been a Persian victory at Salamis, or if Genghis Khan's drunken third son (Ogadai)had not died just as his hordes were poised to conquer (and probably annhilate) Europe, or if Cortes had been killed or been captured Tenochtitlan, etc.

The major flaw with this book is that the essays are of somewhat uneven interest level, style, and quality. Personally, for instance, I found the essay on the Mongols to be fascinating, sending chills down my spine! "D Day Fails" by Stephen Ambrose, on the other hand, didn't do much for me at all, nor did "Funeral in Berlin." In general, I would say that the essays covering earlier periods in human history tend to be better than ones covering more recent history. Possibly this is in part because the later periods have been covered to death. I mean, how many "counterfactuals" on the US Civil War can there be before we get sick of them? But a well-written, tightly-reasoned counterfactual which, based on events hundreds or even thousands of years ago, quite plausibly leads to a result where there is no Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, or Western culture at all, is absolutely fascinating in my opinion. If nothing else, books like "What If?" show how important CHANCE is in human history, as well as the importance of the INDIVIDUAL, as opposed to some Hegelian/Marxist-Leninist historical "inevitability." The bottom line is that it is rare that anything is truly "inevitable", and the aptly titled "What If?" gives us some excellent case studies.

Heard the taped version of WHAT IF?: THE WORLD'S FOREMOST
MILITARY HISTORIANS IMAGINE WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, edited
by Robert Cowley . . . I often speculate about lots of things, and so do the contributors to this book--including Stephen E. Ambrose, John Keegan, David McCollough, and James M. McPherson (to name just a few).

For example, what if:
George Washington had never made his miraculous escape
from the British on Long Island in the early dawn of August 29, 1776?

a Confederate aide hadn't accidentally lost General Robert E. Lee's plans for invading the North?

the Allied invasion on D Day had failed?

These and a whole host of other questions are considered . . . the resultant answers are often fun, but at the same time, sometimes frightening . . . as in, Hitler's case . . . had he not attacked Russia when he did, he might have moved into the Middle East and secured the oil supplies the Third Reich so badly needed, thus helping it retain its power in Europe . . . can you just imagine the present-day implications for that scenario?

If you're a history buff, this is a MUST read . . . but methinks
that others will enjoy it and become much more interested
in the subject as a result . . . I know that I'm now looking
forward to Coweley's follow-up effort, WHAT IF? 2.

Having actually been a CFO, I was excited to learn how I might improve on how I do things, challenge any old thinking I had picked up, etc. However, this book says nothing new. In fact, it says almost nothing at all.

PwC has assembled a collection of jargon and case studies that are so high-level as to be of no use. I give it one star instead of zero because the eCFO checklists at the end of each chapter are, in fact, useful in terms of giving you some things to think about -- but you don't need to buy the whole book just for that. Check it out at the library -- better yet, just make photocopies of the checklists.

Is this book also an indication of what you get by hiring PwC consultants?

For a real CFO, this one is actually too heavy to read through. As for the practician, although graced with beautiful charts and diagrams, it ain't provide any real beef, either. It is a sample of "anything about nothing and nothing about anything". Vague!

The gang at PricewaterhouseCoopers discusses the chief financial officer's role in the changing corporate landscape. The eCFO is no longer only involved with financial management, but must become an internal venture capitalist, opportunity seeker and risk taker who works closely with the CEO to anticipate trends, recommend new enterprises and manage company investments as a portfolio of financial ventures. The authors draw on in-depth interviews with leading CFOs, case studies, independent research and analysis of the latest best practices. Though charts, bullets and boxes impart a textbook flavor, and the trend material is a little familiar, the book is generally solid and informative. We from getAbstract suggest it to CFOs and CEOs who need that "e" awareness, or to any manager who is trying to drag the boss into the 21st century, or even the 20th.

Earth X is not just a ripoff of the incredible Kingdom Come story from DC it is an Amazing tale of the Beginnings of the Marvel Universe and why heroes are heroes. Bringing together all the Cosmic beings and characters in the Marvel Universe to explain why people are born with superhuman abilities, Earth X sometimes losses the reader, however this is not the fault of the plot rather that the story brings together over 60years of stories from the various Characters in the Marvel Universe. At the beginning of each issue, the Narrators (X-51 and the Watcher) give the reader a brief history of a particular Hero such as Spiderman to provide backround information on the character to provide those of us who are not familiar with a certain Marvel Character. Overall, I found this to be an extremely smart story that we rarely see in comics today. If you like this I recommend reading the final 2 chapters in the "X" story line, "Universe X", which comes out soon in paperback form, and the final chapter "Paradise X" coming soon to comic book stores.

I've been reading comics most of my life. I started out reading mostly Marvel, but switched to reading DC almost exclusively due to storylines like the Spider-Clone thing and Heroes Reborn. Thankfully, with books like this one and the naming of Joe Quesada as EIC, Marvel is making all the right moves and has become great once again.

But that's not the point here. The point is that this is an incredible book. Although dark, apocalyptic futures are pretty common in comics (everything from Days of Future Past from Marvel to Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come from DC, the latter of which was also an Alex Ross magnum opus), this one is perhaps the best thought-out and complex I've ever read. The story is essentially a "What if..?" style tale, where we see the fates of Marvel's popular characters in a world where, apparently, the entire human race has evolved into superpowered mutants. However, it is also much more than that, as Ross and Kreuger manage to tie almost everything of importance that's ever happened in the Marvel Universe into one coherent story. This is done so convincingly that you almost get the idea that this is exactly what Stan and Jack had in mind back when they created these characters. This book is a beautiful complete story on its own, but also ends with a prelude into the next series, Universe X. This will also be followed by another series, Paradise X; apparently, the three together form a trilogy. I can't wait for those series to finish up and become available in trade paperback form, as they ought to be every bit as good as this one is.

A couple of small problems: The story is really dense and hard to get into at first. The character X-51, or Machine Man is a really obscure hero prior to this piece of work; I'd never heard of him, but he seemed to be on a first name basis with all of the major heroes. And lastly, without meaning any offense to John Paul Leon (because his art really is great), but I would have loved to have seen this book painted by Alex Ross. He co-plotted and did the covers, but it would have been even better if he could have done all of the interior art as well.

Still, these minor quibbles don't keep this from being an incredible piece of work. If you're a fan of the Marvel Universe, or were in the sixties and seventies, or you're not a fan of the Marvel Universe but do like comics, do yourself a favor and check this out.

The story's opening chapters gradually draw you into this unique and philosophical dissection of the Marvel Universe. Earth X is what Kingdom Come meant to the DC universe, but more. While the main Marvel players such as Reed Richards, Captain America, and X-51 battle both for the earth and their own personal struggles, Krueger gives an examination and explanation for the workings of the Marvel universe, the origin of life, and the purpose of super heroes. All the favorite heroes are brought back in character, each with at least one great moment. The art is also amazing and dark, appropriate for the tone of the series. I would buy this even if the content didn't deliver just for the stunning Alex Ross covers and sketches. This is the quintessential Marvel story.