This book is essential for the library of every scholar of American constitutionalism. For those who have studied the subject, the superb selection of essays on different aspects of American political thought is enlightening. Those who are simply interested in America's founding may however be at a loss and overwhelmed by the wide range of arguments put forward in the different essays even if Gary L.Gregg did an excellent job in the introduction giving an overview to the reader of what he should expect in each essay. Thus, since all and even the American constituiton and its origins is a matter of perspective, this book can only be enjoyed after a thorough study of American political thought. For constitution freaks however it is not only useful to have, it is a real joy to browse through the essays.

There is a palpable fear that America has lost its way, and perhaps even been untrue to itself. Examples of this loss abound, from school violence to a youth culture nihilism. "Vital Remnants," a collection of essays by some of America's top scholars in history, philosophy, political science, and law, shows, with remarkable clarity, the ways in which contemporary American society has radically altered the course upon which it was originally set. To be sure, our century looks at America with a different set of assumptions than that of our ancestors. "Vital Remnants" gives us clues by which we might stay the course for the benefit of generations to come.

“The Arginine Solution” is very well-written, easy to read, and could save many lives, as well as improving the quality of many lives. The authors make a solid case for the use of L-arginine as a safe supplement that lowers blood pressure and prevents atherosclerosis, and cite good peer-reviewed articles in medical journals profusely. I now use L-arginine myself. So why the 2-star rating? The authors have been taken in by what is called the biggest fraud in the history of medicine, the diet-heart fraud. Other books available make it quite clear that eating saturated fat and cholesterol do not cause atheroslerosis, and that high serum cholesterol (below 400 mg/dL) does not cause atherosclerosis or heart attacks. For example, there is Robert J. Moore, “Heart Attack”, 1989; Russell L. Smith, “The Cholesterol Conspiracy”, 1991; Kilmer S. McCully and Martha McCully, “The Heart Revolution. The Extraordinary Discovery that Finally Laid the Cholesterol Myth to Rest and Put Good Food Back on the Table”, 2000; Uffe Ravnskov, “The Cholesterol Myths. Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease”, 2000; and Charles T. McGee, “Health Frauds: Uncovering the Biggest Health Scam in History”, 2001. Because of the total confusion over cholesterol and saturated fat, the usefulness of this book is seriously compromised. The authors even went so far as to compare L-arginine to lovastatin, calling the latter “the gold standard” for lowering cholesterol levels (p92). The truth is that in both of the reports on the two placebo-controlled clinical studies published so far, the total death rate of patients on lovastatin was higher than for patients on placebo. A further problem is the continual admonishments to “see your doctor”, “ask your doctor” as though more than 1 physician in 100 would have the slightest inkling of the benefits of L-arginine. If you are to depend on your “doctor’s” endorsement of L-arginine, you will be very disappointed. Most of you will have to make your own decisions. The physiological diagrams photoreduced for this paperback edition are unreadable, even with a magnifying glass, because they are too small and lack resolution (see p80). The authors also caution men not to use L-arginine in conjunction with sildenafil (Viagra), but provide no experimental evidence whatsoever for their opinion, along with the usual “ask your doctor” about the combination, as though most MDs would know. My personal experience is that the maximum allowable dose of sildenafil, 100 mg, is effective for me, with the side-effects of abdominal pain, blurred vision, and headache; while 50 mg of sildenafil taken with 1 g of L-arginine is even more effective, and has no side-effects.

I heard about arginine, ornithine and carnitine at the gym. Then I read up on the three. The Arginine Solution by Fried gave me the best explanation of how/why arginine is necessary for good heart health. I found it easy to understand. I am sold on the benefits of these three amino acids such that I can't say enough about how good I feel. I've lost weight, have more energy and feel like I have more potential physically. Now, I am an advocate for taking my health into my own hands. I was also told about a source, Papanature that offers a variety of brands and dosages, plus additional documentation on all their products. I stand by their service and know that the ease in ordering has only helped me stay with this healthy regeime I am being so successful at.

I heard about arginine, ornithine and carnitine at the gym. Then I read up on the three. The Arginine Solution by Fried gave me the best explanation of how/why arginine is necessary for good heart health. I found it easy to understand. I am sold on the benefits of these three amino acids such that I can't say enough about how good I feel. I've lost weight, have more energy and feel like I have more potential physically. Now, I am an advocate for taking my health into my own hands. I was also told about a source, Papanature that offers a variety of brands and dosages, plus additional documentation on all their products. I stand by their service and know that the ease in ordering has only helped me stay with this healthy regeime I am being so successful at.