In the aftermath of Marxism and pragmatism the western world and its citizens have lost the anchor for their moral lives. Belieiving in the goodness of progress, not only can we no longer answer the question, "progressing to what," but it does not even occur as a question to be asked. Instead all progress is deemed beneficial. Nonetheless, we are still plagued by doubts that there must be limits to what we can and should do; plagued by the inclination that all progress must be directed toward some good. Grant argues that in order to recement our moral beings and give direction to the technological progress that we hold dear, we must return to an older, ancient vision of human beings. A vision of humans as creatures whose rightful end lies not merely in untrammelled freedom, but also in recognition of our limitations.

This book magnified, to me, a already spectacular movie. I learned more about the characters, how they felt. What they learned. It was more interesting to follow the movie after reading this book.

Besides his excellent explanations of 'past evolutions' and the 'evolution at work', the author discusses some essential religious, moral and scientific items.

With bees and ants as examples, Prof. Williams explains clearly that the Darwinist evolution is about genes, not about living beings. He also discusses the advantage of sex and aging for a successful gene reproduction.
Other important remarks are, firstly, the fact that the brain erupted only to propel genetic success, not to investigate philosophical or other problems. Secondly, there is a probable discrepancy between adaptations dated from the Stone Age and our actual living conditions, which could be at the origin of actual defects (e. g. myopia) or inadaptations.

But the more important items lay on a different level.
On the religious front, Prof. Williams attacks righteously the God-is-good gospel. Living beings on earth have only one purpose: the success of their own genes. This brings us to a second very important point: natural selection, albeit stupid, is a story of 'unending arms races, slaughter and sufferings'. It is a law of nature and its immorality has to be accepted and, at least, to be thought about.

On the scientific front, the author castigates what he calls domain (field) confusion: the mingling of physics, morality, mind and data processing.
A frequent example is the mixing of the biological (the working of the brain) and the data processing fields.
But more important is the mix up of religion and biology. Prof. Williams declares courageously that it is biologically speaking untenable to declare that a human being exists from the moment of conception. Only a full-term baby is that.

This book attacks essential everyday problems and is a must read.

An great text about the Orthodox Church in Russia under the Communist regime. Excellent use of primary sources allows Alexander Webster to tell the whole story, pointing out key players, and specific examples.

I highly recommend this text for anyone interested in Russian, Christian, or Orthodox, history.

-JZG

i have yet to read this book.send me some edited part

I bought this book some 20 yrs ago and find it to be the absolute authority for those wanting to build their own longrifle.My copy is right next to my gun bench and is referred to many times during the construction of one of my rifles.If you must decide between two or more books to buy on the subject , this is the one. Tim Hamblen- Secretary, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association

I found everything I needed to know to get free credit reports and learned how to clean up my bad credit. The most useful part of the book is the form letters you can use to contact the credit reporting bureaus. Anyone who's trying to repair their bad credit, and build good credit, will find this book useful.

...shove you down onto the cement and make you say, "My god, that's concrete!"

In brief, Chris Conlon's book is five discrete stories, each one a tableaux of reality and each one more eye-opening than
the next. The first story, "Map of the World", is about a young black woman kidnapped by two thugs who pour gasoline on her and
set her afire. The title couldn't be a better one for the story,
but you'll have to read it to find out why.

Perhaps the most moving of the five pieces, "Margins", is about a young boy named Julian who stops talking and as a result, gets sent away to military boarding school by his boozing, caterwauling, abusive parents. It takes the form of a letter written by Julian to his sister. In it,
he recalls about the old "Choose your own adventure"
books they used to read as young kids...and thus, he
reveals that life is literally just such an adventure. He recalls the time they used to spend together at the local cemetary, sitting quietly under the trees sharing a cigarette between them, then venting frustration as they kick over headstones. Eventually, Julian comes full circle finds nirvana after committing suicide and joining the ranks of the entombed.

Also worth mentioning is the final story, "Whisper",
about a young girl whose father is guilty of the
incest taboo. Although she's able to put it
behind her and live a 'normal' life, no matter
how many hours in analysis she spends, the reality is

that it will never completely leave her. Only
after her father is dead and gone does she realize
he was the only man she's ever loved.

Each of the stories is wrought with a harsh, barren
quality and the word choice and core-of-the-note
detail is amazing. Conlon's characters are literally
so real you can touch them. Here and there are small spellbinding moments that are unforgettable.
And it is without a doubt that the characters of this group of "Secrets" are living out these same dramas every single day,
in some similar form or another.

This is a book that will make you step back a few paces.
Writing like this makes us appreciate what we've
got, however much or little. Foreword and afterword
by acclaimed writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson (who co-authored the stories/screenplays "Logan's Run"
and "Ocean's Eleven") are excellent forerunning/
postrunning comments. The foreword reveals just why
Conlon has the rights to tell these tales.

Highly recommended.

This book was about a family that needed a babysitter for a whole summer. Lucas, one of the older brothers, didn't want a babysitter. He wanted to be able to do what he wanted with no people around to boss him around. When the babysitter got here from France, Lucas knew he wasn't going to like her. After a few days Lucas was tired of having somone around all the time. He played bad tricks and blamed them on Genevieve (the babysitter)to get her fired. Then Lucas finds out that all Geniveve is doing is helping his mom. Do you think Lucas will end up getting along with her?
I loved reading this book because Ilike the way the author set up the story and how they had a babysitter come over the summer vacation. Also, I enjoyed the different events going on while Genevieve is babysitting over the summer. I recommend to students in at least fourth grade because younger children might not understand the book.

Modelski and Thompson have put together a constructive argument in analyzing war and its relationship to economic growth, hegemonic stability, and naval power