Although I am a student of Poliical Extremism, I found this book very tedious. I have found many other books, scholarly and otherwise, much more interesting and worthwhile.

This fact filled tome will aggravate those with a fixed set of assumptions whether from the Left or the Right. The reason? They view themselves as exceptionally virtuous, morally superior, and they're convinced they are middle-of-the-road as to their beliefs. It doesn't take very long to see that this point of view leads to a distorted perception of reality i.e. if Dan Rather sees himself as middle of the road then moderate Libertarians would be far Right in the pantheon of his worldview. It's the same story with the abortion issue, particularly from the Right.

John George, a professor of Political Science and Sociology at Central Oklahoma University and Laird Wilcox, founder of the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements, are the book's authors. Wilcox has the largest collection of extremist literature in America and it can be found at the University of Kansas, home of copious fields of wheat, endless horizons and a highly successful basketball program.

They cover every facet of extreme political movements including what radical groups exist, who joins up and why, what do they want to accomplish, how far are they willing to go to achieve those ends, and the degree of danger we face should they achieve their ends. They begin by summarizing pre-60's movements, then morph into the makeup of conspiracy theories and what motivates extremists. They thoroughly document and detail a listing of contemporary groups in addition to adding an in-depth appendix of fake quotes and fabricated documents.

If you've ever wondered how the far-Left in America could fawn at the feet of a butcher like Fidel Castro or lap up the distorted and inaccurate screeds of a false intellectual like Noam Chomsky then go no further, it's all here. I'll share with you some insights in the book.

For the alienated and "ideologically prone", identification with a power figure or someone held up as an intellectual guru can serve as a mechanism to free them from anxieties and doubt. A failed ideology such as Socialism can thus continue to embody all their fantasies, utopian ideals, and hopes for the future. This phenomenon is repeated over and over throughout history from the heaven-on-earth promises of Communism to the heaven-hereafter central to the teachings of radical Christianity as well as radical Islamicism.

The "true believer" tends to believe in theories with little or no evidence to support his conclusions or predictions. Eric Hoffer addresses this condition in his book by the same name. Put another way "true believers" tend to believe what they tend to believe, a form of "petito pricipii", where dogma is presented which assumes the truth of the premise. It assumes that the thesis speaks for itself.

After pounding home this theme with his followers the guru uses selected facts, working backwards from his addled assumptions, to support his flawed thesis. Rituals are often invoked to soothe the listener by incorporating what amounts to the elements commonly found in the practice of hypnosis.

There is much, much more and it's all worthwhile if you're a student of people and how they come to believe what they do. This is the best book of its kind I've read, and I wish to say thanks to the authors, "I needed that". It was getting just too difficult to understand my Libertarian-Socialist-Communist friends let alone my friends of strong religious conviction. And, these are my friends! they're not even trying to kill me! We're a lucky bunch here in the USA.

This book is an exposee of some of the groups judged "extreme" by the authors on the far left and far right. These include communists, socialists, black nationalists, militias, white supremacists, Jewish extremists, Klansmen of various sorts, NeoNazis, and various religious fundamentalists. Fortunately, the authors do not take the smug politically correct stance that is taken by many academics writing about this topic. We learn that indeed the communist parties (CPUSA, for example) were likely linked to the Soviet Union. We learn that the militias are largely not racist. And, we are told that the events of Waco and Ruby Ridge were indeed totalitarian power plays. A decent account of some conspiracy theories is given as well. Overall, this book provides a much more objective view of "extremism" than is usually given by the politically correct in academia.

While the novel makes a point to keep up with most of the characters we've come to know, Stanley, Virgilla, George & Constance, Cooper and Judith, and Ashton, the novel focuses mainly on Charles and his new life out West.

The post-war transition of Charles's character by Jakes was done masterfully. The transition of Cooper Main was a little unbelievable given his past.

The long conclusion nicely wrapped up the entire series. Definitely not the best book of the series, but a great story of life after the Civil War.

If you enjoy books that cover the Civil War era, don't miss this exciting Triology. It follows the lives of two families from two different parts of the country. Follow the hardships, heartbreaks, love, and joy of the Mains from South Carolina and the Hazzards from Pennsylvania.
It is a tail of true friends and what tries to tear them apart. It will make you laugh and cry. It gives a clear view of what some of our ancestors probably faced during the war that devided our great nation.

Heaven and Hell, the last book in the North and South trilogy was absolutely wonderful. This book is mainly about Charles and his life in the West. And also his trying to find a place in the world after the war. Madeline is also a major character in this book with her journal entries to Orry. And the evil Bent has to make his appearance throughout. (I could have done without Bent!!) The lives of Stanley, Virgilia, Billie, Brett, and the love-to-hate-her Aston aren't covered as much in this book. I would have loved to learn more about Billie and Brett. Also would have liked to read more about Marie-Louise and her Yankee husband Theo. I found the parts of the book about them to be very touching.

If you've already read the other two books you must read this one to find out what happens. You will be in for quite a few surprises. This book is definitely worth reading. A classic!!!

John Stuart Mill, author of On Liberty, defines the nature of civil liberty, and most importantly, the harm principl. He aims to give readers a better understanding of the nature and limits of power that can be exercised by society over individuals. The purpose of this book is to inform interested individuals about the rights of individuals and the limitations of the government. This book of philosophy was written almost 150 years ago. By reading the book, the reader is able to apply Mill's message and examples to our lives in America today. The ahead-of-the-times ideas that are in On Liberty can be related to our world because it discusses controversies that are still seen in our courtrooms today. Mill is able to accomplish his purpose because he uses many examples, thoughts, and theories about individual and social rights. He works through each of his ideas, looking at both sides of the issue to enable the reader to make their own informed decision about each matter. This book has a practical meaning because it allows the reader to develop and reason ideas about government power and when that power should be exercised over the people. Unfortunately, this book does have one draw back. Mill was a very educated man and wrote very well for his time. Yet today, our style and writing techniques are not the same as they were in the nineteenth century. This makes On Liberty a difficult book to read. His book is very decriptive, yet his wording is not easily understadable and some paragraphs have to be read two or three times to fully understand what he is writing about. Aside from his writing style, John Stuart Mill has put together an essay full of educated ideas about society and individuals. John Stuart Mill wrote an informative book geared towards an educated audience. He has achieved his purpose for the essay through the use of situations and examples that can be applied to real life cases still today. He managed to keep the readers interested and I look forward to reading other books he has written.

It was not Socialism itself that is an evil, but the way it was implemented in some countries, in response to white-anglo-whatever's totally value-less review. Mill's book about liberty was of vast importance in freeing the individual from the tyranny of communal opinion. Someone may dislike homosexuals, but has no right to harass them or pass ethical judgements on them for what is their choice, of no harm to anyone else. Those are opinions of an indeterminate validity. Socal intervention may only be used to protect someone from restriction of their liberties. What Mill lacks in rigour, he makes up for in persuasiveness. He has some great lines in defense of liberty, a pre-dominant value of human life. Although, it is to be noted that the book can be somewhat tedious in areas which it is repetitive. This book also illustrates what can be seen as a fault in utilitarianism. Utilitarianism takes no notice of other values, or of a conflict of values, such as liberty of existence over the majorities happiness, in which ethics slides into absurdity.

J.S. Mill has written the best promulgation of classical liberalism in his book "On Liberty" (OL). Although a socialist himself, many of the ideas in OL are actually tenets of modern libertarianism (also called classical liberalism). Mill states that the only reason that force can be used on any man is to prevent harm to others. I consider "focre" to be either social or economic. Mill saw it as only social, which explains his socialism.

Not to detract from Mill or OL, the book is a resounding defense of civil-liberties. OL completes modern democratic theory as promulgated by John Locke in his "Two Treatises of Government." While Locke argues for some kind of democracy reminiscent of Athens, Mill qualifies Locke's point by protecting the minority from the majority. This book should be read by Americans who want to know more about freedom, and by our elected officials.

Sadly, it's our elected oficials who probably won't get it.

Another great Flashman read, although certainly no where near as clever or funny as some of the early in the series. Some very interesting historical information as always, and Flashman is inserted into history rather well. But the scope/focus of the book is a little to narrow, and the main focus of the book really not all that interesting from a late 20th Century reader's perspective. Flashman's ideaology seems to come out rather more in this book, and its a bit of a worry from an experienced Flashman reader's point of view that he *has* one! :-) I'm looking forward to the book which details Flashy's exploits (or lack of them) in the US Civil War - I hope that will set the standad as a real Flashman classic.

As a dedicated Flashman fan since discovering the first in the series in 1974, I was disappointed. I had, of course, both to read it and have a hardback copy for my collection, but I hope Mr. Fraser isn't running out of steam or humor. Neither of the two immediately previous books (Dragon and Mountain of Light) were especially funny, but they were both fascinating and satisfying without being as contrived as this one is. I think I disliked (relatively speaking) this one for the same reason I disliked (relatively speaking) Royal Flash: it was very contrived. One great thing about the Flashman series has always been the ease and seamlessness with which Mr. Fraser has inserted our protagonist into history. Perhaps this is a preliminary to his book about Flashman in the Civil War, which I've been waiting for for what seems like forever, probably since reading Flashman's Who's Who entry in the first book. I hope Mr. Fraser writes that book next and that he does all he can to make it worth a twenty-three-year wait.

Flashman and the Angel of the Lord was my introduction to writer George Fraiser and "his" character, Harry Flashman. I was impressed and pleased. Impressed with Frasier's scholarship (the fictional Flashman's interactions with real historic persons and events is accurate, as his extensive endnotes demonstrate). Pleased with the irreverant, wholly unconventional and most certainly un-PC character of Harry Flashman.

In the Angel of the Lord, Flashman - a scandalous character "resurrected" from the 19th century novel Tom Brown's Schooldays and a self-described "bully, poltroon, cad, turncoat, lecher and toady" - finds himself aiding John Brown in his raid at Harper's Ferry. Conspiracies abound with several factions enlisting the "assistance" of Flashman to either foil the attempt or help pull it off. The misadventures of Harry Flashman as he navigates the intrigue and double-dealing combined with the Fraiser's rapier-like wit and irreverant style had me riveted to the story line while laughing out loud. I will certainly read the remainder of the "Flashman Chronicles" and I recommend this one highly.

Much of the text here is already covered in TradeStation's free EasyLanguage reference. The book is sloppily written and edited, and the coding style leaves much to be desired. It is a weird combination of EasyLanguage syntax, trader interviews (get Market Wizards series instead), and a few "winning" trading systems, which really are not winners at all. Basically, the text was cobbled together without any underlying insights into how to really build winning trading systems.

I gave this book the maximum 5 stars because its overall impact on me as a trader was so profound. I would say it catalyzed a revolution in my success rate to such an extent that I now feel capable of making a living at this profession for the first time in my career. Obviously (as the title suggests) the book is primarily about how to use Tradestation software, or more specifically, the programming language that comes with TS known as Easylanguage. Long regarded as an oxymoron by those in the know, 'Easylanguage' is in fact anything but easy...it can be downright daunting at times. But this book really helps to break the ice by enabling dedicated students to get a working feel for the ins and outs of Tradestation and its various idiosyncrasies. Worth the price of the book alone is the chapter about trading strategies (chapter 6), subtitled by the authors "The Big Damn Chapter on Trading Strategies". A word to the wise - the SuperCombo System elucidated in this chapter contains all the elements to propel the reader much closer to that final elusive goal of consistent profitability. Perhaps you will need to modify it a bit here and there to suit your chosen market, but in the final analysis the seed concepts embedded within this single mechanical trading approach are robust and universal enough to grind out real money day in and day out for a long, long time to come. Please don't get me wrong - this is not so much a ready-made formula as it is a theoretical framework which needs to be "fleshed out" through hard work in order to be fully viable. I have always had a great deal of respect for John Hill and George Pruitt, both because of their candor and straightforwardness and because of their willingness to tirelessly follow a lead through to the end in order to discover the truth. "Building Winning Trading Systems with Tradestation" is more than a book about Easylanguage, it is a Magnus Opus of sorts, weaving many different ideas on many different levels in order to reveal a tapestry of trading that borders on something resembling a Rosetta Stone for the aspiring trader. Highly recommended.

When the two biggest names in system tracking get together to write a book, a prudent investor buys.
For the price of a few commissions, this writing has substance.
This is one of the few books that not only demonstrates varias trading systems, but provides one with a CD to download the material!
The systems alone could sell for thousands of dollars apiece.
When the professionals give you this much information, buy.

Robert Estill
Former NBC Sportscaster
Current Active Trader

Just about the only mathematical logic book readable by ordinary human beings, assuming only a background of first-order predicate logic, taught in almost any introductory logic class.

The first eight chapters introduce Turing machines and other formal models of computation, emphazing the evidence for Church's thesis. Chapters 9-13 prove important results concerning first-order logic, including soundness, completeness, compactness, and Lowenheim-Skolem. The rest of the book focuses on number theory, and proves results such as Goedel's incompleteness theorems, Loeb's theorem, the existence and structure of non-standard models of arithmetic, and the decidability of Presburger arithmetic.

Highly recommended as an introduction to mathematical logic.

This is an excellent book. Like two other books I reviewed on Amazon's web site, it will not be appreciated by people who don't like mathematical reasoning.

Many books on logic do a couple of hundred pages of nitpicking uninteresting stuff before getting to completeness, compactness, incompleteness, provability, etc. This one gets quickly into the interesting stuff after a short one-chapter explanation of first-order logic.

Any mathematician who wants to find out what this subject is about and why it's interesting should start with this book.

This book is regarded as a 'classic' and rightly so. It assumes a minimal background, some familiarity with the propositional calculus. Even this can be dispensed with, if the reader is sufficiently motivated, as there is a well-written review of the first-order logic that one typically learns in an introductory formal logic course.

The book is highly readable. Each chapter begins with a short paragraph outlining the topics in the chapter, how they relate to each other, and how they connect with the topics in later and earlier chapters. These intros by themselves are valuable. The explanations though are what stand out. The authors are somehow able to take the reader's hand and guide him/her leisurely along with plentiful examples, but without getting bogged down in excessive prose. And they are somehow able to cover a substantive amount of material in a short space without seeming rushed or making the text too dense. It's nothing short of miraculous.

What made the book especially appealing to me is that it starts right out with Turing Machines. As a topologist who recently got interested in computational topology, I needed a book that would quickly impart a good, intuitive grasp of the basic notions of computability. I have more "mathematical maturity" than is needed to read an introductory book on computability, so I feel confident in saying that most of the standard texts on computability revel in excessive detail, like defining Turing Machines as a 6-tuple -- something that serves no purpose other than pedantry. This book is different. I particularly liked how the authors stress the intuitive notions underlying the definitions. For example, they lay special emphasis on the Church-Turing thesis, always asking the reader to consider how arguments can be simplified if it were true.

One should note that the emphasis of this book is more towards logic. While it starts with issues of computability, it moves into issues of provability, consistency, etc. The book covers the standards such as Goedel's famous incompleteness theorems in addition to some less standard topics at the end of the book. A small set of instructive exercises follows each chapter.

This book, by the editors of the Washington Post, does a good job of describing the events which led to the deadlocked 2000 Presidential election. In addition to detailing the paths which led to the deadlock, the book discusses all the post-election issues in a very readable format. Surprisingly, the books editors seem only slightly tilted towards Gore (especially considering it is the Washington Post, which is noted for its liberal bias), so no matter who you voted for, there is much to be found here for anyone with an interest in contemporary politics.

Two things struck me while reading this book, the first is that I doubt there is a book out there that is truly balanced and not somewhat biased. The second thing was that Gore really got the shaft, not so much by the recount wars, but by the election official that came up with the Butterfly Ballot. In the history of the USA this decision ranks up there with new Coke and the XFL, what a mistake. As far as the reporting in the book it was not bad for a review of all the articles they had in the paper, but it did not really dig into the particular issues very deeply. I wanted more detail and behind the scenes with both the candidates. I also wanted more details on the court cases; I felt like the sky-high overview of the issues of the cases did not do such an important issue justice.

In reading the book I think a little bit of a democratic bias comes out, just a little, but enough to notice. I also thought it interesting that they had far more details of the Gore group then the Bush camp, it follows the perception that the Post is somewhat liberal in its views. The book is an overview that came out almost 10 minutes after Gore hung up the phone on the second concession call so there are a few more details out now that they did not get in the book. Overall it is a good effort and a readable book, but not the end all be all on the subject.

This book recounts the nation's closest election with fascinating detail. The authors' genuine style of storyweaving lends the impression that the fly on the wall must have had a Washington Post tape-recorder implanted in it's wing. Deadlock was not at all like re-reading the same old newspaper articles again; this book casts a fresh look at the dramatic strategy game that took place in Florida. I enjoyed it as a self-professed political junkie and my husband found it equally readable as a historical account of remarkable events.

It's an average mafia book with good details. The good details come from the fact that Anastasia has actual transcripts from the FBI wiretappings of the Philly mob. Don't make much of an effort to read, unless you really like the Philly mob.

George hits the nail on its' head with goodfella tapes. Not only does he successfully and accurately describe the brutal mob war of 93', but tells the story of how the Mafia was the most powerful thing in South Philly. From tough guys like Stanfa to hitmen like John Veasy it's all in there. A must read for people with an interest in organized crime at it's best.

The FBI tapes provided here in the book allow for a great insight into the Philadelphia Mafia at a time of great confusion, botched hits, and mutiny in the ranks.

It's an overall good, quick read but there's better out there if you're not looking specifically to find out about the Philly Mob. A good buy is MURDER MACHINE by Gene Mustain and Jerry Capeci.

It's good to see that the FBI recordings are left untampered with so the "evidence" allows you to draw you're own conclusions. Although this sometimes proves confusing with many unfinished sentances and people cutting in to another's sentance.

I do recommend this book as it does provide a quick and cheap read which is quite fascinating.

Imagine if you could gather some of the world's best Science Fiction and Fantasy authors into a room for an informal chat about Tolkein's influence on their personal and professional lives. Unfortunately, the authors are not all IN the same room, so each conversation is quite a bit different from the last. The authors were clearly given quite a bit of lattitude and therein lie the strengths and weaknesses of this collection.
The tone of the essays are personal, even familiar. For fans of Tolkein or of the contributing authors, the book is worth reading, if for no other reason than to spend some time with distant friends. Another perk is the reading list inadvertently provided by each author as they comment on their other influences. Apparently there are a few seminal works in the genre that I have completely missed.
The quality is admittedly a bit spotty, even within the same essay. Some of the best essays came from authors I knew nothing about. However, like any good conversation, there are snippets of great wisdom throughout. (It is the rare friend who offers up nothing but gems.) I can assure you that every essay will leave you smiling, or nodding and a few might even have you reaching for a pen. In short, you will find much to enjoy in this collection.
I should note that there is something here for everyone: hobbyist, devotee, english major, or bibliophile. Rarely does one get to listen in on the personal conversations of authors as they discuss their lives, their work and the influences that have made their careers possible.

If you're a fan of Tolkien's Middle Earth, this little volume of essays will be a welcome addition. It's refreshing to see how deeply "The Lord of the Rings" effected the contributors; and how, over time, their perceptions of LOTR have changed. My favorites were the submissions of Michael Swanwick, Esther M. Friesner, Robin Hobb, Orson Scott Card and Diane Duane. Douglas A. Anderson and Ursala K. Le Guin offer more cerebral takes on both LOTR and the role of story in our lives -- the eternal rhythums Tolkien tapped while writing his masterpiece. For "Meditations" I offer what I believe is the best praise anyone can offer for a book: It's much too short.

MEDITATIONS ON MIDDLE EARTH is a collection of essays focusing on J.R.R. Tolkien's works, especially the Middle Earth saga. Some of the more renowned fantasy authors of today evaluate the series that made fantasy a household name. Surprisingly, though everyone agrees that Professor Tolkien opened up the genre to the middle class, not all of the contributors are fans of the actual novels. Insightful and entertaining, each essay is well written with the writer's particular spin. However, this anthology will be loved by those readers analyzing the various cultures in a way that cultural anthropologists would envy or by those fans who cherish Beowulf, which Tolkien felt is the forefather of the genre.

Harriet Klausner

Why Nations Go To War is a fantastic book, and gives the reader remarkable insight into the precipitations of war. While analyzing both the interactions between national leaders and their thoughts in depth, this book is an excellent way to further your understanding of the causes of war. After reading this book, you will easily be able to understand many present-day conflicts, and where and why they began. Why Nations Go To War talks about the Persian Gulf War, Kosovo, the wars between India and Pakistan, and offers valuable background info on a question that has been in the news for some time: Why do the Muslims hate the Jews, and vice-versa? The book is thoroughly intriguing and wonderfully informative, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is big on war, and those of you who would simply like to know what's going on. Enjoy.

Dr. Stossinger's book is a valuable contribution for intelligence analysts wrestling with the strategic intelligence considerations when preparing for war. Stossinger's review of 8 case studies (WWI, Hitler's attack on Russia, Korea, Vietnam, India and Pakistan, Israel and the Arabs, Saddam Hussein, and the Balkans) distills the following determinants as to why nations go to war: the crucial importance of the personalities of leaders, the four sources of misperception (leader's image of himself, his adversary, his adversary's intentions, and his adversary's capabilities and power), and an underestimation of the means and time necessary to win the war. Here, Stossinger contributes to the literature by reinforcing the need to look at war from the enemy's perspective. Strategic intelligence analysts supporting decision makers who are preparing for war should, at a minimum, be addressing seven issues: a clear understanding of the most basic, underlying, issues forming the basis for the problem under consideration; a clear appreciation of how the problem affects one's survival, vital, major and peripheral national interests; a clearly stated political objective that resolves the underlying problem which is complimented with a sound exit strategy and identifiable conditions for knowing when to exit; a strategic self appraisal that assesses one's internal military, diplomatic, and economic condition to determine whether or not the means exist to attain the political objective; a national power assessment comparing the conditions of the other belligerents and interested non belligerents with your previously assessed strategic self appraisal; an integrated political, military and economic strategy to best apply your strategic strengths in pursuit of the political objective; and, the identification and elimination of gaps between the desired political objective and the means to achieve those objectives. Stossinger gives analysts additional perspectives for assessing these seven issues. Each issue should be assessed through the lens of the personalities of each leader of each belligerent nation; assessed for how each of the four sources of misperception shapes each leader's view of the situation; and, assessed for how each leader estimates the means and time necessary to achieve their political and military objectives. This insight reduces the miscalculations characterizing war. Stossinger's book belongs on library shelf of the students and practitioners of strategic intelligence.

While after reading this book you will still now know the answer to the title of this book you will be enlightened by a wealth of information and insight of a truly brilliant individual. Dr. Stoessinger is a Professor at the University of San Diego and has written numerous works and editions invovling politics and history. THis book is well thought out and a great read. Highly encouraged to buy read and re-read. Amazing!