Come What May: A Comprehensive Guide to Traditional And Non-traditional Treatments for the Autism Spectrum

Come What May: A Comprehensive Guide to Traditional And Non-traditional Treatments for the Autism Spectrum
Average customer rating:

highly recommended

Enlightening and concerning

Come What May: A Comprehensive Guide to Traditional And Non-traditional Treatments for the Autism Spectrum
Ronna Hochbein
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Children with Starving Brains: A Medical Treatment Guide for Autism Specrum Disorder

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The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Revised Edition

ASIN: 1591138485

Book Description

You will never forget the day you heard the words, "Your child has autism."

Well, neither will I.

For most, it is a completely life altering experience, leading families onto a confusing path of therapies, conflicting medical opinions, or worse…..no answers at all. This book is designed as an autism "cheat sheet"; intended to touch each aspect of the autistic person's symptoms, and then offering treatment ideas in the form of therapies and new medical practices. It is a compilation of seven years of research by the author, streamlined into one place…..in essence, what I wish someone would have handed me at the beginning of the arduous journey. It addresses autism as a medical illness. So take my hand, and follow me inside, don't forget your research and guidebooks…..as this is definitely the road less traveled……….

Ronna Hochbein has been a practicing Occupational Therapist for 14 years, and is co-owner of a private practice specializing in Sensory Integration. She is certified in Therapeutic Listening, Advanced Listening and Level 1 Samonas Sound Therapy, and has studied biological interventions for autism. Most importantly, she is a mother to three sons, of which is on the autism spectrum.

Customer Reviews:

highly recommended.......2006-04-27

I have never faced this heartrending situation of a child with autism, so I have no experience. I have had the fortunate association in with dealing with Hochbein on similarly related issues. Her extensive knowledge of medicines, that they affect your body--for the better, but more so for the worse, is amazing. Prescription medications often do more harm that good. Hochbein has a deep respect for the medical profession, yet knows often a fifteen minute visit with a busy doctor and hastily written prescriptions can leave you worse than before. Such was my case. An Occupational Therapist is like a modern day Sherlock Holmes, unlocking the riddles of why something is happening with your body, and just as importantly, why it doesn't happen.

You hear the pain of a mother when Hochbein writes about the illness of her soon, how a perfectly normal, bright and beautiful child "left us". Very simple words, very emotional. She chronicles her long journey to find the answers and to reach past the standard, pat responses, look for ways to do what they said cannot be done.

As I said, my contact with her was not for Autism, but in an illness that had many of the same roots, and found her information both informative and worth my time. I know if I had a child suffering under this condition, I would desperately want answers, and would be facing the same frustration as Hochbein did. She has given other parents a road map to hope. The book is loaded with resources, treatment suggestion that range from traditional medicine to non-traditional. You have all the information compiled here - websites, case studies, on-line groups for help and support, diets, stats and books.

A very valuable tool that is a must read for any parent facing the same situation.

Enlightening and concerning.......2006-02-25

Since I have no prior knowledge or experience with the topic of autism, Hochbien's book, Come What May, was both enlightening and concerning. It made me aware that Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (D.S.M.-IV), can happen to a child who has been normal in every way. Such was the case of her own son, who was two years old when he came down with an illness caused by either a virus or bacteria, it is unknown which, and that lasted for one week. It was after this illness that Hochbein says, "he left us."

Ronna Hochbien's medical background and experience as an Occupational Therapist enabled her to delve further into her son's condition in order to go beyond the traditional medical system and produce this much needed reference source that she shares with the reader.

Come What May is loaded with invaluable resources and treatment suggestions, both traditional and non-traditional. It covers specific medical tests, therapies, websites, on-line groups, books, organizations, studies and statistics. The book also provides a Case Study in the final chapter. She discusses the controversy surrounding the autism and the vaccine/thimersol issue, and she presents diet related treatments such as the gluten and casein free/specific carbohydrate diet by Elaine Gottschal,BA MSc.

Come What May is an invaluable tool that parents with a child with autism should have at their disposal.

WWII Aircraft Vol. III: Modeling, Detailing, Painting Weathering and Building Dioramas
Average customer rating:

Go for volume 1

Good only for ideas, not construction

An Excellent Primer to Study WWII Aircraft

An Excellent Primer to Study WWII Aircraft

WWII Aircraft Vol. III: Modeling, Detailing, Painting Weathering and Building Dioramas
Francois Verlinden
Manufacturer: Verlinden Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Models | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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WWII Aircraft Vol. II: Modeling, Detailing, Painting Weathering and Building Dioramas

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Scale Aircraft Modelling

Modeling Classic Combat Aircraft

ASIN: 1930607539

Book Description

This 3rd installment in VPs popular Building WWII Aircraft series features 9 new articles covering the art of making military aircraft models. Four new articles from the workshop at VP studios include a super-detailed Accurate Miniatures SBD-3 Dauntless, with a second article on building a Pacific maintenance diorama for it, Painting & weathering the Tamiya Mosquito MK. II Night Fighter, and The Office, an article focusing on painting cockpits. Greg Cihlar unveils his first aircraft diorama featuring the Tamiya D0-335, and VPs own Charlie Pritchett presents an unusual Luftwaffe Scrapyard diorama. Finally, Spanish master-modelers Antonio Morant, Diego Lopez, and Rodrigo Navarro share their breath-taking talents with a checker-tailed P-51B Mustang, an intricately painted Bf-110G-4 Night Fighter, and the stunning bare-metal P-38J Marge flown by USAAF Top Ace Richard Bong. This latest book promises to inspire & amaze both novice and expert modelers, as well as aviation enthusiasts & historians around the world.

Customer Reviews:

Go for volume 1.......2006-11-29

This book has very good pictures but doesn't really touch the building process, I would recomend the first volume of this series, that book does explain with more detail the construction process, washes, drybrushing, etc. Other than that you will see incredible models in the three volumes.

Good only for ideas, not construction.......2003-01-28

I bought this volume and Vol II, thinking they would provide a wealth of information to take my modelling skills higher. Sadly, that is missing in these books.

Sure, there are truckloads of photos all in glossy color. But nowhere is there proper detail about the steps actually involved in making of the dios, like painting, weathering, etc. This is what this book primarily lacks.

Another disappointing fact is that the books are superb advertisements for the VP range of products, which are too expensive for the average modeller, who could as well scratchbuild some of the stuff on display.

In some cases, the creators of the models even go to great extents in detailing interior stuff, which wouldn't be seen anyway after the model is assembled. Why anybody would invest money and time in putting in stuff which is not visibile is a million dollar question.

If you are looking for a book on improving your modelling skills, this is no match for Mike Ashey's books. Both of Ashey's books are worth their while in gold.

Buy this book only if you are interested in getting ideas for your a/c dios. Not for improving your modelling or painting skills!

An Excellent Primer to Study WWII Aircraft.......2002-05-26

My father thinks that these series of books is an excellent way to study the intricacies of WWII aircraft. This series of books is a must have for any WWII buff or veteran...

An Excellent Primer to Study WWII Aircraft.......2002-05-26

My father thinks that these series of books is an excellent way to study the intricacies of WWII aircraft. This series of books is a must have for any WWII buff or veteran...

Average customer rating:

Building Military Dioramas Vol. III
Francois Verlinden
Manufacturer: Verlinden Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Models | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Building Military Dioramas Vol. V
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Building Military Dioramas Vol. VI

ASIN: 1930607504

Book Description

Our Volume III of our Building Military Dioramas series brings another 48 pages loaded with more than 85 full color photographs covering the following breathtaking dioramas from VP Studios:

-The Beach, featuring the LVT-4 with full interior from VP
-Achtung Tiefflieger!, A ready-made diorama base from VP
-Atlantik Wall I: Concrete Gun Emplacement
-The Crossing, featuring the new U.S. Pontoon bridge from VP
-Shadows of the Past: Germany, early 1945
-No Way Out, a Sherman tank diorama by Young Jin Won
-Atlantik Wall II: Gun & Observation Post
-Streetfighters: Battle for a German town, 1945

Customer Reviews:

Good service.......2007-02-07

The book was delivered promptly, and was in the condition described by the seller.

Book Description

Designed for students majoring in the life, health, and natural sciences, Statistics: Concepts and Applications for Science is a text and workbook package that introduces statistics with an important emphasis on the real-world applications of statistical reasoning and procedures. Through intensive exposure to the core concepts of statistics in the context of science, students acquire the skills and understanding they need to formulate valid research designs, implement statistical analysis, interpret data, and explain their results.

The workbook component of this package offers students the opportunity to actively apply their knowledge in an extensive set of homework problems, exercises, and study problems. To assist in the learning process, study problems that include a detailed answer key are provided for each chapter. Fully elaborated solutions for all workbook problems are available for instructors.

Average customer rating:

Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens: Uniforms, Wings & Insignia of Usaaf Airmen in World War II (Schiffer Military History)

Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens

this book has many appealing aspects

A MUST HAVE FOR MILITARIA ENTHUSIASTS!

Outstanding reference for WWII wings, insignia and uniforms.

Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens: Uniforms, Wings & Insignia of Usaaf Airmen in World War II (Schiffer Military History)
Jon A. Maguire
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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G.I. COLLECTORS GUIDE: Army Service Forces Catalog: US Army European Theater of Operations G.I. COLLECTORS GUIDE: Army Service Forces Catalog: US Army European Theater of Operations

American Flight Jackets, Airmen and Aircraft: A History of U.S. Flyers' Jackets from World War I to Desert Storm

The World War II GI: US Army Uniforms 1941-45 in Color Photographs

ASIN: 0887405789

Book Description

This new look at the uniforms and insignia of the USAAF during the World War II years covers a broad range of clothing, collar insignia, rank insignia, shoulder/sleeve insignia and squadron patches. Additionally, there is an in-depth examination of wing qualification badges. Actual items are presented in nearly 600 illustrations in full color, and also as they appeared in actual war-era photos. Actual uniform regulations and illustrations from the 1943 and 1944 Officers Guides are also provided. Silver Wings, Pinks & Greens will be a useful addition to the libraries of collectors, historians, modelers and veterns alike. Jon Maguire is also the author of American Flight Jackets, Airmen & Aircraft: A History of U.S. Flyers' Jackets from World War I to Desert Storm(with John Conway). Jon lives in Oklahoma City, Ok.

, over 500 b/w and color photos, 8 1/2" x 11"

Customer Reviews:

Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens: Uniforms, Wings & Insignia of Usaaf Airmen in World War II (Schiffer Military History).......2007-03-10

First and Last stop for WW II U.S. Army Air Force uniform information !

Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens.......2006-02-23

Only book of its kind I could find. Referred to me by a true expert in WW2 Army Air Corp flight ware, patches and pins. I found it not only complete, factual and full of information but very personal at times;

Glynn Furr..

this book has many appealing aspects.......2000-02-26

I am 2LT Jesse Irwin Carnes [USAF-CAP, 16010th Composite Squadron]. I REALLY recommend this book by Jon Maguire, i.e., "Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens." Anyone who is SERIOUS about collecting WWII militaria, especially uniforms, pilot's wings, etc., then THIS book is SINE QUA NON ... it is indispensable.

So, how is it SO indispensable? It helps you know WHAT to look for when you collect militaria from this genre. It helps you to develop an "eye" for what is correct in authentic items.

Secondly, Jon Maguire's descriptions enable you to KNOW what WIEGHT or colour or texture a GENUINE article should be.

Any suggestions for a "Revised" edition by Maguire? He might want to add a 1-2 page writeup on the "Best-of-the-best" militaria items, such as A-2 flight jackets by "RoughWear" [no longer in business] or uniforms [and especially officer's visor service caps] by the inimitable "Luxenberg" [also no longer in business] and so forth.

Secondly, sometimes his foto light was a shade deviant, so that the reddish-russet officer's officer's shoes looked more tan-brown. How do I know? I own an "NOS" [new old stock] pair of UNissued officer's low quarters. They are a burnt-orange reddish-brown, like some of the early war visor service caps.

I also own a full set of officer's PINKS, and under flourescent light, they look mauve/pink. His fotos looked more khaki.

But this can be improved in time. Nonetheless, this book rates 5 stars for EFFORT and for its overall USEFULLness.

BTW, if Jon Maguire reads this, can he write me for suggestions and queries?

thanx ;

*salute*

2LT Jesse Irwin Carnes

A MUST HAVE FOR MILITARIA ENTHUSIASTS!.......1999-04-18

This is the best reference book that I have found so far for identification and history of USAF wings. A book like this pays for itself the first time you use it as a buyer, seller, or collector.

Outstanding reference for WWII wings, insignia and uniforms........1998-07-02

For collectors of WWII wings and related insignia, this is an outstanding reference guide. Normally, reference books on wings contain errors relating to the wings period of manufacture, however the author is on the mark each time. The photographs are excellent, including a short section on hallmarks. Highly recommended!!

Book Description

What kind of people are suicide bombers? How do they justify their actions? In this meticulously researched and sensitively written book, journalist Christoph Reuter argues that popular views of these young men and women--as crazed fanatics or brainwashed automatons--fall short of the mark. In many cases these modern-day martyrs are well-educated young adults who turn themselves into human bombs willingly and eagerly--to exact revenge on a more powerful enemy, perceived as both unjust and oppressive. Suicide assassins are determined to make a difference, for once in their lives, no matter what the cost. As Reuter's many interviews with would-be martyrs, their trainers, friends, and relatives reveal, the bombers are motivated more by how they expect to be remembered--as heroic figures--than by religion-infused visions of a blissful life to come.

Reuter, who spent eight years researching the book, moves from the broken survivors of the childrens' suicide brigades in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, to the war-torn Lebanon of Hezbollah, to Israeli-occupied Palestinian land, and to regions as disparate as Sri Lanka, Chechnya, and Kurdistan. He tells a disturbing story of the modern globalization of suicide bombing--orchestrated, as his own investigations have helped to establish, by the shadowy Al Qaeda network and unintentionally enabled by wrong-headed policies of Western governments. In a final, hopeful chapter, Reuter points to today's postrevolutionary, post-Khomeini Iran, where a new social environment renounces the horrific practice in the very place where it was enthusiastically embraced just decades ago.

Customer Reviews:

Journalese Not Analysis.......2006-09-16

With My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing Christoph Reuter, a journalist and international correspondent for the German magazine Stern, offers a modern history of suicide terror. Over the course of nine chapters he traces a genealogy of the practice at different points in its history and across several cultures. Chapters on the ancient Persian assassins, suicidal child-soldiers of the Iran/Iraq war, Lebanese Hezbollah, Palestinian Shahids (martyrs), and Japanese kamikazes are considered in parallel with Al-Qaeda and separatist movements in Sri Lanka and Kurdistan. Reuter writes, "This book attempts to piece together, in a logical sequence, what is known about [the origins of suicide terror]--which societies facilitate its development, what conditions are most favorable for its spread, and how the various tactics used have been developed" (6). However, the study that follows is compromised by its founding assumptions: that identifying the origins of suicide terror will shed light on its contemporary purveyors and that some cultures are more hospitable to this practice than others.

In his introduction, Reuter decries the "facile explanations for suicide attacks offered in the Western media" as merely leading to more questions and begins by asking, "If the attacks are to be attributed to radical Islam per se, why have they appeared only in the last twenty years?" (11). Unfortunately, this auspicious beginning is quickly undone as he writes, "Perhaps the thorniest question is how a society can come to tolerate, and indeed foster a practice so opposed to the survival instinct as to be pathological?" (11). The glamour of such a question for a Euro-American audience (no doubt the focus of Reuter's "we" and "us") is undeniable--what sort of people are these that destroy themselves to kill others? However, the Islamophobic assumptions that so often underlie this line of inquiry--even on the left--render the answers almost wholly in orientalist terms. Reuter asserts, "Islam, in its political form, is a well-suited ideology for war," a hyperbolic claim that could as easily be made about Christianity or Judaism and to a similarly banal effect (17). He writes, "Groups from Morocco to Iraq are linked together as though by invisible paths and secret passageways. Thus, injustices perpetrated in Chechnya or on the West Bank can stir up hatred within Morocco and Saudi Arabia, and unintentionally provide aid and comfort to opportunists who stoke the flames of righteous anger elsewhere" (18). In his view, this process, nourished by Islamic mythologizing, has led to the "reinvention of [the] historical archetype" of the martyr (3).

Reuter's focus on Islam, problematic in any case, compromises his argument rhetorically as well, causing him to make strange leaps, elisions, and outright exclusions in his history of suicide terror. For example, he notes the use of murder by suicide as a battle strategy employed by, among others, ancient Jews in Imperial Rome. Yet, he begins his timeline of the practice in the 11th century with the rise of the Persian assassins, whose cult he describes in some detail. Reuter writes, "The sect disappeared without a trace, leaving behind it no tradition, no religious heritage [and] attracting no pilgrims other than Western journalists" (27). However, a few paragraphs later he flip-flops. "On the one hand, nothing remained of the assassin sect per se. On the other hand, something did survive of them after all--a kind of negative afterimage of their deeds. . . . the popular fear of them and their readiness to die, which had just as disturbing an effect in their time as the suicide killings in New York, Tel Aviv, or Colombo do today" (27).

Therefore, Reuter, despite the utter lack of any supporting evidence--which he goes some way himself to point out--elects to draw a direct link between the 11th century assassins and the suicide bombers of our contemporary moment. The lubrication upon which he relies for this astonishing conflation is the notion that Islam itself has remained unchanged across multiple cultures from the Crusades to the present. In fact the only interpretive changes that Reuter notes since the 11th century are those that seem to justify suicide attacks. Thus, he gives tremendous weight to the declarations of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a celebrity TV cleric who has celebrated Palestinian suicide attacks as "the highest form of Jihad" (122). Al-Qaradawi, who has no special authority other than that which is conferred by celebrity, nevertheless offers his own distinction between suicide and martyrdom: "A person who commits suicide kills himself for his own benefit. But a person who becomes a martyr sacrifices himself for the faith and the nation" (122). "This is simply politics," Reuter writes, "the kind of politics that attempts to give practical decisions and popular opinions some kind of retroactive Islamic legal basis, even if a wholly fabricated one" (125).

His sudden disdain for politics is Reuter's attempt to parse the religious and secular motivations for suicide attacks, while simultaneously maintaining that Islam is at their root. He writes, "It is no coincidence that such would-be martyrs (who embrace death as they strike out at their enemies) appeared first of all within Islam . . ." (16). What is not clear is exactly which Islam is at the center of Reuter's concern. He clearly disapproves of "political" Islam but also asserts that suicide bombers reinterpret "traditional" Islam via "torturously reasoned justifications" for martyr operations (64). By making the distinction between "nationalist" and "Islamist" goals of suicide attacks, Reuter assumes that these categories do not imbricate each other or, more properly, that they are homogenous categories in the first place.

"Whatever else it is," Reuter writes, "Islam is a belief system filled with infinite possibilities that can legitimate a wide range of practices as and when the need arises. Suicide bombing is one such practice . . ." (117). Tellingly, he does not interrogate the political circumstances under which suicide terror occurs, the arising "need" he alludes to but does not explain. In his chapter on Israel and Palestine, Reuter writes affectingly about the misery of the Palestinian people but never commits to naming its cause. This has the effect of naturalizing Palestinian suffering by framing it as an element of their character (a tactic he employs elsewhere, as when he suggests that affection for the film Titanic is indicative of a Shi'ite predilection for suffering). Reuter quotes Israeli psychologist Ariel Merari on the motivating factors for a suicide attack: "At the end of the day, it comes from the individual himself, from his experiences, from his beliefs" (109).

The reader is thus presented with a self-sustaining model of the suicide-bomber, whose actions, triggered from within by his "beliefs," occur in a political vacuum. Furthermore, he considers the connections between disparate terrorist enclaves as points in a vast, hidden network of power relations but does not consider the parallels between the political circumstances of each group. Reuter posits that suicide bombing has influenced the collective psychology of Islamic societies via "what German psychologists call the `Werther effect,' in which the [suicide-bomber] becomes an idol whom others strive to emulate"(13). Therefore, "belief" which travels by way of "invisible paths" between Islamic societies has "infected" them with the cult of martyrdom.

While this paradigm cannot account for the role of nationalism and resistance in the practice of suicide bombing, those outside of Islamic societies fall entirely beyond its scope. Nevertheless, he makes an effort to finesse their inclusion in the sequence of his history. To this end, Reuter compares the influence of the samurai on the Japanese kamikazes to that of the Shi'ite defeat at Karbala on modern suicide bombers (whether they are Shi'ite or not). He also reports with sufficient portent that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a secular Marxist group operating in Hindu Sri Lanka, trained with the PLO in the 1970's, despite the fact that the PLO--also secular and Marxist--has never utilized suicide terror. Nevertheless, Reuter insists, "Islamist influences have undoubtedly been manifest in less direct ways (among the LTTE), especially through extensive global television and radio coverage," an utterly speculative claim that serves only to fit his current examples into a frame based on his narrow vision of Islam (162).

The growing corpus of books devoted to the phenomenon of suicide terror all work within (or against) the matrix of assumptions that pervade western representations of Islam. Reuter's book, while arguably well intentioned, is typical of those generated by journalists who specialize in this topic. As with Barbara Victor's execrable Army of Roses, clichés and journalese take the place of scholarly analysis, a phenomenon that reinforces and legitimizes orientalist tropes. Significantly, the only comprehensive survey of data about the worldwide phenomenon of suicide terror, political scientist Robert A. Pape's Dying to Win: the Strategic Logic of Suicide Terror, explicitly states that Islam--fundamentalist or otherwise--is not a primary motivating factor in the practice.

Reuter's original premise, exploring "an opponent who . . . has moved outside all the conventional rules of power and war in which we have always trusted," is fascinating but his penchant for mapping the indirect "secret passageways" of inter and intra-cultural influence take him far afield his original questions (2). As a result Christoph Reuter has--unintentionally--constructed a history that reveals a good deal more about contemporary Western ambivalence toward Islam than about suicide attacks and those who carry them out.

Excellent Primer on the Tactic.......2006-02-26

Christoph Reuter provides an excellent overview of the historical origins and applications of this extreme of terrorist tactics. "My Life is a Weapon" surveys this tactic across religious and ethnic lines. That global perspective enhances the relevance of the this work. Mr. Reuter weaves antedotes from attacks as well as interviews with family and friends of martyrs. These stories greatly contribute to the read-ability of this work. Mr. Reuter delves into the various rationale typologies through his research. For us in the west to understand the "why" we need to read Mr. Reuter's research. This fast reading work should be a must for everyone in the domestic emergency services community as well as our military defenders destined for theaters overseas.

The reader's special attention should be concentrated on the descriptions of the Battle of Karbalah (680 a.d.). The west has a tendency to forget the past, a characteristic not shared by most of the world. The Battle of Karbalah is a focal point for extremist Islamic rationalization for this tactic. Practioners endeavoring to understand this tactic must accept the importance of this epic battle as a focal point of motivation for many extremist martyrs.

Good Literary History, Not In-Depth Analysis.......2005-07-12

My Life is a Weapon is a pretty good book, for what it is. While the work addresses the topic of suicide terrorism, it does so in the exact way that it bills itself: as a history. It is a fine history that covers a variety of topics from different periods and touches all the necessary bases (al-Qaeda, Israel/Palestine, and social/religious justification). Even though it was translated from German, it reads very well and serves as a good literary history on the subject. I particularly enjoyed the two chapters on Iran and thought that the chapter on "The Feud of the Fatwas" was also quite informative.

However, even though the book draws its inspiration from the phenomenon of suicide terrorism, the book also deals with state-sponsored suicidal acts. These events, such as the Japanese Kamikazes or the Iranian Martyrs, are interesting but have generally been excluded from the examination of suicide terrorism proper, which must be committed by a terrorist or terrorist organization. The author, Christopher Reuter, certainly brings his views and ideas into the fold but they do not constitute concrete analysis and are, despite the 2004 printing of the translation with abridgement, a bit dated. It must be noted that tackling the analysis and explanation of this monumental issue was not something that the author purported to do. It appears that he wanted to do just what he did, write a good literary history of the subject.

There are a few things that I would like to opine about from the book that do not have much bearing on its overall quality but which are simply conceptual and theoretical issues.

The main piece of insight that Reuter hoped to impart upon his readership was his theory that attempts to explain an issue in the development of suicide terrorism campaigns. The question concerns the conditions that result in the development of a suicide terrorism campaign within a specific conflict (Turkey or Sri Lanka in the book). The obvious answer is the oppression and brutality of the conflict combined with various social factors. However, what is not fully understood is why certain conflicts develop into suicide terrorism campaigns while others do not. The complexity of this issue is compounded by the fact that many of these violent conflicts seem to be more horrible and desperate and, yet, the groups do not shift towards suicide terrorism (such as the Moros in the Philippines, the IRA in Ireland, or the Mayal-Muslims in Thailand).

Reuter puts forth his theory, based on the experience of the PKK in Turkey and the LTTE in Sri Lanka, that dominant, cult-like leaders are responsible for the shift to suicide terrorism. "...The cause and devotion to the leader became a substitute to religion, and considered holy." (Reuter 165) I will call this the "Leader Motivation" thesis. It is true that in these two particular cases, there was this exact type of leader and the situation was one in which the Leader Motivation thesis may have played a role. However, this idea cannot be applied across the board and only explains one reason why suicide terrorism developed in these two conflicts. It does not explain why there is suicide terrorism in some conflicts and not others. Surely, one cannot postulate that in all the heated conflicts in the world since 1983, which have not seen the use of suicide terror, that there has simply not been a strong enough leader.

This thesis is inadequate and there is a much more dominant, competing model about this that is offered by Robert Pape in his study of suicide terrorism entitled Dying to Win. He explains the issue through his idea of "Religious Difference" with regard to foreign occupations. In short, he sees that in cases where the foreign power occupying or besieging the resisting population is of a different religion, the use of suicide terrorism is much more likely. He makes a convincing argument in his book and gives three main reasons why this is the case. 1) The alien nature of the occupier creates a threat to the foundation of the occupied society. This decreases the possibility of compromise and leads to the conflict's portrayal as a zero-sum game (all or nothing). 2) Religious difference facilitates the extreme demonization of the enemy, an effort that is necessary for a variety of reasons. 3) The chasm between the two parties that exists in these situations is just what is needed to accomplish the difficult task of creating social legitimacy for martyrdom and engendering support from the occupied population. As one can see, Pape's theory is much more comprehensive, detailed, explanatory, and backed up by hard facts.

There is a brief section of the book where the author gets a little political, but please let me explain something about his critique first. Once Reuter gets into his curt criticism of American foreign policy, his point of view becomes apparent and of course, predictable. He is obviously a member of the European media establishment, a group that has proved itself to be wildly anti-American. His outlook is clearly aligned with the typical Euro-think mindset: We the European elites, with our enlightened moral ideals, evolved social systems, and post-militaristic states and policies can plainly see the errors in the faulty, bigheaded, chauvinist, jingoist (a new word I learned from reading European writings) military program. Add to this worldview a healthy dose of anti-Semitism and dot it with a few crack-pot conspiracy theories and one has a concise definition of EURO-THINK.

One could say I disagree. I personally feel that European anti-Americanism is driven by a less-than-free, anti-American media oligarchy, the rhetoric of failed European political leaders, and an unhealthy paranoia of American hegemony. I also see it as incredibly arrogant and myopic, as these same critics fail to address the serious flaws in their own systems and, more importantly, ideologies. Aside from that, I commend Reuter for keeping his critique 1) RESPECTFUL 2) on point/relevant 3) commensurate to its role in his book. One should look at this in contrast to the 24 page conceited, tired, and bloated attack on American foreign policy in Iraq by the American academic Mia Bloom in her book Dying to Kill. Considering Reuter is victim to the plague of Euro-Think, I find the reserved nature of his criticism to be a plus, as it is far removed from the virulent far-left attacks that appear daily on the front pages of the European media.

A main criticism of President Bush in Reuter's book is the assertion that he stated that there was a connection between al-Qaeda and Iraq. Understandably, Reuter could not find a quote by Bush or any of his top officials to illustrate this point. Instead he takes a quote that Bush made concerning al-Qaeda in the aftermath of the victory in Iraq and passes it off as if it proves his point about Bush's political dishonesty. This tactic is only good enough to fool those people who want to believe it, not any discerning reader.

In fact, there were assertions made about Hussein's regime in Iraq and its involvement with terrorism, and they are true. Saddam's regime supported many terror groups including those involved in Palestinian terrorism, the PKK in northern Iraq, Ansar al-Islam, and others. There is clear evidence that Iraqi and foreign terrorists were trained in Iraq and under Hussein's authority. Communication, cooperation, and support, short of collaboration, between al-Qaeda and Hussein's regime are evident although, as Reuter points out, there is no clear proof of the involvement of Iraq in 9-11. Time will tell the true extent of these connections. What is most interesting though is that just pages earlier in Reuter's own book, he talks about Ansar al-Islam in Northern Iraq and then details their al-Qaeda heritage and involvement.

"My own investigations, conducted in the days following the capture of Ansar's hiding place by U.S. special forces and allied PUK troops after the American invasion of Iraq in March 2003, confirm the deep involvement of al-Qaeda in the activities of this group. Along with explosives were found collections of Islamic sermons, and instructions for making biological and chemical toxins as well as explosives...Ansar al-Islam had been created out of nothing by the Arab veterans of the struggle against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan who had trickled in after October 2001." (Reuter 148-149)

Admittedly, this group was operating in an area of Northern Iraq that was not controlled by Hussein at the time. Nevertheless, Ansar al-Islam was a dangerous threat and in Iraq.

In the final chapter of his book, which I really liked, Reuter speaks about the democratic yearnings of the Iranian people. I see in his words from this part of the book that, under that staunch Euro-Think exterior, a person who understands liberty and the struggle for democracy and freedom. "A woman who can read, write, study, and earn money has acquired something that no concealing veil can ever take away from her: independence, and a desire for more freedom." (Reuter 173) But why is this understanding limited to the Iranian experience? Why can't he see as I do that Iraqis ache for their freedom too, and that they are fighting for it? No policy is perfect, but what is there to be afraid of? The spread of democracy is what is needed, and it should be pushed for. I hear no alternatives amongst the cries of the arrogant Euro-elites because there are none. Freedom alone is what can deliver us from the threat of terror.

My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing. : An article from: Infantry Magazine

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My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing. : An article from: Infantry Magazine

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This digital document is an article from Infantry Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 707 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing.
Publication: Infantry Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 94 Issue: 5 Page: 52(1)

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My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing.(Book review) : An article from: Military Review

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My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing.(Book review) : An article from: Military Review
Youssef Aboul-Enein
Manufacturer: U.S. Army CGSC
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Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Military Review, published by U.S. Army CGSC on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 435 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: My Life is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing.(Book review)
Author: Youssef Aboul-Enein
Publication: Military Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: U.S. Army CGSC
Volume: 86 Issue: 2 Page: 115(1)

Article Type: Book review

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The Sacred Balance: A Visual Celebration of Our Place in Nature
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Sacred Balance

A beautiful companion to Suzuki's The Sacred Balance

Photographs from around the world

The Sacred Balance: A Visual Celebration of Our Place in Nature
David Suzuki
Manufacturer: Greystone Books
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1553650654

Book Description

Based on the authors' best-selling book The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature, this visual feast celebrates the forces that unite all living things, in spectacular photographs, beautiful reproductions of artwork, and amazing electron micrographs and satellite photographs. These images — by Galen Rowell, Art Wolfe, and others — lovingly explore dewdrops on a spider web, a field full of wildflowers, vast herds of zebra, rock paintings, Inuit artwork, and much more. The accompanying text presents David Suzuki's inspiring view of the human place on Earth, drawn from his life as a scientist, environmentalist, writer, and thinker. He describes the seven elements — earth, air, fire, water, biodiversity, love, and spirituality — that all human beings need to lead full, rich lives. The exquisite balance of these elements creates and maintains the web of life on Earth. Included are quotations from literary texts and poetry, observations from scientists, retellings of myths, and lines from songs and psalms.

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Sacred Balance.......2007-05-21

An excellent visual and literary exposition of Suzuki's original seminal work "The Sacred Balance". Satisfying in itself but also quite suitable as a coffee table book to subtly influence conversations to cover individual opinions on living in harmony with nature.

A beautiful companion to Suzuki's The Sacred Balance.......2006-11-08

The Sacred Balance: A Visual Celebration of Our Place in Nature is a companion ato the book and video of the same title. In some ways I prefer this volume to the paperback. Occasionally, with the book, I found there was too much detail for my liking (and personal interest level) and I would have preferred something which was simpler and not so extensive in its descriptions and explanations. This volume has that.

Like the book, it's divided up into each of the elements - earth, fire, wind, water, and additional chapters on biodiversity, love and spirit / sacred matter. Each chapter has beautiful photographs, shot from all over the world to represent each of the elements, they include natural settings, people, paints and some biological organisms. I take the time to sit with each photo and experience it rather than just flicking through. There is an appropriate balance of insightful commentary provided by Suzuki which allows for reflection on our connection to each of the elements and in turn our relationship to the natural world. Also included are relevant quotations.

A great visual companion to the book and TV series of the same name as sometimes a simple image can be more powerful than words and would make for a great coffee table book or (especially!) for a boardroom. Highly recommended.

Photographs from around the world.......2003-07-27

Collaboratively compiled by geneticist David Suzuki, documentary film maker Amanda McConnell, and photo researcher Maria DeCambra, The Sacred Balance: A Visual Celebration Of Our Place In Nature is an inspirational collection of photographs from around the world, supplemented with wise and thoughtful commentary about human beings and their affinity for the natural world. Captivating images and insightful observations balance one another perfectly in this unique presentation which is especially recommended for students of ecology and the diverse and manifold wonders of the natural world.

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