Erasmus Darwin: A Life of Unequalled Achievement

Book Description

It has been said of Erasmus Darwin that no one from his day to ours has ever rivalled him in his achievements in such a wide range of fields. The most striking of Darwin's many talents was his extraordinary scientific insight in physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology, and all aspects of biology—his deepest insight being his evolutionary theory of life. Two of his books, the Zoonomia, which made him famous as the leading medical mind of the 1790s, and The Temple of Nature, show that he believed life developed from microscopic specks in primeval seas through fishes and amphibians to "humankind." But he failed to convince the world about biological evolution—that was left to his grandson Charles. Erasmus was the first person to give a full description of how clouds form and of photosynthesis in plants. He was also an obsessive inventor of mechanical devices, among them a speaking machine, a copying machine, and the steering technique used in modern cars. Substantial donations of Darwin family papers, including over 170 letters written by Erasmus Darwin himself, have made it possible for the author to tell much of the enthralling story of his life in Erasmus' own words.

Customer Reviews:

Darwinism: a family tradition.......2000-07-29

Charles Darwin was an indifferent divinity student when he was upbraided by Dr. Robert Grant for overlooking his family's tradition of evolutionary thought, presumably Charles had bespoke himself of some Genesis convention. Erasmus Darwin was one of the great English intellectuals of the past 1,000 years, far surpassing the achievements of his grandson. His ideas were surpressed during the paranoid period of the Napoleon Wars. King-Hele's book takes some of the myth out of Darwinism finding that the modern convention is actually closer to Erasmus's theory than Charles's theory. Charles wrote a biography of Erasmus giving him his due but this was edited by Charles's daughter Henrietta. A very interesting tale about a seminal issue in modern science. This book is the cornerstone for reaching an understanding that Darwinism is a social movement not an intellectual movement, and is not about to be overthrown by historical facts. This book will not likely do well in the market since the educated public loves the old stories and trash science like the Selfish Gene. It is also interesting to note that Freudism, equally out of date, is also impossible to eradicate, even though it is under general attack. Strange business this.

Studies on the moss family Brachytheciaceae with special reference to the genus Brachythecium
Average customer rating:
Studies on the moss family Brachytheciaceae with special reference to the genus Brachythecium
Kai Wigh
Manufacturer: Dept. of Plant Taxonomy, Goteborgs Universitet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Botany | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006CVAFQ

Customer Reviews:

Pretty Much the Best Guidebook to Hungary!.......2006-09-05

Bradt has long been known for publishing detailed guides to obscure countries and regions few other publishers bother with - their guides to several countries in Africa or the Balkans are the only ones available.
Hungary is very different though: It is one of the most visited countries in Eastern Europe, already covered by all major guidebook publishers. So I was quite curious to see what Bradt could make of it - all the more so as it is my homeland, actually!

I first saw the book in a store in Singapore, and immediatey found it so good that I decided to order a copy once back home to be able to read it more thoroughly.
In the end, I have concluded that this is probably the best guide to Hungary ever published abroad! It is very comprehensive, covering more places than the competition (Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, etc.). It excels in covering less standard attractions such as ecotourism, birdwatching and nature reserves. It contains lots of useful and insightful background information, often in boxed texts scattered throughout the guide. All this comes with most of the practical info you could expect: details on places to stay from campsites to five-star hotels, recommended places to eat, details on getting to the places described by public transport, including its frequency.
And to top it all, the style is perhaps the most entertaining of all Bradt guides I have read: it is opinionated, amusing and conveys an obvious fondness of the country.

OK, now for the shortcomings - surely no book can be perfect, right?
1) Coverage of budget accomodation options is limited, for some places noting none, for others only one or two. This, and maybe the next thing I mention, makes Lonely Planet perhaps the better choice for budget travellers (only!).
2) For public transport, fares and length of journey are rarely given. Of course you can easily find these details out once in Hungary.
3) All that witty background info is not always correct! As examples, the authors try and exaggrate the "exoticness" of Hungarians by claiming their language is unrelated to others in Europe (dismissing the well-proven, long-known fact that it belongs to the Finno-Ugric group like Finnish and Estonian) and by claiming that the Hungarians' ancestral homeland lies in "Central Asia" between the Volga River and the Urals - anyone with at least elementary knowledge of geography or a map on hand will see that the area mentioned is in European Russia, not in Central Asia! ;-)

But the positives well and truly outweigh these shortcomings (which will hopefully be corrected in the next edition), and for most people planning to visit Hungary I can only recommend this book most highly!

The only guidebook I found even more comprehensive is the locally published, encyclopedic Out and About in Hungary which covers even more places with great photos, but has none of the practical info. That book is widely available in good bookstores in Hungary, but not on Amazon.

The Bradt City Guide Budapest: Budapest (Bradt City Guide Budapest)

Average customer rating:

Mini-encyclopedia

The Bradt City Guide Budapest: Budapest (Bradt City Guide Budapest)
Adrian Phillips , and Jo Scotchmer
Manufacturer: Bradt Travel Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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Bratislava: The Bradt City Guide (Bradt Mini Guide)
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Lonely Planet Best of Budapest (Lonely Planet Best Of Series)

ASIN: 1841621102

Book Description

With its Parisian boulevards, faded art-nouveau palaces, hidden courtyards and illuminated bridges, Budapest is one of the world's great romantic cities. Bestriding the Danube, the city presents two very contrasting faces - Buda on one side of the water and Pest on the other. Explore the caves and Roman ruins of Buda, board a cog-wheel railway into its leafy hills, take a stroll through the cobbled streets of the Castle District or a soak in a thermal spa. Alternatively, seek out the vibrant shops and restaurants of Pest, admire the Westminster-inspired Parliament building, go boating in City Park, or spend an evening at the opera. History and culture are covered in detail, as is the practical information needed for a fulfilling and trouble-free trip.

This guide features:

· The best restaurants, cafés, bars and clubs
· Where to stay, from luxury to budget
· Full coverage of the sights of Buda and Pest
· Museums, churches, galleries, theaters
· Boat trips, shopping, thermal spas
· Historical, cultural and architectural heritage
· Comprehensive practical information

Customer Reviews:

Mini-encyclopedia.......2007-09-17

Think of it as a miniature encyclopedia to all things Hungarian. This is not the guidebook I would take with me, but has excellent background on the history, detailed reviews on the baths (and what is a visit to Budapest without baths) and restaurant reviews which will probably be out of date by now.
I purchased one for a trip in 2006 and found it to be a wealth of background information, but for the hard hitting on the ground stuff try something else. If you stick to the castle district in Budapest then it's all pretty self-explanatory and in English. If you venture off into real Budapest you'll need a little personal advice, like where the metro shuts down for repairs and what is the Hungarian equivalent to the English names on your map. So I recommend talking to people at your hostel or hotel.
That said, I'd recommend this book, not as "go here and see this" guide but to be used for some context on an unusual city and in that regard it will not soon be out of date.

Average customer rating:

Budapest, 2nd (Bradt Mini Guide)
Adrian Phillips , and Jo Scotchmer
Manufacturer: Bradt Travel Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1841621854

Book Description

This comprehensively updated second edition is the essential travel companion on trips to romantic Budapest, now firmly established as one of Europe’s must-see destinations. In 2005, over 36 million visitors traveled to or through Hungary - popular with visitors on short breaks and as a meeting point for international business.

Board a cog-wheel railway into Buda’s leafy hills; take a stroll through the cobbled Castle District or a soak in a thermal spa. Seek out the vibrant shops and restaurants of Pest, go boating in City Park or spend an evening at the opera.

Book Description

Welcome to New York Citys Upper East Side, where the girls are dazzling, the guys are gorgeous, and the summer heat is the perfect excuse to throw a fabulous roof-deck pool party. Its their last summer together before heading off to college, and things are sizzlingno, its not just the weather. Despite that steamy kiss on graduation night, Blair, Serena and Nate have gone their separate waysthough not for long. Blair is off to London with her English Lord-boyfriend, Serenas about to become a movie staras if she wasnt a star already!and Nates rolling up his well-worn khakis and heading to the Hamptons. Back in New York, Dan and Vanessa are rekindling their love. Fiery! Watch out, this summer is going to be hotter than ever.

Customer Reviews:

Very entertaining.......2007-06-21

Reviewed by Erin Keith (age 17) for Reader Views (6/07)

It's the beginning of summer and it's off to a hot start. Our main characters consist of Serena, Blair, Nate, Dan, and Vanessa.

Serena is starring in a re-make of the famous movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's," except it's now called Breakfast at Fred's. She thinks that she has the easy life, what with a really hot co-star, that is until she's finding it hard to concentrate on her lines.

Blair is off to England with her new boyfriend, Lord Marcus, but gets a rude awakening when his cousin comes to visit. She finds herself back in the states and is mortified when her mother informs her that she needs a summer job.

Nate is up to his usual getting-in-trouble self and realizes that there's more to life than money and nice cars. When a townie chick opens his eyes to the real world, he begins to question a lot of other things, like what he really wants out of life.

Dan is between a rock and hard place when he asks Vanessa to move back in with him, but meets a new girl with a new perspective on life and the environment. He tries to re-kindle a flame with Vanessa, but sometimes big gestures are not enough. After getting fired from her summer job on the set of Breakfast at Fred's, Vanessa must learn the true wonders of babysitting. But she doesn't realize what she's gotten herself into until it's too late.

All in all, the ninth novel in the "Gossip Girl" series is one to keep you fully entertained this summer. "Only in Your Dreams" was intriguing and displayed a consistency in the series. I would recommend this book to those who like the series, and to those that are looking for a good summer read. The great thing about the "Gossip Girl" books is that you don't have to read them in order!

Don't waste your money. .......2007-01-11

Okay, I really did try to read one of these books once, but that didn't last very long. I honestly don't understand why people even like them. There's nothing good about these books. They're just about materialistic people and their boring, superficial lives. Seems to be that all they do is drink, have sex, and backstab their "friends". How wonderful. Don't waste your money.

great books.......2006-11-19

i have read all the books and they are all great i cant wait for the next book in 2007 and hopefully the movie

Sleazy and Petty.......2006-10-11

This installation of the Gossip Girl series is just as shallow and superficial as all its predecessors are. The entire plot revolves around getting high, having sex, smoking, and guzzling down alcohol. The whole series is pure trash from beginning to end.

Not as good as the others.......2006-09-27

I agree with what some of the other people are saying this book is no where near as good as the other books, it seems as if ever since the kids graduated the author has run out of ideas. And those reviewers who are complaining about how this book isn't apporiate for younger readers, shoud know this book is for ages 16 and up and every 16 year old has heard or used the "f" word at least once in their lives. Yes there is a lot of sex, drugs, and bad language but that's a part of the real world.

Book Description

Describes more than 1,600 construction and structural adhesives and sealants currently available from over 100 suppliers. These adhesives and sealants can be used for major construction and structural applications as well as in commercial businesses, schools, and offices, and by the home-repair handyman. The products can be applied to such diverse materials as concrete, ceramics, vinyl, polyethylene, foamed plastics, wood, plywood, fiberboard, gypsum board, prefinished panels, leather, and cotton. Product Information is presented by company, alphabetically, and there is also a section of Sample Formulations. Another useful section contains Suppliers;' Addresses, and a Trade Name Index completes the book.

Book Description

This is a collection of the recorded lectures given at a conference to celebrate the 60th birthday of Professor Ioan James, who has made significant contributions to homotopy theory, highlighting problems and initiating new methods. The present volume contains papers from internationally distinguished research workers that reflect recent exciting breakthroughs in this field. It will be important for all homotopy theorists as both a statement of current research and as a signpost for new directions. This should prove interesting to research workers in algebraic topology.

A Call to Character: A Family Treasury of Stories, Poems, Plays, Proverbs, and Fables to Guide the Development of Values for You and Your Children
Average customer rating:

Integrity to Idealism

A collection of wonderful excerpts illustrating values.

A Call to Character: A Family Treasury of Stories, Poems, Plays, Proverbs, and Fables to Guide the Development of Values for You and Your Children

Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Anthologies | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
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Right from Wrong: Instilling a Sense of Integrity in Your Child

Moral Compass : Stories for a Life's Journey

ASIN: 0060173394

Book Description

A Call to Character is a unique family reader that brings together a liberal assortment of voices from novels, short stories, plays and poetry -- both the well loved and the obscure -- to enrich and enliven a child's imagination. The unusual breadth of readings illustrates lives defined by hign standards of personal character, such as courage, honesty, fairness, responsibility, compassion, empathy, generosity and love.

Customer Reviews:

Integrity to Idealism.......2003-09-24

9/24/03 editors Greer and Kohl in taking from Courage(pg 15) to Love (Pg 411) and quotes from various source(s) on all conceivable character traits give a spontaneousness and charisma to characteristics that oft time appear to be "robotic"(e.g. 1.courage(Pg 15) :poet Shirley Kaufman "It's not what I wake up to but what I dream")or(e.g. 2. generosity (Pg 177): Eleanor Porter's Pollyanna "..of course you're glad to help Dr. Clinton;I should think being a doctor would be the gladdest business there was") or (e.g. 3:Compassion:"Our house has character,their's is rundown";"we are cautious,they are chicken";"our friend is the life of the party,their friend always makes a fool of himself after a few drinks"; "Our friend has written a book with a plot as light as a souffle,their friend has written a book with a flimsy plot".

A collection of wonderful excerpts illustrating values........1996-12-30

This book is full of excerpts from little- and well-known books with a soulful commentary behind each one. Characters from The Elephant's Child to Helen Keller learn more about themselves and their surroundings in bits and pieces that might help you to learn a bit more about yourself and your surroundings. Great for family readings or just to yourself or your child. Is also a nice chunky book to hold up bookshelves, if nothing else

Call To Character: A Family Treasury Of Stories,Poems,Plays,Proverbs,And Fables To Guide The Development Of Values For You And Your Children

Average customer rating:

Call To Character: A Family Treasury Of Stories,Poems,Plays,Proverbs,And Fables To Guide The Development Of Values For You And Your Children
Colin/ Kohl,Herber/ Kohl,Herber Greer
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEISJM

Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox: Vol. 1, 1882-1940
Average customer rating:

A Great Political Biography of a Great President

Title Says It All

Decidedly Insightful

A MUST for FDR fans!

Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox: Vol. 1, 1882-1940
James MacGregor Burns
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Federal Government | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0156788705

Book Description

The first political biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Winner of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award. “A case study unmatched in american political writings” (Newsweek). Index; photographs.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Political Biography of a Great President.......2001-04-04

I recently had occasion to re-read James MacGregor Burns's marvelous Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox and was deeply impressed by how well its has withstood the test of time. The early paperback edition of this book, which was originally published in 1956 and covers the period from 1882 until 1940, characterized it as the "first political biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt," and it continues to be the authoritative study of Roosevelt's preparation for and then conduct of his first two terms as president, when domestic affairs demanded most of his attention. This remains a wonderful book about this country's greatest politician of the 20th century, and it also offers many penetrating insights into the American political system.

Burns's treatment of Roosevelt is comprehensive, "[treating] much of [Roosevelt's] personal as well as his public life, because a great politician's career remorselessly sucks everything into its vortex." Roosevelt was the only child of a member of the upstate New York landed gentry, and he could have led a life of leisure. Instead, he was sent to Groton School in Massachusetts, where the headmaster, according to Burns, "made much of his eagerness to educate his boys for political leadership." Roosevelt completed his formal education at Harvard College and Columbia University Law School. Burns writes that Roosevelt's first elective office, as a New York State Senator was a "political education," and he became a "Young Lion" in Albany. Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in Washington, D.C., during World War I and was the candidate for Vice President on the Democrat Party's unsuccessful ticket in 1920. In 1921, Roosevelt was stricken with polio, and the crippling disease would have ended the public career of a less ambitious and determined man. Instead, he continued to work hard at politics, was elected Governor of New York in 1928 and then President in 1932. This was just the beginning of a remarkable career in high office.

Burns makes clear that Roosevelt was a progressive in the tradition of Woodrow Wilson but was without strong ideas or a specific agenda. According to Burns: "The presidency, Roosevelt said shortly after his election, `is preeminently a place of moral leadership.'" Retired Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes offered this cutting assessment: "A second -class intellect, but a first-class temperament." Action to combat the depression was necessary to restore public confidence in government, and the first Hundred Days of Roosevelt's first term was one of the great periods of legislative achievement in American history. Burns writes: "Roosevelt was following no master program." However, in Burns's view: "The classic test of greatness in the White House has been the chief executive's capacity to lead Congress." According to that test, Roosevelt was a great president. Burns writes that, "[i]n his first two years in office Roosevelt achieved to a remarkable degree the exalted position of being President of all the people." Burns explains: "A remarkable aspect of the New Deal was the sweep and variety of the groups it helped."

As early as 1934, however, organized conservative opposition to the New Deal was forming. (A newspaper cartoon reprinted here shows a figure identified as the Republican Party holding a sign stating: "Roosevelt is a Red!") Roosevelt was increasingly attacked as a traitor to his class, but a large measure of his genius was his ability to hold the more extreme elements of the New Deal in check. Roosevelt's political skills were tested in every way. For instance, Burns writes that Senator Robert Wagner's National Labor Relations Act, which proposed to"[vest] massive economic and political power in organized labor" "was the most radical legislation passed during the New Deal." According to Burns, Roosevelt's initial reaction to the bill was "invariably cool or evasive," and the president, with what Burns describes as "typical Rooseveltian agility," announced his support for the bill only after its passage was certain. Burns demonstrates that Roosevelt's support, both in Congress and among the public, gradually eroded in the late 1930s, but he was, of course, elected again in 1940 and 1944. Roosevelt's nomination in 1940 was especially skillful. Many in his own party favored maintaining the tradition of limiting presidents to two terms, and Democratic Party leaders lined up in the hope of succeeding Roosevelt. Roosevelt outfoxed all of them and was elected to his historic third term.

I believe it is fair to say that Burns admires Roosevelt, but this book is not a whitewash. Burns candidly writes about Roosevelt's "deviousness." And the author is appropriately critical of Roosevelt's attempt to "pack" the Supreme Court following his overwhelming re-election in 1936. However, in my opinion, these instances simply are proof of the truism that great men are not always good men. Burns took the subtitle of this book from the Italian Renaissance political philosopher Machiavelli's dictum that a political leader must be strong like a lion and shrewd like a fox. Franklin D. Roosevelt was both, and that made him a great president. This is a great political biography of that great president

Title Says It All.......2000-08-29

FDR was perhaps the craftiest politician to occupy the White House since Lincoln. The Title, "...Lion and the Fox" is an allusion to Machiavelli's dictum that one must be stouthearted like a lion and crafty like a fox. FDR combined these qualities to achieve political mastery of his time.

This book focus on his life up to the start of WWII. It paints a thorough life portrait of the president and illustrates the events and experiences that shaped this master politician. Although enjoying congressional majorities like no other president (that certainly aided the implementation of his program), FDR had to over come the reluctance of both GOP and Democrat conservatives to rework the federal government into the active economic and social player it is today. McGreggor's book explains how FDR the man made the New Deal possible.

This is a well written book that gives evidence of being thoroughly researched. For anyone interested in presidential history, I'd recommend this book.

Decidedly Insightful.......2000-03-17

Gives a fantastic account of FDR from his privileged childhood and days at Groton, to his harsh induction into the world of politics; the skill at which he maneuvered the political currents to the New York Capital in Albany, and ultimately the White House. Once there Burns gives an account of passionate dedication to the American people, both during the Depression and WWII, that most likely was not seen since Lincoln. A must for anyone's Presidential Biographical collection.

A MUST for FDR fans!.......1997-03-19

This is the best account of pre-WWII FDR that has been written. Burns combines established facts with a commentary that examines the 32nd President's possible psychological views on issues. From major decisions during the New Deal to relationships with Eleanor and staff members, Burns paints an objective picture of FDR. The picture is neither rosy nor clouded, but is an intimate portrait of the longest- serving President in American history.

Ragged War: The Story of Unconventional & Counter-Revolutionary Warfare
Average customer rating:
Ragged War: The Story of Unconventional & Counter-Revolutionary Warfare
Leroy Thompson
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0788161377

Average customer rating:

Outstanding in helping to understand terrorism.

Ragged War: The Story of Unconventional and Counter-Revolutionary Warfare
Leroy Thompson
Manufacturer: Arms & Armour
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 185409369X

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding in helping to understand terrorism........1998-09-05

The use of terror against nation-states is not new. This book helps the reader to understand motivational factors regarding the use of terrorism, and how to successfully counter terrorism, by looking at successful and not so successful counter and anti-terrorist campaigns.

Ragged War: The Story of Unconventional and Counter-Revolutionary Warfare

Average customer rating:

Ragged War: The Story of Unconventional and Counter-Revolutionary Warfare
Leroy Thompson
Manufacturer: Arms & Armour
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLUT5Q

Wake Up, You're Liberal!: How We Can Take America Back from the Right
Average customer rating:

A Bad Man

I basically agree, but the book does have flaws

Unbelievable

Food for thought -- read it while thinking's still allowed

Outspoken author is passionate about his convictions

Wake Up, You're Liberal!: How We Can Take America Back from the Right
Ted Rall
Manufacturer: Soft Skull Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Federal Government | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Liberalism | Political Doctrines | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
21st Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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Generalissimo El Busho: Essays & Cartoons on the Bush Years

ASIN: 1932360220

Book Description

Declaring that there hasn't been a "real" Democrat in the White House since Lyndon Johnson, Ted Rall decries the hijacking of the government by right-wingers and the seeming powerlessness of the left to stop them. Wake Up, America! You're Liberal! features his trademark no-holds-barred invective and 30 thought-provoking illustrations.

Rall, seeing the left in disarray, tells liberal Americans how to organize a vibrant, relevant alternative to rightist rule and make life better for vast numbers of people in the process. In fact, he says, in order to enjoy the mainstream majority status they deserve, liberals must strive to create a viable American left centered around an effective Democratic party.

Customer Reviews:

A Bad Man.......2006-08-10

I read the book because I had heard good things about it. I was disgusted by what I saw. I've always been a moderate, so this is not the ramblings of some right wing nut who just hates liberals. Ted Rall hates America with an almost satanic passion. After reading the book, I went online and searched for Ted Rall's cartoons. These cartoons are even worse than the book. He advocates the deaths of our soldiers and makes one cartoon actually claimed that ALL soldiers are rapists and sadists. Ted Rall is a sick and twisted human being. Do not send any of your money to this sadistic and anti-american nut.

I basically agree, but the book does have flaws.......2006-01-21

I agree, generally, with the book's basic position, which is that those of us who are not on the far right side of the political spectrum need to stand up to the onslaught from the right. I also appreciate Ted Rall's snarky sense of humor. I very much appreciate the fact that he's done his homework and that he presents clear, and for the most part, accurate information. By and large, I think that he makes his case.

I also really appreciate the tone of the book. Rall wants to fight back against bullies. I do too. At a time in our country's history when we can observe more and more of our sacred civil liberties being chipped away from within, at a time when we are forced to endure the sanctimonious speech of hypocrites feigning morality, there are many targets. Essentially what Rall advocates is standing up to political bullies, hitting them back harder than they hit, and then watching them scamper away. Whether or not this will work as a political strategy is somewhat uncertain; but there is a cathartic value to just contemplating the idea.

If the book has a basic flaw it is this; in framing the book's arguments as essentially, left vs. right, it contributes to an environment of polarization. Perhaps we need to transcend this, ultimately. The problem with such positioning, too, is that it may not speak as much to centrists, and to those who don't follow politics that closely. And a related flaw is in presuming that the Democratic Party can be the means to bring about the transformations of politics that Rall desires. In theory this may be true. But in the real world, I am skeptical. And again, I have learned that identifying one party with the sinners and another with the saints my work, occasionally as rhetoric, but doesn't necessarily convince those not already convinced of the credibility of your claims.

Ultimately, then, Ted Rall here is primarily speaking to the already converted, and offering them inspiration. To those not yet converted, he may persuade some, but it depends a lot on them and on how open minded they are, as well as on what other information sources they may have.

Unbelievable.......2005-10-28

It's hard to understand how anyone can have their head buried so far up their rear end that they could actually buy in to this. And at the same time it's easy to see why liberals cannot win an election. I would advise everyone to read this book. I would also advise everyone to read "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat when you're done for a real economic lesson about where our country is headed if we remain on this Socialistic track. "The Law" is about 30 pages long and can be read for free on the internet. It is absolute poison for the liberal mind (I know, I know... that is an oxymoron).

Food for thought -- read it while thinking's still allowed.......2005-10-26

-

I found "Wake Up, You're Liberal!" to be excellent food for thought.

There are some who feel that all the important issues facing America and Americans have been solved. For those who feel this way, doctrinaire nonsense from one or another "ism" obviates the need to examine, consider, and decide -- all that's needed is to just keep shouting ideological catchphrases at any and all problems 'til the problems succumb from exhaustion.

For the great majority of centrist Americans, however, partisan shrieking isn't enough. For them, reflecting on earlier events and examining new ideas is an essential part of good citizenship.

Ted Rall's cogently written book, "Wake Up, You're Liberal!," provides that reflection and examination. Like any of our fellow species members, Mr. Rall may not always get it right, but that's a consequence of his considering complex problems rather than arguing that simplistic catchphrases alone are enough to solve them them.

His examination also means that the word "Liberal" in the title may mislead, even disappoint, some readers. One of the books recurring themes is that doctrinaire liberals and doctrinaire conservatives alike have allowed rigid advocacy of overly simplistic, even extremist, dogma to move their respective movements out of the political mainstream.

"Wake Up, You're Liberal!" won't offend or annoy anyone who can tolerate reasoned political dialog. The book certainly isn't grounds for having Mr. Rall imprisioned, exiled, or shot as some neocons have publicly suggested.

But for those of who naively belive that any book, doctrine, or "ism" can provide the answer to any and all problems, books like "Wake Up" may present an unacceptable deviance from approved doctrine. That's true whether the orthodoxy originates from the left or the right.

For that reason alone, I strongly suggest you read this book while it's still legal to do so...

Outspoken author is passionate about his convictions.......2005-07-10

Ted Rall argues that liberal Democrats only problem comes down to a lack of proactive self-marketing.

Voters have thus forgotten (or do not want to realize) that liberal Democrats made Social Security, equal employment, clean water, free public education and many other policies which now draw strong majorities of public support.

We do not for instance hear a call to eliminate the pure foods act or overturn child labor bans although those were also enacted by the liberals of their time. This is because America is a fundamentally liberal country.

We have just let conservatives define what being a liberal is instead of constantly being proactive and doing it ourselves. Self-marketing gives people an honest picture of who we are and what we believe--liberals are the American mainstream. After the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon television debates we got cocky and forgot the importance of presentation to winning public offices.

He is also eerily accurate with his personal assessment of some campaign/party office conditions (pp. 189-191). Having the best party platform and the best issue positions in the world does not mean much for prospective voters when they are actually being cut down by self-absorbed individual party officials and/or find out the party has headquartered itself in something looking like the `end' frame in a disaster movie.

Having had my own experiences with such conditions, I completely agree. I can see where it does turn off an independent voter or a prospective party activist who is not committed enough about politics to then stay with the Democrats. There are some things an organization which cannot skimp on because image does matter to mission success. Even `nice' people cannot compensate for having a dilapidated office. A clean well-maintained office ultimately convinces voters that we will also keep government in a similar condition if elected.

Rall praises Clinton for some positions, but he also attacks the Democratic Leadership Council for trying to mimic the Republicans electoral success without first understanding where they had succeeded (pp. 153-182) or why. He also points out that the GOP has not moderated their tone in return, instead strengthening it.

At the same time, Rall forgets his own earlier advice about looking beyond stereotypes when he tries to talk about the feminist movement. Here Rall actually plays into the hands of people who want to believe that liberalism is bizzare.

He inadvertently undercuts the sincerity of his own organizing credo with an attack on Patricia Ireland, former president of the National Organization for Women, because of her sexuality (pp. 65-66). Rall is visibly obsessed with both her sexuality and the consequent `implications' for the feminist movement, she allegedly discredits us all only because some conservatives stereotype every feminist as a lesbian. He then expresses a preference for the earlier NOW, an irony given that the 1966 organization was much closer to the `republican lite' model which he claims to despise in other chapters of this same book.

Rall's book has some good points, but it is not flawless. People reading this book should take the gender observations with a grain of salt. Rall seems to have a different standard for gender than the issues which he does feels strongly about. His conversational style might draw in readers who are turned off by the tone of most other political books however.

Book Description

Global Marine Biological Diversity presents the most up-to-date information and view on the challenge of conserving the living sea and how that challenge can be met.

Customer Reviews:

This is THE Book to have on a topic of global importance!.......2003-02-21

This book sublimely inspired me as few others have done. In my own personal collection of greatest books on the environment, I'd put Silent Spring, Wilderness and the American Mind, Sand County Almanac, works of A. Lovins--and precious few others; I'd personally rank this book among these very best.

What this book does beautifully is to range across marine disciplines in a way that's at once understandable, quite managable, and also scientifically persuasive. We all presume to know know something of the environment from day to day living--but what we haven't been exposed to is the existence (and great importance of) global marine biological diversity in all it's facets. (Especially the wondrous curious biodiversity of deep seas). This book has opened my eyes to new ways of seeing how the sea around us works, and drawn me with great interest to the address the compelling biodiversity that Dr. Norse describes.

I consider this book "A Must read" for any academic courses on the topic, and highly recommend it to both practitioners and anyone interested in the diverse ways of the sea. In my own 20 year career in marine biodiversity, I can think of no more seminal book than this one: it insightfully and brilliantly opens the marine realm to readers as a timeless classic.

Bravo to Dr. Norse & the Marine Conservation Biology Institute!

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