Right Worthy Grand Mission: Maggie Lena Walker and the Quest for Black Economic Empowerment

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From SyberVision, the leader in sports achievement technology comes one of the most advanced and effective golf training programs available. Designed for golfers of all levels. An innovative system for teaching, reinforcing and dramatically improving your golf performance by patterning your skills after the form of a high-skilled "model" golfer. Unlike other video training programs, "Neuromuscular Training Golf with Sheehan" is a total learning system which works by incorporating information from three media sources: video, audio and print. The video contains computer enhanced sequences of movement that outline and breakdown the seemingly complex motion into simple components. The audiocassettes expand and reinforce your video training experience by giving you an understanding of the science of neuromuscular training, insights into developing winning skills and attitudes and a way to recreate the vital images and sensations from your video. The Personal Training Guide instructs you on the best times and ways to use your video and audiocassettes. The four audio tapes are entitled: (1) Mind, Body and High-Technology: The Ultimate Personal Achievement System; (2) The Mind of a Champion: A Personal Interview with Patty Sheehan (3) The New Psychology of Athletic Achievement: The 12 Keys to Golf Success; and (4) Images of Achievement: The Power of Holographic Sound.

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Patty Sheehan on Golf
Patty Sheehan , and Betty Hicks
Manufacturer: Taylor Publishing Company (TX)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Neuromuscular Training Golf with Patty Sheehan (SyberVision Sports Achievement Technology, Neuromuscular Training)

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Neuromuscular Training Golf with Patty Sheehan (SyberVision Sports Achievement Technology, Neuromuscular Training)

Manufacturer: SyberVision
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Patty Sheehan on Golf
Sheehan Patty
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Adventures of a No Name Actor
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Hysterically funny

I love this book!

A Laugh OUTLOUD Book

A Behind the Scenes Treat

One Of The Funniest Books I Have Ever Read.

Adventures of a No Name Actor
Marco Perella , and Molly Ivins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HWYIIG

Book Description

Marco Perella is a very successful actor. Which is not to say that he is a famous actor. The co-star in some made-for-TV movies, a bit player in major Hollywood productions, guest star on a late night cable TV series-Marco has seen every aspect of what is, by anyone's account, an absurd business. Whether he has been hired to float down the Guadalupe River dressed in a Jester's suit, recruited to teach Kevin Costner how to dance, or paid $250 to stand in front of a plate glass window while a runaway convertible hurtles through it, screeching to a halt only inches from his body, Marco Perella has met his acting challenges head on. In Adventures of a No Name Actor, he recounts his experiences with a storyteller's eye for detail and a Texan's light touch, proving that you don't have to be famous to be funny.

Customer Reviews:

Hysterically funny.......2007-09-01

I'm surprised this book isn't more famous, but most books that do well are for the dreamers. This book makes you cringe-laugh. I'm so glad that I don't have it in my blood to be an actor. But any artist will appreciate the absurdity of business with the arts. But Hollywood needs more Texans like Marco Perella and Kinky Friedman to keep it all grounded. (And Rest in peace, Miss Molly!)

I love this book!.......2007-06-22

Molly Ivins was right...this book should be required reading for anyone who thinks they want to be an actor. It gives a thoroughly honest, and FUNNY, view into the life of a working actor. Fantastic!

A Laugh OUTLOUD Book.......2007-05-09

Marco Perella is a self described "No Name Actor" who has worked with many huge stars such as Kevin Costner, Drew Barrymore,Charlie Sheen, the list goes on and on. I work in the operating room, and I laughed so hard outloud while reading it that the surgeon thought I was laughing at him! My favorite story is "Streetcar Named Desire"- Having some experience in TV and theatre, I found it poignant and quite laughably true. Now I find myself thinking back to some of the described scenes and will be looking for you Marco!

A Behind the Scenes Treat .......2004-11-19

ADVENTURES OF A NO NAME ACTOR is a light and humorous glimpse into the life and livelihood of working actor Marco Perella. Thrill and giggle to his experiences as a seasoned film villain, the insane nature of movie stunt work, his adventures with auditions and conventions, as well as some VERY surreal celebrity encounters. Great behind the scenes stuff is sure to interest wannabe and working actors, film buffs, and even just fans of fun memoirs. We'll be looking for you Marco!

One Of The Funniest Books I Have Ever Read........2003-12-10

Have you ever been in a cafe, reading a book that made you laugh so much, attracting the attention of people around you who either think you are a sandwich short of a picnic or what you are actually reading is hilarious?
Well,this is exactly what happened to me, and of course only because I was reading one of the funniest books I read in years,at par with the best of Peter Biddlecombe, Bill Bryson or Peter Moore, and this is Adventures of A No Name Actor, by Marco Perella.
The book is a humour filled ride into the world of movie making like few have been written before,full of anecdotes and behind the scenes stories,all dressed up in an ironic and self deprecating style.
My only disappointment is the fact that the book was too short for my liking, as I really wanted to read more and more, so I ended up reading it again, something I rarely do.
If you want to know why Leslie Anne Warren cried..How good a dancer Kevin Costner is..Oliver Stone's casting style..what the actors and crew thought of Ned Beatty,and many more stories then by all means by this book now, and laugh out loud!

Amazon.com

In just under 900 pages (with another 100 or so pages of notes and bibliography), sociologist Randall Collins elaborates upon his proposed model for how intellectuals--"people who produce decontextualized ideas"--work among one another. Borrowing Erving Goffman's concept of the "interaction ritual," Collins discusses how "intellectuals gather, focus their attention for a time on one of their members, who delivers a sustained discourse. The discourse itself builds on elements from the past, affirming and continuing or negating." Or, to put it more simply, intellectuals attend a lot of lectures and have discussions afterwards.

General readers may be put off by a hefty tome with chapters given such titles as "The Post-revolutionary Condition: Boundaries and Philosophical Puzzles" (which includes the subsection "The Vienna Circle as a Nexus of Struggles"), but those with a dedicated interest in the history of philosophy will find much to enjoy in the multicultural examples Collins draws upon. Ancient China, classical Greece, medieval Islam, and the French existentialists are just the tip of the iceberg illustrating his theory that intellectual progress is made through the personal interaction of philosophers and other thinkers. "Great intellectual work," Collins writes, "is that which creates a large space on which followers can work," and The Sociology of Philosophies certainly qualifies. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

Randall Collins traces the movement of philosophical thought in ancient Greece, China, Japan, India, the medieval Islamic and Jewish world, medieval Christendom, and modern Europe. What emerges from this history is a social theory of intellectual change, one that avoids both the reduction of ideas to the influences of society at large and the purely contingent local construction of meanings. Instead, Collins focuses on the social locations where sophisticated ideas are formed: the patterns of intellectual networks and their inner divisions and conflicts.

Customer Reviews:

A beginner's guide.......2007-04-27

Randall Collins has provided a comprehensive overview of the major philosophical ideas that interested non philosophers can use as an introduction without fear of missing anything important. As a physician grappling daily with the issues of knowledge assessment, the extensive overview was well worth the few weeks it took to read the book. Many descriptions are nevertheless brutally summarized so that I often used on line encyclopedias to provide necessary background. Bertrand Russell's " A History of Western Philosophy" is more accessible, but is now out of date, and not nearly as comprehensive. By dividing philosophers into schools by century and location, providing easily understandable charts of the interconnections of various schools, and brief summaries of their positions, one builds a very humanized, inclusive picture. The description of science as rapid discovery based primarily on technological innovation certainly resonated strongly and came as a new insight in spite of spending the last 40 years in such an endeavor. The same arguments about knowledge growth are repeatedly emphasized, but at least there is a slight difference in perspective. Summarizing the big problems of ontology and epistemology by how and when they appeared in Western, Islamic, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cultures gives an excellent overview. The final chapter on sociological realism based on the previous discussion provided a sound foundation for building the arguments, and placing the ideas in perspective. I came away with a better idea of where to go next and that even though the search for enlightenment is unending, a few successes, no matter how minor, can be very satisfying.

A new way to view philosophy.......2004-12-13

I have a Ph.D. in history of philosophy, but I now follow it as an interested layman rather than a professional. In short, this review is written from the viewpoint of someone whose background and interests lie in philosophy rather than sociology.

For me, this was an interesting and useful book for a couple of reasons:

1. It discusses philosophers in the context of social networks, where the thinkers are linked by relationships such as: was the student of, reacted against, was married to the sister of, etc.

Often, philosophy is taught (or studied) by looking only at the works of philosophers, in isolation from the philosophers' relationships with others around them. Placing a philosopher in the context of a network of relationships helps considerably in understanding what the philosopher is trying to do, and why. In short, it can help you better to understand any particular philosopher that you are studying.

2. I found the author's notion of an "attention space" very interesting. The notion of an "attention space" in the history of philosophy seems to me similar to Thomas Kuhn's notion of a "paradigm" in the history of science. Philosophers' roles in the history of philosophy are described as moving the attention space, or elaborating within the attention space, and so on, where moving the attention space is comparable to Kuhn's "paradigm shift" and elaborating within the attention space is comparable to Kuhn's "normal science". This approach to the history of philosophy is, I think helpful. It gives you genuine insight into the history of philosophy.

I recommend this book. You may not wish to read it all -- I didn't -- but if you dip into it here and there, at spots that look interesting to you, you will encounter ideas and concepts that are useful, stimulating and thought-provoking.

Great classroom reference.......2004-08-21

I received this welcome book free in the mail years ago with the suggestion that it be a text book for a philosophy course. While it certainly is an important, interesting book on philosophy, it offers little as a philosophy text book. But over the years I have found lots of opportunities to refer to it in class as a resource.
Some specific things I find come up frequently:
1. The concept of the sociological cogito -- this strikes me as a wonderful way of applying Augustine, via Descartes' cogito via Leibniz, Hegel, Wittgenstein (private language argument) to interest the class on what we know for certain. It was the first I saw the argument presented this lucidly.
2. Applying the template of social networks to the development of ideas - and this I connect to current complex systems work such as Kennedy's Swarm Intelligence. I love passing the book around so everyone can see the network charts.
3. The relationship between points of view moving through intellectual space following standard patterns, much as Hegelian dialectic describes, but in easier terms.
4. Since I also routinely discuss sociologizing sociology, it certainly is fair that I discuss sociologizing philosophy as well.

There is a disappointment: the book stops. Understood, the effort would have been a tremendous one as the information explosion changes the patterns. But this is precisely the concern. What changes with the information explosion? We did not have to touch Quine to be strongly influenced though meeting him was certainly an event to be remembered. This is an approach I would like to see explored further.

Reading Global History of Philosophy With a Thesis.......2004-03-25

For all interested in global history of philosophy, this is the book to get.

First, each section on a particular philosophical tradition (e.g. ancient Greece, Indian, Medieval Islamic, Chinese, Modern) is an interesting high-level history of tradition in its own rights. This alone makes the price tag worthwhile.

More importantly, Collins included very interesting insights about individual period that is not covered by other general histories:
1) How some schools of thoughts become popular not because they are correct but because they are extreme
2) Parallelisms that occur in different periods of the same tradition (e.g. Post-Shankara positions in India has its parallel during the hey-day of Buddhist philosophy)
3) Parallelisms that occur across traditions (e.g. compelling coverage of how medieval Christian & Islamic philospophy shares a similar structure)

With these characteristics, I think this book clearly satisfies the need us interested in global history of philosophy, for which Collins is clearly very passionate about.

On the sociology theoretical piece, I think the theory is fine: it articulates a lot of aspects of which most students of philosophy has a vague sense. The theory is almost 'common sense'-- just that it doesn't seem to have been clearly articulated that way in academic circles. As such, the theory piece is less interesting, but it is not intruding and it provides a sound umbrella thesis for Collins' insights on individual traditions.

Lastly, one point about the 'data' that Collins use-- the 'maps' that link the different philosophers in networks. I think it is interesting to read (because it includes a lot of interesting names-- familiar or otherwise), but they don't really provide the 'data' on which the sociological theory can be based. I think Collins himself recognized this-- and thus his appendix about the important 'isolates' like Ibn Sina.

Change as a constant..........2003-05-19

'I am thinking' is irrefutable because 'I am not thinking' nevertheless displays oneself thinking.
-- p. 858

The book 'The Sociology of Philosophies' purports to be 'The first comprehensive history of world philosophy,' as well as 'a social history of global intellectual life.' Collins in this book takes as his subject the whole of human intellectual endeavour, exploring the strands and developments of philosophical thought in all the major cultures of the world.

Collins begins this weighty and, at times, hyper-intellectual tome by building a theory of intellectualism, ritual, education, and philosophical reflection. He identifies two of the longest and most dominant philosophical strands as being those arising in Greece and China.

Collins posits the theory that intellectual pursuits do not arise in a vacuum, and are more of a societal and communal development than an individual pursuit or achievement.

'That ideas are not rooted in individuals is hard to accept because it seems to offend against a key epistemological point. Here the question is analytically distinct from the propensity to worship intellectual heroes.'

However, when one looks at the history of ideas, they usually arise in groups. While there are certainly key individuals who arose at different times in history, it is also true that there are patterns -- the age of philosophy in Greece, the Renaissance in Italy, etc. There is a particular atmosphere and sociological aspect to the culture that encourages and develops intellectual development that is unique to each, and leads to differing developments.

After exploring this history and the rituals of intellectuals and intellectualism (which is little acknowledged among scholars in the West), Collins explores who the major individuals are, who the minor individuals are, and what places they occupy in the chain of intellectual history. These chains are most pronounced in developments from Greece and developments from China; the Chinese strands continue through almost all subsequent Eastern thought, which is always responding to or reacting against key ideas formed there; in Western thought, almost all philosophical and intellectual development does the same with regard to the Greek development.

Collins proceeds from this to a theoretical framework (in which he develops more closely the Greek philosophical reflective framework, being the one from which Collins was educated, and thus the dominant underpinning of his writing) that explores the importance and rarity of true creativity. From this, he continues, doing a comparative analysis of intellectual communities, drawing in, in addition to Ancient Greece and Ancient China, India, Japan, Neo-Confucian China, Medieval Christendom, Islamic philosophies, Jewish philosophical development, then surveying modern western philosophies, French, German, and British.

Strong historical themes, political and other intellectual developments (such as the shift from faith-based to experimental-based knowledge and the rise of scientific method and mathematical objectivism) are included in his analysis. Collins concludes this work with Meta-Reflections, in which he explores the sequence and branches in the production of ideas socially (exploring the future of philosophy, which Collins states is 'a partisan theme which announces that the era of foundational questions is over. The call for the end of philosophy is recurrent, a standard ploy in intergenerational rearrangements, usually a prelude to a new round of deep troubles and new creativity.'

Collins' meta-reflections also include an epilogue on sociological realism. The quote that starts this review comes from this section. Self-evident truths are explored here.

'Virtually no one actually doubts the reality of the world of ordinary experience. It is only within specialised intellectual networks that the question has arisen whether this banal reality can be proven to a high standard of argument; and even intellectuals, when they are 'off duty', go back to assuming the reality of the ordinary time-space world.'

Sociological realism accepts the world as it is, which is not always the case with philosophy, even though philosophy purports to explain the world. This is a disconnect that occurs frequently in history. Collins further looks to mathematics and 'rapid-discovery science' for complications and developmental pieces in the intellectual history of the world.

Collins includes an extensive bibliography (worth the value of the book in itself), indexes of persons and of ideas, keys and timelines to figures, and a very interesting appendix entitled 'The Clustering of Contemporaneous Creativity', in which the ebb and flow of intellectual development on a global scale is examined and shows interesting results. He charts here the 'cultural production' of intellectuals, and their influence on their respective cultures. He traces such developments across hundreds of major and minor figures, determining fewer than 20 'isolates' in any cultural strand, and those being only among the minor figures.

Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.
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Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.
Randall Collins
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UYFPOC

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Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.
Randall Collins
Manufacturer: Collins, Randall. The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change. Harvard University Press, 2000. Quality paperback. 1098pp. Very good, text clean, tight and bright condition.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TAC1LW

The Drawing of Trumps and Its Postponement
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The Drawing of Trumps and Its Postponement
Fred L. Karpin
Manufacturer: Max Hardy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PGHAR0

Average customer rating:
The Drawing of Trumps and Its Postponement (B-3)
Fred L. Karpin
Manufacturer: Aegean Park Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0894122576

Book Description

This book has been described by many experts as one of the finest books ever written concerning declarer's play. The problem of trump management, when and when not to draw trumps, is a key element in declarer's play and this important book provides the answer to that problem.

Book Description

Microsoft Windows Internals - Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Win XP, and Win 2000 - Ed. 4 - reference book

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive........2007-09-03

An excellent coverage of the Windows architecture. Very strong on using tools to examine the state of a machine, from the kernel debugger to the many tools written by one of the authors. Of course, Windows being closed-source, it isn't possible to show any of the source code (or pointers thereto) that allow us to see what really happens under the hood.

Very in-depth!.......2007-08-09

pretty amazing book over all. you'll need some pretty deep background knowledge to understand this book. and on the bad side some of the wording is very tricky, id dare say that some words are left out. there are parts when he talks about "objects", "object headers", "object body" and then goes on a bit, and refers to "object" when im PRETTY sure he should have said "object body". i catch my self tripping up over things like that a bit too often.. but... again.. an AMAZING book.. i dont think any other book will go this deep in to windows..

Well-segmented, very informative, and an excellent reference.......2007-01-10

As an experienced UNIX device driver developer, I was looking for reference material on writing drivers for Windows. Recent books on Windows device driver development seemed much more sparse than I was expecting. After using this book, I think it may simply be due the fact that "Microsoft Windows Internals" is such an excellent reference.

The chapters are segregated in such a way that makes it easy to obtain the specific information you are looking for. If you're a novice and are just looking for a How-To book, you would probably do better to consult the MSDN library. However, even for a beginner this book would be good as a reference, and it is phenomenal as a reference for the experienced developer. For myself, I found it very easy to transition into the Windows world from my UNIX universe with this read.

If you aren't particularly familiar with Windows systems development, the first couple of chapters are quintessential, actually. They do an excellent job of pointing to references for tools and reading material which will help your comprehension of the material and your ability to use it. For example, even one of the later chapters pointed me to the exact DDK I needed for the problem I was trying to solve. At the point I read the book, I had no idea there was a separate DDK for that particular problem. This is one of the few books where the informational sidebars are truly informational.

All in all, if you're doing any kind of Windows system internals development, whether device driver level or just trying to understand how parts of the kernel work, this is an excellent reference. Highly recommended!

A book for professionals.......2007-01-05

The book gives good quality, in depth information about the Windows kernel and system architecture. The way it was written (approach by example where possible) is a clear advantage for the reader. However, the information is better understood and assimilated if the reader also accompanies his/her study of a topic with reading through the Windows Platform SDK, DDK(newly WDK) header files.

Excellent material for serious Windows Engineer.......2006-11-03

Very well written in clear and simple English. An indispensable resource for serious Windows developer. Experiments and sample screens enhances the reading and understanding experience.

Registry entries, filesnames, DLL/EXE importance, security concerns, crash dump analysis are clearly and completely elaborated in this text book.

Anyone willing to know internal workings, "how-to", advanced troubleshooting must have this material without second thought!

Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir
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A Piece of History

A good read, but leaves something out

A peek inside an extraordinary mind.

We need the Unauthorized Biography.

This book should be in every African American's home

Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. , and Annette Gordon-Reed
Manufacturer: Basic Civitas Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 046503697X

Book Description

From the civil rights revolution to the halls of power, the life story of a truly larger-than-life figure, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.

A number-one Washington Post bestseller, this memoir is the unforgettable story of a life and its times. As a student in Atlanta, Vernon Jordan had a summer job driving a white banker around town. During the man's afternoon naps, Jordan passed the time reading books, a fact that astounded his boss. "Vernon can read!" the man exclaimed to his relatives. Nearly fifty years later, Vernon Jordan, long-time civil rights leader, adviser and close friend to presidents and business leaders, remembers the sweeping struggles, changes, and dangers of black life during the civil rights revolution.

After attending a predominantly white college in the Midwest and graduating from Howard University Law School, Jordan dedicated himself to the civil rights movement. He led the drive to register black voters in the South and was president of the National Urban League, one of the great civil rights organizations of the era, where he was instrumental in integrating American businesses and providing economic and social support to the expanding black middle class. He survived a white racist's assassination attempt and later became a pillar of America's legal, corporate, and political worlds.

But Jordan's life was shaped in his early years, and this book is also a moving testament to the family whose support and courage provided the framework for his achievements. Vernon Can Read! chronicles a life of courage, pride, sacrifice, style, and accomplishment.

Customer Reviews:

A Piece of History.......2007-03-31

A fantastic book detailing the magnificent journey of a tremendous American! This book is packed with historical facts about the lives of Black people in America. Vernon Jordan was born in 1935 and although he did not live through slavery, he certainly lived through the Jim Crow days. However with a good father and a strong mother, he didn't just survive - he flourished. Yes, Vernon could and did indeed 'read'. The names of people mentioned in this book are dizzying. This man dealt with a wide range of people in his career.
I loved the potent messages that came through with great clarity. Such as "never expect defeat before making an honest effort" pg.2 or pg. 277 his beliefs in concerted efforts..."each person or group using their abilities, contributing what they can to move things forward." I must also mention how happy I was to note Jordan's love for the women in his life; his mother, his invalid wife Shirley - who died at age 48, and his daughter Vickie - the apple of his eye.

A good read, but leaves something out.......2006-08-12

I also never heard of Vernon Jordan before the Lewinsky scandal. I am very glad I read this book. It is a shame that many Americans never heard of his interesting and enlightening story about coming of age in the civil rights era. That seems to me to be the theme of this book, that the civil rights era opened the doors to places of power not dreamed of before, if only one had the ambition and the character to find them.

Like a few other reviewers, I also wish that the author revealed more about the period between when he was in charge of the Urban League. This period is when he made his contacts with very many powerful people in charge of corporations and institutions, received a fellowship at Harvard Business School, and started on his way to become a 'power broker'. I guess if you read between the lines the corporate/foundation contacts made him beholden to the business community, and then retiring from the Urban League to work for a powerful Washington law firm gave him a 'power broker' title. But its not really enough to make the connection, is it? And what about those Bilderberg meetings, Vernon? We would like to know more.

A peek inside an extraordinary mind........2005-06-28

Read this book. Mr. Jordan not only provides insight and anecdotes about many events and individuals in American civil rights history, his words also give us a glimpse of the workings of an incredible mind. His memoirs are filled with stories and recollections proving that desire, determination and accountability to self and others are crucial for success in any of life's endeavors. Simply stated, I'm inspired.

We need the Unauthorized Biography........2003-11-03

This book is an unfortunate piece of near puffery: much form, much superficiality, little substance. But what does one expect from a Power Broker? Truth or Dare?

In keeping with the unwritten Power Broker Creed, Mr.Jordan reveals very little about the inside mechanations that made him who he is (as opposed to who he was). That is to say, the book speaks volumes about those life experiences that made Vernon Jordan the moderate civil rights leader he was years ago, but says exactly nothing about the transition from that leadership role, to the man who had the president's ear (not to mention the man who kept his secrets)and the ear of the REAL powerful people in this global econonmy: the corporate mavens for whom Vernon was (is?) paid handsomely to dish out advice and counsel to.

We never hear in any detail about how Jordan quietly but persistently accumulated the power he achieved and, indeed, what motivated him in this pursuit. And no, I was not interested in any Monica dirt: Monica and the whole presidential thing, was (and is) beside the point when it comes to a rigorous Jordan analysis. That whole episode merely served as a template (and not a particularly good one) for the kind of back scratchery at high level that Jordan has been doing for years.

But then again, what does one expect? People like Jordan (and mind you, I am a big fan of his)live by the aforementioned unspoken creed: power is best accumulated and exercised quietly. Thus, one does not reveal the secrets of the kingdom to just any average reader (by the way Vernon, what really does go on at those Bildeberg confrences?).

We will not get the whole unexpurgated version of Jordan's life until some biographer decides to swim against currents and put one together.

Those of us interested in reading something much more telling than Jordan's superficial telling of the story of his life will have to wait. Just as we similarly anxiously awaited biographical treatments of other quiet power brokers in the Clark Clifford, Tommy "the cork" mode (the wait is soon over for those of us interested in Tommy the cork and, thanks to the same author, was over several years ago for a good analysis of Clifford's life. CLifford's own biography, Counsel to the President, left much to be desired, too).

As a high school to college level autobiographical treatment of the life of an important figure in post-world war II america, Vernon Can Read suffices. As anything deeper, it does not.

Vernon can certainly Read, but what Vernon wrote certainly leaves alot to be desired.

This book should be in every African American's home.......2003-03-07

I listened to the unabridged audio cassette version of Vernon Can Read! This is a wonderful book. It has many dates and events in African American history of which Mr. Jordan contributed to, experienced and/or witnessed. These events are not only significant in the life of Mr. Jordan but also in the history of African Americans. The book is well written and easy to read and/or listen to. I told my five year old son about the experience of young Vernon Jordan and Mr. Maddock. It was inspiring to my son and we often listen to that portion of the tape while driving home from school. Mr. Jordan wanted the book to inspire his children and grandchildren and I suspect that it has. The book has also inspired my son. I highly recommend this book.

Average customer rating:

Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir
Vernon E. Jr.; Gordon-Reed, Annette Jordan
Manufacturer: Public Affairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPIBWQ

Book Description

Uses the principles of sacred geometry, archaeological evidence, and Native American legend to discover the site of a secret Templar settlement in Nova Scotia

â€¢ Offers evidence that Scottish prince Henry Sinclair not only sailed to the New World 100 years before Columbus, but that he also established a refuge there for the Templars fleeing persecution

â€¢ Shows that the Grail, the holy bloodline connecting the House of David to the Merovingian dynasty through Jesus and Mary Magdalene, was hidden in the New World

In 1398, almost 100 years before Columbus arrived in the New World, the Scottish prince Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, sailed to what is today Nova Scotia, where his presence was recorded by Micmac Indian legends about Glooskap. This was the same Prince Henry Sinclair who offered refuge to the Knights Templar fleeing the persecution unleashed against the order by French king Philip the Fair at the beginning of the 14th century. With evidence from archaeological sites, indigenous legend, and sacred geometry handed down by the Templar order to the Freemasons, author William F. Mann has now rediscovered the site of the settlement established by Sinclair and his Templar followers in the New World. Here they found a safe refuge for the Grail--the holy bloodline connecting the House of David to the Merovingian Dynasty through the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene--until the British exiled all the Acadians in 1755.

Customer Reviews:

Knights Templar book, Swords at Sunset put Grail right here.......2007-01-02

Well researched and thought-provoking, The Knights Templar in The New World offers compelling evidence that the Holy Grail was spirited to North America. As such, it should really be read alongside Swords at Sunset by Michael Bradley, as Bradley's book establishes that the Holy Grail was and perhaps still is in Niagara, Ontario and Quebec and Vermont along with much of the Atlantic seaboard. This alone is a compelling reason to read this remarkable book. Also, I've come across a number of reviews suggesting Swords at Sunset be read in tandem with The Da Vinci Code. Now I understand why. I had the pleasure of reading this remarkable book recently and was captivated by Bradley's well framed argument that the Knights Templar brought Holy Grail refugess, descendents of Jesus, to North America long before Columbus ever set foot here. Then I learned that Bradley was a researcher behind the Da Vinci Code movie. The Da Vinci Code book and movie are both highly enjoyable. But what's really fascinating is Bradley's non-fiction book putting the Grail in Canada and the United States centuries ago. I learned a great deal. All three of these books are highly recommended.

Don't waste you money.......2005-11-02

If I were to write down my dreams, then I could come up with this book. Long on fantasy and very short on facts.

Oh, my aching head! Ridiculous, and dissapointing mish-mash!.......2005-05-31

Oh, poor Bill Mann...

I can't belive I paid 18 bucks for this lamentable excercise in mediochre and wishful thinking.

Yes, William, I too have gotten stoned, and phantacized about the patterns on the wall leading to some great revelation, but this book ultimtely leads nowhere, but to dissapointment. Yes, some useful sources and interesting possibilities are mentioned, but the utter lack of clear, and critical thinking, will likely lead any serious seeker after truth, to sigh, and throw this tiresome tome against the nearest wall.

If only...

@}:^)>c

EXACT copy of previous book.......2005-04-22

This book is an EXACT copy of Mann's previous book, The Labyrinth of the Grail. It has a different title, different cover and different publisher but the content is EXACTLY the same. This author should be ashamed of himself. I bought his Labyrinth book awhile back, read it (wasn't that good and quite confusing) and when he came out with this new one I thought it would have new information in it. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was an EXACT copy of the book I had already read. Shame on this author for trying to trick people into buying his books. I'll never buy another one.

COMPELLING EVIDENCE IF YOU KNOW THE CLUES TO LOOK FOR!!.......2004-11-03

It is interesting to see how the people with the mindsets that find this re-surfacing info upsetting to their "theories" or beliefs of how spiritual power gets handed down almost always tell you how awful these books are that you wouldn't even want to "waste your time"!! I'd say, take that as a clue that there might be some important info within!! I've been following this intrigueing scenario for most of my lifetime here and now, and this is important info coming out~~!! Look at the bodymindspiritjourneys.com website if you're interested in tours to some of these "Sinclair sites" and other Templar history sites.

Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles
Average customer rating:

Thorough but Dry

Good documentary of Saturn program

Saturn launch vehicle review

The Complete Story Of The Saturn Family

THE Saturn Story

Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles
Roger E. Bilstein
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Apollo Apollo

ASIN: 0813026911

Customer Reviews:

Thorough but Dry.......2007-06-14

This is an invaluable guide to the development of the Saturn rockets which lays out not only the history of the development but delves into technical matters and looks at the entities involved in its building. It is well researched and thorough but it is not exciting, even for somebody like me who pines for the past glories of the manned space program.
It would make a great reference but is not casual reading.

You have to WANT the information.

Good documentary of Saturn program.......2007-05-13

I'm an apollo nut and very much into the technical details of the program. This book is a good overview of the Saturn project and an excellent place to start if you are just beginning your adventure into history.
However I found the book to be lacking in detail when it comes to specific technological problems and how they were solved. One has to go to the more detailed sources (NASA press kits, 1st-person accounts, etc.) for the good stuff.
The book is written in dry, documentary fashion. It is factual (a NASA publication) but not an entertaining read.
Again, an excellent source for facts, figures and an complete overview of the massive project that is Saturn.

Saturn launch vehicle review.......2007-01-04

A great book, with lots of detail. It is amazing that the
von Braun/Nasa team got all that to work, as well as they did.
An amazing read. Some much testing was required, because the
computers of the time could not support the simulations.
Now, with our much faster and better computers, we can'tbuild a Saturn-V

The Complete Story Of The Saturn Family.......2006-12-22

This book is the most complete history of the Saturn launch vehicle family available. Author Roger Bilstein wrote this as an official history for NASA in the late 1970s, and it was originally published in 1980. This edition is paperbound and is published by the University Press of Florida. I was tempted to give the book five stars, but ultimately two things lowered it to four. First, the illustrations are quite poor. All are black and white and most are public domain images that are of low quality. Many are taken from much larger sources and compressed so that the legends and details are virtually or completely impossible to discern. There are many better illustrations available, and there is no reason that a modern reprint of this book should have such inferior illustrations, especially when such complex (and difficult to visualize) machinery is being discussed. The second and more minor reason for the loss of a star is due to the extremely annoying use of metric units (newtons, etc.) throughout the book, which was a misdirected Carter administration whim in vogue when this was written. The problem is not with the units themselves, but rather that all the original units the program worked with were English, and after conversion the numbers are extremely cumbersome to digest and work with: as an example I opened the text randomly to page 119 (which deals with F-1 thrust chamber and furnace brazing,) and found this example, which is typical, but not the worst: "the F-1 was designed to burn its propellants at approximately 79000 newtons per square centimeter (1150 pounds per square inch) at the injector face...." Given that virtually all other sources (and all original sources) cite English units, this is a needless complication that should have been revised.

Having noted the negatives, this book has a lot of positives: it has extremely detailed history on all the Saturn program iterations, including the often neglected Saturn 1 and 1B models. It also discusses proposed but unflown Saturn derivatives, and of course the mighty Saturn V. The book presents a background on previous programs and key personnel and developmental and design choices and rationale; the discussion of the pros and cons of cryogenic propellants in various applications is especially well written. Following this the different models of Saturn vehicle are detailed to include all stages, engines, systems, and Instrument Units (which were fairly similar throughout the program.)

There is enormous effort expended to detail the histories of the various stages and the individual histories of the individual rocket engines built. Several missions are examined in great detail, most notably AS-506, which was, of course, Apollo 11. After the discussion of the technical details of the Saturns, Bilstein presents an excellent examination of the logistics of Apollo and the management techniques used to oversee the design, construction, checkout, and launch of the vehicles. The book concludes with a treasure trove of appendices full of technical and other data, which serious space historians will find of enormous assistance.

This is overall a great book, and I recommend it highly to anyone serious about space history. It is not casual reading for most people, but is extremely well detailed, and were it not for the illustration issues (and metric units, to a lesser extent) this book would easily have been awarded five stars.

THE Saturn Story.......2005-07-31

THE tech history of the Saturn launch vehicle in all of its forms. Bilstein has written the authoritative book on the Saturn program: its design, construction, testing and final use. For anyone interested in the launch vehicles for all of the Apollo missions, this is the book to read. Despite its daunting technological scope, the book reads well and provides a sound narrative underpining to the development of the Saturn system.

Stages of Saturn : A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles

Average customer rating:

Stages of Saturn : A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles
Roger E. Bilstein
Manufacturer: U.S. Government Printing Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WEO79E

Stages to Saturn: a Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles

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Stages to Saturn: a Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles

Manufacturer: NaSA, Washington DC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BP8F9M

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Stages to Saturn: a Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles
Roger E. Bilstein
Manufacturer: Nasa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QB6SDG

Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles (NASA SP) (Paperback)

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Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles (NASA SP) (Paperback)
Roger E. Bilstein
Manufacturer: History Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKB3Q6

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This OED study finds that while China ' s forest program was highly successful, much remains to be done. Too little is known, for example, about the distribution of benefits between households and production and marketing units. The implications of the recent logging ban require careful analysis. Policy reforms, particularly for state-owned enterprises, must still be completed. Data on what is happening in China ' s forests is inadequate to support a firm judgment, particularly regarding the country ' s natural forests. There is almost a complete absence of systematic knowledge about the nation ' s current stock and future trends of the supply, demand, marketing, and trade for timber and some key non-timber products. Finally China has graduated from IDA funding to IBRD lending, a prospect believed to have serious consequences for the most innovative aspect of China ' s program, a " responsibility system, " that ensures a high level of ownership for the protection of the country ' s forests. In addition, recent controversies regarding the treatment of indigenous peoples in Xizang are already increasing risks for the Bank ' s new style forest sector investments, which have tended to focus on the poorest mountain populations, many of which include ethnic minorities.

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