Reviews (77)

Islam and terrorism
Islam and terrorism provides a basic (very basic) introduction to Islam and Islamic history focusing specifically on people, events and ideology leading up to modern terrorist movements.
What is the point?

Sad, Sadly True!!!
Well, if it's up to me I'd give that book a rating of 5 stars myself, I read it all through in one single day!!!
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Subjects:  1. Christianity - Christian Life - General    2. Christianity - General    3. Comparative Religion    4. Controversial literature    5. Islam    6. Islam - General    7. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    8. Religion    9. Religion - World Religions    10. Religious aspects    11. Terrorism    12. Violence   

Subjects:  1. Evaluation    2. Human services    3. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    4. Social Science    5. Social Work    6. Sociology    7. United States    8. Social Science / Social Work   

Reviews (3)

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID
Reverend Lynn provides an iron-clad case for the defense of separation of church and state, which the Religious Right would like to see abolished. A core principal of our nation, church state separation is conceivably one of the most important of our American rights and one which makes us the envy of most of the world.
Understanding the attack on Church/State separation
In his new book, Piety and Politics, Rev. Barry Lynn explains the Religious Right's relentless attack on church/state separation and why separation is necessary.He gives examples of the Religious Right's attacks and explains why they are invalid.
Religious Freedom vs. Theocratic Tyranny: The Choice is Yours
"Piety & Politics" is Reverend Barry Lynn's effort to educate the public on the dangers of church and state partnerships and the threat they pose to religious freedom. Lynn is an ordained minister for the United Church of Christ and he devotes considerable time and effort to defending church state separation He is also the executive director for the activist organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State and he wrote this book to explain some of the methodology of the Religious Right in its efforts to take control of government. Beginning with a chapter on the definition of religious freedom, the book offers separate chapters on some of the favorite targets of the Religious Right, such as public education, religious symbols, government- funded charity, church politicking, personal decisions on sexual matters, and the desire to censor undesirable books, movies, etc. Lynn selected these hot- button topics probably because they are among the most broad- based and the most often cited as areas where the Religious Right and its members feel strongly; so strongly, in fact, that they are willing to rewrite the U.S. Constitution in order to make their view of religion and morality the law of the land.
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Subjects:  1. Christianity and politics    2. Freedom of religion    3. Political And Civil Rights    4. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    5. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Religion    8. Religion And Politics    9. Religion, Politics & State    10. Religious right    11. United States    12. Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism   

Editorial Review

The result of months of intensive investigations and inquiries by a specially appointed bipartisan panel, Read more

Reviews (179)

A perfect example of the US administration "creating its own reality"
The 9/11 commission report should be found in the fiction section of your local book store.
An Absolute Travesty--Deliberately Misleading
I bought a copy of the report feeling that I ought to research the government's account of the events of 9/11.That is of course, exactly what I got.Questions so basic as why the Air Force couldn't prevent the first, second, and third crash, or why the towers collapsed when no steel superstructure building ever fell as a result of fire in all of history before that day, are left unasked and uninvestigated.Additionally, there is no index (a lot like the original Warren Report volumes detailing the events of JFK's assassination), which is absolutely unforgivable for this type of book.
Whitewash. A rewrite of history
To best judge the 911 commission it is logical to look at the commissioners themselves. As chief executive Philip Zelikow was the chief architect of the report. Zelikow is a personal friend of Condoleeza Rice one of the chief witnesses called to testify. He is also a rabid neo con who worked under Bush at the National Security council.
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Subjects:  1. Government - U.S. Government    2. Government policy    3. History    4. History: American    5. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    6. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Prevention    9. September 11 Terrorist Attacks    10. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    11. Terrorism    12. United States    13. United States - General    14. 21st century    15. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    16. USA   

Editorial Review

Dallas Willard, an acclaimed theologian and professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, fulfills the longing of many Christians who want to live as true disciples of Christ rather than distant dabblers. Likewise, he scoffs at consumer Christians who are simply banking on admittance to heaven as their payoff for attending church. Or worse still, those who use Christianity to advance their political agendas rather than their spiritual ones. But this is not a scolding book. Rather, Willard devotes his efforts to discussing specific and inspiring ways to develop a discipleship to Jesus--not as an act of sacrifice or even one of spiritual luxury--instead, as everyday people committed to the teachings of Christ. "The really good news for Christians is that Jesus is now taking students in the master class of life," writes Willard. "So the message of and about him is specifically a gospel for our life now, not just for dying. It is about living now as his apprentices in kingdom living, not just as consumers of his merits." Read more

Reviews (115)

Hidden Gems
This is my second attempt to read a Dallas Willard book.This is my first successful completion of a Dallas Willard book!He has a dense, dry reading style that is difficult to plow through.But I could see as I was reading this book that there were spiritual gems to be found throughout, so I plugged away through it.It took me about six months to finish this 400-page book, but I'm glad I made the effort.(Six months because I had to find times where I was in the right alert, diligent state of mind to read it.) Missing the mark
In this book Dallas Willard presents the life of the Christian as a disciple of Jesus. He attempts to mediate between evangelical and liberal perspectives and provide an approach to the Christian life brings out what both perspectives have missed. While containing occasionally nuggets, this book (from my perspective) misses the mark at several points.
Best Book, Bar None, I Have Ever Read
This is a life changing book, not one meant to be a quick read, but rather, one to be read bit by bit, and then mulled over. It brings to life the Sermon on the Mount, explains so very well the kingdom of God and its characteristics.As I read this book, I began to understand God's overall plan for humankind in a new way, and I have begun to live accordingly.
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Subjects:  1. Christian life    2. Christianity    3. Christianity - Christian Life - General    4. Christianity - General    5. Religion    6. Religion - Christian Life    7. Spiritual life    8. Spirituality - General    9. Religion / Christianity   

Reviews (4)

Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals
I have not had a chance to read the material yet.

A Powerful Mentoring Model
I was fortunate to attend a workshop one year ago which included this book and two of the three authors, DeVol and Dreussi-Smith. They highlighted the content of the book, to an audience of counselors, social workers, case managers, residential treatment staff for chemical dependency recovery, and prevention specialists.This book spotlights the culture of poverty, and the distinct differences in the way in which the poor, the middle class and the wealthy view the world from their unique vantage points.I was enlightened in learning to understand the frames of references of persons without savings, present time- orientation, and the differences in the way each class views, uses and perfects the resources of each cultural status.
stimulating book/novice reviewer
I'm currently furthering my education as an intern at a Catholic Charities branch whose Outreach Dept. -(small but succinct, assertive & powerfully proactive)- is building an 'Out of Poverty' program based on "Bridges," concomitantly constructing a more narrowily focused faith-based/interfaith version.The OR dept. received intensive & extensive training in a comprehensive & extended Bridges seminar presented -(rather dynamically I am told)- by Mr. Devol, CCDC/OCPC (I am under the impression neither Dr. Payne nor Ms. Smith MAEd/OCPC accompanied Mr. DeVol).Going from manual labor to the social services has involved much paradigmatic & theoretical integration -(& overhaul-and-reintegration)- for me as a professional; as a novice, my ruminations carry little weight.I am, however, surrounded by well-educated mentor-veterans who are dyamically implementing a variation of "Bridges" 'to the hilt.' -- I am priveleged to be a part of this pragmatic & collaborative dynamism.Whether this is ingratiative for the novice, a paragon for the veteran worker, or both, I am unsure; I can only say with infinitesimal (& anecdotal) authority that it is already helping me immensely.I am, in addition, confident that it will continue to abet my internship & catalyze my fresh work experience. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Physical    2. Poverty    3. Social Science    4. Sociology   

Editorial Review

The war on terror has created near unanimity on many points, at least within the American press and political leadership. One essential point of agreement: al Qaeda specifically and radical Islamism in general are stirred by a hatred of modernity. Or as President George W. Bush has articulated repeatedly, they hate freedom. Nonsense, responds the nameless author of this work and 2003's Read more

Reviews (160)

Good, but not Excellent
Overall, this is a great insider's view on CIA work in East Asia against Osama.Mr.Scheuer does a great job explaining the in's and outs of whats going on, being careful not to divulge classified data, but at the same time, paint an open picture of whats going on.
A must read!
As for books on terrorism I believe this is a must read. Michael Scheuer brings up some great point in this book although I do not agree with everything that he has written. One of the more disturbing parts of this book are his views about the United States relationship with Israel. For someone who has worked in the government for such a long time one would think that he understands the benefits of the U.S having a relationship with Israel. It would appear that Mr. Scheuer sees no benefit to such a relationship and he clearly articulates that such a friendship with the Jewish state is causing the U.S. harm. Despite his viewpoint on Israel, Mr. Scheuer brings up many valid points regarding how the U.S. is conducting the global war on terror. This book offers more benefits than disappointments. Like I said, I do not agree with all of his viewpoints but then again I have not seen the information that his had access to while employed with the CIA. Read this book with an open mind and make your own judgement.

Bin Ladin and our failures
The title had me questioning whether I should read the book or not.We all know who the author is now, he is Mike Scheuer.I had problems with the first 3/4 of the book, feeling as if I couldn't figure out who's side he is on. Some have compared him to Neville Chamberlain (if you don't know who he is, look him up.) This comparison is preposterous. I think the author is trying to explain Bin Ladin along with our failures from their side.I kept waiting for the pedestal talk to stop, and it finally did at the end of the book.It is definitely a thought provoking book and should be read by all, if you can get by the semantics and on to the last couple chapters.Tough to find a book that takes on terror, Bin Ladin and the Taliban in this way, but I wish the author would make he himself clear.Maybe that's just his mystique.We are reading the terrorists the wrong way, there is no doubt. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1957-    2. Bin Laden, Osama,    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Government policy    5. History    6. Jihad    7. Middle East - General    8. Military    9. Military - General    10. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Qaida (Organization)    13. Terrorism    14. United States    15. United States - 21st Century    16. War on Terrorism, 2001-    17. History / Middle East    18. International relations    19. Middle East    20. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Reviews (2)

A different take on convergence
I can't say enough good things about this book. Jekins critiques "traditional" convergence theory about converging media and argues that the instigator of convergence is the need for new patterns of consumption, not production. Each chapter addresses how fans of a particular program reorganize their media experiences to better participate in the discussion, analysis and, at times, production of future episodes or events.
The King of Culture
Henry Jenkins has a natural knack for taking any topic and making it instantly relatable and intensely gripping. I was privileged to have received a preview of part of this book before its publication, and I can honestly say that it's as entertaining as it is informative. Here he tackles completely new territory - the ever-evolving world of media and technology and how it impacts our society and the corporate world. This proverbial David & Goliath struggle for control of new media, the challenges of the inherent legalities, and the birth of new mediums; all of this complexity is laid out in the pages of 'Convergence Culture', and who better to guide us through this mish-mash landscape of new media than one of our foremost experts on media and popular culture?
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Subjects:  1. Mass Media - General    2. Mass media and culture    3. Movie / TV Tie-Ins    4. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    5. Performing Arts    6. Performing Arts/Dance    7. Popular culture    8. United States    9. CONVERGENCE    10. Mathematics / General    11. Media studies   

Reviews (3)

Another Edition to a fantastic text
This new edition of the text once again proves that these authors are the masters of single subject research.I have used this text for five years in my graduate methods course and am completely satisfied with their coverage of the material of single subject research design.Just when a researcher thought it could not get any better, this new edition comes along with updates to the software.
enough is enough
I was pleased to hear that this text had been assigned in a graduate research course at my graduate school of social work. I'm seriously disappointed. I would not recommend this text's continued use. It is excessively repetitive, constantly restating previous material (commonly referred to as 'rehashing'), and, as a sidebar, i can't help but mention an irritating habit of unnecessary references to material yet to come ('we'll talk about that more in chapter 14.'). The writing style is terribly wordy, and in a weighted, clunky pseudo-conversational style that rarely is effective in a textbook. The actual technical information is obscured in a constant river of verbiage, usually in page after page of solid block text, the least helpful format when learning technical information (or when subsequently searching for specific information or techniques). The result? It serves as a strong sedative. Finally, the authors repeatedly express apologies, in what eventually (by page 350) feels like an obsequious and cloying manner, for putting forward an empirical and accountable approach to clinical practice. The worst, though, is the repetition of material, as if the reader were an idiot. The sheer relentlessness of it is what is so galling, and at $100 bucks, neither affordable nor worth the investment. There are other texts out there with clearer, cleaner, more articulate prose, that are more respectful of the reader, and at half the price, such as the classic and affordable: Single-Case Research Designs: Methods for Clinical and Applied Settings by Alan E. Kazdin. Ignore the pollyanna reviews above and below, and avoid this text, or if on the syllabus, protest and suggest an alternative.

A Classic in Practice Evaluation
Bloom, Fischer and Orme continue to make an unique contribution to improving practice in the human services by providing a road map by which practitioners can evaluate their effectiveness. I've been using their text book for over 15 years in teaching practice evaluation and in has been an invaluable help. The new edition has a CD Rom with SingWin, CAAP,and CAAS which I was able to install in Windows XP Home edition. You must install CAAS before CAAP for it to work. The sofware computerizes record keeping, score computation, and graph construction. I strongly reccommend this textbook for human services faculty. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Evaluation    3. Evaluation research (Social ac    4. Evaluation research (Social action programs)    5. Management - General    6. Political Science    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Program Evaluation    9. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    10. Social service    11. Abnormal psychology    12. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    13. Political Science / Social Services & Welfare    14. Social welfare & social services   

Reviews (32)

Excellent ... a bit over the fantasy side at the end ...
But nevertheless, if correct, a very worth reading. disturbing... I've been reading a lot over these last months on the UFO topic and this book is paramount lecture. Anyway, there is a conclusion, proposed by Greer and some of the witnesses he interviews, stating the UFOS /ET are good beings and USA govt. is provoking them as they shoot them down, harrass them, etc. I digress ! They cannot have good intentions if they intrude our territory, mutilate our animals, abduct people, etc.I think that in drawing such conclusions the book fails in being objective and with common sense. That is why I give it 4 stars only.

Disclosure.....5 stars easy!!
Hard to put down,difficult to condemn,almost impossible to ignore!!...Steven Greer has gone where others haven't had the balls,and placed his reputation on the line to bring the truth out...congratulations!! This is a fantastically researched book covering all facets of the U.F.O. phenomenon and a must read for everyone interested in the TRUTH.Whether or not this will be revealed to us in the near future is another matter,but the fact that extraterrestrial intelligence exists is no longer a question,it's just waiting to be proven en masse.Fantastic reading!!

Massive, Barely Edited Compendium of Sometimes Tantalizing Stories
Dr. Steven Greer is a well-known figure on the fringe of UFOlogy, and he claims to have "briefed" senior government figures on the UFO issue, but five minutes with this book reveals why few take the issue seriously.
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Subjects:  1. Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    3. Controversial Knowledge    4. New Age    5. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    6. Parapsychology - General    7. UFOs & Extraterrestrials   

Reviews (4)

Inspiring and touching- an amazing community!
I just finished reading Hope Meadows, and I amexcited about this book, and the community it represents.The book tells the stories of children, adoptive parents, and older adults who live in a community that focuses on family.Seniors in the community volunteer to work with the kids, who, in turn, help out the seniors.Most of the children at Hope Meadows come from abusive backgrounds and have a multitude of behavioral and physical problems.Wes Smith has done an excellent job bringing these stories to life for the reader- you feel as though these are your neighbors.I HIGHLY recommend this book!....I actually cried reading some of these stories- if this book doesn't move you, nothing will!

Profiles of Caring Adults Providing Hope for the Unadopted
I have always thought that good foster parents deserved to be viewed as heroines and heroes by our society.Those who do even more and help the children with the greatest needs perhaps qualify as saints.And if they do more than that, I'm afraid that my language skills fall short of being able to capture my full respect and admiration.Naturally, there are never enough of such wonderful people.Unfortunately, many children cannot get foster care and live in orphanages.Others are abused in foster care in various ways.Others live in homes where parents do not take good care of them. Beautifully written, heartfelt truelife stories
A beautifully written book by a talented author about an inspirational community started by a remarkable woman!Wes Smith's writing brings to life the story of Brenda Eheart's noble efforts to build a successful innovative alternative to foster care and adoption. As Smith so eloquently describes "It is a deceptively simple approach crafted by an improbable advocate in a most unlikely place."I couldn't put the book down! The brown-toned portraits collaged on the inside covers initially caught my eye because of their beauty, but by the end I could look at those same pictures and feel like I knew those faces, those smiles.I find myself wishing that I did know them or that I might meet them someday.Smith writes each chapter focusing on a single family/resident of Hope Meadows.Each chapter is an intriguing story in its own right, yet the stories interweave the lives of other residents as well, just as all the lives interweave at Hope Meadows to create the success of this inter-generational, inter-racial community.Smith writes in his introduction "In a world that often seems self-absorbed and hard-hearted beyond belief, it restores your faith in humanity to find that there are still people who believe they can make things better by reaching out and giving of their talents and their time." You will come away inspired by the human spirit and grateful that you had the opportunity to read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abandoned children    2. Abused children    3. Adoption    4. Children    5. Children's Studies    6. Family & Relationships    7. Family/Marriage    8. Hope Meadows (Rantoul, Ill.)    9. Illinois    10. Institutional care    11. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    12. Rantoul    13. Services for    14. Sociology   

Reviews (34)

Question Everything!
When you venture down the rabbit hole deeper and deeper, exploring all the information you can find about what really happened on September 11, 2001, your concern with the official story of 9/11 should transcend politics, religion, race, and ideology. It should have everything to do with truth, constitutional law, ethics, corruption, deception, blatant disregard for human health and human life, and morality beyond any personal choices most of us will make.
History of False Flag operations
Webster Tarpley has been writing exposes for a long time now. His earliest work of note was in the late 70s called "Chi ha ucciso Aldo Moro?" which was on the murder of an Italian Prime minister. He is also known for his studies on the Bush family.
Among Hundreds of Books, The Strongest Approach to Truth
It is with great sadness that I conclude that this book is the strongest of the 770+ books I have reviewed here at Amazon, almost all non-fiction.I am forced to conclude that 9/11 was at a minimum allowed to happen as a pretext for war (see my review of Jim Bamford's "Pretext for War"), and I am forced to conclude that there is sufficient evidence to indict (not necessarily convict) Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and others of a neo-conservative neo-Nazi coup d'etat and kick-off of the clash of civilizations (see my review of "Crossing the Rubicon" as well as "State of Denial").Most fascinatingly, the author links Samuel Huntington, author of "Clash of Civilizations" with Leo Strauss, the connecting rod between Nazi fascists and the neo-cons.
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Subjects:  1. Government policy    2. History    3. History: World    4. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    5. Sociology - General    6. Terrorism    7. United States    8. War on Terrorism, 2001-    9. World - General    10. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    11. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    12. USA   

Reviews (11)

Good explanation of a confusing subject
The book gives a good acccount of the various Islamic militant factions and their interactions. The opinions seemed a bit "armchair general" and opinionated at times, but they made several good points. I'd recommend the book although it had the following drawbacks for me:
PLACE IT IN A ZIPLOCK BAG AND PUT IT IN YOUR RUCKSACK!
First off, all John Poole's books should be read by the Secretary of Defense on down to the grunt in the field and more military outfits should go through his course. [...] Secondly, this particular book and his previous work Tactics of the Crescent Moon: Militant Muslim Combat Tactics should be MANDATORY READING for every soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan. If you're headed that way buy these books! Put them in a ziplock bag and place them in your rucksack. If you have a loved one who's deploying to these theaters of operation and they don't know about these books buy them these books! These books may very well save their lives!

The usual stupidity in high places
Pooles's books reminds me of "the Game Of Nations" by M. Copeland, which was published almost 50 years ago. In it Copeland quotes Nasser, the dictator of Egypt, as saying that originally he thought that US foreign policy was very subtle and devious, then he realized that it was simply very stupid.
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Subjects:  1. Armed Forces    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Infantry drill and tactics    5. Military    6. Military - General    7. Military art and science    8. Military history    9. Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / Terrorism    10. Research    11. Technology / Military Science    12. Afghan War, 2001-    13. Afghanistan    14. Counterinsurgency    15. Insurgency    16. Iraq War, 2003    17. War on Terrorism, 2001-