Book Description
The Posleen are coming and the models all say the same thing: Without the Panama Canal, the US is doomed to starvation and defeat. Despite being overstretched preparing to defend the US, the military sends everything it has left: A handful of advanced Armored Combat Suits, rejuvenated veterans from the many decades that Panama was a virtual colony and three antiquated warships. Other than that, the Panamanians are on their own. Replete with detailed imagery of the landscape, characters and politics that have made the jungle-infested peninsula a Shangri-La for so many over the years, Yellow Eyes is a hard-hitting look at facing a swarming alien horde with not much more than wits and guts. Fortunately, the Panamanians, and the many veterans that think of it as a second home, have plenty of both.
Customer Reviews:
back to the good stuff.......2007-09-16
Is it just me who finds the whole Posleen series a teeny bit confusing. i mean i like the whole concept, well done the Nazis on the Rhine and all that, but when are we actually going to kick the Posleen's butts, get rid of them off the earth and stop mucking around with the political metaphores. Now that said (and as a european, who other than the ex-Nazis are obviously all left wing tree huggers) i actually enjoyed this one. It's a good story and a good book, thank God Cally was not in it, but unfortunatley she is back in the next one. By the way Amazon, why can't you make it easier to get the information on Boook 1 of X, Book 2 of X stuff presented to those of us who stuggle to follow these things.
Anyway i digress. If you enjoyed the first two Posleen books and the Wactch on the Rhine one, then you will enjoy this one. My hopes for the future are 1) no more Cally, 2) a story that shows either the death of the earth or victory 3) and whichever that the authors remeber that the EU can actually fight and so can the Russian and Chineese, and might despite the lefties make a decent go of it.
Good Book.......2007-09-04
I enjoyed this entry to the Aldenata series, although Watch on the Rhine was better. If you liked the other books in the Aldenata series, get this book you will not be disappointed.
Always remember, "You can get anything on E-Bay"!
Beware the conspiracy.......2007-08-20
Well another rollicking read. The good guys get to kill millions of Posleen, the bad guys are anyone who isn't very politically conservative (somewhere to the left of Franco) and that's that.
One thing, John and friends have slipped over the edge here a bit by dusting off the old world government thing, somehow there is this vast conspiracy of people who want to take over the world and the only way to save them is by killing everyone who isn't a real American or a hard drinking Panamanian, or a computer simulation of a blond who has immense breasts. Real Americans in John's view are a tad conservative, likely live in the mountains of Idaho and are heavily armed at all times.
The Posleen seem to be less effective than before and that is interesting but if you change the place names from any other Posleen book to Panama you will have this book.
As to World Government (The Transies) well anyone who pays attention to the overall effectiveness of governments should not be scared of the UN, etc. and what they might do, because they are about as inept as one can imagine.
That is one reason I have never been too concerned about the black helicopter folks, the main fear of that is they will get lost, crash and maybe hurt an innocent person, as to actually taking something over? Get serious.
John, stick to stories, leave politics alone
Another great addition to the Aldenata series.......2007-08-15
When John Ringo wrote A Hymn Before Battle (Posleen War Series #1) he continued the great tradition of stories of the Mobile Infantry began by Robert Heinlein in Starship Troopers. Ringo brought something new to the party - his experience as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and his keen sense of how to tell a story that is gripping, entertaining and witty.
When Tom Kratman began working with Ringo in Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) he also brought something to the party - a sharp military mind and his own insightful political observations. Working together on Watch on the Rhine they produced one of the best books yet in the Aldenata saga. But, Kratman and Ringo have topped Watch on the Rhine in this novel.
There is the To Be Expected great battle scenes and interesting characters. But in this book they will make you love a ship and feel sorry for the Posleen. What more could you want?
Cultural cross-view makes for a great read.......2007-07-22
I'd been getting a little tired of endless Posleen waves acting like Posleen (though not too badly) until this gem came along in this generally excellent series. (Cally's war seems not to have been repeated, at least!) Things seemed to being starting samo samo, then back plot actions with the "Mad" PDA came into focus along with the native Panamanian defense force leadership, and this one turned into a page turner.
I'm not sure I can rank this as the best of the series, but it's definitely in the top four.
Book Description
From its beginnings as a human-alien story of first contact, the Foreigner series has become a true science fiction odyssey. The ninth book in the epic series, and the third book in the third Foreigner trilogy, Deliverer is a worthy contribution to Cherryh's magnum opus that is destined to be a classic.
Customer Reviews:
Continueing the saga of Cajeiri..........2007-07-30
In Deliverer, Ms. Cherryh has picked up her Foreigner series and continued it forward. This time Bren is helping out the recently re-established aiji (I view this a shogun since I see lots of similarities between the Atevi and the Japanese, the Foreigner series I see as a more controlled Meiji government dealing with higher technology though) to recover his son who has gone missing. As is typical with many of CJ Cherryh's books in the Foreigner series, the opening is a little slow but important for setting the stage. In this case, the aiji's son (Cajeiri) establishes the tempo of the book (as a matter of fact, his point of view is used several times, something new to the Foreigner series) by acting much like a human teen would. These problems Cajeiri experiences cumulate in him being kidnapped by others seeking power.
As is typical in a book from Ms. Cherryh, the characters are strong and much is said indirectly. While I felt the opening was weak for Ms. Cherryh (the Foreigner series is strong in politics/relations between people, action is sometimes weak), the back half moves at a nice clip and delivers as one of the stronger conclusions in the Foreigner series. If there's one disappointment with them though, it's that this book is wide open for another trilogy for Foreigner (sorry, I prefer the Union/Alliance line). The bottom line, a solid 4 star book. Thank you very much for the tale Ms. Cherryh!
Can't wait for another one!.......2007-07-29
Other reviewers have covered the basic plot, so I won't re-hash that. C.J. Cherryh just does such wonderful aliens - not the physical form, but the thought processes that make them so different from humans. Many people have trouble just dealing with different human cultures. Cherryh takes you right out of the human realm, via language and cultural values, to let you really experience how different another intelligent race could really be. I've loved all her science fiction since reading Brothers of Earth and Hunter of Worlds many years ago. This latest in the Foreigner universe was well worth waiting for (and now I have to go back and re-read earlier ones!) in the action, the well-known (and dare I say loved) characters, but is still pushing the boundaries of human-Atevi relations by exploring further into the world of the Atevi heir after his exposure to human children at a formative time of his life. I sure hope there will be a follow-up to this latest book.
Very disappointing.......2007-06-26
This was just a tag-on to complete 9 books. Very weak and predictable in plot. First books written from view of main character. This book switched back and forth with another character with very indifferent results. This book takes the series nowhere and leaves the reader in the same place. It doesn't "complete" the series, nor does it set up for the obvious follow-on visit of more aliens. It's just an unrelated tale that isn't very good. Very disappointing to get drivel from such an excellant author.
Love this series. Can't get enough........2007-05-24
If you have followed this series you will enjoy this book.
Yeah, I know - not much detail in this review. I figure there is plenty of that in the editorial review, etc... and I hate to give away the plot of a book to folks who haven't read it yet!
I will say I have read just about everything this author has written and I find this series to be the most enjoyable. If you truely enjoy sci-fi and/or fantasy writing, then start at the beginning of this series and read the whole thing. It will be worth the $$$.
R Walker
An Avid Reader
A Timely Rescue.......2007-04-06
Deliverer (2007) is the ninth SF novel in the Foreigner series, following Pretender. In the previous volume, the return of the Phoenix after a two year absence greatly shocked the aishidi'tat of the Western Association. Many had thought that the aiji-dowager Ilisidi and the aiji-heir Cajeiri would never be seen again. Then the reappearance of Tabini-aiji caused the usurping government of Murini-aiji to collapse and his supporters to run for their lives.
In this novel, Tabini-aiji and his supporters are reoccupying the Bu-javid. Yet the damage done by the usurpers was never repaired. The bodies have been removed, but the bullet holes and blood are still there. Tabini-aiji's apartment even has a room with a gaping hole for a floor.
The apartment of the paidhi has been claimed by an atevi clan and Bren Cameron is currently living with the aiji-dowager. Then he is informed that Lord Tatiseigi, Cajeiri's great-uncle, is returning to his estate and Ilisidi is accompanying him. So Bren will now be moving into Tatiseigi's apartment, where he resided once before. Meanwhile, Tabini-aiji and his consort Daimiri, together with Cajeiri, are moving into Ilisidi's apartment while their rooms are being repaired.
The confusion in the bureaucracy is even more acute. Fortunately, most of the paidhi's records had been removed by his staff and hidden from the usurpers. Now Bren is trying to trace his staff and reassemble them in a nearby hotel. Such confusion is also evident in the Messenger, Transportation and other Guilds.
The Assassins' Guild is even more upset. Some southern assassins had changed man'chi to Murini. Maybe even the Guildmaster did so as well, but the Guild is not telling. Bren does know that the Guild is presently readjusting itself, but Banichi, Tano and Algini are spending too much time on Guild business while Jago alone tends to his security.
In this story, Cajeiri and his young bodyguards Jegari and Antaro are being neglected by everybody. Cajeiri is strongly feeling the absence of his human friends and the conveniences of their environment. So Cajeiri has a plan. Of course, it gets him into trouble, even with the paidhi, and Cajeiri is relegated to his parent's apartment for an indefinite time.
Then Cajeiri disappears. Antaro is found unconscious on a lower floor of the building. Later Jegari turns up, bloody but safe, to relate his experiences during the kidnapping of Cajeiri. Unfortunately, he did not recognize his captors, but does know that they took Cajeiri to a cargo airplane. Given the information available, Tabini decides that one specific plane must be carrying his son and sends Ilisidi, Bren and their security after it.
This story introduces a new factor in the Western Association political environment. It also allows Cajeiri to use some of his newly acquired expertise to frustrate his captors. And Bren learns what the station has landed on the planet during his absence.
One of the author's strong points is also a weakness. She throws the reader into an alien situation and lets the reader gradually learn about the milieu during the course of the book. Readers without much SF experience tend to get lost in the weirdness. In this series, however, the atevi and their planet are starting to become familiar. Naturally, the author has already introduced a new alien culture to further confuse the reader. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic cultures, wild adventures and an underinformed paidhi.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Book Description
The Spartan-II program has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of Covenant attacks have become the stuff of legend.
But just how many Spartans are left?
While the Master Chief defends a besieged Earth, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, an ultrasecret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as “Section Three” devises a plan to buy the UNSC vital time. They’re going to need hundreds of willing soldiers, though . . . and one more Spartan to get the job done.
The planet Onyx is virtually abandoned and the perfect place to set this new plan in motion. But when the Master Chief destroys Halo, something is triggered deep within Onyx: Ancient Forerunner technology stirs, and fleets of UNSC and Covenant race to claim it to change the course of the Human-Covenant War.
But this reawakened and ancient force may have plans of its own . . .
Customer Reviews:
Halo Ghosts of Oynx.......2007-10-10
I thought that of the 4 Halo books I read, this one was the best
!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-10-08
This book was so excellent! I loved it a lot!!!!! Other than the Master Chief not being in it besides one chapter in the beginning, this book is flawless and really interesting.
The best yet in the series.......2007-09-14
Before reading this book I bought the box set and read the first three in the series. The first book was littered with gross typos, the second book mostly failed to deliver (due to the author's lack of detail at many times), but the third book was better. "Halo: Ghosts of Onyx" is by far the best in the series. It was more professionally done as there were less typos (if any at all) and there was close attention to detail most of the time. I like the idea of the Spartan III program and some new technologies associated with it. However, the one thing with Halo that bores me is all of the "space quest". I'm a fan of Spartan action, so when they're just flying around in outer space, my interest drops a bit. But once again, this book is definitely the best in the series so far.
another epic chapter in the Halo series.......2007-09-05
This book was just as good as the other two by Eric Nylund. I eagerly await the next installment in the Halo story.
Good but Technical.......2007-07-13
This book follows the previous halo books, however does not go with the same story line. Instead of following the Famed Xbox character "Master Chief" or John (known to us who's read the books), it follows a different path with the other spartan characters being the main focus.
This book is a well written book for the Halo series. If you have enjoyed reading the other books, then you will certainly enjoy reading this one, however it gets quite technical at some points. The past books filled us with different battles, and scenarios. This book has many fictional technicalities that you must pay attention to in order to enjoy it fully. If you do not understand something the first time, read it over again because it will be mentioned later on in the book.
Again this book is a great addition to the Halo series and if you are a fan of the books and like to know more than just the gameplay, then this is for you.
Average customer rating:
- eh. its okay.
- Good characters, good concept, and an easy read
- I want a Rollback!
- Live Long and Be Joyful
- Though Provoking in Customary Sawyer Style
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Rollback (Sci Fi Essential Books)
Robert J. Sawyer
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Contemporary
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Sawyer, Robert J.
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| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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ASIN: 0765311089
Release Date: 2007-04-03 |
Book Description
Dr. Sarah Halifax decoded the first-ever radio transmission received from aliens. Thirty-eight years later, a second message is received and Sarah, now 87, may hold the key to deciphering this one, too . . . if she lives long enough.A wealthy industrialist offers to pay for Sarah to have a rollback-a hugely expensive experimental rejuvenation procedure. She accepts on condition that Don, her husband of sixty years, gets a rollback, too. The process works for Don, making him physically twenty-five again. But in a tragic twist, the rollback fails for Sarah, leaving her in her eighties. While Don tries to deal with his newfound youth and the suddenly vast age gap between him and his wife, Sarah struggles to do again what she'd done once before: figure out what a signal from the stars contains. Exploring morals and ethics on both human and cosmic scales, Rollback is the big new SF novel for 2007 by Hugo and Nebula Award-winner Robert J. Sawyer.
Customer Reviews:
eh. its okay........2007-10-02
While I am an avid Sawyer reader, this book while interesting pulled too much from ethical literature without fully exploring any of its ramifications. An interesting and quick read, but not nearly as satisfying as his other works.
Good characters, good concept, and an easy read.......2007-08-25
Robert J. Sawyer's novels are always a treat for me. I have read them all. His characters are believeable and likeable. His ideas are unique and based on science that is not that far-fetched at all. Rollback is another one of those books that fits right into those categories. Sawyer is a master at developing ethical or moral issues for his characters in the way they respond to their environment, circumstances, etc.
Here we have Don Halifax, an Octogenarian who receives an expensive, highly sought after rollback that fixes all his innards to be that of a man in his 20's. His wife, also an Octogenarian, gets the same treatment but it fails. Don and his wife are still in love after 60 years of marriage but things get frustrating and confusing for Don as he sees his elderly wife fading away while he gets this other chance at life that he never actually asked for. All the while, Don's wife Sarah is trying to use her twilight years to assist an alien species that responded to a SETI message she sent years earlier during the prime of her career.
This book didn't have a real enemy per se just a lot of thought provoking ideas. I suppose the antogonist was Don's own psyche as he reacted to friends and family dying around him, guilt, frustrations, raging hormones, and looking younger than his own kids
The book is over 300 pages but you will get through it in no time, even with all the scientific research discussions thrown into the mix. It is also going to be his last book with TOR as his next book will have a new publisher.
By the way, I loved Gunther, the Robot and I wished there was more of him in the book.
I want a Rollback!.......2007-08-23
After reading several Robert Sawyer novels i was excited about obtaining Rollback. The story is of an alien message to earth which is received and returned about 2013. 34 years later a new message arrives(17 years each way).
The science is interesting but the really interesting thing about the story is the personal interactions that transpire because of a aging reversal project done on the scientist who decoded the message and her husband. He goes from 88 to 25 years old physically.
This completely changes the dynamics of his marriage and how he is treated by society. Talk about age discrimination. Talk about raging hormones.
I love this societal aspect of most of Sawyer's writing. It actually overtakes the storyline for me. How would your life change if you could rollback to age 25...assuming you are considerably older than that now. How would your friends and relatives treat you. how about work...could you get a job.
A very thought provoking novel. I enjoyed it.
Live Long and Be Joyful.......2007-08-19
Rollback (2007) is a standalone SF novel. It takes place mostly in Toronto, Ontario, about four decades from now. This story was first published as a serial within Analog, starting with the October 2006 issue.
In this novel, Sarah Halifax is a retired astronomer in her eighties. Her moment of fame occurred in 2010, when she interpreted the very first interstellar message. After her translation, a response was sent back to the aliens on Sigma Draconis, who had initiated the first message. Now a reply has been received to the human response and, once again, none can interrupt the message. It seems that the message is not only encoded for transmission, but is actually encrypted and no one knows the key.
Donald Halifax is Sarah's husband. When Cody McGavin -- a very rich man -- offers to pay for rejuvenation of Sarah to allow her more time (and energy) to work on the current message, Sarah insists that Donald be rejuvenated as well. So Donald becomes younger, but the procedure does not work for Sarah and she remains old.
However, Sarah continues working on the translation of the new message. She agrees with other translators that a key must have been incorporated in the first message or its response, but nothing can be found. Sarah searches the original messages to see if the key had been muddled in the copies.
In this story, Donald is now a very confused person. Donald and Sarah have been married for sixty years. They are used to doing everything together. They have raised two children and have two grandchildren. Donald hardly remembers his life before Sarah.
Suddenly Donald has the energy and libido of a twenty-five year old man, but is married to an eighty-seven year old woman. Donald is still full of energy when Sarah is drooping. When temptation comes his way, he struggles with his conflicting emotions. Then Donald becomes really interested in Lenore Darby, an astronomy graduate student, who reminds him of his Sarah. So he starts hanging out with people of his own apparent age.
This story is more about Donald than Sarah, but can anything about him be separated from her? His life has been hugely changed. He now has all the capabilities of the young with the experience of the old. Naturally, Donald wants his wife to also be young again, but is that possible? So what will he do for the rest of his extended life?
An early scene hints at the ideational origins of this novel. Sarah and Donald have a conversation about the long-term aspects of SETI, which leads to the notion of longevity. While persistence is necessary in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, such signals might be acquired at any point in time. Truly long-term continuity is only required for communications. As this story vividly illustrates, waiting for replies could take generations.
Highly recommended for Sawyer fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien communications, intergenerational relations, and true love.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Though Provoking in Customary Sawyer Style .......2007-08-15
Robert Sawyer writes books about things we all think "what if?" In Rollback the what if scenario is "What if you could rejuvenate your body to the body of your youth?" Would you do it, if so, at what price? Set in the not so distant future, Sarah and Don are faced with this very situation. The choice that they make changes their lives and the lives of their families forever. Sawyer has a way of presenting his readers with a philosophical dialogue, where science allows plausible options. I am a big Robert Sawyer fan, and enjoy reading his work. This book did not disappoint, and I highly recommend it. Rollback (Sci Fi Essential Books)
P. Walker Williams
PageTurner.net
Book Description
The most successful theory in all of science--and the basis of one third of our economy--says the strangest things about the world and about us. Can you believe that physical reality is created by our observation of it? Physicists were forced to this conclusion, the quantum enigma, by what they observed in their laboratories. Trying to understand the atom, physicists built quantum mechanics and found, to their embarrassment, that their theory intimately connects consciousness with the physical world. Quantum Enigma explores what that implies and why some founders of the theory became the foremost objectors to it. Schrodinger showed that it "absurdly" allowed a cat to be in a "superposition" simultaneously dead and alive. Einstein derided the theory's "spooky interactions." With Bell's Theorem, we now know Schrodinger's superpositions and Einstein's spooky interactions indeed exist. Authors Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner explain all of this in non-technical terms with help from some fanciful stories and bits about the theory's developers. They present the quantum mystery honestly, with an emphasis on what is and what is not speculation. Physics' encounter with consciousness is its skeleton in the closet. Because the authors open the closet and examine the skeleton, theirs is a controversial book. Quantum Enigma's description of the experimental quantum facts, and the quantum theory explaining them, is undisputed. Interpreting what it all means, however, is controversial. Every interpretation of quantum physics encounters consciousness. Rosenblum and Kuttner therefore turn to exploring consciousness itself--and encounter quantum physics. Free will and anthropic principles become crucial issues, and the connection of consciousness with the cosmos suggested by some leading quantum cosmologists is mind-blowing. Readers are brought to a boundary where the particular expertise of physicists is no longer a sure guide. They will find, instead, the facts and hints provided by quantum mechanics and the ability to speculate for themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Importance of Einstein's inquisitiveness........2007-10-03
Remember "Blue Velvet" movie and frequently shouting "don't you f@#$ look at me!!" Frank (played with raving mania by Dennis Hopper)? Maybe Frank knew something we do not. But.. jokes aside - it is again about Einstein mostly, and about his two famous quips: "I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it" and: "God does not play dice". He related to measurement/observation problem and Nature's randomness. His questions, musings and skepticism spawned further research into "what is going on?" bringing quantum physics and consciousness enigma into the light. As we read the text, we learn that physicists can be divided into two groups: these who does not want to enter the hazy border of physics and philosophy, and much smaller but not less respected cluster of open-minded scientists who are not afraid to investigate and ask dipper questions. Second group consist(ed) among others Schrodinger himself and John Wheeler - dreamer and colleague of Einstein. There is something wrong with the way science is conducted, and authors clearly point at it quoting many names and opinions. For example: reductionism may be soon in retreat and reasoning by induction has logical problems. Mathematics is not always a panacea for theory -says Stephen Hawking: "The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe" (string cosmologists take heed!). Even philosopher and physicist Victor Stenger ("The Unconscious Quantum") - strong believer in empirical facts/observations and total critic of consciousness admits that we do not live in deterministic Newtonian clockwork universe. I mention him here because I read several of his books not without pleasure. In conclusion: "Quantum Enigma" is a fascinating and provocative book. The only small disappointment comes from marginal treatment of Roger Penrose's interpretation of quantum weirdness that goes without any need to invoke observers or parallel universes. For details one may check June 2005 Discover magazine. Soon after this book was published, May 12th 2007 New Scientist magazine printed information about planned experiments at the University of California , Santa Barbara. The researchers believe they will have ruled out one of the most popular explanations for how quantum things turn classical and that decoherence theory cannot be correct. Experiment will offer an inside into the fundamental nature of quantum measurement, and possibility to take a quick peek inside the box, glimpse the cat's state and observe "superposition" marching one step at a time. This could be a very profound discovery..stay alerted.
Quantum questions at their best.......2007-09-12
A good concise format for the most pressing quantum questions.
A very good read. Recomended for anyone needing more input on how our peception of reality, changes as quantum questions arise..
IM
Absolute must-read.......2007-08-24
I just finished reading Quantum Enigma and it has left me stunned.
Although I am sure many folks would not agree, I think the topic of this book examines the most important questions facing us humans -- the fundamental nature of consciousness and "reality", and how the two interact. The authors explain how quantum theory clearly shows that microscopic particles behave in a way that does not "make sense". Not only can those particles exist in two places at once, but the theory shows that they only exist when observed by something or someone. And since our everyday macroscopic objects are theoretically made up of those tiny particles, what does that mean about the chair I am sitting on? Is it there only because I am here? As stated on page 156, "There is no way to interpret quantum theory without in some way addressing consciousness."
This is not a "pop-quantum" book like the Tao of Physics or The Dancing Wu Li Masters. Nor does it present nonsensical extrapolations of quantum theory to spiritual phenomena, as in the "What the Bleep..." movie. But it does explore realms where most physics text books do not go -- the juncture of physics and philosophy. It shines a bright light on physicists' "skeleton in the closet", the enigmatic meaning of quantum theory.
The book is written in a friendly and entertaining manner, without sacrificing depth or seriousness. I enjoyed the photos of the great minds of quantum theory - Bohr, Heisenberg, Einstein, etc - the guys who knew from the start that quantum theory required a different world view.
It may be true, in some sense, that nothing exists unless and until "observed"! How can that possibly be? The authors don't provide an answer, but the beauty of this book for me was the courageous and competent way in which it asks the questions. And they freely admit that "The more deeply you think about quantum mechanics, the more strange it seems." No kidding.
--Joel Nisson
A perspective shaking journey.......2007-08-14
The concepts are simple but profound, mind creates matter. This book takes this idea and a few other mind bending, and mind blowing concepts that quantum physics has shown us about ourselves, and our universe and expands on them in a readable format. The astonishing realization for me is the apparent direct correlation between what quantum physics has told us about reality, and what mystics have been saying for thousands of years, especially the Buddha. This book is a must buy for any inquiring minds out there. It will change the way you look at yourself, and the world!!
Excellent treatment of the subject.......2007-08-10
The authors do a great job of presenting the issue. Some of the basic quantum concepts seem a bit dumbed-down, but their focus on the subject of quantum physics vs. consciousness is precise and well-thought-out. Refreshingly free of all the wooly-headedness that plagues other discussions of this type ("The Holographic Universe" comes to mind as a particularly bad example), which hijack science, broadly and clumsily applied, to justify belief in everything from ESP to reincarnation. They stick to the science, and properly so. Quantum mechanics is already so weird, it doesn't need to be conflated into anything else.
Book Description
This unique book combines lucid and engaging exposition, graphic and poignantly applied examples, and realistic exercises to take readers beyond the mechanics of statistical techniques. The result is a journey into the realm of practical data analysis and inference-based problem solving.
Customer Reviews:
Book Contents.......2006-03-08
The "search inside this book" feature was not available when this review was posted. Hope it helps.
Contents:
1 What is Statistics?
2 Tools for Exploring Univariate Data
3 Exploratory Tools for Relationships
4 Probabilities and Proportions
5 Discrete Random Variables
6 Continuous Random Variables
7 Sampling Distributions of Estimates
8 Confidence Intervals
9 Significance Testing: Using Data to Test Hypotheses
10 Data on a Continuous Variable
11 Tables of Counts
12 Relationships between Quantitative Variables: Regression and Correlation
13 Control Charts
14 Time Series
Appendix: Statistical Tables
References
Answers to Selected Problems
Index
Book Description
Novelist and critic Jonathan Wilson clears away the sentimental mists surrounding an artist whose career spanned two world wars, the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust, and the birth of the State of Israel. Marc Chagall’s work addresses these transforming events, but his ambivalence about his role as a Jewish artist adds an intriguing wrinkle to common assumptions about his life. Drawn to sacred subject matter, Chagall remains defiantly secular in outlook; determined to “narrate” the miraculous and tragic events of the Jewish past, he frequently chooses Jesus as a symbol of martyrdom and sacrifice.
Wilson brilliantly demonstrates how Marc Chagall’s life constitutes a grand canvas on which much of twentieth-century Jewish history is vividly portrayed. Chagall left Belorussia for Paris in 1910, at the dawn of modernism, looking back dreamily on the world he abandoned. After his marriage to Bella Rosenfeld in 1915, he moved to Petrograd, but eventually returned to Paris after a stint as a Soviet commissar for art. Fleeing Paris steps ahead of the Nazis, Chagall arrived in New York in 1941. Drawn to Israel, but not enough to live there, Chagall grappled endlessly with both a nostalgic attachment to a vanished past and the magnetic pull of an uninhibited secular present.
Wilson’s portrait of Chagall is altogether more historical, more political, and edgier than conventional wisdom would have us believe–showing us how Chagall is the emblematic Jewish artist of the twentieth century.
Visit nextbook.org/chagall for a virtual museum of Chagall images.
Customer Reviews:
Marc Chagall.......2007-05-13
This has made a fascinating artist even more interesting; and you can understand the impact of his life on his technique!
Icon of Modernism.......2007-04-14
The reader turns the first page of this little book to see the 1929 oil on canvas painting, "Lovers" by Marc Chagall. The painting depicts a man and woman seated and embracing; the woman's head turned inward on the man's breast, while the man, an expression of calm and contentment, peers upward, watching a winged angel flying overhead, across a deep purple sky. The painting has the deep and rich signature colour of all Chagall's work, though lacks the intense emotional suffering and ambivalence that makes up so much of his oeuvre, however this painting evokes a mystical love, a true love which, in my opinion, expresses the relationship between the artist and his beautiful wife, Bella.
As part of the Jewish Encounter project, Marc Chagall by Jonathan Wilson is one contribution devoted to the promotion of Jewish literature, culture, and ideas. (One can find all these contributions here on Amazon.)
It can be observed that most of Chagall's work, according to the author, is an expression of his philosophy, his religious sensibility if you will, in the form of the "literalization of metaphors", deeply grounded in the mystical and symbolic Hasidic world and Yiddish folktales, which include in their writings the "repository of flying animals and miraculous events." (P. 13)
It is impossible to label Chagall's work as "Expressionism", but the representation of an acute imagination, coloured in fantasy, depicting highly charged religious symbols, including in several works, Christs Crucifixion in a variety of contexts. What I love about Chagall is the viewer is drawn into the work by its striking colour and busy subject matter and is compelled to study it, because the meaning of the painting must be discovered as it is not apparent on a superficial viewing.
Wilson does a wonderful job of narrating Chagall's life in terms of the major events that the artist experienced, spanning through the Russian revolution, two world wars, the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel. Wilson suggests that in viewing Chagall's paintings against the backdrop of these major historical events will see the artist's work as a response to them, and his personal inner conflict between his "Jewishness" and his focus on Christ's Crucifixion, and also his attempt at secularism in many of his paintings.
My favourite paintings by the artist are his various representations of love that display an ethereal, mystical quality, a sublimeness that to me captures love in their most revealing forms, as Wilson comments,
"Chagall's vision of love, so appealing to the human soul, frequently involves a merging of two faces, or bodies, into one. In this regard he is Platonic, as his figures pursue their other halves in an apparent longing to become whole again. Over and again he paints the myth that Aristophanes recounts in The Symposium." (P.174)
Chagall's life Wilson suggests was an attempt through his art at the reconciliation between two worlds, a genuine effort universalizing or merging opposites, he writes,
"In his paintings, past and present, dream and reality, rabbi and clown, secular and observant, revolutionary and Jew, Jesus and Elijah...all commingle and merge in a world where history and geography but also the laws of physics and nature have been suspended." (P. 210)
Wilson's Marc Chagall is an erudite biography and insightful critical work. Although relatively short in length, manages to capture the artist who is considered along with Picasso and Matisse, one of the icons of Modernism.
Book Description
I Dared to Call Him Father is the fascinating true story of Bilquis Sheikh, a prominent Muslim woman. Her unusual journey to a personal relationship with God turned her world upside down-and put her life in danger. Originally published in 1978, the book has sold 300,000 copies and is a classic in Muslim evangelism. The 25th anniversary edition includes an afterword by a missionary friend of Bilquis who plays a prominent role in the story and an appendix on how the East enriches the West.
Customer Reviews:
Journey to Intimacy with God in Muslim South Asia.......2007-07-05
Bilquis Sheikh describes her journey, beginning with her initial interest in spirituality. She tells of her search for the truth, studying her Koran and the Bible she had requested, and struggling to know which book was God's. She humbled herself to visit a missionary to ask questions. She knew how to pray; prayer had been a ritual performed five times a day. However, she was startled by the new thought of praying to God as a father. In which of the two holy books was God a father? She decided to accept the Bible. She studied it, and began to spend time with the missionaries. She listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and became convicted about so many things: baptism, her temper, her responses to other people. Christ gave her the strength to defy her family when they insisted she have nothing to do with Christians, as well as the courage to live calmly when her life was threatened. It was such a hard decision, even after she knew in her heart that she believed, and had become a Christian. Her family was close, and she enjoyed so many tender relationships cut off by her choice to follow Jesus. Her family, who had shared such love with her, even tried to kill her for rejecting Islam.
In this book, she chronicles this process. It is precious to see the Lord at work in hard places, like South Asia. We see that He is not limited, only we are. She also gives us insights into her own culture, and values of family and community which are remote from the individualism of the West. It is enlightening to glimpse into a Muslim family, and how she continued to live among her relatives after her conversion. Most of all, it is encouraging to read of another sister's journey to live before God in communion with Him as He has called us all to do. It brings reflection on our own lives, and the depth and closeness of our own relationship with our heavenly Father.
At the end of the book, there is an epilogue of Bilquis' life after the conclusion of the book. Then another perspective is added by Synnove Mitchell, the missionary to whom Bilquis first spoke about the Lord.
Written in an easy manner, this book can be read in an afternoon. Bilquis was open and honest about matters of the heart, and I did not find her to by dry at all. Who should read it? Those interested in this kind of conversion and culture, those wanting to know how God can be a Father, and Christians who want to understand this sister and those like her, and Christians who want to deepen their own relationship with our heavenly Father.
A Reminder of the Basic Truths.......2007-07-04
I'm trying to find the words, but the only thing that comes close is refreshing. At the time I read this, I was in a very dry place, but her tale planted a seed to allow God to raise me out of it.
It reminded me of the basic truths and just how complicated we make religion. The truth is God wants our obedience and through it all, he loves us unconditionally.
Great story and truly inspiring!
I Dared to Call Him Father.......2007-05-13
Powerful testimony of a Muslim background believer in Pakistan. Sent chills down my spine the first time I read it. It is a great way to get some insight into Islam and the way God can work. She is now with the Lord.
Wonderful Testimony of a Muslim Woman Turning to Christianity.......2007-03-19
I first heard of this woman when she was on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson way back in the early 1980's. She was interviewed and told how she came to know Jesus, when God called her to come to Him. She had been the wife of a very important head of state, and she was well known and respected. She kept this part of her life a secret for a very long time as if she was found out they would have killed her. She tells about how God would take her out of body over to america or some other continent to pray for someone that was sick, and the return her later to her body. She was sold out to the Lord, and fell in love with Jesus, as we all must do, and He began to use her to win other souls, and to heal the sick. It is a touching testimony of God's Love for all, and how He longs for all to come to Him. God is Love.
Read this book, and you will be touched by the love of the Father.
True Account of a Muslim Woman Coming to Christ.......2007-02-14
Bilquis Sheikh was a traditional Muslim woman living in Pakistan during the 1960s. At the age of 52, after discontent with life she began examining the Koran in more depth to try to find greater purpose and hope for life. During her search, she noticed the prophet Jesus mentioned within the Koran and thought perhaps reading more on his teachings would be interesting.
As one who came from a well respected and wealthy family, she had many resources and servants at her beckon. She instructed one of the servants to obtain a Bible for her and began to read it. Though it was in a difficult to understand version of the Urdu language, she became intrigued and had a couple dreams relating to John the Baptist and Jesus. She had not read about John prior to her dreams. The dreams struct her so vividly that she had to learn more and so cautiously approached a local Christian missionary.
Over the next weeks and months, God revealed to her that the Jesus of the Bible was the true message of hope for life. She struggled tremendously with the decision to follow this Jesus of an aberrant religion and the implications of intense persecution/ostracization that she would experience if turning to Christ. However, she was continuously brought back to being at peace when dwelling on the things of the Bible and when she talked with God as if He were her father. She eventually surrendered to God and placed her full faith in Him and the promises of the Bible.
The resulting persecution was very real both emotionally, materially, and socially. However, God grew her faith and continuously taught her and utilized her testimony for His glory throughout the rest of her life. This book provides good insight into Muslim society and the meaning of accepting Christ in that society. Not only is it a good read but also a true story.
Book Description
As might be expected from this fiercely provocative writer, David Mamet’s interest in anti-Semitism is not limited to the modern face of an ancient hatred but encompasses as well the ways in which many Jews have themselves internalized that hatred. Using the metaphor of the Wicked Son at the Passover seder–the child who asks, “What does this story mean to you?”–Mamet confronts what he sees as an insidious predilection among some Jews to seek truth and meaning anywhere–in other religions, in political movements, in mindless entertainment–but in Judaism itself. At the same time, he explores the ways in which the Jewish tradition has long been and still remains the Wicked Son in the eyes of the world.
Written with the searing honesty and verbal brilliance that is the hallmark of Mamet’s work, The Wicked Son is a scathing look at one of the most destructive and tenacious forces in contemporary life, a powerfully thought-provoking and important book.
Customer Reviews:
brilliant.......2007-08-22
were I more intelligent I would give this book 5 stars but alas I am not and found it somewhat tough going in the 2 days I spent reading it.
I have pondered this subject over the years and even reproached certain Jews for what I consider their anti semitic views'.How can a jew be anti semitic "is the usual ludicrous reply.
Mamet {as have I} have come to the same conclusion as to what drives these traitors {my words)and to be succint they are cowards.If they can convince the world they are indeed cosmopolitans they will escape the fate of their fellows.History prooves otherwise as Mamet points out but what do these people know of history?About the same as they know of their heritage.Nothing.
People like Noam Chomsky,anti semite extraordinaire have huge followings and fame as an intellecual.Is he famous for hating his own people?How lonely this must be would be Mamets take.
Why not study his own heritage and religion and find fellowhip,peace and pride.Mamet does and this is his reccomenation for the Jews who flounder from one trend to another.
Come home where you belong is his answer.
I realize as does Mamet that this is provocative and not possible to prove but certainly worthy of thought.
what is a self-hating Jew?.......2007-07-14
Mamet delivers a relentless answer to this question, describing the impact of a bigoted society on one's sense of self, and highlighting the isolation unaffiliated Jews encounter while living in a world that is always going to hate them whether they are affiliated or not. It is an indictment of the generation of Jewish intellectuals who chose to reject the faith, but like an older brother, Mamet scolds them but also makes an impassioned plea for their return. He attempts to explain to us all what a magnificent culture we have inherited. As the child of alienated Jews, I was raised in the desert and am trying to find my way into Canaan. Mamet's point on the inescapability of our Jewishness is well taken. For me this book has had a powerful healing influence - but I don't expect my parents' generation to appreciate it - I think it would only offend them. I read it all within two days - it's brilliant, almost brutal although motivated by love - the observations about race, global anti-semitism, and internalized self-hatred are very astute.
Important Theme, Botched.......2007-07-02
Though sympathetic to Mamet's general premise, I found more to dislike about the book than I anticipated. What bothered me most were:
1) Mamet's authoritative voice was presumptuous and pedantic, especially when his arguments were thin, muddled, or unconvincing.
2) The use of Freudian theory/ terminology to buttress those arguments.
3) The erroneousness of Mamet's target: Mamet considers as "apostates" not just the obvious Chomsky-Finkelstein types ( deserving of his buckshot ), and Jews scornful of Judaism ( also buckshot-worthy ), but any Jew who isn't a regular attendee at synagogue. To Mamet, the Jew who doesn't study Torah is part of the problem. And his sole prescription for these apostates? Get thee to a shul.
4) Mamet's tone, throughout, is lofty, arrogant, and without sympathy even when his targets are harmless, non-apostate innocents who happen to irk him, and who he drags in to the fight ( i.e., poets, writers, and artists who participate in artist groups, whom he calls liars for thinking their work has worth ).
The book has its strengths, and the first few chapters dealing with anti-Semitism are good, but from there on it's a rough ride, sometimes interesting, with an erratic driver who does a lot of talking to himself.
My Review/Wonderful Book.......2007-05-28
Movies, Books, Music & ArtCommentaries
David Mamet's 'The Wicked Son'
Column: Interesting Times
Lynne Bundesen
[...]
May 25, 2007
"See also, the bachelor who manages to find in every potential mate something just a little bit wrong. This person may be accused of, and may in fact grudgingly admit to, that malady called fear of commitment, but that may be more truthfully characterized as greed.
"The perennial bachelor is afraid not of commitment but of passing up any opportunity for unlicensed sex -- he is afraid not of commitment but of restraint."
There you have David Mamet in "The Wicked Son."
The book's title refers to the character in the Passover Seder who distances himself from his people by asking, "What does this ritual mean to you?" The subtitle lays bare Mamet's meditation: "Anti-Semitism, Self-hatred, and the Jews."
Some reviews say the book is "bombastic"; a few online reviews have said that one needs a dictionary to read the book. The New York Times review says, "Like everything he does, it is blunt and bracing, honest and provocative, original and gutsy." I say it is a must read. The book may make you angry, may disturb you, or may cause rejoicing that someone has said what needs to be said.
Mamet: "In substituting conveniently elected totems and ceremonies for their more ancient counterparts, we have become neither more rational nor more humane, merely more confused -- we have replaced awe by superstition. The ceremony of circumcision is derided as savage self-mutilation, that of breast augmentation as logical fulfillment of individual prerogative. Plastic surgery performed in the aid of self- or community propitiation is simple cosmetic alternative; that performed in the aid of religion, is viewed, by the enlightened, as monstrous.
"But every obeisance, performance, or sacrifice the apostate finds irrational or ludicrous in religion will be found, under another name, in his daily life. The apostate might balk at consulting a rabbi as he might a soothsayer but finds it logical to consult with a 'life coach.' ... The enlightened might find ludicrous the notion of a Magic Balm of Youth, yet pay outrageous sums for an inert white cream that has been suggested to reverse the aging process. One might identify as primitive the caste differences between Cohen, Levi and Israel yet pay exorbitantly to 'move up' from one model car to the next -- models operationally identical, and differing only in the placement and shape of their fenders and badging."
Writing is thinking -- or should be -- and Mamet thinks: "Man is a constantly, irremediably, deeply superstitious creature -- no man more than he who is assured of his absolute rationality. The apostate is not an agnostic but an unconscious polytheist."
He says: "The constant battle against personification and rationalization, against our all-too-human desire to cast ourselves as God, is not a perquisite for the practice of religion; it is the practice of religion."
And he chides his brethren: "Surrender is frightening, and surrender to one's own tradition, race and heritage is, demonstrably, the most frightening of all. Why do some Jews reject their religion and their race? For two reasons: because it is 'too Jewish' and because it is not Jewish enough."
In one of those six degrees of separation, I once was engaged to the brother of David Mamet's first wife, but that thought only crossed my mind as I was stunned by the text and nearly through reading. Remembering is one thing Mamet wants from his readers, from his fellow Jews. Remembering who you are and where you came from.
"The Wicked Son" is a slim volume, but the contents take time to digest. And all is not criticism. His volume ends: "We are the children of kings and queens, a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. We are the children of a mystery that has not abandoned us and that has come for us; it is both described and contained in the Torah."
-- -- --
Lynne Bundesen is the author of five books on religion and was adjunct professor at the Boston Theological Institute under a Templeton Science and Religion Grant. She is currently the spiritual expert for the physical and spiritual health website of Dr. Andrew Weil. Her book "The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture" was just published. Her email address is [...]
Why am I Jewish?.......2007-05-09
How rich a history we Jews have,,,,,celebrate it .Live it,,,,Thanks >>David Mamet for reiterating that point !!!
As a child of Parents who emerged from Auschwitz
< both their parents and most of their siblings were GASSED and cremated. I know the world hates Jews and I am quilty of absorbing myself into other cultures in order to escape the utter pain inflicted on my family,,,,Thank you for setting me straight into my own TRIBE. WHAT A RICH HERITAGE WE JEWS HAVE!!David Mamet is my hero..Thanks for being who you are,,,,Kol hakavod
Book Description
Unlike other customer service books, Jeff and Valerie Gee's concise motivational book is written both for executives and managers, but for the millions of front-line workers who serve customers directly. The authors share their straightforward, proven techniques and guidelines for coping with angry customers, minimizing stress, and making customer service providers feel great about doing their jobs. In the bestselling tradition of Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service, the authors' "pep talk" includes concrete tips on how to: sympathize with the customer; take a call, transfer a caller, or end a call smoothly; defuse angry customers; maintain a positive frame of mind...and more!
Download Description
Unlike other customer service books, Jeff and Valerie Gee's concise motivational book is written both for executives and managers, but for the millions of front-line workers who serve customers directly.
Customer Reviews:
Highly Recommended.......2007-03-29
I've recently started a new business in the Customer Service Industry - this book has proved to be a great source for ideas and a bible-like document you must keep handy.
Pretty elementary.......2007-03-15
If you are a basic customer service person, not much experience, it's a good guide. I was looking for more depth for some research I was doing. Not a bad book, it just did not fit my needs.
Great book.......2006-07-01
As someone who writes about customer service, I found this book very interesting. It's an excellent read for a customer service representative and I'd recommend companies getting the book for each of their employees. It covers some customer service basics, how to handle certain situations, and is really a great overview of what great customer service is and how to deliver it.
Whoa! That's me in that book!.......2006-03-14
This is a great book for all customer sservice reps. Here is what I especially loved: I am not alone. Many people across America feel as I do. It makes me feel better about all the people I have to deal with!
Working with customers.......2005-05-07
Super Service is a great book for people who work on the front line like me. It is about not taking things personally and not being at the affect of the customer. When I give great customer service--I am the one who gets to feel good at the end of the day. The fact that the customer goes away feeling satisfied is just an added bonus. I've noticed that a lot of people in customer service positions act like they don't want to be there--like they are victims or something. Super Service reminds me that great service begins and ends with me. After all--if it's not about me--then who is it about?
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- Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Fifth Edition
- 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last
- 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life
- A General Theory of Love
- A Short History of Myth (Myths, The)
- Adventures of a Currency Trader: A Fable about Trading, Courage, and Doing the Right Thing (Wiley Trading)
- Alive & Kicking
- An Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants
- Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth: Book 1
Books Index
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