Westerns Books

This was an excellent guide for people who have never been to Arizona. You can't get lost with it. The way it's organized makes it easy to read. You can go directly to the section you need without wasting time flipping the pages.

This was the textbook to a college class on Zarathustra, and I have to say not only am I glad I took the class, I'm incredibly happy I have this book. First I'll tackle the negatives. The teacher used this instead of Kaufmann's translation because he noticed it packed in a few lines that Kaufmann's lacked: however it also discarded some. So essentially the translation is incomplete. Additionally, (my professor is fluent in German) there are many words that he himself thought would have been a better translation. Also, on one of the sections on women, the editor puts a notation where he says that Nietzsche says "Women are not yet ready [to be friends]." The text has to be read carefully: It most certainly does not say that.

All that said, if possible I would recommend reading this book with guidance; It is highly allusory (95% of allusions are to biblical scenes) and you have to both have a good knowledge of ancient Greece as well as a very good grasp of the New Testament to be able to more fully understand some of what he's saying. Be prepared for careful study--you cannot just pick it up and read it like a novel. Each section and subsection are poetically and carefully arranged, and all sections link to previous and upcoming sections. Nietzsche's straightforward argument only becomes apparent when the book is finished.

It did indeed personally affect me. It made me realize that I valued creativity and had lost touch with that in my pursuit of a degree in biotechnology. It made me switch to accounting so I can simply make a good living while having all the time in the world to write and engage in my artistic endeavors.

As far as what people say about his views on God, if you read this book carefully, you will realize that he critiques what people say about God, and attacks the image of God as western civilization has made it, not necessarily God itself. He is neither an atheist nor theist and could barely be considered agnostic, because agnosticism implies that there is some kind of absolute knowledge, an idea which he very early decries as nonexistant. Man's role in the world is to deal with infinite uncertainty, and the prescription is to be lighthearted in your dealings and to always work towards a goal, while respecting science albeit not to the point of declaring any of science as an absolute.

I could write much more about what this book has done for me but I'll rob you of your own interpretations. Good day!

Part of the Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy series, Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a specially commissioned English translation of what the renowned philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche considered to be his most important work. Framed in the context of the story of the wandering Zarathustra, Thus Spoke Zarathustra applies homilies, parables, epigrams, and dreams to present philosophical doctrines. Written in a bullet-by-bullet style of short paragraphs and brief lines of dialogue, Thus Spoke Zarathustra solidly conveys Nietzsche's views of nihilism, theology, the role of compassion, and other complex subjects. An index rounds out this superb primary source of classic philosophical discussion and frame of reference. Highly recommended especially for philosophy and college library reference shelves.

I bought this guide for my son's trip to Europe, And we found that it was helpfull.

We have several of Rick Steve's books, but this one has practical and helpful information.

This book is a must for those travelling to Europe for the first time, or just needing a background review of the smart way to travel. It covers the basics from train and plane travel to how to book a hotel in Europe and what to expect. The second part of this book gives some suggestions of places to visit, but that is not where it shines (see Best of Europe book for that info) it is giving you the knowledge to feel comfortable and confident while traveling that this book makes it mark.

This is an excellent reference book. We used it in preparation for our trip to UK, along with Rick's Great Britain 2008 guide. We also referred to it while on the trip. Wish I had more time to read it more thoroughly before we left, but the packing tips and money-exchange information were especially helpful. Good practical book to add to one's library.

I found this book very useful, it offered many practical time and money saving tips. The accommodation and transportation strategies were particularly good. However, as an Aussie I found this book very US centric! While some advice was EXTREMELY obvious, I appreciated the opinionated style of writing. Please note that a lot of information covered in this book is also located in Rick's website.

The book was decent price.. and just as described. Would definitely recommend this seller. Thanks.

each chapter is well written, not dry to read, easy to understand. although they should probably write a new version using office 2007 excel.

This textbook is the best intermediate to advanced statistics textbook currently available on the market today.The Excel instructions are self explanatory and include every step needed to apply a particular statistical procedure.The instructions for calculating joint probability tables and constructing tree diagrams are excellent and easy to follow.The example problems include all the steps.The notation used is simple,direct and straightforward.It will not cause any confusion for a student.The handling of p-values in hypothesis testing and multiple regression analysis is very well done.Based on my extensive teaching experience at the college and university level,I would highly recommend this book to a student, who is taking a statistics course that emphasizes applications, at the intermediate to advanced level.

I read this book during the 2008 Republican National Convention, and what a stark contrast between the rhetoric from the podium and the facts (documented in this book and its 55 pages of references). The title "Web of Deceit" is (if anything) too mild for the tale within, which goes way beyond deceit and is far more pervasive than a simple web. Perhaps a better title would have been "Fabric of Disaster" or "Imperial Hubris."

The book documents 86 years of Mesopotamian history, from the British creation of Iraq in 1921 from unrelated warring factions, to the state of open civil war between those same warring factions in late 2006. This book was completed sometime after the start of Saddam's trial in August 2006 but before his subsequent execution in December. Needless to say, conditions in Iraq have not markedly improved, making the book still very timely.

Iraqi history is appalling in its greed, avarice, inhumanity and cruelty -- both from within and outside the country of Iraq. There's no point recounting the sober and well-researched narrative of the book, you can and should read it yourself if you're interested in the truth instead of propaganda.

The author makes clear that the absurd calls for "victory in Iraq" will first have to define exactly what that would entail. From Iraq's sad and blood-soaked history, such a chimera is by no means obvious.

For me it was a fascinating read. I learned not only a lot about Iraq and its past. I learned about how international politics work and I learned about the dynamics between the international policies of the US and its internal powers and opninions. It is astonishing how the United States likes to play the good cop of the world but is really just a government looking after its own interests and especially those of the active lobby groups.

It's a good read, sometimes though to get through and very detailed because complete and correct but if you care about the truth and you want to know what's happening in the world this book will amaze you and give you knowledge all people should have to make this world a place where justice rules and not deceit.

Barry M. Lando presents a thorough analysis of Western intervention within the Mesopotamian region. Not only does it study the current issues of Iraq but the very history of Western Imperialist goals through colonialism and governance by proxy starting with the British in World War I, giving stunning parallels to the current U.S. attempts.
This book is one giant, and necessary step to understanding the hatred emanating towards the West from the Middle East and the roots of "Islamic" fundamentalism.

Barry Lando, an award-winning investigative producer with 60 Minutes, has written a most enlightening book. Most accounts of Iraq proceed as if there had never been any foreign intervention, and as if the tyrant Saddam just appeared from a cloudless blue sky. By contrast, Lando shows the dire effects of a century of foreign abuse.

For example, during the British occupation and counter-insurgency war of 1919-24, Winston Churchill successfully urged using gas bombs to punish Iraqis `without inflicting grave injury upon them', as he knowingly lied. The RAF bombed and machine-gunned at will.

The CIA and MI6 both aided the bloody 1963 and 1968 coups in Iraq. In 1980, the US government gave Saddam Hussein the green light to attack Iran. Alexander Haig, Reagan's first Secretary of State, wrote in a confidential memo, "It was interesting to confirm that President Carter gave the Iraqis a green light to launch the war against Iran through Fahd [Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia]." The USA, Britain and Israel all sold arms to both sides in the Iran-Iraq war, despite a UN Resolution banning sales to either.

Before the 1990 Iraq war, US diplomats lured Hussein into attacking Kuwait, telling him that the USA would not intervene. In that war, USAF and RAF bombing of unparalleled intensity destroyed Iraq's civilian infrastructure. Thatcher and Bush, who had sold Saddam Hussein his chemical and biological weapons, then accused the war's opponents of supporting him!

After the war, US-British sanctions throughout the 1990s killed a million Iraqi people, half of them children, making Iraq's child mortality the worst in the world. Bush, when asked if sanctions would cover food and medicine, replied, `everything, everything'. It is a war crime to starve a civilian population.

The current US-British occupation of Iraq is a disaster. A 2003 US National Intelligence Estimate stated that the insurgency was fuelled by local conditions and drew its strength from real grievances, including the presence of US troops and bases. A century of outside interference has not brought peace, democracy or prosperity to Iraq, just one catastrophe after another.

Lando begins by telling us that numerous world leaders have contributed to the mess in Iraq, beginning with its illogical formation after WWI. However, most "Web of Deceit" focuses on the actions of Bush I and Bush II, particularly the former. Readers sense that both Gulf War I and II, as well as the War on Terror could have been avoided through better decision-making.

Saddam (as a CIA "asset") and the U.S. joined forces first in the overthrow of a nationalistic Iraq government that had the audacity to threaten a Kuwait takeover (long-standing border dispute) and actually nationalized Iraqi oil production and marketing. This was followed by Saddam's involvement in the first of numerous mass executions implicitly sanctioned by the U.S. - this one because it was getting rid of pro-Soviet Iraqis.

The U.S. then backed a Baath Party takeover in return for reversing sulfur-mining concessions Iraq had granted French companies. We also supported Kurds' anti-government actions. The French, West Germans, and Italians then provided Iraq with extensive and sophisticated arms, as well as two reactors and training. When Saddam invaded Iran, Presidents Carter and Reagan supported him with arms as a means of undermining Khomeini. These included cluster bomblets, some with delayed timing to maim and kill rescuers. The U.S. also ignored Saddam's use of chemical weapons vs. Iran's human wave attacks, and may have been involved in their production. Iraqi troops also received unconventional warfare training in the U.S. in case Iran overran Iraq, and considerable intelligence from U.S. spy satellites. (Iran also received arms, at least partly in an unsuccessful effort to obtain the release of hostages, and also because eg. Kissinger hoped both sides would destroy each other.)

Bush I was down in the polls ("No new taxes" reversal) when Saddam grossly miscalculated reactions and invaded Kuwait. After initially responding with mixed messages, Bush decided this was an opportunity to take out Saddam - despite our earlier support. The U.S. mislead Saudi Arabia as to the extent and progress of Iraq's buildup on the Saudi's borders as a means of obtaining their approval to stage 15,000 troops, as well as obtaining a broad coalition of support. (Similarly, Kuwait's P.R. firm massively mislead Congress and U.S. citizens with untrue stories of abuse by Iraqi troops.) Tens of billions in aid and debt forgiveness was doled out to help convince those undecided, and in one case aid was cut to a non-supporter - Yemen. Bush then rebuffed Saddam's face-saving offers to withdraw - eg. in return for a U.S. supported conference on the Palestine issue. Bush then proceeded with his "altruistic" mission, though to some our charges of aggression rang hollow vs. Panama, and Israel vs. Lebanon; similarly, our mission to enforce a U.N. resolution on the issue seemed two-faced to many, in light of our non-support for U.N. resolutions vs. Israel.

Lacking post-war plans (the U.S. was worried about fracturing the coalition) led to allowing Saddam use of his "civilian" helicopters to massacre Shiites in the South and Kurds in the North after Bush had urged them to revolt. Only after it became known that some of the helicopters were being used in chemical weapons attacks were the "No-Fly" zones established - much later.

In Lando's opinion, the most lethal "WMD" to hit Iraq did not occur until the U.S./Britain sponsored U.N. Iraq trade embargo. Since the country imported 70% of its pre-war food, had had its electrical power generation largely destroyed by U.S. air attacks (intended to created civilian anti-Saddam pressure), as well as water-purification and sewage-treatment plants rendered inoperable, the result was a perverse type of biological warfare that killed 500,000- 1,000,000, mostly children. Exceptions were made to allow for medical and other emergency supplies, but these were mostly window-dressing as the bulk of resulting funds were directed to reparations to Kuwait and paying U.N. overhead.

The embargo's intent was to topple Saddam - experts estimated he would only last six months. Later the focus shifted to finding and destroying Saddam's WMD programs. This effort, however, was undermined by the U.S. planting spies within the inspection group, and creating artificial crises from time to time.

9/11 ultimately led to the end of Saddam. Bush II had a hatred of Saddam ("He tried to kill my dad"), surrounded himself largely with neo-cons focused on deposing Saddam, and took advantage of the situation to manipulate information into an anti-Saddam frenzy.

Lando's "Web of Deceit" is a great service to those interested in the truth. It reveals that most U.S. actions in the area were counterproductive - especially the long-term stationing of troops in Saudi Arabia that became a major irritant to Muslim extremists.

This one just didn't do it for me. I have enjoyed 2-3 of the authors and some of Morris' work in the past, but this one fell flat. There is some heavy repetition in my mind amongst the collection of essays, super hero characters are repeatedly analyzed, and frankly I felt in a number of cases this book challenged me to take it seriously. If you are a big comic fan, pass, and if you are a big fan of Tom Morris, pass.

I picked this book up from the library with the thought of skimming over it; however, once I started, I literally couldn't put it down! It's an entertaining and thought-provoking collection of essays on super heroes in TV, movies and comics, their ethics, responsibilities, lack of religion, and more. The various essayists do a great job of comparing classical ideas from Plato, Aristotle, Pascal, the Bible, Kierkegaard and more, and their impact on the imaginary world of super heroes.

This book inspired me to ponder several concepts, but the views expressed as the chapter conclusions were often scantily supported. The book delved into some interesting topics such as identity and what it means to be moral, but several chapters were based on only one or two superhero characters or even one specific example from the superhero world. The book veered into religious philosophy more often than was warranted given the subject matter. I'm glad that I read this due to some insights it gave me into a few characters (esp. Batman and Superman), but I was disappointed due to the great potential a book of this nature could have. Superheroes and Philosophy is probably the only book based on the combination of these two loves of mine, so I am glad that I bought it. However, there are deeper volumes of the popular culture and philosophy series.

This is the first book in this series that I've read, and I have to say I'm impressed. It's nice to see someone take comic books seriously, and really superheroes are a perfect topic for philosophers, as any serious reader of comic books will tell you. The essays were great, though there were a few topics I would have liked to have seen them cover.

"Superman and Batman are the Plato and Aristotle of the comic-book world." (262).

If you agree with this, if you understand it, and if you find it both funny and accurate, then get this book.

*

I'm a fan of the "Philosophy And" series. Philosophy lurks everywhere, if we have our eyes open. Additionally, Neil Postman in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business makes the case that television is a form of epistemology. The same holds true for comic books. Since epistemology is a branch of philosophy, and comic books are a means of epistemology, then they demand our attention.

The book is a fun romp, with serendipitous discoveries. If you are a fan of such things, they buy this book.

However, I would rate most of the essays about a B+, or an A-. They are interesting, but many times the authors fall into a methodological trap. Philosophy can be defined two ways. One is the study of what people have said about things. The other is the love of wisdom. Too often the authors seem to take ideas and quotes to bolster their points. And they are very good at compare and contrast. But for wisdom, especially the love of wisdom, this is lacking.

Chapter 17 on the identify question which uses the Hulk/Banner as a case study, ignores multiple personality disorders. For a good discussion of time travel, read Chapter 18 by Richard Hanley.

Part of the problem has to do with the structure. They should have begun with metaphysics. Chapter 1 should be an overview along with 11 on comic book wisdom. Chapter 2 should be chapter 1, and the followed by all of Part 4. Part 3 on moral duty should come next, followed by the existential discussions in part 2. Lastly, focus on the image of a hero and secret identities.

On thing that surprised me is that so much morality traces itself back to the so-called God Hypothesis. Read "God, the Devil, and Matt Murdock," then chapters 12-16. The question raised (taking the lead from Socrates and Gyges's Ring), that if a powerful person can get away with evil, why not? Or from Republic Book 2 (Great Dialogues of Plato (Signet Classics), 158ff), compare an evil person who masks his evil with a good person who is labeled as evil, and they die that way. Why be good, if such a thing could conceivably happen. Although they do not mention him, this is the life of Job (Consider My Servant Job).

The conclusion of the various authors is that yes, you can get away it. And we find that disturbing. The only way to account for that is either Natural Law, or Divine Justice. Barring that, we should not be good. Which is absurd.

*

The prophet Job asked, "But where shall wisdom be found?" (Job 28:12). Apparently, one place is in comic books.

This is not a long read, but it takes time to go through it.

In a veryto-the-point manner, Chodron explains how the seeds of peace and war start with the individual reaction to life situations. We have the choice to effect others by our reaction to potentially violent situations. We can choose to get angry when someone cuts off off, or we can continue on our way. Like the inmate in San Quentin, we can take out our frustrations on a sea gull blown in by a storm or we can tell the crowd to back off because "the bird has my wings."

For therapists who use cognitive behavior therephy, the third chapter is the best description of how to engage cognitive thinking when faced with a situation which can trigger a patterned response.

A book that will linger with you long after reading. Get 2 copies. You will want to pass it along to a friend. Once you do, it will be sent out never to return!

Love this tiny book, which fits in my purse. I can refer to it when I'm running errands. I am becoming aware of how powerful my ego is. I am "awakening" slowly and it helps me get my head around this ego issue and how detramental ego is to me, personally.

I loved this book. It was concise and powerful, like a distillation of her other books. It also gave me new perspectives on the subjects that have already been talked about, which is sometimes exactly what one needs.

Choderon's books keep getting shorter and clearer. Here she gives a little classic of straight-talking compassion. In a world obsessed with finding security she speaks of living with "positive insecurity". In a simple, honest way she demonstrates how to culivate our own peace step by step, and why it matters so much:

"If we arn't training inch by inch, one moment at a time, in overcoming our fear of pain, then we'll be very limited in how much we can help. We'll be limited in helping ourselves, and limited in helping anyone else. So, let's start with ourselves just as we are, here and now." (p. 78)

The book concept is great. But in actuality, trying to apply this is really hard. If each one of us could wait to respond to provoking situations, and really think about how to respond in a kind and compassionate, non-provoking manner, and then teach our children, friends and family the same method, wow! what potential for peace! The book is very short and easy to read. I would like to have the author narrate how in specific situations this actually works. She does,but personally I need more help than this small book to really catch on. I will probably look into another book by this author in hopes of finding more on this subject.