On-the-tape

A wonderful story that became History. It should serve as an example of how a simple man can do so much to change his generation and even the course of the world only by being willing to serve God no matter the cost. Everyone should read it and be inspired to go and show the love of Jesus Christ to a hopeless world.

In 1968 I received this book as a bonus from the Farm Family Book Club. I started to read it in the evening and read until I was finished at 4:00 a.m. The next day I said, "If Brother Andrew can trust God for 365 days a year, I can trust Him for one day, no matter how foolish it makes me look." I did, and I did look foolish. But I found out that He is faithful. My life has never been the same.

My favorite biographies are autobiographies, or at least semi- autobiographies (co-written by an author and the actual person who the story is about). John Sherrill has helped write many compelling books, such as The Cross and the Switchblade. He and Brother Andrew have put together a missionary masterpiece in God's Smuggler.

I have read this book twice. It has all the elements of an exciting read - action, drama, humor, romance, suspense... and it's a true story! I highly recommend this to everyone.

This book is an excellent tour through history of astronomy and astronomers quest to uncover our place (and time) in the universe. Ferris goes into quite a bit of detail and does not treat his readers with kid gloves. There are many interesting anecdotes about various astronomers and Ferris sometimes gives mini biographies of the more interesting/eccentric of them. Ferris starts with the greek astonomers such has hypocratus, goes through copernicus, kepler, galileo, newton, and then onto the astronmers of the last 200 years. But in his final section, he also talks about how the geosciences, and the theory of evolution began to give us a better perspective of where we fit in the universe not just in space but in time. The last chapters are devoted to the cutting edge of science - quantum physics. Ferris reports discoveries up to the point practically that this book was published! All in all, a good read for anyone interested in science and particularly in Astronomy.

This book is an excellent tour through history of astronomy and astronomers quest to uncover our place (and time) in the universe. Ferris goes into quite a bit of detail and does not treat his readers with kid gloves. There are many interesting anecdotes about various astronomers and Ferris sometimes gives mini biographies of the more interesting/eccentric of them. Ferris starts with the greek astonomers such has hypocratus, goes through copernicus, kepler, galileo, newton, and then onto the astronmers of the last 200 years. But in his final section, he also talks about how the geosciences, and the theory of evolution began to give us a better perspective of where we fit in the universe not just in space but in time. The last chapters are devoted to the cutting edge of science - quantum physics. Ferris reports discoveries up to the point practically that this book was published! All in all, a good read for anyone interested in science and particularly in Astronomy.

Great book! I finished this 500+ pages book in a week, a record for a slow like myself. "Coming of Age in the Milky Way" tells us how our concept in astronomy and cosmology changes and evolves, how man struggles to understand the universe through diligent research, and what will the future of SETI be. Timothy Ferris tells us how, for example, we develops the idea that earth is spherical from simple observations of Eratosthenes from Alexandria, and that measuring the distance of earth to sun accurately is an endeavour that takes hundreds of years and take hundreds of scientist globe-trotting to observe transit of Venus (the passing of Venus in the sun's disc), which will be an accurate method to determine the earth-sun distance. In short, this books tells us how human can gain all the knowledge that is now a popular knowledge to everybody.

The titles suggest that we, human, are just becoming of age in our universe. Young, passionate, eager to face the world, but brash and hold many future. In the final chapters, Timothy Ferris introduces us to the concept of galactic beacon that will hold all our profile so that it can be transmitted to other civilizations in other stars.

Thich Nhat Hanh has a gift. Even for non-Buddhists like myself. He is able to explain simply the way a Buddhist teacher/monk like himself deals with the ups and downs of life, often with a gentle beguiling humor, and he illustrates his advice with stories told in the most simplistic terms. The warm smile on his face is present across all its pages and this little book has a gentle way of telling you a lesson for every moment in your life.
One sad afternoon, I took the book outside with me to sit and read by the side of our family pet during the last afternoon of his life. I was extremely angry at the injustice of watching our wonderful young pet's life being cut short. He was dying that day and we couldn't save him. It was hard for me to contain that anger. I opened Hanh's book at random, to allow fate to put in front of me whatever it willed for that moment. To my amazement I found myself reading a paragraph on Hanh explaining how to control anger, how to care for it and how to make it constructive rather than destructive for the environment around you. His simple language flowed right to the heart of my moment. Our dog was not benefiting from my hidden anger - he needed me to give him peace in those last couple of hours. Once again I had learnt something precious to that moment of reading from this sweet, gentle monk's writings ...

Being Peace is a beautiful book that will open your eyes and your heart. Nhat Hanh was an important leader for the Peace movement, and through this collection of essays it is easy to see why. He takes the reader through basic concepts of mindfulness practice, and then relates practice to the way one lives in the world. His concept of InterBeing helped me to see the connectedness in the the world, in a way that applies to my own life and way of living. The book also shares very concrete suggestions for using meditation and awareness to improve life in the modern world. Mindfulness is portrayed as not just a way to relieve stress or feel better, but also to affect change in the crazy world we now live in. If we could all read this book and try to live its lessons, what an amazing world this could be!

Of all of Thich Nhat Hanh's works, I would say personally this stands out as my favorite. It is relitively short, meaning you can probably read it within a few hours. I especially like his chapter "Working for Peace", where he brings up his often used poem, "Please Call Me By My True Names." He explains how he, along with others at Plum Village, often take upon the task of helping refugees attempting escape from oppresive governments. The work at times becomes very tedious, many of the letters the will receive in Plum Village are heartwrenching, stories of murder or young girls being raped. Thich explains how it often becomes challenging to see both sides in a conflict, when it seems so evident there may have only been one victim.

Yet this is where meditation comes in, allowing yourself to truly try to understand where the perpetrator of the crime may have come from. In his poem he basically says he is both the frog and fly, or cat and mouse. In a nutshell, he shows us the middle path. Where good and bad do certainly exist, but also how no true resolution can spring forth without an attempt to understand all sides involved in a conflict. I must say I don't agree that violence can always be avoided, that sometimes a person must be stopped because they are harming other people continuosly; not to mention they are not filtering their own bad karma they create. It is with compassion that we must resolve these terrifying issues with. Love for perpetrator and everyone else in this world. Othwerwise we fan the flames of revenge and hate. Hate never once begot hate, only love begets hate. The Buddha Shakyamuni stressed that in Ancient times. It seems that Thich Nhat Hanh has rekindled the Buddha within to write this magnificent work.

Enjoy the book:)

I keep having to buy new copies of this book. People borrow it and then tell their friends to read it, and the cycle continues until the book disappears again. As long as people are reading it and learning from it, I'll keep buying new copies. It should be in every home with children. Kevin Leman is a wonderful author with a great sense of humor!

I am not a reader, however, this book has the right ingredients to keep even the less than casual reader engaged. I cannot say that I am a great parent, but this book helps you gage how well you are doing as a parent. It's a good feeling to know that someone has the same feelings about the parenting approach that you are and is doing well with their children. However this book suggests that we as parents seek help from other parents to help improve our skills. Also, this book, however religious in tone, is not overly religious. Mr. Leman uses references from the Bible as well as provides quotes, but the whole book doesn't linger on it. I don't feel that their additions would offend a person. Great book to read for a parent to assist them in their life long investment as well as a means to see how you feel you are doing as a parent.

It is so appropriate that this is my first Amazon review. Well, my boys are 23 and 20. They were raised on Dr. Leman's wisdom since they were very young children. They are both Eagle Scouts, both loving, well adjusted young men. They were raised with appropriate consequenses as per Dr. Leman's advice; and I had the benefit of this book acting as a trusted friend when I had the occasional doubt as to my parenting skill and direction. This book still sits on my book shelf (awaiting grandchildren so that I can pass this on to my boys). With Dr. Dobson's classic, "Dare to Discipline" and Dr. Leman's excellent tool, "Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours", any parent will find the voices of reason they need to help define the paths that their children will take on the road to becoming responsible adults. It worked for my family! Thanks Dr. Leman!

Mr. Tucker has written a highly readable account of one of the great killers of human history. Starting with background on smallpox: the course of the disease, its effect on humnan history, its use as a biological weapon, and moving through to the early work of Jenner in the field of vaccination, and the awe-inspiring triumph of the campaign to eradicate this terrible disease, this riveting account paints a portrait of one the great public health achievements of the 20th, or any, century. From that high point, the author then goes on to describe the hideous betrayal of that achievement by the very people who had first proposed undertaking the eradication of smallpox: the former Soviet Union. He lays out the Soviet bioweapons program that secretly kept the virus alive and kicking, and the Soviets' attempts to combine the virus with other viruses to create an even more powerful bug. Given recent events, this book's timing and message could not be better. Scourge is not an alarmist book, rather, a sobering one.

The author, Jonathan Tucker is an expert on biological and chemical weapons. He studied biology at Yale University, received his Ph.D. in political science from MIT, and served in the State Department, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. So, although his descriptions of past epidemics are horrible enough, it's the present and future threat of smallpox---the second half of this book---where Tucker really scared the bejabbers out of me. I had no idea that the Soviet bioweapons program, Vector, had gone as far as it did in developing viral weapons. According to the author, "Some 4,500 people, including about 250 Ph.D.-level scientists, worked at Vector in the late 1980s...One goal of the...program was to develop a smallpox-based biological weapon containing virulence genes from Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus. At least theoretically, such a viral chimera would combine the hardiness and transmissibility of smallpox with the lethality of Ebola, which was between 90 percent and 100 percent fatal, resulting in an 'absolute' biological weapon."

The real irony of the Vector bioweapons program was that the Soviet Union (along with the United States) was a major factor in eradicating the scourge of smallpox from the world in the 1970s.

Where are those 4,500 people who worked at Vector, now? Where is the twenty tons of smallpox virus formulation that was stocked at the Center of Virology in Zagorsk? The Soviets supposedly destroyed the stockpile in the late 1980s, but the smallpox seed cultures and the expertise to manufacture biological weapons from them still remain.

The author clearly presents the arguments for and against retaining the known remaining smallpox virus stocks in Atlanta and Moscow. However, I believe he sides with the 'destructionists' rather than the 'retentionists': "From a practical standpoint, now that the DNA sequences of representative strains of variola virus hade been determined, the live virus was no longer needed to identify smallpox if it were to reappear in the future. Nor would live variola [smallpox] virus be required to protect against a future outbreak of smallpox, since the small pox vaccine--based on the distinct vaccinia virus--could be retained and stockpiled for insurance purposes."

The long, difficult task of eliminating smallpox from the world (as thrillingly described in "Scourge") will not be complete until all known and rogue virus stocks (believed held by North Korea, Iran, Iraq, and possibly China) are destroyed. The world's population has grown increasingly vulnerable to the disease since the last official vaccination programs were eliminated in 1984, as the protective immunity induced by the vaccine lasts only about seven to ten years. Nor is there an effective medical treatment for smallpox.

As Tucker states in his closing sentence: "Until humanity's legal and moral restraints catch up with its scientific and technological achievements, the eradication of smallpox will remain as much a cautionary tale as an inspirational one."

I just recently finish Preston's book 'The Demon in the Freezer'. You would think that would fulfill my appetite for knowledge concerning smallpox, right? But that particular book and this one, Scourge, are very different. While Preston writes for the masses, often in a very novelistic, suspenseful way to bring information concerning microbial dangers to everyone, this particular book is more for those whose interests and avocations and jobs lie in these fields. This does not mean the book is written boringly. Both books deserved the five stars for different reasons. 'Demon...' was exciting and horrifying in it's details concerning smallpox, this book brings to life the unfortunate politics played behind the scenes by physicians, by government entities such as the Defense Department, by politicians who do not understand the full implications of most biological and bioethical discussions, by entire countries (U.S. and Russia the worst as per usual).

Though Tucker and Preston mention a few names and incidents in common in their books, their writing is very different. Tucker is deeply involved in bioweapons development as a member of an elite group that monitors this type of problem internationally. Preston writes like a journalist. So the impact of their writing is completely different and I personally think anyone interested in this problem is well-served by reading both books.

Scourge tells the story of the political problems not only in eradicating the smallpox worldwide, but the current problem concerning the existence of stocks at the CDC and VEctor, and whether they should be destroyed. Tucker goes into far more detail concerning the problems in India and Bangladesh that made that country one of the last to contain smallpox (and bodes ill should smallpox ever raises its head there again). He also goes into much more detail concerning Russia's two-faced behavior in supplying the world with the vaccine that led to eradication, but in secret continuing to work on smallpox and genetic variations in order to have them for biological weaponry.

Tucker also gives a good warning at the end chapter, that while the ability to use smallpox as a weapon is more difficult then imagined, the possibility of using it still exists. He emphasizes that panic does not contribute anything useful, but awareness and preparation for the possibility does. I am glad that the smallpox vaccinations are there, and I think more physicians and other medical personnel should be prepared for seeing these cases, and being able to differentiate between smallpox, flu, and chickenpox.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education

I thought this book was suberb. Having read the official Board of Inquiry report( available on the City of Worcester web site), the author accuratley places human faces on the brutal facts of this disasterous fire .

Note to who ever wrote the Publishers Weekly review. Get a map. The second largest city in New England is Worcester Mass. not WorcHester. Those of us born and raised there pronounce the city to rhyme with mister.

The title at the beginning of these comments is from St. Florian, and was on a medal recovered from the spot where one of the men fighting this fire died. The medal should not have survived, silver melts at 1,600 degrees, a body is incinerated at 1,800 degrees, and the heat in the building had reached 3,000 degrees.

I came to read this book from a rather unusual direction. Worth Magazine just did a profile of the most generous Americans, not necessarily those who gave the most money, but as a percentage of what they have, their reasons, and other intangibles beside the traditional yardstick of amount only. Actor/comedian and member of this very special group is Dennis Leary. Of the 6 men who died in this fire, one was his cousin and another was a childhood friend. His foundation has raised $2 million for firefighters in Worcester MA and NYC. His organization was cutting checks 3 months after September 11th in NYC; he has no use for bean counters.

Sean Flynn's book, "3000 Degrees", is easily one of the most powerful books I have read in 2002, it is the first of many books I will now read on Firemen, and others who put themselves in lethal harm's way, for the rest of us. As I read this book, I asked the same question I often ask when men and women put the lives of others before their own, not for a single moment, but every day, for years and often for decades. Some members of a team are the rescue members, and these men enter the building without any fire fighting equipment, like hoses, to protect themselves. They go in looking for victims and are unprotected against flame and other lethalities except by their experience and luck. They are in a burning building looking for you and me before the houses may even be turned on.

Firemen are not drafted; they are not military, although some served prior to becoming Firefighters. The serve their own communities, but adjacent ones when needed, and generally walk in to situations that may kill them to save people they do not know, or to be sure a building is empty of persons. The latter was the case on December 3, 1999. Six men died in a building that was boarded up, and devoid of human life. It had many lives within it for several hours, and then 6 lives became the only bodies that the building would ever contain.

Tim Jackson, Joe McGuirk, Paul Brotherton, Jay Lyons, Tom Spencer, and Jerry Lucey died, because as one person involved in the fire wondered, that 6 of his friends had died because, "two misfits were too scared to dial 911". These misfits not only started the fire, accidentally, they did not report it, but because it is not against the law to fail to report a fire in Massachusetts, even if you started it, neither person was convicted of anything.

Now Julie and Tom continue to live their lives which up until the night they started this fire were notable only for the similarities they shared. They were the personification of life's losers, living illegally, living in filth, living any way they chose as long as it required nothing from them, no effort. And if that meant going to jail, breaking the law, and living in their own filth like no animal would do, that was what they did.

They killed these 6 men by their actions, even if you call their act one of omission as opposed to commission, the men are dead, and Julie and Tom started the fire, Julie and Tom ran, and Julie and Tom did not bother to let anyone know the building they illegally were squatting in was empty. That their illegal residence was barely worth the water to contain the blaze, much less the lives of 6 men, a host of new widows, and a large number of now fatherless children, never occurred to Julie and Tom.

They went to Media Play and listened to music while the fire spread, books were out for Tom, he's illiterate. And while the candle falling over and causing the fire was called an accident, it probably would not have fallen if Tom did not try to force himself on Julie. Tom was in the mood, Julie was not, so 6 men died.

The men who fought this fire and died and those who fought it and lived are all remarkable people. They are people that few of us can measure up to. Are you willing to take a job where you place your life at risk every day, not for fame, or money, or even job security? I don't think you are; I'm not.

Firemen are willing to make the sacrifice, so are Policemen and women. So the next time you are tempted to park in front of a hydrant, don't, next time you get nailed for speeding, take the ticket, call the officer sir or mam, and act like an adult. Don't whine because your radar/laser detector did not allow you to get away with speeding. Want to speed, pay the ticket; don't blame the officer who stops you.

30,000 Firefighters from all over the world came to Worcester to pay their respects to these men and the families that were left behind. So the next time you pass a Firehouse, think about the people in side, you probably don't know them, and they don't know you. Would you die for them, they are prepared to die for you, every minute of every day.

I recently came across this book again. I remember reading it about six years ago in high school and thoroughly enjoying it. I shared a new chapter of the story with my family every evening. I also remember reading another fictional story about the Oregon Trail, about two sisters travelling alone, the younger one disguising herself as a boy. It was a great story, but I can't remember the title or the author. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please let me know.

I can't believe this book has gone out of print. I read it 25 years ago and I can still vividly recall many scenes. I wanted to get it for my teenage sons. There are characters that show the best in human nature, and the very worst. But most important are the characters, like Jaimie's father and the wagon train guide, that are a combination of faults and virtues. They show what character is when they face-or avoid-the difficulties that their shortcomings have caused.

This is a touching, funny epic story of a boy's travels across the Wild West. It has remained on my personal list of favorite books since I first read it nearly 20 years ago. I promise I will buy the first fifty reissued copies to give as gifts.....men, women, young and old would love it. But don't take my word for it; it won a Pulitzer!

An enchanting saga about how a variety of characters react to a difficult time.

An engaging view of a clash of cultures. The vigorous American culture versus the age-old Italian culture.

An endearing cast of characters that will linger in your memory. From peasant buffoons to wise old men. From selfish to magnanimous. From simple to sophisticated. From despicable to saintly. An amazing portait of humanity.

An enthralling quest of one Major Joloppo. His attempt to return civility to an incivil world.

And it is all couched in a warm, humorous story line which will keep you interested to the last word. Not a "page-turner" or thriller, but you will want to know what happens to the Major on his quest and how all of the characters either help or hinder him along the way.

I was very glad I followed the advice of the other reviewers and read this book.

This book is wonderful in its clear language and soft touch. You will instantly feel a part of the town and its inhabitants. The book tells the story of a small town in Italy occupied by the Americans at the end of WW2. It relates how the occupied village interacts with its human, caring "occupier", an American army officer. Much like Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres, this book puts a massive event in world history into focus. I highly recommend the book.

This is a very warm story of humanity. War, misery, soldiers, death and the love, friendship, and a deep desire for the GOOD. Good story, good book, good writer.

How important is goal setting? According to success expert Brian Tracy, your ability to set and achieve goals will determine your success and happiness than any skill you can ever learn!

You can't hit a target that you can't see. The starting point of great success is when you sit down and decide exactly what you really want, in every area of your life. This book by Brian Tracy will show you how to do this better and faster than you ever dreamed possible.

Goals will show you how to step on the accelerator of your own life. In this fast moving, practical, and informative book, Brian Tracy shares with you the results of 30 years of research and experience in setting and achieving goals.

In Goals: How To Get Everything You Want - Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible you will learn the most complete abd most effective goal-achieving techniques ever created. In this outstanding book, Brian Tracy takes you through a simple, proven step-by-step system that you can use immediately to achieve anything you really want to in life.

I highly recommend this great new book by Brian Tracy to help you achieve any realistic goal that you are willing to work towards. This system works. Try it.

I have read other books on goal setting as well as other books by Brian Tracy and still learned a lot from following the tips in this outstanding book by Brian Tracy.

Although everyone knows how important goals are, not many people know how to set and successfully achieve goals. I found Brian's tips worked.

Great book. Also recommend Create Your Own Future: How To Master the 12 Critical Factors of Unlimited Success and Brian's newest book, Million Dollar Habits: Proven Power Practices to Double and Triple Your Income.

No long review needed. This is the top of the line in goal setting books. If you will apply what you learn in this book you will achieve your goals. An awesome action packed book on changing your life.

This was the first btech novel I read. Although i found it hard then, to understand this book, i wouldn't reccomend to first timers. It took a few more novels until I read it again and loved it. The effort stackpole has put in this novel is amazing. The characters eg, Vladimir ward, Phelan kell and Kai Allard are exceptionally well. Vlad's brute force, fiendish mind and role as the heel made him my favourite in the novel and still is throughout all Stackpole's novel's. This novel and the trilogy should definately be made into a movie. It would surely please the current fans of the series and no doubt bring hundreds more. This trilogy is one of the more keypoints in the battletech world, with the coming of the clans. a movie made from this would be easily possible with the support it would be shown.

A great book. Stackpole did a great job of an intro into the clan invasion. He created two of the best characters i've ever read in Phelan Kell and Victor Davion. It's also great reading about Hanse and Melissa Davion. Everything great about the Federated Commonwealth and Battletech is in this book, from nonstop action with the clans, to the 1st Kathil Uhlans and Andrew Redburn. Stackpole does a great dramatic job aside from all the action. Read it!! And then the others in the trilogy!!

Yeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! This is an awsome book from Stackpole. THE CLAN INVASION! this is the first book including the tech and mech superior clans.It as plenty of mech action and 1 thing there has never been before! The Inner Sphere Uniting? i recomend this book to everyone who enjoys battletech