history

K-9 SOLDIERS Vietnam and After by Paul B. Morgan is a genuine story of a man and his best friend(s), in war and peace. This is a hard book to put down, until you have turned it's last page. The mutual love and devoted service of man's animal friend comes across in the tales of war in Vietnam and combatting crime on the city streets in peacetme. Along the way, we get the precious vision on how a young man matures through his military career, and in his post-service occupation as a dog handler. Paul Morgan is a natural story teller, and his personal accounts, with his K-9 soldiers, is an enjoyable and touching read. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Vietnam, veterans, and service dogs

I heard that, Paul has a new book coming out soon, entitled "Parrot's Beak". I'm looking forward to reading it.

Larry Healey 484 BWH, SAC USAF 1964-1966

Paul Morgan's book K-9 Soldiers: Vietnam and After is a story of Paul's military life from beginning to end and the intense training this soldier endured to become a U.S. Army Green Beret with two tours in Vietnam. There are stories about Suzie his faithful German Shepherd that saved him and his buddies more than once in the jungles and rice fields of Southeast Asia. After the military he started his own K-9 security business. The many stories that he tells about his K-9 companion's will bring tears to your eyes and make you smile.

Jim Hart 12th SPS K-9 PhuCat 1970-1971 USAF

Paul Morgan was my Company Commander and I was his Executive Officer in B Company, 716th MP Battalion. Paul was one of the best MP officers I had the pleasure of serving with. Quiet but serious, when he spoke we listened, and he always had something important to say. Today he writes the same way that he spoke then, always interesting and always sincere.
What he didn't write about in his book, is that when the Victoria Hotel was bombed, there was a deep crater left in front of the entrance to the hotel which filled with water. He was so involvement with the rescue mission, he did not notice the depth of the crater and attempted to walk through the water toward the building. In the meantime I had gotten my camera and was taking pictures of the damage. I heard the splash and looked to see Captain Morgan sink to the bottom and then come out of the hole holding his cap up high, the only dry thing on him. He ordered me not to take his picture. I wished I had disobeyed that order, it would look great in his next book.

John Mellencamp has proven himself to be a very talented artist. It is hobby he quotes and is something he does on the side.His pictures show life as he sees it and much like his self titled CD, his book reflects the same image.Very, very, very good book....

This book is a must for any music fan, art fan, or John Mellencamp fan. There is a large selection of paintings, as well as text about Mellencamp and explanations of the paintings, themselves. It's a wonderful coffee table book.

The book is a must for anyone who enjoys John Mellencamp. All the proceeds are given to elementary school children for music. I think this is a great way for John to give back to his fans and to the world in general. Go get yours now!

I recently read Simon Winchester's "Krakatoa", and it put me to sleep. But here is a fascinating nonfiction book on a similar subject--a historic volcanic disaster--that doesn't seem to have gotten much promotion from its publisher, yet has all the elements that enthrall the reader-- tension, character development, suspense, surprise, substance... leading the reader to often gaze up at the ceiling and say "hmmm..."

The author has done a marvelous job of bringing alive characters that have been dead for a century. Fundamentally, however, this book is about ignorance-- how a lack of knowledge of natural geological processes led to some egregiously erroneous political decisions that sealed the terrible fate of 30,000 humans on the island of Martinique in 1902.

The author, however, does not insult the reader's intelligence, and your conclusions from this fascinating book will be your own.

Dr. Zabrowski paints a compelling picture that encompasses the policical, economic, cultural and social life and times of St. Pierre and Martinique a century ago. This amazing scientific book captures the reader much as you might expect of an intrieguing substantative novel. One's fund of knowledge is easily and enjoyablly advanced with regard to natural disasters, human behavior, history, etc. The scope of his research left no stone unturned to the point that one can almost imagine walking along the cobble stone streets in the St. Pierre of yesterday. Thunderous Mt. Pelee as well as the people and political characters come alive in living color. This author's ability to captivate is unequalled as he recounts scientifically and with historical accuracy these century old events. This would make a good movie. I will eagerly await more from Dr. Ernest Zebrowski.

On the morning of May 8, 1902, a massive pyroclastic flow surged down the flank of Mt Pelee on the island of Martinique in the French West Indies. The searing cloud slammed into the city of St Pierre; within two minutes, the city was a pile of smoking rubble and 30,000 people were dead.

Asked to name the greatest volcanic disasters in history, most people would probably offer up Mt Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum; they might also volunteer the explosion of Krakatoa or the even more recent eruption of Mt. St Helens. Mt Pelee and St Pierre are usually only vaguely recalled, which is remakable given the sheer size of the human tragedy.

Zebrowski's book does a marvelous job of taking the reader back to 1902, when scientists understood far less than they do now about what volcanos can do. The series of eruptions at Mt Pelee were triggered by the rise of a huge bulge of magma from the subduction zone beneath the Lesser Antilles. These forces set off Mt La Soufriere on the island of St Vincent, where pyroclastic flows and lahars killed two thousand people the day before St Pierre was destroyed; the rising magma also erupted in an undersea volcano at a spot called Kick 'em Jenny.

Zebrowski describes the weeks leading to the eruption of Mt Pelee and how the local inhabitants and French bureacracy struggled to understand what they were up against. The blame for the disaster is often laid at the feet of Louis Mouttet, the governor of Martinique, but it is difficult to imagine what else he could have done. At the time, scientists thought of volcanic eruptions in terms of slow moving rivers of lava rather than swift and deadly pyrolastic flows and lahars. If Mouttet had tried to evacuate St. Pierre, he would have had very little support; even if he had succeeded, he would have created an enormous refugee crisis.

Zebrowski explains what life in St Pierre was like before the disaster, how Martinique's inhabitants coped with the increasingly dangerous volcano in their midst, what happened to the city and its people when the volcano erupted and afterward, how the French government handled (or failed to handle) the aftermath of the disaster, and how a courageous group of scientists and journalists explored the still-erupting volcano to understand what had happened. Zebrowski has chosen a rich canvas for a gripping tale, and he makes the most of it in this well-written book.

I first heard of "Marine Rifleman" while sitting next to the author at the funeral of highly decorated Marine General Ray Davis. Col. Fox mentioned his book, but little else about his distinguished career in the Corps. That night, while checking out his website, I discovered that Wesley Fox was a Medal Of Honor (MOH) recipient!

Not only was I impressed with this great leader's humility, but I was also intrigued by his 43-year track record as a Marine.
Fox was a drill instructor and recruiter. He was an elite Force Recon Marine and Pathfinder. He fought in Korea. He received the MOH in Viet Nam. He moved up through the enlisted ranks before becoming an officer and serving in a variety of challenging assignments. After his retirement, Col. Fox served as the Deputy Commandant of Cadets at Virginia Tech--a total of 51 continous years in which he wore the Marine uniform.

His book reveals why the Marine Corps is unrivaled in raising up quality leaders. At the end of each chapter, the author shares "Lessons Learned" that include:

--Eleven weeks of boot camp make a Marine for life.
--Discipline and heritage are the makings of a Marine.
--Strength and endurance are factors of motivation.
--A tour of duty in a combat zone is one thing; a firefight is another.
--Integrity, dedication, and enthusiasm pave the road to leadership.
--Seek followers with pride and commitment.
--Positive leadership brings out the best in us.
--The art of leadership is so important to our society, why are there so few institutions of higher learning that offer a degree in something so important to the people?

As a student and teacher of leadership for many years, I'm proudly adding this book to my vast collection on this crucial topic. Leaders and potential leaders from all sectors of society will be well-served by learning from Col. Fox's vast storehouse of knowledge and experience. Semper Fi, sir!

Sgt. Richard K. Biggs
USMC 1964-68

Wes Fox's book is the story in hiStory. His style of writing and knowledge gets the reader into the adventure with him, whether it is on the battlefield in Korea or parachuting in Virginia. His descriptions of the battlefield terrain have you knocking the dirt off your trousers and smelling the rot of the jungle.

The book really shows the opportunity for a career in the Marine Corps. While every marine is a rifleman by training, there is the opportunity to experience so much more. Some miltary retirees said they did the same thing for 20 years. Col Fox had 43 years of experiences. You follow his career from boot to Colonel of Marines. Each new rank has its own chapter. I was involved in his Staff Sergeant chapter. Wes Fox was my Drill Instructor. The lessons I learned from him have served me well for 46 years. Each chapter has a summary about Lessons Learned. Many of them can be applied to civilian life as well as the military.

I met Col Fox in the summer of 2002 and purchased my copy of his book directly from him, it was both a pleasure meeting and talking with him and enjoying his writing for the second time. Col. Fox is an inspiration to all of us who love the Corps. This work should be required reading for every soldier and Marine, it puts the rubber on the road and is frank with its descriptions of the good and bad of the service in both war and peace. If we had more leaders cut in the mold of Col Fox our military would be alot better off and the people who serve there would be alot better taken care of. Thank god for men the caliber of Col Fox. "What do you say One/Six?" "ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK Sir"

I am delighted with Mastering the Rockefeller Habits-it exceeded my expectations. As one familiar with Verne Harnish's background and experience, I was expecting a no-nonsense, to-the-point, application-oriented book of immediate value to entrepreneurs. This is there in spades. What I found above and beyond this was a plan of action complete with tools applicable for any size organization or function within a company attempting significant change. The non-profit I research and write for is tasked with helping product-centered companies transition to services-led businesses. The opportunities and roadblocks that Harnish lays out for the small, fast-growth company are almost identical to the issues and obstacles found in the start-up businesses trying to incubate in large corporate parents. Therefore, the principles and tools found in Mastering the Rockefeller Habits align perfectly with the needs of those organizations trying to create new, fast growth services business inside their corporations, no matter their size. Foundation of both research and experience, easy to read, and immediate application. I am recommending this book to all our constituents.

For any entrepreneur who is planning on growing their company, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits is the one book to read. Use this as a manual, I have, and it has made all the difference in the world. It's practical, intelligent, and easy to read and follow.

If you're trying to get your company to the next level then this is the book for you. I'm a CEO of a small 48 person business services company that does lead generation for the complex sale. Our company had grown 95% every year for five years and made the Inc 500 so I thought I had things figured out...until our growth hit the wall.

The biggest value I got from this book was reducing my 100 page strategic plan to just 2 simple pages. Verne calls it the "Planning Pyramid"

You can down load the Planning Pyramid yourself at www.gazelles.com. Also, there's an online course (still in beta) and it's free visit http://www.teamcarney.com/gazelles/

I followed each chapter step that he laid out... values, vision, BHAG, sandbox, annual and quarterly goals, critical numbers, milestones and objectives.

We've now set a clear vision and our entire team knows our critical numbers which has resulted better communication, honesty, accountability and ultimately teamwork. I'm pleased to say that we've broken through to the next level and I give credit to this book for helping me get my strategy in order.

Bottom line: The book is worth the investment.

As has been mentioned in the other reviews, this book takes the humanistic approach to mathematical philosophy, and the heuristic
approach to mathematical method. It does a very, very good job of presenting engaging and accessible accounts of many "advanced" topics, such as finite group theory and the forcing method. In a way, the ease with which they present these items might mislead the reader into taking them as much simpler or more superficial overall than they really are , but this is dealt with by a very liberal sprinkling of superlatives like "only a small handful of mathematicians understand X". Now this is the situation in pretty much every "popular math" book I've ever read (admittedly, not nearly enough), but here it helps to characterize my sole qualm with this book and the reviewers who praise it: overcompensation.
[can you tell yet that this is going to be another incredibly opinionated review?]
Basically, the situation is this:
The way math is presented to the general public is unsettlingly dogmatic. Sure, there's calculation, a little heuristics (mostly at around calculus level, if our average Tom or Mary can stand hanging around this long), but for the most part it's just "here's how it is: ..."
But *why*? And with this word must lie the beginnings of every mathematician's career. One simply cannot create mathematics, or even appreciate mathematics as a creative endeavor, without first digesting the fact that these amazing laws that we've been handed
and expected to just "believe and get on with it" have actually been created/discovered (to choose one is really just a matter of semantics) by real people just like you and me (assuming you're a complete weirdo who likes to make too many parenthetical remarks like me....).
And this is a great endorsement, to the intelligent general reader, of the above view. The only problem is that it overcompensates for the dogmatic status-quo. I probably would have just expected to take this with a pinch of salt (just as I expect my opinions to be taken), but apparently there's a good chance readers will come away with the unrealistic notion that mathematics can be studied just as well by studying the people who create it. I mean, sure - those budding math-ites who do this *will* have an advantage over those who don't (all other things being equal), but if you really want to *do* math (and this is where all the fun is!) you really have to get some serious problem-solving skills, and to learn anything of substance from within the last century you're going to end up having to read some very terse books indeed (*cough* Bourbaki).
This overcompensation also presents some philosophical difficulties. I completely agree that the "standard four" philosophies of math (formalism, intuitionism/constructivism, positivism, and platonism) leave something to be desired in that they neglect to account for the *huge* role played by society, and to varying degrees they neglect the role played by heuristic methods in both individual and social contexts. And I agree that any serious philosophy of math must take a *lot* of input from historical/biographical data. But one can go too far with the "social construct" idea of math, and this is done here. The "mere" fact that we are able to construct/discover/ the mathematics that we do and use it to interact with nature in the way we do is simply not trivial. I don't find it implausible that the authors might agree with this, but it's not a point emphasized enough here. You simply can't go out there and do whatever you want and expect it to work like mathematics or science. And a huge part of why both are the way they are today is because of increased emphasis on rigor. While the main advantages of this are increases in both precision and versatility of expression (that's right, rigor can *aid* creativity - just look at the work of Grothendieck!), there is something that has to be said about the objectivity of mathematics. It's true statements are really true, and in a way that largely generalizes our everyday notion of truth. But in many ways it's more - as one might overhear a mathematician say, it "has more structure". It's something in-between the trivial truth of grammatical rules (and other such stipulations) and scientific truth, which is a more faithful generalization of the everyday notion. It's difficult to define and relate all these notions of truth exactly, and that's just because they're not exact terms. In fact, most words aren't. This doesn't mean they're anything less than they were before - it just means that we've learned something new about them (an analogy due to Wittgenstein: solid materials are still solid, even though we now know that they're composed of discrete atoms connected together by force. We have simply learned something new about what it means for something to be solid).
Anyway, all this isn't explicitly negated in the book, which I'll say again is really great. Buy it, but think carefully about it. Philosophy is entirely about critical thought, even though mathematics isn't.

The Mathematical Experience by Philip J. Davis and Reuben Hersh
1981 Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston

Is all of pure mathematics a meaningless game? What are the contradictions that upset the very foundations of mathematics? If a can of tuna cost $1.05 how much does two cans of tuna cost (Pg. 71)? If you think you know the answer, don't be so sure. How old are the oldest mathematical tables? What is mathematics anyway, and why does it work? Can anyone prove that 1 + 1 = 2?
This is a book about the history and philosophy of mathematics. I'm certainly not a mathematician, and there are parts of the book I will never understand, yet the balance of it made the experience well worth while. The authors presented the material so that it is interesting and (mostly) easily understood. They have a creative way of making a difficult subject exciting. They do this by giving us insights into how mathematicians work and create. They live up to the title making mathematics a human experience by adding fascinating history. Frankly I was shocked when they pointing out how even mathematicians have made questionable assumptions and taken some basic "truths" on faith. They show the beauty of math in the "Aesthetic Component" chapter. Ultimately the question that comes up again and again is the question of whether or not we can really know anything about time and space independent of our own experience to make an adequate foundation for a complete system in mathematics. If you have ever wondered about the world of mathematics and the personalities involved you might consider this book. If you are a mathematics teacher you should read this book. If you are a mathematician you could find it quite unsettling.
It contains eight chapters, each one broken up into many subtitles so if you do get bogged down in the mathematics it isn't for long. There are 440 pages. I'd like to see a much more complete glossary for people like me who need it.

Back in the early 90's when I was an almost-penniless mathematics student I was standing in front of a bookshelf in my local bookstore and had to choose between this and Gödel, Escher, Bach. I chose this book and I still don't regret it. [I have also subsequently bought GEB :-)]
Driven by their obvious love of the subject, the authors do a credible job of tackling just what it is about mathematics that makes mathematicians love it so much, often to the bafflement of the rest of the world. A particular personal favourite is the series of four conversations between an "ideal mathematician" and, respectively, a University Public Information Officer, a philosophy student, a positive philosopher and a sceptical classicist.
I would recommend this book to students of mathematics at any level beyond the elementary, especially those with an interest in the foundations of their subject. The authors do however acknowledge that some parts of the book will seem alien to the layman.

I bought this book for my husband who loves old science fiction films. We already own many of them. He enjoys reading and watching the films at the same time. My husband doesn't really care for the writing and some the analysis, but likes the little historical parts. Unfortunetly, he is now on a quest to complete his DVD collection of that era by using the list in this book. It's a good thing most of these film aren't very expensive.

It grows on you! It invades your mind! You will never be the same!!! This hyperbole is totally appropriate when describing Bill Warren's brilliant, expansive and...yeah, expensive...labor of love.

When I was growing up, countless weekends were spent watching the cream and the cheese of science fiction movie packages sold in syndication to local T.V. Once in a while you got to watch a good one, but more often than not, you took in a "so bad, it's good" one. The true joy of this book is in it's respect for those less-familiar films. Anyone with talent and moxy can write about "Day the Earth Stood Still," but in my experience only Bill Warren has dared to conjure thorough and complete examinations of movies as diverse as "Kronos" and "The Manster."

In the paperback compilation offered here at Amazon.com, you'll get Bill's two "Keep Watching the Skies!" volumes more or less glued together. It even has two indexes and two sets of page numbers! It can get confusing, but in a way it's appropriate, as the format is as twisted as some of the movies it cleverly, amusingly and lovingly examines

My lone protest is that there are some unkind words about Mystery Science Theatre 3000. While I understand Bill's feeling that the show is disrespectful, I think it's great fun nontheless.

Quibbles aside, "Keep Watching the Skies!" is bar none the best book of it's type available. Buy it before it goes out of print again!

And I mean that in a good way because if you're a B-movie science fiction fan, this will be your favorite "class". Bill Warren's magnus opus, "Keep Watching the Skies" is THE definite reference book on the science fiction movies made in the 1950's and into the early '60s. It is an inexhaustive review of every good, bad, and ugly movie from those two decades. Extensive research is at the heart of the book. This is an author who is seriously in love with this genre'. Warren has gleaned numerous unknown tidbits about the actors, sets, budgets, etc. from these great, but often underappreciated, B-movies.

Classic science fiction movie fans will be totally absorbed by the book. Best read in small chunks, it's almost impossible to put down! Warren not only provides an interesting and honest narrative of each of the films, but adds a chonological list of when the films were distributed and gives a separate synopsis of the films' plots, actors, directors, etc., in a different section of the book. A great index is available and can be of tremendous help when you're watching a midnight sci fi movie fest and can't remember that particular actor's name.

By all means, buy the 1997 printing of the book because it contains both volumes (1950-57 and 1958-62). It's a steal at any price.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The machine gunner is an enjoyable book to read. It gave you a sense of what it was like to be a child in World War 2. It's interesting and fun to read, when Chas McGill finds a working machine gun with 2000 live rounds. He tries to keep this secret safe he builds a fortress with friends to fight the Germans in Garmouth Chas's hometown. I recommend this book to anyone because its full of action but historically it gives you information about what it would be like to live in world war 2 times

as previous reviews have mentioned, this is a first rate novel from one of britain top childrens authors, now sadly deceased. It highlights some of Westall's own experiences in war torn tyne and wear - an idea born from his own son (who many of Westall's books are based on - in memorium), when asked by him to stop a leaking roof on the den/base his son and friends had built. Westall states that he felt extremely priveliged to have been invited into their secret world.(hence the den in the book). a very detailed account for those interested in ww2 britain - right down to shrapnel collections found under hedges, to chrysanthemums for christmas. an excellent read, and a book adopted by many schools for english tutoring. This is his best and first book, but try secret lovers, a collection of short stories, and in particular Blind Bill.

The Machine Gunners is a wonderfully written story. The descriptions of WWII life are amazing. All the characters are carefully built up and grow a lot throughout the story. The one drawback to the "majesty", is the abrupt ending. In one chapter they cut off each story line in somewhat of a cheezy way. No invasion ever happens, and the kids are split up, never to meet again. Overall, the book is action-packed, quick reading and totally unpredictable.

Humphreys, with near-childish glee, marshals an interesting array of geographical and historical facts bearing on his subject, making this a fascinating book to read. But the central fact to keep in mind is that this author, for all his education and attention to detail, possesses a naive mentality such that he expects us to find it credible that Moses' miracle of the parting of the Red Sea occurred by means of a continuous eighty-mile-per-hour crosswind that literally blew the sea back over a period of hours and held it there for the crossing. Humphreys expects his readers to believe that 20,000 Israelites, with small children and elderly people, flocks, herds and supplies, could have walked across in a constant 80-mile crosswind! In real life, winds of that hurricane velocity prevent even strong men from standing without hanging onto trees and poles. The idea of walking in an 80-MPH crosswind is just nutty. And there's lots more of that kind of wackiness here, alongside many valid and fascinating facts.

I thought this was a really fascinating book. Some readers may get a bit of a chuckle out of the author's exuberant and earnestly dramatic writing style, but that doesn't really matter much when his arguments are so well-defended. In particular, his discussion of the real Mt. Sinai is alone worth the price of the book.

For hundreds of years, the most learned men on the planet scorned those who dared suggest that Homer's Iliad documented an actual battle, at an actual city - until Heinrich Schliemann (amateur) proved them all wrong. And amateur linguist Michael Ventris likewise showed up the scholars with his famous translation of Linear B script. I wonder if Mr. Humphreys (whose area of professional expertise lies elsewhere) may have done something similar here with his book. Basically every serious archaelogist in the world has dismissed the Exodus as largely (if not entirely) fictional; and yet, as Humphreys shows, many of these dismissive conclusions derive from probably flawed assumptions due to mistranslations, errant dating, etc. His ideas and evidences seem to make so much more sense than every other take on the events recorded in Exodus that it is hard to not to feel he is really on to something.

This book's arguments are really intriguing. It's a great read regardless of whether one is a devout believer or a skeptic.

This is the kind of book I'd normally scan for a few main items of interest. Instead, I found myself reading every word and I couldn't read anything else until I had finished the book.

Other reviewers (Paul Thomas, in particular) have given good accounts of what the book is about. Contrary to a couple of review comments, I found the author's relatively unsophisticated writing style to be a big plus. Humphreys, a man of obviously prodigious talents in several fields, writes in an easily understandable manner. I really liked the transparently human quality reflected in his excitement in finding potential solutions to this amazing puzzle. Unlike a lot of writng by academicians, it reflects a genuine person with a real life, emotions, and curiosity.

Also, I think the one reviewer not buying every detail of Humphreys' theory is a bit misleading, if not unfair. There's way too much here that is highly credible and extremely interesting to take such a dismissive attitude.

My only negative is that better maps and photos would have been nice.

In sum, though, it's a truly fascinating read that radically brings to life the Exodus event; and it should spawn considerable discussion and debate for years to come.

I enjoyed Julie Bick's new book - it's entertaining, informative and fun to read. And there are some great lessons from Microsoft in there - both thing they did right and things they did wrong. Don't miss the Super Bowl story, the star map, or the shadow competition.

This book is more of a story book, you read you laugh at the scenarios and you get a few pleasant suprises along the way. Although the title is misleading to think the book is actually a business consultancy manual or something.

If you want to find out some interesting facts about the big MS and pick up a few tips along the way then go ahead and pick up this GREAT book!

Every Leader /Manager will learn reading this book to create bench strength of their teams and be able to elavate organizational capability of their organizations.