No comments about Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East.

No comments about Understanding and Addressing Suicide Attacks: The Faith and Politics of Martyrdom Operations.

1 comments about State and Local Intelligence in the War on Terrorism.

1. I am a law enforcement officer in a very large city. As the supervisor of the intelligence and terrorism unit, I was hoping to gain insight based on the title of the book. However, the title is misleading as the content relates mostly to studies that have nothing to do with improving future operational capabilities.

1 comments about Practical Pacifism.

1. Full-disclosure; I studied under Dr. Fiala when he was still teaching at the University of Wisconsin: Green Bay. It was, in fact, due to him that I ended up studying philosophy, and not simply ignoring the field as something which was rather boring. Therefore, I'd consider him one of the few people who were really pivotal in my life. In short, I'm probably biased.
   
   That said, I had a fairly difficult time getting into his first work, The Philosopher's Voice. Practical Pacifism, too, was a bit hard to get into at first, but was quite rewarding at the end.
   
   First, while Fiala seems to suggest that this work is for non-philosophers (the first and only appendix is titled "For Philosophers Only"), I would have a hard time recommending this to anyone but philosophers and those who would go into politics. (In fact, I'd like to see universities have this as required reading for political scientists; it would perhaps be a better world if it was.)
   
   There are a couple of reasons for the book's difficulty;
   
   1) The first couple of chapters seem to be highly repetitive. While I can understand why he does this, especially after reading the entire book, were I younger and/or not so inclined to read this book, I perhaps would have lost interest after the first few chapters.
   
   2) Again, while the appendix to the first chapter suggests this book is for non-philosophers, Fiala uses a deal of -isms throughout the book, often times with only a fleeting reference to what the -ism means. A listing at the end of the book, containing a definition of the -isms used in the book would be very welcome, and would help towards increasing the audience.
   
   3) Because of #2, it's hard to see Fiala's ideas really coming to fruition. While I find Fiala to be correct on a number of points (some of which I may have disagreed with previous to reading this work), his 'world' can only come about if there are more philosophers in the world - more people willing to honestly discuss the state of affairs in the world, with open minds.
   
   Unfortunately, philosophy is often seen as being outside of the realm of the practical, too inaccessible to the ordinary man, shepherds preaching to the flock (not that Fiala is doing that here).
   
   Yet, that's not to say that only philosophers would gain from reading this.
   
   On the contrary, as I said earlier, parts of this would naturally fit into courses on politics, and the pacifists would gain much from reading this work.
   
   Anyone could pick up this book and learn something from it, but I'd have a hard time recommending that someone read it cover to cover; rather, each chapter can, rather effectively, be read on its own.
   
   I had a difficult time trying to choose between four and five stars. Ultimately I went with the lower number as I really think the work could have been tightened up, especially in the first few chapters, and I think it could have been made a bit more accessible to non-philosophers, those who really need this work (although philosophers too have much to gain).

3 comments about the Plant.

1. This is a great novel, and I am excited to give the first review. I was recommended the book by a friend who saw an ad in Mother Jones magazine, so I bought it. At first I thought I could guess what the story would be about, but you really can't judge a book by its cover, especially in this case. So even though it has a giant "leaf" on the cover, the story is much more about the world in the very near future, and a scary future at that.
   
   At the heart of the story is two guys, one who sticks to his activist lifestyle, while his friend chose to run away from what he thought was a hopeless cause. The book basically picks up around the year 2008, but is partially told through a series of flashbacks that allows the future/past to unfold for the reader without confusion. The story includes a new terrorist group with a sinister plot to ruin America, a Middle East war, a fallout in the global economy, all appearing not too far from reality, and a great ending that will make you think. But it really has something for everyone - action, politics, conspiracy, history, war, comedy, and even romance. It would only disappoint someone that DIDN'T read it. Oh, and there is a portion of the book about the benefits of cultivating industrial hemp, which is apparently different from marijuana.



2. The subject matter and content was somewhat interesting. The negative was the print in the book. The last half of the book had very difficult to read font that were often run together. It looked like pages of typos.



3. i thought the book was very positive, giving hope for a future through mass sanity. it's hard to imagine sometimes as one watches the news unfold. it seems to spiral more towards insanity daily. hemp prohibition has become a grudge match for the man. admitting a 70 some year mistake is hard to do. especially when you take into account all those who have suffered as a result. there are solutions. i remember ten years ago seeing something about a government program already set in place to start up to start biomass agriculture using flax and 'other crops' as they 'become available'. the mechanisms are in place, but those in power have to squeeze out that last little dribble of black juice. biomass agriculture is a forgone conclusion, and the best crop for that is hemp. in response to a post about the print quality. some of the most relevant and politically stirring comentaries in history have been mass produced on newsprint for distribution. i felt the print quality quite good by comparison. perhaps mr. dan l. dudgeon, hardback w/ archieval, acid free paper and goldleaf may have been more appropriate considering the relevance of this topic. get a reality, folks. the topic is worthy, but unless you are daddy warbucks, you are just haplessly bound within the constraints of your resources. mr. dudgeon is obviously a visionary. i could go through any manuscript and find changes i may make, things i may change grammatically, because i am me. mr. dudgeon is himself and his expressions are appreciated. he has obviously done a lot of research and put in a lot of thought. at least he wrote a book. more than one. i haven't even done that yet. have you? the importance and the relevance of this work is in giving us one man's glimpse of perhaps how things might work out in the future in a POSITIVE way, which is something conspicuously lacking in american media. sometimes a little positivity sent out comes back in a big way. a gift that keeps on giving.

5 comments about The IRA: A History.

1. Coogan's interesting history is to some extent marred by the way it descends into the depths of anecdote: often you cannot get a picture of the whole in that sea of details. However, anecdotes do also illustrate in an interesting way the thinking and ideology of the IRA men.

   A recurring theme is, that there apparently were lots of genuinely idealistic and talented yuong men in Ireland who, in Irish society, only could express their talent by joining the "'Ra". This is rather sad, if it is true.

   Regrettably, due to some childhood trauma at school, Coogan seems completely unable to get the Gaelic spelling of words and names right.




2. This is the best book about the history of the IRA I have ever read. Coogan not only did his homework, but provides a detailed and useful analysis missing in other books about the IRA, and clears up many misunderstandings about this group. I also like that he didn't portray them as just a bunch of terrorists, which we see in the popular media, but as instrumental participants in modern Irish history. If anyone wants to understanding modern Irish history and is willing to keep an open mind, I highly recommend this book.



3. There is more detail in this book than anyone--apart from the author, perhaps--could ever digest. But it is a fascinating account of the world's oldest revolutionary/terrorist movement. Coogan's style is anecdotal and at times sentimental. Though he is not entirely uncritical of the IRA, his admiration for their bravery and determination is obvious. The main problem with this book is cosmetic but extremely annoying: it has so many typos, misspellings and and ungrammatical sentences that it starts to detract from the book's readability. I can't believe that Coogan, who is a professional newspaper writer/editor, would have neglected to have someone proofread his book before submitting it to a publisher, so I can only assume that this was the typesetter's fault. Also, adding some translations or transliterations of Gaelic names and words would have been helpful for all of us non-Gaelic speakers. But apart from these problems, it is a very informative and enjoyable book.



4. In typical form, Tim Pat Coogan can be labeled nothing if not thorough. Undoubtedly a 500 page book cannot cover each important event or key figure in the IRA's fascinating, tumultuous history, but I believe Coogan makes a true effort to write a piece worth reading. He divides the text into four basic parts: Beginnings to 1969, 1969-79, 1979-86, and 1986-94. There are also appendices, references, maps, b/w photos, and a useful glossary. In my opinion, Coogan balances his personal feelings about the IRA with a decent sense of journalistic objectivism. Having said that, however, I would affirm what other reviewers have noted regarding Coogan's clear support for (or, at the very least, distant admiration of) the IRA. If you are seeking a selection from a more critical ideological position, look elsewhere. I will also agree that the text itself is in need of serious editing. It seems that there are grammatical errors on every other page and though I hate to nitpick, those errors do detract from the overall credibility of the book. Nevertheless, if you are doing any type of academic research on the IRA, I would strongly suggest this title. Beware: it does presume a fair amount of knowledge from the start so choose it after you have already gained the basics of Irish/Northern Irish history.



5. If you're fascinated by Irish history and want a lot of facts and details, particularly about the struggle for independence and "The Troubles," this is a good book. It's loaded with facts and you will really understand why Ireland is the way it is today, politically speaking, by reading this book.
   
   That said, it's not easy reading. If you're just casually interested in Irish subject matter or the IRA, look elsewhere. This book reads like a college text book. For those of us that like all the detail and minutia about the IRA and Irish politics, it's great. But, it's not entertaining or particularly gripping, just highly informative.

No comments about Mister Jacks.

No comments about Rights vs. Public Safety After 9/11: America in the Age of Terrorism.

No comments about Outlines & Highlights for Terrorism In The Twenty-First Century by Combs, ISBN: 0130975192 (Cram101 Textbook Oulines).

No comments about Outlines & Highlights for Violence and Terrorism by Badey, ISBN: 0072847190.