Library

Price: $7.95

ISBN: 0872201880

Summary: If you were looking for a significant and representative but introductory level medieval Christian philosophy text, you would be hard pressed to find one better than this. When I teach intro to philosophy, I often choose representative texts from the ancient, medieval, early Modern, and roughly contemporary periods. I start with Plato, either the Apology or the Meno or both. Then we read this book. Then Descartes' Meditations. Finally, we read something from Nietzsche, de Beauvoir, or from an early American philosopher (e.g. Thoreau).

This book is an excellent part of the sequence because it introduces free will, and introduces it in a way that is very relevant to Descartes' discussion of will in connection with error. Plato (and the ancients generally) didn't really have a notion of the will: our choices are dictated by our level of understanding. Augustine understood that the Christian notion of sin entails something more radical than mere ignorance -- I must, he thought, be in some real way capable of unmotivated choice if I am to be blamed for my actions.

There are other great bits in this dialogue -- one that it IS a dialogue and so forms a nice segway from Plato's dialogues. Another is its articulation of a proof of existence that prefigures Descartes' cogito and a proof of God that is remarkably similar (though very different in intent) to Descartes' first proof in the meditations.

Price: $20.00

ISBN: 9998527287

Summary: Stanley Karnow's "Vietnam: A History," provides a decent overview of the history of this country -- dominated for so long by China and then France -- as well as the Vietnam War, and the quagmire that the U.S. involvement became. One reason for Karnow's unique perspective is his involvement as a reporter before, during and after the war, and his incredible access to some of the principles, including North Vietnamese. For someone like me, who was woefully ignorant about this embarassing but fascinating part of our history, I learned quite a bit about Vietnam in general, and the war in particular. And yet, I still feel like I know so little about it.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the first chapter in which Karnow discusses the impact of the war over future foreign policy, and presents diverse opinions of military specialists who do some monday morning quarterbacking. Obviously, the easy answer is that the U.S. should never have gotten involved in this part of the world at all. But the best and the brightest, at that point in history, unwaveringly believed in the so-called "domino theory," where one country after another would be over taken by Communism. A stand had to be made, according to almost all of these experts (with almost unanimous agreement in Congress), in South Vietnam. Also, the best military minds were of the opinion that sustained air strikes and a policy of "escalation" would eventually bring the North to their knees, which turned out to be one of the most militarily and societally costly mistakes the U.S. ever made. So one question which must be asked, which Karnow covers in chapter one, is how we could have prevailed. It certainly didn't help matters that the South Vietnamese, mostly comprised of uneducated peasants (same as the North) were heavily infitrated by the Viet Cong, and didn't really seem to have their heart in the fight.

I agree with some other reviewers that Karnow often seems to root for the North Vietnamese, although he does write about their atrocities. I have to believe that ultimately, the South Vietnamese would have been a heck of alot better off if the North had been defeated, or, at least discouraged from conquering the South after a bogus peace agreement was reached, but, of course, it's hard to say.

The major short-coming of "Vietnam: A History," is the short thrift it gives to so many topics. For instance, Karnow mentions in a few sentences that when Ho Chi Min took over the North in 1945, two million North Vietnamese died from famine. This sounds like it could be an entire book in itself. Karnow covers the atrocities at Mylai and the consequential Court Martial of Lt. Calley in less than two pages. The horrors suffered by prisoners of war, including at the "Hanoi Hilton," are mentioned in a cursory manner. I still don't think I know or understand much about the elusive Ho Chi Min, or, for that matter, the equally elusive Henry Kissinger. I'm sure the ramifications of Nixon's decision to secretly bomb Cambodia could only adequately be presented in a much longer treatment than given here. Karnow covers the Vietnam protests, but never mentions Woodstock or the California based hippy drug culture, which centered itself politically on opposition to the war and the draft. In fact, the draft itself is barely discussed.

In summary, "Vietnam: A History," though a decent overview, left me hungry for much more about this fascinating and complex period of U.S. history, the effects of which we are still clearly feeling. Just look at how many times the situation in Iraq has been compared to the quagmire of Vietnam, as only one instance where the Vietnam war still lives with us.

Price: $80.00

ISBN: 0138557764

Summary: Revision of Wolf's former "Guide to Electronic Measurements and Lab Practice, 2E." New co-author with expertise in instrumentation has thoroughly updated and revised this book. New instruments are presented and more examples added. Appropriate for all students taking required EE labs.

Price: $12.95

Edition: New Ed

ISBN: 0752865242

Summary: Join Steve Matchett--racing broadcaster, columnist, and longtime Formula 1 mechanic for the championship Benetton team--on a quest to build the ultimate racing machine. During a fogbound evening in an airport lounge, Matchett and some fellow enthusiasts began a discussion of racecar design, a conversation which evolved into a detailed examination of the teams and technologies behind the world's most complex sport. Their thoughts are captured here, from choosing the best chassis and most advanced suspension to building the strongest gearbox, providing an unmatched insider view of the international F1 scene.

"'I really could see the scenes he describes evolving in my mind, as if I was there-the mark of true genius in the author!"--"F1 Sport International"