> cites the source with the body of the text so any fact or claim can be verified or clarified by going to the cited source. The PDR has more European references, especially German references (which will not be useful to the average non European unless they know German) compared to the Expanded Commission book.
Note, the third edition of the
<
< PDR for Herbal Medicines >> has the references cited within the body of the text and the monographs are much expanded from the second edition. A fourth edition will soon be available.
Other than the above I have nothing new to say that the other reviewers haven't already said. I have met Paul Berger and I agree one hundred percent with his review for this book. He is an experienced clinical herbalist and published author with an excellent reputation.
Not useful in practice, outdated safety information.......2007-05-09
The German equivalent of the FDA has a special section that approves or disapproves herbal medicines for sale, and states what claims may be made, and what cautions should be issued. The process for approval began more than 20 years ago, and approvals were finalized in the 1990s of a set of herbs. This book is a translation of the herb reports. The book is interesting historically, and perhaps legally, because here we have a modern industrialized country approving herbs for use, and not declaring them automatically to be either ineffective or dangerous without review, as is done by the US FDA. The book is almost useless, and sometimes dangerous for either the consumer or the herbal practitioner. The arcane rules and regulations of the commission have led to a book with bizarre contradictions and inconsistencies. Echinacea purpurea is approved for use. Echinacea angustifolia, the stronger herb in practice is not approved. To make matters more confusing, although Echiancea angustifolia is not approved, it is listed as contraindicated in autoimmune diseases because it might aggravate them. Which is it? Either it is an ineffective medicine or it is safe, it can't be both. The book is riddled with such inconsistencies. In some aspects of safety, the book is actually dangerous. In North American and British herbal practice, it is a common understanding that emmenagogue herbs (which promote menstrual flow) are contraindicated in early pregnancy. Several emmenagogues are described in the book, but none have any contraindication for pregnancy. In another matter, input into the monographs in the book was cut off in the early 1990s. A large body of research into herb side effects, and especially drug-herb interactions, has been published since that time, yet did not find its way into the book. The safety information is seriously out of date and incomplete. For reliability of the information, there is no way to check. By German law, the scientific references for the monographs are not available for review. This may be an important text in the history of herbal regulation in the modern world, but it is not recommended as a reference for common use.
What else one can say about this book?.......2007-04-30
If you work with Phythotherapy, you must have this book because it has real information. I believe that it is time to have the volume number wto. One is not enough.
Natural Medicine Education.......2006-11-05
The Complete German Commission E Monographs is a reference book that anyone dealing with natural medicine should have.
The knowledge gained from this book give one the tools to administer natural medicine in a much safer manner.
The book gives the uses,actions,doses,side effects,interactions with other medicines and contraindications.It also gives the duration of use for certain herbs.I highly recommend this book.
Cromwell Parris
Important work if one understands its place.......2003-12-03
This is an important work, helping to document the validity of herbal medicine. However, it is not an all-encompassing work and obviously isn't referenced. Nevertheless, the German Commission E's method of publishing monographs based on the information gathered from companies, researchers, and practitioners (but apparently kept confidential) serves a useful purpose. It is always helpful to consult this text to get some solid conformation for common traditional uses. Every practitioner and researcher should have this book, though it certainly cannot be used in a vacuum.
Book Description
What secrets connect Egypt's Great Pyramids, the Freemasons, and the Council on Foreign Relations? In this astonishing book, celebrated journalist Jim Marrs examines the world's most closely guarded secrets, tracing the history of clandestine societies and the power they have wielded – from the ancient mysteries to modern–day conspiracy theories.
Searching for truth, he uncovers disturbing evidence that the real movers and shakers of the world collude covertly to start and stop wars, manipulate stock markets, maintain class distinctions, and even censor the news. Provocative and utterly compelling, Rule by Secrecy offers a singular worldview that may explain who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.
Customer Reviews:
It makes you think.......2007-07-04
I do not know if everything what Jim Marrs put in this book is as he says. I think there is a wide percentage of speculation and it would have been better if every author quoted could be referred to a specific book. That kind of information is not included.
Nevertheless, it is a book that gives us a hint of what could be happening around us everyday, of what we are not aware or we didn't even notice.
Summing up, it is a very different view of the world that couldn't be put aside, because maybe, it is the vision of the real world where we live.
Informative.......2007-06-20
Okay, the alien stuff is paranoid and silly. The stuff on bankers and the UN, CFR, Trilateral commision is pretty much documented and anyone can look up. Fascinating read. And about 85% is documented and provable.
All roads lead back to Sumer.......2007-06-06
After I decided to learn the truth about who really runs the world and what not, I picked up this book since it seemed to tie together all the things I was wondering about, going back to the ancient mysteries. Jim Marrs really does an amazing job of compiling all this information and tracing it back through history to the Sumerian texts about the Anunnaki. If you are at all interested in shattering the false view of reality our society is conditioned to accept, then take the red pill, and read this book.
Rule by Secrecy.......2007-05-31
Marrs gets through a little over half of this book doing a great job of exposing the new world order, reminding me of a newer up to date version of None Dare Call it Conspiracy by Gary Allen. He exposes the CFR, Trilateral Commision, Bilderbergers, the Federal Reserve, and that all roads lead to oligarchal business and banking families like the Rothschilds and Rockefellers. Marrs also shows the role that was played by these people in fomenting, funding and profiting from both sides of almost all major wars going back to the days of Napoleon. He does drop the ball when he briefly discusses "Nazi Occultism" and uses idiots like Trevor Ravenscroft and Peter Lavenda as sources.
From there he shows the role played by Masonic secret socieities in the French revolution, what is known about the Bavarian Illuminati and a few other secret societies. After that he goes into Knights Templar/Merovingian Bloodline/Priory of Scion territory, which while that stuff is interesting and should be studied, its all just conjecture. Actually those topics have became a whole genre onto themselves in recent years. Besides that I've always thought that Priory of Scion lists that the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail got ahold of were either an out and out hoax perpetrated by the authors of Holy Blood Holy Grail, or put out as intentional disinformation by somebody trying to mislead them and the public.
After the Merovingian stuff Marrs gets way out there by going into Sitchen/Von Daniken territory. Here is where Marrs really loses me. Maybe I missed something but is he claiming that this is the hidden knowledge that the secret societies of the world elites hold? That the true origins of the human race are that we are hybridized creations of aliens from another planet?! Hey I'm not an atheist and I believe in a lot of stuff that the average person would consider pretty far out but this is just a bit much even for me. I'm familar with Marrs work and he's a very well researched, down to earth guy normally so it really surprised me that he included this in Rule by Secrecy. Especially considering I've heard him on radio shows several times making fun of David Ickes wacky reptilian theories.
But that aside I'd still recomend reading this book, if not buying it if you can get it for cheap because whats good in this is great. Just take a few things, especially the last chapter, with a few thousand grains of salt.
Mythic religious fiction.......2007-05-31
"Rule by Secrecy: The Hidden History That Connects the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons, and the Great Pyramids" is a clumsy yet informative and entertaining collection of cross-cited references concerning Masonic history, Rosicrucianism, and Egyptology with geo-politics, & lastly aristocratic geneologies. The majority of citations stem from David Icke, a controversial and notable conspiracy theorist whom correlates geo-politics with ambiguous research and disreputable claims against Freemasonry. I myself find it fascinating how such authors fail to give credit to the propensity of the human species to greatness. All cultural and religious achievements {a frequent target of this behaviour are the Sphinx and Great Pyramids} are viewed by conspiracy theorists as centres of diabolic plots to enslave the lesser classes.
Inheritors of a Dying World have within our dominion the creative execution of the revolutionary Laws of Imperial Liberty to overcome our dire desolation and ruin in this emerging historical paradigm. Initiated Oracles journeying on the Path of Forgotten Knowledge know a Great Ordeal of purification and consecration overshadows history; and that the profane masses would become slavishly appalled by this Initiation of the World. Out of the fires of purification and consecration, a New Order would then arise, promulgating the revolutionary precepts of the Libertine, the privileged, the patriciate.
The Patriciate, the secret few, the sanctity of Elitism heralds a New World Order of self-government, self-legislation, and s-elf-discipline. Inscribe this into your Undying and Secret Souls with the sacramental blood split upon the holy lands, O' kindred of the earth: patriciate is the progeny of a republic. Democracy is a vice to Imperial Liberty - the Grace of Destiny is of the elect. Dominance and submission hearken a new dichotomy in human society; there is a master, there is a slave.
This is what the author, and many conspiracy theorists fail to understand. The geo-political and cultural status quo simply cannot be maintained in the global age. Paradigms of elitism and imperial Liberty were modified by the religious institutions of the native countries to whom they were introduced. Applications of Law to every Woman and Man according to condition are fundamental. "...A democracy is impracticable beyond the Limits of municipality." {Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1816}. Independence of the Will of a democratic society is a solecism in the privileged Patriciate. It is the elite and elect right of a society to change political principles and constitutions at Will to serve the greater good. The goal of the Elite, of the Patriciate is to convoke theoretical politics and government to the forefront of society, be it against the Will of the low men or not. Governments and religious institutions, it is true, have failed to mark the subtle evolution and dire tribulation of the initiation of the world, which is taking place under their vigilant eyes.
Similar to the bestseller Da Vinci Code, which this title predates, the book tries to incite paranoia and sensationalism by merging fiction with religion and mysticism. There is history and there is conjecture. Moreover, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and Egyptology, do not feature prominently in this book. The predictable conclusion outlines a vast history-shattering conspiracy that reveals extraterrestrial involvement and their human breeding, with Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism and the Illuminati Heritage.
Secret societies have existed since Mankind first began to record its myths and religions. For thousands of years societies have existed safeguarding secret religious teachings transmitted through the generations. Monuments, Apocrypha, ordained occult knowledge, catacombs, forgotten ciphers, and secret sacrifices all have been kept guarded by the heritage of the Illuminati.
The book does provide stimulation for further research in the style of others in its genre {"Holy Blood, Holy Grail"; "Temple and the Lodge"; "Codex Magica"; and of course the "Da Vinci Code"} but falls short of any serious research into the Illuminati Heritage
~ Joshua Seraphim,
author of Babylon: Secret Rituals of Illuminati
"The few who understand the system, will either be so interested from it's profits or so dependant on it's favors, that there will be no opposition from that class."
-Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1863)
"The great strength of our Order lies in its concealment, let it never appear, in any place in its own name, but always covered by another name, and another occupation."
-Father Adam Weishaupt
{1748-1811 A.D.}
Amazon.com
The result of months of intensive investigations and inquiries by a specially appointed bipartisan panel, The 9/11 Commission Report is one of the most important historical documents of the modern era. And while that fact alone makes it worth owning, it is also a chilling and valuable piece of nonfiction: a comprehensive and alarming look at one of the biggest intelligence failures in history and the events that led up to it. The commission traces the roots of al-Qaeda's strategies along with the emergence of the 19 hijackers and how they entered the United States and boarded airplanes. It details the missed opportunities of law enforcement officials to avert disaster. Using transcripts of cockpit voice recordings, the report describes events on board the planes along with the chaotic reaction on the ground from nearly every level of government. Going forward, the commission calls for a comprehensive overhaul of what it sees as a deeply flawed and disjointed intelligence-gathering operation. The creation of a post for a single National Security Director is recommended, along with the creation of a National Counterterrorism Center. The report finds fault with the approaches of both the Clinton and Bush administrations but, because they were a bipartisan panel and the problems described are so systemic and far-reaching, they stop short of assigning blame to any particular person or group. Credit must be given to how readable the report is. At more than 500 pages, the writing is clear and forceful and the information is made more accessible since it is fre from election politics and rancor. While the commission notes that future attacks are probably inevitable, a coordinated preventive effort along with a clear plan to respond with efficiency can offer Americans some hope in a post-9/11 world. --John Moe
Book Description
Nearly three thousand people died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In Lower Manhattan, on a field in Pennsylvania, and along the banks of the Potomac, the United States suffered the single largest loss of life from an enemy attack on its soil.
In November 2002 the United States Congress and President George W. Bush established by law the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission. This independent, bipartisan panel was directed to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks, identify lessons learned, and provide recommendations to safeguard against future acts of terrorism.
This volume is the authorized edition of the Commission's final report.
Download Description
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002, is chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. The Commission is also mandated to provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.
Customer Reviews:
An Interesting Account of the Events Leading Up To 9/11.......2007-09-09
The purpose of the 9-11 report is to "investigate the 'facts and circumstances relating to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001'." In pursuing this objective, the 9-11 Commission sought to be "independent, impartial, thorough, and nonpartisan." The Commission states that its
purpose is not to assign individual blame, and indeed, it doesn't. It is a unique piece of literature, historical yet not far enough removed from the actual events to really call it history in the traditional sense. It's not written for entertainment, yet it is fascinating nonetheless: the report almost reads like a spy novel as it traces the movement of the 9-11 conspirators, where they traveled, how they slipped in and out of the country, and how close some of them got to being captured. It gives you insights on how our government does, and doesn't, work, and describes how the numerous government agencies interact and, more often than not, fail to interact. It seeks to find the reasons why the attack succeeded, blaming everyone and no one, it seems, in the process. The 9-11 report leaves no doubt that it was written by a bi-partisan commission that refuses to lay the blame on individuals but instead lays it on institutions and processes.
The first chapter describes what happened in the air that morning, and from there, the report discusses the rise of Bin-Laden and Al Qaeda, the rise of counterterrorism activities in the US (touching on several departments, including the CIA and FBI), and on to how the 9-11 commission believes the attacks were planned and carried out. It then covers the actual events of September 11, 2001, describing in some detail how the first-responders handled this crisis and some of the shortcomings they had to deal with. Finally, the book addresses the ensuing war in Afghanistan (briefly) and makes recommendations on global strategy and reorganization within the US Government, esp. in the intelligence community. Throughout the report, the commission shoots down a number of rumors that were popular during the writing of the book, such as members of the Saudi family leaving the country while all flights were grounded, and one of the terrorists (Mohamed Atta) meeting with an Iraqi diplomat in Prague.
What I found particularly disturbing in this book was how easy the 9-11 terrorists entered and exited the country, and how easy it was for them to find people to assist them in finding a place to live, worship, etc.. I was also amazed at how easily money flowed from Al Qaeda to the 9-11 conspirators, and even more amazed at how easily they could have been caught yet weren't.
One of the biggest assets within the 9-11 report is also its biggest drawback: the book has hundreds of footnotes, and while most of these simply identify a source (say, a book or a person interviewed), many provide additional information about the topic discussed in the text. Many of these latter types of footnotes, I felt, needed to be in the body of
the main text and not hidden in the back of the book.
Recommendation: Highly recommended if you have any interest at all in knowing what happened before, during, and after September 11, 2001.
911 commission report.......2007-08-16
As it is non fiction catagory it would be hard to comment though after reading the report I now would reclassify it as fictional account on how kerosene can weaken 200,000 tons of construction steel to the point that the buildings collapsed! Also totally missing is any explanation why WTC7 came down.
Or any explanation where are the engines in the Pentagon attack?
Don't judge a book by its cover.......2007-08-10
Unfortunately, I am not sure how else to describe the report other than... well... garbage. I hate to say it but there are too many holes and it does not hold up to scrutiny.
Although it had a good story to tell and made popular by the government and media, it is just that- a story that does not hold up to the facts. I was hoping that it would provide more insight into the events on 9/11 but it left me asking all kinds of questions especially about WTC7, evidence of thermite, omitted testimony of eyewitnesses, and the testimony discrepancies between Cheney and Mieta.
I am deeply disappointed that I wasted my money on this. I gave it 2 stars because it did a least grab my attention and provided some good references in the back.
Gripping.......2007-06-09
I'd better declare first that I'm not a conspiracy theorist (I favour cock-up theory any day) and I work in the airline business.
I also have a friend who works for United who lost colleagues that day.
Or maybe she's another part of the Neo-Con-Judo-Zionist conspiracy and she's lying to me. A tad unlikely methinks - she's a Buddhist from Taiwan.
50 tonnes of fuel + 70 tonnes of aircraft travelling at ca.450mph.
You don't need a degree in Engineering to work out what will happen:
From the first chapter reading the accounts of what happened to each individual flight and seeing the total confusion between ATC, the FAA, NORAD etc is frightening. They didn't know what to do, they didn't know what was happening. With transponders turned off, it was impossible to track those aircraft accurately. Personally I've flown enough jumpseat trips that it still fills me with dread to think what was happening up front.
Later chapters on Bin-Laden and the rise of Al-Qaeda and Muslim extremism (mainly due to their corrupt self-serving leaders) are well presented.
Richard A. Clark's efforts to thwart Al-Qaeada are also explained.
Buy the book, it's a good read. Though I still can't believe they didn't put an Index in it.
Sadly, to digress a little, the unjustified invasion of Iraq subsequently has been a complete disaster. Saddam ran a secular society - you could drink alcohol and socialise with women. He was the Arab Caligula, only interested in himself and his personal empire. But Saddam had nothing to do with the 9-11 attacks. Nothing. So much goodwill towards the US has been lost due to Iraq and the Neo-Con (not my Taiwanese friend .-)) led invasion.
As for the Conspiracy theorists on this page, to be honest I'm quite shocked when I found this review page. I've honestly never read so many self-serving attempts to cling to straws in my life, like this "Loose-Change" stuff. It's an insult to those who died that day. And I'm not American!
Listen, do you really really think a government could pull off a stunt like this?
Have you ever been to the Middle East? Have you ever listened to the hatred there is towards the USA? Albeit very often from the same people who tell you next sentence they have a relative in New York and want to go and join them!
The seeds of 9-11 were sown years ago. Yes, of course there are inaccuracies (there always are in disaster reporting) but there is no conspiracy.
I know no conspiracy theorists in Air Traffic Control or the airline business. Get real - it happened.
And sadly many of us in Europe thought "no surprise it was US Domestic flights, US Airport security is a total farce".
[...]
Over and out
Pure whitewash - should be called 911 Omission report.......2007-05-22
Omits everything factual. Doesn't bother to mention, much less explain, what happened to the 47 box columns of steel from which the twin towers were constructed. Also no mention of building 7 falling on it's footprint at freefall speed, even though no airplane hit building 7.
The purpose of this report is to reinforce the blatant official fantasy, for the purpose of justifying problem / reaction / solution, and getting you to cave in and accept greater government control over you.
There was no effort made to check any facts. If you're seeking the truth about what happened on 9/11 you won't find it in this book. Instead you'll find lots of reasons to seek facts and you'll find the facts at [...]. You may also want to check out David Ray Griffin's books or Steven E. Jones.
When a lie is big enough and you tell it often enought the people may believe it and this is the purpose of the 911 Omission report.
Average customer rating:
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Our Common Future (Oxford Paperback Reference)
World Commission On Environment and Development
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ASIN: 019282080X |
Book Description
Most of today's decision makers will be dead before the planet suffers the full consequences of acid rain, global warning, ozone depletion, widespread desertification, and species loss. Most of today's young voters, however, will be alive. In this, perhaps the most important document of the decade on the future of the world, the urgency of changing certain policy decisions, some of which threaten the very survival of the human race, is made abundantly clear. The World Commission on Environment and Development, headed by Gro Harlem Brundtland, Prime Minister of Norway, was set up as an independent body in 1983 by the United Nations. Its brief was to re-examine the critical environment, to develop proposals to solve them, and to ensure that human progress will be sustained through development without bankrupting the resources of future generations. In Our Common Future, the Commission serves notice that the time has come for a marriage of economy and ecology, so that governments and their people can take responsibility not just for environmental damage, but for the policies that cause the damage. It is not too late to change these policies; but, it warns, we must act now.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting, but . . ........1997-12-13
While the topic of this text, sustainable development, is interesting, the text is not. The first chapter provides most of what is necessary to understand the commission's findings. The 300+ pages which follow are filled with too many examples, which disrupts the flow of the book.
Book Description
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. returns to SF with a whole new future world on the brink of destruction. A brilliant scientist on the planet Devanta has created a small universe contiguous to ourswith a utopian city on one of the planets. The question is, an utopia for whom? And why is a shady entertainment mogul subsidizing the scientist? More critical than that, does this new universe require the destruction of a portionor allof our own universe in order to grow and stabilize? Blaine Donne is a retired military special operative now devoted to problem-solving for hire. He investigates a series of seemingly unrelated mysteries that arise with the arrival of a woman with unlimited resources who has neither a present nor a past. The more he investigates, the more questions arise, including the role of the two heiresses who are moreand lessthan they seem, and the more Donne is pushed inexorably toward an explosive solution and a regional interstellar war.
Customer Reviews:
Something a bit different.......2007-08-11
Modesitt breaks his mold a bit in this story about Blaine Donne, an ex-SpecOps agent who works as a consultant, helping people track down information and people for a price. By night, he skulks in the dark alleys looking for people who need his help, creating the persona of the shadow knight. Unlike many of Modesitt's other heroes, Donne actually goes out looking for trouble.
Donne has recently received several commissions that seem to lead nowhere - most intriguingly the one he calls the Elysium commission, wherein he needs to find evidentiary proof of a connection between men named Legaar Eloi, Maraniss and something called Elysium. No sooner does he begin to work on this commission than people begin to try to kill him.
The story is fairly fast paced and there are a lot of nifty gadgets. There are a lot of areas left undescribed that could have been filled in more fully - such as the various political factions (Frankans, Gallians, etc.), who are simply named and not explained in much detail. This is quite a short book by Modesitt's standards, but it wraps up nicely, despite a few short-comings that - at least for me - do not completely ruin the work, although I felt there could have been a lot more than there was. Fans of Modesitt will enjoy the story for the story itself. Those who are not fans - I would recommend you perhaps start elsewhere and leave this story for a rainy day.
Overly Complex.......2007-07-25
I enjoy Modesitt's writing style a great deal. That is why, after finishing "Flash", I did not hesitate to get this in hardcover. The writing style was all that I could ask for, but....
Modesitt seems to be trying to make his future worlds as cryptic as possible. These worlds are very well thought out and complete, but in this case, the world being so far into the future, I had trouble figuring out half of the terminology. Context took care of most of it, but until I could get enough context, the lack of understanding left me distracted, trying to understand what was going on.
The other problem I had was that there was too much going on. With the main character, a private detective agent type, handling three jobs at the same time, I had difficulty telling the players apart. Much to my disappointment, the three plots had little if anything to do with each other, leaving me wondering why at least one of them was introduced.
This book took many of the things I loved about "Flash" and took them to extremes. While I love Modesitt's world (and word)-crafting, the plot had too much going on. For all the complexities, the resolution to the main plot left me feeling disappointed in its suddenness.
I'd say this is worth a read if you like far future fiction, but in paperback.
Well-developed future setting carries middling detective story.......2007-07-23
Retired military turned private eye to the rich, Blaine Donne salves his populist conscience by fighting street crime in his off hours as the Knight of Shadows. He lives on Devanta, a far-future world where lack of money is the only obstacle to beauty and near-immortality.
Donne's hard-boiled first-person narration is intermittently interrupted by a different first-person narration - the egocentric, sociopathic ruminations of the wealthy mogul whose Utopian dream, Elysium, is near fruition.
Which is helpful as Donne acquires more cases than the reader can easily track, while remaining clueless about his biggest, the connection between the mogul, the scientist and Elysium, which he has never heard of.
The patient reader knows all this will eventually coalesce, which it does, as the planet itself is threatened. Before the spectacular conclusion there are numerous spectacular high-tech assassination attempts, which Donne combats with ingenuity, skill and the aid of his AI assistant, Max.
Less successful are his clunky and monotonous encounters with the various enigmatic, haughty, lustful and enhanced women of Devanta. The only ones with any real personality are his sister and her business partner, who keep Donne legal.
Though not desperately compelling, this is an entertaining high-tech detective story with a well-developed far-future setting.
A Confused Hero.......2007-07-18
The Elysium Commission (2007) is a standalone novel of the far future. Assuming that this novel takes place in the same universe as Flash and Octagonal Raven, it probably occurs about a millennium after the latter work.
Devanta is a planet within the Gallian Subsector of the Assembly of Worlds. The Assembly has two main interstellar enemies: the Argenti and the Frankans. The Assembly has a nasty habit of reformulating worlds that become too repressive (and too independent); the results include restructured minds and disrupted societies.
Devanta is ruled by a matriarchal hierarchy -- the Sorores Civitas -- which is widely viewed by other Assembly worlds as a repressive government. The City Sisters are not very democratic and have internal enemies, but they are fairly efficient and effective. Their Garda have active surveillance of all public places that discourages public crimes and strict regulations that restrain corporate corruption. Still, illegal acts occur off camera and off the books.
In this novel, Blaine Donne is a former special operative for the Assembly. After his heroic exploits on Pournelle II, Donne was medically discharged from Assembly Special Operations and retired to Devanta. He became a consulting investigator -- private detective -- using his data analysis training to find lost persons and other such work. He also unknowingly becomes an urban legend as the Knight of Shadows, using his martial arts training to protect victims of back alley assaults.
A decade or so after starting his new career, Donne receives a commission from Principessa Seldara Tozzi to investigate the future husband of her great-granddaughter. Marie Annette Tozzi is a surgical resident at the Medical College and is engaged to Doctor Guillaume Richard Dyorr, director of consciousness programs at the college. Principessa Tozzi believes that Dyorr is misrepresenting his sexual preferences to her great-granddaughter.
Shortly after the principessa disconnects, Donne receives another client at his villa. Seigniora Reynarda wants him to investigate the connection between Eloi Enterprises, Judeon Maraniss, and Elysium. Donne recognizes Eloi Enterprises as the largest corpentity on Devanta providing explicit entertainment. Maraniss is vaguely familiar, but a data search provides only slightly more information. Elysium, however, generates so many hits as to be useless.
Donne finds a message in his queue from Lemmy Jerome asking for assistance in finding out whether the Classic group is infringing his patents. Later, he gets Jerome on the vid and discovers that the patents cover jumpship navigation. Jerome sends him a device to detect the use of this patented technology.
Then Donne receives a visit from his sister Krij and her partner Siendra. They have completed their regulatory compliance audit of his consultancy and have found a few problems that might cause a formal audit by the government. Krij also suggests that his unmarried state might lead to an audit; elder sisters will have their little jokes.
Later, Donne pays a visit to the Principessa Odilia. She is a good source of information on many aspects of Devanta society, particularly on corpentities and the financial world. Besides a few tidbits of information, Donne receives an invitation to attend the opening of Hyperion at the opera. Upon returning home, someone takes a shot at him with an energy weapon.
In this story, Donne takes on two more cases, one searching for a missing heiress and the other looking for the creator of several dramas. He makes full use of Max -- Time/Events/Systems Maximizer, Mod VIII, version two -- to search the various networks available to him, but finds little relevant information. He starts calling his various contacts.
Donne quickly learns that the Eloi brothers are dangerous enemies. Other attacks follow, including one that he has difficulty in believing really occurred. After the Garda fines him three thousand credits for swimming in a restricted lake, he knows that something happened. The body of a deadly Aswaran wasp is the final evidence that forces him to accept that it wasn't just a dream.
This story is very similar in some respects to two other works by this author: Flash (2004) and Octagonal Raven (2001). The main protagonist in all three stories is ex-military from a privileged family who owns a consulting business that provides analyses of information collected from the data networks. He has irritated powerful enemies who are now trying to kill him. He has a sister who worries about him. Other aspects, however, differ significantly, especially the socio-political settings and the technologies.
Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and anyone else who enjoy tales of private investigations, personal combat, and understated romance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
an English History major's interlude.......2007-04-28
Don't expect regular fare from this one! From the hero's name comes the first clue- think John Donne. Lots of literary references with an emphasis on Donne's work. This book is a sort of "time out" piece- having fun with English lit history. I think he's just having some fun, but it does create a lot of strain on the story. To really enjoy this work you had better have a pretty good grounding in Classical English Literature. Think of it more as James Bond meets John Donne. I got a kick out of it. How about doing Shakespeare next?
Book Description
This is Alex Boraine's account of South Africa's acclaimed Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was set up after the collapse of the apartheid regime. The TRC had the monumental task not only of uncovering decades of systematic human rights violations, but of doing so in a way that would help a very damaged nation to reconcile and move forward. Boaraine clearly sets out the process leading to the establishment of the TRC, describes the hearings at which victims and perpetrators testified about human rights violations, and considers reactions - inclusding criticisms - to the TRC and its final report. He analyses the key features that contributed to the Commission's success, and gives an honest assessment of some of its mistakes. This is also a personal story, giving insight into the feelings, disappointments, and rewards that the TRC's participants experienced. This book helps to elucidate and answer the many difficlut questions that were crucial to South Africa's TRC , and that need to be addressed by all people who are working with societies in transition.
Book Description
South's Africa's violent and complex history is chronicled in the five-volume Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report, a chilling record of the hearings that exposed atrocities perpetrated by the South African apartheid government and opposing parties over the thirty-four year period of 1960-1994. A guide to using the report, synopsis, glossary, table of key events, an index, and a fully searchable and networkable CD-ROM have been added to this edition, enhancing its value for educators and scholars.
Customer Reviews:
Help for our leadership team.......1999-11-02
The leadership team of our local youth outreach has been looking for a good book to work on team Bible studies. We've just begun it, but it looks like it's going to work out well... it has lots of space for notes... it's simple and easy to understand, but it has a lot of good information covered. Lots of pictures and diagrams.
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