. Aristotle and Boole are the two most original logicians before the era of modern logic. Aristotle presented the world's first system of logic. His system involves the standard three parts: first, a limited formalized predicational language; second, a formal method of step-by-step deductions for establishing validity of arguments having unlimited numbers of premisses; and third, an equally general method of countermodels for establishing invalidity. Boole's LAWS OF THOUGHT showed that logic is mathematical. Its stated aims were to refine, systematize, and complete the project started by Aristotle and, more ambitiously, to demonstrate the mathematical character of logic. His two-part system involves, first, a limited formalized equational language capable of expressing tautologies or "laws of thought", a breakthrough dramatically altering Aristotle's plan, and, second, a semi-formal method of derivation using equational reasoning totally absent from previous systematic logic. Boole's primary goals included construction of a method for generating solutions to sets of equations regarded as conditions on "unknowns", an unprecedented innovation with radical implications for the future development of logic. As for the third part of a system of logic, a method of establishing invalidity, surprisingly, Boole's book contains no systematic discussion of independence nor does it contain anything like a method of countermodels. Boole's LAWS OF THOUGHT set in motion forces that would lead to the ultimate fulfillment many of his goals including the establishment of mathematical logic.

The publication of The Laws of Thought in 1854 launched modern mathematical logic. The author George Boole (1815-1864) was already a celebrated mathematician specializing in what is known as analysis. If, as Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) tells us, we do not understand a thing until we see it growing from its beginning, then those who want to understand modern mathematical logic should begin with The Laws of Thought. There are many wonderful things about this book besides its historical importance. For one thing, the reader does not need to know any mathematical logic. There was none available to the audience for which it was written-even today a little basic algebra and a semester's worth of beginning logic is all that is required. For another thing, the book is exciting reading. The reader comes to feel through Boole's intense, serious, and sometimes labored writing that the birth of something very important is being witnessed. Of all the foundational writings concerning mathematical logic, this one is the most accessible to the nonexpert and it has the most to offer the nonexpert. The secondary literature on Boole is lively and growing, as can be seen from an excellent recent anthology (A BOOLE ANTHOLOGY by J.Gasser 2000) and a complete bibliography that is now available (Nambiar 2003). Boole's manuscripts on logic and philosophy, once nearly inaccessible, are now in print (Grattan-Guinness and Bornet 1997). This is a good time to start to study Boole.
It is true that Boole had written on logic before, but his earlier work did not attract much attention until after his reputation as a logician was established. Today he is known almost exclusively for his logic. In 1848 he published a short paper "The Calculus of Logic" (Boole 1848) and in 1847, at his own expense, he published a pamphlet The Mathematical Analysis of Logic (Boole1847). By the expression 'mathematical analysis of logic' Boole did not mean to suggest that he was analyzing logic mathematically or that he was using mathematics to analyze logic. Rather his meaning was that he had found logic to be a new form of mathematics, not a form of philosophy as had been previously thought. More specifically, his point was that he had found logic to be a form of the branch of mathematics known as mathematical analysis, which includes algebra and calculus. (For a short description of this branch of mathematics, see the article "Mathematical Analysis" in the 1999 Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (Audi 1999, 540-41).
Although this book begins mathematical logic, it does not begin logical theory. The construction of logical theory begins, of course, with Aristotle whose logical writings were known and admired by Boole. In fact, Boole explicitly accepted Aristotle's logic as "a collection of scientific truths" (1854, 241) and he regarded himself as following in Aristotle's footsteps. He thought that he was supplying a unifying foundation for Aristotle's logic and that he was at the same time expanding the range of propositions and deductions that were formally treatable in logic. Boole thought that Aristotle's logic was "not a science but a collection of scientific truths, too incomplete to form a system of themselves, and not sufficiently fundamental to serve as the foundation upon which a perfect system may rest" (Boole 1854, 241). As has been pointed out by Grattan-Guinness (2003; Grattan-Guinness and Bornet 1997), in 1854 Boole was less impressed with Aristotle's achievement than he was in 1847. In "The mathematical analysis of logic" (Boole 1847) Aristotle's logic plays the leading role, but in The Laws of Thought (Boole 1854) it occupies only one chapter of the fifteen on logic. Even though Boole's view of Aristotle's achievement waned as Boole's own achievement evolved, Boole never found fault with anything that Aristotle did in logic, with Aristotle's positive doctrine. Boole's criticisms were all directed at what Aristotle did not do, with what Aristotle omitted doing. Aristotle was already fully aware that later logicians would criticize his omissions, but unfortunately he did not reveal what he thought those omissions might be (Aristotle, Sophistical Refutations, Ch. 34).
The new 2003 edition by Prometheus Books(ISBN 1-59102-089-1, Paper ...)contains an accessible 25-page introduction by a modern logician.

Yes, this is the Boole of Boolean algebra. No, this is not a primer. But if you have any interest at all in intellectual history or where the tools of computer science came from, then you will find this book worth the effort.

Just a word about the characters and setting. It is as if gay and lesbian people did not live in Key West. There are no gay characters and no mention of gay residents. Odd for a place so well known for their presence. It's as if the writer denies their existence.

I haven't read his other books--perhaps there are gay characters in them, but I found their lack of presence in this book rather disconcerting.

Gumbo Limbo by Tom Corcoran is overall an entertaining romp ofsome wild, almost cliche, detective fiction. Though the setting is in itself like a virtual vacation, Corcoran's first person narrative leaves much to be desired. Even when viewed as told by the main character, forensic photographer Alex Rutledge, I grew horrifically tired of the descriptions of his eating and drinking habits.

Another "Jimmy Buffettism" of Corcoran's is his obsession with almost proving that he's really a true Key Wester. His descriptions of his travels on the island (like "I turned left at Big Bob's eatery at the corner of St. Juicy and Elm") were distracting. Yes, let the reader know you have some expertise, but let's forgo the travelogue and advance the story. Perhaps Tom should just include a map in the next submission.

But yes, overall, I enjoyed it. Even in it's annoying moments it had some charm. Picture this as a literary version of late night listening to a Buffett album: a guilty pleasure that's easy to enjoy, but will probably leave you wanting more meaty substance.

The title to this review is double edged. It refers to the myriad of characters and escapades that Tom Corcoran has cooked up for his character, crime photographer, Alex Rutledge and the fact that there are so many writers who want to be Carl Hiassan. Corcoran is the Key West version and while I found the story generally entertaining, it also got confusing at times as the plot twisted here and there, sometimes without apparent purpose. He does get into the mood and sprit of the Keys and there is some Buffet-like wisdom dispenced on occaision, but by the time that the reason why people are dying, getting beaten or disappearing becomes evident, you kind of wonder if it had to be that complicated. I liked the effort and should probably read his first book which seems to have general approval. Another writer about Florida who probably helps explain, without intending to, why they have so much trouble voting correctly down there.

This book was very nicely illustrated and the directions were well written. Unfortunately, I probably won't make a single project from this book. It was not what I expected. In my opinion, the projects in this book seem very out-dated and very out of style.

I am enjoying the huge bright photos! All of the photos are sharp and show details amazingly well. Many are larger-than-life and remind me of the wonderful photography in the Singer (c) books. This is just the kind of traditional look I like, but with a few fresh twists, like color surprises. There is a darling quilt titled 'Squirrel Quilt' that is offered as for a boy's room and I'm imagining it as a wall hanging in my living room. I hadn't seen the pattern for the 'The Cat's Basket' before I bought the book, it immediately looked like something perfect for my tiny dog!

I very much appreciate the full-size patterns in the back, I don't have time for graph paper!

I'm a former radio/TV journalist of 20 years -- the same as the author -- and agree with many of his points about the state of TV news: the superficiality, the "star system" for anchors and anchorettes, the "If it bleeds, it leads" mentality, and all the rest. However, his writing is all over the map. Corcoran often departs on flights of self-indulgent fancy before getting back to whatever main point he is making at the moment. As a hard-core newswriter from the "old school," I find it ponderous and, despite his completely valid criticisms, not worth the effort.

I'm an old timer journalist with lots of sense of humour just like John Corcoran but with one big difference: my name is Antonio Brasil and I am from Brazil.
Enough for puns!
Enjoyed most of the book. Had great laughs with my colleagues in the business and am writing an article recommending this book in one of Brazil's most important media watch sites...very soon.
It is really incredible to see how there are things in common between the brazilian news tv business and its american counterpart. Mr. Corcoran's refined sense of humour is only a sweetener to the hard truths of today's news business. It is serious talk among some good jokes.
Of course, foreign readers might miss some of the details about local news shows and talents but it is well worthwhile.
Great Stuff! It is also a great incentive to write my own.

I've been in TV a long time myself and after reading "A Few Marbles Left," I wish I'd written it myself. One Anonymous (read cowardly) critic posted here saying "Corcoran is all over the place." Yo, dude, they're ESSAYS. The same could be said of Dave Barry, and Corcoran's humor reminds me of Barry at times. But he also has serious points to make, and makes them seriously. What comes through the most is his passion and his sense of loss at what TV news has become. Anyone who's actually cared about TV news during the course of his or her career, would not attempt to dismiss Corcoran's heartfelt and superbly entertaining effort. Seems to me like someone has an agenda of his own--perhaps no one would publish his book?
The tragedy is that television news has let down the country with its blind obediance to the bottom line. Corcoran understands that and mourns its loss not with a boring book filled grim reminders and dull statistics, but more like an Irish wake, with humor, terrific writing, and an occasional thought or turn of phrase that will bring a tear to your eye.
Corcoran says he's out of TV news now, which is a shame. The same can't be said for our anonymous Sacamento carper. I think TV is better off without his narrowmindedness.
I just wish everyone in the industry would read "A Few Marbles left." Maybe then, TV news could come to the realization of what an ongoing tragic farce it has become

The answers are highly oversimplified, and many totally untrue. The bias of the authors is evident, and I suspect they purposefully are passing missinformation. They did not dispel any myths and only propagate some old ones. They need to pull this book, do their homework (some of the people they write about are still alive) and re-write it with reliable information.

A solid, direct, and affectionate work, "The Ultimate Martial Arts Q&A Book" will amuse martial art veterans and enlighten beginners. The authors are not afraid to dispel movie generated falsehoods, such as killing with chi powers from across the room, or catching the blade of a "live" sword with a bare hand. The writing reflects not only a love for the martial arts, but also the wisdom that comes from many hours of time devoted to the martial way.

The chapters start by covering by region as diverse a number of arts and schools as possible. The nature of the koryu , as well as the difference between budo and bujutsu are discussed in the chapter on the Japanese arts. When discussing Korean arts, Hwarang-do, Kumdo and Kuk Sool Won are not neglected or ignored, as happens in many other encyclopedia-like books.

The book also includes a very practical chapter on choosing the right martial art school for oneself, The chapter on Bruce Lee best represents this book; it attributes his great power and skill to nothing more mystical than constant training, and shows respect for the man while dispelling the myths. And what do authors Corcoran and Graden tell us was Bruce Lee's best quality?
His speed? His skill with nunchaku? The one-inch punch?
No, say the authors- it was his smile.

If you agree with that, "The Ultimate Martial Arts Q&A Book" should agree with you.

What I like about this book is that it is not style oriented or even traditionally oriented. It's a fun read on a wide variety of subjects. It avoids the narrow focus of most martial arts books. This is not biased towards or away from any style or system.

It's well worth the small investment.

Because I currently work as a literacy tutor, I decided to order this book. On my own, I found only parts of the book captured my interest. However, as my students listen to selected passages during each class session, they feel moved to share similar experiences verbally and in writing. Thus, this book has proven a wonderful resource for me; One of my students asked me to order it for her. All of the students feel inspired by John Corcoran's story.

Although John Corcoran does deserve credit for working towards his goal of becoming literate, it is appalling that he concealed this secret for so many years and no one knew it. Furthermore, the book was not that good of a read. The part about his life was interesting, but towards the end, it just kept repeating over and over again 'don't be illiterate.' Don't rush out to buy this one.

A shocking true story of a man's struggle with illiteracy. An immediate feeling of compassion for the author in the first few chapters of the book. Thereafter a feeling of moral disappointment and cowardness for his continues actions to himself and others.

The bibliography is defintley an attention grabber and captures that same attention throughout the book. It is a book that I feel that took the author alot of courage to write about. His life story is displayed publicy for criticism of good and bad nature. Yet, I feel this book was more of a release of consciousness and to show who was to blame for his illiteracy problems. It is a book that can not be encouraging for many people. In the sense that the author seemed to go for help until he hit rock bottom in his life. If he continued on with his life being successful I believe he would have never went in for help for his illiteracy. Although I feel this way about the author's attempt to show the world about his struggles he has built awareness about illiteracy. A problem that is extreme in our country.

This book is ugly beyond belief! The produciton is poor (the cover alone, a hardcover art book without a dustjacket and printed on the board itself--how cheap can you get!), the colors are off, the drawings--or what passes for such--are boring, the artist's imagination is nowhere evident, and the whole book is one huge and endless monotony. Boy, am I glad that I didn't have to live my year as it's depicted in this worthless book!

I just have to try to balance the negative review the other reader left.

That a hardcover book is published without a dust jacket is 1) not out of the ordinary, and 2) not a reflection of quality. Many high-quality books from some of the most skilled publishers are published sans jacket -- it is simply a stylistic choice. This book is printed on high-quality, acid free paper, and is bound inside typical boards with 4-color printing on front and back.

The color reproduction is not 'off' throughout the book. I have no idea why someone would think that, or what basis that person would base such a claim on.

As for the art within the book - it is quite clever and interesting. It isn't exactly my cup of tea, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Which is more than I can say for the other review.

While this book does give you information on the philosophy behind reflexology, and perhaps a basic idea of the techniques, I have seen much better books describing reflexology and that contain references to where their information came from.

This book makes a lot of wild claims that are not substantiated with research or documentation of any kind. I embrace the use of integrative medicine, including reflexology, but I despise books like these that blow a lot of "hot air" about what this modality can do without substantiating it with where the information came from.

In addition to all the "hot air," there is misinformation. For example, in chapter 27, there is the heading "How to measure your own blood pressure." Here the author proceeds to tell you how to check your pulse. Obviously the author has personal points of confusion that she passes on to her readers.

Keep looking for a better book.

This is the best book ever written on reflexology, bar none. It is filled with excellent practical advice. There are chapters on the meridians of the body and how they are connected to the hands and feet of a person. The author shows how the different organs and glands are connected to energy points in the hand and how these organs can be healed. There is an excellent chapter on detoxifying the entire body using reflexology. These techniques work very well. A persons health is the most important thing, no doubt about it. This book gives a very easy method to cure disease and it works great. Its a pity that more people do not know about this book and suffer terribly, all without need. They should learn to question things, especially the medical establishment and think for themselves. This book is worth every penny and more. A tremendous health resource.

While this is a worthwhie study and correctly identifies motivations and undercurrents, particularly in the author's choice of, mainly, Northern Irish poets, the fact that not even one of the exceptional women poets writing in Ireland today is included, means that the work does not reflect contemporary Ireland. The author's motivation may be other than this, and I would be gratified to know what was actually intended.

Pictoral history and year by year overview of Shelby Mustang.
Lack of specific information conerning engines.
Hits the well known points that have been told before.
Breaks no new ground.
Excellent photos.