I'll give Friedman's book this much- it's a worthy and interesting read. Unfortunately, it suffers from many of the same problems that all other technolibertarian manifestos suffer from.

Friedman still can't solve the dilemma of how to make the transition from a welfare state based on Keynesian economics to a technolibertarian commons. He throws out the revolution rhetoric, but has no solution to replace it with- after all, who thinks that career politicians are going to give up their jobs so easily? Only electing libertarians to office could accomplish this task- and with the libertarian party continuing to flounder in unworkable political dogma and no real social support, such an occurance is unlikely. Friedman tries to solve the problems of national defense- and yet again fails. All that he can offer us is dodgy answers and semantic goo.

However, I give the book four stars for several inspired ideas and chapters, and I recommend this book as a good introduction to the anarchist right for college Poli Sci students (like myself) and disaffected young liberals trying to escape the dogma of their leftist upbringing (also like myself).

So what would happen if we threw an election and nobody came? That is the central theme of David Friedman's book The Machinery of Freedom." While it not hard to find libertarians shooting the wounded by attacking easy targets like the post office or the sugar quota, it is rare to find someone who advocates dismantling all government functions. It is even rarer to find someone who does it coherently. Friedman is both of these things. Friedman presents a utilitarian case for anarchy, or as he refers to it, "anarcho-capitalism." Anarcho-capitalism is essentially a society that not only respects property rights, but has no government. If the two seem to be mutually exclusive, you have not read the book. Friedman slaughters the fallacy that since certain government services (police, fire department, etc) are essential, they must be provided by the government. As a teacher of mine once put it "he throws a monkey wrench into the sacred cow." After reading the Machinery of Freedom, you will wonder why you didn't think like this all along. Steve Frenc

While I am more of a rights based anarchist, I can appreciate utilitarian arguments against government. No one does a better job at presenting a utilitarian case for anarchism than David Friedman does in this masterpiece. Not only is Machinery of Freedom intellectually acute and persuasive, it is also a humorous and easy read for the lay person interested in libertarian thought.

This book touches quite a bit on the issues that most libertarian anarchists find difficult to deal with, such as national defense and polycentric law. A good critique of government education is also offered as well as a two part section on monopolies. As a seasoned libertarian, I most enjoyed the postscript, which focuses on more advanced topics like private currency, law and econ, and anarchist politics.

In sum, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in anarcho-capitalism, from those new to political philosophy to well versed freedom fighters.

I was almost finished with Metal Gear Solid 2 when I stopped playing for almost a year. When I went to play again, I realized that I didn't remember the story that well and I didn't remember the layout of the area I was in. I decided to restart the game, but this time use a guide to make sure that I don't miss any items and to quickly get through the areas I had already played. Since this was the only guide available, I picked it up.

Some reviews of this guide make mention that the guide is not actually needed to complete the game and that simply playing the game is all the strategy that one needs. That may very well be, but I don't think that applies in reviewing the guide. What matters is that the guide has all of the necessary information required to complete the game and not miss any items and that it includes tips on how to beat the bosses. This guide has all of that and is very valuable in completing the game. While many things can be discovered by trial and errors, this guide will get you through the game with no trouble (the only trouble may come in actually applying the strategies to beat a boss). The most valuable aspect of this guide comes in that it details on a map the patrol patterns of the guards. Knowing in advance how far a guard will patrol is very useful in planning your path though the level. If capturing the dog tags from the soldiers is important to you (and if you want the bonus items, it should be important), the guide provides useful strategies on how to get every dog tag in the game (on normal mode). I tried out some of them, and it worked just as the guide suggested. I wasn't that interested in collecting the dog tags my first time completing the game, so I didn't spend the time to collect them all. As far as I could tell, the strategies were spot on.

One thing I should mention is that the strategies to get the dog tags and for beating the game apply to the normal difficulty setting. Since some things change on the higher difficulty levels, the guide is probably not as useful for mastering the game on the highest difficulty.

Using this guide for the normal difficulty level, this is an excellent guide that will take you through the game and not spoil and story points. If you feel you need a guide for Metal Gear Solid 2, this one is well worth your money.

This is a great guide. Very few omissions or errors, very in-depth. Good layout, and great writing (what else would you expect from Dan Birlew, President Evil himself?) Get this guide if you find yourself stuck at any point of MGS2!

This guide is the most helpful when you are stuck at a certain place in the game that seems impossible to get past!!! The guide is in-depth and simple at the same time. If your stuck then this guide is for you. (this guide is CHEAP and easy to buy to help you)

Jesse Liberty has written an excellent introduction to C# entitled, "Programming C#". That book required some background in an object oriented language such as Java or C++ to get the most out of it. This book is geared for the less experienced developer. "Learning C#" covers basically the first half of "Programming C#" in about 50% more pages. A person without a background in OO will find this book much easier to follow. The book covers the language a little slower, gives more hand holding, and even gives an introduction to Visual Studio. Of course, none of the advanced topics in "Programming C#" (ASP.NET, ADO.NET, Web Services, etc.) are found in this book. The author has a nice style of writing that makes the topics easy to follow. His examples are clear and there are plenty of them. All the basic C# topics are covered including control structures, enums, structs, delegates, operator overloading, polymorphism, interfaces, and collections. The topics covered demonstrate the main features of OO languages without being overwhelming. However, the book is not a complete introduction to C#. Some topics are left out (I/O for example). But overall, the book is a good introduction for the novice object-oriented programmer. If you already have some OO experience then you will probably want to get "Programming C#". If object oriented programming (or just programming in general) is new to you then this would be a good place to start.

I just finished reading this book and I think it is a good starting point for learning the language. Some of the other reviews say "it didn't cover this" and "it didn't cover that", but I think the book accomplishes the task. It teaches a beginner the basics of the language. It's not going to teach everything about programming in C#, it just starts you on the path. I thought it was very readable and the author explains concepts very well. This book was so interesting that I want to learn more about the language. The next book I read will definitely be "Programming C#" by the same author. If you are a seasoned programmer and want to learn advanced topics, this is not the book for you. If you are new to programming and want a good start, I highly recommend this book.

There seems to be some confusion about this book, with some reviews denegrating the book because it is too elementary.

This book is designed for the beginning programmer, or the programmer with little or no object oriented experience. As such, it does not attack the more advanced topics I cover in "programming C#" (also by O'Reilly).

If you are looking for a comprehensive introduction to the language for an intermediate to advanced programmer, this is not the book for you, but if you are looking for a gentle introduction to .NET and C# in particular and object oriented programming in general, I hope you will take a look at this book.

Thank you.

John Stuart Mill, author of On Liberty, defines the nature of civil liberty, and most importantly, the harm principl. He aims to give readers a better understanding of the nature and limits of power that can be exercised by society over individuals. The purpose of this book is to inform interested individuals about the rights of individuals and the limitations of the government. This book of philosophy was written almost 150 years ago. By reading the book, the reader is able to apply Mill's message and examples to our lives in America today. The ahead-of-the-times ideas that are in On Liberty can be related to our world because it discusses controversies that are still seen in our courtrooms today. Mill is able to accomplish his purpose because he uses many examples, thoughts, and theories about individual and social rights. He works through each of his ideas, looking at both sides of the issue to enable the reader to make their own informed decision about each matter. This book has a practical meaning because it allows the reader to develop and reason ideas about government power and when that power should be exercised over the people. Unfortunately, this book does have one draw back. Mill was a very educated man and wrote very well for his time. Yet today, our style and writing techniques are not the same as they were in the nineteenth century. This makes On Liberty a difficult book to read. His book is very decriptive, yet his wording is not easily understadable and some paragraphs have to be read two or three times to fully understand what he is writing about. Aside from his writing style, John Stuart Mill has put together an essay full of educated ideas about society and individuals. John Stuart Mill wrote an informative book geared towards an educated audience. He has achieved his purpose for the essay through the use of situations and examples that can be applied to real life cases still today. He managed to keep the readers interested and I look forward to reading other books he has written.

J.S. Mill has written the best promulgation of classical liberalism in his book "On Liberty" (OL). Although a socialist himself, many of the ideas in OL are actually tenets of modern libertarianism (also called classical liberalism). Mill states that the only reason that force can be used on any man is to prevent harm to others. I consider "focre" to be either social or economic. Mill saw it as only social, which explains his socialism.

Not to detract from Mill or OL, the book is a resounding defense of civil-liberties. OL completes modern democratic theory as promulgated by John Locke in his "Two Treatises of Government." While Locke argues for some kind of democracy reminiscent of Athens, Mill qualifies Locke's point by protecting the minority from the majority. This book should be read by Americans who want to know more about freedom, and by our elected officials.

Sadly, it's our elected oficials who probably won't get it.

This book deserves to be studied closely; I cannot praise too highly the man or his work. As Mill writes in his AUTOBIOGRAPHY, his education under his philosopher father James was perhaps the most tortuous experience imaginable for a young child, leaving the adolescent John with the impression that he was something of a facsimile of his father. Nevertheless, after much difficulty in assimilating what he was taught and defining who he was, the adult Mill respectfully stepped out from under his father's shadow and went on to make staggering intellectual contributions of his own. In this book, ON LIBERTY, Mill tackles the problem of "the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual." With some reflection, it can be seen how important this question is, for its implications touch every part of our social and private lives. Unfortunately, few recognize its importance, and the question is more often decided by unthinking custom or self-interest than reason. With scrupulous rigor, and impeccable intellectual honesty, Mill asserts the absolute necessity of dissenting opinions, of diversity in all things, and the dangers of concentrated power, be it in the form of a dictator or a democratic majority. The problems treated in this short book are just as relevant today as they were in Mill's time. Perennial political issues such as education reform, gun control, abortion, freedom of speech, taxation, the role of government, etc., are addressed either directly or indirectly; the book abounds with other, more personal, lessons on life as well, not the least of which was later encapsulated by Wittgenstein as: "If you want to improve the world, improve yourself."

Showing my hand, first, I studied religion under Thurman as an undergraduate at Columbia. Nevertheless, both sets of reviews (they seem on here to be divsible into two camps) have grains of truth to them; some, to me, seem a little too hero-worshipping (either of the man or of the Dharma) and others a little bit too harsh (crushing Thurman for the inclusion of a political agenda in this work)....

First, this was meant to be a popular, non-academic book and not a treatise entirely on the history of Tibet or an analysis of its culture. Thurman's 'Central Philosophy of Tibet' is near as dry and distant as books come; he had a reputation as a translator before he had one as a popularizer. Which no doubt he is-- his hand is laid bare in the fact that he's chosen to spend his life educating people in the West of Dharma, of trying to protect and help the Tibetan people (whom he thinks were special, unique, and good....), and achieve some kind of an enlightened polity....

He IS trying to change the world with this book. Necessarily, when you introduce a child to America, you don't always tell ALL of the truth (which is a tough thing to do anyway); when you teach a child about Christianity, you tell of the Gospels and NOT of Revelations, the anti-Semitism of Luther, or the excesses of many of the Popes-- and no one says that these are bad things. Thurman is introducing a culture and an idea-- him having been a monk it's going to be a bit of a polemic (which if you ever read a lot about Tibet most of it is.... strangely only excluding much of what the Dalai Lama has written..... and 'The Dragon in the Land of Snows'-- a history of Tibet...) It's preachy and it is a polemic.....

Perhaps the book would have been left better off without the political agenda added at the end. You could say that it helps people to think about WHAT would be good; how could they change their world toward some kind of Shambala BUT it provides a huge way for people to slam this text.

Buy this if you want (albeit a bit polemical) an introduction into Buddhism and what went on in Tibet-- it's a fun, easy read. It's worth your time. Then, though, read other books.... to find out more.... cause this one in places IS NOT a strict, hard, grey work of 'Truth'....

Robert Thurman is indeed a controversial academic figure in that he is amazingly dedicated to the Buddhist way and is no-holds barred excited about what he talks and writes of. I have seen Professor Thurman speak - he is an experience. What is best and perhaps most disturbing about his writing/speaking is his extraordinary attachment to myth as the main teaching tool for Tibetan Buddhist principles, and history. The Inner Revolution is a fine example of his unique style and presentation of ideas. There are many books on Buddhism that can leave a reader high and dry, and grasping for anything material, this is not one of them. The Inner Revolution present a refreshing history of Buddhism's political successes in Indian and early Tibetan societies, its transforming character, and an authentic vision of the world altering Tibetan Buddhist belief system (and one wonderful poem).

The last chapter of the Inner Revolution includes ten methods by which to alter the world, changing the material universe into a "Buddha-verse." These transforming ideas may leave readers a little uncomfortable, myself included, but modifying the world from the inside out can do that.

I think of Inner Revolution as accessible Thurman, and a good place to start if one desires knowledge of the Tibetan Buddhist system or the book's author. I enjoyed and highly recommend this book.

If you have comments or would like to discuss Tibet, or refugee communities please contact me. Thanks.

Prof. Thurman writes a book which can only be the product of a lifetime of experience. He first sets upon a task I had yet to see successfully achieved: an accurate description of how one proves to oneself the non-existence of the ego and the self, accessible for the layperson. This kind of superb writing can only come from an individual with long years of true practice and reflection. He then draws a remarkable chart of the progess of civilization as we know it. Finally, these two threads are masterfully woven together as Prof. Thurman shows us how the principle of enlightenment could be applied in our present society. It was very refreshing and encouraging to read such a spiritual view of our history, one that does not resort to metaphysics or unintelligible mysticism. Prof. Thurman's work stands as both socio-political philosophy and spiritual philosophy, achieving a fusion with a vitality and relevance of its own

This book was not one of my favorites in the series but was a must read to keep up with the on-going plot line of Delafield's life. Nice historical references.

Aimee Grant, Kate's partner, and a friend from Vietnam, Melanie conspire to get Kate to attend a 25th anniversary of people who worked together in Vietnam in 1968-1969, the most difficult time of the war. From previous Kate Delafied books, we know that Kate is reluctant to talk about this time, which puts a strain on her personal life. Even with Aimee, she can't talk about it. She wants to shelter her from the horrors and horror it is. If you know nothing about Vietnam, which I didn't this book is an education, especially about the contribution made by the women which is belitted even by the men who worked with them. In this book, we also get some insight into Aimee, which I found very interesting and I ended up liking Aimee even more than I did in Delafield's two previous books in which she appeared, "The Beverly Malibu" and "Murder by Tradition". Kate can't see that by not sharing with Aimee she is not protecting her but shutting her out. Although all the clues are there, the solution of the murder will probably be a surprise. The ending where Kate and her friends and Aimee visit the Vietnam War Memorial is very moving. Another fine selection in the Delafied series and a bit more insight into Kate's life, fears and experiences.

I think this book is absolutely the best of Katherine Forrest's work. It is well-written, emotionally engaging, the mystery is engrossing, and it gives attention to the role that women played in VietNam -- a rare subject in US literature of any genre.

Vice President Sybil Stone, code name Lady Liberty, holds the fate of millions in her hands. She has seventy two hours to return the briefcase handcuffed to her wrist to the United States. Then, on her way back from Geneva, the unthinkable happens, her plane is blown up and she is pushed out of the plane by one very pushy Secret Service Agent. Transpiring through the jungles of Flordia, her only hope is Agent Jonathon Westford, for he is the only one that can get her back to Washington alive.

Jonathon Westford is more than just a body guard to Lady Liberty. He is the man that loves her. He loves Lady Liberty as well as Sybil Stone, but he soon comes to realize that they are one and the same. When she tells him what will happen if they don't get back, he feels despair, for he is sure they will never make it.

Hinze delivers in this novel of political intrigue as well as romance. This book brought tears to my eyes at times and chills at others. It kept me at the edge of my seat almost throughout the whole book. Hinze has depicted a great heroine that all woman would transpire to be like, for no one loves her country more than Lady Liberty. All the characters involved in this book are effected by Liberty and it just shows you how much she values all life.

I definetly wouldn't miss it!

From the first cut of the U.S. vice-president's finger at dinner, while she negotiates peacetalks between two warring former Soviet states in Geneva, to her last life and death act of inserting a choice between two keys to halt the launch sequence of a first-strike nuclear missile, this story moves relentlessly through 72 hours of utter terror and merciless betrayals.

Knitted into this story's race against time is a poignant love story between Vice-President Sybil Stone and Agent Jonathan Westford, her personal guardian. They are pitted against the mad jealousy of Sybil's ex-husband, a brilliant rocket scientist, and trained terrorists determined to assassinate her. Jonathan's job is to protect her at all cost to himself. To repeat the story line here, however, only serves to spoil a novel that thrives on moment-to-moment suspense--an experience readers deserve to enjoy on their own.

What matters most is that, in "Lady Liberty," Vicki Hinze tops the genre of romantic suspense in the way she marries elements of the techno-thriller with intrigue and love; only this time she switches from recent military themes to the political arena in a much broader mission: to give the American people a leader they can believe in.

As 'Lady Liberty,' Sybil Stone symbolizes the character of a true statesman--or in this case, stateswoman: love of country, honor and selfless service. Her virtue is not bigger than life. It is a return to universal motherhood, for that nurturing side of a real woman has courage beyond the usual call to duty and empathy in direct contrast to true evil, which envelops the complete lack of empathy. If we can find leaders like Sybil Stone, there is still hope for the survival of our planet.

Taut and realistic, this novel treats readers to an electrifying drama proving why Ms. Hinze is the queen of military romantic suspense. The vice president of the U.S., Sybil Stone, aka Lady Liberty, is called out of vital peace talks to deliver a briefcase and stop a war. At her side is secret service agent John Westford, the man who has loved her from afar for years. This is no simple mission. There is a conspiracy at work to stop Lady Liberty, for personal, political, and military reasons. However, the enemy had not counted on what a wonder woman Sylvia truly is, a woman prepared to make whatever sacrifice is called for to ensure that her mission is fulfilled, and peace maintained. Nor had they planned on Westford being willing to do whatever it takes to protect not just the veep, but the woman he loves.

Racing against time, these two must stop a war, but somewhere in the danger, they find time to admit to their long simmering love.

***** Frighteninly real and vivid, this is a novel that both men and women can enjoy, even those not traditionally romance fans. The only regrets are that it will be a long time before the next book, and the United States is not lead by someone like Liberty already. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

This book has *got* to be the easiest read for getting up to speed on C++ that I have found to date. The examples are totally straightforward. The book is well organized and pulls no surprises for the reader. However if you don't know Object Oriented Programming (OOP) you *might* have a hard time picking up some of the finer details of just how truly powerful C++ can be. In that case I'd recommend *also* getting Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in C++". The combination of the two of these books will have you writing solid code in no time.

Before I start saying what I think, I should give you my background. Without letting you know that, I believe my opinions will be of little use. I have a Master's Degree in electrical engineering, a few courses about programming principles behind me, and a few years of real-life programming experience with Pascal, VB, and a number of scripting languages (ASP, PHP). So some experience, but not too much.

I found this book to be one of the best books about a programming language I have read so far. It is divided into clearly defined chapters, which progressively expand your knowledge. It is not overly written, meaning that different concepts are explained in a concise manner, and then demonstrated through examples. The examples are not too simple, but neither are they overly complicated. There is always a good analysis after every example, drawing attention to the important parts of the code. I appreciated that very much. Some books spend chapter after chapter explaining what an array or a class is. I do not need that, nor should there be any need for that. Jesse Liberty uses 20 pages to explain arrays in C++. I think that if you still need more pages, perhaps a slower paced and more detailed book is more appropriate (like "Beginning C++" by Ivor Horton).
Also, this is by no means a book to end all books. It gives you the core of C++, and I also have a more detailed book, a book about data modeling, etc.

If you have some programming experience, and want a relatively quick and concise introduction to the concepts of C++ this is the book for you. Jesse Liberty is good, and I will consider his books in the future, whatever programming language I may be looking into. On the other hand if you are new to programming, maybe you should go with something else.

This book did the great job on introuducting C++ from basic theory with the simple example. I recommend this book to who start without any programming background. It offer an understandable way on explained some difficult theories of programming,also the step by step from simple example to Class and function combination example.

I think that Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days is a great book. I used to program in BASIC and C and with this book I didn't even feel the jump to C++, it's the best book dealing with C++, teaching everything from basics to advance programming. All I can say is that it's a very powerful book.

I started a long time ago to try and learn C++, but with all of the tutorials online, it was hard, because I had nothing that I could easily go back to. This book makes it possible to write useful C++ programs for yourself and others, and teach you things that most other tutorials on the net won't. This book is excellent!! In addition, including the compiler with the book allows the person to get started right away, with no delays.

I think the book was an excellent jump start for the first time user of Visual C++. I encountered a problem in Chapter 16 (Building your own library) in that "excpt.h : C2143 Line36" would not let the library build.

I like Jesse Liberty but this book is not too good. It tries to cover too much so it doesn't cover any of the topics well.

In fairness to the authors they stated this in the book but what good does that do when you buy the book online? For an "Unleashed" book, this book just does not meet the bar. Having said that, I should mention that the book covers some nice topics and has some really useful information.

If you want a collection of white papers, this book is for you.If you want a comprehensive coverage of the c++ langauge, look elsewhere.

This book covers almost everything related to C++. Including UML, COM, CORBA, Java, SQL, OODBMS, STL, algoritms, OOP, MFC, namespace, encryption and more. A good reference, especially for a large C++ team.

All I can say is get this book NOW! If you are here reading this review now, then this is the book you are looking for. I was at the stage where I knew c++ but I knew that there was somthing missing. This book covers it all. If you know c++ and you want to "Master" it this is the place to start, no dout about it. I love Jesse Liberty he's the greatest teacher I've ever been thought by. All I would like to say is GET THIS BOOK ALREADY!