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Forecasting, Time Series, and Regression (with CD-ROM) (Forecasting, Time Series, & Regression)
Bruce L. Bowerman ,
Richard O'Connell , and
Anne Koehler
Manufacturer: Duxbury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0534409776 |
Book Description
Awarded Outstanding Academic Book by CHOICE magazine in its first edition, FORECASTING, TIME SERIES, AND REGRESSION: AN APPLIED APPROACH illustrates the vital importance of forecasting and the various statistical techniques that can be used to produce them. With an emphasis on applications, this book provides both the conceptual development and practical motivation you need to effectively implement forecasts of your own. You'll understand why using forecasts to make intelligent decisions in marketing, finance, personnel management, production scheduling, process control, and strategic management is so vital.
Customer Reviews:
Koehler is a little strange..........2007-06-05
I have had Koehler's guard dog training book for about 5 years and have used the obedience section to train 3 of my own personal dogs. I am not a dog trainer but I understand the importance Koehler puts into his training in obedience. There is NOTHING worse than an ill behaved dog... especially since I am a fan of the GSD!!! Koehler is strange and perhaps a bit too strict in some of his training but when push comes to shove... his training works!!! The only book I've read that is equilivent or better is "Dog training for law enforcement" by R.S. Eden!!!! As a police officer I plan to use Koehler's book to further train my personal dog for home protection.
The Koehler Method of Guard Dog Training.......2007-05-23
This was the book that I used to train my own dogs successfully and to start my own small dog training business decades ago when the book was first published. I reordered this book because my original copy was tattered shreds from repeated use and continual reference. These methods are well explained and effective. That being said, given modern animal behavior and psychology, some say these methods of training are dated and unnecessary.
ex-Australian Air Force Police Dog Handler.......2007-04-09
Lots of people who call themselves dog trainers still suffer from the same fatal belief that dogs are like humans and therefore the training techniques used must be deployed as if training humans. I have trained thousands of dogs over the past 26 years most of them after so called dog trainers have stuffed it up. I can say with all honesty that if the dogs that I had to re-train had been brought up in their rightful place 'beneath the pecking order of their owner with discipline and then love', most would never need some of the more dramatic techniques Koehler mentions in the book. Dogs cannot be reasoned with like humans, let's face it, some humans can't be reasoned with either but reasoning is not a capability of canines, they do not possess reasoning skills, ask a scientist.
Koehler's methods support the proactive position that prevention is better than a cure. His tough tactics are left only for the hard cases and only then for those worth keeping. If Koehler had his way, they would never get this way in the first place. If every person who called themselves a dog trainer could understand the dogs' psychology like Koehler, the world would be a better place for dogs.
Don't discount Koehler's book, old as it is, it is still the final word for training dogs. It has never failed me or my customers or the dogs I have had to retrain. The method has been responsible for saving the life of at least 27 dogs that would have otherwise been put down by the local council.
This +works+.......2007-01-27
9 years ago, I trained my problematic adopted Dalmatian using the guidance that this book provided. Prior to the training she nipped incessantly, our hands were near bloody, and we were very close to having her put down.
When the training was complete, it was like the difference between night and day. The "attentiveness" that Koehler mentions is present to this very day, 9 years after the training was completed. The dog watches our every move, is responsive to verbal and physical cues, and our life with her has been fantastic. I could not recommend this book more wholeheartedly.
I use parts to train toy dogs........2006-09-24
I first read several of his books in 1979. Once you get the main concepts of his training methods, it can be used on any dog. I have a papillon so of course I do not use the attack or guard training portion. But his methods of getting dogs to walk on heal without a lease or to come under all conditions is kind, not cruel. I am an avid reader, so I have read hundreds of dog training books, none get to the essence of training like Koehler.
Book Description
The book that pioneered a uniquely effective dog training method-back in print at last
First published in 1962, The Koehler Method of Dog Training is one of the most influential dog training books of all time. Now, Howell Book House is pleased to reissue this book for a new generation of trainers and dog lovers. Featuring a new cover design and new introduction, the book shows how to use both positive and negative reinforcement to form a strong, joyful bond between dog and handler. The Koehler method remains unmatched in its reliability, especially when applied to difficult dogs and intractable behavior problems.
William Koehler was a dog training innovator who worked as the chief animal trainer for Walt Disney Studios and the training director for one of the world's largest dog clubs.
Customer Reviews:
Do you and your dog a favor and read this book!.......2007-07-21
I picked this book on a recommendation from a breeder. It has been great. My friends have dogs that aren't nearly as well behaved and controlled as mine as they have tried other training methods such as food rewards etc. This is the only book you will need to have a dog that is a joy to be around.
My Chow Heels.......2007-06-07
Susan Schott should have read the book before she reviewed it, instead of skipping to the end.
Whe quotes from Chapter 17, the part you are instructed not to read until you have completed the normal training program. Chapter 17 is for dogs who have resisted all CORRECT attempts at training, incorrigible dogs who can go through a few minutes of misery or be put down. Me, I'd put the dog down, but people like Bill Koehler and Cesar Millan want to save them.
My Chow not only heels -- and you don't see too many of them -- she's happy and well-adjusted. I'm not sure she would be if I were torturing her.
Don't be a putz, buy the book........2007-05-18
The Koehler method is outstanding for training a dog to obey. Not just when he's inclined to comply, but right now. Those who claim that the method produces fearful, or nervous animals are speaking out of ignorance, or have something else to promote. I trained a very soft (and none too bright) Great Dane [...], and two Rottweilers with the Koehler Method. The Rotty [...] was wicked smart and about average in temperment. No extreme measures were required. The male Rotty came into my home--at 7 weeks of age--as the most incredible bundle of fury I've ever seen. He was trained to a very high standard and lived out his lifespan as a happy dog who loved to work. I can assure you he never feared anything in his life--not me or anyone else. He was also locally famous as a dog who could be trusted around children. Had he been trained by a more "modern" method, he would have had to be put down (that's a euphamism for killing a dog because of uncontrollable behavior). I would have felt bad enough about that eventuality, but the potential for a human tragedy was very real. All three of those dogs were well adjusted and calm.
The Koehler method doesn't "break" a dog any more than clickers and treats "trains" them. If you are not willing to walk a dog, off leash, along a busy highway, and have somebody he knows try to tempt him into traffic (by calling or waving a favorite toy) then you are fooling yourself that you have been kind to your dog. A dog who is 99% trained isn't trained at all. That other 1% will be the time you really need control to save his life.
Many people object to his writing style. Get over it. He wrote that way because he understood dog owners as well as he understood dogs. People will skip the parts that make them uncomfortable, and equivocate on corrections. His point was simple: that you do your dog no favors by letting him off the hook or making excuses for his bad behavior. His method was simple to follow for a novice trainer who has a 6th grade reading level, and it works if you follow it. His method is humane because the dog is in control of his level of discomfort.
There may be better techniques for dealing with the most extreme, destructive, and dangerous canine behaviors, but none of them are especially pleasant for the dog. When Bill Koehler wrote the book, remote collars were not feasable and have only recently become sophisticated enough to make them really useful. A well timed collar-correction would be better than sticking the dog's head under water.
BTW, digging is not just expensive for the owner, but is how a dog gets out of a kennel (or through the front door) to injure people and kill livestock. Either of those are considered capital offenses for animal control authorities.
an unlikeable book every trainer should read.......2007-04-17
the kohler method of dog training is the epitome of "old school" dog training, using force and correction to teach canines basic foundation obedience. keep in mind it was written in the early 1970's before positive reinforcement training had become popular, and was esentially still in its infancy. i have been training animals since i was in middle school back in the ninties, and have studied behaviorism extensively. while i most definely believe that Koehler's methods are harsh, unnecessary and outdated, and that there are much better modern, scientifically proven methods out there, every professional trainer should read this book, reguardless of the type of training they do. every good trainer should be aware of the techniques and methods that are out there because there are still trainers out there that employ Kohler techniques, and you may end up with a client and really messed up dog who tried old school training first; you need to know what was done. you also may get something out of the book. while i NEVER aproove of hanging a dog until they nearly pass out or hitting one with a hose covered dowel (page 53 "the real hood") i did find a few helpful tips from the book like stepping with the near foot when asking a dog to heel, and the far foot when asking a dog to stay.
the book itself is not, in my opinion, written in an easy to read vernacular; maybe they talked that way in the 60's. the author also adds alot of sarcasm and exaggerated criticism of other training methods, but uses no scientific evidince or studies to back up his own techniques. yes he has 30 years of training experience, but he is not very open minded to new or other methods. for centuries people believed that the world was flat and the sun revolved around the earth, but that didn't make it true. only when people chalanged and tested these beliefs could progress be made. i DO NOT recommend that novices with no prior dog training experience or education attempt the techniques in this book. it is too easy to cause your dog dammage-not for beginners.
Worst Book Ever Written on Dog Training.......2007-01-20
I purchased this book in the early seventies to train my dog. It was the worst of the worst. Finally got involved in In-Home-Dog Training and it saved the relationship between me and my dog. I also had the opportunity to go and visit Mr. Koehler at his training site. All I have to say is that I'm very sorry to hear that his book is being re-printed. His methods are very harsh and no dog deserves such treatment.
Customer Reviews:
Love it.......2007-01-27
This book delivers what it promises; "an up-to-date working tool of modest price and compass for the student of biblical Hebrew and Aramaic."
The book quality is superb and two years on is still in excellent condition considered the amount of use. The print quality is excellent and very usable. The Hebrew words are bolded, including their various forms. The basic meaning of each word is also bolded. This makes looking up words and their meanings especially efficient. I've found this excellent for translating biblical texts.
One of the most useful features is that each Hebrew word includes its various forms. As a beginner I've found this useful when parsing Hebrew text.
Proper names do not have their English rendering included. This has caused me to have to refer back to my BDB occasionally. This has been the one major flaw I've found in this work. There are transliterations included for specific usages of the Hebrew words. I found this feature a bit annoying sometimes. I would have found the actual Hebrew text to be much more useful.
This is an ideal book for use in translating biblical texts and its size and format make it extremely usable. However, I would not recommend it for in depth word studies or for those who do not read Hebrew.
BEWARE to those who don't already know Hebrew!.......2007-01-18
I had high hopes that A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (CHALOT) would be a helpful Bible study tool. However, for me, this book is practically useless.
The words are in order according to the Hebrew alphabet. The words are written in Hebrew ONLY. It's so hard to find a word because I don't recognize the Hebrew alphabet. I search and search just trying to find the word that I'm looking for. Once I find a word, the definition isn't any clearer or more detailed than the definition in Abingdon's Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (ASECB) -- usually, it's less detailed. Also, CHALOT (this book being reviewed) only gives a few examples of scriptures; I had hoped for all listings of where the word may be scripturally found. I find myself referring back to the ASECB to find all the word's listings (for comparison of meaning).
If you don't already read and write Hebrew, I propose that you will find this book as frustrating as I do. It is not handy for people who don't read and write Hebrew. To me, the definitions are not worth the effort and time spent searching for them.
For English-speaking Bible students, I still haven't found any better study tools than the ASECB (mentioned above) and The Interlinear Bible-Hebrew, Greek, English (IB). If you're interested in researching the earliest-known languages of the Bible, the use of these two books, together, is very thorough (exhaustive) and well organized for EASY reference. I don't know what the price differences are between the CHALOT and the ASECB (to be used with the IB), but if you're serious about Bible study and appreciate excellent referencing, the ASECB and IB are worth the money.
As for the CHALOT, I regret the money that I spent for it. I feel the on-line customer reviews that I read before buying this book were misleading.
The minuses outweigh the pluses.......2007-01-10
This lexicon is an abridged version of a much larger 2 volume work (ISBN:9004124454). The pluses include: a handy sized volume, with the arrangement of words in alphabetical order. The minuses outweigh the pluses: the Hebrew text within the definitions is inexplicably transliterated (making this a poor learning tool for students of Hebrew). The quality of printing is fair, not great. One would do better to settle for the Oxford printing of Brown, Driver and Briggs (0198643012) which remains the standard lexicon for Biblical Hebrew. Aside from the aformentioned irritations, one may mention the less than satisfactory definitions of Hebrew words, as well as a complete lack of information on Hebrew names.
Warning: Not by chapter.......2006-10-12
This is a "lexicon" due to its references, but it's organized like a dictionary. If you're translating the Hebrew Bible, this is an awesome resource as a Biblical dictionary, but I thought I'd let y'all know that it's very different from the Armstrong Lexicon which organizes by chapter, in order. Thus, if you're working through a few chapters of Bible, in a class or on one's own, then the Armstrong will list the infrequently-used words (i.e. "the hard words!") in order by chapter, so you don't have to look up the words in a dictionary like this one.
In other words, I use both this and the Armstrong. The Holladay I use as a dictionary for a few words here and there, but when working through chapters of Hebrew Bible, the Armstrong Lexicon is more of a time-saving cheat sheet.
More Support.......2006-09-14
I own several lexicons, but like most of the reviewers noted, Holladay is the one I always reached for until I found this really old pocket sized lexicon (the same size as Souter's Greek Lexicon.) I use the pocket lexicon now first, and Holladay's second. I don't even look at BDB anymore. Too bad someone hasn't come out with a new pocket-sized lexicon for fast lookups while flying somewhere!
Book Description
The Science of Pocket Billiards covers the entire spectrum from basics to the most advanced concepts of pool. There are 262 pages (81/2 X 11) crammed with information along with 33 photographs and 277 illustrations to help clarify the material presented. The occasional player can skim through the book and learn enough for a lifetime of casual play while a serious student of pool can study this book for months or even years and continue to gain valuable knowledge.
Customer Reviews:
Full of Details.......2007-04-10
This technical guide is full of tables and statistics, along with lots of tips to make you shoot a better game of pool.
Very comprehensive but technical.......2007-01-09
The book is very comprehensive going into a lot of detail and at times is very technical. There are lots of tables and statistics. However, it does a great job of explaining how the various aspects of the game impact the outcome of each shot. Things like cue ball and object ball movement, best cue stick positions for type of shot, how english and top and bottom spin impact cue ball placement, and much more. If you focus on the less technical aspects taught in this book you will come out with a much better understanding of how to shoot better pool. I'm still reading it but have learned alot and I consider myself a better than average pool player already. It is at times tough reading but you can get into it as deeply as you desire and several readings over time will glean more information.
My opinion.......2006-10-17
First of all, please excuse my English - it is not my native.
I've bought this book and really happy with this purchase, even Byrne's books were not even close to improve my skills in pool. The were commercially composed so that I had to buy more and more books, but fortunately I've found "Science of pocket billiards". Beleive me, its amazing, right now with a small practice after reading this book I beat my friends.
The best one.
Real Magic.......2006-08-31
Sometimes people feel that explaining wonderful things makes them somehow less magical, as if a bit of knowledge could rub the awe off of us. I'm inclined to disagree and fortunately for me, there's a whole genre of books devoted to the related jobs of explaining the wonderful and unravelling the mysteries behind ordinary stuff.
This book stands out in that world and also in the world of books about pool. The author has taken the ordinary, sometimes despised game of pocket billiards and subjected its truths to rigorous experimentation. He built apparatus for standardizing speed and direction of balls and developed a simple device for recording where balls struck a cushion.
Koehler's attention to details is pretty wonderful in itself. Consider this: "Theoretically, the center of the tip doesn't need chalk because it makes contact with the cue ball only when it's struck dead-center. When the cue ball is struck dead-center, there's no chance of the tip slipping off and thus, no need for chalk." A tiny matter? sure. Admire the mind behind it? you bet.
The same thorough approach can be seen in chapters like
1. Equipment
2. Shooting stance and technique
3. Pocketing the object ball
4. Shot selection
5. Cue-ball deflection path
6. English
7. Positioning the cue ball
8. Rail shot
9. Combination shots
10.Bank shots
If you love the game or if you simply marvel at a job well done, this is a book for you. Any pool player will find his or her appeite for practice increased and game improved
Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine from Prentice-Hall and bang-BANG, a novel from Kunati to be published in 2007
Great Gift for a Pool-Loving Loved one.......2006-08-27
I bought this for my fiance's birthday- it was one of the highest priority items on his wishlist. It is a big book- about the size of the average college textbook- and he read it straight from front to cover in the matter of a few weeks. He believes that it has really taught him a lot and that he has been playing better (and he was already very good) since he'd started reading it. In summary, this is a fantastic gift for the avid pool player in your life, as long as they are the type willing to sit down and do some reading.
Book Description
CD-ROM
Koehler, Baumgartner and Stamm´s The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HAL) is widely recognized as being the standard modern dictionary for Biblical Hebrew. In combining scholarly thoroughness with easy accessibility, this dictionary meets the needs of a wide range of users. The CD-ROM edition of the dictionary not only contains all the information available in the print edition of HAL, but also provides additional features that enhance its usefulness considerably. This updated version includes the Aramaic Lexicon.
The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament on CD-ROM for Windows uses the Logos Library System Software.
System Requirements: Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or higher, 12Mb of RAM, 20Mb of free hard disk space, CD-ROM drive.
Functionality: The CD-ROM includes the exact reproduction of the character and paragraph formatting of the print edition. Additional functionality comes especially with the possibility of article-based navigation and extensive, language-aware, searching of Hebrew and related languages, e.g. full-text, Boolean, and proximity searches. Furthermore, every 'see also' cross-reference to other articles in the dictionary has been made into a hyperlink. Biblical references are also enabled to be hyperlinks to Biblical texts. As an aid to the reader, all abbreviations are turned into hotspots, activating window pop-ups with the full expansion of the abbreviation.
Readership: The electronic version of HAL is an indispensable tool for scholars and students in the fields of Biblical Studies, Dead Sea Scrolls, Judaic Studies, Semitic Languages and Ancient Near East.
Customer Reviews:
Koehler - Baumgartner.......2006-03-03
This lexicon should be in the library of anyone seeking to understand the deeper meanings of Hebrew words in Tanach. No one text stands alone in that regard; however, it is felt that Koehler - Baumgartner is indispensable for any serious student of Biblical Hebrew, and everyone is a student of this wonderful language. The 2-volume unabridged study edition is affordable and is more space efficient on the shelf. Buy this one with confidence.
The best resource.......2003-02-12
The best English lexicon of biblical Hebrew & Aramaic, KBL is also easier to use than the classic BDB. Words are listed alphabetically, rather than grouped by root, with cross-references to other words from the same root (no more trying to figure out a noun's putative "verbal root"). Akkadian tends to dominate the etymological information, rather than Arabic), along with Ugaritic. Glosses tend to be traditional, although references within the articles and the extensive supplementary bibliography (84 pages; alphabetically by author) allow you to find narrative lexical discussions. The Aramaic section is outstanding, with citations ranging far beyond biblical Aramaic. Although some might be tempted to begin with an "intermediate" lexicon such as Holladay, KBL's layout, clarity, and wealth of information makes this appropriate for both beginning students, pastors, teachers, and other scholars.
The New Koehler-Baumgartner.......2001-01-10
The printed 5 volume set provides a fine supplementary lexicon for all students of the Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. The volumes are finely bound, printed on acid-free paper (though not ANSI certified). Each volume is smyth sewn.
Much more asthetic than using a computer screen, the printed version allows you to view all 5 volumes at the same time, even without electricity! Though it cannot compare with the search power of the CD version. The main text is in a two column format and all of the fonts are easy to read.
These volumes will become the standard Hebrew Bible lexicon. Unfortunately! However they should be supplemented with other works because:
(1) They do not show all of the needed etymologies, many entries display no etymological data. (Ernest Klein's work is recommended here). The data from North/West Semitics could be expanded, it is lacking in many entries. Hittite data seems deficient as well as some Sumerian data -- let's face it, they are early influences on the Semitic languages. The Koehler-Baum. work only skims the surface when it comes to etymologies.
(2) Many important works by evangelical scholars (such as S. P. Tregelles, Gleason, Archer, Kyle Yates, E. Young, Robert Dick Wilson, et al) were not even utilized. Too much emphasis was given to the popular works done by secular scholars.
(3) Ugaritic, Phoenician, Arabic and other fonts (scripts) are simply transliterated. They should have been printed out in their original script. Transliteration tables could have also been included for the scholars who are not familiar with these languages, but accuracy can be jeopardized when the original scripts are just transliterated, and it takes time and effort to "recompose" them. Perhaps they were transliterated so that the digital search engines could be simplified. Poor trade off!
(4) Some important definitions are missing for some entries! Thus other lexicons are needed. For example: sh-r-Ha (shin, resh, he) in volume 4, pages 1652f does not show the meaning as "to shine" (from a possible Arabic root) nor as "chains" or "bracelets" as in Isaiah 3:19.
(5) Textual variations are often not listed, and the Qumran literature and data could have been better utilized.
(6) Foreign word indexes could have been supplied, and an index of Biblical passages could have been added. Several hands worked on the 5 volumes, and a variety of abbreviations are used for the Biblical books, making Biblical book cross references difficult even on the CD version.
All in all, a very useful addition. The price is quite high and the folks at Brill often ask too much for their publications. The work NEEDS to be supplemented, and some entries are woefully deficient -- giving only a partial definition. Coupled with the poor etymological data -- this is not acceptable. Gary S. Dykes
A Great Work of Scholarly Value for this Ancient Language.......2000-06-14
This series of Lexicons give a never before seen view into ancient Aram and the language of Jesus Christ and his followers. For anyone interested in further study of the passages of the Bible, this is a collection that should be a requirement to add to your library. You will appreciate it more as you study it. The Bible and the Talmud no longer need be cryptic in their original forms.
Customer Reviews:
Dissapointed.......2007-09-27
I will have to admit I was a little dissapointed in this book. It is mainly for domestic adoption and we are adopting internationally.
The Day we Met You.......2007-09-03
This book is a lot more specific to a very unprepared family than I would have hoped. I think most adoptive parents have something before they get on the list- a carseat, crib or bassinet- something...
Nice moments.......2007-06-13
I've enjoyed reading this book to our daughter. It's very simple and to the point, and though the details do not match our experience to the letter, it definitely communicates our excitement and preparations involved in becoming parents in this way. Our daughter (just turned 3) loves the title page photo that just shows a baby's hand holding a parent's finger--she's taken to doing that with us lately.
What do people expect?.......2007-03-04
I do not understand what people expect? This book was one of teh best (and we bought many) books to help my daughter understan dteh adoption process - it was teh only one which didn't involve teh birth mother which is something that can be introduced later when they are little older...
Though my daughter is from India (not domestic) it still works - children are not so literal to think a car seat means that you literally got a car seat.
4 years later it is still one of her favourite bed time stories and has helped us introduce teh concept of adoption very easily. I reccoemnd it to all new adoptive parents adopting small children.
Great to see a children's book on Domestic Adoption.......2006-10-17
The majority of the children's books I find seem to focus on international adoption. This book met my needs much better. It is very simplistic but that is a positive to me, since I began reading this book to my son when he was only a year old. It is a great way to start introducing adoption into your everyday vocabulary.
Amazon.com
As human rights activist Rainer Hildebrandt observed in 1948, communist East Germany resembled nothing so much as a vast "concentration camp in which only the warders and those who hand out the food can still live well." Those warders were known collectively as the Ministerium für Statessicherheit, or Stasi. As John Koehler suggests in the impressively detailed Stasi: The Untold Story of the East German Secret Police, their history is the history of totalitarian East Germany. Including informants, the Stasi at one point would number one operative for every 66 East German citizens; so ruthless and efficient were they in their efforts to squelch dissent that even the KGB found itself occasionally appalled by the Stasi's methods.
Right up to its 1990 demise, the Stasi cast a huge net of spies and agents around Europe and the rest of the world, enlisting as many as 30,000 West Germans as secret operatives, and involving more than a few American intelligence personnel in traitorous dalliances that would badly damage NATO defense capabilities during the Cold War. Koehler, a longtime foreign correspondent with Associated Press and onetime aide to president Ronald Reagan, based much of his research on the vast archive of secret Stasi documents discovered after the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent unification of Germany. Although this book is only the tip of the iceberg, he has provided a fascinating look into the inner workings of one of the most dangerous, but least known, organizations of the 20th century. --Tjames Madison
(After the collapse of the Berlin Wall and unification of Germany, journalist Timothy Garton Ash gained access to his Stasi file and began interviewing the people who contributed to it. The results of his investigation are found in the compelling The File.)
Book Description
The definitive history of the powerful and brutal East German Secret Police
In this gripping narrative, John Koehler details the covert activities of East Germany's Ministry for State Security, or "Stasi." The Stasi, which infiltrated every walk of East German life, suppressed political opposition, and caused the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of citizens, proved to be one of the most powerful secret police and espionage services in the world. Koehler methodically reviews the Stasi's activities within East Germany and overseas, including its programs for internal repression, international espionage, terrorism and terrorist training, art theft, and special operations in Latin America and Africa.
Customer Reviews:
Very informative book.......2007-09-28
I chose to read "The Stazi" in preparation for viewing "The Lives of Others". The book gave me the background necessary to understand what went on during that period in East Germany and provided insight into the motivations of the people on both sides of the Berlin Wall.
Koehler, who was a journalist during the time these events took place, did a commendable job researching what he did not actually experience himself. Lots of statistics and documentation made reading slow at first but the details he provides relative to how spies on both sides are recruited and what they went through and how they did their job made for fascinating reading.
I was amazed at the stupidity of the various organizations, including the US military, in not doing a better job of protecting classified documents. In that regard the book was a real eye opener.
"Scent samples......".......2007-09-24
I bought this book after watching "The Lives of Others" (a movie to definitely see) and wanted to learn more about East Germany. I've read more about Stalin, the KGB, and the Soviet Union and have seen/heard less about the Stasi and East Germany under communist rule, so this book fills an important gap (at least in my knowledge).
Koehler chronicles the frighteningly extensive reach of the Stasi both domestically and in its recruitment efforts in other countries. The book is replete with stories of spies, moles, double agents, and informants who worked for the Stasi based on principles, fear for family members, or just money, all of which illustrate the far-reaching Stasi and its network. In one particularly scary example, Koehler writes that East Germans were perplexed after reunification when they found jars containing pieces of cloth at Stasi headquarters. Based on records discovered, the jars contained "scent samples" collected from dissidents during interrogation. The samples served for later use for dogs to track down dissidents if necessary.
Toward the end of the book, Koehler discusses East Germany's role in supporting, harboring, and allowing terrorists to reside/pass through East Germany - a section with relevance to today's questions related to nations that harbor and support terrorism.
A book to definitely add to your Cold War history collection.
A fun read - great research and great stories.......2006-03-21
I found Koehler's book to be outstanding. It was well written and nicely researched.
an amazing propaganda piece.......2005-09-06
Get a fresh highlighter when you read this book, and you will have a wonderful lesson in how to write a propaganda piece. This book does a real smear job on the DDR; Not that the DDR was such a wonderful place to begin with, but the author will not give you the opportunity to form your own opinion. Rather, he will "help" you reach "the right conclusion" through linguistic and numeric acrobatics. This would have been understandable had the author been a CIA agent, but is totally unforgiveable from a journalist. There isn't a semblance of objectivity in this entire book. Here are some examples I found most annoying:
- The author uses some simple math to impress the reader as to just how totalitarian was the DDR. While his conclusion is almost self-evident, the route to that conclusion is misleading and incorrect. He begins by making a claim that there was one Stasi police officer per 166 East Germans. He gets this figure by dividing the total population of the DDR (17,000,000) by the total number of Stasi personnel (102,000). This calculation is nonsense, because organisationally, the Stasi is the equivalent of both the FBI and the CIA, i.e., both an internal and external intelligence aparatus. So the author is incorrectly counting people who were in charge of overseas intelligence. This calculation is nonsense also because this number 102,000 includes everybody, including the custodians, the people working at the cafeteria, the janitors, etc. This number is simply taken out of context.
However, these numbers are meaningless for another reason, that is far more important: Unlike other security agencies, the Stasi was not in the least bit computerised. Therefore the Stasi needed many more people, relatively speaking, to handle the intelligence at all levels: From the simplest clerical workers doing filing, typing and archival work, through agents, informants, case officers, etc. Everything was done manually. How do you even begin to compare the quantities of information that, for example, the technologically-savvy FBI or NSA could gather on US citizens, to the low-tech paper documents in cardboard folders that the Stasi used: All filed manually, all looked up manually. Just imagine two librarians, one having a computerised catalog and the other using 3x5 library cards in the traditional library card files...
The bottom line: The FBI, CIA, NSA gathered more information, could store and retrieve this information faster and more reliably, could index and cross-index information, more meaningfully, and could analyse this information to find patterns and trends, faster and better than anything anyone at the Stasi could have dreamed of, regardless of how many people worked for it. If anything, it's amazing that the Stasi was as effective as it was without resorting to computers (and without serious sigint).
- Finally, try this one: As you read through the book, highlight the pejoratives applied to the Stasi and the DDR and compare them to the expressions used to describe the BRD, the US, etc. It's just amazing: Americans spying for the DDR are refered to as "renegade" and "traitors", while East Germans spying for the US are called "defectors", even though they may have begun to collect information on their country two years before defecting, and then gave this information to their country's enemy, in return for citizenship and some money. Similarly, the Stasi is refered to as an "Octopus" with menacing tentacles... East German officials at a reception are referred to as "apartchiks" who are "stuffing themselves and guzzling vodka". I'm not sure that the author would describe US officials at a reception at a US function using similar disparaging terms.
I think that a reporter needs to respect the subjects of his reports. The author of this book, John Koehler, certainly shows nothing but contempt for his subjects. Had he been some CIA hotshot -- this could have been understandable. For a reporter, however, this is unforgiveable.
The Definitive History of the Stasi .......2005-02-07
John Koehler has done more than create the most exhaustive and detailed account of the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (Stasi) in the English language. He has done the world a service. Koehler has brought to light the plight of the victims of one of the world's most chillingly efficient spy agencies, whose stories deserve to be told. Read about Horst Erdmann, a medical student who was arrested for passing out leaflets calling for free elections. Erdmann was sentenced to eleven years of hard labor under abominable conditions. Read about Rüdiger Knechtel, imprisoned for throwing a bottle over the Berlin Wall, which contained a message explaining his plight. Read about the torture suffered by Josef Kneifel. Read and learn what the East German prisons were like. How many were killed, imprisoned, and tortured, simply for wanting to leave the German "Democratic Republic"?
But the story starts much earlier, before World War II, with the man who ultimately was to become the head of the Stasi for nearly 40 years, Erich Mielke. Koehler gives you Mielke's background, which included killing two (Weimar Republic-era) policemen and his subsequent escape to Russia, where he learned espionage. Mielke's own biography provides insight into the Stasi. Mielke always viewed the Stasi as akin to Felix Dzerzhinski's "Chekists," who ruthlessly defended the communist revolution in the USSR by persecuting its dissenters. Under Mielke's view, communist revolutions would always be opposed by "counterrevolutionary" forces - which sadly included anyone who wanted to speak his mind, vote, or even simply leave - and every communist country required a secret police force to battle those elements. As such, the Stasi (whose officers and informants were something like 1 out of every 66 GDR citizens) was necessary and integral to the functioning of the GDR.
Koehler reports on all aspects of the Stasi, from the agency's formation to its demise. Koehler describes the Stasi's strong ties to the KGB, and its thorough spying on East German citizens. We read about the Stasi's foreign operations, too. While West Germany was the Stasi's main area of operations, it spied on NATO and the United States as well. It forged ties with Third World countries and used them as bases of operations. Koehler explains at length the Stasi's connection to international terrorists and the West German Red Army Faction (aka the "Bader Meinhof gang"), activities which disgusted many of the Stasi's own agents. Koehler explains that the money spent on the Stasi and its activities almost certainly accelerated the bankruptcy of the GDR.
This is a dense, thoroughly researched book. As one reviewer noted, it does contain typos. However, I cannot in good conscience deduct any stars for the typographical errors, because this is truly a fine, meticulously documented book. One gets the sense that the author was driven to tell the whole story of this organization in all its aspects. He has succeeded. This comprehensive book is well worth reading.
Book Description
One of the USA's most gorgeous natural wonders, Yosemite National Park has something to offer every traveler from vacationing families to hardcore outdoors enthusiasts. From rocky ascents up Half Dome to wildflower walks through Tuolumne Meadows, from the soaring vistas atop Sentinel Dome to the gentle slopes of Badger Pass, this book takes you there.
- coverage of the entire park, plus neighboring highlights and worthwhile excursions
- outdoor activities: hiking, biking, rafting, skiing, climbing, canoeing
- in-depth history, geology & ecosystem chapters written by known experts
- 20 maps showing every corner of the park
- special focus on family travel, with short & long-stay itineraries
Customer Reviews:
Great to have along.......2006-11-08
I've lived in California for 3 years and have been to Yosemite at least 5 times. We have gone for backpacking trips, car camping trips, and stayed at Curry Village. We always bring this book with us. You need to have a book like this with you when you are there so you can both plan ahead and do things on the fly. It's a great book that highlights all the must-see spots. Yosemite rarely disappoints.. even if some spots are crowded, once you get there, you can understand why! Lonely Planet books in general area always well organized and have great maps. I like how this book had both short hikes as well as some longer overnight backpacking trips. It also does a good job of detailing all the campgrounds. If you want more detail (or a little different perspective) on hikes and backpacking trips, get "Hiking in the Sierra Nevada" by Lonely Planet.
Good stuff!.......2006-06-03
I thought this was a pretty well-rounded overview of Yosemite with some nice pics to boot. I've been hiking all over Calif but never quite got around to hitting the Big Y. I had seen pics and knew it was great, but I wasn't quite sure what the best approach to schedule a three-day weekend. Well, this baby helped a lot -- reservations, planning hikes, meals and all that a snap. The maps and spotlight-recommendations were great.
Handy guide to Yosemite for first or second time visitor.......2005-12-31
A very well assembled collection of recommendations and facts for planning a trip to Yosemite. If you want to get the most of your trip to the region, planning is essential. Just showing up will severely compromise the options you have available. If you are planning to also visit Sequoia/Kings Canyon, you might want to opt for the Frommer's Guide or Lonely Planet's "Hiking In The Sierra Nevada." Personally, I think this guide has a little more detail and better organization than the Moon guide, with the maps being far better.
Planning: The book does a very nice job giving you phone numbers, camp locations, amenities, and tips on which sites will fill up first. This really is the most important, especially if you want to camp at a popular location or want to do overnight hikes in one of the more popular destinations. If you want to stay in one of the valley hotels think a year in adavance (at least), camping in the valley needs reservations 6-8 months in advance.
Trip descriptions: For the places I visited the descriptions were thorough but not overwhelming in detail. The book has both short trips (1-3 days) as well as longer excursions, but many of these can be abbreviated to suit your needs.
Maps: You will certainly need your own big topo map when on the hike, but the maps here (and in other Lonely Planet guides) are among the best you will find in this sort of guide. First they are topographic, which helps you with overall planning, even if you will eventually make use of a big map later on. Second, the maps are in two colors, which facilitates reading immensely. Finally, the printing is fine and crisp. Some other guides have blurry reproductions of USGS maps that look like they were printed onto a paper towel.
Other: The book is compact and lightweight. If you are an obsessive type you could carry it along on your hike without adding too much weight.
Overall, this is a great guide to aid in planning a trip to the region, especially those on their first couple of excursions to the region. For those who want more details on other trips check out Sierra North and Sierra South, as well as books by Mike White, R. J. Secor, and Steve Roper.
helpful and clear........2005-09-23
I enjoyed this guide for the easy to find information and easy to read maps. It gave good hike descriptions and the list of spotlighted activites was right on target. I do use this regularly to create my plans for the park. This did lack the personal touch that I found in some other references and found myself picking up other guides to go with the maps in this book. The Moon guide was by far my favorite. But do check it out if your going to Yosemite. More information is always better.
useful to plan trip.......2003-10-19
Good book - content useful, maps clear. I use their books a lot, and this one seemed expecially well laid out and clear.
Average customer rating:
- Borderlands of nightmare
- Was Nietzsche Gay?
|
Zarathustra's Secret
Joachim Kohler , and
Joachirn Köhler
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0300092784 |
Book Description
More than a century after his death in 1900, Nietzsche remains a seminal figure in the history of European intellectual life. Celebrated as a liberator by some, maligned as a pernicious influence by others, he was the subject of controversy during his lifetime, pursuing a hedonistic individualism and espousing concepts such as the Superman and the Will to Power until he died after a decade of institutionalized insanity. In this groundbreaking biography, Joachim Köhler seeks for the first time to understand Nietzsche's philosophy through a reconstruction of his inner life. In a revealing reinterpretation of his letters, diaries, and writings, Köhler shows that Nietzsche's suppressed homosexuality, generating a hatred of Christianity and conventional morality, was a central influence on his work. Further, Köhler argues, his philosophical position was fundamentally compromised by the concealment of his forbidden sexual desire. Throughout his life, the unhappy genius was also plagued by horrible nightmares, stemming from his much-loved father's death, which led to a profoundly disturbed conscience and an intense loathing of metaphysics. Seeking to disguise the truth of his innermost torments, Nietzsche contrived the persona of Zarathustra. The story of the great Persian philosopher, contends Köhler, reveals Nietzsche's own suppression and dionysiac liberation, and presents the culmination of his secret yearnings in the new myth of the Superman who, in his naked beauty, resembled the gods of classical Greece.
Customer Reviews:
Borderlands of nightmare.......2003-02-20
Charged with some degree of speculation, this work is nonetheless a significant perspective on Nietzsche that any student of the subject ought to consider. Isn't the author's point, despite a near animus toward his subject, rather clear from the data examined? We need not finalize opinion to be grateful for an examination of a man who lived the discovery of the unconscious, without jargon or theories. You can be genuinely confused by Nietzsche, and the strange riddle of his philosophy deserves a bit of demystification. This was a dangerous subject that routinely confuses all discussion of social equality, 'good and evil', to say nothing of the complex history of Zarathustra, from a starting point that misconceived the nature of Greek tragedy.
With Nietzsche style triumphs over the stark danger of intoxicated encounter with the fringe-border world of the noumenal,and the fragments of the explosion are strewn across a modern philosophical wasteland. I think the author unsufficiently consider this point, the wreckage of a true genius on the shoals of psychological confusions and ambiguity. It takes more than genius to resolve the philosophical heritage Nietzsche encounters, and the result shows the burnout of a facile Schopenhaurian rockstar type, which almost makes the man more interesting. In any case, this was a compelling, somewhat chilling account, that made Nietzsche interesting in a new way. One need not agree with Freud's theories, which their own such legacy, to suddenly see why his efforts to 'lance the wound' of the Victorian psyche made such sense for its time. Fascinating work, if a bit cold for Nietzsche fan clubs.
Was Nietzsche Gay?.......2002-05-30
At first sight, it would seem to the reader that Nietzsche's biographers have finally run out of things to say. We've had the French Nietzsche, the Positivist Nietzsche, The Existential Nietzsche, the Postmodern Nietzsche, ad nauseum. And now the Gay Nietzsche? But hild on here; not so fast. While I may not agree with many of Kohler's arguments, he has still managed to write one hell of an entertaining book without insulting my intelligence in the process.
When I first began reading this tome, I thought to myself that this may well be another of those works in which anyone in history who was anyone was, of course, gay. But then I remembered Siegfried Mandel's "Nietzsche and the Jews," in which Mandel made many of the same assertations. Kohler, however, wants to pursue the issue of possible homosexuality as the centerpiece of his biography, instead of leaving in on the sidelines as Mandel does.
It is a difficult task, as Nietzsche was one of the most open philosophers in terms of private life, but one who had his life heavily edited by his manipulative sister after madess rendered him helpless. Anything that went against the ideal she had made for her brother was rewritten to have its meaning changed, or was simply discarded it to the dustbin. Because of this huge gap in out knowledge, Kohler can only rely on information rescued from the scrap-heap, and to this addes a great deal of speculation. Granted, some of it is learned speculation, and some of it appears dead on target, but it is speculation, nonetheless and must always be viewed with the proverbial grain of salt.
Ther author is also aided greatly in this effort by reference to the definitive three-volume biography of Nietzsche by Curt Paul Janz. Published in Munich in 1978, it appears never to have been translated into English and is, alas, now out-of-print in Germany. Much of Kohler's biographical information comes from this book, which helps explain why it blows away all English biographies in terms of depth. I have learned many more facts about Nietzsche's life from this book than I have from, say, the biography of Ronald Heyman, which itself adheres to the familiar paradigm about the life of Nietzsche.
Does Kohler prove his point? Sadly for him, no. Most of his evidence is purely circumstantial and some second-hand. But he gives the reader enough good information for many evenings of argument until those documents that will prove the argument one way of another are found. As that day is not very likely to come, at least not soon, the speculations in this book should serve to entertain and provide ammo for countless future arguments. And sometimes there is no greater intellectual fun to be had.
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