Vincent Reviews

Occasionally, nature produces an individual with towering intellect and mesmerizing oratorical abilities, but haunted by deep and seemingly irrepressible moral flaws. Their lives are filled with a mix of remarkable achievement and profound disappointment; monumental success and disgrace both seem inevitable. The late twentieth century had Bill Clinton, and the early nineteenth had Daniel Webster.

Webster's story - like Clinton's - is at once inspiring and frustrating, laudable and detestable. There is certainly an element of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in Daniel Webster, and the noted Jacksonian historian Robert Remini uses that split personality as the foundation in building this important biography of one of America's greatest and most unique statesman.

Webster's genius is undeniable. His many natural gifts, which even his bitterest enemies had to concede, earned him the highly flattering sobriquet "the Godlike Daniel." No private attorney has affected the course of American judicial history as much as Webster. With the ideologically sympathetic John Marshall presiding over the Supreme Court, he successfully argued nearly every landmark case of the early nineteenth century: Dartmouth College, Gibbons vs. Ogden , McCollough vs. Maryland. He also added his considerable talents to the defense of the Union, first during the South Carolina nullification crisis in the celebrated Hayne-Webster debates, and then in the twilight of his life as the debate over slavery mounted toward civil war he delivered an impassioned speech in defense of the Compromise of 1850. His many public addresses lauding the ideals and principles of the American republic - the Plymouth Oration, Bunker Hill Oration, commemoration of the lives of Jefferson and Adams - are legendary and were once memorized by schoolboys. When a Webster speech was anticipated in the Senate, the halls were jammed with attendees eager to hear history in the making. Indeed, as Stephen Benet notes in the classic The Devil and Daniel Webster: "You see, for a while, he [Webster] was the biggest man in the country. He never got to be President, but he was the biggest man."

But there was also a less admirable, more human side to Daniel Webster; an alter ego to the Godlike Daniel known derisively as "Black Dan." Addictions to alcohol and gambling were the duel crosses Webster had to bear through out life. These afflictions ensured Webster was chronically in debt despite a flourishing law practice. These debts eventually presented conflicts of interests and put him in compromising positions, which undermined his moral authority and ultimately cost him the White House.

It has been written that most great men are made by the events of their times, but a very select few would have been great regardless of time or place. Remini's splendid biography suggests that Daniel Webster is a strong candidate for the latter category.

The unfortunate result of the growing power and focus on the executive branch is that historians tend to focus on presidents as prime movers for american political development. Remini's biography of Daniel Webster proves paradigm deeply flawed, particularly in the early years of our nations history.

Webster, though never achieving the presidency, deserves great credit for setting the tone of american government and the supremacy of congress that survived through the 19th century. Remini does a tremendous job exploring the early 19th century and the issues this second generation of american leaders faced.

Recent great interest in the revolutionary generation hopefully will not eclipse the study of those, like Webster, who came next and solidified the nacient insitutions that the founders created. If the founders were the fathers of our government, than men like Webster was that government's teacher in primary school.

A wonderful read, if you are really interested in the topic.

Daniel Webster was a more than worthy heir of the statesmen from the American Revolution. As a Federalist, Webster fought for commerical rights and the traditionalism of the Federalist Party. As a Whig, Webster fought for industry and the preservation of the Union. This book dives into the complexity of the great man. No modern conservative's collection would be complete without a book on the Nation's Greatest Orator, and this is that book.

If I was only allowed to take one book to Tibet it would definitely be the Lonely Planet. It has very useful information about the country, the religion, do's and don'ts, etc. I used this book to prepare for my trip and used it in Tibet to get more information on the city I was in or the tempel or monastery I was visiting. Very detailed information about the tempels, the history and what rooms and statues are what. Very useful information about Lhasa and great maps showing not only interesting sites but also the hotels (so you can find your way back).

This guidebook is certainly among Lonely Planet's best. It is at the same time an excellent travel guide, and also a fantastic yet concise source of insights into the life of this wonderful land. Anyone traveling to Tibet will inevitably encounter a number of restrictions on her/his travel, and will have to stick to the Chinese government's directives and itineraries. It is indeed hard to leave Tibet without a feeling that one was not really able to 'go deep' into its culture. This book might not compensate for the frustrating limitations posed to travelers by the Chinese government, but it certainly goes a good way towards that direction. It contains tips on how to make the most out of your trip, especially in terms of getting to know 'real' Tibet. Its sections on culture, religion and history are excellently written and captivating. All in all, a fantastic endeavour.

This book should be very useful for those who want to visit The Land of Snows as well as for those who just want to learn more from the Tibetan Culture. It has a lot of useful information for travelers, e.g. the best ways to arrive to Tibet (depending of how do you want to do it), and the importance of having a tour guide during your trip (because of political reasons). Inside this book you will find some interesting facts and illustrations about TibetÂ's religion: Buddhism (the spirit of the country), and a few beautiful pictures.

This was the first book I read and it was definitely the Ultimate. It displays the life of Mafia in Italy and is very knowledgeable as regards to the terms of the Mafia and how it operates. The story is about a Mob Leader who turned into a legal witness of the law. this Book Is SIMPLY AMAZING....... (_)?

fascinating book of how it really was. UPDATE>>>>>>> Vincent Tersea died with his family by his side...still in hiding in 1989

i have been tring to find this book, it has to do with my family. (munge) was my grandfather. I called him dado. I would really like a copy of this book if i could find it. i would like to to a family history on the rossettis' I barely remember him. But i remember he would sit me on his lap and i would smoke his cigars.

This book would be a master piece for anyone who is christian or believes in a God at some point. I dont have any religion at all so I foud this book kind of useless since it was written only from a christian view. While I was reading it I found interested theories, ideas, and passages but all where about God and the bible.

This book is better than 30 years of counseling and my old Zoloft prescription. At last, someone has explained exactly what I'm feeling-exactly what we're ALL feeling-and given us logical, step-by-step ways to overcome this tremendous burden of anger, aka frustration, disappointment, injustice, etc. I don't have to be upset all the time anymore! Freedom!

I recommend this to everyone. It is sad fact that alot of us just didn't learn how to effectively deal with our anger growing up.

I should have paid better attention to one of the reviews that said the book didn't have nutritional information--the recipes are not all that valuable without it. The book in a nutshell: make fruit smoothies out of silken tofu and add tofu to or use it as a substitute for meat in all of your regular recipes. Oh yeah, and eat a lot of broccoli. I guess that as a vegetarian I wasn't impressed by the uses of tofu, flaxseed, etc.

I liked this book very much, but was disappointed that each recipe did not include nutrition information. I'm always interested in that aspect of a recipe. There are many interesting recipes that I certainly want to try.

The Menopause Cookbook is one of the finest books on preventive health that I have read. The medical information is concise, relevant, and the author speaks to me like an equal partner. The nutrition information is up-to-date, and is all based on referenced data from reliable sources.

Soy in the diet is not voodoo. It works, and it is healthy for all individuals. Vincent Connelly has worked miracles with soy, particularly silken tofu. I prepared garlic mashed pototatoes, which are made creamy with silken tofu instead of cream, and my husband was fooled. I prepared the "Creamy" Ceasar Salad and could not belive that silken tofu works beautifully as a substitute for oil.

Thank you for this excellent, informative, and delicious book. It is the answer I have been looking for.

I have always been a fan of Mr.Peale's books so when my college professor assigned this book as mandatory reading, I was delighted. I enjoyed the use of parables to talk about ethical issues. Each story made you think about ethics and how/when to apply them. I do not know about Mr.Blanchard's writings but I think he focused on the business aspects of ethical dilemmas. The 2 authors make a good team and wrote a very informational book. There are lots of great sayings as well as principles about ethics. An enjoyable read as well as a thought-provoking little book.

Simply one of the best (if not THE best), most enjoyable, and most entertaining books on ethics, morality, character, and leadership.

This short and easy to read masterpiece by two of the most influential business and spiritual thinkers of our time should be required reading for all managers and leaders in any organization - business, family, government, military, etc. The stories and situations used to teach the many commonsense (but unfortunately not common practice) lessons are real and recognizable to everyone. The power and wisdom behind the three "Ethics Check" questions and the "Five P's of Ethical Power" for individuals and organizations are priceless.

If you ever wondered why some people and organizations make such a big deal about ethics, read this book and you will wonder why more people and organizations do not make ethics their top priority.

For those who feel alone in a sea of ehtical dilemnas, this book will make you feel like you are in good company and not alone. I have worked hard to earn my way up the ladder, only to be struck down by those who made it by simply getting into the good 'ol boy club.

Ken Blannchard's book is the lighthouse in the fog of unethical practice and behavior. This book sheds light on the real value of ethics and that getting ahead at any cost is not the norm.

Ethics in the workplace is a practical and valiant 'goal', excuse me, 'road' to travel. I was amazed at how this book described my own workplace to a "T". This book inspired me to continue to travel the ethical road I held (and still hold) in high regard.

I have read many of Ken Blanchard's books and he uses the method to teach by using real world scenarios. This particular book reads fast, but the concepts stay with you.

I was engrossed in Temples from beginning to end. It had a different appeal to it. It made me want more!

This book was pretty good but could have been a little longer

Temples is great reading. I'm a person who rarely finds the time to read books. However, once I picked up the book Temples by Vincent Williams I could not put it down. It was great to see characters and surroundings reminiscent of my own. Finally, an interesting depiction of hip hop culture without exaggerating the characters.

Ni fu ni fa. La historia de un joven profesor que se enamora, desenamora, desaparece y años después reaparece en una playa, ahogado. Resulta que después de todo sí estaba enamorado de su mujer. Concepto trillado e inocuo.

Un libro maravilloso, irónico, original, muy poético. Me gustó mucho, aunque creo que no llega a 100 años de soledad, ni lo pretende. También me llamó la atención el hecho que el amor es tan ciego, intercambiable, las ganas que tenemos de vivirlo y encontrarlo superan nuestros instintos: si es Ulises o no lo es, en el fondo no importa tanto. Importan las primaveras con sus aromas que vuelven siempre para volvernos locos de deseo.

Un vivido e intenso relato que me hizo sentir presente dentro de la historia. Magnifica prosa hecha facil para el lector con maestria. Espero impacientemente la proxima novela de Vincent.

So I'm looking through this book of photographs of unbuilt projects, and gradually I realize. . . I'm looking at photo. . . . graphs of. . . unbuilt projects. They're great-looking photos, too. There's a building at the Salk Institute in La Jolla which I know isn't there, and another Jewish memorial NYC which I don't think exists, and they look great.

What Kent Larson has done is a simple, powerful, cool idea that took a lot of time, energy, MIT architectural thinking, and SGI computing power to accomplish. Larson first pieced together a reasonable paper version of each structure, then assembled a 3-D virtual model of that structure, then had to choose the best virtual camera angles under the best false sunlight for the best portraits. Larson went as far as using high-resolution photographs of existing Kahn walls to skin these virtual surfaces, and added a patina of wear and tear, just to make it more convincing.

So Larson's work is the result of a lot of a helluva lot of choices. It helped the interpretation that Kahn preferred a limited palette of building materials - like concrete - which helped Larson orchestrate this score. It didn't help Larson that Kahn was known for his close attention to lighting effects. All that lighting took the most sophisticated possible CAD/CAM rendering on SGI hardware.

But the payoff is - shocking. You get bright sunlight, soft counter-reflections, complex reflections in glass (the glass-block Jewish memorial is the showboat piece in that respect). You have to see them to know how much you want to believe them, if that makes any sense. To know how much you'd like to visit these six new Kahn buildings that will never exist. In a weird way, this project advances Kahn's career and reputation, not only from beyond the grave, but lapsing over into architectural cyberspace.

Larson has not only demonstrated superb skill in computer rendering but also a much deeper understanding of Kahn's architecture. Reviews by Scully demonstrate the histrorical development of Kahns work & Mitchell has done a fine job of giving the analysis. This book will help in establishing some standard for presenting unbuilt works of architecture in the future.

Format of the book is good in its simplicity although some reference to drawings would have made it a more comprehensive study. Great book ... a collecter's item for all "Kahnian's" across the world.

This is not just another architecture book. It is also a beautiful photography book. It is astounding that these luminous images are of spaces that were never built!

I grew up in what new urbanists would probably call a paradise. It was a real community in which neighbours were really neighbours. People did sit on their verandahs and converse with their neighbours on the street. There was an understanding that one could borrow things if the owner wasn't using them. It was considered polite to tell the owner if he was there but if he was away one could just borrow the thing and tell him when he came home if one was still using it. In short it was everything new urbanism wants. This was in a moderately large city in Canada.

There were two things wrong with this paradise:

a) it was not about verandahs, facing the street etc. It was about control and conformity. The neighbourhood protected itself by frowning on unexpected behavior. There was an expected range of interests and an expected range of activity. If someone went out of this range, one could expect social sanctions unfailingly. The dark side of Jacobs 'eyes-on-the-street' is Foucault's 'gaze.' The neighbourhood worked as an exercise in power. The verandahs and street life were instruments of that power. Heaven help anyone who had non-standard interests.

b) the neighbourhood was unsustaining. With the growth of the personal rights ethos, the ability of the neighbourhood to control its inhabitants fell away. No longer could the neighbourhood fathers take action to control petty teenage misbehaviour. Instead personal rights and social policy took these controls away from the neighbourhood and gave them to government agencies. As a result the neighbourhood is now perhaps not unsafe but definitely uncomfortable. No one leaves tools or equipment out now in case a neighbour needs to borrow it. Everything is locked up. The doors are firmly closed and neighbours now complain to the police instead of discussing thier joint problems.

New urbanism seems to miss this point. Neighbourhoods are about local power. For some people this produces a comfortable paradise. For those slightly different it creates a jail of conformity. Some people thrive in it. Some peole will be stifled. Neighboourhoods are an exercise in hopefully beneficent control. Architecture does not create this control. It can destroy it certainly and make it impossible but it cannot create it.

I have only had the book a day and already it has given me great pleasure and joy. I love the fantastic pictures and diagrams. The computer digitalizations on a few existing towns today and what they could be like were truely fasinating. I couldn't help not liking the indepth descriptions of numourous cities, towns, and villages from around the country and canada as well. This book had colorful photos and diagrams, this book to me is pure genus!

A very good appraisal of design examples of new communities with also a consistent theoretical approach to New Urbanism concepts. This is a necessary reading to those that want to be updated with the best design practices of integrated urban spaces.