History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America

Average customer rating:

Insightful overview of tropical ecology
great adventure!
Tropical Nature
Best Intro to the Natural History of Tropical Forests
ENCHANTING DEPICTION OF THE RAIN FOREST

Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America
Adrian Forsyth , and Ken Miyata
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rain Forests | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0684187108

Customer Reviews:

Insightful overview of tropical ecology.......2007-03-09

I found Tropical Nature to be an interesting and easy read. Organized neatly into 17 chapters and an appendix, each covers a specific a specific species of ecological concept. I found chapter 6, "Listen to the flowers" the most interesting, detailing the different mechanisms plants employ in order to have evolutionary advantages as well as trick other species.

(I read this as a precursor to a may term course at my college where I shall be going to the rain forests of Ecuador)

great adventure!.......2007-01-18

I began reading this book for a class involving tropical studies and travel and I wasn't sure what to expect. This is a great book. Easy read. The book takes a broad yet, also in depth exploration of different *interesting* topics in tropical ecology. Although it is definitely not a scientific text, this book takes you for a wondrous adventure into the tropics.

Tropical Nature.......2006-11-13

This book was great. It is written a bit technically, so it would help to have a science backgroung to fully enjoy it. The literary style is easy to read and the book is difficult to put down. I'm sure that having read this book will enhance my trip to the rain forest. Thanks!!

Best Intro to the Natural History of Tropical Forests.......2006-10-15

Buy this Book! This book is a great read for anybody who is interested in life on our planet. It would make a dandy companion to E.O. Wilson's "The Diversity of Life."

ENCHANTING DEPICTION OF THE RAIN FOREST.......2006-04-10

Among books that aim to express to readers the wonders of the rain forest, this one stands out. In 17 chapters that touch upon different aspects of the rain forest, the authors transmit their own passion for the rain forest and the unique intricacies that make rain forests some of the most precious places on earth.

The book is not written as one coherent whole, but rather as 17 individual chapters or essays. Below is a brief sample of topics:

- the strategy of dung scarabs to capture important proteins
- the symbiotic relationship of sloths with the trees they prefer
- the mimicry some insects have developed to elude their main predators, birds
- the reason why some birds have developed migratory patterns to temperate climates
- the reason why some frogs developed a parental care strategy and even marsupial pouches
- the reason why some trees are hollow
- how parasited species can benefit even in the most unlikely scenarios
- why some plants developed hallucinogenic substances

These are just a few of the topics covered in the book. It is written in a pop science format, so that an interested reader will easily understand and appreciate these and many more concepts. The authors carefully explain the relationships, often comparing the rain forest experience with those of temperate forests. The authors also focus on the possible evolutionary principles involved in adaptations presented.

This is the very best introductory book on the subject. It is designed to excite the reader into learning more and even visiting the rain forest. In the mold of Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins, Miyata and Forsyth write a masterpiece that will make the reader feel smarter after reading it.

Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City

Average customer rating:

book- never received
Clearer Perspective on a True Life Experience
Clarity at a Cost
Inside View
Quality journalistic effort

Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City
Jed Horne
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Disaster Relief | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1400065526
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Book Description

Hurricane Katrina shredded one of the great cities of the South, and as levees failed and the federal relief effort proved lethally incompetent, a natural disaster became a man-made catastrophe. As an editor of New Orleans’ daily newspaper, the Pulitzer Prize—winning Times-Picayune, Jed Horne has had a front-row seat to the unfolding drama of the city’s collapse into chaos and its continuing struggle to survive.

As the Big One bore down, New Orleanians rich and poor, black and white, lurched from giddy revelry to mandatory evacuation. The thousands who couldn’t or wouldn’t leave initially congratulated themselves on once again riding out the storm. But then the unimaginable happened: Within a day 80 percent of the city was under water. The rising tides chased horrified men and women into snake-filled attics and onto the roofs of their houses. Heroes in swamp boats and helicopters braved wind and storm surge to bring survivors to dry ground. Mansions and shacks alike were swept away, and then a tidal wave of lawlessness inundated the Big Easy. Screams and gunshots echoed through the blacked-out Superdome. Police threw away their badges and joined in the looting. Corpses drifted in the streets for days, and buildings marinated for weeks in a witches’ brew of toxic chemicals that, when the floodwaters finally were pumped out, had turned vast reaches of the city into a ghost town.

Horne takes readers into the private worlds and inner thoughts of storm victims from all walks of life to weave a tapestry as intricate and vivid as the city itself. Politicians, thieves, nurses, urban visionaries, grieving mothers, entrepreneurs with an eye for quick profit at public expense–all of these lives collide in a chronicle that is harrowing, angry, and often slyly ironic.

Even before stranded survivors had been plucked from their roofs, government officials embarked on a vicious blame game that further snarled the relief operation and bedeviled scientists striving to understand the massive levee failures and build New Orleans a foolproof flood defense. As Horne makes clear, this shameless politicization set the tone for the ongoing reconstruction effort, which has been haunted by racial and class tensions from the start.
Katrina was a catastrophe deeply rooted in the politics and culture of the city that care forgot and of a nation that forgot to care. In Breach of Faith, Jed Horne has created a spellbinding epic of one of the worst disasters of our time.

Customer Reviews:

book- never received.......2007-10-01

I have still yet to receive the book I ordered. The shipper e-mailed me he had the wrong address??? How is that possible? Now he has correct address and claims he shipped it. I still do not have it. I will not be purchasing from Amazon again.

Clearer Perspective on a True Life Experience.......2007-09-24

This is an excellent account of the author's take on this nation's worst catastrophe which my state continues to try and rebuild from to date. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book...your perspective is right on the mark and the lives you detail are remarkable to say the least.

As someone who lost their home during Katrina here in Baton Rouge, but not her two children, two dogs, mother, or her own life, we give thanks daily to God first, and then our many family members, friends, and the generosity of complete strangers for their love, assistance, and kindness in our time of greatest sorrow. We have garnered the strength to go forward even stronger and more blessed than before, and we pray for all the thousands still struggling to rebuild their lives.

Thank you for insight that will bring so much to others when they read your book.

Clarity at a Cost.......2007-09-12

As a displaced resident of lower Plaquemines Parish and a guardsman mobilized for aid, I have seen and heard a lot about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. This book was great to finally put to rest so many rumors (some of which I believed two years later) and bring light to facts that were buried under sensationalism. The only problem I had with this book is that it jumps around too much. However, with the wealth of information and the thousands of people involved the author did an outstanding job tying as much as he could together, but there were just some frayed ends.

Inside View.......2007-08-12

I can't add much to the editorial review that appears on the product page, except to say that in many ways I'm glad that Horne used the balance of head and gut that he did in recounting the damage and aftermath of Katrina. The stories of the survivors are so gripping--sewage, snakes, stinging mosquitos, searing heat while waiting to be rescued followed by squalid conditions at the various collection sites--the Superdome, the Convention Center and a variety of road overpasses--then the gruesome cleanup stories (the exploding hamburger story is guaranteed to make anyone's stomach flip). Had the accounts been any more personal, I couldn't have finished the book. But this is coming from someone who experienced the storm just 75 miles up the road in Baton Rouge, where the story was already personal enough. Our suffering was very limited--some hours without electricity; days without cable TV; working around and with the thousands of evacuees, but we know how profoundly the storm and flood have affected Louisiana in general and the New Orleans metro area in particular.

I salute the doughty Picayune for publishing throughout and Horne for publishing such a thorough account just a year after the disaster. I also thank Horne for presenting a more comprehensive picture of Louisiana Governor Blanco's actions during and after the storm. The reputation of this dedicated and experienced public servant took a heavy hit from the storm, enough so to discourage her from running for a second term. Horne reveals that in the context of the event and the politics surrounding Washington's response, Blanco probably did about as well as anyone could, and better than many other political figures managing the response to the storm.

Horne also adds some structure to the story of the chaotic "planning process" (or lack thereof) that's taken place in New Orleans since the storm. This process goes on to this day as people and businesses make decisions about whether or not to return.

As fellow Louisianans, we do our best to support the recovery of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina and the resultant flooding. Horne has helped us in that effort with his thorough and thoughtful account of the tragic events.

Quality journalistic effort.......2007-06-17

This book is a very good read. It tells the story of Katrina from many different perspectives and the author seems to present each view fairly. I live in Baton Rouge, and I have friends who lived in New Orleans and have left the city since. I feel the book is an accurate portryal of Katrina and how it affected the great city of New Orleans.

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

Average customer rating:

Nothing Unnatural About It; It's Sacred
This verse unlocks the heart.
If you have been affected by cancer it is worth reading!!!
Suprising turn of events
Disappointed

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Terry Tempest Williams
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679740244
Release Date: 1992-09-01

Amazon.com

The only constants in nature are change and death. Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and writer from northern Utah, has seen her share of both. The pages of Refuge resound with the deaths of her mother and grandmother and other women from cancer, the result of the American government's ongoing nuclear-weapons tests in the nearby Nevada desert. You won't find the episode in the standard history textbooks; the Feds wouldn't admit to conducting the tests until women and men in Utah, Nevada, and northwestern Arizona took the matter to court in the mid-1980s, and by then thousands of Americans had fallen victim to official technology. Parallel to her account of this devastation, Williams describes changes in bird life at the sanctuaries dotting the shores of the Great Salt Lake as water levels rose during the unusually wet early 1980s and threatened the nesting grounds of dozens of species. In this world of shattered eggs and drowned shorebirds, Williams reckons with the meaning of life, alternating despair and joy.

Book Description

In the spring of 1983 Terry Tempest Williams learned that her mother was dying of cancer. That same season, The Great Salt Lake began to rise to record heights, threatening the herons, owls, and snowy egrets that Williams, a poet and naturalist, had come to gauge her life by. One event was nature at its most random, the other a by-product of rogue technology: Terry's mother, and Terry herself, had been exposed to the fallout of atomic bomb tests in the 1950s. As it interweaves these narratives of dying and accommodation, Refuge transforms tragedy into a document of renewal and spiritual grace, resulting in a work that has become a classic.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing Unnatural About It; It's Sacred.......2006-10-28

The first time I went to Utah, I read Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" and loved it. This time, at a bookstore in Moab, I picked up Williams' "Red" for a contemporary view of the ecological issues around this gorgeous desert landscape, which is unlike any place I have been. Although I liked "Red," people told me "Refuge" was even better.

This is a very special book. I'm no birdwatcher, but it made me want to be. I'm no scientist, but I wished I were. I'm no Mormon, but it gave me respect for a religion I have never been able to fathom. Terry Tempest Williams has profound insights into the natural world. Her observations of the Great Salt Lake and the many migratory birds that visit it are as moving as her account of the death by cancer of her mother and grandmothers. Not surprisingly, they taught Williams awe of birds and sunsets and their own bodies. All of them are brave and spiritual women, and we would be wise to learn from them.

I think what I most admire about Williams as a writer is her emotional courage. Time and time again, she strikes out where more conventional writers would hesitate. She finds redeeming passages from the Book of Mormon. She follows her mother through her long and circuitous spiritual journey with cancer. She follows her grandmother as she moves into Eastern thought and modern physics. She dips respectfully into ancient Indian and Mexican culture. She walks in the desert at some peril to her well-being. She speaks of the intimacy of her marriage and about her decision not to bear children.

Yet his is not a book "about" the desert or cancer or birds or Mormonism, but about life and how it can be richly observed, experienced. shared and redeemed. It's one brave woman's answer to "Desert Solitaire."

This verse unlocks the heart........2006-10-16

Terry Tempest Williams is a national treasure. Her unvarnished verse carries one deep into the mystery of the Earth and sends us helplessly into the depths of our own hearts. The landscape of wildness breaths a spectacular wisdom under the watchful eyes of this keen observer of wind, rock, desert, sky, sage, along with the birds who soar and dance and play in a benediction to non-sentient life.

When I need to recapture my own mortality along with my own humility, I always return to the verse of this elder of silence and truth. Williams stands alone in the power to convey both outer and inner wildness. Her verse is poetic and healing. One does not read these words but are instead initiated into the heart beat of wild nature. Savor its beauty as you might a calming sunset or a wind swept sea shore calling you ever deeper into your own soul.

Read everything she writes and find peace deep within.

If you have been affected by cancer it is worth reading!!!.......2006-06-26

I loved and hated this book. It is beatifully written. I found the author frustrating at times. Some parts got a little long winded about the birds. It takes you on a emotional rollercoaster but the pay off of finishing this book is worth it. Any one who has been affected by cancer will find this book very inciteful to the process of going through treatment and also the death process. Terry Tempest gives the most authentic and honest account of what life is like living through cancer I have every read. She put into words thought and feelings I could never express fully.
The research of the history of the Great Salt Lake was very fun to read about. I have lived in Utah all my life, but I have never been to the Lake I now am very curious to see it and the bird refuge. I think I will find the trip much more interesting now than if I had gone before reading this book.

Suprising turn of events.......2006-03-02

Terry Tempest Williams is a naturalist living in Utah who has the history of cancer in her family. Cancer in this novel is paralleled with the flooding of the neighboring Great Salt Lake. Overall this book goes to show that cancer goes deeper than the person who it is diagnosed to. I would suggest this book on limited circumstances: One-if you can get past the strong feminine presence and domination of this novel. Two-do not read the last 60 or so pages. I approved of this book up until that point. If the book ended at that point, leaving out the harassment of the government it would be ten times better. To anyone who is in the process of reading Refuge, you won't want to read past around page 230. Enough said.
My rating(first 230 or so pages): 7.5/10
My rating(after page 230 or so) 2.5/10

Disappointed.......2006-02-03

Although I found the passages about Ms. Williams relationships with her mother and grandmother and their struggles with cancer to be well-written and moving, I am surprised that she and many other reviewers imply that the cancers were the consequences of nuclear testing. I think of myself as an environmentalist, and I believe that such testing is likely to have been harmful to human health; however, the striking family history of breast and ovarian cancer in this case strongly suggests that there is a genetic disorder (mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene) that was responsible for the cancer in these women. I was living in Salt Lake City during the spring of 1983, and the flooding was indeed dramatic, but I was bored by the rather repetitious descriptions of the refuge and the birds.

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: 20th Aniversary Edition

Average customer rating:

More Than Grief Counseling
One of my favorite books
Must Have
A great comfort...
Fabulous

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: 20th Aniversary Edition
Leo Buscaglia
Manufacturer: Slack
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805071954

Book Description

Originally published in the fall of 1982, the wonderfully wise and strikingly simple story of a leaf named Freddie has become one of the most popular books of our times. How Freddie and his companion leaves change with the passing seasons, finally falling to the ground with a winters snow, is an inspiring allegory illustrating the delicate balance between life and death.After offering solace for a generation of adults and children alike, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf arrives in a classic edition with a beautiful new package that will appeal to todays readers at a time when stories of comfort and inspiration have become more important than ever.

Customer Reviews:

More Than Grief Counseling.......2007-09-23

Many people first encounter "Freddie" during the times surrounding the deaths of loved ones, but the value of the book goes far beyond grief counseling.
The story of Freddie the Leaf is ultimately not just about death, but about becoming attuned to the cycles of life. As such, it should be bought and read to children regardless of whether a loved one is dying. A large part of the story is concerned with how Freddie lives and relates to the world around him: the other leaves on his tree, the tree itself and to the world surrounding the tree, the people and creatures inhabiting that world and so on.
This is a book about how we relate to the Universe, how we find a place in it that is right for us, and how we see ourselves as part of its inevitable movement. Death is only a part of that movement.
The grief caused by death is, after all, not about the death itself, but rather about the absence of the loved one. The understanding of death does not lessen the pain of that absence, but it does place it in a context that is larger than any specific death.
Freddie's reluctance to let go and fall, is really about his failure to relax into his place in the larger context. Once he sees himself as a part of the Universe, he finds peace and contentment in it. As such, "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf" is an extraordinarily effective way of introducing, not only discussions about death, but discussions with children (and adults, I might add) about the rhythms of life, and how making a good death is largely dependent on living a good and authentic life, as Freddie did.
The book is, after all, sub-titled, "A Story of Life for All Ages," and as such, it deserves to be on everyone's bookshelf whether they are dealing with a death in the family or not.

One of my favorite books.......2007-08-05

One of my favorite books. I send this book instead of flowers to people who have lost a loved one. Will make you cry but in a good way.

Must Have.......2007-05-15

Great book for young kids dealing with the loss of a loved one.

A great comfort..........2007-03-17

I received this book after my grandfather passed away. Coincidentally it was the same year this book was published. I still have it to this day. It is one of the few books that I truly cherish.

Fabulous.......2007-03-14

I love this book. I did a lot of research before purchasing several books for my neices and nephew after their grandpa died at age 62. It is a simple, well written and wonderful book for both children and adults to understand the cycle of life. I'm glad I chose this one.

Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial

Average customer rating:

Life changing
NOT EVERYONE'S FAVORITE SUBJECT, BUT . . .
Sooner Or Later
Revealing
Extremely useful information everyone needs to know

Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial
Mark Harris
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743277686

Book Description

By the time Nate Fisher was laid to rest in a woodland grave sans coffin in the final season of Six Feet Under, Americans all across the country were starting to look outside the box when death came calling.

Grave Matters follows families who found in "green" burial a more natural, more economic, and ultimately more meaningful alternative to the tired and toxic send-off on offer at the local funeral parlor.

Eschewing chemical embalming and fancy caskets, elaborate and costly funerals, they have embraced a range of natural options, new and old, that are redefining a better American way of death. Environmental journalist Mark Harris examines this new green burial underground, leading you into natural cemeteries and domestic graveyards, taking you aboard boats from which ashes and memorial "reef balls" are cast into the sea. He follows a family that conducts a home funeral, one that delivers a loved one to the crematory, and another that hires a carpenter to build a pine coffin.

In the morbidly fascinating tradition of Stiff, Grave Matters details the embalming process and the environmental aftermath of the standard funeral. Harris also traces the history of burial in America, from frontier cemeteries to the billion-dollar business it is today, reporting on real families who opted for more simple, natural returns.

For readers who want to follow the examples of these families and, literally, give back from the grave, appendices detail everything you need to know, from exact costs and laws to natural burial providers and their contact information.

Customer Reviews:

Life changing.......2007-07-11

The book is clearly biased for natural burial methods and against the modern funeral industry. I have learned about alternatives to the prototypical procedures and will change how I live. This book will guide me when I have discussions with others about this topic.

Highly recommended.

NOT EVERYONE'S FAVORITE SUBJECT, BUT . . . .......2007-03-21

. . . would you want to be as ignorant about childbirth as most people are about 'procedures' at the time of death? The author's premise is that preparation for death, and burials, should be "GREEN" - - I happen to agree, and will donate my remains to a teaching hospital, me & my Pacemaker and all four replacment joints (if they'll have me).

The thinking of humans advances in pitifully tiny increments. In recent years the number of cremations has increased dramatically, and Green Cemeteries are no longer considered for space aliens only. Mark Harris shapes his book around ten persons who carried out decisions not relying primarily on undertakers and embalmers. Details about funerals held in the home, burial on one's own property, burial at sea, working with state laws, even the purchase of cardboard caskets for cremation . . . these are discussed quite fully in this book with sources given, costs, even the author's web site.

The book stresses the benefits of treating the death of loved ones in a totally personal way while honoring convictions about a green, less toxic world. Reviewer mcHaiku believes that the greatest hurdle in working one's beliefs seamlessly into discussions, and making satisfactory decisions about "bodies, the disposal of" . . . is squeamishness and the emotional reactions of the moment.

Knowledge can be 'freeing' and contribute towards amicable acceptance. Author Mark Harris has provided details, details (ad nauseam, for some). The book (Be sure to read the full title) is generous with information that will help all readers reach more 'environmentally correct' decisions because we owe this to our planet.

Sooner Or Later.......2007-03-08

I seldom use the word "should" because of its moral connotations. In this case, however, I feel it appropriate to say that everyone should read this book. Every week I take out the trash. It's not a job I like but one I know has to be done. We all will face the time when we have to do the same for a loved one or ourselves when we check out. This book provides specifics as to the process of embalming, costs of burial and even the process of rotting in traditional cemetaries. I love how the author refers to them as landfills. Sooner or later we all will have to deal with these issues and its best we take the responsiblity because ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

Revealing.......2007-02-13

Finally, someone has punched a big, wide hole in the distasteful practice of the American funeral. This book might surprise you on how it will change your perspective on death; either of a loved one or your own eventual one. Who in their right mind has wanted to consider a funeral in the framework of the century-long trend of embalming, gawking and metal boxing. But to consider it in the eco-friendly, natural ways that Harris discusses here is strangely much more acceptable. I feel amazingly better about the whole business now that I know no one in my immediate family or myself will have to be pumped with posion, laid out like a plastic dummy and placed in a $10,000 container that will never be seen again, or made to enhance the earth in any way. Weird as it may seem to those who may not have read this book, I will take much pleasure when I soon begin building my own coffin. Not that I plan to use it for the next couple of decades, but it surely will give me a platform to talk about the hideous practice of the traditional but obscene American funeral. I plan to make my own coffin, but have yet decided to be buried or creamated in it. Mr. Harris, thank you. And to those kind souls who participated in a very important book.

Extremely useful information everyone needs to know.......2007-01-23

With a completely objective approach, Mr. Harris has researched thoroughly many various aspects of burial/funeral procedures and options, giving the reader detailed information about specific processes and choices available to the consumer. Each chapter ends with a concise wrap-up of things you need to know - a great feature of this book. No detail is unexplored. What some may consider untouchable subject, Mark Harris has developed into a very professional and dignified outcome.

Every family should consider this book a MUST for the shelf. Though no one wants to think of the inevitable, all should want to be prepared early on, and this book gives you the information you NEED to know.

A Shortridge
San Diego, CA

Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry

Average customer rating:

Dan Hurley prescribes a dose of common sense.
May Your Medicine Be Your Food, and Your Food Be Your Medicine
Somewhat helpful but seriously incomplete.
Fear & Yellow Journalism
Everyone Who Takes Vitamins Should Read This Book

Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry
Dan Hurley
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0767920422
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

A riveting work of investigative journalism that charts the rise of the dietary supplement craze and reveals the dangerous—and sometimes deadly—side of these highly popular and completely unregulated products.

Over 60 percent of Americans buy and take herbal and dietary supplements for all sorts of reasons—to prevent illness (vitamin C), to ease depression (St. John’s wort), to aid weight loss (ephedra), to boost the memory (ginkgo biloba), and even to cure cancer (shark cartilage, bloodroot)—despite the fact that few of these “natural” supplements have been proven to be safe or effective. The vitamin and herbal supplement industry generates over $20 billion a year by selling products that promise to cure or fix, but are produced and marketed essentially without oversight. And while the media has been quick to sensationalize the benefits of supplements, few have taken a hard look at the dangers posed by many of the remedies flooding the market today. Award-winning journalist Dan Hurley breaks the silence for the first time in Natural Causes.
From the snake-oil salesmen of the early twentieth century, to rise of the health food movement in the sixties and seventies, Hurley charts the remarkable growth of an industry built largely on fraud, and reveals the backroom politics that led to the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which effectively freed the industry from FDA oversight. In unprecedented detail, he shows how supplement manufacturers have concealed the truth about dozens of untested treatments and the shocking rise in deaths, disfigurements, and life-threatening injuries caused by products deceptively promoted as “safe and natural.” Most importantly, he provides a telling look at why, in an age of unprecedented scientific advancement, we continue to buy and believe in remedies for which little evidence exists—and why the supplements we take to promote our health may be doing far more harm than good.
As Hurley shows, the dietary supplement craze may be one of the greatest swindles ever perpetrated on the American public—one that feeds billions of dollars each year into the pockets of lobbyists, politicians, and any charlatan who wants to slap a label on a bottle and tout it as the next big “natural cure.” Blending hard facts with spellbinding personal stories, Natural Causes is a must-read for anyone who has ever popped a multivitamin or an herb, and provides a hard-hitting, frightening look at a cultural trend that is out of control.

Customer Reviews:

Dan Hurley prescribes a dose of common sense........2007-07-27

Are you aware that currently no government agency is responsible for testing dietary supplements to assure their purity and potency? Did you know that today over 60% of Americans buy and take one or more herbal or dietary supplements? Would it anger you to learn that you have probably been spending your hard earned money on products that simply don't work? And would you be concerned if you discovered that the American media has expended precious little energy to uncover the truth about these products?
"Natural Causes" explodes many of the myths surrounding the multi-billion dollar vitamin and supplements industry. Author Dan Hurley makes a compelling case for tightening the screws on these companies and demanding more regulation and much more accountabilty.
Around the turn of the 20th century the self-treatment movement was experiencing somewhat of a revival in this nation. As Dan Hurley correctly points out the tug-of-war between traditional medicine and natural alternatives seems to be somewhat cyclical. We can all recall images of the "snake oil" salesmen peddling all sorts of elixers and other concoctions from the back of their wagons. These hucksters made all sorts of fabulous claims for their homemade tonics. In response to all of this Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. The act required that medicines containing opiates and certain other drugs must say so on their labels. Later amendments to the act also required that the quantity of each drug be truly stated on the label, and that the drugs meet official standards of identity and purity. Finally, the government had a handle on the industry.
Fast forward now about 90 years. Once again, interest in "natural" medicine and treatments was on the rise. Seems that there was a huge potential market for new "natural" remedies, treatments and supplements. There was a lot of money to be made. Aided by a number of prominent politicians a group of manufacturers led by one Gerry Kesser somehow managed to convince the Congress to pass a piece of legislation called DSHEA in 1994. Passage of the "Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act" would essentially create a whole new category of so-called "natural" products that were simply not subject to regulation of any kind. Over the next dozen years tens of thousands of new products would flood the market making all sorts of wild claims. We have all seen the ads in newspapers and magazines and on television. And despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of these products fail to produce the promised results the American people continue to purchase them in ever increasing numbers. What's more, testing has shown that many of these products are contaminated with dangerous metals such as lead and that the ingredients listed on the label are frequently incorrect. It is somwhat disconcerting to think that large numbers of Americans have turned their backs on traditional medicine and rely on the advice of a clerk at the health food store to treat what ails them. This is a very dangerous situation that has had serious consequences over the years and Hurley presents numerous examples throughout the book.
At the conclusion of "Natural Causes" Dan Hurley proposes a series of 13 steps that would largely correct this situation. This is definitely a conversation that the country needs to have. I found "Natural Causes" to be a real eye-opener. Highly recommended reading!

May Your Medicine Be Your Food, and Your Food Be Your Medicine.......2007-07-14

After reading this vastly detailed account of the multi-million dollar Vitamin Supplement Industry, and the horrific tragedies many people have experienced through the belief that taking vitamin supplements will provide better health and cure all their ills, my family and I have completely stopped taking all supplements. Elimination of taking these highly questionable substances has, I believe, saved us from the sickness and damage they can, and do, cause.

Having experienced a terrifying incident from taking the suggested dose of a supplement for arthritis, one which caused my brain, my entire nervous system, my eyes, my ability to stand up and walk to a phone, as if my brain was completely scrambled, made me realize that other strange physical symptoms were also caused by the supplements I was taking, to supposedly improve my health.
All those symptoms disappeared after ceasing taking all vitamin supplements.

Everyone who believes that vitamin supplements will increase their health and eliminate their physical problems needs to read this book and think seriously about how gullible the public is, believing the hype of advertising, believing the self-created "experts" on the subject of health, convincing people to follow their advice and to buy and ingest anything and everything suggested.

Dan Hurley has given us the the proof and the truth of what drives the vitamin industry: Profit!

It's true that most people's choices of what and how they eat, is making them sick. Taking vitamin supplements and herbs will not correct what poor diet does to the health of the body, and often causes further damage.

Somewhat helpful but seriously incomplete........2007-07-13

Mr. Hurley covers many key issues concerning the real and present dangers of an unregulated industry that the public is increasingly turning to because of frustration with the drug/surgery-only approach still found in much of the medical industry.

However, Mr. Hurley leaves out important information that would have been helpful to anyone concerned about their health and trying to understand what is going on -- esp folks concerned about chronic diseases, about 1/2 the population. (1) Page 165. Hurley claims the AMA's only policy recommendation on vitamins is folic acid for pregnant women and Vit. K for infants at birth. NOT TRUE. In 2003, the AMA came out with a recommendation that all adults take a good multivitamin to help protect them from chronic diseases, the area that drugs cannot address except to suppress symptoms. This is why so many healthcare professionals of every kind are starting to take a multivitamin every day. But how do we know which ones to take?

(2) The only "okay" vitamin company acknowledged is Natrol, pg.233 -- "practices are as good as or better than anyone's in the industry." No, Natrol is a good company but not the top-quality supplement producer in the industry by far. In fact, there are major companies producing much higher quality supplements, using PHARMACEUTICAL-GRADE STANDARDS in their manufacturing. How did Hurley miss such an important distinction? Considering he's covering the supplement industry, wouldn't you think he'd talk to allopathic doctors who are increasing using and recommending multivitamins? As a good researcher,Hurley should have asked many different doctors, both allopathic and holistic, if they use supplements and if so, what products they use and recommend to their patients. The companies producing PHARMACEUTICAL-GRADE VITAMINS & MINERALS are using STANDARDS that meet drug-company standards for safety, purity, and reliability. The companies METAGENICS, DOUGLAS LABS, and USANA come to mind. In fact, an increasing number of allopathic doctors now make these supplements available through their medical offices for their patients -- METAGENICS for instance is only sold through licensed healthcare professionals. Yet, Hurley makes no mention of this area of the industry which is very surprising given his strong emphasis on the importance of scientific standards.

In fact, Hurley and his publisher missed an enormous opportunity to begin to get unscrupulous supplement manufacturers and uneducated healthfood store clerks out of the supplement business and to begin put everyone's primarycare doctors in charge of this area of supporting health. If folks marched into their doctor's office and asked for and received a recommendation for professional-grade multivitamins for themselves and their family, that would go along way to begin to eliminate the WILD WEST APPROACH THAT IS SO DANGEROUS -- the many supplements that are based on ingredients for which there is no science to support their use; problem of the wrong supplementation for a condition; supplementation that can interfere with meds someone might be on; supplementation that can actually worsen a condition; mis-use of supplements inc. overdosing which is very common; and the use of dangerous supplements because contaminated with lead or other toxins.

So don't dispair, fellow Americans. Go to your primary physician and ask for their help. And keep asking until you get their help. Most doctors want to do what is best for their patients. The growing body of research on professional-grade supplementation is out there for their education. Patients want to believe and follow their doctors. An educated doctor would establish with everyone of his/her patients the need to take a professional-grade multi-vitamin and then make recommendations. Patients would learn to ask their doctors about supplements and stop asking the uninformed for information they do not possess and are not trained to interpret. That, Mr. Hurley, is what your book could have done for the American people.

Fear & Yellow Journalism.......2007-07-09

For those of us that have used vitamin & mineral supplements - along with excercise & a balanced diet - the ideas in this book ring untrue. Mainstream doctors and their 'big pharma' supporters rely on fear in their treatment recomendations. Without fear, who would take most prescription & OTC medicines after reading the contra indications? On a macro level: the USA ranks low for medical treatment effectiveness(for industrial countries); prescription & OTC drugs kill and cause severe reactions in an astounding number(greater than 300,000)of people. When is the last time you heard of someone dying from a vitamin overdose?
My thanks to Mr. Hurley for supporting my philosophy - When my AMA approved doctor gives me advice, I do the opposite.

Everyone Who Takes Vitamins Should Read This Book.......2007-06-11

This is an important book. We read about melamine in pet food from China killing our pets, and we assume our own government regulates American products to prevent such tragedies. It does, for food and drugs. But there is a crucial loophole. Since the DSHEA was passed in 1994, anything sold as a diet supplement bypasses government regulation. The fiction is that these supplements are food; that people are taking them to replace something lacking in their diet. The reality is that no one has ever had a deficiency of St. John's wort or echinacea in their diet: people are taking these for medicinal purposes. Drugs can't go on the market until they are tested for effectiveness and safety; known side effects must be communicated to the consumer; there is a system in place to detect problems after marketing; there are safeguards of quality and dosage control. None of this is true for diet supplements. An independent lab that tests vitamins and diet supplements estimates that there is only a 75% chance that you are getting what the label says.

These products are widely assumed to be safe because they are natural. Hurley explains why this is a false assumption. About a third of prescription drugs come from natural sources. A drug is a drug, whether it was made in a plant or in a lab. Anything natural that has a therapeutic effect is likely to have side effects. We are increasingly seeing reports of people whose diet supplements interfered with the prescription drugs they were taking or contributed to excessive bleeding after surgery, people who required liver transplants after taking Kava kava, people who developed kidney failure after taking a weight loss pill, and people like Steve Bechtel who might be alive today if he had not used ephedra.

People complain about "Big Pharma" but the diet supplement industry is a hugely profitable business that has deliberately organized itself and successfully lobbied to change our laws for their own financial benefit. They say they are protecting the public's right to choose, but they are also undermining the public's right to be safe. And the worst thing is that they are misinforming the public. Hurley names names and reports a surprising number of known scam artists and convicted felons in the business.

Hurley lambastes the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: it has spent many millions of our tax dollars checking out unlikely remedies, and so far the results of all its research have been almost exclusively negative. Notably, recent NCCAM studies have concluded with a high degree of confidence that echinacea, saw palmetto, and glucosamine/chondroitin are ineffective.

Hurley covers the evidence for vitamin pills and shows how recent studies are increasingly showing that they probably do more harm than good. He finds only two supplements that have good evidence behind them for use by the general public. If I hadn't already thrown my multivitamins away after doing my own research, I would have done so after reading this book. I am a medical doctor, I keep up with the medical literature, and I write about these subjects myself. I can vouch for the accuracy of Hurley's information. His characterization of the medical research is in agreement with the scientific consensus as published in The Medical Letter and other respected sources.

Hurley discusses why intelligent people forget the "buyer beware" principle and fall for diet supplement claims. We have been sold a bill of goods, both by cynical marketers and by well-meaning but misinformed friends. There is a huge body of mythology out there, and we owe it to ourselves to apply our critical thinking skills to the claims.

Hurley's example of the woman who lost her nose has been criticized because she used an illegally imported product. Critics have not read carefully. This woman went to integrative medicine guru Andrew Weil's website and used what he recommended: bloodroot. She bought the bloodroot from a company he recommended. On that company's website, she found a recommendation for something "even better" - Cansema, reportedly 100% effective for skin cancer, illegal in the US but available on the Internet. Cansema may not technically fall under the DSHEA, but this woman was clearly a victim of the kind of thinking the diet supplement industry fosters.

[...]

I support the right of everyone to choose diet supplements, but I also support the right of everyone to have all the information needed to make an informed choice. This book is a valuable tool to help the consumer understand what he is really buying. It should open a lot of eyes. I think everyone who buys a diet supplement or even a multivitamin owes it to himself to know what is in this book.

Average customer rating:

So many wonderful things about this book!
A Must-Have little book
Best Book

Grandpa Bunny (Little Golden Book)
Golden Books
Manufacturer: Golden/Disney
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375839305
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Book Description

Originally published in 1951, this vintage Little Golden Book tells the touching story of Great-Grandpa Bunny Bunny, who teaches each new generation of bunnies how to prepare for the coming spring. Featuring classic Disney illustrations and sweet, simple text, this title will delight new and old Disney fans alike!

Customer Reviews:

So many wonderful things about this book!.......2007-06-06

The illustrations are enchanting. The story tells of Grandpa Bunny who loves to tell stories to the children in the evening. Grandpa also teaches the bunnies about the value of hard work and is always looking for new ways to make the forest more beautiful...he teaches them to paint the autumn leaves and the spring flowers.

But the thing that really stands out is that the story helps to explain Death to children in a very lovely way. As long as you belong to a Faith that believes in an Afterlife, this book will help you explain to children that we never really die--part of us goes on.

I had this book when I was a child. After Grandpa Bunny dies, the little bunnies are not so sad because they see his work each evening--Grandpa Bunny paints the sunsets. Every time I see a sunset, I think of Grandpa Bunny and of my loved ones that are no longer here. Grandpa Bunny gets a lot of help with those sunsets. ;)

A Must-Have little book.......2007-03-28

This little book is a classic: poignant, touching and beautiful. A memorable story that teaches respect and love for elders, that will grab little ones' attention and have you re-reading it for yourself. My kids grew up on it and I bought a new copy for the grandkids; I was so glad to find it still in print.

Best Book.......2007-03-26

This book is like no other it has such a touching and wonderful story line! I am buying a new one for my daughter as my copy is quite tattered! Recommended for all!!!

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Average customer rating:

Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.