Athena Unbound: The Advancement of Women in Science and Technology

Book Description

Why are there still so few female scientists? Despite the scientific ethos of universalism and inclusion, women continue to experience real social inequities as they struggle to gain recognition in the scientific community. Based on extensive interviews and backed by quantitative analysis, this compelling work exposes the hidden barriers, subtle exclusions, and unwritten rules that confront women at every juncture along the scientific career path--from childhood to retirement. Through vivid personal accounts the authors offer an illuminating and sobering view of the effects these obstacles have on the personal and professional lives of women. They argue that women can succeed in the scientific workplace by successfully managing "social capital," those networks and relationships scientists rely on for professional support and new ideas. This benchmark volume is vital reading for all scientists and social scientists--both male and female--and for women considering a scientific career.

Customer Reviews:

Best in class for women in science books.......2006-07-07

I probably have read every book on women in science for the last thirty years or so, and I regret that so many are data-rich to the point of unreadability. Athena Unbound is a refreshing exception; it delves into situations of women who marry and have children, situations of women whose mentors do not mentor them, and many other difficulties women experience when trying to become and stay scientists. I read this one all the way through in one sitting, then read it again slower to savor all of its insights. I recommend it very highly, up there with the older but still zingy Vivian Gornick, Women in Science.

Athena Unbound.......2001-12-03

I read this book with tremendous interest. The stories it contains resonated in me or seemed to fit friends and colleagues. I have given Athena Unbound to family members upon graduation (from engineering school) and to my own women Chemistry students for graduation. I think it is important for my students to know what problems may lie before them and how they may be side-stepped. This book does a great job of outlining what these problems may be. Science is still a man's world. Forewarned is forearmed!

More like a research paper than a book.......2001-05-14

I picked this book for my engineering ethics class thinking how great it would be to read about the experience of other females in engineering. To my dismay the book was slow and repetitive. The books studies white American women in science. The data through out the book is presented in a rough research paper like format. This is not a peasant to read book. If you can identify with white American women in the scientific field, then read this book. Otherwise the focus of this book is too narrow and the authors of the book does not present any practical solutions to the problems encountered by women in the scientific field.

Great Introduction to Subject.......2001-04-28

This book is one of the best books I have read on the subject of women in science. It will appeal to the general public, who tire quickly of statistic upon statistic. Instead, this book gives a broad overview of the gender issues surrounding science and approached to resolve these issues. Should be required reading in any gender or science history class, I think, though the focus is on contemporary issues not historical documentation.

The Hero and the Goddess: The Odyssey as Mystery and Initiation (Transforming Myths Series)

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Healing the wounded warrior through the Divine Feminine
A Reawakening

The Hero and the Goddess: The Odyssey as Mystery and Initiation (Transforming Myths Series)
Jean Houston
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Epic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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A Passion for the Possible: A Guide to Realizing Your True Potential
The Search For the Beloved
A Mythic Life: Learning to Live our Greater Story
The Passion of Isis and Osiris: A Gateway to Transcendent Love
Jump Time: Shaping Your Future in a World of Radical Change

ASIN: 0345365674
Release Date: 1992-02-25

Customer Reviews:

Healing the wounded warrior through the Divine Feminine.......2002-05-14

I very much hope that a publisher will move to get this wonderful book back into print and into the hands of the many readers who will be inspired by it to remember their spiritual identity and purpose and to follow it with greater courage and clarity and passion. "The Hero and the Goddess" is a beautiful extended meditation on the classic journey of a wounded warrior through many tests and ordeals into profound healing in the realms of women, through the nurturing power of the Divine Feminine. In requickening the remarkable vision journey recounted by Homer (and the anonymous woman writer who may have helped compose "The Odyssey", as Robert Graves believed) Jean Houston helps us understand how the true Guide of our life - the Friend of the soul - is never distant, and is always seeking to help us live from the depths and think from the heart. I frequently quote this book in my transformational workshops, and it is one of the seminal works that inspired me in writing my own book "Dreamgates".

A Reawakening.......2001-10-10

I found Jean Houston's "The Hero and the Goddess" to be wonderfully tapestry- A retelling of "The Odessy" in its classic form, while utilzing analysis and [individual/group] exercises to help the reader make the connections between the messages of the story and the unrecognized/untapped potential within each of us in our every day lives.

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School-Based Play Therapy

Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Adolescent Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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101 Favorite Play Therapy Techniques (Child Therapy Series)
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ASIN: 0471394025

Book Description

An essential guide that focuses on play therapy in schools

This landmark reference presents an A-to-Z guide for using play therapy in preschool and elementary school settings to help children prevent or resolve psychosocial difÞculties. Coedited by three experts in the Þeld, School-Based Play Therapy offers school counselors, psychologists, teachers, and social workers the latest techniques to help them develop their own creative approaches to utilizing the therapeutic powers of play.

Beginning with an overview that addresses multicultural concerns, a description of play instruments, and observational techniques, this practice-oriented book explains how to implement play therapy in schools, with solid advice on gaining acceptance from other staff members and administration. Covering both individual and group play therapy, it clearly describes proven approaches such as child-centered play therapy, Theraplay, sandplay, and art exercises. The thorough treatment of the subject combined with the contributors' incomparable expertise makes this an essential volume for all mental health professionals working in schools.

Describes play therapy approaches for special populations, such as sexually abused children, ADD/ADHD, children of divorce, and others
Includes innovative play therapy programs and tools
Outlines how to construct portable play kits and set up a play space

Awakening Athena: Resilience, Restoration, and Rejuvenation for Women

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Athena ... THE Goddess to learn from
Review, revelation and resolve
A Physician Being "REAL" About Healthcare
Awakening Athena: Resilience, Restoration, and Rejuvenation
Guidebook for Quality Health Care for Women

Awakening Athena: Resilience, Restoration, and Rejuvenation for Women
Kenna Stephenson
Manufacturer: Health, Heart and Mind Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome
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The End of Stress As We Know It
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The Cortisol Connection Diet: The Breakthrough Program to Control Stress and Lose Weight

ASIN: 0975868101

Product Description

Kenna Stephenson MD provides a selection of nearly sixty case studies from her current and prior practice that demonstrate how girls, adolescents, and women facing physical or emotional challenges have overcome them. Dr. Stephenson details Bioidentical hormones, stress reduction, and the mind/body connection with yoga and Bio-Touch, cinematherapy, bibliotherapy, dreamwork and much more. Readers will appreciate her detailed and extensive references on all of these subjects as well. Dr. Stephenson, a family medicine physician and researcher, wife, and mother of two, brings compassion and insight into the challenges faced by modern day life. *Even our most traumatic experiences do not sentence us to a life of misery and failure,* Dr. Stephenson says. *The power to change and overcome is within us all.* Those who read this book will certainly agree. Awakening Athena is a book about achieving balance in life. It is based on the Golden Mean (balance in living) advocated by Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, and healing, and on the work of Dr. Carl Jung, which teaches that we can transform ourselves to our benefit by improving our health and well-being. Many women today live a life filled with deadlines and demands that leave little time for self-care. In Awakening Athena, author Kenna Stephenson, MD, shows us that to succeed at home and at work, we must first nurture and care for ourselves physically and emotionally. She then provides practical, affordable suggestions that women of any age, profession, or economic status can use to do so. Readers will appreciate the simple and effective recommendations for achieving a more balanced lifestyle, safeguarding health, and including self-nurturing care in even the most hectic schedule.

Customer Reviews:

Athena ... THE Goddess to learn from.......2006-12-24

Athena was the ancient Greek Goddess of Justice, Wisdom, and Strategy. As an archetype she is represented by Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey, Golda Meir, and any woman who uses the fortitiude of her social and intellectual intelligence to navigate the world and claim a leadership position. The Athena archetype is the cool-heade woman, whose ability to nail the true character of a person requires objectivity and higher reason that paves the way for keen intuitive impressions. I LOVE this book's message. Athena in the psyche is activated when a woman's vulnerability and life circumstances requires a strength play. Athena removes the hijacks of emotional negative patterns and creates a laser like focus to accomplish necessary objectives. A woman's greatest gift is her intuition. In order to access high wisdom through the intuitive faculties, it is imperative to have Athena working on your behalf, when you are cool and logic is your intuitive ally ... the truth is obvious and your gut instinct will tell you how to operate in the world. Athena was the original Girl Power Goddess.

Review, revelation and resolve.......2006-03-09

Dr. Stephenson's historical review of hormone replacement therapy was a revelation for me. Being a pharmacist, I wanted to become better informed on this topic, especially given the recent controversy, and this book provided me with this. Her well referenced, easy to read writing style would appeal to anyone whether one has or hasn't a medical background. Many of the patients in the case studies had the same problems as the people in my life, which made me reflect and realize that women have it much harder than men. At least this book can help. So, all women should read this book then give it to their doctors to read; it's in your best interest.

A Physician Being "REAL" About Healthcare.......2005-02-03

A special book for special people...women. After reading "Awakening Athena", I purchased two more copies for medical students. I believe all young women will gain confidence in managing their health after reading this wonderful guide to health written by Dr. Stephenson. We all need to become more "real" with women's health issues.

Awakening Athena: Resilience, Restoration, and Rejuvenation.......2005-01-10

Dr. Stephenson gives hope to women who's concerns have been dismissed by doctors and society. Awakening Athena affirms that our intuition is legitimate and should be heard. Dr. Stephenson gives wonderfully practical advice to help all women increase their quality of life. This is an empowering book for women of all ages, encouraging them to take control over their health.

Guidebook for Quality Health Care for Women.......2004-12-23

There are not enough words to describe the benefits that I have derived from this book. Dr. Stephenson is an astute learner and compassionate physician who does not believe that all the women in the world can be medicated with the same hormonal dosage. "Awakening Athena" is more then your average women's health book. It delves into all areas of women's health with an open mind and a conviction to apply varies therapeutic modalities. It will be my guidebook to assist me in receiving quality health care.

In Athena's Camp: Preparing for Conflict in the Information Age

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A theoretical look at the next face of conflict
Marginal
A very important book on security policy

In Athena's Camp: Preparing for Conflict in the Information Age
John Arquilla
Manufacturer: RAND Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0833025147

Book Description

Essays about conflict in the information age that show how the information revolution is altering the nature of conflict.

Customer Reviews:

A theoretical look at the next face of conflict.......2000-08-07

This book tackles international computer system threats that face nations and corporations head on. It presents a theoretical framework for action and will be a valuable resource for the next decade.

Athena was also a serious topic in ancient times when she was the Greek god with a sword and shield, the one who thought up the first Trojan horse... a legacy that connects well with today's netwars.

The authors of each chapter address different issues. Most are from the perspective of military issues. Many use clear historic perspectives to show how one side or the other lost conflicts, for example, the use of smart networks by Mongols to defeat Muslims and by Ho Chi Minh against Lyndon Johnson. Other examples are drawn from the gulf war; the chief of which is that the next opponent will likely not be as dumb as Saddam.

Oddly there isn't much in the book about China and Russia, the cyber-bullies of today's world. Even if one did want to look up material on these countries the missing index prevents it. With a new abbreviation on every page it would also be helpful to have a Rosetta stone inside the back cover.

The example of the wild west is used and very applicable here. There are only isolated pockets of law and order. Good and bad guys are hard to distinguish. Outside occasional enclaves good guys can only trust their resources and a few friends. This high level discussion can be directly translated to domains, firewalls, and virtual private networks. It argues against lowest-bidder security implementations.

Computer network managers will understand diminishing role of government in the direction of commercial systems. This means less traditional compliance-driven security technology will be available. Corporate security, network administrators and infrastructure managers are out there on their own. "Street smart" information behavior will be necessary to survive.

Through the book the term "cyber" is overused. It almost never appears in serious government discussions or commercial security where the emphasis is on all aspects of network issues.

Security managers who want a superficial self improvement should skip this book. It is very concept-dense and filled with ideas which will cause the reader to stop and think about strategy. Few solution specifics are presented. Concepts in this book are suited for someone who is developing a strategic vision for protecting their organization from network attacks.

Marginal.......2000-05-29

This collection of sentences and catch phrases is VERY weak on technical details and VERY heavy on the diatribe. In several instances, it is down right incorrect when referencing history. This book may fit the needs of a poli. sci. type, but it is less than a dust collector when it comes to those working in the fields of IT/IW/IA. As a 2 decade professional in the field, take my recommendation and avoid this book if you are looking for anything beyond recycled political phrases related to IW.

A very important book on security policy.......1998-04-23

In Athena's Camp is, in my eyes, one of the most important books in the area of security policy at the given momnent, alongside 'Sources of Conflict', which has been published by Rand, too. I used the book in a term paper I wrote for political sciences, in which I examined the coming threats in context with the momentary policy of the german government (as I am German and studying here). The book was of utmost importance to me in this case, as it is, as far as I know, the only book covering this topic on such a high level of quality at the moment. Further research also revealed to me, that the momentary german policy is utmost abysmal, and that, surprisingly, the German Green Party, Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen, would maintain the best policy in case of election (just for your information). To all students of political sciences worldwide who love researching the field of global and societal change through the information revolution, get it.

Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization (The Fabrication of Ancient Greece 1785-1985, Volume 1)

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you cant beat em join em
Black Athena -Ancient/Classical/Modern history
The Afroasiatic Roots outdating Classics Programs
Revisiting the Central Claims of One-Dimensional Whiteness
If you like parti pris rhetoric then you'll love this book!

Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization (The Fabrication of Ancient Greece 1785-1985, Volume 1)
Martin Bernal
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Greece | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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Egypt | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

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Stolen Legacy

ASIN: 0813512778

Book Description

Winner of the American Book Award and a Socialist Review Book Award What is classical about Classical Civilization? In one of the most audacious works of scholarship ever written, Martin Bernal challenges the whole basis of our thinking about this question. Classical civilization, he argues, has deep roots in Afroasiatic cultures. But these Afroasiatic influences have been systematically ignored, denied, or supressed since the eighteenth century--chiefly for racist reasons. The popular view is that Greek civilization was the result of the conquest of a sophisticated but weak native population by vigorous Indo-European speakers--or Aryans--from the North. But the Classical Greeks, Bernal argues, knew nothing of this "Aryan model." They did not see their political institutions, science, philosophy, or religion as original, but rather as derived from the East in general, and Egypt in particular. Black Athena is a three-volume work. Volume 1 concentrates on the crucial period between 1785 and 1850, which saw the Romantic and racist reaction to the Enlightment and the French Revolution, and the consolidation of Northern expansion into other continents. In an unprecedented tour de force, Bernal makes meaningful links between a wide range of areas and disciplines--drama poetry, myth, theological controversy, esoteric religion, philosophy, biography, language, historical narrative, and the emergence of "modern scholarship." Martin Bernal is Professor Emeritus of Government Studies at Cornell University; he was formerly a Fellow at King's College, Cambridge.

Customer Reviews:

you cant beat em join em.......2007-06-21

im not going to get detailed at all im white and i no that the Egyptians were Black and they were the first people on earth point blank the book was like tony the tiger GGGGGGreat

Black Athena -Ancient/Classical/Modern history.......2007-04-14

A very good addition to my library attributing to my greater understanding of true history.

A previous reviewer seems to imply that this book is full of "parti pris rhetoric", and that no intelligent, reasonable person who "believes history to be something that is objective, rather then something subjective that can be changed to fulfill the ego of insecure people" should not read this book.

The fact is archeologists; historians, scientist, theologists and philosophers have never been objective in their views. Simply read the life experiences of Socrates. Anyone that thinks history is objective, will only consider it objective within their own paradigm, and therefore cannot learn outside of that paradigm. "A person who knows everything cannot learn".

To imply that this book changes objective history to a "subjective one to fulfill the ego of an insecure people", is to show a high level of egotism and insecurity; Insecurity, for fear that the very belief upon which the ego rides will be altered or destroyed. Egotism, insecurity, and greed is foundation of feudalism, classism, racism, and tribalism.

Racism is relatively new. It is less than three hundred years old. I was first told this in college by my teacher (Anglo in nature) who has a PHD in history and taught at the University of Pennsylvania. In my own research in overt and convert history, I found this to be the absolute truth. It started during the period of enlightenment, when Europe, not the Celtic/Gaulic Europeans, but rather the Germanic/Viking tribes (Anglos, Visigoths, Osigoths, Varingians, Merovingians Lombards etc) had reached a level of self-realization, best expressed in illuminism.

In the quest of their belief that they were the enlighten race and that they were descendents of the Egyptians (not fully realizing that the Egyptians were black), they began expeditions to Egypt (and other places). For, who else could have built such monolithic structures other than their ancestry?

They came back sorely disappointed. You can see many of those disappointments by the smash noses of the statues they brought back. It was at this point you begin to see the masking of ancient history, and the birth of "evolution" which is falsely attributed to Charles Darwin.

I would not have believed this until I began my own research. It was most revealing to me, not in history, but in science. Consider this, two thousand years before the existence of Greece, the Sumerians (a black civilization) had already tabulated the exponential. But, who talks about this? One thousand years prior to the Greeks, the Egyptians priest were not theorizing, but rather, practicing spontaneous generation, which is still being rejected in today's "science", even though it's naturally occurring in nature.

One of the bigger shocks in my lifetime was the understanding that the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) structure was conceive by a monk, not a chemist. The problem with any form of knowledge coming from the Orthodoxy of any field is that they have something to gain by imparting their form of knowledge, and to lose if they do not. This is the nature of human beings whether black or white, rich or poor. Like the philosophical Socrates, I consider the historian Martin Bernal a Gadfly. Without Gadflys, we would have perished long ago.

The Afroasiatic Roots outdating Classics Programs.......2007-02-03

"As a fault Bernal has muddied already muddied waters with attempting to ask the wrong questions ...and, those who have been 'refuting' him, have likewise addressed the wrong concerns. ... (but) If nothing else has come out of this debate, it is a realization that the notions of race as expressed by modern scholars reflect a modern industrial world and must be understood in that context." Eugene Cruz-Uribe

Black Athena, in a nutshell:
In Black Athena, Martin Bernal attempts to prove that the roots of Greek civilization and language came from Egypt and the Levant. Bernal argued in his first volume, 1987, that 18th and 19th century White scholarship, biasedly favored an 'Aryan/ Indo-European Model,' denying ancient Egyptian contributions. He attributed the European root search results to a racist dominated mentality. While Bernal proposal that ancient Egyptians were dark Africans, there is no proof of their Negroid classification. His work drifted to the extreme left supporting the wider allegation of Afrocentrism. The second volume of this projected four-volume work arouses fundamental questions of awe and skepticism, that touch almost every issue in American daily life: lack of logical dialogue, residual racism, failure of university programs.
To state that because Egypt is located on (NE corner of) of Africa, it is African, is merely simplistic. Does geography hold the only key to this classification? Dean Eugene Cruz-Uribe adds that, "... for many scholars that the anti-Bernal crusades that have evolved often have faulted Bernal ... and have thus downplayed the questions raised (that his outrageous theses addressed squarely one area of scholarship that Egyptologists and Classical historians had preferred not to address)".

Black Athena II:
Martin Bernal supports his thesis, by many Egyptian or Semitic roots for Greek words, while more recent discoveries in upper Egypt, indicated Phoenician alphabet could have evolved from Proto-Sinaitic into a more linear form during about the 12th century BC. The immediate offspring of Phoenician were the old Hebrew alphabet, and Aramaic, as well as Archaic Greek. No matter where and when the adoption of Egyptian signs onto a Semitic language occurred, the process of adoption is quite interesting. Bernal's striking examples, may exert a stronger potential in light of recent finds, but there is too much to be developed before his weaker cases could be supported by conclusive archeological reconstruction.
Much of the Bernal's archaeological interpretations though boldly genius, still lack solid evidential examples to convince. Bernal woven model of a "Pax Aegyptiaca" populations with cultural infilteration in the Aegean Bronze Age is no new idea. Bernal advances such cases that have been neglected or minimized by the Hellenocentricts. Bernal's blunt reconstructions go much further than warranted, comments John Lenz, "In fact he rejects a model of multiculturalism in favor of a scenario of widespread Egyptian colonization and domination."

Failure of Humanities:
How often do we hear Egyptian wisdom ignorantly depreciated by comparison with Greek philosophy? How many universities even offer courses on the ancient Near East and Egypt?
Harvard school's governing board selected a transforming leader reminiscent of Harvard's past great presidents, who set the agenda for higher education in the country and, as revered public intellectuals, dominated national debates. Dean Summers--himself a former Harvard economics wunderkind, convinced that his old school, (as mostly all ivy's) needs far more than a face lift, nothing less than a cultural revolution on campus. He initiated a review of the undergraduates study material that could ultimately help revise the definition of an effective liberal arts education program worthy of the 21st century, calling for a more interdisciplinary approach to learning as well (Bernal's self pursued agenda). Currently, humanities students major in traditional subjects, such as English or classics, while the nature of knowledge has vastly changed, many of the most exciting areas of inquiry cut across traditional disciplines, pointed the ousted dean. While the majority of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences -- which placed a pending vote of no confidence against Summers and seemed ready to move on it -- Summers still maintained strong support from some faculty members and a majority of students.

A compelling Review:
In an even handed analytical review, "Ancient Histories and Modern Humanities," By John Lenz, he concludes, "Black Athena, volume 2 is extremely heavy going and problematic. Informative and generally reasonable in tone, its scope and ambition put the work of most scholars to shame. Even hoary antiquarians will learn things, and other dedicated readers will be led into the fascinating alleyways of Aegean prehistory. Everyone, however, should read this work with extreme caution."

Revisiting the Central Claims of One-Dimensional Whiteness .......2007-01-08

"The central claims of Afrocentrism were prominently set forth in a controversial book, Black Athena, 2 vol. (1987-91), by white historian Martin Bernal. Since that time, Afrocentrism has encountered significant opposition from mainstream scholars who charge it with historical inaccuracy, scholarly ineptitude, and racism." Encyclopedia Britannica

A controversial book:
This is an earth breaking, thought provoking, and exciting book. It has been and will continue to be controversial, and polarizing as well. The author, Martin Bernal, is a professor at Cornell University, the son of John D. Bernal, who laid the foundation of molecular biology, and grandson of the great Oxford U. Egyptologist Sir Alan Gardiner. He proposes arguably that Greek civilization, was instead an off shot from Egypto-Levantine culture, rather than being the cradle of a distinguished European civilization, with its roots firmly planted in NE Africa and SW Asia. He proposes that the Greek classical civilization and philosophy is not the foundation of our western culture, thus forcing us to reconsider the roots, concepts and meaning of Western civilization itself.
The book was published in a period when America was becoming the only super power, after the long waited fall of the Soviet Union, letting conservative politicians and academics tout the uniqueness of the West and its European civilization of amalgamated Greco Roman roots.
W. J. Bennett, Regan's Secretary of Education, has argued that Americans should go back to the basics, students have to read and absorb the classic of Western civilization, rather than thinking critically about what history of science meant, or the impact of space travel and the Internet communications revolution, that rendered the world flat. Black Athena is a negative response to the new conditions which may have offset; its implications are unsettling.

One-Dimensionality and Whiteness:
This book may have linked with Marcuse's concept of the one-dimensional society and the Great Refusal, with critical race theory in order to achieve a more robust interrogation of 'whiteness'. The author of a recent paper on "Policy Futures in Education," argues that in the context of the United States, the one-dimensionality that Marcuse condemns in One-Dimensional Man is best illuminated by the concept of whiteness, in the context of white supremacy, is an ideological manifestation of dominant capitalism in the United States. The author furthers that the values Marcuse wants to break with or refuse in An Essay on Liberation can be more concretely captured if it is made clear that the ideology of whiteness represents a key part of the normative order of advanced industrial society that started to institute its legitimate roots in a mythic fable of European philosophy and heroism. The paper warns against Ms Lefkowitz, and her outdated classicists promoting whiteness in educational institutions serves to oppress race, gender, and class centered individuals and communities. Thus, the author proposes that, in the context of education, the crucial theoretical tools we have to challenge Ms Lefkowitz's glorification of the one-dimensional education and refuse whiteness in favor of a critical multicultural education.

Bernal's Greek Civilization:
Bernal's thesis for the origins of ancient Greek civilization accounts that it gradually evolved in ancient antiquity, through interactions between the local inhabitants and the Egyptians and Phoenicians colonies established in Greece at various time epochs, during the second millennium B. C. He alleges that ancient Greek culture developed out of these interactions, while Greeks continued to borrow from the Afro-Asians for the next two millennia.
Bernal's shocking theory, has radically contradicted the Indo-European framework of diffusion into Greek population by northern European Aryans who mixed with the local, pre-Hellenic inhabitants causing Greece and the Aegean world to develop a culture of the Anglo-Saxon prototype of Western civilization. The Aryan Model which was created during the first half of the nineteenth century became dominant to the present day, when challenged with Bernal, who suggested that the Aryan Model survived because it matched and adequately served the advancing ideals of capitalism in progress, racialism, and imperialism which eventually dominated the modern times. It may be excessively helpful in positive debates to be rational. Any scholar, motivated mainly by race issues ( Ms Lefkowitz, who has few qualifications other than outdated classics) could be identified as a red-neck, if she does not renounce her infallibility, being uninformed on other domains, which Bernal assesses their significance and implications, of an enormous entity of philological, archaeological, historical evidence, and critical tools of analysis and reconstruction, which Martin Bernal utilized repeatedly.

Egyptian Human Heritage:
Two books are basic to have common grounds, on the origin of Greek civilization
a. Gerald Massey's 'Book of the Beginnings,' is an essential reading for seekers of a balanced understanding of human origins, religious thought and belief, and the role of Ancient Egyptian civilization in world progress. Massey, born in England in 1828, was a radical Egyptologist, like Bernal's grandfather, has maintained that Africa was the source of "the greatest civilization in the world." According to Massey, all evidence cries aloud its proclamation that Africa was the birthplace of the non-articulate and Egypt the mouthpiece of the articulate man."
Greek Plato, wrote in Timaeus, "The wisdom of the Egyptians was a proverb with the Greeks, who felt themselves children beside this ancient race." Later, Herodotus, another informed Greek has demonstrated that Greece borrowed from Egypt all the elements of her civilization, and that Egypt was the cradle of civilization. The Late Nobel laureate, Naguib Mahfouz, who read the second book, namely, 'The Dawn of conscience,' by the great American Orientalist James H. Breasted was right in saying, "Egyptian civilization was beyond any doubt a great culture that encompassed the entire ancient world. The fact that we may have come to know it once more through the mediation of Western explorers and scientists does not make it any less ours. How could it be? It is the heritage of all humanity."

Betrnal's Mortal Sins:
Martin Bernal, by trespassing the boundaries of established disciplines and using inter discipline evidence that is not usually handled in the same language, Bernal has advanced academic tactics that are doomed heretical to those ultra orthodox who resent incursions into their outdated domains by uninitiated novices, who lack the curia's approval credentials. Monoply academics in their intrenched disciplines would menace most of Black Athena's novel arguments and reconstruction methodology. In the debates that followed, criticizing Martin's analyses and undermining his interpretations of the vast pieces of evidence, he has undoubtedly earned intellectual audience in and outside the academia.

Prophetic Review:
In his 1988 compelling review, Thomas C. Patterson, made a prophecy concluding, "But in the end he will win the war, if he has not in fact already done so. One reason for this is the tightness and logic of his arguments. Another is that, while scholars in the various relevant fields may view Bernal as an outsider or an interloper, they cannot easily dismiss him as a crank or a crackpot, since he has adopted the methods of the various disciplines and followed their established, generally agreed upon procedures and canons for evaluating evidence."

If you like parti pris rhetoric then you'll love this book!.......2006-10-13

Do you like to be lied to? Do you like propaganda and ill concieved agendas shoved down your throat? Do you like people who state theories as facts and then offer no evidence to substantiate their claims? Do you want to read a book which very existence would make Herodotus turn over in his grave and cause anyone who believes an accurate potrayl of history to be important to feel nothing but deep despair? If your answer was yes to one or more of these questions then you'll probably really enjoy this book. However if you're an intelligent and reasonable person who believes history to be something that is objective, rather then something subjective that can be changed to fulfill the ego of insecure people then this book probably isn't for you. However, if you are interested in the outlandish Afrocentric claims to Greek antiquity then I would recommend reading 'Not Out Of Africa' by Mary Lefkowitz.

The Straw Bale House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book)

Average customer rating:

This is a great place to start.
Strawbale heaven!!
informative for the curious, not a build it manual
An inspiring and informative book
Straw Houses that won't be blown down!

The Straw Bale House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book)
Athena Swentzell Steen , Bill Steen , and David Bainbridge
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Buildings & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Renewable Energy | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes
Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book.)
More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide To Designing And Building With Straw (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook
Small Strawbale

ASIN: 0930031717

Amazon.com

Get a leg up on the first Little Pig with The Straw Bale House, your guide to inexpensive, durable, earth-friendly construction that will stand up to much more than the Big Bad Wolf. Authors Athena Swentzell Steen and Bill Steen founded the Canelo Project, which promotes innovative building; David Bainbridge is a California restoration ecologist; and David Eisenberg is an alternative-materials builder who pioneered straw bale wall testing. Between them, they have encyclopedic knowledge of their subject. The book is comprehensive, broadly covering why and how to build with straw and then focusing on the details, which are both intellectually and aesthetically delightful.

Beside being cheap, clean, and lightweight, straw also provides advantages like energy efficiency and resistance to seismic stresses. For the nervous Martha Stewart types, there are scads of black-and-white and color plates of strikingly beautiful interiors and exteriors from New Mexico to southern France. Both new and experienced builders will appreciate the clear, simple instructions and diagrams, as well as practical explanations for dealing with building codes and insurers. The Straw Bale House shows us advantages so numerous and dramatic that you'll wonder why we ever moved on to sticks and bricks. --Rob Lightner

Customer Reviews:

This is a great place to start........2001-03-09

For someone who knew nothing about straw bale construction this book was not only informative, but also inspiring. The Straw Bale House contains a lot of good information about the specifics of straw bale construction. I found that because it covered information about straw bale construction from start to finish it couldn't go into as much detail about any one aspect as much as I would have liked. However, my feeling is that this book was designed to get you interested and then send you out to gather the more specific information for yourself. It has proven effective at inspiring me.

Strawbale heaven!!.......2001-02-07

This is a must have. If you are totally new (as I was) then this book will give you a good solid understanding of the pros and cons of strawbale construction. It is obvious that the authors know what they are talking about.

If you are vaguely interested in SB and haven't got this one you're really missing out.

Thanks Steen Steen and Bainbridge for this wonderful contribution.

informative for the curious, not a build it manual.......2001-02-04

The Steens have written two books on this subject, this one from 1994, is the most informative as far as actual construction information goes. I would say that if you think you might want to actually build a straw home get this book and their second book,The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes(from 2000). After reading these books you'll need more information both about straw bale work and other construction and carpentry books, Amazon has a selection of those.

An inspiring and informative book.......2000-07-09

This book would seem to be an indispensible starting point for anyone looking into the straw bale home concept. If the thought of a poorly-insulated, energy-guzzling, expensive, bland, mass-produced, contractor-built home doesn't quite appeal to you, this book is essential, for it shows that inexpensive doesn't have to mean low quality nor unattractive. In fact, bales and other "natural", low-cost building materials can yield attractively individual results in part because they are easy and fun to work with, enfranchising the future owner to be his or her own designer and builder. The inspiring photos included in the book help make the case for the aesthetic advantages. Of course, the most important function is to show how to build the straw bale home. In this respect, the book succeeds admirably, giving diagrams to illustrate the major techniques being used and showing how simple straw bale building is. Incidentally, this would make an attractive book for your coffee table even if you are just mildly interested in the subject. One warning though: even including the index and other back-of-the-book sections, there are only 297 pages, not 336!

Straw Houses that won't be blown down!.......2000-05-10

I must admit being fairly sceptical about straw bale construction until I read this book...

The style is very assessible and the content is thorough, interesting and informative. Just about every angle is covered in depth without being overly technical.

Includes useful covereage of many associated areas, such as rammed earth, adobe and passive solar issues.

Product Description

This book provides a unified, insightful, and modern treatment of linear optimization, that is, linear programming, network flow problems, and discrete optimization. It includes classical topics as well as the state of the art, in both theory and practice.

Customer Reviews:

Par Excellence!.......2006-11-14

This book is THE best LP book I have come across. The topics are very clear and presented in the best possible manner. Introduces you to several basic and advanced LP topics, theorems and algorithms. The exercises at the end of each chapter test the students' understanding in an appropriate manner. A good number of examples are given to explain the theory in a better way. I would definitely recommend this book to a student interested in learning about optimization procedures and/or algorithm development.

Surely helps if you have taken a linear algebra course before. Some students who haven't had a linear algebra course find the math nomenclature formidable in the beginning.

Quite good.......2006-08-01

This book is impressive for theory, every thing you ever wanted to know or how to avoid some other is here. I teach to industrial engineering students, so i have to use other books for the application, but for the theory, everything is covered here, even more, in the book are several simple rules to avoid tipical problems of the simplex method or transportation problems, or integer forms. You can't call yourself a pro if you haven't read this book.

Nice intuition and good coverage.......2006-01-01

The best part of this book is the first half, where the foundations of linear programming are presented in a clear yet relatively rigorous fashion, accompanied by numerous intuitive geometrical explanations of the abstract general concepts. This approach, supplementing mathematics with graphical insights, works extremely well for this topic.

The quality goes down somewhat, perhaps neccessarily, in the latter half of the book as topics are presented less carefully, and in a somewhat rushed manner in order to cover all of the material the authors decided to include. Given that the fundamentals are covered so well, perhaps this is a fair trade.

The only real negative I can think of is that it's a small crime for professors to create their own publishing companies (Athena only publishes works by a small group of MIT professors) and then still charge outrageous amounts for the books. This would be completely unacceptable were it not for the fact that, unlike most self-published work, this book's production quality is on par with that of the large publishers.

Too Verbose.......2005-12-17

Most part can be expressed in a more terse way and with math language. However, the book revolve around using very lengthy sentence to explain, which is not so helpful and clear as expressed with math. It can be condensed to half thickness.

A+++.......2005-09-24

Exactly as described, fast delivery. I will always try to choose amazon from now on.

Average customer rating:

Not bad action if you skip most of the philosophizing
Hollywood fluff & science don't mx

The Athena Factor
W. Michael Gear
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Technothrillers | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

It Wakes in Me
People of the Moon (First North Americans)
It Sleeps in Me
Long Ride Home
The Warriors of Spider (Spider Trilogy, No 1)

ASIN: 0765311666
Release Date: 2005-06-23

Book Description

USA Todaybestselling author W.Michael Gear tells a terrifying tale of the cultural and scientific implications of genetic engineering S heela Marks is one of Hollywood's hottest actresses, earning $20 million a picture. As she returns to her hotel after winning her first Academy Award, she is attacked by a man wielding what seems to be a syringe. Sheela's entourage manages to shield her from the attacker, but he gets away unharmed.

Customer Reviews:

Not bad action if you skip most of the philosophizing.......2006-03-11

This isn't too bad a read, although the action bogs down here and there as the author lets his characters expatiate on the pros and cons of cloning people and whatever that seems to entail. It's easy enough to skip these interludes and get on to whatever action is under way at the time they crop up. The characters are not that well developed, tending toward the stock rugged he-men and gorgeous babes (who are actually very well developed) that populate many examples of this sort of novel. The plot gimmick that gets the ball rolling is that many folks who want babies would rather give birth to a clone of some celebrity than whatever might result from their own DNA. The possibility of using genetic fiddling to correct "bad" genes is also broached.

Hollywood fluff & science don't mx.......2005-08-07

I usually don't read these types of books, but thought I'd give this one a chance. While it was entertaining, it certainly doesn't rank up there as a "must read." The plot, while some may think is believable, was totally unbelievable to me, and the characters were quite shallow and stereo-typical. I couldn't bring myself to root for the good guys to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings-on. The ending was quite cheesy and I thought hastily put together. Sure, it wrapped up all the loose ends but did it too easily and without much thought.

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