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Laughing Matters showcases how a range of contemporary writers including Jon Stewart and David Sedaris craft persuasive arguments, using humor to make their case while entertaining the reader.

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Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent resource
I have used ISA Server 2006 since 2006 and thought implementing a 2 server TMG enterprise array would be no problem.After some issues, I bought the book and had it delievered the next day.The book was very helpful, especially in its content about planning properly and various network design considerations. I was able to correct many issues and get my system operational much quicker.The TMG is complicated, so chasing symptoms can be time consuming.

Especially helpful are the "Real World" sections scattered throughout the book. These show actual TMG problems resolved and their underlying causes.For example, I was having a problem with IP Spoofing.Pp. 596-7 describe the problem in detail and how to resolve it.Another nice feature is chapter 33 on using Network Monitor 3 for Troubleshooting TMG.

While Microsoft Technet and the TMG built in help are somewhat helpful, I needed to know the how and why of the systems features.The authors' explanation of network protocols in conjunctin with TMG also help.

I recommend this book for any person planning to implement TMG.The book will help you plan properly and get the most out of the system. It is also helpful for troubleshooting.

Highly recommended for any serious computer collection or business administrator's library
Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway: Administrator's Companion is a 'must' for any serious computer administrator's library: it covers all the basics of TMG networks and administration, from publishing rules and URL filtering to managing VPN solutions and caching. Learn how to monitor and troubleshoot performance and address we-based th4reats to a business in this essential reference to Forefront TMG, a key reference and very highly recommended for any serious computer collection or business administrator's library.

Very good manual for TMG
This book is thorough and well written from a technical aspect.It is also the only Threat Management Gateway book in print at this time, as far as I know.

The only strikes against it...

It is dry, as you would expect from most technical manuals.There is none of the humor of Mark Minasi or the exuberance of Tom Shinder's writing.

I have come across a couple items that I think are incorrect due to the book having been written before TMG 2010 was actually released.Microsoft Press has a section on their website for updates to books, but as of my writing this, no corrections have been posted.

Some of the concepts in here could probably use a little more thorough explanation (for me it was NLB).But all in all, a well done book.At this point in time, I would consider this a must-purchase if you are going to use TMG 2010.

TMG Book Review
Excellent book, well written. Very strong in technical detail.

I would suggest this book is for the more experienced user and for those who want to learn and come to understand what makes this software tick and the principles that drive it.

If you are looking for a quickie setup guide then this will not do it for you.
This books' weakness is lack of detail in describing how to set up and configure TMG up from scratch.

TMG BOOK
The book is excellent, very well explained, easy to understand.
Topics very well detailed.
I recomend.

Congratulations for all writers.

Luiz Fernando Dias
Microsoft MVP - Forefront ... Read more

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This volume is a revised translation of the complete text of Book Seven about Zeno of Citium and the Stoics, taken from The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers written around AD 230 by the Graeco-Roman author Diogenes Laertius. The Life of Zeno is accompanied by a complete summary of Stoic philosophy, addressing the three branches of Logic, Ethics, and Physics. Alongside the Life of Zeno are accounts of other Stoics in the Lives of Aristo, Herillus, Dionysius, Cleanthes, Sphaerus, and Chrysippus. The books by the early Stoics have all been lost, and this text by Diogenes Laertius thankfully preserves an important range of quotations and references. It is an invaluable resource for those who adopt Stoic philosophy as their way of life. The translation is supported by an Introduction, Glossary of Names, Notes and Index. ... Read more

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139 pp. ... Read more

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Fascinating
This book is in the public domain. I'm scanning it and posting it one paragraph at a time on a blog entitled "The Cynicism of Diogenes".

[...]

This book is meticulously researched. It is a wonderful introduction not only to Cynic philosophy but to the entire world of Western philosophy shortly after the time of Jesus. This book has attributions from the greatest ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish philosophers writing in the hundred or so years before and after the Common Era. These many attributions show vividly the Cynic way of life, as Cynicism was more of a lived way of life than a written philosophy. Saul of Tarsus, better known as St. Paul, is said to have been influenced by the Cynics, who wandered far and wide around the ancient world. Cynic philosophy is surprisingly modern and relevant today, even after two thousand years. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Well-written, clear, interesting, thought-provoking, but with flaws
Diogenes Allen Christian Belief in a Postmodern World:
I am a very amateur reader of philosophy and theology.
In terms of academic difficulty, I suspect this book is classified as beginner++, intermediate--.
I liked this book. It is an interesting, illuminating, and thought-provoking. Why only three stars then? Two reasons. For each reason, if you disagree with my view, you may add one extra star to the review!
1. Allen is "thin" as a scientist in parts. His uncritical acceptance of macro evolution is a weakness. Consider p81: "Darwin's theory of natural selection more or less explained how very complex forms of life arise from much simpler forms". Darwin's theory does no such thing, and is also greatly flawed in its assumption that the basic building blocks of life are simple. They are not. There are myriad philosophical and scientific problems with Darwin's theory, and I think he (Allen) could have easily avoided these controversial avenues -- they are not central to his thesis and detract from it.
2. Allen is theologically thin in parts too. Most disastrously in the chapter entitled A Christian Theology of Other Faiths (a chapter whose inclusion in this book strikes me as unnecessary anyway.) Having concluded his argument for the reasonableness of faith in God general, and faith in Christ in particular, he then attempts to provide a framework for Christians to interact with other faiths, using as his basis, Simone Weil's philosophy. (Allen is something of an authority on Simone Weil who was apparently not in favor of Christian evangelism/conversion). He describes her opposition to Christian missions and her view that "to convert a person from one religion to another is like asking him or her to address God in a foreign language" (p196). As if that is not bad enough, he follows up by saying "I do not know how serious an objection this is". He has in the space of a few sentences cut away the mission of Christ on earth to turn people's hearts and minds to the God of Truth. If it is so wrong to call people to change their ways, the incarnation of Christ, and the challenge of Christ's message to repent ("to turn"), the clear emphasis of his earthly teaching, are wrong according to Weil and Allen. Jesus may as well have stayed in heaven, or simply come to earth, suffered and died without issuing the challenge to change. The Jews after all had the law and the prophets, and everyone else their own particular religion/views. Quoting Weil in this way, and following it up with a lame kind of "who knows?" response did not impress me, particularly juxtaposed with the opening theme of the book "truth" and theistic truth at that [see below]..

For these two general reasons, I have marked this book down. But this is a good book from an interesting writer.

I have always been somewhat skeptical of Simone Weil, both as a person and a thinker. But Allen softened my attitude somewhat and I appreciate his explanations of her thoughts on suffering.

Allen is right on from the introduction: "Why should I go to church," someone once said to me, "when I have no religious needs?" I had the audacity to reply, "Because Christianity's true.". He then summarizes the failure of the Enlightenment in terms of the failure of science and philosophy to disprove or discount the possibility of God; the failure of the Enlightenment to establish morality based on reason; the failure to deliver "progress" - solutions to racism, social bondage, vulnerability to nature; and its faith that knowledge is inherently a force for good. This belief is in serious question.

Having set the scene, he discusses a thinking person's response to the claims of Christianity, the need [and reasonableness] for "initial faith" (the faith that turns us into seekers), the nature of faith, truth, and knowledge, building on Austin Farrer's 4 domains of truth (1.scientific/abstract, 2.actual people/things 3.values 4.religion). In seeking certain types of knowledge (e.g. scientific), we naturally desire to remove from the equation our own "hearts"/values, using our intellect only -- "disinterested seekers" he calls it [p96]. But we are also rational agents who act, aspire, suffer, seek well-being and seek answers to do with our very selves - we cannot impose artificial "disinterested" barriers when considering these questions.

In speaking of religion and the external world, he speaks of the two books of God - the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture. His chapters on the history of science and the relation of science to faith are interesting: "The rise of science is one of the great puzzles of history...why did science not arise in ancient India, Egypt, China..." [p24]. He provides useful background information on the famous Church v Galileo controversy, a chestnut that is regularly dredged up to "prove" the hopeless myopia of religious "superstition" contrasted with the glorious suffering of science [aka truth]. The facts of the controversy present a more complex picture of the protagonists than is popularly acknowledged.

With regard to science, Allen deals with the "God of the gaps" idea - that we invoke God to explain things about the universe that we don't understand [gaps in our knowledge]. That as science progresses, these gaps shrink and disappear, and correspondingly God disappears and becomes less relevant. Allen's response: Science is concerned with the members of the universe and the relations between them. Since God is not a member of the universe, the presence [or not] of our understanding on these matters has no bearing on the question of God. Also, even if we attain 100% knowledge of the universe, the questions as to [a] its existence [b] in its particular form, will be no more clearly answered. He then deals with the question of the existence of the universe and its order as pointers to God, useful discussion on Kant's Hume's arguments against the cosmological argument.

With respect to the Book of Scripture, Allen draws attention to our human-ness - that we are not as-it-were robotic processors of data but people. He draws in Weil's thoughts on beauty and our reaction to it, our recognition of it; of the suffering in the universe caused by its function, and its "indifference" to us that causes us as people to search outside of the universe for answers. Allen then discusses the Christian faith response and the witness of Scripture; included in this is the religious foundation of morality and justice. A good way to test our love for justice: "to heartily desire that the consequences of the evil we do fall directly and solely on ourselves". And we recoil from that, causing us to look to a higher level for relief. This leads to the discussion concerning the grace of God and God's goodness in spite of these afflictions. Again Allen leans on Weil's thinking.

So drawing it all together, Allen ties up the ends in his chapter "The Reasonableness of Faith", again arguing against Hume and Kant and exposing the shortcomings of reason, and introducing the "sociology of knowledge" - that is, we are socially acclimatized to accept or reject what is "knowledge" [a la Kuhn / Structure of Scientific Revolutions]. Faith and Reason are not contradictory, but faith (Christian faith) allows us to leap from the order of the mind to the order of the heart. "We leap because we recognize the reality of the domain of the heart, not because there is a shortage of evidence" [p145]. In the chapter Reason and Revelation, Allen argues that since God's intentions are revealed to us through human beings rather than e.g. science, history is more important than philosophy and science. He goes on to discuss this in Divine Agency in a scientific world. How does God who, is outside of the universe that operates on causual laws, act within it? Allen shows that human agency cannot be accounted for in scientific laws (e.g. science can describe the characteristics of a rolling billiard ball and
make predictions about it -- but not if human agency suddenly sticks out a hand and stops the ball or deflects it.) Also, science cannot explain motive and there are whole areas of activity that require personal explanations to explain causes. God can act in the universe in a similar way, and the existence of natural laws in no way inhibit or disprove this.

There's a lot more that could be said. Space does not permit, but I hope you have had an accurate taster of this book.

Stylistically, Allen has a habit of providing summaries of the argument so far. Personally I found this helpful. Other readers might find him guilty of unnecessary repetition.

Conclusion: Interesting, worth reading, but with some weaknesses. I enjoyed it. I will read more of his work. This is my first attempt to summarize a philosophical book. Mighty hard work it is too. I nevertheless trust that you derive some benefit from my review!!

Most informative Christian philosophical book I've ever read
Allen has put together one of the most important Christian philosophical works of the twentieth century.His explication and argument of the Christian faith in a postmodern world is a must read for Christians and non-Christians alike.I highly recommend it!!!!! ... Read more

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This Book Is In Latin. ... Read more

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A Theological Analysis of Love
Allen, professor of philosophy at Princeton Seminary, wrote this book because he believed that academic theology was in a state of skepticism.He argues throughout that traditional doctrines of Christianity are best understood when grounded upon the doctrine of divine love.Humans perceive the presence of God in both the natural and human environment, which means that humans experience love in ordinary daily life.This also means that the entire universe is conceived in love, sustained by love, and directed towards its consummation.In this sense, love has cosmic proportions.

In light of understanding Christianity as founded upon love, Allen argues that Christians must act differently.In particular, Christians must: be attentive to academic and scientific disciplines, learn to see ourselves as the objects of perfect love, aware of that which is beyond our present life, pay attention to Jesus and confess what we see in Him, and forsake the world.Death should be seen as the complete destruction of the self-centered life that we now have, and life after death as resurrection should be understood as possible because of divine love.The author sums up the book by saying that he has argued that the presence of God can be perceived indirectly by a person who is moving away from a self-centered stance and who has forsaken the world."The more our life is disciplined by attentiveness to others, and the more we cultivate an awareness of the inability of the world to give us the fulfillment that we crave, the deeper and clearer is our awareness of God's presence" (103).

I recommend this book.

Thomas Jay Oord ... Read more

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Can the Queen of Wakanda weather this storm? Life is never easy for a member of the X-Men, but for Ororo Iqadi T'Challa - the mutant known as Storm - it's even tougher, since she is also the queen of the African nation of Wakanda. When Ororo is called away from her duties with the X-Men to deal with a murder in Wakanda, she finds her former student, Nezhno, faced with seemingly airtight murder charges. Storm remains suspicious, however, and her fears are confirmed when her husband, the Black Panther, returns, speaking harsh words against his bride. As the Panther moves against her, Storm is confronted with the terrible truth: One of the X-Men's most fearsome enemies has returned - the devious telepath known as the Shadow King - and he's gunning for Ororo on all fronts. Collects X-Men: Worlds Apart #1-4, Black Panther #26, and Marvel Team-Up #100 (backup story). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you're a Storm fan, this is a must have!
The weather goddess is the star of this collection, and the story explores a good portion of Storm's past and present circumstances.It's not groundbreaking, but a good addition to the X-men storyline.

Also includes 2 issues of classic Black Panther and Storm stories.

Pencils/inks are clean and detailed, and the colorist did a fantastic job.

Overall highly recommended to X-men and especially Storm fans. ... Read more