Customer Reviews:
Best trip in the world!.......2005-08-18
This book is a must have if you are planning a trip to the library or a bookstore with a child. It will definitely get your children excited about books and all the wonderful adventures that they contain.
On route to a special destination with Grandpa, Jack is asked to guess where they are going. Grandpa's clues as to their ultimate destination have Jack guessing that their destination will be a zoo, the jungle, a park, an aquarium, a museum, a movie or a bakery. When they finally reach their destination, however, it turns out that they can visit all these places with a trip to the library.
The illustrations are colorful & cute, and the narrative will certainly keep your child guessing about where Jack and his Grandpa are headed. I love that the books portrayed in the end are classic children's titles that can be found on the shelves of the library.
Book Description
Writing with the same wit, humor, and style of his earlier bestsellers, noted anthropologist Marvin Harris traces our roots and views our destiny.
Customer Reviews:
Cultural materialism for the layperson.......2005-09-29
Marvin Harris, who fought for a scientific explaination of human thought and behavior against postmodernist obscurantism and other attempts at explaining humans, brought together in this book all of his various theories about human cultures. From his contention that cannibalism occured in Aztec religion because of a lack of other protein sources in the Valley of Mexico to his basic theory of probabilistic infrastructural determinism he was always controversial.
This is an excellent book to read if you have ever wanted to study anthropology but couldnt get past the thick description of the current postmodern/interpretationist approaches. Harris harkens back to an evolutionary approach to anthropology and thoroughly explains many of the mysteries of human culture with the clearest empirical science.
He begins with human evolution, brings us through hunting and gathering into agricultural chiefdoms, the first states and into the hyperindustrial globalized present with clear concise descriptions. Harris was a masterful writer and always brings humor into the dryest and (sometimes) strangest cultural phenomena. This book is a great bedside companion because of the short chapters, but you are going to have to struggle to put it down so it might keep you up rather than put you to sleep.
Also, this is basically a lay persons version of the textbooks Harris helped write with Orna Johnson. If you want to get the same information with charts and pictures (but without much of the humor) I highly recommend either Culture, People, Nature or Cultural Anthropology.
Everything you've always wanted to know about the human race.......2005-07-24
Marvin Harris was a brilliant anthropologist - he died a few years ago - and this book sets out, in the language of normal people, the state of knowledge (to the time of writing) on the subject of humankind: what exactly we are, how we came to be like this, and even more interestingly from my point of view, WHY. The book is divided into very short chapters, little jewels of concision, beautifully and entertainingly written. Basically, the book takes theories which would be dry as dust in someone else's prose and makes them come alive with relevance to each and every one of us. A fascinating read.
Inspiring.......2005-07-20
Marvin Harris had the virtue of explaining scholar-like concepts as if they were a chat among friends.Remarkable!
AWESOME BOOK.......2002-10-22
Wow! Marvin Harris really did it with this book. Very Very Good! After reading this i'm not so sure anymore on the idea of creation.
Introduces the reader to anthroplogy.......2002-09-10
If someone is thinking about what anthroplogy is, or may want to study it, or are interested in the evolution of humans and culture, this book is a great introduction for the novice.
Marivn Harris takes the reader though step by step with good descriptions of the how, and possible whys. He also takes time in the end of the short chapters to explain some opposing ideas, and then gives his reasons for why he doesn't think that's right.
The book is of good lenght to have good explaination of the topics he takes at hand with "Our Kind." The book is in no means all inclusive, but for a beginer this book is great.
"Our Kind" will get the reader interested in anthroplogy and evolution, and will make the reader want to read more publications.
Book Description
This cutting-edge new work, by the author of the New York Times bestseller The Hidden Messages in Water, presents a revolutionary understanding of life and consciousness and provides answers to the most profound questions of existence.
Introduced in the bestselling The Hidden Messages in Water and the hit cult film What the Bleep Do We Know?, the groundbreaking work of Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto captured the popular imagination and launched a worldwide movement. Using high-speed photography, Dr. Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water are affected by our thoughts, words, and feelings. Since humans and the earth are composed mostly of water, his findings have far-reaching ramifications for individuals, for human society, and for the global environment.
In The Shape of Love, Dr. Emoto shares new images from his research and for the first time draws out the significant lessons of his work. In a clear, conversational style, he interprets the messages hidden in his extraordinary photographs and explains how his discoveries can help us find answers to these eternal questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where will we go after we die? Providing a new way of looking at such important issues as how we treat others and the earth itself, Dr. Emoto’s findings encourage the positive actions that spell a better future for all.
A magnificent follow-up to The Hidden Messages in Water, The Shape of Love is a fascinating investigation into the intersection of science and spirituality and its impact on our lives and our world.
Customer Reviews:
Exercise the Mind and Refresher for the Spirit.......2007-06-21
The premise of the book is: We are water. He shares a few more pictures of water crystals and some stories of his life and his perspective on them. He shares his thoughts based on all his experience with water and Hado. He talks about resonance and vibration and offers a plausible story of how we came to be in the universe and the source of water. He also discusses the power of prayer and spoken words are energetically transmitted through the ethers. It begs the question that if the spoken word has such power then how much are we affecting one another and the planet as a whole with our negative speech?
I commend Emoto for sharing his thoughts and stories. It evokes us to realize the obvious that is easily overlooked.
Book Description
Advanced art asks questionsâabout our condition, our culture and the future of the world we live in. To inaugurate the newly renovated Palazzo Grassi in Venice, its new president François Pinault is pleased to present "Where Are We Going?"âan exhibition highlighting a focused selection of his collection's post-war holdings. François Pinault acquired this prestigious institution last year and has commissioned Japanese architect Tadao Ando to renovate the exhibition spaces. He is the founder of PPR, one of Europe's leading retail groups, as well as a principle force in the luxury goods market with such celebrated brands as Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent. Marking the first public unveiling of the François Pinault collection, "Where Are We Going?" reposes a question that is at the heart of his collecting philosophy as well as at the crux of the creative process. The catalogue demonstrates Pinault's singular engagement with some of the most influential and challenging artists of our times. Featuring approximately 200 works in full-color plates by 53 artists, the volume spans such post-war masters as Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly, Piero Manzoni, to mid-career stars such as Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Pierre Huyghe, and Maurizio Cattelan, through a younger generation of artists such as Urs Fischer, and Piotr Uklanski.
Product Description
A GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL TRUTHS Reader Feedback: New York Times best selling author Ellen Tanner Marsh: "What is the ultimate truth about life? For centuries, learned minds have struggled to seek the answer. Now, in the groundbreaking and thought-provoking book A Guide to Universal Truths, explores powerful evidence . . . that we were created by an infinitely superior and perfect being who gave us free will so that we might evolve. Fertig's book just might have touched on the ultimate answers to the purpose and meaning of life on earth. . . .Boldly stated and beautifully written, A Guide to Universal Truths is clearly a roadmap to our higher purpose." "Fertig shares with us his intimate spiritual journey. It is truly a privilege to walk with a man as he struggles in his search for the eternal truths of life. The point is not just his book conclusions, but rather the journey itself, which when I finished I was aware that I have only just begun." Rev. R. Carl Menkens, M.D., DM, THM, Retired Police Chaplain
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Probiotics and Prebiotics: Where Are We Going?
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Probiotics And Prebiotics: Scientific Aspects
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- An insider's view of the birth of international environmentalism
- Insightful, Interesting, but more like an autobiography.....
- Insightful, Interesting, but more like an autobiography.....
- Where on Earth are We Going?
- Disappointing
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Where on Earth Are We Going?
Maurice Strong
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Book Description
World hunger, environmental disaster, global warming, massive shifts in weather systems, the re-emergence of diseases long thought controlled, and political turmoil in a world where a barrel of water is more expensive than a barrel of oil. So says the Report to Shareholders, Earth, Inc., dated January 1, 2031 that begins, Where on earth are we going? Maurice StrongÂ's apocalyptic prophesy for the future Â- unless weÂ're lucky or wise Â- is a call to action for all who care about the state of the earth in the near future. Strong, the executive coordinator of the reform effort at the UN and senior advisor to the President of the World Bank, has one goal: to shape a peaceful and equitable future for all humankind. Hard-headed, practical, impassioned, Where on Earth are We Going? is a call to action by a key business and environmental player at the beginning of the 21st century that can not be ignored and will be much debated.
Customer Reviews:
An insider's view of the birth of international environmentalism .......2007-05-23
This is two books in one: an autobiographical view of how one of the world's foremost environmentalists attempted to achieve his goals, and an insider's story of how international environmentalism grew up overnight, in a frenzy of some successes and too many failures.
The book is invaluable for its vivid portrayal of the details and complexities that those less well situated are unable to write about first hand, such as 99% of the world's writers. If you want to understand the nitty gritty of how global environmentalism works and why, "Where on Earth Are We Going?" will take you there.
It will also take you to where I wanted to go in the fall of 2001, when I read the book. That's the year I made the move to working on the sustainability problem full time. I had a lot of learning to do, and Maurice Strong filled in huge gaps in my education.
He also pointed out some of the phenomena that were beginning to attract my analysis. For example, looking over my notes on the book, Maurice explained how solving the poverty problem came to be linked to solving the environmental sustainability problem. To me this has been a historical error for two reasons: One is that the environment must have the highest priority, because if it becomes uninhabitable, then no other problem matters. The second is that Homo sapiens has had the poverty problem for a long, long time--it's that difficult. To attempt to suddenly solve it now by tacking it onto the shoulders of another problem only makes that problem a harder one to solve.
Maurice was the Secretary-General of the 1972 Stockholm conference, which gave him the ultimate insider's viewpoint. He wrote that "The biggest threat to the conference was the ambivalence, even apathy, that developing countries felt toward the whole issue of the environment. From the beginning, developing countries had regarded the West's concern with `the environment' as just another fad of the industrialized countries; in their view pollution and environmental contamination were diseases of the rich.... Most of them would gladly exchange a little pollution for the benefits of economic growth."
Seeing this undercurrent, Maurice "... knew the conference would fail if we couldn't persuade the developing countries to take part. ... The key concept called for a redefinition and expansion of environment to link it directly to the economic development process and the concerns of developing countries."
This was a fateful decision. The solution to the poverty problem of unindustrialized countries was assumed to be development, and the strategy was to "link" this development to solving the environmental sustainability problem. But these are really two very different and separate problems. By linking them together, into what was soon called "sustainable development," the world's problem solvers horse traded one historically intractable problem and one brand new difficult but probably solvable problem into guess what? One big Gordian Knot of an insolvable problem.
Once the offer was made, there was no turning back. Twisted logic became the new norm, such as "The key was to insist that the needs of developing countries would be best served by treating the environment as an integral dimension of development rather than an impediment." But if a country grows economically, and that causes the environment to suffer, then that effect should be treated as "an impediment," not success. Otherwise you have apparently forgotten about the original problem.
Soon, despite the fact that the industrialized countries were producing the lion's share of pollution, "...at the opening session Prime Minister [Indira] Gandhi made what was one of the most influential speeches of the entire conference, with its theme that `poverty is the greatest polluter of all.' "
This should give you a taste of what the book has to offer. If, like me, you are trying to wrap your arms around the whole of the sustainability problem, and you want original source material, then this is one fount to drink deeply from, and find out where on earth we are going, and why.
Jack Harich
Insightful, Interesting, but more like an autobiography............2002-11-14
Well I must say, this was an interesting read to say the least. To be qiute honest this book was not what I expected from reading the backcover. Much of the book seemed like an autobiograghpy( which isn't too bad since he has lived an intersting live) and the rest was on three main issues, Globalization, the Enviroment, and Politics. Though some of the book was a little dry I found the opening and the final few chapters to be very well done. This was an enlightening book which opens doors and makes you think "Where on earth are we going?" I would give this book 3 stars but I gave the extra star for the extremely interesting facts. This book also gives you a good feeling of the structure of the U.N. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in international political science, the U.N. or interesting theories to prevent the earths head on collision with dooms day via pollution. Check it out!!!
Insightful, Interesting, but more like an autobiography............2002-11-14
Well I must say, this was an interesting read to say the least. To be qiute honest this book was not what I expected from reading the backcover. Much of the book seemed like an autobiograghpy( which isn't too bad since he has lived an intersting live) and the rest was on three main issues, Globalization, the Enviroment, and Politics. Though some of the book was a little dry I found the opening and the final few chapters to be very well done. This was an enlightening book which opens doors and makes you think "Where on earth are we going?" I would give this book 3 stars but I gave the extra star for the extremely interesting facts. This book also gives you a good feeling of the structure of the U.N. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in international political science, the U.N. or interesting theories to prevent the earths head on collision with dooms day via pollution. Check it out!!
Where on Earth are We Going?.......2001-09-20
I've seen both excited and disappointed reviews of Mr. Strong's book; I came down in the middle reaching toward both reactions. The book is the account of a life lived and answers sought with seemingly boundless verve, skill, and fairmindedness. Is is also a book that frequently frustrates the reader by never fully delivering on any of the goals it seems to set for itself. It is first and foremost an autobiography, but noone will completely understand Strong's life from it: most notably he is, to put it mildly, elliptical about the end of his first marriage. That is none of our business, of course, but it does leave a considerable gap in the story. By contrast, he gives copious detail about his many professional associates and their interactions, so that the book is also something of a social register. It is wearying to follow this cavalcade of characters, but it is clearly a measure of how much Strong enjoys his fellow beings, including those who have been difficult for him. It is also, I expect, his sincere effort to acknowledge and thank the many people who toil with great talent and commitment in business, government, and nonprofits who seldom get the public recognition that celebrities and elected leaders get. The book was also, for this reader, a foray into the life of business--a world I rarely investigate--and the account of Strong's rescue and reform of Ontario Hydro actually makes big business sound like fun--and ethical too. But this is one of Strong's great gifts: to straddle business, government, and environmental advocacy, standing lifelong for integrating them, as we all collectively must in the years ahead. So, the book is also a primer on management and organizational reform. By turns, it is also about philosophy--environmental, social, personal, spiritual, legal, economic--whatever is on Strong's horizon at any given point. As leader, facilitator, and exemplar, he has made important contributions to Earth-care and sustainability, and readers will find here many valuable ideas on these issues but no systematic and detailed exposition of them. One does find, however, such an exposition of the author's proposals for UN reform, for another of the many hats this book wears is that it is a partial history of the UN and an account of the issues and problems it confronts--that WE confront as we stumble, however resistantly, toward being a healthy world community. Strong's story takes on a special eloquence and intensity when he tells about the gift he received from a famine-stricken Sudanese woman--the book is worth reading just for this passage.
In sum, this book is a bit of a juggling act, but then juggling countless pursuits has been Strong's forte throughout his life, with the flair and genius of a real performer. If you don't expect a thorough, focussed treatment of one subject, you can surely find something of value in its abundance.
As a final note: the book would have benefitted from more proofreading than it got. There are numerous errors of syntax, punctuation, and the like--even a reversal of pages (346 & 347)--that should have been caught before publication.
Disappointing.......2001-05-25
I read this book hoping that it would be about environmentalism. Instead it is an autobiography of the author. To make matters worse it is not even a good autobiography. While the author has had an interesting life and many diversified experiences in many fields the book doesn't read well. The author, for instance, will note that he took over a new position and he'll go on for pages and pages about who he hired and how competent they were. However in these pages of lavish praise he tells the reader little, if anything, substantive about what they (or he) were doing or accomplishing. This happened over and over through the book until about two thirds of the way through I just gave up reading it. On the positive side he does convey the distrust that the third world feels towards the western nations on environmental issues and discusses ways and bringing the two together. Unfortunately, the book has too many faults and too few virtues.
Book Description
Born in slavery, Charles Young (1864–1922) was the third black graduate of West Point, the first black U.S. military attaché, and the highest-ranking black officer in the Regular Army until his death. Unlike the two black graduates before him, Young went on to a long military career, eventually achieving the rank of colonel. After Young, racial intolerance closed the door to blacks at the academy, and forty-seven years passed before another African American graduated from West Point.
Brian G. Shellum’s biography of Young’s years at West Point chronicles the enormous challenges that Young faced and provides a valuable window into life at West Point in the 1880s. Academic difficulties, hazing, and social ostracism dogged him throughout his academy years. He succeeded through a combination of focused intellect, hard work, and a sense of humor. By graduation, he had made white friends, and his motivation and determination had won him the grudging respect of many of his classmates and professors.
Until now, scholars of African American and military history have neglected this important U.S. Army trailblazer. Young’s experiences at the U.S. Military Academy, his triumph over adversity, and his commitment to success forged the mold for his future achievements as an Army officer, even as the United States slipped further into the degradation and waste of racial intolerance.
Customer Reviews:
Learning from the Past.......2006-05-15
There was a great deal to learn from a story that is over 100 years old. I was unfamiliar with the story of racism at the military academy and this thoroughly researched book provides a great deal of context and thought provoking observations that are useful today.
The author is challenged with finding authoritative resources long after the trail has gone cold but does a great deal of first-hand reporting unearthing historic letters and photos.
I understand there will be followups to this edition which should be a welcome addition to what appears to be a rather small bibliography on the subject.
Uphill Battle.......2006-05-14
Most biographies are about extraordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things. But the story of an ordinary person who makes the most of everything he has can be even more compelling. This is why Black Cadet in a White Bastion is well worth reading. It is a tale of accomplishment through simple perseverance, not complex genius. Brain Shellum details the slave community of Young's birth, the freeman's community of his youth, and the West Point environment where Young struggled for social and academic survival.
Charles Young lived a century before there were television ads selling the Army as the place where you can "Be all you can be." He was ahead of his time, and his story is an inspiration to anyone who seeks to follow in his footsteps, to overcome the odds against them. Author Brian Shellum performs a great service by portraying Young's faults along with his strengths so that we can fully appreciate how hard he had to work to earn his stripes.
Praise for Shellum's Style and Accuracy.......2006-05-10
My book club recently read this insightful biography of Charles Young's birth through graduation from West Point with unanimous praise for Shellum's writing style and solid research. While many military bio's are dense and slow, this book reads with ease and quick pace. As two of our club members are alumni of The Academy, I was not surprised to learn from them that the descriptions of campus life and traditions were accurate and much the same for Young as those from late this century.
Charles Young is the Colin Powell of his time........2006-03-07
What an inspiring story! Luck, pluck and a narrow window of opportunity all lined up for Charles Young, a young African American teacher from Ohio, who knocked on West Point's doors in 1884 and found them open to him. I'm amazed that West Point enrolled Blacks in that period. But as historian and author, Brian Shellum, tells us in BLACK CADET IN A WHITE BASTION, for a short period after 1884, a few African Americans were accepted at West Point. Soon after Young graduated, the military school barred African Americans for fifty years!
Shellum explains that Young struggled at West Point because of intolerance as well because of its challenging curriculum. But Young was a man who never gave up, depending on hard work, tutors, mentors, friends and family to carry him to graduation.
The author outlines the challenges of writing about an individual whose color relegated him to a shadowy existence at West Point. Yet with some diligent and creative research, Shellum pieces together a biography of a hero who clearly became the Colin Powell of his time.
I look forward to Shellum's next installment of Charles Young's extraordinary journey.
Inspiring Story of Perseverance.......2006-02-27
I've just finished reading this skillfully researched book about Charles Young's life. From his birth to parents with roots in Southern slavery to his graduation from West Point, it's a story that reflects a strength of character and purpose against the many odds of the time in which he lived. His struggle against the racism of the time is a story that begs to be told.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2007. The length of the article is 582 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Black Cadet in a White Bastion: Charles Young at West Point.(Book review)
Author: Jennifer R. Green
Publication:
Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 73
Issue: 3
Page: 714(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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