Poythress tackles the issue of Biblical hermeneutics in this book. He seeks to introduce the reader to a Trinitarian approach to interpreting the Bible. He comes up with a whole bunch of triads, which are very similar to Frame's triad in the _Doctrine of the Knowledge of God_. With the triads of purpose, imaging, etc. Poythress shows the analogical nature of human knowledge and language. Of course, the human body and psyche, I believe, are also analogically related to the Trinitarian God. Also, Poythress gets much from Kenneth L. Pikes work (and triangles).
Overall, I think it is very much worthwhile. I was surprised at how *Biblical* Poythress was. He recognized equally and fairly the dangers of both postmodenrism and modernism. This is a good read if you want to know more about the Trinity. If you want a more detailed, longer, and more technical form of this, there is Poythress' *The Supremcy of God in Interpretation* (available, I think, from WTS [215-886-099]).
The reason that I only give it 4 stars is because I found the discussions among Dottie Doctrinalist, Amy Affermationist, Oliver Objectivist, etc. very annoying. They were unnecessary, I think. But, you may find them helpfull. Yet another reason that I didn't quite enjoy the book was that *every* diagram in it was 2D. Squares, triangles, circles, they are all 2D. The world, God's creation, is always 3 dimentional! 2D objects feel unreal and less personal. Well, if these type of things don't bother you, you may find it to be a five star book.

Poythress attempts to develop a hermeneutic of Scripture that is radically God-centered--and in this book he surely succeeds. He argues convincingly that communication, meaning, language, and interpretation all involve triadic perspectives which image the Trinitarian God, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This was a refreshing and incredibly informative book. Although Poythress shows hints of reader-friendliness by employing imaginary dialogues (e.g., with Herman Hermeneutic and Dottie Doctrinalist), his thinking and writing are complex enough to cause the reader to go through the arguments a couple of times. Many times the readers is left wanting further elaboration, as the material provides so much potential for deeper study. In other words, each chapter could easily be turned into a book (something Poythress himself recognizes). In conclusion, I highly recommend the work and encourage others to adopt Poythress' (along with Frame's) multi-perspectival approach to theology and other disciplines and write the other books this one begs for!

The 5-star review is entirely correct. Also gives descriptions of appearances at higher and lower elevations. The thinnish book is a bit large (9"x8") for a hiker to keep handy.Our Navajo guide in Canyon de Chelly only knew the Navajo names of the plants; this book gives Latin, common American, and Navajo names, with indices only for the first two.

This carefully produced book contains a wealth of information for those interested in plants used by the Navajo people in their everyday life on the Reservation and elsewhere. Fine color photographs are provided for the 100 plants, and outstanding black-and-white sketches are provided too. Medicinal, spiritual, and common domestic uses of each plant are listed. A good companion publication for those wanting to know more about what plants grow on the Navajo Reservation is NAVAJOLAND PLANT CATALOG, written by Vernon O. Mayes and James M. Rominger and published in 1994 by National Woodlands Publishing Company (e-mail address: nwpc@traverse.com)

This is collection of short stories that offers a wide mix of speculative genres. Fantasy, SF, horror, and just plain weird. The stories run the gambit and most are good. "Jeo Defined" and "Moon Warrior" were excellent stories and well worth purchasing the book. Even just the so-so stories were enjoyable and all the authors are names to keep a look out for. In the end, this is a book of up and coming writers and a few of them will no doubt be big names someday.

I didn't know what to expect from this collection of short stories but I was happily surprised. The stories cover a wide range from fantasy, science fiction, and horror to those hard to classify strange stories. Each one is worth reading. My favorites were the one about a radio personality who was singing the Siren's song and the one about a criminal who is forced to undergo "augmentation" to control him. Some wild stuff for a great read.

In his attempt to bring together the breadth of knowledge required for the determination of how brain cortical operations underlay perceptual experience, Mountcastle succeeds in providing a scholarly, if accessible volume of relevant material. It does not, however, include a systematic overview of our understanding of the cortex throughout the evolution of the neurosciences. Reading the book from cover to cover in chapter order may prove difficult for those lacking familiarity with the basic principles of neuroscience (cf: Kandel & Schwartz; Kuffler, Nicholls & Martin, for example), the general reader finding this to be a tome of high lexical density which requires an extensive neuropharmacological vocabulary. I would have organised the chapters somewhat differently, and/or cross-referenced chapters for content to help guide the more naive reader. Mountcastle provides no direct answer to the question of what the intrinsic function of the cortex is, but promotes its exploration from a dynamic systems stance, with a view to determining how "a distributed system highlights the dynamic neural representation of one, rather than another, sensory event". Prior to presenting the detailed microstructure of the cerebral cortical tissues, Mountcastle provides an extensive introduction to comparative brain morphology (perhaps unnecessarily long for this volume). Although a very appropriate context to have set in the light of the ontogenetic developmental chapters to come, much of the material contained in chapter 2 is better covered elsewhere (e.g., Pearce 1995; Dunbar, 1998). Chapter 6 finally introduces the reader to their first taste of the neural substrate dynamics core to this monograph's principal thesis. Using the hippocampus as an example of a region known in particular for its neural plasticity, the creation and maintenance of memorial processes (as thought to be effected through LTP and LTD mechanisms) are presented as correlating true causal relationships between identifiable synaptic changes over tine. A fine review is offered here (concise in historical, cytoarchitectonic and neurochemical details) together with a candidate cellular basis for the complex operations of the cortical tissues thought to be involved in learning, memory consolidation, the modulation of novel motor patterns - and - 'perception itself' ? After some 300 pages, I find myself emmensly satisfied and now better informed concerning some of the 'where' and 'what' questions of perception and the structure of cortical tissues, but the 'how' questions and the nature of the intrinsic operations of the neocortex remain unanswered. An excellent review of EEG history and the account of its physiological basis go no further. What does follow, however, are proposals for finer resolution, and thus enhanced cortical microcircuit functional correlates of cognitive activity, revolving around issues of synchronicity, rhythmicity and coherence, but no clear picture is offered as to how such a distributed neocortical system might generate the more 'holistic' central representations of component stimulus features. A surprising ommision from his volume was any mention of the recent work involved with multi-electrode arrays (of which Mountcastle is such a staunch advocate in vivo) which grow nerve networks in electrodynamic culture media. Surely as valuable a contribution is to be made from this work as from those cited in the earlier molecular biology sections of his story as presented here. Whether the field will require a technological and/or paradigm-shift prior to solving the binding problem in perceptual neuroscience awaits future developments. As a compendium of the 'what' and 'where' of the mammalian, human cortex, this volume is essential reading - a potential review text for post-graduate teaching, and a good example of difficult material being successfully collated. I would have preferred a more coherent continuity between chapters (or better cross referencing between them - how was the author's original layout, I wonder ?) so facilitating the navigation of newcomers through this scholarly tour of a single brain region and its geomorphological terrain. For the neuroscience cogniscenti, this is a book of the kind many of us say that we were going to write, but never did. I am pleased that this text was written. More than simply a review, it nonetheless condenses a literature otherwise requiring the space of several boxes in the office. A valuable reference volume for research, teaching and laboratory shelves alike.

References:

Dickinson, A.R. (1997) Hierarchical Organisation in Serial Search Tasks by Cebus apella monkeys. Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Edinburgh. Dunbar, R. (1998)Grooming, Gossip & the Evolution of Language ?

Insel T. (1999) MRI comparative stuff

Kandel & Schwartz; (Vars Eds) Principles of Neuroscience.

Kuffler, Nicholls & Martin (1985 ?) From Neuron to Brain.

Pearce (1995 ?) An Introduction to Animal Cognition. LEA

Perritt (St. Andrews) Pribram's (1971) Languages of the Brain Prentice-Kall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Semendeferi et al., (2000) MRI different apes -

A short review to say that Mountcastle's book is an excellent compendium of important research on the cortex from Meynert to the present. Stylistically the book should appeal to a wide audience; years of teaching medical students tends to make a professor exceedingly accessible (and jaded). Mountcastle's language is lucid and scholastic, and discoveries are always given within their historical framework. Electrophysiologists will gain the most from the book, but there is more than enough on human subjects to please the neuroimagist, and plenty of wetware information for the connectionist hackers as well. Excellent chapters on synpatic modulation, neuroanatomy, and rhythmicity and sychronization in neocortical networks.

I thought the book was great for a harder based floyd fan, which I am. I can possibly see where a more casual fan would find some of the information tedious. If you are looking for a true biography you should check out "A Saucerful of Secrets" by Nicholas Schaffner. That was phenomenal, but if you've read that and were still compelled for more Floyd info, I highly recommend giving this one a try!

Pink Floyd The Press Reports 1966-83 by Vernon Fitch is a must-have for fans of the band and classic rock in general. This book delivers the best manner of telling the stories that make up the history of the band. Why? Because this book gives you chronological press reports and numerous interviews with the band members as they were happening. Many authors have written excellent books on Pink Floyd but who is more qualified to tell the Pink Floyd story better than Pink Floyd themselves? Vernon Fitch has compiled this book from an incredible list of resources. Most impressively, the book begins with press reports about Pink Floyd that were published in 1966. Even then, the press took notice that the band was an important force in the London Underground and seemed destined to become one of rock's most innovative recording and touring acts. The reports follow through the band's first album and Syd Barrett's subsequent departure to their experimentation to forge an identity for themselves as they built towards the pinnacle of their success, "The Dark Side Of The Moon" which stayed on the American Billboard Top 200 album charts for an unprecedented 741 weeks. The book continues and explores the band members' feelings about the pressures of the record business that followed the success "Dark Side" through the mid-70's to their landmark double album release, "The Wall," which would become a multimillion selling album, elaborate stage show and full length feature film. The book ends in 1983 when Roger Waters, the conceptual force behind the band, made his final album with Pink Floyd, "The Final Cut." The history of Pink Floyd, since Waters' departure, has been well publicized. Thanks to Vernon Fitch, we now have an insight into the publicized press reports that preceded Waters' departure.

McGee is very enjoyable, insightful and down to earth. One drawback is that he exclusively quotes the King James Version which is harder to understand and less accurate than other versions. For a more up-to-date and a more in-depth look at Proverbs read THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BOOK OF PROVERBS by Cody Jones (a FIVE star resource).

Every part of it helped me to understand the deep dark sayings of the Bible! I was deeply engrosed into what he had to say about my life. It was like a mini sermon for every few versus thru Proverbs! God has truly blessed Him and deseerves all the credit!!

This is an excellent book about this subject, which is admittedly a very difficult one to discuss. Unfortunately, the author felt obligated at one point to couch the discussion in terms of men's supposed need to control women -- despite the fact that many of the abusive siblings were female. One gets the impression that the author was forced to do this by an feminist editor or as the result of pressure from academic colleagues. He even cites Straus, Gelles & Steinmetz, without mentioning that their research confirmed that wives are as violent as husbands. What's interesting about this is that anyone who's been around feminist academics can't possibly be blind to the fact that women can be incredibly controlling and are capable of all kinds of interesting revenge when thwarted.

As the survivor of over 15 years of sibling sexual abuse, this book was a godsend. For the first time, sibling incest was legitimized and shown to be just as damaging, if not more so, than parent/child incest. Very supportive and helpful.

This is an excellent, well written, fast paced novel of intrigue, conspiracy and deception at the highest level of government based around the search for a cure for Alzheimer's.

The protagonist is a likeable fellow who I expect may show up in Avila's subsequent novels.

What a surprise! I don't usually go for medical thrillers, but this story had me hooked from the first page! What I liked most about this novel is that the story is about much more than medicine, it's the story of a young man's journey from humble beginnings to the competitive and sometimes corrupt world of medical research. His story alone was enough to sustain my interest, but the shocking 'second layer' of the story really kept me glued to the book. I was not prepared for the twists and turns the story took and I was truly shocked by the conclusion. After reading this novel you will never look at medical headlines again without wondering about the backstabbing and scandal that may have occured in the name of scientific progress. I highly recommend you take a chance on this terrific novel, you won't be disappointed.

This book should be old news, but it's not. The United States and Iraq skillfully manipulated and limited media coverage during the 1991 Persian Gulf war, and now years after the fact, we're left with a hazy view of what took place in the desert. What this book does very well -- what others have failed to do so far -- is give the reader an up-close view of five tank lieutenants' experiences during the war. These five officers offer a very honest account. Their prose predictably drifts into gung-ho military speak on occasion, and with five lieutenants writing about similar experiences, it's hard to figure out which officer is which. But those things aside, the book offers a great unfiltered -- and uncensored -- account of what it was like to be a young officer thousands of miles from home and facing combat for the first time. It's an interesting and haunting narrative.

I heard about this book a few years ago while attending OCS, but reading it took on a new sense of urgency with the possibility of fighting the Iraqi Army again.

What these 5 young leaders did, not only during Operation Desert Shield/Storm, but also in taking the time & energy to put it down on paper, is absolutely invaluable to company grade officers. As an Mech Infantry Company Commander with no combat experience, I feel that I am better prepared for what lies ahead now that I have been exposed to this book. The candor of the 5 authors is a welcome relief.

Thank you to the 5 authors for providing today's military leaders with a glipmse into the most difficult leadership situation known to mankind...leading soldiers into battle.

I served with Alex Vernon and the other authors in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Their book was a powerful trip down memory lane for me. The strength of Eyes of Orion is its honest look at the challenges of military service from the eyes of junior officers. It is indeed painfully honest. Though Alex and I were in the same company and talked often, even I didn't know how much he struggled with the experience. To me he was a calm and competent platoon leader. I think that says a lot about the masks we put on, especially when commanding soldiers. If you are interested in the psychology of leadership and people under stress then read this book.

I saw on television part of a lecture the author gave at UC and was very impressesd with him and wanted to read his book. The highlights of his life given in the lecture covered the only interesting parts of the book, his childhood. The book is poorly written which might be acceptable if he wrote it alone, but he didn't, he had help. His childhood experiences growing up in a segregated society are interesting and his perspectives on segregation are, too, but once he graduates from law school he moves from one position to the next, seemingly moving up by being the right person in the right place at the right time knowing the right people. He must have been capable and a hard worker to handle those positions and, clearly, he learned people skills but there is nothing to indicate his thoughts or positions on any of the issues with which he was confronted except in the most general way. Nothing comes across as showing him as being inspiring, charismatic, or even interesting other than his being where he was, with the people he connected with and the times he participated in. The people he dealt with were giants, Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley as two examples in the legal profession, but he gives no insights into any of these people or even interesting anecdotes. Just a list of who they were. His reportage of his contacts with the Clintons, early on, after Bill lost his bid for re-election to the Governorship was that he told them that Hillary should stop using her maiden name and start using Clinton and when she did Bill got re-elected. There is absolutely no sense of the man, or of his contemporaries or, even, really, his times. Having lived through most of them, myself, I can place his story in the context of the times but for younger readers without a sense of the historical context it can't seem very inspiring. I'm glad I didn't buy the book but only borrowed it from the public library.

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.'s "Vernon Can Read! A Memoir" is an exceptional piece of literature. Once I started reading I could not stop. Every page filled me with compassion and empathy towards Mr. Jordan. His life, His times, and His integrity . . . Make him one of the most outstanding individuals of this time.

I applaud Mr. Jordan in the way that he successfully ties past, present, and future. As an educator, I was inspired by Mr. Jordan's consistency, determination, and drive.

Thank you Mr. Jordan for such a lovely display of an African American family who kept their foundation through love, faith, and courage!

I listened to the unabridged audio cassette version of Vernon Can Read! This is a wonderful book. It has many dates and events in African American history of which Mr. Jordan contributed to, experienced and/or witnessed. These events are not only significant in the life of Mr. Jordan but also in the history of African Americans. The book is well written and easy to read and/or listen to. I told my five year old son about the experience of young Vernon Jordan and Mr. Maddock. It was inspiring to my son and we often listen to that portion of the tape while driving home from school. Mr. Jordan wanted the book to inspire his children and grandchildren and I suspect that it has. The book has also inspired my son. I highly recommend this book.