This is an absolutely excellent book about what is truly going on in relationships! The author's will probably tell you what you don't want to hear about yourself, but if you are ready to face it, this book will take you to another life. This book makes us face how our own insecurities and inferiorities are having a destructive influence on our relationships. It forces us to change for the better. If you like this book, you will also like "Rhythm, Relationships, and Transcendence" by Toru Sato. It is a great book on a similar topic but explained from a different perspective. I recommend both of them highly!

My partner and I were stuck. After 2 years together we seemed to be at a crisis in our relationship, and we didn't know whether to get married or split up. Overall we had a GREAT relationship, but things had gotten weird lately. I'd been critical, he'd been withdrawn. What was going on? This book jumped out at me from the amazon.com web site, so I got it and read it in about a week. It was an eye-opener. So many times I recognized myself in these patterns of behavior (or, if I didn't see myself, I saw the behaviors told to me by friends who'd been in failed relationships.) I've read a lot of self-help books, and this is among the best. Clear, well-organized, concise ideas with just the right number of case studies & examples. If you're having trouble in your relationships, maybe not even "big" trouble, just nagging kinds of things.... you will be amazed by the TRUTH of these ideas & observations about relationships. (Same authors have also written "How to Make Your Second Marriage a First-Class Success" which I also recommend.)

What a timely book! It exposes the reality of human connection over the fantasy. And how long can the fantasy last? Powerful truth for those looking to last...as couples and as individuals in our rough and tumble world...

I read this book when I was 16 and I remember it still vividly in my mind in my 30's. For anyone who has ever dreamed of living in the mountains beyond civilization this is a must read. I will never for get the wolf and the bathroom scene. From the moment you pick it up you are entertained. You will not want to put it down!!!!

This book is hilarious. The things he puts his family through in this tale will have you holding your sides laughing. I remember Jack as a regular on the Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin shows. He was a comedy writer for all the biggies in the late 50s and early 60s. Another of his is "The Neighbors Are Scaring My Wolf," about life in suburban Connecticuit. I read all his books when I was a teenager in high school. I highly reccomend reading anything this man wrote, he's great.

I read it years ago when I was a teenager. I remember it to be the funniest book I've read then and is still in my top three funniest. I am buying it now at age 35 for a camping trip this May. I'll spend the evenings reading it again. If you like McManus, you will love this. Yeee-haaa

"Being someone who has been studying metaphysical principles for many years, I like the fact that the book gets right into the teaching. The pictures I find very soothing and relaxing so that the mind clears and allows me to connect easily with my higher self or soul body."

There are so many books and so little time. However, SOULIC JOURNEYS is a rare find that immediately grabs your attention. This book first attracts you with its beautiful and mesmerizing art but then it touches your very soul as you read through its insightful messages.

Thanks for your awe-inspiring "Soulic Journeys" art exibit and guide. I have been taking it in slowly and enjoying it immensely! Its truly a testimonial in all ways as to how spirituality and creative growth potential is available to anyone who is desirous. It's a treasure that I'm sure I'll read over and over. And the artwork transcends the soul!

This book examines the ongoing (1655-1680) conflict between Thomas Hobbes and Oxford's Savilian Professor of Mathematics, John Wallis, over the squaring of the circle and related problems of Euclidian geometry. To the end of his long life, Hobbes asserted that he had succeeded in squaring the circle, and Wallis refuted him again and again. This "war" extended beyond mathematics, to, to each man's religious beliefs and politics.
What interested me most immediately was the cast: the people involved and their intellectual and personal relationships. Hobbes' first public involvement with squaring the circle, was his intervention in the dispute between the Danish mathematician Longoburg (Longomontanus) and John Pell. Interestingly, Hobbes demonstrated that Pell was correct in rejecting Longomontanus's claim to having squared the circle. Pell was author of an essay regarding establishment of a library of mathematical books and instruments. That essay was published as an appendix to his friend John Dury's The Reformed Librarian. Pell and Dury were part of the Hartlib circle, as was Theodor Haak, who reported Hobbes' role in the Pell/Longomontanus dispute to John Aubrey. After that we see Henry Oldenburg, secretary of the Royal Society, asking Hobbes to make up a list of mathematical texts. Presumably, the list was for Robert Boyle. In 1658 we find Thomas White and Kenelm Digby carrying communications between Fermat and Fenicle de Bessey in France and Lord Brouncker and Wallis in England. White, a Jesuit, had headed the English College at Douai; he had engaged Hobbes in debate over Galileo's Dialogues; and, at the end of a long life of intellectual distinction, he was caught up in the Popish Plot fabricated by Simon Oates. Etc.
It's worth describing the problem of squaring the circle, because it accounts for so much. Simply put: can a square be constructed that has the same area as a given circle, or vice versa? The key to the answer is in the word "constructed." By means of certain curves, such a square or circle can be defined. But those curves cannot be constructed using the classical instruments: ruler and compasses. Essentially, we're dealing with the transcendental character of pi, something that wasn't proved mathematically until the early 19th century.
Jesseph asks the question: why did Hobbes insist so long, to the end of his life, that he had squared the circle? Wallis refuted him again and again, but Hobbes hung on like a snapping turtle. Answering the question opens a window on the political, philosophical, social, and mathematical developments of the time. To summarize:
Hobbes's materialist philosophy brought him to support Isaac Barrow in Barrow's contention with Wallis over the primacy of geometry over arithmetic. These were the two components of classical mathematics, geometry dealing with continuous quantities and arithmetic with discrete. Barrow held that geometry was primary because it dealt with real physical reality, like distances and area, whereas numbers were abstractions: 1, 2, 3, etc. are concepts drawn from one egg, two brothers, three ships, and the like.
Hobbes' Erastianism--his contention in Leviathan that the king should be ruler over the religion of his subjects--placed him on the side of the Independents (congregationalists) against the Presbyterians in Protectorate religious politics. Hobbes, himself an atheist, felt that the Independents could be more easily be brought to heel by the King than the Presbyterians. Wallis was a Presbyterian, had even been Secretary of the Westminster Assembly.
Hobbes shared with the eduicational reformer John Webster and the Independent preacher William Dell a mistrust of the universities as temples to the scholasticism deriving from Aquinas. Wallis and his friend Seth Ward, Savilian Professor of Astronomy, were both actively involved in defending the universities from these attacks.
Of particular interest is the first of these issues. The debate between geometry and arithmetic came to the fore at this time because the distinction between the two was breaking down. Descartes (1637) and then Viete (1646) had defined analytical geometry. Napier (1620s?) had derived the logarithm from his work on the geometrical problem of the parallax. Cavalieri (1635) developed a "method of indivisibles": parallel slices of a geometric figure which, taken together, define the figure. Where this all is going, it seems to us in Whiggish hindsight, is toward notions of infinity, infinite series, and Newton's calculus.
I'll close by noting that Jesseph responds to Shapin and Schaffer, who, in their Leviathan and the Air-Pump, make "the success or failure of a scientific research program entirely independent of the truth or falsehood of the program's central claims." Jesseph calls their approach Wittgensteinian, but it was recognized when the book came out as post-modernist radicalism: science as pure social construct, without necessary basis in either the physical world or agreed canons of reason and method. The fact that Hobbes persisted so long in his claims is certainly less important than that after 1670 he was no longer taken seriously as a mathematician, except insofar as Wallis took the time and effort to refute him in the Transactions of the Royal Society.

On the surface, this book seems an unlikely candidate for my enthusiasm. It appears to be 500 pages of minutia. In fact, the author starts out by saying it is an expansion of a footnote to an early work on the relatively obscure Calvinist mathematician Wallis. How perfectly academic! If that doesn't put the book out of reach, look forward to reading about 1000 footnotes.

Regardless, I think this a great book. Once I got comfortable with the terms, I realized this might be construed as something much more interesting than the traditional 'discovery' of mathematical truths. I'm still not exactly sure how to characterize it, but I'm having fun thinking it a history of science fiction. After all, 'squaring the circle' is the 17th century equivalent to predicting the winner of the Kentucky Derby or tomorrow's change in the Dow Jones Industrials. I may be stretching a bit here, but there is clearly more on the plate than justifying 17th century mathematic revolutions with apples falling on the head of a reclining Newton.

Rather than placing the subject matter in purely mathematical terms, Jesseph considers his material in a wider context, one that makes room for Restoration style science fiction. Keep in mind that Newton's alchemy was an early form of teleportation and the monads of Leibnitz took advantage of an early warp drive. Despite overtly humiliating Hobbs for his mathematical errors, its clear that Jesseph finds Hobbs the ultimate winner. Hobbs suffers no more from his lapse of academic rigor than any contemporary science fiction author. And like Jules Verne, the spirit of his ideas has won if not his details. The political science advocated by Hobbs in Leviathan is hard to distinguish from contemporary standards. Hobbs advocated severely limiting the legal authority of church bishops, scientific materialism and the notion that good laws could produce a good society. Meanwhile, Wallis would be known as a dogmatic right-wing Christian fundamentalist. Further, most of us are convinced that science has 'solved' the problem of 'squaring the circle' which is all Hobbs was advocating, anyway.

And so, Jesseph does a subtle job of indicting my modern sensibility. Painting Hobbs to be the fool, he is actually pointing a finger at my happy secular humanism. Bravo!

So, why is squaring the circle so tricky?

In short, an attempt to find the circle which is exactly 1 square foot in area forces us to confront conflicting intuitions about how we prove the existence of 'real' objects. Try it out for yourself. It is something you can attempt with pencil and paper, or better... try it with a home computer. One of the great things about this book is that it lays out the mathematical issues clearly enough that anyone with high school algebra and maybe an ability to write an excel spreadsheet, can play the 17th century geometer and mathematician. I had a great time doing a 'quadrature' in Excel. If you are interested, I'll email you the spreadsheet (see users.htcomp.net/markmills).

In summary, I think Jessup's book fits into a broad, ongoing reappraisal of mathematical history. I can identify 3 trends, 'Squaring the circle belonging to the 3rd and most important of them:

1. Bringing non-western mathematics to western readers. The best of this is the ongoing research into ancient Chinese mathematics. See 'Chinese Mathematics: A Concise History', Li Yan, Du Shiran, John N. Crossley, Anthony W.-C. Lun, Shih-Jan Tu or 'Astronomy and Mathematics in Ancient China: The Zhou Bi Suan Jing', Christopher Cullen. In short, most of what the Europeans called 'new' math in the 1500s had been around for 500 years in China.

2. Finding a physiological basis for mathematic intuitions. Check out the cognitive research described by 'Where Mathematics Comes From: How the Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics into Being', George Lakoff, Rafael E. Nunez, Rafael Nuñez. All you really need to read is the first chapter. The rest is rather speculative.

3. Reappraising the conventional myths about heroic ancient European mathematicians. Unless your ambition is a tenured job teaching the history of math, you will have a great time reading sensible inquiries into pre-modern western math. Take a look at 'Biographies of Scientific Objects , Lorraine Daston (Editor), or Pappus of Alexandria and the Mathematics of Late Antiquity, Serafina Cuomo.

One cannot help wondering why two scholars did engage in such a fiercely dispute for half of their intellectual life. John Wallis, Oxford's Savilian professor of geometry had no trouble in exposing time and again the mathematical short-commings in the preposterous claims of so ill equiped an amateur mathematician as Thomas Hobbes. But why was the battle so intense and why should it cover nearly a quarter of a century, producing hundreds of letters, books and publications? Even more bewildering is the fact that the subject of the debate, squaring the circle, was later proved to be impossible and that neither the claims of Hobbes nor the rebuttals of Wallis contributed anything significant to the field of mathematics. Fortunately, Douglas Jesseph provides adequate answers to these questions in this excellent work on 17th century history of mathematics. A study of these important controversies sheds light on the reform of mathematics in the 17th century and exposes the widely divergent philosophical conceptions of mathematics to which both antagonists adhered.

A first fundamental issue concerned Hobbes' materialistic foundation of mathematics where Wallis reasoned from the traditional account that mathematical facts do not depend on the structure of the material world. A second source of dispute was the completely different concept of ratios: Wallis defended that those ratios could only be applied to homogoneous quantities. Thirdly, the angle of contact between a circle and its tangent was a subject of wilful misunderstanding from the part of Wallis. Finally, the important 17th-century debate on infinitesimal small quantities was heavily criticised by Hobbes and although he did not develop an alternative, his objections to some of the obscurities of Wallis' arithmetic of infinities were well justified. These disputed foundations on the philosophy of mathematics were not the only sources of the irreconcilable conflict. Wallis and Hobbes also held opposing views on methodological issues such as the nature of demonstration and the centuries-old discussion on analytic and synthetic methods. For Hobbes all demonstration must arise from causes and as such he rejected techniques from algebra and analytic geometry in which one starts by assuming the truth of the proposition that is ultimately sought and deduces consequences from that assumption. In doing so he tossed aside the tools that might have helped him in his desperate attempt to make his mark as mathematician. Apart from diverging views on the fundaments of mathematics and methodological issues, religious and political positions play part in explaining the controversy. Wallis fitted neatly into the reformed tradition while Hobbes' religious opinions stood far apart. Hobbes was excluded from the newly established Royal Society for ideological and personal reasons and as such was deprived from a forum to respond to his critics. His political opinions and his vitriolic polemics at universities brought him into conflict with many important people and explain at least some of the vehemence with which the dispute was conducted. However, Jesseph refrains from pursueing sociological reductionist account and spends part of the last chapter convincingly demonstrating the inadequacy of a purely sociological explanation of the dispute. By uncovering the conceptual gulf dividing Hobbes and Wallis, Jesseph succeeds in demonstrating important differences in the philosophy of mathematics in the 17th century and explains why these two men engaged in such ferocious fight. Objectively, Hobbes miserably failed attempt at the solution of classic geometric problems makes him the loser of this dispute. But one can feel in this book also some sympathy for the consequent way in which Hobbes rigorously applied principles of his philosophy to mathematics and ultimately rejected classical geometry to avoid an even worse fate: the refutation of his own philosophy.

Having been the first paltoon to go through training at Nha Thrang with the Special Forces once 51st Infantry LRRP was formed. I can honestly say Gary speaks the truth. Many of the incidents recorded in the book were shared with some of my fellow employees where I work at. To my surprise one afternoon, a friend presented me with a copy of the book. Many things that I had related to him were in the book. I am very glad the book was written. I had no idea that the unit was awarded so many awards for valor.

This book is a must for those interested in what really happened in LRP units in Vietnam. The bond that existed among these men and the sacrifices they would make for each other was what the LRP's were all about. Mr. Ford is the only credible author to come out of F/51st LRP, and his book, like those of Kenn Miller, Rey Martinez,Kregg Jorgensen and a small handful of others are must reads if you are either a military history buff, or just want to know the truth.

I find this book very imformative. Having been with a LRRP/RANGER (Echo 50/75) I think that the writer lived it, and knew just what he was talking about. Roadrunner6 out

By Carolyn Purden, Toronto Star
Moral issues, ethical concerns and spiritual matters are themes in the work of many contemporary North American writers, singers, painters and sculptors. Religious imagery and symbolism abound.
Yet how much do these themes and literary devices reflect the artists' beliefs?
This is the question posed by Douglas Todd, author of The Soul-Searcher's Guide to the Galaxy.
In Brave Souls, he questions 28 artists about their work and the philosophy and beliefs central to their lives. The eclectic group includes film director Paul Verhoeven, sculptor Bill Reid, cartoonist Lynn Johnston, Inuk singer Susan Aglukark and writer Carol Shields.
Nearly all attended worship in their youth, and a few still attend occasionally. But all are troubled by religious orthodoxy and their spiritual search is taking place outside institutional religion.
Their responses provide a range of spiritual insights that Todd groups in four sections: the atheists; the doubters; the new ancients, whose faith is rooted in organized religion, and the emerging mystics.
Some common themes emerge. Johnston speaks for several artists when she says she cannot accept Christ's divinity. "I'm starting to see other people as divine, too -- such as saints and exceptional people," she says.
Many artists echo Shields' belief in the centrality of love.
"It's your basic molecule," she comments. "Why else would we make an effort to be sort of good in the world and with one another, if it weren't for this kind of mystical connection that holds us together?"
Robertson Davies, interviewed shortly before his death, talked of his lifetime interest in the Christian heresy of Gnosticism, which led him to a belief in God's feminine aspect. Singers Susan Aglukark and Bruce Cockburn reveal they have continuing conversations with God.
Timothy Findley has felt the presence of God in the vast Arctic barrens.
Writer Laurence Gough says he experienced the presence of God while keeping a deathbed vigil. Of his stepfather's death, Gough recalls "a real sense of rustling in the air -- a sense he had risen up out of himself, of something leaving him when he died. And not just life itself. but something far more powerful than that."
Todd has skilfully culled the essence of each artist's beliefs. It all makes fascinating, and, at times, thought-provoking reading.

Douglas Todd, the highly respected Vancouver Sun journalist, has examined the spirituality of Canadian writers and artists in his important book, Brave Souls.
Remarks by Reginald Bibby, Canada's leading religion pollster, in his 2002 book, Restless Gods: The Renaissance of Religion in Canada

This Book was soooooooooooooooo good. The religious doo daa really spoke to me. The fight scenes were buetiffully decribed with lots of detail. The bond betwen the author and Joe really stode out.

really interesting read. rainey has a way of making something seem very fresh. his plots always seem original, even when they are not. great stories. great descriptions at times. what rainey is really master at, however, is the angle. he writes a story from a certain angle, making it very intersting. his stories are at their best the most refreshing stories i read in horror. very enjoyable

The Last Trumpet is a bone chilling collection of short stories by Stephen Mark Rainey. All the stories though different, are inter-connected in an interesting way. A treasure worth keeping in your library. Very well written, it's true horror at it's finest. If you like all things Cthulhu as I do, you won't be disappointed. Breathes new life into the workings of the Atonal and Avante Garde music scene.

Rainey does what so many Cthulhu Mythos fans cannot - he takes the idea of unknowable horror, things that see us as nothing, and places that idea firmly in the modern day without doing a Lovecraft pastiche. His stories in this volume are all connected by locale, but range in horror from trapped heroes, doomed to a grisly fate, to a feisty futuristic heroine, fighting for survival after the stars have become right. Satisfying work, set in the Mythos, but without the standard trappings so many authors feel necessary to throw in (the million moldy volumes, rattling through the entire Old One pantheon, etc.). Highest recommendations. I've just ordered Balak, his novel, after finishing the collection, and can't wait for it to arrive!

What Dads Can't Do is written from a preschooler's admiring perspective of a dad's helpful habits. Any father will be delighted to think that perhaps some of that self-sacrifice is perceived in positive ways by the tykester set. This book would make a wonderful gift from a preschooler to her or his father for Father's Day. The humorous, warm watercolors of Stegosaurus-type dinosaurs make the messages tickle your laughter button even more than would usually occur with these dry one-liners.

"There are lots of things/ that regular people can do/ but dads can't."

" . . . can't cross the street without holding hands."

"Dads can push, but they can't swing."

"Dads can't pitch a baseball very hard or hit one very far."

"When dads play hide-and-seek they always get found, but they have a hard time finding you."

"They aren't very good wrestlers."

"Dads lose at checkers/ and cards/ and almost every other game."

"Dads aren't good at sleeping late. They can't comb their hair or shave by themselves."

"Dads like to go camping but they need lots of help setting up the tent." "And cooking."

As you can see, the manly virtues being praised here are inclusiveness and helpfulness. When dad operates like mom, then he "can't" do something . . . but that's really all right.

My favorites in the book include:

"Dads seem to have trouble holding on to their money." This is combined with an illustration of a dad buying a child a toy in a store.

"Dads like to go fishing, but they don't like to go alone. And they need extra practice baiting the hook."

"Dads can't read a book by themselves."

"Sometimes they leave a night-light on because they're a little scared of the dark."

"And most of all, whatever happens, a dad never ever stops loving you."

The book is written in such a way that this book can be seen as being about a dad who's married to a wonderful mom, one who's divorced and whose children are visiting, or to a single dad who's raising children by himself. I liked that feature very much.

The book is also appealing because it will make a dad feel good whenever he does one of these things. He knows that his son or daughter will appreciate his consideration from having read this book. So having this book available in your house is a little bit like making every day Father's Day!

After you finish the book, dad, you can develop even more closeness by asking your wee ones what else dad can't do. I'm sure they'll come up with some dillies to amuse one and all.

Find more ways to help . . . because you never stand higher in the world's estimation than when you stoop to aid another.

Douglas Wood and Doug Cushman have gotten together and authored a terrific book about Dads. These poor creatures would be lost without their little ones to help them. Dads can't cross streets without holding hands, they're always found right away in a game of hide and seek, but they can never find you and they can't comb their hair or shave by themselves. Dads can't see you hiding your lima beans at dinner, can't read books by themselves and sometimes leave a night light on in your room because they're afraid of the dark...(they like to check under the bed and in the closet too). There are just so many things Dad can't do..... Mr Wood really captures the essence of a pre-schooler in this delightful picture book. His sweet and gentle text is complimented by Mr Cushman's expressive and detailed illustrations, as we watch father and son dinosaurs help each other through their day. What Dads Can't Do makes a wonderful father's day gift and many a Dad will be charmed as he shares this book with his little dinosaur. There is one thing Dads are really the best at...They never stop loving you!

Even though the recommended age range for this book is 4-6, my two-year-old son loves this. He goes to his bookshelf specifically for it, "Dads can't!" I think this book shows the value of patience and mutual appreciation between parents and children, and I love it, too! The dad in the story reminds me of my husband, who is REALLY a wonderful dad!

Simply the best reference for learning about the cruise experience and comparing ships. Should be required reading for anyone contemplating a holiday on a cruise ship.

I disagree with the reviewers who say Mr. Ward is too picky. I WANT someone who is a detail freak and VERY picky when describing cruises they have been on. The issues he chooses to criticize are important to me too - but I wouldn't even know these issues existed if he gave only bland perfunctory reviews. My first cruise was a TOTAL disaster because I didn't do my homework. This book helped me do my homework and find out what was important to me on a cruise. Lots of decisions: do you want to be around kids? Then travel during a peak holiday like Easter Break, Christmas, etc. Do you want to hear blaring PA announcements all day every 15 minutes in 3 languages? Certain ships do this, certain ones don't. Do you want to travel with 3,000 other people with frantic activity all day long, or would you be more comfortable around only 500 people in quieter more elegant surroundings? Mr. Ward can help you structure the questions to ask yourself so you can make an informed decision. His reviews are the ones used on a huge website travel agency - (It starts with an E.) I just booked a cruise with them based largely on Mr. Ward's reviews. Mr. Ward helped me quickly pick out the exact kind of cruise on the exact kind of ship that I wanted. I didn't realize I had so many choices and so much control over my environment and itinerary. The only criticism I would have about the book is that the typeface is a bit small. I can read it easily without glasses, but it is smaller than I would prefer. However, if the typeface were larger, the book would probably have to be 200 pages longer. I would recommend this book to anyone cruising for the first time who knows NOTHING. Plenty of info so you can make an informed decision - or at least start you in the right direction. The other cruise guide books I read gave the same general advice without the ship reviews. The general advice was so similar in each book it felt like plagiarism. I would recommend starting with Mr. Ward FIRST.

Detailed and descriptive, this reference is "tops" in the field. Doug Ward's high standards and detailed critique of ships will enable you to select a ship and itinerary so that, upon disembarkation, you'll be thinking of your NEXT cruise vacation. Bon Voyage!