This is one of the few text books I kept after the class. It's an invaluable general botany reference. The text is very readable, yet covers the material in great depth, which is no small feat considering the scope of the book.

After meditating upon chapter one by the river a top the mountain, my essence dissociated from my body and i saw Buddha in a vission.

Translation: get this book!

When I first looked at this book I didn't tought I would learn so much from it. The book can get you interested even if you aren't interested from the beginning. The layout is excellent and written in a very userfriendly way. Really recommend it!

Another wonderful book from Illumination Arts is Cornelius and the Dog Star, words by Diana Spyropulos and illustrations by Ray Williams. While resting in his easy chair one evening, cantankerous old Cornelius Basset-Hound takes his last breath. Suddnely he is swept up into a brilliant tunnel of light, which takes him directly to the gates of Dog Heaven. There he meets Saint Bernard, who turns him away.

Feeling confused and alone, Cornelius is befriended by Sirius, the Dog Star, and other angelic helpers. As his amazing journey unfolds, Cornelius learns the value of generosity, kindness, playfulness and love. This book is for older readers. Illumination Arts chooses the most wonderful and talented illustrators--again this book is full of terrific watercolors.

Cornelius and the Dog Star is about Cornelius the basset hound. Cornelius is a grumpy, miserable old grouch who hates that his wife likes to help people, has to take care of his children, and who thinks life is a waste.

Until he takes a nap and suddenly goes somewhere in a tunnel with a bright light--which means he is in doggy heaven.

Then St. Bernard comes and tells him he is not ready for doggy heaven.

Find out about Cornelius' journey with Sirius the Dog Star and what his life becomes.

I really think this book is a great book for every age and has the most wonderful pictures that ever were.

Beautiful and great.

Taking the high road is "Cornelius and the Dog Star", by Diana Spryopulos, illustrations by Ray Williams. "Cornelius Basset-Hound, citizen of Dogberry county," the book starts, "did not believe in playing games or having adventures." Then he must confront the deeper meaning of life and learn the value of love.

Suspend your critter-cal faculties, and this agreeably illustrated tale with a tail moves right along. And, as in all takes of journeying, all's well that ends well.

God @ Ground Zero is a remarkable book and unlike other "9/11" books because it is so filled with grace and beauty in the awful tragedy that occurred. I wept and hurt as I read, but also saw hope and was so encouraged by the touch and conversations. I hope this book gets widely read - it is beautiful - and I am so much more aware of how God can use each of us in a very real way, to listen, to come alongside, to "be there" for one another. It is excellent!

This book is PERFECT for those with questions like "why did I survive" "how can I move on from here?" and "how could God let this happen?"
Like most people, it all came rushing back on Sept 11, 2002, and this book reminded me of all the questions I'd had a year ago, and simply set aside. Though I'm not a particularly religious person, I think this book can be read by anyone believing in a higher power. I do believe in God, and I have, like so many others, wondered how God could let such a thing as Sept 11 happen. Chaplain Ray's book is extraordinary, and while he doesn't (and can't) give all the answers, his discussions with those at ground zero and around New York gave me comfort, and made me realize we were all asking the same questions.
It's not as heart-wrenching as some of the other books available, as it begins after the towers collapse. There are personal accounts from witnesses, and Chaplain Ray's stories as he sifts through ground zero in the first few days alongside greiving workers are amazing.

I read this book in one day. It was captivating. Giunta explains what so many people experienced in the days following Sept. 11. There were many details I learned from this book that wasn't mentioned in other media. So many people were affected by this tragedy, not just those whose lost loved ones. Giunta tells of the true heroism of our citizens in poignant ways. Don't be put off by the title if you're not religious. Giunta is not an "in-your-face" preacher. If you are religious, by all means, read it. All of us could use a little more of the faith Giunta has. There was one disturbing fact that emerged from his book that hasn't been mentioned before. Giunta's personal life story is brief but very touching.

~
Despite its unfortunate title, this is one of the most readable and informative books I've read about Tibetan Tantra. It's not a "first book" -- not one of those books that makes converts, like Walpola Rahula's "What the Buddha Taught," or the Dalai Lama's "Art of Living," or Suzuki Roshi's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." Those books distill the Buddhism into a single powerful, moving message, leaving behind everything distracting or extraneous -- they're basically the Four Noble Truths, told again, told new. If you want a simple introduction to Buddhism, read one of those, not this.

This is a completely different kind of book. It's full of details and byways. What's the difference between Nyingma, Gelugpa, Kagyu, and Sakya? What are the four different Ngondro practices? What's a Yidam? What's Tummo? What are all those Kayas, and how do they signify? How is Mahamudra different from Dzogchen?

If you're not already a Tibetan Buddhist, you probably don't want to know these things. If you just became one, don't mess with all that stuff yet: find a good teacher, listen to what he or she says, ask a lot of questions, and meditate a lot.

This is, however, a great book for a year or two down the road, when you've settled down to some practice and are starting to get irritated by all the terminology you still don't know, and all the references to persons, places, practices, and things that everyone seems to think you'd just magically already know about. This book is sort of like that trusted friend you sidle up to after puja to ask, "so just what *is* a Bhumi, anyway?"

Not that The Secret of the Vajra World doesn't have its inspiring moments. The story of the 16th Karmapa's death in a Western hospital is very moving, as are the stories of various Westerners on retreat. Ray's own commitment and inspiration come through very clearly. But the book's main virtues are accuracy and detail. There's simply a lot of information here, easy to find, easy to digest, about what people who practice Tibetan Buddhism actually do, how they do it, and why they do it.

Secret Of The Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism Of Tibet by Reginald A. Ray (Professor of Buddhist Studies, Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado) is the second and final volume of "The World of Tantric Buddhism" series from Shambhala Publications. A straightforward presentation written in plain accessible terms for readers at all Buddhist studies and experience levels, Secret Of The Vajra World deftly explores the foundations of Vajrayana, the essence of Tantric Buddhist philosophies, and applications of Buddhist principles and insights to one's own personal life, bodhisattvas in the world, and a great deal more. Secret Of The Vajra Worlds is a very welcome, superbly presented, truly comprehensive introduction focusing upon a unique and profoundly important aspect of Buddhist spiritual practice.

Reginald Ray (or "Reggie," as his students call him) is a Professor of Buddhist Studies at Naropa University and at the University of Colorado here in Boulder. He was a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and is now a senior teacher (or "acharya") in that lineage. He is also a frequent contributor to the "Shambhala Sun" magazine. Reggie recently led a weekend meditation retreat at Naropa, in which he demonstrated his ability as a teacher to give practical application to Tibetan Buddhism in the modern world. It is his same remarkable ability to give ordinary meaning to the otherwise esoteric teachings and practices of Tibetan Buddhism that makes Reggie's SECRET OF THE VAJRA WORLD such a compelling book.

This is the companion volume to Ray's previous book, INDESTRUCTIBLE TRUTH (2000). Whereas his earlier book examined the Hinayana (the "lesser vehicle") and Mahayana (the "great vehicle") traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, this book focuses on the Vajrayana ("adamantine") vehicle. In Buddhism, one's spiritual life is viewed as a progressive journey through these three "yanas," or stages. (p. 66). When read together, these two volumes provide us with a broad survey of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Hinayana vehicle consists of entering the path of Buddhism by taking refuge, and then training oneself in ethics, meditation, and wisdom. The Mahayana vehicle involves taking the bodhisattva vow to liberate all beings from suffering (p. 67). The "indestructible vehicle" of Vajrayana is a more advanced level of bodhisattva practice, in which the tantric practitioner works to fulfill his bodhisattva vow through yoga, meditation, and retreat practices (p. 68). The Vajrayana practice examines the nature of reality "beyond emptiness" (p. 87). The vajra practitioner, Trungpa Rinpoche taught, "is extremely sharp, intellectual, analytical" and relates with things precisely . . . "precisely open and clear, analytically cool, cold, possibly unfriendly, but always on the dot. Seeing all the highlights of things as they are" (p. 135).

Reggie's SECRET OF THE VAJRA WORLD is organized into four parts: the first, an overview of the history, philosophy, and training supporting Vajrayana Buddhism; the second, an examination of the special role of a teacher, "guru," or tantric mentor; the third, an exploration of the mahamudra and dzokchen culminating practices; and the fourth, a fascinating look at the tulku tradition surrounding reincarnation.

Whether he is teaching his students how to meditate in the ancient traditions of Tibetan Buddhism in the modern world, or giving everyday meaning to the esoteric teachings and practices of Tibetan Buddism in his books, Reggie Ray is a trusted teacher who knows his subject. And for anyone interested in exploring Tibetan Buddhism, the SECRET OF THE VAJRA WORLD and its earlier companion, INDESTRUCTIBLE TRUTH, are the books to read.

G. Merritt

I think that I would have liked to be able to give 3 and a half stars for this book. The book is an excellent first attempt by Ray Derby.
Many people might have a misconceived notion of what a "Shadow Government" really is.....no, it's not another President and VP and all altogether different cabinet, just waiting in the wings to take over in the event of a crisis.....it's a smart way to look at a potential situation. A shadow Government for Derby's book is thousands of people (mostly retirees), chosen by the government, which excelled in their given fields, whether it be in nuclear physics or carpentry, etc. that would be saved and be able to lead America back into civilization in case of mass destruction from nuclear, chemical or biological warfare.

As you can guess, America is struck by a biological agent that kills millions of Americans. It's a race against the clock to have the Shadow Government and the facilities that will house these people up and running before the terrorists unleash the weapon.

The plot is very solid. It is evident that Mr. Derby uses his experience to create a chilling world. The plot itself will keep you on the edge of your seat and while this does not give anything away, you are pleasantly surprised where the story turns in the end. Characterization is a little on the thin side. The pace of the plot made it difficult to really be able to identify with the characters....you really don't have the time to get to know them. I think now, after 9-11, it's easier to identify with the emotions of the country in general. The subplots of romance are weak, but easily ignored. There are a few plot points that weighed the story down, rather than moved it along, but again, you turn the page waiting to see what will happen next.

All in all it's a good read. I definitely recommend reading it and I will eagerly watch to see if Mr. Derby publishes another book in the future.

The story was amazing and since it was before 9-11 it is even more amazing....some forethought.

A very good attention getter and holder.

I loved this book and would also like to see it as a movie.

A book built on fact and fiction, but with all the possibilities of happening. Since the fall of the Wall, the dismantlement of the Warsaw Pact, and the opening of our borders to everyone the past leadership of our country has pushed us to the brink of disaster.

The security elements of many government agencies were buried deep in their bowels after 1992. Not until 9/11 have our elected leaders realized the mistakes they helped create through their own inactions. Lets hope they are better on catching up than they are on falling behind.

To all the "dedicated" military and civilian workers, thank you. For those that are there only for the money, recognition (fast track), long lunches, smoke breaks every half hour, whining about long hours, etc. quit ---- your not needed and you missed the point.

Never before have I read such magnificance in all my years as a college student. This has inspired me to further pursue my interests in the post-modern world. I trust that all educated scholars will appreciate this work filled with ideas concerning the existence of every individual. I ardently recommmend this book to anyone who has the time to contemplate over his or her post-modern existence.

As a young student of the wise Ray Linn I was always astounded by his ability to simplify complicated philosphical ideas. Ideas such as Post Modernism. Using this book I was able to easily understand key Post Modern ideas and write about them clearly. I feel there aren't enough writers like Ray out there and the few that are should be recognized for there genius in writing great books. ALRIGHT!

I am an English professor at a small university in South Carolina, and I have been looking for a book that my students could read as an introduction to 20th century literary movements, so I checked out Mr. Linn's book from the campus library to evaluate it.

The book was not what I expected in that university English Departments normally classify certain works of western literature written after World War I (roughly) as "modernism," and certain works of western literature written after World War II as "postmodernism." However, this is not what Mr. Linn's book focuses on (yes, I end sentences with prepositions--Bishop Lowth be damned!).

Instead of addressing "modern" and "postmodern" literature as 20th century literary movements (or even as movements in the other arts), Mr. Linn takes us back to the concepts of modern and postmodern philosophy. As I read Mr. Linn's book, I suddenly recalled a little slogan my philosophy professor drummed into my head way back when I was a freshman: "Modern thought begins in doubt with Descartes." With all due apologies to my old professor, Dr. Harbison (and he must be "old" by now), I never really understood what that slogan meant--and I forgot all about it as the years passed (probably at the end of that freshman semester, in fact). However, in an almost Proustian fashion, Mr. Linn was able to bring up that long-forgotten nugget that I did not know I possessed deep in my memory--and now the slogan makes sense!

The ideas in the first chapter of the book are probably too complex for my freshman and sophomore students to fully grasp (Mr. Linn's former high school students who have posted reviews here must be extraordinary--though I suspect he might be teaching more advanced students than the ones who normally enroll at my university). However, I found that Mr. Linn has done an excellent job of taking very complex ideas and presenting them in a manner that is accessible to thoughtful readers without "dumbing down" the concepts.

I have read one other book in this "Teacher's Introduction to" series, and I was completely disappointed with that book because the concepts were not presented accurately after they had been "dumbed down" for the layperson to understand--but this is not the case with Mr. Linn's book. He makes modern and postmodern thought accessible to his readers in the same manner that Stephen Hawking makes contemporary theories in physics accessible in A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (a book that the majority of my students also would not be able to fully grasp).

I can remember my dad and I discussing a similar trip after I graduated. Ray Bergman, however, had the gumption to do it, and do it right. I enjoyed every fleeting chapter as Ray worked his way across North America visiting all of the 26 major league ballparks in his MLBC. Any baseball fan finds themself craving the taste of Ray's unbeatable hot dog of Dodger Stadium or the street sceen on Yawkey Way outside Fenway Park.

I've never been a fan, however, of Won Ton Soup.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ray at Border's book store here in Sacramento and hearing his story besides reading it. I even got him to autograph a baseball. I have always said "if I win the lotto I will go to a baseball game.....in every stadium in the MLB circuit..." Well, Ray, surely accomplished that...now it is my turn. Great stories. Thanks Ray for writing it.

Are you a baseball fan? If so, you should not miss this book. This is a view of baseball you can only appreciate if you have ever experienced a warm summer home game,in a familiar ballpark, playing hookey from work. Ray Bergman has, obviously, been there,,done that!

Mr Bergman's book is full of information that would be of interest to a typically "statistics" oriented baseball nut. He writes with humor, data and a passion for the game.

Truly an "under fifteen bucks" well spent.

The title of this book: The Facilitative Leader: Behaviors that Enable Success, accurately describes the content of the material. The leadership behaviors and communication techniques described in this book, when effectively applied, will lead to the success of the leader, the group and the organization. I have observed the implementation of R. Glenn Ray's Facilitative Leader methodologies. I have also experienced the organizational transition from traditional, autocratic leadership to Facilitative Leadership. The application of the techniques and theories described in this book can create a positive impact on both the work environment and the profitability of an organization.

Unlike other leadership books that list only desired qualities-loyalty, vision, camaraderie-this book actually explains and teaches communication techniques, issue resolution methods, and problem solving tools. After reading this book you will aqcuire strategies that you can apply to a wide variety of situations, from resolving conflict within your home to techniques for building successful teams in the workplace.

This book is an essential tool for individuals who wish to become effective leaders.

Through the use of personal experiences and eventful stories, Dr. Ray brings to life the effective practices of a facilitative leader. Enabler is the key theme throughout the text, because the facilitative leader uses influence rather than direct power to bring about change and achieve results. Practical applications of leadership principles are identified and demonstrated through personal experiences that allow the reader to relate them to their own experiences. A great book to have on every employee's bookshelf!

Glenn Ray's approach to Facilitative Leadership is very insightful. The information is formated in a way that is not only easy to read and comprehend it keeps your attention from chapter 1 clear through to the conclusion. The personal stories from the author were very benifical in helping me look at and use my everyday experiences as learning and training tools. Chapter 4 - Developer of People was my favorite chapter. The information on how adults learn and how to customize training and development activities to meet the needs of adult trainees is very beneficial in my line of work. The way Glenn Ray has formatted the book you can read any chapter and have a practical use for it immediately whether at home or at work. I give The Facilitative Leader two thumbs up and recommend it to all Managers and Aspiring Leaders.

I orignally purchased this book for my brother who is an avid leopard gecko fan and wanted to breed his geckos. I found it very informative from a beginners standpoint, but I thought there would be more on breeding and less on 'other types of geckos'. Either way, it was my bit of fun learning for the day!

I've just recently perchased a leopard gecko and bought this book with high expectations! And they were fullfiled! Great book

I purchased this book and the first of my three leopard geckos 18 months ago. It has served me very well with clear practical guidelines for setting up a gecko-friendly environment, providing good day to day care, identifying and dealing with health problems, breeding. The book also provides interesting background information about geckos. It is well-written and nicely designed with many attractive color photographs. Ray Hunziker appears to have the well-being of both geckos and owners in mind: He tells you that geckos don't like to be handled and suggests you handle them as little as possible. He provides a wide range of choices for the environment and the care of geckos, accommodating owners' differing esthetics and budgets.

My copy of the book went to school with a grandchild and has not returned, so I am about to purchase a second copy. One of my female geckos is laying eggs, so I need my Hunziker.

This an exceptionally useful and attractive guide.

The new 4th edition of H&N is the true definitive work on head and neck imaging. This is a MASSIVE text that differs drastically from the 3rd edition. Many sections have been re-organized and revamped. There is no question that it aims to be an all-encompassing, reference text. This is not the book for a resident to "read-through" during their H&N rotation. Harnberger's text is perfect for that role. This text should be present in every neuroradiology dept.'s library to be readily available for use as a REFERENCE. Regardless, there is no question that this is the true heavyweight H&N imaging reference text. Any other text that purports to be is just kidding itself. I can only imagine how this book will be come the 6th and 7th editions. By then, I hope the Editors follow Dr. Resnick's lead and put out a "baby" 1 volume edition of Head and Neck Imaging. Then again, I guess that's what Dr. Harnsberger's book is for.

Dr Hugh Curtin is probably the most prepared head and neck radiologist of the world.

I will be assisting Dr. Curtin and of course find the cases comprehensive, from the archives of the Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary. The pathology spectrum is exhaustive.

*However, it seems that other reviews on this page are likely a practical joke, by mental infants.