This is the type of history that you won't read in history books and as a layman in military history, I have to say I have been completely brought "about-face" to the realities of WWI--especially the British-Russian Armored car Squadron of the Royal Navy--this would be the "other" heroic story we didn't read about after "Lawrence of Arabia"--so it should be "Oliver of Russia". There should be a sequel with the "rest of the story".

Alright, the first Dead Magic was great, so I had high expectations for this one. I wasn't disappointed. This time though, the focus on living cultures was just as strong as "dead" cultures. As such, we begin with a look at the shamanistic magics of Polynesia told IC by an anciet Kapuna to a Dreamspeaker refugee. The belief system of Huna was found throughout the entire region in some form or another, and this book gives an island to island survey of it, covering New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, Hawaii, the Marquesas, Easter Island and elsewhere. Aside from mention of head hunting and cannibalism (which were parts of RL Polynesian religions), we also get a look at tattoo magic, fireballs, tikis, sea-faring magic and such. Theres also plenty of plot hooks, and even information on the "lost" Kopa Loei craft, now a part of the Dreamspeaker Tradition. It goes on to get to the Dreamtime of the Australian Aborigines, giving a great overview of tying the Dreamtime into the World of Darkness. A whole new set of rules for the Dreamtime, initiation rites and Dreamtime Ancestors is given, along with a vast array of Aboriginal rotes, wonders and plot hooks. Again, lots of Dreamspeaker stuff, but also a focus on Aboriginal society itself rather than "Tradition" or "Technocracy".
Afterwards, we are treated to a relatively short chapter on Indian Shakti. After a strange fiction story about an Ecstasy Cultist's brush with a Kali cult, we get a nice overview of Tantra and the worship of Shiva and Kali. A few Hindu flavored rotes are given, rounding out this short chapter. Then we are treated to a section on European Shamanism. Lots of fiction stories here, each tying to a specific culture. I was expecting to see stuff about the Saami (Lapps) and such, but was completely shocked when I saw that it covered the shaman of the Irish, Scots, Picts, Britons, Anglo-Saxons, Russians, Poles, Finns and Germans. Lots of cool rotes, wonders and plot hooks, interestingly enough designed to fit in with Mage: the Dark Ages (for the Spirit-Talkers, proto-Dreamspeakers). Again, this is good for Dreamspeakers, but also the Aided, Verbena and so forth. Following this is a chapter on Norse magic. It really ties up Norse myths in the World of Darkness. Even explaining Hunters as Odin's warriors, and Ravana as Loki. Lots of cool rotes, and not just Runic stuff either. Theres spae-wives, seither (Norse shamanism), smithing, berserkers and so forth. Again, Dark Ages Valdaermen (and Spirit-Talkers for the Seither section) systems are given. Great for Verbena, Dreamspeakers, Ecstatics, Euthies or even Choristors and Hermetics. Finally, it closes out with some meta-plot story about an ancient Italian liche and some overviews of Etruscan magic, divinations and necromancy. Theres not alot to go on concerning ancient Italy (before the Romans anyway), so theres a list of gods, words and a reading list. The Euthanatoi and Hermetics still preserve some aspects of Etruscan magic in the WoD, so this was a really nice chapter.
Overall, I strongly recommend this book. Since the Dreamspeakers are my favorite Tradition, I appreciated the fact that most of the chapters (Polynesian, Australian Aboriginal, European Shamanism and Norse) tie in to that Tradition, but any Tradition could benefit from this book. The Euthanatos draw upon Hindu beliefs, Norse rune-casting and Etruscan necromancy; the Verbena would love to learn about the ancient beliefs of the Norse, Anglo-Saxons and Irish. I haven't incorporated any of this stuff in my games yet, though I'm planning on making heavy use of the Polynesian chapter soon. Regardless, my only disappointment was the lack of Filipino magic (presumably native shamanism), but then again, perhaps we shall see a Dead Magic 3!

Manly has written a nice intermediate level book on research studies that is particularly useful for statisticians and researchers in the medical field. In addition to being well written and covering many of the common topics like observational versus experimentally designed studies, bias and confounding, survey design and regression, Manly covers topics not common to most texts including: (1) mark-recapture sampling, (2) size-biased sampling, (3)interrupted time series, (4) some advanced designs such as split plots, latin squares, nested factors and repeated measurements, (5) computer-intensive methods, (6) ethical considerations in experiments and (7) a chapter on synthesis which goes through the steps in carrying out a good research study.

Computer-intensive methods covered in Chapter 9 such as permutation and bootstrap methods are covered in more detail in Manly's book "Randomization, Bootstrap and Monte Carlo Methods in Biology." There are also a number of other specialized texts on these topics.

Throughout, the methods are reinforced with many practical examples from the biological sciences.

The book starts out just as exciting as it does in the end. You meet 2 new characters within the first chapter of the book and you then meet more through out the story. I read this book in one day and then I still didn't want to put it down.

Discovering Jewish Music by Marsha Bryan Edelman (Professor of Music and Education, Gratz College, Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, and President of the Zamir Choral Foundation) takes the reader on an informed and informative tour of Jewish music as reflected through 4000 years of history. An accompanying audio CD enhances the intelligent, accessible, scholarly text written for readers of all backgrounds. An impressive and very strongly recommended contribution to Judaic Studies and Cultural Music History collections, Discovering Jewish Music ranges from ancient music related artifacts down to Judaic musical expressions of the 20th century.

Dr. Robinson has done a wonderful job of combining personal experiences with basic truths that, at one point in most of our lives, we have all either learned or suspected may be true. Great reading as a morning "thought of the day" or wisdom to fall asleep to. Certainly, we all would be happier if we could remember these lessons as we go through our hectic lives.

"Driving to Nirvana" is a refreshing and well written alternative to having to struggle through life's highways on our own. Dr. Bryan provides us with a reader friendly, humorous and practical guide to help us navigate the inevitable inward and outward paths most of us face in our daily lives. Get two copies, one for the home and a second one to keep in your car to entertain and help you maintain your sanity during those long traffic-logged "mini-vacations!" This book should be required reading by the DMV!

Many people consider Mr. Alfred Eisenstaedt the defining photojournalist of the 20th century. His best known work is probably the photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on VJ Day in 1945. In this superb volume, you can test that assessment with your own eyes. The images in this book were culled from over 290,000 frames available to the editor. I found the quality to be remarkably and consistently high. The reproduction quality is more than adequate as well.

Mr. Eisenstaedt straddles the 20th century almost perfectly. He was born in West Prussia in 1898 and died in 1995. He started photography as a hobby while a youngster, and only turned it into a livelihood as a 31 year-old man. He served in the German army in World War I and was severely wounded in the legs in Flanders during 1918. While recuperating, he visited art museums to study the compositions the painters used. It was time well spent. Later he would comment, "I seldom think when I take a picture." "But, first, it's most important to decide on the angle at which your photograph is to be taken." After the war, he sold belts and buttons. But he continued to take photographs as a hobby.

His big break came when he photographed a women's tennis match in 1927. Discouraged with the results, it was pointed out that the image of the woman serving in one frame would work well if everything else was cropped out. This image is in the book for your reference. This photograph immediately sold, and he was encouraged to come back with more. By 1929 he was doing well enough to start photography full-time.

Because of the rise of the Nazis and the popularity of photojournalism in the United States, Mr. Eisenstaedt came to the New York in 1935 where he visited Time. There he learned about plans for a new weekly photography magazine, LIFE, and became one of four staff photographers in 1936 when the magazine started. Over the years more than 80 of his photographs graced its cover.

Sophia Loren was his favorite assignment, and Ernest Hemingway was his least (Hemingway tried to throw him off the dock).

"I like photographing people only at their best." "This means making them feel relaxed and completely at home with you in the beginning."

Unlike most portrait photographers, he was informal. "I always prefer photographing in available light." His approach to equipment was similarly simple. "A Leica, a couple of lenses, a few rolls of film -- that's all he needed."

Totally devoted to his art he said, "I will never retire," and he never did.

Familiarly known to his friends and colleagues as "Eisie," "'Cold fish' or 'horrible man' were his epithets. 'Unbelievable' was his word for wonder."

These details and observations are taken from the excellent introduction by Bryan Holme.

I found Mr. Eisenstaedt's work here to be amazingly luminescent. He captures a spiritual glow in his subjects and in nature. Realizing that he was using natural light, the images and detail are very well illuminated regardless, much like what you find in Ansel Adams's work. His people have an animation of body and personality that makes the viewer feel more alive as well. Whether professional actor or ordinary person, they each resonate with the viewer through intense and attractive emotion.

Here are some of my favorite images (reduced to fit the space allowed): Italian officer sledding, 1933; Toscanni, early 1930s; La Scala, 1934; Carriage, near La Scala, 1934; George Bernard Shaw, 1932; Ruth Bryan Owen, 1934; Robert Oppenheimer, 1947; Albert Einstein, 1949; Bertrand Russell, 1951; Dancers pause, 1936; Roofs of Prague, 1947; Trees in snow, 1947; Janet MacLeod, 1937; Katherine Hepburn, 1938; Carole Lombard, 1938; VJ Day, 1945; Edward R. Murrow, 1959; John F. Kennedy and Caroline, 1960; Dame Edith Evans, 1951; Marilyn Monroe, 1953; Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen, 1949; Frank Lloyd Wright, 1956; Alec Guinness, 1951; W. Somerset Maugham, 1942; Robert Lowell, 1959; Charlie Chaplin, 1966; W.H. Auden, 1955; Children watching, 1963; Gunter Grass, 1979; Norman Rockwell, 1974; Gilbert Murray, 1951; Menemsha harbor, 1937; Thomas Hart Benton, 1969; First lesson, 1930; Propeller, 1951; Willie Mays, 1954; Leonard Bernstein conducting, 1960; and Tree-lined road, 1978. The effects of well-known painting compositions on these images will be obvious to you.

After you view these photographs, I suggest that you try your hand at capturing people at their best with your camera. Once you get to be reasonably good at that, I encourage you to try to catch them at their best without your camera. Practice the skill of subtly encouraging people to fulfill their potential. That will make you a person of simple genius, as well.

Evoke the best!

Is spiritual warfare something we should be concerned about? Bryan Zacharias takes you on a tour of what the Puritans, particularly William Gurnall, thought about the subject. Their Biblical approach concluded that spiritual warfare is indeed a serious subject with which all Christians should be familiar. This book is a good place to begin a sober study of spiritual warfare, which can be a matter of spiritual life and death.