The historical study of Jesus and Christion origins is discussed by six well-known scholars. In two succinct essays and the book's introduction Marcus Borg gives us some basic tenets of modern Jesus scholarship. There is, for instance, no such thing as a wholly objective perspective on Jesus. The Bible is the human product of two ancient societies. The gospels are products of early Christian communities and they reflect a developing tradition within those groups of people. Jesus' public life took place in the first third of the first century while the canonical gospels were written during the last third of the same century. In between the newly emerging faith was sustained largely by oral tradition. Most of the other contributors to this book are probably in agreement with the above statements even though they come to this discussion from widely different backgrounds.

For anyone interested in learning more about the work of the Jesus Seminar and contemporary Jesus scholarship this is as good a place as any to begin the journey. The diverse essays are mainly excellent. Most chapters are accompanied by questions and responses recorded during the actual scholarly symposium commemorating the 2000 anniversary of the birth of Jesus held at Oregon State University in 1996. The notes for each chapter are extensive and I find the list of resources at the end of the book to be very helpful for someone who is just beginning to become curious about the study of the historical Jesus.

Marcus Borg has written the introduction and two of the book's eight essays. I found it useful to read Borg's contributions first mainly because he describes with such clarity the basics of modern Jesus scholarship.

Allan Segal is a leading Jewish scholar and Huston Smith is a well-known philosopher and historian of religions. All of the book's six contributors seem to approach the subject from different vantage points. The result is a very stimulating reading experience.

In Transition To Vegetarianism: An Evolutionary Step, Doctor Rudolpf Ballentine presents an informed and persuasive survey of the value and reasoning to a vegetarian diet. Dr. Ballentine's informative text is laced with health relevant information such as meat-eaters having three times as many heart attacks as vegetarians, that a vegetarian diet decreases osteoporosis dramatically, that in endurance tests vegetarians had more than twice the stamina and strength of meat-eaters, and that the vegetarian diet is a time-honored technique for promoting alertness and clarity of consciousness. Ideal for the non-specialist general reader, Transition To Vegetarianism covers red meat, poultry, fish, and the question of milk and eggs in a vegetarian diet. If you are considering the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet for yourself, begin with reading Dr. Rudolf Ballentine's Transition To Vegetarianism.

Most people can't stop eating meat one day and put a red "X" on the plate instead. Unless you live in a culture like India, or eat lots of beans and rice, it takes a bit of adjustment to move to a plant-based diet.

When newly minted militant vegetarian friends reject the idea of starting out by simply eating less meat, this book is the place to turn for support. After twenty years of shepherding people toward a more vegetarian diet, I've seen definite trends that emerge when giving up meat: persistent cheese-eating, a plethora of omelet dishes, a sudden craving for peanut butter, etc. This guide gives sound practical explanations about why these cravings happen; it also gives suggestions for maintaining nutrition without going overboard on fat. Vegans will be unhappy with the assertion that a plant-based diet with some milk products is a typical solution for Americans, but realistically, how many of us are willing to do what it takes to maintain a strictly vegan diet the rest of our lives? And as additional research emerges on fatty acids (such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils) there seems to be an increasing number of reasons to consider fish as a practical substitute for supplements like hempseed or flaxseed oil.

Over the years, I've heard countless people wake up to nutrition and tell me they've discovered the "only healthy diet there is." Every one of those diets has been different! Rather than rushing out to try someone else's diet, I'd recommend looking at Dr. Ballentine's set of guidelines first. This is one of the only books on vegetarianism I know that doesn't tell you "here's the best diet." Instead, the author presents the pros and cons of various food options, and gives you a reasonable way to work towards a diet which suits both your body and your life situation.

I wish I had this book when I first eliminated meat from my diet - it would have saved me a LOT of grief and prevented some pretty bad dietary habits. It gives a unique and well-grounded approach to becoming a vegetarian or shaping up your diet if you're already vegetarian. It does say that eating dairy can be helpful, which there is some controversy on, but even many experts who are anti-dairy object to milk products mainly because they are packed with hormones, pasteurized, and homogenized. When dairy is pure, organic, and fresh it's a good source of nutrition when used properly and in moderation. Also, the book says you should eat dairy OR fish as a supplement to a vegan diet, which makes sense when you look at the traditional diets of native cultures around the world - I don't know of any that are purely vegan. Rudolph Ballentine seems to be a very wise author with a lot of grounded perspective on holistic nutrition.

Wole Soyinka is one of the foremost African literary giant of modern times. He has an intellectual stature that seems to diminish his critiques. To Wole's credit this book ranks among one of his best work- this is simply because it is readable. The reduction of noisy elements by its simplicity of expression makes it one of his finest piece to date, at least I was spared the pain of reading the Kongi King without a dictionary by my side. The book- understandably like his later work to date- The Burden of Memory, The Muse of Forgiveness- is the prooduct of lectures put together, hence one can forgive its lack of structural cohesion. Nonetheless, Soyinka brings to the fore the African crises of leadership and the dearth of critical appraisal of existential situation by African leaders. In as much as the text depicts examples it preoccupied itself with the Nigerian situation. Unfortunately, therefore, Soyinka risks tying the African destiny with the Nigerian fate- the totality of the African situation is much more multilateral than the unilateral reference to a singular polity Nigeria. As if this is a a new pattern for the Kongi King he keeps limiting himself to the extent that even the Nigerian situation was tied to the fate of his Yoruba nationality- ethnic group. This is not surprising since the Kongi Warrior has been sliding narrower from that of being an international figure to one preoccupied with being a national hero( a national road safety marshall) and now a nationality figurine. Our marshall therefore has taken a course that simplistically narrows the whole issues that affects Africa to particular issues that affects him. Unfortunately, the Kongi hero is still speaking and relating factual mattter, and so should not be taken lightly. The problem with Africa is one of political and economic leadership-a bedevilled breed of satanic monster that do not want to see smiles on the face of the citizenry. It is in this domain that the Kongi Chief should be better understood. Yes! His limitation of African issues to Nigerian examples and ordered toward his Yoruba nationality cause is also theatrical. As a dramaturgist he understands that the whole world can be a theatre but that an effective drama has to be limited to a spatial confine to produce impact. It is on such note that the Kongi chief points to the negative imagery of defective political machinery in Africa as gross and in critical need of resolution. It is this fact that makes this work- The Open Sore of a Continent- very fascinating for herein Soyinka combines facts with his dramatic humour for the sake of effect. While one may not totally agree with some of Soyinka's reasoning or conclusions one cannot but wave his thoughts aside.His vision is deep and profound. This work is a must for all who want to understand the critical dearth of development- political, economic and social- that affects and afflicts the soul of most- if not all- African nations today. It is a must to read this book, yet the judgement remains with the reader. But we must see how much we can pull out from the mustache of this singular revolutionary- the Poetic and dramatic democratic soldier. Happy Reading!

WS partisan whipping of the Northern Hegemony provides the outside world with an eloquent morsel of that which has become a tiresome bleating of a fraught people with no real notion of being. Interogating nationhood using Nigeria's artificiality seems the obvious approach However one must also realise that governance in all it's disguises reflects a mutuality however perverse. Nigeria's insanity cannot be a consequence of a 'sinister self perpetuating hegemony', but of a collective effort by rulers and ruled to bankrupt their existence. It points to an incoherence which reaches beyond the presented structures and nestles within a muddled culture construct in search of a direction.

One must thank WS for presenting what must be consumed as 'faction' for in its whole, it is illuminating. However it cannot be termed as objective, as WS seems to represents interests whose agenda conflicts with the established order or does he? Does he really mean what he says? The collective of Nigeria must experience natural flux however extreme and painful, we shall not implode or explode . Been there, Done that, Still here!

Soyinka wastes no words. In this book, based on a series of lectures, he argues that the ruthlessness of the military dictatorships that have ruled Nigeria for the past twenty years have deprived her of her very nationhood. At the very beginning, Soyinka asks the key question: "When is a nation?" He argues that Nigeria may be "a nation on the verge of extinction" - or rather a nation that was serverly stabbed with the annulment of the June 12 presidential elections, and is now slowly bleeding to death. This annulment by Babangida, dictator from 1985 - 1993, is the focal point for Soyinka's rage. Soyinka is a very strong proponent of democracy in Africa - especially in Nigeria, which he still believes could be a leader of the continent - and he views this annulment as a profound betrayal of national trust and of Nigeria's future. However, despite his anger and his bitterness at the injustices that have been Nigeria's fate since independence, Soyinka retains hope and faith in the people of Nigeria. He believes that repression and corruption cannot last forever - democracy and true nationhood, while difficult to attain, have not been forever lost to history.

While I found this book excellent, I would not recommend it to someone who was not already somewhat familiar with Nigerian political and cultural history over the last thirty years. Also, it is helpful if the reader is familiar either with Soyinka's work or with somewhat convoluted writing. Soyinka's ideas are well worth reading and stem from remarkable personal experiences, but, from point A to point B - he will not usually choose to draw a straight line. Reflective of Nigerian politics, and Nigeria as a whole, nothing is simple!

I hope other readers will learn as much from this book as I have. It has opened my eyes to what the newspaper articles simply leave out and has given me both more to be concerned and more to be hopeful about Nigeria.

i read this god forsaken book to my son, and by the end of the first chapter he successfully guessed every plot twist and the ending. this wouldn't have been too bad, if only he was older than 6. as a reader myself i cannot even dream of recommending this foul bit to anyone even to those younger than 12. I will give it two stars however, for being a first try. if the book had impressed me more i might look into the next one she writes but i don't think i'll be doing that. bottom line, stick to the classics.

When it says that these books are written for a juvenile by a juvenile, they mean it. If I'd been about 9, it would probably have been a good read, but I would not recommend this for anyone over the age of 12. Some of the ways that the clues all just 'fell together' seemed a bit far fetched at times, and did hold me back some from really getting into the story. The ending was so straight from an action movie that it made me quirk my eyebrows in slight disbelief. However, it had a fast-paced and easy to follow plot, with likable characters. There were rich descriptions, though sometimes they tended to get a little wordy. This wouldn't be a book that I would buy for a kid, but I would encourage him to at least check it out of the library. Overall, it was an fairly enjoyable book, but I would only recommend reading it once.

What is the skinny on Dead Ball Foul? There is no skinny in the world of Kayla McGrady, since she has laced the tale with layer upon layer of cake-like mystery. You will wonder whodunit all the way to the last satisfying page. This book is thick, full of hugely real characters who will have you hungering for more as you chuckle a happy tune. There is no fudging in Judsonville, not with superstar know-it-all Tricia Lakely on the case. Is this girl real? I'd love to meat her. You'll eat this up, if she doesn't first.

I liked the way this book is presented - like a dictionary. You can go to your area of interest immediately and get to the point. It deals with a lot of things from how to write a story to grammar and punctuation. However, I found mistakes in the use of punctuation, for example, the comma.

The "21st Century Guide to Improving Your Writing" is quite an excellent resource. Its dictionary format is very useful for finding specific information, and that information is conveniently concise -- no one wants to wade through essays on grammatical and stylistic ramblings. This book avoids that, and its writing style is an embodiment of "practise what you preach" -- it is an excellent example of clear, lucid writing.

As for the below reviewer, the error I think he is referring to regarding commas is not correct. It is the modern form to use a comma after the last word in a list (e.g., I have a dog, cat, and a goldfish). A clear example of why that is now used is this dedication in a book: "This book is dedicated to my parents, Allah and God." Need I say more!

Despite this book's excellent content, it may or may not be ideal for you, depending on your requirements. If you are after information about very formal English (such as for essays or reports), then you will need other references (I recommend the "21st Century Grammar Handbook"); however, if you are after something that is for everyday things like informal letters, memos, newsletters, and narrative, this book is ideal.

It loses the one star because sometimes its information is too brief, it also has the habit of occasionally slipping into jargon, and it lacks depth for non-US/Canada users. Its presentation is also somewhat messy, but on the whole, the information is gold. It is well worth the money for anyone who works with words.

Very usefu

The introduction into Hangul(the alphabet of Korean)is good. Really. The tapes provide good examples to follow. The drawbacks to this series are the extremely limited vocabulary. The vocabulary that the first book offers is not very useful, ie, a chapter on dry cleaners and one on buying gas. If you are a rank beginner and have no one to teach you the sounds of Hangul, go for it. But, I agree with the other reviewer, switch series after the first book.

The first volume takes a lot of time to carefully teach you how to read and write in Hangul using the cassettes for pronunciation. It also has a lot of useful vocabulary, common expressions and sentence structures including survival language. However, it is weak on grammar and the following volumes do nothing to remedy that problem. My recommendation is to start with volume 1 and then go on to a different series.

To learn a foreign language by yourself is not easy. In particular for people who want to learn Korean, they may have a hard time to find the right tools to start. There aren't many. Perhaps the hardest part for a beginner to learn any foreign language is not to get bored too easily at the very beginning. Still, Korean Through English does the job. It comes with 3 volumes, namely one to three. Each volume comes with a textbook and 3 cassette tapes. There are at least 20 chapters in each volume. The textbooks and the cassette sets can be purchased separately. The target student is a English speaker who has no prior knowledge in Korean. In each chapter, the host tells a story before providing two short dialogues presented by native Koreans. Right after each dialogue, the host wants the student to participate in the dialogue by repeating the same dialogue partially. Also, the host emphasizes some important or useful phases. All the dialogues can be found in the textbook. Brief introduction of Korean grammer is included in each chapter. By going through all the chapters, the student should be able to deal with various real life situations requiring Korean. However, though as a nice introduction, Korean Through English probably won't make you a native speaker in a short time. It takes much more time and effort to master a language. Still, one important purpose it serves nicely is to provide an easy and interesting approach for you to learn this foreign language. You won't get bored so easily.

I found this book to be useless. If you have attended any investment seminars like USAA, John Hancock, Fidelity etc. you get the same information. Medicare and AARP free booklets likewise give the same information. I was terribly disappointed.

I am a consumer who is thinking of buying long-term care insurance. I've read a number of books, and this is the best in terms of completeness. I would especially recommend it to people who have already read one or more books covering the basics of long-term care insurance and elder care.

Updated resources for agents and consumers

The third edition of Long-Term Care, by Jason Goetze, is now available. Published by Dearborn Financial Publishing, this book is intended as the bible for the continuing education of the serious LTC agent. It is common knowledge that many CE courses in LTC are not worth the money or the time spent on them. At best they sometimes rehash the same old cliches. At worst they provide misleading and inaccurate information about LTC. CE instructors

would do themselves and their students a service by studying Goetze's book, which is comprehensive and exact. Agents may not be able to get satisfaction from their formal CE classes, but by reading this publication they can rest assured that they have done right by themselves and their clients.

This book has a wonderfully timely theme. The subplots on human genome research and bio-terrorism couldn't be more now. The author has a great vocabulary and an interesting use of language. I really wanted to like this book but found the poor editing jarring and the romantic angle off putting. The characters are two dimensional. The book reminded me of the Jerry Lamb/Bertha Cool mysteries of the 1950's.

The action starts on the first pages. Characters are reintroduced, so if this is your first reading of the Dr. David Brooks series, you understand and get into the action right away. The plot and action just keeps coming. You get a chance to see the detective's plan; then see how things unwind with several twists and surprises. Another moment is taken to set the scene and the action takes off again. After reading this, you will double check to see who sent the next box of Chocolates that you open.

This David Brooks sequel compelled me to continue reading it. It's twists and turns kept me guessing "whodunit" right up to the end. It has a fast pace, so hold onto your hat and start reading. I'm looking forward to reading Dr. Labriola's next book.

I was disappointed with the styles shown in this book. The decks looked like they were built in the 1970's, and I was looking for fresh new ideas. Plus, there were many color photographs, but they were of the same few decks just at different angles. I didn't think the ideas they gave were easy to apply to various situations, just the deck shown in the photograph. Overall, there are much better books out there with more up-to-date ideas.

I wanted a book with lot's of color pictures that showed different deck styles and accents so I could design my own custom deck. If your looking for something for design ideas or to show to your contractor, this is the book for you. I also picked up "A Portfolio of Unique Deck Ideas" to go with it.

If you're after a "how to" book, this isn't it.

This book provided some great ideas for decks and landscaping. It will be a great additon to our home library.

This book is a fine collection of articles and essays with little editorial supervision. The breadth of the articles means that you're sure to find something useful to your interests whether you be freelancer or corporate design director. There are even sample contracts.

However, this book is very poorly edited. The "its" vs. "it's" confusion runs rampant throughout (just to name one example) and there are more typos than I would expect to find in a book written for a detail-oriented audience such as designers. Sloppy.

Also, quite a bit of the material is out of date. If you're looking for something that speaks to professional design practices as they relate to the World Wide Web, this is _not_ your book. Very few of the articles in this book deal with the web at all, and those that do tangentially touch upon the Internet sound like they were written in 1995.

I found this book to be extremely informative when I began freelancing in web design. There were a lot of great tips and guidelines for dealing with clients. In came in very handy for me recently when I needed to draw up a contract in a pinch.