Passion The Books

I have just finished reading "A Passion For Truth: The Selected Writings of Eric Breindel" and have been truly stunned by the power and truth of this young man's writings. And I cannot keep his book down - nor one of the final pieces that he wrote (not in this slim volume) - a scathing criticism of State Department official Aaron Miller for shoving Yasser Arafat down the throat of the United States Holocaust Museum.

Breindel died two years ago, 42 and way too young.

In many ways he might have been a contemporary of mine - his worldview of the former Soviet Union and of those stupid Americans who spied for "Uncle Joe" based upon his impeccable research was the same as mine; his unbridled contempt of Racists whatever their skin color mirrored my own feelings; as well as his blunt perspectives on the refusal of the Democratic Party to ferret out Left Fascists.

And while I might not be a son of Holocaust survivors as the author was, I too share the views on Israel and on Nazi collaborators and terrorists expressed by the author in the chapter entitled: "Fate of the Jews".

This small book which only scratched the surface of Breindel's powerful writings, is one that should be a part of every thoughtful American's home library whatever your race, religion, or creed might be. For Eric Breindel was a decent, true patriotic Jewish American whose writings reflected his deep love of Country and Religion, and who sadly passed on much too early.

A Passion for Wildlife chronicles the first fifty years of the Canadian Wildlife Service, the federal agency which is responsible for conducting research on certain species of concern, enforcing the Migratory Bird Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and educating the Canadian public about its rich natural heritage. It is an impressive and noteworthy history, which I very much enjoyed reading. A Passion for Wildlife was first published in its entirety in Volume 113, Number 1 of The Canadian Field-Naturalist, and, I believe, is still available through the Ottawa Field-Naturalists Club at a much lower cost.

I recently purchased "Passion Hunter" while searching for a book about people struggling with disabilities, and I am very pleased with it. This book was very suspenseful, and very interesting. It gives you a real taste of Kenyan life, while the plot moves along very well. "Passion Hunter" is a very touching story - I was brought to tears at times, and I just had to keep reading. It truly shows how when people put their minds together, they can do anything. I give this book 2 thumbs up!

In a culture which continually bombards us with every external enticement we can imagine, most of us have sold out - and lost sight of that original American relic, the pursuit of happiness. Technology has plenty of us running around chasing our own tails - the world is very different and much more complex than the one we were born into. Yes, we became passionate about our kids getting the best education possible and taking advantage of every opportunity. We've worked long hours, saving or going into debt - sacrificing so that our kids could have as much as possible in life. And our kids? They became passionate about i-Pods, cell phones, cars, sports, and the mall. And the rat race has continued to go faster and faster with each new product or celebrity that's become the latest thing. The outcome is a population that largely feels "frozen in amber," bewildered, left behind, unfulfilled, unsuccessful, hating our paycheck-to-paycheck jobs, and watching the world's "real" heroes on television and in the movies...resigned that we did our best with what we had, but that ultimately "it is what it is."

A "late bloomer" myself, I was 35 years old before I accidentally discovered what I was passionate about in life - and I consider myself to be very lucky. Since then, I have successfully mentored a few young people (including my son) to discover their inner passions and then to energetically go after their dreams. Yet I was frustrated that I couldn't make a difference with more people.

Then I met Laurel Donnellan and read her book...

Hear this: Laurel Donnellan is the "Tiger Woods" of The Path to Remarkable Work. This book and the "Passion Into Practice" work should be a required course in every high school in the country - and probably will be some day. DON'T WAIT: Buy a copy of this book for yourself and each of your kids. Work through it together, and/or contact Laurel and her remarkable staff. Be prepared to discover your own joyful place in the world - your own opportunity to step up and make the real difference for yourself, your children, and whoever else you choose to impact. There is no greater gift you can give yourself and your loved ones than connecting to your passion and putting THAT to work in the world. At that juncture, values become a lot clearer, work becomes play, and the world starts to open up to you. Resignation is for losers - Laurel points the way to the life YOU want to fulfill. Just go for it!

If you find this - grab it

Wonderfully written. Savour it in small doses as you would fine chocolate, reading a few pages at a time. Very lyrical and sexy. The writing is superb, a delectable treat.

You can almost feel the author's reaching out to the reader to share in the joy of the story, a passionate novella. The story is so alive that you want to read it again and again so as not to miss one word.

I can't believe I have not read this book already and that there are not dozens of reviews here extolling it.

Marvelous! A not to be missed book. This is very much a Keeper!

'The Plot of Matthew's Gospel," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 2/April 1987, pp. 233-253.

In this article Matera, a Professor of New Testament at the Catholic University, shows that the Gospel of Matthew has a plot. His arguments for this conclusion are 1) a plot consists of events placed in a timely and orderly fashion, 2) the events in Jesus' life are placed in a timely and orderly way in Matthew. By the term 'plot' Matera means "the arrangement of incidents." (p. 235). Having defined 'plot', Matera is ready to uncover the arrangement of events in the gospel of Matthew. First he makes a distinction concerning two kinds of arrangements. Second he identifies the kernels in Jesus' life. Third he applies both kinds of arrangements to Matthew. As a result, this scholarly study of a plot in Matthew is expertly investigated and convincing. Matera writes that the plot according to time shows that it is possible that Israel will reject Jesus as the Messiah. By the middle (11:2-16:12), it is probable that Israel will reject Jesus as the Messiah. By the end, it becomes necessary that Israel rejects Jesus as the Messiah (21:1-28:15) (p. 239).

Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka Multiple Personality Disorder) is one of the most controversial diagnoses in modern psychiatry. Many authors focus on contemporary manifestations of the phenomenon and the horrific conditions which give birth to it. Other authors argue that DID/MPD is an iatrogenic (doctor-created) diagnosis and the psychiatric equivalent of the "flavor of the month." Kenny's book is unique in its scholarly perspective. It combines anthropology, history, and pyschology to paint a picture of how MPD is understood and shaped by cultural factors. The ability to dissociate seems to be a basic human universal (just look at the anthropological literature concerning shamanism and possession), but the meaning given to the phenomenon must be understood within the specific cultural context. Kenny's book points to how dissociative phenomena reflect dichotomies and issues in 19th century American society. This book is not designed to help those currently suffering from dissociative disorders, but it does make a major contribution to our understanding of issue.

This seemingly little book is packed with smoking and charcoaling recipes that will fill a lifetime with exellent meals, easy and fun techniques to produce delectable dishes. When you've tried them all, you'll be delighted to start over! Three sections each provide a comprehensive range of cooked meats with various degrees of preparation and time required. The rubs and marinades included are themselves worth many times the price of the book. This is so much fun!

This was my first acquaintance with magic realism. Wow!

...from the Marine Corps Association for about $15.00, not the bogus $99.00 rare book price offered here