Source The Books

In this day of egocentricity, it's especially nice to find a modern volume warning against it, and quoting ancient and medieval texts to do so. I'm especially taken with the teaching of Moses Hayyim Luzzatto (from Mesilat Yesharim --- the Path of the Upright): "Pride is literally a form of blindness which prevents even one who is wise from seeing his own shortcomings."

Similarly, pride is "stupidity of which it possessor is unable to divest himself," advises The Choice of Pearls. "The arrogant person is one who closes himself or herself off not only from honest self-awareness, but from authentic relationships with others." Therefore arrogance is considered a dangerous moral vice, "replete with destructive potentialities."

Though not observant of all 613 Jewish mitzvot (good deeds), I take humility seriously, and given its rarity in our age, always appreciate commendation of its virtues.

The book also has many other good chapters within its three sections---on reverence for and communication with God, caring for oneself mentally and physically, and relating to and relating with others.

A very fine addition to Jewish libraries, and a great introduction for all non-Jews interested in learning more about Jewish ethics.

Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools by Stephen R. Westman (Digital Information services Librarian at the University Of North Carolina) is a step-by-step guide to creating appropriate database-backed library web pages for quick online reference and ease of use. Chapters walk the aspiring library web programmer through the technical know-how required to make such a web page fully functional, secure, with a readily accessible public interface, and overview its administration with a minimum of expended effort. Screenshots, sample code, plain-terms language and enumerated instructions all combine to make Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools a snap to use. A first-rate how-to guide in its field.

Noriko Ohtake's CREATIVE SOURCES FOR THE MUSIC OF TORU TAKEMITSU is a brief (-page) catalogue of the great Japanese composer's inspiration. Published in 1993, it covers most of the career of Takemitsu, who tragically died before his time in 1996. Much of the work is based on the composer's own statements in interviews, and is a good glimpse inside the mind of a man one often thinks of as taciturn and shy.

Ohtake begins with a discussion of the composer's early years and the formative influences that led him to his singular style. His relationship with the musical aesthetic of America is presented as very strong, to the point that he identified with the U.S. and felt shame of his native country. Nonetheless, there were a few Japanese musicians whose friendship Takemitsu valued, and Ohtake sketches their biographies and how Takemitsu came to know them.

Any fan of Takemitsu's work knows that certain things frequently occur again and again in his titles. In the chapters "Nature", "Dream, number and water", and "Words and music", Ohtake traces the genesis and evolution of these references. Many Takemitsu fans know, for example, that "Garden Rain" took its title from an Australian schoolgirl's poem, and "Toward the Sea" was written for Greenpeace, but this reviewer never suspected Takemitsu's considerable appreciation for French literature.

Takemitsu's works were often changed to suit the particular temperments and styles of the performers. In the chapter "Friends" we meet some of the musicians who collaborated with Takemitsu. I was happy to learn the dedicatees of many notable works from the 1960s and 1970s. The final chapter in the work covers Takemitsu's piano music. Takemitsu wrote only a handful of pieces for solo piano, but there is one for each of his stylistic periods and so Ohtake can use them to illustrate Takemitsu's biggest concerns at each point.

The liner notes for Takemitsu recordings tend to be so flimsy that recourse to published scholarship on his music is generally essential. One's first stop should be the comprehensive THE MUSIC OF TORU TAKEMITSU by Peter Burt (Cambridge University Press, paperback 2006). This work of Ohtake's on Takemitsu's inspiration is, however, very enlightening and is well worth looking through for fans of the composer.

Excellent reading! Heart warming and heart wrenching stories about our ancestors. The stories are vivid accounts of the history of our great nation. Please write more Mr. Jacobs!

I can see no possible reason for you not to buy this concise, but informative book on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Plus: if you keep a stack of several books close to your heart and you're shot at long range by a low caliber bullet, it just may save your life!

This book dispels many of the myths put forth by our Liberal-Left Media(eg> NY Times, WASH Post, CBS, CNN, etc.) Chief among them is that USA was propping up the Battista regime, documents prove that USA wanted Battista gone as much as the Cuban people did. Another myth, that the USA [sic] "drove" Castro into the Soviet orbit. Falcoff shows this to be media myth-making of the highest order. If you're not skeptical of the Left-Wing media after reading this book, you ought to enroll in logic classes at your local Community College!!!

Cultures In Conflict: The Viet Nam War by Robert E. Vadas (Associate Professor, Department of Education, State University of New York, Potsdam) is a scholarly discussion and an informative retrospective of the Vietnam War, especially in terms of its long-lasting policy and cultural repercussions in both America and Vietnam. Highly recommended as being a broad-minded, fair-handed study of the forces shaping the war and the scars left behind in their wake, Cultures In Conflict is enhanced for both scholarship and the non-specialist general reader with appendixes offering the text of Ho Chi Minh's declaration of independence and his letter to President Harry S Truman.

A wealth of wonderful tidbits, articles, interviews, from not only the HERALD but from other newspapers the HERALD thought fit to be reprinted.

I found many confirmations of things said and written in other places that were not always documented.

And it's just a fascinating trip through the summer of 1876 via a major newspaper.

I went through a period where I read everything I could find on Custer and that day. And though this book is at least 20 years old, it's still the best yet....that I know of. It helped me understand what happened more than anything I'd ever before heard or read concerning that day.
It's a great book when it comes to understanding what happened. A good book.

Cycling to the Source of the Mississippi River

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a "returning bicycler" and that certainly colors my view, but even for a non-biker I think there's much to find in this diary of a couple's trip up the Mississippi River to find family, memories, and view the great river as it bisects the nation.

Starting in New Orleans the Johnson's battle rain, aches and pains, and a relationship that is clearly loving, but sometimes seems put to the test.

Not just a diary of the trip, this book also contains references to classic bicycle "literature", recipes from dishes eaten on the way, and suggestions for things to do and see at points along the route.

If I could leave tomorrow, I'd take this ride, though I suspect that since it was written a few things have changed - probably less than I imagine though.

I'm now looking for other books by this author.