Vision Books

The author Koh-ich Hattori is one of Japan's foremost composers. He examines the evolution over the past hundred years of Japan's prolific musical life. Today, the music of Japan is a rich blend of Western and Eastern traditions. This book tells you exactly how it happened with adequate explanations. Kyo Takahashi

At first glance it looks very useful. I am a teacher and anxious to give some of the ideas presented a try.

My daughter is 2 1/2 years old, and just loves doing the activities in the book. Very easy to understand and complete.

This seventh booklet in the series Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton closes with a quotation I would include on my Best of Merton list. The last of three meditations, it reads in part: "We are the Body of Christ. We have found him, he has found us. We are in Him, He is in us. There is nothing further to look for, except the deepening of this life we already possess. Be content." These meditations are designed for use with the eight small-group sessions presented in Adjusting Your Life's Vision. Each session consists of a psalm passage; editor's introduction to the texts; excerpts from two "voices," Merton's and that of another spiritual writer; and reflection questions.

A brief examination of Session 2, Nonviolence: A Vision of Hope for Humankind, shows how the material flows. The opening reflection from Psalm 16 begins with these words: "I have kept from violence because of your word." In their introduction to the texts, the editors describe Merton's determination to practice nonviolence in thought, word, and deed, as foundational to his understanding of contemplative living. Merton's voice comes from an essay, Blessed Are the Meek, in which he writes that every human possesses "radically sound possibilities," which can surface at any time through the power of love and grace. That thought is echoed in Gandhi's words, "My optimism rests on my belief in the infinite possibilities of the individual to develop nonviolence." The closing questions address nonviolent alternatives to human problems and personal beliefs and behaviors related to the topic.

Each booklet opens with background information and suggestions for using the material. A free leader's guide is also provided. The series and individual booklets are carefully planned to help readers develop the contemplative side of their lives, yet any of the books or sessions could be used by itself. And although the primary audience is small groups, individuals would certainly benefit from the entire series.

Having grown up on the stories of great missionaries, I thought I'd heard of most of them until I ran across this book! It is filled with the adventures and incredible stories of many little-known missionaries who were often contemporaries of all the common household names. Excellently written with many fascinating illustrations and interesting from start to finish, it covers the lives of men and women who were involved in mission work all around the globe, including in the US! You'll be glad you read it!

From book's back cover:

" Enter the world of AIDS and prepare to be bombarded by overwhelming statistics, confusing medical acronyms, and complex global inequities. In her own conversational style, Valerie Bell crashes through the clutter as a an earnest seeker bent on understanding the world's greatest humanitarian emergency and how one person can make a real difference.

Highly revealing and challenging, Bell's soulful reflections resemple intimate journal entries from a pilgrim intent on seeking God in all of His creation; a world that includes wrenching poverty, social injustice, and AIDS.

Bell provides a useful guide in understanding the critical issues pertaining to global AIDS. On a deeper level, An African Awakening is an essential companion if compassionate response is a life-long goal. This book helps answer the inevitable question that arises when one experiences a transforming interaction with victims of the AIDS pandemic: Now what? - Steven W. Haas, Vice President, World Vision/United States"

Gordon Arnold, Professor of Liberal Arts at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts in his book 'THE AFTERLIFE OF AMERICA'S WAR IN VIETNAM: Changing Vision In Politics And On Screen' traces the development of how this complex and confusing war was portrayed in films, television, books, and politics since the final denouement in April of 1975 after 12 long years of conflict that tore our nation apart.

As he states, "Even as the generation that fought the war (and opposed it) recedes into their (so called) golden years, the war remains an emotionally charged topic. Eventually new larger scale events are likely to push the Vietnam conflict into a less visible place in the national consciouness. By the time that may happen, however, the Vietnam War (and its 'Afterlife') will have helped shape events that extended far beyond its time."

Professor Arnold in this book with his fine concise writing focuses our attention on how the conflict has been presented since 1975, often it seems warped and manipulated for a particular purpose in politics, on television, or simply to explain a limited viewpoint in books, or mainly for entertainment emphasis in film.

What I gained from 'The Afterlife of America's War in Vietnam' is how certain attitudes that evolved in our country out of the aftermath of the conflict, have contributed (rightly or wrongly according to a viewpoint) to the present situation our nation finds itself engaged in, forcing probing questions that will certainly surface in the 2008 presidential primary and election: WHAT ARE WE AS A NATION, WHO ARE WE AS A PEOPLE, WHERE ARE WE GOING, AND WHY? As a disabled Vietnam veteran I find these questions most important.

'The Afterlife of America's War in Vietnam' has helped me to see these issues more clearly and challenged me to ponder them. It is a worthy read. Not only for students, but also for people of all ages.

Jacques Lusseyran writes with a love that you can feel permeating you as you read his words. My favorite essay in this collection of 6 was "Jeremy," the story of a blue collar saint in Buchenwald. I found myself crying and feeling wonderful at the same time. This writing defies description.

This is the third book I read published by the Harvard Medical School. They all have invariably been excellent. They rely on science, medical studies, and in depth analysis. They all do an excellent job of educating the public on the medical topics they cover. They differentiate between the marketing hype and established science.

The Aging Eye is an excellent reference book that outlines what happens to our eyes as they age since our mid thirties. This is a very short 200 page book with extremely large font. It definitely is made not to strain your eyesight. And, it reads easily in three leisurely hours.

In nine short chapters, it covers everything you need to know. The book explains in detail the three major diseases affecting us with the passage of time [glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataract]. It covers also many other common and less common eye ailments. It gives much information on prevention, treatment, surgery, post-surgery.

My favorite chapter was the last one on how to safeguard your eyesight. There it stresses the benefit of good living, including plenty of aerobic exercises to keep your cardiovascular system in top shape, and good nutrition based on an abundance of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables). It also stresses the necessity to protect one's eyes from sunlight including the dreaded UVAs and UVBs sunrays. Sunglasses need not cost a fortune, but they need to be excellent (very high % protection against UVs) and be worn virtually all the time when outdoors the minute the Sun is out.

My favorite pages are near the end where the book dispels many myths about eyesight. Many I must admit, I believed so far. But, it now makes sense to me that they were actual myths. One of them being that you can actually correct your eyesight with eye exercises. According to the book, you really can't. And, having tried the exercise routines to some degree, I really believe it now.

In any case, I strongly recommend this book. If you are interested in your general health and nutrition (extremely highly correlated to your eye health) I equally strongly recommend "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" by Walter Willett, and "The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health" by Harvey Simon.

This book has been developed into three sections and can be used for all individuals with special needs. It contains sections for...

1) Gathering the crucial information about the individual's level of skills.
This first section is filled with easy to use assessment checklists to help parents and professionals observe and assess: social skills/communication, precursors for work related skills, work skills before a job placement as well as while 'on the job', living skills ( personal care, household chores, etc. ), areas which help the reader use pictures and videos when sharing information about the individual, leisure and recreation ( interests, level of independence etc. ), the suitability of the setting matched to the individual's special needs-- and much more.

2) Using the information and modifying it for home, school and community. The second section contains ideas as to how to make accommodations in the school, home and community.

3) Sharing the information. The last section is a personal profile booklet, designed to be used not only to contain information about the individual but it also serves as the template for a TRANSITION PORTFOLIO and is filled with many reproducible sheets.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to a charity which aids families with special needs.