Senses Books

After his tremendous scholarly work "The Language of the Law," Mellinkoff wrote this gem. I really like it, and I wish I had read it 10 years ago. It's a book-length brief in favor of plain-English legal writing.

He takes strong positions on legal words and phrases that should be cut from legal writing, but he knows his stuff and backs up his assertions. He gives lots of practical advice for handling the challenges that come from trying to write clearly and simply. And he does it with a light and informal tone that is at once entertaining and persuasive.

An excellent book.

A key part of the message in "Leonardo's Vision" is the opportunity to understand and apply principles and actions underpinning collective action to address complex problems - none more complex than working towards a sustainable future! The author describes how traditional Western organisations (including governments and educational institutions) have tended to divide their activities into professional specialisations as a way of operating (and indeed communicating). For example, even in the area of sustainability there are social, economic and environmental aspects of reality severed from each other! And while triple bottom line accounting promised much, the systemic way in which it has been applied by most organisations has tended to reinforce this divide. Thus, cross-disciplinary approaches which seek to apply single bottom line accounting, such as those being undertaken by some enlighened local governments, are one method by which collective action can be taken for a sustainable future. And, while grappling with these ways to make the Single Bottom Line work will not be easy, they can help to move collective goals further towards a shared ideal or vision.

This is a thought provoking book including theoretical bases to underpin thought and action and an invitation to adopt Leonardo's courage to act, as well as a range of good practice examples already in use for collective action for change and options to assist those actions. Highly recommended!

Jackie Ohlin, Sydney, Australia

It is a fun book to teach children recognize colors,numbers and opposite. My daughter loves it.

Life After Youth: Making Sense of One Man's Journey through the Transition at Midlife) Seán D. Sammon

If you are a midlife man and can recall at least one late evening's conversation with a good male friend in the same boat, this is a book for you. Written in an inviting and conversational style, Sean Sammon's Life After Youth manages to touch upon all those topics that cause considerable anguish in the lives of most men after age 40.

The book gets underway with a chapter entitled Midlife Tumor. At age 46, the author was diagnosed with a brain tumor of considerable size. His physician recommended neuro-surgery warning that, "Another year of life for this tumor will cost you your own." Reading Sammon's reaction to this judgment, I could not help but nod in agreement: At midlife, don't so many of us begin to realize that we probably have lived more years already than the number that lie ahead for us? That discovery seems to make all the difference in the world.

As the text unfolds, Sammon helps us take a look at this question: What do you do when everything that once made sense in life, no longer does? In answering it, he takes us through a series of topics that will be of immediate interest to any midlife man: our growing awareness of personal mortality, making new sense of relationships and sexuality at midlife, the place of faith and spirituality in life's second half, the process of aging, and our struggle to make a difference in life, to leave some legacy that's lasting.

The book is made up of a refreshing balance between autobiographical essays that address different aspects of Sammon's midlife journey-and that of each of us-and other chapters that contain sound and up-to-date theory about the way in which men change and grow emotionally and spiritually at midlife.

You can read this book of a little over a hundred pages in an evening. I found, though, that I wanted to come back to sections of it, again and again, just as I also enjoy recalling the details of any late-evening conversation with a good friend. Sammon's book reassured me that a number of other men have shared my developmental adventures in life. This is a book for midlife men, and a book for anyone who wishes to understand them better. I am happy that I stumbled across Life After Youth; it's a gem.

The author's research interest is the emphasis of human hygiene
on immune system responses. Good hygiene consists of cleansing of
the fingernails, hands, nose and eyes- all aimed at reducing
the incidence of infection. The common cold, according to the
author, appears to grow exclusively in the nasal passageways
with a need for correct pH, temperature and cell receptors.

Airborn cultures take hours or days to create an environment
which prevents the immune system from destroying them. The ones
taken from wounds or air passageways coagulate the blood on an
immediate basis. Sexual contact involves the extensive use of
fingertips and nails. Swabs taken from different parts of the
hand show the highest level of infectious concentration is in the
thumbnails. Prevention via good hygiene is by far the best way
to avoid free-radical damage. The author lists groups of health
problems alleviated incrementally by cleansing of the fingernails, nose and eyes. Examples of diseases helped by the cleansing are:

- aids
- cancer
- arthritis
- colds
- connective tissue diseases
- kidney diseases
- multiple sclerosis
- myasthenia gravis
- pneumonia
- polio
- sinusitis and tuberculosis

The author presents specific research findings which depict how
cleansing of the fingernails, eyes and nasal cavity may reduce
the immune system overload. This book is perfect for a wide
variety of professionals responsible for medical care delivery.
A strength of the presentation is seen in the extensive
scientific studies cited in the bibliography. Examples of
authoritative sources are:
- The Oxford Textbook of Medicine
- Principles of Immunopathology
- Textbook of Human Virology
- Burrows Textbook of Microbiology
- Principles of Biochemistry et al.

This book is difficult to acquire. It sells for nearly $100.
per copy, if you can get one. I got a copy when they were
still available to the public. Even at $100., the acquisition
is worth the price for the research citations alone.

I had this book when I was a child, and although we lost our copy a few years back, I still remember both the words and the pictures in almost perfect detail- it's that amazing. "Listen to the Rain" is evocative and beautiful. Captivating paintings interweave with words which are utterly beautiful in their rhythms and their fanciful, yet dead-on descriptions of the rain. This is an absolutely wonderful book, for both children and adults. When I was young, it was one of my favourites; I would read it with my sister, over and over, and it was one of the books which our parents actually enjoyed reading to us. It's one of the best children's books out there; not silly, not serious, just real.

I have read "Le Demon de la Theorie", which is Compagnon's text in French, literally "The Demon of Theory". whose title braves the academically subversive idea, born in common sense, that theory, while important to comprehend and understand in the study of literature, lacks a method definitive to the valuable comprehension of literature itself. Simply, he opposes the idealization of literary theory as opening a "true" and "veritable" window to a text and instead, says that the comprehension of a text is found, at best, in between common sense and the presence of theoretical maneuvers.
Compagnon delineates, in an articulate manner, the development of literary theory from the 19th to the 20th century. It is a straightforward read and can clarify/act as an introduction to understanding the frequently obtuse nature between literary theory and literature.

My son likes to put his foot on each of the textures provided, he thinks it is great fun to go from a soft blanket to crunchy leaves in just moments. It's a must read every night before bed.

We love exploring the pages of this "lift-the-flap" board book. It's one of our favorite bedtime books for our 7-month-old. Simple, colorful themes - great ideas for using the book when baby gets older (counting, colors, shapes). Right now, each page keeps him engaged...we've only opened a few flaps and he finds them interesting. The concepts are so simple and creative that I'm practicing sign language with the pictures. I'm online now to order similar books.

This book is adorable with really nice photos. My son loves horses, so I'm sure he'll love it!