Bruno Books

On the one hand, it is correct to class ALF as gay literature. Its story turns on the coming of age of the hero, Alf, and his friendship with Felix. The book is clearly aimed at the legal and social oppression of same sex love and relationships in Germany in the early part of the century. Interestingly, the author, Bruno Vogel, was not gay as far as I know and lived most of his life with a woman as long-time companion. He was, rather, a general activist and agitator.

On the other hand, it is equally important to recognize the book at part of the anti-war literature that came out of the pointless horror of World War I. In German one thinks of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by E.M. Remarque and in English of JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN by Dalton Trumbo. Slightly less well known are two other books that, like ALF, combine the issue of gay sexual orientation with pacifism, DESPISED AND REJECTED by A.J. Fitzroy and, perhaps the best work of the genre and to my knowledge her only work in a modern setting, Mary Renault's THE CHARIOTEER.

The book is certainly not one of the ten great works of literature of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, it is a well told tale with three dimensional characters whom one can understand and whose feelings one understands and shares. The voice of frustrated protest is powerful. At the very least, the book has an historical importance, not so much because we live in the age of Lawrence v. Texas but more because we live in the age of "proactive" war against Iraq and war against the phenomenon of terrorism.

The motto printed at the front of the book is: "To Understand Everything is Not to Forgive Everything." Perhaps a more apt, modern motto might be the T-shirt slogan: "The Problem is Not Gay Soldiers; the Problem is Dead Soldiers. Ban the Military."

Samuel Johnson
(the translator)

I've been suffering from shyness since I was little girl. I remember not being able to stand in front of a room and present a report, or even worse... I could not even be part of a family celebration. I'd die of embarrassment if I said anything wrong. Bruno's work is a great tool for conquering shyness. I highly recommend it.

I am a constant worrier, but never really thought so. It was such a part of my life, and for so long. On a whim, I purchased this book and realized how much needless worrying I had in my life. I found this book to be very refreshing and have noticed how the exercises have changed my self-confidence and outlook on life. I still have a long ways to go, but this book has helped me deal with some of my worry and anxiety. Well recommended for those who are looking for a different approach.

This slim volume contains 11 articles, six by evolutionists, five by creationists.

The creationist articles are atrocious, but they nevertheless represent the best creationism has to offer: (i) an exposition of the idea of "irreducible complexity" by Michael Behe; (ii) an argument by Duane Gish that creationism should be taught in science classrooms because it is just as scientific as evolution; (iii) the argument, here set forth by Ker C. Thomson, that evolution violates the second law of thermodyanmics; (iv) the argument by Dean L. Overman that life could not have originated without supernatural activity; and (v) a bizarre article by Jonathan Wells arguing that evolutionists believe in evolution only because of pure bias in favor of metaphysical naturalism, and that a designer could not, in fact, have created a world much different than the one we see.

The evolutionist articles are generally good: (i) Richard Dawkins discusses the evolution of the eye; (ii) the National Academy of Sciences offers its statement about evolution and the relationship between science and religion; (iii) Robert T. Pennock explains why evolution does not violate the second law of thermodynamics; (iv) Michael Ruse takes a scattershot approach against all sorts of creationist arguments and assertions; (v) David A. Thomas argues that the fossil record supports evolution; and (vi) Kenneth R. Miller explains why he thinks evolution is perfectly consistent with belief in God.

This book does not by any means cover all of the ground there is to cover in the debate (for instance, there are no selections concerning the age of the earth), and not all of the selections are exactly matched against one another in a point-counterpoint fashion (that is, half of a creationist article may be refuted in one evolutionist article, and the other half in a different one), but all in all, this is a decent starting point for new students of the creationism vs. evolution debate.

In the words of this new photographer, "This book is not about light or shadow, form or beauty, but as luck would have it, my every day". He goes on to say, "A fantasy of sorts", that "was once a hobby has become a passion". I sincerely envy this photographer's daily life, and at the same time thank him for sharing with us his passion of capturing the many facets of male beauty. These youthful models are not offensively erotic and a pleasure to behold. These black & white images clearly demonstrate what a talented eye Lozon has for showcasing these young and muscular men in very provocative and arresting photos. There are a lot of stunningly good-looking young models in this collection. This is one of my favorite male nude photography books. A "feast for the eyes" from a day in the life of this talented photographer!

Joe Hanssen

Am not familiar with the work of Joe Phillips. Bought the book on a hunch thinking it was a comic book. Was sadly disappointed that there were only paintings which were out of this world, but no reading matter.

That's why the 4 star rating.

Otherwise the book and layouts are perfect and the artwork droolicious !!!

In the previous years this calendar was lightly erotic but for 2007 it boldly moves to the next step with beautiful men on full display. The calendar is dimensionally smaller this year but the pictures are still sinfully delicious to the eyes.
This calendar is for the gay man who enjoys hand drawn erotica as opposed to photography.

Although I read this book for a class I was fascinated by it. Regardless of your level of expertise this is a great book. Dr. Stein's book provides an insight into the field of brain repair that is quite unique. It presents a history of brain repair and the current status of it as well as future issues that plague such research. Well written and provides a gateway to future reading. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I admit, I just thumbed through this one in the store. It's cute, it's clever, it's thought provoking, and it gives decorative results. It just doesn't have the depth or breadth of Munari's "Tree," for example.

There are lots of good pieces here, some simple and some very subtle. The simple ideas are even simpler than a "potato print." To make a potato print:cut the spud half, incise the exposed flat surface, press the flat side into ink, then press the inked shape onto paper. Here, you just cut the end off the veggie, ink, and stamp. The veg defines its own shape, unique per individual cabbage or radicchio, but similar within a species.

What's cute is the simple stamping technique for creating many families of flower prints. What provokes thought is how the development of the species or individual creates such distinctive marks, and marks distinctive at such different levels. There is subtle biology at work here, made visible in the inked impression.

What lacks, however, is the direction in which a child artist may grow. Munari's "Trees", for example, starts even more simply, but gives even more directions to explore. "Trees" leaves open doors for the visual artist, fractal mathematician, or intelligent child. Munari just didn't rise to his own standard in this book.

This book is good, but Munari has done better. An art instructor may want this book, but amateurs like me can learn more elsewhere.

//wiredweird

This book i bought 2 years ago in Costa Rica, but after reading only the first chapter was stolen along with my bag. It's so difficult to find a knowledge source so complete about regional architecture in the practice. Stagno studied the sorroundings of his Costa Rica, culture, climatology and construction, to understand where was he designing, in order to adapt to it, and not the other way around. He has developed a design philosophy for his work, in which the best part is that he takes it to the end: he does what he preaches. His buildings in C.R. are living proof of his theories. This book describes this philosophy - ambiental syncretism - in a concise, well researched and complete manner. An landmark book for all architects designing in the humid tropics.