Bush Books

William Bush, a convert to Orthodox Christianity from the Protestant tradition, has prepared a thoughtful and provocative book that every Orthodox Christian should read. Besides its value for meditation and reflection on the treasures of Orthodox spirituality and worship, he says things that so-called 'traditional' Orthodox people should pay attention to. In particular, Mr. Bush is quite right to point out that membership in the Body of Christ cannot be reduced to a tribal birthright, and the sacraments of the Church are not tribal customs. He rightly denounces how 'Orthodox Christianity's rich truths become the pawn in a demonic game of the politics of ethnic pride.' This is idolatry, not Christianity.

A point of secondary importance is his criticism of the pews that unfortunately mar Orthodox worship in too many parishes in America and that turn participants of divine life into audience members. Mr. Bush is absolutely right that Orthodox Christians should stand for worship, unless infirm or ill, and should also hear the so-called 'secret prayers' that have been suppressed from general hearing. But he doesn't go far enough on this theme, as evidenced by his typical description of the liturgical responses sung by 'the choir.' Excuse me, but the liturgy belongs on the lips of the people, and the choir's sole purpose is to help that reality happen.

Overall, a most useful book, highly recommended especially for Lenten reading.

This very original piece of work describes the history and biological basis of nepotism. This book has been described as a `polemic' which it surely is not, instead it is an interesting, very calmly argued accounting of nepotism through the ages. The riveting begins with a description of the Godfather and nepotism in America, especially the widely held view that George Bush and Al Gore are examples of the `new' American nepotism. The argument proceeds to describe nepotism in non-western societies, such as China, Africa and of course the caste system of India, including biological descriptions of nepotism among animals and nepotism at the tribal and clan level. Then we are given an introduction to western nepotism, the Romans, the Greeks, the Jews, the rise of the Church and Charlemagne's family.

The second section of the book describes nepotism in America from the 1700s to the present. The waves of American immigration are discussed, the separate cultures of North and South, the rise of the Boston Brahmins, the Roosevelt's and the Kennedy's. Given the claim that nepotism has deep roots in America the book desires to discover how it is that America, alone among the nation of the book made the condemnation of nepotism a prime value, a value that has led to success and strength, including the meritocracy.

A very interesting book, part history, part sociology. The only flaw here is that it concentrates on a few examples and individuals, describing these peoples rise without giving context of the grander scheme of nepotism.

Seth J. Frantzman

Burke deserves terrific credit for detailed research into an untold story about several projects to invent computing machines useful for communications codebreaking and other national defense purposes, during World War II. This story is valuable for computer history and for insights into a little known aspect of U.S. military history. The book is painstakingly documented.

With careful attention to arcane topics, the book is not an easy read and might not appeal to many general readers. It has a narrow focus on several developmental computer projects. However, for those interested in the historical evolution of computing machines and signals intelligence, the book may be rewarding.

Owing to the technological difficulty of these computer development projects and modest resources for them, it is not surprising problems were encountered. Based on this context, the author under-appreciates Vannevar Bush, who was involved in spawning these projects. In a bigger picture, Bush rendered extraordinary service to the United States during World War II, as leader of the National Defense Research Council, which harnessed the inventiveness of civilian scientists in meeting the technological imperatives of the war. Bush was a great inventor and scientific leader. Burke would surely have been helped had Pascal Zachary's fine biography of Bush, Endless Frontier (1997), then been available to him.

Nevertheless, Burke's book represents valuable primary research on computer history and signals intelligence. The author devoted years to researching this book. In so doing, he has rendered highly valuable service to the understanding of history. His book sheds interesting light on the dogged efforts of many Americans involved in cryptological causes and in computer development. This underlying story is intrinsically inspiring and now better revealed.

DVD - Amaz title says "hardback" - but this is a DVD - movie.

it's a HOOT. funny stuff.

For anyone with an interest in this most unique of singer/songwriters, "Kate Bush;A Visual Documentary" is an essential reference book.Cann and Mayes have followed a largely chronological path for Kate's musical career, but also go right back to her childhood in East Wickham, covering her schooldays and early musical endeavours. The book details extensively her formative years at EMI, leading to the release of her first album and Kate's growing confidence. Given that she has always remained an elusive figure, it makes good sense for the authors to concentrate on the creative processes Kate goes through in the creation of each album. However, the book is not simply dry reportage, but freely quotes Kate's family, friends and peers, giving the factual information a greater depth.All the albums up to "The Hounds of Love" are covered, as well as reports from video shoots, concerts and personal appearances. The book is rounded out with a series of Kate's personal quotes, giving some interesting insights into her work and then some useful lists, including a discography, videography and Kate " trivia".The book's real strength however, are it's many visual images, ranging from concert photos to video captures to promotional images, all of which serve to demonstrate Kate's undoubted appeal. If a few more colour pictures had been included, four stars would have become five. In all, this excellent package provides an indispensible guide to one of popular music's most talented performers.

"Kids' Letters to President Bush" is a fun book compiled and edited by Bill Adler. The letters are written by students, mostly ages 7 to 11, who were encouraged by their teachers to write to the president. Some are touching, but most are just funny. A few boys and girls suggested that there should be a woman president. Some wondered how the system works: "If you have a vice president, does the First Lady have a second lady?" "Is your dog the president of other dogs?" "Who is in charge of the White House if you take naps?"

Politics crept into a few letters: "Is God a Democrat or a Republican?" "My father likes you but my mother doesn't. My mother doesn't like anything my father likes." "My mom says your only friend is the vice president." A few letters were moving: "My grandmother is very sick but she can't pay for all of her medicine. Could you please send her $12 so she can get better?" Some offered the president solutions to his problems: "If you need any help in the White House, you can call me collect after 6 p.m." "I saw on TV everybody was looking for some big weapons in Iraq. I find lots of lost things under my bed. Maybe they should look under some beds in Iraq."

But my favorite was from a clever child with a great idea: "I would like to get federal assistance to help clean up my room."

Kill Switch through fiction brought to the forefront real life issues in an easy to read format. The author seemingly weaved actual life experiences throughout the novel telling of a young man's journey through life from birth to death and detailing to some degree how he became involved in a global social and political issue.

I believe this is a very limited edition (less than 300 copies) of the book Raptured: the Final Daze of the Late, Great Planet Earth. It is a parody of the fundamentalist "Left Behind" series.

Raptured: The Final Daze of the Late, Great Planet Earth (Kiss My Left Behind series)

Un livre qui revele comment gouverne George W. Bush, qui sont ses collaborateurs et quels sont ses projets. Beaucoup de renseignements interessants mais aussi inquietants. Du nouveau dans le systeme americain. Decadence ou apogee? L'histoire le montrera.

Australia does not have the strong tradition of Nature writing that America does. One exception to this is Western Australian writer William Lines. This book, the title of which pays its respects to an Eric Newby classic, is the story of his walk he did along a previous version of Western Australia Bibbulman Track which runs south from Perth. Lines deftly describes the every day aspects of the walk but intertwines his descriptions with an account of the history, a rather sad one, of Western Australian forests as a result of greed, ignorance and stupidity. An Australian environmental classic.