Sheridan Books

Briefly: I found this book a useful introduction to Foucault's writings and ideas. Sheridan goes through the major works (Madness and Civilization, The Birth of the Clinic, The Order of Things, The Archaeology of Knowledge, Discipline and Punish, and The History of Sexuality) and does a great job of discussing how they relate to the French originals and Foucault's lesser-known writings. Still, even Sheridan is not a very easy read, so the book will appeal more to academics and college/university students who seek a general understanding of Foucault.

I put some time aside to listen to this book and was glad I did. Although a bit long for me after listening to the book it was time well spent.

My two year old loves this collection of Noddy stories with all the familiar characters. The pictures are bright and colourful and the text is uncondescending.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a very well written book on the life and career of James Mason. I highly recommend it. I wish; however, that there would have been a little more in it about his personal life. All in all a well written biography.

While this book is catagorized as Religious/Social Action - I've become wary of anything that is considered "religious".

While this book offers many good ideas for making a difference in the lives of others, some are better than others. I have learned to glean what I can which agrees with my own faith - and let the others go.

Some of the great ideas I got from this were:

Afghans for Afghans: Knitting items for needy folks in war-torn Afghanistan. What a great way to 'multi-task'. While traveling or enjoying a movie, my knitting needles are flying for a cause. [...]

Waste Not, Mail Not: Remove yourself from all those pesky unsolicited mailing lists and save trees in the mean time. [...]

Would you give someone the shirt off your back... SURE YOU WOULD! Donate your good business clothes and shoes to low income women entering the workforce. This was great for me as I retired this year! [...]

Here Piggy, Piggy, Piggy: 23 million Americans go to be hungry each night! For kids that can mean stunted growth, learning disabilities and depressed immunity. Add this reflection to grace at family meals and remind your kids to help themselves to only that which they can eat. Keep a 'hunger piggy' bank on the table and encourage everyone to add their spare change at the end of the day. Donate the contents once a month to a local food shelter.

pg. 94: So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all. Galatians 6:10

I read Outward Leg several years ago and it inspired me to read just about all of his other books. His no nonsense, slighly irreverent style appeals to me as well as the fact that he has a great sense of humanity. A good book and a good read.

Crossing the Pacific Ocean. Now, there's a dream many have long held. This book does an excellent job of telling you how to do just that, regardless of whether your dream will be realized or not.

The book assumes you will be traveling by sailboat, and visiting many of the major points of interest in the wide Pacific, from the Aleutian Island to Japan, down across the tropical zones of the Pacific to the cold forbidding Antarctic regions. The primary emphasis is on cruisng the tropics, however.

I am planning to depart on a voyage across the Pacific ion a few months, and have found this book to be right on target for my needs for planning this great trip. If you want to join us in spirit, just buy this book!

"Philoctetes" takes place near the climax of the Trojan War. The title character has the great bow of Hercules, given by the demi-god on his pyre to Philoctetes's father. A member of the Achaean expedition that sailed to Troy, Philoctetes was making an altar on an island along the way when he was bitten by a snake. His cries of pain were so great that he was abandoned by his shipments, under the orders of Odysseus, and marooned on the deserted island of Lemnos. Alone and crippled, Philoctetes used the great bow to survive for the ten years the Achaeans have been fighting against Troy. During that time his hatred against the Achaeans in general, and Odysseus in particular, has grown.

Meanwhile, back at Troy, Odysseus and the other Achaean chieftains have learned from an oracle that Troy will fall only with the help of Philoctetes and his bow (a juicy tidbit it certainly would have been nice to have known eight or nine years earlier). Odysseus and Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, are sent to bring Philoctetes and his bow back to the war. Of course, Odysseus dare not show himself to Philoctetes and sends Neoptolemus to do the dirty work. Neoptolemus gains the confidences of the crippled man by lying about taking him home. During one of his agonizing spasms of pain, Philoctetes gives his bow to Neoptolemus. Regretting having lied to this helpless cripple, Philoctetes returns the bow and admits all, begging him to come to Troy of his own free will. Philoctetes refuses and when Odysseus shows his face and threatens to use force to achieve their goal, he finds himself facing a very angry archer.

In "Philoctetes" Sophocles clearly deals with the balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of society. But this is also a play about citizenship and the need for the idealism of youth to be give way to the responsibilities of adulthood. In fact, this lesson is learned both by Philoctetes, who is taught by the shade of Hercules who appears to resolve the tenses conclusion, and Neoptolemus, who finds his duties at odds with his idealized conception of heroism based upon his father. Although this is a lesser known myth and play, "Philoctetes" does raise some issues worth considering in the classroom by contemporary students.

"Philoctetes" is similar to other plays by Sophocles, which deal with the conflict between the individual and society, although this is a rare instance where Odysseus appears in good light in one of his plays; usually he is presented as a corrupter of innocence (remember, the Greeks considered the hero of Homer's epic poem to be more of a pirate than a true hero), but here he is but a spokesperson for the interests of the state. Final Note: We know of lost plays about "Philoctetes" written by both Aeschylus and Euripides. Certainly it would have been interesting to have these to compare and contrast with this play by Sophocles, just as we have with the "Electra" tragedies

This slim little book is an ideal guide for anyone working with older adults, particularly Alzhiemer's patients. It suggests that by reminisincing people find a sense of self identity and can better train their mind to retain memory and boost self-confidence. An interesting therapeutic approach.