Society Books

Anyone living in the Chicago area in the 1950s frightfully remembers the disappearance of these young girls, and the horror on the day their bodies were found. Tamara Shaffer has produced an excellent work covering all aspects of the story, including many details never revealed to the press. She takes you back to the neighborhoods and the people of that day as if these many years never passed. There is a chilling and eerie feeling as you read this book, and view the never before seen photos. Knowing that this crime was never solved leaves one pondering all the facts presented by Shaffer's thorough investigation.

Rarely can a writer combine a baffling who-done-it with such a vivid restoration of time and place, which qualifies Tamara Shaffer's Murder Gone Cold as nothing less than a masterpiece. In the absence of CNN or Fox or even an effective network of television news, the killing of Barbara and Patricia Grimes in 1956 attracted only fleeting attention outside Chicago, as had the previous Schuessler-Peterson murders or that of Judith Mae Anderson a few months later. All were young, none were solved, and the city escaped what today would have made it a minor "murder capital" during an era otherwise deemed peaceful. The author, then also in her teens and living in a quiet middleclass neighborhood only ten blocks from the Grimes Sisters, rode the same buses and street cars and frequented the same stores and theaters. After years of research she now takes us back to the scene of that crime and into an age hardly remembered by many and not known to most.

Three days after the 1956 Christmas celebration, fifteen year old Barbara Grimes and her twelve year old sister, Patricia, left their Chicago home to see an Elvis Presley movie. They never returned. Barely a month later, after a nationwide manhunt and appeals from Presley himself, their frozen corpses were found near Willow Springs. Both girls had been sexually assaulted. Parents who were already living under a cloud of fear brought on by the recent murders of the Schuessler brothers and their friend Bobby Peterson were thrown into new depths of anxiety and terror by the Grimes slaying.

Author Tamara Shaffer was sixteen years old when Barbara and Patricia Grimes were killed, and her own memories of the dread that pervaded Chicago in the aftermath make "Murder Gone Cold" a memoir as well as a murder story. She offers a solid documentation of the unsolved case from the moment the girls leave their home on South Damen Avenue right up until the present time, when she discusses the fate of the key players in the tragedy and mentions that Kenneth Hansen, currently serving 300 years for the Schuessler-Peterson murders, was questioned about the Grimes case during the 1990s. She even injects a paranormal perspective by describing how people near the area where the bodies were discovered report hearing car doors slam and tires squeal during a hasty retreat... only no car can be seen. It's not often that a True Crime manuscript can mention hauntings and get away with it, but these supernatural undertones don't detract from this book's credibility. After all, the Grimes murders haunted Chicagoans for years.

This is a very overdue book about the most mysterious disappearance of these two girls back in 1956. Tamara Shaffer has done her research in her book and it clearly shows it. The author takes us back to the years when Chicago's children freely walked their neighborhood and neighbors looked out for one another.
Barbara and Patricia went out to the movies one evening like all the other children. Except, this time they didn't return home. Numerous sightings of the girls were reported to the police. Elvis, the girls icon during those times, even released a public statement asking the girls to go home to ease their mothers worries.
Then one cold January day, their lifeless nude bodies were found in a ditch, along German Churuch Road. Since, jurisdiction was an issue and politics played a role, could this case have slipped through the cracks?
Tamara Shaffer takes us through the events and brings to light on information that could possibly play a role on solving this case.

I read this book as part of a research project that I'm doing. Mr. McKenna did an outstanding job of presenting historical facts, bibliographic material and his own opinions. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to further understand the Southern Philippines and the growing strength of the Muslim movement.

Dr. McKenna has obviously spent a great deal of time and study in the southern Philippines. His insights are thought-provoking. I highly recommend this book.

This volume gives us an interesting ethnography of an impoverished slum in Cotabato City called Campo Muslim. The author protracts his study of the slum to encompass anthropological contributions to understanding Gramscian hegemony, nationalism, colonial histories, formation of new, post-traditional elites, and subaltern resistance. Most useful in this book is the account of the construction of Muslim national identity and the account of the elections in the late 80s wherein the Muslim and Islamist participants made an unexpectedly poor showing giving most of the victories to Christian candidates. Parts of the book are uneven; however, the account is consistent to his methodology from the outside and he allows the information to lead him--always be circumspect that ideology or presuppositions don't lead his interpretations by the nose at least in matters of peasant politics. In other words, the peasant remains an autonomous political actor that doesn't merely parrot and conform to the requests of the socially more advantaged.

The most glaring flaw in the book was what I personally found to be an over-identification with Muslim Filippinos over and against Christian Filippinos. Armed separatist movements are portrayed sympathetically, whereas 'Christian' efforts, whether in terms of national integration, militant attemtps to stop succession, and even charity are treated as all being pernicious acts directed against Muslims. One example was the characterization of Mother Theresa's charity for children in the city as being 'perverse' without any such acerbic criticisms for the vicious effects of separatism movement and the deaths it caused given. The same goes for foreign actors. In the work, American actions in the Philippines are sinister and undermine Philippine Muslim identity; whereas, Libyan, Saudi Arabian, and Egyptian interference are merely catalysts for social change.

I'd been flying to and from Cotabato City, the site of Mckenna's research, almost every month for last few months. I'm a Catholic, but the fact is, if you are on business in Cotabato City, you talk to and deal with Muslims. The Muslims I met, Maguindanaons for the most part, were personable and likeable. They're nothing like the vagabond bad guys I heard about from my elders in the 70s, my growing up years and the years of the war in Mindanao.

I also have Catholic relatives who've been there since the 1930s. In one of the early chapters of his book, McKenna wrote that many Christians in Cotabato City knew next to nothing about how Muslims really live and what Muslims really are because they choose not to know.

I believe he's correct since what my Christian cousins and friends say, which is sometimes patronizing and not at all complimentary, do not seem to mesh with what I know of the Muslims I've met in the course of work. In my conversations with my Muslim associates, they eagerly welcome inquiries about what Islam is all about but they are not about to insist that you convert to Islam.

But then again, my cousins and friends been living there for years on end so they should know what they're talking about, right? These days, Cotabato City is a city unlike any I've been to in the Philippines, even among the bigger cities in Mindanao. There is an almost equal number of Christians and Muslims and the physical features of the city reflect this.

I have yet to test this theory, but I think McKenna's book might prove provocative to Muslims who espouse separatism or federalism (as a "softer" form of separatism). McKenna traces the beginnings of a separate Muslim identity to gentle tending by American educators of young Muslim minds who went on to become national leaders and local datus.

I'll be sending a copy of the book to a conservative Muslim Maguindanaon who had some harsh words to say about the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the Americans who governed Mindanao thereafter. It would be interesting to find out what he thinks after reading Mckenna, who wrote mostly of his people, the Maguindanaons.

On another level, I believe this book should be required reading for all Filipinos. Our required history courses concentrate too much on Philippine history in Luzon and the Visayas. We Christian Filipinos hardly know anything about Mindanao except that our national hero, Jose Rizal, was exiled in Dapitan in Zamboanga. (Now, what we know is that Basilan, also in Western Mindanao is the site of the Balikatan activities of American and Filipino soldiers against the Abu Sayyaf, and that Zamboanga is the city center for the Americans.)

The reasons for the rebellion of Christian Filipinos against Spanish and American rule are analyzed to death in our history books and even given symbolic parallels to the Passion of Christ. But no narration even of the Mindanao rebellion against colonial rule is part of our required reading in Philippine history.

During one visit to Cotabato City, an old Maguindanaoan lady proudly told me, a Filipina Catholic from Luzon with a Spanish name and an American education, that her people had never been colonized unlike my forebears. I had nothing to say. But I would be honored if she considered me her countrywoman in spite of everything.

Just the other night, I watched a documentary feature of a battle fought to the death by Maranaos, another Muslim group, against the Americans in 1902 in the town of Bayang in Lanao del Sur. After the battle, only five Maranao men were left alive. Even women and children were killed, their bodies dumped in the trenches. Around 10 American soldiers were killed. American sources tell the story that towards the end of the battle, a white flag was flown outside the fort in Bayang. Thus, they say, the Maranaos surrendered. Actually, among Muslims, a white flag is flown to indicate a death.

This is an excellent book, very entertaining. A true reflection of the thoughts and opinions of the time period. So politically incorrect for present day, but amusing nonetheless.

In the early 1900's Katherine Routledge sailed from England to Easter Island on the schooner 'Mana', leading a group of experts on the first modern day scientific expedition to uncover the secrets of the island. This book is a first-hand account of the expedition. It includes lots of detail on the famous stone statues (moai), the native people & their legends, the mysterious script (rongo-rongo), the bird cult, and much more. Routledge even managed to learn the local language in the hope that interviewing the natives would shed some light on the island's prehistory.

The book is well written and fun to read. It includes lots of fine illustrations, including photos and drawings, depicting the most important sites. It is definately a must-read for visitors to the island, or just for anyone interested in Easter Island and its strange history.

I fancy the image of Katherine Routledge as a kind of female Indiana Jones. Certainly she was adventurous for a woman of the early part of the century; just getting to the island in a yacht ranks as a mildly swashbuckling achievement. There are also some references in the book that she had already been to East Africa, perhaps before the turn of the century, although I have been unable to find further information on this.

The Mystery of Easter Island was originally published in 1919, based upon the research of an English lady, Katherine Routledge, who lived on the island in 1914-15. She learned the Rapanui language and interviewed all the old people she could find who still remembered the past. The more we now know about the archaeology of Easter Island, the better this material looks. Routledge did excavations, camped out all over the island and accumulated vast quantities of research material. A 'must read' for someone going to Easter Island.

I read this book several years ago and it is still one of my all time favorites. Katherine Routledge has an incredible ability to describe the world around her from out fitting the boat to the difficulty of navigating the eastern coast of South America she is able to describe the world in such a way you feel that you are there. The incredible thing about the book is what she is describing takes place in 1916. She is able to give you the feeling that you are taking a global sailing trip and exploring the island first hand.

Besides clearly explaining Popper's well-known positions on the distinction between scientific and non-scientific propositions, testing possibilities for falsifications of theories or piecemeal adaptations of social systems, this book constitutes the burial of the Frankfurter Schule (Adorno, Habermas, Horkheimer).
By the way, non-scientific propositions are not meaningless (e.g., music, literature, myths).
Science probably began with myths, superstitions and prejudices.

K.R. Popper rejects the myth of the framework, `the doctrine of the impossibility of mutual understanding between different cultures, generations or historical periods, even within science, even within physics.'
Critical reasoning and open discussions (`without killing any authors or burning books') should always be allowed and be the bacon of all our theories about and solutions of practical and theoretical problems. `Man has achieved the possibility of being critical of his own tentative trials, of his own theories.'

Frankfurter Schule
Popper torpedoes the Critical Theory of the Frankfurter Schule as follows: `Horkheimer rejects, without argument and in defiance of historical facts, the possibility of reforming our so-called `social system'. This amounts to saying: let the present generations suffer and perish - for all we can do is to expose the ugliness of the world we live in, and to heap insults on our oppressors, the bourgeoisie.'
He also lambastes the supreme influence of Hegelianism on German philosophy (`a tradition destructive of intelligence and critical thought'). He sides here with Marx who remarked that `in its mystifying form dialectics became the ruling German fashion.'

This book is a must read for all those interested in philosophy and, of course, for all 'critical' Popper fans.

One of the things I marvel at from time to time is the nearly complete lack of interest in the status of science in the world. I am, of course, referring to the vast majority of my fellow citizens. I doubt that the politicians share this agnosticism as to science's place, purpose, nature, technique and subject matter, the uses of science are too well known for that; but the subject does not seem to cause much wonder amongst the people. The modern world, after all, is a technological construct, and one would have thought that a consideration of, for instance, the epistemological underpinnings of science or the status of its' theories, would be de rigueur in a world whose very existence is based on the importance of science for the technological creation, maintenance and perpetuation of that world. No? Turn off the world's fuel and electricity supply for a month and see how many survive.

Indeed, in speaking with people one finds an unlikely, perhaps I should say alarming, tendency to consider science (and its' theories) with a quasi religious respect that simply is not due the subject. A tendency to speak as if science were in the business of discovering Platonic Truths, perhaps even revealing Nature Herself, which, of course, would obviously leave no room for criticism. One educated person once told me criticism was for politics and art; science, however, is objective. - That while literary criticism is endless (and often pointless), science discovers natural laws. But he speaks as if the great strides in science haven't been made by overthrowing earlier scientific theories. Think of the twentieth centuries replacement of Newton by Einstein, of classical mechanics by Quantum Mechanics.

This process of the replacement of one scientific 'truth' by another is ongoing and possibly endless. For all we know, at any point in history, we may be in the process of overturning yet another scientific theory. Allow me an anecdotal case in point. A few years back some observations, impossible from earth based telescopes, were made by the Hubble space telescope which showed a distant galaxy going in exactly the opposite direction that we would have expected it to go. That prediction was made on the basis of an interpretation of the the Big Bang Theory and the observable matter large enough to gravitationally effect the galaxy in question. (The Big Bang Theory basically predicts that all galaxies will be moving away from all other galaxies unless some locally large structures, nebulae or galaxies, have enough gravitational attraction to pull it in another direction). When pressed for an explanation of the discrepancy between the theoretically based prediction and the recent observation, the poor scientist that was interpreting this observation said that their must be a completely unknown type of unobservable matter attracting this galaxy in this unanticipated direction. In other words, save the theory at any cost, even if it requires a miracle!

As we can see, a combination of observation and theory led to the prediction, but observation alone isn't enough to overturn it. What this scientist, and some of my fellow citizens, have forgotten is that a theory is neither a fact nor a truth, it is only a working hypothesis. They treat theories as facts, and observable facts as details that either confirm present theory, or anomalies that sooner or later will be explained, or perhaps I should say, explained away. The philosopher that best explains, in my opinion, how we should treat theory is Karl Popper. His great insight is the importance of falsification to the theoretical process, and the counter-intuitive insight of the relative unimportance of 'true' theories.

Let me explain. Or, even better, let him explain. He says, in The Myth of The Framework, "All scientific knowledge is hypothetical or conjectural." Note this: It is not a Platonic Truth, a fact of nature, or a revelation of God. Therefore we can doubt a scientific theory without falling into grievous sin. He goes on to say, "The growth of knowledge, and especially scientific knowledge, consists in learning from our mistakes." If theories weren't falsifiable we would still believe the world flat. He tells us, "This fact should encourage you to try to refute your own [and others theories]." Of course, I should add that he doesn't mean that any objection to a scientific theory is good. He is defending objections and refutations that are scientific - flat-worlders and luddites will not find an ally here.

What of the vaunted scientific objectivity we have heard so much of? Again, Popper: "It is not the objectivity or the detachment of the individual scientist but of science itself [...] which makes for objectivity." What Popper is telling us is that it is the scientific method, not individual scientists or currently accepted theories, in which sciences great claims to objectivity reside. And he means that methodic objectivity is not mere experimentation, it is testing to falsify, that is to fail, theories.

The only way to discover the unknown is by seeking to overturn the known. That is why Popper says, "Authoritarianism in science [is] linked with [...] proving or verifying theories. [While] the critical approach is [...] trying to refute, or to falsify its conjectures." In other words, science is a critical, and therefore interminable project; it is an endless task. It is how we interact with our changing world. There is no piety, utterly no piety at all, in Popper's view of science; and this is the scientific attitude that I think we all should strive to emulate.

This is the last book by the great philosopher Karl R. Popper (1902-1944) ,it saw light after a short time of his death ,and it is still printed till this very day.
this book represents the image Popper embraced as a cultural message and his fertile ,ever-innovating philosophy which had many aspects touching our life as intellectuals.
Under the title (Myth of the framework) Karl explores any possibility of a discussion between civilisations ,and he explains that the union or even clash between them is vital and necessary for history's wheel.

Its is very true ,alas this essential interaction can be tragical if it was led by the hands of those of blind faiths and prejudistic beliefs .... if it was presented withing sealed ( frameworks) ... and the critical spirit is there no more ...

Popper - with trowels of critique - bashes every embodiment of bigoted frameworks ,even if it was disguised under the veil of postmodernism , and he dedicates this last breath of his to one final battle in determining factors of development in science ,knowledge ,and humanity.

Excellent, stimulating essays with some surprising and appealing ideas. Also some repetition and some dull essays. A very good book indeed. Popper was a maverick; his ideas will enrich your thinking even if you don't agree with them altogether.

Ever wonder why those 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. summertime pics at the Grand Canyon look pretty crappy compared to what you see professionally?

Well, Fitzharris has the easy answers, from time of day through time of year to use of filters.

Fitzharris visits each park. Based on foliage and other considerations, he recommends the best photographic tims of year to visit. Then, in each park, he lists the best photographic hotspots with times of day to visit.

Beyond that, he suggests how to plan a trip to each park to allow for morning and evening shooting along with midday hiking or other activities.

The photos from each park perfectly illustrate the suggestions he supplies.

Tim Fitzharris Guide to Nature Photography is a complement to John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide, which has been widely (& correctly) accepted as a "textbook" in this subject, up to this time.

That's why the first part of this book tends to be a bit boring. Much of the discussion about the equipment is overlap and has been explain thoroughly in Shaw's book. I think Shaw gives us the basics and fundamentals in nature photography (the know-how theory of exposure and metering unusual situations, the best equipment to chose and use, etc). However, you will be amazed by how much you don't know about nature photography in the next parts and chapters of the National Audubon Guide to Nature Photography.

Tim Fitzharris furnish you with many advance and creative techniques to create more appealing, artistic and creative photos. For examples, he explains clearly and beautifully how to use motion effects (including wind) to photograph many nature objects, the right angle to maximize perspective, modifying natural light (including advance technique of using neutral density filters), impressionism nature photography, etc. What makes this book more helpful is Tim Fitzharris also caters into details in important points of his explanations. He explains (more comprehensively than John Shaw does) about the techniques to get close to wildlife and the power of using blinds, how to photograph birds in flight and even as far as the shutter speed for action-stopping (freeze hummingbird with wings, or body only, great blue heron in flight, snow goose in flight, etc!). He also provides reader with picturegraphs (of animal portrait, how to exactly position the neutral density filter in various situations, etc). These proven techniques and detail information is unquestionably very helpful in boosting our learning curve.

To help us to be more productive, Tim Fitzharris gives hints to the characteristics of the photogenic sites and also the nature photography calendar (North America).

The photos always correspond with the topic discussed and they are breathtakingly beautiful and artistic. It made me wondering, what kind of photos will be presented in the next page. Moreover, they also serve as a good example. Even I learn so much about composition by looking at those stunning photos.

However, I find one part of this book has been published in Fitzharris column in Popular Photography. Be aware for you who regularly read his monthly column (I don't).

Another weakness, this book seems not presented in methodical or lack of systematical method in teaching you about nature photography. Perhaps the author and publisher want to avoid the textbook impression; they want it to be more artistic (in fact it is the way I feel about this book). Where should I find the action-stopping speed? I can't find it in the chapter about wildlife... neither I can find a thorough explanation about using neutral density filter in The Right Equipment Part. It is scattered in the book, depending on the usage and the technique intended to launch. There's no index and difficult to refer something!

So the emphasize of this book is on the technique. My advice is you should grasp the basics and fundamentals before reading this book. And it is the John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide. Buy that book if you want to buy only one book.

But, if you want to go to the next level, this book is well worth your hard-earned money. It will undoubtedly furnish your skill and give you more edge.

Tim Fitzharris' GUIDE TO NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY appears in its revised edition to cover proven techniques for making award-winning photos. From buying and using the best professional equipment suitable for nature shots to insider tips on field procedures and fullproof methods for composition and filtering, this also includes a review of top locations for photographing nature. Add gorgeous color photos and you have a real winner.

There is not much I can add to the previous reviews of this wonderful book. The photos are superb and there is a plethora of great information. My only problem is the author's obvious bias towards Canon products. It is fine to have a favourite camera, but not by providing misinformation about another brand. Long Canon lenses are not 75% shorter and two-thirds lighter than Nikon lenses. Check out the web sites and you will get the exact opposite story. A small point perhaps, but one that I had to make.

I bought this book for my 7 year old son. He is a nature fanatic and this book has been used multiple times a day for a year now and is still in excellent condition. This book is very clearly written with nice pictures. It provides information but not too much for young children. I would recommend it for a general overview of animals.

Written with the collaborations of capable advisors, this is the book, which any kid who wants to journey into the animal kingdom would appreciate.
Essential for both primary and secondary school children, the coverage of this book is good: just as its details are moderate. It is colourful, well-illustrated, and embraced a wide variety of species.
In addition to its complementary cladograms, this "National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia" included habitat details of each animal; as well as their simplified taxonomies. It is a carefully arranged atlas, whose outlook is educative. A good insight into the Kingdom Animalia!

From aardvark to zebra this volume is an excellent introduction into the world of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish, insects,and other invertebrates. It is informative, concisely written,and beautifully illustrated for the 8 to 13 year old child. Consultants for each animal classification are among Britain's and America's top scientists and teachers. In all, it's just what you'd expect from the National Geographic Society

My son received this as a present when he was 4 1/2, since then my son knows more animals and animal facts that I can even keep track of. He know what part of the world they are from, if the animals live in fresh water or salt water, etc. He loves this book, takes it everywhere he goes and I buy it for every birthday party we go to. You can't beat this book.

Are you one of those people who hates crowded, commercialized destinations? My idea of a vacation is NOT fighting traffic and waiting in lines and seeing row upon row of tacky giftshops that are all the same.

If you want to get off the beaten track a bit (but not totally away from civilization), this is the perfect book to help you plan your family vacation! It lists 77 towns - the maps are great of course, the pictures are captivating, and they tell you what's so great about the town, where to stay, where to eat, and even where to shop, if you're so inclined.

I can speak for only two of the destinations listed in the book, but both of them are fantastic. We've been to Ephraim, Wisconsin (in Door County) twice now and we're going back too! The other town we've been to is Ouray, Colorado. Even though we were just passing through there, and only got to stop for lunch, I can see where this town is a great destination all its own.

Get this book, pick a location, and pack up the car and you'll have a great vacation!

Happy traveling!

Escape for a Season or So

Every so often someone comes along who tells me that if they won "the Lottery" one of the things they would like to do is travel. Well, I would, too, except that I want to
do more than just pay a visit, I want to stay a while... perhaps a season or so.

This book just whets my appetitie for such travel. I have been to a number of the towns in this book. Just for one example, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is as good as it gets. If you visit Eureka Springs in the Autumn, the trees of the Ozarks are gorgeous. Coming in from the west, you might even see a cloud in the one of the valleys below. You'll probably pass by Thorncrown Chapel which is one like no other. Once in Eureka you'll find the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway and the only church in the world through which you will enter through the bell tower, St Elizabeth's. Ripley's Believe It or Not once mentioned this story. You'll want to stay for more than a visit
to Eureka Springs because nearby is the Pea Ridge Civil War Battlefield just to mention one.

This book is about places like this one from one coast to the other. I have visited some of them and they are all just as fascinating. I wish that I could see them all.

For anyone who enjoys the out-of-the-way small towns and villages, this guide book is a must. It is so well-written that the unique feeling you get about each place compells you to make an actual visit there. A perfect example is the story about Cutchogue, Long Island, New York. After reading so much about the movie stars, the Clintons and other glitterati in the Hamptons on the South Fork of L.I., I was utterly amazed that there is such a small undisturbed rural paradise (at least until this Guide was published)on the North Fork across Great Peconic Bay. The wineries, farm stands, historic sites and great seafood restaurants made our brief weekend visit a true delight. The Guide gave just enough data to locate Cutchogue and its environs to make the drive easy. The Cutchogue residents we encountered were amazingly friendly and helpful in giving directions to a few haunts of the locals that made this a definite "come again" destination. I trust the other places listed in the Guide are equally as wonderful as the one we experienced.

This was one of our "most valuable" books when we took our year long adventure around the USA. The towns they describe are really worth exploring -- they are the way towns used to be in this country. We came back from our adventure and wrote "Live Your Road Trip Dream" to help other road trippers actually get move from the dreaming to the doing for their trip of a lifetime.

I read this book for an introductory cultural anthropology course I took for personal enrichment. Although it does not at all explore the conflict between Israelis & Palestinians, it did give me some astounding insights into why conflicts in that region of the world seem so intractable to Westerners. It reveals how personal and political identities are created in societies and cultures that are tribal and oral. It challenges easy assumptions that writing things down is simple and desirable, and that talking produces political peace.

This book is a scholarly ethnography with the footnotes and discussion of theory and methodology requried in such books, and it is not a leisurely, easy read. But the diligent reader is rewarded with some eye-popping realizations about a culture that is very different from ours, some beautifully evocative tales from the Bedouin tradition, and even some flashes of perhaps unintended humor in Shryock's accounts of his present-day efforts to track down the 'truth' in a setting that makes the American red-state/blue-state rift blur into a pale shade of lilac.

I am an admitted egghead who enjoys academic writing more than the average person, but I intend to read this book again now that I am beyond the requirements of the college course that first brought it to my attention. Perhaps Sec. of State Rice might also enjoy it?

The author does an excellent job of skirting the volatile plausibility of transcribing oral histories to the written word. For anyone wanting to understand both the intricacies and basic histories of the Jordanian Balga Bedouin, it is a fascinating read. Having a Jordanian father and a Palestinian mother, I especially enjoyed Shryock's investigation into their age-old rivalries. Tribalism is alive and well, as Shryock adeptly shows, and he brings it to us in clear and cunning detail.

Andrew Shryock is the oldest of five boys. All the brothers are very close and that is why I, his youngest brother, am very proud of his work. All the brothers will be home for Christmas and will anticipate reading his work of art. Andrew is a great writer as well as a great person. Number Five, Benjamin Shryock.

Andrew Shryock captures the fragmented nature of oral histories among the Bedouin tribes of a Jordanian region known as the Balga. This text, which is actually an ethnography, brings into relief greater concepts of history that are often not obvious. The histories that Andrew collects have never been written, except a few segments in travelogues. This brings to mind questions about the unsubstantiated faith in written historical texts. Andrew illustrates that it is possible to interrogate the oral histories in the same way other historians interrogate archival data. Questions of the source of the document, the identity of the author, the comparison of data with other sources creates a "complete reality" of history. While Andrew flirts with this definition of history in chapter one when he compares the data he retrieves from oral histories to data found in archives, he also opens several other issues entirely. The oral histories of the Balga tribes are by their very nature fragmentary and disjointed. They do not lend themselves to a uniform, linear universal whole history. Instead, they provide only highlights. This brings to mind a question of validity for so-called modern history. How much is filled in like the archeologist filling in the gaps in crumbled structures? Is it possible that the Balga tribes' oral histories, untouched by the pressure of conformity, be closer to historical truth than the modern version whose rough edges have been hewn squarely into a proper line? Andrew also illustrates the uses that are not directly historical. Oral histories contribute a part to building political clout and are propagated because of political clout. Moreover, the oral histories play a part in identity forming for young members of the tribes. They relate to their place in the universe, not only in the tribe, but also in relation to other tribes, Jordanian politics and the world at large, based on how they see themselves in relation to the oral histories. For these two purposes, the non-textual aspect of the oral histories is part of their significance, part of their social power. It brings into question classic historical texts all over the world. Exactly how historically accurate is everything we call history? An excellent piece of work, it's easy to see why it won scholastic awards.

This is a terrifc book in that it not only lucidly explains the framework of the Natural Step but also gives some excellent practical examples of major corporations starting down the path towards sustainability. This will give them a great competitive edge. With examples like the Natural Step model being applied by the likes of IKEA and Interface one can remain optimistic in the face of the torrent of negatives about the degenerating nature of the world environment. I hope that this book will encourgae others to look nto what the Natural Step has to offer..

This is a clear and wonderful book that makes a compelling case for a new environmental awareness in business and industry. The style is graceful, the chapter organization is easy to follow, and there are many charts and diagrams that enhance the book. I was extremely impressed, and I recommend the book highly.

The authors provide a real service with this book. So far much of the published work on The Natural Step framework has remained conceptual, without a lot of practical examples of the model in practice. The case examples of IKEA, Collins Pine, and Interface provide valuable references for organizational managers and consultants who are working to build more sustainable organizations. I highly recommend this book.

Exceptional book describing the background of the Natural Step process but more importantly provides evidence that companies who embrace sustainabilty in every aspect will be well rewarded for their efforts. Well done with loads of detail.

This edition of the Greek New Testament has what I would call a "reasonable text," but not an "excellent text." While the text is about as good as can be expected when following the Aland school of textual criticism, other scholarly approaches (a label which automatically excludes the "Majority Text" and "Textus Receptus" approaches) are possible and in some cases more useful. (See, for example, the insightful article "Remarks of an Outsider about [several Greek lexica] and Their Textual Basis" in the book _Biblical Greek Language and Lexicography_, ed. Bernard A. Taylor et al.) It is the uncritical acceptance of this Aland school that has led to the gratuitous "grade inflation" noted between the 3rd and 4th editions of the UBS Greek NT, which has the same Greek text as the NA 27. The more you gaze at your own navel, it seems, the better it looks, even if it hasn't changed a bit over the years. This hidebound quality of the UBS-NA text has led to some referring to it, tongue-in-cheek, as "the new Textus Receptus."

The Greek font used in this edition (I have the large print one) is easy to read; I have no complaints about it. I find the font of the UBS 3rd edition more beautiful, but that is a matter of personal taste. However, the font used in the UBS 4th edition is criminally ugly and vertigo-inducing. You may need to get it for the critical apparatus, but you will this NA 27 or UBS 3 for continuous reading. (The UBS edition aims to highlight variants significant for translation, while the NA edition aims to cover a larger number of variants with a more complex apparatus.)

If you are a newcomer to New Testament Greek, avoid the UBS 4th edition for continuous reading. If you can, get a used copy of the 3rd edition, which has a beautiful font. Otherwise, get this Nestle-Aland 27th edition. And best wishes in your studies! It _is_ possible to learn to read the Greek New Testament well, so don't lose heart if the early going is rough.

There is merit in the idea of having a pocket-sized Greek New Testament to tote around with you at all times. Yet, every serious student of the GNT should also consider purchasing this large-print or "Grosdruck" edition. For an office or home copy, you cannot do better. The large print, excellent font, and quality paper make it comfortable to sit and read extended passages without eyestrain. The text-critical notes are also usably sized. Everything about this production speaks of dedication to quality on the part of the German Bible Society.

This is a review of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, editione vicesima septima revisa (revised twenty-seventh edition), edited by B. and K. Aland, Karavidopoulos, Martini, and Metzger. The standard abbreviation for the work is NA27.

Other reviewers who know more Greek than I do have already dealt with the edition itself; here I only want to sort out a confusion of ISBN numbers.

NA27, in blue vinyl boards, without a dictionary, is ISBN 9783438051004. If you search for that ISBN on Amazon, you turn up an edition priced at $39.99. But Hendrickson Publishers has collaborated with the German Bible Society to release copies of their critical editions to the United States at lower prices; hence an Amazon search for ISBN 978-1598561722 leads to yet another product page for NA27 in blue vinyl boards without a dictionary, but this time priced at $25.05. Let me say it clearly: ISBN 9783438051004 and ISBN 9781598561722 refer to exactly the same volume: there is absolutely no difference between them whatsoever, except price. I know this because I ordered ISBN 9781598561722, the edition distributed by Hendrickson, and received an immaculate copy of NA27, which had ISBN 9783438051004 printed on it. Why Hendrickson created an ISBN which does not appear on the printed book, I don't know. I imagine because they wanted to distinguish the copies which they distribute from the copies which the Bible Societies distribute.

To summarize:

NA27 without dictionary distributed by American Bible Society: ISBN 9783438051004, $39.99.

NA27 without dictionary distributed by Hendrickson Publishers: ISBN 9781598561722, $25.05.

The price is the only difference; you get the same book.

Two other ISBNs deserve mention: ISBN 9783438051073 is NA27 with a German dictionary, and ISBN 9873438051158 is NA27 with an English dictionary. I believe Hendrickson distributes NA27 with the English dictionary as well, under a different ISBN and at a lower price, but I do not have the ISBN.

The NA27 is exactly the same as the NA26, with one exception, the text is photo-mechanically enlarged. Like always the NA27 has scholia extensive enough to make a philologist drool. This edition has about a hundred pages in the back of minor variants! Highly reccomended over the USB, the American Bible Society is staffed with barbarians that can handle neither scholia nor a greek text without english section headings.