Teams Books

Whenever psychical researchers discuss the best evidence on record for the survival of consciousness after physical death, i.e., life after death, the so-called "Cross-Correspondences" are often listed as number one. "...the Cross-Correspondences are considered by many knowledgeable judges to be among the very best - if not the very best - evidence we have for survival of death, and moreover for survival of death with memory and intellectual vigor apparently undimmed," says Professor David Fontana, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

However, the researchers always point out that the Cross-Correspondences cases are so complex that they are beyond the comprehension of anyone who is not a classical scholar and not prepared to spend dozens of hours in studying the messages. "Whatever else they are, they are eminently communications from a man of letters, to be interpreted by scholars, and they are full of obscure classical allusions," wrote Sir Oliver Lodge, the distinguished physicist and electricity pioneer of yesteryear.

If they can be summarized, the Cross-Correspondences were fragments of information that came through different mediums and which in themselves meant nothing. However, when pieced together they formed coherent messages. The objective was for the communicating spirits to demonstrate that the messages were not coming from the conscious or subconscious of a single medium, or by means of telepathy from another human, or from some cosmic memory bank. It was as if the spirit communicators devised a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle with the pieces scattered in various parts of the world.

The purported spirit communicators were for the most part the early pioneers of psychical research, including the three men generally credited with founding the Society for Psychical Research in London in 1882 - Frederic W. H. Myers, Edmund Gurney, and Henry Sidgwick. All were Cambridge scholars well versed in classical literature, Myers especially. Harvard professor William James said that Myers "will always be remembered in psychology as the pioneer who staked out a vast tract of mental wilderness and planted the flag of genuine science upon [psychical research]."

As the story goes, these three men and several others continued their work after they crossed over to the Other Side, Myers taking the lead after his death in January 1901, finding gifted mediums in different parts of the world to communicate messages back to members of the society which they helped establish several decades earlier.

In this book, Archie E. Roy, professor emeritus of astronomy and honorary research fellow in the University of Glasgow, closely examines the Cross-Correspondences, including the spirit communicators, the researchers receiving the messages on this side of the veil, the various mediums through whom the messages came, and the messages themselves, putting together a fascinating story of love and intrigue during the Edwardian age.

As one reads this near-600 page book, the characters come alive. Chief among the characters still in this realm of existence at the time are Arthur James Balfour, prime-minister of England from 1902-06, Lord Gerald William Balfour, his brother, Winifred Coombe-Tennant, an affluent English woman (British delegate to the League of Nations) who used the pseudonym "Mrs. Willett" so that no one would know that she was a medium, and Henry Coombe-Tennant, her son, who was completely unaware for most of his life of his mother's mediumship or his own involvement in many of the cross-correspondence messages.

Three love stories unfold, two of them of frustrated love made manifest on the Other Side and the third a somewhat scandalous affair resulting in a love child. One of first two is known as the "The Palm Sunday Story." "Many who have studied this case have accepted that it is a remarkable demonstration of undying love and devotion by people on both sides of that inevitable and inescapable appointment we call death," Professor Roy writes.

There are some interesting sidebar stories, such as Henry Coombe-Tennant's escape from a German prison camp during World War II and his trek across Germany and France with two other prisoners. On his return to England, he was on his way to visit his mother with a brother officer when their car broke down. As they were walking up the road, they were offered a ride by a charming young woman, the current Queen of England.

Even if one is not interested in the subject of life after death, the book offers much as a period piece. "There are still many of the older members of the present population who have at least a vague knowledge of that era, though in this philistine age of dumbing-down, even more people, in their lack of an adequate and systematic education in history, might be excused in their ignorance, for confusing Victoria with the first Elizabeth and, if asked, hazard a guess that her first major war was fought against Hitler," Roy offers.

The entire story would make for a great movie, but a movie would no doubt fail to capture the intricacies of the people, their stories, and the messages so thoroughly researched by the author.

The book gives a good overview of the live behind the scenes of a Formula 1 racing team.

They appeared to come from nowhere and do the impossible, these young men who appeared to be anything but extraordinary until they stepped onto the basketball court--but then the magic happened. Hailing from a Willamette Valley mill town described as a "wide spot in the road" and from a school that was among the smalledt in the state, these eight remarkable athletes and their two special coaches spent the basketball season of 1937 defeating the best teams from the biggest schools in Oregon. And when the season had ended, the Bellfountain Giant Killers had created a new chapter in Northwest sports history.

This book is great! It provides a sentimental and personal insight into the Pens' 1992 Stanley Cup season, complete with many interviews with the players. It is obvious that Molinari cares about the Penguins because of the emotion that this book can bring out in any Penguins fan. A great book to read to relive the early 1990s dominance of the Penguins.

The book takes into account the influence that the environment and the landscape have on the residential project presenting a series of domestic architectural showpieces sited in the city, near to the sea, in the country, or high up in the mountains. The architects have sought out the way of making them blend in with the scenery. The alluring photos that illustrate this book pay homage to the magnificent creations of architects like Mark Mack, Gabriel Poole, Wolfgang Doring, J. Frank Fitzgibbons, and John and Patricia Patkau. Names which have become famous more recently are also included: Ben Van Berkel, Kazuyo Sejima, Rob Wellington Quigley and Fernau & Hartman. Finally, prize examples by not so well known architects have been chosen: Peter Romaniuk, Iida Archischip Studio, Bercedo and Mestre, Grupo LBC, Gutierrez Cortina, Ramon Esteve, Cristian Boza, Natalye Appel, Peter Gluck, Kappe Studio, Joan Rodon, Valor Frutos Sanmartin and Vincent James. All of these designers found a style for the homes that will inspire the classic residential projects in the future.

I really dug this book. It looks great on my coffee table at work and everyone always picks it up. I also like "A Tailgater's Guide To SEC Football." It's a good one too.
I highly recommend both titles.

Go Vols!

Every Subaru owner should have this thing. The only thing I don't like is that its thin and a little translucent, not as thick as it would seem. And it took 2 weeks to get to me. Other than that I love it!

If you are a Panther fan, this book is fun reading from the "voice" of the Panthers. Written in an informal, very casual conversational style.
Quick read, but fun!

If you have read Peter Senge's THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE and wished there was a book about systems thinking that you could share with kids, then your wish has come true.

BILLIBONK & THE BIG ITCH is a kids book with a plot that relies upon the principles of organizational learning to carry the action. The story is engaging and fast-paced. Like all really good kids books, this will appeal to grown ups, too. THE BIG ITCH is the second book that features Billibonk the Elephant and Frankl the Mouse. This book demonstrates that the concepts of learning organizations and systems thinking can be readily understood by young people.

Hats off to Philip Ramsey! He has given kids, parents, and everyone who cares about kids a book that is fun to read and can open our minds to the possibilities of sustainable systems and learning organizations.