Though short (only 44 pages), this book proves to be an excellent resource- and interesting reading- for anyone who wants to find out more about the role of women in the middle ages. This book contains a general overview of the options available to medieval women, and many of the duties that they performed. It talks about topics such as "the lady of the manor", "nuns in the convent", and general topics like this. The book is a great source to use to get a better feel for the time period. While the book is a secondary source, it also contains small snippets from primary sources to back up its points and statements. A bibiliography in the back makes it possible for you to track down any of the primary sources if you want. Easy reading, informative, and interesting, this is a great book!

I found this to be an enlightening yet difficult read. The difficulty I blame on my background and not on the author's writing skills. As a Southern Baptist, I know almost nothing about the beliefs and practices of Judaism and very little of various themes, writings, and rites of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox religions. The author relies strongly on sources I am unfamiliar with, and the text does seem more geared toward Catholicism than Protestantism. It was quite a learning experience for me to be introduced to the Talmud, rabbinical sources, and early Christian church writings not included in my Protestant Bible. I was rather amazed at the complex arguments and ideas about Adam and Eve in the Jewish and early Christian worlds; the author presented me with many thoughts and ideas that make sense yet had just never occurred to me. The basic argument I took from this work is that Adam and Eve can only be properly understood in conjunction with the "ends" of Jewish and Christian goals, which center on the giving of the Torah to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai and in the birth and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, respectively. While I have seen Christ described as the second Adam, I found the comparison of Eve to the Virgin Mary quite interesting. There has obviously been much debate among religious scholars about the events and meanings of the Fall and exile from Eden of Adam and Eve, and the author seems to address every thought and suggestion possible in this regard. He also provided me with interesting information on the rebellion and exile of Satan, drawing largely from sources outside my own religious jurisdiction. As a Christian, the concept of Original Sin has been an idea I have always accepted without question, and it was interesting to see how the full concept of Original Sin was actually developed by Saint Augustine. The author helps illustrate his points with discussions of religious artwork such as that of the Sistine Chapel and the illuminating epics of Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. Overall, I learned a lot from this book, information which I cannot fully digest without further study. Someone familiar with the Jewish and early Christian doctrines will doubtless find this book a much easier read than I did, but I think all Christians can certainly gain new perspectives on their beliefs in these pages.

This book has become sort of a classic, for anyone who wants to learn about developmental biology from the point of view of genetics (as opposed to classical embryology), this is the place to start. One strength of this book is that it is stand-along, you don't need to know anything about developmental biology to be able to read it. Anyone with a general knowledge of genetics and molecular biology will have no problem. Another great strength is the writing, it is not only clear but also somehow easy and enjoyable to read, it's the kind of book you can read even if you are tired from a hard day in the lab. The only real flaw in this book is that by now its getting a bit dated, the last edition came out in 1992, which is why I only give it four stars. Of course, the fundamentals haven't changed, so its still an excellent way to learn about the genetic approach to studying development, but it should not be viewed as necessarily the state of the art in terms of what is known. I think we're all looking forward to the next edition!

Some say that we who live in the United States are much too self-absorbed and pay little attention to people and events outside our boarders. After reading "The Global Emergence of Gay and Lesbian Politics," edited by Barry D. Adam, Jan Willem Duyvendak, and André Krouwel, I believe that such criticism may well be warranted. For both serious and arm-chair students of politics, ethics, culture, anthropology, religion, sociology, or modern history (as well as for garden variety social activists, particularly of pink & lavender stripes), this book is an excellent introduction to the worldwide gay and lesbian equal rights movement. These three editors (themselves writing from both Canada and Holland) have fashioned for us a very informative book from thirteen international contributors. This work seeks to not only give us historical background on national gay movements in selected countries, but also, in very scholarly fashion, applies current social theory to these various movements hoping to: (1) see if any generalizations can be made about how gay movements can or cannot develop in a given place, and (2) appraise the accuracy of the theories themselves (i.e. do these academic theories accurately reflect political, "real-world" reality).

Adam et al. pieced together contributors' reports from Canada, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Britain, Holland, France, Spain, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, South Africa (including brief, troubling dispatches regarding anti-gay elements in Zimbabwe and Namibia), Japan, and Australia. In some of these countries, national movements have met with incredible success to the point that gay and lesbian people are practically main-streamed into their dominant cultures. In others, however, it is quite a different story. Some fledgling movements are just now struggling to find their gay political and cultural identity. If this were not enough of a problem, it is compounded by what for them is the new problem of capitalist economics versus the need for gay and lesbian Community building. In yet other parts of the world, due to ancient cultural customs regarding public discourse, the entire notion of individual "gay identity" as being separate and apart from heterosexual identity is in question (much less any kind of collective gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender political aggressiveness).

Clearly linked to the development (or arrest) of all national movements is the connection with national/global economics. For a movement to be successful in gaining legal equality (always the first order of battle), it appears that a gay-friendly space or Community must also be built. It is a two-fold task and some places have, for a variety of reasons, enjoyed greater success than others. "Global Gay and Lesbian Politics" is a window into specifically what those "variety of reasons" are. This book is well worth the read.

The few criticisms that it must sustain however, are that at several points (particularly in the Introduction) it needlessly encumbers itself with thick academic rhetoric instead of just making its point. Further, if greater international communication is a valued movement goal, the book limits its usefulness by not including any kind of contact information for various groups in these countries (with the most glaring omission being that of the International Lesbian and Gay Alliance in San Francisco). However, these faults are relatively minor in comparison with the fact that the editors and most contributors fail to sufficiently connect the global reach of anti-gay, American-based Christian evangelical/ fundamentalism. Specifically, I refer to televangelists and fundamentalist missionaries with their influence in and upon foreign, right-wing regimes. (Being written from a socio-political viewpoint, such errors are common when analysts fail to make use of available inter-disciplinary research.)

And finally, the scope of the study omits any analysis (or substantive mention) of conditions in Russia, China, India, or any Islamic nations. Granted, there may well be no "movements" as yet organized in these countries; however, it would have been satisfying to have at least a general chapter on what is going on in the rest of the world besides the nations studied. But perhaps the editors will include such a chapter in a much needed and hopefully forthcoming second volume. The Community owes this book's editors, contributors and publisher, Temple University Press, a debt of thanks. As for potential readers, particularly myopic, self-absorbed, concerned, courage-filled, caring, committed American gay,lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, this book is a "must read."

This "new classic" (20 years old) is a concise exploration of what it means to be godly and how it is achieved. Since Adams is often criticised for being too 'legalistic,' this is a good book for a grace-oriented care-free guy like myself to spend time reading. It will inform you and encourage you.

Getting ready to do the |FRCR Part II. Looking for MCQ books. There are many on the bookshelves. Some are very difficult and some too easy. Some are old and do not cover the latest advancements. This book is quite new and is based on Grainger and Allison's radiology textbook which in itself is almost a gold standard for radiologists. If you read the mcq book you really get the extract of most of the relevant information in the 3 volume Grainger and Allison's book. Buy it before it goes out of stock. A must before the exams.

The 86 black and white images in this book reflect dozens of visits by Ansel Adams to the Southwest over more than 50 years. Adams liked what he saw, and felt that "this land is offering me a tremendous opportunity; no one has really photographed it."

This volume has two weakneses. The images are often too small to accurately reproduce the detail that Adams intended us to see in the foregrounds and backgrounds, and many are over inked. Second, the introduction by William A. Turnage is not up to his usual standards. He makes a number of strange assertions such as that Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941 (poorly reproduced in this volume) is "beyond doubt, his most famous photograph." Hmmm. What do you think? In other places though, Turnage adds interesting details about Adams' introduction to the Southwest and the influence on his photography of Paul Strand.

The book contains many letters from Adams about his experiences in taking the photographs, including many near disasters with his station wagon breaking down. One of the really interesting ones is to Patsy England in 1936 in which he says that in many ways the "Carlsbad Caverns are symbolic of my life; beautiful and exquisite things that exist only in the light of the moment." That may be the finest characterization of Adams' work that I have read.

Here are my favorite images (as reproduced here) in this book:

Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, c. 1929

Monument Valley, Arizona, 1937

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1942

Georgia O'Keeffe and Orville Cox, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1937

White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1941

Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 1942

Burro Mesa and the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas, 1942

Farm, Autumn, near Glendale, Utah, c. 1940

Tree Against Cliff, Zion National Park, Utah, 1947

In Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, 1947

Manly Beacon, Death Valley National Park, California, c. 1952

Grand Canyon from Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1942

Grand Canyon from Yavapai Point (Bright Angel Canyon), Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1942

After you have finished reading about Ansel Adams' adventures and learning in the Southwest, I urge you to take your own driving trip through this beautiful country. Be sure to visit the spots that Adams did. I also suggest that you be sure to add Sedona in Arizona, Mesa Verde, the Meteorite Crater in Arizona, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West in Scottsdale, and the Navajo reservation to the areas depicted here.

See the most beautiful places you can as often as possible! The beauty will seep into your soul.

Fred & alice are living in hard times.One of thier friend's dad has not worked in 3 monthes,and is very close to losing his house.Fred & Alice then meet Chet,a teen who lives as a hobo going from town to town looking for oddjobs.The new mayor in the town says all hobos will need to driven out. What will happen to Chet,and what will happen to Dot's House?

If you are looking for a job in a specific city, a job bank book is a great way to get started. If you do not currently live in that city and have easy access to their local resources, it is especially valuable. It is a great way to start identifying companies and job search resources in that region. Comapnies are listed by industry and size. Some companies even have HR contacts listed.

But don't expect huge job search boosts from this--the job searching techniques section is not particularly good. As in any successful job search, you still have to pound the pavement to discover the best opportunities.

The Greater Philadelphia Jobbank 1999 has very specific strengths. It's main purpose is as a job-seeker friendly directory of Philadlephia employers. It lists all kinds of companies separated by industry and by size with short descriptions of them. It also gives a brief general overview of the health and trends of each industry in the Philadelphia area and provides an excellent starting point by providing information about headhunters, employment agencies and the like. This book succeeds in achieving those goals, and as such is a great tool for identifying companies to target in your job search. I highly recommend it especially for people relocating or relatively new to the Philadelphia area who are looking for white-collar work. Where it is lacking is that it also includes brief generic and only marginally useful job search advice such as writing resumes. Bottom line-I think this is an excellent tool to help you in your Philadelphia job search, but get another book to help you with your resume/interviewing and other job search techniques.