Ai has her own style, and manages to write on a diverse range of subjects & styles--but one thing stays the same: her voice, her love of words, and her feeling--each poem is packed with it.

Linda Myoki Lehrhaupt is an ordained Zen priest who has taught t'ai chi and chi kung since 1982. This exquisitely written book is a paean to this Taoist practice as a path to wisdom. It is structured around the seven classical movements in every style of t'ai chi. Lehrhaupt concludes with an appendix where she provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this path of personal development.

The author believes that t'ai chi has given her energy, patience, and a sense of timing. At one point, she describes it "as a kind of Taoist surfing, riding the waves and rhythms of the cosmos." Not a bad analogy given the grace, the flow, and the stillness within movement that is at the heart of both activities.

T'ai chi forms are meditative, according to the author, and nothing can be gained from the practice of them when we make comparisons, have expectations, or race through the process. More than anything else, this art teaches patience: "Practicing t'ai chi is an opportunity to step out of the addiction to getting the most done in the least amount of time. Because learning t'ai chi in a slow, steady manner is such a contrast to the way we normally do things, it can feel at first as if something is wrong. But it is not wrong, just different."

Dear Mr. Paul Crompton, Greetings from Greco Wong, Essex, 1969-1971, WingChun. Please contact Mcclelland - email: re_mcclelland@fastmail.ca

At last! Help in simple language to introduce and instruct beginners in this lovely and healthful form of gentle exercise.Robert Parry understands how to take the confusing element out of tai chi and put it in the reach of anyone who is serious about the form. Step by step instructions are easily understood due to the author's simplfied illustrations and text. I recommend this book to everyone who is looking for an informative,comprehensive, easy to understand guide book for tai chi.

This book is clearly and concisely written for 24-movement TaiChi Short Form (Simplified TaiChi form). With very clear and step-by-step detailed photos/illustrations, this excellent book is the ultimate introduction to the world of TaiChi.

Amazing philosophy book in application of the esoteric concepts of Dr.Sohns approach to Tai Chi!!

Understanding Music with AI is an introduction to Cognitive Musicology, the term understood as a science of mental representations of music. The book introduces formal models for otherwise taken-for-granted musical activities such as composing, analyzing music, listening, performing music, etc. In contrast to present-day work with neural nets, theories introduced in the book test their models at the level of cognition, rather than perception or brain processes. The distinction between listening and perception, e.g., is thought to be fundamental, in that listening is based on meaning-making, and comprises perception as a mere subprocess. There is also an attempt to do justice to creativity, especially in music composition. As a consequence, criteria of theoretical adequacy are different in AI- and network-based music research. For a critique of the premises of AI work, see Marc Leman, "Adequacy criteria for models of musical cognition," in J.N. Tabor (Editor), Otto Laske: Navigating new musical horizons, The Greenwood Press, 1999, pp. 93-120. Readers not interested in these academic matters will enjoy reading the book for the intricacy of the systems displayed therein, and the pioneering spirit of the contributors. Otto Laske, Co-Editor (1992).

Voices that need to be heard: book includes articles by Monica Melanchton, India; Lily Kuo Wang, Taiwan; Christine Tse, Hong Kong; Yong Ting Jin, Malaysia; and others. Also two general statement papers from Asian women theologian conferences. Highly recommended.

This book is a definitive study of Wittgenstein's relation to Turing and the mathematical traditions which inspired modern computational theorising and artificial intelligence. It is an eloquent and superbly-argued defense of Wittgenstein's many arguments against what came to be called 'cognitivism' in psychology and philosophy. Shanker's mastery of the philosophical and mathematical background to contemporary cognitivist theses is unparalleled. Here is a masterful treatment of a range of complex issues by one of the world's leading philosophers of mathematics and Wittgenstein scholars. An absolute MUST for philosophers of mind, psychology and cognitive science. The opening chapter sets the tone for the entire work: it is a highly original and provocative account of a much-neglected aspect of Wittgenstein's remarks on the philosophy of mathematics: his attack on Turing's misconception of his own achievement, and his crucial distinction between normative and causal accounts of computation. Readers will also find a wealth of richly-described historical materials here, all incorporated into a sustained and rigorous array of logical arguments and philosophical clarifications. Although there are several quite technical considerations addressed in this work, the prose is lucid, engaging and rigorous. A really fine piece of work, deserving of a significant audience, not necessarily solely of specialists in these fields.

I am reader who is up to reading anything, as long as it is interesting. True stories have not always been my style, until I read "Sleepers." Once I started reading the extraordinary book I simply could not put it down. Carcaterra does an amazing job of explaining his childhood years. How he grew up in Hells Kitchen in New York City, and how he and his three friends had to hear about the murders, drugs, and beatings that were going on in Hells Kitchen. Though the boys had to go through hard times, they were still able to have fun and stay relatively innocent children. They read comic books played games in the street, ate candy, and watched wrestling matches in Madison Square Garden. Until one small prank to steal some lunch resulted in a severely injured person and a year at an up state Juvenile facility. Once there, the four boys were beaten, tortured, and raped by their guards; the only people the boys had to keep them safe. This true story kept me reading and interested throughout the whole book. Though it was an uneasy read at times, the book resulted in justice. It resulted in justice for the people who suffered at the hand of the guards for a year, and justice for future children who had to attend the facility. "Sleepers" is now one of my favorite books and Carcaterra is one of my favorite writers. This tale of overcoming the odds is an amazing read.

There are very few books in this world you read from start to finish without putting down. Sleepers is one of them. The story grips you at the very center of your being refusing to give you up even after you've read the last word. Haunting, illuminating and at times painful to read, this book sheds valuable light on the plight of inner city youth and the all-too-often throwaway attitude society bestows upon them. Are criminals made or is it innate? This book provides the answer in a compelling format. Four youths, all good kids, get sent to a harsh reform school for a childish prank gone horribly wrong. They all come out alive physically, yet dead inside. Lost is the carefree innocence of youth. An innocence replaced with bitter hatred and emotional scars which these four boys must carry to the grave. Carcaterra, despite rumors to the contrary, weaves a tale much too harrowing to be untrue. Thankfully, he had the courage to relive it all and expell some of his demons through the written word. Challenge yourself, read this book.

Breathtaking.

Sleepers left me absolutely breathless. It takes you into the lives of four boys growing up in Hell's Kitchen. Their childhood games, their favorite pastimes, their unusual role models. Four young boys whose fate was sealed one disastrous summer day by a seemingly harmless prank that went wrong, and would unkowingly change their lives forever. Sleepers made me laugh and cry. It angered me and later on pacified me. It stirred in me so many emotions in the way that few books can. It touched my soul. It made me realize that there are so many things in this world that we take for granted. The chance to have a pizza, to lie down in a park and look at the sky, to just be with the people you care about. Carcaterra's pain is evident. So is his love and loyalty to his friends. It takes courage to come to terms with one's inner demons as Carcaterra agonizingly does through his words. The book wonderfuly comes full circle. It introduces you to four young boys. It takes you into their lives. Just as you begin to care for them, they are swallowed up by a system so disgusting it tears you apart inside. In the end pleasure of revenge however is the best catharsis. A poweful entertaining story told with such passion and pain, Sleepers is not to be missed.