I have had this book in my library since 1987. It is comforting to pick up, hold, mediate and the insight is there just when you need it.

The essays included define and explore the many difficult and confounding issues on dying. Those presented are of equal interest to medical and legal professionals and the general public. Section titles include "Refusing Life-Sustaining Treatment" ; "Depression, Competence, and the Right to Refuse Lifesaving Medical Treatment," ; "Continued Treatment of the Fatally Ill for the Benefit of Others," ; "What Do Apple Pie and Motherhood Have to Do with Feeding Tubes and Caring for the Patient?" ; "Decision Making in the Incompetent Elderly: 'The Daughter from California Syndrome,'" ; "Taking Families Seriously," ; "Futility and Fighting Death" ; "Resuscitating the Dying Patient" ; "Emergency Department Resuscitation Techniques," ; "Resuscitation of Patients with Metastatic Cancer: Is Transient Benefit Still Futile?" ; "Must Consent Always Be Obtained for a Do-Not-Resuscitate Order?" ; "Death and Dignity: A Case of Individualized Decision Making," ; "Giving Death a Hand: When the Dying and the Doctor Stand in a Special Relationship," ; "The Reasons So Many People Support Physician-Assisted Suicide - And Why These Reasons Are Not Convincing," ; "Euthanasia" ; "When Self-Determination Runs Amok," ; "Caring for Seriously Ill Newborns" ; "Withholding Nutrition from Seriously Ill Newborn Infants: A Parent's Perspective," ; "Decision Making in the Nursery: An Ethical Dilemma," ; "Discontinuing Life Support in an Infant of a Drug-Addicted Mother: Whose Decisions Is It?" ; "Death and Managed Care" ; "End-of-Life Treatment in Managed Care: The Potential and the Peril," ; "Managed Care and Managed Death," ; "Dying in 559 Beds: Efficiency, 'Best Buys,' and the Ethics of Standardization in National Health Care."

After reading numerous books and articles on the fur trade era, it was a pleasure to come across this biography of Etienne Provost by Jack Tykal. Although known by many during his time and mentioned in scholarly works of western history, Provost still remained obscure and almost forgotten as time passed by. This is a well done report on his life and the influence he had on others in his day. Starting out in the fur trade circa 1815, he then endeavored in the Sante Fe trade in the early 1820's. From there he trapped in the Salt Lake area, attended the first mountain rendezvous of 1825, acted as guide to numerous governmental and private expeditions, etc. The man was just about everywhere and did what most men only dream of. A well researched book and a great bibliography.

There are no words to describe how incredibly helpful this book was in dealing with the planning of a funeral. The author gives valuable information in a very easy way. It empowered me to make decisions that were right for our family and our budget. And I have shared the author's advice with friends going through similar dilemmas. Great Handbook!

"The Evolutionary Mind" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

ExLibris is a fascinating work of art. Gibson's sublime eye, previously dedicated to such wonderful subjects as the female form (see INFANTA or WOMEN) here turn to photographs of books, both ancient and modern. The photographs have almost a tactile, three dimensional feel... Gibson captures a hand touching an ancient copy of the Koran and you can literally feel the connection through time. Pages juxtapose images of faces and pages... Sculptures, coins, cybercafes, the Internet, strange faces, hieroglyphics, all find a way into this mysterious book. The only thing that might have been nice is some words of explanation regarding the subject of the photos (there is a very brief description of sources and images). This book will fascinate any bibliophile as well as lovers of fine photography.

The authors of the Notre Dame Sympsium in the summer of 1999 worked toward the goal of helping people understand and appreciate a profound document from the Holy Father in Rome.

Pope John Paul II introduces the 1998 encyclical "Fides et Ratio" with a question. He wonders whether philosophy makes people feel sick and queasy? The immediate answer is to say, Yes, philosophy does make people feel sick, because of a "widespread distrust of the human being's great capacity for knowledge" (paragraph no. 5).

The conclusion that philosophy makes us queasy receives support from the following induction. Try a simple test and read the following questions: "Who am I? Where have I come from and where am I going? Why is there evil? What is there after this life?" (no. 1).

Do these questions of John Paul II bring about feelings of sickness and light-headedbess? Are the questions heavy and confusing? Do they produce repulsive, clammy feelings in one's nervous system? If you are like some college students in philosophy class, then your anwer may be affirmative.

Philosophy and the above question should be attractive to us and should cause us to relax. "These are questions which we find in the sacred writings of Israel, as also in the Veda and the Avesta," writes John Paul. "We find them in the writing of Confucius and Lao-Tze, and in the preaching of Tirthankara and Buddha." These questions have been confidently addressed in every place and every time history. "They appear in the poetry of Homer and in the tragedies of Euripides and Sophocles, as they do in the philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle."

Unfortunately, we do not find these questions at Disneyland or Las Vegas. Disneyland in Anaheim has 60 major rides among eight themed lands: Main Street, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Critter Country, Mickey's Toontown and New Orleans Square. However, Philosophyland is excluded from the park. Las Vegas ignores the tough questions and provides "escapist fun" with colossal hotels and casinos: Excalibur, Luxor, New York-New York, Circus Circus, MGM Grand and Treasure Island. As the AAA Tour Book says, "Las Vegas became a city that thrived on illusion and fantasy" (California/Nevada 2000, p. 262). However, there is no Philosophy casino in Vegas.

After visiting Dineyland and Las Vegas a person might ask, "Where can I find answers to the tough questions on page 9 in the encyclical?" The Pope replies by saying that "the Church is no stranger to this journey of discovery" (no. 2). The Church is good place to investigate the philosophical questions, because the Church "received the gift of the ultimate truth about human life" from the Lord, and the Lord is "the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14: 6).

I owned this book over 25 years ago. It was one of the first cookbooks I ever owned. During one of my many moves, the cookbook was lost. So was I. My own copy had been used so often it looked older than it was. I have always gotten many compliments on any recipe I tried from this great cookbook. About a year ago, I was able to find a copy online and I am so happy to have it back in my life! The recipes are simple ones that anyone who can read can follow. Most of the dishes are also inexpensive to make as well. Kudos to Family Circle for taking the time to compile these recipes and make them into an easy to follow format in the greatest cookbook anyone should own.

This is the only bible I am willing to read to my daughters, ages 4 and 6. I am very hard to please ... open in my spirituality, and desiring of inclusive material that is creative yet true to the sacred stories of the Christian tradition. This bible keeps my girls' interest and sparks their natural questions. It invites an open-ended sense of wonder, and avoids cliches or pat language. And I enjoy it. There are many stories of women in the bible, and all the stories are thoughtful, inclusive and understandable.

The Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is one of the most beautiful works ever for string orchestra. Anyone with an inclination towards Ralph Vaughn Williams or just English music would love this piece. The score is easy to read and the 1st and 2nd orchetras and the solo string quartet are easily distinguished.