Yogananda's maiden voyage on the sea of authorship, THE SCIENCE OF RELIGION, surprises the reader us with paradoxes. In 1920, when still at his teacher's ashram in India, Yogananda received an invitation to speak to an International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston, sponsored by the American Unitarian Association, thus beginning his three decades of teaching and work on this continent. "Science" and "religion" are usually discussed as opposites or adversaries, as are "reason" and "faith," but this expansion of his 1920 address to that congress brings the yoga approach: revealing the unities - in the most ancient and universal "unitarian" approach.

The very word "religion" has roots in "unity:" the Latin 'religare', which dictionaries often define unpleasantly as to restrain or to tie back; Yogananda cites the more yogic definition: to bind. To someone accustomed to the term "yoga" with its common roots in "to yoke together" or "to unite," the positive implications become apparent for religion as a force of LIBERATION rather than of restraint. If you are among the thousands who shun the contemporary uses of "religious" and say, with many of my friends, "I am not so much a religious person as a spiritual person," you will appreciate Yogananda's use of this more universal and positive meaning of "religious."

In this tightly reasoned essay on how ancient spiritual revelations from yoga science can elevate modern religion to liberating heights, Yogananda offers to even the most intellectual of audiences the best of reasons 1) why devotion to Truth and the experience of Spirit must logically go hand-in-hand and 2) how the airy realms of spirituality are pressingly practical: "...religion necessarily consists in the permanet removal of pain and the realization of Bliss or God."

He moves forward to show the differences between the basic four approaches to spiritual realization (as described by another reviewer, below) and provides more fundamentals about meditation and esoteric yoga practice than his 1920 audience could possibly have coped with. It is more accessible to our new, better-initiated century. The Science of Religion is an introduction to the universality of yoga, meditation, and the experience of the Divine, and -- although lacking the fascinating annecdotes of his Autobiography of a Yogi or the inspirational upliftment of such later books as Where There is Light and The Divine Romance -- The Science of Religion is a powerfully reasoned call to the intellect to open its heart along with its mind.

RECOMMENDATION: Especially good gift for your intellectual, agnostic friends - or those who have been alienated by narrow, orthodox, negativity-based presentations of religion.

This book is really a discourse on why we feel pain. For people of a more "intellectual bent", this book may be the perfect opening into Yogananda's other books and works. According to this book, there really is no pleasure. So what do we feel when we have sex or eat an ice cream cone? First of all, the mind is just fine as it is. That is, you will not add anymore pain. But by association in thought (thinking), one creates an "excitation" in the brain. This is a desire and it causes pain because we want the desired object. Now here is the hard part. The so-called pleasure is really just the removal of the WANT created by the association in the mind. I thought about writing a book review. Somebody calls. I feel upset (pain). But the pain is caused by my having thought about the book review in the first place. I created an "excitation" or spark in the brain. Then this excitation was not fulfilled. Great pain. But even if somebody doesn't call, and I do write this review, THE FEELING OF PLEASURE IS ONLY THE RESULT OF REMOVING THE ORIGINAL EXCITATION FROM MY BRAIN! So, there really isn't any pleasure. There is the pain of not satisfying the excitation and there is the neutral feeling of satisfying the excitation (which will uninevitably arise again). How do we get out of this quagmire of pain. Quite simple. Order this book from Amazon. com.

Religion or faith in fundamental principles, is the foundation upon which the edifice of reasoning, or science is built upon. While it is religion which binds us into courses of action consistent with those fundamental principles, it is science that enables us to stay clear of inconsistent systems of guiding principles, and to practically attain the goals posited by our principles.

The Science of Religion by Paramahansa Yogananda arrives by analysis at inner happiness or bliss as the goal that binds all men. Thus, from the standpoint of the etymological meaning of the word religion as that which binds (from religio-onis in Latin), the author says that the pursuit of bliss is universal religion, as it motivates all human actions.

Having arrived at universal religion, the author then goes on to present the practical means of attaining the goal, i.e.,the science. He outlines the four broad classes of methods that have been evolved to attain bliss, or God: the methods of reasoning, devotion, meditation, and life-force control. He points out the limitations of the first three methods, and recommends the method of life-force control (which acts directly upon the vital organs of the body, slowing them down) to sever the identification of human consciousness with the body that underlies all human suffering.

Buy the book if you like slot machines. In answer to Steve Clark from England who wrote, "Could anyone tell me who invented slot machines? I know this is not the way to go about it but I can' find out about it any where else!" I found an excerpt that answers your question: "Nickel in the slot" machines first appeared in the mid-1800s and awarded cigars and free drinks. The first coin-operated counter-wheel machine was patented in 1892 by Gustave Schultz of San Francisco. So there you have it Steve! (And we still got our Cable Cars, Golden Gate Bridge, and Hookers!)

Could anyone tell me who invented slot machines? I know this is not the way to go about it but I can' find out about it any where else!

A must have book for anyone interested in the entire history of Slot machine!

Even though this book was published in 1997, it is still very timely. After all, the type of stress that lawyers endure hasn't changed and neither have the techniques used to overcome it. I recently re-read it and gave it to a friend (another lawyer) to read- both of us were very glad that we did. It's the kind of book you read every time life seems overwhelming and too complex. The book simplifies things. It helps you understand precisely why you are stressed out and what you can do about it. It is easy to read, very practical and at the same time very profound.

Lawyers need all the help that's available. This book is a strong step in the right direction. The many helpful areas included how to both avoid and deal with stressful situations. It was easy to read and contained valuable stress lowering and self esteem raising techniques.

Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "The Attorney's Guide to Stress Management" docwifford@msn.com

Lawyers are under tremendous pressure to satisfy their clients and make a living. This easy to read book provides practical advice in an inspiring way. I wish I would have read this book during the first year of law school. It would have helped me better handle tough situations.

The book Thor is one of my favorites...assuming there are not two. The synopsis above does not seem to describe at all the book I and the reviewers have read. The book I so enjoyed described a loyal dog's silent, lonely, heroic struggle to protect his family from an enemy within which he had no chance of defeating. It's truly a wonderful book, in some ways in the spirit of Watership Down or Tailchaiser's Song. The book described in the synopsis, however, seems to be the story of a beloved pet in real life. Very confusing...if you find the suspense tale entitled Thor, on which I believe the movie "Bad Moon" (and equally bad movie, but not the author's fault) was based, pick it up. It's a wonderfully engaging one or two night read that will keep you up til dawn. I hope the author gives those of us who enjoyed the book so much another night or two of pleasure...it's a stretch, but if Bruice Willis continues to get into Die Hard situations, why not Thor? Thrilling, heartwrenching read. Poor kitty.

reviewer o.c., ca. certainly never saw or read the book. as a shepherd trainer and owner i would have to describe this a combinatin of poetry and fine art. genuinely touching. a remarkable epitaph to a dog that was loved and is missed.

Thor was one of my favorite books! When the secret of the family's uncle came out was very scary! When a wild animal keeps coming and kills the young cat that thor actually loves he is sent to the pound and the owner crys as he is taken away. It certainly made me cry after a dignified dog was thrown into the pound!

I've used many of the activities. Either as a demo, as a "set" or for students to do. The materials needed for the activities are inexpensive. The ideas presented in the book are creative and allow you to spend more "brain power" on other things. It includes all areas of science, no matter what you teach, it can fit in. I've used it for 9th and 10th and don't feel it is too "elementary". It's worth the money.

I am so glad to discover this book is still available. It's far more comprehensive and intelligent than so many other activity books. Laid out clearly, with activities in various realms of knowledge that offer numerous variations so a parent could conceivably use this one book throughout a child's school years. I can't imagine a child not discovering the joys of science (broadly defined) when a parent introduces him or her to some of these delightful activities. The best thing about the book is that so many of the ideas don't require vast preparation, but can be done spur-of-the-moment.

I've used this book for several years as a teacher, and found it gone from my bookshelf. It's great. It has everything. And it's written well and clearly. A very eclectic collection, but sound.

Douglas tells the truth about American history when she reveals how black people were mistreated during slavery. This book shows that sexuality was used to oppress black people, the white culture exists only as the non-white culture is oppressed, day to day social struggles are a microcosm of the macrocosm (for example, "gangsta" rap is a response/result of dehumanizing social influences such as institutions and systems). But the book gets off track when Douglas condones homosexuality and mixes principles of Christianity with principles of secular humanism.

I think I've recommended this great work to everyone I know.

This book should be a must read for all African American church members. It is challenging, provocative, and engaging. A work like this is the only way to begin the dialogue necessary to resurrect the dying Black Church.

Kelly Brown Douglass has written an excellent first chapter for her book Sexuality and th Black Church. What she has done here is to explain the relevance of using Michel Foucault as a tool to look at the history of black sexuality in the United States. Her basic argument is that black sexuality as we know it today is a fiction, a number of fictions (made of up numerous stereotypes), more or less derived, from what she calls White Culture. That Black sexuality has been a means to discipline and control black bodies. This book is commendable in that it dares to use Foucault and that it touches upon the personal in such aa way as to make all a bit uneasy --- black, white, male, female, heterosexual and homosexual. We all have a lot to learn from her analysis.

"Singing in the Saddle" is a very nice book with a slightly different angle to to it's counterparts. There is information in this book that I have not found in other books about the singing cowboys. All in all the book is very well worth it's money for what it offers. What I do find disappointing however is the fact that the book does not quite live up to it's title.For example the book covers a lot of information about artistes who had nothing to do with 'singing in a saddle', such as radio and stage singers only, a good many of whom either died a long time ago and/or I have never heard of.

Personally, I would have liked the book to have covered only the movie singing cowboys, not enough was said about some of them, apart of course from Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter.

As a book that deals with the history of country and western music and the performers of such, then you are getting good value for money.

Singing In The Saddle: The History Of The Singing Cowboy by music historian and performer Douglas B. Green is an engaging and impressively informative presentation of the history of western music, films, and performers of America, both before and after World War II. Black-and-white photographs enhance this avidly detailed and lovingly written survey of an aspect of American Popular culture. Douglas B. Green ("Ranger Doug" from the Grammy Award-wining group Riders in the Sky) is to be commended for his expertise, his ability to write for the non-specialist general reader, and his ability to acquire anecdotal stories and recollections by some of the most experienced and influential members of the "singing cowboy" community.

Green's Singing in the Saddle provides an articulate wide-ranging history of the Singing Cowboy from its origins in western folk culture to the triumph of the B Westerns. He draws strong portraits of both primary stars and lesser known actors who contributed to the genre. An excellent introduction and a must for country music collections.

You will not have any trouble reading this book.It is one of the few books I have read where someone snorting his brains out on coke tries to explain, almost romantically, how he got started in dealing (the head of U.S Customs personally asked him to do it!!) and why Coke has a bad rap (after all, it WAS in Coca-Cola). He describes some great concealment methods that would still work as well today as it did in 1972, and it almost seems like he was the underdog fighting against the system. Almost. In reality he just dealt in misery and slowly became more misarable himself. Good book for anyone in law enforcement to read.

I first met Douglas Kalajian after toasting the New Journalism with the fabled editor Eddie Sears during a wine-fueled chit-chat in the executive floors of The Palm Beach Post. The year was 1994 or 1995. I forget, mainly because I left all my brains to the wrinkled mavens who entertained me nightly at the many ornate bars I frequented in Palm Beach. What Sears said about Kalajian pretty much cements my belief that Douglas, more than any other writer in star-crossed Southern Florida, has a full grasp of the many flawed characters that walk that wild geography. "Kalajian will shock the Hell out of a witch," Sears said. This book is about one such wicked dude. You can visit Florida for a week and it isn't long before you get the distinct feeling that Florida is no Midwest Wimp like Oklahomo or Kancer or Rita Nebraska...No, sir. Here, in his book, Douglas Kalajian is both Dali and Diego Rivera. He has painted a factual mural so alarming and bright that to read it is to see what's on the other side of the Sun. I read it while fishing in The Gulf of Mexico and damned if every damned fish I caught didn't look ugly as all Hell. Truth is scary and Douglas Kalajian has thrown truth at us...

Snow Blind is a true story that moves at the pace of an action adventure. The action happens in the courtroom, as a youg public defender with a gift for showmanship rights wrongs, rescues the innocent and puts the high-and-mighty in their place. And then something goes wrong, big time. If you live in South Florida you WILL recognize the protagonist and the bigwigs he must duel. You'll be surprised, because not many people know the details. Even if you live elsewhere and don't know the names, you'll be swept along by this amazing story.

I won't repeat what other reviewers have already said. Basically, I'm in complete agreement with them. The story line is great, the hints are helpful, and the included CD with films of the missions is tremendous. I really wanted to give it 5 stars, but it omitted a few things I felt were invaluable based on the "Tie Fighter" hint book that came before. First, there was no listing of all of the possible ranks, and the point scores needed to achieve them, nor was there a listing of the possible skill levels (novice, veteran, ace, etc.) and the points necessary for those. It did not document the scoring mechanism - the bonus points earned by playing at the hard level, and the penalty for playing at the easy level. Secondly, it did not reveal the bonus goals, and point values, for those missions that offered them. Lastly, and I state this with reservation because the authors simply may not have had access to the information, there was no detail of the AI instructions that described how the computer-generated opponents would function in each mission. These instructions allowed the player to know what conditions would trigger a new type of craft appearing, or how many waves of enemy craft would be created. This information was extraordinarily helpful for winning the most difficult missions in "Tie Fighter". In its defense, however, the book did go into a lot of detail about how to set up single and multi-player skirmishes. All in all, an excellent guide, but it fell just short of being perfect.

I am not an avid player of games on the computer and certainly not action games like the one associated with this book (but I do love the Star Wars movies). My son left this book on the floor in the living room and out of curiosity I opened it. It was delightful! The middle section of the book is filled with adorable and humorous stories told by an R2D2 robot. Wonderful! The more technical sections of the book relate to the game itself and became very useful once I tried playing the game. When a book gets me to play a game with my son on the computer it says a lot. Thank you Mr. Drake and Mr. Barnett for the chuckles! (My son thanks you, too.)
M.S.

The film room is ont he expansion disc or downloadable from LucasArts on the net but those films on the campanion disc really help supplement the great text in the book.

Riveting chronicles of the Amundsen, Scott expeditions to the Antarctic, with vivid descriptions of the numbing cold, and vicious winds that howl unceasingly over the frozen tundra. The tragedy which befell these brave explorers was magnified in it's effect by their extreme remoteness from any civilization. This was the epitomy of worst case scenarios for exploration of the poles. And one came back! A magnificent tale of tragedy and triumph in the pursuit of knowledge.

I have bought three copies of this book from out-of-print resellers because I was looking for it under its original title, Mawson's Will. I wanted to give it to several people and was willing to make an extraordinary effort to locate copies and pay a premium for them.

Many years ago, while working in the Outback, I was told the story of Douglas Mawson by one of my companions. Bickel's book does justice to the most incredible survival story I have ever read. You realize that, if Mawson had gone with Robert Scott to the South Pole and back, he would have made it to One Ton Cache and returned with food and fuel, and that Scott's men would all have lived to be old men in Devon instead of perishing on the ice in the Antarctic. This book gets a read every couple of years - partly as it is a great and well crafted story and partly because I can't believe that Mawson survived the journey.