Most movie reviewers are biting critics, Jay Scott is no exception. If he doesn't like something he isn't going to beat around the bush about it. The way he does it though, and the reasons he gives for both liking and disliking movies are original and fresh. What separates him from other reviewers are that his critiques are full of insight. Not only in what the movie attempts to portray but how it parallels to what is happening in the world. He considers everything from the director's past projects to where they stand on any number of issues. Scott succesfully melds together the insight of a psychiatrist, the power of words of any great poet and the wit of a stand up comic. For anyone looking for a fresh look on a movie they've seen or a place to start rather than roaming aimlessly through the video store aisles. 'Great Scott!' is the book for you.

This is an amazing book. Dr. Fulford was ostensibly a simple family doctor, but for years was respected by his peers as a master healer. Dr. Zachary Comeaux captures the essence of what made this extraordinary healer "tick." Focusing more on the philosophical principles of Fulford's work than on technique, Dr Comeaux makes it possible for all students of healing to "catch" something of this man's greatness. Importantly, the author details the path Fulford followed to become the healer he was, chronicling the good doctor's own influences. This enables the student, whether novice or advanced, to follow his lead and enter a vast world of energetically-based wisdom larger than any one person. Personally, since first being exposed to Dr. Fulford I sought out everything I could find on what he read, studied, recommended, and who he had influenced. Dr. Comeaux, in a thoroughly scholarly, yet friendly, manner does this for the reader in the pages of his book. I hope this remarkable work inspires further writings about and by this wonderful physician to be released to the public. Do yourself a favor and get this book and plunge into an ocean of inspiration.

This is a must read for anyone interested in non-conventional medicine.

Medicine has taken a lot of turns turns away from effective treatments (and this is why the medical profession had to admit in June of 2000 doctors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.) but there has never been any excuse for turning away from a safe, gentle treatment that even if it couldn't help some certainly couldn't hurt any. The stories in this book are amazing. It is a good, indeed wonderful thing are more and more doctors are turning toward "alternative" medicine (which actually is a bit of a misnomer--"modern" medicine is the alternative, mostly to good health). I guess many doctors consider it easier--and more profitable--to prescribe often dangerous drugs as bandaids rather than take the time and patience to learn treatments such as Fulford's. What a shame, and what a disgrace.

This book was written in the December year's of an accomplished osteopathic physician's life. It is his call for everyone to take responsibility for their life and their health. It starts out as an explanation of osteopathy and a retelling of his years as an osteopathic physician. Fulford had trained his hands to be such sensitive diagnostic and healing tools, that he could feel a single strand of hair hidden beneath 17 sheets of paper. He used this technique to train other osteopathic students to increase the sensitivity of their own hands.

This book is interwoven with touching stories of patients he's helped throughout his practice. As he aged, he found that he could only work with an increasingly younger population, as those patients fed his energy. Whereas adults seemed to be so entangled in their own web of stress and disease, that they seemed to zap his energy as he tried to treat them with his hands.

The book ends with a call to live healthier, more meaningful lives. I recommend this book for everyone, but particularly for osteopathic medical school applicants and their M.D. counterparts. It gives a good narrative explanation of the philosophical expectations of osteopathic medicine. But as a strong believer in osteopathic medicine, and as a future osteopathic medical student, I believe this book poignantly elicits the direction in which medical care should be heading.

Both of the previous reviewers make the same point - which I heartily agree with - that this book would be a shoo-in with undergraduates.

But what about the rest of the world?

This is a fairly short book (152 pages in the main text) divided fairly evenly over five chapters. Nothing surprising there, since the book is the text of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's 1999 Massey lectures delivered by Fulford. Unfortunately the "lecture" element comes across all too clearly, not to mention a certain amount of academic tunnel vision.

The author seems to have a thing about the Bible, which he imperiously dismisses several times, apparently ignoring its ongoing best-seller status.

Of course buying doesn't necessarily constitute believing, but then we are talking about 'storytelling' here, not about 'religious beliefs', and since the author subsequently makes such a big thing about the influence of Sir Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe", which has had such a (comparatively) short life span, and given the still ongoing battle in the US over the pro- and anti-evolutionist versions of the creation story, it seems strange, not to say biased, that the influence of the Bible is almost totally ignored.

Having said that, it's hard to know what the Mr Fulford is actually trying to achieve - other than filling five lecture slots.
The author's take on his subject suggests a man who goes to the zoo and looks at the bipeds and the quadrapeds, the carnivores and the herbivores but who, at the end of the day has no idea what an "elephant" looks like, and certainly hasn't the faintest idea whether it's the Indian elephants or the African elephants which have the larger ears.

Looking back, the book came across as being a collection of ideas, loosely strung together, but none of them developed to any significant degree. Despite the constantly academic tone of the book, the author can be engaging, even amusing, and I found the last two chapters "The Cracked Mirror of Modernity" and "Nostalgia, Knighthood, and the Circle of Dreams" thoroughly entertaining. But there's nothing about the contents of the book that really stands out in my mind only a short time after reading it.

I've given the book three stars simply on account of its entertainment value. But would I actually recommend it to anyone interested in the storytelling process?
I don't think so.

[And it's the African elephants which have the larger ears :) ]

Fulford's slim and easily readable book provides a fascinating glimpse into the way we use stories and narratives today. He points out how gossip is the new American storytelling, how postmodern linguistic theorists have their heads stuck in the sand, and gives startling evidence for how Ivanhoe influenced the culture of the Old South. I have great respect for authors who can provide complex theories in easily readable, humorous prose, and Fulford certainly fits that particular bill. Great for undergrads and anyone who likes a good read.

An engaging, lucid and thoughtful exploration of the human impulse to tell stories, from urban legends to postmodernist theory. If I were still doing the academic thing I would be assigning this little book to first- and second-year history students. Since the text of this book was given as a series of lectures on CBC radio, it's a very fluid and easy read. Definitely worthwhile.

This books walks the reader through the history of Toronto with special emphasis on its architecture and city planning. We're introduced to various neighborhoods, and Fulford discusses specific buildings that he regards as either assets or eyesores, often including a bit of historical background on how that building came to be. The great flaw of the book is that there are only 16 pictures. When Fulford discusses a building (for instance, the Commercial Bank of the Midland District at 15 Wellington Street) we're supposed to be able to picture it in our mind's eye, a daunting challenge even for Toronto residents. In the same vein, an entire chapter is dedicated to criticizing the CBC Broadcasting Centre, but nowhere is there any illustration of it.

Fulford grew up in Toronto. I purchased his book "The Best Seat in the House" and never put the thing down. This is another great read. He was a childhood friend of the great pianist Glenn Gould, and his memories of the City of Toronto are priceless. His look at Toronto today is unique, especially as the City transforms into the new Megacity in January 1998.