As Chuck St. Denis turned to run, 12 bullets pierced his body. Somehow he got up and stumbled away. Thomas Drescher tackled him, then stabbed St. Denis with a kitchen knife until the blade broke.

Switching to a screwdriver, Drescher kept stabbing St. Denis, then he punched a hole in St. Denis' skull with a hammer.

Finally, as Drescher and Dan Reid were wrapping the body in plastic, St. Denis opened his eyes and pleaded. "Don't do that, you'll smother me."

Incredible? You bet, but it's true. And it's just the first of many revelations about the American Hare Krishna movement in "Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness and the Hare Krishnas." This is a fascinating book that reads more like a crime thriller than the social history and expose that it is.

Indeed, reporters John Hubner and Lindsey Gruson effectively use all the conventions of a crime novel to draw the reader into the real story: how murder, drugs and fraud turned the spiritual intentions of a generation into a nightmare.

Besides the murder of Krishna devotee Chuck St. Denis, "Monkey on a Stick" also details the murder of a former devotee who tried to expose the movement's horrors and the supposed murder by pit bulls of a temple armorer.

Other madness detailed in the book includes the sexual abuse of children, the beating of women, money-raising scams, arms-stockpiling, drug-running, a guru fueled by LSD and other gurus more concerned with empire- and palace-building than furthering "Krishna Consciousness."

As do most thrillers, "Monkey on a Stick" also has its good guys, particularly Tom Westfall and Joe Sanchez, the only two cops to show any interest in the Krishna movement. Westfall became known as the "Krishna Cop" because of his detailed knowledge of the movement.

Yet the thriller aspect mostly provides background for an examination of the social history of the Krishna movement by Hubner and Gruson. Through extensive interviews with current and former Hare Krishnas, as well as law enforcement officials, the authors provide some provocative clues to why "people who had set out make peace and love ended up molesting children, running drugs, committing murder."

To their credit, Gruson and Hubner take pains to point out that not all the Krishnas were involved in crimes, nor were many even aware of them.

If there is a downfall to "Monkey on a Stick," it's the book's structure. The facts and figures that make this engrossing story more credible are buried among the notes and citations at the end of the book. In a note on their methodology, Hubner and Gruson urge readers to consult the chapter-by-chapter notes as they read the book, a process that can be distracting at times.

Still, "Monkey on a Stick" will leave you shaking your head in amazement.

Monkey on a Stick is a classic...... It's an acknowledgement of the hard work done by the authors. It thoroughly exposes the crime & politics in the ISCON Movement in the most sensational way....aaah crime in the name of Lord Krishna.....he oughta punish all such creatures....

A splendidly and clearly argued book! Hare not only defends and elaborates the rationality of Divine Command Theory, he also shows convincingly that not only contemporary analytical philosophy moves toward the solution of the problems of autonomy (by reconciling realist moral standard and autonomous endorsement), but Immanuel Kant in his ethical theory is actually a Divine Command theorist. He presents a brief and yet a strong case here, a must read for all Christians and students of ethics and philosophy!

Luther and A Patriot for Me are excellent plays. The passion, drama and elements of surprise and the succint turning points testify to Osborne's talent. Even better than his landmark Look Back in Anger.

Playwriting at its best.

The Platonic dialogue "Euthyphro" relates a dialectic between Socrates and Euthyphro on the meaning of piety. Because at the time of the dialogue Socrates had been charged with impiety and is about to be tried, convicted and sentenced to death, "Euthyphro" is of particular interest, especially when read in connection with "Apology," "Crito," and "Phaedo." While Socrates is facing his impiety trial, Euthyphro is the plaintiff in an upcoming murder trial: a poor relation of his family had killed a domestic servant and Euthyphro's father had the guilty man bound and thrown into a ditch; while waiting for instructions from Athens on what should be done to the man, he died, and Euthyphro's father was charged with murder. Euthyphro had a reputation for being a sophists ("wise person"), as well as a soothsayer and diviner, who had taught morals and politics.

Socrates asks Euthyphro "What is piety?" A series of different answers are provided, none of which prove satisfactory to Socrates after he examines them through dialectical engagement. At the end of the dialogue Socrates insists he still does not understand what piety is and suggests Euthyphro to continue to search for its true meaning before making any decisions regarding is father. The implications for Socrates own trial, of course, are rather obvious, but the reader is well aware how that particular trial is going to play out.

The dialogue also presents two competing notions of religion. For Euthyphro religion means giving the gods gifts so that you can receive benefits, which conforms to the view of Greek gods found in classical mythology with regards to their powers and behavior. In contrast, Socrates does not accept these myths as being real stories and while he never articulates much beyond the idea of a divine voice which warms him not to do certain things, there is reason to believe Socrates is, by his own definition at least, a devout and religious person. However, as H.L. Mencken once remarked, blasphemy is your irreverence towards my deity, and ultimately this is what sends Socrates to his state ordered suicide.

More interesting, from my perspective, is the discussion regarding piety in relation to justice, where Socrates rejects the distinction between service to the gods and service to men. Certainly his insistence that duty to the gods and to other human beings are one in the same is a more modern view. It is through this part of the dialogue that we get our best look at Socrates's view of religion, where the goal is to bring your life into harmony with the will of the divine. Socrates saw a divine purpose in the creation of the world and believed it was to advance the moral and spiritual development of human beings. Consequently, in the final analysis, Socrates sees morality as resting not constantly changing human opinion, but rather with the unchangeable will of God.

I don't agree that Hare in this book offered many doubtful assumptions. I am a foreigner myself and yet I don't feel any estrangement when I read his book (of course, I am a Christian). During my reading, I accept many of his assumptions and examples as being fitted with Christian common sense. His intention to write to general audience must also be understood in the light of his identity as a Christian thinker. I don't think that in writing a book to a general audience, a Christian writer must abandon many specific Christian jargons. That's not necessary at all. Besides, the notion that Kant's practical reason is empty must be considered again in the light of the most recent Kantian scholarship and close textual analysis. I believe that some prominent Kant's scholars like Onora O'Neill, Christine Korsgaard, and Felicitas MUnzel will not necessarily accept the accusation of the emptiness of Kantian ethics. Recently, a dynamically growing body of Kantian scholarship (not necessarily Christian) argues otherwise and recognizes the importance of Kant's religious belief in his entire system. I feel that this book must be read and thaught. You may also read it together with Hare's God's Call (or Moral Gap, if you want a more serious study).

This CD is a collection of hundreds of public domain texts from all over the internet. They are collected, organized, and often reformatted to make them easy to access and use.

The collection seeks to include anything that even remotely qualifies as a sacred text. You will find the works upon which all of the worlds major religions are based, (except perhaps Scientology) as well as books describing or initiating mystical traditions like alchemy and hermetic wisdom.

Very interesting reading. Very well collected and compiled.

For those unfamiliar with the "Internet Sacred Text Archive," the site is an enormous compilation of "Sacred Texts" of the world religions. Also included on the site and this wonderful CD-Rom, are various Philosophies, Mysteries, Shakespeare and much more.
Regardless of your Faith; Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Baha'i, Shamanism, Wicca / Witchcraft / Goddess Worship, et al...including Thelema and Zoroastrianism, you will find material on this CD-Rom that applies to your life, or your Research in Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy, and The Mystical.

I have been sharing the site with friends for a long time. I would-have written a review for this CD-Rom sooner, but I assumed it was probably reviewed numerous times, already. Apparently, word has not spread about this amazing Compilation of Documents!

This is a list of the information from the "Internet Sacred Text Archive" (World Religions, Traditions, Mysteries) :

"African, Age of Reason, Alchemy, Americana, Ancient Near East, Atlantis, Australia, Baha'i, Bible, Book of Shadows, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, DNA, Egyptian, Esoteric & Occult, Evil, Fortean, Goddesses, Gothic, Greek and Roman, Grimoires, Hinduism, I Ching, Islam, Jainism, Journals, Judaism, Legends and Sagas, Mormonism, Native American, Neopaganism/Wicca, Nostradamus, Oahspe, Pacific, Paleolithic, Piri Re'is Map, Sacred Books of the East, Sacred Sexuality, Shamanism, Shinto, Sikhism, Sufi, Tantra, Taoism, Tarot, Thelema, Timeline, Tolkien, UFOs, Utopia, Women, Zoroastrianism"

I just checked-out my new V 1.2 version of the CD-ROM from "Sacred Texts.com" and found nearly every religion / philosophy is covered on the V 1.2 CD, which has new additions, such as the "Thelema" section of the website, Shakespeare, etc. I highly recommend the Sacred Texts CD because;

a) The CD costs (Money) and this CD-Rom could save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars in the future (or inspire you to buy hard-copies of books, after Previewing them on the CD-Rom).

b) The CD Rom is much easier to Navigate, than the website, due to load time, or age of PC and/or Memory issues.

c) You always have access to the documents, even if the web connection is down.

d) Think of all the upgrades you can receive in the future.

e) Purchase of the CD supports the maintenance / preservation of "Internet Sacred Text Archive."

Suffice to say, this is The Best opportunity available for people who are serious about researching Religion, Spirituality, Occult, Mysteries, et al. I am more than thrilled with my purchase of this CD-Rom !

I found the website for this listing of books and was amazed at its breadth. I have recently taken to researching various sacred texts and in my GOOGLE search found the website. After perusing the various pages and offering, the idea of owning the CD was overpowering. Today's technology makes it possible to have an entire library in an easy to carry CD and this one is well organized. I highly recommend this to both the professional clergy, and the amateur researcher. It saves the wait for internet connections and web page loads, and provides a broad range of documents.

This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?

I was disappointed in the books contents. Although I expected an extensive bibliography (which is very thorough and interesting), I was hoping for a more inclusive book of her life, art, illustrations, etc. I expected a more "colorful" book with more pictures of both her and her work.

The authors spent nearly 15 years of their life researching and interviewing Tasha Tudor, her students, associates, and family members. This book was ultimately sanctioned by Tasha Tudor and it is a bibliography and not a biography.

Just for the record, a bibliography is "the history, identification, or description of writings or publications." A biography is a "written history of a person's life."

The Hare's are to be commended for their tireless efforts in creating the ultimate compendium of the identification of Tasha Tudor's works, writings, and publications.

Anyone still confused about the difference between a bibliography and a biography should consult their dictionary for a clarification.

An excellent and scholarly work not to be missed by Tasha Tudor aficionados, researchers, or students of her work.

The first and only scholarly treatment of the life and work of this beloved author and illustrator of children's books, "Tasha Tudor: The Direction of Her Dreams" invites us into the unique world of a unique woman and encourages us to linger. The book is a tribute not only to Tasha Tudor but also to the authors who, obviously, know her work as few of the rest of us do.

This book represents an excellent and fresh way of looking at Kantian ethics. I especially love the photo of the "moral gap" on the front -- very pertinent.

John Hare's book deserves our undivided attention and interest. I think it is one of the most significant books on Christian ethics in our time. The delightful clarity and the penetrating insight of his writing can invoke our self-reflection on the seriousness of life and God's seriousness to us.

andrew hare is the son of the author and deliberately gave the book a poor review in a sad attempt at humor, his remarks should be disregarded as the prank of an immature child.

Having read Lundstrom's excellent First Team books, I was anxious to get my hands on this book which he co-authored. After the first fifty pages, though, I was beginning to wonder about the tune of the book; I had anticipated a bit more down-to-earth approach, but the authors opted for the "hero in the making" style. Actually, the only interesting bits are in the latter half of the book, when Butch finally gets into combat flying, and as is the case with all Lundstrom's combat books, the dogfight descriptions are absolutely great. Likewise, the account of the death of Butch O'Hare is excellent.

The problem is that they only fill about a fourth of the book. The rest is filled with hagiography, which I was surprised to find. After all, we have the book "Bader - the man and his men", giving a detailed account of England's O'Hare, Douglas Bader, minus the holy approach. It is possible to present the life of a true hero without superficial glamour, but Lundstrom and Ewing missed it here.

Another case in point is Blackburn and Hammel's "Jolly Rogers". There, too, a hero is given a thorough treatment, but there's no added sugar. Maybe it is because the authors are not accustomed to writing from this angle; I think I'll stick to their pure combat books.

Authors Ewing and Lundstrom have done an excellent job of telling the story of Butch O'Hare. Born in March, 1914 and raised in St. Louis, Butch loved the simpler things in life. He enjoyed spending time with his father hunting or fishing, or playing with his younger sisters. Family was always important to Butch, and the authors do a good job of stressing this throughout the book. Butch eventually left St. Louis and attend Annapolis, graduating in 1937. Butch's first assignment was aboard the battleship New Mexico, and he quickly developed an affection for the ship's float planes. After serving aboard the New Mexico, Butch signed up for flight training and was stationed at Pensacola, Florida. There, Butch earned his wings.

Butch's most famous flight occurred on February 20, 1942. Butch was on board the carrier Lexington when a group of Japanese torpedo planes attacked the task force. Butch scrambled his F4F Wildcat fighter off the deck and rose to meet the enemy. In the span of about 5 minutes, Butch single-handedly shot down 6 of the attackers while saving the task force from certain damage. Butch was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt at a ceremony at the White House. Afterward, Butch embarked on a war bond tour where he visited factories and gave rally speeches. While on a visit to Grumman, Butch was able to talk to designers about the limitations of the F4F. This input led to the development of the F6F fighter, which Butch would fly later in the war.

The authors do a good job of describing in great detail Butch's war days. I felt like I was flying right along with him. Particularly interesting was the detailed description of Butch's final flight. After attacking a group of Japanese planes, Butch's night fighter group was to regroup and head back to their carrier. However, a series of unconfirmed and sketchy events occurred which led to the death of Butch. Some people believe that Butch died as a result of friendly fire, while others believe that a snooping Japanese plane managed to get close enough to shoot Butch down without being detected. The authors claim the latter, and I agree with their assessment.

Butch O'Hare was a true war hero. His bravery and courage were shining examples to others, and his heroism was a true morale booster during the dark early days of the war. A replica of Butch's F4F stands in O'Hare airport, named for him, in Chicago. Read this excellent book and experience the life of a true American hero.

The authors obviously researched their subject quite thoroughly in preparation for this excellent piece of history. In my previous readings, Butch O'Hare has remained somewhat of an enigma. This book provides great insights into the man and his times. This is a great tribute to an American hero. I wish there were more books like this about about other heroes from this time period. Men like John Basilone, Alexander Bonnyman, and Richard Bong need to have their stories retold for a new generation of readers