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Book reviews for "Horchler,_Richard_Thomas" sorted by average review score:

Approaches to Teaching Wright's Native Son (Approaches to Teaching World Literature (Cloth), No 58)
Published in Hardcover by Modern Language Association of America (1997)
Author: James A. Miller
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Need Cliff notes...
First, I already read half of the book and since I'm very busy with school activities, work, and voluntering, I can't finish the book on time for my essay. If anyone know's a place where I can find or get some info regarding this Novel, Please e-mail me... I already have the cliff notes for it, but I need some more...

An very excellent book, is greatly reccommended
This book really had me reading. Some things in the book had digusted me but it was an amazing story. It was very realastic. I really felt like I could relate to it.

It was good.
the story talked about killing, feelings of black against white people. Also included discrimation and religions with peoples opinions. this is probably the only book i would ever enjoy reading and be touched by it. With other books, i would just read it and just forget it later on. This book i'll slways remember it...


Buckminster Fuller: Anthology for a New Millennium
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Press (2001)
Authors: Thomas T. K. Zung and Buckminster Fuller
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Why bother with Bucky now?
On page 242 of this anthology, in an excerpt from Fuller's second book on "Synergetics," Fuller writes,

"The epistemography of synergetics discovers operationally, experientially, and experimentally that the most primitive of the conceptual systems to be divided or isolated from nonunitarily and nonsimultaneously conceptual Scenario Universe most inherently consist of the simplest minimum considerability none of whose components can exist independently of one another."

Passages in Fuller's writings like this, which sound like schizophrenic word-salads, make me wonder why Fuller still has the cult following he does. Although he was capable of writing reasonably clear explanations of his ideas and discoveries, more often than not he managed to sabotage his efforts at communication by cranking out arcane assertions like the one above. How was he able to get books full of such obscure rhetoric commercially published in the first place? At least technical textbooks are usually written in ways that can be assimilated into the existing context of knowledge. Fuller was writing way outside of the conceptual box, and many of his "ideas," if they could be called that, are still essentially homeless.

This anthology doesn't really demonstrate to my satisfaction why we should continue to study Fuller's legacy nearly two decades after his death. The geodesic dome fad has passed; few people these days advocate providing for "100% of humanity" through some conjectural "design science" based on Fuller's ideas, and doing so now sounds hopelessly naive and utopian; and we're just as burdened with having to "make a living" as ever, despite all the propaganda about the "affluence" and "abundance" in our society. (Just look at the proliferation of nonproductive and low-paying "service" jobs in the U.S. economy. For example, refer to Barbara Ehrenreich's book _Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America_.) Fuller's prediction (on page 212) that we'd have "sustainable abundance for all" by 1985 sounds ridiculous now.

The contrasting posthumous reputations of Fuller and Frank Lloyd Wright demonstrate how our culture's priorities have changed since Fuller's heyday in the idealistic 1960's. Wright is still considered a living presence in American architecture, mainly because he built innovative structures for wealthy, paying clients. Fuller has fallen into relative obscurity in part because he tried to design cheap, efficient housing for the world's lumpen-people, like the ones in Muslim countries who view America as their enemy. Our choices in architectural heroes reflect the current belief that financially successful people are better than the rest of us. Fuller advocated a social philosophy that is fundamentally at odds with early 21st Century American ideals. I don't see how his thinking can be re-integrated into the current set of allowable social proposals.

still ahead, still the best
During most of his life in the last century, one of the things most often said about Bucky was that he is a man "ahead of his time". Well it was true then and it is much more true today. Because since he left us (sort of) the world has been steadily regressing, until now we are involved in war without end. Fuller was famous for many things, synergetics, Dymaxion car and house, really famous for geodesic domes. But his enduring message, and what the world needs desperately to hear now, is the idea of "making the world work for 100% of humanity". By which he meant using the worlds resources to serve the basic needs of everyone on the planet. He taught us that there are no shortages, that there is enough to go around, and all we need to do this is the will to do it. In the world game he would explain how much it would cost for everyone to have enough- food, shelter, clean water, health care- even eliminate land mines and soil erosion and deforestation. He calculated the total cost for all this and more as about 30% of the world's military expenditures.
Bucky believes we are all world citizens, all fellow pasengers on spaceship earth. And that we need to learn to be together, to be just one people, and stop having wars and wasting the earths riches on weapons.
Utopian? of course it's utopian. It is also perfectly sensible and reasonable and intelligent . And human. It is, it must be, the way we should be, the world we should make, for all of us.
This beautiful book is full of his teachings and the enthusiastic tributes of his friends and students. Just buy it.
And stop the bombing!

An opportunity to appreciate Bucky Fuller's contribution.
Anyone who makes Bucky Fuller's wisdom more available to the humankind for which he cared so deeply provides an enormous service. This anthology does that with gleanings of Fuller's writings as well as anecdotes from those whose life he touched. Unfortunately, it does little to explain in easily understood language what Bucky learned and attempted to teach and demonstrate.

The personal stories sandwiched in between excerpts from Bucky's writings do begin to provide insight into Bucky being what he claimed was most important about him - that he was an average healthy human. Throughout his life and work, he proved that the "little individual" can make an enormous difference. Unfortunately, that message often becomes lost in discussions of inventions, science, mathematics and engineering.

Bucky was and is, more than anything, a modern mystic. I feel that the most important writing contained in this book supports this. In her article, Barbara Marx Hubbard recounts that shortly prior to his passing he told her the truth of his famous 1927 mystic experience in which he decided to devote himself to the welfare of all humankind rather than commit suicide.

She writes that he told her that the voice that spoke to him actually said, "Bucky, you are to be a first mini-Christ on Earth. What you attest to is true." And that is how I feel Bucky lived during the next fifty-six years of his life. There is much to learn from the events of those fifty-six years.

I have been studying them and applying them to my life for nearly twenty years, and I find that Bucky did speak and live the truth. His wisdom helped me to write "Buckminster Fuller's Universe" and to recently create (a web site) in order to support others in going beyond his geodesic dome and other inventions and gaining access to Fuller's mystic wisdom.

This book is yet another artifact to help us all in our journey. Do not let Bucky's convoluted language dissuade your pursuit of his wisdom. Use this book and any others you may discover to help claim the legacy that he left us all.


Immunology
Published in Paperback by W H Freeman & Co (2003)
Authors: Richard A. Goldsby, David A. Marcus, Thomas J. Kindt, and Janis Kuby
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It is a great book
I really love this book. The author knows what immunology is and expresses her knowledge nicely. It also help me a lot in my class and my comprehensive examination. I really recommend anyone who wants to know basic immunology read this book. You will not regret.

Excellent introductory book
Kuby's book was the main text for an introductory immunology class I took over the summer and again for another course I'm taking this semester. I have found it to be a clear, thourough, and highly informative resource and I highly reccomend it to anyone looking for an introduction or background in this field

Great for undergrads
My undergraduate immunology professor chose this text for our class and I found it to be very useful. To this day it is one of my favorite texts. I encourage any undergraduate that has an interest in immunology to obtain this text and study it. You will not be sorry.


The Last Plantagenets
Published in Paperback by Popular Library (1983)
Author: Thomas Bertram, Costain
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Brilliant and addicting
The last installment of the "A History of the Plantagenents" succeeds admirably. Costain has a way of transferring is love and excitement of a subject onto his pages. It's a method that has yet to be rivaled. He gives each character a distinct personality no matter how trivial. William Caxton being a prime example. About half the book is concentrated on Richard II, which is fine because most historians either concentrate on the Black Prince or Henry V and skip over him. Here we see a sympathetic monarch who was easily bullied and who made some bad decisions early in his reign. After Richard II, he continues on through the kings until Richard III. Here he breaks protocol and gives evidence in defense of Shakespeare hunchback, citing Tudor propaganda as the catalyst. Normally, Costain is careful to present detailed accounts of both sides to an arguement, but here he takes a stance. It is quite refreshing and readers will eat it up. Highly recommended as well as the others in the series. My uncle gave me these books and I plan on returning the favor when the next generation comes my way. Treasure these.

The Last Plantagenets
English History at it's finest. You feel as if you are there with these people, living their lives. Always in good form, this is one of Costain's best.

Good historian; good storyteller
Mr. Costain is a very good historian. His scholarship is thorough and his conclusions are always logically wrought and sometimes surprising. His sensibilities are surprisingly contemporary, although I would not term him a "revisionist," (he wrote this history in the 1950s). For example, in his defense of Richard III (in this, the final book in this four-volume history) he travails against conventional opinion to demonstrate why King Richard was, indeed, not the Richard III of Thomas More as popularized by Shakespeare and held true to this day. And in the first volume, the author dashes myth and idle folklore to side with those historians who portray Eleanor of Aquitaine as the wise and effective check on Henry II and her sons that, she no doubt was. In so doing he disperses, through well-reasoned argument, the rumors and "Entertainment-Tonight" kind of fluff (History-Lite) that many still believe. I had been told these four volumes were classics. After reading them, but without being a scholar of history, I think those critical readers might be right. Certainly, Mr. Costain opened my eyes to a different kind of history telling, one in which an historian does not hesitate to conjecture or opine openly and to honestly make his case and then leave it for a reader's judgement. From front to back, from first through fourth volumes, this is a valuable and pleasurable experience. Mr Costain, presents, argues, harangues convention and, always entertains with a use of the language that is as sharp as his reasoning and as precise as his scholarship. Mr. Costain is a very good story-teller.


The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings (Paper))
Published in Paperback by Routledge (1997)
Author: Richard Valantasis
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Do your homework
Although not the forum for this, I just had to comment on the reviewer "...not condemming, just voicing God's word.". Ever hear of the Apocryphal Councils? They have been the ones deciding through the ages what is "acceptable" for you to ingest as far as Christianity is concerned. Who knows how many truthful considerations, teachings, and writings they have discarded as heresy in order to appease their agenda of the time. So with respect to your quote, do your homework first before condeming history to the closed-minded viewpoint of the institution that has become the Catholic Church. We should uncover all that is possible as it will only increase our potential for learning the whole truth, and....isn't that what this is about?

Thoughtful and accessible study
This book is an excellent book for teachers and scholars as well as for a more general audience. It is a thoughtful and accessible study of this ancient text and can be helpful both inside and outside the classroom. It is also available in a reasonably priced paperback edition.

Fresh Air
I thought that I would write a true review of this book for readers interested The Gospel of Thomas from a more academic or scholarly perspective. Never does Dr. Valantasis suggest adding the book to the current canon. Rather, he conducts a very thorough and thought provoking exegesis of the text. In addition, he provides an excellent historical basis. Now, the book is subject to criticism from other schools of thought, but I don't think Dr. Valantasis would deny this. He provides an excellent historical de-mythologization of the text. For the curious reader, or the serious scholar, this is an excellent addition to the literature on the Gospel of Thomas.


The Homecoming
Published in Audio Cassette by Audio Renaissance (1995)
Authors: Earl Hamner and Richard Thomas
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Spencer's Mountain
I'm looking for the movie version of Sepncer's Mountain. Any idea on how to get it?

Please email to myersrule@earthlink.net Thank you!

Loving the Walton's
For years I have loved the Walton Family.The Books on the Spenser family are delightful.Can anyone tell me how I could get the Movies The Homecoming.The original is Starring Patricia Neal,and then if I am not mistaken there is also a Christmas movie with the TV Walton Family.I would love to have these movies.Thanks for your help.

Heartwarming little novel.
I picked this up at the library one day, being in a Christmas mood and after years of watching The Walton's "Homecoming" Christmas special and loving it. The story is quite different fromt the TV movie, somewhat more bleak in tone...Olivia here is worrying that her husband's delay in coming home is because he is off drinking somewhere instead of hurt in a bus accident. Probably a bit more accurate feel of the Depression here. Still very absorbing and touching, the characters are no less lovable. A nice short read for a rainy day.


American History: A Survey
Published in Hardcover by McGraw-Hill Companies (1991)
Authors: Alan Brinkley, Richard N. Current, and Thomas Harry Williams
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Wow- a history book??
I was never one to enjoy history much until my college history class used this book for the main text. I found this book great reading (interesting and kept my attention most of the time). I must say that after that class and this book, I have become much more interested in aspects of history. This book is wonderful and I would recommend it to any college professor of history or high school student with even a slight interest in history!

Wonderful survey: History becomes exciting and alive
I used this book for self-study after many years away from any formal courses, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself engrossed in the lucid and engaging descriptions, the beautiful illustrations and photographs, and helpful index. It covers, at just the right level of detail, American History from the colonization of the Americas to Clinton's presidency. It gives a big picture without being condescending and simplistic, but also without assailing you with inessential jargon and names.

I looked at many different American History surveys and this is my favorite by far. On the other hand, if you already know the main outlines of American History, and want detailed analyses of particular periods, then this book will not be as helpful, as it is merely an overview and the bibliography is not very detailed or well annotated.

Great Book!
This book has been a great aid in writing my research papers! I really liked the way the book was broken down between chapters and sections, it made choosing a research topic much easier. The book was also very well written and to the point, it was not at boring at all!


The Warrior As Healer:A Martial Arts Herbal for Power, Fitness, and Focus
Published in Paperback by Inner Traditions Intl Ltd (01 July, 1999)
Author: Thomas Richard Joiner
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Highly Recommended!
As a teacher of kung-fu and practitioner of Chinese medicine, I found this book to be a comprehensive and easy-to-use guide to the herbal formulas traditionally used in martial arts for healing injuries, increasing vitality, and focusing meditation. * Over 100 authentic Chinese formulas. * Complete instructions for preparing your own decoctions, medicinal wines, pills, and salves. Traditional Chinese marital arts training placed as much emphasis on nurturing the spirit as it did on the fighting ability of the aspiring martial arts student. This extended to the study of the healing arts and the use of herbs not only for injury management but also to increase sensitivity, improve energy levels, and, most significantly, raise consciousness. Many of the greatest figures in martial arts history were as renowned as healers as they were as warriors. This history has left behind an extensive healing tradition that includes an immense repository of herbal formulas.

warriors ehould also heal
Very instructive book. Easy to follow instructions and a list of available stores which supply the herbs. I have my warrior tonic aging as I speak.

In response to the comments made by James Ramholz
After reading the review by James Ramholz, I'd like to make a few comments.

He is correct in stating that all of the herbal formulas used in this book were taken from other sources that are readily available on Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, all of the sources for formulas used were written by professional Chinese medical practitioners for Chinese medical practitioners. Meaning, they were highly confusing to the layman. The purpose of writing the book the Warrior as Healer was to introduce herbal formulas to martial artists in a comprehensive informative and user-friendly fashion, it was not written for other medical professionals.

All of the formulas in the book were offered in their original traditional forms. Mr. Ramholz's comments about a particular ingredient (Zhu Sha) or cinnabar while true, have only come to light subsequent to the writing of this book. I might add that I share his concerns and agree that Zhu Sha can be left out of the formulas without compromising the efficacy of the formula.

In the last 2 years it has been my experience that once the toxicity of Zhu Sha was confirmed, the great majority of Chinese herb shops no longer sell this particular ingredient.

As for the comment regarding Hu Gu/tiger bone I devoted a chapter to the discussion of this ingredient, going into detail about the pros and cons of using tiger bone and other animal by-products.

The only divergence of opinion appears to occur with his recommending the substitution of raccoon and pig gallbladder for bear's gallbladder. My personal position and the general policy of my Chinese herb company (Treasures From the Sea of Chi) is that I reject the killing of any animal for harvesting organs and body parts without exception.


Words That Shook the World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events
Published in Hardcover by Alpha Communications (15 December, 2001)
Authors: Richard Greene, Florie Brizel, Helen Thomas, and Jeff Greenfield
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on second thought
I was going to read this book, that is until I saw that Princess Diana was included as one of the "epic speeches that shook the world". Give me a break!

Ever give a speech? You need this book.
I've been a speech coach, writer and teacher for 18 years, and there are many times in the past when I've wished I've had something like this book -- to use with clients, to quote from, to inspire students. All the greatest speeches of the last century are here, and they deserve study. To have many of them on a cd just adds to the usefulness of the book. You can hear the magnificent cadences of speakers like Kennedy and King, Jr and learn how it's done. For all those who give presentations or speeches -- or for anyone who cares about great rhetoric and moments when the world was changed by the collision of words and passion -- this book is a must-have.

A MUST READ - A MUST HEAR
I can't think of a better book to give or receive. A must in everyones' library.
As we hear and read the brilliance and power of the twenty-one speeches they become more inspirational as we read Richard Greene's analysis and most interesting, informative background material. The photos further enhance the written words.
We knew that these outstanding speeches, by outstanding men and women, shaped our lives, and now we know why.
Richard Greene made an excellant choice of communicators that the world will long remember.


Diesel 10 Means Trouble (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (2000)
Authors: Britt Allcroft and Richard Courtney
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Thomas and the Magic Railroad: Diesel 10 Means Trouble
The Thomas line is a very good line for young boys. It is had to find good cartoons in this day and age. There are to many things that teach our children thing that do not need to be seen by yound children and Thomas the Tank Engine is not one of those. Thank you to the creator for a holsome thing for my children and all the kids out there.

New Thomas character "Diesel 10" is a hit!
If you've seen the movie, Thomas and the Magic Railroad with your kids-this book is a "must have"! The book follows the basic plot of the movie with alot fewer details. However, the story does a great job of portraying the villian, Diesel 10's mean tricks and the other train's attempts to foil his plans. It's a cute story with a simple lesson that kids can understand.

Diesel 10
My son was so excited when he listened to this story. He really enjoys it, time and time again. He can't hear it enough. He loves Diesel 10 and this book is completely revolved around him. Good reading for pre-schoolers who like Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.


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