Given the glut of karate books both in and out of print,it must indeed be difficult for someone interested in the art and is looking for a "first book." Although long out of print, Karate Test Techniques makes for a fine introduction, covering as it does just a handful of moves (about a dozen and a half in all) that the karate student is most likely to encounter in one on one sparring situations and when studying to advance in belt ranking. The book covers the most basic kicking techniques (front, back, side and roundhouse)along with several punching and blocking techniques and throws in your classic foot sweep for good measure. And that is the book!!! The text is clearly written, so it is quite easy to understand and the moves are not covered from a multitude of angles and positions which can admittedly overwhelm and confuse a beginning student. Sensei Mack hopes that, after reading this book and acquainting getting familiar with these most basic of techniques, the student will then be encouraged to seek out a reputable school and begin studying in earnest. On a personal note, I feel this is a great book for anyone who likes to keep physically active and mentally sharp, regardless of age. I recently passed my copy on to a colleague of mine who is in his early 70s. He was quite enthusiastic upon receiving this book. Therefore, I shall be looking forward to trading kicks with him sometime very soon. I would be very curious to know of Charles Mack's whereabouts nowadays and if he is still involved in karate in any way, shape or form.

The book was excellently written. It did, however, contain some weaknesses as do all books. As I enjoyed the personal experiences that the author offered, I was troubled in that there was only one account were it was not known if the person came to the saving knowledge of Jesus. A person can still evangelize even if no one accepts Jesus as their personal Savior i.e. Noah. Over all it was a breath of fresh air in the lungs of evangelism. May God bless the future readers as much as He has blessed me by reading it.

This is not a book promoting a new way to tell people about Christ. It's not a new formula, flow chart or outline. This book is amazing because it's an honest look at Jesus, who he is, how he lived and how we can imitate him. This book has motivated me to love others as Jesus does. If you're feeling like you're in a slump when it comes to loving others this book may be just what you need.

"Speaking of Jesus" is "Out of the Saltshaker" for this generation. The author leads his reader with great stories to a desire of improving one's own witness of Christ. Pick it up, read the whole thing in one setting. Get the inspiration to talk to those in your daily life about how you really feel about your relationship with your Creator and what He's done your life. jp

I was enormously surprised by the careful rendering of this very personal story of the triumphs and tragedies of one individual struggle to make it in the NFL. As an athlete and coach myself, but not a football fan, I was uncertain how much I would enjoy or understand Ceceil Youngblood's "Training Camp." However, It was clear from the very first page that this was going to be a story that was less about what football is and more about "who" football is. Youngblood's tale of an unsigned rookie plodding his way thorugh the daily grinds of training camp, the physical strain and the mental manipulations take you up close to the abuses and glories of the big-time football. Even more intriguing than the nitty-gritty of football is the personal story of one man, fighting hard to find his dream amidst the chaos, pressure, and temptations that seek out players of this level. It is an intimate story for anyone who has journied to follow a dream and found another, possibly more rewarding path, instead.

I loved this book! It's a must read for High School and College athletes with dreams of playing in the NFL. And a rare treat for football fans- a personal tour behind the scenes where it all begins and sometimes ends- TRAINING CAMP!

I found this autobiographical book a most interesting and entertaining read. I was so drawn into the story and its characters that I read the book cover-to-cover in a single sitting. The author gives the reader an intimate look into the psyche of the professional athlete as well as an insider's insight to the workings of "business" of the NFL. The author's writing style makes his story come alive... the reader actually experiences the sights and sounds, laughter and pain, sweat and tears of professional football. TRAINING CAMP is a must-read for any committed, driven athlete or arm-chair football fan. The author's story is exciting and uplifting -- teaching us all about the value and power of dedication, perseverance and personal excellence. I recommend that every high school and college football coach, along with their players, read this athlete's most personal and motivating account of the drive to succeed and win his place in the NFL.

Having been on a short-term trip, I wish I had read this book before I went. It rings true.

Mack and Leeann have learned a LOT over the years about the beauties and pitfalls of short-term trips. This book is wonderful.

It's not a "what to pack" kind of book. Those are a dime a dozen. Instead, it digs much deeper -- into the theology/philosophy of short-term trips, how to prepare spiritually and how to return well, etc.

Perhaps most valuable is their culture-crossing advice. So much of the success and impact of a short-term trip depends upon one's ability to cross cultures, deal with culture shock, build trust, stretch yourself, and then return well. The advice here is priceless in this regard.

If you are going, read this book. If someone you love is going, read this book. If you are leading a trip, read this book and then make everyone you're taking read this book. It will save you so much trouble and may be the difference between an okay trip and an amazing trip.

Mack and Leeann's guide is definitely a valuable addition to the newly emerging flood of books about Short Term Missions. What makes their contribution distinct is their understanding of Short Terms as a valuable part of God's mission to the world, rather than simply as a "farm league" for potential long-term missionaries, or as a way to envigorate a stagnant youth group. STM's are more than light entertainment for bored high-school students, and Mack and Leeann communicate this effectively and practically in this concise and readable guide. Chapter after chapter contain stories from their own experiences which also make this book unique.

This book presents the basic principles of short term missions, shows how to develop critical cross-cultural skills, and addresses specific needs short termers experience. The pages overflow with foundational scriptures and true stories from short termers who have traveled with the authors during a dozen two-month mission trips to Africa, the Middle East and Central America. The experiences presented are realistic, sometimes humorous, and often life-changing. Short term missionaries are changing the world. This book will challenge you to consider the opportunities available for a short term mission trip. This is a great text for a small group study. It's fast paced, has short chapters, and is appropriate for high school students as well as adults. Highly recommended for mission minded individuals and congregations.

Shotokan is well known for using rigid(not having a flowingtechnique) fighting in order to overcome an agressor. However, thisbook gives some pretty good insight into Japanese self defence.

Enoeda sensei is one of the most famous experts on free fighting in the Shotokan world. This book is an excellent reference for an intermediate-to-advanced student. The early chapters teach basic techniques, and provide descriptions and photographs explaining each. As the book progresses, combinations for attack and defense (counterattack) are introduced, as well as a discussion of one of the more difficult points of free-fighting, continuation. The emphasis in this book is clearly on Shotokan as a sport and an art, and not so much on self-defense, but successfully applying one to the other is really just a matter of practice. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone studying Shotokan -- beginners will benefit tremendously from the early chapters, and more advanced students will derive great benefits from the free-fighting lessons. Particularly, this would be a good resource for anyone training alone -- the chapter layout can be translated almost directly into training sessions.

I took up Stiles' "17 Things" (with its Lego-decorated cover) right after reading Gregg Braden's "Walking Between The Worlds: The Science of Compassion" (which sports a lotus mantra, as art, and a quotation from the Dead Sea Scrolls on its cover). Only a Baptist preacher's kid who converted to Anglicanism, as I have, might choose to finish and compare two such works. But if you haven't achieved the Peace that Passes Understanding, it might prove itself a worthwhile armchair journey for you. Stiles, a former campus chaplain, uses 17 chapters to share the spiritual lessons he's learning while creating a Christian family with his wife and three sons. Each of these stories illustrates, often tenderly, an Essene Mirror of Compassion as Braden outlines them: Isaac, age five, acts to save-the-day when his older brother is pained after being excluded from a party (Mirror 1: reading the needs of the moment); Tristan asks why God doesn't show himself, but then takes comfort in recalling his dad's finding him when he was lost (Mirror 5: seeing the essence of God reflected in our parents & Mirror 3: the lessons of lost innocence). Conspicuous typos serve to specify two of Stiles' subjects. On page 44 there's one in a sentence that concludes, "so don't have sex with someone you're not married to." On page 51, Stiles meets the Adversary, and his sentence, "That's when Satan meet [sic] me," comes just before, "My son was dying, my thinking was jumbled." As with Braden's, this book is for those readying, or prepared, to "take up" the disciplines of Christian (or Essential) living. It is full of compassion (and laced with judgment based upon experience).

This show's strength was certainly in its music. Its plot was depressing, its required choreography and effects difficult. The music, however, is some of Jerry Herman's finest work. 'Time Heals Everything' is a classic of love and pain. All of the music has a very period feel, appropriate to the setting of the show, somewhat frenetic at times.

Many radiologists do not feel at ease in the head and neck region: the anatomy is complex, pathologic conditions are sometimes difficult to describe and analyze, and subtle radiologic findings may have dramatic consequences for patient management. Therefore, a book offering an 'systematic approach to the radiologic evaluation of the head and neck region' and helping in the interpretation of 'difficult cases' should be more than welcome. Unfortunately, this book does not fulfill the expectations raised by its title.
After a short general part, introducing the concept of the book, and discussing the different diagnostic imaging techniques used in this field of radiology, each anatomic subregion is covered in a separate chapter. Each chapter begins with a (too) brief anatomic introduction, goes on with a short review of the pathology encountered, and the use of the imaging techniques in this specific subregion. The typical imaging findings for the different kinds of pathology are reviewed and a differential diagnostic list is presented in the form of one or more tables.
The images are generally of good quality, but it is striking that the majority are MR images; the few CT-images included are generally of less good quality. The authors have a definitive preference for MRI. Although there are very good indications for MRI in the head and neck, in my experience, CT is the most frequently performed imaging modality. In many indications (e.g. in neck and sinonasal pathology), CT provides sufficient information to take management decisions; often, MR images will not add crucial additional information. If it is the goal of this book to educate the reader, than CT should have been discussed and illustrated more thoroughly. In that light, it is amazing that the authors include examples of conventional radiographs (e.g. of the temporal bone), which are nowadays obsolete. Several 3D-MR reconstructions are shown, with a small window in the patient's surface, allowing to view the deeper lying pathology; such images may look impressive, but usually they do not add complementary information compared to the original images; inclusion of such images in a book advocating cost-effectiveness is not appropriate.
The legends accompanying the figures are not always that accurate. Images and corresponding text are sometimes pages apart.
Many tables containing differential diagnostic lists are presented. Some of them are well constructed, some are incomplete (e.g. the table on unilateral vocal cord paralysis does not mention 'idiopathic' as possibility, actually one of the most frequent conditions), while some others are lacking (e.g. a table or flow chart on tinnitus should have been included). The criteria used to come to a differential diagnosis are sometimes not well specified, so that the book may not be of great help in difficult cases. For example, a case of focal arachnoiditis with cochlear involvement is 'documented', but it is not clear which criteria are used by the authors to differentiate this from a small intracanalicular schwannoma with intracochlear extension.
Descriptions on several items are vague or incomplete; for example on imaging of laryngeal cancer, nothing is included on pathways of tumour extent, and how to recognize radiologically subclinical but relevant tumour extension - giving such information to the clinician is of utmost importance, and often the only reason why imaging is performed anyway. In the chapter on the paranasal sinuses, a description of the important anatomical variants and the ostiomeatal unit is lacking. Some entities are described in another chapter as one would expect (e.g. conductive hearing loss is not in the chapter on the middle ear, but in the chapter on the internal auditory canal, cerebellopontine angle and labyrinth).
Some inappropriate recommendations are made, e.g. on otosclerosis, where the axial CT-images 'should be supplemented with coronal scans or coronal reconstructions' - in my experience, axial CT-images are optimal for the diagnosis of otosclerosis. In the same book, posttraumatic 'prolapse of cerebral structures into the brain and middle ear' (sic) is illustrated on axial CT-images (I can't recognize such a prolapse on these images); this represents an indication where coronal reconstructions certainly may be useful.
The possibilities of MRI are sometimes frankly overestimated: e.g. in the chapter on soft tissues of the neck, the authors claim that a 'careful analysis of signal characteristics...' can 'reliably differentiate recurrent tumor from postoperative changes' and 'MRI is best for differentiating these [postirradition] changes from recurrent tumor'. Imaging plays a growing role in patient surveillance after treatment of a malignant head and neck tumor, but the limitations of CT and MRI have to be acknowledged correctly.
The references are rather limited in number.
Throughout the book, many small inaccuracies are present, both in the text as in the figures. Already on the cover, one of the figures is reproduced upside-down. 'Sarcoiditis', instead of 'sarcoidosis', 'Hoeve syndrome', instead of 'van der Hoeve's syndrome', are some other examples.
Overall, this book did not impress me in the positive sense. It is not detailled enough, and sometimes the vagueness and inaccuracies cause confusion. I can not recommend this book.