For those of us who will never attend a service academy, books such as "Return of Philo McGiffin" give us a glimpse of what it takes to get through these tough institutions. They are colleges in one sense but as a character in the book says "this is your first duty assignment in the Navy!" For anyone thinking about Annapolis or who has a friend or relation who will attend, this book is a must read. My grandfather went to West Point and spent almost 40 years in the Army - now I have an idea of how he got there. Philo McGiffin is great book for anyone who is a fan of our Naval Academy but wants no illusions of how hard it is there.
My hats off to all Annapolis Alumni!

I can only add to the plaudits below. I didn't go to Navy, but my father and brother did. I've always wondered if plebe year was as wierd and hard and fascinating as they said it was -- now I know the answer. But beyond the wonderful introduction to USNA life, this is a terrific story -- great, complex characters, inspiration as well as sardonic humor, and a terrific twist at the end. Anyone who is interested in military life will enjoy this book. I'm about to buy several copies to send to friends.

From all indications, the Naval Academy is not a place for humor but with this book, David Poyer has shown that humour can thrive in a military environment even though it really doesn't have a place. The characters were well developed and the ending had a surprising twist. A wonderful read for anyone interested in the military way of life

Building on scholarship of the likes of Leopold Cohn, M. R. James, Charles Perrot, Pierre-Maurice Bogaert, D. J. Harrington, and Louis Feldman, Jacobson has crafted a captivating critical commentary, rivaled only by his masterfully reconstructed text and meticulous sourcing. A must-have for fans of The Exagoge of Ezekiel. Pick it up this summer for a pleasant stroll down exegetical lane. Look out Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire....

Building on scholarship of likes of Leopold Cohn, M. R. James, Charles Perrot, Pierre-Maurice Bogaert, D. J. Harrington, and Louis Feldman, Jacobson has crafted a captivating critical commentary, rivaled only by his masterfully reconstructed text and meticulous sourcing. A must-have for fans of The Exagoge of Ezekiel. Pick it up this summer for a pleasant stroll down exegetical lane. Look out Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire....

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF THE FINEST I'VE EVER READ! THE AUTHOR IS CLEARLY A SCHOLAR OF HIGH CALIBER THAT ONE RARELY FINDS IN TODAY'S WRITINGS ON PHILO. THE RESEARCH WAS IMPECCABLY THOROUGH AND THE CONCLUSIONS ARE SOUND. A MUST-READ FOR ANYONE WHO'S EVER PICKED UP A BIBLE AND WORTH EVERY PENNY OF IT'S HEFTY PRICE-TAG!

This book is a Godsend! I'm one of millions of people frustrated with the disparity between the experiential joy and pleasure of sex, and the negative, "Bible condemns it," pap forced on us by the church. Divine Sex explores all Bible verses having anything at all to do with sex, and gives us blockbuster revelation of the Bible's very positive attitude toward sex. This book reveals the inherent innocence of such things are nudity, masturbation, oral sex, etc. And it absolutely knocks the slats from under the prevailing theology of "adultery" and "fornication." This is the one book I am absolutely THRILLED to have read. If you want the Biblical truth about sex, this is THE book for you.

This is a great, classic detective story. Written in 1933, it captures characters of 1933 New York City well. Fun to read. Fun classic characters: a suspicious butler, a crazy old lady kept safe in an upper floor apartment of an old mansion. Really a good mystery. This is the first Philo Vance mystery I have read - now I want to try the others.

If you've ever seen George Burns and Gracie Allen you'll love this book. Philo Vance is at his best, but Gracie and George steal the show. The mystery is a good one with a great twist ending and well worth the read.

Jewish Worship in Philo of Alexandria by Jutta Leonhardt (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism, 84: Mohr Siebeck) Leonhardt's focus attempts to move Philo back to the center of the Jewish cult life of Alexandria.
Jewish Worship in Philo of Alexandria describes the approach to worship of Philo of Alexandria as a knowledgeable contemporary of the later Second Temple and his view of the essence of Jewish worship. It includes discussions of his views on the Jewish festivals, especially the Sabbath, on prayer, psalms, hymns, praise and thanksgiving, and on Temple offerings, sacrifices and purification rites. Philo accepted and participated in Jewish worship and even knew about details of various Jewish traditions of his time. His writings, however, do not refer to them directly and cannot easily be used to reconstruct Jewish rituals of his time. His main aim is to discuss the rites as presented in the Mosaic Torah, which are binding for all Jews. These laws are frequently presented using the terminology of pagan cults and interpreted with recourse to Greek philosophy. In this philosophical description of actual rites there are parallels to Plato's references to religion
The Greek term for worship as a special term for Jewish worship was introduced by the Septuagint. Philo follows its use closely, applying it specifically for Jewish worship as fear and love of God (Dt. 10), but he also mirrors the use of the term in Greek culture, which comprises a variety of activities. Its use is similar to the Hebrew idea, and includes prayer, dedication (both included in worship), sacrifice, and rituals (including purification). But Philo adds consistently and at a prominent place in the lists of rites another aspect, the festivals. Festivals were also extremely important in the pagan Greek world. For the pagans they were mainly an occasion and opportunity for other acts of worship, especially for sacrifices. For the Jews, however, and especially for the Diaspora Jews, there was one particular festival that had a deeper importance, beyond the sacrifices and rituals offered on the day: the Sabbath. On this day they rest, meet and read the Torah to the present day. The Sabbath was and still is one of the main features of Judaism. Already in antiquity it was recognized by non Jews, and Philo's view of the Sabbath as link between God, the creation, and the Jewish people in particular, suggests that it was the importance of the Sabbath that prompted him to include references to the festivals whenever he mentions specific aspects of sacrifice. This demonstrated that, even when he writes as a Hellenistic writer in the classical style, Philo is deeply immersed in and influenced by his Jewish tradition.
This is in the following discussion of worship. Most terms are taken from Philo's use of the term; thus chapter Two studies the festivals, i.e. Philo's use of worship and especially the Sabbath, chapter Three describes prayer and chapter Four the Temple offerings, sacrifices and purification.
The Greek term for worship can be used to describe any number of rites, so that a choice must be made to limit the terms studied here. The basic structure is given by the above mentioned terms derived from Philo's use of worship. But in chapter Three the inclusion of two sub chapters was necessary, one on psalms and praise singing, and one on thanksgiving. The reason for this is that in the texts on worship Philo consistently reserves some terms for human addressing God. These, however, have two meanings: in one sense they are most general terms for prayer, "als umfassendster Ausdruck far die Anrufung der Gottheit", comprising the manifold aspects of communication with God; and in this general sense Philo uses the terms in the above mentioned passages on prayer as address. But it is shown that in a more specific sense they refer more often to the aspect of supplication (part of which is the vow). Therefore, in addition to a study of address, acts of praise as a vow more emphasis on praise is included as an act of joy. Any reference to praise in the Jewish context must consider the aspect of psalm recitation and singing, as the Old Testament associates praise with singings, and thanksgiving, as the fulfillment of supplications is another important aspect of communication with the deity. In the present context a comprehensive study of every aspect of prayer is offered, but the more general points are discussed to further illustrate Philo's idea of prayer.
Thus the description starts with the festivals and prayer, aspects of worship which were not only practiced in the Temple but which Philo experienced in one way or another in Alexandria, then it moves on to the Temple tax which was brought there, and the overview ends with the Temple sacrifices and the purification rites connected with the Temple. Every aspect of worship has links to the Temple; therefore, several passages are studied more than once and from different angles. But as the Temple, unlike prayer, the Sabbath, and the synagogue, did not form part of Philo's everyday life, this study starts with the general and moves to the particular aspects of worship. In chapter Five the different strands are drawn together, outlined and interpreted the way in which Philo understood Jewish worship as a whole in the context of Greek and Jewish parallels.

If you search for this subject, you have to buy it. It's the only way to have the best.

Da Vinci's anatomical drawing is not simply scientific record. It is a great man's comtemplation on humanity through the very basics of physical form. To back up this kind of inquiry, you need a god to in your soul or you have to be the god youself. Without this spiritual aspect, scientific research would turn into something crudely utilitarian or cruelly inhumane as we all have noticed in so many cases in the modern world.

Da Vince is not some mad scientist who messed up with corpses secretly as in a Frenkenstein movie. But do we ever noticed their difference in this country, the supposed most advance country in technology and science? This book would make you think.

This little book is beautifully produced with exquisite photos of an old barn taken by master photographer Szarkowski. The accompanying excerpts from Philo Blinn's 19th century are both poignant and evocative of life in Columbia County New York. Philo Blinn was just an ordinary farmer, but he had a way with words that make his life and that of his neighbors come to life.

"Drawing Sexy Women" by Frank Thorne is a beautifully written recollection by one of the finest cartoonists in the business. Indeed, his prose is as bouncy and exciting as the girls which flow from his pencil and pen. A thorough joy from cover to cover and we await excitedly any and all sequals.