This is a great book. I think it increased my IQ by twenty points.

Freud made a mistake of category, psychology is not biomedical.

This book understands that.

"More than 2,500 years have passed since Confucius walked the dusty country roads of China, chatting with his disciples, yet his voice still rings clear and true down through the centuries. Those who knew him never forgot him. Those who came after handed down his sayings from one generation to the next, right up to our own time..." So begins Russell Freedman's brilliant and engaging biography of Confucius, a minor government official who desperately wanted to be a political force in ancient China. "Though he offered many bold ideas for reform, his advice was ignored by the rulers of the day. For this reason, he spent much of his time teaching and discussing his ideas with his students." His simple, yet profound thoughts about government, education, and religion were shared with his followers through conversations and dialogues, and finally written down, many years after his death, in a book that has come to be known as the Analects. "This slim volume is the one source where we can most clearly hear the unique voice of the real, living Confucius." Mr Freedman's well researched story is written in an easy to read, conversational style and filled with history, mystery, intriguing biographical details, quotes from the Analect, and fascinating fun facts. Frederic Clement's elegant and evocative Chinese-style illustrations look ancient and authentic, and are rich in emotion, color, and detail. Together word and art bring the great philospher and his times to life on the page. With an enlightening Author's Note, and informative sources and suggestions for further reading included at the end, Confucius: The Golden Rule is an entertaining and inspiring introductory biography that is sure to whet the appetite of kids 10 and older, and send them out looking for more. "And so, after twenty-five centuries, the pros and cons of what Confucius said or didn't say are still being debated. The reason isn't hard to find. He trusted people to think for themselves. He was always ready to offer suggestions, but he insisted that each of us must find answers for ourselves. And he admitted that he himself did not know the truth, only a way to look for it..."

One of the areas of greatest growth and expansion in recent times is that of biotechnology. New developments are taking place almost weekly, and there is enormous potential for profitability. In many ways biotech has outstripped computer and other technologies as a major growth area. But while the science and technology of human life has mushroomed in the last few years, the ethics of biotech have been much less forthcoming.

That is, bioethics have not kept pace with biotechnology. And given how most of us are or will be affected by the new biological and reproductive technologies, it is imperative that some serious ethical thinking about biotech be promoted. But as is often the case, science is well and truly leading in this particular race.

Fortunately, however, there are a number of groups and individuals who are taking up the challenge by engaging in moral reflection on where the new technologies are taking us.

One such group that is at the cutting-edge of bioethics is the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity located just outside of Chicago. In a few short years the CBHD has become a leading center of research and study in the burgeoning field of bioethics. Its annual bioethics conference held each July draws experts from around the globe to discuss the latest trends in biotechnology, and offer incisive ethical comment on the advances being made.

In this, the latest volume to be released from the Center, a team of 15 experts address a wide array of issues concerning the new technologies, and the various trends in biotech. Stem cell research, cloning, the Human Genome Project, genetic manipulation, xenotransplantation, transgenics, nanotechnology and cybernetics are among the many fascinating topics covered.

If some of the terms just mentioned seem exotic and even unpronounceable, this is a reflection of the rapid change and development taking place with the new biotechnologies. It is a full time job just to keep up with all the new developments, let alone offer social and moral critiques of them. But this volume manages to do just that. Experts in genetics, reproductive technologies, health care and public policy not only discuss the new technologies in a clear and accessible fashion, but they also provide ethical appraisal of the developments from a Christian perspective.

For example, Dr Francis Collins, who contributed an article on genetic engineering, is well placed for the task. Not only is he a committed Christian, thus able to bring moral and biblical concerns to bear on the issue, but he is also the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute in Washington D.C. Thus he brings top-notch scientific expertise to the debate, coloured by a carefully nuanced ethical perspective.

As such, he presents the many possible benefits from the HGP, but also discusses the very real dangers inherent in our new knowledge of genetics. And he is aware of the limits to science and technology. Science will not "shed any light on what it means to love someone, what it means to have a spiritual dimension to our experience, nor will it tell us much about the character of God. We must look to other sources to provide light for our spiritual journeys. Science is an incredibly powerful tool for understanding the natural world, but it is poorly designed for understanding these other aspects of who we are."

A very interesting article on the future trends of biotechnology comes from Richard Swenson, the Director of the Future Health Study Center. He offers an intriguing glimpse into various future scenarios. He reminds us that above all, the economic factor will determine future trends. With health care costs consuming ever larger hunks of the national budget, expect medicine to continue to change, often for the worse.

And in the area of the new reproductive technologies, he reminds us that the separation of sex from reproduction is now almost complete. In fact, there are now over 25 different ways to create a baby, with no end in sight. The ramifications for the institutions of marriage and family are enormous.

Indeed, many of the authors in this book remind us that the staggering new advances in science and technology are radically shifting our understanding of what it is to be a human. Humanity and personhood are under serious threat, with one author going so far as to suggest that "mortal human beings are rapidly becoming an endangered species". He continues, "This is not a question about personal ethics, but about eugenics. The completion of the map of the human genome only brings closer the possibility of using this potentially wonderful technology as a weapon against the genetically undesirable and as a greenhouse for the genetically desirable."

Whether the new technologies usher in a new paradise or the extinction of humankind is an open question. But clearly the new technologies are taking us in places we have never been before. And before we proceed much further, we need to do some serious thinking about the ethics of these new developments. And a very good place to begin with such reflection is this very important book.

This book gives the best information on what life was like in Japan in the Middle Ages down to the smallest detail. What they ate, how the different classes dressed, their birthing methods, everything. Being a re-enactor who is attempting to re-enact a Japanese female in the middle ages, I found this book to be invaluable.

How do you pronounce the stuff you pour on top of pancakes? Surp? Syr-up? Serep? The answer tells a lot about you. What do you call the thing in which you carry groceries? Bag? Sack? Poke? Again, the asnwer tells much about you, and your regional heritage. Cassidy and Hall have spent many years interviewing hundreds of people from all parts of the United States and literally "mapping" their speech patterns. This book series will be on the desk of every serious linguist in the nation. BUT -- it's surprisingly interesting reading. Want to know the origin of "the last rose of summer?" Interested in what "love bite" means? These and thousands of other interesting American words and phrases are found here. This is a word lover's Disney World.

As co-author and general editor of The English Heritage (2 vols, 3rd ed., 1999), I wish to state that this textbook is now in print, and has been in print continuously from the first edition (1978), the second edition (1988), to the present third edition (1999). It has always been published by Harlan Davidson, Inc., Wheeling, IL. Please request English Heritage from Amazon.com, and ask them to include up-to-date information. Earl A. Reitan.

Joseph Privitera is trained in romance languages and has been a musician, salon photographer, university professor, and U.S. Foreign Service Officer. The author of a dozen books, his gift of language and his knack for imagery makes his poetry as memorable as it is unique. The Womb: The womb,/Man's link with the past,/The far, far past,/When human life began./The Womb/Ties generation to generation,/Bad lot to bad lot,/Good lot to good./Solomon knew this/When he decreed that/One is a Jew only/When the womb is Jewish./The womb melds races/And keeps them apart./It fosters beauty and good,/Ugliness and evil, too./It holds the seed/And cuddles it into life,/New life tied to the past,/The distant, far-off past./The seed lies fallow/Outside the womb./But once within,/It forms a chain/From Past to Present to Future/And on and on and on/ad in-fin-ni-tum.

Great book! You do not have to be an expert on the French Renaissance to read this, terms are explained, glossary and chronology are included. The author is excellent at explaining things like parlements that work differently in France than elsewhere. This is not exactly a light & fluffy book since it deals with intricacies of the Fench goverment (very complicated), wars of religion etc. But, a great book for the person seriously interested in this period. Something you will want to add to your permanent reference collection.

This is a great music book. It includes some of his greatest works and I greatly enjoyed playing the songs. They are beautiful and worth your while.

Bruckner's work is appreciative and critical -- sometimes too critical -- of a man who produced more type than anyone except Morris Benton. His account of Goudy's life and work is exhaustively researched and hightly opinionated, yet this is a marvelously entertaining book to read. It's also well-designed, as a series titled "Masters of American Design" should be. He gives many examples of Goudy's own typography, and reprints in full the examples of his type designs in "A Half-Century of Type Design and Typography." Thus far, this is the only book on Frederic Goudy. By all means, contact the publisher and demand a reprint.