I thought your book "The Monster's of Star Trek" was not too bad because I loved the creatures and the wierd looking monsters that you included in your book.
I think the book is more of an doccumentry type of book more than a noval, but that's fine because the over all fact is that I enjoyed reading your book. I think it was rather interesting, especially the charicters that were in the book.
I really did not see any point in the book to be honest with you. One thing I think that you could include in your book is more action, because more action would have made the book more interesting.
Great job over all!

As the name suggests, this book tells all about the monsters, aliens, and androids from the original Star Trek series. Each chapter is about different types of aliens, and there is an index to quickly find anything you want to know.

'The Mystery of Manna. The Psychedelic Sacrament of the Bible' is groundbreaking in that Merkur is the first author with an academic background in religious history, since the ill-fated John Allegro, to tackle the issue of the possibility of a psychoactive sacrament existing in an Judaeo-Christian context. John Allegro's 'Sacred Mushroom and the Cross' has been largely dismissed as either a joke at the expense of the Dead Sea Scrolls fraternity with whom he had fallen out, or an a example of a once brilliant academic going profoundly off the rails due to a personal obsession. Allegro's book is such a conundrum that it is rarely referred to today, even by those with an enthusiasm for the possible role of mushrooms in religious history and it cost him his academic reputation, though little may he have cared. It takes a brave scholar to step into Allegro's shoes.

Merkur contends that the miraculous Manna of Exodus fed by Moses to the Israelites, was a psychoactive substance, namely a bread or biscuit made from ergotised grain. Ergot being a parasitic fungus of cereal plants from which the powerful hallucinogen LSD was derived. Unfortunately, no-one to-date has successfully bio-assayed a simple preparation of ergot, such as would be have been available to the ancients, demonstrating powerful psycho-activity without toxic side effects. The known toxicity of ergot would in fact make this a very dangerous exercise. Experiments to date with pure ergot derived alkaloids of limited toxicity have been inconclusive. Speculations about different ergot type fungi, infecting different grains and possible ancient methods of successfully isolating psychoactive components remain just that for the time being. This is in strict contrast to the other known naturally occurring psychoactives such as psilocybin and amanita mushrooms, cannabis, opium, datura with an ancient history of religious usage, still in use by shamans and thoroughly explored by modern investigators.

Despite Merkur's conviction that he has found unassailable evidence that the Manna of Exodus and elsewhere in the Bible was a psychedelic, the initial textual evidence is really only strongly suggestive, involving as it does a minor scriptural revision and an implicit rather than explicit relationship between eating Manna and seeing the 'Glory of God'. Thereafter, the bulk of his book rests significantly on the evidence of literary juxtapositions of references to Manna and journeys of ecstatic ascent, in a variety of mystical traditions from the New Testament to the Holy Grail, again without the connection being made explicit. These veiled references are taken as evidence of a secret tradition and there is actually little doubt that journeys of ecstatic ascent such as those of the Book of Enoch, Saint Paul and the Prophet Mohammed were sometimes accomplished through the use of psychoactives. Clear testimony to this exists in the Zoroastrian scripture 'Arda Wiraz Namag', where such a journey is accomplished by means of a narcotic, possibly cannabis, henbane or both. There is near universal scholarly recognition that later scriptural journeys of ecstatic ascent to the various levels of heaven, in the company of angelic guides, are in the ancient shamanistic tradition and psychoactives are the shaman's method par excellence of visiting the other world. However, moving from evidence that is the strongly suggestive to the cognoscenti and enthusiasts of the plant drug theory of the origins of religious ideas, to hard evidence that will convince a sceptical critic is an important jump that I don't think is made in Merkur's book. In addition, mushrooms would appear a more obvious contender for the original Manna as a psychoactive that appears overnight and is prone to rapid infestation with worms. One must bear in mind though that there may be a mixture of traditions here.

In the case of Merkur's thesis, as with the similar work of other authors before him, such as that of Gordon Wasson, John Allegro and Schwartz and Flattery, what matters most is the light thrown on the likely role played by psychoactives in the development of world religions and the examination of associated traditions, rather than whether the author's particular argument in respect of the role played by a particular psychoactive, in a specific tradition is right or wrong. A commonality of such scholarship is the conviction of each author has that his proposed psychoactive candidate for a particular religious tradition is the correct one. There is in fact strong evidence that a wide variety of psychoactive plants have been used since time immemorial to obtain states of religious ecstasy and communion and given the massive time scales and movements of people involved it is likely that people have mixed and matched according to what they knew and what was available. Most significantly, a respected scholar of the mystical tradition in Judaism, Islam and Christianity, Merkur has revised his caution as expressed in his book 'Gnosis : An Esoteric Tradition of Mystical Visions and Unions' regarding suggestive references to angel's bread and other heavenly foods.

Merkur applies a rigorous methodology which probably reflects his not only academic background and but also his own conviction that he is right even though he cannot produce really hard evidence, which is not surprising a concerning a tradition that was a secret. This book could easily have been written as a sensational pop-occult pot-boiler, uncritically drawing dramatic conclusions from sources that are really only suggestive. In fact, the rigour of the book's presentation requires close and careful reading to understand its arguments, even for those already interested by the subject matter and ready if not eager to be convinced. The literary references that Merkur has identified and other groundwork he has done will be of even greater value once other evidence for psychoactive drug use in the Judaeo-Christian tradition eventually emerges and when the toxicity versus psychoactivity problems of the ergot thesis are resolved. Dan Merkur's new book 'Manna, Meditation, and Mystical Experience' which elaborates on his original thesis has just been published.

Merkur's "The Mystery of Manna: The Psychedelic Sacrament of the Bible" poses the thesis that the majority of the major mystical experiences over the last 2000 years are the by-product of the consumption of psychedelic substances administered as part of the secret initiations kept alive outside of the mainstream of Western religious practices. The holy Eucharist, shewbread, Masonic symbolism, and the Grail Quest are the means by which this tradition has been transmitted despite persecution from secular and ecclesiastical authorities. While the topic is definitely hot and very debatable, Merkur has well researched it and presents his material in a highly readable manner. A nice introduction to this controversial subject.

It is agood book for general ophthalmologests. You can learn well the techniques of most of the operations of the eye. It is comprhensive and touch the important points. It included many fabulous contributors.

Due to relatively fragile structure of the eye, opthalmic surgery requires special skills and more practical background, long practical preparation time for a surgeon to get ready. A very good book which transfers the practical experiences of opthalmic surgeons would minimize this time. The book fills a hole in the area in this sense. It has been very beneficial for the surgeries that I have completed.

Garber and Ariew did us a great service in pulling these materials together in a single inexpensive volume in English. Their choices for inclusion are terrific. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for their translations. Especially in the translations from French there are dozens of errors, many of them fairly serious. If you would like a list of them - or of the ones I have noticed

The greatness of Leibniz is undermined by the vastness of his oeuvre. It stands of no single definitive works. Like the monads that he espoused, Leibniz's writings are here, there and everywhere, each bit mirroring the whole--the universe that Leibniz envisioned. Short of an encyclopedia of Leibniz's oeuvre, this book can serve as a nearly-comprehensive collection of the 'goods.' The major pieces are kept in their entirety. Included with the likes of 'Discourse on Metaphysics,' 'New System,' 'Specimen of Dynamics,' and 'The Monadology' are formidable chunks of Leibniz's letters and occasional pieces.

To do justice to Leibniz is to immerse oneself in this great labrynth of thought. Perhaps one day a Renaissance of Leibnizian studies will flourish on the account of this collection.

I like the style of breaking SAN projects into different types and treat them differently. However, more details and technical insights are needed to honor the title "Practical". An article alone could fully present the content.

There's simply not a lot of books on this topic out there. It is clear the author put a lot of time into his presentation of the material. The review above does not do this book justice - I laughed, I cried, I couldn't put it down and I'm awaiting the sequel! :-)

A mountain of iron in Venezuela, an American mining company, a sincere archeologist, a 59 year old corporate executive, a 23 year old daughter of another corporate executive, a middle-aged communist revolutionary, government corruption, corporate infighting, explosions, jungle searches. It would take a very good author to merge all of these things into an enjoyable novel. Amazingly, Daniel Pollock, the author of Pursuit into Darkness, manages to make his novel enjoyable and exciting.

Iron ore mining must be halted when an archeologist discovers a prehistoric bone flute. Semi-retired CEO Sam Warrender in his characteristic high handed manner, flies to Venezuela to bully, bribe, or bamboozle the resumption of his company's operation. But he must contend with an archeologist fervently protecting pre-history, his own hand-picked successor jealous to assume power from Sam, a communist guerilla who sees an opportunity to resume anarchy, and a beguiling film-maker who Sam has watched grow from a pre-teen into a woman to be reckoned with.

The story is at its best in revealing Venezuela: its jungle beauty (a plane flight over the Angel Falls), its turbulent economy, its shaky politics, its people. It is at its worst propping up a May-December romance between Sam and the film-maker. The narrative is strong, unpredictable, and handles plenty of action clearly. Overall, a very good read except a point taken away for the romance.

I thought the ideas presented by Daniels in her book Read Me Now were very thought provoking. I especially liked the concept of "that which you bless cannot harm you." Our world is so fearful and hate-filled. It seems like a timely message of peace for us all.

this relatively short novel is, in a word, "fascinating." it takes a new approach to an outdated way of thinking. it even takes time to throw in a little genesis. the book evolves at a fast rate without confusing or losing the reader. the characters contain a mysterious aura that never quite leaves them till the end, where everything is revealed, and it's definitely not what you think. Be prepared to open your mind to a new concept, because "Read Me Now" will definitely not disappoint those looking for a good read.

This book contains 13 articles written by different scholars on various topics related to the resurrection. A few of the articles also include brief responses from other scholars. This book doesn't seem to flow as well as other books I've read with a similar format involving various authors. The articles I enjoyed the most were those by Stephen Davis, William Alston, Richard Swinburne, William Lane Craig, and Alan Padgett.

Although some may consider it highly speculative, Stephen Davis' topic was very interesting. Its basic thesis was as follows: If we assume that Jesus really was raised from the dead and appeared to other people, then what kind of "seeing" was involved by those to whom Jesus appeared? Craig's article was a strong critique of John Dominic Crossan's reconstruction of the events surrounding Jesus' death and (non) burial. Padgett wrote about the need for religious historians to recognize the impossibility of "scientifically proving" the resurrection, and the necessary component of faith for any belief in it.

While this book contains much helpful material, I felt it lacked cohesiveness. After finishing one article, the next one might be on an entirely unrelated topic. If you can get past this shortcoming, you will find something of value. If I had the option, I'd give this book 3.5 stars.

THE RESURRECTION brings together a group of scholars who portray the theological underpinnings of the Resurrection of Jesus. In addition, the various contributors establish that the three uncontested facts surrounding the Resurrection controversy (the empty tomb, the post-mortem appearances of Jesus, and the inexplicable origin of the Christian faith) favor the Resurrection hypothesis over and above modern-day liberal pedantics about unsupported presuppositions precluding miracles. The serious student of the Resurrection (if one already possesses a working knowledge of the Resurrection debate) will find this fascinating work an important element in attacking contemporary criticism of history's most fantastic truth: Jesus is risen.

I would have given it a higher rating if it had at least given credit to the entire roster of 500 men hand picked to be Riflemen. The original Roster as complete as possible would have been nice. It seems to only center around a few not the entire regiment. All of these unnamed men were just as brave as the few written about, many of them suffered with the rest of the men at Valley Forge and elsewhere and stayed with the Riflemen to the end of the war.
While it gives a good account of the some of the deeds performed by Morgan's men, it should have been more centered on the entire group not just a few. Maybe there will be a follow up with more emphasis on the entire regiment?

This well-researched book provides valuable insight for the Revolutionary War student. While scholarly and fact driven, it makes this place and time in our history particularly accessible. It is especially of interest to those who would understand the significant role of the common man. Take special note of the photographs and the painstakingly presented appendices. Also, a nice bibliography is offered for further reading.

Anyone who thinks peacekeeping is a waste or misuse of American troops ought to take a look at Bolger's book and heed the words of the 82nd Airborne paratrooper who provides the epigraph for the chapter on operations in Sinai: "It's not a soldier's job, but it takes a soldier to do it."

Having read Violent Peace, Savage Peace thankfully delved into the post-Cold War world and how we use or should use US troops as peacekeepers. I particularly enjoyed Bolger's treatment of the Sinai and he quite correctly emphasizes that this is a mission that has worked and justifiably so. Bolger deftly mixes narration with bold truths, especially about Amb. Hunt. In is itself I hope Americans can see after reading Savage Peace how deeply ingrained shortsighted selfish isolationism is in the American psyche. The only shortfall of this book is the lack of history of NEOs (non-combatant evacuation) and their applicability in our world. Even at the time the book was written there was much he could have used on this still vital subject. We've seen NEOs and embassy evacuations in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Siagon, Liberia, Somalia and others it has always (see China 1920's-30's) and will be a joint military mission as well as something that must be coordinated at the highest civilian/political level. I don't think I can overstate the vital role the US military plays here. As "State" magazine (publication of the US State Dept.) once wrote (I paraphrase) The true power of the United States does not rest on the number of guns afloat or in the air, or the soldier's behind it, but in her ability to protect her citizens abroad when they are in need.