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Book reviews for "Vane,_John_Robert" sorted by average review score:

The Dark Night of the Soul and the Living Flame of Love: St. John of the Cross (Fount Classics Series)
Published in Paperback by HarperCollins (paper) (1995)
Author: Robert Van De Weyer
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A much needed spiritual divine.
A book itself in need of very few word to describe its greatness. A wonderful interpretation of the migrating soul!

When in print I had purchased 3 to pass along to friends.


On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom
Published in Paperback by Triumph Books (1997)
Authors: Saint John Chrysostom, Robert Van De Weyer, John Chrysostom, and John
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Perfect for those who love short clips
This is an excellent book for those with little time or who love "snippits". Each page has a title and an outtake from one of St. John's many homilies. Due to its concise nature, this book has been edited and paraphrased by the author (whom isn't an Orthodox Christian if that matters to you)... It is unknown, but hopped, that he kept most, if not all, of the original words and intent... Anyway, this is worth reading and carries some very pertinent advice on "Living Simply".

Timeless Simplicity
On Living Simply is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the simple eloquence of St. John Chrysostom. His words illustrate his profound insight into life that is as applicable now as when it was origionally recorded in Late Antiquity. If you are interested in Patristic Christian thought or just in Ancient Wisdom, I highly recommend this book to you.

A Life-changing Book!
Chrysostum was a true saint and a man of humble spiritual enlightenment. His words ring true even in for modern times. Truth may go out of fashion but it is the same in every generation, and this dear man lived loved the truth. This is not the ordinary spiritual book but a masterpiece on matters of the soul. A book well worth adding to your library!


Emperor's New Clothes
Published in Hardcover by Picture Book Studio Audio (1991)
Authors: Eric Metaxas, Robert Van Nutt, H. C. Anderson, H. C. Kejserens Nye Klder Andersen, and John Gielgud
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poem
Fop Flop In the most elegant apparel Nothing but worm silks In the finest golden thread And superior king red velvet sashes

You'd think I would have known better? I couldn't blame them who wouldn't? cut air with scissors while sewing their needles into invisible cloth for the very low price of..... silk a loom golden thread a full bag of coins Oh those Villain Scoundrels! Now, I know not to buy such vestments with rather large investments Oh what a bratty gnatty I was For I thought I was cool but truly a fool Why emperor you look rather bare, that's quite rare! I was in such a pursuit For only a birthday suit I must admit now Me, My very own self yes indeed, your emperor himself have become a stupid and incompetent dandy All for the Imaginary Image! and now I live happily ever after, no more garb well, that is until the next apparel discovery (Now if you'll excuse me there's a clothier waiting at my door who says he's created the latest design in Pajama attire)

A delightful gem
Generally, I do not care for audio books; many of the readers speak in a dull voice that rapidly drives me either away from the story or to sleep. However, there are a few exceptions; this is one.

Understand, that this is not the normal audio book; this edtion has a large cast of actors who collaborated to produce this item as a fund raiser for Starbright.

The result is an ensemble piece that is witty and charming. Part of the fun for me, was guessing who was reading before looking at the cast list included in the box.

Other folks feel that this isn't for children; I don't know as I don't have children, but I found that my "inner child" was highly entertained for 40 minutes with this tape.

If you are a fan of one or more of the actors in this edition or like puns (there are many here!), then you will probably like the Starbright edtion of the Emporer's New Clothes.

Helped my son to read
I had been given 2 of these books from a friend and I decided to see if there were anymore. My son loves this book. He's now working on reading the adult side. It's a great idea to have a page each, 1 for the adult and 1 for the child. We have several of these books now and I see my son sitting down and reading them on his own.


Dodge & Plymouth Vans Automotive Repair Manual: Models Covered: All Full-Size Dodge and Plymouth Vans 1971 Through 1996 (Haynes Auto Repair Manuals)
Published in Paperback by Haynes Publishing (1996)
Authors: Rob Maddox, Haynes Publishing, Robert Maddox, and John Harold Haynes
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Well rounded book good for beginners
Great starter book for van owner

good book but sligtly lacking in detail
pictures need more detail; the small parts are hard to identify for the novice mechanic.

good
charg


Collected Works: Publications 1938-1974
Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press (2001)
Authors: Kurt Godel, Solomon Feferman, Stephen C. Kleene, Gregory H. Moore, John W., Jr. Dawson, Robert M. Solovay, and Jean Van Heijenoort
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Excellent material that fits lots of class uses
A summary of his statement on p. 125 on "Russell's Mathematical Logic" describes the "vicious circle principle: forbids a certain kind of circularity which is made responsible for the paradoxes. The fallacy in these, so it is contended, consists in the circumstance that one defines (or tacitly assumes) totalities, whose existence would entail the existence of certain new elements of the same totality, namely elements definable only in terms of the whole totality." This led to the formulation of a principle which says that "no totality can contain members definable only in terms of this totality, or members involving or presupposing this totality." (The vicious circle principle). (Also a "not applying to itself principle to keep the vicious circle principle from applying to itself p. 126

In describing Russell's theory of types he says, "The paradoxes are avoided by the theory of simple types which is combined with the theory of simple orders - a "ramified hierarchy""

Godel argues that the vicious circle principle is false rather than that classical mathematics is false.

p. 202 "A remark about the relationship between relativity theory and idealistic philosophy (1949a) (Note that this view supports my usual presentations in class on this!)

"The argument runs as follows: Change becomes possible only through the lapse of time. The existence of an objective lapse of time 4, however, means (or, at least, is equivalent to the fact) that reality consists of an infinity of layers of "now"

p. 203 which come into existence successively. But, if simultaneity is something relative in the sense just explained, reality cannot be split up into such layers in an objectively determined way. Each observer has his own set of "nows", and none of these various systems of layers can claim the prerogative of representing the objective lapse of time. 5"


Three Views on Creation and Evolution
Published in Paperback by Zondervan (01 March, 1999)
Authors: James Porter Moreland, John Mark Reynolds, John J. Davis, Howard J. Van Till, Paul Nelson, and Robert C. Newman
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Disappointing...
I bought this book expecting a real debate between the three views mentioned, namely, Young Earth Creation, Old Earth Creation, and Theistic Evolution. The reason I found it disappointing is for two main reasons. None of the contributors really talk about the evidences for their position, but instead ramble on about their philosophy of science. Van Till spends most of his time trying to convince people to call his perspective the "fully-gifted creation perspective" instead of theistic evolution. To me, it really was just playing with words in order to avoid the negative Christian response to evolution. Does Van Till believe in Darwinian evolution or not? He says he does, so why not Theistic evolution? His view, as he expresses it, is really Deism, although he protests that it isn't. Read what he says and decide for yourself. My other major complaint with the book was that instead of the proponent of each view responding to the other two views, the responses were made by a third party "panel". I found this to be extremely unsatisfying.
The book wasn't totally without merit, and all three perspectives had some good things to say - but it got lost in a lot of wordiness about "words" which really took away from the book as a whole.

Good essays, poor commentary
This book consists of essays by proponents of each of the three views (Young Earth Creationism, Old Earth Creationism, and Theistic Evolution) and commentaries by practitioners of four disciplines: Biblical studies, theology, philosophy, and science. The entire discussion is concluded by summaries by Philip Johnson, an advocate of intelligent design, and Richard Bube, an advocate of theistic evolution.

The result is only partially successful. I am particularly impressed with the essays by Paul Nelson and John Mark Reynolds (Young Earth Creationism) and Howard J. Van Till (Theistic Evolution). Both give lucid and reasoned presentations of their views. I was pleasantly surprised to see Nelson and Reynolds, neither of whom I have read before, forego some of the more common but already discredited scientific arguments for a young Earth. Van Till presents a well thought-out and challenging integration of science and theology.

I am very disappointed by the commentaries, however. My first complaint is that the commentators sometimes seem unwilling to critique the essays primarily within their own expertises. For instance, John Jefferson Davis spends much of his space discussing the fossil record. On the one hand, none of the other commentators talk about this important piece of evidence. On the other hand, I wish the editors could have found someone other than a theologian to do this.

My second, more serious complaint is that each of the four commentators speaks entirely from an Old Earth Creationist perspective. In fact, Walter Bradley (who is supposed to provide criticism from a scientific perspective) uses the space allotted for commentary on the Old Earth Creationist perspective to attack the positions later presented in the Theistic Evolution essay. The reader is deprived of any scientific critique of the Old Earth Creationist view and instead finds a philosophical objection to a view not even presented yet. I find that entirely inappropriate.

As a brief introduction to the thinking in the three perspectives on creation and evolution, the primary essays in this book are very good. They each present some of the strengths and weaknesses of their own positions. These are not explored fully, but each essay is well referenced for further reading. The commentaries could have benefited by a better selection of commentators, however.

a place to start
i've read in the field of creation-evolution for nearly 30 years now, from the _genesis flood_ to _darwin's dangerous idea_. that certainly doesn't make me an expert, only a concerned layman. this book is addressed by christian's to christian's, not that anyone outside of that community won't get a great deal out of the discussion only that the emotional desire/impetus to seek answers pushes christian's with a high view of scripture to try to reconcile the two biggies in their lives: science looking at general revelation and theology looking at scriptures. if you're not part of this community it is much easier just to ask "so what?" and not to understand why this is such a personal topic.

this is a first book, that is suitable for educated people to delve into a topic where many of the other books in this field/topic presume a background in either science or theology, or where the books are so stridently biased as to be "preaching to the choir" and put off 'newbies' with their presentation.

the issues are presented well enough that i think if someone finishes the book they will have a reasonable idea of what the problems are and where the different parts are most concerned in the discussion. it is not a scientific or theologically based book but rather philosophic. it presents concerns from each viewpoint, thus showing relative priorities in what each person discusses first and critisies as lacking emphasis in the other viewpoints. this is one value in a debate type of format, it can leave you with a prioritized idea of what people find important in the issues.

one problem however with this debate framework is that each person reading the book who already have committments to issues or positions tend to cheer for their side and boo down the opposing sides. this is evident from the reviews posted here, the young earth creation team is not the big names in the field, so it looks like in suffers from lack of heroes. nay, the two philosophers defend the position well given the page constraints they faced.

there is one issue running through the book i wished everyone had addressed in a more explicit matter, that is the difference in accepting the functional materialism of science versus the uncritical acceptance of a materialist world and life view of scientism. there is much confusion between the two, you can see it in much YEC criticism, in this book as well, of both progressive creationism and theistic evolution. naturalism is the idea that what we see is what we get, no god's behind the curtain, no skyhooks to come down and rescue us. there must be a distinction between how science uses this idea as a working hypothesis, as a functional means to an end, versus how a philosophy uses it as an axiom. of the 3 viewpoints, only vantil talks to the separation of the two. the YEC's fault the other two positions as if they accepted the materialism/naturalism as a deep committment in their systems. which as christian's is simply unacceptable from the beginning.

i liked the book. i think if you need a place to start it supplies one. however if you are already committed to a position you would be better off served by jumping straight to one of the major works in each viewpoint. and interact with that author without the polemics that form the debate structure of the book.


The Case for Auschwitz: Evidence from the Irving Trial
Published in Hardcover by Indiana University Press (01 January, 2002)
Authors: R. J. Van Pelt and Robert Jan Van Pelt
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Don't waste your money!
The trial transcripts are available on line (for free!!!!!). Imagine that, you can get an unbiased take on the evidence! Van Pelt gives very compelling testimony (unlike some of the other highly paid "witnesses" for the defense) but why pay him again for it?

Brilliant and long-overdue
A fascinating look at a trial which brought to light the nefarious and underhanded way in which Holocaust deniers and revisionists twist the facts of history. A must-read for history buffs, truth seekers, and legal eagles.


Mirror of the Martyrs: Stories of Courage, Inspiringly Retold, of 16th Century Anabaptists Who Gave Their Lives for Their Faith
Published in Paperback by Good Books (1990)
Authors: John S. Oyer and Robert S. Kreider
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A sampling of martyr accounts from Martyrs Mirror.
MIRROR OF THE MARTYRS is based upon a book called MARTYRS MIRROR. MARTYRS MIRROR, written in 1660, is 1150+ pages revealing the history of the Christian doctrine and martyrs from the time of Christ forward. The majority of the book focuses on Anibaptist martyrs. I do not recommend MIRROR OF THE MARTYRS as a prelude to reading MARTYRS MIRROR. I highly recommend it as a followup. It presents history about the pictures used in MARTYRS MIRROR, and presents them in the midst of 28 accounts repeated from MARTYRS MIRROR. It also gives a history of MARTYRS MIRROR's author, and the artist of the graphic plates. It is well written. 95 pages, beautifully illustrated .


Toreador (The Clan Novel Series, no. 1)
Published in Paperback by White Wolf Publishing Inc. (1999)
Authors: Stewart Wieck, Robert Weinberger, and John Van Fleet
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A Night in the Life
After hearing a couple reviews from friends in person, as well as the enthusiastic applause it received from the readers here, I expected quite a bit more from 'Clan Novel: Toreador' than I received from the first of the 13-book series. Not that it was a bad book, or that it occupied countless volumes of my time. Rather, it was an easy read, one that went by quickly but did not leave many lingering afterthoughts in its wake.

As would be the fashion, bits and pieces of this book are to be incorporated in the following 12, each overlapping a small amount. I initially ordered the first six of the series and intend to read through them; I hope that the intrigue grows, or even, appears. Like other books of a series, though, I'm hoping this is just a lead-in to much better material.

Good for starters
For my $ and a few hours reading, this is a good start to what is quite an epic series about vampires. No doubt, this is not an instant classic, but that's not what I expect from a short pulpy book that's the first of 13. It has character sketches of two Toreadors (one "real" artist and one "poser"), it shows the two main sides of White Wolf's vampire faction (the Camarilla and the Sabbat, and even tosses in some of the independent groups, like Setites) and it gets the action of the series underway (the Eye of Hazimel, the Sabbat attacks, etc.). The sex is not erotic, but these are undead we're talking about. There are some scenes that drag a bit, but there are some interestingly unsettling ones as well (a vampire coming out of frenzy licking dried blood off a road, a vampire kissing a bust he sculpted, etc.). My advise is either expect to read the entire series or don't pick up the first book at all. Judged by itself it may not be what YOU want it to be. But as part of the series, I think it succeeds just fine.

Toreador review
I liked this book. It was a decent intro to the world of the Camarilla, in particular, two Toreador vampires. I read reviews of most of the series of 13 novels, and this first book didn't rate real high. If that's the case, I am really looking forward to reading the novels which seemed to rate the highest! Setite, Gangrel, and Ravnos.


Alternatives for Seed Regulatory Reform: an Analysis of Variety Testing, Variety Regulation and Seed Quality Control (Agricultural Research and Extension Network (AgREN) Paper)
Published in Paperback by Overseas Development Institute (1997)
Authors: Robert Tripp, Niels Louwaars, W. Joost van der Burg, Daljit Virk S., and John R. Witcombe
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