This book is a must-read for anyone interested in World War II. It tells the story of the real heroes of Bataan, the men who refused to surrender but went into the mountains to continue the war against the Japanese. Lieutenant Edwin Price Ramsey should have been awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines.

...

Those words barely begin to speak of the sacrifices Lt. Edwin Price Ramsey gave for his fellow countrymen, the war effort against the Japanese in the Philippines, the behind the scenes guerilla movement, and the Honor he bestowed upon the United States of America through his actions and his command. This gentlemanly young officer went from the glory of Army Polo into the depths of an unsuspected Hell in a matter of months to become well known as the leader of the very last Cavalry Charge in United States Army History for which the Distinguished Service Cross was bestowed upon him, at the age of 24!

This in-depth bio eloquently traces the Lieutenants' life from childhood to the end of WWII. His remarkable true story has more twists than a licorice stick as well as plenty of eye filling emotional sledge hammers.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who would like to know what the phrase "sacrifice for country" really means.

My father in law was a guerilla fighter from the age of 12 to 16 in the Bataan area and this book brought to life for me what he went through. Unless you've lived it, this is as close as you can get to being there. I think it should be mandatory reading for high school students so they can better understand not only what the Americans were doing in the Philippines but what real honor is all about. Ramsey could have tried to escape the island, or like others, hid out til MacArthur returned to save them. He had something we all wish we have when the going gets tough. He saw the bigger picture.

Stephen Mehler's research, spanning over 30+ years, indicate that whenever there is a so-called "Power Place", sacred site or Vortex on Earth - three things will always be found. Flowing water, a source of natural crystal, and igneous rock (itself a source of crystal) - these three elements are found at every major site in Egypt, not by any accident. His major theme in the book is that the ancient Khemitian civilization, over 10,000 years old, was based on ANOTHER Nile River, in what is today called the Western Desert. The ancient Khemitians drilled miles of tunnels through limestone bedrock to divert this river to the present Nile Valley, and also built huge above ground aqueducts and channels to bring water to the sites. EVERY Per-Neter had water flowing into it to create acoustic harmonic resonance with each other . . . tremendous amounts of energy could be created this way.

This completely concurs with the evidence and functioning of the subterranean section of the Great Pyramid.

My copy of "The Land of Osiris" is highlighted thoughout. It is packed with solid new information.

Stephen's indigenous teacher, Abd'El Hakim Awyan, stated "Follow the water". Absolute truth.

Abd'El Hakim Awyan is a tourist guide. Period. Albeit an excellent guide, I personally would be hesitant about the accuracy of Hakim's information. This comes from years of living in Egypt and observing how these "indigenous masters" work and how they interact with foreigners, as well as how they acquire their information about various topics. Besides, the indigenous peoples of Egypt are not the Egyptian villagers who live infront of the Sphinx. The true indigenous people are the rare bedouin tribes still roaming the deserts such as the Hamitic Beja tribes or the Berbers of the Siwah tribe....

If you want a fresh understanding of Ancient Egypt, The Land of Osiris is your best guide. In this well-written book Stephen Mehler provides a new perspective of this ancient culture distilled from his own research spanning over 30 years plus the invaluable knowledge provided by Abd'el Hakim Awyan, a master of the oral indegenous tradition. Rather than Egyptology with its western outsider bias, Stephen believes that we need a new tradition, a new paradigm, which incorporates this living indigenous knowledge and chooses to call it Khemitology. I believe this is a bold and necessary departure because the dead weight of mainstream Egyptology simply does not answer the questions that need to be answered. To put it in different terms, who were the ancient Khemitians and what did they know? Stephen's book is an introduction to answering those questions.

So what does Stephen give us. As a matter of fact, there are many items of fact and deduction but I will suggest a few. He gives us the land of BU WZR, the Land of Osiris and what it entailed. He asserts that the culture may stretch as far back as 65,000 years ago. He defines and clearly delinates the difference between a place of power (per-neter), a place of burial (per-ka) and a house of worship (per-ba). In the process he corroborates Christopher Dunn's theory that the Great Pyramid was a place of power. He shows us a clear connection between the Maya and the Khemitians. From satellite-based maps he demonstrates the bed of the Ur-Nile or proto-Nile covered most of what is today western Egypt. From shards of limestone canals he was shown by Hakim, he claims that water was diverted from West to East. He argues that the Bu WZR pyramids may have been part of a huge Fibonacci spiral rather than a ground map of the heavens as asserted by Hancock and Bauval. And perhaps the biggest of all, he concludes that the Sphinx is very, very old. Hakim, in fact, believes that it is over 50,000 years old. If you think this is a stretch, read Our Cosmic Ancestors by Maurice Chatelain about numbers found in Assurbanipal's library which were known over 64,000 thousand years ago.

Stephen has provided an invaluable service and guidebook for all students of ancient Egypt. I highly recommend this book to all.

This an outstanding book of facts and data whose main scope is the German Army. Although the name of the book refers to the whole German armed forces in reality the coverage is wide for the Army, light for the Air Force and almost non-existent for the Navy. The information it contains is extremely detailed (in particular in tables of organization and equipment of many divisions) and on the whole very accurate (although not without the ocassional flaw: a schwärme is referred as a tactical unit of 5 airplanes but in reality was a 4 airplane unit).
Although it provides information from 1939 to 1945 the information relating to the tables of organization, tactics, equipment and uniforms refers mainly to the period 1944-45.
For example, you can find the TO&E of an army and SS panzerdivision in 1944 but not in 1939 or 1940.
Also, it is important to note that due to the nature of the book it is mainly a WHAT and HOW book (provides data and factual information )but is not a WHY book. That is, you will notice that a motorized infantry battalion differs organizationaly from a regular infantry battalion but it is not explained WHY. Other books give the explanation. This is not a problem with the book, it is just its scope. Overall it is a highly recommended book for anyone interested in the details that are not covered in most WW2 books.

An absolute must have for anyone interested in the German military of World War II. A very technical guide that does not waste time with flowery documentation.

This is the ultimate guide to German forces in the Second World War. Although produced late in the war, it covers the old type of infantry division. I thought that was a nice touch. This book teaches us not only about Germans, but what their contemporary counterparts were thinking. Want to crawl around indide the heads of American Intelligence Officers from another era? This is the book.

If there is anybody ever left out of the baby shower process it's Papa. In fact, all to often we don't think of fathers being involved emotionally with infants, especially girls. That's one of the reasons this book is so spectacular. This is a special text with special illustrations about a father and his baby girl, exploring the world together On a Wintry Morning. They bundle up and head out on a white, crisp day, to follow bunny trails, make snow angles, take a sleigh ride, and even buy a new pup. The book comes full circle with daddy and daughter back home, cozy, dozy and warm.

The illustrations are soft and wondrous, with obvious emotional investment by the artist. The text is seamless--a lilting, musical lullaby. Look for this book to win awards. But most importantly watch it win hearts. A perfect book for fathers everywhere, to encourage and validate father/child relationships. If you're off to a baby shower for a special couple with a new baby girl, wrap this book up and include it in your gift. You won't be sorry. It's a treasure to pass on from generation to generation.

What a lovely book to share with a young child! The warmth and love shared between the father and daughter come through in both the lilting language and rich illustrations. A perfect gift, especially for families who either live in snowy places or wish they did.

The art, by Caldecott winning Stephen Johnson is fabulous. The text, written by Dori Chaconas, sings! The art and text together are a perfectly paired feast for the eyes and ears. Children will love repeating the lyrical phrases. Adults will love how Johnson captures the special relationship between a father and his baby daughter as they spend a day in the snow. The ending, when the father tucks his little girl in for a nap is absolutely precious! A great gift for every daddy and daughter. Also makes a wonderful baby shower gift. I plan to give this right alongside Goodnight Moon. Lovely!

This is a book you will read over, and over. I could not put it down. This book shows the westerner the humor, warmth and insight that can be gain by reading and understanding the Tao Te Ching.

The books illustrations go complement the translation. They are beautiful and inspiring. Sargent did a great job on the water colors. Just as Legge did on the translation.

This book is is very readable and its lessons about life are truelly fantastic. They are wriiten in a wounderful sage like style. I think that you will find that this book does one of the best jobs of tranlatting Lao Tzu's insights on the true working of the universe in a manner that is very clear to us in the west.

A must have book.

I am a long-time reader of Stephen Mitchell's books and have this title on his tape set. This book is a beautiful companion to his wonderful vocal rendition.

The Tao is a manual for life. Not a religion mind you, but a philosophy. As you read the Tao you will realize that you already knew the truths spoken of but overlooked them because they were so obvious. A must read for our age. By the way, it's not lite reading. Read only a few passages at a time and then reflect on them. This is one of the few books you can read over and over and still get something ne out of it. Also, I've read many versions of the Tao Te Ching. Many were not translated in to real world terms. Others were....well.... Dumbed down! Of all of these translation this version is by far the best. Real world language while allowing you to draw your own conclusions.
Enjoy!

Initially I purchased this book for the multitude of color photographs contained within it. Once I began leafing through its pages, I realized it was written in such elegant simplicity that I was drawn in immediately.

Each chapter covers a different aspect of Hindu worship in India: worship in the home, with one's community, at a temple, etc. The book does not so much explain Hinduism as it does the way Hindus approach their faith.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Indian culture or Hinduism. It's a fascinating read.

Tons of books have been written that explain and glorify the wisdom and philosophy of Hinduism. Many non-Hindus have been more than happy to embrace some or all of these concepts, one of the most ubiquitous being the concept of "karma". But even they can feel awed, confused, surprised or a combination of these emotions when they first encounter the seemingly anachronistic practices of Hinduism- like worshipping the stones or trees.

This is one of the few books that explain well to the western audience the whats and whys of the oldest religion in the world. It focuses on the approach of common Hindu folks to their religion and how it enhances their day-to-day life. Author starts with some basic concepts and then goes on to draw pen-pictures of daily lives of devout Hindus that, at least in the religious sense, defy modernization in contemporary India. The text aided by vivid pictures fires the imagination and magically transports the reader to India. The deep passion of the author is clearly reflected in the knowledgeable text. Hinduism is a very flexible religion, which is primarily the reason it has survived thousands of years. It is perfectly acceptable to practice faith in ways different from those of ancestors, provided certain basic tenets are kept in mind. The approach to religion may vary by region, by economic status, or caste but the important thing to note that diversity is acceptable.

Author has presented the approach to Hinduism in rural India or that practiced by lower income strata of the society, which comprises of a significant number of Indian Hindus. This approach is different from that practiced by urban Hindus or those in middle or upper income class. This book is highly recommended to all who have interest in religion, those who have an unquenchable thirst for anything Indian and even practicing Hindus.

Its books like this which are truly inspirational. Open it up and you will open up to India and the complex spiritual diversity of Hinduism. The process of 'meeting God' pervades all of life here. Everyone has their own unique and individual 'puja' for 'dharsa' This is a look at a whole culture, and not just a religion. The images are spectacular. These ancient rites flourish in the face of any modernization. Probably the best introduction to Hinduism out there.

It discuss goes over the many of the myths of WW2. Discusses the battles quite clearly.

The only concerns I have over the book is that I doubt that the English goverment would have accept terms during the battle even if Churchill had not been in charge.

Unlike Americans, who have an uncommon love of bragging about everything from the trivial to the terrific, the English have a fondness for understatement that tends of ignore the reality of their accomplishments.

When the Soviets asked Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt, the Wehrmacht's most senior operational commander, which battle he considered as the most decisive of the war in Europe. They expected him to cite Stalingrad, instead he said, "The Battle of Britain."

Had the Germans won the Battle of Britain, England could not have won the Battle of the North Atlantic and may well have been forced to accept peace terms similar to France. According to former War Minister Hore-Belisha, "the Tory party in the House were not very interested in the war, were afraid for their possessions and of the rise of Labour . . . . . " The Russians may well have defeated Germany, but that would have left all of Europe under Soviet control, not merely the eastern half of Europe as eventually happened.

The English myth of the Battle of Britain is similar to stories about Sir Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada in 1588, when Drake preferred to finish a game of bowls before sailing out to rout the Spanish. In 1940, the myth created by Churchill is that "Never before has so much been owed by so many to so few." Like Dunkirk, the image was one of luck, pluck and mucking through the confusion, ineptness and amateurism. Bungay shows the triumph of British planning and readiness.

The German image, reinforced by quick and easy defeats of Poland and France, was that of an impregnable military machine guided by highly experienced professionals using superior technology with the rigorous discipline of well trained and effective troops. In contrast, the British were thought to be slightly dowdy country squires lucky enough to deny victory to the superb German military. Much of this legacy is based on the image of the Munich Agreement of 1938, which has ever since been used to describe English politicians as too weak to fight and too scared to rearm.

Reality is quite different. Bungay explains the British victory was based on a superb plan of operations and aircraft development that began in earnest in 1936 and was rigorously carried out in 1940. The basic idea was developed in 1922. Instead of being unprepared and underarmed, Britain was perhaps the world's best prepared and best armed nation in terms of air defense in the 1940s. The result was a decisive British victory which left the Luftwaffe crippled.

To summarize, the British fought the Battle of Britain with a Teutonic thoroughness for organization, planning, discipline and effort; they left little to chance, planned for the worst cases and didn't rely on luck. In short, the British behaved like Germans at their best, though these qualities were tempered and restrained by the civility of traditional English life. The Germans fought with a British thoroughness for bickering, personal petty disputes and trusting in an ability to muddle through; it is hardly an accident that two of the top German commanders committed suicide as a result of the internal wrangling and bitterness within the Luftwaffe high command.

In 1940, the British knew they needed a united effort if they were to win; the Germans didn't adopt a similar attitude until mid-1945, when they realized they would need a united effort if their country was to survive in the post-war period. The British, in 1945, having won through a magnificent team effort, changed governments and embarked on an "I'm all right, Jack" philosophy backed up by union strikes designed to win the maximum benefit for their members even at the price of national economic survival.

Maybe the British should learn to boast . . . . .

However, the irony today is that the epitome of English luxury, the Rolls Royce automobile -- once a product of the same company that in 1940 built engines for Spitfires -- is now powered by engines made by the same company that built engines for the Me-109s that failed so ingloriously in 1940.

But, is that something to boast about?

This is a remarkable book. It is rare to read something that totally changes ones perceptions in the way that this book does. Bungay convincingly dispels the two enduring myths about the Battle of Britain - firstly, the image of the ruthlessly efficient Nazi War machine pitted against the valiant but amateurish "old school tie" RAF, and secondly the perceived wisdom that the Battle was a "close run thing".

However, even whilst dispelling the myths, Bungay succeeds in doing so without detracting in any way from the courage and heroism shown by the young men and women on both sides. On the contrary, by stripping away the fantasy and leaving us with the grim realities of the Battle, the quiet heroism of the combatants is all the more remarkable.

This is a thoroughly professional piece of historical analysis, but it is also an engaging and very readable book.

I wouldn't recommend this book as your first translation of the Tao Te Ching, hence the 4 stars, but I absolutely would recommend it as a second copy if you finish reading a translation and are craving more Tao, more depth.

The authors do an excellent job of describing their approach to this translation - a more literal and less interpretive approach than most. It allows someone familiar with the Tao Te Ching a more flexible look at what Lao Tzu had to say. A glossary includes the direct translation of several of the characters, and the authors have left in one line of the original Chinese characters in each section.

Because the translation is so literal, the intrinsic underlying points of the Tao Te Ching seem more obscured to me, rather than less, and if I did not already have some history with the Tao Te Ching, I would lose interest in this before I found my way through this book.

I am by no means a scholar of Chinese. Much as I'd like to, grasping the vagaries of classical Chinese characters is still beyond me. I'm just a philosophy student looking for understanding and inspiration.

However, bar none, this is the best translation of the Tao Te Ching I've ever read (I own 2 and have browsed 6 or 7 more.). It strikes the perfect balance between literalism and interpretation. Anyone who's looked at the original Chinese characters knows that it's tough to literally translate into English - many connectives we use to make things flow are just not present in the Chinese. Addiss and Lombardo don't overdo it, though, in making the verses comprehensible - they add only enough in the way of connectives to allow the verses to register in an English speaking mind.

If I were to recommend any edition of the Tao Te Ching to someone, this would be it. It is the best English approximation of the simplicity of the original epigrams and phrases. Where other translations can be bogged down with frilly adjectives and add-ons, this one strips itself down to the bare essentials - not only approaching the spareness of the original, but also the theme - 'ten thousand things' are 19,999 too many!

Addiss and Lombardo's translation is simply the best translation of the standard (Wang Bi edition) of the Daode jing. It's also one of the cheapest, and is beautifully illustrated. The translation is terse, crisp and rhythmic, like the original Classical Chinese. This doesn't make it easy for you to understand but instead you have to do the work to make sense out of it yourself. I use it in all my classes.

The bottom line on this book is that you should stop doing everything for your children. Coddling can cripple a child for life. That's a pretty easy premise to accept. However, some of the promises made by this book are not so easy to accept. The authors seem to imply that parents who follow their time-tested strategies can bring all children around. They act as if all children are cut from the same mold and will behave reasonably when treated reasonably. Unfortunately, this isn't necessarily so. On the other hand, regular family dinners and meetings probably won't hurt, either.

My daughter is currently 16 and my son is 13. I first discovered Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelson just before my son was born in 1988. I was very impressed with their ideas and have consistently used them ever since, with excellent results.

Glenn & Nelson state that self-reliance and self-responsibility will never stop being crucial, in any society, at any time in history. But, unfortunately for parents today, we receive very little help from the society at large (especially the public schools) in teaching these values to our children. This means that modern parenting is far more complicated than simply enjoying and loving our children. There are essential attitudes and skills they need to know in order to grow into decent, self-reliant adults which no one is likely to teach them if we don't. But in order to do this, we first need to know what these attitudes and skills are and what techniques work for teaching them, and then apply those techniques regularly by spending frequent one-on-one time with our children.

I believe that though many parents will find the ideas in this book inspiring, a big barrier stands in the way of them actually following its advice--they are already strongly established in the convenient, no-thinking-required, typical tradition of parenting in the U.S.: (1) eating dinner together as a family group as many nights a week as possible; (2) nagging the kids daily to clean their rooms, do their homework and chores; (3) going on family outings, such as a fast food place or a movie, several times a month; (4) telling the kids if they complain about bullying from siblings or schoolmates to "stop tattling and work it out yourselves;" (5) ignoring each other the rest of the time as much as possible.

When parents are used to an uncomplicated pattern like this, implementing Glenn & Nelson's time-consuming and thought-involving ideas will require a huge lifestyle change, which may be very uncomfortable. Here are some examples of these ideas, which I have found extremely helpful, but are anything but simple or easy to apply: (1) Stay calm. When you get upset at the kids, Glenn & Nelsen suggest getting out your anger and frustration by yelling, privately, at the mirror in the bathroom, and after the worst is over and you are not so upset, only then go talk with your child and discuss what went wrong and what can be done differently next time. (2) Treating children with dignity and respect. Philosophically, many people these days believe it's a good idea to treat all human beings with dignity and respect, but in practice, even people to whom these beliefs are sacred frequently instinctively speak disrespectfully to family members, especially their children. When people hold no such belief, then the odds are it is only an accident of a fleeting good mood that will cause them to speak with respect to their children. (3) Planning ahead. Glenn & Nelson suggest discussing important situations in the child's life ahead of time and coming up with an agreement that spells out meaningful consequences if the child does not live up to the agreement.

Glenn & Nelsen openly admit in this book that positive, assertive (vs. oppressive or permissive) parenting is top-heavy on the work involved when you are first starting it, because it is never easy to learn new habits. However, without this effort, early on and consistently, our children all too often drift away from us over the years, some to the point of becoming almost totally emotionally disconnected during the dangerous teen years. At that point, to start the work of positive, assertive parenting can be a nightmare of endless, painfully frustrating work, with no guaranteed outcome, no matter how hard we try. For this reason, I recommend this book most strongly to people who are expecting their first child, or to parents with small children. These ideas will still work for parents of teenagers, but it is far better to head off future bad outcomes by preventing them.

You never realize just how wrong you've been raised up until you read this book. Glenn and Nelsen touch on some of the simplest, yet biggest aspects plaguing our society today. This book covers everything on how to fix social barriers and generally become a better person while allowing others the same opportunity. I honestly believe that everyone should read this book. Even if you don't have children of your own, the principals it teaches can be applied universally. You'll realize now the right and wrong ways to associate with people. Must... read... book...

"The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion" is a study in how science and the world religions are not in conflict with each other and need each other to form a complete picture. To make it less of a laborious read it is presented in the format of a novel. It starts with two members of debate societies debating over whether science is correct about the creation of the earth or religion is correct. From there we follow both the losing and winning debater through a series of life changing and illuminating events that effectively illustrate the authors' beliefs. It is very well written for a book of this sort and teaches the viewpoint that there are other interpretations of various Bible passages that are not in conflict with science. In fact there are several areas where the teachings are actually a return to the older beliefs. The book also freely examines other religious views from Islam to Hinduism, Buddhism to Sufi and brings them into the discussion.

Strong conservatives from almost any religious teaching will probably have a problem with this book as it attempts to bring harmony between the various beliefs and show that they are all parts of a more complete whole. Since most conservatives by definition believe that their view is right and any other is blasphemy I would expect them to have at least some difficulties. On the other hand, those with an open spirit will probably find it one of their favorite books.

Having said this, I would be failing my obligation to my readers if I did not point out that there are several editing problems of a nature that I would not expect in a finished product. While I did not make a note of them as I went along there are maybe ten to fifteen in the book - far more than the two to three maximum that I expect. As an example, page 235 has the sentence "Chester spoke to know one in particular". Although annoying, they don't interrupt the flow of the book too much and the authors make their point very clearly. It is only because of these errors that this is a recommended read and not a highly recommended read.

The website is so vast, that it was almost inconceivable to imagine that a book relatively small as this one, would do justice to the premise that all religions as well as science have to be seen together to uncover the truth.
But the Drs. Boston have managed to produce just that! The Reluctant Messenger is a book that satisfies the reader of a skeptical Chester's adventures with religion and science with the Master, which are on the website, and introduces a new juxtaposition: that of Lydia who is a believer of one religion alone. Coming together in a debate spirals each into a search for peace; in two differing directions: one in remote areas of India, and the other within the remote areas of conventional religion. The seeming innocuousness of the physical setting hides the breathtaking journeys each of them takes to the far reaches of human belief, faith and knowledge.
Those who have made a study of religion and/or of science, will not be disappointed: this book is a masterly progression of elegantly presented word diagrams that explain just how the different religions as well as science do fit together into a magnificent picture. There is a masterly change of pace from the sublime to the mundane: descriptions of a meditation of different dimensions and the clearing up of a breakfast table.
The tolerant among us are used to thinking that each religion leads to God- but that all religions together do that; and that science is not just a re-discovery of old facts but a re-presentation of them: that is indeed a unique perspective.
But what of the stories of Lydia and Chester? Do they come together once again? As the book progresses, so do they; and as we are caught up in their lives, it appears that we will need a sequel to find that out!

I read the book three times before righting this review,this book is incredible, mind boggling and as it states it has that missing piece of the perfect puzzle! ...
Stephen W. Boston, is the one who brought me to G-D, and also has enlightened my life with Truth, and now has given me a map to the path of awareness. This book is essential to anyone who
is on a journey with G-D.
Thank you Stephen I cherish all you have taught me.