Book Description
What would you do if you were sitting quietly in your living room when a mysterious couple appeared from out of nowhere - and then told you they were "ascended masters" who had come to reveal some shocking secrets of existence and teach you the miraculous powers of advanced forgiveness? Would you call the cops? Call a psychiatrist? Call out for pizza?
When two such teachers appeared before Gary Renard in 1992, he chose to listen to them (and ask a lot of impertinent questions). The result is this startling book: an extraordinary record of 17 mind-bending conversations that took place over nearly a decade, reorienting the author's life and giving the world an uncompromising introduction to a spiritual teaching destined to change human history.
Customer Reviews:
For serious spiritual seekers only.......2007-10-17
The first time I read this book, it messed me up for about ten months. I no longer knew what to think or believe about all the spiritual concepts I had been studying and practicing for many years. In the end, though, it literally changed the way I perceive reality. As a result of reading the book I learned to live life without beliefs. Now life is split up between what I know through direct experience, what I think might be "truth" or the way things work until I learn differently, and what I just don't know. It is not necessary to be a student of A Course in Miracles to benefit from reading this book, but if you have very strong beliefs about the way things are, this is a book that will challenge them from nearly the beginning to the end. For all the difficulty I had with the cognitive shifts that reading this book provoked, my life is clearly better for having read it
The disappearance of the Universe.......2007-10-11
This is one of those books that includes lots of Ahaaaa moments. One of the best books that I have read in a long time. I would recommend it to any one that is either considering or doing a Course in Miracles.
You definately need to be open minded to read this.......2007-10-09
This is interesting and different from anything I'd ever read before! I don't believe everyone should read this book. I know many people who are just not ready or open minded enough to accept some of what's covered/proposed here and would end up vehemently opposing it. The first time I read this I honestly didn't know what to think. I was shocked really. Many of the things this guy was saying was just out of bounds of the 'conditioning' I grew up with. I initially checked this out from the library and returned it without having made it thru the first chapter. Then, several weeks later, I ordered it kind of by accident (a recommendation from another source)and was surprised to see that this was the same book I had checked out and returned mostly unread. I think things happen for a reason, and so I thought obviously I was supposed to read this book.
This guy has had the experience of two spiritual instructors who materialize to him on several different occassions and set him straight on how things really are. They are from his past and his future. As far as the information they conveyed, I'm thinking, how could they know all of those things if they were not who they claimed to be, and why would they and Gary lie about it? Some things were easier for me to accept than others. But, that doesn't mean that I don't believe it all, it just means that I don't exactly understand it all, so therefore I won't say that it's not true, because I really don't know. Some things I just need to think about a little longer I guess.
I still pick this up and read it now and then. I have underlined and made notes to myself which I have found helpful. I was glad to have read this before I started 'A Course In Miracles'. Otherwise, I think I would have had a harder time with that. This was like a primer to get me ready for the concepts presented in ACIM.
This book has the power to change the world!.......2007-10-03
I am recommending this book whenever and wherever I have the chance to. I suffered all my life from a traumatic and tragic childhood until I read this book and began practicing true forgiveness. Mr.Renard's teachings showed me a new way to view this world and a new way to forgive. My life is forever changed. If I can heal from sexual assault, deaths, and a lifetime of suicidal depression than so can others. This book has the power to change the world, one life at a time.
Everyone must read this book!.......2007-10-01
This is a life changing book. A must read by everyone. I loved it.
Average customer rating:
- Bach crosses Adventure with Belief...
- A great fable
- Great
- Fun Book, Great Proverbs, Easy Reading [98]
- Like to think?
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Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
Richard Bach
Manufacturer: Dell
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There's No Such Place as Far Away
ASIN: 0440204887
Release Date: 1989-10-10 |
Book Description
In the cloud-washed airspace between the cornfields of Illinois and blue infinity, a man puts his faith in the propeller of his biplane. For disillusioned writer and itinerant barnstormer Richard Bach, belief is as real as a full tank of gas and sparks firing in the cylinders...until he meets Donald Shimoda--former mechanic and self-described messiah who can make wrenches fly and Richard's imagination soar....
In Illusions, the unforgettable follow-up to his phenomenal bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach takes to the air to discover the ageless truths that give our souls wings: that people don't need airplanes to soar...that even the darkest clouds have meaning once we lift ourselves above them... and that messiahs can be found in the unlikeliest places--like hay fields, one-traffic-light midwestern towns, and most of all, deep within ourselves.
Customer Reviews:
Bach crosses Adventure with Belief..........2007-09-29
Richard Bach shares insight into his life and beliefs in Illusions. This book has been a great source of hope and belief for me as I venture through my own life. Bach crosses adventure with belief and demonstrates that without either life can be incredibly boring. With both, life can be much more than many care to handle.
Life is a fact, living is a choice. We all have a connection to a higher calling. It is up to each of us to transcend our limitations and grow. Enjoy learning to believe again...
A great fable.......2007-09-14
A friend got me to read this in college and I've re-read it many times over the years since, passing it on to other friends that have enjoyed it!
It has a wonderful magic about it and while I still have to clean my windshield I like to think that maybe there are fewer bugs these days.
Great.......2007-09-14
This book was in very nice condition when I received it and for only .01 plus shipping, it was very much worth it! Thank you!!
Fun Book, Great Proverbs, Easy Reading [98].......2007-09-03
"Illusions" is one of those books which means very different things to very different readers.
To the Christian, it may be nothing more than a revisiting, a modernization of the ageless and ultimate truisms espoused in the New Testament. To a Hindu, this book recites their mantra that all of creation is divine. And, an existentialist may find this book to recite his/her belief that creation is meaningless or even evil.
And, all may have read exactly what the author sought for them to read.
In this book, two barnstorming pilots of antique biplanes meet. Richard, the narrator, is mesmerized by Donald Shimoda - the unwilling messiah. Don is always moving to avoid the throngs who follow him when he is revealed. If he just brushes a cripple or cancer patient, they are cured. He bears a great cross.
And, he is full of wisdom. Like so many wise old men of literature - Melchizedeck of Coehlo's "The Alchemist" or Conchi of Fowles "The Magus" - many questions of the narrator are answered with questions by the wise man.
This entire story may be a parable, or parts of the story make many parables. But, each is laced with proverbs or aphorisms which delight the reader. Some of my favorites were: "Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.""You teach best what you most need to learn." "Argue for your limitations and sure enough they are yours."
"We are all free to do whatever we want to do. . . " Don teaches Richard. And, in these lessons, Don tells Richard that most everything he has learned is not the truth.
"This world? And everything in it? Illusions, Richard! Every bit of it illusions!" And, so like a child, Richard must learn to walk again. Must learn to learn again. Must live all over again.
In fact, being all knowing is common - not the impossible. Don knows everything. Richard admits he does not. Why? Don says to Richard, "You do (know everything) too, of course. I just know that I know all things." Richard has to learn to bring down the walls. He has to learn to unhinge doors. In logic, the inverse is as valid as the verse. If one says: all people who think they know nothing, know nothing. Then the valid inverse would be - all people who think they know everything, know everything. That is the difference between Richard and Don.
When the wise man leaves, he leaves in style. One person tells him, "You know mister, I think you're a fake." And he answers, "Of course I'm a fake! We're all fakes on the whole world, we're pretending to be something we are not. . . we are unkillable undestroyable ideas of the Is, no matter how much we believe otherwise."
Philosophical, religious and thought provoking. This is a fun novel to open one's eyes. Hope to see you in the next world Richard Bach.
Like to think?.......2007-09-02
This book by Richard Bach, will if anything, make you THINK! A lost art in a dumbed down world that is spoon fed everything that it believes. I really liked the book and suspect I will be rereading it on occasion.
Book Description
Astonishing creations by masters of the art, such as Escher, Dali, and Archimbolo; amazing visual trickery; and an illuminating foreword by the Pulitzer Prize--winning author Douglas R. Hofstadter make this 320-page, breathtaking collection the definitive book of optical illusions.
Rings of seahorses that seem to rotate on the page. Butterflies that transform right before your eyes into two warriors with their horses. A mosaic portrait of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau made from seashells. These dazzling and often playful artistic creations manipulate perspective so cleverly that they simply outwit our brains: we can’t just take a quick glance and turn away. They compel us to look once, twice, and over and over again, as we try to figure out exactly how the delightful trickery manages to fool our perceptions so completely. Of course, first and foremost, every piece is beautiful on the surface, but each one offers us so much more. Some, including Sandro del Prete’s charming “Window Gazing,” construct illusionary worlds where normal conceptions of up, down, forward, and back simply have no meaning anymore. Others, such as Jos De Mey’s sly “Ceci n’est pas un Magritte,” create visual puns on earlier work. From Escher’s famous and elaborate “Waterfall” to Shigeo Fukuda’s “Mary Poppins,” where a heap of bottles, glasses, shakers, and openers somehow turn into the image of a Belle Epoque woman when the spotlight hits them, these works of genius will provide endless enjoyment and food for thought.
Customer Reviews:
Something everyone would find interesting.......2007-08-06
I teach high school freshmen, and I keep this book on my shelf for students to look through on their own time. It is easily one of the most popular books, and after only three years the wear is beginning to prove this. I don't know how many times I have dropped it off at a student's table because they were bored, and dared them to not find something interesting in the book. Without fail, a students will be engrossed in the book within minutes.
One of the best features about this book compared to other books of its kind is that it contains dozens of examples of dozens of various types of art. Beyond the typical optical illusions, it features trompe d'loeil murals, artwork created with hair or chocolate syrup, artwork that can only be viewed with a reflective cylinder, and much more. As I mentioned before, nearly everyone will find something fascinating in this book.
SPECTACULAR VISUAL DELIGHT.......2007-06-08
For anyone with eyes, I recommend this book. I purchased for my girlfriend and she loved it. Dali and Echer are particular noteworthy in this collection of illusioins. It will renew your sense of wonder about how your brain works.
my new coffee table book.......2007-01-30
Wow - I chose this based on the chorus of 5 star reviews, submitted by others who seem much more knowledgeable in this field than I, and I am NOT disappointed! This is a great looking book - big, hardcover, suitable for your coffee table. As stated in other reviews, the book has a nice sampling of well known artists, plus an array of fun illusions, and EXPLANATIONS, which is something I had not seen in other books of illusions. This is just a very nice book, meeting the hype, and worthy of your coffee table or anybody else's for that matter .. definitely gift-worthy.
Fascinating imagery.......2007-01-19
Overall this is a fascinating book, interesting to read and fun to look through the pictures. My only complaint is with a few of the images which are too small to appreciate. 2 x 4 inches is not sufficient to enjoy Escher's detailed graphics, and I found myself using a magnifying glass at times. Thankfully this is the exception, and many images are almost full-page size. Even if you know nothing about art, this is an enjoyable book, because you will find yourself amazed by the clever images.
Wonderful family book.......2007-01-16
I purchased this book for my teenage son for Christmas. It was a big hit with everyone in the family, and with our friends who stopped by that day. And even after the holidays, I saw my son (an avid video gamer who refuses to read books) pick it up several times, and even share it with a friend.
The information about the different artists is fascinating, and the artwork is fun, inspiring and amazing.
Book Description
The Bestselling Classic on Love, Loss, and Letting Go
In Necessary Losses, Judith Viorst turns her considerable talents to a serious and far-reaching subject: how we grow and change through the losses that are an inevitable and necessary part of life. She argues persuasively that through the loss of our mothers' protection, the loss of the impossible expectations we bring to relationships, the loss of our younger selves, and the loss of our loved ones through separation and death, we gain deeper perspective, true maturity, and fuller wisdom about life. She has written a book that is both life affirming and life changing.
Customer Reviews:
Good for everyone.......2007-05-15
Sometimes we wonder why life is so damn tough and sad and tragic. Well, this book doesn't help to answer those questions or to make it seem any better, but it does normalize all of those feelings, and it does explore all of the normal and necessary losses people experience in their lives. My therapist recommended it to me when my not-good-for-me boyfriend broke up with me and in turn, facilitated some of my personal growth and taught me to deal with some really hard feelings. I learned that losing him was necessary to my own well-being. This book is great for everyone.
Awesome!.......2007-05-12
The title caught my attention and I am so glad I bought it. Its one of the easiest books to read about moving on from losses and helps the reader understand that these losses are indeed, necessary. I have been a therapist for 15 years and have not come across such an engaging and practical book as this one. I myself am a slow reader but got through it in record time. Just do yourself and your loved ones a favor by reading this book!
Necessary losses.......2007-03-20
Great book, but you need to take a break now & then..its heavy going and CAN bring up your "stuff" my therapist recommended it...but even she admits that you need to read it slowly..and maybe a few times.It makes a lotta sense.
Deal With Losses.......2007-02-07
I first bought this book over 20 years ago when I got divorced, and it helped me deal with that event as a loss. Frankly, I hadn't even realized that it even was a loss until I read Viorst's wonderful book. I was able also to reach back and deal with the death of my parents, the losses inherent in growing into middle age, and other things . . . even losing my first girl friend.
Since then I have given this book to numerous friends who have had to deal with losses. I hope that they put the book back into full print as it should be required reading for just about everyone.
Necessary Losses.......2007-01-10
First of all, I am a child and adult psychoanalyst and as it happens Mrs. Viorst (a free-lance writer of, among other things, childrens books) was invited by the institute who trained me in Child Psychoanalysis to be a "lay" student-- meaning not medically professional-to participate in the training which was one of the best at that time in child developmental psychoanalytic theory and practice. It was a committment by this author which spanned several years and a very extensive and intensive experience. this book was a distillation of many elements of that program as seen by this very "clear" competent writer. I have given this book to many people and bought this one to replace one of my daughter's copies. It is an indepth look at psychological developement and especially the mother-child relationship (or Object relationships) and was on the New York Times best seller list for many months. It is still very relevent and well-worth the current new and used price.
Average customer rating:
- The creative process at it's finest
- A kid again!
- A must-have item!
- Animator's Ultimate Guide
- Disillusioned. Skip It.
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The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
Ollie Johnston , and
Frank Thomas
Manufacturer: Disney Editions
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ASIN: 0786860707
Release Date: 1995-10-05 |
Customer Reviews:
The creative process at it's finest.......2007-10-24
This is a study in one of the worlds finest creative studios and finest creative minds. Forget the invaulable lessons in animation, this is an invaluable lesson into creative thinking and creative problem solving.
A kid again!.......2007-10-20
This book brings back the nostalgia of yesteryear and reminds you of what REAL animation is supposed to look like. Now don't get me wrong there is a lot to be said about cgi, but there's just something missing from the "new" stuff. In my opinion cgi leaves a lot to be desired. There was something so warm and wonderful about the animation the 9 old men created... they did such amazing work and this book helps honor them. Not to mention, it is a great way to see how the real masters did it.
A must-have item!.......2007-09-15
For those people who wants to work with graphics, It's very important to have contact with newest technologies and media. But to have real growth, the basis is here. Beautiful book! Compared to price, is the best benefit in whole amazon site!
Animator's Ultimate Guide.......2007-09-04
It's an amazing book! Everything you want to know about the business and the pure art and joy of being an animator from the masters.
Disillusioned. Skip It........2007-08-27
This is a biased and officially licensed piece of pro-Walt Disney propaganda. The animation tips from Frank Thomas, one of the greatest animators who ever lived, are priceless. But he and his buddy Ollie Johnston (who was not nearly as talented as Thomas) are biased, and as a history, it is severely flawed.
Many vital artists to the Disney style of animation are given the shaft, which essentially anyone outside of the Nine Old Men. Fred Moore, Art Babbitt, and Bill Tytla are almost completely ignored. Director Jack Kinney and animator John Sibley, the team responsible for Disney's inarguably best short subject series, Goofy, are not even mentioned. They do a good job of erasing all of the 'bombs' such as Alice in Wonderland and Three Caballeros as well.
I also am repulsed at the lauding of such features as Robin Hood and The Rescuers, in favor of work by the studio many years earlier that was inarguably superior. And any tome this size that gives only four mentions to Dumbo is not worth owning.
Skip it.
Book Description
Internationally respected authors, actively working in this area, establish theoretical reasons for extending cognitive therapy to these symptoms. This includes a justification for looking at symptoms rather than syndromes, first-person accounts of delusions and hallucinations along with an analysis of why the cognitive approach is ideally suited to the study and treatment of these disabling disorders. Describes how to make a cognitive assessment of both hallucinations and delusions and which measures to use. Contains new research and methods of managing these severe psychoses.
Book Description
"One of the few world intellectuals on whom we may rely to make sense out of our existential confusion."—Nadine Gordimer
In this sweeping philosophical work, Amartya Sen proposes that the murderous violence that has riven our society is driven as much by confusion as by inescapable hatred. Challenging the reductionist division of people by race, religion, and class, Sen presents an inspiring vision of a world that can be made to move toward peace as firmly as it has spiraled in recent years toward brutality and war.
Customer Reviews:
A prayer for freedom of identity.......2007-09-26
Sen is so eloquent it's overkill. To a global but divided world he speaks of identity as a multi-layered matter of personal choice: "The same person can, for example, be a British citizen, of Malaysian origen, with Chinese racial characteristics, a stock broker, a non-vegitarian, an asthmatic, a linguist, a bodybuilder, a poet, an opponent of abortion, a bird-watcher, an astrologer, and one who believes that God invented Darwin to test the gullible." (p. 24)
Sen notes several popular ways of dealing with identity. One he calls "identity disregard", and another is "singular affiliation".
In "identity disregard" we dismiss all shared identity, and treat each person as an economic self-interest group of one. As some proponents of this view argue, "If it's not in your interest, why have you chosen to do as you did?". Sen notes that this assumption, "makes huge idiots out of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela, and rather smaller idiots out of the rest of us." (p. 21)
"Singular affiliation" on the other hand, defines people by their membership in one (only one) of their many social circles. This can be an externally imposed label, as in stereotypes of what Westerners are, or in can be self-imposed general conformity -- as when Oscar Wilde said, "Most people are other people. ... Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation".
Feeling both social and an individual, Sen launches his excellent exporation of identity in the modern world. He visits the great "West VS Non-West" divide, where he dispenses with the usual hoopla:
"... in disputing the gross and natsy generalization that members of the Islamic civilization have a belligerant culture, it is common enough to argue that they actually share a culture of peace and goodwill. But this simply replaces one stereotype with another, and furthermore, it involves accepting an implicit presumption that people who happen to be Muslim by religion would be similar in other ways as well." (p. 42)
In many corners of the world Sen shows the subtle handicaps which delimited identy can impose. He mentions South African doctor and anti-apartheid activist Mamphela Ramphele, who describes the impact of polarized identity on the AIDS crisis: The "mistrust of science that has traditionally been controlled by white people" hampers medical efforts; open discussion of the problem is often suppressed by "the fear of acknowledging an epidemic that could easily be used to fan the worst racial stereotyping". (p. 92)
Always sounding magisterial, Sen wades into the home-town issues of British multiculturalism, political correctitude, and the struggles of "globalism vs anti-globalism". He distinguishes between the desire for ethnic groups to leave one another alone, and the desire for a freedom to choose among many cultural options. To those who urge funding schools for each religion he is blunt: "It is unfair to children who have not yet had much opportunity of reasoning and choice to be put into rigid boxes guided by one specific criterion of categorization, and to be told: 'That is your identity and this is all you are going to get'." (p. 118)
To people who believe their identity is more a fate than a choice, Sen affirms we can do better: "We have to make sure, above all, that our mind is not halved by a horizon". The book's opening dedication sounds almost like a Buddhist vow to seek enlightenment: "To Antara, Nandana, Indrani, and Kabir with the hope of a world less imprisoned by illusion".
The Illusion of Great Intellect?.......2007-07-06
Mr. Sen's great contribution to the ongoing debate about our response to terrorism is to add to the confusion.
This book makes a simple point: a cat is not a cat because it is also a mother/ father, a baby, a hunter, a prey, a mammal, a quadruped, and various other things. If we consider it only as a cat, we tend to oversimplify things, which is a great tragedy from an intellectual point of view.
Mr. Sen makes this point across many pages, using facts and information selectively, performing marvelous feats of intellectual contortion, and using his argumentative powers with terrific verbosity. Gradually you start getting tired of trying to understand the argument, and take refuge in his intellectual reputation. If Mr. Sen says so, then it must be so.
Unfortunately, it is not so. Mr. Sen himself has used categories and grouped identities repeatedly in his works. An identity is of course a construct, a definition, which helps us work with an idea. If we abandon these, it will become very difficult to handle complex ideas - we will be reduced to monkeys who are great at dealing with percepts, but not with concepts.
What is the point of this book, one may ask? The book may merely be an attempt to deflect attention from radical forms of Islam, which often lead to terrorism. In this apologist work, Mr. Sen does not bother to ask the Muslims as to how do they see themselves, what do they see as their defining identity.
However, Mr. Sen has no love lost for traditional forms of Islam, if practiced in the West, as he carefully spears the multi-culturalists to death with his eyes carefully trained on the Western audience. For instance, according to him, cultural diversity can be enhanced if individuals are 'encouraged' to live as they value living. It is clear to him, however, that young Muslim women are unlikely to value living behind a veil freely, as that would merely constitute 'an automatic endorsement of past traditions'. Mr. Sen fails to see that following traditions may itself be an implicit and integral value in a particular culture.
It is also difficult for Mr. Sen to see that what is considered 'sexual freedom' by a particular society, may be considered as 'sexual perversity' in another society. Indeed in the same society, people would have differing views. In such a situation, who are we to arbiter what is right for a group of people in their personal lives?
He also makes various vacuous arguments. For instance, both Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh were Muslims. Aurangzeb was 'rather intolerant', whereas Dara Shikoh was interested in Hindu Upanishads. Aurangzeb killed Dara Shikoh (in a fight over the throne). Aurangzeb's great-grandfather was also a tolerant Muslim. Therefore, there is great diversity among Muslims. Therefore, it is wrong to treat all Muslims as belonging to the same mindset.
No one would argue against that. However, after making this kind of obvious arguments endlessly, Mr. Sen slyly insinuates that we should not link hundreds of terrorist incidents (where Muslims were directly involved) with radical Muslims, as Muslims have multiple identities, which he has already proved!
It is really quite a pity. One would wish that Mr. Sen could put his great intellect to more worthwhile use, such as helping us understand why people group together in monolithic blocks or get radicalized enough to want to kill others who do not subscribe to their views.
A hardcover edition of this book has also been published by Penguin India under the banner 'Allen Lane'. While the binding of the Penguin edition is good, the typeface is a little difficult to read. Also the paper is almost like newsprint, and tends to absorb ink (if you like making notes in the margins). The book is a slim volume, easy to carry.
Buy this book if you would like to argue it out with Mr. Sen. Or if you want to appear to be politically correct, never mind the cost to your intellect.
Identity and Violence.......2007-05-17
I felt this book was overly self aggrandizing in a way that academic writing often is. It takes the obvious, couches it in lofty rehtoric and tries to sell the ideas as original and pressing. They may be the latter, but are fairly self evident. I know this man is an intellectual who is well respected so it is surprising to me that in this book he kind of 'dumbs up' a set of premises that could be perhaps more influential were they 'dumbed down' for a different audience.
good ideas, clear thinking, but a bit repetitive.......2007-04-15
The book makes two main arguments. First it argues that identities are rational constructions where group allegiances of all sorts play a part. Second it argues that globalization, though an unqualified good in principle, is in practice often merely a way for some group in a globablizing nation to reap most of the benefits while others suffer most of ill consdquences. Both arguments work together in Sen's view of how one might best understand the phenomena of *opposition to the west*. We (G8 nations) have fallen into the habit of seeing nations as wholes characterized by specific identities. Sen suggests that we'd understand phenomena like saudi-born terror groups or mass disaffection with the G8 by the citizens of latin america, by learning to see the world in a less reductionist fashion: namely intersections of various groups overlapping in persons and populations.
Sen's prose is quite clear, and I find his claims rather convincing. The books style is a bit grating though. It's very repetitive. The same ideas resurface again and again along with the same examples. I suspect the book is really a compilation of speeches Sen has given. Repetition is necessary in speaking because the audience doesn't have time to step back and make the connections themselves. But in a book like this, already quite short, it's a waste of the reader's time.
Also Sen is not very careful with his historical examples. One recurring story he cites is how my Maimonides fled Christian Europe for Saladin's Egypt. Not true. Maimonides fled Almohad (and thus islamic) Andaluz for Saladin's Egypt. This was an easy fact to check, and you'd think an author of Sen's stature whould take the time to make sure an example he will use four or five times is correct.
The book is definitely worth reading. I only wish the author had spent just a bit more time tightening it up and doing a bit more fact checking.
identity need not mean violent destiny.......2007-01-18
Amartya Sen, Harvard professor and winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics, still remembers the day sixty-three years ago when a Muslim day laborer named Kader Mia stumbled through the gate into his family's yard in Dhaka, bleeding from knife wounds and begging for help. His father rushed him to the hospital where he eventually died. Kader was a Muslim who was murdered by a Hindu thug, and was but one of the thousands of people who died in Muslim-Hindu riots that erupted in British India in the 1940's. Although most of the rioters shared an economic class identity as poor people, partisans demonized each other with a lethal, singularist "identity of violence," in this instance a diminution of their humanity to religious ethnicity: "The illusion of a uniquely confrontational reality had thoroughly reduced human beings and eclipsed the protagonists' freedom to think." Sen's book is an exploration of this memory of his as a bewildered eleven-year-old boy.
Far too much violence in the world today is fomented by the illusion that people are destined to a "sectarian singularity." Stereotyping people with a singular identity leads to fatalism, resignation, and a sense of inevitability about violence. It partitions people and civilizations into binary oppositions, it ignores the plural ways that people understand themselves, and obscures what Sen calls our "diverse diversities." In particular, he objects to the "clash of civilizations" thesis made popular by Samuel Huntington. Along the way he explores the implications of his thesis for multiculturalism, public policy, globalization, terrorism, anti-Western rage, democracy, and theories of culture.
Sen argues against identity violence caused by the illusion of destiny in three ways. First, he appeals to our common humanity; everyone laughs at weddings, cries at funerals, and worries about their children. More important than any of our external differences, even though these are powerful and important, is our shared humanity. Second, he makes the obvious point that all people enjoy plural identities. To understand a person one must consider factors of civilization, religion, nationality, class, community, culture, gender, profession, language, politics, morals, family of origin, skin color, and a multitude of other markers. Plus, these diverse differences within a single individual depend on one's social context, whether the trait is durable over time, relevant, a factor of constraint or free choice, and so on. Finally, Sen urges us to transcend the illusion of destiny and identity violence by what he calls "reasoned choice." Instead of living as if some irrational fate destines people to confrontation with others who are different, a person needs to make a rational choice about what relative importance to attach to any single trait. Although Sen never explains why rational people succumb to the irrational violence of identity instead of choosing enlightened self-interest, economic incentives, and geo-political peace, this readable book by one of our most brilliant thinkers conveys an important reminder: "We can do better."
Average customer rating:
- Chuck's outlook on Styx and life...,
- Not what I thought
- Perfect for any library catering to rock music readers.
- I highly recommend this!
- Uncovering the person, not the band
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The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life With Styx
Chuck Panozzo , and
Michele Skettino
Manufacturer: AMACOM/American Management Association
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ASIN: 0814409164 |
Book Description
They are still one of the biggest rock bands of the last three decades. With four consecutive triple-platinum albums and 54 million records sold, their tours continue to sell out and classic songs like "Lady," "Renegade," "Come Sail Away," and "The Grand Illusion" have earned them a whole new generation of fans. At the height of their fame, they were living the ultimate rock `n' roll fantasy -- an odyssey of groupies, drugs, and music that most musicians only dream of. As a band, Styx seemed invincible. But their founding member and bass player, Chuck Panozzo, was about to hit rock bottom. His seemingly debauched life as the ultimate rocker was a lie -- and the truth was about to catch up with him.
The Grand Illusion is a no-holds-barred, backstage pass to the journey of one of the world's most revered bands, and the true story of Chuck Panozzo's 50-year struggle to reconcile his public life as a rock star with his private life as a gay man. Beginning with the birth of Styx in Chicago and their meteoric rise, The Grand Illusion is a revealing look at the triumphs and tragedies that surrounded Panozzo's life. He chronicles life on the road, the break-up of the band, his struggle to help his twin brother and bandmate John Panozzo battle addiction, as well as his split with Dennis De Young, and finally coming to terms with his HIV positive status. Illuminating and unflinching, The Grand Illusion will captivate the band's legions of devoted fans, as well as music lovers everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Chuck's outlook on Styx and life..., .......2007-10-17
I read this book in just a few days. I found it very engaging as I have been a fan of Styx for 35 years. This book, like one also recently released called The Grand Delusion, focuses a lot on the negative vibes between the band members. However, this outlook on Styx and life from bassist Chuck Panozzo does provide a far more intimate, up to date, and personal look on things, and Panozzo does include much positive energy with this view, too. I am glad that Chuck wrote this book to share his story with us, and I am happy for him that he has found peace and satisfaction in life as a gay man. Rock on Chuck, and rock on Styx.
Not what I thought.......2007-09-06
I have reread this volume several times,the best chapter was,"Hey now youre a rockstar". The book is very informative about what it is like to be in the closet,so to speak.There is very little about how the songs were created,the hedonistic life of a rock star, or the ridiculous extravagances of superstardom.
I was looking for more about the music, but if you are looking for a motivational book to overcome HIV/AIDS, this is a great work. It will inspire all those suffering with this terrible disease.
Perfect for any library catering to rock music readers........2007-07-08
Fans of the rock group Styx won't want to miss GRAND ILLUSION: LOVE, LIES, AND MY LIFE WITH STYX. It can't get more authoritative than this: author Church Panozzo is also one of the group's founding members and provides a full view of the birth of the band in Chicago, their growth as a huge rock group, their experiences on the road, and more. All the highs and lows of the group are charted in a blend of memoir and rock chronicle essential for any fan of the group. Perfect for any library catering to rock music readers.
I highly recommend this!.......2007-06-01
There's enough Styx "stuff" to keep the casual fan interested, but this is much more the story of how a gay man survived being in a huge rock band. This is very well written, and almost feels like he is sitting there telling you this himself. He's honest and doesn't try to sugar coat anything, including the most painful moments. His insight on what it's like to hide your true self from the world is inspiring for anyone, gay or straight, who isn't comfortable in his or her own skin.
Anyone who has struggled with the role of religion in their life, particularly issues with the Catholic Church, will find themselves identifying with Chuck's struggles. And anyone dealing with an addict will recognize themselves and their loved ones in Chuck's ultimately unsuccessful attempts to be caretaker for his brother, John.
Chuck also deals with the far-too-common issue of people with HIV living in denial. The fact that he has made it back literally from the brink of death is a testament to his resiliency, as well as the efforts of doctors & medical researchers.
I found this to be an ultimately uplifting story of a man finally coming of age and finding his voice in the world.
Uncovering the person, not the band.......2007-05-27
The Grand Illusion takes the reader on a journey that starts in Chicago's south side in the 1960's. Chuck Panozzo tells his life story honestly about growing up, being a member of the rock band Styx, his struggle with being a homosexual, and his battle with HIV and AIDS. The book is an educational experience for hetrosexuals, and a wake-up call for homosexuals. For those readers wanting a lot of details about the inner workings of Styx, they're not here. This is a personal story about Chuck and his life. Styx is discussed, but much like anyone's job is discussed in any other autobiography. There are a few interesting facts about the band, and some resentment or anger displayed against cofounder Dennis DeYoung, but that's all you get.
The real story is about Chuck's struggles with depression, and the secret of being gay in an era that was much less tolerant of homosexuality than today. The Grand Illusion reveals Chuck Panozzo completely.
Book Description
The United States will confront a series of fundamental challenges through the middle of the twenty-first century. Using a theory of economic systems to gauge present and future global conflicts, Steven Rosefielde and D. Quinn Mills see the challenges as posed sequentially by terrorism, Russia, China, and the European Union. In the cases of terrorism, Russia, and China, Western leaders appreciate aspects of these perils, but they are crafting unduly soft policies to deal with the challenges. The authors believe that ‘globalists’ notwithstanding, such views are myopic in an era where nuclear proliferation has invalidated the concept of mutually assured destruction. What America requires is a new security concept that the authors call ‘strategic independence’ to enable keeping the peace in dangerous times and foster new generations of leaders capable of acting sanely despite a current public culture addicted to wishful thinking.
Customer Reviews:
A rigid, narrow vision.......2007-09-03
The title refers to two illusions that the authors claim are embedded in America's "public culture." One illusion is the notion that people and nations are generally well-intentioned and fair-minded, so that conflicts must result from misunderstanding. The other is that all economic and political systems are converging on Western-style capitalist democracy. Certainly some Americans believe these things, but are these beliefs as pervasive and strongly held as the authors claim? Central to the book is the claim that these illusions have the American mind in a tight grip. Are the authors right? You don't need to read the book to judge for yourself. If you think (as I do) that the authors have oversimplified American attitudes, one major thesis of their book collapses. There is a deeper problem with the book. The authors claim to see the world clearly, without illusion. Yet never, ever, do they display any uncertainty (or sense of humor) about anything. The future, especially the long-term future, is too uncertain for anyone to have confidence about how things will play out. The authors do not seem to recognize any possibility they could be wrong--for example, about the permanent superiority of the US economic system. Yet their own table on page 176 (intended to show the inferiority of Soviet economic performance) shows that Japan did better than the US in growth of per capita GDP for 1973-2001, and West Europe did just as well. Who knows what the statistics for 2002-2030 will show? Furthermore, they have tunnel vision: they see only threats of a military or quasi-military nature. Their four key threats are (1) terrorism, (2) Russia, (3) China and (4) Europe. To meet those threats they espouse a concept of "strategic independence." They are overconfident about the ability of the US to cope with such threats all by itself. Never, ever, do they see a need for a Plan "B." And it does not seem to occur to them that other sorts of threats might turn out to be more important. They are blind to the possible necessity of long-term allies and treaties to face non-military threats. For example, a pandemic may well kill far more Americans in the next fifty years than terrorists armed with a few nukes could possibly kill. Dealing with possible pandemics requires good international cooperation (as does dealing with terrorism). Pandemics are just one example; any reader can easily imagine other such examples. Finally, people who claim to be free of illusions had better get their facts right. The authors often get facts wrong. For example, they claim that unemployment in the US "is lower than in any of the other developed great powers." (p 138) According to the CIA Factbook, unemployment in the US in 2006 was 4.8%, whereas in Japan it was 4.1%. They show faulty judgment on other issues. On page 289 they take seriously the idea that Saddam had WMDs just before the war but moved them to Syria. This is of course theoretically possible; it's also theoretically possible that Dick Cheney machinated the US into war with Iraq so as to enrich Halliburton. Only committed ideologues would entertain either theory. I could give more examples of the authors' errors and misjudgments, but this review is already too long. The book does set forth provocative opinions that are worth thinking about, some of which might turn out to be right, which is why I give it more than one star.
Average customer rating:
- Who Controls the Internet
- Understand the complexity of the Internet
- Will the internet change China or will China change the internet?
- A great recounting of the history of the Internet and the future of its legal ramifications.
- must read
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Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World
Jack Goldsmith , and
Tim Wu
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Book Description
Is the Internet erasing national borders? Will the future of the Net be set by Internet engineers, rogue programmers, the United Nations, or powerful countries? Who's really in control of what's happening on the Net? In this provocative new book, Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu tell the fascinating story of the Internet's challenge to governmental rule in the 1990s, and the ensuing battles with governments around the world. It's a book about the fate of one idea--that the Internet might liberate us forever from government, borders, and even our physical selves. We learn of Google's struggles with the French government and Yahoo's capitulation to the Chinese regime; of how the European Union sets privacy standards on the Net for the entire world; and of eBay's struggles with fraud and how it slowly learned to trust the FBI. In a decade of events the original vision is uprooted, as governments time and time again assert their power to direct the future of the Internet. The destiny of the Internet over the next decades, argue Goldsmith and Wu, will reflect the interests of powerful nations and the conflicts within and between them. While acknowledging the many attractions of the earliest visions of the Internet, the authors describe the new order, and speaking to both its surprising virtues and unavoidable vices. Far from destroying the Internet, the experience of the last decade has lead to a quiet rediscovery of some of the oldest functions and justifications for territorial government. While territorial governments have unavoidable problems, it has proven hard to replace what legitimacy governments have, and harder yet to replace the system of rule of law that controls the unchecked evils of anarchy. While the Net will change some of the ways that territorial states govern, it will not diminish the oldest and most fundamental roles of government and challenges of governance. Well written and filled with fascinating examples, including colorful portraits of many key players in Internet history, this is a work that is bound to stir heated debate in the cyberspace community.
Customer Reviews:
Who Controls the Internet.......2007-09-08
Despite what most people assume and many more wish the Internet has become regulated. The Internet is controled within a countries borders resulting in many conflicting laws. That's a problem for Internet companies who have assets across many borders. Can they get away with just following their countries laws? Time and time again the authors evince the answer being no. Companies like yahoo, google, mircrosoft, ebay, the Dow Jones, obsequiously follow foreign laws but not necessarily sacrifice their own.
Some of these companies have no qualms either assisting the Chinese filter pro-democracy websites, in short because they feel they have to. As I right this Yahoo is being sued by the World Organization for Human Rights for giving the Chinese government I.P. addresses of Chinese citizens who will then jailed and tortured for subversion. Yahoo asserts they were simply following the law.
And that is the problem facing these companies especially with China. They really have no other choice to or get out.
The book was well writen, fair and balanced.
Understand the complexity of the Internet.......2007-01-15
Jack and Tim made one thing dramatically clear: The Internet is no lawless enclave in our world. Their journey from the very beginning to the modern Internet is full of clear examples and anecdotes describing the "rude awakening" of idealists and patient people who participated in the development of the globe-consuming web.
When I read that the authors come from the dry plains of law science I was sceptical if the book would be worth to read. I imagined that their approach would be as dry as the 1000 ft law books in the libraries.
But, when I opened it and started reading I first put it down after page 186, the very last page of the remarkable work. Their writing is so gripping, so light to read, that even a none-English person like me could easily understand and enjoy it.
After working with the Internet since the beginnings of the 80's I thought I knew a lot about it and how it is screwed together, but I got surprised. Their view from a complete different angle, threw light on hidden aspects I honestly never thought about. In a modern world full of economical interests and its enforcement all makes absolute sense and even dramatic events like the Napster case fall into their logical place in this big puzzle.
Every part of the book is filled with cross-references and hints to further readings. All cases and examples are deep researched and very neutral presented.
Buy it, read it and give it to a dear one.
Will the internet change China or will China change the internet?.......2006-12-02
The title about China and other pointed questions in this excellent book are addressed with a perception rarely achieved. The thought processes that go into policy decisions effecting governments and individuals, a collectivism vs. individualism. The reader is easily made to understand complex technologies and issues, not only at their core but as they expand outward into the real world. From the internets architecture, bandwith, internet borders, copyright laws, crime and criminal law, domain names, eBay, economy and commerce on the internet,filesharing, globalization, and much more. Or questions such as, "How can it be harder to notice that information has become more difficult to find? It is hard, in other words, to know what you don't know." CENSORSHIP. Pick up this book. When you finally put it down, you be the one of the ones hitting their fast/curve balls out of the park.
A great recounting of the history of the Internet and the future of its legal ramifications........2006-11-04
This book was required reading for a law school course on the Internet's legal issues. Aside from being one of the least expensive books I've ever been required to read, it is a great book that accurately addresses many of the relevant legal theories. One should note that while the authors do not claim to present a de facto statement of what the law is, there are significant factions of legal scholars who disagree with many of this book's conclusions, of whom my professor is one.
All in all, this is an excellent book for anyone wishing to better understand the way the Internet affects (or does not affect) legal rights without wading through 15 years of case law. Furthermore, the authors have written this book in a manner that makes easy to read and enjoy for the technically adept and the technically challenged (i.e. lawyers) alike.
must read.......2006-10-16
This book is the best complete statement of the second wave of internet scholarship. If you ever thought that the net destroyed the significance of geography, or that cyberspace should be thought of as a real place, you owe it to yourself to see how things are really turning out.
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