The Way We Live: An Ultimate Treasury for Global Design Inspiration

Book Description

Spectacular in scope yet intimate in detail, The Way We Live transcends the archetypal style book to reveal global connections and patterns in home decoration. This unique body of detailed design inspiration encompasses the full range of options, from climate, location, and size to surfaces, arrangements, and colors. Whether you’re decorating a beach house in Chile or a loft space in Paris, you’re sure to be inspired by hundreds of images from around the world—a Moroccan house that coolly mixes the modern and traditional in elegant interiors; a dramatic arrangement of shells decorating a tabletop in Mauritius; flowers strewn across bare floorboards for a Christmas feast in Sweden. The enormous range of places here highlight connections and parallels of very different habitats in a way both striking and reassuring. The same attention to detail can clearly inform the layout of a dining room in a modest Mexican home as it does an exclusive club in Buenos Aires. This encyclopedic tome, a sublime visual record of how we construct and adorn our living spaces, celebrates our communal experience of the home.

From coastal hamlet to urban center, design expert Stafford Cliff compares architectural styles and decorating details from every corner of the world, whether it is a modest adobe dwelling whose contours complement those of the earth or a skyscraper of glass and steel that contrasts the natural terrain. The ingenuity of each culture shines through in the instinctive use of colors and materials, and in the way the spaces are inhabited.

The world tour of interior design elements and accents is lavishly presented in more than 1,000 glorious color photographs by famed lifestyle photographer Gilles de Chabaneix. Humble yet interesting structures, objects, and settings are all viewed with the same eye as the grandest homes, the rarest antiques, or the most exclusive addresses. From an unadorned Vietnamese sitting room to a bustling Neapolitan street market; a modern London flat to a baroque drawing room in Versailles; an Indian palace to a Chilean café, here is a world where old and new, organic and synthetic, happily coexist. And within these interiors, a myriad of choices and inspirations are seen in the contrasts between stark simplicity and sumptuous embellishment, minimal modernism and rococo splendor, the self-consciously urbane and the authentically rustic, the uniform and the eclectic. Fabrics, textures, and ornamental details reflect the complexity of different spaces and lifestyles, spurring countless ideas for personal self-expression. It seems that the way we live is not always defined by where we live.

Commentary on communal open space, which connects us to one another, and a meticulous guide to sources and materials round out this ultimate treasury. Both beautiful and practical, The Way We Live is much more than a decorating guide—it is a design for living.

Customer Reviews:

terrific book.......2007-05-15

brilliant pictures of landscapes from around the world and homes. I particularly enjoy the pictures of various stairwells together or doorways for example.

Rich, complex, atmospheric.......2006-06-14

I thought this book was exceptional.
This book deals with design in all parts of the world, but much more than this it gives you the feeling of the cultural richness of people who live in these spaces. It is visually beautiful and evocative.
I think the photography is outstanding. The photograper has a real knowledge about light and composition. It is rare, I think, to have so many excellent photos in a single volume. Along with this, the narrative is direct and insightful.
For those interested in design, the book offers many ideas for all types of settings. None of the ones presented are stereotypical or stiff.
The most winning aspect in this book is the realism and beauty that we are able to see around the world. The colorful, serene, and eclectic nature of many settings make this book a delight to read over and over again.

Through the Keyhole.......2006-02-08

Have you ever walked or driven past someone's home and wanted to look inside? Looking through this book is a bit like that on an international scale. The book is a beautiful work of art in itself, the presentation top class, the paper quality excellent, the binding great. It is packed with marvellous photographs of interiors, accompanied by descriptive text. What it isn't is another of those boring interior design books, filled with rooms that are painted offwhite, with large mirrors, potted palms and overstuffed sofas. This book is interior design getting real!

A Comprehensive and Sensitive Survey of Peoples and their Habitats.......2005-12-06

Stafford Cliff has collected images from all around the world and with the help of superb photographer Gilles de Chabaneix has done what few other innovators in design have done - created a book that is, yes, about design, but is equally about how climate, place, ethnicity, tradition, cultural philosophies, and history inform the decisions people make about their living environments.

Not just viewing the gracious homes of the wealthy of the planet (though there are plenty of gorgeous 'palaces' of design to please the most art hungry eye), Cliff views the differences geography makes in dwellings, from spectacular vistas of the sea to the mountains and to the deserts, and how the climates influence the manner in which 'design' is used. As interested in discussing and sharing the most humble abodes with the most lavish mansions, Cliff doesn't miss a beat as he and de Chabaneix journey to places obscure and places of notoriety. The emphasis is always on the manner in which the people of these dwellings adapt and incorporate their living spaces to their environment.

A book that is both sumptuous in design itself and tender in its approach, THE WAY WE LIVE will appeal to both students of design and to those who long to understand the essence of living, wherever they travel. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Great Research Book........2005-10-01

As an interior designer, I often start thinking about new spaces by doing research as to what other people have done in the past in similar situations...this is a great book to have in your library for that purpose. I've referenced it many times to show clients the sort of "mood" I'm looking to create before we sit down to hammer out the nuts and bolts of how that feeling translates into a different space with different furnishings and fabrics...this book won't teach you how to make curtains, but it is well worth the investment as exactly what it says it is..."a global design inspiration".

The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Awakening, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND: 10 Keys for Unlocking Your Personal Potential, Achieving Spiritual Awakening, ... of Humanity's Ultimate Cosmic Destiny

Average customer rating:

Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited"
True, but gimmicky
A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call
Challenge Consensus Reality!
A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us"

The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Awakening, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND: 10 Keys for Unlocking Your Personal Potential, Achieving Spiritual Awakening, ... of Humanity's Ultimate Cosmic Destiny
Vincent Casspriano Jr.
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Buddha | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1847285783

Book Description

The Simplest Path, Step One: Free Your Mind delineates, in one slim volume, a complete system for achieving personal spiritual awakening, along with a straightforward, no-nonsense plan individuals and groups so enlightened can follow to awaken Humanity en masse and positively transform the world. This book contains keys to awakening. Awakening from our personal dream shatters the solid "box" of limitation memes have built around our lives, and frees us to fluidly craft our personalities, environments, relationships, careers, etc. as an artist paints a landscape or a sculptor teases form from formless clay. All of us awakening together from the shared dream of the planet will mark the birth of our species out of our current global nightmare of decline into a limitless future literally beyond our present ability to imagine, even in our "wildest dreams," indeed.

Customer Reviews:

Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited".......2007-08-22

After reading the commentary attached to the one star rating given by the young man from Texas, I feel compelled to step forward in defense of this very fine book. With only one exception, every point made in that negative review is simply wrong. Just not factually correct. The reviewer identifies himself as a young man (... "to my young mind"), and since all of his other Amazon reviews are of TV episodes on DVD, video games and rock music CDs I take him at his word. Well, I am an "old man," closing in on my sixty-third birthday, and I came to Mr. Casspriano's book after six decades of life experience, the last three of those decades a zealous practitioner of Zen Buddhism. I say this not to "brag," but simply to qualify myself as a reviewer before beginning.

I'll start where the one star reviewer closed his argument, with his statement that the simplest path reduces to two Socratic concepts: "Admit that you don't know anything" and "know yourself."

The first part is nominally true (the exception). Like Zen Buddhism, a central tenet of the simplest path is working to release the false notion we all hold that we know ourselves, other people, the world around us. But identifying and releasing our attachments to our illusions is a life's work, not some brash "I don't know nothin'!" as the young Texan seems to imply. Under normal circumstances, we go about our daily lives with no idea we are deluded about anything, as Maya (the illusion of the phenomenal world around and even inside us) is so convincing that most of us never even think to question its validity. Casspriano did not invent the notion of human beings being trapped in illusion, as this truth was known to the timeless authors of the Hindu Vedas and is central to all schools of Buddhism (not just Zen). But his scientific/spiritual exploration of the mechanism by which Maya ensnares our minds and can, with effort, be overcome is among the best "plain English" explanations of this process I have read. There is no "inscrutable mystery" in the simplest path (a criticism that has been accurately leveled toward Zen Buddhism, as a lot of Eastern thought truly does come off as "inscrutable" when translated into English and/or the metaphors of Western culture). Casspriano lays out in no-nonsense American English exactly what our brains are doing when they create the illusion we mistake for reality, then shows the reader in the same clear terms how to train his or her brain to break free of illusion and taste reality as-it-is. In just 216 pages, that is no mean feat. After thirty years of Zen practice and numerous kensho experiences (of varying depths and intensities), I can say from personal experience that Casspriano is correct. Enlightenment comes as the fruit of a long, incremental process of retraining the mind to touch reality in a new way, and the process described in the simplest path is the same as that followed in Zen practice, especially Rienzi Zen koan study (I'll have more to say about this in a later paragraph). Casspriano's approach and language is very different from traditional Zen (more "scientific," and no sitting meditation is required), which I think would appeal to Americans and other Westerners seeking to experience "awakening" without necessarily committing themselves to a religion like Buddhism, but the internal mental/spiritual process and final destination are the same.

"Know yourself," on the other hand, is not in this book at all, at least not in the way the young reviewer, or Socrates for that matter, uses the phrase. As in Buddhism, Casspriano takes pains to demonstrate that "self" is as much of an illusion as our misapprehension of the phenomenal world, and is a byproduct of exactly the same mind process that creates outer Maya. A core teaching of Buddhism is that our "self," our personality/ego, is nothing more than an aggregation of outside influences that cluster together in our minds like shiny stones gathered into a pile, and which we mistake not only for something "real," but tragically, for our essential selves. Yet this "pile" has nothing really to do with who we are at all. Buddhism teaches "no-self." Belief in the illusion of a unique and independent "self" is our greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Wasting time and energy getting to "know yourself" in the Western sense is foreign to Eastern thought. Casspriano again does a great job of translating the Buddhist concept of "no-self" into Western scientific/spiritual terminology. He shows the process by which our ego/personality aggregate "piles up," as well as how to take the pile down, stone by stone. Enlightenment is what the pile was covering up, and so it naturally appears as soon as the pile is removed - but oh how we cling to our personal pile of stones! "Self" is what we must trade for enlightenment, what must be surrendered, and Casspriano returns to this truth many times in the simplest path. My point is that the one star reviewer's reduction of the simplest path to "know yourself" has no basis at all in the actual book.

As to the book being "gimmicky": Yes, the words "The Simplest Path" recur frequently throughout the book, but not in reference to the book itself (at least that's not how I took it), but rather to the system of understanding the mind and working toward "awakening" Casspriano is describing - and it is a complete system that deserves to be considered as a whole, on its own. At times the repetition does have a feel of "branding" in the commercial sense, so I understand where the reviewer may have taken his impression. But the simplest path, while resonant with Zen Buddhism (and apparently, according to Casspriano, with the Toltec philosophy espoused by Carlos Castaneda, of which I have no personal knowledge, so I'll have to take the author's word for that) is far enough different that it needs its own "name" to set it apart from other schools of similar but not identical thought. The reviewer's criticism is like saying that every use of the term "Zen" in a book called "Zen Buddhism" should be taken as a reference to the book, and not to the larger practice of Zen Buddhism as a spiritual discipline that the book is describing. Casspriano's point in repeatedly linking The Simplest Path, Zen Buddhism and Toltec Shamanism throughout the book, at least as I understood it, is to highlight these three spiritual practices as related reliable paths through a dark forest of illusion, a forest in which many apparent (and more popular) paths, including most (all?) religious beliefs, actively vie to mislead travelers toward deeper ensnarement in the dream, rather than leading them toward "awakening."

I want to say a word about koan study in Rienzi Zen and how it relates to the simplest path. Koans are those quirky Zen sayings and stories like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "what was your original face before you (or your parents) were born?" that have no rational answer, and which Zen students turn and turn in their minds like the tumblers of a combination lock until their imprisoned psyches "explode" in a "super-rational" experience of reality beyond the illusion ("irrational" would be the wrong term, as that implies "nonsense"). That "super-rational" vision of reality is called "kensho." I have experienced it myself, more than once in my lifetime. I have come to think of Casspriano's "Key Questions" in the second half of the simplest path, especially the later seven of the ten, as "cultural koans" designed to trigger "collective kensho" for the whole human race at once. Like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", unflinching consideration of the value of human life, of how our beliefs about the future shape the present, of the true origin and destiny of life on Earth, etc., especially as seen through the lens of Casspriano's "Key Question Technique," reveals that none of these questions have rational answers, yet all require our active and immediate response. Successful resolution of these larger riddles that impact everyone will require us all to eventually "explode" into reality, together, in a "super-rational" way. We'll have to break through the illusion and wake up together, as one (which has been the goal of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a sect, since around 200 BCE). That is the "Planetary Awakening" addressed in this book, and I believe Casspriano's "Key Questions" are a concrete step in that direction. I'm glad I spent my fifteen dollars.

This is my "old man" take on the simplest path, having encountered it after 30 years of Zen Buddhist practice (I'm not veering off my chosen path here, just bowing respectfully in passing toward Casspriano's). From a Buddhist perspective, the simplest path is true Dharma, though I do not get the impression from reading his book that Vincent Casspriano is himself a Buddhist or a follower of any religion. That to my mind makes his book all the more interesting.

True, but gimmicky.......2007-08-09

Casspriano's book is scientifically and philosophically sound as best as my young mind can tell, but I don't recommend this book. Its scattered with numerous pages of advertising about how his "program" works and how it compares to other religions and spiritual movements. Why must this author physically write out "The Simplest Path" in reference to his book every other page, and talk about his second volume? Perhaps because he's not out for pure truth, but for our money.

All this book comes down to after you strip away the nonsense is two things. First, admit that you don't truly know anything. Second, know yourself. Do those two things (they essentially both mean to question EVERYTHING), and you'll have Casspriano's "Planetary Awakening," with 15 bucks still in your pocket. And you'll be following the fundamental truths already said by Socrates.. so do yourself a favor and pick up Plato's "Apology" and read up on the Socratic dialogue on how to live a good life. And don't stop there, because you can't be sure he's right.

And I have 10 bucks that says these other couple of reviews were written by the book publisher. In any case, ignore the hype.

A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call.......2007-05-15

This is one of the most clear-headed books I've read in years on the subject of real, nitty gritty, get your hands dirty spiritual development (as opposed to the fru fru New Age variety). So much of what passes for "spirituality" in our time amounts to some author, celebrity, priest, philosopher or self-appointed guru telling us what to "believe," sight unseen, if we want to reach heaven, attain enlightenment, achieve "ascension," etc. Casspriano takes an at times startling opposite approach. For Casspriano, such unquestioned/unquestionable beliefs are not only NOT the path to spiritual awakening, they represent the chief obstacle blocking our realization of higher consciousness. And it's not just religious beliefs ("faith") he's talking about, but all our beliefs about reality, especially those that enclose our thinking in "boxes" that limit our freedom to find solutions to real-world threats like Peak Oil, overpopulation, Global Warming, etc. Though much of the book focuses on individual enlightenment, for Casspriano, these larger planetary issues are "spiritual," as well. Whether the issue is our personal inability to find happiness or Humanity's collective rush toward physical extinction, the cause is the same - our wrong-headed beliefs about what's real. The solution is the same, as well - continuous, deep questioning. Using Richard Dawkins' concept of "memes" as a central metaphor, Casspriano first breaks down the basic process of belief, showing the mechanism in our brains by which beliefs misdirect and control our psyches, then he walks the reader through an exploration of a series of ten "anti-meme questions" aimed at breaking down the walls of our mental "boxes" and setting our minds free. With each question, he supplies an exercise designed to allow the reader to attain a personal taste of reality "beyond the box," especially as flavored by that chapter's "Key Question." For the most part, this formula works very well (with a few rare moments of over-exuberance on the author's part, as already described in other reviews, though as a card carrying vegan environmentalist, I can't say I particularly minded), delivering a cumulative series of death-blows to some of the most basic "pillars" of our present human consensus reality. Beyond the walls those pillars supported lies real reality, where we are all interconnected and interdependent, and, in Casspriano's view, mutually destined for greatness, if we can just wake up and grab the reins of our runaway culture in time. This is not a book for spiritual "feel gooders" seeking soft assurances that they're perfect just they way they are and everything's going to be all right, no matter what. This is a wake up call, a tool kit and a concrete action plan for becoming individually enlightened and collectively saving the world, all rolled up into one. That, I think, is a cause well-worthy of exuberance.

Challenge Consensus Reality!.......2007-05-10

This is a thoughtful book that addresses how we may go about developing a process to question our everyday consensus reality. I suppose if I have learned anything in 49 years of life, it is that all personal and social problems stem from our fundamental views on the nature of reality itself. Vincent Casspriano uses the concept of a "meme" as a fundamental unit of ideas, assumptions, etc. that often block our understanding of reality itself. One such meme, for example, may be that we have to "fight for our freedom" or the world's a "fearful" place and hence, we have to be ready to kill to protect ourselves. I suppose you could also use the word "paradigm" here as well, but the essential point of this book is that we "unconsciously" function in our life with many limited points of view that block our ability to solve problems on both a personal and a social basis.

While Vince Casspriano is to be congradulated for producing a book that presents both a methodology and a motivation for personal transformation, there are a few pitfalls here that the potential reader should be aware of before tackling this material. The author has some rather strong views on fossil fuel consumption, meet consumption, and the role of humans in the cycle of procreation. While I generally agree with his analysis on fossil fuel consumtion and meat consumption (as I have viewed large tracks of deforrested grazing land in developing countries), these viewpoints can distract the reader from the essential point here which is to rigourously question consensus reality. Since I am single, and have no motivation to have children, I definitely disagree with his views on the necessity of human procreation on this planet, but here again, it is important to extract the essential meaning rather than get caught in the specific political/social debates that these issues may spawn.

If you are serious about personal transformation with the potential for changing our global consciousness, than this book can be an invaluable tool. I do agree with the Author that a world population of "high functioning" people can resolve every planetary problem we face today. As we systematically question our consensus reality, we will see our problems in new ways, and with this new perspective, problems can often be quickly resolved or transcended.

A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us".......2006-11-13

I considered titling this review, "Stop Whining, Wake Up and Get Busy Saving the World," but decided "Eating Us" would be more attention-grabbing - which matters because I believe Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" is an important book, and I want to do whatever I can to draw your attention to it. Pick the title you like best. Both very fittingly describe what you will find within the pages of this remarkable new release from New Paradigm Press.

I have selected three short quotations to explore in this review that I think best summarize Casspriano's overall message:

From Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":

"Right now, this very moment, you are asleep... Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight - sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert, feeling the weight of this book in your hands as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you - you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously"

Now, the idea that Humans are sleeping, and must therefore "awaken," is by no means unique to Casspriano's "Simplest Path" spiritual system, being the root observation underlying pretty much all Eastern religion, and a lot of Western Occultism and New Age metaphysics, as well. In fairness, Casspriano makes no claim to this as an original insight, openly supporting his assessment of the human predicament with quotations taken from Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He then flows seamlessly into a list of complementary illustrations from the secular realms of Quantum Physics, brain/consciousness research, and most to-the-point, the study of memes and memetics, ala Evolutionary Biologist and world's best-known cheerleader for scientific atheism, Richard Dawkins.

If you've never heard of memes or memetics, a quick Google of those terms will reveal hundreds of serious, information-rich websites devoted to this now thirty-year old science. In a nutshell, a "meme" is a sort of contagious thought-form that spreads between people by way of imitation. Obvious memes in our environment include advertising jingles, fads and fashions, etc. Casspriano somewhat radically extends the concept to include just about everything that makes up the contents of our individual brains and shared human culture. While he resists redefining the word "meme" wholesale, he decidedly expands its definition to make memes and "memeplexes" (what you get when a number of memes band together into an organic, relational unit, like a religion or cultural or political movement) the basic, fundamental building blocks of everything we habitually label "real..."

And then he demonstrates, in at times excruciating detail, the complete emptiness of the "apparent-reality" that is a byproduct of memetic activity in our brains. What we call "real" is not real at all. It's an illusion spun up by our memes. And our memes are not original to us. They are "viral invaders" assailing our minds from without. Worse - and, while even this thought is not wholly unique to Casspriano, he certainly gives it his own very effective spin - memes are by no means mere passive beliefs or simple "harmless ideas." They are, Casspriano believes, actively predatory psychic parasites whose survival depends on our buying into the illusions they create in our minds. Think of illusion (Samsara, Maya, etc.) as a web we're caught in. Memes are the spider. We are the fly. Gotcha.

One thing I like very much about Casspriano's book is that he never asks us to take anything on faith, least of all this rather ugly depiction of the human psychic/spiritual condition. He not only challenges readers to test his hypothesis firsthand in order to experience what is real and true for ourselves, he spends a large chunk of the book outlining specific exercises anyone can do to escape memetic interference and personally experience reality as-it-is. The exercises in Part II of the book are powerful medicine... But this is a digression, so let me return to the point.

Memes are the spider, and we are the fly. A better metaphor might be that memes are the farmer, and we are the cow. Domesticated and docile, we allow memes to milk us daily, to extract from our minds the potent human psychic energy which, if reclaimed by us and put to proper human use, would quickly and positively transform our lives and our world. This transformation is awakening, ascension, enlightenment, metanoia, the Buddha-like change of consciousness most religions and spiritual systems on Earth hint at, but few ever actually deliver to followers. In this analysis, Casspriano's "Simplest Path" is very much in line with Gurdjieff's "Fourth Way," Carlos Castaneda's Toltec sorcery, and a few other well known spiritual practices inhabiting a somewhat darker, though perhaps more realistic corner of the New Age. But unlike most of those other systems, Casspriano's prescription for escaping illusion and awakening to reality is remarkably, well... simple.

From Chapter Three, "Waking Up":

"The simple truth is that we are sleeping because we lack sufficient energy to wake up."

And later in the same chapter:

"The real work that brings about awakening, rather than merely granting the external appearance of "being spiritual," while actually embroiling us ever more deeply in the dream, is a rigorous, daily commitment to the identification and elimination of every self-serving belief from which our personal dream-lives are constructed."

For "belief" in the quotation above, read "meme/memeplex." Casspriano certainly does, treating the terms as largely interchangeable. In the end, this genuinely simple - at least in the sense of being uncomplicated and pragmatic - spiritual practice amounts to discovering reality as-it-actually-is less by searching for a glimpse beyond the illusion, than by systematically withdrawing our participation in, and identification with, the dream. When we disentangle our psyches from memetic illusion, only reality remains. We don't have to chase it; to a meme-free mind, reality just appears. This is "Satori" in Zen Buddhism. This is "stopping the world" in the Toltec sorcery of Castaneda and others. Casspriano's genius lies in his talent for exposing the core mechanism behind such complex and often inscrutable spiritual systems, and for putting into plain language clear instructions for unraveling the dream and achieving personal awakening. The virus-like process by which memes take over and control our human minds, as described by Casspriano is, to my mind, very complicated (but well worth struggling through). What is genuinely simple about "The Simplest Path," however, is Casspriano's prescription for breaking those bonds, once you've made the effort to understand how they are created and maintained. For Casspriano, remaining a victim of spiritual sleep and energetic exploitation by memes is a complex activity in which we unconsciously invest enormous amounts of psychic energy every day of our lives. Awakening is the product of a simple act of withdrawing that investment, which automatically re-energizes of our minds and lives. Or as Casspriano cleverly phrases it when closing Chapter Three, "Waking Up":

"Unweave the tapestry of the dream, and awakening happens."

Anyone can do this. Spiritual awakening, in Casspriano's view, may be hard work, but it is not complicated work. The path to enlightenment is really rather shockingly simple. Fall out of love with the dream. Reclaim your psychic energy. Wake up to reality.

The ten "Key Questions" Casspriano explores in the second section of the book are designed to put the theory laid out in Part I to practical and immediate use. Essentially, I think Casspriano sees these ten issues - why we treat enlightenment as an "airy-fairy" ideal instead of a measurable transformation of brain functioning, the excuses we make for avoiding personal responsibility and integrity along the lines of Castaneda's "impeccability," the fallacy of belief in a "separate self," etc. - as pillars of both our personal and collective human dreams. They are by no means an exhaustive listing of the memes twisting our minds. But they are primary keystones on which layers upon layers of the grand illusion are built. Topple these ten baseline pillars and the larger structure crumbles.

Casspriano explores some "Keys" more successfully than others. One downside to the book is that, especially in the "Keys," Casspriano's own memetic prejudices shine at times rather glaringly through, as when, in his discussion of the American "What Would Jesus Do?" religious fad, he characterizes the Evangelical Christian purveyors of WWJD as, "ultra-conservative, right wing ideologues." Even should the reader personally agree with such pronouncements, its hard to resist thinking, "Hey Vince! Your memes are showing!" But where he nails his point, Casspriano's prose can be downright inspiring, as with the "Key" cosmological study "Is Earth the Center of the Universe?," which explores the gap between what we know, scientifically, about the Universe and what our daily choices and behavior says we really believe, about the cosmos and about ourselves. His closing "Key" "Are We Alone?" so poetically frames the true stakes of our global human predicament - species survival VS extinction - that its hard to imagine anyone keeping their gaze glued squarely to their own self-involved navel in the wake of reading it. Of course we are not alone. There are six and a half billion of us on Planet Earth, and whether we awaken to what's best in us or follow our darkest drives over History's cliff into oblivion, we do so as one. One planet, one fate.

This notion of "oneness" and of a common, intertwined human spiritual and biological destiny is a core theme in The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND that sets it apart from any spiritual book in recent memory. My final quotation from the book returns us to the opening lines of Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":

"We are all aware of the challenges facing us as we enter together into the 21st Century:

· World oil supplies are running out.

· Global warming is transforming the Earth into a steamy greenhouse.

· Even as our technology connects the world, ideological extremism, terrorism and militarism divide us as never before.

· Headlines bombard us with news of war, famine, pestilence and death until we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond.

· Time is running out..."

Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Transformation, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" does not offer easy escape from these very pressing real-world human ills, but rather, a down to Earth, workable prescription for their cure. Yes, we must awaken as individuals, and, rest assured, "The Simplest Path" shows spiritual seekers exactly how to do that. But a prime message of "The Simplest Path" is that, for personal awakening to have meaning, it must occur within the context of a complete re-visioning of global culture, and a mass wrenching away of the wheel of History from the control of viral memes, that we might create a common cosmic human destiny worthy of our highest potential as a species.

Now that's a meme worth feeding.

Average customer rating:

A Call to Difficult Engagement
Compelling Strories--Vulnerable Writing--Important Read

The AIDS Crisis: What We Can Do
Deborah Dortzbach , and W. Meredith Long
Manufacturer: IVP Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

AIDS | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Globalization | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence: Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis

ASIN: 0830833722

Book Description

Over forty million people today are living with HIV/AIDS. In 2005, three million people died of AIDS, and half a million of them were children. The reality is dark.

But in darkness, even one small flame of light makes a difference. And the church of Jesus Christ is bringing light into the darkness of the AIDS crisis all over the world.

Like these churches, this book is a flame. Deborah Dortzbach and Meredith Long offer personal stories, up-to-date statistics and their years of international experience to give us the global portrait of AIDS: the roots of the problem and the role of the church. They teach us to listen. They allow us to observe. They help us become informed so that we can become involved, partnering with brothers and sisters already at work around the world loving, lobbying, caring, praying.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn 1:5). Here is a book to help us see how the light of Christ shining through his church can change the course of the current AIDS crisis.

Market/Audience

Ministry organizations
Missionaries
Laypeople concerned about the AIDS crisis
Pastors

Features and Benefits

Gives a global perspective by national and international experts.
Gives a biblical perspective.
Provides the basic facts we need to know in a brief format.
Provides a great orientation for anyone interested in AIDS.
Offers concrete ideas for taking action.

Customer Reviews:

A Call to Difficult Engagement.......2007-01-31

The AIDS Crisis: What We Can Do is an excellent and unique resource for a Christian who wants to understand AIDS and respond to the devastation it is causing worldwide.

The authors of The AIDS Crisis are not researchers, but practitioners. They have been involved in the heartbreaking, messy, and often frustrating work of responding to (and preventing) AIDS since the early days of the epidemic. Their many years of experience and reflection add a richness and authenticity (and sometimes painful honesty) to their writing.

Throughout this book, the authors attempt to communicate the magnitude of the worldwide AIDS disaster, as well as the complexities involved in prevention and care, both through up-to-date statistics and stories. They make it clear that the present issue is not whether we (as Western Christians) should respond, but how and where. They teach us that AIDS ministry is more of a journey than a project. They challenge us to listen, build relationships, and share the burden with those who are already involved in AIDS ministry, before we leap to the task of designing programs and strategies.

I was sometimes surprised, reading this book, at how frank the authors were in their discussion of the various issues involved in preventing AIDS transmission among various high risk groups. As Christians, the authors are honest about their struggles to balance grace and holiness in their efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and provide sanctuary to those infected. They admit that through their struggles over the past two decades, they have been transformed in ways they had not anticipated (p. 48). Depending on your background, you may be surprised or disturbed by their conclusions. In my opinion, however, this book's challenge to Christians to engage with people or viewpoints they do not agree with, as they work together to address the AIDS crisis, is one of its greatest strengths.

Another strength of The AIDS Crisis is its interaction with Scripture. Through its retelling of the stories of the woman caught in adultery (from John), and the moral failings of David and his sons, it addresses the interaction of grace and holiness, as well the violence (on different levels) caused by sexual sin (reflected in the AIDS epidemic). The authors challenge us to look inward as well as outward, examining our own views and practices concerning AIDS, sex, sin, and forgiveness.

The AIDS Crisis clearly calls us, the readers, to respond to the crisis. To help us, there are excellent personal reflection questions and action steps at the end of each chapter, as well as group discussion questions at the end of the book. The authors do not promise that our engagement will be easy, or even personally rewarding (in the way we often define rewarding). Instead, they make it clear that involvement in AIDS ministry will involve personal distress and suffering. "AIDS ministry is painful, it is long, and it has few tangible rewards (p. 133)." Only through dwelling in the sanctuary of God, and responding to his leading, can Christians persevere in this calling. "Only as we recognize that the tapestry of response is not emerging by happenstance, but that God is actively weaving us into the fabric of his compassion, are we renewed (p.135)."

The AIDS Crisis both informed and challenged me, and I highly recommend it.

Compelling Strories--Vulnerable Writing--Important Read.......2007-01-26

This book gives a personal approach to the overwhelming issues of AIDS. The authors are vulnerable; the personal stories are compelling. The book does not aim for easy answers to hard questions, but approaches hard questions with compassion and personal experience. (In particular, I found the retelling of Jesus' interaction with the 'woman caught in adultery' stunning.) This book is important for all readers, no matter what their stances on AIDS treatment and prevention. The book educates, yes, but more importantly, it moves its readers to do what Jesus would have done: it moves us to the see the faces, to hear the stories, to listen, and then to act in compassion. It is not "those poor people out there" who are affected by this disease--it is our sisters and brothers.

Why Do We Suffer?: A Scriptural Approach to the Human Condition

Average customer rating:

Really Excellent

Why Do We Suffer?: A Scriptural Approach to the Human Condition
Daniel Harrington S.J.
Manufacturer: Sheed & Ward
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 1580510434

Book Description

Addressing difficult questions in a readable, pastoral style, Father Harrington helps you draw meaningful and personal connections between Scripture and your own experience. Why Do We Suffer? helps you understand the concepts and context of suffering in the Bible.

Customer Reviews:

Really Excellent.......2000-05-23

As we grow up with the notion of a loving God only one thing goes on tormenting us why does God allow us to suffer. This book really answers a lot of things which trouble us, the notion of what true love really means with freedom and also makes us think why dont we do something to remove suffering

Leading Lives That Matter: What We Should Do And Who We Should Be

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Leading Lives That Matter: What We Should Do And Who We Should Be

Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Callings: Twenty Centuries Of Christian Wisdom On Vocation
A Sacred Voice Is Calling: Personal Vocation And Social Conscience
Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life
What Am I Supposed to Do With My Life?: Asking the Right Questions
Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People (The Practices of Faith Series)

ASIN: 0802829317

Average customer rating:

What Do We Know: Poems and Prose Poems

What Do We Know: Poems and Prose Poems
Mary Oliver
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Why I Wake Early: New Poems
Thirst: Poems
West Wind: Poems and Prose Poems
Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays
Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems

ASIN: 0306812061
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Book Description

Now in paperback--the best-selling collection of poems by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Leaf and the Cloud.

"Mary Oliver's poetry is fine and deep; it reads like a blessing," wrote Stanley Kunitz many years ago; and recently, Rita Dove described her last volume, The Leaf and the Cloud, as "a brilliant meditation." For the many admirers of Mary Oliver's dazzling poetry and luminous vision, as well as for those who may be coming to her work for the first time, What Do We Know will be a revelation. These forty poems--of observing, of searching, of pausing, of astonishment, of giving thanks--embrace in every sense the natural world, its unrepeatable moments and its ceaseless cycles. Mary Oliver evokes unforgettable images--from one hundred white-sided dolphins on a summer day to bees that have memorized every stalk and leaf in a field--even as she reminds us, after Emerson, that "the invisible and imponderable is the sole fact."

Customer Reviews:

What Do We Know: Poems and Prose Poems.......2007-05-13

Best read out loud. Poems about nature and life.

Understanding Information Systems: What They Do and Why We Need Them

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Understanding Information Systems: What They Do and Why We Need Them
Lee Ratzan
Manufacturer: American Library Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0838908683

We The People's Guide to Estate Planning: A Do-It-Yourself Plan for Creating a Will and Living Trust

Average customer rating:

We The People's Guide to Estate Planning: A Do-It-Yourself Plan for Creating a Will and Living Trust
Ira Distenfield , and Linda Distenfield
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Estates & Trusts | Taxation | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Practical Guides | Law | Subjects | Books

Wills | Practical Guides | Law | Subjects | Books

Property | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

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Living Trusts Simplified: With Forms-on-CD (Law Made Simple)
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Make Your Own Living Trust (Book & CD-ROM)
The Procrastinator's Guide to Wills and Estate Planning
The Living Trust : The Failproof Way to Pass Along Your Estate to Your Heirs

ASIN: 0471716677

Book Description

WE THE PEOPLE

No lawyers. Save money.

We The People is America's largest legal document services company. Dedicated to helping every American avoid the high cost of legal fees, We The People gives you the information you need to handle your own legal filings quickly, easily, and inexpensively. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have already liberated themselves from the tyranny of attorneys' fees—and now you can too!

We The People's Guide to Estate Planning makes planning for your future as painless as possible—all without the added hassle of hiring a lawyer. This practical, nuts-and-bolts guide covers all the basics of do-it-yourself estate planning, and covers everything you need to know about living trusts, wills, probate, and estate taxes. Extra resources—a glossary of estate planning terminology; a section on frequently asked questions; samples of effective living trusts and a last will and testament; as well as worksheets and essential information on how to settle an estate—make this the best resource available for this important step in planning for the future. You'll have all the information you need to understand the legal language of a will or living trust and learn how to seek state-specific laws and customs so you can tailor your plans accordingly. In addition, you can download sample documents from which you can create your own. Inside, you'll learn all the basics and more:

Whether you need a living trust, a will, or both
Creating a valid last will and testament
Designating a successor trustee or executor to an estate
Deciding who gets what—and making sure they do
Setting up a living trust and funding it with assets
Understanding durable power of attorney documents and living wills
Tax-saving tips that help you leave more for your beneficiaries
Getting to know (in plain English) the legal language of your will or living trust
Where to download sample documents
Settling an estate with or without a valid will or living trust

It's important to take care of the ones you love after you're gone. But if your estate planning isn't done clearly, precisely, and legally, you could end up creating more problems for your survivors than you solve. Do it right, do it inexpensively, and do it yourself—with We The People's Guide to Estate Planning.

Download Description

"This plans to be the second in a three book series (Bankruptcy and Divorce) that will be partnered between John Wiley and We The People, the largest legal document services franchise in the USA. We The People has revolutionized the legal industry by providing document preparation services for those who cannot afford attorney fees.While some do-it-yourself legal books provide forms, none provide forms required of local jurisdictions. Readers, however, will have the advantage of visiting the We The People Web site, and by entering their zip code, as well as the secret code embedded in the book, download the exact form they need from their local court. This Book will discuss the pros and cons of subjects such as trusts, wills, probate, estate tax, etc.

We The People's Guide to Divorce: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Reaching an Agreement with Your Spouse and Getting a Hassle-Free Divorce

Average customer rating:

Divorce sans the lawyers

We The People's Guide to Divorce: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Reaching an Agreement with Your Spouse and Getting a Hassle-Free Divorce
Ira Distenfield , and Linda Distenfield
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Divorce & Separation | Family & Health Law | Law | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0471730459

Book Description

WE THE PEOPLE

No lawyers. Save money.

We The People is America's largest legal document services company. Dedicated to helping every American avoid the high cost of legal fees, We The People gives you the information you need to handle your own legal filings quickly, easily, and cheaply. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have already liberated themselves from the tyranny of attorneys' fees—and now you can too!

If you've already decided not to take each other to the cleaners, why throw money away on legal fees? We The People's Guide to Divorce makes filing for divorce as affordable and painless as possible. This practical, nuts-and-bolts guide covers all the basics and includes extra resources you'll be glad you had—including frequently asked questions, sample forms, a glossary of legal terms, and handy worksheets. Plus, when you purchase We The People's Guide to Divorce, you'll be able to download legal forms to complete your divorce filing. Inside you'll learn all the basics and more:

What are grounds for divorce
How to handle alimony, child support, and custody
Retirement and healthcare benefits
Where to find the legal forms you need
How to download legal forms you need
When hiring an attorney is unavoidable
Differences in state divorce law

Getting divorced isn't fun, but you can minimize the pain and cost when you and your spouse agree to treat each other fairly and leave the lawyers out of it. Do it right, do it inexpensively, and do it yourself—with We The People's Guide to Divorce.

Download Description

We The People do-it-yourself guide to divorce We The People, the largest legal document services franchise in the United States, gives normal people around the country the tools and advice they need to file paperwork and handle basic legal tasks without hiring an attorney. Founders Ira and Linda Distenfield have teamed up with Wiley to offer a practical, nuts-and-bolts guide to divorce that includes forms, checklists, and charts, enabling the reader to file the proper paperwork without legal representation. Full coverage includes such topics as unexpected reconciliation, filing for bankruptcy during proceedings, marital settlement agreements, and the issue of separate property.Ira Distenfield and Linda Distenfield (Santa Barbara, CA) are the cofounders of We The People, the largest legal document services company in the United with 174 offices nationwide.

Customer Reviews:

Divorce sans the lawyers.......2006-04-13

If you wish a divorce which is easier than most, try Ira Distenfield & Linda Distenfield's WE THE PEOPLE'S GUIDE TO DIVORCE: A DO-IT-YOURSELF GUIDE TO REACHING AN AGREEMENT WITH YOUR SPOUSE AND GETTING A HASSLE-FREE DIVORCE. Don't waste money on legal fees if you can obtain an amicable agreement: all the forms needed are here and you can download legal forms upon purchase of WE THE PEOPLE'S GUIDE TO DIVORCE which covers everything from grounds to handling alimony, custody, healthcare benefits and more. The perfect solution for those who wish to work out their own problems sans lawyer fees.

Why Do We Say It: The Stories Behind the Words, Expressions and Cliches We Use

Average customer rating:

Interesting
Very informative
incomplete
Fun but not very complete
What I didn't learn in college

Why Do We Say It: The Stories Behind the Words, Expressions and Cliches We Use
Frank Oppel
Manufacturer: Book Sales
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Etymology | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Speech | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 1555210104

Customer Reviews:

Interesting.......2007-10-17

I gave this book to my husband because he loves this type of stuff. He gives it the big thumbs up!

Very informative.......2007-01-05

Now my daughter knows why I have said some of the things I have. I looked for a long time for a book like this to explain my strange language. Ha ha

incomplete.......2007-01-04

I bought this book because I enjoy knowing about the origins of phrases and the price was right. I should have saved my money as this book, while having some interesting information, never seems to have the phrases that I pull it off the shelf to check. I was disappointed.

Fun but not very complete.......2006-11-03

Most of the words and phrases in this book are interesting and fun to read about, but I found myself thinking of many common phrases that the book just didn't cover, and there were many phrases in the book that I don't think had been used in about a hundred years.

What I didn't learn in college.......2004-11-26

This is a great book for trivia or for finding the meanings and origins of every day words. I went through 4 years of undergrad and 2 years of grad school, and never learned the meaning of a bachelor's degree, why they call the school you attended your "alma matter," why do we "open the budget," or where the term pork barrel politics comes from, but the answer to those questions and hundreds of others is in this book.
Want to know where the dandelion got its name from, you can find it in the book. If you have a friend whose first language is not English, this book serves as an excellent reference for understanding some of English' most common phrase.
I believe this book is out of print now, but grab one of the few that are remaining, if not for yourself, but for the wordsmith or trivia buff in your life.

http://gaskin.dyndns.org

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