Meditations In My Favourite Places In Southern Africa: A Travelogue for Inner and Outer Journeys

Book Description

Explore the splendours of Southern Africa. Visit wide-open vistas, coastlines, deltas, forests and mountain ranges. Journey through space and time where the end of each and every chapter takes you through a meditative unveiling of the seven chakras. Indulge yourself in the wonder of nature!

Customer Reviews:

Traveling Meditations in the Motherland.......2005-06-09

Gail Evans takes readers on a spiritual journey of from the motherland. Each chapter provides vivid details of the area while providing a meditation that will keep you in touch with your senses. Evans paints a picture of the landscape that to drop you into the space and make you ready to travel. The meditations focus on different charkas, which are explained thoroughly in each chapter. By the way, charkas are the seven major energy vortexes found in the human body. In addition, the breathtaking black and white photography helps the reader visualize what the author's words relive.

Evans does an excellent job detailing the location, the essence of the landscape, and the visions that God planned for reflective individuals to see. The areas colorfully defined were: Okavango, Kruger, Karoo, Hogsback, Coastlines, Sterkfontein, and Sentinel. Travel information is given in the last chapter; it includes web addresses where you take a virtual tour and suggestions on which airlines to use.

If you plan on traveling to Southern Africa this is an excellent resource guide that may be helpful in planning your trip. Those working on sharpening their meditation skills and knowledge of the seven different charkas will definitely be enlightened. One day, I hope to walk barefoot in the motherland.

Reviewed by M. Bruner for Loose Leaves Book Review

A travelogue for the mind.......2003-07-07

With the media committed to focusing on the negative side of everything, it would be no surprise to learn that the majority of the people in the US have no idea of the beauty that is integral to the region of southern Africa. Author Gail Evans wants to change that, but her little travel book offers more than just sightseeing.

Ms. Evans has selected seven of her favorite spots in that vast nation and created short essays describing their wonders. She then takes her journey a step further, tying the external to the eternal as she uses the symbolism each place has for her to create a meditation exercise. Thus, we not only join her in appreciating the natural beauty she describes but can follow her inward journey as well. Hence, her subtitle: "A Travelogue for Inner and Outer Journeys."

This is an excellent study guide for beginners in the art of meditation for several reasons. First, there are Ms. Evans's clear, concise discussions of the method and purposes of each exercise. Second, however, the places she's chosen to use as the focus for each one are of the kind that can be found almost anywhere. So, even those who can't travel to Africa may be able to somewhat duplicate the sites described somewhere near their own place of residence.

MEDITATIONS IN MY FAVORITE PLACES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA is an excellent book to give as a gift or to tuck into your suitcase as you set off on vacation. Ms. Evans has a gift for painting vivid pictures with an economy of words, and she communicates her delight in the joys of nature with crystal clarity. And for those who may actually be able to take a trip to the places she's been, there is a long list of web addresses that provide more information.

So, whether your travels are internal or external, this slender book is an excellent choice as a guide. My only complaint was that it suffered a bit from mediocre copyediting, but not enough to spoil the trip

The place descriptions make me want to visit them.......2002-11-09

In this book, Evans describes the various regions of southern Africa with great skill. From the cooler west coast to the perpetual summer of the east coast, you find yourself figuratively transported to places of great natural beauty. Until I read this book, I had no idea that the climate of southern Africa was so varied. Once the area is described, the author then presents a form of mediation where the main thought is different for each location. Since I am not a practitioner of this form of meditation, I have no proper frame of reference to comment on those sections.
While I have never been to southern Africa, the thought has crossed my mind on occasion, and after reading this book, the urge to do so has increased. It is obviously a very beautiful place, and in this book it is described with words that clearly speak of that beauty.

A Two-Dimensional "Travelogue".......2002-08-24

The "journeys" which Evans describes with compelling eloquence occur both in the physical world and within the human soul. Almost all of her readers can experience Southern Africa only vicariously by reading books, examining photographs, and viewing films. However, all of her readers can (if they wish) be inspired by her self-explorations to embark on their own. In this context, it may seem somewhat paradoxical that through meditation, a person transcends the unsurpassed natural beauty of Southern Africa. In fact, as Evans explains, there is no paradox at all. On the contrary, only through meditation can one fully understand and appreciate the essential unity of the physical and spiritual realms. Consider this excerpt from the final chapter in which Evans suggests that there are few differences between "the most highly enlightened beings" and the Bushmen of the Kalahari:

"Both have no need for possessions and are detached from the material world. Both need very little clothing. Both eat very frugally, so frugally in fact that any other person on such a diet would become ill and starve to death. Both have highly developed intuitive powers and psychic abilities. Both very often have out of body experiences. The Bushmen through their dance rituals, the enlightened through meditation. Both have perceptive abilities that cross time and space. Both very often can predict their own time of death. It is a well-known fact that when a Bushman decides to die, he simply sits down and does so. Both are as wise as serpents, as gentle as doves. And so, the beginning and the end become at one and we regain the freedom and purity of heart and mind that we once had."

I include this excerpt for two reasons. First, it describes what could be at least a spiritual destination for many of those who read this book. Evans explains what various "journeys" require and suggests how to experience the greatest personal development while embarked on them. Second, for many who roam the aisles in book stores or who note the extensive cross references which Amazon.com provides, this book may not attract their attention. (I learned of it only by chance.) My hope is that this excerpt will encourage them to purchase the book and thus allow Evans to help them to discover their own "favorite places," wherever they reveal themselves to be.

Some of the most beautiful words I have ever read........2002-08-09

Read Gail's book. You'll love it, but you'll find yourself returning again and again to that brilliant and haunting preface.

Jonathan David Masters
Reviewer

Book Description

Redefining Airmanship offers the first concrete model of the abstract ideal of "airmanship," and gives the reader step-by-step guidance for self-appraisal and improvement in the areas of flight proficiency, teamwork, and good judgment in crisis situations. The author, Major Anthony Kern, draws on his extensive flight and crew-training experience in the US Air Force, but his model is invaluable for all pilots, whether military, recreational, or commercial. "Kern's work is a breakthrough, and a benchmark." --John J. Nance, author of Blind Trust.

Customer Reviews:

A Must-Read for Pilots.......2002-09-08

How important is this book? It is as important for pilots to read and re-read as Wolfgang Langewiesche's "Stick & Rudder". Than this, there is no higher praise.

Dr. Kern proposes herein a simple but profound model to help us understand airmanship and he proceeds to support, explicate and instantiate that model using clear and well-chosen case material.

This is good stuff! The author draws on his own experience as an Air Force pilot and on his academic background as a human factors expert to summarize elegantly a vast area of knowledge vital to every aviator -- whether military, commercial or GA. As an instrument rated private pilot, I found all of the material in this book very relevent to the issues I deal with when I fly.

The way of thinking about airmanship that Dr. Kern lays out is important to all pilots -- but I believe that it is overwhelmingly important to pilots who are not engaged in either formal training or in the pursuit of advanced ratings. Taking this thinking to heart will keep you growing as a pilot, and will ultimately keep you alive.

For pilots embarked on a professional career path, Dr. Kern identifies goals, exposes pitfalls and outlines methods that will complement and enhance any training program and any intended progression through the ratings.

Please, read, study and reflect on this work. It is outstanding!

Finally.......2002-05-05

Throughout my entire time as a pilot, I have been concerned with the huge gap that exists between the safety record of professionally managed commercial and military flight operations and those of general aviation pilots like me.

I am a 1,000-hour instrument-rated private pilot. I have been flying for about 12 years. Together with a partner, I own and operate my own single-engine airplane that I use frequently in the course of my business and daily life. I live in operate primarily within the Upper Midwest where the environment serves up daily challenges.

Over time, I have observed that most GA pilots seem to gravitate toward one or the other of the polar extremes. I think of them as the can-do achievers at one end of the spectrum and the pocket-protector types at the other end. The achievers are those successful people who seem to be able to do anything. They love a challenge and are risk takers. The pocket protector types love figuring things out and have an infinite willingness to wrestle with a question and figure it out. While there is obviously a broad spectrum in between, this has always aided me in sizing a guy up and figuring out how he approached flying. The best pilots I know posses the attributes of both.

My own personality has always been a source of concern in this regard. I find myself consistently falling short of the best flyers. I can claim neither the innate talent nor the tremendous focus and long attention span that these folks all seem to have. I was always a C student. And I do not have the benefit of a large resource-rich organization to support me. Early in my experience as a pilot, I gave it up - actually twice - because I felt so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of knowledge and tasks that had to be integrated successfully in order to achieve an acceptable level of proficiency.

I am pretty sure that I can get by being a lousy fly caster and poor wing shot and still enjoy a pretty good life. I know that being anything other than an excellent pilot is unacceptable. I think that it is why this endeavor so absorbs me.

I have read everything that I could find on the subject. I attend seminars. I seek specialized training. I spend a lot of time talking with other pilots about issues of safety and competence.

Recently, I have asked the military, airline and other professional pilots that I meet how they (and their organizations) approach the subject. Their responses vary. Some of them adhere to the notion that it is simply a matter of having the Right Stuff. Others indicate that it requires the resources of the US government or a major public company. Many have actually been generous and helpful.

Finally, Tony Kern has given us all a model to work with that is both comprehensive and systematic. He has illustrated it with clear real-life examples make each of the component concepts vivid. This book is a real treasure. It is at once a clear description of the destination and it is the map and the compass that we can all employ along on the way.

Outstanding single-source document for professional flyers!.......1998-12-09

Tony Kern has written a detailed, yet compelling, story for airmanship in the 21st century. His research is thorough, his examples are vivid, and his personal experience ties them together. As a safety professional, I was amazed to see that almost all of his "lessons learned" could be applied to ground operations, as well as flight. Wish I'd written the book!

Every active pilot and future pilot should read this book........1998-08-23

Tony Kern has managed to pull together the wisdom and experience of "the best" pilots around. His use of case studies of real pilots and real situations includes examples from the military, commercial, and geneal aviation communities. In short, the book is useful for any pilot whether they are working toward their private pilot license or are employed as a senior airline captain. For many pilots, it will reinforce what they already know and practice but for many, it will provide the opportunity to become "old" pilots. If you fly, read the book.

A must read for the complete pilot........1998-07-28

A rare resource for insite into avaitions most critical element: The Pilot. No where else in aviation literature has someone captured the standards for professional airmanship. Kern gives the route to complete airmanship, whether you fly a Cub, or an SR-71. A valuable resource and asset for all training department libraries.

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Redefining Airmanship
Anthony T. Kern
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFLLOK

Book Description

This logical, developmental presentation of the major aspects of Dutch grammar includes all the necessary tools for speech and comprehension. Designed for adults with limited learning time who wish to acquire the basics of everyday Dutch, this grammar features numerous shortcuts and timesavers. Ideal as an introduction, supplement, or refresher.

Customer Reviews:

A good product for dutch learners.......2007-06-27

Yes, ofcource I can recommend this product to a begginner(should atleast know how to prononce a letter/word) in Dutch language.The speciality of this book is that you can learn Dutch language by practising the sample sentences and phrases given in the book.It also includes the commonly used words in our daily life with the explanation of different rules for framing a sentence in Dutch.

The only problem that I faced was the unavialability of a CD/mp3 to listen to the words and sentences gien in the book. That why I mensioned in the begging that the begginner should atleast know how to pronunce a letter in Dutch.

Overall I evaluate it as a good product and true value for money.

Thanks and regards,
prasanth

Perfect for its purpose.......2007-06-08

This book is a perfect example of a good thing delivering to its promises.

If you want to a understand the most important elements of the Dutch grammar, buy this book. If you want to know Dutch grammar at a level beyond intermediate, then you need extra material.

However, "Essential Dutch Grammar" not only presents the simple things in a simple manner, it summarizes the most frequently used mechanisms of the language.

So, with this book you get the most for the least.

Great start.......2006-11-07

I think that this book is an asset for the elementary level. Grammar is explained very clearly and really sets one up to begin reading and constructing sentances in Dutch. The concise format of the book was also extremely helpful for reviewing rules and constructions before quizzes.

Not that good.......2006-03-22

This isn't a very good grammer book. I get slowed down by the complicated and concise language. Probably the best thing to say about this is that it is overly concise.

not bad for small book.......2005-07-06

This book is quite useful if you already have a companion pronunciation book or cd. It explains the Dutch grammar well, but for a beginner, you may wish to start with something else. Not bad as a supplement to another language book.

Dutch: An Essential Grammar (Essential Grammar.)

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Not for beginners
a first edition?
Excellent Grammar Book!

Dutch: An Essential Grammar (Essential Grammar.)
W. Shetter
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415235022

Book Description

Dutch: An Essential Grammar is a reference guide to the most important aspects of current Dutch with an emphasis on how the language is currently used in the Netherlands and Belgium. New to this eighth edition is an improved pronunciation guide, using the International Phonetic Alphabet, as well as recent additions to the Dutch lexicon. Ideal for independent study or for students in schools, colleges, universities and adult classes of all types, Dutch grammar is reinforced by regular summary sections, practice sentences and exercises. Features include a detailed contents list, clearly indicated word stress to assist pronunciation, a separate section providing answers to translation exercises and Dutch-English/English-Dutch glossaries.

Customer Reviews:

Not for beginners.......2007-01-13

An earlier edition of this book was on my wish list as I began my second school year of Dutch classes after moving to the Netherlands. It's not a simple book! Had I tried to study with it as a total beginner it would have overwhelmed me, I think. And I'm a product of a double-generation school teacher family, so my English grammar isn't too bad.

But for someone with a bit of the Dutch language under their belt and who wants more structure in the language-learning process, this is the book for you. The rules, such as there are in Dutch, are clearly and in great depth laid out.

My copy of Dutch: An Essential Grammar is well used and still has a place of honor on my desk at work. Even my Dutch colleagues ask to use it occasionally!

a first edition?.......2004-10-06

I am currently taking a first class in Dutch and using this book as the text. I have found it fine as far a grammar goes, but the organization of vocabulary is terrible. The words are not really grouped according to any theme stronger than a conversation at the end of each chapter. For example the word appel (apple) is found many chapters ahead of the verb eten (to eat). This makes both learning these word lists and carrying on mock conversations quite difficult. I don't know Dutch, but I feel in this respect I could construct a better textbook.

Excellent Grammar Book!.......2003-01-07

A couple of years ago, I started learning nederlands. I bought CD's and tapes and learned lots of vocabulary, but had no idea how to put the words together to make a coherent sentence.

This book turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. It explains all of the little nuances with regards to spelling, sentence structure and word usage. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a beginner in the Dutch language.

Average customer rating:

Epic Presidential History

Don't Judge The Book By It's Cover

Too much Machiavelli

Epic Scale, Powerful Tale

Command of Office: How War, Secrecy, and Deception Transformed the Presidency from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush

Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Losing Our Democracy: How Bush, the Far Right and Big Business Are Betraying Americans For Power and Profit

The Folly of Empire: What George W. Bush Could Learn from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson

First Great Triumph: How Five Americans Made Their Country a World Power

Alexander: The Conqueror: The Epic Story of the Warrior King

Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan

ASIN: B00076F0DO

Book Description

"This impressive, massive book on American presidential power is the work of a distinguished scholar of the presidency.... [It] will fascinate the general reader as well as the specialist." --The Times (London)

Command of Office reveals the remarkable--and dangerous--concentration of power in the American presidency over the course of the twentieth century, told through incisive analyses of the eighteen men who have held the office and the events that shaped their presidencies. Stephen Graubard tracks the steady expansion of secrecy as a tool of presidential authority, one that inevitably diminished the power of the other two branches of government. Widely esteemed by his fellow historians and with unique access to former members of both Republican and Democratic administrations, Graubard has written a masterful history of presidential power-essential reading for anyone concerned with American politics.

"Graubard's lapidary prose is lucid and provocative, likely to induce a glow of pleasure in the reader. His book is a scintillating and witheringly ironic commentary on an institution that, while growing more monarchical, isolated and secretive, has become steadily debased." (Sunday Times)

Customer Reviews:

Epic Presidential History.......2006-01-08

Though an avid reader, it is not often that I find a thick historical tome a "can't put down." This marvelous work, dense and thought-provoking, gives the reader a view into the presidencies of the 20th century. Even just the trivia you may pick up from this book is an enormous asset: (what 2 presidents died of natural causes and what two were assassinated in each of the last 2 centuries?) During what periods of American history did presidents tend to serve only one term? How many fingers does it take to count all the "honest" presidents in the 20th century?)

This is a must-read for anyone wanting a grasp of how we got to where we are today.

Don't Judge The Book By It's Cover.......2005-08-29

I read Steven Graubard's bible-sized porportion of a book for a little friendly summer reading. I must say, that this is a case where the book certainly wasn't all that the cover makes it out to be. That being, the cover would lead you to believe that this would be very intriquing. Reading about how war, secrecy, and deception was used by the American presidents of the twentieth century. Why Graubard uses this as his punch line is beyond me, because he hardly gives us any under the cover, behind the line info on these presidents.

For the most part, Grauber pretty much trashes just about every American president, with the exceptiong of FDR and Harry Truman. He seems to think that no of our other president's had any idea of foreign policy. Funny, how a British historian seems to have so much to say about how OUR president's conduct foreign policy. Maybe dear professor Graubard has an historical beef?????

Although there were points during this book where I had to enjoy Graubards exploitations of some of the more overrated presidencies. That being especially the case with John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.

My main beef with Mr. Graubard, is in his conclusion of how we in America don't train people to be President! Well...that's exactly what I happen to love and appreciate about our great country. Is that anyone can potentially become the President. Train people to be President? And let me guess, Mr. Graubard would probably prefer that we train them at Oxford in England?

Other than that, this book is a bunch of hot air and wasted time and it is not worth the time and effort. If one wants to read a bible sized book on American politics, read Richard Ben Kramer's "What It Takes: The Way To The White House". But this book to put it best, is a bunch of rubbish!

Too much Machiavelli .......2005-03-14

This is a unique history of the twentieth century presidency. The author plays no favorites, and the rogue's gallery in the lineup is comprehensive. Although the effect of the world wars on the presidency is decisive, the story really begins with the assassination of McKinley and the subsequent era of T. Roosevelt, the beginnings of empire and globalization. Thence to Clinton and George W. Bush the acerbic account continues, and it is the very considerable increments of telling detail that makes the book work, and the altered perspective on standard accounts refreshingly bleached. We get so much hagiographic flak that we lose sight of the mediocrities, failures, and lost opportunities of the White House occupants, who are too often ill-prepared to do the job right. Too much of the history here is passed over. This book throws out a lot of hype, and might seem too much were it not good reading, and profitable at that. One's view of American presidents won't be same ever again.

Epic Scale, Powerful Tale.......2004-12-29

Graubard has much to teach us that even the most careful observer of the American presidency may have missed. His analysis is always original, and while on first read some of his interpretations of specific presidents or events may strike some readers as odd,further into a chapter, you usually find yourself nodding your head.
I found particular value in his discussion of the lesser known 20th Century presidents, such as Taft, Harding, and Coolidge.

Highly recommended for students of history, the presidency, or American politics.

Command of Office: How War, Secrecy, and Deception Transformed the Presidency, from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush.(Book Review) : An article from: Presidential Studies Quarterly

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Command of Office: How War, Secrecy, and Deception Transformed the Presidency, from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush.(Book Review) : An article from: Presidential Studies Quarterly
Russell L. Riley
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Presidential Studies Quarterly, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1032 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Command of Office: How War, Secrecy, and Deception Transformed the Presidency, from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush.(Book Review)
Author: Russell L. Riley
Publication: Presidential Studies Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35 Issue: 3 Page: 613(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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