Easter Books

This is not a bad clipart collection but neither is it a particularly good one, at least for my purposes.

It is from Paulist Press so it has a definite Roman Catholic flavor to much of it but many of these images are general enough to be used by any Christians. My problem is that they are all black and white. I was looking for some color images. That being said, there is no reason why many of these cannot be found to be useful in documents where color would not be expected such as a bulletin of newsletter.

The images are evocative of the themes they are supposed to indicate so they do facilitate communication. None are stellar but they are usable.

Know that this collection focuses on the Christmas and Easter cycles.

Written in 1956, this book is no longer an accurate portrayal of the economic life of sicily, yet I found it to be an accurate and entertaining, (although a bit acerbic) portrayal of several other aspects of sicilian culture. Having lived in Sicily in the 1960's, I can say I enjoyed it very much. You may contact me if you want further info at the email address given above: markjeblan@aol.com

This is not so much a review as a list of errors I encountered while reading "Easter Island: Scientific Exploration into the World's Environmental Problems in Microcosm". Some of the errors may seem minor, some are glaring, and some of simply odd. It's as if the editors really didn't do much editing. Not only is the writing rather clumsy and amateurish throughout (especially when John Loret is involved), but it seems as if the authors and editors didn't really do their homework when it came to prior research on the island. In the end, a good (even a mediocre) proof-reader would have made a big difference. (I haven't encountered this many problems in one book on this subject since Jo Anne Van Tilburg's "Easter Island".) Not that this book doesn't have anything interesting to contribute, but I eventually became distracted by the number of problems -- and, while I don't necessarily subscribe to the view that because a book has a handful of typos, it lacks substance (after all, the biggest fool can say the sun is shining but that doesn't make it dark outside), as my list grew in length I did begin to wonder about the quality of the research itself. More than likely I'll need to re-read the book, and try to focus on the larger issues.

Here's the list...

* Page vii: In an effort to reinforce the theme of Easter Island as microcosm, it is asserted that the Rapanui had the option to migrate to other locales, in contrast to the people of the Earth generally who have no where to go -- which essentially flies in the face of the closed system Easter Island is supposed to represent in this context (to say nothing of the fact that subsequent visits to, and departures from, the island probably never occurred because of the extreme isolation and difficulties involved in contact from such distances); ironically, later, on page 187, it is asserted that the Rapanui had "no other place to go".

* Page vii: Stonehenge is misspelled "Stone Henge".

* Page 2: Leica (camera manufacturer) is misspelled "Lica".

* Page 19: Petroglyphs is spelled "petrographs" (though throughout the rest of the book it's spelled "petroglyphs").

* Page 48: Papa Vaka is spelled "Paka Vaka" (this happens elsewhere as well, including in the index on page 236).

* Page 54: In a description of the Birdman competition, the hopu is referred to as a warrior rather than a surrogate and "presumably" climbed down the cliff face at Rano Kau; why "presumably"? has anyone suggested they dove off the cliff face? or that they reached the islet by boat from other parts of the island?

* Page 93: Caste is misspelled "cast".

* Page 95: Moai hands are described as being over the "groin area" -- essentially correct but in so far as the belly is believed to be the seat of the soul, the hands are really over the belly (if, yes, "above" the groin area).

* Page 95: Bas relief is misspelled "base relief".

* Page 98: There are repeated references to "verbal traditions" when what is probably meant is "oral traditions". Believe it or not, there is a difference between "verbal" and "oral".

* Page 98: It is asserted that Sonia Haoa, not Sergio Rapu, discovered the mata at Anakena. While Sonia Haoa was involved in the discovery (along with six other eye fragments), the point isn't so much the discovery but identification -- and that credit belongs to Rapu.

* Page 113: Isla de Pascua is referred to as "Isla Pascua".

* Page 225: Moai Kava Kava is misspelled "Mai Kava Kava".

* Page 235: Motu Kao Kao is misspelled "Motu Kau Lau".

* Page 235: Motu Tautara is misspelled "Motu Taurara".

* Page 239: Roggeveen is misspelled "Toggeveen" (moreover, while the index entry for Roggeveen lists several pages where the name appears, "Toggeveen" lists a page where Roggeveen appears but it's not listed in the index under "Roggeveen").

* Page 161: Figure 5 shows a picture of the beach and ahu at Anakena but the caption describes it as "Tongariki".

* Page 185: A chapter photo refers to the largest moai on the island (Tongariki) but for some reason doesn't actually identify it by name.

* Page 209: The legend of the Long Ears vs. Short ears is resurrected but, aside from a single line stating there is some dispute about the legend, there is no discussion about the etymology of the terms in use or the erroneous earlier interpretations of the meaning.

* Despite commenting about the detrimental impact of tourists touching the moai, there is a photo (Plate 1) showing someone actually hugging a moai at Rano Raraku.

* The caption for Plate 2 misspells Rano Raraku as "Rano Ravaku".

* The caption for Plate 7 misspells Motu Nui as "Motu Nai".

* Varying from chapter to chapter, Rano Kau appears as "Rano Kau" and "Rano Kao" (though, admittedly, Routledge is probably to blame somewhat for this).

* Varying from chapter to chapter, Puna Pau appears as "Puna Pau" and "Punapau" (somewhat understandable given Polynesian compound terms but it's the inconsistency that bothers me).

* Varying from chapter to chapter, El Niño appears with and without the tilde. (Accent and diacritical marks very from chapter to chapter as well.)

* The size of the island in square kilometers or miles varies depending on the chapters.

* The index lists entries inconsistently: there are entries for "Ahu Nau Nau" and "Anu Nau Nau III" (but no "II") and yet, later on, there are entries for "Nau Nau East" (?), "Nau Nau I", "Nau Nau II", "Nau Nau III", and "Naunau Site".

* There are frequent references to Bahn & Flenley's "Easter Island Earth Island" but relatively little of the other major "players" in EI publications -- and yet it seems as if information from Bahn & Flenley didn't entirely filter down to these chapters (e.g., the legend of the Long Ears vs. the Short Ears).

* The blurb on the back cover suffers from serious problems in punctuation and grammar.

I picked up Easter Lilly on a whim. The cover photo, a hazy brushed water color of an African American woman juxtaposed with the author's picture, caught my attention. Being a female African American from the deep south, I was very curious as to how a middle aged white male would represent the character. I expected the usual stereotypes, and I got them. But I also was gifted with so much more. Easter Lilly was a quiet, moving novel about a woman and a man seperated by a lifetime of different experiences. A story that touched on excesses,eccentricies, ignorance,prejudice, lust and obsession in a culture still defining itself. The main characters struggle to justify their actions and are likable even when offensive. The story centers around the trial for a crime and a series of acts committed out of desperation and anger and longing. The trial itself serves as a backdrop to a place where guilt or innocence is not the question. Mr Wicker writes intimate fluid dialogue that touches emotions on many levels. The story is I hope,and choose to believe, not indicative of a prevaling psyche of the majority of southern white males. But I do recognize the characters. And I applause Mr Wicker for the effort. While the female lead is not fully explored their are glimpses of the woman I know is there. The pace is fast and the conflicts heart-felt. Mr Wicker may not have all the answers, but he has the right questions. Easter Lilly is a good read. It makes for thoughtfull reading while still being entertaining.

This would be a good book for children age 4-7.

I expected the book to offer some good ideas through the use of visuals and movie clips for worship. The book did a good job of providing that kind of information. However, the visuals included on the DVD lacked a lot. Not only was I disappointed, but I was frustrated that I spent $21 on information that I could have gotten on the internet for free. Maybe I am cheap, but I expected better stuff on the DVD.

This is the story of Spring on the farm.
All the animals are having babies, the horse and the cow, the hen and the goat, and even the duck. Something strange happened with Mrs. Ducks eggs though, only 4 out of 5 hatched.

Well, Mrs. Duck knew number 5 must be really special, and was waiting for just the right moment to hatch; but to her horror the little girl from the farm house came and got her egg for Easter. What was mother duck to do?

She marched right up to the farm house and found her egg and sat down right on it not willing to let her little duckling be destroyed.
That was one brave Mama Duck!

To everyone's surprise on Easter morning
her little duck baby was born.
Happy Easter little duck, welcome to the world! A very cute story!

Lent and Easter Wisdom from Pope John Paul II is the third in Ligouri Publications' series of Lent devotional books. They have released one book per year over the last several years, each featuring the spiritual insights of a different individual. In order, the releases have focused on Fulton Sheen, Henri Nouwen, Pope John Paul II, and Thomas Merton. Each book stands alone; the four are not dependent upon one another.

Each book contains daily devotionals for Lent and the first week of Easter. The devotionals begin with a quote from the individual. That quote is followed by a Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version, a short prayer, and a suggested application to make the theme of the day practical. While intended for individual use, the devotionals could prove profitable for group study.

The quotes from John Paul II are wonderful, particularly those focusing on suffering and the larger implications of the resurrection. Since many of the quotes come from world youth days, Dr. John Kruse, the editor, may have youth in mind as a primary readership. The Scripture passages do not always connect strongly with the quotes.

The major weakness of this book will also be a strength to others: its simplicity. The devotionals are very short and not very in-depth. Consequently, many readers may seek more substance. Still, for those just starting to have devotions or those wanting to read daily nuggets of the thought of Pope John Paul II, this book may deserve four stars instead of three.

This book of big quotations utilizes the power of words to motivate and remind us of our inner strengths, abilities, and capabilities. Readers are encouraged to set goals, envision positive outcomes and grasp the brass ring, to improve personal situations and achieve unlimited success.

Easter's fascination with quotations was fueled when she realized, while teaching career development courses at a local college, that students looked forward to their 'pearl' each day. She feels everyone can use a push from time to time, to keep them striving for personal and professional fulfillment.

THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG QUOTATIONS will help fuel your success.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

My 4-year-old son LOVES the Maisy sticker books, and he loves to paint with water colors. So I thought this would be lot of fun for him. And it was. But I was a little disappointed because the pages are glossy, making it hard for the paint to stick. It didn't seem to discourage him much, though. So depending how picky your child is (or you are!) you might do fine with this book. Just so you know what you're getting.