Video: Smart People Use Smart Libraries

I love this video of libraries in Ireland using books as dominoes:

Video: I Like Big Books

Cute video from a group of students in Texas:

Book Trailer: The Band That Played On by Steve Turner

This book looks good. I've always wondered about these men and their courage to stay on the Titanic as it sank into the ocean.

Expresso Book Machines - The Future in Instant Book Publishing

Have you heard about the new Expresso Book Machine that will print out of stock and out-of-print books on demand right there in the bookstore as you wait (and watch)? You just search for the book you want (approx. 4 million books are available right now) and the machine prints out the cover and pages and then binds them all together. Voila! Instant book!

Here is the video that shows the machine and how it works:



You can even print copies of your own book. That's a neat idea for someone who wants to make books for friends and family, or wants to distribute their books themselves.

And here's another article about an EBM in Cambridge, Mass. that you might find interesting. I'd love to see one of these in action!

Video: If God is Good by Randy Alcorn

Book Review: Abortion by R.C. Sproul

Where were you in August of 1992?

I was living in Houston, Texas. The Republican National Convention had come to town, and my husband and I decided to join a pro-life demonstration at an abortion clinic downtown. My heart broke as I saw women enter the doors of that clinic. I prayed for them, and I wept for them. I also wept as I saw some of the people on our side of the street yelling at them and hurling insults at them. I don't know if any mothers and their babies were saved from abortions that day, but I know that many people were hurt, physically as well as emotionally. It was quite an experience that day for our family of four.

I don't think we realize sometimes that the issue of abortion involves real people, men and women who are struggling to do the right thing. Whether it be the question of "Do I abort or not?" or "What is my family going to think?" or "How is all of this going to affect my life?", there are some agonizing decisions to be made. So often pro-lifers focus on the issue and not enough on the mother and her baby.

R.C. Sproul has written a book with a unique perspective on the subject of the abortion debate. At the same time honest and compassionate, Mr. Sproul offers wise thoughts on how both sides of this discussion might look at how they view the sanctity of human life, and guides the reader to look at the core issue:

"At the heart of the abortion issue rest one overarching question: Is abortion a form of murder? In other words, does abortion involve the willful destruction of a living human person?"

"I am convinced that if somehow it could be proven conclusively that the destruction of unborn babies is in fact the willful destruction of living human beings, the debate on abortion would be all but over, and the law of the land would as clearly prohibit abortion as it does all forms of homicide. The abortion debate is not over whether or not murder should be legalized; it is a debate over whether or not abortion is a kind of murder."

Mr. Sproul also emphasizes the fact that what has happened in our society in the last 50+ years is that we have had a "national crisis of ethics." He states: "Beneath the division in society over abortion is a more foundational problem: How does one determine what is right? The irony of the United States debate on abortion is that it is a battle over "rights" in a nation that is sharply divided over how to determine what is right about anything." He says we are "(reducing) ethics to personal preferences rather than to objective norms for what is right and wrong."

Even though it is a relatively small book (approx. 200 pages), the author covers a lot of ground. The chapters are divided into three parts:

PART 1: Abortion: The ethical dilemma of our time
PART 2: An analysis of pro-abortion and pro-choice arguments
PART 3: A compassionate response and strategy

I gained tremendous insight from this little book. I have been involved in the pro-life movement for over 30 years, but I learned new ideas and truths from reading this book. It is a difficult subject to read about, but a book I believe that all should read. Mr. Sproul has given us a great gift by writing this book. He calls it “…a book I wish I did not have to write.” But I, for one, am glad he did.

Copyright information: © 2010 by R.C. Sproul, Published by Reformation Trust Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

I give Abortion: a rational look at an emotional issue 5 out of 5 stars. Read it. I dare you.

Here's R.C. Sproul on the issue of abortion:



R.C. Sproul Discusses the Issue of Abortion from Ligonier on Vimeo.

Read a sample chapter.
Buy the book.
Buy the ebook.

Book Review: Arsenic and Clam Chowder by James D. Livingston

There was a time in my life that most of my reading was true crime books. Authors such as Ann Rule, Vincent Bugliosi, and Truman Capote were on my list of writers to look for when I went into the library every week. I like reading about criminals and how their minds work, so I was caught up in reading all about these people and their outrageous deeds of evil. Eventually, I had to stop (cold turkey) because I was having constant nightmares and I know it was simply not good for me to be immersed in all of that stuff for days on end. I still read an occasional true crime story, but not at the same frequency as before.

As I read Arsenic and Clam Chowder, I was reminded of this and how addicted I used to be. Thankfully, I read more eclectically (is that a word?) now. I do remember the books about Ted Bundy, Charles Manson and Jack the Ripper and how fascinating all this was to my curious mind. But now that I've read this one, I think I'll be content to wait a while before reading another one.

Arsenic and Clam Chowder is the story of a woman in New York in the year 1895 who was accused of poisoning her mother with arsenic in a bowl of clam chowder. There were many interesting pieces to this case, such as the young daughter who delivered the chowder to her grandmother, the part that the newspapers played in reporting all the news of the case to the public, and the baby born to the defendant while she was in the prison awaiting her trial. The author did a great job in rounding out the story with descriptions of New York society of that time and background facts of the main characters involved in this highly popular murder trial.

The last chapter, entitled "Reasonable Doubt and Judicial Murder" was interesting. The author explored the question "What is reasonable doubt?". After offering some ideas and possible answers to that question, the best statements came at the end of the book: "There were gaps and weaknesses in the prosecution's case, and there were other bases for reasonable doubt.......With the death penalty facing her, I think I wouldn't have voted for conviction, but if she sent me some clam chowder, I am certain well beyond a reasonable doubt, in fact to at least a 99 percent of certainty, that I would not eat it."

I give Arsenic and Clam Chowder 4 out of 5 stars.

Author's website: http://www.jamesdlivingston.net/

(I received this book from Pump Up Your Book! for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)

BOOK: A Revolutionary Product

Here is a video that reminds me of the one I posted a few weeks ago:

How to Read a Book

Just in case you know someone who may need this: