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The Irish boxer recounts his life and career in the ring. ... Read more

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One day Robbie gets his chance to hit a grand slam. The kids from Tinsdale are losing, so it can't hurt to let Robbie play - and who would expect help from the opposition! ... Read more

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In 1948 London played host to the first post-World War 2 Olympics; in an era of rationing and austerity, the miracle was not only that the Games took place but that they were remarkably successful and attracted many visitors to London. The opening ceremony was held at Wembley stadium and a number of venues in and around London, including the White City Stadium built for the 1908 games, were used.

Customer Reviews (1)

Skilled overview of the Australian Catholic Church today
Australian Catholic priest Paul Collins begins his examination of the Australian Catholic church by recounting two incidents where bishops were dismissive of him, the first because Collins `obviously hated the Catholic church', the other because Collins was motivated by his `own inner struggle and insecurity'. This is typical of how the Catholic hierarchy generally deals with its critics: if the critics are within the Church then they are obviously not true Catholics or simply have some personal agenda; if the critics are not Catholics, then they `just don't, and can never really, understand'.

How different is the approach presented by the then Polish archbishop Karol Wojtyla in his `The Acting Person', where he argues that opposition is one of the characteristics of authentic human community. Those who disagree with official ideas and policies are not necessarily enemies of the community, but may be motivated by a deep devotion to the common good. This sort of opposition is vital to the community's growth and well-being.

Such thinking from the man who is now, as John Paul II, the head of the international Catholic community would come as a surprise to many. In Collins, however, we find just such a person, very critical of the Australian Catholic community, not out of malice or mischief (though benignly mischievous he frequently is), but clearly because of a deep devotion to his church and with a passionate belief in its potential for making a substantial contribution to the nation.

In his previous book, `Mixed Blessings' (Penguin, 1986), Collins examined the modern global Catholic church and was rude enough to conclude that `this small, backwater Church still has a long way to go to stay abreast of the Church Catholic'. He has now set his sights squarely on the Australian scene, gaining a more detailed and nuanced vision. He believes `that the Catholic tradition has within it enormous resources and an adaptive ability to address the issues being raised by fair-minded people in contemporary A! ustralia.' He deplores the fact that there is little engagement between the Catholic church and Australian society, seeing this as a massive failure of leadership, principally by the bishops. Collins presents his examination of the Australian Catholic church within the framework of the biblical concept of `kairos' - that now is a time for decision. The chief options he sees before the Church are to retreat into a reassuring Catholic subculture or to take a leadership role in society by reclaiming the spiritual and ethical traditions of Catholicism, especially by applying its principles of social justice.

The ground covered by the book is wide and, on the whole, fallow: where development of a distinctively Australian theology has gone wrong; that belief in the transcendent remains high in Australia, but church attendance is dropping, especially by women; why empowerment of the laity strikes at the self-identity of most priests; how the refusal of the Vatican to ordain women and married men is leading to heresy; that the Catholic school system needs to establish its own agenda and direction independent of government policies (but not unaccountable for funds provided); why Catholic spokesmen (aren't they always) have a poor media record; how large numbers of adults are today choosing to become Catholics, often with no previous church background; why Sunday Mass is generally `dull, lifeless and boring'.

The two major items on the agenda that Collins proposes for the Church are Aborigines and the environment. In fact he presents little about `what should be done', only presenting a case for the issues' importance. He reminds us that Aboriginal religious beliefs are diverse and private, requiring sensitivity and respect, and are fundamentally at odds with the simplistic and romantic appropriation that is becoming increasing prevalent in the work of some white religious writers. Drawing on radical authors such as Thomas Berry and Charles Birch, Collins builds a case for the centrality of the environmental cr! isis to Catholic ethics and action, and demonstrates the problem posed by overpopulation. Yet he uncharacteristically avoids raising the relationship between this and official Catholic teaching on contraception.

Collins has produced a very readable and lively book, with a surprising amount of humor, but one based on a wealth of reading and other research. Although sources are footnoted throughout, the book would be improved by the inclusion of a bibliography and a more detailed index.

`No Set Agenda' will dismay reactionaries in the Church, while giving a fresh shot of enthusiasm to those of us struggling for change in the Catholic church. It will serve an excellent purpose if it reaches a non-Catholic readership (with over 25% of Australians being Catholics, the Church's beliefs and practices should be of wide concern), providing them with a rare window into a Catholicism concerned and passionate about much more than the anti-abortion issue, state funding of church schools, and what goes on in bedrooms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Australian SF Reader
Not bad, nothing fabulous either. The best is probably the tale of the sentient tree. This does have the distinction, however, of having a story about Australia's very own ghostbuster, Ernie Pine. Rick Kennett's mendicant investigator, and his banana bender platonic female friend look into The Seas of Castle Hill Road. A ghost of a woman is producing ocean effects, which is a little disturbing when you are on dry land. Not bad, nothing fabulous either. The best is probably the tale of the sentient tree. This does have the distinction, however, of having a story about Australia's very own ghostbuster, Ernie Pine. Rick Kennett's mendicant investigator, and his banana bender platonic female friend look into The Seas of Castle Hill Road. A ghost of a woman is producing ocean effects, which is a little disturbing when you are on dry land.

Some pretty dull story titles to go along with quite a few average stories.

Strange Fruit : Martin Falvey - Thomas Shapcott
Strange Fruit : Jade Elm - Jack Wodhams
Strange Fruit : Poor Reception - Gary Disher
Strange Fruit : Hurley's Life of Samuel Johnson - Morris Lurie
Strange Fruit : Roger - Richard Lunn
Strange Fruit : Back of Beyond - Cherry Wilder
Strange Fruit : The Arrows - Dorothy Porter
Strange Fruit : The Fossil Evidence Re-Run - Michael Wilding
Strange Fruit : Holding Hands - James McQueen
Strange Fruit : The Cat - Nancy Cato
Strange Fruit : Old Wood - Steven Paulsen
Strange Fruit : Peeking - Robert Hood
Strange Fruit : The Seas of Castle Hill Road [Ernie Pine] - Rick Kennett
Strange Fruit : A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow - Carmel Bird
Strange Fruit : Skin Holes - Kaaron Warren
Strange Fruit : The Lady with the Ermine - Lucy Sussex

Grubby little man.

3 out of 5


Bloody tree.

4 out of 5


Dead girl pickup.

3.5 out of 5


Novel possession.

3 out of 5


No double.

2.5 out of 5


Scary shooter.

3 out of 5


Archaeological pointy end for some of this group.

3.5 out of 5


Old stuff strange.

2.5 out of 5


Clairely dead.

3 out of 5


Pwssy woman.

3.5 out of 5


A wood finding obsession turns rather monstrous.

3.5 out of 5


Voyeur me.

3 out of 5


Rick Kennett's mendicant investigator, and his banana bender platonic female friend look into The Seas of Castle Hill Road. A ghost of a woman is producing ocean effects, which is a little disturbing when you are on dry land.

She might be a handy spook to have around in a drought, but not every day. Ernie and Sonia have to look into what her story is.

3.5 out of 5


Last ring.

3 out of 5


Pucker rings.

3 out of 5


Minky familliar.

3 out of 5 ... Read more

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An expatriate American, Gregory Henry Case, is a quantum physics professor at Oxford University in London, England.His life is rather dull and predictable, until he finds a body.Naturally, the authorities examine the corpse for it's DNA composition, blood type, and conducted tissue extractions.Dental records are matched up. Thus Case is then told that the cadaver in question is not an unknown person, but is Gregory H. Case himself-one hundred and fifty years in the future! Eventually,a mysterious group of astronauts, explorers from another world kidnap Case and he finds himself on a mysterious craft that rockets him into another dimension,where he meets Father Thomas Toomey, a humble archivist.Toomey then sends Case on an adventure of a life time, a hologram type existence where Case becomes the other man in a royal marriage battle. Will Gregory Henry Case survive? Find out more by reading 'Mystery of Everyman's Way', where sci-fi and romance collide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Everyman's way Review
Imagine living as a professor of Physics teaching at Oxford and one day you find a strange alien looking cadaver in the morgue. Now add to it that now you're under suspicion by Scotland Yard for being the one that murdered the cadaver you found. To make matters worse because the body is unknown and a DNA sample is taken and the results are even more shocking. You are informed that you both have the same identical DNA in other words you are the same person. So who's the doppelganger? You or him?This is the dilemma that Gregory Henry Case faces, an American living abroad with a lonely humdrum life. But before he can be incarcerated he ends up on a spaceship with a computer telling him that he's now going into the everyman's Highway and to confuse him even further the computer also informs him that he was the first one on the Everyman's highway. So now Cases' real adventure begins from Planet hopping to getting into a romance that nearly tear apart the Everyman's world, and the romance plot reminds one of the Old Tristan and Isolde story except with some differences that I do not want to divulge so as not to spoil the story. Collins has forged a very offbeat story which with humor and intrigue. One of humorous points is the King listening to accountants and money men-- a subtle poke to our modern society or society at large which makes the king at times seem somewhat corporate. The important part of the book is that Everyman's Way, at least to me, a appears to be a metaphor for life itself which can be subtly missed if one is looking for the typical sci fi plot follow through. This is definitively a story that can be ruined by going into with a certain expectations of the same old same old, but if you're willing to try to read it with an empty cup the Everyman's Way is a fun and thoughtfulride.
Written by Miguel Guerra Author of the Samurai Elf Series

Disjointed and difficult to read
This book, an intertwined love story, fantasy, science fiction and time travel adventure, is so convoluted and disjointed that it is hard to read. It was so difficult to follow that after I completed it I was not sure what it was really about. Paragraphs bounce from one topic to another and there are misspellings. The presentation is that of a book written in a flurry of sleepless activity where there was no attempt to go back and tighten it up.
The main character is quantum physicist Gregory Henry Case, an expatriate American at Oxford University in London. His is a dull existence until he finds a body where the DNA and dental records analysis proves that the deceased is a much older Gregory Henry Case. This starts an adventure that lost me very quickly and I never really got back into what was happening to the guy.

Not the same Paul Collins
Amazon recommended this book to me because I had liked two other books by Paul Collins -- Sixpence House and Banvard's Folly.After reading the first two pages of this new "Paul Collins" book, I am convinced that this is a different Paul Collins.The author of Sixpence House is extremely literate and writes with delightful insight and humor.The author of Mystery of Everyman's Way writes in a disjointed, jumbled way with misspelled words ("Lockness Monster" on page 7 for instance) and strange floating punctuation marks.If you enjoyed Sixpence House or Banvard's Folly, don't bother with this book.It's not the same Paul Collins!

Finding one's own corpse is just plain insane, but that's exactly what happens to Dr. Case
Finding a corpse is a disturbing thing to happen. Finding one's own corpse is just plain insane, but that's exactly what happens to Dr. Case in "Mystery of Everyman's Way". His corpse turns out to be his mortal form from over a century and a half in the future - and before Case can ever ponder how this happened his life just gets weirder and weirder - as he's whisked off to another dimension, and may unwittingly become royalty, where finding his future corpse doesn't seem so weird. "Mystery of Everyman's Way" is a non-stop thrill ride for science fiction fans, and would be a popular lend for community library collections catering to them.

a real twisted mystery
some books either go directly toward adventure or some sort of realness or somewhere in between, well this Book has that and other factors and you still are amazed the various concepts and the way things work themselves out. the Body and the Whole DNA and how all things going on all at once is truly something else. it is a real page turner and you never know what quite to expect next. one of those Books you can't just out into any one category. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is the powerful and revealing story of how The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith--one aspect of the inner workings of the Vatican-perpetrates its assault on intellectual freedom.

The Inquisition ceased burning and torturing heretics in the 18th century; A milder punishment awaits the dissidents today, principally excommunication or banishment from official teaching positions. Paul Collins has discovered--through his own experience and extensive research-that the impact of the Vatican's investigations, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, can be quite profound. Collins is the controversial Australian Catholic priest recently investigated by the Vatican for alleged heresy. He served the Church for 33 years and is generally esteemed for his dry wit and his ability to make his vocation accessible¾a trait many appreciated in an ncreasingly secular world.

The Vatican, however, views Collins's less than reverential views as heretical and has been investigating him since 1997, when Collins' book Papal Power was singled out for supposed "doctrinal problems."

The Modern Inquisition, compiled over the four years that the mysterious and secretive CDF deliberated on Collins' work, brings together the stories of others who have also been pursued, condemned, or vilified by the CDF. Here are seven fascinating accounts of how the modern Inquisition operates--what it is like to be accused by anonymous informers, investigated in secret, and tried at arms length with no recourse to appeal. Among the central characters are some of the genuine prophets of the contemporary church:

* Hans Kung, the world renowned theologian
* Father Tissa Balasuriya, Sri Lankan thinker and social justice activist, whose 1997 excommunication caused a world-wide outcry
* Charles Curran, one of the Church's prominent moralists
* Lavinia Byrne, the UK's most prominent Catholic media spokesperson and prolific author
* Jeannine Gramick and Robert Nugent, whose 30-year ministry to gay people and AIDS sufferers in the US has now been condemned ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

VERY USEFUL OVERVIEW OF SEVERAL "DISSENTING" THEOLOGIANS
Paul Collins himself was censured by the Church over his book "Papal Power," and in 2001, he resigned fromactive priestly ministry.Shortly thereafter, he published this book, which details the struggles of six other prominent Catholic theologians or teachers who have been criticized/disciplined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).But first he details the process by which such accusations are made and reviewed; for example, pointing out that with the exception of the prefect of the CDF (the former Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI), "all officials of the CDF remain strictly anonymous."

Collins begins by letting the theologians present a statement of their own background, and their cases.The six are:

* Charles Curran, whose teachings on birth control and other sexual matters have been controversial since the 1960s (see Curran Vs. Catholic University: A Study of Authority and Freedom in Conflict, and who lost his positon at Catholic University, and now teaches at a Methodist college.
* Tissa Balasuriya, who was both was excommunicated in 1997, then reinstated a year later, over his book Mary and Human Liberation: The Story and the Text.
* Jeanine Gramick and Robert Nugent, who were forbidden to carry out their ministry to homosexuals. Building Bridges: Gay & Lesbian Reality and the Catholic Church
* Lavinia Byrne, whose book Woman at the Altar: The Ordination of Women in the Roman Catholic Church was banned in 1998, and Cardinal Ratzinger ordered 1,300 copies of the book burned; she has since resigned from her Order, and is now teaching at a Protestant theological school.
* Hans Kung, famous Catholic theologian who is no longer to be considered a "Catholic" theologian.(KUNG IN CONFLICT

This is a very valuable book/resource for persons interested in the controversies over theology and discipline in the Catholic Church.

An Inside Look into the Injustices within the Church
This book takes a very balanced approach at criticizing functional issues within the Council for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). In many passages of the book the author clearly points out that although there may be an issue of contention with certian people that they are still knowledgeable and good.The book begins with a clear and accurate history of the way the CDF came and its predecessors.The book is far more then about theologans who dissented from the church and were penalized, its about the injustice, immorality, and the devious actions surrounding the treatment of these people.The first case of Charles Curran deals with a Catholic theologan who gets into trouble regarding his questioning of 'fallable' teaching, which are those which should be discussed and questioned.All Curran wanted was a clear answer as to what was fallable or infallable and in what ways it was right to explore the fallable teaching of the church.The case of Tissa Balasuriya deals with the problems faced by a Sri Lankan Catholic priest trying to bring and resolve the religion to the peoples of that part of the world.While he worked to bring catholicism to these people, the Church attacked him for his efforts.The case of Gramick and Nugent is about the Church's stance with regard to homosexuals in the religion.Though Gramick and Nugent were hailed for their work to bring that group of people to the religion they were constantly watched and attacked by the CDF. The case of Lavinia Byrne deals with what should be the role of women in the Church.The final two cases of Kung and Collins are the pinnacle of the unjust operation of the CDF.
The book is not a vengeful attacked by these theologans,priests,and scholars who are hurt by the accusations and findings of the CDF.The book is a tool to show that the Catholic Church which is supposed to be one of the most just and fair institutions by way of the CDF is the most totalitarian,dictatorial, and devious in the world.All these people are being invistigated unknown to them for however many years.They are informed indirectly through whoever is viewed as their senior in their religious order and they are told to respond to problems in their teachings/writings.Much of the time the CDF has misunderstood, misread, or actively misrepresented what these people are teaching/writing.These theologans then respond normally with 20-60 page documents clarifying their writing, supporting their stance, and exlplaining themselves, or seeking further clarification with what is wrong.Many of the times these people are never responded to by the CDF.They may in 1-5 years get another letter stating they must recant further issues or they may have to fully recantthe offending teaching or face penalty, that is it.This is not the biggest travesty!These theologans are accused by annonymous individuals anywhere in the world of the Church, the are invistigated in secret, by a panel that remains anonymous.Many of the people viewing their teachings/writings are not qualified to interpret these theologans/scholars writings.
If any government acted the way the CDF investigates, charges and concludes their findings their would be global repercussions, as no-one would stand for it!!THOSE WHO WOULD SAY THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE PUNISHED ARE THE SAME IGNORANT AND BIASED PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP THE CDF.

Collins' Assault on the Faith
It seems obvious to me that ANY church or religious institution with a message it regards as Truth has a right to expect the clergy and theologians who claim the authority to teach within that church to not alter, challenge, denigrate or ignore that Truth.No one would expect Islam to allow muslim theologians to hold positions at a mosque or religious school if they declared Mohammed a con man or just a brilliant myth-maker.No one would expect Orthodox Judaism to place its theology or its rabbinic authority in the hands of people who made their mission the undermining of orthodoxy.But Collins and at least one of his institutional reviewers believe that theologians who claim to be Catholic should be able to question and deride the divinity of Jesus, the truth of the gospels, the apostolic succession, the authority vested in the pope, the church's constant and clear teachings on morality, etc., while still keeping their teaching positions at Catholic universities or their parishes if they are priests.It seems to me laughable on its face.

No one questions the right of a scholar to make the strongest possible arguments against the doctrines, dogmas and disciplines of the Catholic faith.But it seems positively perverse to expect that such a writer would call himself or herself Catholic. If I think Jesus was only a man with a social message, or that the resurrection is symbolic not historical, or that the Church was never established by Christ but is essentially a man-made construct, or that the Bishop of Rome has no more authority to establish doctrine than anyone else, I may be a genius and a brilliant scholar.What I am not is Catholic.And that's not being mean--that's simply trying to preserve any meaning that the word Catholic might have.If Collins is Catholic, so are Billy Graham and John Calvin and Gandhi for that matter.

I applaud the Church for its treatment of dissenting scholars.It reminds them of what the Church teaches and asks them to clarify how their new theology or dissent is reconciliable to the faith as it is known through the magisterium.It gives them every opportunity to embrace orthodoxy.But when they refuse to do so, it recognizes the enormous assault on the faith created by having priests and theologians purporting to be Catholic making public statements that deny or contradict central tenets of the faith.What is the average lay Catholic supposed to think whenhe sees a "Catholic" theologian in the newspaper, a theologian holding a professorship at a Catholic college, making claims against the divinity of Christ or the teaching against abortion?The Church wisely recognizes that such a figure creates a scandal (in the old theological sense of the word--i.e., that the person engages in behavior that undermines other people's faith).She gives the dissenter every opportunity to affirm the orthodox position, but if the dissenter insists on keeping up the assault on Truth (as the Church sees it), the Church can hardly be obligated--and would in fact be irresponsible--to keep such a person in a position where he or she teaches others the faith.

I'd think whether one was Catholic or not, one could see that no organization of any kind is obligated to hire people whose mission is to bring down the organization.The notion that a defense of the faith is synonymous with censorship or an assault on academic freedom is ludicrous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A History of Papal Power
This book is written for students of Church History and Scholars who need a refresher in the area of the role of the Pope throughout history. Paul Collins takes the reader from the foundation of the office of the Pope in the biblical texts to an explaination of what Pope John Paul II has done in his time governing the Catholic Church.

As a Catholic convert from fundamental Protestantism and an apologist I found this text very helpful in reaffirming a visible, universal church authority as opposed to a local induvidual authority.

For a less serious scholar or one specifically seeking arguments for the leadership of the Church from scripture and history I would suggest the book of the same name by Stephen Ray published by Ignatius Press. ... Read more

Product Description

While lunching one day in Paris, long-time friends and collaborators John Armstrong and Paul Collins drew up a list of 49 random words that would become the subjects of a series of photographs.

Armstrong shot in their native Canada, and Collins in France, where he has been living these past 20 years. When the 98 images are paired - which photographer took each one is never identified - they explore the blurred edges of North American and European culture, of the familiar and the exotic, of shared and individual experiences.

The pairs of photos are augmented by a series of textual responses - some in English, some in French - to the 49 words. The passages act more as complements to the photos than as captions, providing an anecdotal context for the photographers and their project.

The photographs were exhibited at Toronto's Robert Birch Gallery and the Art Gallery of Sudbury, Ontario, in summer 2002, and will be shown in Caen, France, and Erfurt, Germany, in 2003.

Customer Reviews (1)

Someone at the publisher was not paying attention
The first page of text in this book nominally about Israel is a map showing "Palestine," apparently covering all of Israel as well as the West Bank.The word "Israel" does not appear on the page.The third page of text describes Tel Aviv as a city with "huge rubbish dumps, and the rivers are full of pollution."The nominal protagonist of the book, an Israeli girl named Ella, is thankful for the "double-glazed windows in our apartment, and we could not sleep at night without them" because of the "noise and pollution," which "make it a difficult place to live."Is this the first (and practically the only) thing that a reader should know about Tel Aviv?Where was the editor here? ... Read more