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Rating: 
Summary: The greatest leaps of faith
Review: As Wofgang Smith put it, "we are told dogmatically that Evolution is an established fact; but we are never told who has established it, and by what means. We are told, often enough, that the doctrine is founded upon evidence, and that indeed this evidence 'is henceforward above all verification, as well as being immune from any subsequent contradiction by experience;' but we are left entirely in the dark on the crucial question wherein, precisely, this evidence consists.". That is, many gaps remain. One example among others is the fossil record. When looking at fossil record gaps, Eldredge concludes that "[T]here are all sorts of gaps: absence of gradationally intermediate 'transitional' forms between species, but also between larger groups -- between, say, families of carnivores, or the orders of mammals. In fact, the higher up the Linnaean hierarchy you look, the fewer transitional forms there seem to be." In the same vein, Padian states simply that "[T]ransitions between major groups of organisms ... are difficult to establish in the fossil record." For its part Raup observes that "... we are now about 120 years after Darwin, and knowledge of the fossil record has been greatly expanded ... ironically, we have even fewer examples of evolutionary transition than we had in Darwin's time. By this I mean that some of the classic cases of darwinian change in the fossil record, such as the evolution of the horse in North America, have had to be discarded or modified as a result of more detailed information ....". Another kind of gap, also related to the fossil record, has to do with the transition from micro to macroevolution. Its well known that microevolution, along with some macroevolution takes place. But the fact remains, as Wesson notices, that "[L]arge evolutionary innovations are not well understood. None has ever been observed, and we have no idea whether any may be in progress. There is no good fossil record of any."
To avoid this and other problems we see Dawkins and other evolutionary scientists resorting to retorical devices such as the well known "naturalism of the gaps" fallacy, the "chance of the gaps" fallacy, "just-so stories" (like "this is the way it could have happened"), "leaps of faith" that would make Soren Kierkegard blush, and a reading of Occham's razor that when apropriately squeezed comes down to "as long as we can keep using all these retorical devices, we will keep ignoring all evidence of intelligent design in the universe, even when it stares us in the eye". Speaking of leaps of faith, Eldredge and Tattersall, state that "We are faced more with a great leap of faith that gradual, progressive adaptive change underlies the general pattern of evolutionary change we see in the rocks than any hard evidence."
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Summary: A different view
Review: In "Red Strangers," the reader is introduced to an African Kikuyu village. The people and their life are described in detail.In the early 20th century, Europeans started to settle in Kenya and the way of life that had served the Kikuyu for centuries was changed forever in a short time. In this book, everything is seen through the eyes of the Africans. It gives a different view of colonization.
Rating:
Summary: A different view
Review: In "Red Strangers," the reader is introduced to an African Kikuyu village. The people and their life are described in detail. In the early 20th century, Europeans started to settle in Kenya and the way of life that had served the Kikuyu for centuries was changed forever in a short time. In this book, everything is seen through the eyes of the Africans. It gives a different view of colonization.
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Summary: Read this book before you go!
Review: Red Strangers offers an intriguing view of the colonization of East Africa. How puzzling it must have been to be "discovered" when your family has lived in the same place for generations! The unique and often humorous depiction of the white colonials is compelling. I found myself drawn into the voice and whether accurate or not, certainly offers a fresh and empathetic perspective. I read this book while on safari in Kenya and recommend it as a "must read" to any visitor to East Africa. Read it in conjunction with the classics - Out of Africa and the Flame Trees of Thika - the books fill in the blanks for one another.
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Summary: Not a book for someone who has trouble remembering names.
Review: The book Red Strangers is about a savannah tribe and the people in it. It focuses on one family in particular in which there are two boys, (this is where the names get mixed up) the older son is Muthengi, and the younger on is Matu. Muthengi is a warrior, where as Matu was sick as a boy, and he never really fully recovered. This book demonstrates the concept of ethnocentism, because the white people judge the tribes way of life by their own standards and don't even give the tribes people a chance. The tribesmen spend alot of time slaughtering goats, and going on journeys.
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Summary: Worst book ever
Review: This book was really confusing and I do not recommend it for young adults.
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