How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V.F. Cordova
Edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, Ted Jojola, and Amber Lacy
Foreword by Linda Hogan

The University of Arizona Press, published 12/6/2007
$19.95 paperback, ISBN: 978-0-8165-2649-9

Reviewed by Tina Velgos, Managing Editor, The ReviewZone.com

After reading this book, which goes deep into the soul of V.F. Cordova, I will look at my world a little differently.

Living in Arizona, it is hard not to be inspired by our Native Americans. Although I did not know V.F. Cordova personally, this well-written book (superbly edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, Ted Jojola, and Amber Lacy) gave me a window into the soul of Violet Cordova, the first Native American woman to receive a Ph.D in philosophy.

In resounding words, the editors of this book compiled the works of V.F. Cordova, who left this world too soon. Sadly, she passed in November, 2002, at the age of 65. Although she was the natural mother of 5 children, she embraced her world and offered others endless insights into “how it is” in this world. Her works, however, have left a true wealth of knowledge. Whether she inspired you as a former college student, whether you were lucky enough to hear her lectures, or as a reader of this book, or you knew her as a friend, this book shares her insights, her desires, her questions, her passions, her challenges. Although she is no longer with us, her words live on.

The book begins with a brief, but brilliant, foreword by Linda Hogan who pulled one of the most relevant quotes out of the book. Like inspiring poetry, it read:
“I am always on my way home.
There is the breathing landscape, the wind.”

It was an inspirational quote by V.F. Cordova, an Apache philosopher, the daughter of a Hispanic, Catholic mother and a Jicarilla Apache father, raised in Colorado and New Mexico. Her name was Viola Cordova and her words will remain with us forever, even though this Jicarilla Apache/Hispanic woman, the first Native American Woman to receive a Ph.D in philosophy (University of New Mexico), left this earth way too soon. She was powerful, and her powerful words will live on, and continue to inspire generations of people who call Earth their home.

Her impact on this world will not be forgotten, as captured by this book, which looks into her writings and her philosophies of the past and present. She reminds us that the future that doesn’t exist without our decisions and actions. This book, which is available as a cloth book and a paperback and published by The University of Arizona Press, is a “must read” for anyone interested in exploring diverse thoughts of the world and its people, including the Native American philosophy. You can meet V.F. Cordova through her thoughts and words by reading this wonderful book.

As a former professor (she held many faculty positions) at the University of Alaska, Oregon State University, Colorado State University, Lakehead University, most recently,Idaho State University, Dr. Viola Cordova prompted students to think outside their circular world. She was co-founder of two journals, and three articles, and now, the subject of a book which explores her own Native American philosophy.

She asked questions where no answers were incorrect, yet by her reading her words or listening to her discussions, inspired much philosophical thoughts. Students were typically asked, among other things, to ponder three questions, which the book explores in detail.
They are:
1. “What is the world?”
2. “What is a human being?”
3. “What is the role of a human being in this world?”

Like an unrelenting hot wind whipping through the desert, brushing the trees and bushes, and swirling dirt furiously into the air, reading this book gave me the next best thing in spending an afternoon with V.F. Cordova. Not only was she a philosopher, but a gifted painter. I can imagine her swirling thoughts embraced by bold strokes, and vivid colors. Yet V.F. Cordova had a special softness, so it could be a world of pastels that she threw on canvas.I have not seen any of her paintings yet, but hope to one day.

She tells us of her complete circle of life. She lets us gaze into the circle of her world, which is simple, yet complex. Her words inspire further discussion. They are words of hope, of challenge, of emotion. Anger, powerful words, provocative thought, it has been successfully captured by this book. It is hard to walk away from this book, once you start reading it. If you are a philosophy student, this would be prerequisite in any class I taught on the subject. You will keep her book, and not discard it. Her words can be applied to our world, which we share with others. Her worlds will challenge you to think in a different way. Will you agree or choose to disagree? You, alone, will determine that.

She weaves magical stories of her past, yet embraces the present, and challenges the future. Her value system was “built around the concept of a human being that says that all humans are equal and therefore deserving of respect.” She questions who she is, and encourages others to look around and see their world for what it is. Her words have personally inspired me beyond most others.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for something to stimulate your thoughts and enlighten you about the world we live in. This book could be added to any college philosophy curriculum, and would be an asset to any philosophy studies, whether personal or at school.

Could you survive in a world that is different from “the one you have been prepared for?” To me, V.F. Cordova’s questions make me realize that interpretation is vital in this world. Each one of us has their own perspectives on the world. Reading V.F. Cordova’s perspective promotes insight into your own. She does not ask you to change. Her thoughts will provoke you to challenge your very own beliefs.

We should “celebrate and honor” our differences and yes, we can learn from them about how we choose to live.

I especially enjoyed the chapter, Bounded Space, in which V.F. Cordova discusses The Four Directions, which are very symbolic to Native Americans, and made more sense than our North American views of sense of place and ownership. The word, “boundaries” will forever remind me of Dr. Cordova’s discussion of it and how the sanctity of the Native American’s Four Directions is applied to this world. I loved her insight on the differences between Europeans and Native Americans in instinct vs. “rightful homes.”

I would enjoy reviewing a book of V.F. Cordova’s art, as she was a fine painter, as well. She paints a picture with her words. I can only imagine her art, which would stimulate the words she crafted so well.

This book has done a thorough job in capturing V.F. Cordova’s words of wisdom and her open questions will, again, live on and shed light to this world as future generations of students and adults explore her words in this book, whether they are Native Americans or Europeans.

In summary, this book is thought-provoking and encourages others to see Native Americans and to honor their identities, their cultures, their languages, and their cultures. We should continue on with the works of V.F. Cordova in cherishing our Earth together and helping the Native Americans continue to “maintain an identity, a culture, a language, and most of all, the obligation to speak up.”

You will remember her prophetic words at the end of the book, “I am not that” and her beliefs of alternative ways of “seeing, interpreting and explaining the world.”

This book, How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V.F. Cordova has earned The Review Zone.com’s highest recommendations.

For reprint rights or if you wish to use excerpts of this review, please know this review is copyrighted material and is owned by the review author at TheReviewZone.com. Please contact me at TheReviewZone@cox.net for further information about reprint rights.

Five years ago, gamers rejoiced at the release of Super Smash Bros. Melee. It was considered to be the highlight of the Gamecube platform itself, and has accumulated massive response from the players. The mechanics of the game were studied- advanced techniques were found, tournaments created. People played the game almost religiously.

Brawl is expected to have even more effect.

From Nintendo and Game Arts comes this new smash hit (Pun not intended!) for the Nintendo Wii. In the late January release to Japan, one million copies were sold within the first week. This may have been the most anticipated game all year for the Wii, and many people are finding that it was well worth the wait. It’s true that Brawl had to suffer a few pushbacks to March 9th. While not flawless, many aspects were enhanced in this time.

Now if you’re new to the Smash Bros. series- you may be wondering what this game entails. Four player battles set on various stages are what you’ll find, orchestrated to vivid music. Smash isn’t like usual fighting games though, where you just beat the other person until they run out of health. Each character has a percent under their name when fighting. After every hit, blow, swing and slash that percent will rise higher and higher. The higher your percent- the easier attacks will hit you off the stage, ending your stock life.

That’s the general concept of Smash Bros. There are two major types of attacks that every character has access to. The normal attacks, used with the A button; and the special attacks associated with the B button. If you push the control stick up, down, left or right while holding A- you perform a smash attack. A smash attack is a higher damaging move that can be charged up. These attacks vary for every character, each with their unique moveset. The B attacks are the character’s signature moves. Usually more flashy and situational, Up B moves tend to be stage recovery and so forth.

Luckily for those who spent so much time on Melee, you can still use your precious Nintendo Gamecube controller to play Brawl! Four different control schemes are supported in the game, and nearly every button of these can be customized to whatever function you wish. Aside from the Gamecube controller, you may use a Wiimote and nunchuk combination, the classic controller, or even just the Wiimote held sideways. Find the one that suits you best, then start practicing.

The first thing I want to mention about Brawl is the new adventure mode: The Subspace Emissary. If you don’t have friends over to start up multiplayer, this will probably be the first thing you start in Brawl since completing the SSE unlocks every character. The highlights of this heightened adventure mode are the cinematic sequences and the chance to test every character through it. Lasting anywhere from 8-12 hours, The Subspace Emissary can seem repetitive after the first hour or so. SSE is a side scrolling adventure to race to the end and find the doors completing the stage- while collecting stickers and trophies, and defeating the same five or six monsters again and again.

The trophies are the same as the last game- collect them by getting certain achievements, or just finding them in the world. Now there’s a system using stickers to boost your character’s attributes in Subspace. It’s unnecessary, you can still do fine without the use of any of them.

And of course, the multiplayer..that’s the shining beauty of the Smash. Bros name. With improved graphics, grand masterpiece music playing in the background, and 35 characters in total to choose from- fighting against your friends has never been better. Now, we all know that we can’t spend every waking minute with someone to play video games. Nintendo made an effort to solve that with Brawl’s WiFi capabilities. That’s right- you can still play your friend even when you’re at your separate homes.

The Brawl WiFi is split into two categories. With Friends and With Anyone. Every copy of Brawl has a unique twelve digit number known as the friend code, used to swap with a buddy for exclusive fighting. Some are turned off by the thought of tediously entering in numbers to add a friend, as apposed to a Gamer Tag used by the Xbox360. While this is true that it’s a slight bit more work if you will, it allows more privacy than granted through Xbox Live.

Of course, you can always try to pick a fight with random people online too. The only problem currently is that Nintendo’s servers can’t quite handle all its customers trying to use this function at once. The matches that you can try are two minute timed matches, and can even be fought in teams. Two minutes is arguably short for a Brawl match- but that’s why you get the people you really want to fight as friends.

A major issue with WiFi is the lag that users are receiving during online matches. Based on your internet connection, and your physical distance from the other players, delay may worm its way into gameplay slowing down movement. Whether this is a permanent issue or not has yet to be said, but there still are plenty of lag-free matches occurring. I’ve personally found that players on the east coast of the United States bring in more lag than the ones from California may- and the friends who live within ten or twenty miles play almost flawlessly.

Playing with friends is very similar to being with them in person. You can choose the type of match, pick the stage, determine what items can be used at what frequencies. You can’t use custom stages made by yourself though. Yes that’s right, I seem to have forgotten to mention that you can build your very own stages now! There’s a lot of possibility with that one, and in time I’m sure that great battlefields will be invented.

For many people out there this was the very reason that they bought a Wii. It was a valid investment for such a game- this may be the most well known and popular game the Wii will see.

I couldn’t believe the news story the other day about how doctors have coined a new word to express the growing concern and supposed injuries and pain that SOME Wii users experience while gaming. It’s getting Wii-diculous! They’re calling it “Wii-itis” and it’s probably not hyphenated. So, here’s the deal. If you’re throwing out your elbow and shoulders or straining your back playing games on the Wii, do you think it could mean you might need some real exercise? Seriously, the Wii is used as a strengthening exercise by physical therapists across the country, but it really wasn’t meant to be your own form of exercise. If it is your only form of exercise, GET A LIFE!!

So instead of complaining to your doctor about your case of “Wii-itis”, it might be time to examine the time you spend in front of the computer, or the television set. The Wii isn’t a game where you can sit, like a couch potato. It does require some physical dexterity but use some common sense before you get into the next boxing match or tennis game on the Wii. S-T-R-E-T-C-H and warm up your muscles before you start punching, jabbing, whacking, and hitting virtual objects with your Wii. And, don’t forget to use the Wii strap, which really does work.

Wii are very happy with the Wii and the great assortment of games it offers players. Take 2 Tylenol and start your stretching program to warm up your muscles or walk around the block before you do your serious workout playing games video games on the Wii. But calling it “Wii-itis” is a low blow!! Get with the program and get in shape!!! It’s not the Wii, it’s you!

It seems that time just flies when you’re playing the Nintendo Wii. The handhelds can’t compete with the Wii. The Wii can’t compete with Playstation 3 or that other Microsoft product. Wii continue to be impressed, despite ridiculous stories that pop in the media about players who lose control of the Wii remote and break their TV sets. Wii think they’re trying to get Nintendo to divvy up some major change–perhaps hoping the deep pockets at Nintendo will buy them a pricey plasma screen TV because their little brat supposedlly threw their precious Wii remote into the TV set having a tantrum. The Wii is not and should not be used as a babysitter. Especially with little kids, be a responsible adult and supervise the kids.

Wii hope Nintendo’s lawyers stand behind their solid product. Wii is the perfect video gaming platform. It’s safe, it’s the user who has the problems! In the interim, we’re gathering up a bunch of Wii games to let you know what we think of them. It’s pretty safe to say that most Wii games do not disappoint. Here’s to a Wiimarkable New Year–2008!! It’s gotta be great!! Thanks for reading The Review Zone.com

Start your summer with a bang with Mario and his gang!For one of the hottest entertainment tickets around, don’t miss Nintendo’s Mario Party 8 (Wii). This party game will rock you as you play with motion control–steering hot cars, go-karts, and fun vehicles, rowing down a river in a super-hyper race, walking a tightrope while balancing a pole, and more!Rated E for Everyone, there’s mild cartoon violence but anyone who knows anything about video games will tell you that Mario Party is one of Nintendo’s best selling games and the fact that Mario Party continues to sell nearly 6.5 million games in the USA makes this a huge winner for Nintendo and their loyal fans. Mario Party has always been a winner with The Review Zone!

Besides new characters and boards, you’ll get to use the Wii remote in clever way. Motion-sensitive, the Wii remote lets you steer a wheel, operate a boat paddle, or point as you decorate, compete in games, or wage a war against ghosties in a haunted house!

Highly interactive and a great energy source for a real or virtual party, this will be a hot game for your next party with friends whether you’re a kid or a grown-up. Hey, school’s almost out for summer! What a concept!

Dozens of mini-games will have you burning calories as you wield your Wii to success as you beat the competition (mini-games bring out the competitive spirit in anyone semi-serious about gaming)! This comic slugfest is full of fun for most or all of your family!

Wild and definitely crazy, this game lets you shake a can of cola (think your fave brand) and not have to clean up a sticky, gooey mess. Just try not to do in real life, unless you have a maid with time on her hands!

Our favorite? Shooting down ghosties in a haunted house that’ll have you being a hero in no time at all! Think monsters under the bed in a whole new light!!

As always, the Nintendo creative team has outdone themselves with another smash hit–I predict Mario Party 8 will boost sales this summer, considering the timing of the launch just perfect for the end of school PARTIES!! If you’re looking for a hot graduation gift for your favorite gamer, get
Mario Party 8! You’ll thank me later.

So, come along and join the party with a hyped up, energetic, and always hilarious Mario, the delightful Peach and the rest of the gang (including some new characters to spice it up!) as they hit a carnival. Surprises are key to the mini-games and keep your Wii remote hopping with motion control, by pointing, and using the buttons to jump, hop, and run. Lots of action awaits you and your friends in each mini-game–also six new party boards, new game modes and an exciting feature: the ability to transform your character into objects and things (like vampires and boulders). A fresh spin on a format that works well!

Why should you buy this game? This is loaded with exciting mini-games and who can resist Mario Party? Forget the boring board games! Instead, twist and turn it into a digital, interactive romp with tons of mini-games and boards. Search for stars, play one, two, or three or four player modes, and celebrate the power of Wii.

Enjoy as you and your buddies use candy power-ups to transform their characters! Wait until you see Peach transform into a Peach-faced ball!! It’s hilarious! Get Wario to snack on some Vampire Candy and the dude grows wings and flies off to suck coins from the other players!! You gotta get Mario Party 8 (releases May 29, 2007) to understand the intricacies of the games. Definitely worth the $49.99 (MSRP) and we loved every second of game play—it’s one of those games that you’ll play over and over again. Scores high on creativity, replayability and zany entertainment!

For hard-core gamers (this game is rated T for TEEN for blood, language, and violence) looking for a fast and furious combat game, this is it!

Activision’s Call of Duty 3 (MSRP $49.99 for the Nintendo Wii) is an RPG (role-playing game) that puts you in the middle of World War II. Intense and very cinematic, the graphics are brutal, as is the game. This game was developed by the folks at Treyarch.

This game is not for kids. It is Wii friendly (remember: keep those wrist staps on your wrist where they belong) while you fight alongside your squadron in the Normandy Breakout–a majorly defended French countryside in a mega-assault to liberate Paris. This is the war that helped the Allies tighten the line to Berlin.

You can role-play by assuming one of four roles–playing as an American, British, Canadian, or Polish soldier. High-def graphics will give you a blood curdling feel as you thrust yourself into combat action. This game is very intense and cold. It is truly a war sim.

You can also play team-based multiplayer with vehicles. You can play as infantry or you can commandeer tanks, jeeps, and motorcycles with side cars. Call it an all-out virtual assault. You can choose between a variety of soldier classes, with class specific abilities, and a ranking system for diversified squad combat.

This truly “next-gen” game gives you multiple methods to confront the enemy. You choose the strategy and special tactics. Snipe, demo, or head-to-head battles are all possibilities as you dig-in for one of the most explosive and violent games to hit the market.

The Wii remote will serve as a steady rifle, and you can swing the Nunchuk to drop grenades with your motions. The Wii can also be jabbed to get your enemy with the butt of your rifle. These controllers will help you man vehicles through terror-filled paths and wind up explosives. This game is not for the faint of heart.

Again, my recommendation is to steer away from this game for kids and those of us who are sensitive to war issues. This is for hard core gamers who love violence and blood and a truly “next gen” war sim.

The Nintendo Wii is perfectly safe. That is, if you play the games like you’re supposed to. If you monkey around with the wrist strap, then you shouldn’t be playing with the Nintendo Wii.

After hours of testing this product, The Review Zone.com testers have had nothing but high praise for this wireless wonder. Not one problem with the wrist strap…Ever. Potentially hundreds of gaming hours behind us, we can say that for a fact.

No one at The Review Zone.com has played like a moron with it. Obviously, there are consumers out there who have problems. They are playing the blame game with Nintendo and now, in order to be proactive in the gaming community, Nintendo of America has agreed to voluntarily recall 3.2 MILLION straps to replace them with a tougher strap. I hope the folks at Sony and Microsoft think this is funny, because it’s a costly move that will set Nintendo back several MILLION dollars. Of course, don’t let it distract from the real winner—Nintendo’s Wii. You can take your PlayStation 3 and your Xbox 360. None of them has the wide variety of games available that Nintendo Wii does!

With this said, if you’re one of the paranoid consumers who think there’s something wrong with the wrist strap, you can go to the Nintendo web site and enter in information to get a replacement strap. You can also exchange the strap at your local Nintendo service center.

I think the recall is Wii-diculous. If you think that you can be reckless by violently swinging your arms in the air (think: monkey) and you expect to score a new TV or something because there was something wrong with the wrist strap, you have serious problems, buddy.

Technically, Nintendo will be upgrading the width of the strap to a heavier duty strap that is 0.04 inches diameter. Are Wii happy now?

Play fair, Sony and Microsoft. Don’t ruin a totally wicked gaming experience for the folks who enjoy the Wii. I give Nintendo credit where credit is due. Without name-calling, they have stepped to the plate to rectify a potential problem that really hasn’t materialized. There are so many analogies I could make here, but I won’t.

I want to believe that, for the most part, people are good. People are honest. Right?

Just remember a few things. Tell them the good gamers at The Review Zone.com care about your gaming habits.

1. Don’t be an idiot when you play games.
2. Don’t drink and game.
3. Don’t monkey around with the Wii and expect Nintendo to pay your bills for being a moron.

That said, have fun gaming on the Wii. We’re positive that the Wii is the best wireless gaming platform available this year.

Wii– love it or leave it alone!

Ubisoft’s silly action-packed game, Rayman Raving Rabbids, proves that edgy is good. Sure, it’s wacky and silly, but if you’re looking for mindless entertainment that is innovative as hell, pick this one for your kids. You’ll be a totally cool parent, that’s for sure!

With an MSRP of $49.99, this fun-filled adventure involves hordes of (you guessed it!) nasty bunnies invading Rayman’s world. Insanely funny..yes. Throw a cow, milk a pig, you’re talking action–Rayman style. There’s something cute about crazy bunnies.

Most of this game involves bunnysitting–you know, entertain the bunnies and unlock new gaming worlds. Collect cool items for Rayman’s new digs. If you want to free the dude (Rayman), you’ve gotta entertain the tail off the bunnies (gently, now, we’re talking silly wabbits) and if you want to know the meaning of out of control, you’ve gotta play this one!

According to the experts at Ubisoft, there are over “70 trials in unique, stylized worlds.” What this means to you is that the good gaming folks at Ubisoft have jam-packed this game with witty game play. You can run races on animals (humanely), jostle in the arena, or even get in some plunger-shooting action. I kid you not!

Rated E for Everyone, keep the toilet plungers secure in your house when the kids play Rayman Raving Rabbids. They’ll be fighting with toilet plungers as they take this game to the next level. You can prevent that! It may get ugly.

This would be a great party game (up to 4 players) and perfect to ring in the New Year with. Cheers, and get that rabbid!

This is one of the better games for the Wii wand—with all the innovative moves the game offers. Be sure to tell your kids that using the wrist strap on the Wii is a really good thing. Some morons have decided to forego the use of the wrist strap and duh, that’s not such a good thing. I know you guys are smarter than that—the Wii is a totally safe gaming device. Just keep it simple and wear the wrist strap and don’t let your kids sit 3 to a couch. That’s just stupid! Allow for ample room for maximum gaming!!

So, if you want wacky and wild, go for it! If you’ve got a good sense of humor, here’s your game! Laughing is good for you. There’s nothing better than hearing the laughter of your gamers! Break out the bubbly, Rayman Raving Rabbids is a surefire winner to beat the holiday blues!! Throw a cow for me, would ya?! Lift with your knees…you’ll be fine. Seriously.

Just a note to all, this is not your serious RPG fighting game. If you couldn’t tell by the buck toothed bunny with a plunger in his rear, this game is more for laughs and party fun.

The storyline is pretty basic. Rayman was minding his own business having a picnic with his friends, when rabbits kidnap them! Rayman must compete in the rabbit’s stadium to save his friends, one mini game at a time.

By mini game, I mean basic games that are based upon Rayman stopping rabbits in some way. Games usually involve rabbits and plungers however, in all 70 ways that are available. I’d like to say no rabbits were harmed during this game, but plungers can be quite traumatic.

While this is a lighter toned game with a lessened story line, it has what seems to be a great multiplayer mode. I can’t say too much since I haven’t tested it; each player needs a Wii remote and Nunchuk. However, I’m almost sure that the minigames will be entertaining to compete with.

The controls vary for each mini game greatly. You might need to aim at something, or you might need to hold them in your hands and act like you’re running. There are many different set ups, but luckily the game will tell you how to play each one.

If you want a serious game to consume all your days, I wouldn’t suggest this. But if you want a funny game to easy some stress and to earn some laughs, then this is the jackpot.

So, Twilight Princess. One of the games most anticipated with the release of the Wii. Gamers everywhere have waited long for this, and they won’t be disappointed.

Twilight Princess has the most unique, hardest puzzles throughout the game. You have to think the extra step or two to figure it out most of the time, which adds all to the fun. I don’t reccomend using a strategy guide for this; it’s much more fun figuring it out yourself.

The graphics are great, although some people aren’t impressed compared to the fellow other new gen consoles. The Wii doesn’t have the best graphics; but it makes up for it with originality. You can even play the game on a 16×9 Widescreen setting if your television is capable.

And speaking of the Wii features, its quite unique indeed. You can target on screen with the use of a bow for example. It’s as easy as point and press, simple and easy. Of course, by swinging the Wii remote, you swing Link’s sword as well. A shake of the Nunchuk will make link do his spin attack, as most fans remember it.
The controls are very fun to work with, I honestly can’t see myself getting bored with them.

I’m not going to talk about the story, because thats why you buy the game. It’s a very interesting storyline; I’ll tell that much. Familiar characters return, and new characters are introduced. The game is rated T for violence and animated blood; I think responsible younger kids(But then again, how many of those are there?) should be able to play this game. It’s just the kids that’ll start hitting things around the house with fake swords you’ll want to keep an eye on.

So, hopefully this brief summary has helped you in your decision of this game; or even the Wii console itself. This game is for sure a must have for any Nintendo fan, or Wii owner.