Learning Spanish Like Crazy Light

Learning Spanish Like Crazy Light
Average customer rating:

a language tyro

BUY THIS IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SPANISH

Great Spanish Course Focusing on Pronunciation and Common Useage

This course will have You speaking Spanish like a real native Spanish speaker

Not good for learning Spanish for vacation

Learning Spanish Like Crazy Light
Learning Like Crazy (Author)
Manufacturer: Learning Like Crazy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Spanish | Instruction | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
Spanish | Language Instruction | Languages | Books on CD | Formats | Books
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Easy Spanish Phrase Book: Over 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use (Dover Easy Phrase)

Learning Spanish Like Crazy Super Light

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ASIN: 0978609026

Product Description

Learning Spanish Like Crazy was developed to teach everyday conversational Latin American Spanish. The course was developed after the Founder of the course realized that the Spanish that he had learned from other self-study Spanish courses was completely different from the Spanish that he was hearing Spanish speakers speak in Latin America and the U.S. Unlike many other Spanish courses, Learning Spanish Like Crazy teaches you how to speak real everyday conversational Latin American Spanish as opposed to "textbook" or formal Spanish. The course is all audio. The Light version of Learning Spanish Like Crazy consists of the first 16 lessons of Level I Learning Spanish Like Crazy. The complete Level I of Learning Spanish Like Crazy has a total of 30 audio lessons.

Customer Reviews:

a language tyro.......2007-09-10

Learning spanish like crazy light is the first 14 lessons to the overall stage 1 program and is designed to be a sampler. However, it is a serious learning program and has been very well designed. Some of the choices of words are odd (e.g. "pillowcase" in the first lessons), but this is not a problem as each lesson builds very nicely on the previous. I am in the middle of using it and am very happy with my choice of program (though I have not tried some of the other comparable programs). I have never been able to learn languages in the past but do feel that I am making real progress now - and, in the form of spanish I want to speak - latin American (though ? which part(s) I have no idea). Best of all, I am doing it in my car while stuck in the usual commute - I am not even bothered by traffic any longer as it gives time for me to carry out a complete lesson (30-40 minutes) in one journey.

I will definitely be buying the rest of the program once I master these first lessons and recommend the program to anyone wanting to speak spanish with people on the american continents.

BUY THIS IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SPANISH.......2007-05-27

I did a lot of research before buying these CDs. Anna Rivera's review helped a lot and pushed me over the edge.

I took 2 years of high school Spanish, 12 weeks of an evening immersion course and 2 weeks of Spanish immersion living with a Mexican family in Cuernava and attended immersion University daily. Sounds pretty good......but I learned more from the first CD in terms of actually functioning Spanish speaking then from all of the above. Its fun and easy. Before you know it you will be speaking Spanish Like Crazy. Highly recommended.

Great Spanish Course Focusing on Pronunciation and Common Useage.......2007-05-06

I haven't gone through all 8 discs yet but after throughly learning disc one, I think this "light" course is comprehensive, and will greatly help me communicate with confidence in Spanish. My need is mostly for travel.

This course will have You speaking Spanish like a real native Spanish speaker.......2007-04-03

After trying several Spanish course I can say that this one is among the best. The web site for this product makes it clear that it is NOT a product that was designed for the traveler in mind. It was designed for the learner that wants to learn useful and practical Spanish that is the same Spanish that native speakers use in normal day-to-day communication. On the web site the founder of the method says that it is not designed for the learner that just "wants to learn enough Spanish to be able to order a margarita when he takes his next trip to Cancun." I have to agree. This course is only for the person that wants to eventually speak Spanish fluently. And for that purpose this course does an excellent job. You will probably want to get either the complete CD package or buy the downloadable version at their site. This light version is just enough to give you a sense of what their method is like and tease you into buying the full version.

Not good for learning Spanish for vacation.......2007-03-27

I picked this to learn Spanish for trip to Mexico. This series of CDs didn't teach me the basics I needed to learn for being on vacation. I thought Pinsleur which I bought for Italy was better for teaching for vacation. Now if you wish to learn Spanish for like everyday conversing, this might possibly be OK.

How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead: Your Words in Print and Your Name in Lights

Average customer rating:

My new favorite writing book
A warning and some advice
Not your typical writers guide!
Another Ariel Gore Hit...
This little book is a delight.

How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead: Your Words in Print and Your Name in Lights
Ariel Gore
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authorship | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 030734648X
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

This may come as a shock, but brilliant writing and clever wordplay do not a published author make. True, you’ll actually have to write if you want to be a writer, but ultimately literary success is about much more than putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys). Before you snap your pencil in half with frustration, please consider the advice writer, teacher, and self-made lit star Ariel Gore offers in this useful guide to realizing your literary dreams.

If you find yourself writing when you should be sleeping and scribbling notes on odd pieces of paper at every stoplight, you might as well enjoy the fruits of your labor. How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead is an irreverent yet practical guide that combines solid writing advice with guerrilla marketing and promotion techniques guaranteed to launch you into print—and into the limelight. You’ll learn how to:

• Reimagine yourself as a buzz-worthy artist and entrepreneur
• Get your work and your name out in the world where other people can read it
• Be an anthology slut and a brazen self-promoter
• Apply real-world advice and experience from lit stars like Dave Barry, Susie Bright, and Dave Eggers to your own career

Cheaper than an M.F.A. but just as informative, How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead is your catapult to lit stardom. Just don’t forget to thank Ariel Gore for her inspiring, hands-on plan in the acknowledgments page of your first novel!

Customer Reviews:

My new favorite writing book.......2007-09-07

It's funny, it's true, it's irreverent, and it's one of the best new books on writing and publishing available. (Literary snobs won't agree, but who asked them?) I've got three shelves crammed with writing books, and while most are pretty good, they all offer the same safe advice. Gore stresses the importance of marketing and promoting yourself and getting your stuff OUT THERE -- even if it means self-publishing your poems on a copy machine or posting a humor column in the PTA newsletter. While Gore's clear, take-no-prisoners style will appeal mostly to the young and the hip, I'm recommending this book to everyone in my writing workshops, no matter how old (or un-hip) they are. -Cindy La Ferle

A warning and some advice.......2007-08-18

If obscenity bothers you, look elsewhere. Better yet, do yourself a favor and get over it - this book is outrageously good! It's like having coffee or a beer with the kind of friend who loves you enough to kick you out of the rut you've dragged yourself into. Ariel Gore writes with bold, active passion. If you take it to heart, How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead will teach you to do the same.

Not your typical writers guide!.......2007-07-30

Ariel Gore's "How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead" is not your typical writing handbook. Filled with funny antecdotes, sometimes subversive humor, and an overall supportive tone, Gore has managed to write a book that, should we follow her advice, can only lead to success in writing.

Even if you have no aspirations to writerly famedom, Gore's book is a must read. Gore's book includes a mix of straightforward advice with interviews of other writers and stories -- both funny and serious -- from her own writing life. She is at once witty and intelligent without being smug or "holier than thou."

I found Gore's book insipired and have taken much of her advice to heart and I encourage you to do the same. If nothing else, you'll have fun reading this book! The layout ranges from how-to chapters to interviews to advice columns. The only way you could possibly be bored reading this book is if you skip everything between the first and last pages, and even then, you'll still find something interesting! Read it...then go write Ariel Gore a thank you note for her hard work and her willingness to share her experiences with us all!

Another Ariel Gore Hit..........2007-07-29

I've loved Gore's work since the very first Hip Mama book, when I was pregnant with my first child. Gore's release of How to Become a Famous Writer dovetailed with the start of my freelance writing career (Hey, Ariel Gore - are you following me?).

This book is just like her other titles: irreverent, funny, and down-to-earth. But it's on a topic that's relevant to anyone with the writing bug, not just fans of her previous titles. She talks about the more unconventional ways of publishing, including chapbooks, zines, and self-published books. With this book, you'll be grabbing Fame by the horns and wrasslin' it into becoming your pet.

Of coure, we can't all write just like Ariel Gore, which is unfortunate. It would definitely increase our chances of famous writerhood.

If you want to be both informed AND entertained, check out How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead.

This little book is a delight........2007-06-09

Got a postcard at school advertising a book on journalism. Before I tossed it (I'm retiring -- what do I need another book on journalism for?) I turned it over. There was a picture of Ariel Gore's book, with a brief blurb. I was intrigued and ordered it via amazon when I got home. What a gift to myself it turned out to be. I needed this boost. I've wanted to write for years, and resigned myself to the comments written on students' papers and my own online forum. After reading just the first couple of chapters, I know there are no excuses. I consider this book a godsend. Fun to read, beautifully written, wise and wonderful. Thank you, Ariel Gore!

Average customer rating:

Good Product For Price
great
Still The Best for Learning Real Conversational Spanish and Developing a Close-to-Perfect Accent
Awesome for developing a real Latin American Accent and Mastering Spoken Spanish
Native Spanish Instructor: "The Best Course For Learning Real Latin American Spanish"

Learning Spanish Like Crazy Super Light
Inc. Learning Like Crazy
Manufacturer: Learning Like Crazy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Easy Spanish Phrase Book: Over 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use (Dover Easy Phrase)
Learning Spanish Like Crazy Light
Speaking Spanish Like a Native
1001 Most Useful Spanish Words (Beginners' Guides)
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ASIN: 0978609034

Product Description

Learning Spanish Like Crazy was developed to teach everyday conversational Latin American Spanish. The course was developed after the Founder of the course realized that the Spanish that he had learned from other self-study Spanish courses was completely different from the Spanish that he was hearing Spanish speakers speak in Latin America and the U.S. Unlike many other Spanish courses, Learning Spanish Like Crazy teaches you how to speak real everyday conversational Latin American Spanish as opposed to "textbook" or formal Spanish. The course is all audio. The Super Light Version of Learning Spanish Like Crazy consists of the first 8 lessons of Level I Learning Spanish Like Crazy. The complete Level I of Learning Spanish Like Crazy has a total of 30 audio lessons.

Customer Reviews:

Good Product For Price.......2007-08-07

I am using this CD primarily in my car as well as in a CD Walkman. I have learned alot from just the 1st 5 lessons. I am a Latina who grew up around Mexican spanish, so this has definatley helped me to learn the language more than just a textbook would. I am recognizing words and phrases I hear in conversations, on TV, as well as when I go to the Mexican markets.

great.......2007-01-12

I wanted to learn Spanish. I purchased this CD set and am now into the fifth lesson. I can actually understand words, phrases and even the beginning spoken paragraphs. I liked the way the course was taught I ordered the more difficult ones. Maybe in a year or so, I will be speaking and understanding some Spanish!

Still The Best for Learning Real Conversational Spanish and Developing a Close-to-Perfect Accent.......2006-12-26

This course is great for learning how to speak conversational Spanish. I have now tried several Spanish courses but this one remains my favorite. The others that I tried did teach me some Spanish. Not only have I learned more Spanish from this course in terms of vocabulary and grammar. With these CDs I never get the feeling that I am wasting time learning Spanish that is never spoken by Hispanics. Instead I feel as if I am learning useful Spanish that I can use to speak to Hispanics everyday.

And the all audio approach is also ideal for my lifestyle. Besides the fact that this approach teaches you real conversational Spanish and assures that you develop an excellent accent, the other strong point of this course is that it uses an easy and fun teaching method. This should be a required course for anyone that is looking to learn Spanish on thier own, achieve fluency, and speak the Spanish that Hispanics really speak.

Awesome for developing a real Latin American Accent and Mastering Spoken Spanish .......2006-08-09

I am another happy Amazon customer glad to see that Amazon is finally offering an affordable sampler of these Spanish lessons. I finished the complete level one or first 30 lessons of this course. And what it has enabled me to do is learn how to speak conversational Spanish and improve my accent so that it sounds authentic.

Before taking this course, I'd regularly get take-out at a nearby seafood restaurant and I'd always order the same thing. But whenever I placed my usual order and asked for shrimp and french fries in Spanish no matter which young Latino took my order, he would always read the words "shrimp" and "french fries" back to me in English. And then he'd ask me with his heavy Mexican accent is it "for here or to go?" and I'd either tell him "for here" or "to go" in Spanish, but he would always repeat my answer back to me in English.

I wasn't sure if he was trying to prove to me that he speaks better English than I speak Spanish or if my Spanish accent was so poor that he wasn't sure if I really knew what I was saying in Spanish and he wanted to tell me in English so that there would be no confusion when my order of food arrived.

But as I began working through the lessons of this course I noticed that the young Mexican workers in the same restaurant stopped reading my order back to me in Spanish and started reading back to me "camarones y papas fritas," repeating what I just said. Although they still ask me "for here or to go?" in English, when I answer "para llevar" or "para aqui," they'll repeat my answer back to me in Spanish.

Yesterday, one of the young men asked me in Spanish where did I learn Spanish and then we had a short conversation in Spanish about our families, work, hobbies and more. This may sound like little, if anything, to most people. But for someone that has been trying to learn this language for what seems like eternity, having native Spanish speakers naturally converse with me as if I am someone that has achieved proficiency has done wonders for my confidence level and motivation level.

I have used the full version of the course. I am very satisfied with the results.

I should warn you that this is not the full version of the course. This is the sampler consisting of only the first 8 lessons of the course. But it is a good place to start out just to be sure that the course fits your learning style before getting the full version.

Native Spanish Instructor: "The Best Course For Learning Real Latin American Spanish".......2006-08-03

As the editor of the Learning Spanish Products Reviews (LearningSpanishProductsReviews) site, one of my responsibilities is to review Spanish courses that are listed on Amazon. I am also a native Spanish speaker from Argentina and a professional private Spanish instructor.

I am glad that this company has finally added an inexpensive sampler version of its product to Amazon so that many others will have the chance to try this method out and learn how to speak real Latin American Spanish. I have found several books on Amazon that reflect the Spanish of native Spanish speakers, but compared to audio-courses, this audio course comes closer to reflecting the Spanish that you'll hear native Spanish speakers speak. There are 6 reasons why I consider this the best Spanish course on the market.

1. Unlike many of the Spanish courses on the market today, the vocabulary in this course is modern and typical of the Spanish that is spoken today throughout the Americas.

2. The Spanish featured in this course is also more conversational or more everyday-like compared to the more formal Spanish that I have found in other Spanish courses.

3. Much of the grammar that is taught in other Spanish courses is grammar that is considered 100% correct by European standards. Some examples of such so-called proper grammar would be excessive use of the personal "a," unnecessary and excessive use of reflexive verbs when the non-reflexive usage will suffice. Although to do otherwise would not be considered 100% correct by Castilian standards, such usage (or lack of) has achieved widespread acceptance throughout Latin America, especially in normal everyday Spanish. Any insistence to adhere to the Castilian standard is a clear indication that one has not taken the time to learn Spanish as the natives speak it
(in Latin America). Without sacrificing proper grammar usage and at the same time avoiding slang, the speakers in this course manage to teach colloquial or everyday Spanish grammar that is commonly used throughout the Americas.

4. This Spanish course uses a teaching method that makes it possible for the student to develop an almost perfect
Latin American Spanish accent. As a Spanish instructor I am very tolerant of students that have poor pronunciation or bad accents in Spanish. But as a native Spanish speaker, I can tell you that there is nothing more annoying than someone that has taken the time to learn proper Spanish vocabulary and grammar but has neglected to learn the proper pronunciation and accent. If you fall into that category, then you should certainly buy this course.

5. The sound quality of the lessons is also excellent. And to develop proper pronunciation and accent, you really need good sound quality like this course has.

6. This course also covers a great deal of content in each lesson. Although the amount of content will require you to practice the CDs several times before moving on, you will be glad that you did after seeing the progress that you are making.

Without any reservations, I must say that this is the best course for learning true Latin American conversational Spanish,
and also the best for acquiring an almost perfect Latin American accent.

Electronica Dance Music Programming Secrets

Average customer rating:

Electronica Dance Music Programming Secrets
Roger James Brown
Manufacturer: Prentice-Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0130836966

Aramaic Light on the Gospels of Mark and Luke

Average customer rating:

A Contextual Commentary
The True Interpretation
Interesting but not orthodox

Aramaic Light on the Gospels of Mark and Luke
Rocco A. Errico , and George M. Lamsa
Manufacturer: Noohra Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aramaic Light on the Gospel of Matthew
Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John
Aramaic Light on the Acts of the Apostles
Aramaic Light on Romans Through 2 Corinthians
Setting a Trap for God: The Aramaic Prayer of Jesus

ASIN: 0963129279

Book Description

This book, like its predecessor Aramaic Light on the Gospel of Matthew, carries you back almost two thousand years, providing a clear perspective of Jesus in the light of his own language, people and times. However, this volume is unique in that it provides insight into the psychology of Jesus' healing methods. This inimitable commentary acts as a Near Eastern guide, taking you through the heart of the gospels, illuminating difficult and puzzling passages and offering unparalleled insight into the character and behavior of Near Eastern Semites. Dr. Errico has not only edited, expanded and annotated Dr. Lamsa's commentaries, Gospel Light and More Light on the Gospels, he has also added information derived from his continual research in Aramaic word meanings and Near Eastern Semitic studies and completed unpublished material that the two of them had only outlined just before Dr. Lamsa died in 1975.

Customer Reviews:

A Contextual Commentary.......2007-07-07

This book is interesting. On one hand, it reads more like a book than a commentary. On the other hand, for a commentary it is accessible to the general public and certainly not scholarly with its wording.

Much like its predecessor, the main purpose is to expose the reader to some contextual problems of reading the Bible from a western mindset through a language not easily transferrable from the original. With one of the authors claiming to have been brought up in a near eastern setting, some of the insights are intriguing and worth pondering over.

The main thrust is dealing with the idiomatic expressions with a little personal theology built-in. Hard line literalists will simply hate this book since it relies on the gray instead of the black and white.

The one MAJOR caution I would suggest is that unless you're going to read the whole book, don't buy it. There are certainly some areas where if a person used this text as a commentary and pulled out a specific verse, they would definitely miss the author's intention since there are multiple lines of theology coursing through this text. However, if you are going to read the whole thing, and it is honestly a pretty easy read for a commentary, you will be able to temper some of the more questionable commentary against the background of the whole text.

The True Interpretation.......2007-01-11

He studied under the great George Lamsa,orginal reinterpreter of the bible.A "must-read" for those who are studying Truth.

Interesting but not orthodox.......2004-08-04

Dr. Errico's comments are interesting and could be enlightening but the reader should know his interpretation of the meaning of Scripture is not orthodox but more closely related to Gnosticism. He explains away all miracles and is interested in that doctrinal view. There are some insights here but those who adhere to mainstream Christianity will not find much inspiring here.

Average customer rating:

In the context of today's headlines. . . .
Wisdom of the Sufis - for any faith.
Transcendent translation
A wonderful guide to self-realization
A miraculous translation of a mystical masterpiece

CONFERENCE OF BIRDS (Clear Light Ser)
Farid Un-Din Attar
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Eastern European | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0877730318
Release Date: 1993-04-13

Amazon.com

Like Rumi and Hafiz, the name Attar conjures up images of passionate attraction to the divine. Attar was a Persian Sufi of the 12th century and his masterpiece is The Conference of the Birds, an epic allegory of the seeker's journey to God. When all the birds of the world convene and determine that they lack a king, one bird steps forward and offers to lead them to a great and mighty monarch. Initially excited, each bird falters in turn, whereupon the leader admonishes them with well-targeted parables. These pithy tales are the delight of this 4,500-line poem, translated deftly into rhymed couplets. What is your excuse for not seeking God? Your life is fine already? You prefer material pleasure? You are holy enough? You have pride, lack courage, or are burdened with responsibility? Attar has an answer to encourage you on the path to the promised land. And when you get there, the king may not be what you'd expect, but you must make the journey to see. --Brian Bruya

Book Description

An Abridged Version of Farid Ud Atta's "Mantiq Ut Tayar" (reprint 1924, 19 x 12.3 x 1 cm)

Customer Reviews:

In the context of today's headlines. . . ........2006-12-24

. . . . it is instructive and corrective to have a glimpse of
what was: a lyrical, medeivalist tradition that saw the denial
of the self as a path to union with the infinite.

Just as it's important to be aware of the gently lascivious
Omar Khayyam as an antidote to today's puritanism, it's also
worthwhile to remember Farid ud-Din Attar a cosmopolitan skeptic
whose tolerance of human frailty is in service of lofty
spiritual aims.
The Conference of the Birds is an allegory of the search for
the divine. The hoopoe who was the messenger of King Solomon
serves as the Cicero on the quest. The allegory is told in
short snippets, stories of doubt, fear and faith. One can imagine
each of them forming miniature tales and sermons.

Long, spiritual allegories can make pretty tough reading,
but the episodic nature of Conference makes it a book to
be enjoyed in snippets. Keep it at the bedside or wherever
you enjoy a literary nibble.

It's interesting to note that worldly, human Attar came to a
bad end. He was accused of heresy, his goods were plundered
and he was forced into exile. Can we hope for a better outcome
this time?

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005

Wisdom of the Sufis - for any faith........2006-12-06

The writings of the Sufis are, without a doubt, some of the most beautiful and challenging spiritual works in existence. Rumi's works are currently undergoing something of a renaissance in the Western world but the name of Farid Ud-Din Attar is not as well known. This is unfortunate, since The Conference of the Birds provides, in my opinion, a much better insight into Sufi philosophy than the bits and pieces of Rumi floating about the New Age universe.

Attar's beautiful descpriptions, exqisite metaphors and delightful parables describe the stages on the soul's journey to union with God. An extended metaphor for the soul, the birds gather and travel through various valleys to reach the Simorgh - a state of ectstatic oneness with deity. The Hoopoe acts as the guide and provides answers to the bird's questions and doubts about the journey - usually with short illustrative tales. These tales are each tiny drops of gold, the longest being only a few hundred lines. The overarching theme is the denial of the self to gain ultimate bliss. This is no intellectual exercise and much of the advice given is shocking and revolutionary. In the extended tale of Sheik Sam'an, the Sheik leaves his faith and becomes a Christian for the love of a woman who ultimately spurns him. His apostasy and depravity astound his followers who swiftly abandon him. A Sufi teacher chastises them for their lack of faith and eventually they return to his side. Sam'an then reconverts and his love is converted too. The message would seem to be that to find God it may be necessary to abandon conventional notions of behaviour and faith and plunge forward with wild abandon, losing the self. Some of the stories may shock our sensibilities, and no doubt had the same effect on Attar's medieval audiences. A kind of counter-culture attitude is displayed in the book, with tales of romantic love between men and other "un-Islamic" behaviours challenging accepted norms.

As to the book itself, the translation is done in "heroic couplets" which according to the introduction, best suits the style of the arabic original. It at first seems a little stilted but soon lends a beauty of its own to the work. A fairly substantial introduction helps put the book in context and describes what is known of Attar's life and times. A biographical index is included which provides details on the many characters - often historical - who people the pages of the poem. This book is a beautiful little gem, filled with a lot of wisdom. It is definitely worth the read for members of any faith, even those who aren't practicing Sufis.

Transcendent translation.......2006-11-05

I can't compare this poem to the original Farsi as I don't read that language, but this translation is amazingly readable. The reader gets enough notes and extra information to understand a bit of the context, but it never interferes with immersing oneself in this allegory of the journey toward union with the divine beloved. The individual birds on this journey come to life for the reader and the 13th century narrative literally takes off!

A wonderful guide to self-realization.......2006-06-14

This book is a masterpiece on spirituality, self-search, self-identity and self-realization. It provides an unparallel and wonderful guide for reaching to oneself and God. The wonderful philosophy of Attar has the potential to change the world from greed, violence and chaos to self-discipline, love and peace. The book has the capacity to transform the mindsets of fidels and infidels alike to become the master of one's own persona. The book is a must read for anyone interested to know oneself and the world.

A miraculous translation of a mystical masterpiece.......2005-11-23

Dick Davis's translation is more than extraordinary -- it is truly a miracle to see the beauty, eloquence and flow of this masterpiece richly rendered into the English language with rhyme and meter. A must in the collection of any sincere seeker of the Creator.

And With a Light Touch: Learning About Reading, Writing, and Teaching With First Graders

Average customer rating:

gentle advice
This book is a treasure!
This book helped me the most!
Carol Avery makes teaching look enjoyable and easy!
A wonderful resource for first grade teachers!

And With a Light Touch: Learning About Reading, Writing, and Teaching With First Graders

Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0435087878

Book Description

Donald Graves

With its first edition, ...And with a Light Touch was immediately praised for its authentic portrayal of classroom life and learning. "It's my bible for teaching young children" and "It reads like a novel," said veteran and preservice teachers alike. Those with minimal background in children's literature have found the book a godsend. Every page rings true with the voice of a caring, real-life classroom teacher-one who marvels at what young children can do if given the chance to work in daily reading and writing workshops taught with a sensitive and responsive approach.

Now, Carol Avery offers a second edition, giving more insight and examples of children and a teacher learning together. Since her first edition, Carol has worked extensively in kindergarten and second grade, has had her own fourth- and sixth-grade classrooms, and has watched three grandchildren learn to read and write. Her latest edition incorporates Carol's stories and learning from these new experiences. It also expands sections on crafting writing, phonics instruction, read-alouds, and documenting assessment, and includes an updated bibliography. At the same time, it retains its focus on these major areas, addressed in depth:

the writing processstructuring daily writing workshops and the development of young writers
the reading processstructuring daily reading workshops and learning to read without a basal reader
children's literatureincorporating children's literature into the daily life of the classroom and stimulating children's responses to literature
classroom environment and toneorganizing and managing the classroom
expanding literacyreading and writing across the curriculum and a focus on kindergarten
assessmentdocumenting and reporting student progress.

Throughout, Carol rejects the concept of "one right way" to teach, but believes instead that a responsive environment provides the greatest possibilities for student growth.

As Donald Graves notes, Carol shows "real children in the process of learning to learn".Classroom teachers, preservice teachers, parents, and anyone concerned with young children learning to read and write will appreciate this book for its honest look into a first-grade classroom, both its ups and its downs.

Customer Reviews:

gentle advice.......2007-01-21

The book gently guides you through literature experiences with children- specifics that are logical- pleasant reading that ignites the desire to go into the classroom day after day-

This book is a treasure!.......2001-10-25

Bravo to Carol Avery for writing such a wonderful book! "And With a Light Touch" contains chapter after chapter of helpful ideas that can be implemented in the classroom, but the author also has such an honest and insightful voice, I actually put aside the novel I was reading and looked forward to reading about Avery's adventures in the classroom! Avery books gives a gold standard of value to the often overlooked teacher's anecdote, I wish more folks would share the way she does. As a mother of a first grader, I was very curious as to what the experience of teaching and learning in the classroom was like, and this book gave me a real inside view. I balked at the textbook price for a paperback, but this book was worth every penny and I would recommend it to anyone interested in teaching, children, or a good story.

This book helped me the most!.......2000-02-18

When I entered my first year of teaching, I did not know where to begin. This book helped me implement and find success with my students' literacy development. This book has been a very valuable tool. We are lucky to have such a fine teacher's footsteps to follow.

Carol Avery makes teaching look enjoyable and easy!.......1999-03-06

This text was an extremely easy text to read and one can relate so well with the real life classroom situations. I have taught for five years in the primary grades and by re-reading this book, it brought back the sense of fun that I have long since forgotten about with my classroom children.

A wonderful resource for first grade teachers!.......1998-12-31

Ms. Avery does a wonderful job of introducing a writing workshop and reading workshop to the teacher who doesn't know how to get started. I have read the book twice in addition to using it as a handbook in my classroom.

Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics.

Average customer rating:

Where was the editor?
Geertz at his best, Available Light
Great collection

Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics.
Clifford Geertz
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Political | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Interpretation of Cultures (Basic Books Classics)
Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology (Basic Books Classics)
Works and Lives: The Anthropologist as Author
Anthropology as Cultural Critique: An Experimental Moment in the Human Sciences
Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography (A School of American Research Advanced Seminar)

ASIN: 0691089566

Book Description

Clifford Geertz, one of the most influential thinkers of our time, here discusses some of the most urgent issues facing intellectuals today. In this collection of personal and revealing essays, he explores the nature of his anthropological work in relation to a broader public, serving as the foremost spokesperson of his generation of scholars, those who came of age after World War II. His reflections are written in a style that both entertains and disconcerts, as they engage us in topics ranging from moral relativism to the relationship between cultural and psychological differences, from the diversity and tension among activist faiths to "ethnic conflict" in today's politics.

Geertz, who once considered a career in philosophy, begins by explaining how he got swept into the revolutionary movement of symbolic anthropology. At that point, his work began to encompass not only the ethnography of groups in Southeast Asia and North Africa, but also the study of how meaning is made in all cultures--or, to use his phrase, to explore the "frames of meaning" in which people everywhere live out their lives. His philosophical orientation helped him to establish the role of anthropology within broader intellectual circles and led him to address the work of such leading thinkers as Charles Taylor, Thomas Kuhn, William James, and Jerome Bruner. In this volume, Geertz comments on their work as he explores questions in political philosophy, psychology, and religion that have intrigued him throughout his career but that now hold particular relevance in light of postmodernist thinking and multiculturalism. Available Light offers insightful discussions of concepts such as nation, identity, country, and self, with a reminder that like symbols in general, their meanings are not categorically fixed but grow and change through time and place.

This book treats the reader to an analysis of the American intellectual climate by someone who did much to shape it. One can read Available Light both for its revelation of public culture in its dynamic, evolving forms and for the story it tells about the remarkable adventures of an innovator during the "golden years" of American academia.

Customer Reviews:

Where was the editor?.......2007-08-03

There is a lot to gain by reading Geertz; his knowledge and insight are wonderful. However, I don't think I have ever read anyone that uses run-on-sentences to the extent that he does. To pull the message out of his writing is like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. I can't imagine how an editor allowed this verbal diarrhea to go unchecked. I can't tell if he is suffering from ADD or is simply pretentious. If you can get past all that, it is well worth reading.

Geertz at his best, Available Light.......2000-07-03

Any student of culture in the "social studies" sense who has picked up a new book and found inside a "kindred spirit," as I did 40 years ago with Albert Camus and, more recently, with Clifford Geertz, has a treat in store with Geertz' most recent, perhaps last, offering: Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics (Princeton UP, 2000).

Right from the Preface, this flight is "Go for orbit." While seemingly bidding farewell to us, and this "vast inelegance" (attributed by Geertz to Stevens), Geertz lifts one's thoughts to uncommon heights using broad, galloping strokes in particular detail, kept on track with parenthetical interjections, self-depricating personal and professional reminders, and living proofs that long sentences need not be incomprehensible.

Although it is hard to know whether Available Light would have had the same impact, had I not spent the last two years updating my 1960s cultural anthropology education, I believe it would have helped to read it first, rather than last, before reading Interpretation of Cultures, Local Knowledge, Works & Lives, and After the Fact, as well as many non-Geertz offerings.

Had Available Light come to hand before I read 3 interesting, helpful, but turgid, volumes on ethnographic field work and methodology, in preparation for a retirement project I'm planning, I would surely have struggled less with any of the three. With 3 fundamental field work questions in a single sentence, Geertz made it all clear, the remainder being mostly "techniques" which those 3 books richly supplied. Where were you, Clifford, when I needed you?

Even more, had Available Light come to hand earlier in my self-tutorial sojourn, I would surely have struggled less with such basic concepts as "culture," "religion," and "semiotics." We who lay no great claim to extraordinary intellectual prowess can use Geertz' succinct definitional descriptions to collect, organize and parse the cacophony of competing definitions, perspectives, and outright agendas surrounding each such key anthropological concept.

Finally, the writing! You will rarely find such clear, lucid writing. It is a trait, I find, not unique to Geertz, but Geertz does it better than most. It is not simple writing - on the contrary! - but clear; few short sentences, as precision so often requires modulating interjection. Available Light could find valuable use by English and journalism students just for study of writing clarity!

If I have a gripe, it's only shared by Geertz with so many Harvard-trained so-called scholars, a propensity for uncommon vocabulary - not big words, mind you, but such uncommon ones that I, schooled so many decades ago, still race for the dictionary (where, incidentally, many do not occur). My working vocabulary is enormous, so I suspect "airs" when I encounter too many unknown words, even when they turn out to be well-suited to their context, and particularly when there is an equally-suitable, better-known synonym available.

One rejoinder: Early in Available Light, Geertz notes, he has not actually taught in many years. On the contrary, Professor Geertz, on the contrary! (Rod Borlase)

Great collection.......2000-06-28

This was a pretty good compilation of essays, both popular and lesser known. Very worthwhile!

Writing with the Lights On: From Sentences to Paragraphs

Average customer rating:

Grammar Made Fun!

Writing with the Lights On: From Sentences to Paragraphs
Kristbjorg Eide , and Brooke O'Harra
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0136701000

Book Description

Eide and OÕHarra offer a structured, user-friendly approach to English as it applies directly to writing. The goal is to develop more informed, enthusiastic and confident writers and readers. The text provides in- depth explorations of sentence writing, writing blocks and paragraph design.

Customer Reviews:

Grammar Made Fun!.......2000-06-16

This book provides an illuminating and fun approach to a traditionally boring topic. The mnemonic devices used by the authors make remembering grammar rules easy. Also, the excercises at the end of each chapter make the material practical in real world settings. My favorite part of the book, however, is the exercise written by the author's son, Sean.

Crop Circles Revealed: Language of the Light Symbols (Explorer Race Series)

Average customer rating:

Awesome book
Great book, a must for a serious researcher
Spellbinding
But can you understand it?
Living Information!

Crop Circles Revealed: Language of the Light Symbols (Explorer Race Series)
Judith Moore , and Barbara Lamb
Manufacturer: Light Technology Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Reference | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Controversial Knowledge | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Crop Circles | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Unexplained Mysteries | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Secrets in the Fields: The Science and Mysticism of Crop Circles
Vital Signs: A Complete Guide to the Crop Circle Mystery and Why It is Not a Hoax
The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circles: Scientific Research and Urban Legends
Opening Minds: A Journey of Extraordinary Encounters, Crop Circles, and Resonance
Crop Circles 2008 Calendar

ASIN: 1891824325

Book Description

Through both examination of the crop circles and channeled investigation, Crop Circles Revealed explores a new understanding, to help the people of the world and our mother planet survive the millennium.

Scientific formulas of light and sound and the wisdom found in the mythologies of the ages are brought together in this up-to-the-minute 2001 edition. This book lifts the crop circles away from the controversy of who makes them into the wonder of what they represent to us at this critical time in our history.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome book.......2007-04-11

I'm a "croppie" of sorts. I collect info about crop circles and I paint them. This book gives more detailed info about the actual energies present in specific crop circles, than any other book. The living energies of 67 crop circles are explained in detail. Researchers' personal experiences are also explained. The photos are good too.This is the ultimate crop circle book that I know of.

Great book, a must for a serious researcher.......2006-07-07

I use the information on the crops circles on my radionics machines. The explainations are a great help to mankind. For serious research this book is a must. Thanks for their tremendious dedication on bringing this information to mankind at this time. Caroline Connor Radionic Consultant

Spellbinding.......2006-01-04

Having read 'Crop Circles Revealed: Language of the Light Symbols' from cover to cover, I firmly believe that this is a work of almost flawless scholarship and accurate interpretation. The only fault I could find, albeit minor, is the obvious typo in the title; 'crop' should have been spelled with an 'a' not an 'o'.

But can you understand it?.......2005-09-17

From the crop circle/star glyph combo 16 - "This is the triadular desectotron quadraphonic code for the deactivation of plutonium poisoning. This crystalline matrix will be imploded in the consciousness of a team of researchers that will be able to reduce plutonium's half-life to a transmugenative equatronic base that will detoxify radiation poisoning. That is the star gate that the information is coming through. The matrix that is the crystalline geode for this information frequency will be activated in to the consciousness of a team of scientists who are going to resolve the plutonium half-life dilemma. The crop circle is the crystalline matrix for this formula."

Living Information!.......2003-10-08

Crop Circles Revealed, by Judith Moore and Barbara Lamb, engages not only the mind, but the heart and soul of the reader to seek out the truth of this stunningly beautiful phenomena. This work has been impeccably nurtured into form. It is both visually moving and thought provoking. Through the authors' comprehensive interpretation, the reader is drawn into a personal understanding of the crop circles as LIVING INFORMATION. He or she is then empowered to define the crop circle message from their inherent wisdom. This book is an experience. It awakens the spirit to a greater awareness of who we are, and why we are here!

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