Book Description
No one knows grammar like Michael Strumpf. For over a quarter of a century, as creator and proprietor of the National Grammar Hot Line, he helped thousands of callers from every corner of the globe tackle the thorniest issues of English grammar. Now, in The Grammar Bible, he has created an eminently useful guide to better speaking and writing. Unlike other grammar manuals, The Grammar Bible is driven by the actual questions Professor Strumpf encountered during his years of teaching and fielding phone calls from anxious writers, conscientious students, and perplexed editors, including such perennial quandaries as - Where do I put this comma? - What case should this pronoun be in? - How do I form the possessive of Dickens? Professor Strumpf explains these and other language issues with wit and wisdom, showing how to speak more clearly and write more impressively by avoiding common errors and following the principles of good grammar. Whether you need a comprehensive review of the subjunctive mood or simply want to know which form of a verb to use, The Grammar Bible is a practical guide that will enlighten, educate, and entertain.
Customer Reviews:
Burn it for warmth in cold winter night.......2007-08-19
Before buying it I've read all the reviews and they all gave it 4 or 5 stars. The author's credentials also seem to back up these reviews. After going through the chapers I then realized that it's specifically designed for people whose educational level is below or at that of GED, such as middle and high school dropouts. As another reviewer mentioned, it works for ESL students as well. It amazes me that they can't be honest on what audience they're trying to target, but instead using the misleading name like Grammar Bible, and even in the description on the back cover they claim it's everything anyone would ever need to understand English grammar; how arrogant and narrow-minded is that? This is an insult to people's intelligence and bordering on being a scam.
A real letdown.......2007-07-17
The name "Bible" is misleading; it should be "Basics" instead. An ESL student might find this book helpful, but overall too shallow and elementary. At least teachers and writers don't need this.
Great reference book for anyone who wants to get it right........2007-07-03
This book is an excellent reference resource. It is not necessarily a book you should buy to read like a novel. The explanations and examples are clear and detailed. Buy this book for your son/daughter who might be starting high school or college. Do not buy this book if you think you already know everything there is to know about grammar. Otherwise, you will just end up finding some egotistical way to "put down" the book and its intended audience.
Very basic and indicative of the ignorance that plagues the United States.......2007-05-17
Based on the reviews, I opted to purchase this book. I wish to embark on a possible freelance writing career and I need all the help I can get. I have purchased several books to improve my skills and on the list was a decent reference relating to grammar.
I was excited when this along with several other books arrived. I thumbed through several pages and I said out loud: It must get better than this! I have to say of the 512 pages I found maybe a dozen that were useful. The beginning of the book talks about the classification of nouns of all things. I am sorry but if you over the age of eight and don't know the difference between a proper noun and a common noun, you may as well give it up now.
Further, the authors devote a large section to verb agreement. Once again, this is something you should have mastered prior to reaching junior high.
I am by no means an expert in correct grammar usage hence my desire to purchase a book to help me out. My search will go on as I am promptly returning this to Amazon and will most likely buy "A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language" by Sidney Greenbaum.
wonderful.......2007-03-08
This is a very good book for grammar. It is very user friendly.
Book Description
Designing application and middleware software to run in concurrent and networked environments is a significant challenge to software developers. The patterns catalogued in this second volume of Pattern-Oriented Software Architectures (POSA) form the basis of a pattern language that addresses issues associated with concurrency and networking.
The book presents 17 interrelated patterns ranging from idioms through architectural designs. They cover core elements of building concurrent and network systems: service access and configuration, event handling, synchronization,
and concurrency. All patterns present extensive examples and known uses in multiple programming languages, including C++, C, and Java.
The book can be used to tackle specific software development problems or read from cover to cover to provide a fundamental understanding of the best practices for constructing concurrent and networked applications and middleware.
About the Authors
This book has been written by the award winning team responsible for the first POSA volume "A System of Patterns", joined in this volume by Douglas C. Schmidt from University of California, Irvine (UCI), USA.
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Customer Reviews:
Essential reading for programmers in its domain.......2006-08-11
I recently finished reading Pattern Oriented Software Architecture Vol 2: Patterns for Networked and Concurrent Objects. Believe it or not, it took me just one night to read this book cover to cover. The main reasons behind this are that a) the techniques described in this book are already well known to people working in a company that deals with some of the largest network applications in the world, and b) the book itself is very well written.
The really nice thing about this book is the way in which the patterns are presented. I was thoroughly impressed with how, for each pattern, the authors start with describing the problems and constraints. The solution is then presented with a static, object view. This is follwed by a dynamic view with a UML sequence diagram that shows how the pattern works at run-time. This is followed by detailed textual description of the steps required to implement the pattern, along with code snippets. Lastly, there's a list of real-world software implementations that have used the respective patterns, and one example from real life. The real life example is on occasion so instrumental in understanding the purpose and/or workings of the pattern that it could make you exclaim, "a-ha!".
Many of the patterns, like Wrapper Facade, Scoped Locking Idiom, Thread-safe Interface, Half-Sync/Half-Async, Leader/Followers, etc. are easy to follow and likely already known to people dealing with networked applications. The most insane patterns that I found were Proactor (for asynchronous demultiplexing and handling of events) and Interceptor (for event based access to the internals of a framework in a safe manner). They have the potential of making you start hating frameworks! About half of the patterns were new for me.
Simply the best.......2006-03-10
If you really want to understand concurrent networked systems, this is the book. It codifies things that have only been known as "black magic" in the past. I have used these concepts in code that I have written, and the results are amazing. It is quite focused on ACE, so you will get the most benefit out of it if you use ACE, but the concepts are presented generally so that using ACE is not required.
Good information badly written.......2005-04-08
This book summarizes some important distributed systems patterns researchers have identified in recent years. In that sense it is a necessary contribution to the software engineering literature.
However, the examples are at times unclear and the author does not always motivate them convincingly. From a technical writing perspective, the passive voice plagues this book from start to end, forcing readers to stop and reread sections to make sense of convoluted prose.
Good Patterns Hidden in Excessive Verbiage.......2004-11-22
First, the patterns in this book are very good. It was nice to see some coverage of low level networking patterns. As an experienced programmer, I was vaguely familiar with many of the patterns already, but it is really helpful to see the lines drawn in the sand, to hear why the authors chose to break things up as they did, and to understand the ramifications of the patterns in greater detail (eg, their clarification of the difference between Observer and Interceptor was quite helpful). I even got to learn some new patterns! (The Leader / Followers pattern was new to me.)
That said, the writing style about drove me BANANAS! I have never lost my place in a sentence when reading a book so many times. I must have read every line twice. Look, I'm a computer geek - I LOVE dense technical books, but this is something else. It's like reading Shakespear, or Charles Dickens. The authors must have been paid by the word. The specific implies the general! Have mercy! I don't need the difference between an interface and its concrete implementation belabored every time it comes up (and in a patterns book, believe me it's often!)
Size does matter.......2004-10-27
Big problems really are different from small problems. Solutions to small problems rarely scale well - the big solution often has to be different in kind from the small one. This book is about solutions to big problems, the kind that may involve hundreds of servers and thousands of clients, or more.
This gives a clear, thorough description of about 15 design patterns that work well large, performance-sensitive applications. Some (like "Scoped Locking") depend on the specific semantics of C++, but may work in Java or C# if used carefully. Others are highly specialized implementations of more general patterns. The "Leader/Followers" pattern, for example, is a one implementation of the "Object Pool" pattern (see Grand, 'Patterns in Java', 1998) used for a particular purpose. On the whole, the authors did a fair job of relating these patterns to others in the literature. I was only occasionally frustrated that I did not have that literature at hand when reading this.
The authors go into extreme detail in describing implementations based on each pattern, something sure to help some readers. There is often a C++ implementation as well, at least in skeletal form. The descriptions go on at great length, averaging almost thirty pages of discussion for each pattern. More isn't necessarily better, though, and some descriptions would have benefitted from a slimming program. I would also have been grateful for more differential discussion - comparing patterns, in terms of the specific decision critieria that argue for one pattern vs. another.
The back matter in this book takes about 100 pages - glossary, bibliography, and indices by pattern, topic, and author names. Very helpful stuff. If it's going to be that long, however, a sentence or two about the more important references would have added little bulk but lots of value to the bibliography.
The book is a good one, giving lots of practical information about the patterns it discusses. It's aimed at an experiecned reader, someone already conversant with OO programming, patterns, and at least a taste of problems bigger than classroom exercises or solo projects. A bit less mass chosen a bit more carefully would have improved this book, but it's still a worthwhile addition to my technical library.
//wiredweird
Average customer rating:
- Superb specialty commentary set focusing on often overlooked aspects of the Bible
- Excellent colorful resources that gives you insight into each N.T. book
- good but not that good
- A great NT Commentary for the Newbie
- A handy reference that is easy to use
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Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Set
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The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
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The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
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Romans to Philemon
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Introduction to the New Testament, An
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Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5
ASIN: 0310217407 |
Book Description
This is a hardcover set that helps readers understand the historical and cultural background of the books of the New Testament. Brimming with lavish, full color photos and graphics, each book will walk you verse by verse through the books of the New Testament.
Customer Reviews:
Superb specialty commentary set focusing on often overlooked aspects of the Bible.......2006-12-08
At first when I opened this set to determine how I might benefit from this commentary, I was disappointed, but not because of the content, but because of what I was looking for. I was looking for indepth information on a passage, but that is not the real value of this book. This book gives historical and cultural background information on specific passages of Scripture, and helps to explain often-misunderstood verses and passages of Scripture. The purpose of this commentary (or at least the value I glean from it) is not scholarly lexical study, or explanations of theologies in the New Testament, but instead the significance of the cultural settings often ignored by us who live 2000 years after the writing of Scripture and in vastly different cultural contexts.
A great example of the use of this commentary is John 7:37-44. The commentary explains why it was significant that Jesus used the phrase "streams of living water." In doing so, it explains the 7th day of the "great day of the Feast" (Feast of Tabernacles) was the pinnacle of the celebration and that each day of the Feast had the priest pouring water over the altar that symbolized the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is often lost in most commentaries, and the authors of this set spend a great deal of time focusing on the aspects of the Bible that are so often glossed over because the historical significance of the events are lost on us, who have not lived in Scriptural times and settings.
The authors show no sign (to me) of theological bias toward any tradition besides emphasizing conservative, contemporary, scholarly study of the Bible.
This set is beautifully bound, with heavy covers and reminds me of a college textbook, rather than a commentary. The books open without having to crack the spine, and the pages are very heavy glossy stock. Throughout the book are color photos and illustrations of biblical artifacts, archaeological finds, and maps/charts depicting items spoken about in Scripture.
Overall, this is a superb set for background information. This is not the best choice as a first commentary set, since it specializes in backgrounds of the text, and not strictly on exegesis. However, this set acts as a superb specialty set to help students of the Bible understand many of the tougher illustrations the biblical authors used in conveying the Truth about Jesus Christ.
Excellent colorful resources that gives you insight into each N.T. book.......2006-06-30
This is one of the most helpful resources to me when preparing Bible studies and messages. Each N.T. book is written by a reputable, evangelical scholar who has expertise in that particular book. For each N.T. book, there is a very helpful capsule in the beginning that tells you the important facts of each book (author, date, occasion, and key themes). Next, there is a helpful brief commentary for the whole book. There are excellent, color in-text maps as you read the commentary. Furthermore, there are great feature articles that give you insights into some of the pertinent beliefs, gods/goddesses/ key terms that are featured in the N.T. book. There is also a capsule on "reflections" that help the reader ponder and meditate on key themes and concepts. Finally, there is a wonderful annotated bibliography at the end of each book for further, suggested reading.
I am a seminary trained teacher who regularly prepares and teaches presentations and Bible lessons. This is one of the most helpful resources in my library which gives me a comprehensive analysis at a N.T. book at a glance. I read through this backgrounds commentary first and then read through various scholarly commentaries on the particular N.T. book.
I give it my highest recommendation and believe that it will be an excellent resource for laypersons, seminary students, pastors, professors, and Sunday School teachers. It may be pricey but well worth the cost. I hope you'll be as blessed as I am by this outstanding resource.
good but not that good.......2004-08-25
The title "Illustrated" compel me to expect a commentary that be tastily read through cover-to-cover. However, I found its photos are not as bright as Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Holding the name "Commentary", I feel like reading an extensive study bible when there is no bible text; this commentary explains selected word or phrase of almost every verse in the New Testament. And honestly, as it claims to enlighten "Bible Background", I regard NT Wright's The Challenge of Jesus gives much better cultural-historical illumination to the Gospel.
This commentary also need more proof-read, for example, when I tried to find what the bible says in 2 Chron 1:34 as Vol. 1 page 9 cited, I found 1 Chron 1:34 fit better to the passage. Its maps also do a little help. I often met with them a few pages after the text or sometimes even couldn't locate some places stated in the text.
The Note provides more information. But I feel it useless because I was too lazy to go back and forth to find out what the indication number stands for. It's supposed to be placed right bellow the text as footnote instead of as end-of-chapter note.
Yes, considering this non-technical commentary neither as expository nor critical, it gives enjoyable and insightful comments that also lavishly illustrated with full-color photos of archeological findings (not with art-works as in CEV Learning Bible). But, if you consider yourself as informed layperson, you need to wait for the next edition.
A great NT Commentary for the Newbie.......2003-03-03
While William Barclay's set on the NT is my favorite and should be on the bookshelf of every serious student of the NT, Zondervan's Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary is probably the most friendly for the newcomer or teenage Bible student. Unlike Barclay's set, this has glossy paper and excellent illustrations, maps, and insets. These come closest to resembling college textbooks in their format and appearance. They are likely to appeal to high school and college age kids, and old guys like me who like to sit on the sofa and read a Bible commentary that just looks good and is interesting. Again, Zondervan has produced a product with mass appeal.
A handy reference that is easy to use.......2003-01-05
All four books are hardcover and smith bound, measuring 8" x10". The set is a background commentary for the New Testament and includes many, many color pictures, maps, and charts (on every page there is something). Further the set is littered with interesting sidebars which are set as text boxes in the margins or as boxes set within the text. The set is written from an evangelical perspective.
Overall the set appears to be well done. Each Gospel or epistle covered has an introductory historical survey of the culture that the Gospel or epistle was written in as well as the specifics of the local customs or issues that are addressed within the Gospel or epistle.
The commentary then proceeds to address the historical-culture issues that each verse has as a backdrop. For example in the third volume the introduction to the Epistle to the Romans contains,
"Understanding Paul's own situation as he writes Romans helps us appreciate the purpose and theme of the letter. In 15:14-22, he looks at a period of ministry just concluded. "From Jerusalem all the way around Illyricum," Paul tells us, "I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ" (15:19). This verse indicates that Paul's ministry has reached a significant geographical turning point. As Luke tells us in Acts, Paul first preached Christ in Damascus (and perhaps Arabia) after his conversion (Acts 9:19-22; cf. Gal. 1:17). Only after three years did he go to Jerusalem to preach, and then only briefly (Gal. 1:18; cf. Acts 9:28-29). Why, then, mention Jerusalem as the starting point for his ministry? For two reasons. First, the city represents the center of Judaism, and Paul is concerned to show how the gospel spread from the Jews to the Gentiles. Second, the city stands at one geographic extremity in his missionary travels. At the other extremity is Illyricum, the Roman province occupying what is today Albania and parts of Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Only here does Paul refer to missionary work in this province, although such a ministry can be fit easily into the movements of Paul on his third missionary journey (see comments on Rom. 15:19). An "arc" drawn from Jerusalem to Illyricum, therefore, passes over, or nearby, the important churches that Paul has planted in south Galatia (Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Iconium, Derbe), Asia (Ephesus), Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea), and Achaia (Corinth).
But what does Paul mean when he claims that he has "fully proclaimed" the gospel in these areas? The Greek has simply the equivalent of our verb "fulfill" (peplerokenai). To "fulfill" the gospel, therefore, probably means to preach it sufficiently such that viable churches are established. These churches can then carry on the task of evangelism in their own territories while Paul moves on to plant new churches in virgin gospel territory (cf. 15:20-21).
In pursuit of this calling, Paul is moving on to Spain (15:24). On the way, he hopes to stop off at Rome, evidently to enlist the Roman Christians' support for his new gospel outreach (see comments on 15:24). but before he can begin his trip to the western Mediterranean, he must first return to Jerusalem (15:25). Throughout the third missionary journey, Paul has collected money from the Gentile churches he planted to bring back to the impoverished Jerusalem believers. Now he is ready to embark on this trip, and he earnestly asks the Roman Christians to pray for it (15:30-33). The collection represents for Paul a key step in what he hopes will be the reconciliation of the Jewish and Gentile Christians in the early church" (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, vol. 3, pp. 3-5).
An example of the commentary itself from 2 Cor. 11:14:
"Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (11:14). In some Jewish traditions, Satan transformed himself into an angel of light and deceived Eve a second time:
'Then Satan was angry and transformed himself into the brightness of angels and went away to the Tigris River to Eve and found her weeping. And the devil himself, as if to grieve with her began to weep and said to her, "Step out of the river and cry no more...come out to the water and I will lead you to the place where your food has been prepared."'"
Largely this set appears to be written as a tool for working pastors. It's tone is conversational and does not appeal to excessive use of jargon. It provides all kinds of references and antidotal information which would be useful for sermon illustrations and story-telling. In addition, contemporary source material is referenced as well as recommended reading should a topic peak the readers interest to the point where they wish to more fully explore it. While Zondervan's Backgrounds Commentary is not a scholarly reference, it is obviously aimed at the pastor or church leader who wants to go beyond the basics of a working knowledge of the Bible, yet who also wants a reference that doesn't take a week of reading to get at the stuff that they will eventually wind up presenting in a sermon or Bible study.
A caveat I do have offhand is that the footnotes appear as endnotes at the end of each Gospel or epistle. Stylistically I can understand why this was done as footnotes would break up the overall flow of the work presented; however for footnote geeks this does involve the "Sears Roebuck" method of getting at them.
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- Essentials of Stem Cell Biology
- Review by New England Journal of Medicine
- Essentials of Stem Cell Biology, First Edition
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Essentials of Stem Cell Biology
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Stem Cells: Scientific Progress And Future Research Directions
ASIN: 0120884429
Release Date: 2005-08-26 |
Book Description
This abridged version of the bestselling reference
Handbook of Stem Cells, Two-Volume Set attempts to incorporate all the essential subject matter of the original two-volume edition in a single volume. The material has been reworked in an accessible format suitable for students and general readers interested in following the latest advances in stem cells, including full color presentation throughout. Although some extra language and chapters have been deleted, rigorous effort has been made to retain from the original two-volume set the material pertinent to the understanding of this exciting area of biology.
The organization of the book remains largely unchanged, combining the prerequisites for a general understanding of adult and embryonic stem cells; the tools, methods, and experimental protocols needed to study and characterize stem cells and progenitor populations; as well as a presentation by the world's experts of what is currently known about each specific organ system.
* Full-color presentation througout
* Each chapter begins with 3-5 defined glossary terms, and all of the terms are collected in a comprehensive list within the book
* References have been eliminated - now there are about 10 bibliographic entries per chapter
Customer Reviews:
Essentials of Stem Cell Biology.......2007-01-03
Well balanced, superbly written muiltiauthored textbook. Excellent discussion of basic cell biology of embryonic and adult (nonembryonic) stem cells from multiple sources, laboratory techniques and potential clinical applications and includes a chapter on ethics and national policy for stem cell research. Suitable for students, clinicians as well as experienced stem cell biologists.
Review by New England Journal of Medicine.......2006-08-01
"Essentials of Stem Cell Biology belongs on the shelf of every researcher, clinician, and student who is interested in new developments in stem cell research and the related treatment options that are being developed."
Essentials of Stem Cell Biology, First Edition.......2006-03-20
The best for Stem Cell Biology for student or for someone who like to learn new things.
Average customer rating:
- Deserves 20 stars! A Masterpiece!
- EXCELLENT Model Reference: Beautiful Pictures, Beautiful Homes
- A Must For Victorian House Owners
- a great victorian house book
- The pinnacle of the series
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America's Painted Ladies: The Ultimate Celebration of Our Victorians
Elizabeth Pomada ,
Michael Larsen ,
Douglas Keister , and
Elizabeth Pomanda
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Authentic Color Schemes for Victorian Houses: Comstock's Modern House Painting, 1883
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Victorian Domestic Architectural Plans and Details: 734 Scale Drawings of Doorways, Windows, Staircases, Moldings, Cornices, and Other Elements
ASIN: 0140238573 |
Customer Reviews:
Deserves 20 stars! A Masterpiece!.......2007-06-16
WOW!! This book is truly a feast for the eyes, and that's no exaggeration! There are so many first rate photos and plenty of text. Every page has multiple color photos. It is a very heavy book! The paper is high quality and the photos are extremely high resolution and stunningly beautiful. What a great job they did just in printing this book! If you love Victorian homes, then this book is a must have! I like it so much I think I will eventually buy a brand new hardcover copy of it (I bought a used paperback copy). I plan on getting all the other books in this series too. Some of the very best Victorian homes are in this book. They kind of remind me of Disneyland with all the colorful paint schemes and fanciful shapes and decorations.
EXCELLENT Model Reference: Beautiful Pictures, Beautiful Homes.......2005-09-28
Believe it or not but the main reason I purchased this beautiful book was for reference material for scale model building (i.e. LEGO, etc.). I was hunting forever for a book on Victorian homes--with pictures of the OUTSIDE (as most of the books on Victorian architecture deal with the classic interior designs, furniture, etc.). LEGO and Victorian homes go hand in hand, as this book's wonderful color pictures perfectly illustrate--who could imagine such combinations would actually look so stunning!? In addition to excellent photography the text is well written, with interesting facts about each home, why it's unique, yet how it fits into the overall "Painted Lady" lineage... excellent. :-)
A Must For Victorian House Owners.......2004-07-24
A fantastic book, a must for anyone who is thinking about painting a Victorian house. It was very helpful to me and my husband who had to come up with a color scheme for our three-story Queen Anne built in 1895.
If you're in the same boat, then you know that deciding on a color scheme for a detailed Victorian house isn't easy and takes careful thought and consideration. This book will help you. It will give you countless ideas, and just looking at the photos is inspiring.
And then, the book will appeal to any fan of Victorian architecture as well. I love looking at the numerous photos of the houses and find myself thumbing through it again and again. Every time I look at this book, I see something intriguing that I hadn't noticed before. Such a book serves to keep me inspired during the remainder of our home's renovation, which is trying at times.
a great victorian house book.......2004-01-31
i was speechless each picture was so beautiful , i love each and every house. a great book
The pinnacle of the series.......2003-08-14
Taller than any of the other books and nearly twice as thick as the thickest, this gorgeous 1992 volume (Ms. Pomada, isn't it time we got a fifth??), once again produced with the help of partner Larsen and photographer Keister, is, like "Daughters of Painted Ladies," a survey of Victorian homes from all over the country. From Searsport, ME, where the subtly detailed, white-bodied Mansard Carriage House Inn welcomes its guests, to a pink 1887 Steamboat Gothic in National City, near San Diego, here are dozens of Victorians, large and small, somber and vivid, plus an assortment of interiors, some fully period, others furnished in more contemporary style against the richly detailed background of the time. If you buy it to "get ideas" for your own Painted Lady, you'll find more than you can choose between. If you buy it just to look at, be prepared to spend hours drooling! A treasure trove for lovers of period detail, which is so admirably brought out by the creative combinations of color used in decorating these buildings.
Book Description
Like clay, memory needs applied energy to give it form. However, this energy is often blocked by negative thoughts about aging and memory. Building on this underlying principle, this workbook shows readers how to rewire the mental habits that interfere with memory functioning and offers practical solutions based on the latest scientific research. Anyone at any age, the authors say, can tap into the natural strength of the brain's multiple memory systems. Through innovative techniques, exercises, games, and puzzles, readers learn how to maximize the receptiveness of their senses, focus on what is important and block out what isn't, rehearse and imprint information, and use visual imagery to retain experiences. The latest scientific findings on memory provide a wealth of information on medications, memory disorders, and resources for additional help.
Customer Reviews:
save your money.......2007-02-18
If you are a boomer growing concerned about remembering where you left your keys, don't waste money on this book. Perhaps this was written for the very elderly who have never learned to improve their self-esteem, but that's old news for boomers. This book is very poorly written (the grammar is atrocious) -- it shows that anybody can write a book in these days of desktop publishing and cheap printing. It is filled with clap-trap, and never delivers what it promises to sell. Two thumbs down!
Needs to be a Video too.......2007-01-19
Although this book was written especially with seniors in mind, a person actually needs to want to get a better memory. A need to want to get better is motivated by prior experience.
My mother had neither the best education nor the most motivating parents, so I can see how see how a senior with better upbringing could make good use of this book.
As for those like my mother who prefers TV and videos for intellectual stimulation I believe that the Memory Workbook could easily be formatted to a learning type DVD.
In fact, I believe a video would be even more effective in the style of NLP mind control experts like Derren Brown and Keith Barry. Mind Control (along with proper exercise and essential nutrients) is at the core of a good memory and can be affected within a few minutes with the proper programming.
I remember now.......2007-01-09
I now have the skills to better understand how my memory works and how to utelize it
Clever and Original.......2006-06-21
My wife and I decided to investigate our aging memory and started with many other books and programs before finding "The Memory Workbook". This was the last book that we purchased. The book is long and at times difficult and challenging but what a difference we both notice in our memory! This is hands down the best hands on self paced memory program out there. There is a nice section on specific memory disorders and resources.
Buck the trend - improve your memory as you age!.......2005-09-27
Worried because you forgot some of the items you were supposed to pick up at the grocery? Afraid that your memory lapses may signal impending Alzheimer's disease?
Ease your mind. This book will help you do just that by explaining memory and providing some very helpful techniques for memory improvement.
Along with the surprisingly enjoyable exercises, Mason and Kohn address the kinds of memory loss that are reversible and discuss why certain types of memory degrade with age. They discuss specific drugs that elderly folk often take and explain what their memory consequences might be. They also discuss the role of diet in memory and offer tips for diet and supplements backed up by the latest research.
Instead of giving up and giving in, help an elder improve their memory. Help yourself to a memory like a steel trap instead of a spaghetti strainer. Get this book, do the exercises, and develop a great memory - no matter what your age!
Five stars!
Phyllis Staff, Ph.D.
author, "How to Find Great Senior Housing"
and
"128 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's and Other Dementias"
Book Description
Code Check Electrical, 4th edition, outlines the principles behind the various accepted electrical codes and provides information on the code requirements for all types of residential electrical systems. It is cross-referenced to the most recent National Electrical Code.
The Code Check series is one of Taunton’s most successful book lines, selling over 400,000 copies. Spiral bound, with durable laminated pages, the books in this series are designed to be used on-site for quick reference, ensuring that all jobs meet the highest safety standards while drastically reducing code violation call-backs. The Code Check series is endorsed by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO)
Customer Reviews:
A great resource, ONLY........2007-04-20
All these code check books are excellent resources for contractors and field inspectors.
However, I am very disappointed about the fact that Code Check never puts down what version of code book referenced. Instead, they simply put "updated to the latest version of xxx code"
As we all know, every State adopts a new code every few years (typically 3 years).
HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO KNOW IF THE CODE CHECK IS CURRENT IF THEY DON'T TELL US WHICH CODE IS IT BASED ON ?
This product is getting 3 stars from me because without knowing which code it's referenced, it's no different than any "build a safe house" for DIYers, which we already have tons of these laying around in any hardware store.
If Code Check takes the time, compare and update their content concurrent with the code updates, then it's worth 6 stars.
Book Description
The second edition of this best-selling book has been thoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the significant changes and advances made in systematic reviewing. New features include discussion on the rationale, meta-analyses of prognostic and diagnostic studies and software, and the use of systematic reviews in practice.
Customer Reviews:
Classic definitive textbook in meta-analysis!.......2007-03-22
This classic book by the legendary experts in meta-analysis and systematic review, Mattias Egger, George Davey Smith, and Doug Altman, is considered the most pre-eminent and most definitive textbook in this area. No other books can compare! Very easy to read with clear explanations, this is the most trusty reference textbook to own when doing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Excellent text that is easy to understand.......2007-03-12
This book is written to be understood and used. Everything is easily accessible, even for the relatively innumerate, and presented in clear, easy English. The authors are to be congratulated on excellent pedagogical prose.
The major downside was a skinny statistical section that lacked depth (what was present was VERY clear however). Since the majority of the book is low-level, big-picture explanations of the principles of meta-analysis, I think that an expanded statistical section would not detract. In fact, because the rest of the book is so well explained, I suspect that most readers would have a good appetite for implementing the ideas presented. Those not inclined to read more details on implementation could just skip this section. In particular, I wished the authors had discussed how to combine simple proportions and rates across studies. This is arguably the simplest form of meta-analysis and the one for which nearly no advice exists to guide practise! There are tons of ways to transform and combine rates/proportions and these should have been developed, compared and constrasted for different scenarios. Similarly, I wish that even more Bayesian methods would be presented.
Lastly, the software section is old. New ideas using R, Revman, Bugs and other FREE software should be encouraged. Software that costs big dollars is probably not the best thing to present in an international book. Everyone should be able to reproduce the results at their home. Free software ensures this.
Book Description
Acclaimed historian and biographer Douglas Brinkley, the New York Times bestselling author of Tour of Duty and The Boys of Pointe du Hoc, returns with an in–depth biography of Father Michael J. McGivney, the Roman Catholic priest who stood up to anti–Papal prejudice in America and founded The Knights of Columbus.
"Father McGivney's vision remains as relevant as ever in the changed circumstances of today's Church and society."
––Pope John Paul II
Just about every day Catholic laymen bound in a common association gather to advance the welfare of their communities. They meet in harbor towns of Nova Scotia, suburban New Jersey, Mexican cities and Philippine villages. Some will help families pay off medical bills or secure aid for disaster victims. Others will help finance Catholic schools or independent living for people with disabilities.
They are the Knights of Columbus, the legacy of Father Michael J. McGivney. Since Father McGivney's cause for canonization began in 1997, the spreading of his story has increased. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. has added a stained–glass widow depicting his image.
Father McGivney dedicated his life to the spiritual and physical welfare of others, creating the Knights of Columbus to provide insurance for the protection of widows and orphans. Today, a growing number of schools, medical centres and social service agencies named for him associate their work with his charisma, and the Knights of Columbus insures the lives of more than 1.2 million men, women and children.
Download Description
"
""Father McGivney's vision remains as relevant as ever in the changed circumstances of today's church and society."" -- Pope John Paul II
Is now the time for an American parish priest to be declared a Catholic saint?
In Father Michael McGivney (1852-1890), born and raised in a Connecticut factory town, the modern era's ideal of the priesthood hit its zenith. The son of Irish immigrants, he was a man to whom ""family values"" represented more than mere rhetoric. And he left a legacy of hope still celebrated around the world.
In the late 1800s, discrimination against American Catholics was widespread. Many Catholics struggled to find work and ended up in infernolike mills. An injury or the death of the wage earner would leave a family penniless. The grim threat of chronic homelessness and even starvation could fast become realities. Called to action in 1882 by his sympathy for these suffering people, Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, an organization that has helped to save countless families from the indignity of destitution. From its uncertain beginnings, when Father McGivney was the only person willing to work toward its success, it has grown to an international membership of 1.7 million men.
At heart, though, Father McGivney was never anything more than an American parish priest, and nothing less than that, either -- beloved by children, trusted by young adults, and regarded as a ""positive saint"" by the elderly in his New Haven parish.
In an incredible work of academic research, Douglas Brinkley (The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc, Tour of Duty) and Julie M. Fenster (Race of the Century, Ether Day) re-create the life of Father McGivney, a fiercely dynamic yet tenderhearted man. Though he was only thirty-eight when he died, Father McGivney has never been forgotten. He remains a true ""people's priest,"" a genuinely holy man -- and perhaps the most beloved parish priest in U.S. history. Moving and inspirational, Parish Priest chronicles the process of canonization that may well make Father McGivney the first American-born parish priest to be declared a saint by the Vatican.
"
Customer Reviews:
Father Michael McGivney .......2007-05-08
Good book. I recomend this book to any Catholic who wants to know more about the catholic faith in the 1800's
wow..........2007-03-21
This is a great little book, and a quick read. However, it is packed full of historical facts and interesting people.
What is most authentic about the book in my opinion is the depiction of Catholic life in Waterbury and New Haven at the turn of the last century. While times have certainly changed in 100 years, they haven't changed all that much. I spent quite a bit of time in Waterbury growing up, and I could almost feel the environment Fr. McGiveny grew up in. As I read, I became nostalgic.
I am a Knight, and the story of how the Knights began is personal and inspiring for me. I hope many read the book and consider joining the Knights. If non-Catholics read the book, I hope they consider joining other civic organizations. As Dr. Robert Putnam of Harvard University has pointed out in his excellent book "Bowling Alone," (which mentions the Knights and has a chart on Knights membership rates) social capital in this country has been in steep decline for the past 50 years. We must reinvigorate our great civic organizations to reclaim this source of social capital. Many folks who graduate college today and get jobs experience profound loneliness once they move away from the academic setting. This loneliness that characterizes modern life was not the norm 50 years ago or more. We are suffering and leading poorer lives because of a lack of social capital.
Fr. Michael McGivney was "just" a parish priest. However, he saw the need men had to connect with each other and spend time with each other. He saw that young Catholic men were being lured away by secret societies that at times sought to remove them from the Church. He saw that Catholic men seeking to make their way in a new and often hostile country needed a way to build social capital AND keep the faith, for if they lost the faith, the consequences were eternal. He provided all of this, even while he transformed the lives of millions of Catholic families, giving them access to Life Insurance and other benefits for the first time. Today, he is known as the man who founded what became one of the wealthiest civic organizations the world has ever seen. The Knights give millions away every year to charity and have billions in assets. They are, by all accounts, the largest private and religious charitable organization in the entire world.
Ultimately though, all this is not the best reason to buy the book and read it. At its core, this is just a biography of one good man who became one good and holy priest. At times like ours we are in need of reminders of what good and holy priests look like, act like, and achieve. Thank God the authors gave us such a portrait at such an important time.
A STRUGGLE OF THE TIMES.......2007-02-24
I found the book gave an excellent account of life in the late 19th century. It left me with a feeling of what it would be like to lack insurance and reasonable health care, something that is widespred today. The lack of good health care coupled with the struggle of Father McGinvey to serve his community, made it clear his challenges were great. It was very interesting to see how he established the Knights of Columbus and worked at preserving family life.
A Must Read for Catholics.......2007-02-24
Brinkley and Fenster have written a must read for every Catholic. This biography depicts the struggles of Catholic Americans and immigrants in the 19th century. Fr. McGivney was a man of faith with a mission. He saw the discrimination and bigotry and created a faith-based organization to overcome them and their families. McGivney's short life (38 years) was filled with challenges. Through his vision the Knights of Columbus was formed. It is a legacy that will surely carry him to sainthood. As we face the current attacks on the Catholic Church, we must look to Fr. McGivney for guidance. His faith was strengthened by his trials and tribulations, so must our own faith be fortified by the frequent barrage of negativity we encounter today.
A fine biography of an ambiguous hero.......2007-01-10
This is a very well written book about the life and times of a Catholic Parish priest in the late 1800's. The stories of all the persons in and around his life give one a keen appreciation of all the hard work that this man put into his parish, his community, and the world. Its amazing how a single young and determined cleric could change the face of society and the Catholic Church in America. I highly recommend this book for those interested in the life of an ambiguous american hero.
Book Description
Just as Fox on the Rhine and Fox at the Front showed readers an alternate Europe in which Hitler had been killed, thereby radically changing the course of World War II, Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson bring us the Battle of Midway with a very different outcome.
The Allies are wildly out maneuvered and sent home in disgrace. Back in the States things are looking rather grim as the ultra-secret Manhattan Project runs into snafus that greatly delay the final production of the atomic bomb.
President Roosevelt’s approval ratings drop dramatically. Congress is desperate and the country cries out for a hero.
That hero might just be Douglas MacArthur, who vowed that he would return to his beloved Phillipines. He plans to do so with the backing of the entire US Armed Forces.
MacArthur’s plan of action is simple: bring the war back to the Japanese, island by bloody island, until standing on the shores of Japan, he can proclaim victory.
And possibly gain the leadership of the United States as well.
Customer Reviews:
Not all it could be.......2007-09-17
The book was a great concept but I found the characters a bit two-dimensional. The political in-fighting was not too realistic and the concept that the President would have to kowtow to even a General as well known as MacArthur is unrealistic. As Harry Truman proved only 5 years after WWII during the Korean War: President beats 5 stars, and MacArthur didn't have those at the time of the book. Good in its own way, the book was a bit disappointing.
Definitely Well Worth Reading.......2007-09-08
Douglas Niles has put together a very readable alternate history of the War in the Pacific. He portrays MacArthur and Patton very believably. The story flows well and it is all very plausible. If you enjoy well written alternative history, then this book will not disappoint you. It discusses the politics more than the battles, though the battle scenes it has are gritty and realistic.
Invasion of Japan.......2007-09-02
The overall scenerio was very plausible. The remaining allies seemed to be forgotten in the what if. Especially the Soviets. The personalities of the real individuals seemed to be established.
The fictional characters provided good imaginary sense of what life was like on both sides.
I liked the book well enough to read additional books by the authors.
Great Alternate to Reality.......2007-08-10
Doug and Mike do their regular wonderful job with this book. Their knowledge of WWII history is unparalleled, and they tackle the idea of an invasion of Japan with as much imagination as found in any of Doug's numerous fantasy novels. It's great to see such WWII enthusiasts playing around in one of the biggest sandboxes in history and coming up with such a compelling tale.
They do a great job at both the strategic and tactical level. The scenes with the heavies of WWII (Hirohito, Roosevelt, MacArthur, etc.) ring true and humanize these legends, giving them strong, realistic motivations. At the same time, they take pains to show how the war affects the regular joes and GIs, giving this massive tale as much depth as breadth.
Unlike many stories of WWII, this doesn't gloss over the horrors of war or revel in the violence of it. In the end, it's a grim story of people on both sides doing the jobs they feel they must, and it's that sense of inevitability that lends the book its strong verisimilitude. If you enjoy well-told histories and exploring the ideas conjured by expert talespinners asking "What if?", your search ends here.
(Disclaimer: Doug's a good friend of mine, and I've known Mike for years. Still, they both know my praise doesn't come cheap. They've earned it.)
The war behind the war.......2007-08-03
The battlescenes are riveting, the grand sweep of this alternative history is compelling.
I am most impressed by the authors' sense of realism and drama they bring to one of the little appreciated aspects of war in a democracy--the internecine, bureaucratic struggle between American generals, admirals and the services. Maybe its because my career has been in government and public policy, but I found the descriptions of this PR war to be amusing and disturbing in equal parts, a kind of circus funhouse mirror of our own times.
This book reminds us that for all our current divisions, the American style of war has never been as smooth or as unified as we remember. To some degree, we've always been at war with ourselves--even when we have been fighting for our survival.
Books:
- The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800 (Critical Issues in History)
- The Jazz Theory Book
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The New Media Reader
- The Passion: Photography from the Movie "The Passion of the Christ"
- The Phantom of the Opera - piano vocal Selections
- The Quiet American (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
- The Round-Up: A Pictorial History of Western Movie and Television Stars Through the Years
- The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script
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