This book goes beyond other computer books, including the Dummies' series, to explain the stuff in plain English, with a lot of humor thrown in. I particularly liked the chapter on helping kids think, using the PC--critical thinking..something that's clearly lacking these days...

Despite the title, this book's designed for Dads AND Moms, and it's a good one...well written with a sense of humor...it breaks jargon down to human English..Best chapters were on Developing Critical Thinking Skills, using the PC; Raising a Computer Smart Daughter and Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet...There's also a good primer on buying a personal computer. Any parent wanting to guide their child through the digital age should pick up this book.

Excellent down to earth resource for computer ignorant and/or illiterate parents who would like to try to keep up with their children when it comes to the computer.

The earliest days of Sydney, Australia, and the prison colony which was its first population center provide a dynamic setting for this ambitious, old-fashioned novel. With a broad scope, grand design, and sensitive treatment of universal themes, it has the weightiness of an epic, but is far more vigorous and more involving than that, with vivid, sympathetic characters who come fully to life. Transported halfway around the world to a forbidding and alien landscape, men and women prisoners share their personal struggles, providing a vitality and emotional punch one does not often find in fiction. The reader soon discovers that the prisoners are not all that different, of course, from the civil servants and Marines who administer the colony--everyone in Port Jackson (Sydney) is a prisoner in some way or another, be it physical, spiritual, or emotional.

Lt. Ralph Clark's decision to produce George Farquhar's early 18th century comedy, The Recruiting Officer, with an all-prisoner cast leads to many emotional conflicts. Though the play provides the participants with a way to achieve a measure of dignity, they must still bow to the strictures of the colony off stage. Many prisoners wield cruel powers over other prisoners, while Marines and administrators exert power over both the prisoners and the aborigine inhabitants of the area. The restrictions imposed by the church, in the person of Rev. Dick Johnson, aggravate tensions by concentrating on rules of behavior rather than on the human soul. Against this backdrop of the restrictions on their lives, Keneally's characters are set in high relief, their humanity contrasting sharply with the impersonal forms of government which are imposed upon them.

Meticulously depicting 18th century England, its government, its penal system, and its social structure, along with early Australia, its first western inhabitants, the decimation of the aborigine population, and the social conflicts faced by its characters, this is one of Keneally's greatest novels, a timeless story based on real journals, stunning in its effect.

This finely crafted work is one of Keneally's most notable. Portraying a man in an agony of moral conflict over his love for a woman convict yet constantly aware of the family left behind in England, The Playmaker addresses human feelings at many levels. Like so many of his books, Keneally has taken figures from history, weaving a plausible tale of the life they might have led. His examination of the mind and heart of Lieutenant Ralph Clark, during the early years of the Port Jackson [Sydney] prison colony, a is deeply moving account. Far from home, these exiled people face disturbing choices. Keneally compares the founders of the Sydney colony with space travellers, isolated in a dangerous situation with limited resources.

Clark's task is the staging of a play in celebration of the king's birthday. Assembling a cast from the convicts, he's confronted with a range of personalities from house maids to forgers. Keneally's research has dredged up backgrounds of these transported felons; the thieves' guild oath is a particularly fine touch. His real talent, however, is in presenting this material through his characters . Each of his figures projects a reality surpassing other writers of historical fiction. While his descriptive narrative may make modern allusions, none of his persona are dragged out of their original time frame. Ralph Clark is particularly well drawn. Keneally has a special talent for presenting us with an 18th Century man's feelings and aspirations as much as it's possible for us to know them.

That this book has been returned to the active sales list is a testament to its value. It should be read by more people. The 18th Century setting is less important than what Keneally has to say about people. Add this book to your shelves with confidence. It's worth more than a single read.

I read this book seveal years ago, before Keneally's name became so widely known as a result of the success of Schindler's List (the movie). This book stands out in my memory for the great ability to transport us to a different time, place and way of thinking. I found it to have been very skillfully written. I subsequently read other books of his as a result of the pleasure derived from this one and was not disappointed.This book deserves to be more widely known.

This is a great book about a Texan who refused to compromise with big oil, big banks, and big business - the forces that shaped politics in Texas in the 50s and 60s - and was still elected to the US Senate. In the Senate he devoted his career to "putting the jam jar on the lower shelf," so that the little people could reach it. He came from populist East Texas and remained true to the Populist tradition long after it had died in the rest of the country. Dr. Cox has made use of Yarborough's personal papers and his public papers to tell the lively story of an American who had the courage to go against the grain. The book is well-written and is essential for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of natiuon politics in the '60s.

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, with Senator Ralph W. Yarborough riding shotgun in a limousine through the streets of Dallas on November 22, 1963 were both ordered by a secret service agent to hit the deck. History-altering shots were being fired at the motorcade into the lead car carrying President John F. Kennedy, Governor John Connally and their wives. Together they arrived at Parkland Hospital where they witnessed the horrific scene of the bodies of President Kennedy and Governor Connally being wheeled inside.

After the assassination, stories about how Yarborough and "refused" to ride with Johnson the day prior due to their ongoing "feud" became legendary. This feud among these giants of Texas Democratic politics of the 1960's--Yarborough, Johnson and Connally--serves as the fuel to power Dr. Patrick Cox's compelling story. Cox deftly applies his storytelling skills, honed as a former Texas newspaper editor, to weave a taut and fascinating tale of Yarborough and the other giants before and after the assassination.

Known in the U.S. Senate as "Mr. Education", Yarborough's fingerprints can be found on such landmark Great Society legislation as the Higher Education Act, the National Science Foundation, Head Start, Job Corps, Vista and many others. But Ralph Yarborough:The People's Senator is more than an academic treatise about the legislative accomplishments of Ralph Yarborough. He was a profile in political courage, the only southern senator from either party to vote for all the major civil rights bills from 1957 to 1970, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This reader is left to conclude that LBJ's fall in 1968 and Yarborough's political defeat in 1970 market a turning point in American history. With protests over Civil Rights and Vietnam dividing America, Republicans began hacking away at the "ills" of the Great Society. Yet, the lynchpins of the Great Society and much of Ralph Yarborough's contribution still survive and thrive.

This book was a delight to read from start to finish. For political junkies this is pure 100% oxygen. But the novice should enjoy the ride as well. In Ralph Yarborough: The People's Senator, Patrick Cox has unearthed a giant of the 1960's and breathed life into a great American. Ralph Yarborough deserves our attention and appreciation.

My only regret about this book is that it didn't get published while Yarborough was still alive to enjoy it.
Yarborough was LBJ's peer & frequent rival but they buried the hatchet when JFK was killed and, together, created a massive record in civil rights, education and the environment. To understand the legacy of the 60's it is essential to understand Yarborough. It is doubtful that there will ever be a more thorough or more readable treatment of Yarborough's amazing roller coaster career than this one. Highly recommended.

As an educator it is always a treat to discover new ways of tricking young students into learning things and that is what we have here with "Rotten Ralph Helps Out," the first volume to be A Rotten Ralph Rotten Reader. Written by Jack Gantos and illustrated by Nicole Rubel, the title has to do with Rotten Ralph's attempts, such as they are, to help young Sarah with her school project on ancient Egypt. At first, Rotten Ralph is dismissive of Sarah's enthusiasm, but then he learns that the ancient Egyptians were the first people to have cats for pets. Of course, Rotten Ralph's efforts to help tend to backfire, even when he is actually trying to do something for Sarah rather than just for himself. Still, in the end, Rotten Ralph is able to help out in the end.

What makes this book fun is that every little thing Sarah does, from dancing to shaking hands, has something to do with ancient Egypt. Gantos and Rubel work in about a dozen such factoids all within the context of the story (and Sarah's research). Rotten Ralph is news to me, although I have since learned he has been misbehaving in books for a quarter of a century and in now finding news ways of being bad in an animated series (in Greece, Rotten Ralph is known as Ralf o Kakomathimenos, a.k.a. Ralph the Badly Behaved). A book like "Rotten Ralph Helps Out" is the sort that would make a teacher of young students want to do a unit on the ancient Egyptians, even if they were not thinking of doing so. However, Kiara, my own cat, refrained from making any comments on this book whatsoever...

Jack Gantos' adorably mischievous feline, Rotten Ralph, is at it again! Sarah has a big project due for school about Ancient Egypt and she desperately wants Ralph to assist her. In typical Ralph fashion, however, Ralph wants to do anything but what his ever-so-patient "owner" Sarah wants him to do. Gantos uses the conversations between Sarah and Ralph to inform readers about various aspects of life and culture in Ancient Egypt, but does so in such a way that it doesn't come across as "teachy," but entertaining instead. From the fact that Ancient Egyptians regarded cats as super-special deities to the fact that Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent pancakes, the material presented in this new chapter-book approach from Gantos and Rubel will interest and appeal to children who are ready to graduate from the previous Rotten Ralph books to something they can manage on their own. Rubel's artwork is as charming as ever and Gantos' wit is matchless as Ralph takes on a whole new format of fun and frolic! Sooooooooo cool! A definite winner.

Rotten Ralph is at it again, as mean and self-serving as ever! Sarah is trying to do a school project on the ancient Egyptians and their culture. Ralph could not care less. UNTIL he realizes just how important all of this is to Sarah and how very much she wants his assistance (as well as how much interference he has run in tangling up all her plans!). Gantos takes the ever-lovable, but cantankerous, feline he has masterfully perfected in previous Rotten Ralph books and stepped up the pace to a chapter-book format. Gantos exposes readers to various interesting Egyptian facts throughout the course of the book without ever boring them or "beating" a lesson into them (i.e., Egyptians invented pancakes). Rubel's illustrations are as right-on as ever. Soooooo cool, Gantos! A real winner!

Contains several writings by Ralph Waldo Emerson including Walden, Essay's 1: Art, Friendship, Self reliance Essay's 2: The Poet, Gifts, Nature, Politics, Nominalist and realist. It also contains his famous The American Scholar writing, The Trancendentalist, and the book of English Traits: Wealth, First Visit to England, Race, Manners, Charactor. Also includes info on non - conformity and several poems and society/ political protocal.

Emerson is sometimes belittled (sometimes fairly and sometimes unfairly [or, regarding the latter, sometimes even with dishonest and/or malicious motive.]) There need to be influences that can reach people all up and down the ladder. That Emerson is not Plato or Kant or [insert fashionable French philosopher...] is not an argument for not reading him. For what he is he inspires and can lead one on to ever higher influences - only Emerson's specialty is he is very good in leading one in a true, sunlit, direction which may explain some of the malice and snickering of some of his detractors and satirists. And by the way, the common criticism that Emerson had no understanding or vision of the darker side of life has never been true. That he didn't indulge in negativity may be true. It's always been a statement to make him seem a lightweight to those who have never read him said with the intent to keep those people (young people especially) from ever reading him. As another aside it's interesting when you read non-Americans writing on Emerson that it's obvious they would treasure his works as part of their national or cultural contribution to the world...

Emerson is quoted as often as any other writer or speaker. Not becausea few lines here and there are profound. Rather because he understands more about human beings and life. He is thought provoking and so deep its a joy to read the same essay several times. If people take the time to read it they will understand many things about life they can't get other places.I find it interesting we live in a period of time where civilization is far more advanced yet it appears Emerson knew many things society still doesn't get. There have probably only been a handfull of what people call Masters of life. Those people who had few equals. Without question Emerson is one of these people.If you haven't read the essay Compensation you are missing a very important classic which will speak to you like it was written today.

Originally Broadcast On the CBC during 1968
Sherlock Holmes- Henry Comor, Dr. Watson- Gerard Parkes, Barrymore-Gillie Fenwick,
Heed the Baskerville family legend of the Hound: avoid the moors in those hours of the night when the powers of evil are exalted. Every Baskerville that has lived in the family home since the Legend began has met with a violent death. Dr. Mortimer writes to the one man that can help him, Sherlock Holmes, to exorcise the "Legend of the Hound" that plagues the Baskervilles. This radio adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's masterpiece traces Sherlock Holmes' adventure of superstition and revenge on the barren, gloomy moors in this thrilling mystery.

The first in Scenario Productions' "The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes" series and taken from the Archives of CBC Radio, this superbly presented radio adventure theater production of The Hound Of The Baskervilles is a multicast presentation of a classic Sherlock Holmes story. This two audio cassette audio book has a two hour running time and is enhanced with music and sound effects for the perfect "theater of the mind" listening experience. This radio theater production of The Hound Of The Baskervilles is enthusiastically recommended for all Sherlock Holmes fans and would make a very popular addition to school and community library audio book collections.

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" ranks as the most famous and also the best of the four Sherlock Holmes novels. It is the first Holmes novel I read as a child, and the combination of ancient curse, foreboding moor, and modern danger kept me turning the pages.

The BBC has once again done a masterful job of adapting the novel to the format of radio drama. When I first stumbled on to the BBC Holmes series, I thought Clive Merrison to be a scandalous over-actor, but going back and rereading some of the Holmes stories for the first time in decades shows that Merrison, of all the portrayers of Holmes, just might have gotten the oddball genius most nearly right. Holmes had a histrionic streak which caused him to keep his deductions secret until he could reveal them in the most sensational fashion possible, and Merrison captures this quirk of Holmes' character perfectly.

"The Hound" is unique among the Holmes novels because for a large part of the mystery, Holmes' character is offstage, appearing only at the last moment to bring events to a hair-raising denouement. Holmes' joint penchants for secrecy and sensation almost bring his client to grief, but all's well that ends well. This radio play begins, continues, and ends very well.

As an author of a book that uses a fishing metaphor to illustrate how relationships work, I was approached by someone about this book. So I bought it and must say that it truly gives the more serious angler a better understanding about what fly fishing for trout is all about. Having read about a dozen books on trout fishing (in doing the research for my fishing analogy), I think this one is one of the very best. The pictures are beautiful and something that every California trout fisherman should have in his personal library.

Cutter's Sierra Trout Guide is more than just a how to catch fish book. It is a lovingly illustrated and highly readable narrative about the Sierras, the varieties of trout found there, where trout feed, and on what and when, how to know what the trout are eating and what best imitates today's insect selection. Equally important, Cutter provides a compelling history of each strain of Sierra trout and how man has done his best --luckily so far unsuccessfully-- to ruin this splendid fishery. Read this book and you'll weep at what our forefathers did to the once abundant Lahontan Cutthroat. But you'll also see the Sierras and their wild trout populations with a whole new appreciation for their magnificence.

Ralph Cutter has done a superb job with his revised edition of "Sierra Trout Guide". The book was originally published in a much smaller format with only a fraction of the information contained in this edition. The ten years between editions was well worth the wait.

Ralph introduces you to the various species of trout and char that you will find in the Sierra, along with valuable information on their preferred habitat and environmental preferences. His chapter describing the fishery will help you understand why the Sierra Nevada enjoys such a wide mix of trout, and will give the history buff a load of trivia to share at the evening campfire or while moon-watching from a granite bluff.

Backpacking is a minimalist's sport and yet fly fishers have a reputation for carrying everything with them but the kitchen sink. The chapter "Into the Backcountry" gives great guidelines on what to take, what to leave, and what to expect to run into on a fly-fishing/backpacking trip. The chapter on "Trout Foods" includes information on all the major insects on the Sierra trout's menu and includes a hatch chart with some general recommendations to compensate for elevation differences. Ralph again takes the well seasoned backpacker's approach to his recommended fly assortment. You really can imitate most of the available insects in the Sierra with just a handful of flies.

The chapter "Locating Productive Waters" will enable you to make an educated guess about where to find trout by analyzing the features of the 7 1/2 minute maps of the areas you wish to explore.

As if that was not enough, the book includes distribution charts (listed by county) of all the rivers and lakes found in the Sierra that hold trout. These charts also tell you which USGS map they can be found on, the watershed they belong to, the elevation, and even the species of fish you can expect to find in the area you're considering. For example, if you want to fish lakes in the EL Dorado County area of the Sierra for Golden Trout, you can use these charts to plan your trip. My brother and I used this information to find a lake a few years ago that contained golden trout at 8100 feet of elevation and only a 6 mile hike in. The full moon illuminating the granite cliffs over the lake that night, and a sparkling jewel of a 14" golden trout the next day, quickly made me forget any soreness from the effort it took to get there.

The book is printed on top quality glossy paper and the pictures alone make the book worth buying. The 8½" x 11" pages are easy to read and handle, and the softcover allows you to easily slip it into your backpack. Don't go into the Sierra without it.

you've got to have this book if you are a geotechnical engineer. terzaghi gives examples from actual projects and presents them clearly. there are solutions to geotechnical problems encountered in the field.

Many have commented on my review below -- most favorably. A few said, it was the second edition of the book they had admired most. Well! that was in 1967. Geotechnical engineering has exploded since then. Today it would be almost impossible for anyone to write a 5-star general purpose book on the subject.

I want to thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I am most grateful.

In India people say there is no building like Tajmahal. In civil engineering, I say there is no book like Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice. Karl Terzaghi, the father of soil mechanics, had a vision, a vision that he lived by, nurtured and preached. Very few have personified Terzaghi's vision better than co-authors, Peck and Mesri.

Permit me to say, no book in this century has had more influence on the rise of civil engineering than has Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice. Since its first publication in 1948, the book has guided a multitude around the world, spawned countless other books, and set a stage of research for a geotechnical generation gone by, there is, and yet to come.

The library of a geotechnical engineer cannot be said to be complete without a copy of this book.

The recipes are wonderful and the book itself full of gorgeous photos, drawings and, in general, just wonderfully produced. I'm buying several for Christmas gifts for out-of-state relatives and friends. I'm new to the state and this is a fabulous introduction to the food and customs.

Definitely goes "beyond bbq and chili" to wonderful fusion of the traditional and the most up-to-date. You will not be sorry you bought this.

This is a beautiful cookbook! Even if you have lived in Texas your whole life, you will see places you haven't glimpsed. Having been born in Texas and raised on the variety of foods available here, I love how these recipes take it to a higher level. The recipes are perfect...though not always easy, they are always worthy of the effort. I made the cover dish first thing and got raves from all who ate it. I love the way she pairs the Texas wines with each meal. And she tells so much about Texas...research well done!

This book has some really wonderful recipes...and so true to Texas. I took a cooking class from Terry Thompson-Anderson where she demonstrated some of these wonderful recipes. When I tried them myself, they were just as good....the measure of a truly good cookbook!

Imagine you were one of the first people to look through a telescope - and you suddenly found out that the sky was not merely wallpaper. You would have known that the discovery was a breakthrough, but what would happen would be spooky to think about.

That's how I feel reading Prechter's book about the new science of Socionomics. The telescope made sense of the jumble of lights in the night sky, as well as strange events like eclipses. The new science of Socionomics makes sense of a huge jumble of information in financial markets as well as strange events like crashes, manias, fads and fashions. The personality of markets and societies is linked directly to how our brains respond to certain types of input.

It is also a book that stirs up the back of your mind - are we really as independant in thinking as we imagine ourselves to be: how strongly are we influenced by the society around us? The book shows frightening evidence that our brains are hard wired to respond immediately to impulses stimulated by the human herd.

Overall, the book is like reading about the first observations from telescopes - it is a spooky glimpse into a world right in front of our faces that we've not understood until now. If you read it thoughtfully, the book will be both unsettling and inspiring in its implications.

If you use Elliott Wave in your investment analysis you know it works. If you try to point this out to a non-waver you feel like the round earth advocates must have felt 500 years ago defending their position to the flat earthers. After all it does look flat; and stock charts do just look like a bunch of squiggly lines.

After reading this book you begin to understand the science that is at work in Elliott Wave Theory, and believe me, they are not just a bunch of squiggles. Mr. Prechter makes his case brilliantly.

As someone who is extremely interested in how the brain works and why we 'do what we do', as "rational" human beings, I found this book to be extremely compelling. I simply could not put it down. Prechter takes a huge compilation of material (from neuroscience, psychology, fractal anaylsis to technical stock market analysis) and boils it down into a beautifully written and fascinating look at how our mind and society is shaped and guided by an underlying mathematical pattern that is the foundation for all living systems.

We are lead by Prechter through a basic understanding of Ralph N. Elliott's Wave Principle - a technical method of stock market analysis Elliott discovered during the 1930's - and come to find that this pattern is fractal based, and not only indicates where the NASDAQ is going to go tomorrow, but shows us where we will go as a society!

This book is a must read for anyone studying brain function, psychology, or philosophy AND for the beginning and seasoned trader! I wish I had found this type of information years ago.