I think that WATERSHED is an excellent program for students in the seventh grade. Having been a WATERSHED student myself, I think that it was an effective and interesting program. It teaches kids a lot of skills, like teamwork and cooperation and I'd recommend it to anyone.

The ideas expressed by Mark Springer in his "Watershed: A Successful Voyage into Integrative Learning" are remarkable. The structure (or lack of structure) of an integrative classroom is amazing in itself, and in this book, Springer gives a step by step overview of the creation, development, and operations of Watershed, the integrative program which he and his partner created. In addition to the growth of the class and its forty students, Springer also addresses the accomplishments made by the class, complications that the class experienced, and how students (seventh graders) benefitted from the program.This book covers so much - a literal step by step process from the first thoughts of Watershed to how it benefits the students - and it is a must-read for any teacher in search of a better method of education...the integrative method.In short, "Watershed" is the ultimate instruction manual for constructing an integrative program, whcih combines student examples, a wonderful writing style, and excellent explanations.

Mark P. Silverman's "Waves and Grains", in much the same manner as his treatment of quantum interference in "More Than One Mystery" written a few years earlier, is a series of discrete but interrelated essays on different aspects of optics. The treatment is semi-technical, with analyses of the math supporting the various experiments and their interpretations. Speaking as one with no math background at all and no formal training in physics, I still found this book fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. Silverman is something of a polymath, with wide-ranging interests, and he succeeds in bringing together concepts from different fields of study in unexpected but very fruitful ways. He surely must be a wonderful classroom teacher; his enthusiasm for his subject matter is contagious, and to say that his use of language in his writing is masterful is an understatement. Formerly a journalist, he is always engaging, and never dry. Throughout, his descriptions are a model of clarity, and the precision of his vocabulary in the simplest nontechnical sentences is awe-inspiring in its elegance. This is not a textbook, but any serious student of physics who doesn't own a copy is missing out on an important book.

I got to the final three chapters of this book ("A Heretical Experiment in Teaching Physics", "Why Brazil Nuts Are on Top: Physics and the Art of Writing", and "What Does It Take...?") long after forming my impressions noted above, having first read Silverman's earlier "More Than One Mystery" with just the same amount of pleasure, and was gratified to find my reactions validated here. These chapters are entirely nontechnical discussions of the importance of an understanding of the physical world we inhabit, and better ways of imparting an enthusiasm for learning to students, which in themselves would make this book worthwhile for anyone sharing these interests.

Much of this same material is presented for a general readership in his 2002 "A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe", a revision of the now out-of-print "And Yet It Moves: Strange Systems and Subtle Questions in Physics".

I like this book a whole lot. It holds some kind of strange attraction for me although it is definitely too advanced and mathematically quantitative for me to completely understand. Yet, I *really* like it... Hmm. Why is that? This book is a friendly and curiously unique presentation of practical & theoretical aspects of light (electromagnetism). Included in the book are discussions of the great ideas and men who helped advance our understanding of light - for example the book gives some discussion on the contributions of Newton, Young, Fresnel, Huygens, & Maxwell. This isn’t just the “History of Science” stuff, it’s written in a captivating style to put our understanding in a cultural context. Throughout the book are justifiably qualitative (fairly quantitative) presentations on the technical aspects of Diffraction & Interference, Polarization, Reflection & Scattering, and a neat chapter titled ‘Playing with waves (subtitled the "Voice of the Dragon"!)’. Finally my favorite and inspiring section, Science & Learning ('Self-Directed Learning'). I hope you give this book a chance like I did because, for me, there is a sea of information out there and I'm keeping afloat by sailing around in a boat which I'm building while I'm traveling the literally wonderful journey of self directed enlightenment. Dr. Silverman has sent out some fascinating building materials for me to pick up and try to incorporate. The book has brought me to the shores of a wonderful land, rich with appreciation for the most prevalent stuff in our Universe - LIGHT! Now I must confess: I am borderline incompetent when it comes to mathematics - so this book (like so many I try to wrap my brain around) escapes my full grasp. But I believe that it doesn't hurt to try stretching my mind beyond it's current capabilities. If anything, it makes me more flexible. My experience with this book has left me provoked to explore electromagnetism much further!!!

IndiAndy Intellectual Adventurer & Explorer

It's a good book i ever read. I think everyone would enjoy it

The Weathermonger concludes The Changes Trilogy, with Margaret and Jonathan not only being attacked by the people of England but also by the weather. Everything, including nature, now opposes our duo in their quest to restore acceptance of technology to the larger Brittish isle. They must brave the worst to find a solution long dead and a man who may not want to help them. An interesting solution to an intriuging series

Welcome To Eterna is one of those novels you come accross once in a blue-moon whose descriptions go far beyond the realm of ordinary "novelty" and take the readers consciousness into a multidimensional universe of possibilities. The book traces the steps of character Feyos Rand who is the creative architect of his own virtual realities using something called the V-lens. With the V-lens Feyos is able to simulate game-like scenarios in the mannerism of a virtual psychonaut. In this sense both the computer generated dream world (with the V-lens) and the psychedelic dimension (with H-drugs) become one. Feyos uses these techniques to escape the power structure of Eterna called GhostCommand, a kind of shadow government having various factions that run through alternate realities. The Ghostmatrix is the structure itself behind this governing force, which Feyos must find a way to interface and escape using his genius of V-lensing.

The book is full of interconnected webbings for scenarios simillar to; industrial networks, espionague, extratterestrials, shammanism, quantum computing, and the things of mans future. There are ideas embedded in this novel which stimulate the core of our imagination and find applications to see the mysteries of the universe and the mind itself.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science-fiction with a twist of reality found in David Cronenberg's Existenz, Carlos Casteneda's Don Juan, and the Wachawski Brothers The Matrix.

Welcome To Eterna is one of those novels you come accross once in a blue-moon whose descriptions go far beyond the realm of ordinary "novelty" and take the readers consciousness into a multidimensional universe of possibilities. The book traces the steps of character Feyos Rand who is the creative architect of his own virtual realities using something called the V-lens. With the V-lens Feyos is able to simulate game-like scenarios in the mannerism of a virtual psychonaut. In this sense both the computer generated dream world (with the V-lens) and the psychedelic dimension (with H-drugs) become one. Feyos uses these techniques to escape the power structure of Eterna called GhostCommand, a kind of shadow government having various factions that run through alternate realities. The Ghostmatrix is the structure itself behind this governing force, which Feyos must find a way to interface and escape using his genius of V-lensing.

The book is full of interconnected webbings for scenarios simillar to; industrial networks, espionague, extratterestrials, shammanism, quantum computing, and the things of mans future. There are ideas embedded in this novel which stimulate the core of our imagination and find applications to see the mysteries of reality.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science-fiction with a twist of reality found in David Cronenberg's Existenz, Carlos Casteneda's Don Juan, and the Wachawski Brothers The Matrix.

The area of Mexico covered by Mr. Burton's book is filled with historical, cultural and geographical/geological riches. The problem for me as a resident of this area has been where to find them, and where to learn about them, once you have heard about them. This book has been a god-send as it has allowed us to learn and explore our "neighbourhood" with confidence and always rewarding experiences. If you are interested in more than beach, babes, and beer, then this is a wonderful book to use, or just to read, learn and dream. It is truly a "Mexico" book.

British born Tony Burton is a long time resident of Mexico and an award winning travel writer and naturalist. He has collected and updated the best of his writings over the years into a what is a unique guidebook to western Mexico. Based on his frequent travels and intimate knowledge of the region, Tony offers his special insights into this scenic and culturally rich area of lakes and mountains, colonial towns and Indian villages. From San Blas on the Pacific coast to the celebrated Monarch butterfly refuge in the high Sierra of Michoacan, the author takes us to all of his favorite places along the less traveled roads of the region, revealing their history, ecology and archaeology, as well as their arts, crafts and folklore. I found the book to be especially valuable for his keen observations on, and enthusiasm for the varied natural wonders of western Mexico. Charmingly illustrated by artist Mark Eager, Tony's guide is easy on the eye, It is well organized, packed with suggestions for the traveler, with suggested itineraries and detailed maps. A full bibliography and index is also appended.

The amount of information packed into such a compact format is just amazing. There are chapters on whale biology, evolution, species identification (all 81 species listed) and even a mini guide to whale and dolphin watching around the globe! This is the book I carry with me whenever I go on a field trip (other than the DK guidebook which is not nearly as portable). Its small size means that it fits snugly in my cargo pockets. You might also like to know that this book features information found in DK's "Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises" and Nature Company's "Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises" guidebooks.

We bought this for my son's fourth birthday.. although the text was obviously too much for him to read, he loves sitting and listening to the captions on each picture and asks numerous questions about them. A great way to continue to encourage his keen interest in whales and dolphins!

Bookstore shelves are full of Apologetic writings trying to prove stories in the Bible are literally true. If that's what you are looking for, get another book. What the Bible Really Says is thought-provoking, appealing to the intellect of the beliver. Yet the book is surprisingly readable.

As we journey through the Old and New Testaments, Barthel digs through the controversial stories in the Bible and the similar myths in ancient religions without ever questioning the authority of the Scriptures. He constantly shows us that the Bible is more than a collection of Sunday school stories, but he never leads us to question our faith.

Highly recommended!

I am a layman who is interested in the study of the Bible. I am most interested in books about the Bible that are responsible and scholarly without preconceived ideals and theological agendas. I am not interested in books that make odd claims for shock value or that go out of their way to try and break new ground. This book delivered what I was looking for better than any other I have read so far.

This book which was originally written in German and translated to English provides the layman with fascinating insights which are responsible and scholarly. One such example is the observation that many ancient traditions included written laws prior to the laws of Moses (designed to regulate the affairs of a society which usually involved denoting retaliation). What was unique about the laws of Moses (i.e., the Ten Commandments) was not only "You Shall have no Other Gods before Me" but "You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself" which has no other precedent in the laws of ancient religions. You will also be treated to such wit and wisdom as "... the first law of biblical criticism - speculation flourishes when facts are in short supply..."

If you are looking for commentary, this is not the book for you. You will be disappointed as the author only examines two of the five Books of Moses: Genesis and Exodus. He indicates that the other three books of Moses primarily concern sacrifices, statistics, and long lists of place names and then he moves on to the Book of Joshua and the Conquest of Canaan. This book is a reader meant for those who are interested in the highlights and fascinating insights about the Old and New Testaments that have been learned over the course of time.

When I received this book I spent every spare minute reading and absorbing it! Other than the precious Scriptures themselves, this is the most challenging and practical book that I have read in a long time. I know that it WILL impact everyone who reads it!

The practical challenge to watch, worship, witness, walk and work in view of our Lord's soon return has challenged my spiritual life to new heights. I'm recommending this book to everyone in my church!

Mark Grover's words untangled the feelings I've kept inside my soul. I had hidden my heart and forgotten how healing it was to open the door.

Through the changing of the seasons, and the paths we each choose to take, Mark Grover's poems of love, life, heartbreak, longing, and dreams touches the trials of life and desires of happiness in the one we each seek, or presently have . Relating to another's thoughts brings a feeling of sense to our own reality. For the heart is meant to be shared and Mark Grover expresses this rhythm to anyone who wants to listen, feel and understand what each of us desires and experiences through the reflection of another. Many should read this book, keep it and remember we are not alone through the maze of loving each other in life.

My two-year-old loves this book, especially when I try to mimick the way Loonette says "Who made this big mess???" on the PBS TV show. After we started reading the book frequently, I actually got my daughter to clean her room after I ask her that question in that tone of voice. You can't beat that!

ITS SO HARD TO FIND A BOOK THATS FUN AND LETS A CHILD EXPECT TO CLEAN AFTER READING IT.