I was very impressed with the content of the book and the way the author presents material in an understandable and approachable way. After reading the book I have already started to use the strategy of buying leap options on companies before the split date of the stock. I recently purchased options on Rambus and made over 400% return on a minimal investment. I was able to personally meet Mr. Larson recently at a local seminar and was very impressed with his attitude and enthusiasm for helping traders manage their own portfolios and outperform the market. I would highly recommend this book to traders of all experience levels.

Mark Larson's book is a down-to-earth treatment of how to be successful in the stock market. His straightforward approach deals with the important issues of timing in the market, knowing when to sell, knowing how to read indicators successfully, but most importantly, how to develop an attitude of treating this as a business and learning how to make wise business decisions when it comes to your day to day decisions regarding your portfolio. I highly recommend this book for anyone serious about gaining the type of knowledge you really need to be successful in the market. Thanks, Mark!

Mr. Larson's style of writing keeps his message understandable and to the point. When other stock market authors seem to waste valuable paper, Mark does away with the "fluff" and impresses upon you the importance of taking control of your own financial future. Regardless of the current state of the market, Mark's passion for what he does leaves one feeling confident that anyone who wants to take control of their financial destiny can do so by implementing systematic strategies that are presented in his book, TRADE STOCKS ONLINE. After completely reading this book, you will know what you already should know ... that no one cares more about your investments than you do! I encourage you to answer the same question that I had asked myself: "Why aren't I taking control of my investments." Mark's book will not only allow you to feel empowered to take control, but your fear that currently holds you back will disappear when you acquire the knowledge contained within each valuable page. I thank Mark for sharing this invaluable information and saving me from making many of the mistakes that I have seen other investors make in this volatile market. I believe that when equipped with the proper tools and knowledge, that fear is simply False Evidence Appearing as Real. Eliminate your fear, get the facts ... go buy Mark's book! There is no better investment! ...

Goats is wonderful in that it provides its readers with a portrait of a few stoners--the protagonists, Ellis and Goat Man. I don't agree with the person from Brooklyn who called this novel "pseudo profound stoner material"--the novel is really an indictment of that. If he had read the book, he'd have understood that one of the protagonists comes to realize the stupidity and waste in being a "pseudo post-Kerouac" prophet. For someone who supposedly reviews books for national publications, the person from Brooklyn certainly didn't read this one too closely--or maybe he didn't read it at all.

I read this novel on two coast-to-coast flights. It made the flights much more tolerable, and the guy next to me kept asking what was so funny.

To anyone thinking of reading Goats, I will not be able to articulate to you, how much I loved this book. It was truly one of the most brilliant, humorous, original books I have ever read. The story progressed and ended at the perfect pace. All the characters were unique, believable and consistent to themselves. It was original and page-turning, without trying too hard. When I finished this book, I felt like I was on the inside to something great, before anyone else. I can't wait for this author to write another one.

A few years back I stumbled over and loved Poirier's excellent short story collection, Naked Pueblo, and I'm glad to report his debut novel displays the same strong writing and sympathetically quirky offbeat characters as his short stories. Like his short stories, the book is set primarily in Tucson, although there are chapters in Pennsylvania, and a few short visits to Washington, D.C. The story centers around Ellis, a 14-year-old who is leaving his odd domestic life with his mother in Tucson for a stuffy East Coast boarding/prep school. His upbringing has been somewhat haphazardly managed by Wendy-his hippie turned New Age mother whom he addresses by her first name, of course-and a quiet pothead relic of the early '70s called "Goat Man," who raises hybrid marijuana and goats while living for free in the pool house. His father...), lives out east and hasn't played much of a role in Ellis's life, so he's mostly relied on Goat Man as his male role model. Goat Man, on the other hand, is mainly a wiser, older brother figure to him, setting him up with all the herb he needs, turning him on to Peter Tosh, and going on goat trekking trips.

Poirier sets this up odd background and proceeds to show Ellis's transformation as he enters the no less bizarre environment of his first year of boarding school. While he finds out that his father isn't as bad as he thought, and that there's more to life than pot, Goat Man engages in a low-intensity war with Wendy's smarmy new boyfriend, Bennet, who wants Goat Man gone. The narrative switches back and forth as both have little adventures, building to a climactic trip to Mexico and goat trek back across the border that highlights the changes Ellis has undergone and the cowardice behind Goat Man's laid-back persona.The story brims with authenticity throughout, from the crew team's erg sessions at prep school to the ornery goats in the desert. Poirier perfectly captures quintessential teenage boy moments like Ellis's first romantic interest and subsequent crushing disillusionment.

As with many coming of age novels, Ellis is often remarkably mature and sensible for his age, but Poirier shows us how came to be this way, living with his space cadet mother (he pays all the bills for her). Indeed, all the characters pop from the page as fully recognizable and sympathetic individuals, from Ellis's father's genuinely nice and bright new girlfriend, to Bennet's wanna-be-slacker...niece, to Ellis's priggish roommate and his booze-soaked older brother. The pace is languid but compelling, with a sort of deadpan, wry humor coursing throughout. Somehow, Poirier manages to be poignant and charming without being mawkish or sentimental. The three closest books I can think of are Jervey Tervalon's "Living For the City," Chris Fuhrman's "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys," and Tom Perrotta's "Bad Haircut."

When Ray sent me a copy of the new Second edition of "Communications Systems & Networks" I was expecting a good update of the 1996 first edition. Instead Ray has produced an almost entirely new text, and he's done a simply OUTSTANDING job.

Ray is the editor of Newton's Telecom Dictionary, and this book makes an excellent companion text to that great classic. Those of you who read my reviews know that I give free copies of that text to every student who attends my TrainingCity.com classes. If you bought Newton's Telecom Dictionary, buy this book, you won't ever regret it.

Ray uses his experience editing "Newton's" throughout "Communications Systems and Networks." Every term is explained clearly and concisely. Reading through this book I was continually amazed at how well Ray can explain complex concepts, and get ALL the relevant information into so few paragraphs.

In conclusion, I believe this is an instant classic, and a must have for any Voice & Data library.

As a switch software developer for many years, I have developed a deep understanding of small corners of switch features, but lacked a good overall knowledge of network architecture. Thank you, Ray, for providing me with the system overview essential for the systems engineering job that I have recently assumed. This is a comprehensive overview of modern communications networks (with interesting brief histories - a nice touch for good readability) aimed at a person with some telecom experience, but like me, with an incomplete background. This book has very nicely filled in knowledge gaps with a great overview of the technologies involved in today's networks. Some of this was familiar, and the rest I knew only in vague generalities. I have been recommending it to others in the field as a good reference. My only complaint is that it is large and cumbersome, so does not travel well. A CD-ROM version would be a very nice handy reference while on my frequent road trips. And he takes his solicitation for input, as stated in the foreword, very seriously.

I think the level of detail is just right, as it gives me enough background to follow technical discussions and ask intelligent questions.

Communications Systems and Networks keeps getting better with each new edition. The book provides extraordinarily clear and concise explanations of every major topic in Voice & Data communications.

The author, Ray Horak, is also the editor of Newton's Telecom Dictionary and his experience editing that test shows up throughout Communications Systems and Networks. I give copies of Newton's Telecom Dictionary to every student who attends my TrainingCity.com Voice & Data classes.

I strongly recommend this text to anyone involved in IT. It is an excellent starting point for people new to the field, and experienced professionals who need to stay current on the latest trends and developments.

I have read exerpts from Chicken Soup for the Soul but I haven't finished it. I have, however, being a teenager, read Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. It was the most inspirational book I have ever read. Its uplifing stories have helped me to better understand my life and relationships as a teenage Christian dealing with today's problems. I would highly recommend any book in this wonderful series to anyone and everyone!!!

I have not yet completed this book, but I am in the process of finishing it now. So far it is very motivational. The chapter on Faith has got some real meaningful messeges. I recommend that anyone who needs some words of wisdom should open this book. It is definately worth the time and worth the money. I am only 20 years old and have read a lot of books, but this one is literally too hard to put down. When I put it down after reading a story I feel like being the best of God's people. God's work is really involved in these stories, and in putting them together so that we can enjoy them and learn about some wonderful workings of God.

This is a book that can be read siliently or out loud to an audience at anytime. One little action, one little world could mean a lot to others. The stories touch to the deepest of one's heart as the person start realizing the truth of the world and the reason of life. Chicken Soup for the Soul is for honor and love.

Man has pretty much conquered inner space. The Moon, Mars, Mercury, asteroid mining, spaceships, fusion drives, human hibernation to cope with long journeys and boredom...the hard sci-fi fan has plenty to enjoy here. Niven is good at picking up realistic science, across the disciplines, particularly physics and biology, and taking the ideas to the next stage, and the next, and the next. By and large it hangs together well. But the real reason I like this one is the entertaining alien species, the Pak. The pinnacle of evolutionary success for this race is the Protector, the full-adult warrior class member who lives to fight and further his genetic blood line by winning territory and destroying all competition. It is as if Mr Niven anticipated Dawkin's 'Selfish Gene' hypothesis and 'Independence Day' in a leap of the imagination one day in the early 1970's. The nearest thing on earth to the Pak was probably the militaristic Spartan civilisation of ancient Greece. And now the Pak are coming. Earth is a failed Pak colony, a two-and-a-half million year old experiment gone awry. Man was never meant to evolve under his own steam. They want their territory back...

Imagine a race of beings that:
Are so hyper-intelligent that they never invented computers. It never occured to them to devise a machine to help them think.

Abandoned interstellar travel because it was useless. Except to kill off a few close-by competitive races. And they invented interstellar travel w/o computers, remember.

Are very long-lived. Maybe immortal. They don't grow old since they always die a violent death.

Are amazingly strong with lightning-quick reflexes.

Are Very warlike.

Are EXTREME XENOPHOBES.

And you have to fight them. Actually, this would be a good basis for another Niven book. But Protector does a great job of introducing this race to his future history. The middle third of the story is rather slow, but it picks up again for the final third. Great book. And essential to understand, not just the one or two books that other have mentioned (giving away part of the plot for those books)but the place of Humanity in the Known Space Universe.

A Protector could eat a Klingon for lunch. And wouldn't even enjoy it. A Must Read for the space-loving scifi fan.

What can you say about this tale to someone who hasn't read it? How about that if they want to get to know excellent science-fiction, or if they just want a story with crackling dialogue, pages bursting with ideas, and an essential part of an ongoing Future History, or an combination of the previous, then they don't have to look any further than this novel?

I might even consider this book better than Ringworld, mostly because I can comprehend the ideas better and the plot was easier to follow than the other book. Also, this novel is one that most of the other Known Space stories refer to, making it a must for any Larry Niven fan.

The story of the Pak Protectors is also essental to the Ringworld saga, as anyone who read The Ringworld Engineers would know. But I don't want to spoil the surprise, or the sheer joy of reading a classic novel for anyone. Just go out and buy the book, borrow it from the library, or steal it from a friend, already! What more do you want?

This superb play by Shakespeare somehow reminded me of Antigona, the first play which directly examined the always complex interplay and usual confrontation between political reason and moral reason. This play is an excellent account of the immediately previous and subsequent days of Julius Caesar's assasination by Brutus, his best friend, and other conspirators. Brutus is persuaded by the resentful Cassius that Caesar has betrayed Rome by abandoning the Republic and turning to Dictatorship. Brutus gets to be convinced that, in order to save the Republic, Caesar must be killed. This puts him in a great dilemma, for he loves Caesar and he's his closest friend. Here we see in an acute form the way in which political power gets in conflict with morality and feelings. Friendship, power and betrayal are the basic subjects of this excellent piece of work.

This was the first play performed at the Globe Theatre. For that reason alone, this play deserves special attention. But the characters, the language, and this interesting situation represent Shakespeare's finest efforts. Cassius is ruthless with a malicious attitude. But he honestly fears what Caesar will do if he is crowned. Brutus is a good and honest man. He contemplates joining Cassius to kill Caesar despite the fact that Caesar loves him as a friend. (In history as well, Caesar was notably kind to Brutus.) But yet he too fears that if Caesar is crowned, Rome will bleed. Mark Antony is convincing as Caesar's loyal aid who SEEMS insignificant at first. But after Caesar is killed, he emerges as the most powerful and intelligent character in the play. What makes this play so phenomenal is that we can easily understand and sympathize with any of these major characters. (Even though they are on opposite sides.) What's left? Only chilling omens like the Soothsayer, the storm, the ghost of Caesar, etc. Only memorable passages like Mark Antony's famous 'honorable' speech. If you like this play, I suggest the B & W version where James Mason does Brutus, John Gielgud does Cassius, and Marlon Brando does Mark Antony.

This is certainly one of Shakespeare's greatest works. Every individual character has been perfectly planned before the play was written, and each has his/her own unique characteristics. The plot is well-known, but Shakespeare adds the themes of betrayal, love, and distrust into the mix, making it a nonforgetable story. This is definately a masterpiece to be reread over and over again. LONG LIVE JULIUS CAESAR! GO SM!! WE ARE HIS #1 FANS!!!

Mark Manning's adopted son Thad becomes the prime suspect when the fellow lead in a local play is found murdered. Mark, with the help of his friends and lover Neil, must untangle the complex motivations to find out who actually killed the boy Jason, and clear Thad before the community acts on its popular opinions. The strength of the Manning series is the relationship between Mark and Neil, as well as the parent-child relationship they have with Thad. There's just nothing else like it! It's not often where we get to read about a male couple's love, emotionally and physically. Meanwhile, the mystery plot twists and swerves to an unexpected conclusion. Leave it to Michael Craft to continue surprising his fans and raising the bar for modern mysteries and gay fiction.

"Boy Toy" is the first book by Michael Craft I've read and my first experience of his amateur sleuth, newspaperman Mark Manning. I loved the characters and found the plot intriguing as well as the small town Wisconsin location. I was gratified to discover that this is the latest book in a series by this author featuring the same main character, who functions as narrator of the story. This one had me guessing! I'm from Los Angeles originally, have lived in San Francisco for 22 years, and spent a year in Dubuque, Iowa going to school in the mid-1970's. The midwestern setting of this book wasn't a problem for me, even if it's where I don't want to live.

My one quibble -- and it is a quibble -- is that more than once Manning describes his prairie house as having come from one of Frank Lloyd Wright's students at Taliesin in Wisconsin. Sorry, but the Prairie School was founded by Wright and his associates who worked out of Wright's original studio in Oak Park, Illinois. By the time Wright moved to Taliesin, the prairie house was on the way out and by the time Taliesin established its program of architectural apprenticeship, it was the 1930's and Usonian houses -- prairie houses were long gone by then.

It has been both interesting and gratifying to watch Michael Craft develop as a mystery writer. With his fifth Mark Manning installment, "Boy Toy," Craft truly hits full stride. Now that Michael Nava has retired from mystery writing and two other fine series by R.D. Zimmerman and J.M. Wilson seem to be on hold, Michael Craft steps to the forefront of the gay mystery genre.

Craft is ready, and "Boy Toy" really delivers. The plotting is airtight, and even though I was sure I had it figured out, a neat twist-ending proved me wrong. Craft has clearly done his homework in researching the forensics of this story, and it's safe to say I'll never again feel quite right about mushrooms. Craft also excels at characterization. Mark Manning, the hero-narrator, and his lover Neil have matured into a wonderful couple, two guys I'd love to have dinner with and know as friends. And their physical relationship now leaves NOTHING to the imagination.

All told, "Boy Toy" is just about perfect. I look forward to reading many more Mark Manning mysteries.

The title sounded very daunting - E-Business Intelligence. What on earth had I got myself into! A daily user of computers, comfortable with a mouse, starting to use the web... I thought I would take the leap. What a pleasant surprise!!

The book explains in normal terminolgy how we can all use the wealth of information locked away in our databases. There are many aspects that I enjoyed about the book, not the least of which it was so easy to read. What made it this way was how the authors constantly gave clear examples of the key points they were making. They used real customers with real problems with real solutions.

For example they talk about "Mastercard mastering its data volumes". A company that has grown its data volumes by a massive 400% since 1995 and has thousands of users online everyday.

The authors also take the reader back to basics. They provide simple and clear explanations of processes and concepts that for many could be incomprehesible. They include graphs, hypotethical examples and anecdotal stories where ever possible. Those savvy with the ins and outs of the Business Intelligence world will even find this useful, so well is it done. They will also get quite a kick out of reading how some organisations are using BI to better manage data, clients and consequently profit. For example Eli Lilly, Hertz and eBay.

The clear explanation will enable any reader of the book to quickly understand, see the value and start thinking about what they could or should be doing in their own information world.

I have been inspired to look at what can be done within the organsiation I work for. Just how much better could I manage and work with my clients if I was able to access and use the information locked away on all of them?

A brilliant read for anyone who has clients,information, a computer and a desire to make a profit!

If you are seeking a quick, concise, yet thorough analysis of how to make an impact with your e-business data, this is the book for you. The book is easy to follow, well-written, and most importantly, provides great examples.

There are volumes of data flowing into every enterprise at a record pace. Data analysis tools and strategies are expanding to meet the increasing needs for corporations to turn data into dollars.

Liautaud's book will help you to better understand the key elements of any successful e-business intelligence strategy. The examples represent a broad range of industries and really helped apply real-world thinking to the content.

It is nice to see a publication on this topic that is more than theory and predictions. This one is a winner.

If you are in this space, read this book.

I've read E-Business Intelligence twice and think it's a thorough overview of the subject of extracting intelligence from data. The book shows the different ways companies are actually exploiting information to help give their business a competitive advantage -- as opposed to simply automating the running of their operations.

Most information books today take a "stovepiped" view of the organization and talk only about one part of a company -- doing supply chain, customer relationship management, sales force automation, etc. What I like about this book is that it's holistic. It shows how us of these pieces fit together. It's a rare sideways (or transverse) way of looking at information exploitation.

The case studies are not highly detailed, but they do provide enough detail to illustrate "the point" behind each example, and they do stimulate the reader into thinking of new ways that he/she can exploit the information that they most likely already have in their information systems.

I think it's a must-read for business executives who are trying to get a handle on what's possible with today's technology and for information technology staff trying to get the business perspective on IT.

With wit and insight, Mark Shea probes the question, "Is Sacred Tradition a necessary part of the Christian tradition?" and shows with numerous examples that the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Especially helpful are the examples: Shea shows that, in one instance, such a given Protestant doctrine like the reality of the Blessed Trinity is a conclusion drawn from scriptural evidence AND the Apostolic Tradition of the Catholic Church. If I have any quibble with the book, it would be that it is not exhaustive enough. It doesn't address the full range of the case for "sola scriptura" (only Scripture), but then Shea never said he was attempting to write a book that would be the be-all and end-all resolution to a question that has been plaguing Christians for four hundred years!

Mark Shea's clever and at times witty examination of the authority of Catholic tradition is a book I turn to again and again in my conversations with others and in my writing.

A former Evangelical, Shea sets out to disprove reliance on Catholic Sacred Tradition for authority. He is unable to. His research and well-reasoned arguments make a solid case against the Evangelical argument of Scripture alone, and a solid case for Sacred Tradition as expressed by the Catholic Church.

This book is short and easy to read. It is meant for the lay person, not the theologian.

Mark Shea's apologetic is a sort of stealth evangelism directed at evangelicals who have unwarranted prejudices against Catholicism. The author takes the reader on a journey through his own intellectual evolution from a staunch evangelical to an equally staunch Catholic. Shea's journey begins by him attepting to debunk the claims of the Jesus seminar which claims that "orthodoxy" is not the true Christianity seen in the NT, but rather later corrupting traditions added by power hungry clergy. While trying to prove the seminar wrong, Shea realizes his own unthought out reliance on tradition and how Evangelical assumptions are essentailly the same as the Seminar - though perhaps less radical. The question that really gave the author a rough time was the question of the canon. This question enabled the author to see how the seminar people were simply carrying Protestant "sola scriptura" logic to its natural conclusion. The author also realized during his search that many doctrines he took for granted really were not spelled out explicitly in scripture and that he had been relying on tradition. The book is very well written and easy to follow. Shea's style has been compared - rightly I believe, to C.S. Lewis. I witnessed someone close to myself completely change his attitude against Catholicism after reading this book. There is much food for thought here for both Protestants and Catholics.

What can I say? This is one of the most fasinating stories I have read in a long time. I read this book unexpectantly one weekend, and let me tell you I was not disappointed. The main characters, Casper and Brenden, seem to be an unlikely pair.
Brenden, (captian of the football team,most popular kid in school, and all around hunk)notices and befriends Casper (poor little hungry dude who everyone seems to beat up on). At first things go well, then not so well, then things are better again. I don't want to give the story away but I'll just say they find love( and it is tested often).

I believe that Mark A. Roeder has done a great job of making a book that is not only engaging but satisfying. The way Roeder goes between perspectives is great, you get a better idea of the personality of each character. It is phenominal how he can incorporate characters from his previous novels to make a rolling storyline. Although part of a series this book can stand alone. I have never read one of his books before but this has left me itching for more.

I know that it may seem corny to say that A Better Place is touching and moving but it is! Brendan, the jock of all jocks, a man among boys, the dream boy of all the girls, smart, intelligent, obviously he is in heaven, right? Casper - wears old clothes, motherless, abused by older brother and ignored by drunk father; a loser? What do these two people have in common? Each other, they are both gay high school students. It is set in a contemporary setting but some opinions have not changed. This is a true love story on how two people met, had quite a few problems at first but when people finally listened... I do not want to give away the plot but there are incidents and situations where we can all identify with whether straight or gay! I would love to teach this book in my classroom. If you know people who are struggling with their gay identity, I strongly recommend this novel. Thank you Mark Roeder for a wonderful novel.

This is one of three of Mark's books that I have read so far and is, in my opinion, the best yet read.

Casper's character, especially early in the book, stimulates every sympathetic and protective nerve in your body. Sometimes so much so that it hurts. Brendan, almost a little too perfect to believe at first, develops very nicely as the story progresses and the balance between our two heroes shifts into gear before any seeming gulf between their needs and abilities becomes uncomfortable.

Like all Mark's couples with whom I am familiar, Casper and Brendan really and truly *belong* together. It seems to take a little longer for them to show it in APB than is the case with characters in some of the other books. But that makes it all the more wonderful. There was a quite a bit of heartbreak, suspense and even a "dark secret" or two before Casper and Brendan truly "meld" in my mind's eyes. But when they do, the result is one of the most beautiful and believable stories of mutual love and support that I have had the pleasure of reading.

Although other fans will disagree (we have *strong* opinions in this regard), I would readily recommend "A Better Place" to anyone who is curious about Mark A. Roeder's work (or about "gay teen romances" in general) as a "first read." That recommendation stands whether the prospective reader is straight or gay or somewhere in between. Even more, I would recommend this book to parents or adult friends (teachers, employers, coaches, etc.) of gay young people who are a little unsure of what "being gay" can really mean. Mark captures the hopes and fears, as well as the trials and victories of young gay men and gives them a vitality and realism that is exquisite. If you have read other of Mark's books, you of course need no recommendation. But if you haven't, I urge you to try this one. It will definitely take you to a "far better place" than you might first imagine.