Butterworth's book bridges all religons

"Brightness Springs" is a parable about a group of space explorers from Earth who travel aboard the space ark Noah to find a world to inhabit.

An enchanting tale unfolds when the explorers, led by botanist Pete Smith, discover the planet Brightness with its "sky of lavender and orange clouds" and "two full moons" where humans and animals live in harmony with one another.

The explorers, known as the "Sleepers," have wondrous adventures on their journey. They become friends with a tenderhearted, gracious people who live simple lives on small farms, people capable of making enchanting music and creating exquisite artwork. The Bright People are gifted with "powers of prayer": they are people who know God is "absolute love and being."

The author says his new book is at heart about transformation.

"Brightness Springs" is filled with poetic descriptions of the natural world, the beauty of an oriole flying across a shaft of light, "orange pulsed bright" leaving behind a dusting of "specks of gold."

"When you are close to God," Butterworth explained, "everything he has created is more intensely beautiful."

The book also includes a lyrical collection of poems and parables by Butterworth that reflect Catholic spirituality and contemplation.

Nationally-syndicated columnist and career expert Kate Wendleton zeroes in on the most effective approaches to resume writing, beginning with developing a compelling statement of your accomplishments. She explains how to show the results of your work, outline the benefits you bring prospective employers and present your strong points effectively. She includes exercises to guide your deliberative process, plus before-and-after resume samples. These makeovers demonstrate how you can turn a routine resume into an interview-generating powerhouse. Much of the book is taken up with sample resumes, which are helpful models for writing yours though they may be pretty dull to read. In addition, Wendleton also provides specific tips on how to phrase and design your resume. While recommending this manual to job hunters, we from getAbstract have determined that if you read these hints carefully, you can just skim the examples until you find one that meets your needs. Wendleton - and you may well say 'thank you' here - both shows and tells.

After an unsuccessful 5 month job search, I decided it must be my resume that was keeping me from getting interviews. "Building a great resume" starts with the key fundamentals - how to properly describe your accomplishments. Examples abound! And the before-and-after structure provides an excellent way to truly see how a prospective employer will view your resume. This book also addresses the trends of the 90's and the new millenium -- older employees with multiple jobs.

If I only find 1 or 2 really good tips from a book, I'd consider the price worth it. There aren't 175 great tips here, but there are at least 50! I've been doing Netware for 9+ years and this book gave me some new insights into troubleshooting and optimizing. Absolutely worth the price and the evening spent reading it.

Of all of my NetWare books this one has helped me the most on the job. Other books were theory, this one tells you why a problem happened and how to keep it from happening in the future. If you could only keep 3 books on your desk, make this one two of the 3, because one copy will be borrowed by someone and having the other copy will keep you from having to spend too much time looking for it.

A wonderful way to learn the alphabet is using nature to represent each letter. Jerry Pallotta has offered yet another text with this format to add to his previous fifteen Nature Alphabet Books. This time, Pallotta marches out different species of butterflies for each letter, from "A is for Apollo" through "Z is for Zephyr Metalmark." The text on each page invites children to pour over pictures of butterflies while associating each butterfly with its name. Readers must look closely to discover hidden characteristics, hunting , for example, to find the poodle face on the "Dogface" butterfly's wings. Realistic, colorful pictures display each butterfly as if momentarily suspended before a reader who dares not breath for fear of frightening the creature away. The older butterfly guru can learn new information about butterflies, where each lives, and a fact about each-the Magdalene Alphine lives high in the mountains and has black wings that absorb sunlight and keep it warm. For young elementary children, Jerry Pallotta intertwines reading and learning as he provides pictures and information about butterflies from all parts of the world while teaching the alphabet.

Nature's way of meditation beautifully illustrated in the Butterfly Alphabet Book. Perfectly informative for children of all ages. The illustrations are so touchingly created to be stared at for hours...when you cannot find a real butterfly, this is the book to read.

The broken heart of an elderly lighthouse keeper is made whole again in verse. What is most impressive about this book are the absolutely beautiful illustrations.

The sublime artwork of this book is what first attracted me, but the wonderful story is what I will hold in my heart. In verse, this amazing writer introduces us to Caleb, an an elderly lighthouse keeper, and then he begins to reflect upon his past. It is a story that warms the heart, and I wish that it would have been a novel! An absolutely moving tale that is perfect for young and old alike.
I was pleased with the hard cover sleeve that will protect this special book for many years to come.

The Campus Life Guide to Christian Colleges and Universities is two-books-in-one from the editorial staff of a monthly magazine for Christian teens. The first half, aimed primarily at Christian high schoolers looking at Christian institutions, is an excellent guide to the process of choosing and enrolling in college. The second part is a skeletal listing of church-related colleges and universities.

The format for the first half of the Guide is Q&A, dealing with high schoolers' basic questions. Chapters deal with preparing for college, the college search, visiting campuses, applying for admission, financial aid, adjusting to college life and academics, and students' spiritual journeys. There is an additional chapter addressing home schooled students' concerns.

Most of the advice given is rudimentary but well-stated and readable. Highlights include the pro's and con's of working on campus, how applicants should address their shortcomings, an excellent summary of the differences between the SAT and ACT, how student loans can be viewed as a tool allowing people to "think about college as a long-term financial benefit" (p. 74), basic money management, extensive and practical tips for achieving academic excellence, and even what students should do when they think they have enrolled at the wrong school. ...

The Guide overlooks some schools, including several Bible colleges. Flawed though it is, the listing of Christian colleges is perhaps the most comprehensive available and so is a worthwhile reference for any student considering a Christian college. You may also want to get a copy of Peterson's 1999 Christian Colleges & Universities. It provides much more detailed data on Christian liberal arts colleges, but only covers approximately ninety institutions.

If you're even thinking about attending a Christian college, you've gotta get your hands on this book. Featuring the expertise of the staff of Campus Life magazine, a Christian zine for high-school students, plus much more -- including a special chapter just for homeschoolers. This book rocks -- and I oughta know, 'cuz I was the editor!

A very enjoyable read. Jacobs displays an uncanny ability to put himself inside the minds and cultures of his characters. Some of these stories plumb the disillusionment of idealistic '60s "gringos" or Central American guerrilleros who have seen the revolutionary struggles they supported turn sour. Others are more personal and apolitical. Jacobs employs a style that is influenced by Latin American magic realism, often to haunting effect

The Book of Pain and Suffering is a short story that will be lauded for years to come. In short, it is one of the best works of this century by an American author.

This short albeit complete book explains many of the basic sailing techniques and tactics that Glenn Bourke used while winning his three world championships. Some of the techniques differ from those suggested by other books (Tillman), but it is difficult to argue with his undeniable success.

A basic knowledge of sailing is assumed, and terms are rarely defined. Some of the tactics employed seem a little unsportsman-like but none really violate the letter of the law. The author's approach to winning can be summed up in his own words, "when you're out there to win you have to be totally selfish and look after number one." Although I and many other sailors wouldn't agree with his philosophy, we do understand his competitiveness and zeal to win. Employing some of his questionable tactics are thus up to the individual. Even if you wouldn't use his suggestions, you should at the very least read up on them so that you can guard against them while you race.

Aside from the questionable tactics, this book does provide you with an excellent basis on how to sail well in a laser. If you follow the many techniques he mentions you will drastically improve your sailing skills. Furthermore you get a glimpse into the life of a fairly interesting character and his take on world championship racing.

This is just an excellent book and has all the information that a laser sailor who wants to be a top one! The three times world champion Glen Bourke shows how a professional sailor should be like!

Batshaw's Children with Disabilities is a "must have" book for anyone who works with children with disabilities...almost. Written by doctors for those in the medical professional most of the recommended interventions come from a decidedly medical model. It is, on the other hand, fairly comprehensive with sections dealing with genetics, development, developmental disabilities, and interventions with the bulk of the book dealing with specific disabilities from the obscure (Fragile X Syndrome) to the more common (AD/HD). I have not found Appendix A or B particularly useful (Glossary and Syndromes of Inborn Errors of Metabolism) but turn to Appendix C and D frequently (Commonly Used Medication and Resources for Children with Disabilities) Finally, while the book offers a nice mix of theory and application, I would like to see (maybe in a 5th Edition?) the incorporation of some of the so-called "new brain research." Nevertheless, I still turn to this book several times each month.

This reference book covers developmental, clinical, educational, family, and intervention issues of concern to teachers working with children with disabilities. Written by doctors, it thoroughly explores issues than impact child development starting from conception through adulthood. Factors that can cause disabilities, current methods of treatment, commonly used medications, and guidelines for intervention are addressed.

This comprehensive reference book will be invaluable tool to access when teaching children with disabilities and parents. Appendixes provide a through list of resources, and glossary of terms so non-experts, like myself, can avoid getting lost in a morass of acronyms. Brookes Publishing provides a companion website which I expect to consult for the most current information and up-to-the-minute research.

In Choosing Schools, Schneider et al. have raised the bar in the highly-politicized academic debate over school choice and its consequences. Using survey data from two school districts in New York City and two in suburban New Jersey, the authors probe many of the familiar questions, including parent information levels, preferences and school performance.

Where the book really shines, however, is in the consideration of atypical questions, including the importance of parental information networks on the success of choice and the impact of school choice on the formation of social capital.

As Stanford professor of political science Terry Moe writes in review, Choosing Schools is a "tour de force." I encourage anyone interested in the theory underlying education policy and privatization of public goods to read this book.

In the 1990s school choice has been a highly contentious and passionately debated topic of discussion in schools, government and the popular press. There are, I am sure, more reams devoted to this subject than to violence in schoolyards. Yet, much of what is claimed to be evidence for or against school choice is colored by ideology and/or politics - not careful analysis of the causes and consequences of choice programs. And therein lies the distinction between Choosing Schools: Consumer Choice and the Quality of American Schools and the myriad other texts on the market today.

Utilizing information culled from hundreds of residents in four school districts (two each in New York and New Jersey) the authors of Choosing Schools furnish empirical answers to long-standing questions in the school choice debate: What do parents value in education and do parents choose schools based upon these valuations?; How much do parents really know about their children's schools?, and; Does choice increase parental involvement in the schools? Devoid of hyperbole (a downfall of many self-styled policy pundits) and underwritten by careful theorizing and analyses, the bottom-line is clear: While school choice is not the sole panacea for all that ails the educational enterprise in this day and age, it is a powerful antidote to the sluggish, generally moribund public education system in America.

Choosing Schools is, in a nutshell, exemplary social science and this well-reasoned book deserves a close read, especially by those who matter most in the school choice debate - parents, educators and politicians looking forward to the November polls.