I used this book with a 7th grade class of "reluctant learners" and was completely delighted by their enthusiasm. All of the projects we tried (about 3/4 of those offered) were successful. As I was operating on a low budget, I appreciated being able to use the easily found materials and ingredients listed in the procedures. The Faux Marble project results were especially astounding. Get this book and enjoy!

A review of this book will appear on our web site: The Dinosaur Interplanetary Gazette www.users.interport.net/~dinosaur after December 1. You are welcome to quote it if you'd like and we'll have a link to the book. Thanks! E. Summer dinosaur@interport.ne

Seasons in Cancer is a profound book about a nurse and husband's experiences throughout the time his wife was being treated for breast cancer. Let me explain...the author of this book is both the husband of a breast cancer survivor and a registered nurse. The stories he writes in this book tell what he faced, both, on the job and emotionally in these two very different roles. This is a one of a kind book that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. Facing a life threatening illness such as this for 24 hours a day for over a year would be enough to break anyone's spirit. However, in his book, George, shows you that even though you are going through the worst of times, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. This is an excellent book for anyone to read because it intimately details just what goes on in the minds of family members when someone they love is diagnosed with just such a disease. Physicians, social workeres, nurses, and others who deal with this situation now have one more tool in their toolbox to give to their patients and to read for themselves.

This is one of the best recounts of a person, whose spouse is undergoing cancer treatment, their emotions and situations that have resulted from this disease. It is a great work and a testament to an indominatable human spirit.

If you're looking for a comprehensive and informative guide to Caribbean ports, you won't go wrong with this guide. You can save money by avoiding the cost of ship-sponsored shore excursions, and you'll be more informed when you reach your destination. Anne Vipond provides a good outline of information for each port, including ideas for unique or interesting activities for that location. There is plenty of information about availability of taxis, public transportation, and ways of getting to specific places. There is also a map of most port locations that will allow you to develop your own walking or taxi tour. The "Best Beaches" section for each port identifies your best bets for sun and sand. This guide book is well-organized, very readable, and small enough to carry with you in a purse, belt pack, or back pack (not small enough for most pockets, however). Highly Recommended!

In this day and age where what seems to make it in this worldis that and those people who conform to the do's and don'ts ofcorporate America, or perhaps I ought say america with a small"a", FM is a most refreshing change that renews my belief that there are still original thinkers out there making personal and important statements that are not only artistic, but personal, cultural, politically relevant, psychologically astute and desperately needed. It is hard to hold onto the hope that individuals can grow up in this world, develop and hold onto and feel good about an authentic sense of self - so kudo's to Lisa Adams for creating this book, and for those whos work appears. I am always impressed by the work of Lauren Hartman who seems to really have found a path to her authentic self - may she never lose that, and may this book inspire others to find theirs.

Book contains 46 pages on introductory propagation methods, followed by very specific information on propagating these plant types: 44 pages on trees, 54 pages on shrubs, 64 pages on perennials, 16 pages on annuals, 20 pages on cacti, 28 pages on bulbs, and 28 pages on vegetables and herbs. In the back are a glossary, an index, and north america hardiness map. Very complete.

If you can grow it, the instructions are listed in this book.

Book contains hundreds of small, but helpful photographs that demonstrate a process or identify some plant anatomy.

Solid information, well worth the money!

I bought this book for my husband, but I use it more than he does! This is one of the best plant books I have ever seen. The techniques are easy to understand and follow, the pictures are outstanding, and there are TONS of plants listed! This book will take you through the history of plant propagation, genetic ins and outs, and the techniques that you can use in your own garden. If you have a garden full of veggies, or a yard with trees, shrubs, and rose bushes, this book really is a must for you!

I Have to say this is the best Garden book out of all my Garden books,all the pictures and details in this book is so great, this is one reason I have this book. I checked this book out of the library before I bought this book. The step by step instructions along with the pictures is so helpful. I have never been so interested in a book in my life. Now that I have this book I will be doing more Propagation for family & friends. I Love This Book, you must have if you love to garden.

What happens when one of comicdom's greatest writers creates a story in an alternative Victorian-era England, with famous literary characters as super-heroes? Alan Moore's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," part homage to 19th-Century literature, part unconventional superhero story, and an introduction to a new, periodical series from Moore and artist Kevin O'Neil. In less-capable hands, such a project would be doomed to failure from the start, but Moore's writing and O'Neil's Manga-influenced comic art make "League" a triumphant piece of literature.

In the soot-choked London of "League," where giant cranes construct gothic bridges and dirigibles are as commonplace as hansom cabs, Mina Murray, former wife of Jonathan Harker and object of Dracula's affection, is recruited by a Mr. Bond for an unusual mission. Mr. Bond's supervisor, "M", wants Murray to team up with Captain Nemo and his Nautilus submarine to track down Allan Quatermain in Egypt. Once they force his opium addiction into remission, the team recruits Mr. Edward Hyde, and his meek alter-ego Dr. Jeckyll, and a Mr. Griffin, better known as The Invisible Man, who is creating a series of "miraculous" pregnancies at a school for delinquent girls.

Once the team unites, "M" gives them their first mission: to investigate a Chinese gang ruled by a criminal mastermind, who has stolen a device that allows massive ships to fly. There is concern that the gang leader will create a giant airship that will allow him to bomb and destroy any part of London he desires - which would be disastrous for the Crown. While investigating, the League discovers that things aren't quite as they appear, which leads to a final showdown with a famous literary villain.

Moore's writing and O'Neil's art save what could have been a trite story and make it not only passable, but enjoyable and fun. It lacks the literary and philosophical depth of Moore's other works, like "Watchmen" or "From Hell," but "League" isn't really designed to offer some genre-shattering thesis. It's just good fun, especially for those who have read some late 19th-Century literature. Don't overanalyze it, enjoy it, and you can't go wrong with "League."

Final Grade: B

I knew they would never be a sequel to Alan Moore's classic comic series "The Watchmen" (and I wish Frank Miller had let well enough alone with "The Dark Knight Returns"), but certainly "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is a kindred spirit in key regards. If the Watchmen were supposed to be superheroes that we recognized, even though we had never seen them before, then the League offers up recognizable fictional characters that we have never seen together before. Going back a century for inspiration, Moore creates a Pax Britannia circa 1898 where the "superheroes" are fictional characters who had been created by that particular point in time, to wit: Mina Murray (Harker) from Bram Stoker's "Dracula," Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea," Alan Quartermain from H. Rider Haggard's "King Solomon's Mines," and the titular characters of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and H. G. Wells' "The Invisible Man." There is also reason to believe that "M," the shadowy figure who orders the League about, might in fact be Mycroft Holmes (and if you do not know what literary series he is from then just totally forget about enjoying this series).

If that, in and of itself, is not enough of a hook to get your interested in checking out this collection of the first comic book adventure of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen let me remind you that Alan Moore is doing the writing. The artwork by Kevin O'Neill is certainly evocative of the turn of the last century, or, more to the point, does not look like a contemporary superhero comic book. Moore and O'Neill also maintain a wonderful conceit throughout the series of presenting the comics as being published at the time of the story, filled with wonderful "ads" that are often as interesting as the story (one of which actually required the initial print run of one of the issues to be destroyed, a story you will have to find related elsewhere, patient reader).

Moore's intention was to deal with a superhero group before all the clichés were established (again, similar to how "The Watchmen" was in a different reality unencumbered by the DC and Marvel universes). Seeing an obvious parallel between the Hulk and Jekyll/Hyde, Moore let his imagination roam in his alternate, technically more advanced version of Victorian London. The more you know about literary history from this period (e.g., Emile Zola's Nana is killed in the Rue Morgue by Hyde), the more you will enjoy all this work. But this first adventure for the League still works if late 19th-century fiction is not your forte. British Intelligence has discovered that cavorite, a material that makes flying machines possible, has been stolen by a mysterious Chinese figure (Oh, come on, take a wild guess who it has to be). Campion Bond of MI5 has been ordered to assemble a team of adventurers to retrieve the cavorite, which is crucial to the race to get to the Moon.

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is really much more fun than we usually associate with Moore's work. Certainly his tongue has never been further in his cheeks than with this series. The first three issues of Volume 2 have seen the light of day so far this year and if you read through this original endeavor you can quickly get up to speed with the current adventure. Just remember it is 1898 and Britannia waives the rules...

Think the Avengers or the JLA of the late 19th century. Mother England needs protection, so MI5 enlists those with proven courage under fire. They are: Mina Murray(Harker) of "Dracula", Alan Quartermain (an Indiana Jones type character from pulp novels), the reluctant Captain Nemo from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", Jekyll and Hyde, and Hawley Griffin, the Invisible Man.

Of course, this isn't a typical adventure. It's a mystery, teeming with cameos and reference. When compared with writer Moore's other works, it is surprisingly humourous and lighter in subject matter. Moore does darken some of the charcters though, reminding us that Captain Nemo is an Indian prince embittered with England, Quartermain is an opium addict, and the Invisible Man ... well, just read it and see.

The art is, as always with Moore's works, reflective of the time period. The comic panels usually look like Victorian era etchings, which makes for a nice effect.

Overall, it is a great read, leaving you satisfied for having done so. More to the point, it will leave you desperately awaiting the live action movie this summer, starring Sean Connery as Allan, a role he was born to play.

Come on, it's Alan Moore. Just buy the sodding thing already.

American philosopher William James, in his book "Varieties of Religious Experience," called New Thought (NT) "the religion of healthy-mindedness" and considered it the American people's "only decidedly original contribution to the systematic philosophy of life." The authors consider Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802 - 1866) to be the modern founder of the movement although some of the philosophical roots go all the way back to the idealism of ancient Greece. Contemporaneous American influences include the transcendentalists, especially Ralph Waldo Emerson, who drank from the wells of eastern thought. The movement's "healthy-mindedness" began with Quimby's interest in mesmerism as it related to physical healing, but expanded through time to include mental, financial, and interpersonal well-being and success. Although the authors state that Quimby eventually rejected the idea, held by Franz Mesmer among others, of a subtle magnetic fluid that supposedly links all people and things together, it seems clear that he merely replaced it with the idea of "spiritual matter, or fine interpenetrating substance, directly responsive to thought..." (pg. 20). Truth (or Divine Wisdom) is considered the real cure for all ills. Through Warren Felt Evans and Emma Curtis Hopkins, the movement spread. Mary Baker Eddy, a disciple of Quimby and founder of Christian Science (CS), is considered a diversion from the stream. Eddy taught that "there is no life, substance, or intelligence in matter." But according to NT, matter is a part of God, not an illusion or error as taught by CS.

There are various New Thought denominations: Divine Science, Unity, Religious Science, and Seicho-No-Ie, among others. The umbrella organization is the International New Thought Alliance. The book notes that the founders of the various denominations, except the Japan-based Seicho-No-Ie, were from traditional Christian backgrounds which didn't meet their needs, especially for healing. It is noteworthy that the same general interest during the nineteenth century in divine and/or faith healing that produced NT also led to the current Pentecostal and Charismatic movements within traditional Christianity. Distinctions, however, are noted. The authors also note differences between the theology of NT and that of traditional Christianity (as they perceive it) as well as differences between traditional ("substance") New Thought and the more recent Process New Thought, which they promote. They admit that traditional NT is more or less pantheistic and believe that the limitations of such a world view are overcome by the panentheism of Process New Thought.

Other discussions include the similarities and differences between NT and the New Age Movement (NAM), including the occult and magic. They observe that both the NAM and NT have a growing interest in panentheism (as expounded by Whitehead and Hartshorne) but feel that the NAM is overly interested in occult trappings such as crystals, pyramids, magic, and the like. They consider NT to be more mystically rather than magically (or psychically) inclined. Also discussed is NT's position on ethics and evil. The authors state: "...unlike Hinduism or Christian Science, it [NT] does not see evil as maya, illusion"... "Evil is good that is immature or misdirected. It has no power of its own; it has only the power that our minds give to it..." (pg. 50). This follows from NT's idea that "there is only one Presence and Power, and that power is good." Regarding sin, they say: "It is New Thought that understands that we are punished by our sins, not for them, and that by rising in consciousness we can contact the Divine Intelligence within, learn what we need to learn, and straighten out our thinking - and our lives" (pg. 51). Regarding ethics, the authors note the distinction between the shallow personality ethic and the more substantial character ethic and see the need to reemphasize the latter in New Thought.

Although I don't agree with the overall theology of New Thought, I consider this book essential to understanding the movement. It has also provided valuable historical and philosophical links in my own research in areas only superficially covered or overlooked by the authors. For example, the authors note that some self-professing Christians such as Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller have incorporated NT principles into their teachings on positive thinking without adopting pantheism or panentheism. Both Peale and Schuller have been criticized by other Christians for their views. But neither is Pentecostal or Charismatic (P/C). Within the P/C movements is another movement that the authors do not mention in their book and may not be aware of: The Word of Faith Movement. This movement has some things in common (not necessarily all bad) with New Thought and is also criticized by other Christians, including some fellow P/C Christians. For those who are interested, see the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements in the book's bibliography. In the areas of evil, ethics, and occultism, the authors provided superficial coverage. Without giving too much detail, traditional Christianity's concepts of sin and evil are more complex. Evil is seen more as "spoiled goodness" (C. S. Lewis) than immature or misdirected goodness, and includes the idea that at least some sin is intentional, not in ignorance, and deserving of punishment. Punishment is integral to vicarious atonement. The idea, however, that we are punished by our sins has a place too. Also, an eschatological dimension is lacking in the book although NT implies a type of universalism (everybody will be saved) that denies hell and has much in common with the Unitarian Universalists (not mentioned in the book). Reincarnation is usually promoted, but this also isn't mentioned.

The authors' attempt to distinguish NT from occultism and magic fails to see the deeper connection. Like the authors, serious occultists shy away from the largely shallow New-Agers who are more into dabbling than discipline. Also, Evelyn Underhill, in her massive book "Mysticism," in the chapter entitled "Mysticism and Magic," provides information on occult magic which parallels and links to New Thought metaphysics. One of the key axioms of occult magic (or magick) is "the existence of an imponderable medium or universal agent which is described as beyond the plane of our normal sensual perceptions yet interpenetrating and binding up the material world." Sound familiar? Remember the interpenetrating "magnetic fluid" and "spiritual matter"? Well, occultists call it "the astral light," among other names (akasha, ether, quintessence, etc.). The second axiom of magic is "the limitless power of the disciplined human will." Ms. Underhill says: "this dogma has been 'taken over' without acknowledgment from occult philosophy to become the trump card of menticulture, 'Christian Science,' and 'New Thought.'" Richard Cavendish, in his book "A History of Magic," says: "Mesmer was a powerful influence on the development of Spiritualism, Christian Science and the New Thought movement. His significance for magic was that he appeared to have demonstrated the existence of a universal medium or force responsive to the human mind, which could employ it to affect the behavior of others. For magicians this was a welcome gift and Eliphas Levi, the leading French magus of the nineteenth century, turned Mesmer's magnetic fluid into one of the bastions of modern magical theory." There is certainly an overlap between mysticism and magic, but distinctions as well. I've noticed the terms are used loosely by magicians. Some divide magic into two general groups: high magic (theurgy) and low magic (thaumaturgy). The former is sometimes associated with mysticism and spiritual progress whereas the latter is more concerned with strict wonder-working apart from any reference to salvation or sanctification. The book doesn't get into any of this in any depth. One of the best traditional Christian critiques of pantheism and panentheism and defenses of Christianity is Norman Geisler's Christian Apologetics. One of the "best" expositions of New Thought metaphysics is "In Tune With the Infinite" by Ralph Waldo Trine. A recent book by a Neo-Pagan, Gus DiZerega, entitled "Pagans & Christians" explains how pantheism and panentheism relate to Neo-Pagans and Wiccans.

This splendidly-humored book is delightful to read. The first five chapters freshly define and describe New Thought, recount its history and its institutional expressions (Unity, Religious Science, Divine Science, etc.), and distinguish New Thought from New Age thinking. The book's remaining chapters make a groundbreaking original contribution to the further evolution of New Thought.

Bought this for a friend's Christmas gift and, of course, read it myself. It's perfect for someone who is just learning about New Thought. For old-timers, it's a good reference book.

This book has some wonderful narratives from the very people who were caught up in the middle of the uprising in Minnesota in 1862. The author does a good job of explaining how the book is laid out. You definitely need to read the intro to understand this. While I was reading the book, I felt as though I was there in the middle of it with all those involved. I don't excuse what was done, but I have a better understanding of what horrors the indians went through that drove them to this place. I would definitely recommend this book.

Historians discovered many years ago that oral history is a vibrant cornucopia of information. Even better, integrating oral history into traditional modes of inquiry opened up more chances for earning a Ph.D., or getting that career making book contract. In the case of "Through Dakota Eyes: Narrative Accounts of the Minnesota Indian War of 1862," oral history is the only game in town. Every selection in the book is an oral story from Indians or mixed-blood Indians about the disastrous uprising that killed hundreds of soldiers, settlers, and Indians. One of the editors of "Through Dakota Eyes" is none other than Gary Clayton Anderson, the premier scholar on Dakota history. As usual, Anderson goes above and beyond the call of duty in researching the narratives, providing background color on the people involved (and also providing information about what happened to these people after the uprising, something I greatly appreciated).

For nearly a century after the uprising, articles and books concerning the 1862 war only used white narratives as sources of information. There is definitely nothing wrong with relying on these narratives; they are invaluable sources of information on the uprising. The white narratives also reveal the tragic dimensions of the conflict, showing how innocent men, women, and children died (or persevered) in especially brutal ways. With the addition of these Indian narratives, however, historians can now go inside the camps and meeting places of the Dakotas intimately involved in the conflict.

The narratives are lumped into distinct categories dealing with different stages of the uprising. Each category then provides a succinct description of that particular phase of the war. With each narrative, the editors provide a small capsule of information on the person telling the story, allowing the reader to understand that person's place in the overall scheme of things. It is recommended to read the endnotes for each narrative, as they provide excellent information on each narrative. Excellent maps and pictures of many of the people involved also help the reader to understand the accounts.

Some of the narratives are more helpful than others. A few are difficult to understand due to poor grammar or contradictory information. Several of the narratives appeared in newspaper articles or as testimony in a case against the government in 1901, and there is a possibility that someone altered or changed them as they saw fit. That does not mean there are not any "WOW!" moments found here. In Cecelia Campbell Stay's account of the attack on the Redwood Agency (also known as the Lower Agency, where the killing began in earnest on August 18th), Cecelia describes seeing the sunlight flashing on the bayonets of Captain Marsh's patrol as they headed to their doom at the ferry crossing. Another narrative, now widely used in accounts of the uprising, comes from Wowinape, the son of Little Crow (the leader of the warring Dakota). Battle narratives allow the reader to feel as though they are at Fort Ridgely, New Ulm, or Birch Coulee as the cannons roar and the bullets fly.

As the editors point out, many of the mixed-blood Indian narratives identify a central tension of the conflict, namely the division between Indians who adopted white modes of civilization (the farmer Indians) and those who stayed true to traditional Indian values (the blanket Indians). Many of the mixed-blood Indians worked closely with whites; they feared the war parties of the traditionals just as much as whites did. As the war began to wind down, it was the mixed-bloods along with some full-blooded Indians who confronted the warring Indians, forcing these hostile forces to turn over their white captives in an effort to make peace with the military forces sweeping into the area.

This is an absolutely essential book for anyone interested in the Minnesota 1862 uprising. Actually, anyone writing a paper on this conflict without using this book as a source could find themselves in hot water. Since the editors graciously organized the narratives in chronological order, there is no reason someone unfamiliar with the conflict and its principal figures would have any difficulty understanding the book. Gary Anderson and Alan Woolworth have made an important contribution to Indian scholarship with this impressive tome.

Having read this selection reminds me that the New York Review of Books, itself mostly second-rate, is still considerably better than the LRB. How often one wishes to take a pin to these self-obsignatory gasbags!

Don't believe me? Compare a better journal (yes, not a review but a journal) from better days: the Partisan Review during the 40's, for example.

For twenty years the London review of Books has invited the world's leading writers, thinkers and social commentators to contribute essay length articles on subjects as diverse as Kosovo, Cod, and Mimiesis in Plato's Republic. This anthology is just a small but tantalising selection of some of those pieces, but it whets the apetite and leaves the reader wanting more. The most intelligent writing of any publication, the LRB sets itself aside from its competition through its continued commitment to the freedom of its writers. Never short, and often quite challening, the LRB is controversial and forthright. This anthology represents the most independently minded collection of writing that can be found in any literary magazine, but for the LRB its all quite normal.