This book will de bunk the myth about apaches being savages and uncultured criminals. The apache people were a nomadic people, and the US Government taught them more about treachery than any village elder ever could. Treaties broken , starving people forced to march to barren wastelands, all the things the US Government forced the apache to endure are here. Only then did the apache begin to fight the white man in seriousness, and then only in small numbers. It is a tribute to their tenacity and strength that they were able to avoid capture by 'three stars' Crook for so long. In particular my favorite chapters were those about noble apache chiefs like Cochise and Mangas Colorado. These were the true leaders of the apache, Geronimo was never revered as a leader until he broke off from the main tribe. I have read this book over and over, its a hard read, but worth it.

I've been suffering from shyness since I was little girl. I remember not being able to stand in front of a room and present a report, or even worse... I could not even be part of a family celebration. I'd die of embarrassment if I said anything wrong. Bruno's work is a great tool for conquering shyness. I highly recommend it.

I am a constant worrier, but never really thought so. It was such a part of my life, and for so long. On a whim, I purchased this book and realized how much needless worrying I had in my life. I found this book to be very refreshing and have noticed how the exercises have changed my self-confidence and outlook on life. I still have a long ways to go, but this book has helped me deal with some of my worry and anxiety. Well recommended for those who are looking for a different approach.

"Are You As Confused?" was fun to read. I read the entire book in two evenings. Many of the poems, particularly ones about love and feelings were excellent. "In The Air" and "Love" are two of several good poems. The cover was also well done!

I bought this primarily as a reference on Plains culture and McCarthy's crisp, graphic style provided much-needed detail on dress, weapons and decoration that have proved invaluable. Unfortunately, I have since discovered that some of his reconstructions are a little suspect historically, based on reservation-period pieces I believe.

His favourite subjects are the Plains tribes, mountain men and the cavalry, each tackled with an eye for detail and story which is quite compelling. I suspect that, like Constable, he would gladly paint unpopulated scenes - his love of the plains, mountains and forests of North America shows in his sensitive and meticulous portrayal of landscape and sky and his keen eye for lighting shows in virtually every canvas.

McCarthy's mastery of texture and form, and his handling of atmospheric effects like dust is second to none. His ability to capture movement and the broad sweep of action is thrilling but his draughtsmanship is a touch weak at times, his horses having a slightly homogeneous look and his depiction of Native faces can occasionally appear a little stilted to my eye.

The text by Elmer Kelton is a bit mellifluous for my taste but suits the stirring nature of many of the pieces and often provides a narrative not obvious to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject.

Despite these minor reservations this remains a valued book in my collection, evoking a great feel for place and time, and I find myself leafing through it quite often.

If you like McCarthy's style, look out for "The Art Of Howard Terpning" (also sadly out of print) you should like his work too.

Faith Bedford has produced a stirring tribute to Frank Benson. The book contains 180 illustrations with 100 in color but this book really is more a biography and less an exhibition of his work. Having said that, the story is not just his but also very much the story of the earliest American Impressionists. A careful study of Benson's paintings in this book shows elements of his colleagues Whistler, Sargent, and Cassatt. But I also see works like "Hunter in a Boat" and watercolors like "Salmon River in Canada" that strongly suggest Winslow Homer. William Gerdts in the introduction to the book wrote, "Frank Benson painted some of the most beautiful pictures ever executed by an American artist." Studying this book and relishing the exquisite paintings in it helps one to understand those highly complimentary words.

Although Bedford's title, "Frank W. Benson, American Impressionist" suggests an emphasis on his impressionist work, the book also shows other painting styles. During his lifetime Benson won most of the awards any artist could. Reading the book enables one to understand clearly why.

Ken Kelly was a student of Frank Frazetta and it shows in Kelly's style of art. This 94 page book is an outstanding collection of violent pulp art depicting struggles to the death with serpents, fierce cats, grotesque monsters, and heavily muscled warriors. Of course the fair maiden in distress is also a frequent theme. If you love this kind of art then this book is highly recommended. The master, Frank Frazetta, also gives a nice two page introduction to Kelly's work.

The Internal Revenue Service has made significant changes to regulations affecting nonprofits, shifting responsibility for compliance from the organization itself to the directors, staffs, and major donors as individuals. Most nonprofit board members and executives are only dimly aware of these changes, and fewer still are prepared with the documentation necessary to address issues of conflict of interest, private inurement, and disqualified persons.

One sentence from the book's introduction sums up the need for action: "The most important aspect of this legislation is that it empowers the IRS to impose punishment on individuals who violate the tax code by levying significant excise taxes initially and then more than quadrupling the penalty amount if remedy is not made to the [nonprofit] organization."

The solution, and the purpose of the book, is also summed up in one sentence in the introduction: "The key to protecting these organizations' officers and other interested parties from excise taxes is proper documentation."

The book is 3-ring bound and well-tabbed for easy reference and for copying of template forms and sheets that are included. In addition, the book ships with a companion PC diskette with forms in Microsoft Word 6.0/Word 95 format that should be usable by most current word processing programs.

This book is a valuable resource for nonprofit executives, consultants, attorneys, and others providing organizational development and counseling to nonprofits and charities.

The book does include examples and references to the health care field, but its content is equally applicable to all nonprofits.

The book's Table of Contents is as follows:

1. Overview of the Intermediate Sanctions Law 2. Establishing an Intermediate Sanctions Review Process 3. Disqualified Persons Determination 4. Diagnostic Review for Disqualified Persons 5. Diagnostic Review for Organization Manager Liability 6. Examining Revenue-Sharing Transactions 7. Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness

Appendices

-- Intermediate Sanctions Law -- Excerpt from House Ways and Means Committee Report on Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2 -- Intermediate Sanctions Proposed Regulations -- IRS Model Conflicts of Interest Policy

I bought this as an introduction to Arthur Ford, and it serves that purpose admirably. It is a shortish volume published by the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, which Ford was instrumental in founding. It is, therefore, solidly pro-Ford -- but it doesn't ignore his personal flaws or the controversies surrounding his mediumship. It consists of passages from Ford's own writings as well as the writings of his closest associates. One particularly interesting part concerns an auto wreck in which Ford's sister and a friend were killed and he was left in a coma. Writing 25 years before anyone had heard the term "Near Death Experience," he described a classic NDE. In case you aren't familiar with Ford, he had nearly a 50-year career. Two of his main claims to fame were solving the riddle of the message Houdini had left for his wife ("Rosabelle, believe") and putting Bishop Pike in touch with his late son. I previously hadn't taken Ford seriously due to the controversy surrounding the Houdini episode and some of the other anti-Ford propaganda, but this book led me to do additional digging. Ford clearly seems to have had a great deal of genuine mediumistic ability (whatever that may be). He was also a complex individual who would make an interesting study even if he had been a complete fraud. I would recommend this as an excellent introduction to Ford (or a good summing up as to what he was all about, if you are already familiar with him).

A valuable addendum to general reference. Excellently presented, as with most Readers Digest products. The ideal companion book to this is the wonderful "THE Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" by Richard G. Patton. Readers digest shows you where the Master walked, Patton shows you exactly who left the footprints!