If you only buy one book about this horrible disease, this is the one. Written by an MD in an easy-to-understand style.

I bought this book two days after being diagnosed - it was so helpful in understanding what was going on, how to deal with specific symptoms, what to watch out for, etc. It also explained the treatments - from the steroids to the ABC drugs. I sent sopies to my mom and dad because they were freaking out over the whole diagnosis and I didn;t have enough strength for all of us. Knowledge is power and this one gives really good, up to date info - something critical in managing this disease.

i was diagnosed w/ MS last friday and my doctor basically spent 20 minutes total with me - that included looking at my final mris, doing a reflex test, throwing 4 perscriptions at me and saying yes, you have MS, go talk to the nurse to get IV steroids started. it was a terrible experience but i gladly had already ordered this book and a few others from Amazon and this one in particular i read from cover to cover to try to understand what was happening and what the next steps are. it gives a good overview of what ms is, how its diagnosed, what the causes are thought to be, managing and treating the disease according to symptoms as well as the interferon drugs, and it ends on a hopeful note which i needed at the time. this disease stinks but knowldge really helps you feel a sense of being in control rather than a victim. after reading it i sent copies to my parents to help them understand more too.

Yes you too can make Bread and Water, Drop Scones, Dried Frog Pills (complete with NO FROGS). Plus it has great (and VERY funny) words of wisdom from Nanny Ogg.

If you like Diskworld I would recomend it. If you are looking for a normal cookbook look somewhere else.

I bought this book for my mother for Christmas and she loves it! It's beautiful to look through, and it's a hysterical read, for anyone, not just cooks.

This heavily edited version of Nanny Ogg's Cookbook made me wish for the days when I was in Ankh-Morpork with me mum and she'd ...

OK, so that's going a bit too far. Please forgive me.

The recipes are all in metric units but that's no real trouble for a resourceful American cook! I have tried several, they came out quite well! The honey mixture for the porridge is delicious. I also liked Rincewind's potato cakes. The gumbo recipe was amazing! Technically, I suppose that I have also had the Librarian's recipe but that is quite probably splitting hairs.

But odds are that you aren't buying this for the recipes. You're buying it for the wit and wisdom of Terry Pratchett. You get that in spades! The way Leonard of Quirm makes a cheese sandwich had me laughing out loud! The sections on etiquette were divine. My personal favorite was about Death but then again, I've always loved that character.

Check it out! You won't regret it!

The author presents a very thoughtful, clearminded overview of humanity and and our unique place in the cosmos. This work is really an overview of the many areas of our thought, culture and tradition which require reassesment and change. It is with my most hardy recommendation that you read this book and benefit from Mr. Von Ward's seeming endless supply of wisdom and insight. Because of the liberal references provided it can also serve as a launch point for many areas of further study. The ethical and moral conclusions he draws from an honest and fearless consideration of the broader aspects of ourselves leaves us with a foundation as eloquent as any of the world's great religions, if not more so. Do yourself and perhaps the world a favor; read and learn what this book has to teach us.

Paul Von Ward contributes an important and productive voice to the emerging integral vision of a sustainable world culture. Read this book, and other Von Ward, to expand and enliven your perspectives on how we came to be what we are and how we can better engage our future with a living universe.

Paul Von Ward is one of the first writers to reach out to the collective minds of lightworkers. Being a voice in the midst of much confusion, his book is hugely mind-changing covering everything from an indepth knowledge of Zachariah Sitchin's research to social studies, psychology, scientific (no nonsense) hard science, ...everything. I'm exceedingly nudged to make you aware of this man's deep compassion and concern for our collective awareness of who we are, where we came from, and where he sees us without more comprehension of some of these
issues.

Starting adult life as a Baptist minister, his own evolutionary journey has led him to become a cosmologist. A very bizarre and fascinating journey, he's a man to be taken seriously. His grasp of the various schools of thought, of religion, of spirituality, of future shock, social mores, inculturation, earth changes--on and on and on is nothing short of enlightening. I read a lot! I know a lot. So what did I get out of it? A wholly different and enlightened view of God. He raises questions I honestly had never thought to think of. Not a light book by any means..we are, as he says, and I agree, in the midst of very profound changes, global and galactic and the proof is everywhere. Are we ready?

A scientist to his core, Von Ward does something to the psyche that some how brings forth a broader facet of compassion that is sweet and expansive.
Colleen Engel, Unity Minister.

After seeing the beautifully moving film, Lili, I had to read the novella it was based upon. That led me to Love of Seven Dolls. I expected something similar to Lili's colorful, soulful setting, but Gallico is anything but. His writing is a storm of emotions, action, and darkness - inexplicably compelling and enrapturing. The language isn't particularly polished or eloquent, but the feeling behind them is breathtakingly fierce. Through simple, almost juevenile words, Gallico takes you into the anti-hero Michel Peyrot's mind. He's half-mad and starved of any human kindness. The use of the seven puppets is a stroke of genius and perfectly illuminates Michel's sadly distorted spirit. The protagonist, Mouche, is abused, tender, and childlike, but is wise beyond her time as we see when we delve into her humility, forgiveness, gratitude.

I found some parts to be rather disturbing, but this is a study of the best and worst of humanity: Mouche's heroism and Michel's depravity. It's not simple or even realistic, but it mines psychological nuances uncannily, reminiscent of A Streetcar Named Desire. Recommended for mature readers.

This slender little novel is possibly one of the most beautiful love stories ever written. Inspired by puppeteers Fran Allison and Burr Hillstrom (to whom it is dedicated), this haunting tale by Paul Gallico weaves a spell of wonder, pain and enchantment. It is a love story in which innocent love (personified by the gamin, Mouche) and cynical hatred (embodied by the evil puppeteer, Michel Peyrot) are locked in mortal combat for the ultimate prize of the man's soul. Peyrot, who goes under the stage name Captain Coq, had a nightmarish childhood and adolescence devoid of human love. His bitter view of his fellow man is only solidified by his experiences in a war. He decides that God deserves nothing but his mockery, so to mock his Creator the man carves puppets, forming them into all of the facets of his complex personality. There are seven dolls: Ali the clumsy giant, self-absorbed and jealous Gigi, world-weary Madame Muscat, kindly Monsieur Nicholas, the bookwormish Dr. Duclos, efficient and clever Carrot-Top, and the thieving fox Reynardo. At first carved to amuse the guards when Peyrot is a POW, the puppets begin to take on a life of their own. This is shown when the girl Mouche walks toward the Seine River to end her miserable life. The puppets call out to her and draw her into their magical world; she interacts with them as though they are living beings like herself. Mouche is so charming that she becomes part of the act. Unfortunately, the master of the puppets is a cruel man who has given himself over to an existence devoted to evil. He despises the girl for the very innocence that makes her such a successful part of his puppet show. To her face, Peyrot shows the depths of his cruelty, even raping her in a vain attempt to debase her to his level. Yet though he can ravage her body, he cannot touch her soul, which is healed anew every day by the love he shows her through his puppets. His inability to reconcile his hatred for general humanity with the unwelcome tenderness Mouche arouses in him leads to schizophrenia, which is manifested by the schism between himself and the puppets. After a time, he does not control them; they compel him to change. In the end, when Mouche prepares to leave, he reveals his plan to commit suicide through the dolls, who plan to destroy themselves. She then realizes who the puppets truly are, and her love for Peyrot brings him back from the edge of the pit into which he'd planned to fling himself. He weeps in remorse, his deformed soul at last becoming human. Feminists would doubtless be upset by her forgiveness of this man's cruelty, but women have long possessed an amazing ability to embrace men's imperfections.(Which is not to say that women are perfect.) Long before psychobabble such as Martian Men and Venusian Women surfaced, this story served to beautifully point out that men and women may be equal, but they are certainly not the same. This is a magical tale, woven by a master story-teller. I highly recommend it.

Love of Seven Dolls,which was presented to me by my beloved teacher at the age of 15,changed my life in the sense that it made me aware of who I am and what I seek in life.Like Mouche,the lonely naive girl,I have been searching to be found,secure and loved.The story moves constantly between hope and despair,helplessness and salvation.The beautiful descriptions and its atmosphere reminds me well of my favorite Pachelabel Canon in D,where one could also find the longing for universal cosmic love.

As tragedy is actually an unfinished comedy,I regard Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux as unfinished Love of Seven dolls.Both men,Michele and Erik have known secluded and bitter and miserable lives,but whereas Michele finally earned true love,Erik dies alone.I will never know rest till I can give Erik all the love Michele got from Mouche;after all,it was the only thing Erik craved.I believe Love of Seven Dolls is an important psychological lesson to everyone who has suffered rejections in life(not only in love):Never lose Hope!or like in Nana Mouskouri`s song "I have a dream"-you can take the future,even if you fail.The story teaches us the essential message that everyone deserves to love and be loved,and soulmates do exit. I am only hope I will find my Erik one day soon.

If you want to feel less alone in the real world of honest feelings, if you want to get in touch with true feelings, if you want to understand your emotions and explore your guilt and really dig deeper than sentiment--Carol Diggery Shields is the poet for you. Her voice is more original and her psychological depth deeper than most contemporary poets. She makes you feel less alone with your inner life. There is no sentimental frosting here. This is accessible and original poetry with a crafty use of language, a flowing free verse. I've spent my life reading poetry, and I find this poet thoroughly satisfying. Spend an evening or a morning or both with her LUNCH MONEY AND OTHER POEMS ABOUT SCHOOL and you will be moved and amazed at the original angles she takes on truth and human feelings and relationships. This is a poet of psychological, philosphical realization--a thinker who really probes the inner life with grace of expression.

Lunch Money Book Review
Lunch Money is a book about poems. It was written by Carol Diggory Shields. My Favorite Poems are "Pledge" and "Hot Lunch Money". My favorite part of the poem "Hot Lunch Money" is at the very end when a boy goes to his piggy bank and gets money. "The Pledge" is funny because a boy says, "there's a spider crawling up your back!" And in the poem "Lunch Menu" it's gross when the boy says," tuna noodle casserole". I learned that kids can be very funny and silly!

By Emily D.

I am a student teacher and I used this book in a first grade class during a unit on poetry. The students loved it. I had to read each poem at least 3 times each before moving on to the next one. Now, my students want to read the book on their own. The poems are great to use for short skits/plays. My class loved performing "The Flag" and "Moonwalker". This is a must for any classroom that wants to get students involved in poetry.

Anybody who collects opera on CD (or other formats) should own this tome; mine has long since separated into maverick fascicles from constant reference and casual browsing. Each contributor reviews, in some detail, virtually all recorded versions of a single work (then, incidentally and almost superfluously, offering recommendations). Standards of knowledge and of writing are gratifyingly high, and the thinking is refreshingly independent; I've been led to some wonderful disks that, going by received opinion, I wouldn't have poked with a ten-foot pole. But the book stops short in the early 90s; for anyone interested in state-of-the-art sound (not to mention some extraordinary performances), the Guide has quickly become seriously deficient. Also, it's time to rethink the operas included. Ginastera's Bomarzo, Argento's Postcard from Morocco and Musgrave's Mary Queen of Scots -- all unobtainable in any format -- can go, making room for, say, Schreker, Respighi, Chausson and Chabrier, Zemlinsky and Glass, among many others. Some composers need broader representation: Cherubini, Weber, Bellini (no Pirata!), Gluck (neither Iphigenia, no Alceste). Other commentators have suggested either a thorough-going update, or a second volume. I'd buy either without a second's pause.

A "guide" to recorded opera is tricky. First of all, every opera critic is likely to have his or her own biases when it comes to singers, conductors, sound quality, etc. That being said, this book is an extremely fair, balanced, guide to the recordings of many operatic staples, as well as lesser-known works. Each opera's discography is reviewed by a single critic, so there's consistency. However, a problem arises when the different critics offer conflicting views of the same singer in different operas. Joan Sutherland is criticized by some critics for her poor diction and placid portrayals, but other critics choose to focus on the beauty of her voice and her impeccable technique. Who do you believe? It's your choice. Also, this book was written in 1993, so many recent studio recordings, historical releases from Naxos, and more "legitimized" pirates are not covered here. Overall, however, it's an entertaining, comprehensive guide to many famous recordings.

This book is an older sister of the "Metropolitan Opera Guide to Opera on Video". Both are edited by P.Gruber, which at least partly explains their similar design, but feature different teams of reviewers (only few names overlap) and maybe this is the reason why this guide reads so much better than its video sequel. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to imagine that the main reason for this discrepancy is the medium itself: recordings play much greater a role in our musical lives than video (or DVD) and that's probably why it is easier to write about them with fondness. The reviews collected here are very human and it is clear that their authors not only lived with the reviewed recordings for quite a while, but were quite eager to share their comments with the broader public - I didn't have that impression while reading the MET team's generally sour video guide. This is a very likeable book! Most of the reviews are written with sympathy and warmth, not very common in this kind of critical writings. There is also a tendency to emphasize the good even in seriously flawed recordings. These are highly subjective reviews and there is no attempt at concealing it: the language is always very personal and leaves no doubt that in many cases some high emotions were involved - again a feature that I found missing in the video guide. To make the book even more "human", the editors thought about including some dozen charts presenting favorite opera recordings of some celebrities (for whatever it is worth to know Joan Rivers's tastes in operatic matters; other choices are less problematic since most of the people are to some degree professionally involved with opera or theater). This guide is of course outdated but this shouldn't make it less attractive to true opera lovers. What is very important with this kind of publications - apart from its obvious practical value - is the fact that they preserve in a compact form a selection of well written essays not only on opera recordings, but also on our musical life and they give the lie to a generally felt impression that music criticism is a dying art. However, on the strictly practical side, the MET's guide will never be quite outdated, since the reviews collected here apply NOT only to CDs, but also to vinyl discs, at the time of printing still a popular medium. Many of then LPs (some transferred from 78s) are being reissued now in all sorts of series of "legendary recordings" launched by the record companies. As to the new releases, we can only wish that the guide will be updated from time to time. A large section on baroque opera recordings would be an important feature of this imaginary "new edition" (I have to admit that in its current form, the guide doesn't have much to offer for the fans of early opera) But even without these changes, the MET's guide is a very important addition to the music library of any record collector - if not strictly as a guide, then simply as a collection of wonderful musical essays. One can agree with them or not, but they never leave the readers with an impression of having been written by people bored with the topic. Enjoy!

This is a great book for developers seeking to understand how to translate C++ datatypes in the Win32 API functions into C# and VB.NET. It's not in-depth like Dan Appleman's VB's Guide to the Win32 API in past years, but it's the first of its' kind for .NET. My only wish is that the author not have spent so much time on DirectX and instead provided more general examples of other API calls. DirectX coverage should have been left for another book aimed specifically at that technology.

Darko Martinoviæ
Croatia

This is book, I was looking for. According MSDN, Microsoft does not cover api access in the future. This book will help you if you are interesting in programming hardware specific devices or if you would like to control api behavioure.
Great book!

This book doesn't describe every Win32 API call in detail, but I don't think any single book could. What it does is provide examples of every Win32 API call type. When I needed to find some code for a callback, this book showed how to do it in detail with functional code, not the code snippets that so many books need. When I needed to write code for the serial port, this book helped too. In fact, I haven't found a single Win32 API need so far that this book doesn't answer with actual code.

The author provides code in both VB and C#, so I don't even have to translate anything. He has taken care of this need nicely. Better yet, the code comes on a CD packed with utilities that are actually demonstrated in the book. In short, unlike shovelware that I have had to wade through in the past, this book has a CD with utilities that actually complement the book content (imagine that).

If you think like me that Microsoft left too many Win32 API calls out of the .NET Framework, this book goes a long way toward making life easier.

Very good but lacking in the training part. The book refers to other training books but those books talk about Dogs in general not about big dogs with traits like digging, barking, roaming, etc. Other than that the book is a good buy for all interested in buying a pyr. or those who have pyrs already. I recommend it.

This book is wonderful! If you are thinking about sharing your life with a walking hairball... i highly recommend it. Very informative. If you can get your hands on a copy, it's well worth the money.

I have owned this book for seven years, and it was what sold me on buying a Great Pyrenees. A Great Pyrenees is a wonderful breed, but not for everyone. Please read this book before buying a Great Pyrenees. I have read this book multiple times,for it is the "Great Pyrenees bible". Other Great Pyrenees books were of no value to me. Paul Strang's book has helped me better understand my big, walking "snowdrift".

this was just great. for those of us who couldn't be there for perry lane, the bus trip, or the acid tests, this is a great account of the time. you don't realize how important kesey was to the movement until you read this. on the bus is really a quick bio of kesey. it helps you to understand how kesey took over where kerouac left off. you really feel as if you know kesey and neal after finishing this book. if you are a bohemian, beat, hippie, or any combination, then this is the book to get.

I bought the book after reading Electric Kool-Aide Acid Test for the third time. I really wanted to know more about what Mountain Girl, Cassidy, Gretchin Fetchin, and Babbs looked like, and scenes from the Trip. What a great book. I would recommend it to anyone who is reading, has read, or will be reading the book, Electric Kool-Aide Acid Test. This would be a great companion as your were reading it, and were exposed to the characters in the book.

Anyone who is a Kesey fan MUST read this book. It is basically the photo album which correlates with Wolfe's Electric Kool-Ade Acid Test. It gives more insight into the minds of the pranksters and others. I highly recommend this book to any who is interested in the counterculture. The book as well as the trip are truly legendary.

Aithough i haven't read through the full content so far it seems informative especially generation of forms.Key concepts have been well explained.As a Oracle consultant and having worked in many Oracle based companies like BellAtlantic,USXchange etc and having used designer 2000 for database generation for the past 8 months , i would recommend this book to all oracle designers /developer/Consulatnts and other IT professionals

Regards

Clear, focused, full of tips and techniques this book guides you generating forms and reports (even complex ones). It has adequate examples and enough discussion to assist you in choosing which technique fits best.

Relevant for versions 2 and 6. Specifically covers generation. So you may wish to check Oracle Designer Handbook if need help using the tool in other aspects rather than generation.

This is one of the best organized and most clearly written technical books that I have ever read. The authors clearly put a lot of effort into making a quality book. This is refreshing to find with so many IT books that are obviously written in a rush to "scoop" other authors.

Be sure that you know what you are buying. This book spends the first few chapters laying the groundwork and describing the application generation process in general. Then they get into the details of generating Oracle applications using designer with the goal being 100% generation. If CASE methods for application generation using Oracle Designer is not what you are looking for then keep looking, that is exactly and and only what you will find in this book.