Well written and organized material that gives you some key things to focus on in raising your kids. Plus each page has a "smart idea", something simple you can do for building a good relationship or for just having fun.

Dads, if you can't understand your role after reading this book, you just can't do it! I've read many, many 'dad' books, but this is absolutely my favorite, because it's the best!

The author gives an overall strategy for being a smart dad, as well as specific tips. He is honest! He admits that his fathering journey has not been without its bumps. He arranges things in a metaphor that men can definitely identify with. I've read it several times, and get something more out of it each time.

This Album is great. More Novacom episodes with suprising plot twists. Katie Leigh gives a fine performance. Ed Walker does not show up very much. Tho the reason I did not give it five stars is because there is a little drop of christainty and more focous on msking novacom relly cul. Also Odyssey has replased there good music with horrible gutar music.But Nathen Hoobler writes some of these episodes and is a very good writer.

This is just another in a series of Odysseys that are getting more involved and hold the interest of adults as well as children. It is too intense for children under 7-8 but older children love it. We listened to it in the car and it made our trip seem to fly by. One word of warning - the mystery is not resolved at the end of the set. You'll need to wait until September to find out what happens!

With very few exceptions, this collection of the radio drama focuses on the Novacom storyline. And it's definitely gaining momentum. Connie and Mitch are having problems in their relationship because Mitch works for Novacom and seems to have several secrets. Whit's End Connellsville opens, but runs into some problems from an unexpected source. Mandy and Sarah unexpectedly run into an old friend who provides a clue to current happenings. Meanwhile, Aubrey must deal with a group of happy guests at the Timothy Center. And we get to see Jason in action at one of his missions in South America.

This collection contains some gripping stories. Things have gotten interesting with Novacom, and I can't wait to see how it ends. When Dr. Blackgaard's story line ended, the show seemed to loose a little momentum, and it's nice to see that it's come back. The non-arch episodes are also top-notch. The last four episodes contain some surprises and will leave you waiting anxiously for the next collection.

Once again, the Adventures in Odyssey staff have done a top-notch job with these twelve episodes. Don't hesitate to buy this collection and find out what's going on in this wonderful fictitious town.

Paul Wallace offers an engaging and insightful examination of the prospects of an aging society. The title that wallace has chosen hints at the magnitude of the anticipated changes of a 'greying society'. Wallace makes extensive use of UN and OECD studies to wake up anyone who doubts that an aging society is not an issue that ought to concern them, their finances and business. For the more serious minded, there are plenty of specialist texts to consult. For a broad overview of the likely impact of an ageing society, wallace's contribution is timely and accessible since he spares us of a lot of technical jargon that may intrude (economists usually have plenty to say on this topic!).

Wallace constructs his analysis by building on the theme of his choosen title. Part one, explores the 'faultlines' that major studies identify, and awaits explanation in the next section, the 'tremors'. If you understand the logic of the opening chapters, then the 'shockwaves' should not be a big surprise. I suspect we'll have to live through it before anyone truly understands it. This is partly a get-out clause for political leaders who ought to urgently set out plans for, for example pensions reform, but since people and politicans don't tend to think and act for the long term, you can imagine wallace urging disapproval.

Each facet of life merits a mention; from ageism in the workplace, to the effect on property prices, spiralling healthcare costs and the impending 'pensions crunch'. While many of the current baby boomer generation are looking forward to early retirement, wallace leaves us to wonder if we, the younger generation, will have to work so much harder to share their (modest) ambition of enjoying their leisure after 40 years of labour?

A good read.

When I moved into France from my native Colombia, I was astounded at the number of old ladies with dogs and the paucity of mothers with babies and teenagers. Agequake confirms that this perception is just another aspect of the huge changes that new demographics will bring on within the next 20 years. The good news is that people are living longer. The bad news is that they are retiring at a younger age. And that, the longer they live, the more medical care they will require.

Wallace shows that the dependency ratios (the ratio of non-working "dependents" to working folk) will lead to a point where each worker will need to support not only himself, but a pensioner as well, and his own children, if any (and there will be very few). As the number of young working people, usually the more creative of all age-groups, continue to shrink, innovation will also came to a halt, and ultimately economic growth will vanish and then reverse the secular growing trend. While some environmentalists may feel overjoyed by this implosion of capitalism, most of us who rather liked material comforts and hoped that they would continue to grow endlessly will be less satisfied. The impact of the "agequake" will be felt in every sphere. Corporate hierarchies will make less sense when there are more middle-aged managers than young newcomers. The relationship between youthful and aggressive Third World Countries and rich older OECD countries (where elderly women will be the most influential constituency) will be fraught with dangers. Share prices will tend to collapse as the "Baby Boomers" start to retire and prefer to liquidate some of their assets. The housing market will be altered beyond recognition.

What can be done to avoid this future? Unsurprisingly, not much. Government policies cannot permanently improve fertility in rich countries, immigration in the scale required to make up for the shortfall of young workers will be politically indefensible, and the growing importance of older voters makes it virtually impossible for politicians to effect changes in fields such as retirement ages, pensioners' rights
or public health.

All in all, a sobering read. When these things happen, those of us who read it will have at least a headstart on everyone else. Not bad for a few bucks, eh?

A modern view of the rollercoaster of the stock market, this book really describes just what the market can be like. One day you're riding high, and the next you can be in the pits!

This book dispels the common myths of Haitians and AIDS. It also shows very clearly the heavy involvement of the United States in creating the poverty Haiti has faced. This book makes use of statistics well, but unfortunately, at this point those stats are many years old. When Farmer wrote this book, only three people in the village of Do Kay had died of AIDS. Now, with huge percentages of Haitians exposed to HIV, the picture must certainly look different. This book is a geat candidate for a revised edition some time in the future.

Farmer's excellent historical ethnography of Haitian illness (as seen through the contemporary context of the world AIDS epidemic), proves the necessity of developing anthropological approaches to understanding health systems and implementing medical care. The diagnosis and analysis of sickness, disease, illness, and treatment should go hand-in-hand with the cultural understanding of local systems of blame, accusation, causation, and cure. Where most approaches to medicine are based on the "Westernized" first-world nations' understanding of the causes of illness (tainted as well, as Farmer shows, by systematic "blame the victim" and shame techniques), the adoption of these approaches in treating the illnesses of other peoples can be catastrophic. Three ethnographies make up the structure of a detailed historical inquiry )

The longstanding tradition of conceiving of illness through the lens of powerlessness shapes the contemporary lives of the people in Haiti with whom Farmer worked. Although they could see the effects of the illness, people in this region were obsessed with the cause of the illness, and felt the need to understand AIDS through a constructed narrative of blame. A deep belief in their religion led villagers to look for the source of witchcraft that could possibly be harming them, and elaborate stories about neighbors, jealousies, and rivalries flourished as a result. Any improvement in the standing of one member of the society (through wealth, status, relationships, acquisition of property or food, or political power through employment or marriage) adds to the structure of distrust and blame.

Farmer's book shows how disturbingly complex and deep the layers of mistrust, misinformation, and the effects of racism, are. Among the medical hypotheses for the probable exposure is the theory of Haitian sex-workers' contacts through gay tourists to the early strains of HIV. Farmer outlines the long history of Haiti as a gay tourist attraction, and Duvalier's encouragement of tourism as a boost to the domestic economy. Although the possible cause of the gay sex trade for HIV exposure has not been confirmed, medical establishments in the U.S. based their theories of causation on other factors, such as Haitian religious practices. These theories were, in truth, reinforcing longstanding ignorance and racist misunderstandings about Haitian vodou. Stereotypes and racial profiling of Haitian citizenship as a "risk factor" (one of the "Four H's" along with hemophiliac, homosexual, and heroin user), contributed to public policies against Haitian immigrants. Haitians' belief that they are being attacked by some evil sorcery in the guise of a fatal illness called sida falls into place amidst the context of extreme antagonism and injustice.

While reading this book, I was compelled to ask myself if there isn't some truth in Haitians' understanding of AIDS as the result of malicious sorcery. Haiti was the only American society to successfully result from the direct action of a revolution against slavery and colonialism. As such, the small nation governed by creoles and black ex-slaves presented a threat to North and South American colonial societies, which were firmly entrenched in slave labor economic systems. Historically, the threat of a repeat of the Haitian revolution must have terrified white European landowners. This terror of African power and strength has been passed on in a racist legacy, adapted to political policies and nationalist agendas, and still exists in ignorant beliefs about AIDS and its causes. Haitians believe that they are victims of a longstanding racist agenda, and they may in fact be right. Farmer's book begins to illuminate some of the complicated historical and ethnographic realities of the overlapping connections between illness and racism, and between causes and effects.

I read this book for a medical anthropology class and found it incredibly interesting in its discussion of the politics and racism involved in the US treatment of AIDS in Haiti. It delves into how the American presence and influences lead to and exasperated the widespread AIDS and poverty problems in Haiti.

My son (14 months) loves this book. He can "snap" the jaws himself and I like that it is a board book as it does not tear up like other more fragile books. This is one of his many car books and it makes him giggle every time!

My daughter (1 year) loves this book. She always brings the book to me and crawls up on my lap for the story. She giggles as we snap along with Alex. She got the book as a present when she was six months old and it is still one of her favorites.

I found this book at a local store and fell in love with it. It is so adorable how you read along the book and snap the little alligators mouth open and closed with the store line. My little boy finds it so cute. It appears to be pretty durable too, so I don't think it would fall apart too easily. Anyways, I liked it so much, I am here looking up all the other "snap" books ... I am not sure what the "toy" is that Amazon is referring too, but my book didn't come with an extra toy. Oh and all the pages are the hard board type pages, not paper, so it is pretty sturdy. Anyways I highly recommend it.

_All One Universe_ is a fine collection of (very) short stories and non-fiction essays, the personal choices of Poul Anderson himself. Many of the short stories are excellent (although some of them offer such a tantalizing taste of Anderson's inner fantasy world that you want to cry out for longer pieces); some are based on his existing work, and some are completely new.

The non-fiction pieces provide an interesting break, although they are not as entertaining -- most of them involve Anderson trying to sell the reader on a particular author or concept; I guess you can't blame a man late in his life for that indulgence.

Poul Anderson is one of the great writers of science fiction. This book contains a good number of his good short stories, plus some of his thoughts about science fiction. It includes his memories and thoughts about John W. Campbell, Jr. - who was, if you can credit one person with SF, the founder of modern science fiction. For the little change you would spend on this book, it is a good value.

Poul Anderson always brings thoughtful provocative pros to the readers of his fine works. As a follower of most of Anderson's offerings over the years I find that All One Universe gives the reader a chance to look into Anderson's own thinking in the selection of the short stories and editorials on some of the great contributors in Literature. In fact, it is the celebration of man's accomplishments throughout history and in literature that Anderson treats us here in this collection as he has done so well in other books. I dare say that this book as much as any I can remember in recent memory shouts at us to get out and read: science, hard science fiction, and the wealth of literature that is available - and that's inspirational!

I got this book eagerly anticipating it to be updated from 1998. Unfortunately, it was not - several notable omissions (e.g., The Sports Connection in LA), several outdated entries (e.g., The Firehouse in LA), and ther choice of spots to pick and those to omit (such as Minneapolis) make this ediiton little different than the last.

That being said, this is the best overall gay travel guide around. It keeps in line with Access Press excellent manner of organization, with good maps and reviews. I just wish the contributors and/or editors would have put more time into reviewing the choices and making sure they were current.

I am proud to have contributed the Hawaii overview chapter to this book - I think Access did a fine job of covering gay information for the US in a in-the-know kind of way.

I picked up ACCESS Gay USA before my trip to New Orleans and was delightfully surprised at its thoroughness! The maps are fantastic because they are broken up by neighborhood and there are color-coded entries of bars/clubs, restaurants, hotels and sights that are written by people who live in the area. Plus there are little "fun-facts" sprinkled throughout giving some history on areas like the French Quarter. I had a wonderful time on my trip!!

Monette is eloquent as always. However, the theme is tired, worn out and depressing.

What happens to all those friendships formed among the relatives of the dying in intensive care wards? This excellent novel explores some of the options through believable characters and a thrilling plot. If you've read Borrowed Time -- surely one of the better books I've read -- you should treat yourself to this book. It's much lighter; but Monette's tact doesn't lose its point.

"Afterlife" by Paul Monette struck me in many ways. It made me realize what happens to the living after those we love so much are gone. It is disturbing in an eye-opening way, and as one reviewer stated, revolutionary in its own right.

The characters are well formed, not sterotypical, and show how any human can react to a loss of a loved one to something so meaningless.... Gay or straight in so much of it is not relevant. It more than anything else I have read, shows the devestation and the legacy that AIDS has left behind.

3 stars is a compromise between 5 for the book, and 1 for the fact that my 9 year old has never used it. Kids will use dictionaries, but they won't use a thesaurus.

The American Heritage Thesaurus is a must reference book for any home with children. Each researched word, printed in blue large bold print, is accompanied with the a description, printed in black, of the part(s) of speech the word can be used, several best choice synonyms, and a few lesser utilized synonyms. In addition, an example sentence incorporating the researched word is provided. Occassionally a list of antonyms is provided for the researched word. Researched words are easily located as a result of a large space between each word. Each two page spread usually contains one or two color photographs adding some visual appeal. In summary, this thesaurus is highly recommended and is an invaluable resource for any child of reading age.

I baught the childrens thesaurus for my 9 year old daughter, itis used more than our other thesaurus by me and my teenagedchildren. It is very fast and easy to use.

This is an excellent introduction to the history of ancient Rome. It seems to be aimed at high school students, as an adjunct to their study of Latin. Older readers will enjoy it as well. Before digging into something heavier, like Grant's history, or Dudley, or a college-level text such as Sinnigen & Boak, it's good to get an overview and a idea of the main themes; if you start out with those heavier volumes, it's easy to lose sight of the main currents, and get caught up in the details and minutiae.

It follows a fairly traditional path, and concentrates on political and military history. In style, this book reminded me of the two histories of Rome that Isaac Asimov wrote. It does not assume any previous knowledge of Rome, and the author includes many edifying and entertaining episodes from Livy, stories that are part and parcel of our Western heritage.

Note: this work is heavily weighted toward early Rome and the Republic. The author doesn't get to the Principate until page 227 out of 284. (An aside: the book has a total of 300 pages, not the 320 mentioned above.) For full information about the Empire, you'll want to supplement this book with something else.

The book could have done with some more pictures and maps, but all in all, a good value for the price, and a wonderful way to start learning about our Latin heritage.

Zoch has done an excellent job in bringing about an easy reading yet very informative book on the history of Rome. The author has treated the myths Rome held important to their founding and throughout their culture as key to understanding Rome and her culture, so one will get an excellent glimpse of Rome and her legendary figures. The book goes up until the time of Augustus then it slows down. He gives basically an epitome of Rome's Imperial period. It is intended for a general study and intoduction to Roman history and is written more for the high school level than anything. I will say that this is not a bad thing as it provides a good study and is very simple to read. One area that I found frustrating was, was his lack of dates. But overall the book is a good resource to have, especially if one is just starting a study of Rome, and although is written rather simple and straightfoward, is written in such a way to convey the information to an audience that ranges from jr. high on up. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good introductory history to Rome, especially her myths.

Zoch taught high school Latin to an audience which knew relatively little about the ancient Romans: his contribution is this title, which reveals Roman history, culture, and society. The introductory format makes it easy for students to quickly learn about Roman history and culture and Ancient Rome is recommended for any high school student of Latin or Roman history.