It is my sincere hope that people interested in Russian literature are no longer forced to read this awful book. When I was in school, during the Cold War period, I could see some usefulness. Socialist Realism was the approved creative style in Russia and one could not come away from reading 20th century literature and think that everything was as well-writen as Bulgakov's Master and Margarita and Zamyatin's We. Yes, in order to understand the Soviet mind one had to read awful books like "Virgin Soil Upturned (proving that any hack can win a Nobel Prize) by Sholokhov, How Steel Was Tempered and yes, Cement.

When we were reading this book, and I have read it twice, there was an attempt to show in the example of the book's communist party heroine, that working women cannot have it all. Well quite frankly, the reason this heroine is unable to find love and happiness is because she is supporting the creation of a joyless utopean where no one will ever be allowed to be really happy.

The 1920s was a great decade for Soviet literature: the works published during this era are thematically- and ideologically-diverse. Yes, there are better-written novels that came out during this period. Nevertheless, Gladkov's Cement is under-rated. I find it fun to read and re-read (which is critical, since I end up teaching it a lot) and it's definitively one of the best vehicles for getting at the tensions that plagued the Bolsheviks in the early years. Pairing this with Abram Room's film, Bed and Sofa, is a great way to address questions of gender in the early Soviet Union.

I've never chucked a book out before in my life, but this one I did. The basic writings by Arthur Wesley Dow are very good, however the introduction written by Joseph Masheck occupied most of the books pages in a stilted language that was obviously written to put a check in one of this person's achedemic requirements boxes. It got me so riled that I had paid considerably for Dows comments and got Mashecks voluminous dribble, that I cut out the introduction with a razor blade and kept the small informative portion by Dow. If you're impressed with disjointed, convoluted, achedemic banter, buy it, you'll love it.

Having read the earlier review, I felt it necessary to chime in. The introduction, which I skipped, was lengthy, but there's a lot of information in the main text of the book- enough to warrant the price. It's as much a workbook as a text since there are suggested exercises to follow. There are also lots of pictures of examples which I found very helpful. Dow "wrote the book" on composition, and this is it!

Both of my sons and two of my nieces have been through this curriculum. If we were given any alternative math options, we would take them.

While this program was rated highly by an educational group, it has been a major disappointment to us. Many of the parents have supplemented the math taught at the High School with extra courses for high school students, given by State Universities.

As an engineer, math is extremely important to me. My oldest son hopes to become an engineer, and I'm struggling with how to 'patch' his poor math background. He frequently comes to me with questions that he should understand, but that are poorly communicated in the book.

The teachers often would say "there's an error in the book on page..." My kids said this happened daily.

This shouldn't be necessary. Math is foundational, and texts written for math should be very critically edited, to make sure mistakes are removed, that concepts are well explained, and that the fundamentals are all covered. These steps did not happen with this coursework. And the creators of this material have not responded with improvements to the curricula.

Integrated math as a concept may be very positive. But this series is probably one of the poorest ways to do it. If you're sold on integrated math, try another program.

Contemporary Mathematucs in Context is a program that build on the theme of mathematics as sense-making. Through investigations of real-life contexts, students develop a rich understanding of important mathematics that makes sense to them and, in turn, enables them to make sense out of nes situations and problems. Yes, it enables them to think.

The materials are designed to implement the vision of high school mathematics portrayed in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics "Standards" documents. The curriculum materials include thew following features:

Multiple Connected Strands (Algebra and Functions; Geometry and Trigonometry; Statistics and Probability; and Discrete Mathematics.)

Mathematical Modeling (including data collection, representation, interpretation, prediction, and simulation.)

Access to core mathematical topics for all students. Differences in students in performance and interest and be accomodated by the depth and level of abstraction, by the nature and degree of difficulty of applications, and by providing opportunities for student choice on homework tasks and projects.

Technology (Numerical, graphical, and programming link capabilities found on many graphing calculators are assumed and capitalized upon. These provide opportunities to emphasize multiple representations and to focus on mathematical thinking, rather than mere computation.)

Active Learning (Instruction and assessment practices are designed to promote mathematical thinking. Collaborative groups and individual work are used as students explore, conjecture, verify, evaluate, and communicate mathematical ideas.)

The curriculum promises to make mathematics accessible to a diverse student population. Developing mathematics each year along multiple strands nurtures the differing strengths and talents of students and simultaneously helps them to develop diverse mathematical insights. Developing mathematics from a modeling perspective permits students to experience mathematics as a means of making sense of data and problems that arise in diverse contexts. Engaging students in small groups to work together on tasks develops their ability to both deal with, and find commonality in, diversity of ideas. Using calculators as a means for learning and doing mathematics enables students to develop versatile ways of dealing with realistic situations and reduces the manipulative skill filter which has prevented large numbers of students from continuing their study of significant mathematics.

Furthermore, in cases where the mathematics departments or admissions offices have reviewed Contemporary Mathematics in Context, the courses have been approved as meeting the mathematics admission requirements of those intitutions. Many students have applied, been accepted and are succeeding in many colleges and universioties across the country.

Lastly, I have been teaching high school mathematics for 27 years and have seen many programs come and go. I have also heard others use the phrase "This too shall pass." The reform movement is the right movement for students in this country. We do not need to focus on a curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch thick. Contemporary Mathematics in Context provides the depth to allow students the opportunity to be able to think, not just process. I hope that this mathematics movement does not just "pass." I really wish that I would have written these texts. I believe in them and the curriculum embedded within. And so do my students! --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

While the editorial description of this book sounded interesting, the book itself was an extremely boring disappointment. The bulk of this book deals with what the author ate and when he slept and how much he missed his wife. The actual battle descriptions are rushed through, sometimes in two or three sentences, while the author's personal daily routine goes on and on for pages. It is interesting to note that although the HMS Safari is touted as one of England's most deadly subs, the majority of it's sinkings were of small craft and schooners by gun action. Even enemy ships which ran themselves aground to escape being torpedoed are counted by the Brits as tonnage sunk! Overall, I couldn't wait for this book to end. BORING!

I have read a number of books on submarines and submarine action. This book I found very moving, the author was a very young man when the experiances within the book occured. One can sense his very real fears and hopes within his words. The events within the book were recorded in real time as they were unfolding. The life on board a submarine in wartime was not all action and gunfighting. This is effectively conveyed through out the book. To summerize; a very real, true to life depiction of life on and off board a British sub at war.

This book was the author (victor canning) own interpretation of the Aurthurian legend. Much of the story was changed as i saw it, but the basic concept remained the same. I especially liked the first section of the novel. the journey of Baradock and Tia to Aqua Silis, because you really had no idea how arthur would fit in until they came across the chalice, but even then they planned to part, and it was a surprise how everything was brought together. in the second book, the growing up of Arto, not very much action too place, but it set up the scene for the great life Arto was destined to live. finally the third book had a lot of boring parts as the arm was being formed, and many battles took place, but i really liked the ending, althought i will not give it away. One thing i did not like about this book was that some of the names were changed while others were left. Gwenevier, and Merlin remained the same, so why was it neccissary to call arther Aruturo rather than arthur? that was the only thing that bothered me.

I enjoyed reading this book, and found it captivating and very hard to put down. The author managed to convincingly bring both the times and the legend alive for me by adding details and interesting dimensions to the old legend. I found it interesting to read of Arturo as a minor 'warlord' who fought his way to power, and yet managed to retain his sense of love for humanity. A compassionate warrior, wise and forgiving. I also enjoyed reading of his parents' journeys and lives. That section of the book lays important framework for Arturo's life and adventures, as well as being extremely interesting on its own merits. When I was finished with the book, I felt as if I'd just read a bit of very interesting history..as if this person really could have lived and fought and added something to the history of his country. I really enjoyed it.

In 1910, Marie Corelli managed to have this little book published. Its content is little more than that of a pamphlet, and is written as a "fantasy" about a motorcar driven by "the Avenger, the Destroyer, the Torturer of Soul," in short, the Devil. I believe it is intended as a warning against modern technology invading the British society, but I'd rather like to leave its interpretation to you. Even the avid fans of her books feel very perplexed after reading it. I have read many books of Corelli, but still don't know how to think about it. Real curio.

Kessinger's edition is probably reproduced from an older one, which was printed in large, old letters with Severn's illusrations. But the illustrations are far from clear; they are heavily blurred, but whether the blur was originated from the original book, or found only in this edition (or my copy) is not known.

By the way, Arthur Severn is a son of much famous Joseph Severn, who nursed the dying poet John Keats in Roma.

The writing of Marie Corelli was a glorious discovery. The Devils Motor is a short tale put out with illustrations by Arthur Severn. It lacks the depth and intensity of The Sorrows of Satan but it is still a fine read. Corelli exhibits less compassion for the devil in this tale than in The Sorrows of Satan. There is still a bit of a Faustian overture in this tale. Ultimately one can still save ones soul. Corelli seemed obsessed with salvation. She went against the grain of much late 19th Century literature and achieved great success. As in The Sorrows of Satan there is finally gradually, gently and by faint degrees, glimmers of pale gold dividing the darkness with the wavering rise of dawn. (her words) Indeed, from darkness unto light. It is a biblical theme Marie Corelli knew all too well and a fine job she does.

When I attended Reed College, my economics professor assigned this book as a "quick read." Unfortunately, the book is rather dry, and I didn't pull much out of it. If you have the time to actually re-read passages, go ahead and pick it up if the topic interests you. Otherwise, forget about it, because I had one night to read it, and the results were the same as if I didn't read it at all.

This short book is nearing its thirtieth birthday, and in spots it shows its age. Its many references to U.S. income levels, for example, have to be (roughly) quadrupled to reflect current patterns.
Nonetheless, this is an extremely clear introduction to one of the central political and economic issues of the past century: To what extent should government (and more broadly, society) pursue economic equality? Okun is at his best in pointing out the tradeoffs that both liberals and conservatives must face. Okun argues that with some exceptions, pursuing a great deal of equality will cost society a great deal of efficiency for four reasons: there are fewer incentives for the working rich, fewer incentives for the working poor, less capital investment by the rich, and more administrative costs. On the other hand, singlemindedly pursuing efficiency will cost society a great deal of equality, with the rich getting richer and the poor poorer. Okun clarifies why the tradeoff exists through clever uses of metaphors, most notably his famous "leaks in the (transfer) bucket." Okun ultimately chooses a relatively liberal tradeoff that favors equality, but he always acknowledges the other side's arguments because, like most economists, he respects the powerful efficiency of well-working markets.
Just as interestingly, Okun also discusses cases when we all-- liberal and conservative alike-- may agree to emphasize equality. Voting, trials, and other forms of political life, for example, are areas where we all might wish that government (and its propensity for equality, treating all of us as equal) would prevail over the market (and its propensity for inequality, giving some individuals much more influence than others). Yet often the market prevails in such political areas as well, as we see high-priced lawyers gain advantages in trials, and rich campaign contributors gain advantages in voting and lobbying. In such cases, says Okun, the necessarily unequal market has colonized an area--government-- where equality should be the norm.
One doesn't have to agree with all of Okun's conclusions to find this a thought-provoking and insightful book.

I used the 1999 edition of this book to plan my honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas in June of 2000. Based on the book's stellar review of Solmar Suites, we reserved an ocean view room there for the duration of our two week stay in Cabo.

We were VERY disappointed with Solmar. While the grounds, pool and restaurant at this hotel were nice, our room was awful. How so?

-A concrete slab was used in place of a box spring for our bed.
-There were several cockroaches in our room.
-There was no refrigerator, as indicated in the room description.
-Furnishings were very outdated, and unattractive.
-The drain in our shower didn't work, and kept backing up.
-Hotel management was unresponsive when we complained, in spite of the fact that we indicated we were there on our honeymoon.
-While Frommer's said Solmar's fishing fleet was "first rate", we found their boats and equipment to be very outdated.

The whole experience made me think that someone at Solmar must have given Frommer's a big, fat pay-off in order to get the review they were given. I couldn't think of any other reason this place would have been so highly regarded.

Ever since then, when I travel, I use FODOR'S travel guides - not FROMMER'S. I've found Fodor's reviews to be right on the money, and if I had taken their advice (staying, perhaps, at the Westin on the corridor), our honeymoon would have been a much nicer experience.

I hope you find this review helpful. If I can save even one person from the nightmare we experienced, I'll be very pleased.

There's a lot of great information packed into this small volume--whether you're looking for outdoor adventures, whale watching, a party scene, or a pampering spa experience. It's clear that the author, Lynne Bairstow, knows Mexico inside and out. Look for the especially informed reviews of Baja's golf courses. The cover alone makes me want to go there!

This is one of the worst travel guides I have ever used. It is poorly organized, poorly researched, filled with misinformation, and riddled with gaps. Don't buy it unless you enjoy wasting your time with worthless information.

I used this book to plan my vacation to Vancouver and Victoria. It was GREAT! I found terrific B&B's, restaurants, sights, and a lot of interesting information I didn't see anywhere else. I had to order a new copy because the owner of a B&B in Vancouver liked the book so much I gave it to him.

Longtime fans of Arthur C. Clarke should be wary of Glide Path, a departure from his usually excellent science fiction fare. In this novel, Clarke looks back on the early days of World War II to recount the inside story of the research team that developed a radar talk-down system for pilots called GCD - Ground Controlled Descent. The hero is Flying Officer Alan Bishop, a trainer with experience in radio and radar, but not much else. Through Bishop's eyes we meet the scientists, engineers, and RAF officers whose combined talents were responsible for this valuable life-saving tool. The science is admittedly well out of date, but Clarke's real focus is not on the physics but on the human elements: Dr. Hatton, a biologist who sees the application that the physicists don't, Professor Schuster, the theoretical genius who designs the whole system but doesn't understand a voltage adapter, Flight Lieutenant Collins, whose upper-class dress and manners inspire nothing but derision, and especially Bishop, who talks down hundreds of pilots but has never flown himself. Clarke tries to fill out Bishop's story with scenes from his personal life, showing us his relationships with his father, his governess, and his lady friend, as well as his fellow officers, but in the tradition of British reserve, these chapters come off rather flat. He succeeds in fleshing out Bishop's character, but generally fails to endear him to the reader. Perhaps the real problem is that by focusing on Bishop the Everyman, he condemns his story to be equally mundane. Since so much of this book is about Bishop (it could be argued that this novel is his coming-of-age story), and only tangentially about the technology, Clarke needed to make us interested in Bishop's fate. By the novel's conclusion, though, we recognize that relatively little has actually happened to him. While clearly some character development takes place over the course of the novel, there is nothing especially suspenseful or even interesting about Bishop's progress into manhood. If the essence of a story is conflict, whom may we say Bishop is in conflict with? We get only the briefest of hints that there's actually an enemy out there. The best moments are the talk-down landings, where Bishop defies Nature and himself trying to do what was once thought impossible, but many more such moments would have been needed to make this book a real success. Instead this book is a pleasant piece of historical fiction, but it isn't meaty enough to be taken as seriously as Clarke perhaps intended it.

This book is significant as being the only non-science fiction fiction book that Arthur C. Clarke ever wrote. It was inspired by (and partially, I'm sure) based upon his experience in World War II as a member of the Royal Air Force, using the GCD (Ground Controlled Descent) system to "talk-down" pilots. This is the setting of the story. Though the technology described is not impressive by today's standards (almost 40 years after the book was written, and 60 after the events it fictionalizes), the radar system is gone into in a quite detailed way, and it's obvious that Clarke knows what he's talking about. However, aside from this, there is another reason that this book is significant. Here we actually have Clarke employing a main character (Alan Bishop) as a main character, and developing him. Perhaps this was spurned on by his own personal involvement with the setting of the story, but, whatever the reason for it, this is probably actually the most "human" story that Clarke has ever put out. Those who claim that they can't read Clarke because all of his stories are just complex scientific esoteria that nobody understands wrapped up in a science fiction premise with cardboard cutout carichatures of characters who act merely as set pieces must revise, at least partially, this view of the author after reading this book. We see Clarke develop the character of Bishop. This, indeed, is one of his relatively few books (including among them Imperial Earth, The Songs of Distant Earth, and perhaps The Fountains of Paradise), where a human being is actually the star of the show, and not a machine or an idea. This is a bit of a change of pace for the reader of ACC's fiction, and it is a pleasant diversion. While this is most assuredly not one of his major works, it is an enjoyable read, and an interesting contrast. It balances the technological and human elements of the story rather well. A nice, quick read as well. Pick it up if you can find it.