The idea for this excellent compilation of personalized Scripture couldn't be more natural. "Praying the Scripture for spiritual growth," as the subtitle says it, can nurture a person's faith like no teacher's commentary can.

Author Ken Boa has advocated meditating on and personalizing Scripture for many years. In this book, he offers his own translation of many Bible verses, adapting them into a first person or second person perspective. In this way, a reader dwells on the Words of God offered as direct praise. Instead of reading, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deut. 6:4-5 ESV), he reads, "O Lord my God, You are one. I want to love You, Lord my God, with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength." Instead of reading, perhaps passively, these words from Proverbs 23:4-5, "Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven" (ESV), Boa urges the reader to dwell on its personal application: "I will not wear myself out to get rich; I will have the understanding to cease. I will not set my desire on what flies away, for wealth surely sprouts wings and flies into the heavens like an eagle."

For devotional use, the book offers Scripture meditations in five categories for each day of a three month period. The categories are "The Attributes of God," "The Works of God," "My Relationship to God," "The Character I Want to Cultivate," and "My Relationship to Others." With a couple mediations in each topic, Boa encourages the reader to follow a 93-day pattern of thoughtful consideration and prayer, praising God with His own words and being confronted by His demands on our character.

That's the first half of the book. The second half is a topical guide to Scripture's affirmations of God's character and the Holy Spirit's work in us. Divided into the same categories listed above, this guide lists many more verses than are printed in the devotional section, which could facilitate longer meditation on God's glorious character and His teaching. For someone in the habit of reading through the Psalms and Proverbs every month, this book or it's companion, Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship, would be a great alternative.

I have a very difficult time keeping my focus while I am praying. This book has helped me so much to direct my prayers and keep them in a Scriptural context. It not only leads the reader in daily prayers of Adoration, Confession, Renewal (Scriptural reminders), Petition, Intercession, Affirmation, Thanksgiving, and closing prayers, but also has a weekly schedule of praying for yourself and others such as your church, your family, and world missions. The Scriptures are well-chosen for their subjects, as well as not chopped up so as to make them out-of-context. This book is for morning devotions, and there is a companion evening devotion book which is excellent as well.

As a newly "re-found" Christian, I found this book a great source to learning how to pray again. I didn't want to call on God only from desperate need, nor did I want to thank Him only when things were going great. This book is a terrific guide to a daily time of purposeful prayer with God. It takes us step-by-step through Praise, Confession, Renewal, and Intercession,(among others), using scripture verses right from the Bible. The premise is that by praying God's own promises and glories as written in the Bible, we can more align ourselves with His will and more fully realize Him in our lives. On the same vein, I really appreciate "Praying the Bible for your Marriage" by David & Heather Kopp.

Fractals make headlines from time to time[--are they everywhere?], and and they make lovely color pictures; but they are also part of a substantial mathematical theory, one with an
exciting mathematical history. This very important book presents
the subject in a way that it can be taught to students, and it starts with the basics, systematically, step by step, building up the material. Or it can be used for selfstudy! It has great exercises too! In view of the many applications to geometric analysis, to PDE, and to statistics, it is likely that fractal geometry will soon be a standard math course taught in many (more) math departments. By now it is widely recognized that the selfsimilarity aspects of the wavelet algorithms are key to their sucess. The book came out in 1990, and the author has an equally attractive book on the subject from 1985[The geometry of fractal sets] with a slightly more potential theoretic bent.

The first part of the book is essentially of a theoretical nature, with a thorough treatment of fractal geometry at a mathematical point of view. The second part on the other hand provides a flavour of the problems of fractal geometry in practice...so mathematicians as well as people interested in applications only should both find this book interesting. The maths are not easy but quite "understandable" for science undergrads...some notions of calculus or topology would help... but the introduction is excellent and allows anyone to follow the course of the book (but for understanding the proofs a good math background is required).

Excellent for understanding the geometrical properties of fractals.

I appreciate Falconer's books on fractal geometry because they show the topic as it really is: a whole mathematical discipline on its own right and not just a nice temporary fashion.

It begins introducing basic topological concepts and then proceeds to develop the theory for several possible definitions of fractal dimension, showing the relations between them. Then it explores deeply the local geometry of different kinds of fractal objects, and studies some other geometrical situations, like the pojection of fractals (ever thought of a DIGITAL sundial? Here it is described!).

The book also includes a lot of applications to other areas of mathematics and physics, a great amount of graphics, and much more.

The text is suitable from third year undergraduate school and on. It is a larger but lighter version of "The Geometry of Fractal Sets".

The General's General is an interesting and entertaining life of one of the 19th Century's most influential soldiers. Although little remembered today, MacArthur was an heroic lieutenant, an influential middle level officer and eventually the leading General in the U.S. Army.

The book touches on several aspects of U.S. history. In reading the story of the General's father, Arthur MacArthur, Sr., the reader gets a peak into the 19th century politics of Wisconsin in particular and the U.S. in general.

As a young man MacArthur joined the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry as an adjutant, a position for which his youth initially proved a distinct disadvantage. MacArthur's first glory came with the assault on Missionary Ridge south of Chattanooga on November 25, 1863. After taking the first level of Confederate rifle pits, which was the objective of the charge, MacArthur led his men on an unordered charge up to the top of the hill, gaining the admiration of all who observed him, from Generals Grant and Sherman on down.

In the post war army, MacArthur made two significant contributions. While commanding at Fort Selden, New Mexico, MacArthur compensated for the absence of a suttler by establishing an enlisted men's canteen, which became the forerunner of the PX system. As a staff officer, he later obtained a change in Army policy which permitted the award of medals to officers. This change in policy resulted in MacArthur being awarded the Medal of Honor.

MacArthur's moment in the sun came with the advent of the Spanish American War. Surprised by his assignment to the Philippines, MacArthur made the most of the transfer to Asia. Over a three year period, MacArthur played a major role in the conquest of the Philippines which had begun with the destruction of the Spanish fleet by Adm. Dewey. The battle began with an defeat of the Spanish troops followed by a long war, first conventional and then guerrilla, against the Philippine Republican troops.

After his appointment as Military Governor of the Philippines, MacArthur began to experience difficulties with the civilian officials sent to rule the Islands, primarily William Howard Taft. The dispute with Taft eventually led to MacArthur's dismissal as Military Governor and his retirement from the army.

In telling this story the reader is introduced into the many stages on which the war was played out. The effect on the political situation in the United States is well developed. The foreign policy debates incited by the conquest of the Islands are explained. The war on the ground bears an uncanny resemblance to the situation which later Americans found in Vietnam.

The introduction of the MacArthur family to Asia is well covered. The initiation starting with the war in the Philippines continues with the Grand Tour of Asia and is capped during MacArthur's role as military observer to the Russo-Japanese War.

This book sheds much light on the development of Arthur's son, Douglas. In it we read of the desolate western outposts in which Douglas spent his youth, the society into which he was introduced and the role his mother played in his development. It was on the Grand Tour of Asia that Douglas claimed to have learned to understand the Asian mind. Douglas' familiarity with Asia would come to play a role in his influential involvement in American policy toward Asia in the middle of the 20th Century. The similarities in the careers of both Arthur and Douglas are laid before the reader. At the time of the writing of the book, the only Father-Son Medal of Honor winners, both would have their careers marred by major conflicts with civilian superiors and would end their days in virtual exile from the services to which they had devoted most of their lives.

The General's General is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the story of this remarkable man and in the Army's role in U.S. history the Civil War through the period before World War I.

Mr. Young has given us an excellent account of the life of Arthur MacArthur and his turbulent world from the Civil War (where he won the Medal of Honor) to the rugged West to the Phillipines. Well researched and well documented. Never a dull moment and his information of the brutal and deadly war in the Phillipines aroused my curiousity to seek more knowledge of that conflict. The text captured the desolate and often bloody campaigns as well as the rough life of a soldier and his family. A top notch read.

Arthur MacArthur is one of this countrys most forgotten heros if you enjoyed reading Old soldiers never die: The life and times of Douglas MacArthur, you will be astonished by the career simularitys he had with his father. Arthur MacArthur was the son of a judge, he was a hero of the civil war, Millitary Governor of the Philippines, and like his son rose to be the top millitary officer of his generation. History has all but forgotten this soldier, statesman, and father of one of the most unforgetable persons in American history.

If you want a book that gets right to the point and gives you the tools to get a job, there surely could not be a better one than this! The author has seen it all and really provides you with hard-hitting facts and the right things you need to think about before, during and after the interview. It is a timeless treasure for both the experienced and inexperienced professional seeking new employment.

The advice that Mr. Costanzo gives in this book is superb! Both my husband and I have had many successful interviews in the course of our careers and wondered what we could learn from reading "Getting Hired...". However, there are several suggestions and points made which neither of us had really considered. Recently, my husband followed some of Mr. Costanzo's suggestions and was offered a better position (promotion) with another company! We credit Mr. Costanzo is helping him take his career to the next level!

Easy to read, straight forward approach to getting hired. It didn't just tell you what NOT to do, but what TO DO. Highly recommended, especially for those just entering the workforce. Should be required reading for every college student.

I'm sorry that I missed this book when it first came out because it has so much useful information about the federal income tax and other related subjects. The author sometimes gets a bit long winded for my taste, but that really doesn't detract from the information contained therein.

I'm going to review the book by chapter as opposed to the book as a whole. I think that the reader will get more information this way.

1) WHAT IS THIS BOOK ALL ABOUT?
A rant on American ignorance and untax history.

2) THE NATURAL LAWS
A rant on the natural laws of government.

3) MONEY, DOLLARS, AND CURRENCY
Info on what is real money, currency, and inflation. Good chapter!

4) THE FEDERAL RESERVE
Info on how the Federal Reserve Bank is NOT a part of the US government. How it issues its paper debt, the depression of 1929, etc. Quite informative if you've never known it before.

5) 1933-TODAY: THE GREEN-STAMP ECONOMY
Info on how the US greenbacks went from being backed by gold to being backed by nothing.

6) THE IRS HAS NO JURISDICTION OVER YOU!
Information on the limited jurisdiction of Congress, the IRC definitions of "United States", state Citizen v. US citizen. He clearly shows the legislative authority of Congress on page 6/6. One thing that he missed is that the IRS is NOT an agency of the United States! For a revealing expose about the true origins of the IRS search the web for the document "THE BIGGEST HEIST IN HISTORY" by William Cooper.

7) YOUR LABOR IS AN UNTAXABLE RIGHT
Direct v. indirect taxes, how your wages aren't income (i.e. profit).

8) YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY IS A "FOREIGN ESTATE"
Positive v. non-positive law (the IRC is NOT positive law!), how your property is outside of United States jurisdiction.

9) THE 16th AMENDMENT
A good chapter on how the history of the 16th amendment. For a in depth study of the 16th amendment read "THE LAW THAT NEVER WAS", by Bill Benson.

10) "SOCIAL SECURITY" IS SOCIALIST INSECURITY
A rant on how social security is NOT insurance or financially sound. Too bad that he doesn't discuss how the social security act only applies in the (federal) United States - not in any of the union states! For a more detailed report about Social Security search the web for "SOCIAL SECURITY TAX AND TAX WITHHOLDING ARE VOLUNTARY WITHIN THE 50 STATES". Excellent information in this file.

11) YOUR WAGES ARE NOT IRC "WAGES"
How you're tricked into believing you're an "employee", an "individual", and a "person" for income tax purposes. Excellent information!

12) HOW THE IRS TRICKED YOU INTO WITHHOLDING
How the words "must" and "shall" mean "may" in the IRC, privacy act notice, withholding agreements.

13) YOU ARE A "NONRESIDENT ALIEN"
How if you're not a US citizen, but a state Citizen you're foreign to the United States. Good chapter.

14) MONOPOLY© - THE WORLD GAME
Misc points of interest.

15) TOWARDS A ONE-WORLD CURRENCY
How the electronic money system is coming, an interesting insight on the "war on drugs".

16) WHY YOU'VE NO MORAL DUTY TO PAY THE IRS
Rant on how the US government is bloated and destroying the country, and the American family.

17) YOUR "FAIR SHARE" ARE THE "PRICE YOU PAY"
Counters the guilt tactics used to get you to feel guilty about not "paying your fair share".

18) REPUBLIC vs. DEMOCRACY
A good discussion on how democracy doesn't work. FYI this country was not founded as a democracy, but as a republic. (See Art. 4, Sec. 4)

19) FUTURE TYRANNY ON THE HORIZON
How to deal with the coming Fed ID card and gun control.

20) THE FORTH BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT
The informed jury - he shows how jurors can decide on both the law as well as the facts of a case. Excellent!

21) FIXING THINGS
While I agree with his views don't hold your breath for any of this to happen - the government has too much to lose!

22) TAKING A STAND
The title says it all.

23) GET INFORMED - GET INVOLVED!
Very good information in this chapter on how to wake-up!

24) HOW TO STOP WITHHOLDING
The best information on how to stop withholding without claiming "exempt" on a W-4 form. Better information on the subject than in any of Irwin Schiff's books!

25) HOW TO AVOID JURISDICTIONAL TRAPS
Good advice on how to avoid "volunteering" in different ways.

26) BOOKS, SOURCES, AND ORGANIZATIONS
Numerous books and organizations to help you continue your search for the truth. While it's outdated by a decade, the books can be obtained by inter-library loan or a used book store and the organizations that are still around can be found on the web.

After reading this book I would recommend that you continue your research by doing the following:

A) Search the web for a document titled "AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE MEANING OF THE TERM UNITED STATES". While some of the code sections are out dated - it has very good information. Read it!

B) Search the web for the document "PUBLIC JUDICIAL NOTICE", BY William Cooper. There are three parts to this document. Read them all!

C) Find "THE DIXIELAND LAW JOURNAL" on the web. That site is by attorney Larry BeCraft and he has good information on it.

D) Get a copy of "LEGAL RESEARCH" by Stephen Elias. After reading this book you will be able to research the law as good as any attorney.

I highly recommend this book over any of Irwin Schiff's books on the federal income tax.

Whether you intend to use the information in this book to avoid volunteering for federal witholding or not, it's well worth reading for all the related information. There is a wealth of references to works of other authors and organizations too, that are helpful. I get so tired of hearing all the "there's nothing you can do about it" whining. Yes we CAN do something about it. People before us DID "do something about it", but you have to first choose to, and then take action. This is a book I recommend. I read it, and I'm now buying another for a neighbor.

This book is what shattered my ignorance about a dozen subjects (money, taxes, law, politics, etc.) and I would highly recommend it even if untaxation is not an option for you. It's now back in print, and I ordered a recent copy from a distributor of Javelin Press (website under their name). Amazon should have it again real soon. Get this book, and the rest of his, especially Hologram of Liberty.

I couldn't stop reading this book. I was crying. I wanted to shout, to yell, to kick, to k.... I couldn't avoid the thought that if I was put in this hell, probably I wouldn't survive it.

Born in Israel, I've learned a lot about the Holocaust but never before I felt the horror so strong. For example, Noami's description of the Nazis humiliating her grandparents shocked me stronger than all the many times I watched pictures of the Nazis cutting a Rabbi's sidecurls (PEYOT) hair and beard.

The part telling how in the US every one refused to hear Noami's story made it even more terrible and hard to comprehand.

I wanted to thank you Noami for telling your story which I promise to tell to my children.

This is one of the best books I have ever read - period. The author is a remarkable writer, and I can't understand why this book isn't number one on the best-seller list. It should be; it is truly that good. I felt like I was there. I got the book from the library, but I'm going to buy one for each of my adult children to read. No book or movie about the holocaust has touched me as much as this one, and I want the author, Naomi Samson, to know that this Irish Catholic and his family will never forget - because of her book. We will never forget.

This is an emotional, engaging account of a girl's survival of the Holocaust. I started reading this book and could not put it down until I had finished reading it. It is as good if not better than any other personal account of Holocaust survival, including Night by Elie Wiesel. I can not say enough good things about this book. Read it. If you are open to its messages, it will change you.

I used "An Invitation to Chess" when I taught a grade school course in chess fundamentals. Of all the chess books I have seen geared purely toward the beginner, I found this to be the clearest, best organized, and, just as the subtitle claims, it is "A Picture Guide to The Royal Game."

Lots of pictures help explain the moves and motions of a piece in the context of a larger strategy. Chernev and Harkness used photos of the board as well as standard board drawings. They require modernized, as the photos are a bit blurry, and the drawings have an old newspaper keyline look. The copy is succinct, but not dry. As a reader, I found it less clinical than many of the chess books with dozens of lines per opening.

This is a long way from anything Lasker or Fischer wrote, but the audience intended here is looking to play the game effectively, unworried about becoming a grandmaster. At least, not yet.

The content list breaks things down to subsections like "How the King Moves and Captures," and "How the Pawn Captures 'en passant.''" They provide a special section cautioning the new player of common mistakes, like "Premature Attacks," and "Pawn Grabbing with the Queen." This is invaluable because young players routinely shoot for point control over game control.

I fully recommend "An Invitation to Chess" by Irving Chernev and Kenneth Harkness. Use this to teach your children, or use it to study up when they start to beat you.

Anthony Trendl

Though this book is getting a bit old, a better beginners book has yet to be written. Getting into the habit of asking yourself "what does he threaten?" is crucial to the beginning player. They really should update it to algebraic.

When I first learned the rules of the game, I found this book to be of great value, if only for the simple advice of "always ask yourself why your opponent played a certain move. What does he attack?" and "before your make your move, ask yourself what your opponent's best reply would be." You can find more comprehensive books, but this is my choice for a useful, friendly, quick guide to better chess. I'd buy this for a younger player or newcomer in a heartbeat. Why intimidate someone with a huge tome when you can painlessly improve with this volume?

This book is 16 years old, and somewhat dated by more recent discoveries, such as the Chicxulub meteor crater. Nonetheless, Hsu's excellence as an author/scientific historian and philosopher transcends this seeming defect to a great degree. Although the book's ostensible subject is dinosaur extinction and its causation, it soon becomes apparent that the real messages address the whimsical way of evolution, and the misapplications of Darwinian theory.

Evolution is not a steady gradual process. Instead, it proceeds apace until interrupted by a calamity such as a cosmic impact, enormous volcanic disturbance or climate change, or the like. In such instances, writes Hsu, the list of survivors is a matter of good fortune, not design, and the process of new adaption and speciation begins all over once more. So it was with the dinosaurs, and so it might be again. It is impossible to divine a purpose or reason for such things. The key is to accept them and to understand them, if possible. Hsu's application of Oriental thought to the process is most enlightening. His writing is informal, tight, and obviously very well thought out.

Hsu also addresses that perversion of the theory of evolution known as "Social Darwinism". It is carefully pointed out that Darwin NEVER intended his theories to become a basis for claims of racial or ethnic superiority. Hsu then demonstrates not only the fallacy of such beliefs, but shows why Darwin would have been equally disapproving of them.

You don't have be a scientist or philosopher to read this book, but reading it will give you great insight into both disciplines. I found it fascinating from start to finish, and would recommend it highly to anyone past their early teens. It is a real keeper.

I have read this book twice,and might read it the third time. It's a really excellent science book for nontechnical readers(as well as professionals, perhaps)who are interested in evolutionary biology and/or geology,esp. for those want to know the exploring process in the science research,although it was published early. In order to detect the actual factors causing the dying of dinosaurs, Hsu investigates and analyses a wide variety of seemingly irrelevant first-hand materials, bring to our attention in the process some fascinating and little-known facts. The Great Dying is tightly constructed,and its lucid ,smooth style suggests rigorous and penetrating thinking.

This is the book that could make a geologist out of me, yet. I read it more than a year ago and, because of it, I have gone onto read more and very serious scientific literature regarding evolution and geology. Hsu is candid, entertaining, clear, convincing, and always educative. His assertion that the theory of evolution has been used to justify racism and racist policies took me by surprise and I chose not to believe it until, forced by the excellence of the book to admit that the author could have a point regarding evolution, I checked on Darwin's history. The realization that Darwin was a consumate racist didn't come as a total surprise --most Europeans were at the time--. But the fact that he had designed a great part of his theory to fit his own ideas regarding the superiority of the white "civilized" people against those who were "darker," "barbarian," and "uncivilized", made me see how this man could have been blinded by his own prejudices. Evolution may have happened and probably did, but Hsu presents a very strong case for chance, accident, and pure luck playing a much more important role than the one reserved for them by the established scientific community. His ideas run contrary to the accepted wisdom of evolution, which requires a great amount of time for the mutations to take place, and which didn't take into account the presence of catastrophes in the make up of life. Nevertheless, Hsu has demonstrated that catastrophes play a pivotal role in deciding who dies and who lives as, when the most famous of extintions --but not the largest-- happened about 65 million years ago, the life forms most superbly adapted to the planet, the dominant species of that time, were wiped out most probably by an object impacting Earth and suddenly changing the conditions under which the dinosaurs had been successful. The school of catastrophism has traditionally been dismissed as nonsense by the neo-Darwinist ideologues that dominate our curricula and books. Perhaps this extraordinary work, so faithful to the scientific method and so superb in its scholarship, will contribute to promote more exchanges of ideas in the scientific community. This is, after all, the basis of good science.

I have read many books on dog training, and never before has anyone offered a plan so detailed or as simple to follow as Kenneth Roebuck. His insight into how a dog thinks and how we can use that to our advantage in training is at once ordinary and astounding. Skip all the popular training methods of the moment and use this one. You will never raise a better gun dog.

This is one of the better training tools you'll ever buy. Roebuck take's you step by step from puppy through the second year. I refer to this book every time I start a new puppy. If you hunt upland birds this book is a must.

This is an excellent book by the late Ken Roebuck. I used Ken's advice to train my Springer and I am very pleased with the results. Ken writes the book with the beginner in mind.

The only drawback is that he doesn't give much useful information on how to train for blind retrieves.

Finally, a book that honestly identifies and analyzes that prolific workplace species - the jerk. Organized by situation and topic, Jerks at Work presents the answers to at least 200 jerk-related questions from real-life readers that were originally published in author Ken Lloyd's syndicated On the Job column. The book is psychologically sound, excruciatingly direct, extremely funny and, above all, actually helpful. Lloyd does a splendid job of covering all the bases and every kind of jerk, from the boardroom to the mailroom. We [...] highly recommend this book to everyone, because every company has at least one jerk.

I heard about this book on Dr. Laura's radio program. I bought it on her recommendation. It is everything she said. Not only is it informative, but it is also a "fun read". I know that I can already use several points in dealing with some of the "jerks" in my office. I highly recommend this book.

This is perfect book for dealing with those not so great co-workers. I truly enjoyed the entire book. I recommend this book to all of my friends. I also enjoy reading Ken's column in the Daily News. Ken has done it again!