Chapter 1-The ABCs of Finding Safe and Secure Child Care
Chapter 2-Lessons in Precenting Violence in School
Chapter 3-Keeping Your Child Safe After School
Chapter 4-Helping Your Child Handle Bullies and Peer Pressure
Chapter 5-Protecting Your Child From the Lure of Gangs
Chapter 6-Keeping Your Child Safe From Gun Violence
Chapter 7-Helping Your Child Say "No" to Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco
Chapter 8-Protecting Your Child from Sexual Predators
Chapter9-Understanding and Preventing Teen Suicide
Chapter 10-Promoting Healthy Media Habits
Chapter 11- Safe Internet Surfing

Why I liked this book: It listed recommended books to read, organizations and websites relating to the chapter. For each topic in the book, it gave interesting facts and listed specific stratgies in a bullet style format you can use to keep your children safe. It also gives advice on how to protect your children without scaring him/her or worrying him/her.

I thought "Keeping Kids Safe" was terrific. It was thoughtful, practical, helpful, interesting, and was written clearly for a me (and, I'd guess, most readers). While it seems to be very complete and well-researched, it's not speaking just to academics and other so-called "experts," but to people who need the information and can make best use of it. Really well presented and extremely helpful. I'm going to make sure I spread news of this "find" around.

"Keeping Kids Safe" is one of the best books for parents on this topic that I've seen. Dr. Shore writes with clarity and authority about very important issues affecting our kids, and he simply makes a lot of sense. He's chosen interesting topics; sets the stage for the discussion very well by laying out a scenario; and then walks you through the issue clearly with solid, practical advice. Dr. Shore gives you helpful background information when appropriate, and makes suggestions for what you can do for your community as well as for your child in confronting important issues facing our families today. As a social worker I think that, while the book is intended for parents, it's overflowing with very useful information for professionals working with parents and kids.

This is an excellent book for anyone who is interested in orca whales. It has mass amounts of great information, it's easy to read, there are great photographs, and the ID catalogue of orcas is nothing but the best. This book is a must have for any whale-lover, researcher, or someone with just a general interest.

May I first say I have never encountered a better identification book then Killer Whales and Transients. Both books are written by THE wild orca authority in the Pacific Northwest. Catalouged pictures and organized information of each individual in every pod along the coast from WA to northern BC along with accurate info on feeding, behavioral and other habits of the pods in Puget Sound and British Columbia. Truly a great book, and as I plan on researching these animals in my adulthood, it has been a great boost to my knowledge on them.

I just returned from a kayaking trip in the Johnston Straight just East of North Vancouver Island known as the inside passage. We had first hand views of the Orcas. This book was used as a reference manual to identify some of the whales. It has wonderful reference pictures of the known pods (families) in the area. It goes into great detail on their eating habits, language, and family history. It also explains their social behavior, and the differences between the pods. It is a wonderful book full of pictures, and details.

Many tune books are either too full of piano/guitar arrangements or too thin on the songs, but this book is just right - it gives you exactly what you need to bulk up on some classic and some rare tunes. I've been playing hammered dulcimer in a Danzig tribute band for seven years know, and I just don't know how I survived without this book - it's the best String Band Tune Book what can be found!

I love this book! I got into bluegrass and old-time string band music a while ago (I'm a guitarist and fool around on the banjo and mandolin), and I've been looking for something like this for ages. Some of the guys I play with recommended this book to me, and it is really cool. In general, I try to learn tunes from records and by ear; but that can be tough, and I often wonder if I'm getting things right. This book basically spells everything out for you - melodies, chords and all (even lyrics). It's already helped me learn a bunch of tunes that I've always wanted to play, and it really helps to be able to come into a jam session with my friends with some music that we can all work from. Anyhow, it's a really great book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to play this kind of music (and there are *all* kinds of tunes in it). I am *so* glad that someone else did all this work for me!

As a professor of music at a small college, I have to review dozens of books for our library, and I can honestly say that this is the finest book of its kind that I have ever seen. By providing immaculate transcriptions of so many classic tunes, Rainey has provided a sourcebook for expert practicioners that will be just as valuable to novice musicians who are itching to learn new material. His introductory comments are fascinating, and the overall organization and quality of the book put most other 'fakebooks' to shame. The range of tunes guarantees that there will be something here for everyone - blues, rags, ballads and country fiddle tunes are all represented, with clearly notated melodies, accurate harmonies and full song texts. At the risk of repeating myself, this is best book of its kind on the market; and whether you like to play for your own amusement, occasionally perform for your friends or play professionally, you *must* own this book.

A COURSE IN MIRACLES says, "The name of Jesus as such is but a symbol. But it stands for a love that is not of this world." The Course also says that, "A Symbol must stand for something other than itself." Further, the Course says, "Words are symbols of symbols, thus they are twice removed from reality." In Course theory, reality is a non-specific, completely abstract state where no time, no form, and no individual identity exist.

Built upon this metaphysical framework, the student comes to realize that Jesus as spoken of in the Course is only a symbol. This is not the literal Jesus of the Christian era. When the "scribe" of the Course said it was channeled from Jesus, what she meant was that the Course is channeled from that place of infinite love within her mind. That place exists within all of our minds. The "scribe" of the Course chose to call that place of love within her mind "Jesus." But the scribe of the Course never meant it literally. The Course metaphysics are based upon the idea that no individual identity exists, so how could it literally mean that Jesus (someone with an individual identity) channeled this Course? What it really means is that Jesus is a symbol, and the word "Jesus" is twice removed from reality (in reality, as defined by the Course, there are no names). But in this physical and temporal world we do have names, and many of us have suffered because of or are afraid of the very word "Jesus." It could be said that more healing is needed regarding that very name "Jesus" than any other name in the world. And that is why the Course uses that name, so that we will confront the name and come to terms with how much pain it causes so many of us. And upon confronting that pain, we will heal from it. And we will come to realize that what Jesus stands for in A COURSE IN MIRACLES (non-judgmental and abstract love that does not die and knows nothing but Itself), is actually within us. "Is he the Christ? O yes, along with you.(Clarification of Terms, page 87)"

A COURSE IN MIRACLES distinguishes two levels of reality: Level One, and Level Two. In Level One there is no time, no matter, no form, no individual identity. There is only the abstract presence of Love as God. Level Two, however, is this physical world that we live in. Within this world there certainly is evil, hatred, war, and anger, and the Course would never deny that. But in Course theory this entire world - the entire world! - is an illusion (not just the "bad" things in the world are illusions, but everything in the world. Anything that changes, grows, or dies, is an illusion in Course theory [and everything in this world does]). But it is while living in this illusory world that we learn the lessons of forgiveness that will lead us back to our awareness of Level One (Heaven).

This book, THE MESSAGE OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES, expands on these very complex concepts. In this book Kenneth Wapnick talks about the fact that A COURSE IN MIRACLES is a "perfect non-duality." The Course teaches that God and only God is real, and everything else illusory. Further, God has nothing to do with this physical world which is the domain of the ego. God doesn't even know that we exist as individuals.

I would recommend these books to students who have been studying the Course for about a year or more, but not necessarily for beginners. Some terribly complex ideas are covered in these two books. For a beginner, perhaps the book THE MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT A COURSE IN MIRACLES, also by Kenneth Wapnick (along with his wife, Gloria Wapnick). My own personal opinion of these books? I love them! They are a little slice of heaven for me.

For twenty-eight years the author of these two volumes has been intimately associated with "A Course in Miracles." He was a close companion of the woman who channeled ("scribed") the Course, Helen Schucman. To my mind he is the most authentic teacher of the Course. Those who know him as I do know that he teaches both by example as well as through his writings and classes.

I read the disparaging comments by another reviewer and know that this reviewer belongs to an organization which seeks to discredit Dr. Wapnick. The claim about finances is totally inaccurate. Ken and Gloria started the "Foundation for A Course in Miracles" in 1984. It is a non-profit Foundation which has received income from donations, the sale of books and tapes, and from the classes and workshops it offers -- all moderately priced. Over the 16 years since its inception this Foundation has grown and has acquired assets which include 90 acres of lakeside property in the Catskill mountains of New York where its study and retreat center has been located. This property inlcudes ten buildings and the equipment necessary to maintain them. A 1998 financial statement indicated that this non-profit Foundation had $9 million in assets. It's officers, which include Ken and Gloria, are paid a salary.

Wapnick's teachings are thoroughly documented in the Course and are designed to help students better understand and study it for themselves. This is a very important and valuable two-volume set for any serious student of ACIM. I highly recommend it.

The Course is a radical new message that is very difficult to understand because it goes against EVERYTHING we've been taught about the world.

The Course teaches that the world is illusory and was not created by God. This is a very difficult concept for us to understand because at first glance it almost sounds like a fatalistic view of life, a "what does it matter what I do with my life?" attitude. Well, this is where Ken's books come in and fill the gap....Mr. Wapnick's books help us understand that though this world and our bodies are not real, our existance here does have meaning. Ken shows that the role this world serves is to be a classroom in which we learn the lessons of forgiveness.

As an ardent admirer of Mrs. Kennedy for the past 40 years, I have read every book on her that I could get my hands on. "Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a refreshing change from the repetitive narratives and recycled photos that are the mainstay of so many other books about her life. Ms. Duheme's illustrations are elegant and sumptuous but also embrace a childlike purity and simplicity which capture the essence of Mrs. Kennedy's persona and mystique. The commentary has the simple charm of a beautifully written children's book. It is obvious why Mrs. Kennedy chose Ms. Duheme to accompany her on her more memorable trips abroad as First Lady. A truly enchanting book.

Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad is an adorable little book filled with colorful Fauvist-like illustrations. Anyone who likes Laura Stoddart's simple-chic illustrations for Kate Spade will probably enjoy this book. Fans of the recent exhibition at the Met that highlighted Jackie's White House clothes may appreciate it too. The commentary is kept to a minimum and black and white photos from Mrs. Kennedy's travels are included, but the focus is on French artist Duheme's amusing miniature paintings that capture Jackie in all those great pink sleeveless dresses and crisp suits in Paris, India, London and Italy.

As a side note: Duheme and Jacqueline Kennedy became friends who shared similar painting styles, and Duheme was invited to Cape Cod to give the First Lady an art lesson.

"Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a beautiful book. The illustrations are lovely to look at, and the book is fun to read. A good choice for anyone to add to their library; especially recommended for those interested in the Kennedys and Jackie in particular. Evokes the fun mood of Jackie's scrapbook written with her sister Lee, "One Special Summer".

This book was presented to me as an aid to sucessful parent teacher conferences, and I must say it live up to its recomendation. But even as valuable is the way its ideas and sugestions opened up new lines of communication between me and my children. Communicating with a child about their education is difficult and pointless if you have no goal or standard by which to compare your progress. This publication give you that point of reference and explains how to establish better open communication.

As a parent I found this book insightfull, and recommend this parent aid to all who wish to gain the most out the education system.

I have read many books while trying to get and stay involved in my childrens school and education. Nothing was ever quite complete enough or covered enough of the basics for me. That is why this book is so timely. It guided me from beginning to end with just the right questions and explainations of the answers so I would be very prepared to meet the teachers. Teachers should get some benifit from this book also. My daughters teacher wanted my copy for himself. He loved the planning section and wanted to use it for all his Parent Teacher Conferences.

read one of the short pieces in this anthology. They are also incredibly uplifting too. A brilliant bedside companion for any dog lover.

Although each of the pieces in this book was inspired by the loss of a much beloved dog, this is really a book about vibrant, fully-alive dogs: family pets, fellow hunters, soul mates, and best friends. And while none of the dogs remembered so fondly here still lives, Old Dogs affirms the remarkably special place in the heart we reserve for our dogs. My own dog is sturdy in her middle-age, but reading the eulogies and odes in this moving anthology has made me appreciate more all the quirky habits I take for granted, like how she can't resist running off with one of my Reeboks when I'm shoeing up for our evening walk--the little prance she performs when I tell her, "Bring the shoe back!" Not a sad read but a celebratory one, required for every dog owner!

This is a remarkable anthology of stories and poems by outstanding authors of the past, as well as more recent times. Although these moving remembrances are only of beloved dogs, the lovers of any species of pet will find identical sentiments for their own losses. Whatever kind of companion animal you had, you will find your own bereavement and healing tears reflected here, as well.

Care was taken to avoid over-sentimentality, in this assortment of loving reflections of dogs, celebrated here. These accounts are full of love, and are sometimes even funny - and we are thrust into the realization that perhaps that is the most wonderful kind of living memorials we can have for a beloved pet. Too often, we lose this perspective, while trying to keep from drowning in our own bereavement and sorrows.

Rather than being a collection of sad literary memorials Old Dogs Remembered is a joyful celebration of life with pets. This inspires healthy new points of view and adjustments to moving on into our new lives, without them.

Here we are treated to many different outlooks on how they permanently enriched the lives of their owners. Reading these heartwarming pages will broaden the understanding of each reader, concerning his/her own personal bereavement. Here, we are offered the collective wisdom of others, who reminisce on their honored pets. There is much to be shared and learned here, as well as enjoyed.

With so many different authors, one must appreciate that references and styles have changed drastically, through the ages. As an example of this, some might find the essay by the dramatist John Galsworthy to be interesting, but a bit troublesome to read. And, as with any anthology, there may be some accounts not everyone would appreciate. But all pet lovers will readily identify with the overall shared remembrances, here. This is a heartwarming collection, which can be enjoyed comfortably, in several installments.

There will be many an uplifting tear shed in its reading, and we suggest it for your reading pleasure.

It's about time this book is written. I remember that day very clearly. I was only 11 years old and did not know if my father was alive or dead. Thank God he survived, he was one of the last survivors....John Gadomski and his half brother George Mazur.

This was very good for my project

Provided much information about the Knox Mine. It was a big help with my research paper.

Nov. 30, 2001

A Book Review by Eva Smith from the Center for Esoteric Studies
Meher Baba - Avatar of the Tortoise
By Kenneth Lux

Kenneth Lux a clinical psychologist and social theorist takes us on a journey within a journey. He begins by taking us back to 1967 where he was first introduced to the name of Meher Baba. He describes how Meher Baba's literature and the "Baba Lovers" (those who follow Baba's teachings) impressed him and how be became a believer. This begins his long process of personal spiritual development. He gives us accounts of the various people he meets along the way; how the more he got involved with the Baba Teachings the more his philosophy and spiritual developed changed; how he had to come to grips with the Avatar; the Baba teachings played an important role in the vocations he ended up choosing and creating and his psycho-spiritual transformation as a person. The coincidences of meeting Baba Lovers at every turn on the road through all the years confirmed for him that he was on the right track. His experiences are both engrossing and revealing.
All this is done while simultaneously giving us an account of Baba's life, from his beginnings in what was then Persia, his move to India, and the development of the Baba establishments and teachings. The story of Baba's life is most captivating and engaging. From the moment that Kenneth describes Meher Baba's life through stories and through descriptions of Baba's experiences with his followers, the reader recognizes the quality of this man.
As an esotericist I particularly enjoyed the various quotes of Baba's teachings derived from the Meher Baba Discourses. The Teachings parallel very much those offered by other evolved beings and so as the reader I enjoyed how Baba expressed his truths. His intention is to reveal the ONE Supreme Self which is in all. He says he was Jesus, he was Krishna, he was Buddha, he was all the other Avatars who have come to bring love to humanity in the past. He professes to be here again. "Come All Unto Me."
Baba spends the majority of his life in Silence. His followers and believers keep waiting for him to break his silence, which is his promise. He assures them that the right time will come and he will do so. Unfortunately to the chagrin of his followers, right up to his death - the dropping of his body, he does not break his silence.
The premise in the book is that Baba was an Avatar, being the total manifestation of God in human form. "As an Avatar he brings a new release of power, a new awakening of consciousness, a new experience of life-not merely for the few, but for all."
The rest of the book is spent on justifying why Kenneth believes that Meher Baba was in fact the Avatar. He addresses questions like, "Was Baba only a spiritual authority? Was Baba a Charlatan? Was Baba an ordinary man? Or Was Baba in fact, the Avatar?"
Upon reflection, as a spiritual person, teacher and lover of the Ageless Wisdom the Kenneth's presentation that Meher Baba is God is somewhat difficult to swallow. Kenneth leaves the reader with having to decide whether Baba, this spiritual figure, is God or whether he is not. Had the author presented Baba as an extremely evolved being, representing the principle of love, (which is what an Avatar does) the extreme polarities, of either or, would have been diffused.
The book itself offers photos of Meher Baba's life, which has helped this reader have a sense of almost knowing the man. It involves one to the point that often I would just look at his picture and almost feel the energy jump off the page. I found the size of the book a bit awkward especially for carrying around as well as the print on gray paper difficult to see.
Kenneth's writing is intelligent, totally honest, goes directly to main issues, inspiring and captivating. The message of love is extant throughout the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. (...)

Meher Baba: Avatar Of The Tortoise is, in some ways, the story of how author and clinical psychologist Kenneth Lux came to believe in the spiritual wisdom of Avatar Meher Baba. Chapters cover Meher Baba's life, the nature of Karma and how psychotherapy can be sensitive to it, and much more. A thoughtful, moving account of true faith, Meher Baba is highly recommended reading for students of Eastern philosophy and spirituality in general, and the teachings and life of Meher Baba in particular.

This is the story of an unusual spiritual master named Meher Baba, who was born in India in 1894 into a Persian Zoroastrian family. But it is much more than that-it is also the intimate story of how the author awakened to the search for truth in response to the charm of Meher Baba's personality, the power of his message of divine love, and the intellectual challenged posed by his teachings.

The book provides an excellent introduction to Meher Baba and various aspects of his life, such as his work with the mad and the "God-intoxicated," his establishment of a center in South Carolina, and his warnings to American youth about drug use. In addition, it is distinctive for being the first personal memoir by a second-generation Baba-lover who never met Meher Baba in person.

A political activist and a psychology professor at Indiana University in the sixties, Kenneth Lux was skeptical when he first heard Meher Baba's claim that he is the "Avatar of the Age," that same Ancient One who came before as Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, and who had returned to redeem the world-a world very much in need of redemption. Also fantastic was the fact that Meher Baba had kept total silence since 1925 and told his followers to prepare for the breaking of his silence with a divine Word, an event that would signal his manifestation as God in human form and the advent of a New Humanity.

Despite the fact that Meher Baba died in 1969, seemingly without having uttered the Word, Lux continued to be drawn by Baba's extraordinary love and compassion, which not only were reflected in his life's activities but also continued even after his death through a deep inner relationship with his devotees. The detailed story of how this inner relationship took shape for Kenneth Lux-a process marked by synchronicities, transformative encounters, and important insights into his own attachments, weaknesses, and psychological makeup-makes for fascinating reading.

Even though Meher Baba had stated that the mind had to be "annihilated" in order for spiritual realization to become possible, Lux felt that his intellect grew more effective after coming into Meher Baba's orbit. A keen observer of his own mental and emotional processes, Lux is able to show us specifically how he wrestled with the koan that is Meher Baba-examining, questioning, reasoning, contemplating, and ultimately arriving at an understanding that is as satisfying to the mind as it is to the heart. The significance of the book's subtitle-"Avatar of the Tortoise"-comes as an interesting surprise toward the conclusion, tying together the threads of Lux's longing for a revolution of consciousness to bring redemption to our suffering world.

I don't really want to rate this book--which incidentally is very good (it's been said that Rexroth is a better poet when he is not Rexroth)--but to clarify what the previous poster wrote. Chinese poetry is not simple--Rexroth's translation is simple. The original Tang poems were metered, rhymed, heavily referential, and too complex to completely translate without a pockmark of footnotes. They only end up unrhymed and direct in English as a legacy of Ezra Pound's use of Chinese imagism as artillery against Victorian metric conventions. (I have the strange feeling that I'm going to end up repeating this post several times.) I think Rexroth's notes are very interesting, like his offhand claim that "Tu Fu is the best non-dramatic, non-epic poet in world history," but I think the Japanese poems tend to translate better into English. So, if you like this, you would probably like 100 Poems from the Japanese as much or more. Burton Watson, Stephen Owen, Arthur Waley, and James Legge are the obvious scholars on this era, though I am partial to AC GRAHAM's Poems of the Late Tang, especially his Li Shang Yin. Hugh Kenner's THE POUND ERA also provides an explanation of Pound's 'translation' that combines sly close critiques with Poundish Pound cheerleading.

Kenneth Rexroth is a poet first and a translator second; judged on that basis, his One Hundred Poems from the Chinese is a great success. His approach, set out in a brief introduction, is simply to produce the best English poem he can in the spirit of the original. The resulting translations are more or less free as he thought appropriate for each individual work.
The book is in two parts. Part one consists of Rexroth's versions of 35 poems by Du Fu, whom he describes as "the greatest non-epic, non dramatic poet who has survived in any language". He clearly knows these poems well, and his translations are uniformly good.
Part two offers around 70 works by Sung dynasty poets; some are represented by only one piece, some by more extensive selections. These tend to be more free, more personal, and often strikingly modern works. In Rexroth's words again: "The whole spirit of this time in China is very congenial today"- a statement as true today as when it was written in 1971. Many of these poets are still not well translated in English, so Rexroth's translations are invaluable.
At the back of the book is a brief, but adequate, notes section with information on each poet and explanatory material.
Rexroth's concentration on the lesser-known Sung poets is paralleled by his choice of poems in the Du Fu section. He does not confine himself to the best known pieces found in other collections, striking a good balance between the familiar and the new.
An interesting example of Rexroth's approach to translation is:

Another Spring
White birds over the grey river./Scarlet flowers on the green hills./I watch the Spring go by and wonder/If I shall ever return home.

Rexroth has changed the river's colour from blue in the original to grey: a good example of a liberty which would be objectionable from a translator, but which he can get away with. He also clarifies "blazing" in the original to "scarlet", which allows him to preserve the original's strictly parallel parts of speech in the first couplet.
This is a fine book. It was first published more than 30 years ago, but it has lasted because of the consistently high quality of translation and because of the unusual selection of poems offered. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

ONE HUNDRED POEMS FROM THE CHINESE. By Kenneth Rexroth. 148 pp. New York : New Directions, 1965 and Reissued.

The present book is in two parts. First we are given Rexroth's readings of thirty-five poems by Tu Fu, based on the Chinese text. The second part consists of a selection of Sung Dynasty poetry, most of which had not been Englished prior to Rexroth.

Rexroth makes no great claims for these translations, some of which he admits are rather free. But he does express the hope that "in all cases they are true to the spirit of the originals, and valid English poems" (p.xi).

It has always seemed to me that Rexroth succeeded brilliantly. Here are a few lines chosen at random from Tu Fu's 'Loneliness' (with my obliques added to indicate line breaks) :

".... Where the dew sparkles in the grass, / The spider's web waits for its prey. / The processes of nature resemble the business of men. / I stand alone with ten thousand sorrows" (p.16).

Here are a few from Su Tung P'o :

".... As for literature, it is its own reward. / Fortunately fools pay little attention to it. / A chance for graft / Makes them blush with joy" (p.73).

These readings of Rexroth will delight all open-minded readers. Who cares if he wasn't a union-approved sinologist? Purists may sputter, but since his versions are 'true to the spirit, and valid as English poems,' could any sensible person reasonably ask for more ?