Witcover's book on the vice presidency is about the best that's available on the subject. He writes with a barely veiled motive -- to cast doubt on the United States's dangeous and footloose way of choosing vice presidents -- and the book was clearly a product of the Quayle era, now almost forgotten. Still, his history of the federal government's most irrelevant office is detailed and thorough. But is this book still accurate? Quayle's successor, Al Gore, became the most involved vice president in history. And Gore's successor, Dick Cheney, has surpassed Gore in clout already. Gore and Cheney have redefined the office that once neutered figures like Hubert Humphrey, and hopefully this will lead to greater emphasis on veep choices in the future.

Jules Whitcover's examination of how vice presidents have been selected over the course of American history was written as a response to the disaster that was Dan Quayle. While acknowledging that it is difficult to convice worthy candidates to agree to run for the office that was once described as "not worth a bucket of warm spit," Whitcover argues that Presidential candidates have a duty to the country to try and select the best available individual. Unfortunately, political considerations often stand in the way, as was the case with Qualye. Whitcover's book is informative and very enlightening. It is also quite relevant as another Presidential campaign heads for the home stretch.

If you are someone who loves cross-country skiing for its quiet nordic step and glide through the woods, wearing woolen knickers and munching on granola, or if you are looking for a traditional introduction into the sport then this book is for you.

On the otherhand, if you are a ski skating racer in day glow spandex gulping power-gels and looking for the state-of-the-art technique and training advice then keep looking.

One of the things I love about cross-country skiing is its diversity. Another thing is the easy-going quality -- you just go and enjoy the hell out of it, whether you're skating or track skiing or telemarking or running around the backcountry yodeling. The thing I DON'T like is how many practitioners take it sooo seriously. Jules Older's book is a kick in the pants. He has the right priorities. Whether he's talking about equipment, clothing, technique, skiing with your old dog, even waxing (which attracts the real fanatics!), you feel he's about to giggle. and it's contagious! There's still plenty of useful information; but the context - including photos - makes it fun. If you'd like to learn about a great sport, hear some great stories, and laugh a lot in the process, I'd choose this over any other book! (And yeah, I used to be one of those fanatics; turns out it's more fun to learn and laugh at the same time.)

Written by some of the most respected researchers in implicit surfaces (many of the authors having invented many of the algorithms discussed), this book is exactly what the title says it is: an introduction to implicits.
Since each chapter was written by a different author, the book is rather inconsistent in its laying of the material, which will indeed make it confusing to someone that is indeed a complete newbie to the subject. This is particularly bad for a book that is supposed to be an introduction to the subject. It is hard to explain how, for example, Chapter 3 (implicit patch modelling) will relate to anything else covered in other chapters. Being a chapter so early in the book, it just confuses things.
If you are already familiar with blobs or similar implicits, you will be right at home and will be able to jump to chapters you are interested in. If you've never been able to play with an implicit surface modeler, trying to read the book from cover to cover and understand the explanations, even of the first chapter, will, I think, prove somewhat hard. You will likely find better introductions to "blobbies" if that's what you are interested in on the web.
Chapters 4 and 5 are some of the most useful and practical to anyone doing any implicit software development for the first time. Bloomenthal gives a good review of all the ways of polygonizing implicits (albeit no consideration is given to taking advantages of polygonizing specific types of fields, such as point elements) while Wyvill gives also a good review on the different approaches on raytracing implicits. Both chapters do a reasonable job of pointing the benefits and drawbacks of each method presented.
Chapters 6 and 7 deal mainly with subtle issues of blending of multiple skeleton implicits. Chapter 8 mainly with morphing. And the final chapter with dynamics applied to implicits (so as to create soft objects).
It is, however, the Reference section that is one of the most important sections in the book, since it pretty much lists most if not all papers related to implicits.
Albeit the book states that it wants to be a practical book on implicit surfaces, no sample code is provided anywhere (the book is more a presentation of the material, somewhat math oriented, with discussion of the most useful and common equations for each chapter's topic) and even the reference section does not point to some of the most widely known free code available ( Bloomenthal's Gems code or Wyvill's BlobTree ).

Don't expect this book to be anything like a bible on implicit surfaces. But if you are looking for a way to get quickly accustomed to the existing work, it's definitely the right book. You will find lots of pointers, in a wide range of related subjects.

Campy was one of my boyhood heroes. I was devestated when I heard of the crash that cut short a great career for this quiet man. As much as he was a star in baseball, he was more so as a human being. Still aqlive when he had no chance to live, he was an inspiration to so many. No longer possessing the great physical ability that carried him to baseball stardom, he rose to stardom as a role-model, something blatantly missing in many celebrities today.

Join Campy in the struggles as a youth of mixed parantage, as a star in the Negro Leagues, a pioneer in organized baseball, but even more so as an unsung hero to manypersons with and without physical limitations

Campy was a one of my boyhood heroes. I was devastated when I heard of the crash that cut short a great career for this quiet man. As much as he was a star in baseball, he was more so as a human being. Still alive, when he had no chance to live, he was an inspiration to so many. No longer with great physical ability that carried him to baseball stardom, he rose to stardom as a role model, something greatly missing in many athletes today.

Join Campy in the struggles as a youth of mixed parentage, as a star in the Negro Leagues, a pioneer in organized baseball, but even more so as an unsung hero to many persons with and without physical limitations.

A somewhat interesting look at the history of La Leche League International, Inc. (for a more thorough history read The LLLove Story and Seven Voices, One Dream), it's Catholic roots, unique type of feminism, and how this all has affected the organization.
That being said, while it is somewhat interesting, it was somewhat shallow. The author makes reference to various ideas in feminism and Catholic theology, but fails to expound upon them. There seems to be the assupmtion that the reader is already familiar with all of the ideas, feminism and Catholic theology, that La Leche League is being compared and contrasted with. Perhaps this author was a bit more ambitous than capable?

There is a rather good, but gentle, critique of certain La Leche League practices and ideas. Again, though, the author only mentions areas that seem to need review and reflection without much explanation or offer of solution.

Altogether, it is a book worth reading once (but not buying, just go to the library) if you are interested and want one perspective as a starting point. It is to be stressed though, that this book is only a starting point on any of the topics that it would claim to cover (La Leche League, feminism, Catholic theology). Without a more thorough understanding of these topics than the author offers up, it really isn't possible to understand the interplay they have had with La Leche League as an organization

DeJagger Ward explores the history of La Leche League and uncovers the Catholic theology roots within its philosophy of mother-baby togetherness. As a former La Leche League leader herself, DeJagger Ward offers a unique inside-look into an organization that empowers women to breastfeed. The best chapter is chapter 8, "Asking Hard Questions" where DeJagger probes and critically offers analysis of the areas where La Leche League needs to grow and improve if it is to continue to reach out to all women. DeJagger also points out areas where La Leche League philosophy may marginalize some women, particularly in its philosophy and how it functions. Highly recommended to all involved in La Leche League as a book to use in measuring how the group is or is not meeting the needs of all women. A good read for anybody who would like to understand the politics of breastfeeding within American culture and learn how La Leche League works in helping the mother-baby breastfeeding dyad. Dejagger's analysis of women's roles, family structure and gender issues in family paradigms are supurb. Includes interviews with La Leche League founders and women involved in the politics of breastfeeding. Well referenced. La Leche League may find some parts of this book controversial. An excellent analysis of La Leche League from a feminist basepoint.

In the Scottish coal mine of Aberfoyle lots of strange things are happening. Everything indicates that some supernatural beings are haunting the deserted mine shafts. A family of three people, still living in that mine - 450 meters bellow the Earth's surface, is convinced that there still is plenty of carbon ready to be mined. When call upon James Starr, a mining engineer, to reopen the nine, not everybody seems to be pleased. The tranquil subterranean hideaway turns out to be a very dangerous place.

The title of this book refers to India, a former extremely rich colony of Great-Britain. Because the British mines were also a source of seemingly unlimited wealth, they were often referred to as the "Les Indes-Noires" (The Black Indies).

This novel is a rather unknown work of Jules Verne, but certainly one of the more romantic inclined. Not only is there a growing love story between two young characters, but also the strong binding between the miners and their subterranean caverns. It is doubtful if in real life people ever were ever so strongly connected to these coalmines, but still it sets a picturesque decor for a fantastic adventure. A must read for every fan of Jules Verne.

Fans of Jules Verne's adventure novels will gain a new appreciation for the writer's world through this relatively obscure work. Full of industrial-revolutionary excitement, this book tells the tale of mining engineer James Starr's adventures in a huge coal-bearing cavern in Aberfoyle, Scotland. After closing down the supposedly-exhausted mine, the region's economy was sent into a pastoral free-fall; when Starr receives a mysterious letter which hints that the mine might still have some productive years left, he sets off on a voyage of discovery. Unfortunately, it would seem that some unknown agent is against the reopening of the mine, leading to thrilling danger in the bowels of the Scottish countryside.

This was a very interesting account of an immigrant girl's life in America. The first half of the book is about her life in Russia and it is helpful in explaining what type of world the author came from and why America was such a new world to her. I found the factual accounts in this book fascinating but when Ms. Antin started spouting her theories about life and about herself (which she does quite a bit), she appeared to me to be tiresome and conceited. I would recommend this book because it does give an interesting perspective on the life of an immigrant, although it can get very bogged down in places.

It is hard to believe I never was required to read this wonderful book, and I am thankful to have discovered it as a result of reading a children's book based on it (by Rosemary Wells, also highly recommended) to my children. The circumstances of its writing are remarkable; the images luminous and the prose unbelievably beautiful for any author, especially for a recent immigrant. But it is the insight into her personality, culture and psyche which appeal to me the most. You will also like the personalities you meet through her. This book should be read by anyone who loves the English language, loves America, or just loves a window into the soul of another.

I picked this out of a "Bargain Books" collection, and it sat at my bedside for over a year. I finally got around to it and loved it!!

The author has retranslated and EXTENSIVELY annotated Verne's original story. You'll learn all sorts of fascinating detail about the history and science of the era. Well worth a few nights of insomnia

The sequel to From the Earth to the Moon I found incredible, for the charaters make a very accurate map of the moon. However, they eventually get caught in a predicament of returning to Earth, but they make it back.

I liked his discriptions of the types of travel used by the group. An excelant way to tell how a simple trip can chang you whole aditude about life.