Paul Harris takes a pragmatic writing approach to explain how to use MS-Project. His book "Planning & Scheduling Using Microsoft Project 2000" can be used as a reference manual, as a learn-it-on-your-own guide, and as an instructor-led training book. He has Americanized the text and all workshop exercises (although I liked the Australian flavor in his prior books on SureTrak and P3).

PSUMP2000 is an extensive work. Packed with oodles of "how-to"s, tips, and warnings, Harris explains the basic and intermediate functions of using MSP, covers a majority of the functions that are available, and adds complexity gradually as the users work their way through the book's 27 detailed chapters of content and reference information. He takes some pretty complicated topics like "how duration, work, resources, and units trade-off with each other" and makes it seem like anybody can learn to use the software. In following of Microsoft's typical style, the software has many different ways to reach a single result. Harris does a good job of pointing these various approaches out to the reader.

One of the nice things about Harris books is that they are functionally organized, not by menu item. So, if you are using the book as a reference manual or help guide, it's easy to find a particular topic since you don't have to know what menu it's called up from-you just need to know the subject that you are looking for. He also provides a list of menus and related sub-menus at the beginning of most chapters for people who cannot remember how to find a particular function.

Admittedly, he did not cover every possible subject on the software or the book would be too voluminous. Intended a basic and intermediate guide on the software, the subjects of inserting hyperlinks, drawings, and workgroups; use of Microsoft's Project Central; resource leveling; Visual Basic macros; how to utilize the customizable fields; and the linking of multiple projects are not covered, but these could be addressed in a future Advanced Features supplementary volume at a later date. An appendix with a Glossary of Terms would be a nice addition. The MSP2000 software package, however, provides a decent glossary.

Having used his books for several years as training manuals for my scheduling classes, I see how effective the workshop exercises are in giving students an opportunity to practice the lessons taught by the immediately preceding text-the only way to really learn complicated software applications. The solutions to the problems may be downloaded at no cost from The Eastwood Harris website.

You may also want to check out Paul Harris' other writings on SureTrak Project Scheduler and Primavera Project Planner (P3).

This book is a must read for all hockey fans, not just Red Wings or Yzerman fans. It follows one of the NHL's greatest captain throughout his NHL career, from the beginning to his 16 years as a Red Wing to his back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 1997 and 1998. It's not just filled with stories to put a smile on your face, though. There's amazing full-colour photos of Steve at his best and quotes from many NHL players and coaches about Steve. I think the most interesting part of the book is Steve's game-day routine . I've always wondered what a player like Steve does on game-day, now I know! Paul Harris has put together a great book that all hockey fans can enjoy. I recommend it to everyone who likes hockey. From little kids to adults, anyone can enjoy this book.

I ordered this book because it was all I could find on P3. I had recently converted my project from MSPROJECT to Primavera P3. I could figure out how to do things such as entering activity codes and resource profiles but was having trouble figuring out how they were interpretted by the software. This book did little to answer my questions on project structure and why to input data into certain fields and omitt it from others.

I will say that if I'd have had the time to follow through the entire workbook, which is what it felt like to me, a lab workbook, and developed a project using the examples from scratch I may have been more enlightened and may have been able to establish the relational ties I was looking for from experience. However I didn't and as a reference book it was bulky and tedious in it's delivery of the facts.

I have since acquired a book put out by Primevera, Scheduling with Primavera and Primavera P3 Reference Manual, that were much more readable and helpful in developing a project with P3 and explained the why's as well as the how's of the software.

This book cuts through the voluminous, daunting documentation that ships with P3 and gets you quickly started in harnessing the power of this full-featured PM application. If you've used P3 you'll understand the steep learning curve. If you're seeking a book because your company is implementing P3 you'll appreciate the value of this book.

The approach taken by the author is to step you through the common tasks of planning, scheduling and controlling a project, using an example project. The value of this approach is you focus on the important features and functions, instead of getting lost in the myriad of other features that you may or may not use. The book is designed to get you started with P3, not make you a P3 wizard, so this approach boils it down to the essentials. What makes the book effective is the copious use of screen shots from the program, which serve as landmarks, and the way the author conversationally discusses the finer points of project management in general while teaching you how to use P3. For example, in Chapter 9 where you'll be walked through adding logic to activities, you'll not only be shown how to perform this task, but given reasons why you should use one approach from among four possibilities to establish relationships. In this example the choices are start-to-start, finish-to-start, start-to-finish and finish-to-finish. This is but one example in which project management techniques are imparted with P3-specific procedures, and it adds value to the book.

What I most like about this book is the way the author sticks to the basics, uses exercises called workshops, and resists the urge to get fancy and confuse the reader. In this respect, what he wisely leaves out of the book is as important as what is included. The tutorial approach makes this book ideal as a personal learning tool, and the structure and use of workshops makes this book useful as a training guide for companies that intend to conduct in-house training. Another point is the project management techniques that the authors shares are consistent with both the PMI PMBOK and the UK PRINCE2 methodologies, further adding to the book's value. If you are using P3 this book is the quickest way to become productive.

I could not find anything else on P3 in the bookstores. I was thrilled to discover this one on Amazon.com. Even happier that I brought this book back in July. I have been using it as a reference ever since. Paul Harris has written an easy to read and follow guide to P3.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone that wants to master P3V3.

BUD AND ME is one of those books that hold you spellbound while all of the time you are saying to yourself "this can't be true"...and yet, there are the photos to prove the story. My uncle was the stepson of Jack Abernathy, the Oklahoma US Marshall whose sons, Temple and Bud, journeyed across the US on horses, elephants, donkeys, cars and motorcycles. I have heard these stories for years and I must admit took them with a grain of salt...until this book was published. Now I believe! Anyone, whatever their age, with a little bit of wanderlust in their soul will have a very difficult time putting this book down. Can you imagine two lads 5 and 9 (I think this is close to their ages)walking to school today, much less from ocean to ocean on horseback...alone? Read about it...and read it to your kids and grandkids. For them to repeat this feat today would be more than a little difficult. But it certainly can teach them a little self reliance and independence...which can't hurt them at all!

This is my second review of this book. I use to teach fourth grade and read the last edition to my students for Oklahoma. What a joy. We wrote to Alta Abernathy, the author, and she wrote back to us. I'm not sure if she is still alive or not, but would love to know. What a wonderful book. I now teach third grade and still read this wonderful book to my students. I blew the pictures up and made a map for each child to follow all those boys adventures. A must read for all children and adults who love adventure. Jeannie Scott

In today's culture, it is hard to imagine two boys accomplishing everything that Bud and Temple Abernathy did. But they did do some wonderful things, and along the way became young ambassadors for the Southwest in 1910. It is great reading if you are 8 or 80. The book also gives readers a concept of what life was like at the beginning of this century as times changed before their eyes with each mile. The boys meet representatives of the old ways (Chief Quannah Parker) and the new (The Wright Brothers.) Just to name a few. Very enjoyable reading just by yourself and/or a book that you will want to read over and over to your children.

When I was talked into refereeing soccer to support my children's soccer teams, I started looking around for a book to help me understand both the laws of soccer and how to use the as a referee. I looked at everything I could find on the subject, and this is head and shoulders the best. It covers everything from preparation, game control, interpretation of the Laws, to how to dress. After just about wearing out the library's copy, I'm buying my own now.

This is the optimal book for soccer referees. I covers everything a beginning referee must know, an intermediate referee should know and everything an advanced referee could know. This book helps with the debates that occur with interpreting the laws of the game. I learned something new everytime I read it, including the 5th time. Here's the answer to your questions.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The author does have a bias, but supports his arguments well. The idea that the New Testament is reliable without having to rely on the 'every word is true' approach is refreshing.

This book is thoughtful, straightforward and well written. I'd recommend it.

This books is an incredible resource for anyone interested in taking a serious, objective look at the background information behind the NT. It does not simply assert it's truth, as many opposing views of the Bible do, but calmly weaves many seemless arguments which, to this author's knowledge, have gone unchallenged thus far in Christianity.

I don't have the inner or outer peace to meditate but I still found this book very helpful and inspiring as a daily devotional. It gives very valuable insights about coming to the presence of Jesus whether or not one is practicing the art of meditation.

Father John Main (1926-1982) was an Irish Benedictine monk raised in England who was instrumental in renewing interest in the living tradition of Christian Meditation. His work is being carried on by his friend and successor, Father Laurence Freeman (who provides the introduction to this book). It is edited by Paul Harris (also one of the founding members of the World Community for Christian Meditation, a non-profit organization based on the teachings of Father John). It consists of 365 readings--usually about 2-3 paragraphs in length--from the many books and lectures of Father John. These readings can be used devotionally or for basic instruction on the method recommended by Father John for Christian meditation, which is based on the repetition of the mantra [sacred word] "Maranatha"--which means, translated from the ancient Semitic language of Aramaic, "Come, Lord." The only reservation I would express is that, as rich and varied as these selections are, seekers would perhaps be more completely served in taking up his full published works, e.g. WORD INTO SILENCE. Fortunately for us, his writings are coming back into print (newly published by Continuum). This book is a fine introduction to the thought and teachings of Father John Main. It does come highly recommended.

This now obscure book conveyed and infused the seminal concepts that became known as "Blitzkrieg". No complete study of armored warfare would overlook this title. Very much recommended.

"Achtung Panzer" is THE definitive book about German panzer theory development, tactics, and strategy by a man who should know, Heinz Guderian. Only the new WWII novel "The Triumph and the Glory" held my interest with such elan as this study of armored warfare by a master of the game. If you think this is a dry, technical book you couldn't be more mistaken, it is very well written and eminently readable. I recommend it highly!

The development of armoured warfare in the 20th century simply cannot be fully understood without reading this book. Guderian's writing style is terse yet lucid, and his analysis is superb and easy to follow. The lessons that he deduces from armoured combat in the First World War are as applicable today as they were then. For a true military historian, an opportunity to follow the thought process of such an influential soldier is priceless. It is especially eye-opening in light of the prevalent, Anglocentric view of W.W.I tank development. Guderian's analysis gives far more credit to the French military than any contemporary historian would imagine.

Don't waste your money unless this publication is finally updated. You can get all the info free on-line anyway. It was great though when it was current for about 5 minutes.

I write a column on gay and lesbian issues that appears in many GLBT newspapers across the country. It appears in quite a few more thanks to this book.In the past, I have had to rely on word of mouth, friends, and personal visits to different cities to find gay and lesbian papers around the country. There have been previous attempts at publishing lists of gay and lesbian papers, but until now, none of them have offered e-mail addresses.This book is a great aid in locating potential markets for my column precisely because it gives quick and easy e-mail addresses and editors names. With the help of this book, I increased the number of newspapers that pay me for my column by about one-third. I would say this book is an essential tool for any writer who wants to place his or her work in local gay and lesbian publications.One problem that may well be beyond the control of the author of this book is that editors at gay and lesbian publications change frequently, so the listing is sometimes out of date already. But as a general rule, it was incredibly helpful in helping me (eventually) get to the right person at a publication to pitch my work.A few suggestions for improvement: Under each publication heading, a little spacing and formatting would have made it much easier to quickly pick out a contact person's name and e-mail address. I suspect most of us using this book these days will go for the e-mail addresses rather than the mailing addresses, and sometimes those felt "buried."Some editors did an excellent job of telling you what kind of publication they put out; however, comments from other editors were so vague I felt I was sending a blind pitch. It would help if Paul could somehow arm twist the rest of the editors to do a better job at telling us more about their publication needs.Finally, I would encourage Paul to include major gay and lesbian web sites, such as PlanetOut or Gay.com, in upcoming editions.In balance, however, let me re-iterate that this book gave me a nice boost in my customer base (which is local gay and lesbian newspapers.) I would gladly purchase a follow-up edition on an annual basis.

This book is primarily organized to help writers find appropriate outlets in the queer press. In that sense, the book can be described as a kind-of "Queer Writers Market." No doubt, writers will gain the most from its format.

As an activist, my needs are different than those strictly akin to the writing craft. But this book is still a unique and valuable resource for activists like me. Finally, I can to go to one source in order to distribute a national press release, thus solving a problem that has confounded activists for years! Without a doubt, this book saved me countless hours of research drudgery, and probably with much better results than I could have achieved on my own.

As noted in the introduction, however, queer publications rise and fall continuously. Thus, even though I used the guide only four months after publication, a number of media contacts are already out of date. Of course, this is not a problem with the author, but it demonstrates the difficulty of tracking a quickly moving target.

I would rate this book with five stars except for three reasons: 1) The format for each listing could be more consistent. 2) Because accuracy is critical to any guidebook, a better proofreading effort could eliminate the few typographical errors I found. 3) The index only lists the publications in alphabetical order. It would also be helpful to index the publications according to their focus, such as: national news, erotica, niche market, entertainment, local news, commentary, etc.

Of course, these criticisms do not detract from the essential worth of The Queer Press Guide. I am sure it will be on my "must buy" list every time it is updated.

This book is an excellent introduction to environmental issues from the standpoint of population and its impact on the environment.

It has interesting case studies from around the globe and engaging illustrations that really convey an understanding of the state of the world. However, I would have liked to see a more prescriptive section with recommendations for action as well.

I recommend checking out the table of contents on the "Look inside" link, because the TOC is very representative in this book's case. I also recommend checking out World Resources 2000-2001, the companion book to Bill Moyers' series "Earth on Edge." It's perhaps a bit more engaging although not as focused on population.