I've read another collection of Ritchie's stories, "The Adventures of Henry Turnbuckle," but this has more realistic, engaging, and concise stories, tales that range across the board from light humor to borderline Jim Thompson. The style is simple and straightforward, but the characters have little quirks that make them memorable. Certainly deserves to be in print again.

Ritchie's stories are spare (but describe everything)and macabre (but funny). His narrators are usually histrionic or extreme, but in a calm way, and arrogant, but likeable. Each plot sweeps along swiftly, but the journey is so enjoyable you actually want to slow down and savour the asides. As if all that weren't enough, Ritchie has a talent for the surprise ending, the little flick of that story that turns it completely over. Great and consistent skill is at work here, but some stories are standouts: "A Deadly Game of Cyanide" (hilarious on one page, chilling the next); "A Taste for Murder" (quite gruesome); and, as the previous reviewer mentioned, "The Killing Philosopher," with a terrific ending, one of the most compact, neatly stuffed and folded stories ever written.

This collection of Jack Ritchie's short stories is unfortunately out of print, but if you can find a copy I suggest you grab it. "The Killing Philosopher," which may be my favorite in the bunch, is the best use of a really condensed amount of prose I've encountered. It's less than three pages, and it's given me a kick each time I've read it. Not a weak story in the lot. If you like dark comedies or twisted mysteries, give Ritchie a look.

In 1928, the St. Francis Dam, 50 miles north of Los Angeles, collapsed, releasing 12 billion gallons of water. The ensuing flood killed at least 450 people, caused millions of dollars of damage, and brought the career of legendary engineer William Mulholland to a tragic end. Charles Outland witnessed the disaster as a Santa Paula teenager. In 1963, he produced the first edition of this book, the most authoritative history of the subject. Virtually forgotten until then, the St. Francis tragedy remains little-known today, despite the fact that, measured in loss of life, it is the worst American civil engineering failure of the 20th Century. Outland's almost minute-by-minute retelling of the story, and his careful technical analysis, make this book highly readable and an invaluable historical record.

Outland's "Man-Made Disaster" (originally published in 1963)is probably the most complete volume of the story of the St. Francis Dam disaster of 1928. Outland's matter-of-fact narrative follows the course of the flood unleashed by the failed dam, providing tragic and heroic anecdotes along it's path of destruction. The book then goes on th tell the story of the 1928 investigation and coroner's inquest. The final chapter contains Outland's own theories as to the dam's collapse...theories that turned out to be very close to the truth as discovered in a modern forensic study made in the late 1980s.

Author Charles Outland was a teenager at the time of the dam's failure and witnessed the events described in his book first hand. The prologue contains a personal memory of an encounter with a flood survivor on the morning after the disaster. It is Outland's personal involvement that gives the text a clarity and emotional context rare in such non-fiction.

This book's original 1963 publication included a run of only 1,000 copies making it difficult to find. However, if you are an afficianado of California history, western water issues, or civil engineering, it is well worth your effort to locate and read "Man-Made Disaster".

I grew up in the Santa Clara river valley as did 3 generations of my family before me. I have heard the personal testimony of my relatives who where there at the scene. Charles Outland's book was like reliving those stories with my uncles and grandparents all over again. His book is the only account thats able to put this incredibly tragic set of events into a truely human perspective. It is also the only book that thoroughly explains the historical roots of the dam, it's principle players and the aftermath of the event. It took me 6 months to find a copy and at $175 it wasn't cheap. But, the content and concise quality of Outlands account made it worth every penny. Only 1000 copies of the First edition were printed so good luck finding one. I have read the revised 2nd edition (5000 copies printed) and consider it an even better historical referance than the first edition. In it, Outland adds a lot of insight and follow up material that were not available in 1963. I highly recomend "A Man Made Disaster" to any body interested in historical non-fiction. Steve Yewell

This book had so many twists and turns. My emotions were so worked up! Betrayal, deceit....Marilee handled it all with strength and compassion! Her sister-in-law was so vicious and hateful I wanted to see her put in her proper place. Much of the story was heartbreaking but also engaging. I couldn't put it down. One of my favorites from sunfire.

After reading the back of this book I was psyched to read the real thing. This book is about an orphan named Marilee who comes to Jamestown Virgina to meet her brother. But what Marilee doesn't expect is that her sister-in-law, Abigail, would hate her, and that three men, Philip, Michael, and Timothy, would fall in love with her. Life gets worse and worse for Marilee. Can she survive through the hatred, Indian attacks, and the ultimate betrayal to claim her true love?

After her father dies, Marilee sails from England to Jamestown, Virginia, where her brother and his wife live. But her brother's wife is bitter and nasty. Then her brother dies in a Indian attack, one of the men Marilee loves marries her brother's widow, another sails to England, and Marilee must decided if the one left is the one she truly loves.

A beautiful story ... a true testament that "for God, nothing is impossible". Nicely written and easy reading; a joy for any age, especially for today's youth - an example of the benefits of enduring hardship and sacrifice.

I could not put this book down. In a world filled with trashy novels that contain the usual tales of love affairs or intrigue, this book is such a gust of fresh air. It inspires one to the utmost and fills the heart, as the title states; with wonders. It truly fills the soul and mind. And what makes it extra special.....It's true!!! This is the book to read if you have lost hope in God or doubt his existence. Read it!

Hard to put down. I couldn't wait for each tomorrow, when I could continue reading.

Therese Francis has written a really nifty little book about the plagues and promises of Mercury when he goes backward over his own tracks. Remember the story of Mercury and the cattle of Apollo? It's a funny story and it describes the true nature of this Rascal in the Skies. It is very difficult to talk about Mercury since this planet rules your ability to talk in the first place and yet the yearly activities of Mercury are extremely important to a smooth running routine in life. Francis manages to demystify the subject and to provide helpful, comprehensive tactics to get the best out of Mercury's mercurial behavior! The book is easy to read, attractively printed and a great edition to a growing library of books on your favorite subject, astrology. I would like to buy a couple hundred of these books and send them to all my clients. That's how helpful it is to understand what's going on when Mercury goes retrograde.

a very well put together item i found a fascinating read, serious when it needs to be, yet subtely light also makes it an easy enjoyable read for both the well read and the ammature alike. keep writing them please ) just what we all need to pull us through the periods of refelection blessed be

The Mercury Retrograde Book is a compendium of observations and advice on how to not only survive, but thrive during the astrological condition known as the Mercury Retrograde three to four times a year. When a planet is retrograde, its energy turns inward and becomes reflective, with its areas of influence (and in the case of Mercury these have to do with communication and transportation, memory and thinking) subject to dysfunction or malfunction. The Mercury Retrograde Book is very welcome and highly informative reading for students of astrology and metaphysics.

I am the webower of Mental Health Today.

This book includes the latest information on depression: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, latest treatments - medication, complementary & alternative. Families, children, work, suicide prevention, new hope through research and much more.

I highly recommend this book to consumers and families if you are looking for facts needed in order to recover.

Speaking as a former board member of a community psychiatric center, I recommend this book as a worthwhile reference for understanding the problems associated with depression. This book deals realistically with the kinds of situations that confront people with depression and their families. This book answers important questions regarding the problems and the hope now available. There are so many more resources available than there were in the past. A good buy.

This book is written without bias.It is intended to bring the many facets of clinical depression and its treatments to the attention of those experiencing this common, human, and misery producing condition, and/or to those with more than a passing interest in it.
It is a fair( today so necessary)and impartial exposition of the many notions concerning perpetuating and precipitating forces that impinge on people from within and without.
The author emphasizes that "chemical imbalances"occur within living,breathing, and feeling people who are more than a collection of synapses and what passes between them ; hence, there are no quick fixes(e.g."take this TV advertized happy pill") This should help people to appreciate that there are many approaches to treatment rather than just a pill .
This book should be read as well by medical students,primary care physicians,and specialists.It would help them remember that patients are people("bio-psycho-socially" based)and hence capable of active and broad (e.g.psychotherapy)participation in their own treatment programs.This would help avoid patients' being encouraged, however non-verbally,to become passive participants in treatment and thus more impersonalized(feeling impotent-read hopeless/helpless)than they are already feel.It would also add to the interest physicians could have in treating people rather than symptoms.As importantly it would then lessen the burden that physicians so often feel to be totally responsible for treatment formulations and their delivery.

WOW! Thanks Martin Martinez for having the courage to come forward with this life saving information. I am a patient who uses marijuana to treat my debilitating migraine headaches. I believe marijuana has saved my life. I have also worked with cancer, AIDS and other seriously ill patients whose lives have been saved by this magical medicinal herb. Im so glad to see a book written for the patient population that adequately explains how to heal with marijuana. Finally, we have a book written by a patient for the patients! Lets get this life saving information out there so that other patients lives can be saved by having the tools and information to heal with medical marijuana. Thanks again Martin. You definitely are an ANGEL from heaven.

I used to smoke marijuana when I was at college and recently my dad was diagnosed with MS, I thought marijuana would help him with the pain but he was really against it. I gave him this book and amazingly he read it and after discussing it with his doctor is now eating a cookie once a day. It won't cure him but it really helps him deal with the pain. Thanks for a well researched honest book.

Finally a concise, articulate and user friendly book on the controversial subject of medicinal Marijuana, available from Quick American Archives Publishing. "The New Prescription-Marijuana As Medicine" by Martin Martinez relies both on anecdotal evidence and scientific study to outline the myriad of positive applications the cannabis plant offers in the treatment and managment of many modern illnesses.

With an insightful forward by Seattle medical marijuana activist Dr.Francis Podrebarec, The New Prescription details the failures of past and current administrations to even allow clinical study of the medicinal properties of the multi-faceted plant, while chronicling it's extensive history dating back thousands of years.

As informative but more user friendly than it's counterpart the "Marijuana Medical Handbook" (Ed Rosenthal, Dale Gieringer, Tod Mikuriya, M.D.), Martinez' work does not limit itself to professing only the positive aspects of the illicit weed. In addition to extolling the virtues of marijuana's effect on illnesses from cancer, multiple sclerosis and even anorexia, there are chapters exploring anxiety attacks, delerium and dependence.

This is a well written, plain english layman's guide to medical cannabis in an easy to read format. Complete with appendices, extensive notes, and bibliography, The New Perscription is a thoughtful, serious work dedicated to informing the inquisitive reader from an unbiased yet accurate perspective. This promises to be a must have for activists, patients and medical professionals.

Mr. Olivo is right, small business management is nothing more than philosopies that work. This book, in the right hands, could help an individual start his or her own business. Mr. Olivo talks about different philosophies that Almost anybody can grasp and use for his or her own business. Great concept on developing your own personal philosophies on business. Also teach how to get customers interested in your product or service. People don't know what they want until you tell them what they need. Very easy to follow along too...

As Mr. Oilvo points out, business management is nothing more than philosophies that work. Unlike other business management books, Olivofonics looks at why and how any certain business action is or is not ethical. How to make people believe that they want to buy from you. It also gives philosophies in how to make your employees want to preform their very best for your business. If Plato would have wrote a Small Business Management book; it would have been simular to Olivofonics. I learned something new and I've been an accountant for 30-years.

The author Mr. Olivo took basic business principals and added some good old fashioned philosophy. Business mamagement is nothing more than philosophy. Most people know and understand why it's important to act or do certain customs. Olivofonics tells you why the small business manager would do them. It takes a long hard look at the philosophies of business and asks questions like what it is to be ethical, logical, and professional. It gives the reader and small busienss manager a wide area to which he or she can expand on. The book makes you think, which more individuals need to start doing anyhow. Nice consept to it. I highly recommend it....

My students are immigrants or children of immigrants learning English. They have to say the pledge every day but may get the words wrong and certainly don't comprehend it. This book takes out some of the guess work and helps them understand what is going on and what people are saying. It brings them comfort and relief.

This book is beautifully illustrated with photographs that are sure to spark discussion. The text (the Pledge of Allegiance) is broken into meaningful phrases that make the reader reflect on the words that we sometimes rush through or take for granted. I highly recommend purchasing the big book version for lower grade classroom use. A gem!

This picture book has very colorful photos of our country and our fellow citizens. The pages are spread by the breaks in text that we know from reciting the pledge orally at school. Children are from different races. Scenes from all over America and even an astronaut on the moon holding the American flag are depicted.

In the back there are small photos that were depicted in the book with explanations about where they are and other factual information to explain the contents of the photographs. The entire pledge is rewritten in the back pages and an explanation of who wrote it, why, and when. The meaning of why we recite the pledge is given. Facts about the American flag's changes over the years and facts about the proper way to display a flag, and on what days, are included.

A beautiful book with great information that every child should be exposed to.

One of the features that I most appreciate in Reflections on Ascension is it's accessability. Thanks to Anina's introduction and practical comments throughout, one can easily recommend this book to someone not familliar with, but open to the concept of Ascension. But perhaps my favorite feature of the book is the light-hearted wit shown by St. Francis and Anina. No doom. No gloom. That we can learn and grow through joy and humor is such a Blessed message. Thank you St. Francis and Anina.

I've read and reread this book. It is simply stated and yet there is so much helpful information here which can clarify and assist us as we try to integrate and balance the challenge of living as a spirutual being in a human body.

Anina has brought through the gentle energies and wise teachings of St. Francis. The words help to guide me through the ascension process and help me to understand the new frequencies now available on planet Earth. Some of my favorite teachings are: how to relax, unconditional acceptance, how to trust myself, and how I create from my intentions. I'm looking forward to REFLECTIONS II.