Riveting. I really didn't know how it was going to end. Was the internal temperature of the heap high enough to kill the pathogens yet let the aerobic decomposers work? Was the carbon to nitrogen ratio correct? Was the worm population going to survive or was there to be another mass die off? Wow. A real page turner.

Actually, this does have some useful drawings for making your own composters including worm based composters and turning devices. It also has a decent source list at the back where you can find the names and addresses of places that will help you recycle kitchen and garden waste.

I could have done without the political activism parts of the book. It polarizes the reading audience. It should have focused on helping those who are interested in starting compost heaps rather than trying to encourage a particular environmental policy.

This book has tons of info on composting. I personally was interested in vermicomposting (great for people who live in apartments or rentals) and this book gave me a lot of good information to start my compost bin.

Although it wasn't the greatest comic book story I've read, it's definitely a good first effort by co-writer Mark Hamill. A rather interesting look at the potential of being a so-called superhero in the real world. It's also a story about how certain situations and circumstances can blow things way out of proportion, especially when the news media's involved. This is exactly what happens to a man who's basically a stalker turned superhero, and a notorious media celebrity (allegedly made in the mold of entertainment/media sensationalists like Jerry Springer & Tom Green) takes advantage- and fans the flames- of the craze that follows.

Originally a screenplay for a proposed film, Hamill and co-writer Eric Johnson turned to the original superhero medium- comics- to tell the tale. After reading this mini-series, I saw that a few parts of it would've been better translated part of a movie. But as well, there are several scenes that are pure comic book moments.

My only problem with the trade paperback is that Dark Horse edited a few parts that were in the original mini-series. All of the panels that originally depicted exposed female mammaries have now been covered with brassieres and halter tops. I guess I'll have to read 'The Black Pearl' for more wholesome reasons now...

'Late!

The Black Pearl is an excellent comic book mini-series for the following reasons: it's original, has character depth and exceptional art work. But above all, Hamill himself astounds me; he's multi-talented and for him to be able to pull me into a movie screen as well as a comic book is nothing short of genius. Good job, Mr. Hamill!

mark hamill is soooo talented! he can not only pull my attention into the big and little screens, but also to this comic book. i love the fact that he drew some of the pictures himself. the story is a little awkward. a hero made solely by the media, who in reality is basically a stalker. i love this book, and mark hamill!

How can two brothers who come from the same tragic background turn out so differently? In author E.D. Johnson's The Mark of Cain this is exactly what happens. Marshall Garnett is an R&B superstar who has everything going for him: a beautiful young wife, a solid singing career, money, and and a penchant for excess. Marshall is so caught up in himself that he does not see things happening right in front of his face.

One thing is for sure with Marshall, he will not go back to being the poor boy from Newark, NJ that he began life as. Michael Garnett, who is also known as Malik, has decided that he is going to change the world and make it a better place for Black people. He so believes in his cause to rid the world of all bad white people, that he joins an underground group called the Cell. Malik has decided to sacrifice everything in favor of the cause. Malik and Marshall have been out of touch for years. But even though Marshall wasn't exactly sure of where his brother was he always managed to support him finacially and Malik has followed Marshall's singing career.

The Mark of Cain is a story that has a little bit of everything going on: death, drugs, and destruction. Some parts of the story dragged and a lot of the questions were left unanswered. This story has a lot of potential, but it just seems to fizzle out at the end. On the RAW scale it is a 3.

Reviewed by Simone

The Mark of Cain by E.D.Johnson is an intriguing and suspenseful debut novel. I read an excerpt for the first few chapters which left me wanting more so I knew I had to read the rest of the novel to see how the story would end. Johnson introduces us to brothers Marshall and Malik who were separated during childhood and would go on to become very different individuals. E. D. Johnson has written an intriguing tale of national conspiracy and fraternal deception. As you roam the pages with Marshall and Malik, Johnson will take you inside the scintillating environment of the entertainment industry and the Black paramilitary underground. Johnson will introduce us to divas, drama, drugs, death as well as music, madness, mayhem and murder.

Johnson will take us on one rollercoaster after another as we twist, dip and turn through this suspenseful read. As I mentioned earlier it was the intrigue and suspense that enticed me and made me want more of this novel'unfortunately the characterization left me hanging'I felt like there were too many loose ends which didn't make any sense and which weren't tied up. Maybe a sequel is in the works but right now I feel like I was just left hanging. Additionally, I felt the book went overboard with the stereotypical portrayal of African Americans'I know there are some folks who think that all African Americans are lazy, slothful and unintelligent, however, I don't like being portrayed or leaving that impression with anyone. On a positive note, Johnson does provide insight into the world of glitz, glamour and politics and his writing makes you want more.

I truly enjoyed The Mark of Cain. The characters seem so real, that I actually thought I knew them. After reading this interesting story it left me thinking about the following questions. Can money really buy happiness? Am I my brother's keeper? When do my brother become his own keeper?

This book would have been better if it had been written by people who had the ability to be a bit more objective about these technologies. (The authors work for Sun, of course.) There is a large portion of the book devoted to repeated explanations about why the J2EE platform is the best available. There are a number of plugs for client-side Java programs (applets, etc.), which is a marginal technology in practical terms, despite its theoretical advantages. I just wanted more objective information and less marketing hype. That being said, the book does have some useful information. A better and more dispassionate look at the J2EE platform spec is "Java for the Web with Servlets, JSP, and EJB" published by New Riders.

The book is a high level overview of the application design with the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition. It may be helpful for someone who wants to know how different architectural choices and technologies fit together in an enterprise application.

It starts with an introduction to different enterprise application scenarios (Stand-Alone, Web-Centric, EJB-Centric, B2B, etc.), and then goes on discussing each of the architectural tiers in detail. In addition, in separate chapters it covers important issues like security, transaction management, internationalization, and localization.

As a rule, each chapter gives an overview of the involved technologies, considers most important issues, and provides some tips on design and proper usage. Available tools are also discussed. Each chapter is followed by a list of references and resources. Many resources have URLs.

The last chapter presents an architecture of the sample application. Unfortunately, quite a bit of space in this chapter is wasted reiterating general pros and cons of distributed and local architectures. My impression is that the author of this particular chapter (each chapter in the book is written by a different author or group of authors) assumes that the reader does not have any prior knowledge about the subject and have not read preceding chapters.

A few code samples in the entire book illustrate some points in the discussion; the code snippets are neither complete nor complex, and obviously are not written for reuse.

A must read for seasoned professionals and those new to the subject. Invaluable insights and guidelines are detailed at every tier of architecting a J2EE enterprise application. I found myself frequently relating to the examples and wishing I had read this book to help with earlier projects. This would have saved hours of re-factoring because the authors have already detailed solutions to common design problems.

If you are looking for code examples, don't look here. Code examples throughout the book are minimal; however this book is not about code examples, the purpose is to provide proven principles for architecting and developing J2EE applications. Instead, one chapter describes the design of the sample Java Pet Store application in regards to the books principles.

I now have a better understanding of the J2EE platform and how to apply its technologies. I will be referring back to this book often!

Metaphor is usually seen as an aspect of words, a linguistic trick we use to increase the effect of our words. Lakoff sets out to show that metaphors are a fundamental part of our thought processes whenever we try to think abstractly. His book does not provide a rigorous scientific proof, but it does present a lot of evidence in favor of the thesis. However, a full treatment of the issue would take a much thicker and less readable book than this one.

Lakoff gives examples from life for various metaphors, for example, TIME IS MONEY (or TIME IS A VALUABLE COMMODITY), and shows how we use these metaphors in our everyday thoughts and actions ("Spending time", "wasting time", "saving time", etc). He shows how many different ideas can be expressed with simlar metaphors, ie HAPPINESS IS UP / SADNESS IS DOWN, HEALTH IS UP / SICKNESS IS DOWN, and so on.

Lakoff sets forth his case clearly and coherently, and with some of his examples, quite entertainingly. If you want some insight into how we think, buy this book.

If we talk about relationships we might say: "She was in the driver's seat" but we "reached a fork in the road" and now we're "on the rocks" and we may "go our separate ways." Lakoff and Johnson point out that each of these expression uses some version of a metaphor that "Love is a Journey" -- where the journey may be by boat, by car, or walking. Metaphors like these are not special poetic creations, but are part of the day to day way we talk and think about relationships. In the same way, prices "go up", people "get close", the future is "down the road" and cognitive scientists "defend" their "positions." Metaphors like these are not simply a playful use of words. They are part of the way that we think.

This is some of Lakoff and Johnson's fascinating description of the pervasive role of metaphor in human cognition. To this reader, it has all the hallmarks of a great scientific discovery: it is original, profound, simple, and obviously true. For this reason alone, the book deserves five stars.

However, the book fails to give it's marvelous subject the treatment it deserves. The writing, while clear and full of common sense, is often uneven. The organization is lopsided -- much of the book is devoted to attacking straw men and and hand waving attempts to expand their discovery into some kind of murky philosphical revolution. This is confusing, easy to criticize, and a waste of time. Worst of all, they blunt the greatest weapon of any truly great idea: its simplicity. If Lakoff and Johnson really want to start a revolution they should take a lesson from the master: Darwin. His Origin of Species presented only the things he could prove: his evidence and his discovery. Lakoff and Johnson would have included a critique of the Bible.

If we talk about relationships we might say: "She was in the driver's seat" but we "reached a fork in the road" and now we're "on the rocks" and we may "go our separate ways." Lakoff and Johnson point out that each of these expression uses some version of a metaphor that "Love is a Journey" -- where the journey may be by boat, by car, or walking. Metaphors like these are not special poetic creations, but are part of the day to day way we talk and think about relationships. In the same way, prices "go up", people "get close", the future is "down the road" and cognitive scientists "defend" their "positions." Metaphors like these are not simply a playful use of words. They are part of the way that we think.

This is some of Lakoff and Johnson's fascinating description of the pervasive role of metaphor in human cognition. To this reader, it has all the hallmarks of a great scientific discovery: it is original, profound, simple, and obviously true. For this reason alone, the book deserves five stars.

However, the book fails to give it's marvelous subject the treatment it deserves. The writing, while clear and full of common sense, is often uneven. The organization is lopsided -- much of the book is devoted to attacking straw men and and hand waving attempts to expand their discovery into some kind of murky philosphical revolution. This is confusing, easy to criticize, and a waste of time. Worst of all, they blunt the greatest weapon of any truly great idea: its simplicity.

If Lakoff and Johnson really want to start a revolution they should take a lesson from the master: Darwin. His Origin of Species presented only the things he could prove: his evidence and his discovery. Lakoff and Johnson would have included a critique of the Bible.

I'm a technically-oriented, DIY person and I was looking for a solar electric book to help me with my small-scale, residential installation. I already have most of the background on photovoltaic systems and needed more of a "Here's-how-you-do-it" book. Although amusing and easily read, I found this book useful for someone who is starting to think about solar power and needs a light hand to make them feel more at ease about what a system will and will not do. This is not a book for someone needing a DIY guide or a "How-to" manual. It's not a bad book - just not useful for my needs.

I red this book in Germany where I live, and, even though some aspects of this book are based on conditions in the USA, I highly recommend this book to everybody on this planet. One can tell the author's love of the subject and his skill to write just from the heart on a very technical subject. The stories and jokes in the book helped me to understand the subject and, even if I could not follow some technical detail, the point he tried to make still came across. I now know more about the subject of solar energy and - what is equally important - I look at the world and its resources with a different eye. This is truely and "Easy Guide". Keep cracking Adi,
thanks for this wonderful book.
Sonja Baumann, Berlin Germany

I am not technically inclined and was long waiting to hear about some book that explains solar energy in simple language. I finally found it. And even though it is technically not a How To book it is in a sence that once you understand the concept of solar electric you can use common sense to figure out the practical side of things. Besides this book is more important in a sense that it promotes Solar Energy. With only 50 years of oil reserve left and the rising prices on oil and gas it opens up this alternative energy to many people. The author explains well why it is so important for us and future generations to go solar. I highly recommand this book to everybody. It is an eye opener. Thank you Adi Pieper

A nonlinear story that can get confusing if you are unaware of the JLA. I thought it was a little hard to follow a times with all of it's "wild" layout.

With the Midsummer's Nightmare the league is returned to greatness. No more second stringers only the big guns. This book reprints the entire three issue limited series form 1996 the year heroes returned fromt he dark ages.

IT is no longer an era of grim and gritty heroes who you are not sure if you should be rooting for. This book shows you that heroes are good and are looking to save the world. A really fun story that captures the imagination with its wide scope and properly using all seven of the Justice Leaguers. After reading this you will know something about each one that you may not have known before. The Justice League is now a group of the most powerful heroes on the planet, they may not always like each other but they can put those differences aside to save the world. I recomend this book to anyone who is a fan of the heroes. Anyone who always said the League is cool but they just aren't breathtaking. Well this book is certainly a start int he right direction not just for the Justice League but comics in general.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE accomplished what I wanted it to do, re-establish the true core of the Justice League of America. Originally purchased in the mini-series format, it combines the Super Seven against Doctor Destiny to unwrap the loopy world they have been all trapped on. Definitely for the hard-core JLA fan, of which I am. This version of the team is the best one out of the three that have existed so far.

Mark Johnson is a capable writer, who demonstrates the weaknesses of any moral theory that insists on absolutes. In a redundant manner most of the book is about this weakness. However, didn't we already know this? That absolutes were guidelines, helpful rules of thumb, but not always completely applicable. Still it is a very good review (why I gave it three stars). Yet Johnson does not demonstrate that "moral imagination" really gets us anywhere. Is it really any more insightful than the old rules? Johnson takes us up a flight of stairs only to find the door at the top locked.

This is a very important book; though aimed at philosophers and the cognitive science communities, most general readers should enjoy it. Here are several quotes:

"[There is] a deep tension and dissonance within our cultural understanding of morality, for we try to live according to a view that is inconsistent with how human beings actually make sense of things, I am trying to point out this deep tension, to diagnose the source of the dissonance, and to offer a more psychologically realistic view of moral understanding -- a view we could live by and that would help us live better lives." (p.19). "Narrative is not just an explanatory device, but is actually constitutive of the way we experience things. No moral theory can be adequate if it does not take into account the narrative character of our experience." (p. 11

I ordered this book to help me prepare for the Biochemistry portion of the USMLE Step 1. The majority of questions in this book are based on clinical vignettes (just like the real boards). I enjoyed this format because it strips down the intricacies of various biochemical pathways and stresses only those that are CLINICALLY RELEVANT. I also enjoyed the fact that the book has patient presentation pictures (i.e. Cushing's, Graves, etc.) and detailed explanations about the answers to the questions. While I don't think that you could study Biochem from this book alone, I do think that it is an EXCELLENT way to test yourself (or torture others:)) after you have finished reviewing. Overall, a very good book.

This is a great book to keep as a reference. It covers all of J2EE, and has some interesting ideas on application design. However, if you already have a lot of Wrox "professional" titles, such as "Professional JSP" or "Professional XML", stay away. This book just repeats excerpts from those, and is more confusing because it doesn't contain all the information. For example, the section on XML namespaces was a hodgepodge editing job on the section from the XML book, and confused me even though I already had a basic understanding of the topic.

But, its worth a look if you don't have any of the other contained content.

This is NOT a book for beginners who wish to learn JSP/servlets and EJBs and the techniques of J2EE. On the other hand, if you already have some knowledge with these techniques, the book may help to improve your background of J2EE and its components.

1.The strong points of the book are:

- the book does a wonderful job in explaining different key points of J2EE techniques especially at the beginning of each chapter; although the discussion sometimes becomes pretty vague and less clear at the end.

- the book's code examples use j2sdkee1.2.1, orion and jboss which are available for you free with unlimited time.

- the book looks quite impressive, 1600 plus pp. hardcovered.

2.The weak points of the book:

- all the code examples are fairly easy. In fact, too easy to do much help to the readers who need a better workout to pay attention to some key points of the techniques.

- Since only half of the book is devoted to really J2ee techniques, people who already experienced with jsp/servlet may find the other half of the book unecessary.

In conclusion, you may want to check this book out if you alread know jsp/servlet and j2ee( through the Sun's tutorials and examples and wish to have a better understand of this popular but pretty complex technique.

As lots of wrox book, this book does provide some interesting information. UML diagrams are used for better explanation, design issues for JSP, using XML with JSP, how interface object, control object and entity object fit EJBs, JMS, Corba, Unit test, are all well explained.

However, as the non J2EE edition, the code still contains errors: for all the Primary key classes in examples of EJB, hashCode and equals are not defined, you have to add them yourself. There are errors for package names, for the example, in Chapter 20, Order and Product classes are defined in book.order and book.product classes, and other classes imported them from factory.order and factory.product classes. You have to change "book" to "factory" class by class manually!

They used jBoss and orion server to implement EJB examples, I am not against these two servers, but I think it may be better to test the examples with Weblogic as well, since it is the most popular application server, they did not. And they never mentionned Weblogic in the book, not even in the appendix.

In split of all these errors, there is no serious error, this is a good and interesting book.