So far I rate this book 5 stars. I am also writing a book on this topic, and one of the most compelling reasons I have encountered for the decriminalization of substances is the situation in Iran. There dealers of Heroin have been subjected to the death penalty, and the traffic is unabated. As mentioned in this book and other sources, the harsher the penalties, the greater the profits. In every society there are persons so desperate and lacking in education and opportunities that death itself is no deterrent to such profit. In our (US) society recently a former chief of police in Los Angeles said that even casual users should be shot. He did not include cigarette smokers or beer drinkers. Fanatics are not often troubled by attacks of logic.
Abraham Lincoln said Prohibition laws run contrary to the principles upon which the United States was founded. He is one of George W. Bush's heroes. Dubya seems not to have read his hero.

Read this book!! In it lies the truth behind the legal-illegal substance/drug story and thier relative harms. You will be surprised. Offered are models for legalization that only a brain-washed fool would argue with. Open the book, read, then open the debate! Well written. Bravo!!

Brilliant, insightful, passionate, and filled with detail and meaning...Kurt's book will touch your heart and soul. Highly recommended!

Dr. Kaltreider has captured the essence of the dilemma facing the modern technological society of the West and increasingly of developing countries: the rape and disregard for the earth and for the interconnectedness of all life on the planet. The juxtaposition of the life led by Native Americans before the European conquest with the immense problems we face in our societies, our industries, our building ecological disaster is the fabric of many Native American prophecies which fortell a time of decision or a descent into complete destruction of humankind and much of the rest of the planet. The conversations with Chasing Deer do reveal a clear way to avoid the dire predictions as revealed in many Native American tribal legends, but that way requires us to acknowledge that we are in desperate straits and to embrace change in the direction of the life led by the first Americans, characterized by respect for all our relations on the planet, both animate and inanimate. For there is hope if, as Chasing Deer says, if we take as our motto "Mitakue Oyasin"--we are all related.

I loved Calf Roping and this book! I love Calf Roping alot!

I am probably a traveller of this book and it is in my heart & my blood.

I would love to do calf roping everywhere at a rodeo including The Calgary Stampede, Aspen Colorado, Montana, Texas, Wyoming, Nevada in Las, Vegas & The Kissimmee Rodeo in Florida.

The rodeo in Las, Vegas Nevada I would do it in is The NFR National Finals Rodeo at The Thomas & Mack Center and it is called The Wrangler NFR.

This book reminds me of You Can Teach Youself Mandolin book by Dix Bruce & other ones!

Someday when I be a cowboy I will rope holstien, angus, herefords & other kinds.

I love this book!

Iloved that somebody wrote a book about calf roping and the person that did is one of my rodeo heros. It's a wonderful book to learn about calf roping and could not have been written by a better person.

Kurt's wisdom about this age group has been HUGELY valuable to me as I've led our jr. high ministry. No doubt this book is worth the read --- and then daring to put the ideas into practice to serve these amazing people called jr. high students!

Kurt Johnston's book should be read by anyone who is in Youth Ministry, be they volunteer, parent or Pastor. He offers insights into all aspects of Junior High Ministry, including suggestions on recruiting volunteers and making them feel they are a viable part of the effort. He offers suggestion after suggestion on everything from games, to messages, to small groups, to special events. The section on creativity will help you think of being creative in a whole new light.
There are sound suggestions on how to build trust and relationships with students who are facing an awkward phase of life, realizing that not every student responds the same.
Most importantly this book will help you to show students that not only do you care about them, but Christ cares for them more than they know.
Give this book to your church's Youth Pastor, you will be glad you did.

I just finished this book and was mightily impressed. My esteemed predecessor in these reviews has summarized the book very well, leaving me the opportunity to comment on a single important aspect of the book. When you mention Weill's name, people think of only one thing (if they know him at all). The Three Penny Opera. This book emphatically puts his '20 something work with Brecht in perspective, showing that he continued to grow and develop throughout his career. The narrative is keen and passionate. The details of the creative periods and production periods of various works are gripping. My net response is: there is a lot more to this man's creative output than just The Three Penny Opera and Mahagony (son of 3-penny?). He deserves to be heard; will he?

Biographies (especially those of people from the entertainment industry) have become a fad since the early 80's, and most of them, however entertaining, don't add much to our knowledge of their subject and time. One admirable exception is this account about Kurt Weill and his lifetime by Ronald Sanders. Since the very beginning, Mr. Sanders manages to give us a vivid portrait of how was Germany since the years before Weill was born, how was life like in those days for Jewish people there, and the great composer's musical roots: his father was a Cantor, and many of his ancestors were professional or amateur musicians. To say only that Mr. Sanders' account is full of painstainkingly researched details would be unjust, for he goes far beyond that. He uses all these details to make us understand and feel in depth the makings of a remarkable career that unfortunately didn't last so long (Weill died prematurely, at 50). Mr. Sanders not only treats us to an unforgettable tour of 20th Century's troubled first half but also gives us a thorough knowledge of how music evolved from the days of Ferrucio Busoni and Gustav Mahler to Kurt Weill's works in the U.S., with lots of information about other great artists like Arnold Schoenberg, Bertolt Brecht, Lotte Lenya, how Weill created such masterpieces as "Dreigroschenoper", "Knickerbocker Holiday", "Lady in the Dark", and so on. You can say that this is a cliché, but, if you are, like me, interested in anything related to the best music that was produced in the 20th Century, don't miss "The Days Grow Short". And if you are already a fan of Kurt Weill's, this book will make you even more appreciative of him and his music. I recommend that you read this biography with your CD player on. You'll enjoy it even more when Mr. Sanders speaks of Weill's perennial creations, like "Mack the Knife", "September Song", "Speak Low", "Lost in the Stars", "My Ship"...

This book has a wealth of information for anyone new to fingerprinting techiques. It provides all the know-how to get a program started and lots of references (841 to be exact) to aid in digging deeper. Definately worth reading.

A practical revision on the most commonly used methods on DNA molecular variation analysis. This book discuss DNA fingerprinting using restriction enzimes (RFLP) and Polymerase Chain Reaction as well. Several protocols are included for DNA extraction, digestion and amplification. Full of illustrations and photos. Highly recommended for starting researchers on plant molecular biology, plant breeders, agronomists and botanists.

One of the world's best operas printed by one of the world's best publishers - it couldn't be much better. Dover Publications' scores are always of the highest quality: Large pages and clear type for ease in reading, and a sewn spine (not glued) for flexability and durability. To make it even better, contained between the well-fabricated covers of this score is arguably the best opera ever composed by arguably the best composer the world has ever seen. Ladies and gentlemen, it doesn't get any better than this. If you like Mozart or if you like Don Giovanni, be sure to acquire this score as soon as possible.

Dover has done it again. This opera (one of the best ever written) is done up beautifully for everyone; from someone just looking into an opera for the first time to an experienced veteran. I would recommend it for all. As a bonus, it includes the Concert Ending of the Overture, the Transposition of the Aria No. 21b and the But in the Finale No. 24. The Editor's Commentary is also very informative and interesting. A must have for any Mozart lover's collection.

If you are not familiar with Freddy I suggest you read "Freddy the Detective" first to see how he became a detective.
Now this may very well be his greatest adventure for kids of all ages.
Once again Freddy is confronted with many overlapping mysteries. One of the Marinas (Two Clicks) is missing. And Freddy must use some of his best disguises in the investigation. As with Freddy stories there are many adult concepts that are brought up in the story and one must know where loyalty lies and be ware of deceit.
Now have fun and learn how the ABI (Animal Bureau of Investigation) helps solve the mysteries.

Surely the best Freddy the Pig book, Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars is humorous and delightful. From the martians, to Simon and the rat gang, to Mr. Hercules, this book is a must-read, Freddy fan or not!

I am beginning to realize that I was severely deprived as a young child. The little corner library where I got my first library card actually had a pretty poor selection of books for young readers. As a result, I grew up thinking that there were only a few Freddy the Pig books. Actually Walter Brooks wrote 26 of them. That makes Freddy every bit the equal of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Many of these books are out of print now, and hard to find, but The Overlook Press has been gradually returning them to circulation. Set in the rural Northeast at a time (the late twenties and thirties), the books recall a time when the world seemed simpler and more full of grace. "Freddy and the Dragon" is the last Freddy novel, published in the year of Brooks death, 1958.

Returning from a jaunt around New England, Freddy and Jinx the cat find themselves less welcome in Centerboro then they are accustomed. Investigation reveals that many of the town's citizens have had property vandalized mysteriously. Witnesses reported sightings of several animals, including a pig. Since many people are naturally wary of talking animals, the suspect du jour for the humans of Centerboro is Freddy and some of his friends from the Bean farm. Our pig hero has no choice but to investigate before he is either jailed or lynched.

Freddy is aided by many friends, like Uncle Ben the inventor, J. J. Pomeroy the detecting robin, Samuel Jackson the mole (and professional conscience), and the adventuring spiders, Mom and Pop Webb. His first challenge is to track down a rogue bull and bring him to justice. Percy the bull has been doing a lot of the vandalism, but Freddy discovers that Percy, although a member of the gang, is really not a bad fellow, just high spirited. Once the bull is offered a chance to stay at the Bean farm and learn how to be a gentlemen he provides Freddy with many of the clues needed to track down Jack the gangster and his evil henchanimals.

What about the dragon? Well, when Freddy is terrorized by the headless horseman who picks up extortion payments he turned to Uncle Ben for help. After a lot of banging and clanking, Ben comes up with a 3 animal dragon suit that even breathes fire. Freddy's trusty dragon is used several times to great effect, eventually bringing the nefarious criminals to justice. This same spirit of inventiveness pervades the entire story and makes it a true delight. From an atomic car to a spider that uses car headlights to signal, the characters often do the entirely unexpected.

As a child I loved these books for the many exotic and wonderful characters, and the enjoyable parts they play. As an adult, I am surprised at the naturalness and simple honesty of the tales as well. There are good guys and bad guys, but justice somehow prevails. People (and animals) have good points and failings, but, on the Bean farm, diversity, mutual respect, and support are the main order of the day. I can find the foundation of many of my own beliefs in the pages of Freddy the Pig.

Someone is wreaking havoc in Centerboro, destroying gardens, stealing bicycles and breaking windows. Animal tracks, including pig tracks, are at the scenes of the crimes. The Bean animals are being accused of these crimes. Freddy attempts to track down the crooks, including a headless horseman, with the help of a friendly dragon! As always, there is lots of action.

If you like this book, you should try the other Freddy books. If you liked the other Freddy books, you will love this one--it was great!

Librarians coast to coast can breathe a sigh of relief. I can now return all of the grossly overdue books that I have acquired over the years while awaiting the long overdue return of that distinguished pig. Buy them, read them, and even better, share them with your kids. He's one helluva pig.

Pig, horse,cow, rooster, ducks and dog- all combine to make this freddy the pig detective book both amusing and full of intrigue