What a treat to be able to pick up a book and read with a laugh in your heart. It is a book that can be read under the hairdryer, while waiting in the doctor's office, waiting for your tennis lesson,before you fall asleep and all the while wishing someone was reading it with you so you could laugh and smile together. The stories are short and if you are from the South characters, places, traits, superstitions, and family hit that familiar nerve with unabashed humor. If you are not from the South, "looking in on the Southerner" is like sneeking a look into a secret society and giving you a jolt of joy. This book is recommended for everyone. If you are a Garrison Keillor fan, you will find the portraits in Livingston, Al as real as those in Lake Wobegon. I am sorry the stories ended. Maybe there will be another soon.

Southerner Nan Graham catches the essence of the South in her delightful book. While we "yankee's" chuckle, the book is truly enlightning about the South and it's culture. The demistification of the southern "way's" are humerously recanted while enjoying an insight on her "Southern" husband but more importantly her "Southern" West Highland terrier and of course a cat named Sumter. (Don't read the book until you know what Sumter is.)

Nan Graham reads like a fresher, funnier Bailey White. Hilarious insight and observations from a new Southern voice. Passages detailing the eccentricities of her hard-headed husband and his curious family made me laugh out loud. Not too shabby for a first book. Two thumbs up from this jaded cynic. I will send a copy to all my Southern friends and to some sympathetic Yankees who I also count as friends.

The book has been well written. The author has a thorough understanding of the analytical approach combined with the real life experimental data. I have read over 10 different system identification books and none of those books even come close to this.

This is a clear-written book for engineers in the area. Derivations are thorough and yet easy to digest. Lots of good examples. The only thing probably somebody may not like it is that it doesn't cover everything in system identification. So please check the contents before you buy it.

The problem with "The Birds" ("Ornithes") is that for once Aristophanes does not seem to be attacking some specific abuse in Athens. Still, we suspect that even this little fantasy is not simply escapist entertainment. Certainly there are those who see it as a political satire about the imperialistic dreams that resulted in the disastrous invasion of Sicily (which happened the year before his play was produced in 414 B.C.). Then again, this could just be Aristophanes bemoaning the decline of Athens.

Pisthetaerus ("Trusting") and Euelpides ("Hopeful") have grown tired of life in Athens and decide to build a utopia in the sky with the help of the birds, which they will name Necphelococcygia (which translates roughly as "Cloud Cuckoo Land"). Pisthetaerus and his feathered friends have to fight off those unworthy humans, malefactors and public nuisances all, who try and join their utopia. Then there are the gods, who come to make some sort of agreement with the new city because they have created a bottleneck for sacrifices coming from earth.

Because it is a more general satire, "The Birds" tends to work better with younger audiences than most comedies by Aristophanes. Besides, the chorus of birds lends itself to fantastic costumes, which is always a plus with young theater goers. In studying any of the Greek plays that remain it is important to I have always maintained that in studying Greek plays you want to know the dramatic conventions of these plays like the distinction between episodes and stasimons (scenes and songs), the "agon" (a formal debate on the crucial issue of the play), and the "parabasis" (in which the Chorus partially abandons its dramatic role and addresses the audience directly). Understanding these really enhances your enjoyment of the play.

Or rather, you can give an Athenian wings but he won't become a gentle agrarian bird rather, he'll rouse the citizenship, attack the Gods, and turn on you at the last possible moment. While some literary critics tout this as Aristophanes' most unfathomable work, well, I just think they're being silly. Maybe that's my own lack of education speaking, but I think The Birds a pretty obvious, as well as bitingly funny, commentary on humans, or men, or Athenians (all of these concepts probably being more or less the same to Aristophanes)as hopelessly political and power-hungry beings. One thing I love about this, and, I suppose, all of the Greek dramas, is that they are ultimately very malleable and applicable to my (our?) modern experience. (With a certain ammount of difficulty) you can lead a 21st Century North American to social conciousness but they're still gonna want and have the economic buying power to get, cheap Nikes. Cynical? Yes. Scathing? Yes. Real? You betcha. Sure we've got indoor plumbing, but our cultural context is back in the golden age. Lucky we've still got dudes like Aristophanes to give us a clue as to how to slog through it all.

I have nothing to say about definitions of religion, or about the relative degree of the author's 'enlightenment'. What I will say is about this book. For the non-specialist, this is the best you can get for a NARRATIVE HISTORY of the development and spread of Buddhism. Forget the other esoteric references (which do indeed color the author's other books). THIS IS GOOD STRAIGHTUP HISTORY WRITING.

Buddhism is not a religion because it demands cultivation and realization. It is therefore essential to select only writings written by the enlightened; or one can be led astray. Master Nan has been a Buddhist practitioner almost all his life and is believed by many to have seen the path. This book reviews all the basic concepts in Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Being written by someone who really knows, it is very different.

Like all Master Ma's books, it is a book that you would like to keep for your whole life and then pass onto you children. For those who are interested in this area, you will never regret owning this book.

Finally, how to listen to my body and to not have to follow all the rules of some diet. And amazingly, it works. What a relief! The book is filled with tips on how to trust my intuition which I have never done before with my food.

I myself have went through a program called weigh down.It was the best thing i could have done.I was just about 15lbs or so over weight.This is the first time I have ever heard anyone else talk about this eating when hungry and quitting when full.I was excited when I read about your book over the internet.I hope that people will benifit from your book as I have from weigh down.People need to learn to replace their head hunger with a relationship with their Lord. Thank You, Rhonda

This book is amusing and painlessly informative, and the art is really great. But I like the recipes best. They work like a charm; follow them and you and your guests will be eating like the royalty of old.

GLUTTONY: More is More is for everyone who has ever eaten, dieted, binged or indulged a secret passion for Mallomars. Filled with stories of great banquets, diet fads and gustatory anecdotes of the rich and famous, it also includes recipes adapted from historical cookbooks, as well as some of the funniest and most gorgeous classical artwork of people enjoying their food. A sinful delight from cover to cover!

Coming from a mother of two boys with Down syndrome, I was justtouched at the story. Gregory has a captivating way of literallyentering the mind of Cindy and the way she processes her day to dayactivities. This wonderful lesson in empathy helps us realize thatso-called "special-needs" people are a lot more like therest of us than they are different.

I am in awe of what Nan Gregory has been able to accomplish by page 2, the respect she has for her young audience's intelligence, and for all the seeds of other stories she plants along the way but chooses not to tell. Ron Lightburn's gorgeous, moody, illustrations help draw the reader (or listener) into Cindy's world, far away from sentimentality and cuteness. A great book; one day hope to read it (and Charlotte's Web) aloud without sobbing. Please give us more of Cindy.

Koigi's book is a good narrative of his life and philosophy as it relates to Kenya. A large part of the book is dedicated to describing his early life experiences and how they shaped his outlook on life and his dedication to the liberation of Kenya.

The fact that he was detained by both the Kenyatta and Moi regimes shows his resolve to fighting injustice no matter the leadership at hand. The contribution of Koigi to the "second" liberation of Kenya cannot be overlooked.

This book is an autobiographical exposition of a living freedom fighter that has experienced the oppressive conditions of colonial Africa as well as the terror of African dictatorship that people in Kenya and other countries find themselves in today.

Koigi's personal story is simply incredible. The son of impoverished forest workers, he was a first hand witness to the brutality of British colonialism against Mau Mau freedom fighters. He witnessed the birth of an independent Kenya led by Jomo Kenyatta, as well as Kenyatta's eventual betrayal of the ideals that informed the Mau Mau struggle for independence. Miraculously, the emphasis that his parents placed upon education led him to an opportunity to study at Cornell University in New York in the 1970's, where he was exposed to democratic freedoms that were unheard of under Kenyatta's reign.

Koigi then returned to Kenya to fight for these democratic ideals within his homeland, and as a consequence, was imprisoned by Kenyatta for speaking for freedom and land reform. He successfully ran for and served in Parliament in 1979, and was then imprisoned once again by President Daniel Moi. What followed was a series of exiles and detentions, eventually resulting in his exile to Norway and now, to New York city.

Koigi is a true democrat, and has devoted his life to the struggle for democracy and human rights in Kenya. The book title, 'I Refuse to Die' is a clever interplay upon the distinction between physical death and spiritual collapse; to Koigi, death of the conscience and the will to speak truth to power is the ultimate end of one's being. Albert Camus' phrase, "I resist, therefore I am" applies aptly to Koigi's life story to date.

The product of Koigi's history of suffering and sacrifice is a wonderfully written autobiography. And this story is certainly not over, as there is little doubt that Koigi will continue to fight for these ideals in the years to come.

this is one of the most important books available in contemporary photography. i admire it for its bold reality, honesty and shockingly moving images. Anyone who takes documentary photo seriously should own this book. there is no pomp or frill here just the pain, disapointments and celebrations of life and death.

Goldin is the one of the most talented and prolific photographers of the 90's. Her work, which is based mainly on friends and lovers, is painful and delicate, striking a nerve in anyone who looks. It shows the beauty and horror of everyday life, sometimes bringing a tear to your eye. This book is worth every dollar.

What a delightful, fun book about the bravery of Sir Fred, the treachery of Melvin the Miffed and the love of Lady Wendylyn!

Although he is very brave, Sir Fred he is afraid of one thing: the dark (Achilles). Sir Miffed wants Lady Wendylyn to himself so he tells her that Sir Fred must be up to something by only seeing her when there is a full moon (the snake in Eden). Lady Wendylyn tests Sir Fred's love by requesting to see him at night. This leads to a climactic ending where Lady Wendylyn and Sir Fred each face their own fears in order to save the other, proving that their love for each other was stronger than their phobias.

Hollywood would do well to come out with such a good romance. Illustrations are funny; could't help but think that Sir Fred looks like Gerard Depardieu!

This is a sweet story that is as much for adults as it is for children. The artwork is fun, something new is found each time the book is read. The story is a simple one: facing your fears and the rewards of doing so. Sometimes love does conquer all!