For anyone who has grown up in the Upper Midwest during the mid-20th century this book presents, in short form, all the things you heard as you were growing up - Lutheran or Catholic. "Ya know, ya gotta watch out for those Lutheran/Catholic kids...they think different 'cause their church is done in Latin." What a hoot! Martin and Nelson have captured the essence of growing up Lutheran in North Dakota or Minnesota!

I was amazed, when I went to this page to get the ASIN # as I was preparing my "Pretty Good" Minnesota Fare list - "Pretty good" meaning real good in Minnesota speak - that this book had not been reviewed at all. Let me remedy that here and now.

For those uninitiated to Scandinavian-American Cuisine (I belong to those who glorify Mary but am familiar with the Lutifisk/Lefse/Rice crowd by geographical, social, and political proximity. See also "Cream Peas on Toast" by the same authors,) Glorified Rice is jello-ed, fruited rice - the recipe for which is helpfully found on page 84. When I first saw the review of this book in the Sunday Fargo Forum (1994), I rushed right out to my local bookstore and got one. (Which was a feat in itself, as North Dakota had only relatively recently repealed the "Blue Laws" mandating that all non-food stores be closed on Sundays so as to encourage employers, employees, and the general populace to sit around all day glorifying rice and God or at least not doing anything "heathen" like going to K-Mart to pick up cleaning supplies.)

The gist of this hilarious and thought-provoking series is that 2 American Norwegian Lutheran farm women got together and "it dawned on us that the world needed us to write a few little books comparing and contrasting such things as Lutheran and Catholic ways, ... and all the baggage and trappings that go with these kinds of things."

Here are some of their "findings":

"They had fish frys...We had Lutefisk suppers

They had Patron Saints... we basically fended for ourselves.

They believe in the infallibility of the Pope...We believe everyone has a few bad days now and then.

They had the shroud of Turin ... We had old bathrobes for wisemen, old sheets for Mary and Joseph, gunny sacks with rope belts for the shepherds in the Christmas play, and other miscellaneous swaddling clothes.

They had miracles...We had Miracle Whip

They danced...We couldn't risk getting that close

They worked on Sundays...We napped on Sundays. They worked in the fields on Sundays... We drove around and looked at the fields on Sundays

They sold indulgences... We sold church anniversary cookbooks and centennial plates.

They had cardinals who wore red hats for investiture ... we wore red hats for deerhunting

They went to St. Paul, MN ... we went to Minneapolis, MN."

All of Mary Dobson's "Smelly Old History" books are an excellent way for elementary students to learn history and take whiffs of the many foul smells along history's timeline. The kids get so excited to smell the next foul smell they forget they are learning historical facts as they go. My first grade boy loves the books, but loves scratching the smells best. Some of the facts are a bit beyond 1st grade and younger, but they will still love the books. Ideal for 3rd-5th graders, who have some knowledge of ancient history and can remember names of people and important events in history. Excellent and fun choice for any elementary age student as a gift or for school.

If you've got a "nose for news", (like we do at the Tudor Times), then this is for you. I do actually own a copy, but, it's still safe in the clear plastic wrapper. "Stinking Streets, riddled with rats and plague"... "Sailors on the high seas"..."Revolting Royals", and more. Just reading the back cover sends me straight to a clove studded orange. Part of the "Smelly Old History" series: "Roman Aromas" and "Victorian Vapours". Good for a giggle.

¿Es la agricultura orgánica sostenible económicamente en el Trópico Húmedo?

Si estubieramos dos décadas y media atrás, la respuesta a esta pregunta fuera sencilla NO ES POSIBLE, y muchos calculadores, economistas y pensadores de la época nos secundarían. Pero hoy en día, después de observar decenas de granjas orgánicas en países con un alto nivel tecnológico como Estados Unidos o países con una gran densidad demográfica como Japón. La respuesta a esta pregunta no puede seguir siendo la misma. Sí...la agricultura orgánica puede ser sostenible económicamente, y máxime si el mercado esta dispuesto a pagar un poco más por el esfuerzo a realizar. Tal es el caso de productos como plátano, cacao, hortalizas, producciones de hule, ganado orgánico etc. Estos productos reciben un incentivo al incrementarse el precio de estos respecto a sus homólogos.

¿Tiene esta posibilidad de éxito en el trópico húmedo?

Es aquí en donde la primer pregunta presenta sus restricciones, y es que para que la agricultura orgánica funcione, primero hay que cambiar la mentalidad del mercado y paralelamente la mentalidad de los productores, ¿porque la de los productores?, si se piensa en hacer agricultura orgánica en el trópico húmedo se debe de hacer a un lado la mentalidad de que agricultura orgánica es el tener; seis matas de cacao, diez matas de plátano, dos eras de hortalizas, cinco matas de ñame y dos metros cuadrados de plástico cubriendo una compostera. A las que artesanalmente se les da mantenimiento no se les aplica fertilizantes, no se les combate las plagas y se deja todo a la mano de Dios. No.. de esta manera ni la agricultura convencional funciona.

La agricultura orgánica en el trópico húmedo debe llevar enfoques de mercado primeramente, saber que un producto orgánico no quiere decir un repollo lleno de gusanos o u plátano carente de almidones, para ello deben de sustituirse el abono inorgánico por un poco de roca fosfórica, cal y unas tres 10 toneladas de compost ha/año cuando mínimo, más un periodo de descanso para la tierra. Para esto se deben de combatir las plagas mediante un manejo integrado de plagas (variedades resistentes con altas producciones, controladores de plagas biologicos etc)

No se puede pensar en pequeño para triunfar contra un grande. Ciertamente la agricultura convencional se caracteriza por altas producciones a bajos costos, estos dos elementos juntos elevan al máximo la frase "sostenible económicamente", pero que hay si cambiamos gradualmente150 ha de un bananal que tiene 30 años de edad por 150 ha de arboles productores de hule natural y orgánico asociado con arboles maderables de alto valor comercial más pasturas que puedan ser aprovechadas por ganado. Y que hay si cambiamos las dos eras de hortalizas por 200 eras asociadas con otros cultivos que nos ayuden a mitigar un poco la idea de mono cultivo. Y que hay si empleamos técnicas de manejo integrado de plagas, abonos verdes, compost orgánico, cultivos resistentes a enfermedades y plagas y una búsqueda de mercado interesado en reconocer la diferencia.

Sí, la agricultura orgánica es posible en el trópico húmedo, pero no se puede hacer un cambio radical de la noche a la mañana y mucho menos aun si las instituciones encargadas de llevar la voz de cambio solo se lo piden a productores de bajos recursos que no pueden crecer ni aun con la agricultura convencional.

I found this book to be very helpful in my scriptural studies. I like the way it is set up and the reflections. Most of all, I like the way each Sunday has the readings, with Scripture references, a reflection, questions to meditate on, ideas on how to share your faith throughout the week and the references for the rest of the upcoming week readings.

The setting of the story was in Texas present day. The main characters in the book were Saha,Brian,and Claudia. My favorite character was Claudia because she was so helpful .My favorite part of the book was when Claudia was happy with her sister and they stopped fighting and Brian was happy too.I recommend this book to people 13 years old to 15 years because it was very exciting and people can see different ways to stop fighting.

The Rosenbaums have written a book that will make you laugh, cry and understand that two people in love will build a stronger life supporting each other instead of compromising their beliefs. If you are considering an interfaith marriage or know someone who is, I highly recommend this book.

I have been looking everywhere for this book. I am a kindergarten teacher. I laughed out loud the first time I heard another teacher read this book. Now, I want it for my own baby. In this book, the boy keeps asking his dog to bring toys to the tub, until the dog jumps in himself.

This is a delightful little book filled with recipes and family stories the authors grew up with. Records a way of life and a way of cooking that can raise the cultural awareness of all Americans! Great book!

Mary Engelbreit's Fabric: Projects And Creative Decorating Ideas is a superbly presented, profusely illustrated, non- technical collections of ideas and projects for home decor. Complete with useful shopping lists and "Fabric Workshops" providing glimpses into the studios and homes of artists and decorators who have used fabric in new and unusual ways, Very highly recommended for do-it-yourself interior designers and adventurous needlecrafters seeking to enhance and personalize their homes and apartments, Mary Engelbreit's Fabric explores the almost endless ways textiles can personalize any home decorating scheme.

This book should be the first of several for anyone with a strong interest in business card design. It is well done, clean, and contains many "idea-jogging" original designs by talented professionals in the industry. A look at this book will surely give anyone new ideas on how to make their own business card a "keeper."