The definitive book on when to keep the bidding open.

I just complete reading this book today. Even though now it's 21st century, this book stands well. You can find every situation you 'll encounter at the bridge table everyday. The dangerous and safe suits theory is one of the only two ways you should follow in auctions. It will enable you not losing your IMPs, MPs or even money. Trsut me, not those specular or fantasic declare's plays make you win, but those competitive biddings and solid defenses make you win. If you want to be a winner at table, buy this one and Mike's another book 'Complete book on Overcall'. Of course, 'To bid or not to bid','Kantar teaches Modern Denfese' and 'Kantar teaches Advanced Defense' also will make you a winner. And those classic 'Abbott' series just can amuse you and won't make you a winner.

Lawrence is probably the best writer on the game of bridge today. All his books are world class, but this is one of his best. Balancing is rarely discussed in bridge books, but presents difficult problems. Using the same style he used in "The Complete Book of Hand Evaluation," Lawrence examines all the common balancing situations. He discusses hand evaluation, planning a balancing auction, and common understandings (and misunderstandings). Lawrence's tone is never dogmatic: the emphasis is on specific examples and how to analyze situations rather than on mechanical rules. Where there is a choice of methods, he says so, discusses examples, the consensus approach, and his personal reference. Where a problem has no good solution, he does something unusual for a writer about games, he says so! Anything by Mike Lawrence is worth the money!

The classic book on overcalls. Excellent advice on non-vulnerable overcalls at the one level and on which overcalls to avoid. Newer players might want to start with Edgar Kaplan's Competitive Bidding in Modern Bridge

This book is probably the best book on bridge ever written. There is so much insight in this book that you will have to re-read it time and time again each time adding to your own insight in not only overcalling but the game as a whole. The style is lucid sometimes nonchalant; Lawrence gives insight into his own considerations when making bidding decisions and makes it clear that many decisions are not absolute. But following the logic and type of arguments he presents you will get more and more decisions right. I strongly recommend this book to every bridge player who aspires to improve his or her game.

This comprehensive work on overcalls actually transcends the subject and gets near to the inner essence of bridge, as few other books do (Kelsey and Ottlik's Adventures in Card Play is another). The principles of what makes a good overcall vs bad ones are laid out in clear and linear fashion, such that the information can be put to IMMEDIATE use by the reader. Your game cannot fail to improve. Best of all, the author does not gild his ideas with contrived example hands constructed only to validate them. He honestly presents each recommendation in its best and worst light. Please buy this book! (and read it twice).

My wife and I purchased this book after our friends had us over for dinner and made 2 recipes from the book (Chicken Cutlets in Mushroom & Wine Sauce, and Cannoli's for dessert).

We were so impressed we ordered the book from Amazon.com the next day. We've had Cooking For My Family for about 6 months now and can't say enough about it, it's become one of the most used cookbooks in our kitchen library. We also enjoyed the memories and tribute to the author's mother.

A wonderful blend of delicious favorites packed with tradition and family. This is a delightful cookbook, made with the best ingredient - love. Packed full of memories and family favorites, Loretta has brought you into her home to eat with her lovely family. You will enjoy her childhood memories as well as some fantastic recipes from this classic Italian (Hoboken) kitchen.

This book - Cooking for My Family - is a treasure to have in your collection!

A book not only filled with wonderful recipes, but wonderful memories too. Cooking for My Family is a book about a very special woman who loved cooking for her family, and who shared her warmth and love with everyone she touched. The recipes are simple to follow and the stories will touch your heart. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to eat!

IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH DON'T READ ANY FURTHER , I CAN NOT EXPLAIN IN WORDS SOME OF THE FRIGHTENING SCENES WRITTEN BY W.D.L. . HE TAKES YOU FROM A RECONDITIONING CAMP IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSSIA TO THE POLITICAL NIGHTMARE OF A GOVERNMENT RUN BY RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS. DO NOT MISS THIS INCREDIBLE AND EXOTIC LOOK AT THE NOT TO DISTANT FUTURE. I BELIVE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS FOR THIS NOVEL IN MERE WORDS. GOD KNOWS I TRIED.

This is one of the most interesting books that I have read in years.Eternity has a plot firmly grounded in science fiction with far ranging themes that include international espionage,government controlled by religous leaders, and the love and hate between a wide cast of charaters. This is not a novel that should be read by minors in my opinion as it contains graphic sex and descriptive torture scenes that only a mature reader can endure. Join Boris Gregory and a secret society of spies outside government controll as they fight to save humanity in the face of political monsters real and imagined. With many twists and an insightful look at the not to distant future this is sure to be a bestseller.

Do yourself a favor and read this novel before the movie comes out,,,,it surely will be made into a movie because of the terrific adventure..do yourself a favor and read it .....

Ben Freudenburg has established himself as one of the most respected Christian Education directors of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. His glimse into home-based Christian education, as opposed to the conventional church-based Christian education, has changed many individuals views on how the church reaches out through traditional Christian education methods. This book presents a wonderful philosophical basis for beginning the shift to a home-based Christian education system. Check it out.

The Family Friendly Church is the chronicle of personal discovery by Ben Freudenburg. The discovery may seem simple but it is an area missed by many churches. How about yours? Ministry to children and families with young children is often overlooked and undervalued.

Often when a church grows or adds staff, the first position to be filled is the youth pastor. Unfortunately this is a plan that follows traditional practice and not conventional understanding. One must look no further than current statistics to determine this.

According to the Barna research group, children are the most available to receiving and accepting the Good News. If you are spending the majority of your church's momentum, manpower, and resource on something other than children, you may be unwisely using your talents. Children are the future and most likely the best way to reach the adult population in your community.

The Family Friendly Church will offer suggestions and simple resources to reach families with children. Employ your leaders and families in the process of building a strong Family Friendly Church.

Should the Christian family support the church and be church-centered, or should the church support the family and be family-centered? The Family Friendly Church, by Freudenburg and Lawrence argues that to reach the needs of Boomers and their families a shift needs to take place from a church-centered family to a family-centered church. By facilitating ministry with the families, not to them, the church accomplishes its mission and develops strong families.

I think this is really the first book I've ever known that covers so many areas of business and provides such comprehensive information to business people. In many places the book is kind of a step-by-step guide to people doing business internationally, and beyond that, solutions for many issues are provided as well, which is amazing.

I found it great for having a checklist if you are experienced in international business and are refreshing yourself. For someone just starting it covers the areas you should be aware of and helps alert you to why things are different.

This book should be on the desktop of anyone considering the expansion of his or her business into international markets. Global Business manages to combine practical tips with the wisdom of seasoned professionals who have an obvious sensitivity to the complexities of cross cultural business communication and development.

As a desktop reference, Global Business is well organized. The reader can quickly find a topic of interest through the table of contents or through the well-conceptualized index. Once the topic is located, the reader finds a detailed, checklist-style set of tips. If you want to know how to pack goods for export, go to page 86; how to establish pricing policies go to page 77; how to create a NAFTA product go to page 53. The reader is encouraged to access the book at any point based on his or her particular interest or need.

Global Business is more than a desktop reference, however. Taken as a whole, the book is a great overall introduction to understanding the problem of expanding a business into worldwide markets. Though practical in its organization and style, it is comprehensive in its content and is equally as useful for the practitioner and the student of international business.

Global markets now offer wonderful opportunities for small and mid-sized firms. Unfortunately, these firms do not always have the expertise and know how to accomplish the complicated task of expanding into these markets. Global Business is particularly well suited for individuals in these companies endeavoring to take their companies global.

Koslow and Scarlett have provided a most useful guide to the new millennium of global business.

John Vinton, Ph.D. College of Management Metropolitan State University Minneapolis, Minnesota August 15, 1999

The Civil War has been much romanticized. The life of George Armstrong Custer has entered the realm of near mythology. The most successful period in Custer's short life was his civil war career. Urwin here presents a record of the successes of Custer's civil war career. There is a tendency in this book to Custerophilia. While none of us in this time period can really know the man, study of the masses of literature from the period suggest that the "boy General" was somewhat unique. More than most of his contemporaries, Custer was able to motivate his Civil War commands to significant achievments. His personal audacity caused extremely high casualties among the men he commanded. Despite this he never seems to have engendered the kind of disdain that Judson "Killcavalry" Kilpatrick, a contemporary, gained from his troops. It seems that members of his Michigan cavalry Brigades greatly esteemed their general despite their losses. Whether he was in fact a tactician or just daring and lucky; his civil war record is quite remarkable. This book is a worthwhile read for students of the civil war and of cavalry and Custer's part of that history.

Being from Michigan, I knew George Custer was a Civil War hero. After reading this book I realized just how important that man was to the Union cause. Although young, Custer was mature beyond his years, his prowess as a calvaryman is second to none. He was loved by his troops and respected by his enemies, some who he bested many times during the Civil War. He was a true leader in every sense of the word. Fearless and steady, always leading his troops into a charge. Ever concerned for the well being of his men. This book is a wonderful piece on a great man who was lost in history by speculation and heresay. Had he his Michigan Calvary Brigade, his beloved "Wolverines" or men like them at Little Big Horn and not 17 and 18 yr old troops as recently discovered, even though being outgunned I am sure there would have been different results for historians to ponder. Rest in Peace Major General Custer, your name is forever cleared.

This is a fine work of scholarship on General Custer. It is incorrect to assume with this book that Urwin has a tendency to Custerphilia. If that be so, then may we accuse other historians of Robert E. Leephilia, or Martin Luther Kingphilia, or John F. Kennedyphilia? It is only the truly biased that will attach such a title to an author who is presenting Custer in a just light, rather than anyone else. We don't have to be a contemporary of an historical figure to know the facts and contributions of his life, and Urwin's excellently researched book brings out all the facts surrounding Custer's outstanding leadership as a Civil War soldier and officer, and most importantly, Urwin has finally given Custer his just due as a great American patriot who was so instrumental in preserving what we so easily refer to today as our USA. It was General Phil Sheridan, who stated in an enclosed note to Mrs. Custer when presenting her with Lee's table upon which the surrender was signed, "that there is scarcely an individual in our service who has contributed more to bring about this desirable result than your gallant husband." Urwin brings out all the facts that substantiate this statement; not denigrate or fictionalize it. If you know nothing about Custer, read this book and its preface first, then for an account of The Little Bighorn, read "To Hell With Honor" by Larry Sklenar. As Urwin states, "Custer's critics have been legion, but only the most vehement and biased has ever dared to suggest that his performance in that bloodiest of America's wars was anything less than brilliant."

The discrete math course at our university is a sort of "rite of passage" for math majors- it introduces students to the idea of proofs, as well as basic set and graph theory and combinatorics. It is an introduction to the abstract aspect of mathematics. This book serves this purpose well, with a number of examples and drawings to illustrate concepts. However, this book explained induction in a manner that confused me. Also, our department wasn't too fond of this book- they switched to another after one semester. Still, I don't think it's too bad- unless the current book that the department uses is that much better.

As a student at Illinois state, I'm skeptical about all of the professors abilities... After all, these are the guys that consistently screw up addition in front of class.

After having a chance to complete half of this book in my Discrete Math course (mind you, I'm not a math major) I have definitely gained respect for ISU's math department.

I'm not sure if most authors really teach classes, or if they write books to fulfill their publishing requirements. I can tell you that the authors of Discrete math had the students in mind.

I've found this book to have exceptional examples, and well-explained, READABLE prose.

If you wanted to pick up a copy for self study, this would be a good book.... Yes a professor would be nice, but these guys did a good enough job that the book stands alone.

I am not a maths student but I used this book (the 4th edition) as a supplement for my combinatorial chemistry course and also my CRE course which has a section on spanning tree model. Quite easy to understand. Not bad as a reference for self-studying.

Unlike many contemporary authors who have never served a day in the military and always write about officers, C.X. Moreau digs into the minds of the enlisted men serving in Beirut during the early 1980s. His description of the antics of a First Sergeant who is out of control is so real - only a former marine could truly relate. The real tragedy in the book is that the U.S. Embassy was bombed in April - why was that bombing not a huge red light for Marine Corps officers and the U.S. intelligence community? I was a little disappointed in Moreau's handling of the embassy incident. There are not just civilians in our embassies - the marine detachments and the Defense Attache Office are very much a part of most U.S. embassies. Overall, the book was excellent. Moreau was not grinding an ax, but telling it like it was. Hats off to a good read and semper fi from a former marine sgt.

A superb book for any would-be leader. A must read for young Commissioned Officers in any branch. You must understand the conflicts an NCO experiences during your absence--the absence may be due to your missing character, your narcissism--your service academy notion that you are always indispensable. Officers are often their own impediment to effectiveness. The young NCO in "Distant Valor" is doing the best he can. The First Sergeant, who has the trust of the Officers, is out of control, and everyone looks the other way because of a few hashmarks. The Junior NCOs are left holding the bag. NO senior enlisted leadership other than a corrupt 1st sergeant and NO Officer leadership until after the fact. Ineffectual Officer Careerism is shown to be the Mortal Sin that is always is. The spit and polish of the Corps is there at long green table of a courts martial proceeding. While the Officers were busy crossing the "t's", no officer wanted the ugly job of backing down the moslem militia chieftain. Read this book and walk a mile in their boots. Put yourself in their shoes. Find out where you fit in this complex weave of characters and then re-evaluate. Where SHOULD you fit? Should your version of leadership change? What is more important? Your Men? Your Country, or your career? Find the Balance... What would Chesty do? What would one of those "potted palms" back at Division" do ?

C. X. Moreau's book is a must read for all Marines--former and active duty--enlisted and OFFICERS! It is not just a story of the Marines' experience in Beirut, but an insightful view of the inner workings of the Corps. It explores the personal relationships between officers and enlisted Marines as well as those between senior staff NCO's and all of the other ranks. It is my opinion that Moreau is making a dynamic statement about the raw courage of the Marines with whom he served as well as voicing his frustration with some of the legitimate problems he encountered. His characters are set forth in an honest manner that not only shows their personal strengths and weaknesses but also provides an insightful view into the strengths and weaknesses of the Marine Corps system itself. This book should be utilized by each Marine for an in-depth objective review of his own current or past performance. I consider Moreau to be a patriotic and loyal Marine whose honesty has been provided for the benefit of today's Marines and a tribute to those courageous Marines with whom he served. Semper Fi, Moreau, from a former Marine officer whose respect you have thoroughly earned!