But make no mistake, this is not "merely" a funny book, it is a well researched miniature course on opera. If schoolteachers and professors taught the way the authors of this book do, I'd been a Nobel laureate years ago as opposed to not yet... Imagine attending an opera class taught by Victor Borge or Eddie Izzard , and you'll get my drift.

With a sound music background the authors can make generalizations of opera phenomena, getting beginner going; e.g. telling what kind of "voices" usually play what kinds of characters, etc.

Even if you will never go to opera, reading this book is worth your time (and I am not related to the authors).

I am writing these lines at 1:55 a.m. while suffering from stomach influenza and fever, and although I feel like I'd eaten acouple of kilos of soap, shampoo and baking powder, I don't mind being awake as this book keeps me company.

P.S. A minor minus, but not one concerning the book itself: The enclosed CD tried to install Quicktime without informing me whether it would be replacing my newer version with an older one or vice versa. When I tried to cancel the installation (leaving my version of Qt intact and skipping the installation of the version on the CD was not an option) my Win98 halted like a donkey, and only got going after two power-ups and some automatic file recovering. I might just stick to listening to the CD with my CD player while browsing the book. (No big deal, really.)

By the way, during my life I have seen one opera, Don Pasquale. I considered it higly (and hopefully unimitably) boring. This stomach thing is much more fun than that opera was. (Feh!) Maybe one day I will go to see some other opera; now that I know which ones I might hate the least.

A flu patient from Finland.

This is Gary Bouton's 13th book on Photoshop. To say that he has learned not only the details of the program but also how to impart that knowledge to a reader is an understatement. Throughout the book he explains what he is trying to accomplish with a project, how he is going to accomplish it and then walks you through the process. The end effect is that you actually learn how to use Photoshop 7 to create the effects that you want.

Feature rich and full of examples, it covers the basic and advances features of Photoshop 7 in detail. Complex concepts are explained in detail in a very easy to understand writing style. If you want to become a Photoshop expert this is the place to start. A highly recommended read.

My reference to this being a "reference guide" is demonstrated in part one, for instance, the author gives you a detailed list of definitions of Photoshop's Blending Modes and throughout the book this same practice is applied. In part two you're guided through Photoshop's Core Concepts such as, Preferences, understanding Photoshop's Color System Management and the importance of Scratch Disks and so much more. I could simply go on and on, as there is so much valuable information in this book. To top it off, on the accompanying CD ROM are, resource files for the chapters examples, a inside Photoshop e-glossary, fonts, textures, tiles and 6 software demos.

All in all, the author makes sure you walk away with a deeper understanding of how the application works, along with being able to create, touch up, restore and materialize digital imagery like never before.

This is a must have!

Not only do you learn all the core functions of Photoshop but there are specialized sections such as, Photoshop for photographers so you can get to making money faster! I like goals like this. Some of the other special sections are Photoshop for Artists, Special Effects with Type and Animation scripting.

The authors present a task then they determine what needs to be done then provide steps to accomplish the task. By understanding what the task is and what needs to be done to accomplish is you are armed with the methodology to apply to your own work.

The most prominent influence on Marlowe's version of the Faust legend was the social upheaval during the time period in which it was written. Doctor Faustus was probably first performed in 1594, a time of tremendous change in Europe. The Medieval times were over and the Renaissance was beginning, however, influences of both times can be found in the play. Doctor Faustus is a transitional play where beliefs from both time periods intermingle, sometimes with disastrous results.

Doctor Faustus, himself, is a man torn between two traditions. He is a man with medieval beliefs, but renaissance aspirations. When he first attempts to conjure Mephistopheles, Faustus believe that Mephistopheles was forced to come by his (Faustus's) words. In response, Mephistopheles says, "for when we hear one rack the name of God, abjure the Scriptures and his savior Christ, we fly in hope to get his glorious soul." Mephistopheles has, of course, come of his own accord, because he feels that there is a soul to be had. He states this blatantly, yet Faustus is clouded by his old beliefs and also by his desires.

From a medieval point of view, Doctor Faustus can be looked upon as a morality play; a play about one man who aspires beyond his God-given place in the world. On the other hand, from a renaissance perspective, this play is a tragedy. The Renaissance was a time of individuality unlike the Middle Ages where a man was trapped in whatever social class into which he was born. Faustus is "an essentially good man" by Renaissance ideals who believes he has reached the end of human knowledge and is thus justified is using the black arts to further his knowledge. As in most classical tragedies, his downfall is complete and is due to his pride.

After Faustus makes his deal with Lucifer, the question must be asked: Is there any way back for him? Faustus believes he is damned at the moment that he signs his name in blood, although he has many chances to repent during the course of the play. The first chance comes after his first conjuring. He says, "O something soundeth in mine ear, 'Abjure this magic, turn to God.' Aye, and Faustus will turn to God again. To God? He loves thee not." Something is pleading for Faustus to repent, but Faustus remains firm in believing God has already condemned him. Each time the Good Angel appears is yet another chance for Faustus to repent, but the Evil Angel continues to threaten him if he even thinks about repenting. If it were not possible for Faustus to save his soul, then the Evil Angel and his demons would have simply left Faustus alone to cry out in anguish to God.

The final indicator that Faustus could have been saved at any point over his twenty-four year bargain is given by Mephistopheles, himself, as Faustus's fate is sealed beyond irrevocability.

Christopher Marlowe's brilliant retelling of the Faust legend springs not only from his own creativity, but from the times in which he lived. Marlowe's life and times allowed him to create the greatest retelling of one of Western cultures more timeless stories. When put to words, the legend seems so simple, yet its possibilities and implications, as Marlowe proves, can be nothing less than monumental.

This crossover was basically an excuse to cram as many characters as possible into one storyline and that results in a lot of confusions. Also, it detracts from the believability of the Stryfe character and also makes his motivations somewhat unclear. He's out for vengeance against Apocalypse (who had injected him with the virus as a child), Cable (whom he sees as his inferior clone), and his parents Cyclops and Jean Grey (for abandoning him). But what's his ultimate vengeance? And the X-teams' method of finally locating him is pretty ludicrous, the story getting a little too busy with sending its heroes here and there that for two or three issues worth, the X-teams just seem to be wandering here and there fighting everybody. The most focused storylines are that of Wolverine and Bishop, who encounter Cable, the falsely accused assassin, and Beast, desperately trying to save Xavier and finally succeeds only because of Apocalypse's help.

It's still fun, of course, to watch Bishop and Wolverine duke it out with Cable, and X-Factor rounding up X-Force with the help of the X-Men. But these are weakened by some really weak scenes like Apocalypse's fight with Stryfe (no power, no excitement, with huge lapses in logic) and some embarrassing dialogue at points (Jean Grey's lovey-dovey conversations with Cyclops during their attempted escape from the moonbase are just awful writing).

The most valuable thing to me about the X-ecutioner's Song series is a comparison of the different visual styles of the three series. X-Factor is stark and more than a little whacked (its stories as I remember are also much more off-kilter thanks to smart-mouthed characters like Polaris, Wolfsbane/Rahne, Quicksilver and Agent Val); X-Force is more violent and rebellioius; and X-Men, the parent series, is more restrained and middle-of-the-road, less eccentric.

Worthy examination of the relationship among the X-series. Writing issues are compensated for by the big showdowns and action sequences, capped off by Cable's final, violent confrontation with Stryfe.

Cable has been framed into the assasination of Professor Charles Xavier. But nobody knows this except Cable himself. So the X-Men, X-Force and New Mutants suspect each other as they try to find Cable. And the biggest of foes join in. This is also the prologue of the release of the deadly Legacy Virus from Stryfe, which will kill some great characters on later issues of X-Men.

The story is very long, but good enough. The art is okay and differs in style from book to book. But it's nothing bad at all. And at least the characters are drawn well, opposed to some more recent issues that put the characters to shame.

A lot of the X-members feature in this arc, but it's mainly more a Cable story.

The book also contains a CD which has some very well known pieces (e.g., excerpts from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony) and some less well known pieces. I thought the read-along descriptions of these pieces in the book were very well done and quite helpful in developing a good "ear" for classical music.

The book could have been improved in at least one area. I thought the shameless hawking of the publisher's other related book "Opera For Dummies" was excessive - it seemed like every other page had some quip about why the reader should buy the other book. I kept asking myself, "Why did I pay $20-25 for this book and then have to endure commercials for other books on every other page????" Hopefully, this can be addressed in the next edition of the book.

In general, this book is a great way for laypeople to improve their knowledge in this fascinating area quickly so that they can begin enjoying classical music to a greater extent.

I purchased "The Complete Pelican Shakespeare" because I wanted a relatively portable, high-quality book featuring text that benefits from modern scholarship (including brief notes and glossary). I wanted an edition to read and to treasure.

I should say that I didn't need extensive commentary with the text (as in the Arden paperbacks). That bulks it up considerably, can be had in other places, and can be left behind once one has read a play once or twice.

While I'm no Shakespearean scholar myself, this edition seems to meet the editorial criteria quite well. The text appears to benefit from modern, authoritative editorship, the introductions are brief but useful, and archaic terms and phrases are defined on the page where they occur.

The binding is high quality, as is the paper.

This is the most portable of the modern hard-cover editions I've found, with the possible exception of the Oxford edition, which is thicker, but smaller in the other two dimensions. I decided against the Oxford because the binding is of lesser quality and Oxford has a relatively idiosyncratic editorial policy with which I don't entirely agree.

Sadly, this is still a pretty big book, just small enough for a good-sized person to hold up and read in bed, and too much for an airplane or trip to the park. I wish someone would make a truly portable version! There is no reason that the entire thing couldn't be compressed into the space of a smallish bible (for those with the eyes for it!).

This is an outstanding example of excellence in Catholic apologetics. It is also a compelling argument against those Protestants who believe, for some reason, that Catholic scholars can't, don't, or won't use Scripture.

The book provides a remarkable Scriptural exegesis for the Office of Peter, and supports that exegesis through citations from the Church Fathers (both East and West), from Reformation era Protestants, and even from Eastern Orthodox theologians.

I personally know two of the men who reviewed this book. One, a highly skilled professor of New Testament and Church History has since become a Catholic. (Please see my review of "Mighty in Word and Deed" by James Shelton).

I, myself, used this volume as a secondary source in the preparation of my Master's Thesis.

The minor downsides to this book are that the presentation is sometimes choppy. It's a difficult volume to actually sit and read through -- and this is something which could easily be changed, and that a few of the citations would have greatly benefited from some context.

Other than these minor items, I found this book extremely valuable.

I highly recommed this work.

David Stewart then makes a bold and highly convincing foray into the implications of Y2K. Practical suggestions for personal preparedness are discussed but without the hyperventilation of the more extreme alarmists. There is even a touch of humor which elevates the tone and inspires the reader to prepare for the coming difficult time with hope. Also provided are investment ideas to protect one's assets from Y2K as well as aggressive investment moves that put one in a position to profit from Y2K rather than be victimized by it.

David Stewart has made Y2K the focus of his research for the past three years, and this book is the culmination of that effort. A must read for everyone who wants to make up their own mind about Y2K and isn't afraid to confront the difficult questions surrounding it.

He provides practical advice to perplexing questions. As stated in his Stewart Report dated March, 1996, "For every problem, there is a corresponding opportunity. Given the enormity of the computer date-change problem, there will be an equally large investment opportunity." These opportunities are summarized in the later chapters but reading between the lines he offers hints about companies poised to benefit from Y2K. As they say, "there is gold in them thar hills," but you've got to dig deep for the real nuggets.

He raises a good question about who "they" are - the proverbial fixers of Y2K. Mainstream thinking is that "they" will fix Y2K. Not so, according to Mr. Stewart, in spite of the assurances we hear in the media, et al.

Overall, a thorough, intelligent review of Y2K, specific industries, how prepared/unprepared they are along with investment quidelines for those who are concerned about themselves and their families. A Strong Buy!

Speaking of Teasle, he's not the redneck he's made out to be in the movie. In here, he's an ex-Marine and a Korean War hero, just going through a divorce, and with a set of morals and standards he feels he needs to live up to. Colonel Trautman is different also, especially in the very end, which I thought was sorta sad.

All in all, I think the worst part about the book was when Rambo was remembering his Special Forces training. The description was highly unorthodox, and sounds nothing like the Special Forces training that I've heard of, and that some of my family members went through during their time in the Army. Also, don't read the intro,, as it gives away the ending. Or rather, read the intro after you've finished reading the whole book. And then see the movies, and see how much they ... in comparison.

The novel "First Blood" by David Morrel may be wrongly interpreted as just an "action/adventure" thriller without a brain, but that's far from the truth. The book does contains some elements of the adventure genre, but it presents us with a much bigger vison of life than just that. It is about Intolerance and justice.

John Rambo, a vagant war veteran, is mistreated by a bunch of redneck cops in a small town in the US. Submitted to humiliation and torture, and being traumatized by the months (years?) he spent under torture by the vietnamese, the ex-green beret and war hero loses control, explodes in fury and hatred and fights back, starting a killing spree.

He hides in the woods, builds traps, he uses the elements of the nature against his pursuiters.

The climax hits when both him and his enemies are thrown in the woods, his element, were they have to play by his rules, and the animal within each one of them takes control.

Then, violence erupts.

The novel is very real and down-to-earth. It is quite different from the movie. It is not heroic at all. It is about being different and being thrown aside, it is about the indiference, hate and coldness that the United States gave to their war veterans. It is about intolerance and fear. It is about how the government destroyed the sanity of some kids to build killing machines out of them, and sent those killing machines to southeast Asia to a war they could not understand, didn't want to and, mainly, didn't HAVE to. To kill better.

It is about how, when those kids came back home confused and tortured by the atrocities they had seen/commited, their country threw them in the gutter, pretending that they weren't there. Disposable heroes.

It is not at all about madly killing faceless enemies, big guns and, explosions, and giant-brested babes waiting to be rescued. It is not about making toys and animated series for kids. It is about reality. Forget the movie adaptations, forget the distorted, pleasent and idiotic vison that Hollywood wants the world to have. The real thing is here. Read it.