This book could not have come into my life at a more opportune time. As a Volunteer Wildlife Police Officer I am involved inter alia in investigation of illegal possession of all wild species. However I had developed a particular interest in and love for primates - notably here vervet monkeys and baboons which are the most commonly "kept" here. I had made it my goal to remove as many of these from private possession as humanly possible. In all cases we find these intensely sociable animals being kept on their own, and with their movements restricted to no more than a few feet. After confiscation I start the rehabilitation process myself and then pass them on to a large sanctuary in Lusaka where they are integrated into troops and start their new lives. However my ultimate goal was to return them to a totally free life in the wild. Shirley Strum's seminal and successful translocation of the "Pumphouse Gang" in Kenya therefore convinced me that we had a chance of doing the same with our individuals/troops. The difference being that the "Pumphouse Gang" had always lived free and ours not. Shirley Strum's greatest accolade should be that she went beyond being the objective observer to caring participant. If Strum had only been involved with the baboons as subjects of an intellectual exercise, she would have been no different to many other scientists many of whom are responsible for hideous acts of cruelty to our non-human relatives. Thankfully, when the "Pumphouse Gang" was at risk of destruction, she allowed her humanity to guide her and so committed herself to finding a solution to their plight which was successful. I must admit that as a layman, some of the anthropological observations went over my head! I do feel that this is an extremely important study for anyone involved with primates, and those involved in the anti-vivesection movement (certainly in Africa where baboons are used as laboratory animals) since as the title states - they are "almost human".

Strum's account of her fieldwork is intensely interesting, as she looked past the "received wisdom" about baboon hierarchies and saw what was really going on. Of course baboons are not identical to humans - but the fundamental impulses of baboon behavior and their strategies for dealing with the their society and the world around them are similar to many things humans do; Strum claims no more than that.

Just as fascinating as her discoveries about baboons, however, is her account of the effort to get her field results heard within the closed shop of baboon studies. She ran into a problem that damages almost all the sciences: The experts who get to decide whether the results of your research get published in scientific journals are usually the very same people whose triumphant discoveries of twenty years ago your research is about to supercede or even contradict. Naturally they think your work is nonsense and do all they can to keep it from getting published - because if you are right, and prevail, then their great work is erased. This struggle has been faced by so many scientists that it's a wonder we ever advance human learning at all. The only things that get published quickly and easily are the results that confirm our preexisting views. Indeed, one sees quite a bit of baboon behavior among scientists - as among all other humans....

This was an important book for me, with insights that I have used in my own writing for years. I'm glad it's coming back into print in a new paperback edition. It's about time!

This was a fascinating look at baboons society. It was also extraordinarily personal in perspective. The book was absorbing and easy to read science written in a very subjective voice. The author gets very emotionally involved in her subjects and lets that come through clearly. She presents a somewhat controversial approach to field work.

"The Cage" ranks among the best novels I've read, ever, but rather than explaining why, I'll simply point out that I'm not the only one who thinks so:

Eric S. Raymond (programmer, Open Source evangelist) is also a major SF fan, and he reviewed "The Cage" back in 1990. His conclusion: "The Cage is strong stuff -- and strongly recommended."

He stole her life she had built up from nothing and sold her to slavery thinking she was gone forever. Now she is back to destroy her worst enemy that caused her unbearable pain. He had stole her friends, house, money and everything she had every worked for and cared about, but he gave her something no one could ever take away inless she eased it. Revenge. Now Habiku Smoothtongue will feel the stress that he had given to Megan. He will pay....................

_The Cage_ is one of the best works of sf/fantasy written in the past two decades. It is a tragedy for the genre that there aren't more novels like this one being written these days. Like the rest of the Fifth Millennium series (Mr. Stirling, Ms. Meyer, Ms. Wehrstein, if you're reading this, won't you please think about writing a few more for us?), it is set in a brilliantly crafted future world which sets itself apart from the usual run of post-destruction-of-current- civilisation settings by not being a cheap copy of the Middle Ages with a few odd bits of anachronistic technology floating about. Instead, there are many carefully thought out cultures, complete with their own languages. Language, after all, is necessary to completely developing a culture, and, despite what some irritating people seem to think, there are many people (especially three thousand years in the future:-) who really don't speak twentieth century English. And, BTW, all the languages of the novel are perfectly pronounceable. People who don't like created languages (especially the beautiful developments of Stirling and Meyer) really shouldn't read SF. Or would such people perhaps prefer the atrocious attempts of certain past authors to represent the language of post-nuclear America with strange phonetic renderings of Southron speech? I'll take Brahvniki over the Duchy of Memfiz any day.

Buku ini sungguh luar biasa. Saya telah membacanya beberapa kali dan tetap amat menyentuh.

Buku amat menolong kita dalam proses menghayati makna Natal di tengah kondisi perayaan Natal yang sering kali kehilangan makna karena nilai-nilai komersial.

Saya merekomendasikan buku ini untuk Anda dan keluarga!

I checked this book out of our local library while searching for short inspirational pieces to use for our church women's Advent tea. I wanted meaningful short stories or pieces that were not too HEAVY. I found so much that I had a hard time limiting my choices to fit the time given over to entertainment. I chose two by Joni Eareckson Tada and Nativity by Philip Gulley. This little book is a gem. While I am online today, I am ordering a copy for myself and one for a friend.

I've never bought a book for my step-father for which he said "Thank you" until "Christmas Stories for the Heart". He has read it over and over during the past year. I'd recommend it for any age to uplift the spirit.

Yes, it's been said, this game is like the X-Files, only it's not. This is much, much cooler. Character generation is easy enough, and there's a lot to work with. The rules, too, are fast and easy (with the possible exception of combat, which can crawl a bit). There is enough information here to keep a creative GM busy for an eternity, and if you add some of the sourcebooks (all exCellent, mind you), things just get better. Even if you're not a gamer, get this just to read about a very, very chilling world not unlike our own at all...

Imagine the X-Files crossed with big guns and you're just about there. This is a superb RPG with a very detailed and beleivable background. Characted generation is a little complex but you end up with exactly the character you were looking for. This main rule book has a wealth of information about weapons, technologies, alien races, supernatural, psychics and with regular source book releases there is plenty for a GM to work with. Combat is swift and deadly just as in real lifa and your characters will have to do some good thinking if they want to come out of adventures unscathed. This elimenates all the dungeon hack and shoot em up scenarios which plague most RPG's. You will love this game, I know I do.

I'll admit I was suspicious when my wife suggested this game: I mean, I like the X-files, but this had been done to death hadn't it? Coupled with cliched artwork... I sat back and almost challenged it: "Make me like this" And I loved it. The background is great, the world believable, but above all, it's all so very very easy. No huge rule lists, no super list of weapons, just pick and play. Character generation was a snap, and we were off into the world of AEGIS: Saving the world from threats it didn't need to know existed.

My only gripe was that the cell generation system seemed ridiculously complex... but that said, everyone else assured me it was prefectly sensible when you get yo know it. And I will do.

Another great book by Hailstock! I do not know about Aurora, but I do not think having someone out there in the world that looks like me is anything to smile about! This story was very entertaining, to me anyway! Good Read!

I enjoyed reading this book. Some of the characters were a little one dimensional. But I still enjoyed it very much.

We have all seen them, the celebrity look-a-likes. Aurora Alexander looks just like talk show goddess Marsha Chambers. Aurora agreed to appear on the Chambers Show because she must pay the expenses for her mother's nursing home care. This is a decision she soon regrets, not only does Marsha Chambers take an instant dislike to Aurora, someone is trying to ... her because they think that she really is Chambers.Aurora says yes to Duncan West the show's producer when he asks her to help him find out who wants to harm Marsha. She soon finds herself saying yes to other things. Duncan is a warm, caring and sensitive man who finds his way to Aurora's heart and for the first time in a very long time she doesn't feel alone.This combination of romance with a touch of suspense is wonderful. Mirror Image is my first Shirley Hailstock novel. It won't be my last, I am now a Hailstock fan.Vannie(~.~)

WELL..let me start with saying this...as a botsford,i was delighted...as i have just lost both my parents,this was also a blessing in disguise. i have been terribly lost as to what to do with everything that was left to me...thank you,shirley,in more ways than i can say...signed sue botsford-binns(and proud of it!!!)

What a spectacular book! I can't say enough about it, I've been recycling old clothes myself, and am so delighted to see all the things Shirley has done with ties. I've started collecting them myself inspired by her visit on simply quilts on hgtv. I am in awe of her. While I'm not a true quilter, I do sew and really enjoyed reading all of her ideas.

This is one of the most creative books I've bought in a long time--and I buy a LOT of craft/sewing books. I inherited a huge pile of my father's ties and knew I wanted to make something with them, but didn't really know how to begin. Shirley Botsford gives great advice about the "pre-project" phase of preparing the ties in order to incorporate them into textile rebirth. There are lots of specific ideas, but I found her ideas sparking new ones of my own.

As a cat lover and a lover of mystery novels, I'll read anything that combines these two fascinations. This is the first book in the Joe and Dulcie series that I have read. However, the cat sleuth theme is not handled as convincingly here as in stories written by, for example, Lilian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown. While I can suspend disbelief and accept that cats may communicate non-verbally with their owners, or with each other, I was not able to suspend my disbelief and accept that two cats can speak and read English. Nevertheless this is an engaging, rainy-day read.

This time, the two talking cat detectives come to the rescue of some old people at a home and also catch a "cat burglar". When a few of the people at the home are suspicious and scared, Dulcie starts investigating and, as always, manages to get Joe Grey involved too. How they are everywhere to find out what goes on and how they can do surveilance and eavesdropping so much easier than a human are quite entertaining. Always, they keep the police captain jumping with their anonymous phone tips and keep him worried because he suspects the two cats are involved in the crime solving. He won't allow himself to believe such things and that keeps him worried. This is a great job of cat sleuthing and is an interesting book.

I really enjoyed this light mystery. Of course, I'm a cat lover... I often chuckled at the voice, the viewpoint and the antics of these cats...who can talk to each other and understand humans very well. There were several mysteries weaving through this book. A good, fast read.

I have just started reading this book but from what i have read it is a good book.

This book kept my attention from cover to cover, and would do the same for anyone who is interested in Shirley Temple (-Black) and/or this era of filmmaking in Hollywood. The only complaint I have (and the reason I could not give it 5 stars) is that Ms. Black is not, by nature, a writer. The stories are certainly fascinating but her writing style is too like that of someone who is trying to appear as a writer and is not. Often you will encounter paragraphs in which you do not know exactly what is going on until the end because she tries to write with unnecessary flourish instead of getting to the point. Though it is superb to be able to find out her point of view on her life and the detail is great without bogging down.

It was a very good read that kept a nice pace. I recommend it, though only if you are willing and able to infer the meanings and happenings.

Also, the pictures included (in the paperback version, at least) are lovely and span her infancy to her adulthood.

When I first read the book from our local library I thought it was going to be another boring life story like all the others I have read, little did I know that this one was going to be something special.
After I read it, I sank back on my bed and said out loud "THIS IS JUST LIKE MY LIFE".
I was also a younge star on stage as a child and then one moment it was taken away from me because I was no longer cute or babyish.
This is why I had buy the book to remind me of who I am and never give up.
Thank you Shirley Temple Black for a real outlook on life.

This is a wonderful book, but it is limited to American Christmas songs and it main focus is non-religious songs. There are only eight stories about Traditional religious carols, and about five spirituals. Still I loved the stories, such as the one about the history of White Christmas, although I could not use it in my Christmas Eve service.

Taking a historical look at the stories behind favorite Christmas songs, the authors manage to tell stories that are both moving and interesting. Hearing the facts behind carols like "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "We Three Kings" help give the songs context when listened to, and reading about the tragically short life of carol composer Alfred Burt inspired me to search out the original recordings of his music.

Arranged so you can search thematically (Songs about Snow, Songs from Broadway and Hollywood, Kids' Favorites, etc.), you are certain to find out facts you never knew about your favorite holiday songs.

Great for someone who loves Christmas carols--American history--or both. It's easy reading that will have you spouting interesting facts at your next family gathering!

A great stocking stuffer as a gift for Christmas, as well as a super reference book for not only teachers, but as pre-introductory information for a choir's Christmas concert, or for any Christmas carol lover who happens to forget the words alot. ;) Learn about those who write the songs that make the entire world sing at Christmas!!

Football player Michael Hennesey has bid $15,000 for a date with Carolyn Hardy at a charity ball. Anyone else would be happy. However, Carolyn does not like football players especially Michael Hennesey. But he does not care, he likes and wants her. Carolyn does not know that Michael has made it impossible for anyone else to beat his bid. He is aware of how Carolyn feels about him and is determined to change her mind. Carolyn a successful engineer from a wealthy family s not impressed with the bid. She is annoyed that she was pressured to get involved as a participant and further annoyed to learn who the highest bidder is. Later Carolyn is surprised to find, by accident, a different side of Michael one that she can relate to and love. When Michael is approached and threatened by corrupt sources he does what he feels is necessary to protect Carolyn and those he loves. Now he has to rise above a scandal that can destroy his good name, career and Carolyn's love. He has to regain Carolyn's faith in him as she struggles to continue to believe in him. Carolyn is not sure who or what to believe. Was she right in her earlier of assessment of Michael or should she listen to her heart?

THE PROPOSITION is light reading but you can feel the sexual tension between the characters Carolyn and Michael and the suspense and mystery is real enough that it could have been taken from today's headlines. Enjoyable Reading.

Vannie(~.~)

Funny book. I am glad she did not accept the proposal. Strong woman. When they both meet again-We see 2 people who has grown up. A good story to read. Be ready to relax....

Ms. Harrison revisits the central family form her first novel, The Hardys. In this novel we learn more about the clan through Justin Hardy's sister. The characters are all explored with a depth that makes you really understand this family. The romanctic mystery style that Ms. Harrison is known for is here at its best.
In the past, I've been an avid E. Lynn Harris reader, but after reading Ms. Harrison's books, I was actually bored with his! I much prefer her beautiful narratives, sensual (not raunchy) love scenes, and her dedication to creating prose that is free of profanity--it's such a welcomed style. I can't wait for her next one.