This is a no-nonsense and "to the point" book, extremely focussed on the SCWCD exam. Little too cryptic - one has to literally read between the lines. The examples are more practical and "real-world" type, which gives the chapters a kind of "sense of completion" effect. The cheat-sheets at the end of every chapter helped to revise the important concepts.

However, this book expects a good amount of initial exposure to Servlets and JSP. This book is definitely not for a beginner. Once one has this initial exposure, he will find this book extremely useful for a quick exam preparation/review work. Preparation can be rapid since the chapters are very short and crisp and can be easily completed in one sitting. The presentation and flow is not very impressive; it follows the exam objectives too closely to have a stepwise logical flow. Also, it would have helped more to have more practice questions with every chapter and in the enclosed CD.

The beginning can't be better than this; Wrox has forayed into IT Certification domain with a smashing start.

As expected from the Author of one of the famous Servlets book (Professional Servlets 2.3), Professional SCWCD Certification is another rich quality publication. Structured according to the Exam Objectives, fueled with Informative Examples, accompanied with famous Mock Test Simulator, it is definitely a MUST Buy for SCWCD aspirants. Coupled with sample questions as per the exam pattern, each chapter in the book ensures that you understand the various concepts you are tested on.

The breadth and depth of topics covered along with a real life Case Study makes it valued book not just for the exam but also for the later reference.

Along with topics like Filters (which is not part of the present exam version), Authors might have considered including Struts as another important topic relevant to Serverside Java Web Component Development.

If your aim is to crack the exam than just passing it, this is the Best option in my belief.

Best wishes!!

To the SCWCD Aspirants:
It is my eigth certification in Java-J2EE domain and probably the most enjoyable among all. Not just that I got promotion in my job but because it was a GREAT learning experience.

Certainly this book by Wrox played the most crucial role in my preparation. Although I tried other available books for this exam but I liked the style and approach of this book as it is not just useful for the exam but for later reference also. I was really happy to correctly answer some of the questions from the objectives which were not explicity stated by Sun but covered in the book and the accompanying mock exam.

My lack of practical experience was filled by the case study chapter of this book and also the questions made me think. I must say the explanations of the questions were really exaustive.

I HIGHLY recommend this book. If you have it; you WILL be successful. Having given so many exams I have understood the importance of "Enjoying the exam" and this book made me fulfill it.

Enjoy the exam and success is yours
Shalha

This lucid 257-page book coalesces important thinking on the militant ideology that thundered into focus with the destruction of 3,000 lives and the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001--one accepted by up to 15% of the world's 1 billion Muslims. Even before, Muslim radicals had since Vietnam claimed more American lives than any other enemy. Pipes' 23 chapters, divided into two sections, draw from a breathtaking cross-section of sources.

Some consider Pipes' term nebulous, but he defines Militant Islam, a redoubtable label likewise used by Muslim experts Khalid Duran and Ahmed Rashid. Alternatively called Islamism, it constitutes a political ideology resembling "radical utopian ideas of our time." Like fascism and Marxism-Leninism, and born in the same era, it would order society strictly by a preconceived plan, this time Islamic. While Egypt's Muslim Brothers hatched seditious schemes in the 1920s, Muslim missionaries to the U.S. planned "to conquer America," an idea advanced since the 1970s.

Since the Islamic world's golden Medieval age produced math, science, medicine--and military dominance--the Umma has inexorably declined. Pipes shows that now, Muslims make up one fifth of the world's population, but account for more than half the 1.2 billion people living in "abject poverty."

Islam's mainstream responded with secularism and reformism. Kemal Ataturk from 1923 to 1938 shaped secularism now rooted most strongly in Turkey, whose government (like millions of Muslims worldwide) wants to advance Islam by emulating the West. They reject Shari'a. Similarly, popular reformism sees Islam as compatible with the West, rereading Qur'anic passages in that light. Reformists, for example, prohibit men from taking four wives, which the Qur'an permits only if all are treated equally, and no man can treat four wives the same.

Islamists claim that Islam will regain ascendancy only by returning to strict Shar'ia, but Pipes shows that they largely stray from tradition. Pipes also exposes them as largely educated, wealthy, Westernized city-dwellers--not, as widely maintained, from the Muslim underclass. Their structures grew from Saudi Wahhabism. But as Pipes shows, this dangerous, moneyed subset of Islam has absorbed and used modern military, medical and computer technologies.

This is no clash of civilizations. Islamism is chiefly political. Its leaders regard Muslims refusing to accept it as such as apostates punishable by death. They head murderous oppositions in Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Pakistan, Malaysia, Algeria and last but not least, Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi state, which many Muslims finger as the source of global Islamism.

Islamism's chief victims are Muslims. Islamist power in Iran, Sudan, and Afghanistan, Pipes shows, proved disastrous both for their subjects "and the outside world." They have reduced Iran's economy relentlessly over more than two decades. Sudan's re-establishment of chattel slavery (virtually unreported by the Western press corps) shows that Islamic-tinted fascists like their earlier counterparts hold personal rights in utter contempt. Their states hold huge and lethal military arsenals.

They envision a totalitarian Muslim polity stretching from Morocco to Indonesia, a caliphate to overtake the globe by military jihad. Drawing heavily on Islamists' writing in Arabic and Farsi, Pipes shows, neither wealth nor international aid will resolve their hatreds. In fact, he convincingly argues that prosperity will only grease their war engine.

Pipes shows that Muslim leaders in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan have correctly long recognized this militant ideology's dangers. The 1979 Iranian revolution opened an era in which Islamist terrorists assassinated hundreds of Westerners, although only September 11 wakened the West to their threat, which Western reporters still largely fail to grasp.

The peril appears in nations like Iraq and Iran that have turned terrorism into statecraft. But for Israel's 1981 strike, Iraq would already have nuclear bombs and may have used them. Muslim countries host the most terrorists and fewest democracies, resulting in "endemic instability plus a great deal of aggression." Saudi Arabia's Wahhabis "encourage such aspirations," Pipes explains. In Hitler's spirit, Islamists participate wherever they can in free elections and "have done dismayingly well."

Like earlier fascists Pipes exposes them as openly anti-Semitic, attacking Jews everywhere as their "ultimate enemy;" Hamas and Islamic Jihad have targeted and assassinated hundreds of Jews and Israelis worldwide. They also spew anti-Western hatred and act on it at every opportunity. High Muslim birth rates and massive immigration into the West are also cause for concern.

But Pipes warns, "none of this justifies seeing Muslims as the paramount enemy." Not all Muslims hate the West. They are not fanatical by nature, and remain a small minority in most of the West. Muslims are not unified, as Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and conflicting Lebanese and Syrian claims, among other things, have evidenced. Islamism's vast majority of victims have been Muslims. In Algeria, for example, revolutionaries have murdered 10,000s of Muslims, compared with 80 foreigners. "The critical question is whether Muslims will modernize or not," Pipes maintains.

A hush has descended over Muslim intellectual life as Islamists have threatened its freethinkers both in the Umma and the West. Pipes should have further detailed the Saudi connection. But he rightly holds that Muslims alone can decide the outcome of Islam's war within. Turkey's secular Islam threatens the Islamists more than any Western power, he writes, in the same way that the Western model threatened the Soviets.

For moderates to win, he concludes that the West must help Turkey overcome its weaknesses and build on its strengths. Western leaders must heed the warnings of Muslims like Salman Rushdie, Algerian secularist Said Sadi and Tunisia's anti-Islamist president, and confront Islamists--not appease them. Western leaders must not apologize for Islam--in fact, they must stop remarking on the faith at all. Rather they should treat Islamism as the fascist ideology and power-base that it is.

Opponents of Militant Islam "cannot afford the luxury of sitting back and awaiting its collapse," Pipes concludes. The situation is grim, but not hopeless. To win, Pipes urges Muslims and non-Muslims alike to begin by clearly defining the Islamist enemy as an aggressive totalitarian ideology that does not discriminate among those who stand in its path. Alyssa A. Lappen

_Militant Islam Reaches America_ is a collection of essays but manages the cohesive feel of a purpose-written book, largely due to its concentrated theme. "Militant Islam" or "Islamism" is distinguished from Islam generically; Islamism is a totalitarian ideology stitched together out of Marxist doctrines and practices and a naive (outside of tradition, uninformed, unnuanced, ahistorical, "protestant") reading of the Qur'an.

Islamists are not traditional or medieval, they are modern and revolutionary. They are not driven by poverty or desperation. They are not pious muslims by ordinary standards and indeed their principal victims are moderate ("normal") muslims.

Of course, the Islamists' principal enemy is the West.

In this collection of essays, Pipes tackles an assortment of issues, including how to deal with sleeper cells, the U.S. government's relationships with Islamism, Islamist anti-semitism, Islamism's roots (or rather, lack thereof) in poverty, the battle for the soul of Islam between Islamists and traditional muslims, anti-muslim bias in the United States, the Nation of Islam, Islamist antipathy to free speech, and more. Throughout, Pipes remains friendly to and respectful of Islam and muslims generally, while unflinchingly opposed to the radical Islamists.

Some of his conclusions are reassuring (only a small minority of muslims are or support Islamists). Some are deeply disturbing (American muslim communities are disproportionately radicalized; money flows from the US groups to the Middle East rather than the reverse). All of the essays provide great clarity and insight to a topic which is very timely, very urgent and often very difficult to understand.

In this volume Middle East expert Daniel Pipes looks at the changing world since September 11. While some of the essays here were penned before that tragedy, all deal with the rise of Muslim militancy, and how the West should respond.

Pipes begins by arguing that militant Muslims, or Islamists, do not represent all followers of Islam. The good news is they only comprise, at tops, fifteen per cent of the total. The bad news is, with one billion Muslims, 150 million are extremists. It is the Islamists that are the real threat, says Pipes, not traditional Muslims.

Pipes provides the historical backdrop for this new militancy. For their first six centuries, Muslims enjoyed huge success. By the 13th century however decline set in, and for the next six centuries they found themselves heading to the bottom of world affairs, as power and wealth slowly ebbed away. The loss of their golden age, and their sense of alienation and frustration resulted in three recent responses.

Secularism, the first response, is seen in countries such as Turkey. The second option, reformism, meant trying to live with the West. The third option, Islamism, is the focus of this book. Militant Islam seeks to reclaim its golden age, wants the total imposition of Shari'a law, and rejects completely Western influences.

Pipes shows that Islamism is in fact a radical, utopian ideology, of the same mould as Marxism-Leninism or fascism. It is totalitarian in nature, and seeks salvation in political power, not individual religion. Whenever Islamists take power, as in Iran, Sudan and Afghanistan, a bloody tyranny results.

Pipes argues that most traditional Muslims disagree with the premises of the Islamists. This is reflected in part by the fact that often traditional Muslims are the main victims of militant Islam. Algeria is a good case in point, with tens of thousands of Algerians killed (compared to some 80 foreigners).

Since its ascendancy almost three decades ago, Islamism has become they main threat to freedom and democracy. It seeks global hegemony, just as past ideologies did. Fueled by fanaticism and hatred, militant Islam has become the new focus of evil in the world.

There are two main ways in which Islamists can achieve their goal of world dominion: revolution or integration. The latter comes in the form of immigration to the West, high birth rates, and conversion. All three means are resulting in rising Muslim populations in most Western nations.

The other option, bloody struggle, is something the West is becoming all too familiar with. Suicide bombers and terrorist cells are active around the world, and this threat is one all Western governments must come to terms with. Indeed, Pipes shows how militant Islam has been targeting Americans well before September 11.

Pipes sees some hope, however. Muslim unity has often been seen as an oxymoron, with the Iraq-Iran conflict being but one example. Another issue is how moderate Islam deals with the threat. If modernism is embraced and Western values are seen as compatible with Islam, then the fanatical arm may be contained. But it is by no means clear in which direction the majority of Muslims will move in the future. It is Muslims themselves, argues Pipes, not the West, who will determine the outcome of this post-Cold War ideological battle.

Pipes also writes about Muslims living in the US. There may be 2 or 3 million of them there. Pipes argues that on every front, the US is doing all it can to be hospitable to Muslims. There is a de facto affirmative action mentality in place, with schools, governments, the media, even the military, all fearful of showing any disrespect for Muslims.

Tolerance and respect of course are in order, argues Pipes, but in many ways Muslims are being given preferential treatment, so much so that the US government has become "a discreet missionary for the faith. Without anyone quite realizing it, the resources of the federal government have been deployed to help Muslims spread their message." Pipes documents numerous examples of just how this is in fact happening.

Pipes argues that if Islamists get their way in Western nations, freedom of speech concerning Islam and militant Islam would all but cease. It is becoming increasingly difficult to say anything which might be regarded as critical of Islam.

Pipes briefly examines the question of whether Islamism and jihad are an integral part of Islam, or a distortion of it. He recognises that Islam, like all great religions, is made up of different schools and is subject to varieties of interpretation, "from the mystical to the militant, from the quietist to the revolutionary. Its most basic ideas have been susceptible of highly contrasting explications."

Thus Pipes sees a battle for the soul of Islam being waged, with moderates and militants competing for dominance. But he sees terroristic jihad against the West as but "one reading of Islam ... not the eternal essence of Islam".

He argues that if half the population of the Muslim world hates America, the other half does not. It is to these more moderate Muslims that the West must work with, along with its own Muslim populations, to see that the radical Islamists do not prevail. The struggle will be long and difficult, says Pipes, but an Islamist victory is by no means certain.

Breaking Open the Head is at once a personal memoir of the visionary kind, as well as a much needed psycho-social, psycho-spiritual assessment of our society from the vantage point of alternative ways of knowing and potential problem solving. In the spirit of Terrence McKenna, in the same stream of transpersonal voyaging and open entheogenic exploration as Huston Smith and Ralph Metzner, Pinchbeck not only unfurls the topography of his own soul journey through psychedelic shamanism, but details multiple encounters with different plant spirit teachers in a truly gleaming example of multidisciplinary scholarship and informal ethnographic accounts. What is probably the most convincing aspect of Pinchbeck's writing and journey is precisely the fact that he openly admits to being--once upon a time--a cynical, Manhattan atheist who saw no validity to anything spiritual or metaphysical. As an experiment he takes the plunge into a domain that, rather than leading him farther and farther into the cancerously consumeristic and addictive society we find ourselves in, he is initiated--genuinely--into the world of holographic, shamanic perception. An adventurous, stunning, and thrilling ride, as well as a timely wake-up call regarding modernity's ill-fated relationship with psychedelics (as demonized and illegal substances rather than sentient intelligences with the capacity to heal and offer profound guidance and knowledge when worked with in a safe manner as has been done by humans for tens of thousands of years previous to industrialized society), Breaking Open the Head is sure to stand as a classic visionary account and a classic social commentary of our world. . . a world that is, from my perspective, gearing up for its own shamanic initiation.--Frank MacEowen, author of The Mist-Filled Path: Celtic Wisdom for Exiles, Wanderers, & Seekers (New World Library)

This is a fascinating, eye-opening, thought provoking book---extremely well written, intelligently crafted, thoroughly researched, and compelling. Pinchbeck weaves together his own journey (physical and spiritual) with a mosaic of interesting stories on ethnobotany and shamanism in different corners of the earth as well as the history of psychedelics and the suggestion that they could be key to reforming our sense of meaning in today's troubled world. Even cynics about spiritual matters will finish the book scratching their heads and considering the possibilities.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who in interested in exploring the metaphysical realm and has existential angst. This book not only speaks to the possibility of the existence of other dimensions but sends an important message to the world as it exists today--a world devoid of spirituality, of meaning, of real purpose. Although his explanations of spiritual experience is well-grounded in scientific and rational thought, it is completely accessible to the layman and entirely enjoyable to read.

Dan Applemans book is great for anyone wanting to do COM in VB. It doesn't just cover Active-X controls, but the actual technology behind ActiveX - COM. It is written from a VB programmers perspective and is designed to complement the Microsoft documentation. The signal-to-noise ratio is just about right and anyone who's read Dan's articles will certainly recognise the style. A good book and well worth the money. This book is NOT really suitable for anyone without programming experience, but COM aware C++ developers will probably get on OK. A must for any professional VB developer starting on COM.

This is a big book, but it's definitely worth slogging through. If you're new to ActiveX, you should go through the examples in the Components Tool Guide manual to learn the mechanics of creating a control. You can do that in a few hours. But to take the step from creating dummy controls to creating controls robust enough to use, you have to know what the heck you're doing. That's where this book comes in. Is it annoying that Appleman doesn't really get down to the nitty-gritty of controls until half-way through the book? Of course. But the first part of the book is really important. More important than the second half of the book, actually. It's in the first part where he tells you what ActiveX is really all about. Any bonehead can create an ActiveX control. But unless you follow Appleman's way of doing things, you're better off not writing an ActiveX control in the first place. That's because there's a lot of pitfalls you can encounter that will cause more lost time than any time you saved by having an ActiveX control. As an example, consider the compiling of an ActiveX component. The VB manual basically says "You know, it's kind of a good idea to have binary compatibility, but if you to break compatibility, that's ok." Appleman basically says "Don't break the compatibility unless you really know what you're doing, because you're going to really regret it". Appleman knows his stuff inside and out, and that allows him to have opinions, allows him to decide what to emphasize. The bottom line - if you're just starting out developing ActiveX controls, you're a damn fool if you don't buy this book.

When I realized that the first half of this book covers the history of the technology and saves the technical hands on part for hundreds of pages, I was concerned. Do I need all this background? Well you do and Appleman explains it in an easy to read format with excellent word pictures as examples. He explains how the terminology evolved, how Microsoft marketing confused everyone, then goes on an makes ActiveX development seem like childs play. You do need a solid OOPs background to make the most of the information, but assuming that, this is a book to read and keep as a permanent reference (at least until the next edition).

Recently having begun to serve on a board, I've found Robert's manual--a mainstay of legislatures, clubs and other organizations around the world since 1893--to be invaluable. Its comprehensive coverage of motions, rules, procedures and all contingencies has served me well simply in understanding "what's going on"; it has also enabled me to become an active, not a passive, member. Knowledge is power, in this context or in any other. There is no question that members of your organization who have knowledge of the rules of the meeting have the power to control the meeting. If you do not want to get stepped on, this book is essential.

There are several editions of this work. I advise buyers to get one that (a) has a durable binding, able to withstand the rigors of frequent use; (b) has a good introduction or supplementary guide by its editor, as Robert's original manual is, as other reviews here have noted, complex and intimidating to those who are new to it.

While there certainly are other options to understanding parliamentary procedure, "Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised, 10th Edition)" is a traditional key to knowing the ways things are done.

True, true... this isn't exactly the sort of book you bring to a coffeehouse on a Saturday. However, it is also true that if you are part of an organization that has organized meetings, 'Robert's Rules' is a great place to start. The liturgy of meeting procedure starts and finishes with the rules set forth in 'Robert's Rules.'

Get this book, but consider getting one of the plain English versions as well. If you are new to parliamentary procedure, you'll find both books in tandem quite helpful.

I fully recommend, "Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised, 10th Edition)" by Henry M. Robert III.

Anthony Trendl

Many people will recommed other parliamentary authorities whose primary benefit is that of being shorter. Other authorities I've read ("21st Century Robert's Rules" and "Riddick's Rules of Procedure") are shorter because they've left out substantial parts, or don't include useful examples.

Some other authorities, like Ray Keesey's "Modern Parliamentary Procedure" do not actually reflect current (or past) parliamentary practice, but attempt to redefine procedure based on the author's own bias. Robert's Rules are more obviously the result of centuries of practice, and use.

This book will not get you up and running overnight, but it is indispensable to anyone with a desire for a comprehensive understanding of parliamentary law. And even though it is a more massive work, part of the extra material is instructive on shortening your meetings by acting more efficiently without abridging anyone's rights.

As soon as I finished this book I ran out and got the second and third books, and I got the rest as soon as they came out! Countdown is my favorite series ever. I was sorry it ended at #12 but it was a great ending. Everyone should read this series!

This is the best series I've seen around for a while. In my book, it's up there with Everworld and Body of Evidence. In fact, I think it's even better than those. Daniel Parker is a fab writer. The plot of Countdown is amazing. You've never seen characters more real. Some of the detail gets really creepy. You'll love it.

In this phenomenal story, the apocalypse is coming. The only people who stand against the end of the world as we know it are a bunch of teenagers. And they're destroying themselves among each other...

If you want to know more about Countdown, or know any mailing lists for it, or just want to email me and gush about its coolness, contact me.

p.s. Trevor is not a pervert!

This book was AWESOME, like someone said before me, it keeps you at the edge of your seat. It's about how the world is coming to an end. If you have read Revalation(spelling?)it's like that, only it's kinda in a Hebrew(Jewish) way. Kids and adults die...They say only Teenagers are left...But no where in the book does it say that 13-15 are alive...Which is weird. Anyways, get this book. I have read Jan.-March. They're all great. I'll be reading all of them for sure. yup I'm a book nerd.

Another great book is Senior Year: Can't Stay Away, By: Francine Pascal. It's not anything like these type of books. Just a suggestion though.

Cisco has updated the CCNP exams with new material as well as new questions. Studying for the exam(s) requires the most up to date material available, that's why Cisco Press has taken the lead and given you a preparation library that is both complete and up to date with all the changes.

The four book set is tailored made for the classroom and is listed as Cisco Official courseware. Covering the BCMSN, BCRAN, BCSN and CIT exams this sets of books also works to help in the study for the CCDP exams.

Once thing that impressed me the most is the fact that information is so detailed and written by CCIE's and CCSI's giving you the benefit of years of experience. The books had very few errors in the grammar department. The information does exceed what the objective call for and the author(s) knowledge is evident throughout the books.

Overall this is both a great set of book for the classroom and could with the certification library you have an unbeatable combination to work with. I do not see the price being an issue but with future release there should be some simulator included

Okay you have completed the CCNA exam and are now certified and then what? What is your next objective? CCNP? There are several tests and where do you find books to cover the exam? Cisco Press has taken the trouble to give you the perfect prep library for passing the CCNP Exams.

Written by CCIEs, CCSIs and CCNPs, this four volume set is the official course books used by Cisco. The four books cover the following exams, Building Scalable Cisco Networks (BSCN), Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN), Building Cisco Remote Access Networks (BCRAN) and Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting (CIT). Book 1 - BCMSN - you work with and learn about campus networks Vlan and Inter Vlans. This book can be used for both the CCNP and CCDP exams. There are hands-on tasks to perform to help you learn as you go.

For book 2 - BSCN - You take on the routing principles, OSPF, VLSM, EIRGP, 150-page coverage of BGP. This book gives hands-on and case studies, which is a nice addition. The book is very detailed and is written to the more advanced level technician.

In book 3 - BCRAN - the world of remote access is put at your fingertips. From topics like DDR and ISN to modems and the 700 series router. Added to the case studies and hands-on is troubleshooting and management techniques.

Finally book 4 - CIT - you get to learn Cisco 8-step problem solving model in great detail. You also get extensive coverage of protocol characteristics. There are diagnostic tools and you learn to troubleshoot protocols.

The books come with chapter test to measure your learning as you go. I think that a routing simulator application could have been included for those people without direct router access. Overall an excellent purchase as your money is definitely well spent here.

This collection of 4 texts, a complete preparation guide for the four core CCNP exams is an absolute must-have to pass all 4 exams with high score. Everything you would need to pass the exams is contained here.

If you or your company has money to shell out for the CCNP certification courses (which costs somewhere around $2,000+ per course, multiply that to 4), you would have the privilege to work on the lab hands-on, plus receive 2-volume spring-bound textbooks.

But, if you cannot afford to spend that fortune or your company is such a cheap skate, bless you... this book set contains the exact contents, word-for-word, of each of the required course. Main difference is that it is more convenient than the 2-volume spring bound official text. Errata given by class instructors also apply to these books. Some certified training center might hand you a separate lab book which has a different setup than the one contained on these books. Although the actual lab setup and hardware used from Cisco CEC is different from these books, the actual lab scenarios and practices are somewhat similar with these books' content.

I have not used any other reviewer but these sets to attain my CCNP certification (I got rid of the spring-bound text given to me at certified training center, yup, sold it to ebay). I strongly advised to go through the lab scenarios/exercises, either on a piece of paper or actual hardware (don't bother with Sybex CCNP Virtual lab, it's a great disapointment). You can grab yourself some used routers/switches from ebay (some companies on the internet offer a timed lab practice for a fraction of the cost where you FTP on their site and allow you access on their hardware) or you can follow along and do the exercises on a piece of paper.

If you must pass your CCNP, you will, and these book set is all you need. I'll give it a 5-star as the errors you will find are not really major one...bv the lab exercises & exhaustive information are awesome! Superbly illustrated throughout. The Book set is not only highly useful for the exam, but would also come in super handy as a great reference tool for the job.

Who doesn't love Sam Cooke? Well, a lot of people, but they are a misguided bunch. This book provides finely researched insight into the talented mind of Mr. Cooke. Why hasn't his story been made into a major motion picture? And I don't mean one of those crummy VH1 movies, either. Sam's life was a story of scandal, faith, outstanding talent, women, shady record deals and murder. Author Daniel Wolff writes with flair and honesty throughout the entire book. I loved his descriptions of Sam's songs and their different stages of creation. For fans of Sam, as well as devotees of pop and gospel music, "You Send Me" is well worth reading.

When I first read this book,I was so entranced that I stayed up all night reading.Sam Cooke had long been my musical idol and many stories about him are a) sketchy or ;b)center around the bizarre circumstances surrounding his death.Granted this book doesn't answer many questions about his cause of death,but it does open up alot of things about his life.It showed a human side to the man behind the voice(fathering many illegitimate children,his shrewed business instincts,the death of his son Vincent,and the heavy drinking before his own death),as well as a detailed account about the genisis of his greatest songs(guitarist Cliff White thought You Send Me was repetitive during the sessions for the song,Wonderful World was a demo which was rushed released by his former record label to cash-in on his RCA success,and A Change Is Gonna Come was inspired by Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind).You Send Me, like the now deleted Man and His Music CD are essential to any Cooke fan,especially when many of todays music stars could never hold a candle to this talent.

this is a must have book.while it would have been nice to have more info on his wife&BOBBY WOmack this book does a great job of reflecting his musical impact and the Rich Legacy that he left behind.it's a Shame about his Murder.but once again Black Life in AMerica doesn't have the same meaning no matter how influential or important you are.ANd Sam Cooke was all of that.he has inspired countless others.his Business sense was ahead of the curve as well.to hear him sing A Change Is Coming is still one of the most Haunting things to me ever.Spike Lee used the song Brilliantly in Malcolm X right before MaLcolm was Killed.you won't want to put this book done.his voice&music are as fresh then as it is now.he is a Father of Music.

According to the brief bio in the back of this book, author Blunt has written scripts for such notable shows as Law & Order. It is clear that he brings a lot to the table: a fine sense of narrative timing, strong skill at characterization, and a crisp writing style. These gifts all come into play in Forty Words For Sorrow. From the outset, the wretched cold is as integral to the plot as the characters. Blunt succeeds in evoking the climate both of a mythical northern Ontario town and of the local police force, where personalities clash and collide and, ultimately, pull together to solve the mystery of who has murdered a number of missing kids. There are finely wraught characterizations with not a stock character in sight. The issue of mental illness is addressed with sensitivity and insight. And at the point where the narrative focus shifts from who the villain might be to the interior rationale(s) behind the crimes, the momentum moves into high gear and stays there. The tension is spread across several lines: detective Cardinal's anxiety over his secrets and personal sorrows; the heightened fears and sorrows of those related to the victims; and the ongoing investigation of Cardinal's past by his new partner, Lise Delorme, who is torn by conflicting emotions and relentless ambition. This is a can't-put-down book, lean and taut. I'll be eagerly waiting for the next in the series.
Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book with well-developed characters that I cared about. A prior reviewer complained that the "killers" were revealed midway through the story & that this detracted from the suspense; I think this misses the point of the story. For me, the suspense was heightened as the Cardinal & Delorme, the investigating police detectives, follow-up on leads that bring them slowly closer to the killers & the latest victim; I was reminded of suspense classics like "Silence of the Lambs" which used this same style of building psychological tension. Hihly recommended !

Time is a precious commodity so there's always some degree of risk to start a novel by an author I'm unfamiliar with. In this case, the time devoted to read enough to decide if it was worth continuing was short. The story of an investigation of the murders/disappearances of three young people starts with the discovery of a body while describing the main characters in the setting of bitter cold Algonquin Bay, Canada. The cold winter weather is expertly described and matches the cold, detached feelings of the heartless killers. Once they are introduced, the pace of the story quickens. The technique of alternating between Cardinal and Delorme ( the primary investigators ) and the killers and their captive heightens the tension and accelerates the pace so by the time the storyline is clearly established, the investigation is in overdrive. The subplot allows the reader to witness the internal struggle of conscience in one of the characters and the total emptiness and lack of conscience within the other killer. The comparison offers enough contrast to lift the story above the run of the mill thriller by offering the reader some substance and material for reflection. To put it simply, invest the time, it'll pay off.

The book has many good features, and I've made some great breads with it. But it is very annoying to run accross silly errors that a half way decent editor should have caught. The worst mistakes are in proportions, which are obviously very frustrating (particularly if you've spent money on the expensive flours Leader incorrectly suggests are crucial). Other reviewers are correct that the number of pages could have been drastically reduced. Frustrating is the fact that while there is an enormous amount of repetition, some important aspects are given only cursory treatment: e.g., how to form the loaves, how to make breads from straight dough. Also annoying is his suggestion that you reuse plastic wrap. The fixation on temperature is too much as well. When my house is warm, it's warm, and when it's cool it's cool, and the bread does fine in both, although it moves faster the warmer it is. My book fell apart very quickly, too.

I have tried for years to replicate the Artisan breads of Baltimore and Washington bakeries in my kitchen oven. Although the breads were fine tasting, they never had the tough, chewy, delicious crust of those breads I favored and bought as often as I could. Daniel Leader, author of Bread Alone, presents the "secret" of Artisan bread making. The first recipe I tried resulted in the crust and crumb I have tried for years to produce! Not only does Mr. Leader show the home baker, through step by step process of making Artisan bread, he laces his recipes with personal stories of his trips to France, learning from the French Boulangers and their sometimes personal stories. Not only is the book well worth it's recipes, it makes for enjoyable reading. This book goes beyond the recipes found in Baking with Julia, a very good book. Bread Alone shows step by step how to build the chef, the poolish and the slow fermentation of the dough to produce that wonderful tastey crust, so elusive in other books.

I came across this book in a public library and could not put it down once I started to read it, almost page by page. This is more than a book of recipes - recipes are really not that difficult to find - it is also about the passion of life, which has, without ourselves noticing, quickly but quietly turned into an obsession for quick tempo,profiteering, without a genuine understanding and appreciation of inner qualities. His attention paid to finding the best oven, organic wheats and slow fermention methods all related to bringing back the kind of breads which does not just look good, but which are genuinely good for health. And, for him, as a baker and owner of the shops, this is not just about a way to profiteer, but more to using human techniques and knowledge to turn the simplest and cheapest produce on earth into the best everyday food for the most people, even the not-so-wealthy ones. This is not just about the breads, but about the passion for life, substantial, earthly and without unnecessary sophistication. (the recipes are not that simple though.) This book is thus a sharing of the baker with the readers about his ways of looking at life as a baker, and letting us know also the passions of other bakers, and the persistent efforts putting into the soil by the organic farmers. In short, a book not just to function in the kitchen, but also one whose inspirations and thoughts you can share with the rest of the family.