Yellow Bird and Me is a very good book. It is about a girl named Doris and her friend Bird. Doris has a friend that moved away. Doris writes letters to her friend every time she writes a peom. Doris and her friend are very good friends. I like the book because it is funny and I recommend this book to everybody. I've got to say, it's a big big laugh-out-loud. There is nothing that I don't like about this book. This is a very good book to read.

Sincerely,
Organic

Yellow Bird and Me is one of the best books I have ever read (I have read a lot of books). If I had to rate it 1 - 5, I would give it a 5. This is what it is about... Doris has a friend named Amir who moved away. She also has a friend named Yellow Bird, who has problems reading. This is a good book for little kids. ...

I liked the book Yellow Bird and Me. It was hard to put down, but it was boring at the beginning. It was about Doris, who is trying to earn money to see her friend Amir and Bird, who wants to be in the drama club, but he can't read, so Doris has to help him. ...

This book is not well written but the story is good but its borrowed isn't it? I find myself wanting to find out how it ends as opposed to enjoying the moment. A story from Arabian Nights cries out for the jewelled words, dancing elephants, and bursting bombastic speeches. It is nonetheless a valiant effort by someone not from that region and maybe his rendition is perfect for the western reader who perfers sparse words, less speeches, less ceremony, and more story and intrigue. Dont get me wrong its an enjoyable read for its simple language for the subway, beach, plane, or a dentist's waiting room. I was disappointed because i expected so much more.

This is the most satisfying book I've read all year. The descriptions are lush, the relationships complex, and the characters both sympathetic and believable. It truly transported me to another time and place. I want to thrust this book into the hands of all my friends.

If you're the kind of person who "doesn't have time to read," pick this one up over the summer, skip the dull TV reruns, and let yourself be awash in the beauty of this book. The rest of us will have already read it.

I really love this book. It is amazing how Horch gets inside the head of his protagonist- so convincing and moving. The love story and the fascinating historical context really make this a gem. I highly reccomend this book. I also think it would make a great movie...

We had this as a reference book for a course in Microwave engineering and was used in a design problem. This is not your leisure book that you can just browse! You have to have advanced calculus/electromagnetism background to understand the concepts.

The book covers all the basic antennae theory and types to topics ranging to radar design.

This is a must have for any RF design engineer.

Since most of the RF jobs in US are with defense and companies like Lockheed Martin and you have to be US citizen to get such jobs, I had to opt for computer networks for graduate studies in US, otherwise I'd have ended up as a RF designer myself.

I would normally rate such a book as five stars, but I've given it four stars to draw some attention that this book is not so easily comprehended as two preceding reviewers suggest. Indeed, the book is well written and organized. However, I think the level of mathematics used is that of advanced calculus. I believe this book is intended for a senior EE or EE graduate student. However, it is not all mathematics and there is still much to be learned about antennas from the book without having had exposure to some of the mathematics used. If you are in doubt, you might consider an alternative before purchasing this book, or at least purchase it with the thought of returning it within a 30 day inspection period.

I found this book to be very helpful and to the point on mostof the material. I thought the math, when given, was quitestraightforward, and the author was sure to explain the actual meaning of the math in quick to understand terms. I have only had this book for two days, and have already been able to walk away with a good bit of knowledge END

Intended user: Intermediate - Advanced

Although Daniel Giordan has written some of the clearest and best-organized books on "How to Use Photoshop", he has really outdone himself with his latest, The Art of Photoshop. It showcases Daniel Giordan's own work with clear step-by-step explanations. It is published in large format -10 x 10 inches- with color illustrations, keyboard shortcuts for both Macintosh and Windows users and screen captures, of the tools in Photoshop that all artists could master.

I must admit, that although I have learned tons from his "how to use" books, this book was a bit over my head. It is definitely aimed at the creative artist crowd! After picking this book up several times just to sit it back down. Several pots of coffee, brought me more than I ever thought I wanted to know about: PhotoShop - The following is a list ... from the book that I found ... explained and illustrated throughout the book.

Image Editing:

Optimizing - Tools for Optimizing the Tonal Range - The Histogram Window and The Info Palette are explained in detail ...

Enhancing Focus - Image focusing tools - The Unsharp Mask Dialog Box - ...- The Gaussian Blur Dialog Box ... - The Add Noise Dialog Box

Curves - Tools For Working with Curves - Curves Dialog Box ... Curves Tonal Grid ...

Color Correction with Curves ...

Adjusting Hue and Saturation ..."

Adjusting Layers ... Montage:

Silhouetting with the Extract Filter - The Extract Dialog Box ... The Painting Tools ...

Layer Masks - Layers Mask Controls in the Layers Menu - ... Layer Mask Controls in the Layers Palette ...

Clone / Stamp Tool - The Stamp Tools ... The Clone Stamp Options Bar ... The Pattern Stamp Options Bar - ...

Blending Modes - The Blending Modes Menu ...

Special Effects:

Custom Brushes - Brush Options Bar ... Brushes Palette ...

Distort Filters - The Distort Filters Submenu ...

Making Patterns - The Pattern Dialog Box ... The Tile History Options ...

Gradients and Gradient Maps ...

Liquify Filter - Liquify Dialog Box - View Options Control ...

Lighting Effects - The Lighting Effects Dialog Box...

I confess, I didn't create anything close to the illustrations showcased in this book. I did find new skills and inspiration, and I also managed the line scribble technique used on several of the illustrations in the book. Only my scribbles were not created with the same creative intention. I feel the book was a little overwhelming, and should have included a little more basic-basic Photoshop "how to" -Daniel Giordan is famous for bringing it down to the Intermediate level, but if you are looking for a book packed with advanced level options to create your own artistic statements -this is your book

Not for the beginner. The book does not come with a CD-ROM so you're expected to bring your own raw material to the table. The overall presentation is so nice though - oversized, nicely printed and great separations - that you can leave it out as a coffee table book. Inspirational.

Beautiful digital imagery with great tips and instructions for the intermediate photoshop user. The work is "classy" and doesn't have that cheesy pasted-together, obviously- filtered look that a lot of digital 'art' has. I love this book.

t's 1963 and Elvis Presley is so bored with movie-making that when he gets a letter from a convict claiming his innocence, Elvis decides to check things out. What Elvis finds is a Hollywood full of wanna-be stars, each willing to do anything to make it big--anything including murder. The ex-stunt man, Squirm Littlejon might not have killed his prostitute girlfriend, but he certainly did make some powerful enemies. Enemies that wouldn't stop at killing him--and destroying Elvis--to protect their secrets.

Author Daniel Klein does a convincing job making Elvis both believable as a detective and likable as a person. It is amusing to think of Elvis rolling around Los Angeles in the early 1960s, solving crimes and trying to decide where to take his life. Klein adds enough topical references to satisfy the Elvis buff and to educate non-fans on this intriguing and conflicted character.

With a title like BLUE SUEDE CLUES and with Elvis as detective, I was expecting something funny but, while there are definitely some light moments, for the most part, Klein plays it straight. Elvis battles pain from a sprained ankle with too much codeine, risks his life, witnesses murder and suicide, and sinks deep into a world of blackmail, prostitution, and murder. Klein's smooth writing keeps the plot moving forward and hold's the reader's attention.

Daniel Klein did it again. Like Kill Me Tender, Blue Suede Clues is a true pageturner in spite of the fact that real life Elvis was not a detective and hardly could be one. Can a real life character be a fictional character, and how close they can grow, or how far they can depart? Every Russian (like myself) had read War and Peace where Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov, czar Alexander I and Napoleon Bonaparte were both, historical characters and fictional characters at once. Leo Tolstoi kept their images recognizable but didn't pursue their life-true portrayal. Instead, he used them for expressing his ideas regarding war and peace.

Blue Suede Clues cannot be compared to War and Peace, but in the latter case, the function of a famous character is the same. It expresses Klein's ideas about the subject of his mystery, the loss of humanity in a morally declining society.

Even Elvis cannot help Littlejohn, a victim of the corrupted justice system. As the mystery unfolds, the unholy power games escalate so forcefully that Elvis himself is caught by the net of intrigues. And Klein lets the forgotten Littlejohn to take care of himself by his own means. Littlejohn escapes and flees abroad. In the name of a traditional resolution, Elvis wins the battle against the evil by unmasking the judge, the twin brother of Littlejohn's attorney. Of course, the evil judge is the killer who framed Littlejohn. When unmasked judge takes his life -- evil is conquered. But it is a bitter victory. On the last page, Elvis learns that president Kennedy has been shot, and book ends with the words, "...he reached into his pocket for his bottle of painkillers." Who really won? Did Elvis conquer the evil, or the evil society conquered Elvis? Who will win at the end? As a matter of fact, the dark backdrop of Blue Suede Clues with its identical twin theme (one unit good versus one unit evil) leaves the battle unresolved. I cannot wait to learn, how Daniel Klein will handle this situation in his next installment of Elvis Presley mysteries...

In Blue Suede Clues you get three for the price of one: a murder mystery, interesting facts about Elvis, and a psychological thriller. Serious suspense, of the kind that makes you stay up later than you had planned, mingles with amusing details from Elvis's real life. However, as a psychiatrist I found the psychological part of the plot the most fascinating. Dan Klein's portrait of Elvis struggling to reconcile his spiritual ideals with the reality of Hollywood (and sex) was both convincing and emotionally engaging. Will he succeed? That's one of the mysteries and I won't tell you what happens.

The reference covers many topics covered in higher mathmatics. Extensive list of definitions, theorems, formulas for many topics in mathematics - algebra, discrete, analysis, geometry, continous mathematics, many classifications for functions, and statistics. Some of the higher advanced topics include graph theory, abstract mathematics and differential geometry. The material presented is geared towards the serious mathematican than an undergraduate student or basic math user (why 4 star rating). For an undergraduate student, buy Handbook of Mathematics and Computational Science. If you are still interested in exploring mathematics, buy the book!!

Clearer, newly typeset, and better-indexed than previous editions. Still has the comprehensive integral tables and a good trig reference section. The D.E. reference is still a little obscure. Good series section, good statistics. A nifty, if hardly "standard" topology/ knot section. All in all, keeps most of the good stuff, reorganizes, and resets old versions - due to the ambition of the new sections and scope of the reorganzation, a little bit disorganized. But it'll certainly be taken care of in the next edition by CRC, which consisently produces high-quality handbooks.

Zwillinger is an incomparable genius at organizing data, information, theory. See my review of his Handbook of Differential Equations, which is the best thing in its field and which the reader should also purchase regardless of whether currently into differential equations. The other reviewers have done a gone job noting details of this book. Here I would like to answer why tables and formulas are needed in a day when hand computers are everywhere. The answer is that we have to learn to think in terms of tables and formulas to keep at the top of our fields (for example, how many of you know that general relativity is based on sets of tables called tensors?). Computers today are stil mostly not for thinking but for doing long calculations which involve repetition rather than innovative thinking. Make your hobby tables, formulas, equations, inequalities, and you might pass Life 101.

I'm a student teacher and I have used this book in the class I'm with and they love it! The words are powerful and have a very interesitng rhyming pattern. Each page has a new line, that explains the page before.

What I like best about this books is how is repeats itself over and over. The kids love it. Towards the end of the book, they were saying it along with me.

The illustraions are INCREDIBLE!!!

If you're a teacher, I highly suggest you get this book. If you're a parent, I highly suggest you buy this book. You won't be sorry.

This book starts a complete and utter 'gigglefest' at my house every time it's read (which is quite often!), we discovered it from the library and now it's a favorite gift item for all the children that we know. The characters and illustrations are great, and my 5 year old son just loves seeing these well known characters (from other stories) present in this fun book.

This book has been a favorite of my 6 year old son since he was 3 or so. For quite a while, it was almost an every evening affair. Now that he's older, he is starting to realize pieces are taken from other stories, and the wonderful circular silliness really appeals to him. Finally, it's a wonderful book to read aloud, playing games with rhythm and speed. Few of his books have held his interest for so long and continue to delight him. How much more do you want in a children's book?

To learn the Silent Illumination technique, you have to go to a Ch'an or Zen teacher, such as Sheng-Yen, in New York. This book is a good description of the mind states and practice attitudes associated with that method. The Chinese names have been nipponized. "Hongzhi" you may recognize as "Hung-chi". This book is very useful for S.I. practicers.

Sheng Yen's book on S.I. is "Infinite Mirror". This book is equally good.

I read this shortly after it first came out. It seemed OK and I put it aside. Several years ago --and after more sitting practice and retreats-- I reread it and now I think it is a treasure. In the translated passages/poems, Hongzhi is speaking consistently from a deeply enlightened experience.

Someone new to Zen may find this collection of talks from a twelfth century Chinese master fuzzy and not very helpful. But for someone with experience sitting, it is profound. Dogen also gave Hongzhi "five stars" in Shobogenzo.

Hongzhi's words have become my favorite sitting companion.

This is one of the best books I've ever read -- on Zen, Buddhism or Spirituality in general. Hongzhi was obviously as clear as they get, and his subtle and powerful language and insight is an inspiration to any practicioner, from any tradition. This book is a must read for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of Reality.

Unlike most square rig sailing books Eagle Seamanship gives simple explanations of not jut how things are done but also why they are done. This is essential if you are truly to come to understand square rig sailing and attain a good level of competence.
The only problem with Eagle Seamanship is that often Military/Coast Guard terms are used which can be confusing for civilian sailors but this is limited mostly to names and titles of the people on deck and not the seamanship terms.
Even though Eagle Seamanship deals specifically with sailing one ship, the Eagle, the information is relevant to sailing any barque.

This book was designed for cadets on the U.S. Coast Guard training ship Eagle. As such, it provides a good overview of sail operations. It provides diagrams for lines and sheets that proved very informative.

Recommend this book for someone with a serious interest in square riggers, if only to see how the procedures are somewhat different than that used in the 19th century.

.

Summary:

If you are at all interested in sailing on square rigger's, or in ship modeling--this is a must have book that will fit in your pocket for reference on deck. Buy two copies.

If you simply want to expand your knowledge of seamanship-this book will give you some good ideas and is worth the price. I was particularly impressed with the emphasis on commands, the descriptions of the chain of command-all principals that should be applied to any vessel with a crew.

Back Cover:

Written for cadets serving on the U.S. Coast Guard's famous training barque, Eagle, and use by Tall Ship sailors around the world, this handy, pocket-sized manual tells seamen all they need to know to sail a square rigger. This new edition, the first to appear in ten years, is easier than ever to follow, and its simple step-by-step explanations of commands and procedures help the reader through every important sailing maneuver. The wealth of knowledge and experience this guide draws upon is without parallel.

Index:

1. Eagle History

2. Compartmentation and Standing Rigging

3. Sails and Running Rigging

4. Setting, Dousing, and Furling Sail

5. Trimming Sail

6. Working the Ship

7. Shipboard Emergencies

8. Deck Seamanship

Glossary

Reviewer's Comments:

I picked up this book before there were any reviews and had no clue it was a US Coast Guard Manual for sailing this specific boat. So I was a little disappointed at first. I was only slightly interested in the interior arrangements of the cabins. BUT...

After digging into it, I found lots of cool stuff that could apply to handling any sailing vessel. Like a good way to scandalize (depower) a staysail when you don't have a furler.

The single piece of information I was most interested in was the layout of the running rigging at the pin rails. For a sailor to know the ropes-this information must be committed to memory.

I enjoyed the book, and reread in periodically to help keep the terminology fresh.

Now, I'm trying to figure out how to wrangle a passage on the Eagle-or at least a tour.

Smooth Sailing

Bart Senior

As an Italian reader I found this book very involving and enjoyable.

It's a passionate, well written story of emigration, and it's a story about roots and identity.

In my opinion the only fault of this book is that it isn't the story of the whole family, but only of half of it.

The Talese saga depicts a world crowded with very interesting and well-portrayed male characters. It's the story of their dreams and their disappointments, of their failures and their achievements and of the risks they dared to take in the struggle for a better life in the old and in the new world throughout a century. It's a story about the troubles of a double loyalty and, to some extent, it's a journey home.

And I must say I found very interesting to look at a piece of italian history through the eyes of a second generation Italian-American.

In sharp contrast, the female characters are pale ghosts, barely sketched shadows wandering in the narrow space of an old house, of a narrow Southern Italian village, of an American store. Even Ippolita, the grand-grandmother, the only non-conventional woman of the family, remains hidden to us. And I happened to wonder whether Talese is not able to find anything really worthy of attention in these women and in their lives,portrayed as just spent in the shadow of their men (fathers, husbands, sons), or if they live in a world of their own, completely impenetrable to him. Whatever the answer, Talese seems to be aware of this imbalance: the title of the book is "Unto the Sons" and the sons are the male children.

This is a sweeping epic about an Italian family. Gay Talese has a rich family history and he tell's their story (in a way it is his story) with the voice of a novelist.

There are many characters who might appear uniteresting if we were to "meet them on the street," but Talese's ability to get under their skin, as it were, gives them individuality, personality and humanity. And this is the story of the characters: it is not contrived by the author--though, of course, he tailers their stories to fit HIS book.

This is not a romanticized tale. Sometimes it is dark, with stern, superstitious ancestors and bleak events. Yet when it was over I felt a warmth for most of the characters in it.

This is the epic of many Americans. My own ancestors had many similar experiences. My ancestors are fairly recent German and Swedish immigrants, but much of their story is the story of the Talese family. It is the story of our own individuality striving against our heritage and either coming to terms with it or rejecting it.

Gay Talese has helped my understand myself in terms of my own heritage through this excellent book.

This magnificently written portrait of the extraordinary spirit of the Italian people, and the decision of some of them to leave Southern Italy, skillfully portrays the life and customs of small towns in pre war Calabria and New Jersey.

It introduces us to many fascinating and industrious people, and their struggle in the two world wars.

It also shows us to what it felt like to be an immigrant in the United States before the last war, and what it meant to see your children grow up as citizens of a country that was actively allied against your beloved homeland.

It is a superb account of the role Italian people have played in the development of this country, the richness of their culture and the expertise they have brought with them.

A definate "Must Read" for anyone interested in Italy and the dynamics of the USA.