Slimey to the Moon is an excellent choice for young children. It is a cute short story filled with bright and colorful pictures. My 18 month old has not put it down since it arrived. A Slimey finger puppet also comes with the book which is great for kids to act out the story as the adult reads it.

I have done extensive research on the history and uses of Stevia. The most common roadblocks I have come across are 1. Scare tactics by artificial sweetner companies that warn of the *dangers* of this natural alternative 2. Companies that are selling Stevia themselves that write glowing fluff that, although may be true, don't provide any facts about what Stevia is or where it's history lies.

Then I found this book. Mr. Richard brings an his extensive research and knowledge to the pages and introduces the reader to Stevia from every angle. Taking the time to include growing tips, history and even recipes, this author has done an outstanding job of showing the benefits of Stevia and how easily it can and is used in the world. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in incorporating this healthful plant into their life and for anyone who wonders what all the hype is about.

The main contents of the book,please

Married, harried, and crumpled Herb arrives with his suitcases to take up his assigned post at the Book Fair. He runs into an old flame. In no time at all, he's stashed his suitcases in a locker at the trainstation; finds himself in a hotel tryst with this woman from his past; and after sex and cigarettes, returns from a trip to the bathroom to find the bloodied corpse of his illicit lover, and the aforementioned suitcases at the foot of the bed. From there, we follow the suitcases through the twists and turns in the tale Richard Walter, chairman of the screenwriting dept. at UCLA, has constructed to illustrate the elements of solid, artful storytelling.

Walter's two books, The Whole Picture, and Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing, are among the most practical and helpful a writer will be fortunate enough to come across. For the neophyte, they may not contain enough information on the exasperatingly nit-picking "industry formatting standards" that get scripts past the scanning eyes of a scriptreader, but he shines a bright, clear light on the single most important bit of information a writer must know if s/he is to come to the end of his/her labors with a good screenplay in hand: write well. In addition to making his points by using this clever device of constructing a story right before the reader's very eyes, he reveals a great deal of sound advice about the movie business and what works in a screenplay. If you don't know how to integrate a compelling theme with characters an audience can care about, dialog that rings in the ear, and action structured to keep the story moving forward, learn how before you quit your day job.

When people ask me for advice about what books to read to learn about writing--screenplays or other formats--I always tell them they couldn't get a better start than this book.

This book is so complete that, at this point, I won't even consider taking instruction from any other source on the subject. I own both of Mr. Walter's books and have found them to be both inspirational and invaluable during my journey into the screenwriting craft. I am currently working on a screenplay and have two others outlined and waiting. As a novice of the trade with no formal training, I honestly don't beleive I would have grasped some of THE most important aspects of this craft were it not for Mr. Walter. The following principals, which can be found in this book, as well as his first, "Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing", are the reasons why:

(In my own words)
(1) Every drop of ink which makes up your screenplay must be properly integrated in order to effectively advance story, plot and character. Simply put, your words should deliciously and tantilizingly seduce your audience from one scene to the next, all the way through to climax and conclusion. If a particular scene or piece of dialog hinders this progression, the audience becomes riders on a proverbial rollercoaster. This rollercoaster promises a great ride and may even get off to a magnificent start but soon begins to stop, start, sputter and chug; the boxcar barely makes it up the big hills, lacks the momentum to properly execute the loops and ultimately poops out to its disaterous end, leaving its "passengers" feeling angry, annoyed and immensely disatisfied. Screenwriters if you want to dazzle your audience take them for the ride of their lives at full throttle and don't you dare interrupt that "ride" with boring settings, dull characters, or uninspired dialog.
(2) Movies utilize TWO SENSES ONLY: Sight and sound. That which cannot be seen or heard must never appear in your screenplay as it cannot be shown on screen. This simple rule should train screenwriters to become more skilled in conveying thoughts and feelings through dialog and action alone.
(3) Movies are for AUDIENCES not WRITERS. Throw in "meaningless prattle" for no reason other than it suits or amuses you personally, and you may as well throw in the towel as this ranks number one on the long list of screenplay (and film) suicide.
(4) To those screenwriters who like to write dialog in keeping with "the way people really talk", Richard Walter reminds us that "the way people really talk is free", but movie-speak costs! Dialog must be crisp, concise, brilliant and poetic yet, somehow, magically come across as natural as one hundred percent cotton. If this principal sounds contradictory, implausible, or downright impossible to you, I sincerely hope you work it out as this principal is the mark of a great screenwriter if not the very definition of screenwriting.
(5) More can (and should) be said with less.
(6) That which is implied is often superior to that which is actually spoken. Strive to craft scenes where, when appropriate, actions speak louder than words.
(7) Respect your audience and give them credit. Don't spell everything out as if for a six year old. Strive to write more subjectively and less leading.
(8) Just WRITE! Do the Hollywood film and television community a favor and don't attempt to "direct" or "act" your screenplay from your trusty word processor. To do so is "not merely unappreciated" but downright "resented".
(9) Conflict and tension are the two most important aspects of a great screenplay. The writer who develops and nutures the ability to use conflict and tension effectively will captivate an audience from the first frame to the end credits no matter what the subject matter, and in doing so hold the key to this craft.
(10) Shock them! Dazzle them! Excite them! Incite them! Frighten them! Sicken them! Touch them! Repulse them! Move them! Anger them! Thrill them! Inspire them! Amaze them! JUST DON"T BORE THEM!!!

This, and much more is, in my opinion, Richard Walter. There is a reason he is Professor and Faculty Chairman of the prestigious UCLA Screenwriting Program. Pick up his books and find out why.

There are many books out there about structure and where to put what plot points where and Richard Walter has made an addition to that field itself with "Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing.

However, this is more about advice on issues of screenwritings, arguing such points about all screenplays being personal, which I might add he does so very well. He also gives advice on why writers write, agents and working within the industry. And a look into the process of rewriting a scene of a screenplay (very useful). I would describe it as Adventure's in the Screen Trade without the bitterness of Goldman.

My only criticism being that it makes you so hungry and ravaneous for more advice. The Bibliography is more useful than what you find at the end of most books.

It is a worthy addition to any screenwriter's or movie moguls bookshelf.

The Official 75th Anniversary Publication of the Chicago Bears, this action-packed book celebrates the vision of a legendary coach, which ultimately led to the creation of the National Football League. Readers meet all the great Bears players who have helped make the team a great sports franchise.200 color potographs.

Whittingham's book gives a wealth of information on one of the most historic franchises in sports history. Great pictures, stories, players, coaches, and statistics add up to give the whole picture of the Chicago Bears. Even though they are not too good right now, they have a history that cannot be matched by too many teams in the NFL or any other sport for that matter. If you want an in-depth look at the Bears, get Richard Whittingham's book.

Mead's Special Providence is at its best in describing the four historical schools of American foreign policy. His framework is apt at explaining the motivations and actions of the major political figures and movements and applies in many cases to domestic policy debates as well. It also rings true with my gut feeling that binary classifications - isolationist/internationalist, hawk/dove, right/left, Democrat/Republican - do not really have a lot of explanatory or predictive power, at least since the end of the Cold War.

His conclusions are also thought provoking though not terribly well developed or convincing. Is the American foreign policy elite really much more out of touch with the American "folk" than it was fifty years ago? Have "Jeffersonian" - constitutionalist, small government - voices really been marginalized since the collapse of the Soviet Union? Does the US democratic system still provide a key advantage over Europe in formulating and executing successful policy? These are all really important questions, but I wish Mead had either left them as such or spent more time arguing his conclusions. The last two chapters are the only weak part of the book.

And, although he can't be faulted for it, I found myself wishing that the book were published later in the George W. Bush administration and, particularly, after September 11. He makes the conventional point that there are different voices in the Bush administration. But, is Bush himself a Hamiltonian (commercialist) in Jacksonian (populist) clothing or the opposite? Also, is our reaction to September 11 the key event that points the way forward for America's post-Cold War role in the world or simply a manifestation of the Jacksonian impulse to fight a total war once provoked?

Despite the weaknesses I noted, the fact that Mead has me thinking about these issues and caring what he would have to say about them shows what a really good bock Special Providence is. I highly recommend it.

Walter Mead's Special Providence belies the historical myth of American foreign policy. Mead challenges the idea that American foreign policy was non-existent or amateurish before World War II. Mead argues and capably supports that the United States has a unique and rich tradition in its dealings in International Relations. Mead asserts that this policy is a product of our American democracy; a form of government that many argue is inferior when dealing in foreign affairs. However as a product of American society, a number of voices and ideals have tempered a policy that has done exceptionally well, judging by our rise to power and status today.
"American foreign policy rests on a balance of contrasting, competing voices and values - it is a symphony - or tries to be, rather than a solo," asserts Mead. Escaping the typical and lacking descriptions of realist versus idealist, Mead illuminates four active voices within America. Each voice is complicated enough that any elaboration I give here will be lacking. However, the names of the schools should give you the idea. The Hamiltonians, Jacksonians, Jeffersonians, and Wilsonians make up the America's collection of competing schools of thought. Mead concedes that the names are not historically accurate. But he makes a strong case, leading the reader to re-evaluate American foreign policy history - providing historical antidotes of each school in action. Mead treats each school with respect and supplies a convincing intellectual argument for each. Special Providence is a delight to read. This paradigm of the four schools provides deeper insight and understanding of American politics in the international arena, and even to a lesser extent on the domestic side. Meads insights are lightly glazed with wit. I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. I recommend this book to anyone with the slighted predilection for international relations or American history.

This is an excellent read for someone who is new to foreign policy issues. The author doesn't tell the reader WHAT to think--rather, he provides a framework for HOW to think about U.S. direction in foreign policy. The book provides a structure for thinking about and discussing U.S. reaction to world issues that I've not seen elsewhere. While the author provides well-researched historical support for his ideas, he doesn't try to give in-depth history lessons.

In the end I only wished to have been able to read what his views were regarding events on September 11 and its affect on subsequent U.S. policies.

Look no further for preparing for the ACR written exam for physics

This is all you need to pass the Physics ABR board exam. A life raft in a sea of despair!

The second edition of this text is a must have book for any Radiology Resident or Medical Physicist. Each topic's review is very comprehensive and written to the point. This text should be used by Residents and Medical Physicist prior to taking their certification exams. There are questions at the end of each chapter's subject and there are two mock board exams that will help the resident or physicist identify his or her weaknesses.

I've been programming for more than 20 years, but wanted to learn some of the newer languages. I am currently taking a class and this is the text. If I were reading this book on my own and not as part of a class, I would toss it and try another book. I find the author's writing style difficult to stay with. I can only tolerate 4 or 5 pages before leaving the book, only to come back later for a few more pages. I sometimes have to read a section 2, 3 or 4 times in order to understand what the author is trying to communicate. (Even the class instructor does not like the book!)

Having started my working life as a secretary, the number of English language errors (using "their" instead of "there", mixing singular and plural ["...when you use a mutator methods, the ..."]) just drives me crazy. Of the many computer books I've read in the last 3 years, this is the worst with regard to language errors. I don't expect perfection, but couldn't someone have done a better editing job?

This is the best book I can find to begin learning Java. The detailed explanations and comfortable layout and design of the book make it the best book for beginners. You can easily understand all the points that the author wants to say. The accompanied CD containing Borland JBuilder and TextPad has no expiration.

This book by Walter Savitch is so well-organised and helps me a lot through the systematic approach. Although you may often need to refer back several pages for the examples, it's worthwhile to do so, because the examples are quite good. Besides, it covers most of the syllabus of the Java Examination except the topics of Thread and Networking. After finishing this book, I think I can read other advanced books or go into special topics like JSP/Servlets/JavaBeans/Jini.

I bought the Core Java 2 Vol 1 and think that is about fundamentals as the title says. But that's not for the beginners to read, even they have learned VB or C++ before. Previously that was the bestseller in Amazon and I trust it's worth to buy, but I regret!

I have also read some other beginner books. Java 2 How to Java is not so easy to read if no programming experience and too heavy! Java 2 From Scratch is quite difficult to read and not suitable for beginners, but teaches you write a real life application! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Java 2 has too few examples and topics! Idiot may think it's not worthy. Java 2: A Beginner's Guide explains the concepts with just several words only. How can the beginners use this guide?

Sometimes the bestseller/official books may not be suitable for you and try to read some other books which can meet your own needs and learning approach.

If you have never programmed before this is the book for you. Java is probably the easiest Object-Oriented language to learn and this is the easiest book to learn Java from. The writing is concise and unbelievably clear; and 8 year-old could learn Java from Savitch. Pick up this book and download JDK from Sun for free and you'll be programming in no time.

Example: One of the most annoying things (at least at first) about Java is its I/O System. And obviously to run the simplest program you need user input. However Savitch solves this issue by having a class, SavitchIn, that handles user input pretty well. Thus beginners can jump right in and start programming without having to worry about parsing command line arguments or using StringTokenizer.

All this having been said, this book is far from comprehensive and you'll soon outgrow it. But as a computer science grad student, I can say that undergraduates with no previous programming experience love Savitch's book, and you will too. You might also want to pick up "Java in a Nutshell," the best Java reference book -- for the money.

I would doubtlessly recommend Ivanhoe to read. History may be often dull but Sir Walter Scott makes history extremely exciting by romanticizing his novel. It directly deals with hatred between the Normans and the Saxons, the discrimination of the Jews, chivalry, and politics--but it is a unforgettable tale of heroism, honor, and love. I felt that the characters were so fascinating and fun to read about. I was enjoying and cheering on the good characters like Ivanhoe, King Richard, and Robin Hood to beat the hated and evil villains. I liked the idea of love added in the story, like how Rowena and Rebecca were both in love with Ivanhoe. I even felt a little sorry for Brian de Bois-Guilbert who would do anything for Rebecca's love but is constantly rejected. I thought how it was appealing how the author questions Ivanhoe and Rebecca's feelings for each other. Suspenseful and action sequences also added entertainment to the story. This book may be a little too detailed for some readers, but I didn't mind. I felt that the details were brilliantly used to decorate the story in an outstanding fashion. The old English wording made me feel like I was actually in the medieval England. I have to admit that it took a great deal of persistence for me to finish this book and it was a challenge for me to read. However, I found Ivanhoe to be a wonderful pleasure. It is no wonder that Ivanhoe is such a well-loved tale!

I enjoyed this adventure yarn on many levels.

I was glad to learn about the Knights of Templer and that they were crusaders. I always wondered how Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon knew that and it is because of this classic.

I was surprised that it talked so much about Robin of Lockesley. The story of Ivanhoe seemed to be the same only told by Ivanhoe's friends and not Robin's.

I thought that the DeBracyn and the Knight of Templer Brian de Bois Guilbert were pretty evil guys which made the story interesting. They were weasels when they had their backs to the wall but did preform with honor when required like when Richard gets DeBracy.

I guess I did not understand the prejudice of the time because they treated the Jews like dirt and they were so sterotypical. I really thought that the Jewish girl Rebecca was going to end up with Ivanhoe instead of that Saxon Lady Roweana. I guess you have to appreciate the times that they lived in.

It was a different look the Richard/Prince John history.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but this book, by Sir Walter Scott, was the progenitor of what was to become a venerable tradition in English letters (and in other European literatures as well): the historical romance. There have been many after IVANHOE, and frequently with a finer eye to the period in which the tale is set (for IVANHOE contains quite a number of anachronisms -- even Scott acknowledged it), but few have done it quite as well as Scott. He uses an archaic English to give voice to his characters, but one which is readily absorbed because of the speed & quality of the tale. So, though these people certainly wouldn't really have spoken as he has them speaking, they yet sound as though they should have. Peopled by many 'stock' characters and situations, this tale was fresh in its time & still reads well today -- a testament to Scott's skills as a teller of tales and a sketcher of marvelously wrought characters. In this tale of the 'disinherited knight' returning home to find the world he left turned upside down, young Ivanhoe, after a stint with King Richard in the Holy Land, must fight the enemies of his king and kinsmen anew. Yet the hero is oddly sidelined for much of the tale as events swirl around him and the brilliantly evoked villain, Sir Brian de Bois Gilbert, in the pay of Prince John, struggles to win treasure and the beautiful Rebeccah, who yet has eyes only for Ivanhoe, a knight she can never hope to win herself. There's lots of action and coincidences galore here and Robin Hood makes more than a cameo appearance, as does the noble Richard. In sum, this one's great fun, a great tale, and the progenitor of a whole genre. All those which came after owe their form to it. Worth the price and the read.

Nine Stories of an Imminent World is about life in America a generation from now which isn't that different except the drugs are better & the daily grind is worse; justice is now delivered by automated courts & the Supreme Court has decreed that constitutional rights don't apply to anyone who challenges the system.

If your mind is not open when you start Futureland, Walter Mosley will use the crowbar of his words to pry the lid off before he's done with you. He makes you think & he makes you step beyond the stereotypes & look at where they came from.

This near-future science fiction thriller held me firmly in its grasp from the fly leaf to the last page. Every chapter is an individual story yet when all is read & done - it is very well done!

This is an engrossing, compelling book, full of great inssights, and painted against a credible, dark, and wonderfully ominous future landscape. In reading other reviews, I am surprised by the level of criticism, even though much of it is on point. Yes, the race element is at times a little heavy handed, in the last story in especially. Yes, there are places where the story line could be tightened, or is a little predictable--but not often, and not much. But these problems are minor compared to the thrill of exploring a fascinating future world, populated by fresh, fascinating, characters. This is WOW science fiction, like we rarely get. Perhaps the criticisms are a functin of how much Mosley achieved. He's a stone's throw from having created a truely GREAT Science Fiction book, in the Asimov, Heinlien, Clark pantheon. And ok, it is NOT at that level. But at times it comes really close. If you like SciFi, read it. You'll be glad you did.

In the not-too-distant future, major corporations have taken over the functions of the state and most workers have been reduced to a perpetual treadmill between subsistence work and a barely livable unemployment. For criminals and anyone who opposes the omnipresent corporate state, punishment is swift, certain, and enforced with dispassionate unconcern for rights or human dignity.

Author Walter Mosley's nine inter-related stories tell of this near-future and, especially, of the position of blacks in a supposedly racially integrated world. While occasional anarchistic resistance can slow the forces of capitalism run beyond any rules (and FUTURELAND is filled with stories of this resistance), the overall tendency of history cannot be stopped.

Although FUTURELAND was written before the events of 9/11, the encroachments on liberties that Mosley forecast in these stories appear far less paranoid and far more near at hand than they could have to the average reader when Mosley wrote them. Readers do not have to agree with Mosley's dark message, nor share his fears about neo-Nazis ready to cleanse the world of non-white blood, to see the frightening possibilities that Mosley shares.

In the initial story in this series, Whispers in the Dark, Mosley adopts a dialect-heavy style that makes reading difficult. Stick with FUTURELAND. The payoff is worth the effort and Mosley's later stories are far more approachable, from an ease of reading perspective, if even darker from their take on the world.