I just read "The Cult Around the Corner," cover to cover, in one sitting. It is beautifully written, completely clear, dynamically designed and typeset, and has a great title and cover. I like that the book gives examples of positive action. I loved the analogy about beans in the chili. All in all - this book is a real winner.

If someone you love has joined a religious "cult" or such a group has moved into your neighborhood or they are becoming active in your community or any similar situation occurs then this book is where you should start when wondering what to do. It is not an exposition about the beliefs of various religious groups nor what defines a cult from a religion or any such thing. Instead it deals with an all too common problem, people basing their understanding of a group on prejudiced things they have heard, gossip or similar information. It deals with the alienation that often follows when parents and friends don't understand why a person joins a different religious group. It also deals with how to recover that communication and recover the relationship.
This book guides you through various techniques to deal with this situation. The first and foremost is to be calm and find out about the group for yourself. There are various ways of doing this and the book covers all of them. It also covers the things not to do in a situation like this.
This book is a definite recommendation to anyone seeking guidance on how to deal with someone else's religious choices or anyone who may be thinking of making a change themselves.

So much of our reaction to religions different from our own in this nation has been based on faulty information... or worse yet, NO information. Since Colonial times, many Americans continue to make assumptions and mistakes when encountering religous groups for the first time--especially when a loved one has just joined a little-known group. This book serves to correct that on-going problem--and does an excellent job. Easy and quick to read (I read it in less than three hours), it provides well-researched materials--and many interesting ideas and solutions.

I read this book for research... and even though I consider myself to be open-minded, I'm glad I did. I learned a lot!

Nancey Drew and Ned's romantic dinner ends in the discovery of Pam Harter's body, an investigative reporter, at a construction site. Meanwhile the Hardy's, Frank and Joe, are working undercover as EMT's, because someone is holding up ambulances and stealing bodies! Nancey, Frank, Joe, Ned, and Brenda Carlton, another investigative reporter, team up to find the truth behind the murder and body snatching before it's to late.

Somebody is stealing bodies from ambulences in River Heights, and the Hardy Boys pose as EMTs to solve the mystery. Meanwhile, Nancy looks someone that Brenda Carlton insists is missing. Nancy finds her murdered in a construction lot. When she calls 911, the Hardy Boys show up! This book is my favorite of all the super mysteries. You will never guess the ending!

The Hardys are under cover in River Heights because someone has been hijacking ambulances... and stealing bodies!!! Nancy discovers the grim truth while searching for the 'why' in a reporter's death for Brenda Carlton, and she and Ned almost don't make it to the end of the book. Read it to find more intrigue...

I can't say enough about this colorful, campy, delightful book. It is one of my 2-and-a-half year-old daughter's favorites.

My daughter enjoys reading about the adventures each planet provides these spunky canines. They fly kites on windy Jupiter, wear sunglasses on Mercury and don sweaters on chilly Neptune. My daughter knows that Mars is dusty and red and that pluto is very dark--because of this book. The author and illustrator have made learning about the planets fun, interesting and entertaining.

My daughter absolutely loves the solar system maps in the front and back of the book. She can point to and name every planet, and she isn't even three years old! She talks about "jet packs" "asteroids" and Saturn's rings--concepts that the book so wonderfully depicts.

What a treasure. It is rare to find a book that is so adorable and educational. The illustrations are hilarious, as well as lively.

I highly recommend this book. Your little ones will enjoy this and you will have fun reading it to them.

Angela

The coolest part of this book for me is when dogs in space go from Earth all the way to Mercury and when they got to Mercury it was so hot that they had to wear sunglasses. This book is an excellent good book. The pictures of this book are just magnificent. I wish to see if you like this book report. Thank you and thank you again for giving my book report a rating now goodbye.

What a beautifully illustrated book...Very vibrant andunusual...My daughter checked it out of her school library and shebegan to copy the drawings...I now have dogs in space all over my kitchen! It's simple but silly...It has peeked my curiosity to find out more about the author/artist...hope to see and read more of her works!

Here is sound advice enveloped in both warmth and sensitivity. I liked the "nibbles" scattered throughout the book and other practical suggestions, such as how to obtain and wear a pedometer. I am having such fun in my daily walking and competing with myself for "steps instead of miles." As a health educator who taught Nutritional Smorgasbords to elementary school children and also to groups of school nurses encouraging them to include this concept of healthy eating in their school programs. I am delighted to see this much needed book in furthering the education of the public and in such a clear and kindly tone.

I think I've read every diet book ever written. They're all the same. You follow a specific plan for a while, you lose weight and then as time goes by, you drift back to your old habits and gain it back. This book focuses your weight loss on whatever habits caused you to gain weight in the first place. It's more personalized than any other diet book I've ever picked up. And it works. I'm losing weight while getting control of my eating and exercise habits. I also have more energy and don't feel like I'm depriving myself. This book is filled with so many healthy snacking options and great recipes. I also find the nibble on this sayings to be very motivating. I always wondered why I kept gaining my weight back. Now I know why and am doing something about it.

Where has Dr. Kushner been all my life?? I've read every diet book on the market, tried every approach--always looking for the "magic" one, but never feeling satisfied--and this one is the BEST ever.

Why? Rather than offering a once-size-fits-all formula for quick weight loss, it helps first pinpoint the possible causes of our diverse, individual struggles and then offers sensible, logical and healthy lifestyle changes I wish I'd "thought of" before: No longer do I feel like I'm on a diet, but by following Dr. Kushner & team's expert guidelines, I've adopted changes that are not only manageable in everyday domestic, social and business situations, but ones that can easily last a lifetime.

Ever since I found my "personality type" after completing the quiz, made lots of the recommended changes, met with great success (and compliments from others!) I've been thinking "Why don't people ever talk about this 'novel approach' even though, as I now see, it makes the most obvious sense in the world?"

Moreover, Dr. Kushner not only seems to understand every single one of us, but he also recognizes the human reality of our situation--that deprivation and strict dietary dictates aren't what are going to give us the long-lasting results we've all been seeking, and instead offers us valid, sensible advice and tools we all can use to fit our varied lifestyles and thereby get control of our weight once and for all. In addition to all of this, I loved the tone of the book because it seems like he's actually talking to you, doing so with warmth and a sense of humor. So apart from being enormously helpful, it's also enjoyable to read.

I feel like buying this book as a gift for every single person I know who struggles with their weight. I also feel like nominating Dr. Kushner for the "Hall of Fame of Medical Professionals who Really Understand and Care about You & Me."

Our original copy of Dr. Mom has split into two pieces. It has lost its cover and backing, and it is missing several pages. We have used this book like a bible for eight years raising our first three boys. We are having a new baby now, and we need a new copy. I seriously cannot think of any book that we have used and relied on so much. By the way, it blows all the others like it away.

I bought this book when I had my first child. It has provided me with alot of helpful information, especially at night or on the weekend when you're not sure whether or not to call the doctor. I have worn my original copy out and am about to buy a new one. Many thanks to Dr. Neifert!

I recieved this book when I had my first child and any time we have had a question or problem with health or accidents this is the first thing I turn to when in doubt. With the diffinitions of illnesses and disorders in the book you can go directly to the symptons and treatment and further prevention listed in the back of the book. It goes step by step with the new parent from the delivery of the baby, brest feeding and circucision with illustrations to name a few. The first months of a baby's life to starting them potty training and discipiline. Dosages of medication. Understanding there behaviors.

These are only a very small portion of the content in this book. We have owned a copy for eight years that is worn out literally. We are now ordering a copy for a family member and a new copy for ourselves.

The only regret is that we have not located a hard cover version of this book.

I pulled so many ideas I could use out of this one! General books on training often aren't that applicable on my topics, but this was fabulous. It has a ton of activities that very directly apply to the content of early childhood education workshops. It wasn't gimmicky or forced or childish, but applicable and professional. This was a gold mine for me.

One must always focus on the positives that occur..whenever they occur..the plusses should always ...read the book and then teach! Let the nobility of teaching be it's own reward!

Though I have been training for many years, this book provided new ideas, and in an excellent format. From Ice Breakers, to activities, I have been able to enhance my CDA classes more than I expected! Thanks to Nancy for providing a must needed book for our field!

Since beginning low-carb eating, I have found it difficult to find good dessert recipes that I could share with my family and friends. Nancy's cookbook has solved that problem for me. My Dad is a diabetic and now I can make desserts that even he can enjoy.

I just received my copy of Nancy's latest book Fabulous Desserts, and can't wait to try these low carbohydrate variations of my favorite recipes. Nancy uses everyday ingredients and simply and clearly guides you through making these desserts. There are examples of low carb pie crusts that can be adapted to your favorite recipies. Recipes use some of the common sweetners, such as Splenda and Stevia, and the recipes range from chocolate to custards to pies. Nancy, hats off to you for another successful cookbook !
Pat Sonnenstuhl, ARNP
Nutrition Consultant

This is a great book. The author has combined together in a clear and simple format some of the best and easiest recipes I have seen for low carb eating. The recipes are quick to make and delicious to taste. One of my favorites was a Ruben Lasagnea. This conbines corned beef, swill cheese and sour cream for a blended taste. The recipes are well laid out and it is easy to find variations on your favorite recipes. The ingredients are simple and found in most kitchens. I highly recommend this book !
Pat Sonnenstuhl, ARNP
Nutrition Counselor

This is a very personal history as the author takes personal interest in the Lt. Kidder massacre that occurred to a platoon of soldiers carrying a dispatch from General Sherman to Custer. This was during the 1867 Kansas Indian war during the military's unsuccessful campaign to defeat the various tribes. Earlier references to Kidder stated that the young inexperienced officer was unfamiliar with Indians and was ill prepared for his mission. However, the author through research confirms that Kidder had Civil War and Indian warfare experience. The latter was during the Sioux wars in Minnesota. The author provides more detail than the normal few pages in books about Custer. The detail includes a biography of Kidder, a detailed description of his family and particularly information about his father who was a judge and politician in South Dakota. High points include the story of the massacre. It starts initially with Kidders recent re-enlistment and assignment in Kansas and within a few weeks of his arrival, the mission to deliver Custer a dispatch who at that time was with the 7th trying to locate and defeat the Indians. Kidder finds Custer's trail but unfortunately where Custer turned off the Wallace trail, Kidder misses the new yet faint trail perhaps because he passed it at night. Approximately 200 warriors found Lt. Kidder instead and he tries to escape finally fortifying himself in a small ravine among high grass. It sounds familiar to the last survivors of Custer Hill running to a ravine for cover also killed without survivors. The author's surprisingly successful archeology digs help them map a course of battle and determine what may have happened. Kidder also had an Indian guide who died with all 11 army members. The author also writes of Kidders father making a brave trek to the battle site to recover his son's body, which actually encouraged the army to recover all the bodies. It's a personal trip with history and a real person's story about the need to find more detail about an often referred to event without elaborate research. The authors virtually take you there with their visit through descriptions, maps and photos.

This is a very personal history as the author takes personal interest in the Lt. Kidder massacre that occurred to a platoon of soldiers carrying a dispatch from General Sherman to Custer. This was during the 1867 Kansas Indian war during the military's unsuccessful campaign to defeat the various tribes. Earlier references to Kidder stated that the young inexperienced officer was unfamiliar with Indians and was ill prepared for his mission. However, the author through research confirms that Kidder had Civil War and Indian warfare experience. The latter was during the Sioux wars in Minnesota. The author provides more detail than the normal few pages in books about Custer. The detail includes a biography of Kidder, a detailed description of his family and particularly information about his father who was a judge and politician in South Dakota. High points include the story of the massacre. It starts initially with Kidders recent re-enlistment and assignment in Kansas and within a few weeks of his arrival, the mission to deliver Custer a dispatch who at that time was with the 7th trying to locate and defeat the Indians. Kidder finds Custer's trail but unfortunately where Custer turned off the Wallace trail, Kidder misses the new yet faint trail perhaps because he passed it at night. Approximately 200 warriors found Lt. Kidder instead and he tries to escape finally fortifying himself in a small ravine among high grass. It sounds familiar to the last survivors of Custer Hill running to a ravine for cover also killed without survivors. The author's surprisingly successful archeology digs help them map a course of battle and determine what may have happened. Kidder also had an Indian guide who died with all 11 army members. The author also writes of Kidders father making a brave trek to the battle site to recover his son's body, which actually encouraged the army to recover all the bodies. It's a personal trip with history and a real person's story about the need to find more detail about an often referred to event without elaborate research. The authors virtually take you there with their visit through descriptions, maps and photos.

This book provides an interesting and poignant study of Lt Lyman Kidder and his brutal demise.The work also affords the reader an insight into the tragic existence of the frontier family by following the journey of Lyman's father to claim his son's body from the remote battlesite. The authors' skillful use of original sources paints a vivid picture of a father's search for meaning following the death of his son. Judge Kidder's subsequent correspondance with Custer and Sherman, among others, affords an invaluable window into these turbulant times. The book will not only be enjoyed by students of American Frontier history, anyone with any degree of empathy with, or sympathy for, a family's love for their son will be moved. I recommend this book without reservation.

At MIT, I took the course 6.852 Distributed Algorithms under Professor Nancy Lynch. It was an excellence course. This books is based on her lecture notes. Before this book, there is really no book that covers these material in rigorious and consistent matter. One usually have to read the actual published academic papers. Because different author may use different notations or models, sometimes it is hard to see the whole picture. This book shows exactly that. The algorithms are presented in a consistent notation, and the models and the assumptions all the explicit, clear and consistent. However, Professor Lynch's lecture style can get really dry and boring, sometimes I can't help felling asleep because the class was so early in the morning. For that, I decided to give it only 4 stars.

Professor's Nancy Lynch's "Distributed Algorithms" is a definite reference for theoretical treatments of many hard problems in distributed computing. It is a textbook, but written in such a clear style that makes it almost a pleasure read. Rarely have I seen something like that! The book has a right proportion of theoretical proofs, practical applications, philosophical appreciation of the problems, research questions, examples and study points.

"Distributed Algorithms" has 3 main parts - synchronous, asynchronous and partially synchronous network algorisms. Each part describes consensus resolution, mutual exclusion, resource allocation, leader election, termination detection and failure detection as main problems in distributed computing theory. Lynch has done a masterful job of leading us from simple to complex, from theoretically solvable to practically intractable problems.

For a practitioner of computer science, who is not necessarily involved in fundamental research, this book gives a clear appreciation of problems of 2PC, resource management, failure profiles in faulty and noisy networks, optimization and fault management in distributed networks. All those things are foundations of databases, network computing and enterprise scalability. It also helped me greatly in estimating the best and worst case boundaries in certain practical distributed system optimization problems.

This book is in the same class as "Discrete mathematics" by Knuth and others. Important topic, extensive coverage, good English, zero vendor's propaganda. Super. An unexpected gift from up above (after struggling with reams of MS's (dis) information .) I am working on something distributed and ran into this book accidentally, while browsing in a bookstore--I'm glad I did. Btw, it's a few bucks cheaper in B&N store (here goes my review .)

Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques by Nancy Bednar & JoAnn Pugh-Gannon

Being fairly new to creative sewing, I found this book particularly helpful as a means of learning the techniques needed to upgrade my skills from plain sewing into the creative area.

A few of the many techniques covered include ten different methods of applique, drawn thread techniques, decorative bobbin work, quilting and trapunto quilting, silk ribbon techniques, thread painting and tucks.

For each technique, there is a description of the technique, the sewing machine set-up is given in a clear and concise manner, together with a list of appropriate fabrics and additional requisites. There are colour plates and smaller photos which illustrate the methods of sewing.

The book is mainly devoted to the creative, decorative sewing techniques, but there is also a chapter which covers 'Indispensable Techniques' from Bias Binding to Placket Zippers.

Altogether this is a book which I shall turn to again and again as I learn to make the most of my sewing machine - and to have fun while doing so!

I ordered this book because I thought it would be a good "next to the sewing machine" book for reviewing basic stitches (how to do a blind hem stitch, how to reverse applique, etc.) I was pleasantly suprised! This book is a great reference for all of those basic techniques, but it contains tons of great creative ideas as well, like silk ribbon embroidery on the machine, using the marking foot to make fringe, and many more. I use this book all the time for both reviewing the basics and getting inspiration to try something new. The book is well organized, with photographs of each technique. Highly recommended!

This book should be in every sewing room! The instructions are detailed and easy to follow. If you only buy one book for your sewing room, this is the one to have. If you buy two, "501 Sewing Tips" from Nancy Z. is another great one filled with extremely helpful tips.