The entertaining, educational, non-judgemental tone of Scott's spoken lectures, this touching, easy-to-read book, and his beautiful music cd confirm that instead of bitterness and regret, people can live a life filled with joy and productivity when faced with darkness. Hold your tissues closely, and buy this book to share with your teen. It is difficult to teach good judgement making skills, but Scott bares himself to illustrate how choices in activities and attitudes can change life. There is a special place in my heart marked for Scott Fried. L'Chiam.

Scott Fried is not only an amazing person, but a real person. By this I mean, I have met Scott, at a lecture of his in Boston. I have read multiple books about AIDS and the HIV virus but being able to associate a face with the name helps so much. Scott is living proof that you can live with AIDS. His book, If I Grow Up: Talking with Teens About AIDS, Love & Staying Alive is one which I will continue to read multiple times. This is because it has real people who I can associate with, because they are closer to me in age, even though I don't have AIDS. I like this novel and reccomend it to any person living in a world where there is a sickness called AIDS, meaning everyone.

Scott Fried is one of the worlds truly amazing people. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy this book from him personally which you unfortunately cannot. It is the experiences of an amazing man put into words so eloquently and delicately that after reading it you will feel as though you have lived that life and been a part of everything he speaks of. If you have an interest in life, AIDS, friendship, or love... this book will speak to you. I hope you enjoy it as much as i did...

Brianne was on her way to be with her sister while she was having her baby when she had a car accident. When she came too, she walked a few steps fell down an embankment and blacked-out again. When she again awoke it was to see a handsome man telling her that she was a whore sent by his friend as a joke. She thought he was mad, and that everyone in the area was in a historical play (for the tourists). He would not believe she was from the future. Imagine when she finds out that he was really an ancestor of her sisters husband. Read the book to find out what happens.

I laughed at romance novels until I read Timeless Passion. Brianne is a modern woman who wakes up in 1856 alone and confused. Hoping she'll wake up from this dream/nightmare, she copes the best she can. She settles for a marriage of convience for survival, thinking that the love and companionship she seeks will never be hers. Constance O'Day Flannery's character development is marvelous. You grow to care for Brianne. I found myself staying up until 3am to see her life unfold, unable to put my book down. As in all romance novels, there is a happy ending, but the afterward to this novel, tying up the time travel plot, brought tears to my eyes

Timeless Passio

This is one of the most informative publication on the coverage of corals for reef keeping in a single volume. The pictures may be a bit oversaturated but the information it contains is highly informative and is well researched.

In the tradition of Delbeek & Sprung 2 volume series and Fossa and Nilsens MCRA 4 volume series this stands in league with their books for its extensive coverage!

If you like coral reef tanks then this book is for you!!

Wow, what an awesome book. At first I thought it would be just another Coral ID book, but it is A LOT MORE! It's an easy reading text, while providing some good in depth technical meat. The pictures are top notch, and He actually has corals in there that I feel are common or have seen for sale in stores, yet no other book I have ever seen covers them, until now. Eric's experience and knowlegdge is top notch. He provides some really good information based on radical new discoveries as well as more current accepted practices etc.

My advice: this is a must buy for any reef aquarist, both novice and expert. The information is modern and up-to-date. If you don't have time to read all the current information on reef aquariums and coral husbandry online on the Internet, you might want to get this book, as it will give you a nice summary of current information.

Anyone seriously interested in corals, either from the standpoint of captive husbandry and propagation or the natural history of coral reefs has much to gain from this book. The photographs are spectacular and taxonomy and husbandry of both soft and stony corals are presented in detail for the aquarist. The book is a valuable tool and no reef aquarist would regret purchasing it.

If you have been suffering from a malaise after looking at the Flash ActionScript books that have been available, then this book will break the monotony and inspire you to run the New York City Marathon. Okay, you won't want to run the marathon, but you will be invigorated with all of those neurons in your brain working overtime.

Because of its weight and volume this book is often referred to as a 'doorstop.' When you peruse the massive volume I think you'll agree that it is more of a 'door opener.' The first-half of the book is one of the most insightful overviews of ActionScript that I've found. Those pages are worth the price of admission by itself. The second-half of the book is the most through treatise of ActionScript that has been written. Maybe treatise is too dry of a word to describe it, but it is closer to the truth than the word dictionary; that the authors named it.

If you're still reading this and haven't clicked the order button already, then the scale will tip when you learn about the accompanying CD-ROM. It includes the dictionary that you find in the book, along with hundreds of FLAs and SWFs examples.

The only reason for not buying this book is that you don't have the money.

I have longed for a total resource like this, for about two years. I thought the Moock book went part of the way but it was from a Javascript perspective and it was kinda feeble as a reference. But this book takes you all the way man and then some.

I thought Actionscript grew up a good load richer with MX, but somehow and amazingly Macromedia chose not to print the Actionscript reference like they used to with Flash 5 and I really missed that. This book supplies it in a really expanded, totally comprehensive form. And not just the reference, but you also get a 400 page section on what Actionscirpt is really all about (like, it's not just Javascript for vector-dogs) covering just about every question on the detail of working with Actionscript, simple, serious, and some scary. And what's best, in language I can make sense of, because I'm a designer and I'm smart differently from back-end developers. For me coding is for real, it's about what I can see and make move.

But that's not ALL you get, oh no. You then get the CD-ROM version of the dictionary, which in itself is something to amaze. Not just explanations of every element of Actionscript, but also real, worked FLAs and SWFs to illustrate the code in action.

For $... I don't get it. I worked in technical books in Oz and I can't think how we'd have done 1200 pages at that price. How are Sham and Glen and Jen and Tim and Scott getting paid out of that? Not to mention the guy who made the ace CD, I hope they get a fair shake.

It would be awesome as just a labor o' love. A thing of beauty is a joy forever and you just made one guys.

I cannot say enough about this book. I, like most programmers, have a stack of computer books that's taller than I am, but this one is by far the best one I've ever seen. The ActionScript reference has entries that you can't find other places, including deprecated functions/operators and functions/objects that Macromedia doesn't tell anyone about. Each and every function, operator, symbol, etc. has an explanation and several examples, including how NOT to use it. Best of all, the entire reference is on CD, complete with text, images, and example files. I keep mine in my CD drive at all times when working with Flash.

This book doesn't stop there, though. It also has 20 chapters (3 on the CD) that discuss various aspects of ActionScript programming. These are all clearly written and easy to read. I would not say they are suitable for absolute beginners, but anyone with some programming experience in any language should be able to get a lot out of them.

The bottom line? If you use Flash MX and you don't have this book, you're not getting all you can out of your ActionScript.

This is a well-done book providing plenty of information about marine aquarium setup and maintenance. My mother's a librarian so I've read several books on this subject all of which seemed too trivial and uninformative or written for the professional reef tank hobbyist but this book seemed like the perfect fit for me. The author takes the reader step-by-step through the process of identifying and purchasing the necessary equipment to seting up the tank and equipment to choosing and introducing fish to the tank and of course, maintaining the aquarium. The book is very informative and should bolster confidence in a beginner looking to setup a small to midsize tank. The author pariticularly covers filtration methodologies very well focusing primarily on the highly regarded "Berlin" method. A must have for beginners and intermediate fishkeepers looking to setup a marine tank. I would recommend a more detailed book for specifically covering choosing and caring for different types of marine fish, corals, invertebrates, etc., but this is otherwise a great book.

I had already looked at many marine aquarium books before I found this one. I already have a freshwater tank, but really had no idea how to go about setting up a saltwater tank. I mean, I didn't know anything!

This book misses nothing. Other books may start off well, but tend to get skimpy on the things you really need to know and then focus too much on things that, at the moment, you don't need to know, such as page after page on various species of fish. That's important, but not particulary helpful if you don't know what you are doing.

The first part of the book goes into tank selection & setup. It goes over among other things, protein skimmers, power filters, & powerheads along with the other more rudimentary stuff such as heater, thermometer, etc. It goes into instructions on how to correctly mix the salt water and put in the substrate.

After that, a considerable amount of time is spent discussing live rock, what it is, how to choose it, how to take care of it, where to place it in the tank, etc. It even gives sample layouts - very helpful! The last part regarding tank setup walks you step by step through setting up the tank and live rock. If you follow the checklists, you won't miss anything or do anything out of order.

The second half of the book is on selecting fish and taking care of them. In the section showing the various species of fish, it also tells what suitable tank mates could go with the fish. Lastly it goes into feeding and maintaining the tank along with a section on fish diseases and how to treat them.

If you are interested in starting a saltwater tank, then this is an excellent book to begin with.

Thinking of getting into the saltwater aquarium hobby? Do not buy anything until you have read this book cover to cover! You will be sorry if you don't. By applying the principles in this book, you will have much greater success at the venture. You will save a lot of money and spare the lives of many fish.

After you've read this one, buy The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner and give this great hobby a go. It's wonderful, and these two books will get you off to a great start.

Mildred Taylor has written an outstanding novel. The Land is a prequal to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. It traces the life of Paul-Edward Logan. Paul-Edward is the son of prominent Edward Logan and his former slave, Deborah. This mix leaves Paul mostly unaccepted by the white community and the black community. Where does Paul fit in? The book recounts Paul's inner and outer struggles of growing up. It tells of his conflicts with family, friends and strangers. The novel is very well written and includes emotions by using the appropriate dialect that it allows the reader to become part of the story. I felt that I was there in the scenes as a bystander.
I think the novel is appropriate for a high school audience. The novel covers some very sensitive issues. Their maturity is needed to accept the struggles and prejuidices without becoming so angry and upset.

After reading "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry" and the two following books of the trilogy, I fell in love with Mildred D. Taylor's writing. I searched the library for more books by her, and when I was successful, sat down and read the books immediately, becoming more enchanted with each one. When I heard that there was a prequel to the books, I couldn't wait to get a hold of it. On the way home from the library, I started reading and didn't stop until the last page.
Paul-Edward Logan has a white father and a half black, half indian mother. Growing up on his father's plantation, he never quite knows his place. Although his mother is always warning him against it, Paul-Edward's best friend is his father's other son, born from a white mother. As Paul-Edward grows he learns of betrayal and watches his best friend abandon him for a group of rough white boys. When Paul-Edward is fourteen, he runs away with his new best friend, Mitchell. A book about racism, friendship and family, Mildred D. Taylor has created another masterpiece to be enjoyed for many years.

... The Land By Mildred D. Taylor

For the past month or so, my class has been reading The Land, by Mildred D. Taylor. I am not exaggerating when I say this is one of the greatest books ever! The Land is about an African American boy named Paul Edward Logan, who lives on his white father's plantation. Paul lives in the time of racism, slaves, and disrespect of black men and women. Even his very own father treats him differently than Paul's white brothers ' he cannot eat at the table when there are guests. Nor can he talk to white men the way they treat him. Paul begins to realize the truth of it all. However, he does not give up his dream ' to own his own land. He does not lose faith, even when his father denies him an opportunity to race a horse for cash. Denial only pushes him to accept the offer, but the owner of the horse refuses to pay him his winnings. Mitchell, his personal bodyguard, decides to take matters into his own hands and makes them running for their lives. The Land takes the readers on a journey of Paul's determination, hard work, and his daring and desperate decisions.
One reason I absolutely love this book is because of the plot! The way Paul and African Americans are treated helps me understand what it was like for people, like Paul during the 1800s. This book helps me realize how hard it was back then ' to treat others respectfully while they mistreat you, to try to be quiet when a white man was speaking! For example, in the book, Paul is not allowed to hit his brother when he has done something wrong because he is white. It makes me think about how unfair it was a century ago. People were treated unjust because of the color of their skin! I now appreciate my life much, much more, knowing how many lifestyles used to be.
In addition to this, I love the suspense! There is always something exciting happening ' from the horse race to the fights where Mitchell, Paul's bodyguard protects him. What makes this book so fascinating is the fact that there is always something incredible, simply amazing happening. This makes me want to read more! Not only is it entertaining, but also this book raises many intriguing questions. For example, what is going to happen to Paul, what dramatic decision will he make now, and how is Paul's father going to react to this chaos? As you can tell, many questions arise. This is one great aspect of The Land.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy books based on history ' something that actually happened. The Land is based on true facts ' how people were considered, how lifestyles were for African Americans, and how there were many unjust, unfair laws. This book has a wonderful plot, which is not only entertaining, but also educational. You would have to read it yourself!
I can understand why this book won the Coretta Scott King Award!

This book is a great read! Mr. Scott has captured the world of cyberspace perfectly and the plot keeps you guessing until the end. Those of you scared to touch it because it's Christian, don't worry - this is not a glorified tract. I'm looking forward to reading other great books from Mr. Scott!

Most authors we read understand the essential elements of good drama -- setup, pinch, big event, rising conflict, and resolution -- and have the skills to engage the reader. Now and then, however, an author comes along with something more, something which propels the story beyond the ordinary and into the realm of literature, where deeper and higher meanings dwell. In good games, such as chess, the rules are simple and the tools basic, but they allow for layers of strategy, endless permutations, and challenging engagements. So it is with good literature. In virtu@lly.eliminated, Jefferson Scott uses the simple tools of drama to engage the reader in a straightforward, entertaining thriller, while accomplishing the difficult task of creating a world of virtual reality as a metaphor for the battle between spiritual forces of good and evil. Note the "layers" of meaning: the VR interface to the GlobeNet (a superInternet) is itself a complex metaphor, like the Windows desktop. In the end, virtu@lly.eliminated is not about the thrilling conflict between Ethan Hamilton and Patriot, but rather the fecklessness of our most astonishing accomplishments when they do not serve God; for all of Patriot's skills, his intelligence, his access to great literature, and his self-sacrificing dedication to a cause noble in his own eyes, they come to naught in the face of Ethan's selfless, singular purpose -- to restore his own faith and put Jesus in the driver's seat. So put the kids to bed, kiss your spouse goodnight, and stoke up the fire, for when you pick up this book... well, you're going to stay up late to finish it.

I was looking through a book sale when I found this book. It looked interesting, so I borrowed money and bought it. I had read 50 pages by the time I got home, and I have read it about 50 times (seriously.) I love it! Jefferson Scott writes incredibly well, and the reactions of Ethan are probably how I would react. I look forward to any sequels with great anticipation.

My husband and I married in our mid thirties thinking we had a lock on good communication skills and knowing we were mature enough to really make this marriage work. Nonetheless, it wasn't long before we were "mired in muck". When a small conflict arose, we found ourselves so caught up in being right and fighting our point to the death that small events escalated into huge issues. We could feel the good things in our relationship slipping away and felt helpless to fix the problem. (This was AFTER reading probably 20 different books on marriage, doing the Barbara D'Angelis program, the Gary Smally Program, attending several couples workshops, etc.). Contemplating calling it quits on our marriage, I happened accross this book, loved it, then went to a PREP workshop. Our marriage is AWESOME. We actually know how to hear and be heard and have the skills to RESOLVE the conflicts. (By the way, note the "I". My spouse hasn't read the book and refused to go to the workshop.) I learned the skills and used them in our marriage and our relationship changed. It even works with kids, in-laws, co-workers.... Yippee!

This book should be required reading for all couples getting married. If only I had read this book first, I could have avoided a lot of the bumps along the marital journey and saved myself and my spouse a lot of grief. Based on sound research and full of excerpts from real couples' lives, this book is now my favorite gift to newlyweds. It gives you great comfort to know that the arguments you and your spouse have occur in all marriages at different times. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking at making their marriage last for the long haul!

I have been trained by Markman, Stanley and Blumberg in the PREP program. Since the training, my spouse and I have worked with couples using their techniques and I have delivered numerous short presentations on the PREP program. The book is an excellent introduction to the process and if followed carefully, it can enrich the relationship of engaged couples and improve any marriage. I highly recommend it. Dr. M. Jean Turner, Associate Professor Family Studies Dr. William C. Bailey, Associate Professor Family Studies--both of the U. of Arkansas

I have been a user of Cakewalk since its DOS days, yet I learned a wealth of new tweaks in the first 60 pages of this book. Reminiscent of the "For Dummies" series, this book is valuable for beginning users of the program as well as being useful for intermediates. Garrigus is a knowledgable writer, and has written articles for most of the well-known music magazines, including Electronic Musician and Keyboard. His style is intelligent, witty and eminently readable. Most of all, the information contained in the book is very up-to-date (as of June 2000), and he gives you full info on staying up on the latest program updates. Highly recommended for any user of the program.

It might sound crazy, but this book made me buy the software it referes to! Really! Thanks to this book I decided to buy the latest Cakewalk software, because it really explains the software in a human understandable way !

I am a beginner with Cakewalk, so I can't really tell if this is a good book for more advanced users, but for me, it's the new bible around.

And better yet, the author, Scott Garrigus, has a website where he answers ALL the questions we as readers have not only regarding his book, but also regarding MIDI and recording in general.

I also love the fact that the author refers in the book to modern computers (like Pentium III) and other "fresh" technology in the market.

I am new to computer music making and even the best programs, such as CAKEWALK, can be staggering during the learning process. And sure enough, after purchasing CAKEWALK HOMESTUDIO 2002 (covered to a degree in CAKEWALK POWER), I was staggered and dizzy and very intimidated by the program. Scott's book "CAKEWALK POWER" made that first dip into the complexity of the software both manageable and almost... "fun?" "Fun" was something I did not expect to have until I had spent months both learning and experimenting with CAKEWALK, but by taking the process slowly, and carefully following the CAKEWALK POWER instructions, I found myself actually MAKING MUSIC! YES, I kid you not... This book is as well written as one could expect in translating the madness of technical language into something that actual human beings can understand. I really loved that Scott has written the book in such as way as to anticipate and account for problems before they might occur, then defining and explaining a course of action such that one can succeed in performing a specific operation correctly the FIRST TRY. So often these technical books define a process in such a dry and sterile and letter perfect manner that the average human brain will almost definitely make a mistake. The book then makes up for the expected inadequacy of the reader by including a comprehensive TROUBLESHOOT section. And sometimes none at all! CAKEWALK POWER overcomes this problem by making the essential text understandable and "do able" the first time. There by allowing the reader to make fewer mistakes that later need be compensated for. I cannot underestimate the benefits of using this book in tandem with CAKEWALK and the included (with the program) CAKEWALK tech manual. It will bridge that "holy ..." gap and make the software both accessible and usable. If you have... or seek to purchase a CAKEWALK product, this book is required reading. A 5 Star no brainER...