You didn't need to be told that humans are ruining natural environments all over the place. In the competition for survival, we are winning, beating out competitors, causing havoc, and claiming victory, however short term it may be. It is only particular aspects of the problem that are news, and we do need to be told of them for the purpose, if nothing more, of keeping our eyes open to the onslaught. Here is an aspect that you may not know about: green sea turtles are being killed off by a mysterious illness. A sincere and thoughtful book will tell you of the problem, if you can stand to hear about it: _Fire in the Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and the Fate of the Ocean_ (PublicAffairs) by Osha Gray Davidson. Davidson is a fine storyteller, and has pulled the history of sea turtles together with documentation about their current fate, as well as giving vivid portraits of the idiosyncratic turtle fans who are trying to do something about the turtles' problem. The particular problem for them is serious, and as Davidson's subtitle tells, it reflects a general and larger disaster.

The green sea turtle has survived for over a hundred million years, and it simply may not be around much longer. It has been overhunted, but as Davidson makes clear, overhunting is so cause-and-effect obvious that it is often blamed as the reason extinctions happen. However, a hundred years ago we were learning that the indirect methods of ignorance and indifference were far more efficient vectors of biological collapse by means of habitat destruction. We are also turning coastal waters into a breeding ground for a revolting disease called fibropapillomatosis, or FP for short. Tumors sprout on the flippers restricting motion, and around the eyes causing blindness, and within the guts causing eventual death. They are warty or smooth, and leeches live in them for the blood supply, and blood flukes lay eggs in them. In 1986 researchers were shocked that there were outbreaks of the disease in both Florida and Hawaii. The exact mechanism of the disease is in doubt, but what is not in doubt is that turtles with this disgusting and sad disease come from the areas which are most highly polluted, by fertilizers and sewage, or have sea beds gouged by trawling. Turtles from the few remaining pristine areas are so far unaffected, but no ocean creature will be unaffected by ocean temperature change, which is another way the sea becomes friendly to pathogens.

Davidson's work is full of facts and scientific information, and skillful portraits of people involved in trying to do something about this horrendous illness. If there is any defect in his book, it is that it spends its bulk explaining the problem carefully, and leaves only a few paragraphs for instruction on what we can do, and such instruction is general: "We could stop treating the ocean as if it were the world's largest garbage dump and start treating it like the sacred source of all life that it is... We could balance growth and development with habitat preservation. We could, finally, get serious about stopping global warming." Davidson is no pessimist, but sadly, it is probable that our "we coulds" are not going to change into "we wills" in time to stop this disaster, and the others connected to it.

....although the sea turtle problem is bad enough. I got this book for Christmas and read it in two days, it was that compelling. Davidson does a great job of describing the awful FP virus that is decimating the ranks of sea turtles all over the world. Sea turtles have been on this earth since dinosaur times, he notes, and it would be tragic to see them go extinct now. The problem affects other species too and it is caused by overfishing and polluting the oceans, and probably global-warming as well. I don't want to repeat the whole book here, but I just want to say that this is fascinating and alarming reading for anyone who cares about the oceans and for the beautiful and endangered turtles.

A well writen, easy to read, shocking and informative review of the epidemic plaguing the sea turtles of the world. A must read for anyone interested in sea turtles and/or the health of the world's oceans in general. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down.

Gray Highway redefines the American fascination with aliens ... but it is also a very stirring portrait of America. This book is incredible -- looking forward to the next Holm/Follett book!

This book had me rolling on the floor -- three cheers for the intrepid UFO searchers. Can't wait for the next book!

While I love reading about the unexplained, supernatural, and otherwise curious, I'm about as skeptical as people come about the existence of "original" UFO books. It's all been covered about a million times, in a million different ways, right?

WRONG. Gray Highway approaches the American UFO mythology from a totally new angle: two friends embark on a roadtrip of famous UFO sites. From Roswell to New England, to the mesa vortex of Sedona, they scrounge the American landscape for signs of intelligent life...and often come up with the unexplicable. The co-authors recorded their experience vigilantly, and their back-and-forth narrative is the work of people unhampered by commercialism or preconceived notions of the subject matter. Which isn't to say they don't know what they're talking about!

Gray Highway is a light but literate exploration of how a collective mythology shapes the American landscape. Whether you believe in little green men or not, you will surely be taken in by this very original and entertaining book.

I've been a big fan of Nicholas Gray ever since I first borrowed 'Overhills to Fabulon'. I think that Grimbold's Other World was one of the most magical books I've read, and this is including Nicholas Gray's other books. I totally agree that this author should be reprinted and considering the popularity of the Harry Potter series, I can't understand why any publishing company doesn't undertake this sensible option.

My Dad has told to sit down and prattle on about Grimbold and Muffler in the hope that the publishers will put Nicholas Stuart Gray books back into print again.

Dad read us Grimbold's Other World,and this is what I think of it:

Muffler,brought up by farmers, meets Grimbold the cat, who takes the boy into the Night World, where cats grow enormous and dogs quiver like mice,and where Sable,the merciless sorcerer, lives in Red Tower, with his mischeivous son, Gareth. Gareth always defys his father,and gets into rather serious trouble, but Muffler and Grimbold help him.

Muffler also meets the Hob,who lives in the barn and is the luck of the farm,and Madam Nettleweb, Sable's scatty sister.

This is a fabulous book,full of magic and mystery. I recommend it for any age from 7 and upwards.

One of my favourite books ever, this humorous and quirky collection of short stories about one boy and his relationship with the world of faery is written with intelligence and wit. Grimbold is a large black cat who guides Muffler, the foundling child raised by farmers, on many midnight adventures through the "night world", where everything becomes, physically, what it is spiritually, or mentally. Cats are huge, fearsome and fast, and dogs are small, cringing things full of fear. (Great for cat people: I felt very vindicated.) I highly recommend it for bedtime reading, as it is harmless and not frightening at all, and each chapter can be read on its own. Grimbold is full of dry, sarcastic humor, and Muffler is an endearing character for children and parents alike.

Nicholas Stuart Gray is a very talented, underappreciated artist who wrote other children's fantasy fiction. Notably, he wrote a story called "Seventh Swan", about the last of the ! "swan prince" brothers from the fairy tale. The premise of the novel is, what happened to the poor prince who was left with one swan's wing at the end of the story?

I received this cd on how to meditate. Using this cd I now have a better connection with God. Each time I meditate, I come away feeling as though I could move mountains. Everything I pray for comes to me. It's like having an open line of communication with God. I will tell anyone that is going through hard or good times to get this cd. It will change your life!

Awesome. After meditating, I felt peaceful and relaxed. I highly recommend this meditation CD. Ed Gray is brilliant, clear and concise.

Ed Gray is a master of meditation. He guides you step by step through a program of spiritual awakening and relaxation that is better than anything I have ever tried before! I have tried numerous other self -improvement/meditation programs and found them to be lacking. They were either too simplistic or so complicated you would have to be a Zen master to figure them out. Ed Gray takes a down to earth yet deeply spiritual approach to lead the listener on a journey to true empowerment. Not only do you get a system by which to wash the troubles of the day away, you get a true conduit to communication with God. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to lead a healthier more spiritual life!

The struggle to find to find true love in the present world is not an easy task. In this world where the once sacred institution of marriage is now no more likely to last than flipping heads on a coin, those who truly know what love is are scarce. Everyone claims to know what this thing called love is, but few truly understand the essence of everything the word love stands for. In this book, the writings of several self-proclaimed love experts, professors from various colleges, have been compiled together in an attempt to help others find out what love is and how to make it a part of their lives. The basic beliefs range from Buddhism to Christianity, but all of the authors agree that we all need love. This in itself is a valid argument because of the basic human need to feel accepted and appreciated.
Some of the claims made about love in this book are:

1. Give love to get love
2. Love is a choice
3. Love is wanting the best for another person
4. Love yourself in order to love others

There are various other insights on love in this book; buy it and find out what they are.
The basic argument from these claims filters into the overall argument of love stems from the individual. Love cannot exist if an individual doesn't want it to exist. Restating the claims, an individual must give love to get it in return, choose to love, desire the best others, and show love for the self in order to show love to others.
This argument is quite valid because love is not some sort of pit which people can helplessly fall into. Love is not lust and love does not envy. All of the claims presented elaborate on the essence of what love is and reasonably arrive at the conclusion that love stems from the individual. All of the points are clearly and precisely elaborated on in the book, and the reader comes away from the book with a newfound sense of mental completeness. This completeness comes from better understanding what true love is. There would be no way to account for the multitudes of occasions in which individuals have professed to "knowing" what love is, but enough sufficient evidence is presented in the book to allow the argument to be complete.
It's intriguing to find that many proverbs have stemmed from the forethought that love stems from the individual. The Golden Rule is the prime example of this. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The "doing" part is from the individual, one must do unto others first in order for others to do the same unto them. "You reap what you sow." Again, it is seen that the individual must first sow in order to reap. For what is there to reap if nothing has been sown? So this is what you must do, go out and express your appreciation for someone. Love first in order to love last.

Everyone in the world needs to read this book, I guarantee it would change many lives. It opens your mind to think deeply of what some fears the most, love. It truly answers so many questions in regards to love and life. Everyone that has picked my book up, cannot put it down. Now that's a winner!

To receive more love in your life, you must give more love: This book opens you to the possibilities. There are so many pearls in this collection of essays, and each and every chapter gives one much to ruminate about. I rate it a "10" because the messages are both timeless and crucial to finding happiness. It's a wonderful book to give as a gift, but first and foremost, as a gift to yourself.

I've been using this handbook for about 25 years, and recently realized that my edition was the 3rd, published in the 1970s! So I ordered the latest edition (14th edition), and was so pleased with my purchase. This is a handbook that lives in our office, and gets used to death (we do graphic design, copywriting, editing). Any new employee on our staff is required to at least become familiar with the table of contents (in case of emergency!), and very soon they too are heading for Harbrace's to look up something. We love it.

It never ceases to amaze me how many times some anal grammarian tries to correct my writing only to review my Harbrace College Handbook to see they're wrong and I'm right. This is the definitive guide to American English grammar. Easy to read, plenty of examples, and more importantly it even covers those gray areas of usage letting the ready know this non-standard without simply cutting you off without explanation. I have purchased the latest edition ever since I purchased my first copy as text to Advanced Composition during my undergraduate days at the University of Maryland University Collage. Harbrace as served me very well ever since helping me obtain a high GPA in regards to my written assignments. I have a lot of other grammar books that I look at now and then, but Harbrace remains the standard.

This is an exemplary work. It is absolutely essential to the high school level and above as a general and specific guideline to writing. I strongly recommend this book for those interested in perfecting their grammar and writing styles.

-Jonah Sampson Boyarin hehe

How It Really Was: A Memoir of "The Greatest Generation" by Patricia Hunter Gray is her personal account of her life's adventures, beginning with growing up in a small Indiana town during the Depression era, where her family was as hard-hit by bad times as everywhere else. Patricia enjoyed travel a great deal, going from one end America to the other, and then eventually traveling around the globe. A most thoughtfully written and engaging autobiography, How It Really Was is a truly wonderful account of varied people, events, and places in a restless, yet highly enjoyable lifetime.

This straight from the hip shot at life in a small Indiana town is really how it was. I, too, grew up in the town of Morocco, Indiana and even though the author had escaped from its limiting confines by that time, it remained and still remains basically the same. Anyone wanting to sample the flavor of a small mid-western town in the l920s 30s and 40s should put this book on their required reading list. Even though the author continued her exploration of the big, wide, world out there after she left the town, she retains many of the timeless values she learned in her early years. Her continuing desire for greater experiences and wider knowledge of the world and its peoples is something that many of us can appreciate. It is very well written and a joy to read.

What a great thing she did for women when she wrote this book! The things that her kids wrote on the trip through Europe made the book even better. It shows what an independent woman can do with her life.

I picked up this book at my local library,reading it in the corner, terrified, lest anyone see that I wasinterested in reading about gays. When I did relax enough to read it, I devoured it. I found a part of myself in all of the teenagers in the book.I felt their struggles. I'm living their lives. I cried when I finished the book. I yearn to be comfortable enough to discuss my sexuality the way these teens did. Reading about their fight out of the closet was a cpomfort to me, a bisexual teenager who is not yet all the way out. I recommend this book to students, teachers, and anyone who has to face issues dealing with homosexuality in their everyday lives. I am getting upthe courage to buy a copy so I can have it to keep.

Ms. Gray is a fabulous editor-selecting the most incredible queer youth to represent the community today. As a queer youth, I too would have loved to read something as powerful as this. As a queer teacher, it is a resource for all students to understand the diversity in our state and country. If introduced into the schools, perhaps our schools will become just a little bit safer for ALL students.

When we're young, one of the worst experiences is having someone else speak for us. This book by Mary Gray allows queer youth to speak from their own perspectives. Not only would I have liked this book as a youth, but I find it useful as an educator of late teens. Give it a try.

L of G saved my life. Doctors had given me up for dead. I stopped breathing when near any major electrical outlet or field. This is the only book that mentions that and the only one that deals with the emotional, mental, and spiritual healing . An extraordinary story that gave me hope. And the knowledge in it is astounding and beyond anything I've ever come across. I am now back working after lying like a corpse for nearly two year and have started my own business. Thank you Elizabeth Rose. You are a saint. You're book helped me to discover my true path. Thank you again for your courage in writing this horror story.

My wife has serious chemical sensitivities. Back in the 1980s when her symptoms appeared, the doctors kept diagnosing her reactions as "psychosomatic" because they did not produce identifiable allergens like regular allergies do. This book, published in 1985, was one of the first proofs we found that A) she was not alone and B) it was not "all in her head."

Elizabeth Rose's story, told in a non-technical, almost journal-like style, chronicles her struggle to identify the chemicals in her home and environment that were causing the allergic reactions, then de-toxify her system enough to recover a reasonably normal life. Much additional research has been done on Environmental Illness and Sick Building Syndrome since this book was first published, but it remains a good read. In addition to practical info on identifying harmful chemical factors, she also shares some of the spiritual side of her healing, such as various dreams that gave her clues about what she needed to do. Most of all, her story offers hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Lady of Gray details theauthors physical and spiritualstruggle to overcome "toxicityto the 20th Century"--environmental illnesss. It is written ina distinctly "non-literary"(somewhat awkward, conversational) style thatactually contributes to its charm. The writer delineatesboth the "grunt" work of spiritual and physical healing,as well as some revelationalexperiences. Truly, a rare gem

Excellent book;great pictures and diagrams. I would highly reccommend to anyone

A fantastic, helpful and well done book! Each item is carefully described and the directions are easy to follow. You won't believe how easy and inexpensive it is to make these gorgeous little creations. Inspiring! I have made several of the items portrayed in the book and I am amazed at how well they came out the very first time! I'm sure you will treasure this jewel as much as I do!

Can be used by the new miniaturist as well as the experienced. Good color photos and easy instructions using items found easily. Full sized patterns for some plans. Patterns and plans for the whole garden from walls to tools to vegetables to a patio chair. A truly enjoyable read. Can't wait to try the specific flowers listed in the book.